Peterborough's famous Lift Lock opened on July 9, 1904. During Doors Open Peterborough on September 16, 2023, you will have a rare chance to see how this engineering wonder works. (Photo: Peterborough Museum & Archives)
Like Shifting Gears, GreenUP’s annual commuter challenge, Doors Open Peterborough is encouraging us to leave our cars at home this year and explore Peterborough’s heritage and cultural landmarks on foot or by bicycle. By including the theme “transportation,” Doors Open has curated a unique set of experiences that help us journey to the past.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column is by Doors Open Peterborough and Shifting Gears GreenUP.
This annual celebration of architectural and cultural heritage offers the public a rare chance to explore the inside of buildings normally closed to the public and to appreciate public spaces in a new light. Many of the Doors Open Peterborough destinations and exhibitions are within walking distance of each other and to city bike paths, making it ideal to switch from driving to biking, walking or rolling through history.
On Saturday, September 16th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Doors Open is inviting the public out to bike, walk, or roll out for a chance to see the inner workings of the Peterborough Lift Lock, peak behind the curtain at the Peterborough Theatre Guild, and tour the 19th-century Hutchison House and its medicine garden. Masjid Al-Salaam will welcome visitors again, and the old Canadian Pacific Railroad station (now the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce building) will be open to view.
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“Transportation is such a fun lens to view heritage through, as it offers such a rich point of departure for understanding the past,” says Shifting Gears program coordinator Ashley Burnie. “These locations may be mysteries as you drive by at 40 kilometres per hour, but when using active transport like by trolley, bike, foot or assistive devices, you will spot hidden gems and be contributing to a healthier environment too.”
This year for the first time, Doors Open adds Allan Bolton’s collection of antique tractors to its list of sites. Located on River Road just north of Trent University, the garage of 25 International Harvester tractors from the 1940s and 1950s is easily reachable by bike along the Rotary Trail.
As a farm boy, Bolton used to drive and repair tractors and, since retiring from the bus business, he has salvaged and rebuilt Farmalls, Lo-Boys, and a couple of Fargo trucks. Bolton exemplifies what it means to repurpose something from the past to celebrate it.
Hutchison House was built in 1837 by the citizens of the town to entice the only doctor to stay. See this restored 19th-century limestone building, now a living museum, and its medicine garden during Doors Open Peterborough on September 16, 2023. (Photo: Peterborough Museum & Archives)
In addition, local historian Gord Young will lead a walking tour of Queen Alexandra Community Centre, once the Peterborough Normal School for teacher training.
The city’s refurbished trolley shuttle will be taking interested explorers out on the historic town, guided by the knowledgeable Don Willcock. This is an exciting opportunity to see how our city’s building and travel infrastructure has evolved over the decades.
Doors Open Peterborough is also introducing a new feature: a virtual self-guided bike tour of other designated heritage sites. In the spirit of Shifting Gears, participants can use active travel and an accessible mobile app to walk through downtown and east city and enjoy the sites along the way.
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The circular route follows city bike trails along both sides of the Otonabee River. Participants can click on icons on the virtual map to see photos and read about heritage sites such as Auburn Mill, Nicholls Oval, and designated heritage houses on Dickson, London, Dublin, Water, and George streets.
To explore historic Peterborough in even more depth, consult the City of Peterborough’s interactive map of designated sites and plan your own walking and biking tour.
Mark your calendars for September 16 and check the Doors Open Ontario website at www.doorsopenontario.on.ca for updates on added sites and detailed descriptions of this year’s sites and tours.
Built in 1884, this early CPR station (left) in downtown Peterborough now houses Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce. Carefully restored, it retains many original interior and exterior architectural features. You can visit it during Doors Open Peterborough on September 16, 2023. (Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images / Peterborough Museum & Archives)
Travel infrastructure and heritage conservation are both shaped and informed by intentional choices. The stories we tell about our heritage can teach us what is important for the future. As we contemplate Peterborough’s heritage while walking or cycling, it’s worth considering how the transportation choices of the past have informed the way our city is constructed, and how we might prioritize spaces for active and sustainable travel modes for the future.
Doors Open Peterborough provides us with a chance to learn about our built and cultural heritage. It is free and open to the public. Funded by the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC), it is part of Doors Open Ontario in partnership with the Ontario Heritage Trust. Follow @heritageptbo on Facebook and Instagram, where other events and fun facts will be shared regularly as well as Doors Open information.
The Shifting Gears program is delivered in partnership with GreenUP and the City of Peterborough. It provides resources and encouragement for individuals and workplaces to make shifts toward active and sustainable travel during the month of May and all year round.
Martin and Chris Kratt were at Peterborough's Riverview Park and Zoo on June 13, 2023 to film an episode of their show "Wild Kratts", now in its seventh season, that will feature the zoo's Bactrian camels. (Photo: Riverview Park and Zoo / Facebook)
Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo had some famous visitors on Tuesday (June 13), when the Kratt brothers visited to film an episode of their show Wild Kratts that will feature the zoo’s Bactrian camels.
The zoo posted a couple of photos from the visit on its Facebook page on Wednesday, where the post has garnered more than 1,200 reactions and hundreds of shares in only seven hours.
Martin and Chris Kratt are American zoologists, actors, directors, producers, and educational nature show hosts. They have produced five TV series, including Kratts’ Creatures and Zoboomafoo, aiming to educate children about species, biology, zoology, and ecology.
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We had some exciting visitors at the Park and Zoo yesterday! Martin and Chris Kratt (@thekrattbrothers) were onsite to…
The Kratt brothers are best known for the cartoon versions of themselves they voice in their Peabody Award-nominated series Wild Kratts, now in its seventh season. Airing in 32 countries, the show is available on PBS Kids in the U.S. and on TVOKids in Canada.
Each Wild Kratts episode begins and ends with a live-action segment of the Kratt brothers describing the characteristics and capabilities of a particular species of animal — which they call its “creature powers” — before seguing into the episode by asking viewers to imagine having the powers of the animal.
The episode then transitions to the animated segment, where the brothers go on expeditions to study animals in the wild.
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“It’s our longest-running series by far and I think it has the broadest reach of any of our shows,” says Martin in an interview with Victoria Davis for the Animation World Network.
“The kids we were making Kratts’ Creatures and Zaboomafoo for, it’s their kids who are watching Wild Kratts. This all started because we wanted to introduce kids to amazing animals and, hopefully, through that, inspire them to help save endangered species when they grow up.”
Stay tuned for a future episode of Wild Kratts to discover the “creature powers” of the Riverview Park and Zoo’s Bactrian camels.
A promotional photo for the world premiere of D'Arcy Jenish's "The Tilco Strike", which tells the story of a 1965-66 labour action by 35 female employees of Peterborough manufacturer Tilco Plastics and its far-reaching consequences. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. From left to right: Sarah McNeilly, Laurin Isiekwena, Katharine Cappellacci, Ellyse Wolter, and Sierra Gibb-Khan. (Photo: Wayne Eardley, Brookside Studio)
As a longtime journalist, D’Arcy Jenish is no stranger to the practice of “chasing a good story” but he notes that every now and then, a good story has fallen into his lap.
Such was the case when he was commissioned to write the history of Trent University for the post-secondary institution’s 50th anniversary in 2014.
Among the many he interviewed for that piece was noted Canadian historian and Trent professor Joan Sangster who, during the course of their chat, mentioned the late 1965 strike by 35 female employees of Peterborough-based Tilco Plastics — a labour disruption about which she had written an extensive paper.
“The Tilco Strike” playwright D’Arcy Jenish speaks with kawarthaNOW writer Paul Rellinger during 4th Line Theatre’s media day on June 14, 2023. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
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“As soon as I read it, I thought it was a natural fit for 4th Line Theatre,” recalls Jenish, who subsequently wrote The Tilco Strike, the first of two productions being staged this summer at the Winslow Farm, Robert Winslow’s beautiful farm property off Zion Line near Millbrook, as part of 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season.
During a media day hosted Wednesday (June 14) by the outdoor theatre company, Jenish reflected on the significance of what was “a long nasty strike” that started small “but blew out of proportion” because of the company’s threat to seek an injunction that would that limit the workers’ action and “kill the effectiveness of the strike.”
“There were 43 of these things (injunctions) in the previous 20 years,” Jenish notes. “There had been a lot of labour unrest in Ontario. The Peterborough Labour Council got behind the women. There were mass pickets (involving workers from other Peterborough factories such as General Electric). Sheriff McBride had to read the riot act. They arrested 26 men. They wound up in jail.”
“Tilco was the last straw for the government and they called a Royal Commission into labour practices. Tilco was the trigger for a major public inquiry into labour practices that ultimately changed the labour landscape in the entire province. They didn’t ban injunctions outright but employers were hesitant to apply for them, and judges were reluctant to grant them when they did.”
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“The Tilco Strike” director Cynthia Ashperger speaks with kawarthaNOW writer Paul Rellinger during 4th Line Theatre’s media day on June 14, 2023. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
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To bring The Tilco Strike to life, 4th Line Theatre managing artistic director turned to a familiar face and talent, enlisting Cynthia Ashperger to direct. No stranger to the summer theatre company, Ashperger played roles in two previous productions before directing last summer’s The Great Shadow.
“I root for the underdog and they (the striking Tilco workers) were a clear underdog,” says Ashperger, a member of three unions who was immediately attracted by the story and its wider significance. “It’s important that workers have rights. It’s important to have someone backing you up when the need comes. It’s important to have some recourse when you’re being unfairly treated. These people took an enormous risk … young girls standing up to a big boss. They really stood for something.”
“I really hope they (audience members) will reflect on how they stood for something. How they stood for solidarity. How they stood for unity. How they stood for the rights of workers. That they were brave. That they paved the way for us to be able, in a unionized environment, to ask for our rights. That you don’t have to shut up and take it — you can stand up.”
Actor M. John Kennedy, who portrays Tilco Plastics co-owner Harold ‘Dutch’ Pammett in “The Tilco Strike”, speaks with kawarthaNOW writer Paul Rellinger during 4th Line Theatre’s media day on June 14, 2023. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
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As you’d expect of a tale that has antagonism at its centre, there is a character seen as the villain by those who side with the workers. In his portrayal of Harold ‘Dutch’ Pammett, one of the co-owners of Tilco Plastics, M. John Kennedy is well aware of his place in the narrative.
“In my mind, I’m not the villain but I think in a lot of other people’s minds, I might be,” says Kennedy.
“When we were doing the introductions around the table for the first read-through of the play and I said who I was playing, the cast booed. But D’arcy and, hopefully I, have done a pretty good job of trying to find (Pammett’s) humanity. My job is to defend the character I’m playing, and D’arcy gave me a lot in the script to do that with.”
“One of the things that came up through rehearsals are these scenes where Dutch is alone with another person. He seems a lot more open-hearted. You feel more empathy for him in those moments. He doesn’t need to put on this tough guy facade. I really get to open up his vulnerability in those scenes, which I really enjoy doing. I hope I’m able to generate some empathy for Dutch. I hope people don’t leave the show saying ‘He was an out-and-out pure villain.'”
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4th Line Theatre managing artistic director Kim Blackwell speaks with kawarthaNOW writer Paul Rellinger during 4th Line Theatre’s media day on June 14, 2023. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. Blackwell will be directing the second play in 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season, a remounting of Robert Winslow’s “The Cavan Blazers” in August. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
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For her part, 4th Line Theatre’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell admits to having known nothing about the Tilco strike action until she read Jenish’s script.
“But I remember the factory … that iconic Tilco Plastics sign at the corner of Parkhill (Road) and Park (Street),” Blackwell says. “I was fascinated by the story of how these 35 women in Peterborough and their fight for pennies on the dollar and a $25 signing bonus, that would have cost their bosses something like $800, deteriorated into such a wild and ultimately unsuccessful strike but rallied 54 trade unions in Peterborough.”
“My dad worked at GE. I remember the heyday of Fisher Gauge, Outboard Marine, GE, Britton Carpet, Quaker … the list goes on and on. This was a real factory town. I love looking at that piece of our history.”
Actors M. John Kennedy and Katharine Cappellacci perform a scene from “The Tilco Strike” during 4th Line Theatre’s media day on June 14, 2023. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
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Sharing her excitement as opening night nears is Jenish.
“These are just words on a page until an actor brings them to life with physicality and movement and gestures,” he says. “That’s when it’s exciting. That’s when you see it come alive.”
“You’re going to see a great story and a very entertaining piece but, by the end of it, you’re going to feel justice was done. Standing for one’s principles still means something.”
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Ellyse Wolter and Laurin Isiekwena perform a scene from “The Tilco Strike” during 4th Line Theatre’s media day on June 14, 2023. The play runs Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
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Blackwell, meanwhile, has another reason to be excited as 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season dawns.
“While last summer was awesome, we were about 20 per cent short of revenue targets. This year we are record breaking. We have never been this far ahead with ticket sales at this point.”
“Robert had a vision,” Blackwell says, referring to 4th Line’s founder Robert Winslow. “The aim is to keep the vision going and build on it.”
Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre has purchased 400 new chairs for its Winslow Farm venue. The purchase of the new chairs followed a survey completed last year where 44 per cent of patrons expressed a desire for more comfortable and safe chairs. (Photo: Heather Doughty / kawarthaNOW)
That vision began when Winslow’s play The Cavan Blazers premiered at the Winslow Farm in 1992, setting the outdoor stage for the 65 productions 4th Line Theatre has mounted since then in its mission to preserve and promote Canadian cultural heritage through regionally based and environmentally staged historical theatre. In August, Blackwell will be directing the company’s second play of the season: the sixth restaging of The Cavan Blazers.
Along with M. John Kennedy, The Tilco Strike also stars Katherine Cappellacci, Nathan Simpson, Ellyse Wolter, Sierra Gibb-Khan, Sarah McNeilly, Trent University student Laurin Isiekwena, one of five artists participating in 4th Line Theatre’s first Interdisciplinary Residency Program, and more.
Behind the scenes, musical direction is by Justin Hiscox, who also penned the original compositions, with costume design by Korin Cormier, fight direction by Edward Belanger, and set design by Esther Vincent. The production is sponsored by CIBC Wood Gundy – The Pyle Group and The Gainey Foundation.
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Performance dates for The Tilco Strike are Tuesdays to Saturdays from June 27 to July 22 with curtain at 6 p.m., with preview nights on June 27 and 28 and opening night on June 29.
Tickets are $50 ($45 for children and youth ages five to 16), with $38 tickets available for preview nights.
You can order tickets by visiting www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca, calling 705-932-4445 (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.
Karen Redmond of Cameron won $1 million in the March 31, 2023 Lotto Max draw by playing Encore. (Photo supplied by OLG)
A Kawartha Lakes grandmother discovered she was a millionaire after checking a lottery ticket a couple of months after the draw.
Karen Redmond of Cameron says she purchases lottery tickets about twice a month, playing Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 and always choosing to play Encore.
The 70-year-old retiree bought her winning ticket at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Kent Street in Lindsay, but left it in her purse for a couple of months before checking it. She discovered she had matched all seven Encore numbers in the exact order in the March 31st Lotto Max draw.
“I was having a yard sale when I took a break to check it,” she says. “When I realized I won, I gave away the rest of the items in my yard sale.”
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She says she validated her ticket at the store and the machine shut down.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she recalls, before returning home to tell her partner about her win. “He said, ‘Are you for real?’ We had to sit down because we were in shock. My family and friends couldn’t be happier for me.”
Redmond plans to go on vacation and share her winnings with her children and grandchildren.
“I’ve been excited and sleepless,” she says. “I’m still on cloud nine.”
ZimArt founder, owner, and curator Fran Fearnley will be closing her Rice Lake gallery of Zimbabwean stone sculpture after the current season, which ends on Thanksgiving 2023. She founded the gallery in 2000 after returning from a two years volunteering in South Africa, where she was introduced to Shona sculpture in neighbouring Zimbabwe. (Photo via Hello Boss Girl / Facebook)
This is the final season to visit ZimArt’s Rice Lake Gallery near Bailieboro, which will be permanently closing on Thanksgiving after 23 years.
Owner and curator Fran Fearnley founded Canada’s only outdoor gallery of hand-carved Shona sculpture, also referred to as Zimbabwean stone sculpture, in 2000.
The avid art collector and former journalist had spent two years volunteering in South Africa, where she was introduced to Shona sculpture in neighbouring Zimbabwe in 1998.
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Following her return from South Africa, she founded ZimArt and opened the gallery on her picturesque five-acre farm overlooking Rice Lake, which now features more than 300 hand-carved sculptures from over 50 Zimbabwean sculptors on display outdoors over two acres. It has become a popular cultural destination in the Kawarthas, with many visitors returning year after year.
Since 2001, Fearnley has also hosted a Zimbabwean artist-in-residence every season. This year’s artist-in-residence is Edious (Eddy) Nyagweta, from Rusape which is 170 kilometres east of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. Nyagweta began stone sculpting in primary school with the support and encouragement of his mentor, the late Rusape painter and sculptor Thomas Mukarobgwa.
A highlight of the summer is ZimArt’s annual outdoor exhibition and sale featuring the sculptures of the current artist-in-residence. This year’s exhibition and sale, called Life in Stone, will display Nyagweta’s work in a dedicated area of the outdoor gallery and the artist will be available to talk to visitors about his work.
Edious (Eddy) Nyagweta will be the final Zimbabwean artist-in-residence at ZimArt’s Rice Lake Gallery. Nyagweta’s work will be featured in this year’s exhibition and sale, called Life in Stone, which runs from August 5 to September 3, 2023. (Photo via Zimart website)
The exhibition and sale opens from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 5th with a live performance by Izimba Arts, and continues from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until Sunday, September 3rd. Admission is free. Free educational tours can also be booked during the exhibition including for school groups, art clubs, and other community groups.
On weekends during the exhibition, a selection of hand-made Zimbabwean crafts and other items will be on sale with all proceeds going to ZimKids Community Support, a Canadian not-for-profit supporting grassroots projects in Zimbabwe.
For the past four years, ZimArt has also hosted an outdoor concert series on Wednesday evenings during the summer. This year’s series features Rick Fines on July 5, Carlos del Junco and The Blues Mongrels on July 19, The Weber Brothers on August 2, Al Lerman on August 16, and Jackson Delta on August 30. Tickets are $40 available in advance by emailing musicatzimart@gmail.com.
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The 71-year-old Fearnley is retiring according to The Millbrook Times, and plans to move to the Yucatan in Mexico in the future and possibly write a book about Zimbabwean Shona sculpture.
Located at 855 Second Line Road east of Bailieboro, ZimArt is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. until its final day on Thanksgiving. Admission is free, although donations are accepted.
For more information about ZimArt, visit zimart.ca.
The Truck & Tractor Pull is returning to the Ennismore Shamrock Festival, running from July 21 to 23, 2023. The festival also features a dance, free family fun day, a craft show, and more. (Photo: Selwyn Township)
The Truck & Tractor Pull is returning to the Ennismore Shamrock Festival in July for the first time since the pandemic began.
A longstanding tradition that began in 1967 as a centennial year celebration, the family-friendly Ennismore Shamrock Festival takes place from July 21 to 23 with most activities taking place at the Robert E. Young Recreation Complex in Ennismore.
The festival kicks off at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 21st with an age-of-majority dance at The Quarry Golf Club in Ennismore featuring a DJ and live music from Ennismore’s own Melissa Payne. Tickets are $15 at the door or $10 in advance, available at the Selwyn Township Municipal Office at 1310 Centre Line or in Ennismore at The Quarry Golf Club at 447 Tara Road, Sullivan’s General Store at 476 Ennis Road, or Jesse’s Tap & Grill at 583 Robinson Road.
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A free family fun day takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 22nd at the Robert E. Young Recreation Complex featuring children’s activities including bouncy castles, inflatable games, and obstacle courses from King of the Castle and a petting zoo featuring miniature farm animals from Critter Visits.
Food and refreshments include an all-day BBQ hosted by the Shamrock Festival Committee with peameal bacon on a bun, burgers and hot dogs, and drinks, as well as sno cones and beavertails. There will also be local vendors and community information booths.
On Sunday, July 23rd, the Truck & Tractor Pull will begin at 12 p.m. Admission is $10 per person (free for children 12 years of age and under). Food vendors and a licensed refreshment tent will be available trackside.
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Also on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the Shamrock Craft Show held indoors at the Ennismore Community Centre at 553 Ennis Road and featuring more than 100 vendors. Admission is $10 per person (free for children 12 years of age and under), with all proceeds supporting the Ennismore Shamrock Festival.
Happening all weekend long is the annual Garage Sale and Street Curling event at the Ennismore Curling Club at 555 Ennis Road. It runs from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information about the Ennismore Shamrock Festival, visit ennismoreshamrockfestival.ca. Information will also be available on the website for anyone interested in participating in the Truck & Tractor Pull.
Through a $300-million partnership with the Canadian and Ontario governments and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), Rogers will deliver mobile connectivity to 113 municipalities and Indigenous communities in eastern Ontario by building more than 330 new cellular towers and upgrading over 300 existing sites by 2025. (Photo: Rogers Communication)
Improved cell service and high-speed wireless internet is now available in several underserved areas in Peterborough County and Northumberland County.
The availability of Rogers 5G mobile services in nine eastern Ontario communities was announced on Wednesday (June 14) by the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure, Infrastructure Canada, and Rogers Communications.
Through nine new wireless sites and upgrades to 37 existing sites, Rogers 5G service is now available for the first time in Bridgenorth and at Camp Kawartha in Peterborough County, and from Healey Falls to Campbellford South and from Archer’s Road to County Road 2 in Northumberland County.
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Rogers 5G service is also now available along Ontario County Highway 2 from Belleville to Shannonville, southern areas of Sandbanks Provincial Park, Glasgow Station to ON-17 in Renfrew County, Demorestville in Prince Edward County, and along Highway 7 in Maberly in Lanark County.
The announcement is part of the EORN Cell Gap Project, a $300-million public-private partnership to improve and expand cellular services across rural eastern Ontario. About half the project funding comes from the federal and provincial governments, as well as municipal members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and most of the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus (EOMC). The balance of the investment comes from Rogers Communications, which was selected through a competitive bidding process.
Through the partnership, Rogers Communications is building more than 330 new wireless sites and upgrading over 300 existing sites with 5G by 2025. To date, 13 new wireless sites are in-service with upgrades completed on 297 existing sites.
The 11 inductees of the 2023 Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame. (Supplied photos)
The Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame has announced the 11 inductees of the 2023 Pathway of Fame, including kawarthaNOW’s own Jeannine Taylor, former radio host Mike Melnik, retired OPP officer David McNab, LA-based music producer Greg Wells, and the late former Peterborough mayor Jack Doris.
Established in 1997, the Pathway of Fame honours people who have contributed to the arts and humanities heritage of the Peterborough. Nominations are submitted annually by the public in the categories of visual arts, literary, dramatic arts, entertainment/musical, cultural betterment, community Samaritan, media, and community builder.
kawarthaNOW founder, CEO, and publisher Jeannine Taylor is one of the two media inductees, along with former radio host and Impact Communications owner Mike Melnik.
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Retired Peterborough County OPP constable David McNab is this year’s Samaritan inductee, recognized in part for his role in the settlement and integration of Syrian refugees into the Peterborough community.
Long-time municipal politician and former Peterborough mayor Jack Doris, who passed away in March, is a community builder inductee.
This year’s sole entertainment inductee is Peterborough native Greg Wells, a Grammy award-winning music producer based in Los Angeles who is still involved in the local music scene through the Don Skuce Memorial Music Collective songwriting contest.
Peterborough arts champion Cathy Rowland, who founded the integrated arts program at PCVS and who is a writer, producer, and director of theatrical productions, is the dramatic arts inductee.
The 2023 Pathway of Fame includes three cultural/community betterment inductees.
The late Courtney Druce is recognized for her fundraising and awareness work before cancer took her life at the age of 27. Sean Eyre, one of the driving forces behind the founding of the Pathway of Fame, is recognized for his service to the community and his promotion of local artists. Former school principals Stephanie MacDonald and her husband the late John MacDonald are recognized for their many contributions to the community.
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Charlie Gregory, known for his photographic essays of unsheltered people, is the recipient of the Barb Bell Humanity Award. The award is named after the late Pathway of Fame founding member who was also inducted for her work as a foster parent.
A public induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 9th at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough.
Here are bios of each inductee in alphabetical order as provided by the Pathway of Fame.
John Ambrose (Jack) Doris (Community Builder)
First elected to Peterborough City Council in 1967, John Ambrose (Jack) Doris subsequently represented his Monaghan Ward constituents for 39 years and served another six years as Mayor before stepping back from politics in 2014 — his legacy secure as someone who always had your back, and treated all with equal kindness, and compassion.
Courtney Druce (Cultural/Community Betterment)
Before cancer tragically cut short her life at 27, Courtney Druce made it her mission to inspire and provide hope for others fighting their own battles — raising funds for, and bringing awareness to the important work of the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, to name but a few benefactors of her empathy for others. Courtney Druce died April 27th, 2016 just shy of her 28th birthday.
Sean Eyre (Cultural/Community Betterment)
From his radio broadcasting heyday as ‘Sunshine Sean’ to his co-founding of Rocklands Entertainment, to his relentless promotion of local artists — Sean Eyre’s love of his community has also encompassed service as a City alderman, not to mention one of the driving forces behind the 1998 founding of the Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame.
Charlie Gregory (Barb Bell Humanity Award Recipient)
Charlie Gregory’s photographic essays of the homeless have not only afforded the viewer a window into the harsh realities of the unhoused, but his images reveal the humanity of those who exist on the fringe. A self-described “watcher of folks who live on the edges of society,” Gregory has made it his selfless mission to both document, and offer support for the marginalized. As part of his advocacy, the proprietor of ‘Lumpy Bikes’ donates refurbished bicycles to those in need. His only ask: “That I take your picture.”
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Stephanie and John MacDonald (Cultural/Community Betterment)
This Peterborough couple’s compelling, and vast contributions to the betterment and well-being of their community run the gamut, with the list of organizations having benefitted from their involvement, drive and passion as long, as it is impressive — all while serving as selfless and dedicated lifelong educators who each rose to the position of school principal. John MacDonald passed away at the end of 2022, in his 83rd year.
David McNab (Samaritan)
Having fully earned his status as global citizen, retired Peterborough County OPP constable David McNab continues to play a key role in the settlement and integration of Syrian refugees into the Peterborough community, displaying the same selfless compassion for others that fuelled his long involvement with Cops For Cancer and countless local organizations and initiatives.
Mike Melnik (Media)
As the popular morning host for ‘KRUZ’ AM and FM before his retirement from the airwaves in 2012, Mike Melnik’s welcoming and distinctive voice started the day for thousands of listeners. His passion for the community, and his capacity for instantly putting his guests at ease was a gift that translated into a coveted spotlight for countless events, causes and organizations — Easter Seals, and its annual telethon among them.
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Cathy Rowland (Dramatic Arts)
A staunch champion of the Peterborough arts scene and in particular the involvement, and creative works of our community’s youth, Cathy Rowland founded the Integrated Arts Program at PCVS and served as lead writer of the Ontario Applied Design and Arts curriculum — in addition to writing, producing and directing numerous theatrical productions.
Jeannine Taylor (Media)
A self-made entrepreneur of close to 30 years, kawarthaNOW.com founder, CEO and publisher Jeannine Taylor was first out of the gate locally in terms of recognizing, and acting upon the emergence of the Internet as a media communications platform, having since leveraged her experience and influence to mentor other women in business.
Greg Wells (Entertainment)
As a two-time Grammy Award winner and one of the most sought-after record producers in the world, Los Angeles-based Greg Wells has never forgotten his Peterborough roots — honouring, and celebrating the City’s rich musical heritage by devoting his time and considerable skills to the furtherance of homegrown talent.
Dignitaries attending the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Extendicare 256-bed long-term care home in Peterborough on June 13, 2023 included Extendicare president and CEO Dr. Michael Guerriere, Ontario long-term care minister Paul Calandra, Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal, and Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith. (Photo courtesy of Extendicare)
Extendicare hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday afternoon (June 13) for a new 256-bed long-term care home at 514 Hillside Street in Peterborough.
The ceremony was attended by Ontario long-term care minister Paul Calandra, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal, and Extendicare president and CEO Dr. Michael Guerriere.
Set to be completed by fall 2025, the four-storey 152,600-square-foot building will replace Extendicare Peterborough’s existing facility at 860 Alexander Court. All current residents will be moving into the new facility, along with an additional 84 people on the province’s long-term care waitlist.
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“Extendicare has a 50-year history of operating long-term care homes in Ontario,” said Guerriere. “With this project, we are building for the next 50. This new home will serve 256 residents in a modern care environment that will enhance care delivery and resident quality of life. Breaking ground today is the next step in our plans to redevelop all of our older homes across the province.”
According to a fact sheet from Extendicare, the new facility will double the square footage per resident, with all residents having their own bedroom. There will be eight self-contained communities of 32 residents, each with dedicated dining rooms, activity spaces, and communal lounges.
The new facility will also have a country kitchen and cafe, a physiotherapy room, a chapel, a beauty salon and barber shop, as well as several outdoor courtyards and visiting spaces accessible for all residents and their families.
A rendering of Extendicare’s new four-storey 256-bed long-term care home in Peterborough, scheduled to be completed by fall 2025. (Rendering courtesy of Extendicare)
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Extendicare’s staff team will increase by around 100 employees with additional roles created in clinical, resident programming, and support services positions. Clinical services will include professional nursing, 24-hour personal care, access to a physician, restorative care, and palliative care.
The Ontario government has committed to spending $6.4 billion to build 30,000 new long-term care beds by 2028, as well as redeveloping 28,000 older beds to modern design standards.
As of February, more than 39,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario.
The printing press at The Lindsay Post circa 1910. Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives project staff are digitizing issues of historial Lindsay newspapers published from 1915 to 1973 and uploading them to the Internet Archive. Along with newspaper issues, the project will digitize 4,000 negatives that belonged to the late journalist, author, and historian Alan Capon. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives)
Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives is in the process of digitizing historical issues of Lindsay newspapers along with 4,000 Lindsay Post negatives that belonged to the late journalist, author, and historian Alan Capon.
Over the course of this year, project staff Jenna Locke and Har-Leigh Arsenault are scanning newspaper issues from 1915 to 1973 and uploading them to the Internet Archive where members of the public can view them and search them by keyword.
So far, over 2,000 pages have been uploaded from issues of The Lindsay Daily Post, The Lindsay Post, The Evening Post, and The Watchman-Warder published from 1917 to 1928, with new issues added daily. They can be viewed at archive.org/details/klma_newspapers.
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Locke and Arsenault will also be digitizing 4,000 Lindsay Post negatives that belonged to Alan Roy Capon. The English-born Capon came to Canada in 1957, where he worked in the Peterborough Examiner’s Lindsay office, was editor of the Lindsay Daily Post, editor and publisher of the Picton Gazette, a staff writer for the Kingston Whig-Standard, and wrote a column for the County Weekly News for 14 years before he died in Prince Edward County in November 2014.
Also an historian, Capon authored around 25 non-fiction books, including his final book, a posthumously published biography of Senator Billy Fraser.
“In recognizing the historical gap present in Kawartha Lakes’ history after 1914, this project seeks to fill this history for researchers in our area that hasn’t been made available before,” says Zac Miller, archivist with Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives, in a media release. “When looking at the negatives that have been scanned, many are of events and individuals that people today will remember and reminisce about fondly.”
Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives project staff Jenna Locke scanning an issue of The Lindsay Post for upload to the Internet Archive. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives)
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According to Miller, that includes events such as the Academy Theatre being renovated, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker visiting Lindsay, Lindsay Little Theatre shows, the Kinmount Fair, and many scenery photographs of Fenelon Falls and Fenelon Museum.
“Digitizing and describing these negatives is rewarding because so many of these events and moments captured would not be written about in the history books, but document important fragments — big or small — of our history not seen before,” Arsenault adds.
In early 2024, Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives is planning a virtual exhibit on Alan Capon on its website at www.klmuseumarchives.ca that will detail his life and highlights some of the negatives representing the history of Kawartha Lakes in the 1960s and 1970s.
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