A variety show fundraiser for Camp Kerry Ontario, Keep'n It Campy on November 11, 2023 at Market Hall in downtown Peterborough centres around the theme of camping, with comedic skits, improv, live music, and audience interaction. Organizing committee members and performers include (left to right, front and back row) Stephen Cullen, Lisa Devan, Paul Crough, Angela Gaskell, Kate Brioux, Bridget Foley, and host Andrew Finlan. Streaming tickets are still available for the sold-out show and organizers are accepting donations for the gift baskets that will be given away at the show. (Photo courtesy of Keep'n It Campy)
Though fall is officially upon us, it can be hard to fully let go summer — just ask the committee behind the variety show fundraiser coming to Peterborough’s Market Hall Performing Arts Centre this fall.
A group of local and visiting performers are keeping the summer vibes in full swing as they take to the stage for a night of camp-themed live music, entertainment, and laugh-out-loud hilarity at the Keep’n It Campy variety show fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th. Funds raised go towards supporting the Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society’s Camp Kerry Ontario.
Although tickets for the in-person performance sold out within three days, tickets for a live stream of the production are still available.
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“People can have their own trailer park parties,” says comedian and Keep’n It Campy host Andrew Finlan. “We’re basically extending trailer season into November and we’re hoping that’s a way to further support Camp Kerry and Lumara Society.”
Alongside Finlan, Keep’n It Campy includes special guests Kate Brioux, Linda Kash, Danny Bronson, Stephen Cullen, Paul Crough, Lisa Devan, Bridget Foley, dancers of the Next Generation Dance Company, and more.
While the show is all fun and games, it began with a goal of raising funds for the work done at Camp Kerry. Established in 2007 in British Columbia, Camp Kerry is a four-day family bereavement retreat program, wherein qualified counsellors and trained volunteers support families through music and art therapy, activities, nature, sharing circles, games, memory services, and more.
In 2007, Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care Society created Camp Kerry as Canada’s first family grief retreat program in British Columbia. In 2014, Peterborough social worker Shelley Hermer helped bring the program to Ontario, where the camp has continued to grow since. (Photo courtesy of Camp Kerry)
“Camp Kerry Ontario and Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care are truly one-of-a-kind in terms of where whole families can attend,” explains Angela Gaskell, who joins Finlan on the variety show’s committee. “It’s such a huge impact. You see families there that you just know probably haven’t laughed or done something fun together since the loss of the person they’re grieving.”
Gaskell and her family first attended the retreat in 2014 following the passing of her husband. At the time, Camp Kerry was new to Ontario, introduced with the help of Shelley Hermer, a Peterborough social worker who had previously volunteered at the British Columbia program.
“I was so struck by the healing that I witnessed when I was in B.C. and I knew that we didn’t have anything like that in Ontario,” Hermer explains. “I’ve worked in children’s mental health, so I’ve seen the need for family-based treatment right here as well.”
Now Hermer is Camp Kerry’s regional program manager for Ontario and Atlantic Canada and is preparing for the next retreat, which launches on Thursday, October 12th. After a few years attending the retreat, Gaskell and her family have continued to join the program in volunteer and “mentor family” capacity.
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“It made a huge difference for us and so I just want it to continue, and I want people to know what it’s about,” Gaskell says. “[Grief] is a part of life and you’re always going to know somebody that can benefit from such an amazing organization, with tons of things even beyond Camp Kerry Ontario.”
To keep Camp Kerry as accessible as possible, the Lumara Society heavily relies on fundraisers and donations. Currently priced at $750 per family, the cost represents only one-third of the actual amount the organization must spend to send a family to camp. Still, the Lumara Society does not want cost to be a barrier for those looking for support.
“Any fundraising we do is really important, or it would otherwise limit the number of families that we could take and the kind of supports that we can use for them and have throughout the year,” explains Hermer, who adds that all of the proceeds raised at the variety show fundraiser will be used towards Camp Kerry families in Ontario.
As for Gaskell, she is very familiar with the importance of fundraisers. The popular Gaskell Cup hockey tournament began in 2012 as a simple fundraiser for her family when her 33-year-old husband Kirk was diagnosed with leukemia. After Kirk passed away that same year, the non-profit organization HOPE (Helping Others Participate Equally) organized and ran the annual event, which raised $75,000 between 2013 and 2015 to sponsor a room in Kirk’s name at Hospice Peterborough’s then-new residential hospice, and subsequently raised funds for the GPHSF Your Family Health Team Foundation and Camp Kerry. After the pandemic put a halt to the event, Gaskell wanted to come up with an all-new fundraiser.
The Keep’n It Campy variety show fundraiser on November 11, 2023 at Market Hall in downtown Peterborough will be hosted by organizing committee member and comedian Andrew Finlan, who started studying comedy after retiring from his career as a high school principal. At the show, Finlan will be doing stand-up and a skit about life at a trailer park, inspired by his own experience. Finlan will be joined by Kate Brioux, Linda Kash, Danny Bronson, Stephen Cullen, Paul Crough, Lisa Devan, Bridget Foley, dancers of the Next Generation Dance Company, and more. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Finlan)
Enter Andrew Finlan, a retired high school principal and old friend and colleague of Gaskell’s who has always harboured the dream of being a stand-up comedian.
After years spent finessing his skill at Toronto’s Second City after retirement, Finlan has done upwards of a hundred shows and been well involved in Peterborough’s theatre scene. He had also been a camp director for Market Hall’s children’s theatre program for 12 years.
Having not performed since 2019, Finlan was eager to get back onstage when Gaskell asked if he would help her arrange a fundraiser for Camp Kerry Ontario.
“I thought, if I’m going to get back on stage knocking on 60 years old, I want there to be a bigger purpose,” he recalls.
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As for the show’s theme, that was all inspired by a purchase Finlan made during the pandemic. Calling himself Bubbles from the Canadian mockumentary sitcom Trailer Park Boys, Finlan became the “proud owner” of a trailer at Spring Rock Camp in Young’s Point.
As for Keep’n It Campy, while all the performers will have free range with their skits and performances, including some audience participation, each performer will include camping stories and experiences.
Finlan himself will kick off the show with a stand-up performance, before later returning to the stage for a sketch parodying his experience at his trailer park. His character Earl, along and his wife Madge (played by Kate Brioux), inherit a trailer park called Sandy Shores they then try to pitch to buyers — which proves not to be easy as Earl is a “hypoglycemic mess with asthma and panic attacks,” and Madge is concerned about their diabetic cat.
Finlan assures his many neighbours at Spring Rock Camp who have already purchased their tickets that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.
Lumara Society’s Camp Kerry is a four-day family bereavement retreat with programming available for family members of all ages from young children to teenagers, young adults, adults, and elders. The program offers a variety of therapeutic and recreational experiences led by a team of qualified counsellors and trained volunteers. Shelley Hermer, the program manager for Camp Kerry East, explains that music and art therapy are large components to the retreat, with both adult and children’s peer groups. (Photo courtesy of Camp Kerry)
With in-person tickets for the Market Hall show completely sold out, Finlan encourages people to purchase streaming tickets and embrace the trailer park lifestyle right from their own living rooms.
“Get your pyjamas, a six-pack of whatever you like, Miss Vickie’s chips, and get into trailer park mode,” he says.
Gaskell adds she’s grateful the additional streaming option will allow people from across the country to learn about and support Camp Kerry, especially the many supporters in B.C. where the camp first began.
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The Keep’n It Campy organizers are still accepting donations for the gift baskets that will be given away as part of the show. Individuals and businesses can donate entire themed baskets from baking and movie nights to self-care, car detailing, or any other creative ideas they may have. Individual item donations will also be accepted, which the committee will then use to make a basket.
“People come up with all kinds of stuff,” explains Gaskell. “There’s really something for everybody.”
On show night, a $20 ticket will give audience members 25 ballots which they can put into any (or all) baskets of their choice, and winners will be drawn throughout the evening. Proceeds from the baskets will help send even more families to Camp Kerry.
While Keep’n It Campy at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough sold out within three days, streaming access to the show is still available for $35, with proceed supporting the Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society’s Camp Kerry Ontario. (Poster courtesy of Keep’n It Campy)
“I love promoting good people and Camp Kerry is good people,” says Finlan. “(We’re bringing) some light energy to the topic of grief so I can model what Camp Kerry and the Lumara Society is already doing.”
Keep’n It Campy takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 11th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. Streaming access to the show is available for $35 at tickets.markethall.org.
For more information about making a donation for the show’s gift baskets, call Angela Gaskell at 705-768-8252.
This story has been updated with a correction and additional information about the Gaskell Cup.
Situated on a 1.6 acre site, the current Peterborough police station at Water and McDonnel streets in downtown Peterborough opened in 1968. In June 2021, the cost to replace the outdated building was estimated at $68 million. An earlier report recommended that a new 95,000-square-foot building be built on a six-acre site. (Photo: Google Maps)
When Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), first met then-new Peterborough Police Services chief Stuart Betts, he told him “We’ll get along great but if you try to move the police station out of the downtown, we’re going to war.”
Well, the first shots have been fired.
Armed with what he terms “good information” from “multiple sources,” Guiel alleges the decision on where to locate a much-needed larger and more modern police station has been made — and it’s nowhere near the downtown core.
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That location, says Guiel, is the sprawling former Johnson and Johnson property on Lansdowne Street West.
“I called this out back in October 2019 when I presented to the police board,” says Guiel. “I saw some drawings for a big flat building with parking lots. I told them the only place that could go is along Highway 7 or 115 because it needs six acres. I was quoted as saying ‘It shouldn’t be out in a cow pasture.’ Well, this is pretty darn close.”
“It’s a great site for them (the police service) but it’s a terrible site for the community. It’s a terrible site for the east end. It’s a terrible site for the north end. It’s a terrible site for Lakefield. It’s a terrible site for downtown.”
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On Monday (October 2), in response to Guiel and questions from local media representatives Guiel had spoken to, Chief Betts issued an email statement to address what he called “the rumour that the Peterborough Police Service is looking to relocate from the downtown.”
“Let me clear and state with clarity that, as the Chief of Police, and the chair of the Facilities Committee looking into the facility’s requirements for the Police Service, Peterborough police will now, and for the long-term, have a very large and prominent operational presence in our downtown. Any allegations to the contrary are fictitious and unfounded.”
Acknowledging that a “third party consultant” (Kingston-based Shoalts and Zaback Architects Limited) undertook a study “to provide options for properties that may be acquirable for a new police facility,” Chief Betts writes “none were suitable without a significant financial expense that exceeds the capital funds identified for a police facility in the City’s capital budget.”
Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts speaking to the media outside the Peterborough police station at Water and McDonnel streets in downtown Peterborough on July 2, 2022. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of police video)
“A new facilities model is being explored and, at the heart of that new model, is maintaining our operational presence downtown,” Chief Betts writes. “I have been very clear that is my expectation, and that has been supported by the (police services) board and city council.”
Chief Betts adds “speculation” to the contrary “is baseless and inappropriate, and could compromise the safety and security of our current and future policing needs.”
He concludes “I hope this will put the rumours to rest,” adding “I have demonstrated to you all that I am transparent in my approach to communication and public safety in the city, and that extends to police facilities.”
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In response to Chief Bett’s email, Guiel urged more transparency on where things are at and the plan moving moving forward, writing “The downtown contributes 32 per cent to the commercial tax base. Our members pay huge towards the police budget.”
“Please invite me to the next police board meeting and answer my questions, and hear my arguments and concerns that were ignored in 2019 and are still ignored today.”
Guiel added a series of questions that he says demand answers, including how long will the downtown police station be kept active “before you must sell it,” and when will public consultations on the recommended site or sites be held.
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Contacted by kawarthaNOW, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal — who sits on the Police Services Board and is a member of the police facility review committee — confirms “a number of sites are being looked at.”
“We’re scouring the whole downtown area to see what (site) would be suitable for a facility that would accommodate the needs of the Peterborough Police Service.”
Speaking in his capacity as mayor, he adds “There needs to be (police) footprint downtown. That’s a pretty consistent approach for all police services right across the country.”
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While Mayor Leal confirmed the Shoalts and Zaback report is done, he stopped short of revealing its recommendations.
“He (Chief Betts) is still determining to this day what the service’s exact needs are going forward,” the mayor said. “He’s looking at his organization as any chief would. At the end of the day, we’ll be relying on his advice based on what he sees as the needs over the decades to come.”
“We have an obligation, both to the men and women who wear the uniform each and every day, and to the citizens of Peterborough, to clearly indicate what our plans will be.”
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Also contacted for comment by kawarthaNOW were Police Services Board members Gary Baldwin and Drew Merrett, the latter a current member of the police facility review committee. Neither would confirm nor deny Guiel’s claim the former Johnson and Johnson property has been settled upon, noting any comment should come from board chair Mary ten Doeschate. A subsequent call made to her wasn’t returned by deadline.
Guiel says, if his sources are wrong, then the Shoalts and Zaback report should be made public — something that hasn’t happened yet — as proof.
“This report cost taxpayers $141,250,” says Guiel. “They were to study possible downtown locations — up to seven potential downtown-only locations. Where’s the report? I contacted Sholtz and Zaback. I contacted Mary (ten Doeschate). I contacted the chief, the mayor, and Gary Baldwin. Nothing. No one I spoke to would even confirm that the report is done.”
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Guiel says a recent city council caucus meeting, during which he says a report on a property on Lansdowne Street West was provided, lends credence to what his sources have told him.
Guiel adds he has talked to central area property owners “who were keenly offering their properties” for sale for the new police station. As examples, he points to the former Baskin and Robbins location on Aylmer Street and the vacant property at the southwest corner of Park and Lansdowne streets.
“You can put something anywhere,” says Guiel. “All you need is a bulldozer, imagination, and some money. You can close down a street to make the property footprint bigger.”
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Based on what he says he’s learned, Guiel says the downtown core “is being abandoned in its hour of need.”
“My job is to protect my members and the downtown and that’s what I’m doing,” explains Guiel. “I told my board that this is going to be a most major passion of mine and that this is a hill I’m prepared to die on. Our board chair (Sacha Lai-Svirk) attended a DAC (Downtown Action Committee) meeting several months ago. She gave a good report about police stations needing to be in the downtown. She gave examples of where they have been moved from the downtown and it has been a disaster.”
“It (Lansdowne Street West) is great for Millbrook and Cavan (but) downtown loses 200-plus employees that would be eating and shopping downtown, plus the people that come (to the police station) for interviews, meetings, and crash reporting,” referring to the collision reporting centre that is located in the downtown police station.
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To the inferred possibility that the current downtown police station will remain in place for some police-related functions regardless of where a new station is built, Guiel maintains that’s a carrot being dangled to appease the downtown and the community, noting his assertion that an excuse to “evacuate” the downtown core and “move into their nice shiny big flat building” will follow at some point.
“A motion passed from council that passed unanimously, which they’re going against, was that it (the new police station) must be in the downtown. When I pushed the case for it being located downtown in 2019, they told me, ‘Terry, slow down. You’re ahead of yourself.’ They literally laughed at me. And now here we are.”
Situated on a 1.6 acre site, the current Peterborough police station at Water and McDonnel streets opened in 1968. In June 2021, the cost to replace the outdated building was pegged at $68 million — up substantially from the $47 million cost estimated in 2019. An earlier report recommended that a new 95,000-square-foot building be built on a six-acre site.
13-year-old Austin Ivany of Cobourg. (Police-supplied photo)
Cobourg police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 13-year-old boy.
UPDATE Tue Oct 3 7 p.m. – Cobourg police report that missing Austin Ivany has been located.
Austin Ivany of Cobourg was last seen at 8 p.m. on Sunday (October 1) on Northwood Drive in Cobourg, getting into a grey or brown coloured four-door sedan.
He is believed to be in the city of Ajax within the Durham region.
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Police and his family are concerned for Austin’s safety.
Anyone with information on Austin’s whereabouts are asked to contact the Cobourg Police Service at 905-372-6821.
If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit a tip online at stopcrimehere.ca/.
Peterborough wheelchair rugby athlete Cody Caldwell with the ball when Canada took on Great Britain in the preliminary round during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. (Photo: Canadian Paralympic Committee)
Peterborough’s Cody Caldwell is one of 12 wheelchair rugby athletes who have been nominated to represent Canada at the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games, which take place in Chile’s capital from November 17 to 26.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee and Wheelchair Rugby Canada announced the roster on Monday (October 2), which also includes Ontario athletes Patrice Dagenais of Embrun, Matt Debly of Windsor, Rio Kanda Kovac of Toronto, Travis Murao of Toronto, Eric Rodrigues of Mississauga, and Mike Whitehead of Windsor, British Columbia athletes Byron Green of Victoria and Trevor Hirschfield of Parksville, Quebec athletes Anthony Létourneau of Boisbriand and Patrice Simard of Quebec City, and Alberta athlete Zak Madell of Okotoks.
Patrice Simard and Mike Whitehead are the longest-serving members of the team, with six and five Paralympic Games appearances to their names, while Rio Kanda Kovac and Matt Debly will be participating in their first multi-sport games.
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The 35-year-old Caldwell began his wheelchair rugby career in 2008 after becoming a quadriplegic in a diving accident. He decided to take up wheelchair rugby when, just a week after his accident, he saw the 2005 film Murderball, which documented the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. wheelchair rugby teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games.
A former Peterborough Petes AAA goalie and soccer player, Caldwell adapted quickly to wheelchair rugby and soon earned a reputation for his mix of intelligence and speed. He made the national team in 2013, and has competed with Team Canada at two Parapan American Games and two Paralympic Games.
Caldwell helped Canada win gold at the 2015 Parapan Ams and silver in 2019. He has also been a member of the last three world championship teams, when Canada took silver in 2014, was sixth in 2018, and fifth in 2022.
Canadian wheelchair rugby athletes Mike Whitehead and Cody Caldwell at the Parapan Am Games in Lima in 2019, when Canada finished second to the U.S. (Photo: Canadian Paralympic Committee)
Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Parapan Am Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the start of the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games.
The wheelchair rugby tournament in Santiago takes place from November 18 to 23, with the winner earning a spot in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games next summer.
At the Parapan Am Games in Lima four years ago, Canada finished second to the U.S. and later earned its ticket for the Paralympic Games at a last-chance qualifier. The team finished fifth at the Tokyo Games, a placement it matched a year later at the 2022 world championships.
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Canada is currently number five in the World Wheelchair Rugby World Rankings.
“Congratulations to all 12 athletes nominated for the wheelchair rugby team,” says Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de mission of the Santiago 2023 Canadian Parapan Am Team, in a media release. “We know how important the Parapan Am Games is on this team’s road to Paris and how much work they have put in, and we will do everything we can to support them on the ground at the games.”
“A very warm welcome to the entire wheelchair rugby team,” adds co-chef de mission Karolina Wisniewska, “This is an experienced team with clear goals in Santiago, and it will no doubt be a very exciting, nail-biting tournament. I cannot wait to cheer on the entire team in Santiago.”
"Jack - A Beanstalk Panto," the annual holiday panto at Port Hope's Capitol Theatre, was written by award-winning award-winning Canadian actor, improviser, and playwright Rebecca Northan, who will also direct the production that runs from November 24 until December 23 with both 'naughty' and 'nice' performances. (Publicity photo)
Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre annual holiday panto is returning in a big way this November and December, with a classic fairy tale retold by award-winning Canadian actor, improviser, and playwright Rebecca Northan. The world premiere of Jack – A Beanstalk Panto runs from November 24 to December 23, with both family-friendly and adult-oriented performances.
Pantomine (panto for short) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for families that originated in England and is performed around Christmas and New Year’s. Usually based on a well-known nursery story or fairy tale, a panto features songs, gags, slapstick comedy, magic, dancing, gender-crossing actors, and topical humour. British pantos include risqué double entendre that go over the head of children in the audience but, in North America, pantos usually include separate “nice” family-friendly performances and “naughty” performances intended for adults.
The Capitol Theatre commissioned Rebecca Northan to create and direct its panto this year. Drawing inspiration from the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale, Jack – A Beanstalk Panto features “magic, murder, and mayhem” according to a media release from the theatre, with “a hilarious harp, gregarious goose, and a whole lot of gold.”
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As an actor, Northan is known for playing the hippie mother Diane Macleod on the CTV & The Comedy Network sitcom Alice, I Think and for her role as Jane in Adult Adoption. In 2004, she was nominated for a Gemini Award for best comedy ensemble for The Comedy Network’s The Joe Blow Show. She is a five-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee, winning the award for best female improviser. She has made several appearances at the Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in the World Improv Games, and was a member of The Second City Toronto main stage cast.
Northan’s 2009 hit play Blind Date, in which she played a French red-nosed clown named Mimi opposite an audience member as her love interest, created a entirely new genre of performance and won her a 2016 Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding performance by a female in a principal role. She is now artistic director of Spontaneous Theatre, which specializes in creating productions that feature an audience member as the star of the show. Most recently, she and Bruce Horak created the interactive play Goblin: Macbeth, in which three goblins intrigued by the works of William Shakespeare decide to co-opt a theatre space and cajole an audience into participating in their first attempt at doing theatre.
“Rebecca Northan is a legend in Canadian theatre,” says Capitol Theatre’s artistic director Rob Kempson. “Her work has been produced across the country and beyond, but it is her improv and comedy background that makes her the perfect choice to lead the team for this year’s Capitol panto. Audiences should be prepared for a Jack like they’ve never seen before.”
Based on the classic fairy tale, “Jack – A Beanstalk Panto” at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre is written and directed by award-winning Canadian actor, improviser, and playwright Rebecca Northan. It runs from November 24 until December 23 with both ‘naughty’ and ‘nice’ performances. (Graphic: Capitol Theatre)
Written and directed by Northan, Jack – A Beanstalk Panto will star Christy Bruce, Paul Constable, Robbie Fenton, Madison Hayes-Crook, Clea McCaffrey, Zoe O’Connor, Hal Wesley Rogers, and Steve Ross, with music direction by Chris Barillaro, choreography by Hollywood Jade, sound design by Adam Campbell, set design by Anna Treusch, lighting design by Nick Andison, and costume design by Joyce Padua. Alice Ferreyra is stage manager and Charlene Saroyan is assistant stage manager, with music performed by Alex Panneton.
“Naughty” adult performances take place at 8 p.m. on November 24 and 25 (opening night), November 28 to December 9, December 12 to 16, and December 19 to 23, with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on December 13. “Nice” family performances take place at 3 p.m. on November 25, 2 p.m. on December 2, 11 a.m. on December 3, 2 p.m. on December 9, 11 a.m. on December 10, and 2 p.m. on December 16, 22, and 23.
Tickets are $48 and are available online anytime at capitoltheatre.com or in person at the Capitol box office (20 Queen St., Port Hope) or by phone at 905-885-1071 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
Staff and volunteers from B!KE: the Peterborough Community Bike Shop during a "B!KE Bright" outreach event on the Rotary Trail on October 25, 2022. (Photo courtesy of B!KE)
Local biking organization B!KE: the Peterborough Community Bike Shop is bringing back its “B!KE Bright” outreach events in October, offering free bicycle lights to cyclists who don’t have them.
Cyclists in Ontario are legally required to have front and rear lights on from a half hour before sunset to a half hour after sunrise.
It’s also a good idea for obvious safety reasons, especially as the days get shorter during the fall. Cyclists should have a working set of lights with them at all times, especially since they may find themselves riding home from work or school in the dark.
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“It’s easy to get caught out on your bike past dark, especially right now as it starts to get dark earlier,” says Ness Pringle, one of B!KE’s outreach staff, in a media release. “We want to make sure that everyone riding has the gear they need to stay safe.”
The “B!KE Bright” events take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday (October 4) at the Peterborough Public Library and next Thursday (October 12) on the Rotary Trail near
the London Street footbridge.
In addition to giving away lights and providing tips for staying visible, B!KE staff and volunteers will also offer basic bike maintenance checks, help with route planning, and information about cycling programs and resources in the city.
The bike light giveaways are sponsored by the Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee as part of the volunteer committee’s education efforts around safe cycling in the city.
Brad Katz has opened The Good Baker just inside the YMCA's Balsillie Family Branch at 123 Aylmer Street South in Peterborough. Offering on-the-go breakfast and lunch options, The Good Baker is fast becoming known for its delicious gluten-free baked goods. Although frequented by YMCA members, The Good Baker is open to the entire community and easily accessible just inside the YMCA building, with free parking available. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
When Brad Katz opened The Good Baker inside the YMCA’s Balsillie Family Branch in downtown Peterborough at the end of last year, his goal was to serve up pastries that would make his customers question their perception of gluten-free products.
Based on the volume of guests who compliment his offerings without even recognizing they’re made entirely without gluten, Katz seems to have accomplished his goal.
“We have a lot of customers that come in just because they love the cookie or dates or whatever is that we’re making,” says Katz. “A lot of people are surprised that all of our products are gluten free, and that’s really what I want to hear.”
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Although The Good Baker sandwiches are glutenous exceptions, Katz assures they too can be made on gluten-free bread in a completely celiac-safe environment in the back of the kitchen.
But, as for the bakery’s homemade salads, weekly soups, and rotating line-up of baked goods, including cookies, squares, scones, muffins, tarts, and their famous banana bread, everything is made without gluten products. The Good Baker also provides custom gluten-free cakes and cupcakes for special events.
“We really want to be a destination,” says Katz. “Whether it’s people stopping in on the way to the Y, or people going out of their way for gluten-free options.”
All the baked goods available at The Good Baker, including butter tarts, scones, cookies, muffins, and cakes, are entirely free of gluten. (Photo courtesy of The Good Baker)
Though he has been baking his whole life, it wasn’t until about 14 years ago that Katz began doing it for a living, taking his first shot at owning his own business with the Kawartha Lakes Fudge Company.
After starting out with a brick-and-mortar location in Lakefield, the candy company has been running completely wholesale and for special events like wedding favours for the past nine years. Fortunately, the fudge is also available at The Good Baker for customers.
“Kawartha Lakes Fudge is just part of who I am,” Katz says. “I don’t even really recognize it because I’ve been doing it for so long.”
Brad Katz at the 2019 Cultivate Festival in Port Hope when he was head baker at Millbrook’s Pastry Peddler, which won first place overall in the Kawarthas Butter Tart Tour Top Tart Taste-Off. (Photo courtesy of Kawarthas Butter Tart Tour
After a few years as head baker at Millbrook’s Pastry Peddler, followed by a brief stint at the Butter Tart Factory, Katz began exploring options to start his own bakery.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time,” he says. “I’ve wanted to have my own place where I could start to put my own impression on things. So when this space inside the YMCA was available, it all seemed to click so nicely.”
While The Good Baker’s focus is on celiac-safe options, Katz explains it wasn’t long ago when he didn’t give a second thought to gluten-free products in his baking. He only started experimenting about five years ago when his son’s mother was diagnosed with celiac disease and, not long after, when his son received the same diagnosis.
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As any parent, Katz was largely motivated to give his child an easier and better life — and what better way is there to do so than through gluten-free treats?
“When our son was first diagnosed as celiac, all I could think is that my kid’s not going without quality baked goods,” Katz recalls. “I quickly started hammering out and modifying recipes.”
Though he may not have realized at the time, The Good Baker ultimately blossomed from this determination to showcase the delicious potential of gluten-free food, which has long had a stigma attached to it.
The Good Baker owner Brad Katz was motivated to develop delicious gluten-free treats after his son was diagnosed with celiac disease, an illness caused by an immune reaction to eating the protein found in foods containing wheat, barley, or rye. Now he uses the bakery to share his pastries, sandwiches, soups and salads, in an effort to erase the stigma associated with gluten-free food. (Photo courtesy of The Good Baker)
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“People come in with this idea that if it’s gluten free, it can’t be good,” Katz says. “But I don’t want it to be good for being gluten free — I want it to be really good and it happens to be gluten free.”
The determination doesn’t end at his baked goods either, as all of The Good Baker’s sauces and dressings are also made in-house and are entirely free of gluten.
While pastries were the starting point for the bakery, the sandwiches are equally popular. Katz says the roasted chicken Caesar wrap, grilled cheese, and the turkey club are the customer favourites. The roasted vegetable panini is a popular fall menu item, which will soon be back in a slightly modified version as The Good Baker moves into winter offerings. The fall menu will also include the return of weekly pizza specials.
Along with delicious fresh-made gluten-free baked goods, The Good Baker offers grab-and-go style snacks, sandwiches, and bowls, including this power bowl made with quinoa, chicken, sweet potato, mixed greens, corn, feta, and toasted walnuts. The bowl is topped with an olive oil vinaigrette which was made in-house like all of the dressings and sauces served at The Good Baker. (Photo courtesy of The Good Baker)
The Good Baker offers a “grab n’ go” fridge section with egg salad sandwiches, power bowls, chicken salad sandwiches, and snack bowls of veggies and house-made dips. The fridge also includes beverage options like Gatorade and fruit juices, in addition to the smoothies available every day.
“Whatever people are telling us they want to see, we’ll bring in,” notes Katz, adding that the sandwiches and salads are also constantly changing depending on what customers seem to enjoy.
For example, one of Katz’s regular customers once expressed a desire for a bagel with cream cheese, lox, onions, and capers, so Katz added it to the menu. Another time, people were asking for the same soup they had purchased yesterday so, rather than serving a daily soup, The Good Baker now rotates their soups weekly.
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“I want to hear from the customers,” says the owner, adding that he’s always on the hunt for customer-approved gluten-free bread. “I want them to eat what we’re offering and I want them to be happy with what they they’re getting. It’s all about just giving the customer what they want.”
Katz also enlists his small team of staff to help make decisions when it comes to the bakery. That includes 25-year-old Katie McDonald, someone he had worked with for years at both Pastry Peddler and The Butter Tart Factory. The duo are the perfect combination of youthful enthusiasm and lived wisdom, with her recent entry into the industry providing modern insight and a fresh perspective to complement his baking knowledge and 60 years of life experience.
“It’s great to work with her because I’m getting that perspective from her generation,” explains Katz, whose team also includes part-timer Meghan Goodman.
The Good Baker owner Brad Katz’s team includes Katie McDonald (left), who complements Katz’s his baking knowledge and 60 years of life experience with her youthful enthusiasm and modern insight, as well as part-timer Meghan Goodman. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
Katz says each member of his team contributes to the baking and the brainstorming of new ideas to meet customer preferences.
“Having a small team like that, you get to really play off each other’s strengths,” Katz points out. “They’re both doing a really bang-up job and customers are noticing.”
As the YMCA gets busy with memberships again for the upcoming winter season, The Good Baker is gearing up to serve a steady stream of YMCA members — one of the reasons Katz chose to open his bakery in the YMCA building.
“It’s important for me to be part of the community and the ‘Y’ is a great community to be a part of,” he explains. “It’s reflective of a lot of Peterborough as a society and that’s fantastic. There are members that come in and we know more about them than just what they want to eat. They let us in a little on their family life and it’s great.”
As the weather gets colder, The Good Baker will soon re-introduce a modified take on their popular roasted vegetable panini. The sandwich is made with roasted peppers, zucchini, sweet potato, carrot, onion, sauteed mushrooms, and onions, and topped with old cheddar and creamy garlic aioli. The sandwich comes on a grilled ciabatta bun (a gluten-free options is available) and served with a salad or soup of the day. (Photo courtesy of The Good Baker)
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Katz jokes he doesn’t know where some of his customers “get the discipline” to come into the YMCA each day before or after work, but he’s always happy to see them and greet them with a muffin or fresh banana bread.
“To me, almost as fulfilling as the job are the people that I get to talk to throughout the day,” he says.
As word spreads about the delicious gluten-free food available at The Good Baker, it seems likely that Katz is going to have the chance to get to know even more customers.
The Good Baker is conveniently located just inside the YMCA’s Balsillie Family Branch at 123 Aylmer Street South in Peterborough (look for The Good Baker sign). Parking is free and you can just walk in the door to pick up your breakfast or lunch or to indulge your sweet tooth. Although frequented by YMCA members, The Good Baker is open to the entire community. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
Open to the entire community, The Good Baker is conveniently located just inside the YMCA’s Balsillie Family Branch at 123 Aylmer Street South in Peterborough (look for The Good Baker sign). Parking is free and you can just walk in the door to pick up your breakfast or lunch or to indulge your sweet tooth.
Heading into the fall, The Good Baker will be changing their hours to be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m on Saturdays. To contact The Good Baker, call the YMCA’s Balsillie Family Branch at 705-748-9642 ext. 232. For daily features and specials, follow The Good Baker on Facebook and Instagram.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with The Good Baker. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
BGC Kawarthas is hosting a brand-new 10-week program for youth 12 to 18 years old focusing on using "found sound" in the community to create soundscapes and an audio-art installation raising environmental awareness. Offered in partnership with the Canadian Music Centre and Green Learning, "Story of Us" encourages students to broaden their horizons about music and art by thinking about the influence of the natural world, while developing knowledge of recording software. (Stock photo)
This fall, BGC Kawarthas is getting youth outside of the classroom and into nature with a brand-new music program that teaches them all about creating with soundscape.
Offered with help from the Canadian Music Centre and Green Learning, the “Story of Us” soundscape music creation program invites youth aged 12 to 18 years of age to listen and record their surrounding environment and craft it into original works of art.
The 10-week program costing $150 runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from October 4 to December 7 at the Warehouse Youth Centre at BGC Kawarthas (107 Lindsay St., Lindsay).
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“The program centres around learning to create soundscapes in the creative sense and the technical sense by finding the inspiration in sounds around the community,” explains Warren Frank, coordinator of music and digital arts at BGC Kawarthas. “We’re trying to teach, yet also engage, creativity in an artistic voice.”
Under the parent organization BGC Canada (formerly Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada), BGC Kawarthas serves children, youth, and families in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough through programming, youth services, before and after school care, recreation, and more. Frank explains the non-profit organization is always looking for ways to offer even more learning and creative opportunity to youth in the region.
“Our flagship programming for music here is song writing and production-based programming,” says Frank. “But the motto at BGC is ‘opportunity changes everything’ and we’re not doing our job if we’re not working to present different opportunities within the music and arts world.”
Warren Frank (top right), coordinator of music and digital arts at BGC Kawarthas, teaches song writing to children at an after-school program. Designed for youth 12 to 18 years old, the new “Story of Us” soundscape music creation program at BGC Kawarthas expands the organization’s music programming offerings beyond song writing and production-based programming. (Photo courtesy of BGC Kawarthas)
For this reason, the organization wanted to offer a course that gets youth outside and thinking about where they’re from and their impact on the environment. Having the support of the Canadian Music Centre and Green Learning helped bring this goal into reality.
“They had the desire as well to build a pilot program and we’re so happy to come alongside to offer it,” explains Frank. “It’s a great resume piece for youth to be involved in something in their community that is highlighting environmental awareness, while also getting that chance to exercise their voice in an impactful way.”
The course will open with introductory information and participants sharing their own experience with music and soundscapes. Then the group will learn more about compositions and soundscapes in the country, exploring how Canadian artists use it in their artwork.
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“If you listen to modern records — and throughout the years, really — found sound is everywhere,” explains Frank. “It’s not just in soundscapes. Artists put it in their albums all the time and it adds a different feel or a different kind of sensation. Hopefully it will ignite their creative vision.”
Once program participants have an understanding of soundscape composition, the group will venture outside to places like Ken Reid Conservation Area near Lindsay to be immersed in nature and listen to the sounds of their environment and community. The youth will bring recording devices out into the field so they can capture the sounds before heading back to the studio to build their creations from the recordings.
“We’ll be finding the inspiration in sounds, focusing on environmental awareness and just how that has shifted in our community,” explains Frank, adding that it further helps the youth build knowledge in using recording software. “It’s really going to broaden horizons in an artistic sense in what we might associate with music and art.”
Quaid and Dakota in the studio during the “Music Makers Production” program at BGC Kawarthas. The new “Story of Us” soundscape music creation program at BGC Kawarthas will take youth 12 to 18 years old outside to record sounds of th environment before heading back to the studio to build their creations from the recordings. (Photo courtesy of BGC Kawarthas)
At the end of the program, parents and friends will be invited to join a presentation from the participants introducing the creations they have worked towards throughout the 10-week program.
“For the participants, their story gets heard, and they get the chance to talk about their perspective and share their work,” Frank says. “This is their voice and their opportunity to say something and we’re just trying our best to make those opportunities available.”
Adhering to the organization’s motto that opportunity changes everything, Frank points out BGC Kawarthas does not want the financial cost of the program to be a barrier for interested youth.
“With most of our programs, we associate a fee because there are lots of people that are building them and we’re trying to make sure everyone is being properly compensated, but ultimately if we are barring opportunities we’re limiting ourselves,” explains Frank, adding that he knows first-hand from his own youth that price can be a barrier to music. “If price is the barrier, then we don’t want that to be there.”
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Promising full discretion and privacy, Frank encourages any interested families facing financial restraints to reach out to him directly. What matters most to Frank and the team at BGC Kawarthas is that youth are able to participate in the program and get the chance to become acquainted with new forms of music style through place-based learning and environmental appreciation.
“The program is meant to expose participants to new ideas and give them the skills, so they’ll walk away feeling a bit empowered,” says Frank. “That’s the goal. We just truly want people to get to experience it and help us grow because the more people that participate, the more we know what people want.”
As of September 30, there were still seven openings in the program available. To register, visit www.bgckawarthas.com/programs/youth-services/music-programs/, where you can also find information about other music-related programs offered by BGC Kawarthas.
Offered in partnership with the Canadian Music Centre and Green Learning, the 10-week “Story of Us” soundscape music creation program at BGC Kawarthas runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from October 4 to December 7 at the Warehouse Youth Centre at BGC Kawarthas. (Graphic courtesy of BGC Kawarthas)
Cobourg’s police chief is criticizing the courts after a man accused of assaulting a member of the public and a police officer committed another crime the following day when he was released on bail.
“This is totally unacceptable at so many levels,” said Chief Paul VandeGraaf in a statement released on Saturday morning (September 30).
On Thursday at around 4:45 p.m., police responded to a report of an assault in a parking lot in the area of Division Street and Chapel Street in Cobourg, where a man asked the victim to hand over his money, uttered threats, and then punched the victim in the face. The victim received minor injuries.
Police located and arrested a suspect a short distance away and charged 35-year-old Daniel Tyler Foden with robbery with violence, uttering threats to cause death, and assaulting a peace officer. The accused man was held in custody for a bail hearing and was released on Friday, with his bail conditions including not being in the Town of Cobourg and obeying a curfew each night from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m.
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Later on Friday, Foden was arrested again after damaging property at a construction site in the north end of Cobourg. He was charged with mischief and two counts of failing to comply with a court order and was held for another bail hearing.
“This individual was arrested for violent offences committed in a specific neighbourhood in our community that is currently experiencing increased crime and victimization,” Chief VandeGraaf said. “This individual assaulted and robbed a member of our community and then the police officer investigating that matter.”
“The decision of this court failed to support our community by allowing this person back into the community with no regard for the impact on the community, the victims, or the police. Not one day passed before this person re-offended in our community. This is aggravating the level of frustration in our community with a system that does not meet our collective expectations.”
From celebrating the fall harvest to riding the midway at a fall fair to watching a spooky play, there are plenty of family activities to enjoy across the Kawarthas region during October, including soaking in the fall colours with a scenic chairlift ride at Sir Sam's Ski / Ride on Eagle Lake near Haliburton during the resort's annual fall colour festival. (Photo: Sir Sam's)
Whether it’s the refreshing lakes to cool off in on a hot summer day or the soft white backdrop of flurries on a winter landscape, it’s always a good time to visit and live in the Kawarthas.
But there’s something extra special about an Ontario fall that makes it truly incomparable, from the changing foliage to the deer feeding from fallen apples to the anticipation of upcoming holiday gatherings and festivities.
Between fall fairs and Thanksgiving fundraisers to harvest meals and spooky haunts, there’s lots to do and see in the region. So put on your coziest flannel sweater, buy a pumpkin-spiced latte, and check out these top events happening throughout October.
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1. Peterborough’s Mac + Cheese Festival (October 1 – 31)
Peterborough’s Mac + Cheese Festival runs all month long in October with 21 mac and cheese dishes offered at 20 different downtown eateries, including this “Macsgiving” dish at Boardwalk Game Lounge. (Photo: Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area)
Now that those summer bods can be put on hold for another year, it’s time to embrace the season of comfort foods — like some deliciously gouda mac and cheese.
Hosted by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, Peterborough’s Mac + Cheese Festival is an im-pasta-ble to miss event with 21 signature mac and cheese dishes featured on local restaurant menus from October 1 through 31. That’s right: there’s almost enough to try a new mac and cheese every day of the month!
From classic dishes to the more adventurous (including a Thanksgiving-themed mac from Boardwalk Game Lounge), handhelds (like a mac burger), and even “mac it yourself” options, there’s no limit to the mac-nificently cheesy goodness found on the self-guided event.
Cheesy puns aside, the Mac + Cheese Festival is a serious competition in Peterborough, with only one dish reigning supreme at the end of the month. Mac and cheese enthusiasts can vote online for their favourites!
View a map with each participating Mac + Cheese Festival location at www.ptbomacandcheesefest.com, where you can also cast your votes for your favourite dishes.
2. Applefest at Keene’s Lang Pioneer Village (October 1)
Celebrate apples and the harvest season at Applefest at Lang Pioneer Village in Keene. (Photo: Lang Pioneer Village)
Apple season is in full swing, so head to Land Pioneer Village Museum in Keene on Sunday, October 1st from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a celebration of the harvest and the world’s most common fruit with demonstrations, music, games, and more.
Highlights include horse and wagon rides, harvest dance performances, a scavenger hunt, apple crafts, apple tic-tac-toe, and historic demonstrations including sheep shearing, natural dying, and broom-making. While of course there will be no shortage of apples, apple cider, and apple pie (including a pie eating contest!), Applefest will also have other snacks like chili, freshly popped kettle corn from Ben’s Kettle Corn, and Fresh Empire cheese curds with bread.
Admission to Applefest is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (60+), $7 for children 5 to 7 years old and free for children under 5. Family passes of two adults and up to four children between 5 and 7 are available for $40.
The pumpkin cannon at Buckhorn Berry Farm. (Photo: McLean and Buckhorn Berry Farms)
Every October weekend after Thanksgiving, Buckhorn Berry Farm (3055 Berrie Road, Lakefield) is hosting their annual Pumpkinfest. Take a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkin or participate in a range of themed outdoor family fun activities including corn and straw bale mazes, wagon rides, pumpkin bowling, and even watching a pumpkin cannon blast off.
If you’d rather spend your weekend embracing spooky season as you prepare for Halloween, Pumpkinfest includes a haunted maze, a haunted hallway, a haunted forest, and the eerie Bonesville Cemetery.
If that’s not enough, the weekends include food truck comfort meals, a bouncy castle, an obstacle course, farm animal interaction, and daily live music from Tim Holland at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Pumpkinfest runs every Saturday and Sunday in October (beginning on October 7) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $12.49 for kids 2 to 12 years old, $13.49 for adults, and free for toddlers under 2 years old. Tickets for families of four cost $49.99.
4. The Studio Tour Haliburton Highlands (September 30 & October 1, October 7 & 8)
Lisa Barry and Matt Mihlik of Homestead Pottery are two of the artists who will displaying their work during The Studio Tour Haliburton Highlands. (Photo: The Studio Tour Haliburton Highlands)
Fall is the time of year for art here in the Kawarthas, and the Haliburton Highlands Art Council is proving it by launching their 26th studio tour for the first two weekends in October: Saturday, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st and Saturday, October 7th and Sunday, October 8th.
The self-guided tour takes visitors on a creative journey to explore the work of more than 30 local and visiting artists, including jewellery makers, photographers, painters, potters, textile artists, wood artists, glass blowers, and more. A unique experience, the studio tour gives visitors get to interact with the artists out of their own studios in and around Haliburton.
With fall colours at their peak, it’s a great time to take a road trip through the Haliburton Highlands. The studios on the tour are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A full list of artists and downloadable maps can be found at www.thestudiotour.ca.
5. Fenelon Falls Turkey Trot (October 7)
Costumes are encouraged during the annual Fenelon Falls Turkey Trot fun run and walk. (Photo: Fenelon Falls Turkey Trot)
Feel better about all that holiday weight you’ll be collecting over the next couple of months by participating in the annual Fenelon Falls Turkey Trot happening on Saturday, October 7th. The inclusive event is intended to promote exercising outdoors while raising funds for Fenelon Falls Santa Day.
Beginning at Garnet Graham Beach Park at 10 a.m., the trot takes participants on a flat, out-and-back route along the Kawartha Rail Trail, with distance options of five and 10 kilometres for youth and adults and a one-kilometre trail for kids aged 12 and under.
Unique custom medallions and monetary prizes will be awarded to each category’s top finishers, with special awards giving to the top fundraiser, best volunteer, and the best costume — so come dressed in your best turkey feathers! A delicious lunch from local vendors will be provided following the trot.
Until October 3, the Turkey Trot is discounted to $7 for children 12 and under for the 1k run/walk, $40 for adults in the 5/10k run, $30 for youth/seniors in the 5/10k run. $80 family passes for two adults and two children are also available.
Visit farms across the Kawartha Lakes during Kawartha Farmfest, including Three Forks Farm where you can see the farm’s piglets, laying hens, sheep, and pigs socializing out on pasture. (Photo: Three Forks Farm)
Craft your own fall adventure with a self-guided driving tour of farms and rural attractions throughout Kawartha Lakes. The 21st annual Kawartha Farmfest is taking place on Saturday, October 7th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participants can build their adventure from the eight farm sites, three farmers’ markets, and two rural attractions that are included in Farmfest. From organics and pumpkins, to sheep, horses, and alpacas, each farm on the tour has something unique to see! And, since it wouldn’t be an autumn Saturday morning without time spent at a farmers’ market, markets will be open to participants in Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, and Kinmount.
Each Kawartha Farmfest adult ticket will guarantee participants a “buy one cone, get one cone free” coupon which can be used at either the Lindsay or Bobcaygeon Kawartha Dairy locations on the day of the festival.
Tickets cost $5 and are free for children under 14. For more information, to purchase tickets, and for a downloadable map, visit kawarthafarmfest.com.
7. Fall Festival near Haliburton (October 7 & 8)
Sir Sam’s Ski / Ride on Eagle Lake near Haliburton is hosting their annual festival celebrating the stunning fall colours in October, including scenic chairlift rides overlooking Eagle and Moose Lakes, a vendor market, a kids’ corner, and more. (Photo: Sir Sam’s)
Join Sir Sam’s Ski / Ride on Eagle Lake near Haliburton for their annual festival celebrating the stunning fall colours. On Saturday, October 7th and Sunday, October 8th from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., visit the ski hill for scenic chairlift rides and a vendor market for the full autumn experience. Also included are a pumpkin patch, pumpkin slingshot, a Kids Corner with games, music, bubbles, and Pockets the Clown doing face painting.
Enjoy lunch at the deck BBQ with an attached bar, or head to the beer garden for some local wines and brews for lunch, set to a backdrop of live music from Woody Woodburn on Saturday and Bill Black on Sunday.
The weekend will be the last chance to purchase discounted ski and snowboard tickets for the lowest prices of the season. For more information, visit www.sirsams.ca/fall.
8. Norwood Fall Fair (October 7 – 9)
VIDEO: Rick Mercer at the 2014 Norwood Fall Fair
With its establishment in 1868, it’s no surprise that the Norwood Fall Fair has become a popular annual Thanksgiving weekend destination in the region, providing traditional county fair fun for people of all ages. Under the 2023 theme “Flavours of Fall,” the Norwood Fall Fair is running from Saturday, October 7th through Monday, October 9th.
Just a small taste of the fair highlights include a cowboy competition, antique car show, tracker pull, horse shows and competitions, sheep shearing demonstrations, a parade, kid’s talent competitions, crafts, student exhibits, and of course, a midway with rides and games.
Admissions to the grounds cost $15 for adults ($25 for the full weekend passes), and free for children 12 and under. Tickets to the midway rides can be purchased from the ticket booths on the carnival grounds. Gates and buildings are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the weekend, with the midway opening at 10:30 a.m.
Get your pumpkin fix at the Keene Pumpkin Festival. (Photo: Keene Pumpkin Festival)
What would fall be without a little pumpkin? Or, perhaps, a lot of pumpkin? This year will mark the 16th Keene Pumpkin Festival, running on Saturday, October 14th at 1137 Heritage Line with gates opening at 9 a.m.
Between the giant pumpkin weigh-off, a pumpkin pyramid, and pumpkins for sale, there’s no better way to get your gourd fix for the season. Other festival highlights include the antique car and tractor show, an artists’ showcase, a straw bale maze, a beer garden, axe throwing, and a haunted house.
There will also be a kids’ zone sponsored by the Kawartha Credit Union, which will include a bouncy castle, face painting, and other activities to keep kids entertained all day long. Meanwhile, a vendor market of locally made household goods, clothing, food, and crafts will be running all afternoon to keep the adults entertained.
The Keene Pumpkin Festival costs $2 for children 12 and under, and $5 for everyone 13 and up. Visit www.thekeenepumpkinfestival.com for the full line-up of events.
10. Fall Fest Sip & Shop at Rolling Grape Vineyard in Bailieboro (October 14 & 15)
There’ll be artisan vendors, live music, mulled wine, pumpkins, and more at the Fall Fest at Rolling Grape Vineyard in Bailieboro. (Graphic: Rolling Grape Vineyard)
Rolling Grape Vineyard in Bailieboro is welcoming fall with the Fall Fest Sip & Shop Market on Saturday, October 14th from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 15th from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The festive weekend of fun will include artisan vendors, lawn games, a bonfire for smores making, pumpkins for sale, and, of course, Rolling Grape mulled wine.
Browse the vendors while enjoying the outdoor market’s menu of a creamy pumpkin soup, BBQ pulled pork with coleslaw, hot pretzels with honey mustard, and warm apple hand pies. The weekend will be set to live music from The Doozies on Saturday and Jeff Biggar on Sunday.
11. Monarch Butterfly Festival and Monarch Ultra 10K Race in Peterborough (October 15)
The inaugural Monarch Butterfly Festival will feature live music, crafts, poetry, dancers, performers, face painting, books, informational booths, and speakers. You can support the festival and monarch conservation efforts by ordering a festival T-shirt for $25. (Photo: Monarch Ultra)
On Sunday, October 15th, head over to Millennium Park for Peterborough’s first-ever Monarch Butterfly Festival and 10-kilometre race hosted by the Monarch Ultra. The event is raising money for Nación Verde, a non-profit environmental organization that helps monarch butterfly habitat in Mexico.
Starting at 10 a.m., the 10-kilometre chip-timed race will wind along the Rotary Trail in East City. There is also a one-kilometre fun run for children under the age of 14. Every child will receive a participation award and a snack for completing the course.
Following the race, the free family-friendly Monarch Butterfly Festival will run from 12 to 4 p.m. as a celebratory and educational event for monarch conservation, with face painting, live music from a mariachi band, performers, dancers, poetry, crafts, informational booths, and speakers.
Registration fees are $70 for the 10-kilometre race and $20 for the one-kilometre fun run. Monarch-themed costumes are encouraged.
12. Fall Book Sale at the Peterborough Public Library (October 20 & 21)
Get stocked up on books for the fall and winter with the Friends of the Library Book Sale at the Peterborough Public Library. (Photo: Friends of the Library)
Saying goodbye to summer means saying goodbye to fun-filled weekends of family BBQs, cottage getaways, and patio cocktails and saying hello to cozy weekends with crackling fires, cuddly blankets, steaming coffee, and, of course, good reads.
Get stocked up on books for the fall and winter with the Friends of the Library Book Sale happening at the Peterborough Public Library (345 Aylmer Street North) on Friday, October 20th from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, October 21st from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fiction, non-fiction, and audio-visual materials are on sale for about $1, while other books — including bestsellers, children’s books, and collectibles — are individually priced.
For more information about the Peterborough Public Library and to get your free library card, visit www.ptbolibrary.ca.
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13. Marie Dressler Foundation Vintage Film Festival in Port Hope (October 20 – 22)
You can watch rarely screened films like 1944’s “The Uninvited” at the 30th anniversary Marie Dressler Foundation Vintage Film Festival in Port Hope. A fascinating ghost story/mystery story/love story which broke the mold for Hollywood movies by treating its supernatural elements with perfect seriousness, “The Uninvited” introduced screen beauty Gail Russell (whose tragic life ended at age 36) and the tune that became the song ‘Stella by Starlight.” (Photo: Marie Dressler Foundation Vintage Film Festival)
The Marie Dressler Foundation is helping residents and visitors get cozy for the fall with the 30th Anniversary Vintage Film Festival from Friday, October 20th to Sunday, October 22nd at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.
Over three days, the theatre celebrates “page to screen” adaptations with a weekend packed with 13 classic movies spanning seven decades and several genres, including Sounder, The Wizard of Oz, The Uninvited, The Killers, Great Expectations, The Phantom of the Opera, From Russia with Love, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Belle de Jour, Sabotage, Broken Blossoms, Rosemary’s Baby, and Raffles.
The festival includes free popcorn all weekend long, piano accompaniment for all silent films, a silent auction from Friday at 4 p.m. to Saturday at 7 p.m., and the Sunday lunchtime film talk. It’s a movie-night experience over three days that you just can’t get in your own living room.
Full festival pass costs $89 or $104 with lunch included, while a single movie pass is $12.50. The Sunday lunchtime film talk is $7.50 or $22.50 with lunch. Tickets are free for those 25 years old and under and can be purchased online at capitoltheatre.com or at the Capitol Theatre box office at 20 Queen Street in downtown Port Hope.
Limited tickets will be sold through the box office in advance of each screening, though it’s strongly encouraged to purchase ahead of time due to sold out shows and long line-ups.
14. Halloweek at Pie Eyed Monk in Lindsay (October 20 – 31)
Among other events, you can watch the zombie film that started them all during Halloweek, presented by Creative Force and the Pie Eyed Monk in Lindsay. (Graphic: Creative Force)
Leading up to Halloween, Creative Force and the Pie Eyed Monk in Lindsay are presenting a terrifying week that’s not meant for the faint of heart. From Friday, October 20th to Monday, October 31st, the restaurant and brewery is hosting a line-up of both new and returning events, hosted both on and off-location, including the “Boos & Boos” at Stellmar Farm.
On the second floor of the restaurant’s location at 8 Cambridge Street North, the Pie Eyed Monk will be hosting a film screening of the zombie film that started them all Night of the Living Dead (October 25, 7 p.m.), Halloween Trivia (October 26, 6:30 p.m.), Halloween Drag Show for ages 19+ (October 27, 7 p.m.), Monsters Ball kids party (October 28, 12 p.m.), Thriller Halloween Dance for ages 19+ (October 28, 9 p.m.), and a Haunted House (October 31, 5 p.m.).
Event prices range from free to roughly $30. For a full list of events and ticket costs, visit creativeforce.ca/halloweek.
15. Habitat for Humanity’s Sunday Dinner at the Restore in Peterborough (October 22)
Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region’s Sunday Dinner at the ReStore is a harvest dinner supporting affordable homeownership. (Graphic: Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region)
Join Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region at the Peterborough North ReStore (300 Milroy Drive) for their inaugural Sunday dinner on October 22 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The beef roast harvest dinner will include wine and cocktails, paired with live entertainment and a silent auction of donated community goods and products.
All profits from the fundraiser will support affordable homeownership, specifically Habitat’s Phase Two 12-unit affordable condo development currently under construction at 21 Leahy’s Lane in Peterborough.
16. “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in Bancroft (October 26 – 28)
Tweed & Company Theatre’s community theatre production “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is based on American author Washington Irving’s famous 1820 short story featuring a headless horseman. (Graphic: Tweed & Company Theatre)
Tweed & Company Theatre is launching a new tradition at the Bancroft Village Playhouse (5 Hastings Street South) this harvest season with a spooky presentation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the company’s first community theatre project with a cast of local performers and their inaugural Halloween production.
Based on American author Washington Irving’s famous 1820 short story, the production tells the story of Sleepy Hollow, a quaint and haunted village with a mystery surrounding the mighty headless Hessian. While townsfolk might protest when a local schoolteacher Ichabod Crane vies for the hand of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, it’s the headless horseman who must decide their fate.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow runs from Thursday, October 26th to Saturday, October 28th at 7 p.m., plus an additional matinee show at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets cost $25.50 for adults, $22.50 for seniors, $20 for arts worker, and $17.50 for children and youth.
17. Historic All Hallows’ Eve at Lang Pioneer Village in Keene (October 27 & 28)
Have your fortune read during Historic All Hallows’ Eve at Lang Pioneer Village Museum in Keene. (Photo: Larry Keeley)
Head to Lang Pioneer Village Museum in Keene on Friday, October 27th and Saturday, October 28th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., when the museum is hosting an all-ages event that’s sure to get everyone in the mood for Halloween.
Discover the origins and history of Halloween traditions while enjoying games, fortune telling, tractor, and wagon rides. You can experience the Museum of Uncanny Phenomena by Mental Floss Sideshow, and you won’t want to miss Stingy Jack (played by Glen Caradus) telling you all about the origins of the jack-o-lantern. Visitors are encouraged to attend in their best costumes to blend in with the spirits and ghosts who will be lurking throughout the village.
Don’t be afraid to bring the little ones along — while some of the historical stories behind Halloween customs are quite dark, this is not a frightful experience.
Admission costs $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (60+), $7 for children aged 2 to 14, and free for toddlers 2 and under. A family pass for 2 adults and up to 4 children costs $40. Visit www.langpioneervillage.ca for more information.
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