Iconic Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell returns to Peterborough MusicFest on July 1, 2017 as part of the Celebrate At Home Canada's 150th birthday celebrations in Peterborough (photo: The Feldman Agency)
As difficult as it is to wrap one’s head around Canada Day in mid November, with a little push it is possible.
This morning (November 17) at Peterborough City Hall, members of the Canada 150th Anniversary Celebrations Committee did their level best to excite the masses, revealing that iconic Canadian rock artist Kim Mitchell will open Peterborough Musicfest’s 31st season on July 1, 2017.
Peterborough Musicfest general manager Tracey Randall, Ptbo150 committee chair Mike Melnik, and Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett at the November 17th announcement that Kim Mitchell will be performing at Peterborough Musicfest on Canada’s 150th birthday (photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
The 64-year-old Sarnia native will take to the Fred Anderson Stage in Del Crary Park as part of an ambitious four-day celebration, June 29th to July 2nd, themed “Celebrate At Home”. The concert will herald the opening of the 17-concert Musicfest season, with the entire concert schedule to be revealed next spring.
Anchoring the Celebrate At Home initiative is a $100,000 grant from the City of Peterborough, a portion of which made it possible to secure Mitchell for the Canada Day concert — his fourth Musicfest appearance. In 2012, his August 4th appearance was cut short by bad weather, but he returned on August 21st to play a full show before thousands of classic rock fans.
Sarnia native Kim Mitchell began his career in the mid 1970s fronting Max Webster and has since sold more than 1.5 million albums (photo: Kim Mitchell / Facebook)
In bringing Mitchell back to Peterborough, Musicfest general manager Tracey Randall has secured a musical artist widely revered for wearing his Canadian pride on his sleeve and thus a perfect fit with the Celebrate At Home theme.
In addition, with Mitchell’s extensive hit song catalogue, she’s guaranteed a huge crowd for the concert series’ opening salvo — assuming Mother Nature plays nicer this time around.
Mitchell began his professional musical career in the mid 1970s fronting Max Webster, which released six studio albums from 1976 to 1981, recording hit singles such as “A Million Vacations” and “Paradise Skies”, and toured extensively.
VIDEO: “Go For Soda” – Kim Mitchell
However, his subsequent career as a solo artist brought him his greatest success in the form of three Juno Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year in 1990, and a string of hit singles such as “Go For Soda”, “All We Are”, “Patio Lanterns”, “Easy To Tame”, “Rock And Roll Duty”, “Rockland Wonderland”, and “America”.
He also claimed Juno Awards for Most Promising Male Vocalist in 1983 and, four years later, for Album of the Year for Shakin’ Like A Human Being, his second solo album.
In total, Mitchell has sold more than 1.5 million albums. Most all of his recordings, with Max Webster and as a solo act, have attained gold or multi-platinum status. All along the way, Mitchell has toured extensively — a regimen that was put on hold this past January when he suffered a heart attack and had a stent put in.
VIDEO: “Patio Lanterns” – Kim Mitchell
“It made me realize that I have nothing to prove any more,” related Mitchell in a May 2016 interview with Jim Barber of MusicLifeMagazine.net.
“I play guitar and I am going to go up there on stage and enjoy myself and appreciate the fact that I get to go up on stage and play in front of people who like what I do. I don’t stress out about all the stuff around being a touring musician any more. I am where I am in my life and my career, so I am just going up there and relax and do my thing.”
“I am all about customer service. People are coming out to hear certain songs and hear me playing them. But they have been morphing and going through some changes. So Go For A Soda sounds a little different the way we play it on a given night. And we will start to jam out on some of the songs and be a little freer with the arrangements. I like to give people what they want.”
VIDEO: “Lager & Ale” – Kim Mitchell
And giving people what they want is what Mitchell will do on Canada Day next year. That, he says, remains his proudest accomplishment in a music career that has featured many benchmarks.
“Being able to take people to a special place through our performance and music. When that happens, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.”
Canada 150th Anniversary Celebrations Committee is hosting a four-day celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday next year, themed “Celebrate At Home” (photo: Ptbo150 / Facebook)
For more information on Peterborough’s Canada 150th Celebrations, visit the committee’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PTBO150 and follow along on Twitter at @Ptbo150.
Carried Away and the Convivio Chorus performing at In From The Cold at the Market Hall in Peterborough on Friday, December 11, 2015. This year's concert takes place on December 9 and 10. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW)
Known as “The Heart of a Peterborough Christmas”, the annual In From The Cold concert returns for its 17th year on Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th at 8 p.m. at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough.
In From the Cold
When: Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 8 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-775-1503) How much: $20 adults, $15 students/children (includes all surcharges and taxes)
Tickets are available at Moondance (425 George St., Peterborough, 705-742-9425 – cash only) or online at www.markethall.org. For more information and ticket inquiries, call concert organizer John Hoffman at 705-748-2126.
Note: If you can’t make it (or you can’t get tickets before they sell out!), you can listen to Trent Radio’s broadcast of the recorded concert throughout Christmas Day on 92.7 FM and at www.trentradio.ca/stream.htm.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and children (the ticket price includes all surcharges and taxes) and are available at Moondance (425 George St. N.) or from the Market Hall website at www.markethall.org.
In From The Cold was launched in 2000 by John Hoffman, Susan Newman, Rob Fortin and Curtis Driedger, a group of accomplished Peterborough roots musicians who came together to establish an annual Christmas concert that would be unlike any other. In a few short years, In From the Cold had become the hot ticket of the Peterborough Christmas season, selling out the Market Hall for two nights every year and raising over $100,000 for Peterborough’s Youth Emergency Shelter over the years.
This year’s show will again be anchored by the acts that developed the unique In From the Cold sound: folk/vocal group Carried Away, Enrique “Roy” Claveer (aka. Curtis Driedger), The Convivio Chorus, fingerstyle guitarist Michael Ketemer, and Celtic harpist Tanah Haney.
Here’s what you will see and hear at this year’s concert:
Christmas carols and seasonal folk songs from Ireland, England, Appalachia and The Basque Country, presented in In From the Cold’s signature Celtic style
Several new songs including The Roches’ “Star of Wonder”, “White Winter Hymnal” by the Fleet Foxes, and “Bethlehem Down”, a little-known but beautiful carol written in the early 20th century
The sweet sound of instruments rarely heard at Christmas concerts: Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer, banjo, concertina, tin whistle, fiddle and bouzouki
The lush harmonies of the Carried Away and the Convivio Chorus, featuring original choral arrangements by Susan Newman and John Hoffman
More Christmas originals from Enrique “Roy” Claveer and his band of intrepid local youngsters.
In the 17 years since Rob Fortin, Susan Newman, John Hoffman, and Curtis Driedger (not pictured) first launched the annual In From The Cold concert, it has raised over $100,000 for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW)
Concert Sponsors
As always, In From the Cold and the YES Shelter for Youth and Families are grateful for the generous support from the Peterborough community. Sponsors for this year’s concert are:
Get in the spirit of the holiday season and support the YES Shelter for Youth and Families by coming to the annual In From The Cold Christmas concert on December 9 and 10 at the Market Hall in Peterborough. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW)
Past comments about In From The Cold
“In From the Cold is the start of the real Christmas season.” – Concert patron
“The Yuletide cheer was enhanced by a cadre of talented Peterborough musicians presenting a charming and laudable program for the capacity house … A great cause, a great crowd and another outstanding night for Peterborough, the Youth Emergency Shelter and our plentiful local talent.” – Jonothan Fiddler, The Peterborough Examiner
Pesticide use is the suspected cause of the collapse of the bee colony at GreenUP's Ecology Park. This frame from one of the GreenUP Community Bee Keeping Program hives shows the diversity of pollen sources that honeybees are finding here in Peterborough. The variation of colour seen in each of the cells is caused by different types of pollen being collected and brought back to the hive. (Photo: Karen Halley, GreenUP)
A sad story to report this week: the bee hive at Ecology Park experienced colony collapse disorder this fall and the entire bee colony has died.
In its first year, the GreenUP Community Bee Keeping program attracted 12 local beekeepers who stewarded six honeybee hives at five locations in Peterborough, including GreenUP Ecology Park, Liftlock Community Garden, Lock 20 – Parks Canada, Greenwood United Church, and Holy Cross Secondary School.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Karen Halley, GreenUP Communications & Marketing Specialist.
Along with the registered beekeeping program, GreenUP held four free “Open Hive!” events that introduced more than 100 community members to the world of honeybees through experiential, hands-on sessions at the GreenUP Ecology Park hive.
This season, the program collected 40 500-gram jars of honey from our five hives.
Members of the program, along with their family members, helped extract the honey in the Holy Cross school kitchen. Jars of honey were given to the community beekeepers along with hive site hosts, and to B’s Bees, the chief donor of this unique program.
These were some of the many great successes in the first year of the program. However, community beekeepers also witnessed some devastating yet important observations: the Ecology Park beehive experienced colony collapse disorder this fall, with the entire colony mysteriously and suddenly dying off.
This honeycomb, from a frame removed from the GreenUP Ecology Park hive, shows that workers died while depositing pollen and feeding on honey; you can see the tips of their abdomens in the cell. (Photo: Karen Halley, GreenUP)
Evidence left behind in the Ecology Park hive shows that new honeybees died while emerging from their cells as adults. Others died while depositing pollen, and while feeding on honey. With various stages of bees dying in the hive, this suggests that the collapse happened quite quickly.
One frame from the hive shows that the colony attempted to create a new queen. Worker bees will do so when the existing queen is sick, old, or has died. Unfortunately, not enough workers were able to finish the “queen cell” — needed to create a new queen for the Ecology Park hive — before the colony collapsed.
What is the cause of hive collapse and what caused this hive to collapse, right in our own city?
Evidence has shown that a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids used on corn, soy, and other crops, have contributed to a major decline in honeybee populations across the globe. Some of the most recent studies show that other pesticides including fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides can all have an effect on honeybee health and can increase their vulnerability to stressors such as pathogens, disease, and infection.
Pesticides are banned in Peterborough for cosmetic use but are still used in some commercial applications. Also, despite the known harm to humans and to ecosystems, many pesticide products are still available on the store shelves.
This honeycomb shows bees that died as they emerged from their cells as adults; you can see their heads facing outwards from the cell as they tried to emerge. As we face the pollinator crisis in Peterborough, GreenUP continues to expect that one out of every six of our local hives will face colony collapse disorder. (Photo: Karen Halley, GreenUP)
Honeybees feed up to a five-kilometer radius around their hive; the collapse of the Ecology Park hive suggests that the bees may have been feeding on pollen within their feeding range that had been exposed to chemicals.
“Pollen is required by honeybees in order to develop normal physiological characteristics to maintain and grow a healthy colony,” explains Marcy Adzich, GreenUP’s Manager of Landscape programs and resident beekeeper. “In order for honeybees to obtain the necessary nutritional value from pollen, it must contain at least 20% crude protein and 10 specific amino acids. Honeybees need to forage on an array of pollen sources to make up for lack of protein content or amino acids.”
Bees are the most common pollinator, with more than 700 native species living in Canada. Other pollinators include butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are an introduced, managed species that exists as a superorganism, evolving over 135 million years with highly sophisticated communication and organizational characteristics.
Pollinators transfer pollen between flowers while visiting a plant for food, to mate, or for shelter and nest-building materials. Pollination and is responsible for 85% of the world’s plant biodiversity.
GreenUP’s resident beekeeper Marcy Adzich displays frames from the collapsed hive from GreenUP Ecology Park. The public is invited to visit the display at the GreenUP Store to view first hand the impacts of colony collapse, and to learn about honeybee ecology and behaviour and the importance of pollinators in Peterborough. (Photo: Karen Halley, GreenUP)
“Improving the health of bees and other pollinators is an urgent necessity,” continues Adzich. “Without pollinators, much of the food we eat and a diversity of terrestrial ecosystems would not exist.”
Insect pollinators are facing major challenges to their survival and populations have rapidly declined, up to 58% in some provinces.
As we face the pollinator crisis in Peterborough, without rapid changes to the use of harmful pesticides, GreenUP continues to expect that one out of every six of our local hives will face colony collapse disorder.
The collapse of our own local Ecology Park hive brings this issue very close to home, but allows us to recognize that pollinator health and well-being is dependent on us. Taking action now to learn about pollinators, reduce our use of toxic pesticides, and restore natural habitats are positive steps we can take for our environment and our future.
Starting this week, an installation including frames from the Ecology Park hive and the collapsed colony are on display at the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough. Please come and view the various ages of honeycomb from the hive, and see the diversity of pollen sources that honeybees are finding right here in Peterborough. Increase your understanding of honeybee behavior by viewing the inside of the hive, and see evidence left behind by the collapsed colony.
Donations to the GreenUP Community Beekeeping Program are welcome and help to support education, equipment, and tools required to build and maintain healthy honeybee colonies throughout Peterborough. For more information and to donate, visit www.greenup.on.ca/donate-now/.
One-year-old "whoodle" Bentley is starting a new job as a comfort dog at Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre in Lindsay.
Don Finlayson, Funeral Director at Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre in Lindsay, has recently expanded his staff team to include Bentley, a one-year-old Wheaton Terrier Poodle mix known as a “whoodle”.
“Comfort dogs” like Bentley are becoming more common in settings where stress and anxiety runs high, including nursing care residences and child therapy groups. Being comforted by a loving animal is known to provide both physical and mental benefits, and often brings a smile, a sense of relief, and a little joy despite the loss that a grieving person is experiencing.
Lakeland staff began talking about the benefits of a comfort dog about six months ago. They discussed what kind of dog would best suit their environment and the families they serve, how to manage the day-to-day routines, and where the dog would live when not at Lakeland.
Lakeland funeral director Don Finlayson and his family will provide Bentley with his forever home when the pup is not busy making people feel better.
Don and his family were keen to be the forever home for a comfort dog, and he took the lead to find the “perfect dog” for Lakeland. He walked down the road to the shelter at the Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes and asked if they could keep the funeral home in mind should the right kind of dog came into their care.
A couple of weeks ago, Lakeland got a call about a rather shaggy “whoodle” who had been given up by his previous owner, who was unable to manage her multiple pets. Just one year old and still full of puppyhood fun — but also gentle, loving, and undeniably cute — Bentley seemed like the perfect candidate for a comfort dog.
For the next few weeks, Bentley’s role at Lakeland will be primarily behind the scenes. Along with his handlers, Don and Lynn from Lakeland, Bentley is currently taking behaviour lessons to ensure he understands his important role within the business.
“He will be trained to be more than just a cuddly pup,” Don explains. “He’s got a real purpose. He is learning, as we are, how to develop him into an integral part of our caring team and an emotional benefit to those families in need.”
Courtney Bryans, manager of the shelter at Kawartha Lakes Humane Society, thinks Bentley will be a great comfort dog.
“When Bentley came in to the Humane Society he was in rough shape, but still a lovable guy,” Courtney says. “He was just a pup and his previous owner just misunderstood him. Lakeland Funeral Centre took him into their care as foster to adopt, and they got him groomed and he looks wonderful. We are sure he will be wonderful at the funeral home.”
Just looking at this photo of Bentley should make you feel better!
Jill Sadler, executive director of Hospice Kawartha Lakes, says dogs have a special way of providing comfort to people who are stressed and dealing with grief.
“They have the ability to connect with people of all ages in a unique way that can have a calming effect,” Jill says. “Dogs can provide warmth and relief from the intense grief feelings that one is carrying during an emotion-filled time surrounding the death of someone you love. I think it’s wonderful that Lakeland Funeral Home is providing this added comfort to your families during one of their most difficult times.”
Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre is a division of Little Lake Cemetery Co., and CEO Mary McGee says that Bentley will also improve the well-being of employees at Lakeland.
“Our workplace can sometimes be a difficult and emotional environment for staff as well,” Mary says. “Taking Bentley out for a walk-about is a welcomed task; a great reason to take a short break, breathe some fresh air, and be mindful of the small joys within each day.”
Don says that Bentley is also making the funeral home more accessible to the community. Neighbours, suppliers, and families are welcome to drop by to meet Bentley and say hello — it all helps to reduce the fear and anxiety associated with bereavement services.
All photos courtesy of Lakeland Funeral & Cremation Centre.
The Publican House is renovating three stories of the old Peterborough Arms building to create The Publican House Restaurant, which will open in early 2017. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
This month, Eva Fisher takes an early look inside the renovated Publican House Restaurant and tours the menu of the Grill at the Burleigh Falls Inn. She talks cold weather chocolate with The Chocolate Rabbit and takes a look at bazaars and bake sales where you can get homemade baked goods.
Inside the Publican House’s incredible renovation of the old Peterborough Arms building
The restaurant will feature wood-fired pizza and an oyster bar. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
Ever since the Publican House (300 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-874-5743) opened, they have fielded questions about what will become of the historic Peterborough Arms building.
Just around the corner from the popular downtown brewery, The Arms was a Peterborough institution, known for weekly Celtic jams and really good french fries. Now the Publican House is renovating the building to give it new life again as the Publican House Restaurant, which will open in early 2017.
Three floors are under renovation. The main floor will feature a wood-fired pizza oven custom made in Italy and an oyster bar. There will be a more casual bar area on one side, and a seated dining area on the other.
A closer look at the wood-fired pizza oven, custom made in Italy. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
On the second floor there used to be apartments, but it will become an upstairs dining area. The basement has been dug out an additional four feet and will be used as a kitchen prep area and for storage.
The restaurant is a partnership with Brad and Katie Watt from Rare Grill House (Rare will remain open). According to Kim Cranfield, The Publican House’s marketing director, the Publican House Restaurant’s menu will tend toward “upscale pub food.”
As a brewery, beer will be central to the restaurant. “They’re in the process of developing a menu that goes well with our beer.”
The upstairs apartments are being renovated for overflow seating with a view over Rubidge Street. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
According to Kim, the wall between the brewery and the restaurant will be taken down so you can watch the beer brew as you enter.
More space will also allow the brewery to install a pilot brewing system, a smaller system that they can use to make smaller batches of beer. These will be served in the restaurant and sold in the store. Kim says that the smaller system will allow them to offer a greater variety of beer. “It lets us do more unique flavours.”
The outside brick is currently being handpainted by The Brick Painter to restore it to its original look. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
Recent changes to Ontario alcohol rules mean that diners can order beer to bring home with them after their meal, directly to their table.
You can see the renovation from the outside at The Publican House, including an incredible brick restoration by the Brick Painter. You can also follow the Publican House on Facebook for weekly updates on the renovation.
A new restaurant at the Burleigh Falls Inn
The Grill at the Burleigh Falls Inn is opening on November 23rd. The food and beverage partners are Jacqui and Sandra Turner from Cassis Bistro in Lakefield. (Photos: The Burleigh Falls Inn / Facebook)
“The Grill” is opening on Wednesday, November 23rd at the Burleigh Falls Inn. (4791 Hwy. 28. Lakefield, 705-654-3441).
Food and beverage partners Jacqui and Sandra Turner from Cassis Bistro in Lakefield will bring a blend of made-from-scratch grill favourites and some of their signature dishes to the new restaurant.
Cassis Bistro is known for French-inspired casual fine dining. Some of the more popular menu items from Cassis will also be available at the Grill. There will be a French Onion soup, escargot, brie wrapped in phyllo with a cranberry gastrique, and “Shrimps in Love,” which is shrimp in a creamy paprika dill pernault sauce.
The Grill will also offer standard grill fare, all of which will be completely house made. According to Jacqui, “Our dressings will be made from scratch, our soups are made from scratch, I’m not bringing in anything that’s premade. That’s not the kind of cooking that I do, or that the chef that I’ve hired does. We wanted to be different.”
This philosophy extends to foods that can be rare to find, made from scratch. For their chicken fingers, Jacqui starts with a whole breast of chicken. “We take chicken breasts, cut them into strips, lightly flour them and deep fry.”
That being said, not everything will be fried.
“The idea of a Grill is that it’s a little healthier, not everything is deep fried. We have steak, salmon, a french pork chop and chicken.” The plan is to appeal to a wide clientele. “You can have wings and a beer or salmon with a citrus compound butter.”
Chocolate to keep you warm as the weather gets cold
Cinnamon chipotle pepper bark, chai milk chocolate and liqueur truffles from The Chocolate Rabbit in Lakefield are cold weather favourites. (Photo: Eva Fisher)
The Chocolate Rabbit (11 Queen St., Lakefield, 705-652-8884) is an ideal cold weather destination. The small shop offers organic loose leaf teas blended in house, a tea room where you can enjoy coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and of course a huge variety of chocolates made by owner Lois MacEachern and her staff.
I spoke with Lois about some of the best chocolates to enjoy as the temperature drops.
Chai Tea chocolate. To make this chocolate, Lois layers milk chocolate with her own Chai tea blended in house. The warming blend of assam black tea, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and cardamom brings warm and spicy decadence to the sweet milk chocolate.
Cinnamon chipotle pepper bark. This blend of dark chocolate, house roasted almonds, cinnamon, and chipotle pepper is ideal for those who find milk chocolate a little too sweet. Lois recommends pairing it with red wine: the spicy and smokey character of the chocolate pairs well with many reds.
Liqueur truffles. Whether you prefer Drambuie, honey Jack Daniels, or Grand Marnier, The Chocolate Rabbit offers a variety of truffles blended with warming liqueurs. All of these truffles are made using only whipped cream, chocolate and liqueur, so they taste fresh and creamy.
Hot chocolate. At the Chocolate Rabbit, they grind couverture in small batches to make a hot chocolate that you can bring home with you. To make decadent hot chocolate at home, just mix the couverture with warm milk. Or order a mug to enjoy in the Chocolate Rabbit’s tea room, surrounded by the rich aroma of chocolate.
It’s bake sale season! Four community events where you can get delicious home-baked treats
Bazaars and bake sales are a great place to support your community and buy home baked goods, like these from last year’s Christmas Bazaar, Tea and Bake Sale held at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church. (Photo: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church)
If you love homemade pies, cookies, muffins and squares, this is your season. Church bazaars and bake sales abound, and home bakers throughout the region are hard at work to help their favourite causes. Here are just a few of the events put on by community organizations in the Kawarthas where you can find home baked pies, tea biscuits, cookies and more.
On Saturday, November 19th from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes is holding a Bazaar and Bake Sale. According to volunteer in-charge Marilyn Felhaber, pies, fudge, squares, tea biscuits and rice krispie squares are popular favourites at this event, but you can expect a wide variety of baked goods. All of the proceeds go to the Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes. The event takes place at the Cambridge Street Baptist Church in Lindsay.
On Saturday, November 19th from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church is holding a Christmas Bazaar, Tea and Bake Sale. The sale will be at the church, located at 463 Highland Rd, Peterborough. They will sell a variety of pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, and an assortment of squares and desserts, and serve a tea for attendees.
On Saturday, November 26th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saint John the Evangelist Church at 99 Brock Street, Peterborough, is hosting the annual Fall Festival and Craft Sale. According to Gerri Currier, president of Saint Margaret’s Guild, there are plenty of baked goods available. “We always have muffins and fruit loaves, homemade bread and buns and all kinds of cookies and shortbreads.” They also sell Christmas pudding and jams and jellies. For only $4.50 for adults ($2.50 for youths and free under 5) you can enjoy a tea with muffins, fruit bread, biscuits, sliced cheese and homemade jams and jellies. Gerri says that the tea is generous. “You can go back for seconds, you don’t have to take just one thing.” All proceeds go to fund Saint Margaret’s community outreach.
On Friday, November 25th and Saturday, November 26th, the Lakefield Animal Welfare Society at 2887 County Road 29, Peterborough, is hosting their annual bake sale, with all proceeds going to the shelter. A variety of baked goods will be available for sale.
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Halliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge present "an evening of song andstory" with Séan McCann at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 26 (publicity photo)
With his huge talent, if he just sang and played guitar, that would be more than enough. But Séan McCann has something more to offer: raw honesty, inspiration, hope, and all stops in between.
The folk-rock musician, who for 20 years made his creative mark with Great Big Sea, is coming to the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte Street, Peterborough, 705-749-1146), presented by the downtown venue in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Halliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA-HKPR).
CMHA-HKPR and Market Hall present Séan McCann
When: Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 8 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) How much: $35 general admission or $43 for assigned cabaret-style seating
Tickets are available at the Market Hall box office or online at tickets.markethall.org. Tickets for tables 9 and 12 are available for cash only at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).
McCann’s Peterborough show is the final stop on his fall Road To Recovery Tour. Billed as “an evening of song and story,” the concert on Saturday, November 26th will see the Newfoundland native share, through his music and his words, his lengthy struggle with alcoholism.
McCann quit drinking on November 9, 2011, and came to the realization that sharing his journey would be of benefit to those struggling with their own demons.
His first post-Great Big Sea album, 2014’s Help Your Self, marked the beginning of McCann’s own healing process; a journey aided by his being able to break his silence about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of a priest.
“When I put out the record, it resonated with thousands of people, and the lesson that I took from it was that I was not alone,” says McCann in an October 2016 interview with Yasmine Shemesh of www.dailyhive.com.
“People kept coming back to me saying, ‘I know this song, that song’s my mother.’ ‘I know that song, that’s my brother.’ ‘I know that song, that’s my lover.’ ‘I know that song, that song is me.’ I took comfort in that because I realized mental health and addictions affect everybody.”
“You may not suffer directly but you know someone who does. You know, we’re all in this together. It’s not like we’re not connected. Not dealing with it as a society is just not facing the problems. I’m very open about it and I know that it helps people when they realize they can. It helped me when I heard someone talk about it. It really did.”
VIDEO: Séan McCann performs “Mari Mac” at The Kent in Chatham
CMHA-HKPR Manager of Development Kerri Davies says McCann’s willingness to talk about his journey made partnering with Market Hall on the concert — a notion put forth by Market Hall’s general manager Chad Hogan last June — about as close to a no-brainer as you can get.
“We’re reaching a different audience than if we just hung a banner and said, ‘Come on in tonight for a one-hour talk on mental health,'” says Davies.
“People move beyond the fact that he’s a celebrity. Rather, he’s just a human being, able to share the pain and difficulties he has had over what happened to him and how. Once he was able to unpack that and talk about what happened, he was able to move on to getting some help. For someone who doesn’t think they’re ever going to be okay, this might be that little extra push to say ‘Maybe I do need to tell somebody about this.'”
Still, as thrilled as she is that McCann is coming to Peterborough to share his story, Davies quickly reminds us that “we have local heroes” who have done, and are doing, likewise to equally great effect.
“When it’s a celebrity, it’s like, ‘Wow, if they can do this, if they can talk about this big secret, then maybe I can too.’ But when you have someone local you can identify with, that’s when it really brings it home. As exciting as it is to be able to have people like Séan McCann come and tell their story, what really resonates are the stories we tell locally.”
In 2013, Séan McCann left Great Big Sea. the successful band he founded with Alan Doyle, Darrell Power, and Bob Hallett. “The world of Great Big Sea was ‘have a drink, forget your problems,’ and that’s the world I can’t be in anymore.” (Photo: Wikipedia)
Along with Alan Doyle, Darrell Power and Bob Hallett, McCann founded Great Big Sea in 1993. The band’s over-the-top energetic interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs resonated with Canadians coast-to-coast and beyond. Before the band’s break-up in 2013, it had recorded nine studio albums, released 28 singles — “Ordinary Day” and “End of the World” come to mind quickly — and dominated the East Coast Music Awards from 1996 into 2000.
“It wasn’t enough,” McCann says of his last few years with Great Big Sea. “It didn’t sustain me and that’s important. My only regret is we probably could have said a lot more than we did. But we kept it simple. We kept it simple because simple is easier to sell.”
What’s clear now is McCann’s openness about the abuse he suffered and his resulting alcoholism does indeed sustain him.
“I’m not a religious person — I never will be again, I don’t think — but if I could steal one good thing from the church, it was that once a week, the community would come together face-to-face, shake hands, and sing a song together. That’s a huge, very intimate thing to do.”
VIDEO: Road to Recovery Tour 2016
Davies, meanwhile, notes the CMHA-HKPR will have a presence at the concert in a bid to “create a safe space.”
“I don’t know what’s going to come out of Séan McCann’s mouth,” she explains. “He may say something that triggers someone in the audience, so we want to make sure that people know if there is something that’s troubling or resonates with them, there’s somebody there they can talk to that night.”
November, she adds, is Men’s Health Month, giving the concert’s timing even more relevance.
“It started out being mostly about prostate cancer, but it has morphed into encouraging men to talk about all aspects of their health, including their mental health.”
“Men are the least likely to want to talk about this. They tend to want to tough it out. Hopefully, having a guy like Séan McCann speak about his difficulty helps to take away that false belief that you’re weak if you open up about it.”
Gord Young's new book "A Dark Day In Peterborough: A Time To Remember December 11, 1916" features a gripping you-are-there narrative along with numerous archival photographs and newspaper clippings about the 1916 explosion and fire at the Quaker Oats factory in Peterborough. (Photo: City of Toronto Archives)
Sunday, December 11th will be the 100th anniversary of the explosion and fire at the Quaker Oats plant in Peterborough, and local historian Gord Young has written a new book about the 1916 disaster.
On December 11, 1916, a massive explosion and fire levelled the plant, killing 22 workers — two more would later die as a result of their injuries — and resulting in over $2 million in damages.
A Dark Day In Peterborough: A Time To Remember December 11, 1916 features a gripping you-are-there narrative along with numerous archival photographs and newspaper clippings.
Researched over 12 years by Young, with the assistance of several Lakefield Heritage Research volunteers, the book is the most comprehensive account yet published of the Quaker explosion and fire and its aftermath.
The explosion and fire at the Quaker Oats factory killed 24 men, threw another 500 out of work, and devastated an entire community (photo: City of Toronto Archives)
In more than 200 pages, the book also recounts the effects of the tragedy and investigates the many theories as to what caused the explosion.
It follows the production by Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre this past summer of The Hero of Hunter Street, a historical play about the tragedy written by Dora-winning playwright Maja Ardaly.
A Dark Day In Peterborough: A Time To Remember December 11, 1916 will be officially launched at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 18th at the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce boardroom (175 George St. N., Peterborough).
The book is available for purchase for $30 at Chapters (873 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough), The Canadian Canoe Museum (910 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough), Sullivan’s Pharmacy (71 Hunter St. E., Peterborough), Trent Valley Archives (567 Carnegie Ave., Peterborough), Happenstance Books and Yarns (44 Queen St., Lakefield), Lakefield IDA Pharmacy (32 Queen St., Lakefield), and at Craftworks at The Barn (124 Lindsay Rd., Selwyn).
The fire burned for four days, leaving the Quaker Oats factory in ruins with damages of over $2 million (photo: City of Toronto Archives)
An excerpt from A Dark Day In Peterborough: A Time To Remember December 11, 1916
After observing the Lord’s Day Act (1906), which insisted that work be halted between Saturday night at midnight and could only be resumed at 7 a.m. on Monday, the Quaker plant had been humming along in full production Monday, December 11, 1916 as it should have been, given the massive wartime contracts it had with England, the UK Army and Canadian Expeditionary Forces in France.
According to the testimony of day duty Waterworks Supervisor Ross L. Dobbin, the low water pressure alarm on the Hunter Street East main began ringing loudly at about 10:10 a.m. as he watched the pressure drop from 70 pounds to 45 pounds and then return to 70 pounds. He logged the time at 10:13 a.m.
He then picked up the phone which connected the water plant to the City Hall clerk’s phone and the fire department on Aylmer Street simultaneously. Records later entered showed that the clerk’s office received the plant operator’s call at 10:14 a.m., as did the fire station’s day-duty watchman’s log.
Fire box alarm bells rang in the Aylmer Street Fire Station and at City Hall.
Mayor J. J. Duffus was called at his Ford auto dealership (at 195 Simcoe Street) and the other city aldermen are called. This was at 10:15 a.m or thereabouts.
Even the clerk’s office realized that there must be a problem at the Quaker plant just by knowing where the fire alarm boxes were. Soon these three alarm boxes, which were just inside the Quaker property (one at the end of Brock Street, the other at the end of Murray Street and another at the end of London Street), were all ringing. Thus no one had to be told it was serious.
Whether the public fire alarm box at the front of the Quaker plant on Hunter Street East was pulled is uncertain.
Recently retired firefighters were called but, sadly, the one man who could have helped, retired fire chief Thomas Rutherford, was now dead.
About the author
Gord Young
Gord Young regularly contributes to The Heritage Gazette published by Trent Valley Archives and served as the co-ordinating editor of Lakefield – A Look Back At Its Heritage published in 1998.
With Lakefield Heritage Research, he has written three historical papers: “The 100th Anniversary of the Peterborough Lift Lock”, “The 100th Anniversary of King George Public School”, and “The 75th Anniversary go Queen Elizabeth School”.
Young served on the Peterborough Architectural Conservancy Advisory Committee as well as committees for the 100th anniversary of the Peterborough Lift Lock and the 90th anniversary of the Quaker explosion and fire. The latter volunteer position saw him play a lead role in having a memorial plaque erected in the vicinity of the Quaker plant.
In recognition of his work in area of local historical research, Young has received two Civic Awards, an award from the Peterborough Historical Society, and a Trent University 50th Anniversary Writing Award.
Radon is a naturally generated radioactive gas that is present to some degree in all homes. Being exposed to high concentrations of the gas can lead to lung cancer. But unlike the gas shown in the graphic, radon is colourless and odourless and can only be detected using a test kit, which Peterborough Public Health is offering for free.
If there was a seven per cent chance the roof of your house would collapse, would you ignore it or would you get your roof inspected?
That’s the case for Canadian homeowners when it comes to radon gas. Four years ago, a survey tested 14,000 homes across the country and found that seven per cent of Canadians live in homes contaminated with high concentrations of radon gas.
Radon is a colourless and odourless radioactive gas generated naturally from the breakdown of small amounts of uranium found everywhere in the soil and rock. It gets into buildings through cracks in the foundation, floor drains, or openings for pipes. All home and buildings contain some radon; the question is how much — and the only way to know is to test.
“Radon is a silent killer in Canadian homes,” said Mike Holmes Jr., home renovation expert, television personality, and prominent radon awareness campaigner. “The good news is that if a radon test confirms your house is contaminated, fixing the problem is not only easy but also relatively inexpensive.”
Breathing high concentrations of radon over a long period increases the risk of developing lung cancer. An estimated 16 per cent of lung cancer cases nationwide are attributed to radon exposure, making it the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the country. At least eight Canadians die every day from radon-induced lung cancer.
How radon — a naturally occurring colourless and odourless radioactive gas — can enter your home
November is Radon Action Month in Canada, and Peterborough Public Health has a limited supply of free radon test kits for local residents avilable throughout the County and City of Peterborough, and at Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations.
“Radon is responsible for anywhere from 1,080 to 1,550 cancer cases in Ontario each year,” said Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health for Peterborough Public Health. “We strongly encourage residents to take advantage of these free kits and test their homes to keep their families safe.”
It is easy to test for radon. Just put the detector in the lowest lived-in level of your home, and leave it there for three months. Afterwards, mail it away to the lab and they will send you the results. (The kits offered by Peterborough Public Health even include the shipping fee.)
Residents in the City of Peterborough can pick up their free kits at Peterborough Public Health at 185 King Street in downtown Peterborough (visit the third floor customer service counter).
Rural residents can pick up the free kits at the following locations:
Curve Lake First Nation (Curve Lake Health Centre, 38 Whetung St., Curve Lake)
Hiawatha First Nation (L.I.F.E Services Centre, 431 Hiawatha Line 10, Hiawatha First Nation)
Municipality of Trent Lakes (760 County Road 36, Trent Lakes)
Township of Asphodel-Norwood (2357 County Road 45, Norwood)
Township of Cavan Monaghan (988 County Rd 10, Millbrook)
Township of Douro-Dummer (894 South Street, Warsaw)
Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen (1 Ottawa St. East, Havelock)
Township of North Kawartha (280 Burleigh Street, Apsley)
Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan (20 Third Street, Keene)
Chef Jay Nutt is retiring from Nuttshell Next Door in Lakefield and has sold the business (supplied photo)
Jay Nutt sells Nuttshell Next Door in Lakefield
Nuttshell Next Door is under new ownership. Owner Jay Nutt recently handed the keys over to Sherry Salminen, a Buckhorn resident.
Sherry says that very little will change in the short term, maintaining the same staff, menu, and friendly environment — but watch for a new name in the new year.
Jay is hanging around until the end of the month, so stop in and congratulate him on creating a fantastic legacy business in the village of Lakefield. Jay officially retired from Nutshell after 5028 days (but who’s counting) and will be seeking new opportunities.
Total Physiotherapy’s 20th anniversary
Jane Oldfield and Kevin Hickey, owners of Total Physiotherapy (supplied photo)
Total Physiotherapy recently marked its 20th anniversary in business.
Owners Kevin Hickey and Jane Oldfield started the business in 1996 and have grown into one of the largest rehabilitation facilities in Ontario, offering a long list of rehabilitation services from two locations.
With a new logo and website Total Physiotherapy is ready for the next 20 years. Visit www.totalphysiotherapy.ca for more information.
Align Home Health Care opens
The owners and staff of Align Home Health Care have over 55 years of expertise in the mobility and elevating industry (supplied photo)
Dennis Mahoney and Dan Robinson recently opened Align Home Health Care, located at 111 George St. in Peterborough.
Covering Peterborough and Northumberland counties, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and parts of Durham, Align offers wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, canes and crutches, stair, platform and ceiling lifts, and numerous aids to daily living.
Marianne Vandelinde of RE/MAX Eastern Realty is your host (and sleuth) for a lunch-time murder mystery, featuring a star-studded cast of Peterborough favourites, that's a fundraiser for The Theatre on King (photo: Andy Carroll)
This Friday (November 18th), there’s going to be a murder in Peterborough and you are all invited. Lunch and drinks will be served.
The folks from The Theatre on King (TTOK) are stepping out of their King Street home, along with Marianne Vandelinde of RE/MAX Eastern Realty, to present Murder On McDonnel! at the McDonnel Street Activity Centre (577 McDonnel St., Peterborough).
The Theatre on King (TTOK) presents Murder On McDonnel!
When: Friday, November 18, 2016 from 12 – 3 p.m. Where: McDonnel Street Activity Centre (577 McDonnel St., Peterborough, 705-874-1301) How much: $55 per person ($425 for a table of eight)
A murder mystery fundraiser for TTOK featuring a three-course lunch hosted by Marianne Vandelinde and starring Dan Smith, Naomi DuVall, Di Latchford, Hilary Wear, Lindsay Unterlander, and Matt Gilbert. With music by Chester Babcock.
Tickets are available at Black Honey (217 Hunter St. W. Peterborough, 705-750-0024) at by contacting The Theatre on King at 705-930-6194 or Kate Story at kstory@nexicom.net.
The show marks a number of firsts for TTOK. Not only is it their first time leaving their space to go into the community, but also their first stab at dinner theatre and their first major fundraiser.
“It is a step outside of our usual space,” says TTOK’s Kate Story. “It’s an experiment.”
Written by Simon Turner and directed by Kate Story, Murder On McDonnel! features a cast of TTOK regulars including Dan Smith, Naomi DuVall, Di Latchford, Hilary Wear, Lindsay Unterlander, and Matt Gilbert, and features Marianne Vandelinde in the starring role of the afternoon’s sleuth.
“A loathsome director is murdered,” Kate explains of the plot. “There are a lot of suspects because he is so loathsome. You have your misunderstood playwright. You have your socially and artistically climbing actress. You have your male actor whose ego has been bruised and he’s been given minor roles for too long.”
“You have the rival director. You have the female theatre caster who has been continuously put down by this director because she is a woman. So everybody has a motive. With the stock characters in the play, it’s going to be fun for the audience, fun for the actors, and fun to direct.”
However, despite the show being in rehearsals for weeks, Kate and her cast still doesn’t know who the real killer is.
“Simon is writing it as we speak,” Kate laughs. “I still don’t know who done it!’
In its fourth year in Peterborough, TTOK has developed a solid following of patrons, and an ever-expanding group of players who use the space to provide what is amongst the most interesting theatre in Peterborough.
However, running a small theatre isn’t always easy. Although TTOK has always managed to pull through with the support of its patrons, this is the theatre’s first attempt at reaching out beyond its established audience to present something for people who are not familiar with the space.
“This is our first attempt at a major fundraising event,” Kate says. “When people come in and rent the space, it keeps the space going. But this is the first time we’ve decided to hold a big event that will, hopefully, justify a payoff for doing all the hard work.”
“This is something we find fun, and hopefully other people will as well. We just pulled together anyone who ever said ‘I want to help raise money for this space’ and we pulled them in. It’s been great. We have a great group of people.”
Aimed towards a lunch crowd, Murder On McDonnel! runs from noon until 3 p.m.. The show intends to attract a very different demographic than TTOK usually sees come into the theatre. This is a great way for locals who are not familiar with the theatre or the type of productions TTOK does to experience some of the great performers who regularly appear there, and to get a sense of the quality that TTOK offers.
“We are reaching beyond our inner circle with this show,” Kate admits. “It doesn’t really matter if the audience ever comes to the theatre or not. I’d love them all to come, but this event is for people who just like to lunch. There are a lot of people out there who don’t go to the theatre, but get why it’s important.”
The McDonnel Street Activity Centre is an interesting choice for the event. It’s a space that works on a practical level and manages to give the show its own special character.
“It’s a really nice space,” Kate says. “Rolled into the rental are two bar staff, a working cash bar, and a great kitchen, so we decided to do it there. It’s out of our comfort zone and it’s not downtown but it’s close enough to walk to. I think it’ll be fun. The staff are really into it too. They’ve never done anything like a murder mystery.”
Murder On McDonnel! takes place from 12 to 3 p.m on Friday, November 18 at the McDonnel Street Activity Centre at 577 McDonnel St. in Peterborough (poster: The Theatre on King)
Catering for the event will be supplied by a number of local establishments, including Sam’s Place and Black Honey. But the lunchers won’t have to worry about missing any of the show while they eat. The clues to the mystery will be presented between courses.
“The acting bits aren’t going to be too long,” Kate explains. “We want people to enjoy their meal and not have to watch the show, so we’ll be doing scenes between courses.”
Possibly one of TTOK’s most unique experiments, Murder On McDonnel! is a great event for an office holiday party, as well as people who want to support an important artistic space that’s become one of the backbones of Peterborough’s artistic community.
“TTOK is a safe space for anybody,” Kate says. “We don’t care if you make theatre with the Citiots, or the Guild, or St. James Players, or Theatre Trent. It doesn’t matter. You can be someone writing their first play. It doesn’t matter. Come on in. It’s really important to incorporate everybody.”
Murder On McDonnel! takes place from 12 to 3 p.m on Friday, November 18th. Tickets are $55 per person, or $425 for a table of eight, available at Black Honey or by contacting The Theatre on King at 705-930-6194 or Kate at kstory@nexicom.net.
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