Pictured in 2013, Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) closed in 2012 after a year-long fight by students protesting the the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board's decision to close Peterborough's oldest high school. "Give 'Em Hell", a new play that retells the final school year leading up to the closure, will be performed from September 15 to 23, 2023 in the auditorium at Peterborough Alternative and Continuing Education (PACE) in the former PCVS building. (Photo: Pat Trudeau)
The world premiere of a play about student activism in the year leading up to the 2012 closure of Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS) will be performed in September in the auditorium of the former McDonnel Street high school.
Written by Peterborough native and award-winning playwright Madeleine Brown and directed by award-winning director Aaron Jan, Give ‘Em Hell retells the final school year before the closure of PCVS and stars eight Peterborough teenagers — Lion Addison, Jalen Brink, Edith Burton, Ziqin Chen, Ella Cunningham, Eloise Harvey, Isabelle Siena, and Jessie Williams — alongside professional actors M. John Kennedy, Jeff Dingle, and Sarah Lynn Strange.
In 2011, the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board decided to close one of Peterborough’s four high schools due to declining enrolment and eventually announced PCVS — the city’s oldest high school and one of the oldest in Ontario — would be the one to close. The decision prompted months of student-led rallies, protests, marches, and speeches to keep the school open.
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A committee of students called ‘Peterborough Needs PCVS’ raised almost $250,000 to fund a legal battle to keep the school open, a fight that ultimately failed. The students’ activism made national headlines, and even CBC TV’s Rick Mercer dedicated one of his rants to the students, encouraging them to “raise a little hell.”
Presented by Theatre Direct Canada in partnership with 4th Line Theatre, Peterborough Museum & Archives, and Public Energy Performing Arts, Give ‘Em Hell includes six public performances from September 15 to 23 in the auditorium at Peterborough Alternative and Continuing Education (PACE) in the former PCVS building in downtown Peterborough, with designs by Melanie McNeill, JB Nelles, Logan Raju Cracknell, and and Uri Livne-Bar.
“Give ’em Hell is a truly entertaining, fiercely relevant and provocative play that will surely inspire the next generation of young activists through its powerful and true story,” reads a media release from Theatre Direct Canada.
VIDEO: Rick Mercer Report: Rick’s Rant – The Kids Are Alright (2012)
Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 15th and Saturday, September 16th and on Thursday, September 21st and Friday, September 22nd, with 2:30 p.m. matinee performances on Sunday, September 17th and Saturday, September 23rd.
The hour-long play will include a 15-minute question-and-answer session with the artists. There will also be an exhibition of archival materials from this turning point in the school’s history.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children, teenagers, or students (plus tax and fee) and are available now at eventbrite.ca/e/611203876247.
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Performances for schools will also be presented from September 19 to 21. For school bookings, e-mail Madeleine Brown at madeleine@theatredirect.ca.
Brown is an playwright and actor whose previous plays include the comedies Madeleine Says Sorry (2017), Everyone Wants A T-Shirt! (2018), and News Play (2019), all of which debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
In 2020, she was named one of two recipients of The Ellen Ross Stuart “Opening Doors” Award and, in 2022, she was a member of Driftwood Theatre’s Beyond the Bard Playwrights Unit and 4th Line Theatre’s Interdisciplinary Residency Program.
Madeleine Brown is a Peterborough native and an award-winning playwright. (Photo via Hart House)
On August 15, 2023, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts announced that 32-year-old William Weir has been arrested for the stabbing death of 27-year-old Jacob Jansen on August 8. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of Peterborough police video)
Police have arrested and charged a 32-year-old Peterborough with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a 27-year-old man in downtown Peterborough last Tuesday night (August 8).
Seven days after the homicide, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts announced the arrest at a media conference at George and Simcoe streets on Tuesday morning (August 15).
Last Tuesday at around 11:30 p.m., police responded to a call for service at George and Charlotte streets where they found a man suffering from a stab wound.
He was transported to Peterborough Regional Health Centre where he died.
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Police later identified the victim as 27-year-old Jacob Jansen of Peterborough.
On Monday, police located and arrested William Weir, 32, of Peterborough and charged him with first-degree murder.
Betts said footage from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras police recently installed in the downtown core “proved to be a vital piece of evidence in this particular investigation.”
VIDEO: August 8 Homicide Arrest
“I would like to recognize the hard work and the many hours of our dedicated detectives who helped to identify this individual (and) gather and validate evidence, all of which culminated in his arrest,” Betts said at Tuesday’s media conference.
“The family of the victim has been notified and has been made aware of the arrest,” he added.
The accused man is in police custody and will appear for a bail hearing later on Tuesday.
In June 2023, Flame Spitter Hot Sauce owner Mitchell Lowes (middle) celebrated his 100th retail location at Buckhorn Foodland. He originally started the business in 2021 with a partner, but now runs it on his own. He credits the fast growth of his company both to his sobriety and the support of the community, including from Community Futures Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce)
Things are heating up for Flame Spitter Hot Sauce this summer with the help of Community Futures Peterborough.
Flame Spitter Hot Sauce hasn’t been around long but, with the increasing demand for hot sauce across the continent, the business is growing fast. Its products are sold in almost 110 stores across Ontario and is expanding to offer products beyond hot sauce.
For founder Mitchell Lowes, owning his own business hasn’t just been the achievement of a professional dream he’s always harboured — he actually credits it with turning his whole life around, motivating him to quit drinking and get sober. And none of it would have been possible, he explains, without his family and the support he received from the community.
Flame Spitter Hot Sauce currently offers six different hot sauces, each with a different heat to match the customer’s preference. Flavours include Original, Harvest, Love Sick, Reaper, Peach Plaque, Barbaric BBQ, and the hottest sauce, Til Death, named after Til Death BBQ and Catering. In addition to hot sauce, Flame Spitter has its own seasoning salt, created by 12 different spices, and N.O.I.R., a spicy blueberry honey that was created in collaboration with Peterborough’s Black Honey Bakery. (Photo courtesy of Modern Makers Market)
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Though Lowes spent years working in the restaurant industry as a chef, he always had plans to start up his own business. He took business courses in high school before going to Fleming College to further his studies.
When a fellow chef approached Lowes in the spring of 2021 with the suggestion they create their own hot sauce, he ran with the idea. By July last year, when his friend had decided to pursue other goals, Lowes took over the company all on his own.
In turns out that taking over the business was exactly what Lowes needed, especially when he decided to quit drinking and become sober.
“I’ve changed my life around and have a community behind me which has supported me through my whole journey,” Lowes says.
Though he spent years working in the restaurant industry as a head chef, Mitchell Lowes always knew he wanted to get into owning his own business. Now Lowes owns Flame Spitter Hot Sauce, a fast-growing company with products on shelves across Ontario. The growth of his business has allowed him to stick to personal goals and Lowes has now been sober for almost a year, which he attributes to the success of his business and the support of the community. (Photo courtesy of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce)
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Flame Spitter Hot Sauce began as an online retailer but, after profiting initially, Lowes saw sales decline and realized he had to get his product into stores. Rather than dealing with the time-consuming and costly process of getting on the shelves at major grocery chains, he honed his sales skills and relied on cold calling to get his products into stores.
After he perfected his pitch, Lowes found that local businesses in the Peterborough area were willing to give his products a chance.
“Locally, people want to support us,” Lowes says, adding that the now-closed Creative Lounge retaurant in Peterborough was the first local business to stock his hot sauce.
“They said they’d take us on and see how it sells,” he recalls. “It sold, and then we got into more and more stores, and then eventually we were overpopulated in the area.”
Though Lowes knows hot sauce is in demand, he also recognizes it’s not an essential food item. That’s something he hears time and time again from store managers, he explains, and yet they continue to purchase anyway to support his company, admiring his story and how fast the company has grown.
Mitchell Lowes is expanding the products offered by Flame Spitter Hot Sauce, including with this spicy blueberry honey created in collaboration with Peterborough’s Black Honey Bakery. (Photo courtesy of Black Honey Bakery)
Lowes’ first major location outside butcher shops and gift stores was Millbrook Foodland. From there, he was able to easily expand into other Foodland locations.
Now Flame Spitter Hot Sauce can be found in stores as far north as Iroquois Falls and south to Windsor. Flame Spitter Hot Sauce has also been invited to be a vendor for the YOW! Awards, one of North America’s biggest hot sauce events, the Taste of Manilla in Toronto, SIP Niagara, and Crooks Rapid Country Festival.
Additionally, Flame Spitter can be found on local restaurant menus, including at the Holiday Inn where Lowes rents the kitchen to make his hot sauce. Other businesses are seeking collaborations with Flame Spitter including Haliburton’s Til Death BBQ & Catering, which gave their name to Flame Spitter’s hottest sauce (a tangy sauce featuring the Carolina Reaper pepper).
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“We do a lot of really great collaborations now which I get excited about,” says Lowes, adding that it’s a benefit to everyone. “Collaboration helps their sales and helps my sales.”
Another Flame Spitter product called N.O.I.R. (a spicy blueberry honey) was created in collaboration with Peterborough’s Black Honey Bakery.
But one of the largest support systems Lowes had while building his business came from Community Futures Peterborough, a not-for-profit organization that provides financial and advisory support to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Peterborough County.
With support from his family, including his wife (who now owns a piece of the business) and their young daughter, Flame Spitter Hot Sauce owner Mitchell Lowes has committed to his sobriety, which he links to the growing success of his business. (Photo courtesy of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce)
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When Lowes first approached Community Futures Peterborough, he was given a small loan to help build his business. With this, Lowes says he grew from having Flame Spitter in 12 stores to over 80 stores. Since then, Community Futures Peterborough provided him with further financial support when Lowes needed capital while waiting on payments from his retailers.
“Without Community Futures Peterborough, I feel my company would not be where it is,” says Lowes, adding that the organization has helped him beyond financing, even recently helping him get set up with an accountant.
Community Futures Peterborough has also helped Lowes connect with other entrepreneurs through the online business networking community. One of the most important networking connections he has made is with a handful of other hot sauce businesses in the region, where have supported him even though he is the competition.
“It feels really good and it keeps me driven to have a community of people that are pushing me,” explains Lowes. “These business owners are going to help you figure stuff out. They’re going to help you get places and they actually intentionally want good for you.”
Flame Spitter Hot Sauce’s first major location outside butcher shops and gift stores was Millbrook Foodland. From there, he expanding into other Foodland locations. Now Flame Spitter Hot Sauce can be found in stores as far north as Iroquois Falls and south to Windsor. (Photo courtesy of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce)
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Along with providing financial support and helping him connect with like-minded entrepreneurs, Lowes has also benefited from Community Futures Peterborough’s participation in ‘Team Ptbo’ — a group of local economic development organizations that also includes Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, and the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
One example of how Team Ptbo is supporting the local entrepreneurial ecosystem is the recent partnership between Community Futures Peterborough and the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce that allows new loan clients like Lowes to receive a free six-month Chamber membership, so they can benefit from both the networking and promotional opportunities the Chamber provides for its members.
“Mitchell’s story represents that of several clients we serve,” says Ron Black, Chair of the Loans Committee and Board Director for Community Futures Peterborough. “They come to us for their initial start-up funding and we continue to support them as they grow and expand their business. We hope that by showcasing Mitchell’s story to the community, others can be inspired by his resilience, commitment to entrepreneurship, and are motivated to pursue their own business.”
Flame Spitter Hot Sauce products line a shelf among other condiments at a Foodland grocery store. (Photo courtesy of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce)
For Lowes, that resilience and commitment to entrepreneurship largely comes from his own personal stake in the business. He sees its success as directly related to his own sobriety.
“When you start associating with business people and business friends, that’s what keeps you going,” he explains. “You’re in this whole new realm of society.”
With support from his family, including his wife (who now owns a piece of the business) and their young daughter, Lowes already has his sight set on his future plans.
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“My end goal is to have the Flame Spitter Kitchen — I want a restaurant that is Creole and Cajun because I love that type of food,” says Lowes, joking that he wants to be more than the ‘hot sauce guy’.
“I want Flame Spitter to be a whole brand, not just sauce,” he says.
For now though, Lowes is continuing to bask in the success of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce and appreciating all the support he has received as a new entrepreneur.
The logo for Mitchell Lowes’s Flame Spitter business. (Image courtesy of Flame Spitter Hot Sauce)
Community Futures Peterborough has a mission to support small businesses with flexible financing in the City and County of Peterborough. It has invested more than $40 million in over 1,100 small businesses since 1985, creating or maintaining more than 4,100 jobs in the City and the County. Community Futures Peterborough is a not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
This branded editorial was created in partnership with Community Futures Peterborough. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
With any luck, fall colours will be in full display when the Hike Haliburton Festival returns to the Haliburton Highlands from September 21 to 24, 2023. The 20th annual festival features 31 volunteer-guided hikes ranging from easy to challenging as well as paid experiences offered by local outfitters and more. (Photo courtesy of Hike Haliburton)
Strap on your hiking boots, pull out those walking sticks, load up on the protein bars, and get your cameras out, because registration is now open for the annual Hike Haliburton Festival, now in its 20th year.
Awarded as one of the Top 100 Festivals in Ontario in 2023 by Festival Events Ontario, the Hike Haliburton Festival — the largest guided hiking festival in the country — returns as the fall colours emerge across the Canadian Shield landscape. From Thursday, September 21st to Sunday, September 24th, 31 free hikes will be offered across the Haliburton Highlands, with knowledgeable volunteers leading the way.
Two decades ago, the festival was started by a non-profit organization committed to getting tourists out on the trails. Although the event is now organized by Haliburton Tourism, the guided hikes are still led by enthusiastic volunteers.
The Hike Haliburton Festival in Haliburton Highlands is also a storytelling festival, with guided hikes led by enthusiastic volunteers who are eager to share their knowledge of the region along with their expertise, making each hike an educational experience. (Photo courtesy of Hike Haliburton)
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“It’s a dedicated group of volunteers sharing someplace that’s really special to them,” explains Thom Lambert, content creator for Haliburton County’s Economic Development and Tourism Department. “These are volunteers that have an attachment to some small corner of the Haliburton Highlands.”
Those volunteers are also eager to share their knowledge of the region, along with their expertise and experiences.
“It gets called a hike festival, but in a lot of ways I think it’s as much a storytelling festival,” says Lambert. “We’re very lucky to have this amazing group of volunteers that can offer a really compelling, wide-ranging program.”
While some of the hikes included in the Hike Haliburton Festival, running from September 21 to 24 in the the Haliburton Highlands, are physically challenging, others are more accessible and family friendly. (Photo courtesy of Hike Haliburton)
Lambert explains that the hikes and experiences offer new and interesting information, spanning the region’s history, wildlife, or geological importance, and cover a span of difficulty levels.
“Over all four of those days, the hikes range across the board to everything from very short rambles in the villages that are more focused on storytelling to the full-day multi-sport events.”
For the family-friendly side of the spectrum, visit Abbey Gardens (1012 Garden Gate Drive, Haliburton) at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 23rd for an easy quarter kilometre hike that is all about bees. Led by beekeeper Chris Anderson, the “Bizzi Aza” hike is suitable for young children and those who want to learn all about the ups and downs of bee keeping. You’ll even get to satisfy your sweet tooth with a taste of some of the honey production.
The free guided hikes during the Hike Haliburton Festival in the Haliburton Highlands range from easy to challenging, including the epic eight-hour 16-kilometre “Ridge Trail Hiking Network” hike from the Log Chute on Big Hawk Road to the Coopers Lookout on September 23, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Hike Haliburton)
For those with more hiking experience, the Hike Haliburton Festival offers advanced hikes to really get you sweating and working on those calf muscles. Expert hikers will want to join “Ridge Trail Hiking Network” at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 23rd. This epic eight-hour 16-kilometre hike from the Log Chute on Big Hawk Road to the Coopers Lookout is an extremely challenging hike with lots of steep hills, rugged and rocky terrain, and many natural obstacles. Pack a lunch, snacks, and one or more litres of water. Proper hiking boots, hiking poles or a walking stick are recommended.
Slightly less challenging is the “Scrabble Mountain Shuffle” at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 24th. This six-hour 17-kilometre trek begins and ends at the Devil’s Lake trailhead in Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park, with a lunch break at Scrabble Mountain — the second-highest point in the park. Bring a day pack with at least one litre of water, a light lunch, snacks, and suitable clothing. Wear closed-toe hiking shoes or boots; hiking poles are recommended.
For a hike that will give you some exercise but also be good for the soul, check out the “Crane Lake Cleanse” hike at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 24th. This 90-minute three-kilometre hike will be a meditative processional to Crane Lake, using sound bathing and forest bathing techniques to wash away thoughts so you can reconnect your mind and body and realign with nature. Upon arriving at Crane Lake, hikers will participate in a sacred ceremony.
As well as physical activity in the fresh air, the Hike Haliburton Festival offers hikers the opportunity to relish the stunning beauty of the Haliburton Highlands and to reconnect with the natural world. (Photo courtesy of Hike Haliburton)
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Unlike many of the hikes, dogs are welcome to join hikers for the “Marathon Forest Trails” hike at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 23rd. This easy two-hour five-kilometre hike will explore the Marathon Forest Trails. Hike leader Jim Aston, who has developed about seven kilometres of interconnected trails in their 50-acre forest, will share a description of the history of the land and reflect on what life might have been like for the early settlers of Haliburton County.
In addition to the 31 free guided hikes, there are also some paid experiences to introduce hikers to even more opportunity to experience the Haliburton Highlands in all its glory.
At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 23rd, Deep Roots Adventure — an outfitter at the Algonquin South Gate in the Haliburton Highlands — will be taking participants on a five-hour guided adventure paddling up the York River into Algonquin Park in your watercraft of choice (kayak or paddlebaord) followed by a hike up the boulder-strewn banks of the York River past rapids and waterfalls to High Falls. After a delicious lunch provided by AM/PM Outdoor Gourmet and some time spent around the falls, guests will hike and paddle back to Kingscote Outpost.
“The High Falls Hiking Hill Trail is one of the nicest hiking trails in the park,” Lambert notes. “And yet a lot of people just don’t even know that it exists.”
You will receive this limited edition Hike Haliburton picnic backpack if you book a stay at The Rockcliffe – Moore Falls in Minden. The hotel is offering a special Hike Haliburton package that includes a one-night stay at The Rockcliffe and dinner for two at The Rockcliffe’s restaurant, along with the backpack. (Photo courtesy of Hike Haliburton)
Other paid experiences include an introduction to foraging for wild edible mushrooms at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 23rd, where you can learn the basics of foraging and tricks of the forager’s trade, and “Tarpology 101” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 22 to 24, a hands-on practical workshop where you will learn to use knot-tying and a compact and lightweight tarp to stay dry even in heavy rains, to create shade on those blistering sunny days, to block cold winds, to keep you warm in cold temperatures, and even to mitigate the problem of blackflies and mosquitoes. Both experiences are offered by Yours Outdoors.
A full list of paid experiences is available at festival.hikehaliburton.com/experiences/. All paid experiences must be sorted out with the companies offering them ahead of the festival.
Turn the Hike Haliburton Festival weekend into a mini-vacation by staying at The Rockcliffe – Moore Falls (1014 Lois Lane, Minden). The hotel is offering a special Hike Haliburton package featuring a one-night stay at The Rockcliffe any time between September 20 and 27th, dinner for two at The Rockcliffe’s restaurant, and a limited edition Hike Haliburton picnic backpack that includes plates, cutlery, wine glasses, and a bottle opener. Book by Friday, September 1st to guarantee your package.
Indie folk singer-songwriter John Muirhead will be performing at the Dominion Hotel in Minden on September 24, 2023 as part of the Hike Haliburton Festival. (Photo courtesy of John Muirhead)
There’s a lot more than hiking available in the Haliburton Highlands during the festival weekend, including opportunities for shopping and live entertainment. Drop by the farmers’ markets in Minden and at Abbey Gardens in Haliburton and the artisan market in Minden Hills. Enjoy live music at the Dominion Hotel (113 Main Street, Minden) with Loney, Love and Love performing on Saturday afternoon, and the John Muirhead Band on Sunday evening as part of the festival. In addition, The B-Sides will be performing Saturday night at The Rockcliffe and Jeff Multon will play at Haliburton Highlands Brewings on Sunday afternoon.
For more information on the Hike Haliburton Festival and to register for the free guided hikes and paid experiences, visit festival.hikehaliburton.com, and follow Hike Haliburton on Facebook and Instagram for more hiking inspiration.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with Hike Haliburton. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
"Waiting and Watching" (watercolour) by Kawartha Lakes artist Judy Jackett, whose work is now on display at the Bobcaygeon branch of the Kawartha Lakes Public Library along with work by photographer Stan Wojtaszek, until the end of January. (Photo: Judy Jackett)
Works by two Kawartha Lakes artists are now on display at the new Bobcaygeon library at part of a new community art program and artists display space.
The program was developed as a partnership by the Kawartha Lakes Public Library and Kawartha Art Gallery to help support local artists.
The Bobcaygeon branch of the Kawartha Lakes Public Library at 23 East Street South opened to the public last November. At 5,000 square feet, the new branch has more than double the 1,800-square-foot space of the previous branch at 21 Canal Street.
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“The new Bobcaygeon Library Branch is a wonderful and inviting space, flooded with natural light,” says library director Jamie Anderson in a media release.
“Having local artists display in the space really makes the library branch a community hub.”
The new community art program will feature works by Kawartha Lakes artists Judy Jackett and Stan Wojtaszek until the end of January.
An abstract photo of a dandelion by Kawartha Lakes photographer Stan Wojtaszek, whose work is now on display at the Bobcaygeon branch of the Kawartha Lakes Public Library along with work by artist Judy Jackett, until the end of January. (Photo: Stan Wojtaszek)
Jackett works in oils, pastels, charcoal, and watercolour, and four of her watercolours are on display at the Bobcaygeon library.
Wojtaszek is a photographer whose style has evolved from a documentary nature to one of an exploratory and abstract style, and four of his photographs are on display.
Local artists who are interested in having their works displayed at the Bobcaygeon library in 2024 can email the Kawartha Art Gallery at art@kawarthagallery.com for more information on how to apply.
Rotary Club of Peterborough president Betty Halman-Plumley (front left) and Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha president Paul Landau (front right) presented a $50,000 cheque to YES Shelter for Youth and Families executive director Aimee Le Lagadéc on August 14, 2023. Pictured in the background are Rotarians Lloyd Graham, Laurie Heigh, Atul Swarup, Morris Cox, Paula Wager, and Mike Evans. (Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough)
The Rotary Club of Peterborough has donated an additional $50,000 to the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.
The donation brings the total contribution to YES by both the Peterborough Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha to $100,000 since 2022. Each club previously donated $25,000 to YES in 2022. The $100,000 commitment was made to YES as part of Rotary’s centennial celebrations in 2021.
The funds will support YES’s RISE Youth Housing Program to help teens stay off the streets. RISE is a transitional housing program that provides youth with a safe and secure place to live. By helping to end youth homelessness, the program also reduces the adult homeless population.
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Rotary Club of Peterborough president Betty Halman-Plumley and Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha president Paul Landau presented the $50,000 cheque to YES executive director Aimee Le Lagadéc on Monday (August 14) at the organization’s location at 196 Brock Street in Peterborough.
“This amazing contribution is an incredible investment in this community,” Le Lagadéc said in a media release. “This gift will help decrease homelessness in Peterborough significantly over time by supporting more youth to stabilize and avoid chronic homelessness as adults.”
Through the funding, YES will be able to open three new permanent spaces in the RISE program.
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“I am pleased to be presenting this cheque for the YES RISE Youth Housing Program to fund a place and program where youth are supported with skills to transition from homelessness and living in a shelter towards living on their own often finishing high school, a college program or into employment,” said Halman-Plumley.
“The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha is very pleased to partner with the Peterborough Rotary Club in providing funding for YES’s RISE Youth Housing Program,” Landau added. “This program ensures that youth in the community have a safe place to live and also learn strategies to support their recovery.”
YES has been providing emergency shelter and transitional housing to youth and families in the city and county of Peterborough City since 2000. Along with the RISE Youth Housing Program, services include a youth and family emergency shelter, hmelessness prevention programming, the Carriage House alternative classroom, a food and clothing cupboard, and housing supports.
4th Line Theatre's "The Cavan Blazers", which chronicles the 19th-century conflicts between the Protestant and Catholic Irish settlers of Cavan Township, is running Tuesday to Saturdays until August 26, 2023 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. With shows selling out, the outdoor theatre company has added an extra Monday performance on August 21. (Photo: Wayne Eardley, Brookside Studio)
Due to popular demand, Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre has announced an extra Monday performance of The Cavan Blazers, running now from Tuesdays to Saturdays until August 26 at the Winslow Farm.
Written by Robert Winslow and directed by Kim Blackwell, The Cavan Blazers chronicles the 19th-century conflicts between the Protestant and Catholic Irish settlers of Cavan Township. The intense production tells the violent tale of the Protestant vigilante gang known as the Cavan Blazers as they aim to prevent the establishment of a Catholic settlement.
The Cavan Blazers was the first play produced by the outdoor theatre company back in 1992 shortly after its establishment. It has proven so popular 4th Line Theatre has now remounted the production seven times, with performances of the latest iteration selling out.
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The additional performance of The Cavan Blazers takes place at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 21st.
As a special treat, 4th Line Theatre will be featuring local music under the big tent and Black Honey Bakery will be there offering power bowls with vegan options and snack packs. The concession stand and BBQ will also be open.
Tickets for The Cavan Blazers are $50 ($45 for children and youth ages five to 16). You can order tickets by visiting www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca, calling 705-732-4445 (toll free at 1-800-814-0055), emailing boxoffice@4thlinetheatre.on.ca, or in person at 4th Line Theatre’s box office at 9 Tupper Street in Millbrook.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season.
Canadian rockers Big Wreck (drummer Sekou Lumumba, rhythm guitarist Chris Caddell, lead guitarist Ian Thornley, and bassist Dave McMillan) are performing a free-admission concert at Peterborough Musicfest in Del Crary Park on August 16, 2023. (Photo: Nikki Ormerod)
Peterborough Musicfest presents Big Wreck
When: Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 8 p.m. Where: Del Crary Park (100 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: Free admission
Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets (lawn chairs are available to rent). VIP seating available for sponsors. No smoking, alcohol, or pets permitted. There’s no public parking at Del Crary Park, but there’s neighbourhood street parking nearby and ample parking in downtown Peterborough.
When two countries share a border, it’s inevitable that there will be spillover, the result being that the fruits of each country will be shared with the other.
Had Torontonian Ian Thornley not met Long Island, New York native Brian Doherty while attending Boston’s Berklee College of Music in the early 1990s, he may very well have followed the jazz music path he was studying for.
But Thornley did indeed befriend Doherty — the two jammed in their dorm room — and, with Americans and Berklee classmates Dave Henning and Forest Williams in their circle, the seeds of Canadian-American rock band Big Wreck were planted.
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Initially known as Still Waters, the quartet played gigs in Boston but Thornley eventually brought his school friends to Canada for shows in his hometown where, as Big Wreck come 1994 (the name coined after Doherty called a problematic rehearsal session a “big wreck”), a record deal with Atlantic Records set the course for very good things to come.
Seven albums on, Big Wreck has proven to be a bigger success on this side of the border. Doherty succumbed to cancer in 2019, and Henning and Williams have long departed the band, but Thornley has kept Big Wreck relevant and still very popular, the release of new music just this past March having done much to further that continued momentum.
On Wednesday (August 16) at Del Crary Park, Big Wreck will headline Peterborough Musicfest as one stop of an ongoing North American tour that is winning new fans and nourishing longtime ones as well. As always, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is free.
Big Wreck’s concert is the first of three Musicfest concerts in four nights as season 36 comes to an end, with pop-rock band Glass Tiger performing a rescheduled concert the following night and country band Tim & The Glory Boys hitting the stage with opener Robyn Ottolini on Saturday night to close out the season.
VIDEO: “The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)” – Big Wreck
In 1997, collective feet firmly planted on Canadian soil, Big Wreck released its debut album In Loving Memory Of…, its lead single “The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)” becoming what has proven to be the band’s highest-charting single south of the border.
Follow-up single “That Song” charted high in both countries, with “Blown Wide Open” and “Lighthouse” also cracking the top 40 in Canada.
It was four years before new music came forth in the form of Big Wreck’s second album, The Pleasure And The Greed. While its lead single “Inhale” received notable airplay, the follow-up album didn’t create the excitement of its predecessor, its three singles failing to chart either in Canada or the United States.
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In 2003, Big Wreck broke up, with Thornley going on to front a Toronto-based that carried his name and would remain an entity until 2011. Doherty moved to Camlachie, a small community outside Sarnia, Ontario, where he taught guitar and went on to form the indie rock band Death of 8.
After Doherty reunited with his college pal in 2010 for a Thornley tour, Big Wreck was reformed, that reunion resulting in a string of four new studio albums in seven years: Albatross, Ghosts, Grace Street, and …But For The Sun. Released as a single, the title track from Ghosts did much to earn the album a 2015 Juno Award nomination as Rock Album of the Year, a distinction also shared by the other three albums.
Following Doherty’s death in 2019 from lung cancer at the age of 51, Big Wreck carried on as a trio but thereafter, with Chris Caddell on board as the new rhythm guitarist and former Thornley drummer Sekou Lumumba in the fold alongside longtime bassist Dave McMillan, the band released 7 — a full-length album comprised of new music from three previously released EPs.
VIDEO: “Ghosts” – Big Wreck
Now on the road with his bandmates to promote Big Wreck’s newest album while reconnecting with fans, Doherty reflects in a release on how the pandemic years, which put a stop to touring, sparked his creativity.
“It was a crazy and uncertain time but I kind of fell right into my rhythm,” he recalls. “I’d come into my basement writing room and just lock it all away and start following leads — riffs from sound checks or old phone recordings. There are sounds we’ve never gone for before that I’ve secretly always wanted to try, so the attitude was kind of ‘If not now, when?'”
Following that lengthy time of experimentation, Big Wreck hit the studio with producer Eric Ratz (Billy Talent, Arkells) back at the helm. The result is a wealth of riches for Big Wreck faithful and new fans alike — 15 tracks divided into three EPs that capture the essence of every entry in their back catalogue while pushing into some unexplored territory.
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“Everybody’s got their own fingerprints on this and it felt as natural as anything,” says Thornley of the sessions, which included recording the new single “Bomb Away.”
“It was a lot of fun playing with this rhythm section,” says Thornley.
“Things ended up going in a direction they weren’t going to go when we first came into the studio but, as a musician, I love being thrown curveballs.”
VIDEO: “Bombs Away” – Big Wreck
Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert and the entire 2023 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2023 season.
A 25-year-old Scarborough man drowned in Lake Ontario in Cobourg on Saturday afternoon (August 12).
At 4:04 p.m. on Saturday, Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency services responded to a report of a person who appeared to be in distress in the water on the east side of the pier in the Town of Cobourg.
The person had gone under the water and did not resurface.
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Cobourg police and fire services and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre from 8 Wing Trenton conducted a search of the waterway and located the missing man, who was transported to Northumberland Hills Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Northumberland OPP have identified the victim as a 25-year-old man from Scarborough, but have not released his identity.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.
Kristin Morgan, along with her husband Matthew, owns and operates The Eyrie in North Kawartha, a birds of prey facility that aims to inspire conservation through meaningful education about raptors, including their biology, physiology, behaviours, and ecosystems and habitats, as well as the relationship between raptors and humans. (Photo courtesy of The Eyrie)
If you look to the trees and the sky, you’ll notice the Kawarthas is home to a vast array of raptor species. Husband-and-wife team Matthew and Kristin Morgan have made it their calling to educate people on these birds of prey and now, through their business The Eyrie, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Founded in 2019, The Eyrie — which is named after the term for a raptor’s nest — is a birds of prey facility located near Apsley in North Kawartha. The Morgans currently have 23 raptors covering 10 different species, including a saker falcon, American kestrel, bald eagle, black vulture, Harris’s hawk, and — their newest team member — a Eurasian eagle-owl just named Echo.
While the couple provide commercial pest control services, using their raptors and dog to control nuisance animals like gulls and geese, and also offer on-site demonstrations and photography sessions, their primary focus is going into schools, libraries, fairs, festivals, and museums to provide raptor demonstrations and share their knowledge with the public.
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“We primarily focus on educational outreach, teaching the importance of conservation, how raptors fit into the natural world, and how we as humans can be better stewards of the environment that we all share together,” says Matthew.
Matthew says he’s wanted to work with hawks and falcons for as long as he can remember. But if he had to pinpoint a moment of discovery, he would attribute it to one of the many trips to the Toronto Zoo he made as a child growing up in Toronto. He recalls watching the zoo’s birds of prey show and he was immediately captivated by the way the birds interacted with their human counterparts.
“Pretty much every other form of animal demonstration had a form of control — whether it’s in an arena or the animals have some kind of a screen on them, there’s some kind of control,” he explains. “But when you’re flying these birds, there is absolutely nothing to stop them if they feel like taking off. The fact the birds not only stick around but are eager and willing participants in it, to me kind of shines a bit of a different light on human-animal partnerships.”
Matthew Morgan, who owns and operates The Eyrie in North Kawartha with his wife Kristin, during an educational outreach event. Matthew has been training raptors for more than a decade and continues to learn from and find a new appreciation for the birds. (Photo courtesy of The Eyrie)
Matthew, who learned the basics of raptor training while attending Trent University for environmental studies, has been training birds of prey for 13 years alongside his wife Kristin, who studied eco-tourism at Fanshawe College while she also learned about raptor training when travelling across western Canada. Now the couple have travelled across the country to help educate people.
“We just try and get as much information into people as we can, talking about the bird’s biology, their physiology, their behaviours, their ecosystems and habitats,” explains Matthew. “And we talk about the relationship between raptors and humans because there’s pretty much no animal out there that doesn’t have some kind of an interaction with humans.”
According to Matthew, roughly 70 to 85 per cent of raptors do not make it through their first year of life or through their first winter. Those who do survive then face challenges caused by humans, including poisoning through rodenticide, getting hit by cars, and flying into windows.
“It’s really tough to be a bird of prey,” Matthew notes. “We found that human developments and advancement, while necessary, do have an impact on these animals.”
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A major aspect to their educational efforts involves correcting the misconceptions that a lot of people have about raptors, including that they are vicious and “bloodthirsty” creatures.
“We try to replace a lot of those misconceptions with cool and interesting facts about them,” says Matthew. “We want to give people a new appreciation for the animals they’re finding in their own backyards.”
As an example, Matthew points out that vultures have one of the worst reputations but, after The Eyrie brings their black vulture Lilith out to demonstrations, people will often walk away saying vultures are their new favourite bird.
The Eyrie co-owner Kristin Morgan with one of the facility’s 23 raptors covering 10 different species, including a saker falcon, American kestrel, bald eagle, black vulture, Harris’s hawk, and Eurasian eagle owl. In 2022, The Eyrie began providing on-site demonstrations at their facility at 922 County Road 504 in North Kawartha, and now also photography sessions. (Photo courtesy of The Eyrie)
Last year, The Eyrie began adding on-site demonstrations to their programming after pandemic restrictions made the Morgans realize they may not always be able to travel. They now have demonstrations in their facility a few times per month, on top of the photography sessions they added this spring.
During the two-hour sessions at The Eyrie, photographers can watch and photograph raptors in a much more accessible space than in the wild.
“So many photographers want to go out and take photos of (raptors) in the wild, and that’s the best place to do it,” Matthew says, adding that Kristin is more the photographer in their relationship. “But it’s not exactly easy, especially for a shot of a raptor in flight. You get one chance and it’s almost never (flying) towards you. So this is both a good way for them to get some of those shots that they would love for their collection and also just to practice and to learn more.”
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In the winter, The Eyrie hosts “owl prowls” where the Morgans take visitors out on their 50 acres of woodland in search of wild owls. As vocal birds, owls respond to calls, so Matthew and Kristin use a non-invasive approach of calling to attract them to make an appearance to the group.
Just as he recognized at Toronto Zoo all those years ago, Matthew feels it important the owls are willing participants in the demonstrations.
“It puts everything in the owls’ court, so if the owls want to come up to us they can, and if they don’t want to come up to us, that’s okay. It’s all voluntary in terms of what the owls do.”
During the winter, The Eyrie hosts “owl prowls” where co-owners Matthew and Kristin Morgan take visitors out on their 50 acres of woodland in search of wild owls. The Morgans use a non-invasive approach of calling to attract owls, who decide whether or not to approach the group. (Photo courtesy of The Eyrie)
The Eyrie puts on the owl prowls throughout January and February during owl breeding season, as that’s when they’re most responsive.
While the Morgans continues to add new programming at The Eyrie to further educate people about birds of prey, they are constantly working towards their ultimate goal: turning their space into a rehabilitation facility for raptors, where they would be able to take in injured, sick, or orphaned raptors to help them recover and transition back to life in the wild.
In a perfect world, Matthew says, there wouldn’t be a need for a rehabilitation centres. Although educating people can reduce the need for such centres, there will also be raptors that need help.
“We see this as a way of helping to give back to the wild counterparts, because that’s what drew us in the first place — seeing these animals in the wild. If we can help give back to the animals that have given so much to us, I think that’s a pretty worthwhile use of our time and resources.”
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Until they can run their own rehabilitation centre, the couple are constantly working with others to help recover, assess, triage, stabilize and prepare injured birds of prey to re-enter the wild.
“If someone does find a bird of prey, they can absolutely give us a call,” assures Matthew.
While continuing their educational outreach, Matthew says he and his wife are constantly discovering a new appreciation for the birds they work with.
“The more I learned about them and the more I still learn about them, the more I get fascinated with them,” Matthew says. “I’m just trying to be the same spark for someone that someone else was, for me.”
The Eyrie’s primary focus is educational outreach by teaching the importance of conservation, how raptors fit into the natural world, and how humans can be better stewards of the environment. Co-owner Matthew Morgan says as many as 85 per cent of raptors do not make it through their first year of life or through their first winter, and those who do survive then face human-created challenges including poisoning, getting hit by cars, and flying into windows. (Photo courtesy of The Eyrie)
The Eyrie can be found at 922 County Road 504, North Kawartha, where upcoming on-site demonstrations take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 13th and again at the same time on Sunday, August 27th. Each outdoor demonstration runs for about an hour and costs $12 ($10 for children 3 to 10 and free for children 2 and under). Participants are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before the session and to leave their pets at home.
There are also two public photography sessions on the same two dates, where photographers have the opportunity to capture images of a number of raptors, both static and in flight, in natural settings. The two-hour sessions begin at 1 p.m. and are capped at 12 participants. The cost is $65 plus HST per participant.
For more information about The Eyrie and to book a spot at a demonstration or photography session, visit www.theeyrie.ca or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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