Five Counties Children's Centre's annual Backyard Summer Social fundraising event on June 24, 2023 in Peterborough featured food, music and other entertainment, and fun activities for attendee including axe throwing, a lacrosse shootout, old-fashioned picnic games, and a petting zoo from Critter Visits including a 'unicorn'. Despite rain forcing some of the activities to take place indoors, the event still raised $41,664 for children's treatment services in the counties of Haliburton, Northumberland, Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. (Photo courtesy of Five Counties Children's Centre)
Despite a rainy Saturday afternoon on June 24, Five Counties Children’s Centre’s annual Backyard Summer Social raised $41,664 for the charitable organization serving children with special needs in the counties of Haliburton, Northumberland, Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
All proceeds for the event go to Five Counties’ Building Abilities for Life campaign that directly benefits children in the community to receive treatment services, including providing priority speech language therapy and occupational therapy as quickly as possible to the children and youth who need them.
“We know that the earlier a child can get into these programs, the better their outcome, which is why community support for our kids and families is so important,” says Five Counties CEO Scott Pepin in a media release. “We live in a very generous community, and the support shown us at our Backyard Summer Social is yet another example of people coming together to help our kids and families.”
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Originally planned to take place entirely outdoors at the Five Counties’ Peterborough location, some activities moved indoors due to the threat of rain. However, attendees were still able to enjoy activities including axe throwing, a petting zoo, a lacrosse shootout, and old-fashioned picnic games, along with food, music and other entertainment, a live auction, and door prizes.
“The Backyard Summer Social is aimed at putting the fun into fundraising, and we were able to do that successfully again in 2023 despite the wet weather,” says Five Counties director of fund development Lyn Giles. “We’re very appreciative of all the support we had this year.”
Giles adds Five Counties is already planning ahead for next year’s Backyard Summer Social on June 22, 2024.
VIDEO: Recap of Five Counties’ Backyard Summer Social 2023
Vancouver-based band Five Alarm Funk brings its 'punk funk' to the Peterborough Musicfest stage in a free-admission concert at Del Crary Park on July 12, 2023. (Photo: Michael Caswell /
Scene In The Dark)
Peterborough Musicfest presents Five Alarm Funk
When: Wednesday, July 12, 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.
With two decades in the books, Five Alarm Funk is as sweaty as ever.
For fans both new and old of the Vancouver-born band’s fiery rhythms, punchy horns, and gang-chat vocals, that’s as good as it gets as they sweat in unison, the perspired-soaked result of an inability to not move to some degree.
Having last appeared at Del Crary Park in 2019 in tandem with Toronto rapper K-OS, Five Alarm Funk returns to headline Peterborough Musicfest on Wednesday, July 12th in a free-admission concert that’s part of the band’s celebratory 20th anniversary tour crossing Canada before dipping south come September.
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With two Juno Award nominations in its rear-view mirror, Five Alarm Funk has burned up stages across four continents, all while recording seven albums since 2006’s self-titled debut, the latest being 2020’s Big Smoke.
Led by singer and drummer Tayo Branston, the band brings to its audience what he terms ‘punk funk’ — a raucously fun sound accompanied by an equally frenetic stage presence that is near impossible to sit still to.
The band’s Facebook descriptor — ‘A horn-powered, percussion-fuelled sonic and visual assault’ — sums up all newbies really need to know.
VIDEO: “Big Smoke” – Five Alarm Funk
“Big Smoke is the tightest, funkiest and most energized album we’ve ever created … the culmination of 17 years of creating, recording, and performing together,” says Branston of the 2020 11-track recording that features collaborations with the legendary Bootsy Collins and baritone sax standout Leo P of Too Many Zooz.
But as well received and welcomed as the band’s studio work has been, the essence of Five Alarm Funk remains rooted in its live show manifestation.
A typical sweat-drenched performance is anything but typical, infused with an intense fun spirit that breaks down the barrier between band and audience, a manic dance party being the inevitable result. Wild costumes, props, and frenetic choreography complement seriously tight arrangements and genre-mashing grooves.
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“We’ve always been known as a live band first,” the band related in a March 2017 email interview with Emily Frewin of Canadian Beats Media.
“The stage is where the spirit of Five Alarm Funk lives. To be up there, giving everything you have to your music, bandmates, and audience, is one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences for us. Our shows are a constant barrage of groove, melody, intensity and fun. Be prepared to dance, smile, laugh, and get in a killer workout.”
“We’re self described as gypsy-rock, afro-funk, reggae, ska, and punk, but we stray from convention or tradition within these genres. Our name in itself means intense, hot and powerful. Our goal is to create all out, feel good dance parties from the moment the music starts until the very last note.”
VIDEO: “Widowmaker” – Five Alarm Funk
Mission accomplished as Five Alarm Funk’s appearances remain as anticipated as ever. A big part of the appeal can be found in the fact this is clearly a collective of musicians who are friends first.
“We always aim for a positive and fun group dynamic. Through the years of touring together we’ve learned the fine points of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Learning how to not bother people is a very important trait in the bus. One thing that has helped keep the band tight and happy in such close confines is everyone is delegated specific duties that have to be done to create a successful atmosphere.”
Not lost on the band is the debt Five Alarm Funk owes to its audiences.
“We love meeting our fans and having as much interaction as possible. Before a show we’re always present and readily available to talk or say hi. Our fans are the lifeblood of the band. Without them, we wouldn’t have the opportunities we have today.”
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Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 15 free-admission concerts during its 36th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until August 19th, and supported by more than 100 sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them.
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.
VIDEO: “We All Scream” – Five Alarm Funk
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2023 season.
A 27-year-old Norwood man is dead after a single-vehicle collision on County Road 40 north of Norwood late Saturday night (July 8).
At around 11:15 p.m., Peterborough County OPP and emergency services responded to a report of the collision on County Road 40 between County Road 6 and Webster Road.
A pickup truck had left the roadway entering the ditch and striking a rock wall, at which point the driver was ejected from the vehicle.
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The driver, a 27-year-old man from Norwood, was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
County Road 40 remained closed for several hours while police investigated and documented the scene.
Anyone who may have witnessed or has video or dash camera footage of the collision and who has not spoken with police is asked to contact the Peterborough County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Three years ago when she was 19 years old, Lakefield resident Rachel Jenkins refused to believe it when three neurologists told her she might never walk again. After receiving a multiple sclerosis diagnosis almost a year later, she made fitness and recovery her full-time job. Today, as she teaches spin cycling at Full Tilt Cycle in Peterborough, takes on clients for personal training at the 24 Hour Fitness gyms in Lakefield and Young's Point, and works with Community Care Peterborough, you would hardly be able to tell that she's living with MS. (Photo: Full Tilt Cycle / Facebook)
When she was 19 years old and all her friends were enjoying their summer holidays, Lakefield resident Rachel Jenkins was being told by three different neurologists she might never walk again.
Three years and a multiple sclerosis diagnosis later, not only is Jenkins walking, but she’s made it her career to help people improve their own mobility.
Today, Jenkins is a personal trainer for Lakefield 24 Hour Fitness and Young’s Point 24 Hour Fitness. Though she does all kinds of training, her niche is assisting her elderly clients with day-to-day functions that help them stay in their own home, like shoulder exercises for carrying groceries and squats for getting in and out of bed.
When she’s not working as a personal trainer, Jenkins is also a spin cycle instructor at Peterborough’s Full Tilt Cycle, a boutique cycling studio and fitness gym. She also works for Community Care Peterborough, a non-profit organization serving seniors and adults with physical challenges in the city and county of Peterborough.
“[Community Care] has a program where you can go into retirement homes and teach fall prevention and seated exercise,” she explains. “I’m able to relate to my clients, especially the ones that have trouble with mobility or independence, because I was there once.”
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Before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system, Jenkins wasn’t planning on a life committed to working with her body. In June 2020, when she first felt the symptoms — a tingling in her feet not unlike when an arm or leg falls asleep — she was on summer break from studying political science at the University of Guelph. Her plan was to complete her degree and then head off to law school.
All of that changed when, not long after the first onset of symptoms, she woke up completely immobile, paralyzed from the waist down. She visited three neurologists who were unable to diagnose her, though they all told her she might never walk again.
“I never wanted to accept the wheelchair,” Jenkins says, explaining she spent the entire time before receiving her diagnosis in denial, unwilling to believe the symptoms were anything serious. “I’d never accepted that answer. And I think that’s good because obviously I proved them wrong.”
It took nearly a year before Jenkins was finally diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Relapsing-remitting means Jenkins gets acute attacks between long periods of less severe or even non-existent symptoms.
When she was first developed symptoms of the multiple sclerosis that eventually paralyzed her from the waist down, Lakefield resident Rachel Jenkins was studying political science at Guelph University and planned to go to law school. After receiving her diagnosis and months of intense and painful rehabilitation so she could walk again, she saw a future that no longer involved law school and began to study fitness and health promotion at Fleming College. (Photo: Jen Moher)
Although RRMS is the most common type of MS in Canada (around 85 per cent of those with MS are diagnosed with RRMS according to MS Canada), Jenkins’ case was difficult to diagnose because she had no prior family history of MS, she was very young when her symptoms began, and the onset was very sudden rather than progressive.
Between the first hospital visit and the diagnosis months later, Jenkins dropped out of school, moved back home to Lakefield, missed every major holiday with her family, and spent over two months at Lyndhurst Centre, a spinal rehabilitation facility in Toronto.
After months of intense and painful rehabilitation beginning with seemingly simple fine motor movements like uncurling and wiggling her toes, Jenkins slowly began to walk again.
“Even just trying to get up from my bed was very difficult,” Jenkins recalls. “It was scary because I didn’t trust my body.”
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After working with her team of personal trainers and therapists, Jenkins saw a future that no longer involved law school. When she was out of the hospital and had her official diagnosis, she began to study fitness and health promotion at Fleming College.
During this time, she spent all of her free time at the gym and driving to Toronto three times a week to a physical therapist who specialized in spinal cord and brain injury.
“While all my friends were at work, I was focusing on physical therapy,” she says, adding that she gave herself small goals like being able to go to the mall with friends and walk down to her cottage dock without needing to be carried. “Recovery became my job.”
Dan Caldwell, the owner of the 24-Hour Fitness gyms in Lakefield and Young’s Point, was very impressed with Jenkins’ motivation and commitment to her fitness routine after months of seeing her come into his gyms. When she mentioned she was working towards becoming a personal trainer, he offered her a job on the spot, and she ended up getting her certification before finishing school.
While studying fitness and health promotion at Fleming College, Rachel Jenkins chose to do her school placement with Full Tilt Cycle in Peterborough. Even though she’s now done her schooling, she continues to work as a spin instructor for the gym and says she enjoys having a career that mixes personal training with group fitness. (Photo: Full Tilt Cycle / Facebook)
She began working for Caldwell in October last year, about two years into her recovery and a year and a half after her diagnosis. Jenkins says much of what she’s learned comes from working for Caldwell, who she calls an “amazing mentor.”
“[He’s done personal training] for 40 years, so he was an awesome person to get into the business with,” she explains, adding that he’ll often give her tips when she’s having difficulty with a client. “I love working with him. He’ll just teach me everything.”
To learn a new approach to fitness, Jenkins chose to do her school placement with Full Tilt Cycle. Even though she’s now done her schooling, she continues to work as a spin instructor for the gym and says she enjoys having a career that combines various approaches to fitness.
“I love doing the personal training and the group fitness. It’s awesome to have a mix of both because I like the energy and the vibes that people give you in group fitness. Everyone is really supportive of each other and very motivating. Everyone’s there cheering each other on.”
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On the day-to-day, Jenkins says she’s reached a point where she’s able to live a relatively close to normal life as long as she sticks to her fitness routine and continues to take her medication.
“I would say that if you looked at me, you wouldn’t know I have MS,” she points out.
Looking back, Jenkins remembers being in the hospital and telling her roommates how much she loved her life and didn’t want it to change. Now she knows that, without her diagnosis, she wouldn’t have been as happy as she is today.
“My whole body feels new,” she explains. “I really got a whole new life out of it, professionally and even with some friendships and where I live. Yes, I would have been fine had I ended up in law school. But I think I make more of an impact now — hopefully — on my clients and the people around me.”
Diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, Rachel Jenkins is able to live a relatively normal live by sticking to her fitness routine and taking her medication. Through her experiences with MS, she has become more empathetic towards others living with illness and disability. (Photo: Jen Moher)
Even aside from her professional endeavours, Jenkins feels her diagnosis has allowed her to grow as as a person and to become more empathetic towards others living with illness and disability.
“Until I was put in a situation where I had to use a wheelchair, I didn’t realize how inaccessible a lot of things are and now I notice it,” she says. “It also just made me more grateful. I definitely have a greater respect for my body and I have a greater respect for all the people around me.”
Jenkins recently told her story on CBC’s Sickboy, a humorous podcast on which three friends break down stigmas associated with illness and disease by hearing from those who have experienced it first-hand. Her episode, titled “Youthful Swagger and MS: Rachel’s Courage In The Face Of Early Onset Multiple Sclerosis,” is available on CBC Podcasts.
Ashley Foreman and Chris Duff with their children William (13), James (8), Evelyn (4), and Charles (3). In 2019, the couple built their dream home on a 50-acre lot in Keene owned by Chris's family since 1987. A year into the pandemic, the couple wanted to do something to get their children outside and began a hobby farm. Once they began selling their meats, eggs, and produce, they quickly saw the demand grow for their sustainable, pasture-raised food. (Photo: Ashley Foreman)
While COVID-19 put a halt to many plans and activities, it also helped people find new hobbies, learn new skills, start up their dream businesses, and find new ways to build community.
Keene residents Ashley Foreman and Chris Duff experienced all of this firsthand when they began running their own hobby farm called Duff Acres — with an unexpected result.
In 2019, the couple built their dream home on the 50-acre property where Chris had been raised and which has been in his family since 1987. Two years later, after a year of online schooling due to the pandemic, Chris and Ashley wanted to do something to encourage their four children to get out of the house.
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“We wanted to have something for our kids to do and give them a bit of purpose and teach them a bit of work ethic,” Chris explains. “And just have a little bit of joy in the times that we were in.”
So when a family friend had a couple of cows available, they jumped at the opportunity. They then built a pasture, added four chickens, created a big produce garden, and suddenly they had their very own hobby farm.
“At one point we started having too much to feed ourselves and be sustainable on our own end,” Chris says. “So we started putting that out and sold our meat and we had a great response.”
Ashley Foreman and Chris Duff’s eight-year-old son James with a carton of Duff Acres eggs. Though the couple began by just selling the eggs and produce they were unable to consume within their own family, they now can’t keep up with the demand from the community. (Photo: Ashley Foreman)
Though the couple began by just selling the eggs and produce they were unable to consume within their own family, now — only a year into the business — they can’t even keep up with the demand.
“We decided last year to try doing some meat chickens,” Chris says. “Again, it was for ourselves, and we were just going to try and sell a couple to cover the costs, but then we wound up selling every chicken.”
This year, the couple has “upped their game” by getting 90 meat chickens instead of the 40 they had last year. They’ve also recently added more hens to keep up with the demand for eggs and, on top of raising Christmas turkeys as they did last winter, they’ll also be raising Thanksgiving turkeys. They currently have 12 on the farm, two of which they will keep for themselves.
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“We’ve never had such good food as what comes out of the animals that are in our backyard,” says Chris, adding that all the animals are pasture-fed. “Just knowing what we’ve put into it, and know what we’re eating, and being able to see the whole process — we think it’s really great for our kids and for anybody else that stops in to see it, too.”
Chris spent some of his early childhood helping on his extended family’s dairy farm and on a close friend’s beef farm. This was the only farming knowledge that either Chris and Ashley had — the rest had to be researched — and they’ve also learned by trial and error.
“We’ve had some failures and we’ve had had some loss too, but it’s all a learning curve,” Chris notes. “We feel like we learn something every day, and every day we get better. If we’re losing something or something’s not going right for us, then we learn from it and we move on.”
After Ashley Foreman and Chris Duff began their hobby farm Duff Acres with a couple of cows from a family friend, they built a pasture, added four chickens, and created a big produce garden. In addition to laying hens, the couple now have meat chickens as well as turkeys. (Photo: Ashley Foreman)
Ashley adds that other farms in the region have been very supportive in offering advice, especially when they were just beginning their hobby farm.
“That community has been totally different than anything I’ve really experienced before,” she explains. “We’re able to connect with other local small hobby farms too, and network and be able to basically help each other out. If we’re having an issue or they’re having an issue, we can help each other out and have a community network going on here.”
With Chris still working full-time in maintenance for Peterborough Utilities at the Riverview Park and Zoo, and Ashley running a daycare from their home, the couple relies on their children to help with caring for the hobby farm.
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The couple estimates that 13-year-old William and eight-year-old James do 75 per cent of the work on the farm by watering, feeding, and cleaning up after the animals. Four-year old Evelyn and three-year old Charles also help out by collecting eggs and picking fruit and, of course, by keeping the animals company.
“They love interacting with all the animals,” Ashley says.
“They get to see that and know exactly what their chicken or their meat looked like eight weeks ago when it was just a little thing,” Chris adds. “They don’t just think that their food comes from the grocery store out of a box. They know exactly what goes into it.”
While Ashley Foreman and Chris Duff work their full-time jobs, their 13-year-old son William (pictured) and his eight-year-old brother James do most of the farm tasks, like feeding, watering, and cleaning the animals. Four-year-old Evelyn and three-year-old Charles help out as they can by collecting eggs, picking fruit, and interacting with the animals. (Photo: Ashley Foreman)
If four young children and a farm of animals isn’t enough to keep track of, Ashley also cares for a handful of children for her home daycare, Duff Acres Farm School. These children are just as eager to interact with the animals, and Ashley will often take them out for walks through the pasture or to watch tractors on the neighbouring farmlands.
“People love the experiences their kids can get here,” she says. “It’s totally different than centre-based care where I’d worked for years.”
Ashley explains that getting to watch her children care for the animals and appreciate where their food comes from is one of her favourite things about running Duff Acres. The other is the support and connections she’s gained from other local farms and surrounding community, something she didn’t anticipate.
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“This local area of Peterborough County is just full of so many great small local businesses that are willing to help and support everybody because they were there themselves at one time,” Ashley says. “They want everybody to thrive and that and, in turn, that helps them to thrive.”
Like the life cycle of the animals they raise, the couple is giving back to their community in appreciation for all the help they’ve received.
Last year, when they had an extra Christmas turkey, they decided to do a “giftaway” and donate it to a family in need of a Christmas dinner. Community members privately messaged them nominations of people who were going through a hard time or could use something special around Christmas time.
When Ashley Foreman and Chris Duff began their hobby farm Duff Acres, they began selling eggs from their laying hens. Last year, they began selling meat chickens and are doubling the number this year. They’ve also recently added more hens to keep up with the demand for eggs. (Photo: Ashley Foreman)
Other local businesses chipped in to donate to the giftaway, until there was a whole package of goodies — complete with bottles of wine, home décor, butter tarts, treats, and more.
“We want to do that again this year too, and we’re hoping that we get just as good or a better turn-out from our local business community to be able to give back to somebody who needs something, because everybody’s gone through hard times,” Ashley says. “We’ve gone through hard times too. We’re so lucky with everything that we have here that to be able to give it back to somebody that could really use it. It was very heartwarming.”
Duff Acres is located at 784 Serpent Mounds Road in Keene and can be reached at duffacres@hotmail.com. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more on the day-to-day life of a hobby farm.
Juno award-winning pop-folk band The East Pointers (Jake Charron and Tim Chaisson, with the late Koady Chaisson also pictured) will kick off the Peterborough Folk Festival at a ticketed concert at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough on August 17, 2023 with Ottawa-based roots singer-songwriter Mimi O'Bonsawin and Peterborough fiddling sensation Irish Millie opening. (kawarthaNOW collage of photos by The East Pointers, Ryan Schurman, and Andy Carroll)
The Peterborough Folk Festival has announced Juno award-winning pop-folk band The East Pointers will kick off this year’s festival as the headliners at a ticketed concert at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough on Thursday, August 17th, with Ottawa-based roots singer-songwriter Mimi O’Bonsawin and Peterborough fiddling sensation Irish Millie opening.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $36 for assigned cabaret table seating and $34 for regular assigned seating. Tickets are available in person at the Market Hall box office at 140 Charlotte Street from 12 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday or online anytime at tickets.markethall.org.
Formed in Prince Edward Island in 2014 by guitarist Jake Charron, banjoist Koady Chaisson, and fiddler Tim Chaisson, The East Pointers perform Celtic-influenced original songs and instrumentals with contemporary influences including pop and electronic dance music. The trio first began performing in Atlantic Canada before touring Ontario, and released their debut album Secret Victory in late 2015, which won Traditional Roots Albums of the Year at the 2017 Juno awards.
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Known for their energetic, musically complex, and technically brilliant performances, the group also won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Ensemble of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2016 and were also nominated for Instrumental Group of the Year, a nomination they received again in 2018.
They released their second album What We Leave Behind in 2017, followed by Yours to Break in 2019, earning them Songwriter of the Year at the 2020 East Coast Music Awards, after taking home the Song of the Year award for “Two Weeks” the year before.
Yours to Break includes the single “Wintergreen” — an infectious tune that became the theme song for the New Zealand comedy-drama series Under the Vines.
VIDEO: “Wintergreen” – The East Pointers
“I want people to sing along when the song comes on — there’s a great band, The East Pointers, and they very beautifully gave us the theme song,” says actress Rebecca Gibney, who plays the lead character Daisy Monroe, in a 2021 interview with Nerds That Geek. “I want people to be able to sing along to that song when they hear it. I want it to get ingrained into their heads because again, it’s joyous. It’s something that you’re skipping to in the kitchen afterwards.”
The infectious joy that is The East Pointers was shattered in January 2022 when Koady Chaisson suddenly passed away at the age of 37 from a previously unknown health condition.
“He was definitely the driving force behind the band,” says bandmate and Koady’s cousin Jake Charron in a CBC documentary. “We all were in it together, but a lot of the success we had is because of Koad’s ambition. He’d be spending an extra two hours in the studio trying to write the next song. He put everything into it.”
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VIDEO: The East Pointers featured on CBC’s “Following Folk”
After Koady’s death, the two surviving band members posted a tribute on their Facebook page.
“It was eight years ago that Koady turned his life around. He got sober, changed his habits, and dove into healing himself — the kind that many run away from. Just after this, when times were especially tough for him, the three of us made it a point to build on our musical friendship that had been stewing in the background for a few years prior.”
“As more people heard him play, and took in his tunes and the stories he would tell, he slowly started feeling like he had something to give back to the world. Writing and performing for you became his medicine.”
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Last September, seven months after Koady’s death, Jake and Tim announced they would continue as The East Pointers.
They released the seven-track EP House Of Dreams, which included music they had already recorded with Koady.
This past May at the 2023 East Coast Music Awards, that EP earned the band three awards out of six nominations: Contemporary Roots Recording of the Year, Group Recording of the Year, and Pop Recording of the Year.
The East Pointers’ Market Hall show will be their first public concert as a duo without their late bandmate Koady.
VIDEO: “Stronger Than You Know” – The East Pointers
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Opening for The East Pointers are Mimi O’Bonsawin and Irish Millie.
Originally from northeastern Ontario and now based in Ottawa, Mimi O’Bonsawin is a contemporary roots singer-songwriter whose story-driven songs embrace the beauty of the land as well as her Franco-Ontarian and Abenaki roots. She released her debut album Mimi in 2014, and was awarded Best Pop Album at the 2019 Indigenous Music Awards for her 2017 record Connected. Her latest album Willow was released this year.
Going by the stage name of Irish Millie, Peterborough’s Amelia “Millie” Shadgett is a 16-year-old fiddle player who loves to play east coast, bluegrass, and contemporary traditional styles, particularly driving and up-beat tunes that get the crowd up on their feet. She was nominated twice as Young Performer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards as Young Performer of the Year, in 2022 for her debut album Thirteen and in 2023 for her work with Ottawa-based sisters Fern and Willow Marwood as the trio The Receivers.
In June, Irish Millie and rockabilly guitarist Nicholas Campbell were named as the joint recipients of Peterborough Folk Festival’s 2023 Emerging Artist Award.
Along with the Market Hall show, the Peterborough Folk Festival has announced blues musicians Angelique Francis and Emily Burgess will be performing at the Gordon Best Theatre in downtown Peterborough on Friday, August 18th.
The ticketed concerts are followed by an admission-by-donation weekend of music, food, and culture on Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th at Nicholls Oval Park. Acclaimed alt-rockers Broken Social Scene will be the Saturday headliner and renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt will be the Sunday headliner, with Juno award-winning children’s music duo Splash’N Boots also performing on Sunday. Organizers will be announcing the complete line-up of performers soon.
For more information about the festival, including how to get involved as an artist, volunteer, or vendor, visit www.peterboroughfolkfest.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2023 Peterborough Folk Festival.
Haliburton Highlands Health Services is located at 7199 Gelert Road in Haliburton, where the Haliburton hospital is also located. (Photo: Haliburton Highlands Health Services)
Haliburton Highlands is one step closer to losing its status as the only county in Ontario without a CT scanner.
Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) announced on Friday (July 7) the Ministry of Health has approved the organization’s request to acquire a CT (computerized tomography) scanner and a mammography unit with CT capabilities.
“Having a CT scanner in Haliburton will facilitate care closer to home for local residents and expedite diagnosis by eliminating travel to distant hospitals for imaging,” says Dr. Mario Voros, chief of radiology at HHHS, in a media release. “Having access to breast cancer screening from the latest state-of-the-art mammography unit will greatly benefit women in Haliburton County.”
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A CT scan is a non-invasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions with advanced x-ray technology to take images of the body. It has become the standard of care for the diagnosis of many life-threatening conditions such as stroke and trauma and the investigation of abdominal pain.
Mammography is the most effective way of detecting breast cancer in women. With the addition of mammography services, HHHS will be able to provide services in a remote area that is currently underserved and includes over 6,000 at-risk women.
“Diagnostic imaging tools are key to our future success and providing care locally,” says HHHS acting president and CEO Veronica Nelson. “We know that these services will better support the needs of patients with quicker diagnostics, will reduce EMS visits out of the county keeping ambulances available for emergencies, and attract more health care workers including much needed doctors, nurses, and medical radiation technologists.”
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While HHHS has now received provincial approval to acquire the diagnostic imaging equipment, they still need to raise funds to support the purchase as the provincial government does not fund hospital equipment.
“We are committed to raising the funds needed with the support of the community,” says HHHS Foundation director Melanie Klodt Wong.
“The HHHS Foundation has been working behind the scenes since the application process began and are working towards launching a major capital campaign in the near future now that HHHS has the go-ahead.”
The beach at Sandy Lake in Trent Lakes. (Photo: Michael Hurcomb)
Every Friday during swimming season, we post The Beach Report™ — our weekly report of the results of water quality testing at beaches in the greater Kawarthas region and update it throughout the week as conditions change.
As of Wednesday, July 12, the following beaches are unsafe for swimming:
Ennismore Waterfront Park – Peterborough County
Beach Park – Bobcaygeon
Rotary Head Lake Beach – Dysart et al
Harwood Waterfront & Dock – Hamilton Township
Hastings Waterfront North – Trent Hills
Centennial Park, Deseronto – Bay of Quinte
Tweed Park – Stoco Lake
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Below are the complete results of water quality testing at beaches in the City and County of Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, Northumberland County, and Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
In the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Public Health Inspectors sample the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead every business day, and public beaches in the County of Peterborough are sampled at least once a week (except for Chandos Beach, Quarry Bay Beach, and White’s Beach which are sampled at least once in June, July, and August).
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides weekly testing results for beaches in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. Testing is based on the most recent test results from the provincial lab in Peterborough for water samples taken from these beaches.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health provides weekly testing results for beaches in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
During the summer, local health units sample water at area beaches and test for bacteria such as E. coli to determine if the water quality at a beach is safe for public use. Popular beaches, like the beach at Roger’s Cove in Peterborough’s East City, are tested every business day while most other beaches are tested weekly. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
Important note
The following test results may not reflect current water quality conditions. Water samples can take one to three days to process and heavy rainfall, high winds or wave activity, large numbers of waterfowl near a beach, or large numbers of swimmers can rapidly change water quality.
You should always check current conditions before deciding to use a beach. You should also monitor other factors that might suggest a beach is unsafe to use, such as floating debris, oil, discoloured water, bad odours, and excessive weed growth.
Award-winning blues musicians Angelique Francis and Emily Burgess will perform at the Gordon Best Theatre in downtown Peterborough on August 18, 2023 in one of two ticketed concerts presented by the Peterborough Folk Festival in advance of the admission-by-donation music festival at Nicholls Oval Park on the weekend of August 19 and 20. (kawarthaNOW collage of photo via angeliquefrancis.net and Jen Squires photo)
The Peterborough Folk Festival has announced one of the two ticketed concerts that will kick off the 34th annual music festival in August, featuring two award-winning female blues musicians performing at the Gordon Best Theatre in downtown Peterborough on Friday, August 18th.
Ottawa-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Angelique Francis will headline the concert, with Peterborough’s own singer-songwriter and guitarist Emily Burgess opening.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $30 and are available online at CanadaHelps.org.
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Angelique Francis, whose latest record Long River won her the 2023 Juno award for blues album of the year, grew up in a musical family in Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa. She first took the stage at the age of seven to sing Canada’s national anthem at the televised grant opening of her elementary school.
“Once I stepped on that stage I knew, right at that moment, that this was something I wanted to pursue,” Francis told Black Ottawa Scene in 2014.
Supported by her parents, who explained to her what a musical career would entail and who set down some ground rules such as maintaining her grades, Francis learned piano and was proficient in playing other instruments including the acoustic and electric guitar, the upright bass and electric bass, and harmonica by the time she was 13, which was when she made her American national television debut on the Oprah Network for writing and composing an original theme song for the Gayle King show.
VIDEO: “Take Command” – Angelique Francis
By the time she was 14, Francis was playing at music festivals across North America, opening for a variety of acts including Beth Hart, Trooper, and Shameka Copeland.
Her soulful smoky vocal style reflects the influences of legendary female blues singers including Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin, and Bessie Smith, and her instrumental performances bring to mind Willie Dixon on the upright bass, Sister Rosetta Thorpe on guitar, Big Mama Thornton on the harmonica, and Aretha Franklin on the piano.
A graduate of the music performance program at Carleton University, Francis released her acclaimed debut independent album Kissed By The Blues in 2018, with songs in a range of styles from blues to soul to classic R&B, all reflecting her signature powerhouse soulful vocals. She further refined her musical style in her Juno award-winning follow-up album Long River in 2022. She hosted the 2023 Maple Blues Awards ceremony, where she was nominated for four awards and won for new artist/group of the year and bassist of the year.
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Now 25 years old, Francis has established herself as a rising star on the Canadian blues, soul, jazz, and folk scene. She’s performed internationally at the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea festival in the U.S., the Grolsch Blues Festival in Germany, and the Sighisoara Blues Festival in Romania, and in Canada at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Mariposa Folk Fest, Calgary Folk Fest, Ottawa Blues Festival, Ottawa Folk Fest, Ottawa Jazz Festival, and many more.
“The blues is everywhere,” Francis told Monica Sandreczki of North Country Public Radio in June. “I hope that my place within this blues tradition is to help continue showcasing to people that there are connections to many of the genres they loves that can help inspire people to create their own forms of blues and be curious about traditions that have come before.”
For Francis, her passion for music remains a family affair. Almost her entire band is made up of her family members, with her dad Kiran on drums and her younger sisters Kharincia, Kira, and Kayla performing on trombone, melodica, and alto, baritone, and tenor saxophone and backup vocals. Ed Lister plays trumpet and keyboards and Dave Williamson plays electric guitar.
VIDEO: “Long River” – Angelique Francis
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Peterborough-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Emily Burgess grew up in Mississauga and began taking piano lessons as a child, but switched to guitar at the age of 14.
Burgess majored in guitar at Humber College and graduated at 22 years old. She then began touring with the 24th Street Wailers, writing two songs and playing guitar on the band’s 2014 Juno award-nominated album Wicked.
In addition to the 24th Street Wailers, she has worked with a variety of musical acts as a freelance guitarist, including The Women’s Blues Revue Band, Rita Chiarelli, Sue Foley, and, most notably, several years playing with The Weber Brothers.
VIDEO: “Perdy Thing” – Emily Burgess
In November 2017, she released her debut solo album Are We In Love?, produced by The Weber Brothers.
After fronting her own trio The Emburys, with Marcus Browne on drums and Dawson McManus on bass, Burgess won the 2018 Maple Blues award for new artist/group of the year.
As Emily Burgess & The Emburys, she released her second album Never-Ending Fling in 2019, and is currently working on her third studio album that is slated for release in January 2024.
VIDEO: “Til I Get To Call You My Own” – Emily Burgess
Along with the Angelique Francis and Emily Burgess show at the Gordon Best, the Peterborough Folk Festival will be presenting another ticketed concert on Thursday, August 17th at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, with the artist to be announced.
The ticketed concerts are followed by an admission-by-donation weekend of music, food, and culture on Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th at Nicholls Oval Park. Acclaimed alt-rockers Broken Social Scene will be the Saturday headliner and renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt will be the Sunday headliner, with Juno award-winning children’s music duo Splash’N Boots also performing on Sunday. Organizers will be announcing the complete line-up of performers soon.
For more information about the festival, including how to get involved as an artist, volunteer, or vendor, visit www.peterboroughfolkfest.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2023 Peterborough Folk Festival.
Toronto-based crooner Steven Taetz, a singer-songwriter whose vocal style has been compared to that of Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison, performs at Jethro's Bar + Stage in downtown Peterborough on Friday night in a double bill with Lauren Dillen and Ray Goudy of Toronto psychedelic folk band Burs. (Photo: Jen Squires)
Every Thursday, we publish live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, July 6 to Wednesday, July 12.
If you’re a pub or restaurant owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.
With the exception of karaoke, we only list events with performing musicians. Venues may also host other events during the week (e.g., dancing, DJs, comedy shows).
5:30-8pm - Victoria Yeh and Mike Graham (reservations recommended).
Arthur's Pub
930 Burnham St., Cobourg
(905) 372-2105
Thursday, July 6
8-10pm - Open mic w/ Bruce Longman
Friday, July 7
8-11pm - James Higgins
Saturday, July 8
8-11pm - Rocky Cortis
Bancroft Eatery and Brew Pub
4 Bridge St., Bancroft
(613) 332-3450
Coming Soon
Wednesday, July 19 7-10pm - Andrew Irving
Beamish House Pub
27 John St., Port Hope
905-885-8702
Sunday, July 9
4-7pm - Live music TBA
Black Horse Pub
452 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 742-0633
Thursday, July 6
7-10pm - Jazz & Blues ft. Rob Phillips Trio and Carling Stephen
Friday, July 7
5-8pm - Sheila Soares Trio; 9pm - High Waters Band
Saturday, July 8
5-8pm - Bob Butcher; 9pm - 4 Lanes Wide ($10)
Sunday, July 9
4-7pm - Bluegrass Menagerie
Monday, July 10
6-9pm - Rick & Gailie's Crash & Burn (ft guest hosts during Rick's recovery from surgery)
Tuesday, July 11
7-10pm - Open stage
Wednesday, July 12
6-9pm - Ky Anto
Coming Soon
Friday, July 14 5-8pm - Erin Blackstock; 9pm - Jake Norris & The Side Street Band
Saturday, July 15 5-8pm - Emily Burgess; 9pm - Between The Static
Sunday, July 16 4-7pm - Washboard Hank & Mountain Muriel
Wednesday, July 19 6-9pm - Lonesome Ace
Bonnie View Inn Dockside Patio
2713 Kashagawigamog Lake Rd., Haliburton
800-461-0347
Wednesday, July 12
5:30-8:30pm - SJ Riley
Coming Soon
Wednesday, July 19 5:30-8:30pm - The Ya Babys
Claymore Pub & Table
95 King St. W., Cobourg
905-372-5231
Thursday, July 6
7-10pm - Karaoke
The Cow & Sow Eatery
38 Colborne St., Fenelon Falls
(705) 887-5111
Friday, July 7
4:30pm - Karaoke
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Crook & Coffer
231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
705-876-0505
Thursday, July 6
7-10pm - Joan Lamore
Friday, July 7
7:30-10:30pm - Hugh Beresford
Saturday, July 8
7:30-10:30pm - Pangea Project
Sunday, July 9
2-5pm - Joanie Joan
Tuesday, July 11
6:30pm - Piano Bar Tuesdays w/ guest musician TBA
Dominion Hotel
113 Main St., Minden
(705) 286-6954
Friday, July 7
3pm - Happy Hour with Bill Black (no cover); 7:30pm - Open mic
Saturday, July 8
3pm - Happy Hour with North Country Express (no cover)
Tuesday, July 11
3-6pm - Tiki Tuesday with Jeff Moulton (no cover)
Coming Soon
Friday, July 14 3pm - Happy Hour with Trina West (no cover)
Saturday, July 15 3pm - Happy Hour with with North of Seven ft Eric Casper (no cover)
Sunday, July 16 3pm - Happy Hour with The Salt Cellars (no cover)
Tuesday, July 18 3-6pm - Tiki Tuesday with Gary and the Rough Ideas (no cover)
Dr. J's BBQ & Brews
282 Aylmer St., Peterborough
(705) 874-5717
Coming Soon
Saturday, July 15 1-4pm - Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association (PMBA) presents Christine Atrill Band (by donation, $10 suggested, with proceeds to PBMA)
Erben Eatery & Bar
189 Hunter St W,, Peterborough
705-304-1995
Thursday, July 6
7-11pm - Ester & Shelby (no cover)
Friday, July 7
9pm - One In the Chamber w/ Circle The City and Burning Bridges ($10 in advance at https://www.erbenptbo.com or at the door)
Saturday, July 8
8pm - Rob & Joan, No Amnesty
Sunday, July 9
6pm - Open mic w/ Samara Johnson
Monday, July 10
6pm - Open jam
Tuesday, July 11
8pm - Karaoke
Wednesday, July 12
8pm - Open mic
Fenelon Falls Brewing Co.
4 May St., Fenelon Falls
(705) 215-9898
Friday, July 7
7pm - Live music TBA
Ganaraska Hotel
30 Ontario St., Port Hope
(905) 885-9254
Saturday, July 8
2-5pm - Ragwax
Gordon Best Theatre
216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 876-8884
Friday, July 7
POSTPONED - 7pm - FFA: Free For All open mic w/ poast Niambi Tree, musician Will Ward, DJ Infinite Lee (no cover, sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/656996814157)
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