The Ontario government has ordered all publicly funded schools in Ontario to remain closed from Saturday, March 14th through to Sunday, April 5th in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as March Break approaches.
This includes both public schools and Catholic schools.
Premier Doug Ford, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott, and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce issued the following statement on Thursday afternoon (March 12):
“The health and well-being of Ontarians is our government’s number one priority.
Since we first learned of COVID-19 as an emerging public health issue, Ontario has been diligently monitoring the developing situation to protect the health and well-being of all Ontarians. We have also taken decisive action to ensure the province’s health care system is positioned to be ready for any scenario.
Given the latest developments both internationally and here at home, today we are taking further action.
Based on advice from Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and the experts at the COVID-19 Command Table, the Minister of Education has issued a Ministerial Order to close all publicly funded schools in Ontario for two weeks following March break, in response to the emergence in Ontario of COVID-19. This order was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
This means that Ontario schools have been ordered to remain closed from March 14 through to April 5, 2020.
We recognize the significant impact this decision will have on families, students, schools, as well as the broader community, but this precaution is necessary to keep people safe.
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Today’s steps build on a number of actions our government has taken in recent days to respond to COVID-19, including moving forward with additional public health measures, which include enhanced access to screening, expanding lab-testing capacity, and implementing new initiatives to keep the public and frontline workers safe. We are further setting aside up to $100 million in contingency funding in the upcoming 2020 budget to address challenges related to COVID-19.
We are further mindful of those who work in other public institutions and buildings. As this situation evolves, Ontario’s COVID-19 Command Table is prepared to respond quickly and effectively to any scenario and provide the government with advice on measures to keep the public and frontline workers safe.
We are committed to working with partners to keep students safe and we expect to provide further information in the near future.
Our public health system has demonstrated remarkable responsiveness to COVID-19 and these measures we are putting in place will ensure that we continue to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario and thereby protect children and families across the province.”
A construction notice on Hunter Street East looking east to Rogers Street in Peterborough's East City. Hunter Street East will be temporarily closed between Ashburnham Drive and Museum Drive on March 16, 2020, so there will be no access to Ashburnham Drive or Hunter Street East from the Peterborough Lift Lock tunnel. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
If you normally take the tunnel under the Lift Lock to get to or from East City in Peterborough, you’ll need to take another route during the day on Monday (March 16).
Hunter Street East will be temporarily closed between Ashburnham Drive and Museum Drive while the city completes underground sewer work.
The section of Hunter Street East, which connects East City to Ashburnham Drive via the Peterborough Lift Lock tunnel, will be closed on Monday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Alternative routes into East City from Ashburnham Drive include Maria Street and Armour Road via McFarlane Street.
GreenUP's new portable H2O To Go kits provide teachers, parents, youth group leaders, and more with fun and engaging activities that teach children about our relationship with water. Four of the kits reflect themes related to how we understand and protect water (science, technology, protection, and conservation) and the fifth kit meets the unique needs of families, with activities tailored to the home. Activities in the kits are inspired by those delivered each year at the Peterborough Children's Water Festival. The kits will be available for rent at the GreenUP Store in downtown Peterborough on March 21, 2020, the day before World Water Day. (Photo: GreenUP)
World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22nd. On World Water Day, we reflect on our relationship to water and consider the value of this biologically, economically, and culturally essential substance.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Brittany Harding, Education and Outreach Coordinator for GreenUP’s Water Programs.
Living in southern Ontario, we enjoy an abundance of freshwater.
The water of the Otonabee River is the beating heart of Peterborough, fed by a network of smaller creeks weaving between and below sprawling buildings.
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Many residents in cities like Peterborough may take for granted the relative abundance of freshwater and safe drinking water. People living in communities with safe drinking water may overlook and misunderstand the challenges posed by a lack of access to safe drinking water in neighbouring communities.
At the time of writing, Curve Lake First Nation, located just 30 minutes north of the City of Peterborough, is under a boil-water advisory. This particular advisory was issued on September 20, 2018, and the history of boil-water advisories in Curve Lake goes back years before that.
Curve Lake is only one of 58 indigenous communities Canada-wide currently affected by boil-water or do-not-consume advisories. Globally, 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water. Having convenient access to safe water is a right that we must not take for granted.
Paddlers enjoy Little Lake in Peterborough on National Canoe Day on June 26, 2019. The Otonabee River, which flows in and out of Little Lake, is the source of all municipal drinking water in the City of Peterborough. “Otonabee” in Anishnaabemowin means “the river that beats like a drum.” All of the water that falls in the City of Peterborough eventually flows into the Otonabee River. Among other things, GreenUP’s new portable H2O To Go kits will teach children the importance of protecting and conserving water. (Photo: GreenUP)
This World Water Day, we encourage you to reflect on your relationship to water and to renew your commitment to the care of water. We encourage you to share your learning and dedication to water with others, and we want to support you along the way.
We know that water education needs to go beyond the classroom. At GreenUP, we are always working hard to bring water education into the community. In celebration of World Water Day 2020, we are excited to announce our newest water education tool.
Our Wonders of Water H2O To Go kits allow you to take water education into your own hands. Whether you are a teacher, a youth group leader, a parent or guardian, our H2O To Go kits have everything you need to bring water education to children and youth aged three through 13.
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The H2O To Go kits were created as part of the Wonders of Water program. Each kit includes a full set of materials and detailed instructions, allowing you to easily facilitate fun and engaging explorations of water no matter your experience or location. Each kit consists of a combination of activities including active learning, quiet time, outdoor exploration, and experiments.
“The H20 To Go resources gave us fun and engaging activities,” says Kiley Percy of Clarington Public Library, who piloted H2O To Go activities with children aged two through 10 in the summer of 2019.
“These resources took us and the children to new levels in our conversation about the protection of the water. H2O To Go is flexible because you can choose the activities you want to do. A lot of the activities can be easily adjusted for different age ranges or skill levels. The kits provided fun and engaging activities and helped impart knowledge to children in a meaningful way.
Pictured are kids at the annual Peterborough Children’s Water Festival participating in an activity called ‘Rolling in the Shed’, in which they imitate raindrops picking up pollution throughout the watershed. This is just one of the activities featured in the “Protection” H20 To Go Kit, one of the five water education kits being launched by GreenUP. (Photo: GreenUP)
Kiley also mentioned that, at the outset, her staff were not confident about facilitating water education, but that the kits gave them everything they needed.
Donna Lilly is a local girl guide leader who piloted the H20 To Go kits with her girl guide groups.
“My guides were interested in exploring themes connected to environmental stewardship,” Lilly says. “The H20 To Go kits were fantastic. The activities were very hands-on and my guides enjoyed doing ‘real science’ — that’s how they described it. There was a lot learned through the activities, and we had a lot of fun too.”
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Four of the kits reflect themes related to how we understand and protect water (science, technology, protection, and conservation) and the fifth kit meets the unique needs of families, with activities tailored to the home. Activities are inspired by those delivered each year at the Peterborough Children’s Water Festival.
GreenUP’s H20 To Go kits will be available for sign-out at the GreenUP Store (378 Aylmer St. N., Peterborough) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. starting on Saturday, March 21st — the day before World Water Day (the GreenUP Store is closed on Sundays).
After World Water Day, kits can be picked up at the GreenUP Store on Saturdays from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The kits must be returned by the Thursday just shy of two weeks after pick-up. Renting a kit costs $25 and all funds go towards the maintenance of the kits.
Whether you are a teacher, a youth group leader, a parent or guardian, GreenUP’s new H2O To Go kits have everything you need to bring water education to children and youth aged three through 13. Each kit includes a full set of materials and detailed instructions, allowing you to easily facilitate fun and engaging explorations of water no matter your experience or location. You can rent a kit for almost two weeks for $25. (Photo: GreenUP)
Funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, these resources have been created as a part of the Wonders of Water Program, in partnership with Peterborough Children’s Water Festival.
You can find out more about the annual festival at pcwf.net.
During last year’s celebration of World Water Day, Agnieszka shares her favourite water memory with her fellow grade five classmates at Monsignor O’Donoghue in Peterborough as part of GreenUP’s Wonders of Water program. GreenUP’s new H2O To Go kits were created as part of that program. (Photo: Karen O’Krafka)
Peterborough Public Health is encouraging area residents to call a public health nurse if they have travelled abroad within the last 14 days, have mild respiratory symptoms, and are concerned that it may be COVID-19.
The health unit announced on Wednesday (March 11) that it will be offering extended phone hours to screen residents, with the intention of reducing unnecessary strain on hospitals.
“We are encouraging all residents with mild respiratory symptoms to call us so we can determine if further testing for COVID-19 is needed,” explains medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra. “Our goal is to keep those with mild symptoms away from hospitals, so they (hospitals) can tend to those who require acute care.”
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Mild symptoms include a low-grade fever, mild coughing or sneezing, and a sore throat. If you are having difficulty breathing, you should call 911 for immediate medical attention.
Public health nurses will be available by phone from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Residents with mild symptoms can call the COVID-19 hotline at 705-743-1000, ext. 401 or email covid19@peterboroughpublichealth.ca to consult with a nurse.
After these hours, residents are asked to call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 to speak with a nurse about their symptoms, or email covid19@peterboroughpublichealth.ca for follow up the next business day.
Public health nurses will determine if residents should come in to Peterborough Public Health for further testing. All individuals who are tested are followed up by a public health nurses and will be required to self-isolate.
The symptoms of the COVID-19 infection are similar to other respiratory infections, including influenza. According to the World Health Organization, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, or diarrhea.
VIDEO – How to protect yourself against COVID-19 (World Health Organization)
As of 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday (March 11), there are no confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 infections in the Kawarthas. In Ontario, 3,395 patients have been approved for COVID-19 testing, with 2,888 negative cases, 37 confirmed positive cases, five resolved cases, and 465 cases currently under investigation.
If you live in Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and City of Kawartha Lakes, visit the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit website at www.hkpr.on.ca for more information.
This story has been updated as Peterborough Public Health has reissued the original version of its announcement to specify that the screening it intended for people who have “recent travel history abroad within the last 14 days”.
In The Theatre on King's production of Peter Shaffer's controverial and award-winning play "Equus", Conner Clarkin plays Alan Strang, a disturbed young man with an obsession for horses. Here, Conner's character rides the horse Nugget (played by a custumed Derek Bell) with other horse characters played by Naomi Duvall, Nikki Weatherdon, Samuelle Weatherdon, Ange Soransen, Dreda Blow. The play runs from Wednesday, March 11th and runs until Saturday, March 14th in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
From Wednesday, March 11th to Saturday, March 14th, The Theatre on King (TTOK) in downtown Peterborough brings English playwright Peter Shaffer’s controversial and award-winning 1973 play Equus back to the Peterborough stage.
The Theatre on King presents Equus
When: Wednesday, March 11 to Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 8 p.m. Where: The Theatre on King (171 King St., Peterborough) How much: $15 or pay what you can
Written by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Ryan Kerr. Featuring Dan Smith, Conner Clarkin, Lindsay Unterlander, Sophie Kourtsidis, Mark McGilvary, Ange Sorensen, Paul Epstein, Heather Knechtel, Dreda Blow, Sam Weatherdon, Nikki Weatherdon, Derek Bell, and Naomi Duvall. Set and costumes by Kate Story. Horse heads designed by Ann Jaeger. Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. Warning: Contains nudity and mature themes.
Directed by Ryan Kerr, Equus features a talented cast of performers in a nightmarish ride fronted by Dan Smith as psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart and Conner Clarkin as his disturbed young patient Alan Strang. A story that examines the connections between religion, sexuality, and violence through one boy’s obsession with horses, Equus is a shocking, powerful, and thought-provoking piece of theatre that will challenge even the most experienced audience.
Playwright Peter Shaffler found his inspiration for Equus when he read about a strange crime where a 17-year-old boy from Suffolk, England had blinded six horses. Pondering what would drive someone to commit such an atrocious act of violence, without investigating the actual crime further, Shaffer set out to write a drama that took this basic premise and fleshed out the reasons for the attack on the animals.
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The original production opened at the National Theatre in London in 1973 featuring Alec McCowen in the role of Dr. Martin Dysart and Peter Firth as Alan Strang. Instantly a hit with audiences and critics alike, the production ran until 1975.
Peter Firth left the London production to recreate the role in New York when the play opened on Broadway in 1974. In the role of Dysart, the production cast Anthony Hopkins who would be the first of a succession of heavy hitters that would later step into the role on Broadway, including Richard Burton, Leonard Nimoy, and Anthony Perkins. The Broadway production would go on to win the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for best play of 1975.
In 1977, members of the Broadway cast brought Equus to the big screen, garnering three Academy Award nominations including best actor and supporting actor for Richard Burton and Peter Firth as Dysart and Strang. Although the pair did not win the Oscars, they did win the Golden Globe Awards in their respective categories.
In the 1977 film “Equus” directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Peter Shaffer, based on his play of the same name, Richard Burton starred as Dr. Martin Dysart with Peter Firth reprising his role as Alan Strang from the original 1973 stage production. (Photo: United Artists Corporation)
Since then, Equus has been brought back to the stage many times, but gained newfound interest in 2007 when Harry Potter fans swarmed Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End to see the film franchise’s star Daniel Radcliffe in the role of Alan Strang and Richard Griffiths (who played the mean spirited Uncle Dudley in the Harry Potter films) in the role of Dysart. With the Harry Potter films still in production, Radcliffe’s performance raised eyebrows for its mature nature and on-stage nudity, but curious onlookers and frenzied fans made it another theatrical sensation.
In the TTOK production of Equus, the audience is introduced to the show’s primary protagonist Dr. Martin Dysart (Dan Smith), a child psychologist who has a disturbed young man Alan Strang (Conner Clarkin) brought to him by court magistrate Hesther Soloman (Lindsay Unterlander).
With Alan in a near catatonic state of madness, and speaking only in TV commercial jingles, Dysart is given the task of discovering why the boy blinded six horses at the stable in which he worked.
Through meetings with Alan’s parents Frank and Dora (Matt Gilbert and Heather Knechtel) and the stable owner Harry Dalton (Mark McGilveray), Dysart discovers that Alan has had a lifelong obsession with horses, although nobody has ever known him to ride one.
Dan Smith as psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart with Lindsay Unterlander as court magistrate Hesther Soloman, who believes Dysart can help a distrubed young man named Alan Strang, who blinded six horses at a stable where he worked. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
However, through alternative methods of therapy, Dysart learns of Alan’s obsession with a horse named Nugget (played by a costumed Derek Bell) and uncovers dark secrets in the disturbed young man’s mind that link together mythology, religion, sexuality, passion, and madness.
Prior to the beginning of the Equus preview I attended, director Ryan Kerr told me he felt this is the most ambitious and difficult show ever produced at TTOK. By the end of the first act, as I was lifting my jaw off the floor, I could safely say Ryan is right.
Equus pushes the boundaries of creativity and visual presentation unlike anything I’ve seen in the six years I’ve been covering shows at TTOK. In fact, I had already decided it would be one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in that theatre — and I hadn’t even seen the second act yet.
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One of Peterborough’s hardest-working and reliable actors, Dan Smith takes on a heavy performance in the role of Dr. Martin Dysart. Delivering a long and wordy performance filled with psychological theory, Dan is the audience’s guide through the dark and complicated world of Equus.
Within his role, Dan dissects the links between sex and religion, love and madness, and sanity and apathy in new and disturbing way. While Dan may seem like a safe and recognizable guide to lead you through the drama, beware of the truths that you might find at the end. It may change your perceptions forever.
After a banner year last year with his emotionally potent performances in Cabaret and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Conner Clarkin returns in another challenging role as Alan Strang. One of Peterborough’s best emotional actors, Conner has a magical way of presenting provocative roles on the stage, bringing very human qualities to traditionally enigmatic characters. As a result, Conner’s performance as Alan is his finest yet.
In The Theatre on King’s production of “Equus”, Dan Smith performs as psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart with Conner Clarkin as his disturbed young patient Alan Strang. (Photo: Andy Carroll)Heather Knetchel and Matt Gilbert as Dora and Martin Strang, the parents of psychiatric patient Alan (Conner Clarkin, centre), who have opposing philosophies and thoughts on parenting. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
What I find interesting is that, when dealing with the human characters in the show, Conner sometimes seems restrained or guarded, but when left with the actors dressed up in their elaborate horse costumes, Conner creates shocking and heart-pounding moments that pushed my insides up nto my throat.
Furthermore, Conner bares far more than his soul in Equus, proving him to be one of the most dynamic and interesting young actors to watch in our local theatrical scene. Provocative, emotional, and exciting to watch, Conner’s performance is another triumph.
Further shout-outs go to Heather Knetchel and Matt Gilbert in their roles as Alan’s parents Frank and Dora Strang. Both create realistic and emotional portraits of two people with opposing philosophies and thoughts on parenting, and their individual horrors when dealing with their son.
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With their differing moral values and personal actions that often defy their words, you get a sense Frank and Dora are trying to do the right thing, but their own shortcomings have only further damaged their son’s psyche. Heather and Matt both give excellent supporting performances.
I also want to give a big applause to Sophie Kourtsidis who, in her TTOK debut, plays Jill Mason, the girl that Alan knows from the stable.
Equus is a show with high emotional stakes and tons of psychology and mythology. As a result, the dialogue is sometimes laden with psychobabble and the story loses its human element.
However, both Sophie’s performance and her presence somehow manage to take the heavy ideas and bring them back to a human level again.
Her character is the only one we can recognize as being familiar to our world. Sophie takes some bold risks in her role, while still maintaining the brittle thread of reality for the audience.
Conner Clarkin as Alan Strang with Derek Bell as Nugget, a horse with which Alan as an erotic fixation. The horse heads were designed by Ann Jaeger with set and costumes by Kate Story. (Photo: Andy Carroll)Sophie Kourtsidis as free-spirited stable girl Jill Mason, with Dan Smith as Dr. Martin Dysart and Conner Clarkin as Alan Strang. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
But the true stars of the show are the horses. Those magnificent and mysterious animals, created through the combined efforts of Annie Jaeger and Kate Story, are performed by Naomi Duvall, Nikki Weatherdon, Samuelle Weatherdon, Ange Soransen, Dreda Blow, and led by Derek Bell as Nugget.
Donning massive horsehead costumes and moving in specific movements choreographed by Dreda Blow, the actors become the haunting and horrific element that allows Equus to transcend into something truly unique.
The costumed actors truly manifest themselves as mystical horse creatures in performances that are beautiful and elaborate, and Derek Bell at Nugget leads the bunch as he dominates the stage in a powerful and erotic way, encompassing a creature that is part animal and part god.
It’s a shocking performance that has to be experienced. The horses are the linchpin to the beauty and the horror of Equus.
‘Equus” is based on the true story of a 17-year-old boy who blinded six horses in Suffolk, England. In The Theatre on King production, psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart (Dan Smith) attempts to treat Alan Strang (Conner Clarkin), who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Since Ryan announced Equus was on the TTOK’s schedule for 2020, it has been one of the most anticipated productions at the theatre in a long time. It will not disappoint. Emotionally potent, brilliantly executed, and containing thought-provoking material, Equus is performed by an incredible cast and, once again, Ryan Kerr has pushed the boundaries when taking risks and creating memorable theatre.
Easily TTOK’s most visibly stunning and shockingly powerful production to date, Equus is both erotic and horrifying. With only five performances, you’ll want to reserve your tickets by contacting TTOK immediately. This show will be one that people will be talking about for a long time and nobody will want to miss.
Equus opens at The Theatre on King (171 King St., Peterborough) on Wednesday, March 11th and runs until Saturday, March 14th, with performances at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 or pay what you can and are available at the door, or by contacting TTOK at contact@ttok.ca. Note that Equus contain nudity and mature subject matter.
A Bancroft man has been arrested and charged as the Bancroff OPP continue to investigate a suspicious death in Bancroft.
At around 9 a.m. on Sunday (March 8), the Bancroft OPP responded to a report of an assault at a Faraday Street home in Bancroft.
Officers and Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services located an injured 69-year-old man at the scene, who was transported by ambulance to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
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Police have identified the victim as Judson Gunter of Bancroft.
Members of the OPP’s Emergency Response Team, the OPP Canine Unit, and an OPP helicopter conducted a search of the area for a suspect.
Shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Monday (March 9), police arrested 42-year-old Timothy Gunter of Bancroft. He has been charged with assault causing bodily harm and breach of probation.
He remains in police custody until a bail hearing scheduled for the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville on Thursday (March 12).
The investigation remains ongoing with members of the Bancroft OPP Crime Unit and East Region Forensic Identification Services under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch.
Police have not identified the relationship of the suspect to the victim, and have not indicated whether further charges will be laid against the suspect.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
Juno award-winning Canadian musician Hawksley Workman, pictured here with Sarah Slean as the two musicians are now touring together to support their new EP, has relocated to Peterborough. He and his wife Jenny are living with family as they are looking for a home to purchase. (Photo: David Leyes)
If you’re walking around beautiful downtown Peterborough in the next little while, you might see a familiar face out and about.
Juno award-winning Canadian songwriter, musician, and artist Hawksley Workman and his wife Jenny are currently living in the city, and are edging closer and closer to purchasing a home here.
The couple was living in Montreal for two years and, while there, became inspired to move to Peterborough to be closer to family (Jenny’s brother lives here and has two children).
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“Something middle-aged hit us where we felt like we needed to be back around all of these new kids that started to pop up, as well as aging parents and just being back in Ontario,” explains the Huntsville-area native.
“We were definitely out in artsy, isolated Montreal for two and half years or so, but something happened, like a biological shift called us back.”
It’s also worth noting that Peterborough holds a bit of a mystique for Hawksley, dating back to the days when The Silver Hearts were in their full glory.
“I’ve romanticized the Peterborough scene through how I imagined The Silver Hearts interacted with the city,” he admits.
“We’re already going to hot yoga and my gym is right downtown.” Hawksley Workman (left) chats with kawarthaNOW’s music writer Josh Fewings about his move to Peterborough at Kit Coffee in downtown Peterborough on March 10, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Kat Kennedy / Kit Coffee)
At the moment, the couple is staying with Jenny’s father while they search for a permanent home.
“We live with my father-in-law who has deep roots,” Hawksley says. “He’s an East City guy from way, way, way back.”
He says the delay in purchasing a house has been mostly due to the continued rise in housing prices.
“The housing market here is just about as crazy here as anywhere in Ontario at the moment,” he notes. “We sold our place in Montreal thinking that it would be easy, but it’s not been easy at all.”
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Regardless of that difficulty, the couple are steadfast in remaining in Peterborough.
“We’ve already dug into the community in many ways. We’re already going to hot yoga and my gym is right downtown.”
That community connection shines through when Hawksley talks about Peterborough. They genuinely want to be involved in the community and to feel like they’re a part of it.
As soon as he arrived, Hawskley began to look into some of the great events that happen here.
“I landed in Peterborough and looked at kawarthaNOW and instantly bought tickets for three things,” he says. “It’s exactly the kind of thing I want. It’s also easy to get around the city. Everything is five to eight minutes away.”
kawarthaNOW publisher Jeannine Taylor takes a selfie with Juno award-winning musician Hawksley Workman in the green room at Market Hall in downtown Peterborough during the Blackie and the Rodeo Kings concert on February 21, 2020. Hawksley says that, after arriving in Peterborough, he visited kawarthaNOW.com and immediately bought tickets for three events. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor)
The proximity of Peterborough to the 407 and to to Toronto makes it easy for Hawksley to commute to gigs around Ontario and to attend to daytime business in the big city.
During our conversation, Hawksley also pointed to the amount of great music and number of music venues as an excellent feature of Peterborough. In particular, his love of the Market Hall in downtown Peterborough shone through as we spoke.
“It’s going to sound kind of rockstar-ish, but I’d never taken the front entrance into the venue,” he laughs. “I’ve played there three or four times and it was spectacular. But as an audience member, it’s a very good place to see music … VERY good.”
That Market Hall is one of the area’s excellent music venues won’t be news to local residents but, for Hawksley, the city’s vibrant downtown is a driving force in his desire to live here.
He also observes that, while there are lots of “robust” things happening here, the city is morphing a little bit as well.
“It feels like this town is in transition,” he says. “In a lot of the cities and towns this size in Canada, manufacturing has moved on and they’re sort of redefining themselves. I feel like a strong downtown is still an essential part of the heart of a city.”
Hawksley will continue to work full-time as a musician, eventually bringing his studio equipment to Peterborough as well.
After the next bit of work he has coming up (he’s currently touring with musician and long-time friend Sarah Slean, supporting their new EP These Two), he’s excited to “really dig into the city.”
“I really get the feeling that this is our forever home,” he concludes.
Welcome home, Hawksley and Jenny.
VIDEO: “Wound You” by Sarah Slean and Hawksley Workman
Montana, the female bobcat who has lived at the Riverview Park & Zoo in Peterborough since 2004, has died as a result of complications from end-stage kidney failure. (Photo: Sarah Law / Riverview Park & Zoo)
The Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough has announced the death of the zoo’s female bobcat, Montana.
With her beautiful colouring, expressive face, and inquisitive nature, Montana was a favourite with many of the zoo’s visitors.
Montana came to Peterborough from the Toronto Zoo in the summer of 2004. In November 2018, she was diagnosed as being in the early stages of kidney disease.
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At that time, the zoo began a comprehensive course of treatment, including a new diet for Montana.
However, after more than two years living with kidney disease, Montana took a sudden turn for the worse last Friday morning (March 6).
Although the zoo’s consulting veterinarian and the zoo’s animal health team responded promptly to provide treatment and care, Montana died later that afternoon as a result of complications from end-stage kidney failure.
She was almost 20 years old. In the wild, bobcats live an average of seven years.
“We would like to thank our staff and Dr. John Sallaway for the ongoing care they provided to Montana,” the zoo writes in a media release.
Montana the bobcat at the Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough in a 2018 photo. (Photo: Riverview Park & Zoo)
Four of the 24 young performers during a dress rehearsal of Funfolk Theatricals' production of "Calling All Sidekicks!", written and directed by Cavan children's author Shan McFadden. The fun and affordable family play runs for four performances from March 15 to 17, 2020 at the Millbrook Legion. (Photo: Siobhan MacQuarrie)
This event has been cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19. It may be rescheduled in the future. Ticket purchases will be refunded.
On a Monday night, I find myself surrounded by a group of enthusiastic and energetic kids dressed in spandex, masks, and capes. One kid has a green mohawk, another wears a futuristic computer costume, there’s a vampire in the corner, one kid has told me about an invisible cow, and I think I just glimpsed a small child in a Wonder Woman outfit dashing around a corner.
Funfolk Theatricals presents Calling All Sidekicks!
When: March 15 at 3 p.m., March 16 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., and March 17, 2020 at 2 p.m. Where: Millbrook Royal Canadian Legion Hall (8 King St. E. Millbrook) How much: $5 (free for kids under three)
Written and directed by Shan McFadden and featuring a cast of 24 young performers. Tickets can be ordered online at www.funfolktheatricals.com or by contacting Christine by phone or text at 705-772-3502 or by email at funfolktheatricals@hotmail.com. A limited number of tickets are available at the door, subject to availability.
No, I’m not at a comic book or cosplay convention. I’m at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall in downtown Millbrook for the dress rehearsal of Funfolk Theatricals production of Calling All Sidekicks!.
Written and directed by Cavan resident Shan McFadden, Calling All Sidekicks! features 24 young performers ranging from the age of six to 16 in a fun-filled superhero epic created for the very young — as well as the very young at heart.
Calling All Sidekicks! is Funfolk Theatricals 12th annual production created in time for March Break. At only $5 a ticket, Calling All Sidekicks! is a fun and alternative way to entertain kids during the March Break, and affordable enough for the whole family to attend.
A writer of children’s audio books, Shan McFadden has been leading the group of kids and a band of loyal parent volunteers in creating colouful children’s theatre since his first play, The Princess and the Plumber, in 2016. Since then, Shan has created five shows for the group.
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“Funfolk was started 12 years ago by Loraine Scott and Jackie and Dave Franco as a means of bringing affordable theatre to the community,” Shan says. “When Loraine retired from the group, Pat Barr took her place as co-director, alongside Jackie Franco.”
“Eventually the group was passed on to me and I took over as writer and director, writing and directing original plays such as ‘The Princess and the Plumber’, ‘Tabitha and the Almost Impossible Quest’, ‘Two Kids, a Robot and a Time Machine’, and ‘The Horrible, Terrible, Pirate King.'”
What makes Funfolk Theatricals unique compared to other youth theatre groups in the area is that the company is a collective that maintains its actors year after year, only opening its ranks to new performers when a member leaves the group. Capping their cast at 24 performers allows Shan and his team to help their performers grow year after year, while maintaining a tight-knit family atmosphere.
Tickets for Funfolk Theatricals’ production of “Calling All Sidekicks!”, which runs for four performances from March 15 to 17, 2020 at the Millbrook Legion, cost $5 (free for kids under three).
“If you are a Funfolk member, you stay a Funfolk member until you choose to leave,” Shan explains. “So, if you were in the last production, you are guaranteed one of the 24 roles in the next production. Another spot only comes available whenever a performer decides they aren’t coming back for any given reason. This year we had four open spots for new kids to join.”
“The goal has always been to get kids to come in young with a small part, and every year to push them a little bit more every year into bigger roles. We have a girl who was in my first production at the age of four, and is nine now. In my first production she had one line, and now she’s a lead. So it’s a progression, guiding them to build their confidence and start to be more comfortable. We keep it small, but it works for us.”
In Calling All Sidekicks! Shan takes the ultra-popular superhero genre and flips it on its head by not only creating 24 uniquely identifiable characters, but also playing on themes of heroism, sibling rivalry, loyalty, friendship, vanity, and the dangers of social media in a play that has important messages but is still imaginative and fun.
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“In our story the superheroes are vain and lazy and don’t really do anything heroic,” Shan says. “They like to have their pictures taken, be on social media, and be famous while their sidekicks do all the work. It’s more a young generation versus old generation story being told.”
When I visited with some of the young cast members in the show, they helped flesh out Shan’s story.
“In this play the superheroes have lost their way,” says Shephira Curtain who, dressed in a long flowing cloak, plays the mind-reading heroine Mystico. “But the sidekicks don’t care about fame. They want to help people and want to create a better world, but they don’t have that much power.”
“The superheroes come in at the last minute and say they did everything,” adds Caoimhe MacQuarrie, who plays a feral character named Bearcat.
The cast of Funfolk Theatricals’ production of “Calling All Sidekicks!”, written and directed by Cavan children’s author Shan McFadden. In the family play, which runs from March 15 to 17, 2020 at the Millbrook Legion, the 24 young actors perform as superheroes, supervillains, and their sidekicks. (Photo: Siobhan MacQuarrie)
In the show, Shan has created an entire universe of superheroes, supervillains, and sidekicks of all shapes and sizes. What keeps the show entertaining is that each of the characters are uniquely individual, which allows each cast member to have his or her own moment in the spotlight, no matter the size of the part.
“All of the characters are based on, one way or another, stereotypes of existing superheroes,” Shan explains. “We have Kid Lightning who is sort of like The Flash, Paragon who is a little bit like Robin, and a character named Sparky who is like Cyborg. We also have a number of different characters who work into the story.”
While Shan was the mastermind behind creating the characters, he has allowed the actors to create their own origin stories for the characters.
“Everybody has a different idea of superheroes,” Shan says. “The younger kids have a friendly idea of superheroes, like Spider-Man, while the older kids have seen the darker superheroes and more action-based superheroes.”
“So in this play, different kids get to interpret their ideas about superheroes in different ways. Some of them are into the fame, while some are into service to the community. It’s fun to see the kids look at the different ways of being a hero.”
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When asking the kids about their origin stories, I was struck by just how much thought they put into the stories, often pairing up their origins with other characters in the play.
“Bearcat’s parents were superheroes that were a bear and a cat,” Caoimhe says. “But she also had a sister who had a genetic disease and a birthmark that looked like a snake on her hand. While I became good like my parents, she turned evil and became the Baroness, who is played by my friend Zoe. When we were growing up I kept telling her the snake was a disgusting animal, which is why we are arch rivals now.”
“Mystico and Paragon are sisters, but Paragon is the bossy one and is always telling me what to do,” Shephira explains. “One day when Paragon was ordering Mystico to clean her room, my character knew her sister didn’t (clean her own room), and that’s when she found out she could read minds. Mystico joined the sidekicks to try to prove that she was better than her sister.”
Three of the 24 young performers during a dress rehearsal of Funfolk Theatricals’ production of “Calling All Sidekicks!”, written and directed by Cavan children’s author Shan McFadden. The fun and affordable family play runs for four performances from March 15 to 17, 2020 at the Millbrook Legion. (Photo: Siobhan MacQuarrie)
When six-year-old Riordan MacQuarrie, who plays the villainous Foghorn, got tongue-tied while telling his origin story, his older sibling Saoirse, who helped him write it, helps him out.
“You were doing an experiment on fossil fuels, and you accidentally used the wrong ingredient and then got the superhuman ability to make disgusting loud burps.”
While the superhero genre has dominated the movie box office for the last 20 years, superheroes have been a perennial favourite with kids for generations through cartoons and comic books. Thus, the colourful characters in Calling All Sidekicks! will appeal to kids who continue to marvel at the adventures of costumed heroes.
“Superheroes don’t just fight bad guys,” points out Saoirse. “They work hard, and that’s how they win.”
“People want to be superheroes,” adds Danica Cowen, who plays the social media addicted hero Whirlwind. “So people like them because they want to be like them.”
“It’s fun for people of all ages to watch because they like the action and the fighting and seeing the good guys win,” Caoimhe points out.
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That spirit of fun is exactly what watching Calling All Sidekicks! is all about. During my first visit with Funfolk Theatricals, I was impressed by how Shan and his team have created a safe and positive environment filled with a sense of fun and comradery between kids both young and old. With their high energy and bright spirits, the kids were still focused and disciplined and put pride and a sense of ownership into the production they were creating.
While fun for all ages, Calling All Sidekicks! has been especially created for families of young children. The show opens at the Millbrook Royal Canadian Legion Hall (8 King St. E. Millbrook) on Sunday, March 15th at 3 p.m. and continues on Monday, March 16th and Tuesday, March 17th at 2 p.m., with one evening performance on Monday night at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $5 (free for kids under three) and can be ordered online at www.funfolktheatricals.com or by contacting Christine by phone or text at 705-772-3502 or by email at funfolktheatricals@hotmail.com. A limited number of tickets are available at the door, subject to availability.
Owned and operated by wife-and-husband team Marie and Chad Miller, Lofty Butter Company makes small batch cultured butter in Trent Hills. (Photo: Lofty Butter Company)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher learns about cultured butter at Lofty Butter Company in Trent Hills, enjoys old-school made-from-scratch baked goods at For the Love of Sprinkles in Peterborough, looks forward to the new brunch menu at Kit Coffee in Peterborough, discovers the Milk & Honey Eatery in Lindsay, and samples the beer and wine of Palestine at Nateure’s Plate in Peterborough.
New Lofty Butter Company makes cultured butter by hand
Husband-and-wife team Marie and Chad Miller, based in Trent Hills, have started a new small-batch cultured butter business called Lofty Butter Company.
Update
The Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. If you are interested in ordering Lofty Butter Company products, you can message the Millers on their Instagram or Facebook channels (links below).
Their products will debut at the Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival’s Artisan Show and Sale, held on the weekend of March 14th and 15th at the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for The Arts (40 Main St., Warkworth).
Co-owner and chief butter officer Marie Miller explains that cultured butter is ripened before churning, meaning that it is actually churned with crème fraiche instead of liquid cream.
“It gives it more of depth of flavour and a tangier smell and taste,” she says.
Lofty Butter Company will offer specialty flavours on rotation. Pictured here, clockwise from top left: garlic and herb, unsalted, red wine sea salt, and maple sugar. (Photo: Lofty Butter Company)
Cultured butter is also excellent for baking and cooking because it has a higher butter fat content than regular butter, as well as a higher smoke point for frying.
It’s also a flavourful choice for bread, pancakes, or anywhere where you would use regular butter.
Chad and Marie Miller are the husband-and-wife team behind Lofty Butter Company, which makes small-batch cultured butter in Trent Hills. Marie is also kawarthaNOW’s events editor. (Photo: Lofty Butter Company)
According to Marie, cultured butter used to be the norm.
“It’s the OG butter. This is what you would have had on the farm back in the day, because it would have taken several days for them to collect enough cream in order to make a batch of butter, so it would have just sat in a bucket on the counter. It would have fermented naturally.”
Marie says Lofty Butter Company has modernized the process for food safety.
“We use four different bacterial cultures that we add into the cream, so we can safely ferment it.”
Lofty Butter Company’s cultured butter is a flavourful choice for pancakes, bread, or wherever you would use regular butter. You can find Lofty Butter Company this summer at local farmers’ markets and special events. (Photo: Lofty Butter Company)
In the future, you will be able to find Lofty Butter Company at the Coddrington Farmers’ Market. The Millers are also currently applying for a number of farmers’ markets and food festivals.
For the Love of Sprinkles bakery and cafe now open in downtown Peterborough
Chocolate peanut ganache-covered peanut butter cookies with Chex mix are just one of the decadent treats offered at For the Love of Sprinkles in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: For the Love of Sprinkles)
For the Love of Sprinkles (57-360 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-874-2340) is a new bakery and cafe that opened on Tuesday (March 10) in the heart of downtown Peterborough.
It offers a variety of desserts as well as soup, sandwiches, and healthy lunch options.
Owner Amy Keller had a longtime dream of retiring early from her teaching career and starting a bakery. She says that as a teacher she was inspired to make change.
For the Love of Sprinkles will offer pies, cakes, and more for special occasions. (Photo: For the Love of Sprinkles)
“It’s incredible how kids’ lunches are just filled with chemically laden pre-packaged stuff,” Amy explains. “Nobody has anything homemade anymore. So a lot of the reason for doing this is to bring back that old school bakery thing where it’s made from scratch, with no chemicals or preservatives — just simple ingredients and quality ingredients.”
Guests can treat themselves to peanut butter cookies coated in a peanut ganache and sprinkled with Chex mix, or to a cookies-and-cream or candy bar cupcake.
The whole goal of it all is to have a beautiful space to come and enjoy something that is simple and deliciious,” Amy notes.
Kids (and grown-ups too) will love these fun and delicious cupcakes at For the Love of Sprinkles in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: For the Love of Sprinkles)
For the Love of Sprinkles is licensed, and Amy plans to use the space to host bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and baking classes, as well as a monthly “Failed It!” competition, where contestants attempt to create elaborate works of cake art with limited skillsets.
For the Love of Sprinkles is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit fortheloveofsprinkles.org or follow them on Instagram.
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Kit Coffee to offer brunch menu
Kit Coffee (144 Hunter St. W., Peterborough, 705-927-6703) will soon be offering brunch from their downtown Peterborough bakery and cafe.
Owner Helen McCarthy says brunch will be on the menu daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. by the beginning of April, in addition to baked goods and coffee.
“It’s a place you can come and it’s cozy and we have all-from-scratch baking and good coffee,” Helen explains. “It’s a place for community.”
Kit Coffee is unveiling a line of breakfast croissants, which will be offered as a grab-and-go option beginning in late March from their downtown Peterborough and Alexander Court locations. Brunch will be available daily at the downtown Peterborough location in early April. (Photo: Kit Coffee)
Brunch dishes will include options appropriate for a variety of diets, including vegan french toast made with sourdough and topped with a seasonal fruit compote and coconut whipped cream, or eggs benedict with Stirling butter hollandaise on a choice of sourdough or a gluten-free potato latka.
There will also be shakshuka, a traditional Moroccan brunch dish made with a tomato sauce and poached eggs in the centre.
The cafe is also debuting breakfast croissants with aioli, fried egg, cheese and a choice of greens or ham. These will be available as a grab-and-go option beginning in late March.
Sourdough bread will be used for French Toast and Eggs Benedict on the new Kit Coffee brunch menu. (Photo: Kit Coffee)
Helen has signed Kit Coffee up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) from Cedar Grove Organic Farm in Omemee, and plans to incorporate this into her menu this summer. A CSA provides direct access to local produce by purchasing a “share” of the season’s yields.
“I wanted to have the menu support our local farmers and eat the bounty that we have in this area,” Helen says.
You can find Kit Coffee at their downtown Peterborough location or at the Alexander Medical Building (849 Alexander Court, Peterborough). Brunch will be offered exclusively at the downtown location.
The caramelized onion and maple butternut squash soup from Milk & Honey Eatery in Lindsay won both the Judges’ Choice and Best Tasting Soup awards at Kawartha Lakes Soupfest in February 2020. (Photo: Milk & Honey Eatery)
Last Monday (March 2), 22-year-old Olivia Moore opened the doors to Lindsay’s newest cafe, the Milk & Honey Eatery (17 William St. S., Lindsay, 705-878-9998).
22-year-old Olivia Moore has opened Milk & Honey Eatery in Lindsay. (Photo: Milk & Honey Eatery)
Olivia worked in restaurants throughout high school and college, but after getting her business diploma she was ready to open her own cafe.
“Opening my own restaurant is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she explains.
“I’ve always liked the idea of being my own boss, and of being someone else’s boss, because I know I’m good at it.”
The menu at Milk & Honey Eatery offers a variety of lunch options, from gluten-free crustless quiches to paninis and grilled wraps.
The steak and cheese panini is a popular choice. It features roasted red peppers and onions, a sweet chili sauce, and homemade garlic aioli. Olivia’s caramelized onion and maple butternut squash soup was another early hit.
The dish won the Judges’ Choice and Best Tasting Soup awards at Kawartha Lakes Soupfest in February. But, with a rotating soup menu, it won’t regularly be available.
Milk & Honey Eatery also offers scones and baked goods. “I love baking,” Olivia says. “That’s mostly my passion.”
Milk & Honey Eatery is now open at 17 William Street South in downtown Lindsay, in the location of the former Pita Pantry and Common Grounds Coffee House. (Photo: Milk & Honey Eatery)
Olivia also collaborates with local businesses. Cake by the Lake in Bobcaygeon created a special honey cinnamon cheesecake exclusively for Milk & Honey Eatery. Local collaborations like this are an important part of Olivia’s plan.
“I like to do as much as I can locally, and then everything else is made by me.”
Taste the beer and wine of Palestine at Nateure’s Plate
Toronto-based social enterprise Palestinian Just Trade is hosting a beer and wine tasting event on Monday, March 16th from 7 to 9 p.m. at Nateure’s Plate (182 Charlotte St., Peterborough, 705-874-1215).
The event will feature beverages from Tayhbeh Winery and Taybeh Brewing Company, founded by Nadim, David, and Canaan Khoury in the Palestinian village of Taybeh.
You can try beer from Palestine’s Taybeh Brewery at a tasting event held at Nateure’s Plate in Peterborough on March 16, 2020. (Photo: Palestine Just Trade)
There will be tastings, as well as the Canadian premiere of Brewed in Palestine, a short documentary by Emma Schwartz featuring the brewery and winery.
Beer fans will want to try the Taybeh Golden, the original beer offered by the brewery: a bright golden beer with a subtle malt character and delicate hop notes. Karen Rodman, coordinator of Palestine Just Trade, says that most of the ingredients for the beer are from the Taybeh region.
“The beer is made from locally grown grains, malt from France and Belguim, hops from Czeh and Bavaria, along with Palestine’s own natural spring water and yeast.”
Wine from Taybeh Winery, which makes wine from grapes grown in Palestine. Palestinian Just Trade was established in Toronto in 2018 to promote the import of goods from Palestinian organizations. (Photo: Palestine Just Trade)
Wine fans might enjoy the flagship Grand Reserve Cabernet Savignon, or perhaps the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, which Karen describes as “a medium-bodied wine displaying rich aromas of citrus and green apple.”
She notes that the wine grapes are also grown in Palestine. “Taybeh is very careful to source its products locally.”
Palestinian Just Trade is an organization established in 2018 to promote the import of goods from Palestinian organizations. Any profits are reinvested into Just Peace Advocates, a not-for-profit international human rights organization working to support peace in Palestine. For more information, visit palestinejusttrade.ca
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