Ross Memorial Hospital is located at 10 Angeline Street North in Lindsay. (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital)
People who went to the emergency department at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay during the evening of Victoria Day Monday (May 19) may have been exposed to measles, according to Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough (HKNP) Public Health.
The health unit has confirmed that a person from outside the Kawarthas region who was infected with measles was seeking care at the hospital from 7:02 to 9:45 p.m. on Monday. The person, who was not vaccinated against measles, did not acquire the infection locally.
The health unit is working closely with the hospital and has received a list of patients who may have been exposed to measles in the hospital’s emergency room waiting room and triage area during the specified time.
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The health unit will first contact those on the list who are at highest risk. People at the highest risk of severe complications from measles include infants, pregnant women, and severely immunocompromised individuals.
People who believe they may be at risk of having been exposed to measles should monitor for symptoms and check vaccination records to confirm that family members have received two doses of the measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV).
People born before 1970 may only have received one dose and are not considered susceptible to infection.
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Measles is a highly contagious virus spread through coughing and sneezing that can live for up to two hours in the air.
Symptoms of measles begin one to three weeks after infection and may a high fever, cough, runny nose, drowsiness, irritability, red and watery eyes, small white spots with white centres on the inside of the mouth and throat, and a red blotchy rash three to seven days after other symptoms start.
If you develop any symptoms, stay home and do not attend work and school, and contact the health unit at 1-866-888-4577 ext. 4050.
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Although people who get sick from measles usually recover without treatment, measles can be severe for those who are immunocompromised, including infants, pregnant women, and those with existing medical concerns. Possible complications of contracting measles include middle ear infections, pneumonia, or swelling of the brain and occasionally death in young children.
“It’s critical that we work together to prevent further spread of this vaccine-preventable disease,” says Dr. Natalie Bocking, deputy medical Officer of health for HKNP Public Health, in a media release.
“Measles is a serious but preventable illness, with the vaccine being over 97 per cent effective after two doses. With cases on the rise provincially, it’s important that our community is aware and protecting themselves.”
Fleming College students Dylan Waddell (middle) and Gavin O'Rourke (right) with their gold and bronze medals in carpentry during the awards ceremony for the 2025 Skills Ontario Competition on May 7. In total, Fleming College students earned five gold and two bronze medals at the competition, during which secondary and post-secondary students competed in a range of hands-on challenges. (kawarthaNOW screenshot)
With precision and skill executed while on a deadline, Dylan Waddell’s complex woodworking project recently earned him gold medal recognition on a provincial stage.
The Fleming College carpentry student, along with four of his peers, were recognized at the recent 2025 Skills Ontario Competition, which is an annual competition that brings together the province’s most skilled secondary and post-secondary students to compete in a range of hands-on challenges.
Held from May 5 and 6 at the Toronto Congress Centre with medals awarded on May 7, the competition showcased the students’ exceptional talent and dedication across multiple skilled trades and technology categories.
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In Waddell’s case, his project involved interpreting technical drawings, cutting and assembling components, and producing a functional structure with accurate measurements and high-quality craftsmanship.
“In the carpentry individual challenge, our gold-medal-winning student Dylan demonstrated exceptional precision and skill while completing a complex woodworking project under strict time constraints,” Dr. Theresa Knott, acting co-president of Fleming College, shared with kawarthaNOW.
“It was a rigorous test of both technical ability and attention to detail and Dylan rose to the challenge with confidence and professionalism.”
A total of 17 students from Fleming College participated in the 2025 Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto on May 5 and 6, with medals awarded to seven of the competitors on May 7. (Photo courtesy of Fleming College)
From this year’s event, Fleming students brought home a total of seven medals — five gold and two bronze.
“Fleming College is proud of all 17 of our student competitors,” Knott said. “From our medal winners to the displays of effort and skill by all participants, their performances not only reflect their hard work and talent, but also the strong support they receive from their Fleming mentors.”
Knott said the results highlight the calibre of applied learning at Fleming and the dedication its students bring to their chosen fields.
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Fleming’s gold medal winners were Dylan Waddell (Carpentry), Shane Loranger (Welding), Paul Grosse (Restaurant Service), Aeden Ball (Cybersecurity), and Liam Deneve (Arborist), with bronze medals awarded to Gavin O’Rourke (Carpentry) and Cory Hughes (Heating Systems Technician).
Both Waddell and Loranger qualified to compete at the Skills Canada national competition to be held on May 29 and 30 in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Knott said the Skills Ontario experience offers students a valuable opportunity to apply their learning in a competitive, high-pressure environment while connecting with peers and industry professionals from across the province.
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Meanwhile, for Fleming College, “it’s a chance to showcase the essential role publicly funded colleges play in delivering hands-on, skills-based education,” Knott said.
“Events like this highlight how experiential learning — the kind delivered in college classrooms, labs, and shops — builds the strong foundation students need for career success.”
In addition to the students’ achievements, Fleming College received the “Best Large Booth” award at the Skills Ontario Competition, which acknowledges the college’s creativity, enthusiasm, and presentation.
AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha artistic director and founder Abby Zolz (right) leads the choir in a performance with purpose during their 2024 year-end concert, which was a fundraiser for One City Peterborough. The group has chosen GreenUP to benefit from their 2025 year-end concert happening Monday, May 26 at Murray Street Baptist Church in Peterborough. (Photo: Ian MacCready)
When a vocal ensemble comes together, magical things happen.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Yvonne Hollandy, Communications Specialist, GreenUP.
On Monday (May 26), AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha will share their magic with the community — and GreenUP — in a year-end concert doubling as a fundraiser for GreenUP Ecology Park’s native plant propagation program.
Concertgoers can expect an uplifting and engaging evening featuring beloved hits by Gordon Lightfoot, Toto, and indie artists like The Lumineers and The Strumbellas. New to the lineup are guest dancers, soundscapes, and even a little vocal improvisation.
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Led by artistic director Abby Zotz, this inclusive non-auditioned choir consists of women from all over Peterborough city and county, coming from every walk of life and musical experience level.
“It’s such an exciting thing to watch our sound and confidence evolve as our singing year progresses and as we try new and different ways of exploring the music we perform,” says Abby. “There is such an atmosphere of support and kindness among these women.”
Since its inception in 2021, the group has sought to bring people together through music and purpose by performing at events, and with retirement, hospice, and arts communities. Previous year-end concerts benefited local non-profits Kairos Homes and One City Peterborough.
Students at Keith Wightman Public School take part in the planting of a Little Forest in the fall of 2024. GreenUP supported the planting of over 1,600 trees throughout the Peterborough region in 2024 and, with the support of the community, aim to plant even more in 2025. (Photo: Laura Keresztesi / GreenUP)
As to why GreenUP was chosen this year, Abby shares, “I have always wanted to support this fantastic organization, and to include environmentally focused groups in our fundraising efforts.”
“As the partner of an ecologically-inspired farmer, it’s also a personal passion of mine to see soil, habitat, and life restored to a devastated area,” she adds.
Climate events are becoming more intense, and the March ice storm on top of the 2022 derecho greatly altered the local canopy. Trees are habitat, they improve air and water, cool with their shade, support complex ecosystems, and are the original effective means of sequestering carbon.
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In 2024 alone, GreenUP worked with community groups and residents to plant over 1,600 trees in the Peterborough region. Donations such as the one from AbZolutely Choir will enable the environmental non-profit to plant even more in 2025.
Supporting GreenUP’s native plant propagation project increases local capacity to start native plants and trees from seed, including the American chestnut and black oak that the organization has already started this spring.
“Trees are needed now more than ever, and this gift will support our work locally to restore rare and significant native species devastated by recent storms,” says Tegan Moss, GreenUP executive director. “We are so grateful to AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha for choosing GreenUP to benefit from their concert this year.”
GreenUP native plant propagation coordinator Hayley Goodchild on May 13, 2025 loading up the native plants she started from seed in the GreenUP offices over winter. The plants were transported to the Ecology Park native plant and tree nursery where many will be available for sale. (Photo: Yvonne Hollandy / GreenUP)
GreenUP Ecology Park will use the funds to build air pruning beds and plant cages to grow native species, offer more volunteer opportunities by providing staff capacity and buying additional hand tools and safety equipment for planting and for invasive species removal, and replant rare and regionally significant native species to replace trees that were damaged by the ice storm.
When asked what the best long-term outcome could be from the fundraiser, Abby says, “Ultimately, we do a little bit to help make the air cleaner, the awareness deeper, and the passion greater to preserve and grow our precious Earth.”
“GreenUP has been an excellent partner in this process, and has inspired me to write and seek out more music celebrating and advocating for the environment,” she says. “Look for that in future concerts.”
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The AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha Year-End Concert in support of GreenUP happens Monday, May 26 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at Murray Street Baptist Church at 175 Murray Street in Peterborough.
Tickets cost $15 in advance from a choir member or $20 at the door ($5 for children 12 and under). To purchase tickets in advance, email ptbo@abzolutelychoir.ca.
Tickets are now on sale for the eighth annual Kawartha Craft Beer Festival, which takes place at Peterborough's Del Crary Park on the shores of Little Lake on June 6 and June 7, 2025. The event features regional and Ontario-based breweries, local food and retail vendors, lawn games, and live music, including an all new Country Night featuring headliner Buck Twenty to kick off the festival on Friday. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Craft Beer Festival)
Sunshine, good music, good friends, and great drinks — is there a better summertime combination?
All of that and more can be found at the eighth annual Kawartha Craft Beer Festival presented by Bobcaygeon Brewing Company which will be taking over Peterborough’s Del Crary Park, rain or shine, on Friday, June 6 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday, June 7 from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
With live music, food vendors, a marketspace, lawn games, and many locally made craft beers available all weekend, the Kawartha Craft Beer Festival promises a weekend of fun set on the shores of picturesque Little Lake in downtown Peterborough.
Dusk to Dawn Brewing Company, Lindsay Brewing Company, Boshkung Brewing Company, and Town Brewing are just a few of the many Ontario breweries that will be on site serving up some refreshing suds — including a new non-alcoholic beer from presenting sponsor Bobcaygeon Brewing Company.
“Bobcaygeon Brewing Company is incredibly excited to be the lead sponsor of Kawartha Craft Beer Festival for the third year in a row,” says co-founder and president Richard Wood. “We’re proud to support this event that celebrates our community, because great beer tastes even better when it brings people together.”
Ciders, seltzers, and spirits will also be available, as well as non-alcoholic beverages.
Visit the food vendors to pair the drinks with comfort bites including, among others, wood-fired pizza from Lowlands Fine Foods, grilled meats from Till Death BBQ, and tacos from Agave by Imperial. Then take a stroll through the marketspace and shop from local makers, artisans, and small businesses, or challenge your friends in lawn games including giant Jenga, cornhole, and Connect Four.
VIDEO: 2019 Kawartha Craft Beer Festival
Be sure to sport your best cowboy hats and rusty leather boots on Friday because, for the first time, the festival is kicking off with a Country Night with CMAO award-winning Essex County duo Buck Twenty (Mike Ure and Aidan Johnson-Bujold) headlining. Oshawa’s Shooter Country Band and Durham cover band Red Cup County will warm up the stage beginning at 5 p.m.
On Saturday, the festival grounds will be immersed in a range of musical offerings from country and folk to rock and acoustic jams. At 1:30 p.m., James Higgins will kick off the lively afternoon, before the Cheryl Casselman Trio, Three’s Company, and Wicklow take over the stage, with Blue Hazel closing out the festival.
Admission to the Kawartha Craft Beer Festival is free for children and adults who are not drinking alcohol. Wrist bands for those planning to consume alcohol must be purchased in advance or at the door.
Priced at $25, a single day ticket includes two drink tokens as well as a complimentary beer mug, while a $40 weekend pass includes the mug and four drink tokens. Additional drink tokens will be available for purchase at the festival gates.
To purchase advance tickets and passes and to learn more about participating vendors and the musical lineup, visit kawarthacraftbeerfestival.com.
Know Your Locals™ is a branded editorial feature about locally owned independent businesses and locally operated organizations, and supported by them. If your business or organization is interested in being featured in a future “Know Your Locals” branded editorial, contact Jeannine Taylor at 705-742-6404 or jt@kawarthanow.com or visit our Advertise with kawarthaNOW page.
Meaghan Chapman (second from left) and Nick Chapman (right), along with operations manager and general manager Mark and Nancy Hutchinson (left and second from right), presented a cheque for $21,066.55 to Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) Foundation board chair Mona Malcolm Sharman (middle) on May 20, 2025, representing proceeds from the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign held at Chapmans' five Tim Hortons locations in Lindsay from April 28 to May 4. (Photo: RMH Foundation)
Cue the smiles for better patient care in Kawartha Lakes.
The thrill is genuine for the Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) Foundation, having learned it’s the recipient of more than $21,000 to help fund several significant investments underway at RMH in Lindsay.
Nick and Meaghan Chapman, owners of five Tim Hortons restaurants in Lindsay, chose the RMH Foundation as a partner charity during the restaurant chain’s spring “Smile Cookie” campaign that ran from April 28 to May 4.
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“We are thrilled to see such a positive response to the Smile Cookie campaign, not only for the hospital but for all of the community causes that are supported by the Tim Hortons restaurants all over Canada,” RMH Foundation communications specialist Kim Coulter told kawarthaNOW.
When asked what the money will specifically support, Coulter said, “here at the Ross, funds are going toward the hospital’s highest priority projects.”
The priority projects include enhancements to the emergency department and intensive care unit (ICU) in response to rapid population growth, ensuring access to leading-edge diagnostic technology and state-of-the-art bedside equipment enabling life-saving care, and transforming the patient experience and connecting real-time test results and patient information.
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When customers bought Smile Cookies during the campaign, Coulter noted, they were supporting those critical hospital projects.
While the Tim Hortons’ Smile Cookie campaign lasted only one week, the impact of its fundraising support touches lives long into the future, the RMH Foundation noted in a media release, adding that the foundation is grateful to the Chapmans for their support.
On Tuesday (May 20), RMH Foundation board chair Mona Malcolm Sharman stopped by a Lindsay Tim Hortons location to celebrate the success of the Smile Cookie campaign with the Chapmans and operations manager and general manager Mark and Nancy Hutchinson, who presented the foundation with a cheque for $21,066.55.
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“To everyone who made a point of visiting one of Nick and Meaghan’s restaurants and buying a Smile Cookie knowing it’s for a good cause, thank you,” said Malcolm Sharman in a statement.
“You might wonder how much impact a cookie can make, but together as a community we can make big things happen for our local hospital. With every gesture of generosity, you make a difference.”
The Chapmans’ Tim Hortons restaurants include three locations on Kent Street West, one at the corner of County Road 36 and Mount Hope Street, and one on Highway 35 south of Highway 7.
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“We are happy to be in a position to help the Ross, not just because it’s important to our family when we need care, but because it’s important to everybody,” said Nick Chapman.
Other Lindsay-area Tim Hortons restaurants supported Kawartha Lakes Food Source and the Humane Society of Kawartha Lakes.
Since 1996, the annual Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign has raised a total of more than $130 million for charities and community groups selected every year by restaurant owners. Last year, the campaign raised $19.8 million for more than 600 charities, hospitals, and community groups across Canada.
Detective sergeant Josh McGrath at the scene of a physical altercation on May 18, 2025 in downtown Peterborough that led to the death of a 41-year-old Peterborough man. Three of the four men arrested in the incident have been charged with manslaughter. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of Peterborough Police Service video)
Four men are facing charges — including three for manslaughter — in connection with the death of a 41-year-old Peterborough man on the May long weekend.
At around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday night (May 18), Peterborough police and emergency services were called to Brock Street west of George Street North in downtown Peterborough.
After arriving at the scene, officers learned a verbal argument between the victim and a larger group of people escalated to a physical altercation.
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The victim, who was found without vital signs, was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre where he died the following day as a result of some of the injuries he sustained during the physical altercation.
Police have not released information about the nature of the injuries.
Through an investigation, police identified four Peterborough men believed to be responsible for the victim’s death. Although the men had brief interactions with the victim prior to his death, police say they do not believe the suspects had a relationship with the victim.
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Police located and arrested 26-year-old Matthew Janssen-Supernault at around 1 a.m. on Monday. On Tuesday, detectives arrested 24-year-old Dylan Moffatt and 35-year-old Matthew Smith. The fourth suspect, 24-year-old Noah Stetski, turned himself in to police on Tuesday.
Moffatt, Smith, and Stetski have each been charged with manslaughter, and Janssen-Supernault has been charged with aggravated assault.
Janssen-Supernault appeared in weekend and statutory holiday court on Monday, with the other three men held in custody for a court appearance on Wednesday.
The board of directors of FLATO Academy Theatre in Lindsay has announced Victoria Shepherd is the historic theatre’s new general manager.
Shepherd has spent her entire 20-year career in the music industry, first serving as the inaugural executive director of CONNECT Music Licensing in Toronto and then the inaugural director of operations for the Canadian Live Music Association.
As well as her experience in the music industry, Shepherd also has over 35 years of experience as a freelance theatre director in Toronto.
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“I am thrilled and excited to have the incredible opportunity to join one of Canada’s oldest theatres,” Shepherd says in a media release.
“There is so much artistic potential in the Kawarthas, and I am looking forward to working tirelessly with the board to ensure that we gather, celebrate and embrace this magnificent theatre.”
Shepherd, who began in her new role in March, replaces former general manager Craig Metcalf, who retired in January after more than five years.
Longtime journalist and community supporter and volunteer Paul Rellinger, pictured with his wife of 44 years Mary, during the United Way Peterborough & District's announcement on May 21, 2025 of Rellinger's appointment as chair of the United Way's 2025 community campaign. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
Longtime journalist and community supporter and volunteer Paul Rellinger has been appointed chair of the United Way Peterborough & District’s 2025 community campaign.
The United Way made the announcement at its office at 277 Stewart Street in downtown Peterborough on Wednesday morning (May 21).
“Paul’s dedication and passion for our community are truly inspiring,” said CEO of United Way Peterborough & District Jim Russell. “His connection to the organization is rooted in a belief that a thriving community takes collective effort and shared responsibility.”
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“He understands that the campaign is not just about raising funds, but rather about igniting hope and creating a shared sense of purpose,” Russell added. “We are confident that under his leadership, the 2025 campaign will be a remarkable success.”
Rellinger has supported the United Way for many years, most notably by organizing five annual Peterborough Performs: Musicians United To End Homelessness benefit concerts that have raised almost $150,000, with the latest concert this past March raising a record amount of $36,375.
He is also known for the former annual “Relly on the Roof” event he launched in 2011 as a one-off fundraiser for the United Way, where he camped out on the roof of a local business for 48 hours, subsequently supporting Habitat For Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region for the next seven years.
Prior to his most recent support of the United Way Peterborough & District by organizing five Peterborough Performs benefit concerts, Paul Rellinger began the “Relly on the Roof” fundraiser in 2011 to support the United Way, subsequently raising funds Habitat For Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region for the next seven years. (Photo courtesy of Paul Rellinger)
After moving to Peterborough in 1989 and following a career in broadcast and print media, including 27 years as editor and columnist at Peterborough This Week, Rellinger “retired” in 2016 to become a freelance writer for clients including kawarthaNOW, Trent University, and Cam’s Kids Foundation, also working for Oldies 96.7 FM.
He served for a number of years on the United Way’s Campaign Cabinet, has been the emcee of Peterborough Family Literacy Day since 2011, served as board chair of Peterborough Musicfest, and has also volunteered to emcee many other community events.
A past president of the Kinsmen Club of Peterborough, he also served on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough, the John Howard Society, and Showplace Performance Centre, as well as donating time to sit on a number of committees.
He was inducted into the Peterborough Pathway of Fame in 2021 and received the United Way’s Champions of Change Award in 2024.
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During his acceptance speech at Monday’s announcement, Rellinger said he was “both humbled and honoured” to be leading the campaign cabinet, acknowledging the efforts of past campaign chairs such as Neil Morton, Megan Murphy, Daivd Goyette and, most recently, Shirley Turner.
“These are big shoes to fill for this little man,” he said.
“When Jim Russell and United Way board chair Marcus Harvey extended this opportunity a few weeks back, I was lost for words. Anyone who knows me knows how rare that is. But upon very short reflection, there were 1,506,198 reasons to say yes — a yes for each dollar the incredibly successful 2024-25 campaign brought in for the vitally important work carried out by the United Way’s 20 partner agencies.”
The United Way Peterborough & District’s 2025 community campaign Paul Rellinger stands behind the podium with his wife Mary to his left, along with United Way CEO Jim Russell and board chair Marcus Harvey (both standing behind Rellinger) and United Way staff during an announcement at the United Way’s office at 277 Stewart Street on May 21, 2025. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
Rellinger recognized Turner’s leadership as the chair of the 2024 campaign which, in raising $1,506,198, met and surpassed its goal for the first time in 10 years.
“But while we can, and should, celebrate the success of the past campaign, we can’t lose sight of the fact that the need continues, not only for the United Way’s partner agencies but across our communities at large,” Rellinger added.
“The United Way campaign does more than direct much-needed dollars to where they can do the most good. The campaign provides hope for a better tomorrow, all while reinforcing what many of us already know — that this is a community that cares for, and looks after, its own.”
“That this is a community that rejects poverty, homelessness and social injustice in all its forms, and does what it can, what it must, to lessen the burden of those who, for whatever reason, are caught up in the continued spiral of inequity.”
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As chair of the 2025 campaign cabinet, Rellinger will not only lead a team of volunteers to orchestrate fundraising efforts, strengthen donor engagement, and host inclusive community events, but will inspire others to get involved.
He said he is looking forward to working alongside United Way staff, the board, campaign cabinet, partner agencies, and the community, “with the end goal being our coming together in the spring of 2026 and saying, in one proud voice, ‘This place we call home cares, sees grievous wrong and seeks to right it, and that’s what truly makes it home.'”
“Giving is defined as providing love or other emotional support,” Rellinger added. “That’s true, but there’s another aspect of giving that we should, and must, keep front of mind — giving is an act we’re all capable of on some level, if not monetarily than by the selfless provision of our time, talent, and spirit.”
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Rellinger also thanked his wife Mary, who was at the announcement, for her “support of, and patience with, her can’t-say-no-to-anything husband.” The couple, who have been married for 44 years, have three adult children and five grandchildren.
“Thank you Peterborough, in advance, for walking the walk, ensuring no one has to walk alone,” Rellinger concluded. “Not on our watch. Not ever.”
The fundraising goal of the 2025-26 United Way campaign will be announced later this year.
In the world premiere of "The Housekeeper" at 4th Line Theatre from July 1 to 19, 2025, Eleanor Gwyn (Julia Scaringi) is a mysterious woman who arrives in Millbrook in 1955 looking for a job and becomes the housekeeper for widower Walter White (Jay Davis). Gwyn is hoping to make a fresh start in life and to find a place to call home, but is Millbrook ready for her and her progressive world views? Featuring a cast of 22 professional and volunteer actors/musicians, "The Housekeeper" is the fourth in a series of acclaimed plays by Ian McLachlan and Robert Winslow about the Barnardo children and their impact on Canadian culture and history. (Photos courtesy of 4th Line Theatre)
Summer is only a month away, and that means that 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook is preparing to launch its 2025 season.
The outdoor theatre company’s 33rd season will begin on Canada Day with the world premiere of The Housekeeper, a mystery romance written by Ian McLachlan and Robert Winslow that ponders the duality of the welcoming and easy nature of small towns with how small towns can be suspicious of outsiders.
Directed by Winslow, the play tells the story of a mysterious woman named Eleanor Gwyn who arrives in Millbrook in 1955 looking for a job, and being the housekeeper for widower Walter White might be the perfect fit. Gwyn is hoping to make a fresh start in life and to find a place to call home, but is Millbrook ready for her and her progressive world views?
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Featuring a cast of 22 professional and volunteer actors/musicians, The Housekeeper is the fourth in a series of acclaimed plays by McLachlan and Winslow about the Barnardo children — 2005’s Doctor Barnardo’s Children (restaged in 2006 and 2014), 2014’s Wounded Soldiers, and 2019’s Carmel being the others — and their impact on Canadian culture and history.
Between 1870 and 1930, Irish philanthropist Dr. Thomas John Barnardo sent thousands of destitute and orphaned children to Canada, including to Hazelbrae, the Barnardo’s home for girls in Peterborough and the namesake of Barnardo Avenue. Called home children, the orphans were sent to Canada to be adopted and to be used for labour, with many girls becoming domestic workers and boys becoming farm labourers.
Winslow was inspired to co-write The Housekeeper after hearing stories from Ben Olan, a local retired farmer, surveyor, and 4th Line volunteer who has since passed away, about young women who came to the area to work as housekeepers for local farm families, often for older widowers who badly needed domestic support. Sometimes, the women would marry the farmers and even inherit the farms.
“The Housekeeper” co-playwrights Ian McLachlan and Robert Winslow. The fourth in a series of plays by McLachlan and Winslow about the Barnardo children, the play makes its world premiere at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook from July 1 to 19, 2025. (Photos courtesy of 4th Line Theatre)
“I got the impression from Ben’s stories that there was a certain prejudice against these women in local circles,” Winslow says in a media release. “This was enough to send Ian and me on our way.”
That led Winslow and McLachlan to write one of the most complex characters yet in their series of plays about the Barnardo children.
“I’ve always been bored by two-dimensional characters and Eleanor certainly isn’t that,” observes McLachlan. “On the contrary, she’s fascinatingly complicated: warm, loving, selfish, creative, (and) capable — possibly — of violence. She wasn’t the reason we started the play, but she was the magnet that drew me into it.”
Eleanor Gwyn will be portrayed by Julia Scaringi, who performed in 4th Line’s 2022 production of Alex Poch-Goldin’s The Great Shadow and the 2023 production of Winslow’s The Cavan Blazers.
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In his 4th Line debut, Canadian actor and singer Jay Davis will be playing widowed farmer Walter White — one of the Barnardo children featured in the original Doctor Barnardo’s Children and Carmel.
Davis, who just starred in the Mirvish production of Britta Johnson’s celebrated musical Life After in Toronto, has spent more than three decades performing on screen and stage, with some of his Canadian credits including Baco Noir, Bittergirl, Dracula, Evangeline, Maggie, Anne of Green Gables, Colours in the Storm, and Little Woman.
Also returning to 4th Line for The Housekeeper are Kiana Bromley, Matt Gilbert, Mark Hiscox, Darius Maliha-Evans, and Hilary Wear. Community volunteer actors include Kaleigh Castell, Richard Holt, Cody Inglis, Debbie Hudson, Ian McGarrett, Adam Murray, Zach Newnham, Gus O’Reilly, Ash Street, Lew Street, Hanna-Marie Toll, Evie Wallace, and Gillian Woodhouse.
VIDEO: Kim Blackwell speaks with Robert Winslow about “The Housekeeper”
Along with Winslow as director, the creative team includes assistant director Hilary Wear, costume designer Bonnie Garland, set designer Esther Vincent, musical director and composer Justin Hiscox, sound designer Steáfán Hannigan, and fight director Edward Belanger, with Gailey Monner and Mikayla Stoodley on the stage management team.
The Housekeeper will run at 6 p.m. from July 1 to 19, with preview nights on July 1 and 2, opening night on July 3, and performances on Tuesdays to Saturdays from July 8 to 12 and 15 to 19, with an additional Monday performance on July 14. The play contains mature content and is recommended for audience members 16 and older.
Tickets are $52 for adults and $45 for youth, with a discounted price of $38 for both adults and youth on preview nights, plus tax and fee. Tickets, season subscriptions, and gift certificates are available by phone at 705-932-4445 (toll-free at 1-800-814-0055), online at 4thlinetheatre.on.ca, and at 4th Line Theatre’s Box Office location at 9 Tupper Street in Millbrook.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of 4th Line Theatre’s 33rd season.
Darren Goldin founded Entomo Farms in the Township of Asphodel-Norwood in Peterborough County with his brothers Jarrod and Ryan in 2014 after reading an article about the benefits of consuming insects. Today, the award-winning company is the largest producer of cricket-based protein in North America, supplying its products to more than 50 companies worldwide. (Photos courtesy of Entomo Farms)
It’s not unusual to hear the chirping of crickets when you’re in rural Peterborough County, but what is unusual at one Norwood farm is that the sound is coming from within the farm’s barns instead of the mooing of cows, the oinking of pigs, or the clucking of chickens.
That’s because Entomo Farms is redefining the future of farming and food by raising crickets as an eco-friendly and nutritious alternative to traditional protein.
Based in the Township of Asphodel-Norwood, one of the eight townships in Peterborough County, Entomo Farms was recently inducted into the 2024 International Green Industry Hall of Fame for its sustainable approach to nutrition, following several previous awards for innovation and sustainability.
As the owners of Norwood pet food supplier Reptile Feeders, brothers Darren and Ryan Goldin were already entrepreneurs in entomology when they read a paper about the health benefits that come from the practice of consuming insects. In 2014, along with their other brother Jarrod, they founded Entomo Farms, where they harvest crickets to produce nutrient-rich food while minimizing waste, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Not only does cricket farming require far fewer resources than conventional cattle, pig, or chicken farming, but crickets are more efficient at converting grain into protein compared to traditional livestock.
“If we took all the grain that we already grow and turn it into cricket feed, crickets could produce two to three times the amount of protein,” says Darren, who is Vice President of Farm & Production Operations.
What’s more, the entire cricket is used for food, with none of the waste by-products of conventional livestock farming. Even cricket manure doesn’t go to waste, with Entomo Farms partnering with Canadian Tire in 2022 to supply a plant fertilizer for consumers.
Today, Entomo Farms is the largest insect farm in North America and produces around 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of raw crickets monthly — over 10 million crickets per week — which are either roasted whole and packaged or dehydrated and ground into a fine protein powder that can be used in baking, pastas, sauces, smoothies, soups, and more.
Not only does cricket farming require far fewer resources than conventional cattle, pig, or chicken farming, but crickets are more efficient at converting grain into protein compared to traditional livestock. Entomo Farms in the Township of Asphodel-Norwood in Peterborough County raises its cricketsunder the most ethical conditions possible, allowing them to range freely in their enclosures and only harvesting them at the end of their normal lifecycle. (Photo courtesy of Entomo Farms)
The crickets are raised under the most ethical conditions possible, allowed to range freely in their enclosures, and are only harvested at the end of their normal lifecycle, when they are flash frozen to put them in a state of hibernation before they are roasted in small batches.
Entomo Farms supplies its products to more than 50 companies worldwide, including pet food and treat suppliers across North America as well as wholesale to retailers. Close to home, Peterborough Mexican restaurant La Hacienda uses Entomo Farms products to serve customers a unique, high-protein cricket taco.
A family-owned business, Entomo Farms wouldn’t have the international acclaim it has without the support of other local businesses, including a strong partnership with Reptile Feeders in Norwood and Campbellford Farm Supply Ltd., which has supplied feed for the crickets since the alternate protein company was first established.
As for the operations of the farm, Hastings-based fabricator John Kloosterman Equipment Sales made the 40,000 square feet of custom vertical infrastructure needed to sustainably farm the insects, and Peterborough’s Summit Mechanical has provided technical support for Entomo Farm’s dehydrator system.
Humans have been harvesting and eating insects for thousands of years and, from its home in Peterborough County, Entomo Farms has become a global leader in the insect protein revolution, changing perceptions and diets today for the betterment of the planet tomorrow.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series about locally owned independent businesses in Peterborough County, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
As part of its response to the impact of U.S. tariffs, Peterborough County is showcasing the many unique businesses located in the county, both by sharing their stories of success and how they support both residents and other businesses in their communities.
Whether by shopping at local businesses, dining at local restaurants, staying at local accommodation, or enjoying local experiences, residents and visitors can enhance the economic resilience of Peterborough County during these challenging times and help establish a sustainable foundation for the future.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
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