The drive down Zion Line, just minutes away from the main streets of Millbrook, is like driving through a scenic time tunnel. Tall trees line the road, creating a canopy of leaves like a covered bridge, which cuts through green fields that sprawl as far as the eye can see. It’s the perfect journey to mentally prepare visitors for Winslow Farm, the location of the nationally renowned 4th Line Theatre.

I walked out of the Globus Theatre’s production of Do You Take This Man? with my face still wet from tears. Tears from scenes so funny that I cried with laughter. Tears from drama so raw and powerful that I was overcome with emotion. Looking at the theatregoers who were exiting the theatre, I could tell that I was not alone; smiles and tears from an appreciative audience seemed to be in style that night.

In just two years, Dusk Dances has become a must-see event for Peterborough audiences looking for something different to do on a summer’s evening. This fun-filled evening of magical dance, physical theatre and music is celebrating its 20th anniversary by bringing back some of their best dances ever, along with new work never before seen.

Party for Peck is an annual music festival held each August long weekend in the Campbellford area, in honour of local musician Jesse “Peck” Archer who was tragically killed in 2010 at the age of 26. The event raises funds for the Blues in The Schools (BITS) program in Northumberland County, providing education to local elementary schools to help preserve and promote blues music — a particular love of Jesse’s.

Jonathan Bennett is the author of six books including the critically acclaimed novels Entitlement (ECW, 2008) and After Battersea Park, and is a winner of the K.M. Hunter Artists’ Award in Literature. Jonathan’s writing has appeared in many periodicals and journals including The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Quill and Quire, This Magazine, and Descant. Born in Vancouver and raised in Sydney, Australia, Jonathan lives in the village of Keene, near Peterborough, Ontario.

Jonathan’s latest novel is The Colonial Hotel. In this powerful story of love and family, a doctor named Paris follows a nurse to a country on the brink of civil war. When a confrontation does break out, they are swept up by rebel forces and separated. The nurse, Helen, is pregnant; she escapes, but Paris is left behind, imprisoned by rebels as war rages.

Editor’s note: Peterborough broadcaster and author Gordon Gibb recently published Gibberish: Tall Tales and Domestic Disasters From Beyond the Microphone, a collection of previously published newspaper columns.

“I Couldn’t See Water Street for Water” is a column he wrote for The Toronto Star. It was published the day after the Great Peterborough Flood of July 15, 2004.