The downtown area of Peterborough has literally been taken over by the Spark Photo Festival.
The works of a wide and talented array of image makers seem to cover every nook and cranny of available wall space around. It’s a good thing, as the works are highly varied both in subject matter and tone.
Spring is in the air!
With spring comes being more active and trading in those comforting casseroles for something a little more daring — and generally a little on the lighter side.
Over the last couple of decades or so, environmental consciousness has become more and more mainstream.
Schools have recycling and compost programs, global warming has become a daily discussion, and the value of green space has grown immensely.
As the population grows, we end up with positive and negative effects. If you look at the Kawarthas as an example, it doesn’t take long to realize one of the largest negative effects: traffic management.
Peterborough is unique in that it was a handful of boroughs that grew into each other. This evolution left us with a labyrinth of streets, especially through the downtown core.
Lansdowne Street was long established as the main east-west corridor through the city, and has adapted to increased traffic flow and business growth over the years, leading to what we have today.
In Italian, brio is a musical term meaning “fire” or “vivacity” and gusto means “taste” or “flavour”.
Peterborough’s Brio Gusto restaurant is aptly named. Its kitchen is where Chef Andrew Orde performs his magic and its dining area where patrons appreciate the results of his unique culinary artistry.
Chef Andrew is renowned for his creativity, pushing the boundaries of flavour and food combinations and resulting in dishes that brim with soulful authenticity.
He uses only fresh local produce and makes everything from scratch, offering generous portions that are of the highest quality and value.
Everyone who knew Mary McGee’s mother knew that she loved a cup of tea.
When her mother died, Mary thought a lovely way to honour her memory would be to serve tea at the reception — using her mother’s own collection of tea cups.
This intimate gesture would capture the essence of who her mother was and keep her memory alive in the hearts of everyone present, providing Mary with a sense of closure and peace.
As President and CEO of the Little Lake Cemetery Company in Peterborough, Mary McGee understands how important it is that a funeral service reflects the uniqueness of the life it honours.
“We want to help families plan a service that is personalized, and as individual and unique as their loved one,” McGee explains.
One of very few female management leaders in what has traditionally been a man’s field, McGee brings a fresh perspective and innovative ways of doing business in the funeral industry. Originally from the financial sector, McGee became CEO just as the legislation passed allowing cemeteries and funeral homes to operate together on the same site.
In 2010, the Little Lake Cemetery Company opened the Highland Park Funeral Centre, a state-of-the-art full service funeral centre designed to assist with all funeral planning needs in a single location.
The Little Lake Cemetery Company also operates the Little Lake Cemetery, the Highland Park Cemetery, and the Highland Park Crematorium. The Highland Park Funeral Centre is located at the Highland Park Cemetery.
“We see a real benefit to families in having the option of funeral and cemetery services in one place,” McGee says. “Working closely with countless local businesses in the design, construction and furnishing of this facility, we created the building with the future in mind, offering full accessibility and flexibility in all of its services.”
There is a deliberate non-secular design to the Highland Park Funeral Centre building, which provides a multi-faith gathering hall where a service of any denomination can be held.
The building has comfortable meeting rooms for private moments of quiet reflection, and well-appointed reception rooms that can host intimate gatherings or expand to offer a service accommodating as many as 300 guests.
“The flexibility of the facility and the accommodating nature of our staff have allowed us to host everything from a traditional service to an Irish wake,” McGee says.
“We have even hosted a service featuring the deceased’s most prized possession — his motorcycle,” McGee recalls. “Instead of walking into the visitation room to find a casket or an urn, his friends and family members were touched to find his beloved motorcycle front and centre, surrounded by flowers and adorned with his picture.”
By engaging in conversations, discussing options, and informing families of the choices they have ahead of time, Highland Park Funeral Centre makes the entire process of funeral planning easier, which ultimately reduces stress on loved ones.
The centre offers services as personal as the individual, tailored to any type or size of gathering or service, and designed for any religious or secular sector — all while being sensitive to budgets and offering families peace of mind.
“Families know their loved ones best,” explains McGee. “Our goal is to ask the right questions, offer thoughtful suggestions, and then guide the families through a difficult time.”
Highland Park Funeral Centre arose from the deep community roots established more than a century ago by Little Lake Cemetery.
Founded in 1850, Little Lake Cemetery was incorporated as the first private trust cemetery. Never municipally owned, Little Lake Cemetery has always been a rural, landscaped, not-for-profit and non-denominational cemetery.
Its volunteer board of directors ensure that the cemetery is self-supporting and is managed by the local community, by drawing board members from owners of burial lots and from the local business community.
In 1964, the board committed to opening a second cemetery in Peterborough and, in 1967, opened Highland Park Cemetery under the same principles as Little Lake Cemetery: “built by Peterborough, for Peterborough”.
In 1976, the Little Lake Cemetery Company established the first crematorium between Toronto and Ottawa within Highland Park Cemetery, serving Peterborough and its surrounding region.
With a varied selection of burial and cremation plots and cremation niches, Little Lake Cemetery and Highland Park Cemetery offer a beautiful setting to have one’s life permanently recorded, recognized, and remembered.
Little Lake Cemetery and Highland Park Cemetery provide an archive of the history of the Peterborough region. Trent Valley Archives — a public advocacy group in Peterborough that promotes the preservation, identification, and care of archives — is instrumental in supporting these historical records.
“With our roots planted deeply in history and community relationships, we’re moving forward with a vision that is built on caring, professional, and personalized planning,” explains Mary McGee, President and CEO of the Little Lake Cemetery Company. “We’re designing our services to provide both restful remembrance and a place of permanence.”
Highland Park Funeral Centre
2510 Bensfort Rd.
Peterborough, ON K9J 1C5
Telephone: 705-745-6984
Toll free: 1-800-672-9652
Fax: 705-745-6164
Email: info@highlandparkfuneralcentre.com
Web: www.highlandparkfuneralcentre.com
Peterborough is in for a rare treat on Sunday, April 28th, as one of Canada’s great singer-songwriters and guitarists will grace The Spill with an intimate concert.
Stephen Fearing is touring his new record, Between Hurricanes — his first solo studio work since 2006, when he released the Juno Award winning record Yellowjacket.
The new album’s title and theme are essentially one and the same: a culmination of Fearing’s experiences and life changes over the past seven years.
John Moss writes mysteries because nothing brings life into focus like the murder of strangers.
Professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa, John was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2006, in recognition of his career as a professor of Canadian literature with over a score of books in his field. He has been a major force in shaping Canadian literary criticism and in advancing the understanding of Canada’s literary culture.
Over the past few years, John has moved progressively away from literary criticism to creative writing. His Quin and Morgan mystery series now occupies his writing efforts full time.
There is a common thread running through the work currently on display at the Art Gallery of Peterborough.
Tom Phillips, Ph.D., is famous for a lot more than his work at Trent University and Fleming College as an expert in economics.
“He’s a great golfer and friend,” explains Ian Armstrong, Athletic Director of Lakefield College School. “Ask him about his lacrosse career. Tom has been key in helping to create and carry on a winning tradition here in Peterborough.”
Indeed. Tom was a member of the 1961 Minto Cup winning Peterborough Juniors, and since then has been involved with the team which has won the Cup 12 times — more than any other lacrosse community in Canada.
When I sit down every few weeks to write about what’s bugging or inspiring me, I start with the intention to write something nice — “non rantish” if you will.
Inevitably, something happens in the preceding few days that gets me riled up. Try as I might to move past it and stay positive, I find myself 500 words into a rant and it’s too late to turn back.
This week was no different.
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