A scene from the original production of Wounded Soldiers at Winslow Farm in Millbrook in August 2014. 4th Line Theatre is taking the production on the road this November with 15 performances in Peterborough, Ottawa, and Belleville. (Photo: Wayne Eardley)
Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre is taking its acclaimed production Wounded Soldiers on a three-week tour this November, with performances in Peterborough (including two on Remembrance Day), Ottawa, and Belleville.
Written by Robert Winslow and Ian McLachlan, Wounded Soldiers premiered at 4th Line Theatre’s Winslow Farm in the summer of 2014. kawarthaNOW’s theatre reviewer Sam Tweedle called it “powerful, poignant, well-acted, hard hitting, and dipped in historical research — as one would always expect from this fantastic theatre company.”
Set against the backdrop of World War I, Wounded Soldiers follows three young people as they forge the bonds of a friendship that will not be defined by mental health, physical disability or race. The unlucky trio include Canadian Home Child Billy Fiddler; Johnny Singer, a physically disabled young man; and Lydia Grant a young, black nurse from Jamaica. The play takes place in southern England in 1916 and is a tragic examination of love, self-sacrifice and friendship.
Wounded Soldiers casts an unflinching eye on the battlefield experiences of soldiers and marginalized individuals trying to navigate a system which does not accept them. The play deals with issues of race, disability, mental health and war, paying homage to the past while helping us understand the problems we still face today.
Wounded Soldiers was co-written by award-winning novelist and playwright Ian McLachlan and 4th Line Theatre Creative Director and playwright Robert Winslow (supplied photos)
“I grew up in the UK in the second world war,” explains co-playwright Ian McLachlan. “My very first memory is of a bomb blast that damaged our house in London. I remember being marched into the basement of my school in 1944, wearing a gas mask and chanting my arithmetic tables.”
The co-playwrights are hoping to reach as many Canadians as they can during this three-week tour. The messages are clear and expected to initiate important conversations. The Canadian Mental Health Association is supporting the tour and will have informational booths at all three cities and be running workshops to highlight attention towards mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which figures prominently in the play.
The production of Wounded Soldiers will be directed by Robert Winslow and will feature a cast of six actors playing over 20 characters. Mark Kreder will play Billy Fiddler, Sean Towgood will reprise his original performance as Johnny Singer, and Emerjade Simms will take on the role of Lydia Grant.
The remaining cast members include Mark Hiscox, Justin Hiscox, and Joanne Latimer. As in the original production, musical direction and original composition is by Justin Hiscox. Costume design is by Meredith Hubbard with stage management by Fiona Jones.
The touring production of Wounded Soldiers stars Mark Kreder as Billy Fiddler, Sean Towgood as Johnny Singer, Emerjade Simms as Lydia Grant, along with Mark Hiscox, Justin Hiscox, and Joanne Latimer (supplied photos)
The Wounded Soldiers tour opens with five performances at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough from Wednesday, November 9th to Friday, November 11th (Remembrance Day). There will be evening performances at 7 p.m. as well as matinee performances at 1 p.m. on November 10th and again on Remembrance Day.
The tour then proceeds to the nation’s capital with five performances at the Arts Court Theatre in downtown Ottawa from Thursday, November 17th to Saturday, November 19th. There will be an evening performance every night at 7 p.m. and matinee performances at 1 p.m. on November 18th and November 19th.
The tour finishes in Belleville with five performances at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery in the Belleville Public Librar from Thursday, November 24th to Saturday, November 26th. As with the other cities there will be an evening performance every night at 7 p.m., with a 1 p.m. matinee performance on November 25th and 26th.
Tickets for all performances are $22 for adults and $15 for children and youth aged 5 to 16.
Packages and special ticket pricing for school groups are available in all cities, along with a complimentary study guide available for teachers. Please contact Jennifer Carr at jenn@4thlinetheatre.on.ca or 705-932-4448 to book your school group.
GreenUP Ecology Park Garden Market Coordinator and resident tree expert, Vern Bastable, assists customers with choosing the right tree for their planting site. Staff will be on hand at The Little Autumn Tree Sale on October 16th with sale trees, shrubs, and plants starting at only $1. (Photo: Karen Halley)
Trees are well known for improving air quality, providing wildlife habitat, growing food, and increasing property value. Their ability to combat climate change, reduce energy needs, and improve physical and psychological health is clear. Why not plant a tree this fall?
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Karen Halley, GreenUP Communications & Marketing Specialist.
Autumn is the best time to plant a tree. It is the ideal season when the weather turns cool and, with lots of rain, soil conditions are perfect for tree roots to establish themselves.
GreenUP Ecology Park’s Little Autumn Tree Sale is this Sunday, October 16th with trees, shrubs, and plants starting at only one dollar — making it a great time to add a new tree to your yard.
Most of us have a favourite tree species that we’d like to sit under in our yard; however, it is best to understand the planting location before choosing a species to plant there. The more you know about your yard, the easier it will be to select a species that will thrive there.
Just like people, trees are particular about their living conditions. It is best to find a good match between the tree’s requirements, and the conditions present in your yard. Soil type, moisture, sun, and exposure are all important factors that will affect tree growth.
You can start by understanding the soil so that you are are able to plant species that will grow healthy roots. Is the soil heavy and wet? Is it dry and gritty?
GreenUP Ecology Park’s Mandy Rice shows pots of shrubs at the park’s annual Spring Plant Sale. Ecology Park carries a variety of native shrubs, trees, and plants in many sizes for various planting needs. (Photo: Karen Halley)
If you don’t know much about your soil, you can look for some clues about its consistency. For example, when you water plants in your yard, does the water soak in quickly? If so, it is likely to be a sandy or gravelly soil whereas, on clay, water will sit longer and soak in after some time.
You can gain more information by digging up a small sample. Clay feels lumpy and sticky when it is wet; sandy soil feels gritty; silty soil feels soapy; and loamy soil is spongy. A handful of soil with a high clay consistency will form a shape in your hand when you squeeze it in your fist, whereas sandier soil will break apart.
Well-chosen planting locations will consider the roots, all the way up to the canopy. If the planting location is in a low-lying area that remains moist, you will want to plant a species that will thrive with “wet feet” as it’s roots will be moist for extended periods of time. Up to the canopy: how much sun will the tree receive? Some trees are tolerant of shady conditions while others are not and need full sun to prosper.
Backyards are ideal areas for planting a tree. They are often are isolated from streets, have greater space for the canopy to grow, and have deep soils to grow into. There are a variety of trees that will grow well in these tree-friendly sites; Dogwoods, Beeches, Pines, and Tamarack are species to consider.
The stresses of city life on urban trees can lead to shorter lifespans. The average life expectancy of an urban tree is only 10 to 15 years but, with attentive planning and ongoing care, trees can live longer.
Trees planted in the city are subject to built features: overhead wires, pavement, underground wires, and fences. Your planting location should consider all these factors, which can reduce the growing space both above and below ground and can affect the long-term health of the tree.
Avoid planting larger trees below wires, plant as far away from the road and sidewalks as possible, leave at least 20 feet between other trees, and be sure to request locates for underground services well in advance of planting.
With all these considerations, perhaps you’re now picturing your yard and wondering how a tree will ever grow there?
If you wish to plant near a road, have limited space near a sidewalk, or live in a new subdivision with only compacted soil to work with, you can choose a hearty species that is more likely to grow under difficult conditions. If this is the case, Honeylocust, Ironwood, or Bur Oak may be species to add to your shortlist.
An apple blossom blooms in GreenUP Ecology Park tree nursery this spring. Autumn is the best time plant a tree, whether you are planting it to grow food, increase shade, attract birds, or reduce flooding. (Photo: Karen Halley)
Consider choosing a species that is native to our region. They have developed complex evolutionary relationships with other native species, grow well in local soil conditions, and have adapted to the area’s unique climate.
It is always beneficial to plant a diverse range of species. With a changing climate, we are able to consider planting a broader range of trees and shrubs that are now able to thrive in the Peterborough area. Planting Carolinian forest species, which typically thrive in more southern regions, allows even greater biodiversity of our urban forest. Hoptree, Kentucky Coffee Tree, and Tulip Tree are unique trees that are able to grow in sites that are protected from bitter winter winds.
Whether you are planting a tree to increase shade, attract birds, beautify your yard, grow food, or reduce flooding, there is a lot to consider.
Visit GreenUP Ecology Park’s Little Autumn Tree Sale on Sunday, October 16th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to choose the right tree for the job. Sale species and prices will be available at Ecology Park on sale day only. Staff will also be on hand to help and answer your questions.
4th Line Theatre presents The Shadow Walk of Millbrook, which explores the paranormal history of Millbrook, for six sold-out performances from October 20 to 29
If you’re walking near The Old School in Millbrook this week, don’t be alarmed if you see a ghostly figure in the dark. While it may look like a spectre, it is most likely an actor from 4th Line Theatre rehearsing for their upcoming show The Shadow Walk of Millbrook.
Part ghost walk and part theatrical production, The Shadow Walk of Millbrook is not only 4th Line’s first off-season show, but one that takes the company off of Winslow Farm and into the streets, trails, and woods of the town of Millbrook.
In development since 2015, The Shadow Walk of Millbrook was written by Paul Braunstein and Monica Dottor and is directed by 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell. Featuring 10 performers in 21 scenes, the show brings its audience on a journey through Millbrook’s dark past in a unique walking tour.
“Paul approached me in the summer of 2015 and asked me if we’d ever consider doing a Halloween play,” Kim says of the origins of the show. “I had been interested for a long time in doing some off-season programming for 4th Line. We’ll always be the farm theatre and we love our summer season, but I was interested in exploring some opportunities for artists to work more. So when Paul brought up the idea, I thought it’d be an exciting opportunity.”
Although Paul and Monica originally envisioned the show at the Winslow Farm, bringing the show into the streets and woods of Millbrook offered the company a lot more interesting possibilities.
“I think Paul and Monica thought it’d happen at the farm, but in the off-season the theatre is the private residence of Rob Winslow,” Kim explains. “But I’ve always been intrigued by the architecture of Millbrook, and especially the old school. I thought that would be a great launching place for a play that would have you walking through the paths and the forest of Millbrook. Monica and Paul got excited pretty quickly about that possibility.”
What makes The Shadow Walk of Millbrook unique compared to other ghost walks is that the entire tour contains its own story within itself. Actor Matt Gilbert plays James, a paranormal investigator hired by the town to help put the ghosts of Millbrook to rest. However, James is more than just a guide; he has his own story going on within the evening as well, giving a whole other dimension to the experience.
“There is lots of truth but we wanted to make good theatre so there is some fiction, as well as an umbrella storyline based around the paranormal investigator who is the lead character,” Kim reveals. “It’s a bit of a quest story for him, which goes back to his childhood.”
In collecting the stories for the show, Paul and Monica relied on the verbal narrative supplied by the people of Millbrook.
“Paul and Monica did a public reminiscence last November where they were able to collect local ghost stories,” says Kim. “Then they talked to Rob Winslow, who is a wealth of Millbrook and area ghost and murder stories. Rob can just stand by the old school and point at a place and say ‘That’s where that guy cut his head off, and down there is where the arena exploded, and over there is where the Bernardo boy drowned.’ He just has hundreds of stories. Monica and Paul also visited with some old timers in Millbrook who had a lot of stories as well.”
“There are all sorts of interesting characters in the show,” Kim adds. “The most famous two include Sir John A. MacDonald, who used to like to come to Millbrook to drink, and Joseph Sriven, who wrote the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus, but we also feature a lot of local people who met an untimely end.”
There are six evening performances of The Shadow Walk of Millbrook — Thursday, October 20th to Saturday, October 21st and Thursday, October 27th to Saturday, October 29th — and each performance can only accommodate 120 people. As of the date of this story, all performances have been sold out.
If you’re one of those 720 lucky people who purchased tickets, Kim has some advice.
“I wouldn’t recommend the show for anyone under the age of twelve,” Kim says. “There are some really scary things that happen within it. I don’t want anybody to think that it’s like any of those haunted houses at theme parks. It’s not men with chainsaws coming out at you. Make sure you wear comfortable or sturdy shoes or boots. The piece relies you to walk over rough terrain for over a kilometre. Be prepared for any sort of weather, and dress warm. Also, we are asking people to bring flashlights so they can light the own path as they walk.”
With paranormal investigation television programs being popular, the belief in the supernatural has been on the rise in the last decade. So does Kim believe in the supernatural?
“We ask the audience at the beginning of the play which side they fall on and at the end if anybody changed their mind,” Kim says. “I have a hard time not believing that there are other planes of existence. I personally don’t have any ghost story or experiences. I think that’s what helps people become believers if they have a situation where nothing can be explained in any other way. But I desperately want to believe.”
A truly original show for 4th Line Theatre, The Shadow Walk of Millbrook is a new way to not only witness reenactments of local lore, but to see the picturesque town Millbrook in a entirely different way.
“Millbrook can get pretty creepy,” Kim says. “There’s not a lot of light in the area that we are doing the play. Darkness alone can be quite scary — that and the forest.”
“We were rehearsing in the forest last night and my daughter Maude is in the play,” Kim recalls. “I pointed at the trees and said ‘go stand over there’ while directing her. She said ‘No Mom. I don’t want to stand over there. It’s too dark!’ I said ‘Are you afraid?’ She said ‘Yeah.’ And I thought ‘Oh, that’s good!’ I don’t mean that it’s good that she’s afraid, but I was really excited about the effect of the darkness.”
The play features a host of favourite 4th Line Theatre actors including 4th Line’s Founder and Creative Director Robert Winslow, Matt Gilbert, Maude Rose Craig, Josh Butcher, Lorna Green, Hilary Wear, Andrew Pederson, Andréanne Duplessis, and Mark Hiscox. Justin Hiscox is the musical director and composer of the show. As well as being a co-playwright, Monica Dottor is choreographing the production. Joining the company will be local aerialists and dancers, Thomas Vaccaro and Jennifer Elchuk.
For those who have tickets, each performance begins at 7 p.m. and participants are to meet at The Old School at 1 Dufferin Street in Millbrook.
Vote for The Canadian Canoe Museum's project at the Aviva Community Fund and help the museum to make its award-winning programming more accessible to schools, community groups, outreach events, and the general public (photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough is competing in the Aviva Community Fund and is seeking your votes now until Friday, October 28th.
Canada’s national canoe museum has applied for the $50,000 to $100,000 funding level to purchase a van, trailer hitch package, vehicle wrap, and enclosed trailer. The new equipment would allow the museum to make its award-winning programming more accessible to schools, community groups, outreach events, and the general public.
Specifically, the museum would use the equipment to transport children to summer paddling camps, to take the museum’s educational programming and workshops to schools and other locations, to transport the museum’s public paddling fleet for use on-water, and to transport museum artefacts to exhibits at partner museums.
Registering is easy (you can even do it through Facebook) and, once you register, you have 18 votes you can cast for The Canadian Canoe Museum (or you can distribute them among other projects).
Among other things, the museum would use equipment purchased through the Aviva Community Fund to transport children to summer paddling camps (photo: The Canadian Canoe Museum)
The museum is competing with over 240 other projects at the the $50,000 to $100,000 funding level. The 15 ideas that receive the most votes in each of the two funding levels will become finalists.
Winners will be picked from the finalists by a panel of judges and announced on December 6, 2016. Judges will rank ideas based on the following criteria: longevity and sustainability, votes, impact, originality, likelihood of success, and submission quality.
If you support The Canadian Canoe Museum’s project and want to help, invite your friends, families. and coworkers to vote for the project. There will also be a voting kiosk set up in the museum’s lobby.
The most popular menu item at Amandala's in downtown Peterborough is the duck breast with a black cherry ancho sauce. (Photo: Amandala's)
This month, Eva Fisher celebrates Oktoberfest with a round up of sausages from local butchershops and takes a look at Oktoberfest beer with St. Veronus. She also features new restaurant Amandala’s, By the Bushel’s winter basket program, and passes on a goodbye from Nuttshell Next Door owner Jay Nutt.
Franz’s Butcher Shop & Catering makes a variety of sausages including traditional German varieties. (Photo: Franz’s Butcher Shop & Catering)
The variety of sausages being made in local butcher shops is tremendous. Kawartha butchers are developing unique flavours and reviving traditional recipes with local meat.
If you’re looking to celebrate Oktoberfest this month, you have an easy option: all of these local butcher shops make Oktoberfest sausages.
The apple pork sausages from Grant’s Butcher Shop in Bobcaygeon are one of their most popular varieties. (Photo: Grant’s Butcher Shop)
The most popular sausages at Grant’s Butchershop (35 King St. E., Bobcaygeon, 705-731-1049) are their apple and pork and bruschetta and pork, but they have recently created chicken ginger and chicken cranberry sausages. All of their sausages are gluten free and made with locally sourced meat. You can also enjoy their handmade sausages baked into a sausage roll.
Smokey Joe’s (7949 Highway 7, Peterborough, 705-740-1169) stocks a variety of 11 sausages at any given time. Their flavours include tomato bacon, garlic and leek, Texas, apple, maple blueberry, and honey garlic with dijon. The meat is from the Belleville area.
Franz’s Butchershop & Catering (172 Lansdowne St. E, Peterborough, 705-742-8888) offers a variety of regular and smoked sausages including black bean salsa and jalapeno cheddar, both of which have won Ontario Meat Processing awards.
They also offer a variety of German sausages: not only Oktoberfest sausage but Bockwurst and Weisswurst.
Weisswurst is a traditional Munich sausage. It’s traditionally served in a clay pot with lukewarm water that is meant to be sucked from the casing. Franz’s Weisswurst can be eaten casing and all. It doesn’t contain nitrates so the meat is whiter than most sausages. Bockwurst is similar to a frankfurter but made in a wider casing.
Primal Cuts (550 Lansdowne St., Peterborough, 705-775-6378) makes about 15 varieties of sausage, with between 6 and 7 available any given week. They are known for their Square Nail Pork Sausages, which are made with local pasture raised pork finished on mash from The Publican House’s Square Nail Pale Ale. The Square Nail sausages are made with parsley, thyme and caramelized onion. Finishing the pork on the square nail mash gives it a sweeter taste.
Primal Cuts also offers merguez sausages, a North African inspired lamb sausage with paprika, cumin, coriander, chili flake, cayenne, cinnamon and garlic.
St. Veronus is bringing in Oktoberfest beers from Munich breweries to Peterborough
St Veronus is offering Oktoberfest beers from Munich this fall. (Photo: St Veronus)
If you didn’t make it to Munich for Oktoberfest, you can still taste the same beer that was poured in the festival beer tents here in the Kawarthas at St Veronus Cafe and Tap Room (129 Hunter St. W., Peterborough, 705-743-5714).
Munich’s Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebrations for the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen on October 12th, 1810. The original Oktoberfest featured horse racing, shooting competitions and feasting. Munich’s annual Oktoberfest now draws millions of visitors every year from around the world, and centres around food and beer.
The beer is provided exclusively by the six breweries within Munich’s city limits.
The traditional Oktoberfest beer is a Märzen. When Oktoberfest began it was illegal to brew beer in the summertime because it was considered a fire hazard. Märzen beers were brewed in March, the last possible time to brew before Oktoberfest. They were made slightly higher in alcohol (at least 5.7%) so they would remain fresh until beer could be brewed again.
Roland Hosier, the owner of St. Veronus, is bringing in Oktoberfest beers from Hacker-Pschorr and Paulaner. “They’re perfect for drinking in the fall as well. They’ll have a biscuity quality and they’re usually a sort of brisk hopping. They’re also meant to be drunk in quantity so they’ll be fairly easy drinking.”
Roland notes that you don’t necessarily need to source from Bavaria to get a delicious beer in the Oktoberfest style. “A number of Canadian and American brewers make very good beers in that style. Beau’s brewery make great Oktoberfest, so does Sam Adams.”
Amandala’s makes fine food from scratch on Water Street
The cheese and charcuterie board at Amandala’s features many items made from scratch. (Photo: Amandala’s)
Amanda Menard opened her restaurant Amandala’s (375 Water St., Peterborough, 705-749-9090) this August, but she’s no stranger to the restaurant business. In fact, she’s no stranger to her Water Street location. Amanda co-owned Italian restaurant Niccolini’s, but after a split in the partnership she has reopened the location with a new menu and a new atmosphere.
Staying felt right to Amanda. “I really really love the industry, love food, love the community actually — I’ve really met a lot of great people here and had gotten quite a bit of support. I decided to give it a shot on my own and keep it going.”
Amandala’s has some Italian menu items, but Amandala’s features a variety of cuisines with menu items made from scratch by Chef Simon Brown.
The made from scratch ethic is apparent in the cheese and charcuterie board. It features duck rillette made by the chef and cheddar cheese cherry smoked in house. All of the vegetables on the board are pickled in house, the olives are marinated in house and the pecans are candied in house. Even the mustard is house made.
The most popular menu item so far? Amanda says “surprisingly, the duck.” It’s a pan-seared muscovy duck breast served rare to medium rare with a black cherry and ancho sauce. Maybe not so surprising after all.
This Wednesday (October 12), Amandala’s is debuting a mid week dinner for two that they call “Amandala’s Mid Week Indulgence.” This will feature a shared appetizer, two entrees, and a shareable dessert.
Register early for By the Bushel’s Winter Produce Baskets
By the Bushel is encouraging people to register early for their winter basket program. (Photo: By the Bushel)
By the Bushel (542 Rogers St., Peterborough, 705-760-1387) is a monthly produce subscription featuring items from 20 local farms. Their focus is on fresh, certified organic and ecologically grown produce.
They are encouraging people to register early for their winter basket program, which begins on November 17th and runs monthly for 6 months. Business Developer Margaret Madden says that this is important so their growers will be prepared for the season. “We like to give our farmers numbers so they can plan.”
By the Bushel offers spring, main season and winter baskets for pickup in East City. A typical winter basket contains 8-10 different vegetables: squash, potatoes, carrots and beets are popular because they store well. Growers with greenhouses allow By the Bushel to offer kale and salad greens even in colder months.
Around the time you pick up your vegetables By the Bushel sends a newsletter with recipes to inspire.
Although they’re not included in the monthly basket, you can also shop online for local items like butter, cheese and honey or additional seasonal vegetables to add to your basket before you pick it up.
By The Bushel is member owned and a lifetime membership costs $25, which includes the newsletter and regular events such as farm tours. Visit www.bythebushel.ca to learn more.
New ownership for Nuttshell Next Door
Popular Lakefield cafe the Nuttshell Next Door will change ownership as of November 1st. (Photo: Nuttshell Next Door)
Popular Lakefield cafe The Nuttshell Next Door (33 Queen St., Lakefield, 705-652-9721) will be under new ownership as of November 1st.
Owner Jay Nutt posted a moving farewell on the cafe’s Facebook page on October 9th. From the post:
“What made the café special wasn’t my tirelessly blind work ethic, but the people who came in and out of both the front and back doors.
It was the gardeners, the artists, the musicians. It was the writers, the teachers, the students. Young moms with babies, and women with old moms. Young people who grew up to be staff. Staff who grew up to have babies. Staff who became family. And at times, family who were staff.
We had weddings, anniversaries, graduations and chapel speeches, break-ups and re-unions. We saw the elderly, people with stages of dementia, people with physical and mental illnesses, and on occasion we lost customers to death. Age. Cancer. Accidents. Sudden passings and long drawn-out battles that ripped out our souls.
But throughout, we saw kindness. Smiles. Gestures of good-will. A community coming together for coffee, for lunch, for the occasional dinner party. Strangers buying coffee for people they’d never see. People sharing tables with strangers they’d just met. If we had one rude person in a day, I learned to acknowledge instead the other customers that supported us in such a positive manner.”
Congratulations and good luck to Chef Jay Nutt and his wife Jennifer MacKenzie.
Beats and Braids takes place from October 13 to 15 at various venues in Peterborough (image: O'Kaadenigan Wiingashk Collective)
“Like the autumn birds that will now begin to gather and prepare for migration, we ask you also to gather with purpose, to watch, listen and dance, to think about where we have been, where we are now and where we are going on this long journey to reconciliation under the brightness and beauty of the October full moon.” – O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk Collective
In Ojibwe culture, the first full moon of the fall is known as “Biinaakwe Giizis” (the Falling Leaves moon) and the O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk Collective is celebrating with “Beats and Braids”, a three-day arts festival in Peterborough from Thursday, October 13th to Saturday, October 15th.
The festival features stellar acts from across Canada and also includes music and book readings by many artists from the local community.
O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk — an aboriginal women’s multi-disciplinary arts collective formed in 2004 by Sarah DeCarlo, Sara Roque, and Patti Shaughnessy — strives to bring together artists, community organizations, and diverse audiences with a focus on indigenous programming. This festival is indeed an example of this, and will be bringing together both local and indigenous culture in an exciting festival of music, performances, and workshops.
Join in and celebrate the fall season to the fullest this October by participating in this amazing festival. Take the opportunity to meet new people from the community and from across the country, learn about reconciliation, soak up the festival atmosphere, and dance the night away!
Below is a list of festival events. For more information, visit www.publicenergy.ca.
The festival begins on Thursday, October 13th from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., with an artist’s talk by musician and author Rae Spoon at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough).
Rae is an award-winning Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and author. Their musical style has varied from country to electronic-influenced indie-rock and folk punk.
Rae’s talk at Market Hall, presented in partnership with the Rainbow Youth Program at PARN, is free.
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson with Nick Ferrio at the Gordon Best
Accomplished writer, intellectual, artist and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (photo: Nadya Kwandibens)
Following her participation in last month’s collaborative performance and installation work “Constellation/conversation” at Artspace, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson will be releasing her debut album f(l)ight as part of the festival.
An internationally renowned activist and artist from Alderville First Nation, Simpson’s album is a collection of Nishnaabeg stories that speak to Nishnaabeg resurgence, land, and sovereignty. It features tracks from acclaimed musicians A Tribe Called Red, Tanya Tagaq, and Cris Derksen.
Nick Ferrio (photo: Colin Medley)
At the album release party, which happens at 8 p.m. at the Gordon Best Theatre (216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough), local musicians Gratia Leitch, Sean Conway and Nick Ferrio will also be playing live. Following f(l)ight, local performer Nick Ferrio will be debuting new music from his forthcoming album Soothsayer.
Tickets are $15 and are available in advance only at The Only Café, underneath the Gordon Best Theatre.
A Divine Intervention with Al Tuck and a Dance Party with DJ Bear Witness at the Gordon Best
Songwriter and folksinger Al Tuck will be performing Friday night as part of the call-and-response concert A Divine Intervention at the Gordon Best Theatre (photo: Public Energy)
“A Divine Intervention” takes place on Friday, October 14th at 8 p.m. at the Gordon Best Theatre (216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough). This call and response concert features Rae Spoon, Al Tuck, Charlie Glasspool, and Sean Conway, with Curtis Driedger, Patrick Lefler, Gratia Leitch, Jay Swinnerton, Missy Knott, and Evangelene Gentle.
Tickets are $15 and are available in advance only at The Only Café, underneath the Gordon Best Theatre. Al Tuck will also be giving a solo performance at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 15th at at Catalina’s (131 Hunter St. W., Peterborough). Tickets are $10, available at Catalina’s.
Bear Witness (middle) of A Tribe Called Red (publicity photo)
Later the same night at the Gordon Best, there will be an epic dance party beginning at 10 p.m. featuring DJ Bear Witness of A Tribe Called Red and multi-artist Joel Davenport. Tickets are $15 and are available in advance only at The Only Café, underneath the Gordon Best Theatre.
Artist’s talk with Ann Beam at The Art Gallery of Peterborough
“Germination”, a selection of works by Ann and Carl Beam, is on display now at The Art Gallery of Peterborough
Ann Beam will be giving an artist’s talk at The Art Gallery of Peterborough (250 Crescent St., Peterborough) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 15th.
Ann’s husband, the late Objibwe artist Carl Beam from M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island, made Canadian art history as the first artist of native ancestry to have his work purchased by the National Gallery of Canada as contemporary art. Both Ann and Carl Beam lived and worked in Peterborough.
“Germination”, an exhibition of selected works by Ann and Carl, is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Peterborough until January 2017. Their works integrate personal memory with issues related to the environment, brutality, and a rethinking of the ways histories are told. Through juxtaposition, collage, and gesture they upset colonial structures by sparking level dialogues between systems of knowledge.
Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler book launch at Catalina’s
Author Nathan Adler is launching his debut novel “Wrist” (photo: OKW)
Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler is launching his debut novel Wrist, described as an Indigenous monster story, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 15th at Catalina’s (131 Hunter St. W., Peterborough).
The launch will feature Nathan reading from his book, as well as readings by guest writers Kate Story, Janette Plantana and Ursula Pflug. This is a free event.
Pura Fé and Ryan McMahon perform at Market Hall (and give free workshops too)
Accomplished songwriter, blues/slide guitarist and activist Pura Fé (photo: Patricia de Gorostarzu)
The festival culminates on Saturday, October 15th at 8 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) with music by blues/slide guitarist and activist Pura Fé, followed by a performance by comedian Ryan McMahon of CBC’s Red Man Laughing series.
An heir to the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Pura Fé is a musician, artist and activist. Her musical style runs the gamut from folk to mainstream to blues, with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Charley Patton, and Joni Mitchell as influences. When she’s not touring or fighting for civil rights, Pura sings her Tuscarora blues songs in her from North Carolina home to the sound of her lap-steel guitar.
Ryan McMahon is an Anishinaabe comedian, writer, media maker and community activator based out of Treaty #1 territory (Winnipeg, Manitoba). Ryan’s comedic storytelling style is fast paced, loose, and irreverent as he explores the good, the bad, and the ugly between “Indian Country” and the mainstream.
Tickets are $15 and are available at the Market Hall box office, by calling 705-749-1146 or online at markethall.org.
Comedian Ryan McMahon (publicity photo)
Both Ryan and Pura will also be leading free workshops earlier at the festival.
On Friday, October 14th, Ryan will be presenting “Reconciliation 101: For Settlers” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Monocle Centre for the Arts (140 Simcoe St. Upper, Peterborough).
On Saturday, October 15th, Pura will present “Canoe Songs”, a vocal and harmony workshop where she’ll teach her family’s canoe songs. The workshop takes place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the First People’s Gathering Space at Trent University (located at the Enweying Building on the east bank of the Otonabee River).
Following Pura and Ryan’s performances at the Market Hall, the festival wraps up with a pay-what-you-can open stage hosted by The Garnet (231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough).
Pharmasave Havelock Community Pharmacy is located on Highway 7 at 16 Ottawa Street in Havelock (supplied photo)
Pharmasave Havelock Community Pharmacy opens
Congratulations to Steve Petherick on the opening of his business Pharmasave Havelock Community Pharmacy.
Pharmasave is a group of independently owned pharmacies with over 580 locations in nine provinces. Steve grew up in Havelock and is proud to offer a full-service pharmacy, complete with vitamins, cough, cold and pain, giftware and more.
Open seven days a week, Pharmasave Havelock is located on Highway 7 at 16 Ottawa Street. Call 705-778-3368.
Peterborough Careers relaunches
Peterborough Careers helps match local job seekers with employers (photo: Peterborough Careers / Twitter)
Peterborough Careers has relaunched its website.
With hyper-local job search tools, the site helps match local job seekers with employers. It’s a great resource and it’s now owned by Heather Watson of Acorn30 Marketing.
Health at Work Peterborough is offering breakfast seminars on mental health in the workplace (graphic: Health at Work Peterborough)
Health at Work Peterborough is presenting a breakfast series on Wednesdays featuring topics of interest to business people regarding mental health in the workplace.
The first workshop is October 26th and features Jack Veitch in a one-hour introduction to workplace mental health. January 25th will touch on psychosocial risk and April 26th will cover critical incident response.
The breakfasts will be held at Peterborough Public Health on King Street and you can register www.healthatworkpeterborough.ca.
Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Excellence Awards
The annual Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards takes place October 23 (photo: Peterborough Chamber of Commerce)
Upcoming events include the Chamber of Commerce annual Business Excellence Awards next Wednesday (October 19th) at the Trentwinds.
“Do You Hear the People Sing 3” is coming up Sunday, October 23rd, at 2 p.m. at Showplace.
Directed by Jerry Allen, the afternoon of music, comedy, and theatre raises funds for Casa De Angelae, a home for women with intellectual disabilities.
Trent Valley Archives unveiling plaque for Joseph James Duffus
The Honourable Joseph James Duffus (photo: House of Commons, 1936)
And Trent Valley Archives is unveiling a historic plaque saluting the Honourable Joseph James Duffus.
Duffus was one of Canada’s earliest car dealers, an outstanding local entrepreneur and a former Mayor, MP, and Senator.
He opened a Ford Model T dealership in 1908 (and, yes, you could have any colour you wanted, as long as it was black).
The plaque unveiling will take place at Princess Gardens, this Saturday (October 15th) at 9 a.m.
Everyone is invited. Just let Heather at Trent Valley Archives know by calling 705-745-4404, as seating is limited.
Since Thanksgiving Monday is a statutory holiday in Ontario, all government offices, banks, and liquor and beer stores are closed. Many grocery stores and other businesses are also closed. Most tourist attractions and recreational services remain open.
Thanksgiving is an annual holiday to celebrate and give thanks at the close of the harvest season, a practice of First Nations and Native Americans centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America. In Canada, Thanksgiving days were observed sporadically beginning in 1799.
After the American Revolution, American refugees who remained loyal to Great Britain moved from the newly independent United States and came to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada, such as the turkey, pumpkin, and squash.
Thanksgiving is always observed in Canada on the second Monday of October, which coincides with the U.S. observance of Columbus Day (American Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November).
Since Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in Ontario, all government offices, banks, and liquor and beer stores are closed. Many grocery stores and other businesses are also closed. Most tourist attractions and recreational services remain open.
For your convenience, we provide this list of 236 selected businesses, services, and organizations from across the Kawarthas. While we make the information on this list as accurate as we can, you should call first to confirm hours if you’re travelling any distance (we’ve included phone numbers). If your business or organization is listed and the hours are incorrect, please let us know by using our content feedback form.
Bewdley Transfer Station 7650 County Rd. 9, Hamilton 905-342-2514
CLOSED
Brighton Landfill 1112 County Rd. 26, Brighton 613-475-1946
CLOSED
Canada Post Mail Delivery / Offices Note: Post Offices operated by the private sector will be open according to the hours of service of the host business
No mail collection or delivery
City of Kawartha Lakes City Hall, Municipal Service Centres, and Administration Offices 26 Francis St., Lindsay 705-324-9411
CLOSED
City of Kawartha Lakes Parks, Recreation and Culture facilities, arenas, and pools Various locations, City of Kawartha Lakes 705-324-9411
Lindsay Recreation Complex and Forbert Memorial Pool are closed
City of Kawartha Lakes Public Libraries Various locations, City of Kawartha Lakes 705-324-9411 x1291
CLOSED
City of Kawartha Lakes Waste and Recycling Collection 26 Francis St., Lindsay 1-888-822-2225
No curbside waste collection service. Collection during the week of October 10 will occur one day later than your regularly scheduled collection day.
City of Peterborough Day Cares Peterborough 705-748-8830
CLOSED
City of Peterborough Garbage Pickup Peterborough 705-745-1386
No change
City of Peterborough Green Waste Pickup Peterborough 705-876-1600
No change
City of Peterborough Recycling Pickup Peterborough 705-876-1600
No change
City of Peterborough Social Services Peterborough 705-748-8830
CLOSED
County of Haliburton Administration Offices 11 Newcastle St., Minden 705-286-4085
CLOSED
County of Northumberland Waste and Recycling Collection 555 Courthouse Rd., Cobourg 1-866-293-8379
No curbside waste or recylcing collection service. Collection during the week of October 10 will occur one day later than your regularly scheduled collection day. No change to collection in downtown cores of Cobourg and Port Hope
County of Peterborough 470 Water St., Peterborough 705-743-0380
CLOSED
County of Peterborough Garbage Pickup Peterborough 705-745-1386
Contact your township or install My Waste app
County of Peterborough Recycling Pickup Peterborough 705-775-2737
Jenn Tucker, Hospital Manager at Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital, estimates that these puppies are between two and three weeks old. Their eyes aren't yet open. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
On Friday afternoon (October 7th), 58 dogs flew into the Peterborough airport from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake First Nation), a community about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
A team of 10 veterinary professionals received the flight of dogs, which included two pregnant females and several litters of puppies.
The Provincial Animal Transfer Team in collaboration with Big Trout Lake First Nation began assembling the dogs for their journey on October 3rd. They used food to bring the dogs to a central location, where they received a leash and a collar and were brought to a triage area for a health check and vaccinations.
The dogs were crated for the flight and given toys for the journey. (Photo: Eva Fisher)The dogs were given a gentle medical examination and even some treats when they arrived at the airport. (Photo: Eva FisherVets from Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital, Gull River Veterinary Services and Cavan Hills Veterinary Services triaged the puppies on arrival. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
Big Trout Lake First Nation took the lead in establishing the transfer of the dogs, and provided leadership, volunteers, a triage building for the dogs to stay in and meals and accommodations for the rest of the transfer team.
Andrew Fraser, Executive Director of the Peterborough Humane Society, applauded Big Trout Lake First Nation for taking the lead on this project.
A variety of dogs flew in to Peterborough, most of which were medium to large in size. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
“They’re leaders in animal welfare themselves, they care very much for their animal population. They recognized that this was an opportunity to bring these animals into Southern Ontario where there was a greater opportunity to find forever homes.”
Once the dogs were cleared for travel, they were secured in crates for the 4.5 hour North Star Air flight to Peterborough.
The dog transfer went smoothly, and The Peterborough Humane Society wants to ensure it can continue to accommodate large transfers of dogs like this one.
The organization, which has operated at 385 Lansdowne Street East in Peterborough since 1955, is currently raising funds to build a first-of-its-kind provincial dog rehabilitation facility in Peterborough.
They have purchased a 20-acre site located at 1999 Technology Drive where a new 43,000 square foot building will be built. Chris White, President of the Board of Directors of the Peterborough Humane Society, says that they need to raise another $4 million to make the facility a reality.
“It will have enough capacity to house all these dogs at once,” White explains. “So instead of flying them in and then sending them all over the place, we can rehabilitate them all here.”
Dogs at the facility won’t have to travel further until they are ready to be adopted. In addition to the Ontario SPCA Dog Rehabilitation Centre, the facility will also house the Peterborough Humane Society Shelter, a pet adoption and education centre, and a high-volume regional spay and neuter clinic.
When it comes to the 58 dogs flown in to the Peterborough Airport on Friday, Tanya Firmage, Chief of Humane Programs and Community Outreach with the Ontario SPCA, believes all of them will be adopted.
“These dogs make great pets because they’ve been in an environment where people care for them but they don’t have families,” Firmage says. “Taking them into a family environment is really all it takes. They get to spend the rest of their lives with a family that loves them.”
Keira was brought to Buttonville Airport last year in a similar dog transfer. Her owner Leia says that Keira was easier to train than she expected. “She adjusted so well.” (Photo: Eva Fisher)
She points to Keira, a sweet-tempered dog wearing an Ontario SPCA bandana that has been sitting calmly among the crowd gathered at the airport.
Keira was brought to Buttonville Airport last year in a similar transfer.
“She didn’t have a person or a family to call her own and now she does,” Firmage says. “Now 58 others are going to as well.”
Vets from Cavan Hills Veterinary Services, Gull River Veterinary Services, and the entire staff of Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital were on hand to help.
Dr. Kristy Hiltz of Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital had a broken hand and had to watch from the sidelines. She said that from a veterinary perspective the transfer was well done.
“The OSPCA has done a fabulous job in terms of trying to minimize disease transfer: quarantine protocols, gowns, gloves,” Hiltz says. “This is a well-run operation because if one of these dogs had a contagious disease, were they not taking the precautions that they are, we could wind up with 58 very ill dogs.”
Kristy noted that the dogs looked healthy, although one of the dogs, a golden retriever, had an injury to one of its limbs.
All of the puppies and their moms were to be sent to the Peterborough Humane Society for the night. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
Once the 58 dogs are cleared for further transport, they will be brought to the Peterborough Humane Society, North Bay & District Humane Society, Welland & District Humane Society, and Quinte Humane Society to be placed in their adoption programs.
For more information about the Peterborough Humane Society’s plans and to make a donation, visit www.phsnewshelter.ca.
The new television series "The Eight" is based on Ian Rogers' acclaimed horror story "The House on Ashley Avenue"
American television network NBC is developing a haunted house procedural drama series based on a short story by Peterborough writer Ian Rogers.
Peterborough author Ian Rogers will also be writing an episode of the series (photo: Kathryn Verhulst Rogers)
The Eight is based on Rogers’ “The House on Ashley Avenue” and will be written by Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman, writers on the fifth Paranormal Activity movie.
The series is set in a large insurance company that has a secret “High Risk Claims Department” specializing in insuring haunted houses. After the company’s founder dies, the department finds itself in a urgent race to find “The Eight” — a mysterious group of haunted properties hidden across North America that are connected by a terrifying and powerful force. (In Rogers’ original story, one of The Eight is a fictional house on Ashley Avenue in Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood).
Pagan and Deutschman are also executive producing the series, along with Vertigo Entertainment, whose credits include include the A&E series Bates Motel and The Grudge horror movie franchise. Universal Cable Productions is the studio.
“The House on Ashley Avenue” originally appeared in Rogers’ debut collection of fiction Every House Is Haunted in 2012. In 2014, Universal Cable Productions and producer Ray Lee of Vertigo Entertainment optioned the television rights to the story after it was reprinted in Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 5.
Cover for “Every House Is Haunted” by Ian Rogers
Roy Lee is known for producing horror films including The Ring, The Grudge, The Departed, Bates Motel, The Woman in Black, and more.
Rogers, who has signed on as a consultant for the show, tells kawarthaNOW he will be getting a co-producer credit and will also be writing an episode of the series.
“This is the first haunted house story I ever wrote,” Rogers says on his website. “I wanted to do something a bit different with it, so I decided to make my paranormal investigators (a man and woman who are as different from Mulder and Scully as I could make them) employees of a shadowy organization whoses motives are a bit nebulous to say the least. Are they the good guys or the bad guys? Is the house really evil or is it just … haunted?”
Details about when the series will be broadcast are not yet available.
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