It's not just a party trick: two whole grapes, when touching and heated in a microwave, create a lightning-like fireball of plasma, a hot gas of ions and electrons. Trent University physicist Aaron Slepkov, along with Pablo Bianuccib of Concordia University and Hamza Khattak of Trent University, published a study in February 2019 explaining exactly what is happening and why. The research went viral with coverage from international media. (Photo: Hamza K. Khattak, Trent University / PNAS)
Why do two touching grapes spectacularly spark when you heat them in a microwave?
Answering that burning question might not win Trent University physicist Aaron Slepkov a Nobel Prize, but it gives him a good chance at winning the Ig Nobel Prize — awarded every autumn to celebrate 10 unusual achievements in scientific research.
Slepkov, along with co-authors Pablo Bianuccib of Concordia University and Trent undergraduate student Hamza Khattaka, published their research last month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) — and it immediately went viral.
Aaron Slepkov is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Trent University, Canada Research Chair in Physics of Biomaterials, and head of the Slepkov Biophotonics Lab at Trent University. (Photo: Trent University)
As well as being shared by everyone who has ever heated grapes in a microwave, the research has been widely covered by international media, including CBC, PBS, the Globe and Mail, the New York Times, the Smithsonian, New Scientist, Popular Mechanics, WIRED, and Cosmos, to name just a few.
Slepkov and his co-authors’ paper is entitled “Linking plasma formation in grapes to microwave resonances of aqueous dimers”. Written with a great deal of lighthearted humour, the original title was “Grape Balls of Fire”, but PNAS insisted the authors change it to something a little more science-y sounding.
So what did the researchers find out … and why does it matter?
VIDEO: Whole grapes in the microwave oven
On the face of it, heating grapes in a microwave to produce sparks is just a fun party trick. If you search on YouTube, you’ll find thousands of videos demonstrating the effect.
Slepkov first heard about it when he was an undergraduate student in the 1990s and, over the years, he would often conduct the experiment himself. After becoming faculty at Trent University, he started to research the topic in 2013 with summer intern student Aaron Curtis, and then continued the research with other undergraduate students over the years.
When you place two grapes close together in a microwave and heat them, they create a fireball of plasma (one of the four fundamental states of matter, along with solid, liquid, and gas). Plasma is an extremely hot gas of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons (the Sun is made of plasma).
Originally, it was believed that to achieve the plasma effect with grapes, you needed to cut them in half and leave a small “bridge” of grape skin between the two halves. The common theory was that the grapes worked like an antenna, creating a current through the skin bridge that resulted in the plasma — but this was never mathematically proven.
The researchers discovered that the phenomenon is not limted to grapes: it happens with any grape-sized spherical object containing water, such as a hydrogel bead. Microwave energy builds in the centre of each sphere and is then attracted to the touching edge, resulting in plasma. (Photo: Hamza K. Khattak, Trent University / PNAS)
Slepkov and his co-authors have shown that the prevailing theory is not entirely correct, and have the math to back it up. Not only can you create a plasma fireball with two whole grapes touching each other, but you can create the same effect with any spherical objects of the same size that contain water. This includes large blackberries, gooseberries, quail eggs, and hydrogel beads (plastic beads containing water).
The researchers found that a grape is the same size as the wavelength of a microwave and, consisting mainly of water, has the right refractive index to trap microwaves inside it. The microwave energy becomes trapped in the centre of the grape and increases in resonance.
When two grapes are touching each other, the microwave energy in each is attracted to the other, creating an intense electrical field where the grapes intersect. Sodium and potassium molecules in the skin become ionized, freeing electrons and resulting in plasma.
Trent University undergraduate student Hamza Khattak, who worked with Slepkov on the research, is a co-author on the paper. (Photo: Trent University)
“This was such a silly project I didn’t tell anyone for the first three years because I thought I’d be laughed at,” Slepkov says in an interview with Liam Casey of The Canadian Press. “We do serious research, but it turns out there is some serious science at work here. I have students funded to microwave fruit because our gut tells us the answer will be interesting. And it is.”
The researchers went through 12 microwaves while conducting the study (operating a nearly empty microwave can damage the unit as there’s nothing to absorb the microwaves).
“Many microwaves were in fact harmed during the experiments,” co-author Hamza Khattak tells Ars Technica. “At one point, we had a microwave graveyard in the lab before disposing of the many early iterations in electronic waste.”
Along with Hamza Khattak, other Trent University undergraduate students who assisted Slepkov with the research included Aaron Curtis, Alan Godfrey, Emily Rose Korfanty, and Rodion Gordzevich, pictured here in 2017. (Photo: Trent University)
Despite the improbable topic of this research, Slepkov is a serious scientist. As well as being an associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at Trent University, Slepkov is also the Canada Research Chair in Physics of Biomaterials and the head of the Slepkov Biophotonics Lab at Trent (or, as his undergraduate students prefer to call him, “Dear Leader”).
“We were not aimlessly playing with grapes in microwaves, but we didn’t have to hide the fact that this was really fun work,” Slepkov says.
In addition to Khattaka, Slepkov’s team included Trent University undergraduate students Emily Rose Korfanty, Rodion Gordzevich, and Alan Godfrey, as well as Aaron Curtis (now at the University of Toronto). Khattaka was included as a co-author on the paper as he was the final undergraduate student to work on the project and he helped with imaging.
VIDEO: ‘Grape Balls of Fire’: International Attention for Research by Trent Prof and Undergrad Students
While research into this topic may seem trivial at first, it actually has implications for the field of nanophotonics — the study of the behaviour of light on the nanometre scale (one billionth of a metre).
Further research could lead to better imaging technologies using microwaves (the electromagnetic radiation, not the ovens), with practical applications in medicine, space travel, the military, and maybe even your smartphone (cell phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range).
“We’re hypothesizing maybe you can change antenna design because the grapes are acting as a concentrator for wireless radiation or cellphone radiation — affecting how we design antennas to help act as a signal booster,” Slepkov says in an interview with Liam Casey of The Canadian Press.
Highway 28 is closed between Haultain Road and Apsley while police document a head-on-collision that claimed the life of one driver. Pictured is a closure of Highway 28 following another head-on collision in February 2019 on the same stretch of highway. (Photo courtesy of Geri-Lynn Cajindos)
Police have released the identity of the driver who died following a head-on collision on Highway 28 north of Woodview.
Carolyn Clement, 69, of Toronto was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. kawarthaNOW has learned that Clement owned a cottage on Eels Lake north of Apsley.
At 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday (March 13), the OPP and emergency crews were called to assist after two vehicles collided on Highway 28 north of Haultain Road.
The other driver involved in the accident was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police have arrested 35-year-old Christopher Ashton of Peterborough and charged him with driving while prohibited and two counts of failure to comply with a recognizance.
Ashton scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough later today (March 14) for a bail hearing.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Highway 28 was closed between Haultain Road and the Village of Apsley for around six hours while police investigators documented the scene. It reopened around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Both Kawartha Conservation and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority have issued a flood outlook water conditions statement on Wednesday (March 13).
A flood outlook is an early notice of the potential for flooding based on weather forecasts calling for heavy rain, snow melt, high wind, or conditions that could lead to high runoff, cause ice jams, lake shore flooding, or erosion.
Rain is expected to begin Wednesday and continue through Friday, March 15th, with 10 mm of rain across most of the Kawarthas.
For Haliburton, Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement, forecasting 15 to 25 mm of rain by late Thursday evening, with a few isolated thunderstorms possible on Thursday afternoon.
The incoming weather system will also result in temperatures well above seasonal values on Thursday and Friday, with a daytime high of 10°C forecast for Thursday.
Due to the duration of this late winter thaw, a significant reduction of the snow pack will occur. The expected rainfall coupled with the amount of ice and snow in storm drainage systems will increase the potential for blockage and ice jams, especially in the vicinity of culverts and bridges. This may result in localized flooding in some areas.
Under expected watershed conditions, all local rivers, streams, and lakes should be considered extremely dangerous. Riverbanks will be slippery and unsafe; any remaining ice cover is unstable and hazardous. Kawartha Conservation is warning all residents to stay away from water bodies, as well as water structures such as bridges, culverts, and dams. Children should be warned of dangerous conditions and caregivers should maintain a close watch on children who are outside.
Municipalities are advised to monitor areas known for minor flooding and be prepared to respond to high water situations as they occur. Residents are advised to contact their municipalities should a flood threat develop. Local municipalities are first to respond to and assist with flood emergencies.
Burnt and Gull River levels are monitored by staff from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). Residents along these two rivers are requested to direct any questions concerning water levels to the MNRF Minden office at 705-286-5207.
The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Kawartha Conservation watersheds cover large portions of the City of Kawartha Lakes, with the Kawartha Conservation watershed also including a portion of Peterborough County.
Otonabee Conservation, which includes Peterborough and Peterborough County, has issued a water safety water conditions statement for March 13th. Higher than normal water flows are expected in in area rivers and streams, and possible slippery and unstable banks. No overland flooding is expected, although there may be localized urban flooding.
Ganaraska Conservation, whose watershed encompasses the south shore of Rice Lake to Lake Ontario, including Cobourg and Port Hope, has not yet issued a watershed conditions statement.
The recently renovated Riverside Grill Restaurant at Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront in downtown Peterborough features a fresh new locally inspired menu that includes starters such as mussels steamed in Publican House beer. To celebrate the new menu, kawarthaNOW readers are eligible for a special deal for half-prized appetizers. (Photo: Miranda Studios)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher samples the new locally inspired menu at the freshly renovated Riverside Grill Restaurant at Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront (and shares a special offer for kawarthaNOW.com readers), marvels at the delicious cheesecakes at the soon-to-be-opened Cake by the Lake in Bobcaygeon, looks forward to the big reveal as Sam’s Place Deli in downtown Peterborough gets a new look, and checks out the new vegan brunch menu at Nateure’s Plate.
New locally inspired menu rocks renovated Riverside Grill Restaurant at the Holiday Inn
Another locally inspired starter at the Riverside Grill Restaurant at Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront are drunken shrimp poached in beer from Smithavens Brewing Company. (Photo: Miranda Studios)
The Riverside Grill Restaurant at Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront (150 George St. N, Peterborough, 705-740-6564) has fresh new menu — and a special deal for kawarthaNOW.com readers.
The menu was developed by Chef Hugh Hillman, but General Manager Grant Zwarych notes that the entire staff brought ideas forward to help shape a menu with lots of exciting options.
Grant says that local options are fundamental to the new menu.
“We’re trying to promote local and keep money in our community if we can.”
The dining room at Riverside Grill Restaurant at Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront has been freshly renovated, with large, bright windows offering a view of the water. (Photo: Miranda Studios)
Starters notably include drunken shrimp poached in Smithavens Brewing Company Kellerbier and served over a tomato sauce with onion, ginger, garlic, and scallions and Smithavens Kellerbiere, mussels steamed in O’Leerie Stout from the Publican House and served with a side of garlic bread, and more.
Sandwiches include a gourmet grilled cheese featuring locally made multigrain bread, brie, applewood smoked cheddar, fresh apple slices, and caramelized onions. (Photo: Miranda Studios)
The entrees are similarly inspired. The locally raised ribeye with a sweet potato mash infused with Staples maple syrup was a standout, as was the pad thai — fresh and flavourful with just the right amount of heat.
Fans of the Riverside Grill Restaurant will know that it has offered local options for years, including the Kawartha Choice burger, an ever-changing burger made with ingredients from local farms. This program was started 14 years ago.
The dining room is freshly renovated, with large, bright windows offering an unparalleled view of the river. Even on a bleak March day you can watch the ducks on the water while you dine. It’s beautiful, and Grant agrees.
“It’s the most scenic restaurant in town. Not because I work here. The same goes for the patio. Where else can you have burgers, a cold beer, a glass of wine, five or ten feet from the water?”
In celebration of the new menu, kawarthaNOW.com readers are eligible for a special deal: half-priced appetizers from 5 to 6 p.m. with the purchase of a beverage. Just mention the code “kawarthaNOW” to your server when ordering. You have until April 30th to redeem this offer.
kawarthaNOW.com readers can use the code “kawarthaNOW” to get half-priced appetizers at the Riverside Grill Restaurant from 5 to 6 p.m. with the purchase of a beverage. (Photo: Miranda Studios)
Cake by the Lake opening this spring in downtown Bobcaygeon
Cake by the Lake is Bobcaygeon’s newest cheesecake destination. (Photo: Cake by the Lake)
What could be better than Cake by the Lake? Baker Amanda Pascoe is expanding her market business to a new bakery in downtown Bobcaygeon, where she will make and sell her cheesecakes and sugar cookies.
Amanda says that the new location at 1 Main Street will allow her to meet demand from her existing customers, as well as sell to restaurants. The cheesecakes have been a hit at the Bobcaygeon Farmers’ Market, where they routinely sell out.
They are particularly well known for their mini cheesecakes, which are sized to serve one or two people.
Baker Amanda Pascoe is expanding her market business to a new bakery in downtown Bobcaygeon. (Photo: Cake by the Lake)
The most popular flavours are raspberry swirl and chocolate chunk, but Cake by the Lake makes a wide variety seasonally including mocha, peach crumble, pumpkin and key lime. Fresh ingredients are key to every recipe.
“It takes about a gazillion hours to squeeze the juice out, but it’s worth it,” Amanda says.
Amanda began selling her cheesecakes two years ago from a Facebook page, and her business grew from there.
“Honestly, I just love to bake, I always did it on the side, and more than often people would tell me, ‘You should really sell this stuff.’ I thought I’d give it a go.”
Amanda’s creations are made using fresh ingredients, including this key lime cheesecake made with freshly squeezed key limes. (Photo: Cake by the Lake)
The years of baking have paid off.
“Each and every recipe is so different. There’s a lot of love and patience that go into them.”
Amanda hopes to open Cake by the Lake by the end of May. Gluten-free options will also be available.
Sam’s Place Deli in downtown Peterborough is getting a new look and logo
Butcher paper covers the windows of Sam’s Place Deli, while owner Sam Sayer completes a brief renovation and refresh. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW.com)
Sam’s Place Deli (188 Hunter St W, Peterborough, 705-876-1900) is getting a fresh new look. The downtown deli is closed for what owner Sam Sayer calls “a facelift”, which she says is geared toward making better use of the space.
“A lot of it is to make it look more polished. We’re going to try to increase our efficiency on food preparation, and with that gain a few more seats.”
The refresh will include a rebrand, with a new logo that has yet to be unveiled.
The renovation will allow for more grab-and-go foods, so if you’re in a hurry you won’t have to wait for a sandwich.
There isn’t a firm date for reopening, but they are shooting for March 18th. This will give time for Sam to cure, smoke, and prepare the meat — a constant in this popular deli.
“I would love people to know how fresh our product is and how much work goes into what they’re eating. It’s not like we’re a sandwich shop like any other sandwich shop. I make all of the protein on our menu from scratch. I get it from the butcher, and then I put magic into it, and then you can eat in on a sandwich.”
All of Sam’s Place’s meat is made in house, including the incredible Peterborough Smoked Meat. (Photo: Sam’s Place)
Sam notes that nine years of success have made this renovation necessary.
“Thank you so much for years of support. We’ll be breaking the budget a bit on this but it hopefully will be worth the while.”
Nateure’s Plate serves brunch classics with a vegan twist
Nateure’s Plate’s new vegan brunch menu includes eggs benedict, artisanally created using entirely plant-based ingredients. (Photo: Nateure’s Plate)
A popular Peterborough restaurant has a new brunch menu featuring chicken and red fife wheat waffles with honey butter, eggs benedict, buttermilk pancakes, and more.
Nateure’s Plate’s (182 Charlotte St, Peterborough, 705-874-1215), owned and operated by brother-and-sister team Nathan and Danielle White, has developed a unique brunch menu that emulates some of the best classic brunch cuisine, but without any animal products — it’s entirely vegan.
The new brunch menu builds on Nateure’s Plate’s reputation for preparing vegan food that doesn’t seem vegan, including chicken wings, burgers, fish and chips, and more.
Buttermilk pancakes anyone? Nateure’s Plate uses a vegan buttermilk to make perfectly fluffy pancakes. (Photo: Nateure’s Plate)
Sophisticated culinary techniques create art on the plate. For example, the egg yolks for the eggs benedict are made from vegan ingredients, but when you break into them they’re runny just like a regular egg. Nathan uses molecular gastronomy techniques to create this effect.
Mimosas and caesars will be available for those who would like a beverage with their brunch.
Nateure’s Plate has been a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike.
“The people who I want to cater to are people who are interested in eating more plant based, but also people who would never think of stepping foot in a vegan restaurant,” Nathan explains.
VIDEO: Vegan chicken and waffles for brunch at Nateure’s Plate
“It’s a happy medium,” he adds. “We use plant-based ingredients but we try to make them taste and have the same texture as their real animal counterparts.”
The restaurant also has options for those who prefer vegan food that doesn’t simulate meat products.
“We also have bowls and sandwiches that don’t use the mock-type meats,” Danielle says. “It’s a well rounded menu.”
Nominations for the 2019 Women in Business and Judy Heffernan Awards close on March 16, 2019, with nominees announced on March 17 and the awards presentation taking place on April 9, 2019. Members of the organizing committee include (from left to right): Amy Simpson, Sofie Andreou, Gwyneth James, Carrie Warkford, and Charlina Westbye. Simpson and James are both past recipients of the Woman in Business Award, Andreou is a past recipient of the Judy Heffernan award, and Westbye is the daughter of the late Judy Heffernan. (Photo: Women's Business Network of Peterborough)
There’s still time to nominate an extraordinary woman for the 2019 Women in Business Award and the Judy Heffernan Award, presented by the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough (WBN).
Both awards are open to any woman in the City or County of Peterborough, with the Women in Business Award for leadership in local business and the Judy Heffernan Award for empowering other women to succeed.
Gwyneth James of Cody & James Chartered Professional Accountants (middle) was named the Business Woman of the Year at the 2016 Peterborough Examiner Women in Business Awards, with Bridget Leslie of My Left Breast (left) and Betty Halman-Plumley of Investors Group (right) as finalists. Now known as the Women in Business Award, the award is being presented in 2019, along with the Judy Heffernan Award, by the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough. (Supplied photo)
The Women in Business Award will recognize a woman who demonstrates business leadership that has led to job creation, innovation, and increased business acumen. It will also recognize the recipient’s impact on the community at large, including fundraising, volunteering, and other contributions.
The recipient of Judy Heffernan Award will be a female entrepreneur, mentor, or student who embodies the late Judy Heffernan’s legacy of humbly helping others succeed. Heffernan was a well-respected leader of the local business community who passed away in 2013 at the age of 61 after a brief battle with cancer.
Heffernan was the general manager of the Greater Peterborough Community Futures Development Corporation for 16 years, and an active member of the Peterborough and area business community (including WBN). Volunteering her time on many boards and committees. she was also a tireless promoter of the entrepreneurial dreams and passions of women both young and old.
Judy Heffernan (right) pictured at a business event in 2012 with (from left to right) local artist Jeffery Macklin, Maryam Monsef (before she entered politics), and Carol Lawless. Heffernan, a tireless promoter of the entrepreneurial dreams and passions of women, passed away in 2013 after a brief battle with brain cancer. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor)
Nominees for both awards will be announced after March 17th, and the awards will be presented at a dinner on Tuesday, April 9th at the Personal Touch Banquet Hall (1135 Lansdowne St. W.,), formerly known as the Parkway Place Banquet Hall. Youth entrepreneur awards will also be presented to a student from Fleming College and a student from Trent University.
Tickets are now available for the awards dinner, which will begin with a champagne and music presentation (featuring local musician Carling Stephen) at 5:30 p.m. An introduction and toast will take place at 6:15 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.
At 7 p.m., Rhonda Barnet will deliver a keynote speech. Barnet is the Chief Operating Officer of Steelworks Design, an engineering and custom automation firm she co-founded with her husband Don Barnet. She is also a past Chair of the National Board of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, the first female chair in that organization’s history.
Steelworks Design co-founder and COO Rhonda Barnet will deliver the keynote speech at the 2019 Women in Business and Judy Heffernan Awards dinner on April 9, 2019 at Personal Touch Banquet Hall in Peterborough. (Photo: Heather Doughty / Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project)
The announcement and celebration of the finalists and winner of the 2019 Women in Business Award and the winner of the 2019 Judy Heffernan Award will begin at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available now, at a cost of $65 for WBN members or $75 for non-members.
2016 – Gwyneth James, Cody & James Chartered Professional Accountants
2015 – Amy Simpson, MicroAge
2014 – Kerri Davies, Canadian Mental Health Association HKPR
2013 – Kyla Gutsche, Cosmetic Transformations
2012 – Sally Harding, Nightingale Nursing
2011 – Sheridan Graham, The County of Peterborough
2010 – Jean Grant, The Toy Shop
2009 – Kathy Windrem, BDO Canada
2008 – Mary LaRocque, Marlin Travel
2007 – Tina Johnston, Fandango Spa
2006 – Kim Paget, Paget Dental
2005 – Jeannine Taylor, Kawartha Now
2004 – Helen Hamilton, Costume King
2003 – Gail Courneyea, Angels of Flight
Judy Heffernan Award
2018 – No award*
2017 – No award*
2016 – Louise Racine
2015 – Sofie Andreou
*Both the Women in Business Award (previously known as the Business Woman of the Year Award) and the Judy Heffernan Award (previously known as the Judy Heffernan Memorial Award) were organized by the Peterborough Examiner until 2016. The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough assumed responsibility for both awards in 2019.
Toronto singer-songwriter Megan Bonnell is performing at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough on March 28, 2019. Peterborough singer-songwriter Evangeline Gentle will open the show. (Photo: Jen Squires)
If you missed Toronto singer-songwriter Megan Bonnell last November when she opened for The Once at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, you’ll have another chance to see her when she returns to Peterborough for a solo show at the Market Hall on Thursday, March 28th.
Market Hall presents Megan Bonnell
When: Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 8 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St. E, Peterborough) How much: $20 general admission, $25 assigned cabaret table seat
Special guest opener: Evangeline Gentle. Tickets are available at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
Peterborough singer-songwriter Evangeline Gentle will open the show.
Bonnell, who is touring in support of her critically acclaimed 2018 album Separate Rooms, is quickly becoming recognized as one of Canada’s leading female singer-songwriters.
Recently she was selected as one of more than 100 musicians and bands to perform during JunoFest in London, Ontario on March 15th and 16th (she’ll take the stage at the Rosewood Room at 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 16th), prior to the Juno ceremony on Sunday, March 17th at Budweiser Gardens in London.
Bonnell was also one of “today’s hottest Canadian acts” invited by CBC Music, as part of their coverage of the Junos. to cover a tune by a past winner in the single of the year category. Bonnell performed her renditon of “Try” by Blue Rodeo, originally sung by Jim Cuddy, which won single of the year at the 1989 Juno Awards.
VIDEO: “Try” by Blue Rodeo performed by Megan Bonnell
“It’s always been a favourite of mine, since I was little,” Bonnell tells CBC. “It’s one of those songs that comes on the radio, and you can’t help but crank it up and sing along with Jim’s vocals. His voice just kind of soars and cuts through everything and it’s so beautiful.”
While Bonnell has yet to receive her own Juno nomination, that may only be a matter of time. She was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2016 for her sophomore release Magnolia, including solo artist (she lost to David Francey).
More recently, music critics have gushed over her third record, Separate Rooms, describing it as “an album that begs to be heard” (The Spill Magazine), “a powerful collection of reflective, genre-defying pop-folk balladry” (Exclaim!), and “absolutely enlightening and beautiful” (Canadian Beats Media).
VIDEO: “We Are Strangers Now” – Megan Bonnell
Bonnell grew up in rural Ontario in Caledon East, where she taught herself to play piano by ear as a child. As a teenager, she studied voice at Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon, and played her first gig at the Caledon Inn, right next to her family home, as a contestant on Caledon Idol.
“I would go down there with my family and friends and sing Dixie Chicks or Jewel songs,” she says in an interview with Coral Andrews of the Waterloo Region Record. “That was laughable now because I was a teenager, but singing there is where I gained my appetite for performance.”
In her late teens, Bonnell started a band and then moved to Toronto to study English literature and political science at the University of Toronto. After graduating, she decided to concentrate on her musical career. While working as a barista in Toronto, she met musicians and producers Chris Stringer and Joshua Van Tassel, who eventually produced her debut release Hunt and Chase in 2013.
VIDEO: “Golden Boy” – Megan Bonnell
They would go on to produce her second release Magnolia in 2016 as well as her latest full-length album, Separate Rooms, which was released in April 2018.
With Separate Rooms, Bonnell demonstrates her maturity as a songwriter by tackling intense subject matter including mental illness, early pregnancy loss, and the dissolution of love.
“This album is the most personal body of work I’ve written,” she says in an interview with Jason Schneider of FYIMusicNews. “As we get older, we gain a more definite sense of who we are and what we want to say. My emotional understanding and awareness have deepened, and with that comes a more honest and articulate voice.”
VIDEO: “Your Voice” – Megan Bonnell
VIDEO: “Separate Rooms” – Megan Bonnell
Bonnell co-wrote the record’s eponymous track — a reflection on the dichotomy between companionship and loneliness in relationships — with Juno-nominated musician Donovan Woods, with whom she developed a friendship after opening for him years ago.
“I had a specific verse idea for the song,” she says. “I really wanted to bring that to Donovan because I knew he would help shape this song where I needed it to go.”
Last November, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) presented Bonnell with a No. 1 Song Award for “Separate Rooms”, which topped the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 chart in May 2018.
Megan Bonnell (middle) with her SOCAN No. 1 Song Award for “Separate Rooms”. Also pictured is producer Chris Stringer (right) and Amy Eligh of Arts & Crafts Music Publishing. (Photo: Melissa Cameron-Passley / SOCAN)
Bonnell has spent the last four years touring Canada and the U.S. as well as making debut performances at European festivals including BIME Live Festival in Bilbao, the Barcelona Jazz Festival, and The End Festival in London.
She also regularly tours with Great Lake Singers (Bonnell co-wrote the song “Someday I’m Going to Kill You” on Separate Rooms with Great Lake Swimmers bassist Bret Higgins).
Tickets for Bonnell’s March 28th show are $20 for general admission or $25 for an assigned cabaret table seat, and are available at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
VIDEO: “The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts” – Evangeline Gentle
Peterborough’s own Evangeline Gentle will be the opening act.
Gentle was named Emerging Artist at the 2015 Peterborough Folk Fest, Best Female Vocalist of the year at the 2015 Wire Awards, and has opened for well-known Canadian musicians like Basia Bulat, Craig Cardiff, Matt Andersen, and Terra Lightfoot.
Porsche the two-toed sloth at the Riverview Park and Zoo in Peterborough passed away on March 4, 2019. (Photo: Riverview Park and Zoo / Facebook)
Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo has announced that Porsche the two-toed sloth passed away suddenly on Monday, March 4th.
She was 27 years old.
Along with a two-toed sloth named Ferrari, Porsche came from the Calgary Zoo in 2013 following the raging flood that devastated that zoo with up to four metres of water.
“With her gentle nature, captivating eyes and charming behaviour, Porsche was very popular with our visitors,” states a media release from the Riverview Park and Zoo.
VIDEO: Porsche and Ferrari at the Riverview Park and Zoo
Porsche had been struggling with serious medical issues over the past few years, the zoo says, but seemed to be doing well recently.
The zoo says Porsche died overnight on March 4th from the final stages of kidney disease.
“We would like to thank our staff and Dr. John Sallaway for their assistance with Porsche’s ongoing treatment and care,” the zoo states in the media release.
Two-toed sloths are found in Central and South America, typically in humid and warm tropical and subtropical forest habitats. They are so named because of the two long claws on each of their front feet.
Although Porsche’s death was unexpected, the average life span of a two-toed sloth in captivity is around 30 years.
Olympus Burger in Port Hope was selected as having the ninth best burger in Canada on a list of the top 50 burgers assembled by Big 7 Travel. (Photo: Olympus Burger)
This week’s round-up of regional business news includes Olympus Burger in Port Hope making a list of the top 10 best burgers in Canada, Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon hiring its first-ever general manager, nominations for the Bobcaygeon & Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Awards of Excellence, Galarie Q moving to Millbrook, Huntsville eco-lifestyle retail store Sustain winning the grand prize of this year’s Win This Space Peterborough, and a new live music venue called Simcoe Ptbo opening in downtown Peterborough.
Every week, our managing editor collects business-related news and events from across the Kawarthas. If you’d like us to promote your business news or event in businessNOW, please email business@kawarthanow.com.
Also featured this week is the list of nominees for the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s Business & Community Achievement Awards, Hospice Peterborough’s executive director Linda Sunderland retiring, the deadline to apply for ignite100 entrepreneurial competition on March 15th, the federal government providing $1 million in funding to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, and Ventra Group Company being fined $130,000 for a critical worker injury at its Peterborough plant.
New regional events added this week include the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs hosting a community economic development workshop on March 12th in Douro-Dummer, the Peterborough Chamber hosting a seminar on building a leadership team on March 20th in Peterborough, the March 22nd nomination deadline for the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards, the March 22nd application deadline for the April trade show for heritage tradespeople and contractors in Peterborough, the Peterborough Chamber hosting its annual general meeting on March 26th in Peterborough, and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism hosting the second annual Rural Tourism Symposium on April 11th in Keene.
Olympus Burger in Port Hope makes list of top 10 best burgers in Canada
Port Hope’s Olympus Burger is renowned for its creative burgers, like the Dionysus with a black bean patty, jalapeños, fried egg, lettuce, local maple syrup, and waffles instead of a regular bun. (Photo: Olympus Burger)
Olympus Burger (55 Mill St. S., Port Hope) was recently named as having one of the best burgers in Canada by Big 7 Travel.
“Olympus Burger provides a world class burger experience,” Big 7 Travel writes in their “The 50 Best Burgers in Canada” story. “Bonus points for them having a secret menu where you’ll find some serious add ons to pimp out your meal. Consistently brilliant and never lets you down.”
The Port Hope burger restaurant was selected as the ninth out of 50 finalists selected from across Canada. Votes were cast in poll of Big 7 readers and by a panel of food experts.
In 2017, Canadian Living named Olympus Burger having the best burger in Canada.
Olympus Burger has also been nominated for three Port Hope & District Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards. The 2019 awards will be presented on Saturday, April 27th at Dalewood Golf Club.
Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon hires its first-ever general manager
Monique Renaud is Globus Theatre’s first-ever general manager. (Supplied photo)
Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon has hired Monique Renaud as the theatre company’s first-ever general manager.
Renaud is a graduate of the University of Windsor’s Drama in Education and Community Program as well as the BFA Acting Program. She was previously the public relations manager at Playwrights Guild of Canada and before that worked as a producer for independent theatres in Toronto. Renaud also volunteers with the Canadian Arts Coalition as the co-chair of the communications committee, where she advocates for an increase in support for the arts and culture sector on a federal level.
Globus Theatre a not-for-profit charitable organization operated by artistic director Sarah Quick and artistic producer James Barrett that stages professional theatre at the Lakeview Arts Barn.
“The growth that the company has seen over the last few years has been phenomenal and we want to harness that growth and build upon it,” Quick says. “Having someone with Monique’s marketing and arts expertise will help us do just that as we embrace our move to charitable status and capitalize on the influx of new and returning patrons.”
Renaud began working in the new role on March 4th and is preparing for the new summer season.
“I have been a fan of Globus Theatre since my family purchased a cottage in the Kawartha Lakes five years ago,” Renaud says. “The connection that the theatre has with its audience is extraordinary and the vision that Sarah and James have to make professional theatre a part of the Bobcaygeon experience is truly inspiring. I am overjoyed with this new opportunity to work with Globus Theatre and become a part of the Kawartha community.”
Nominations open for Bobcaygeon & Area Chamber of Commerce 2019 Awards of Excellence
Bobcaygeon & Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Awards of Excellence will be presented on April 27, 2019. (Poster: Bobcaygeon Chamber)
Nominations are now open for the Bobcaygeon & Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Awards of Excellence.
Awards will be presented in the following categories: Employee Achievement, New Business Achievement, Not For Profit Achievement, Tourism Achievement, Business Achievement, Hospitality, Citizen of The Year, and Creative Arts Achievement.
The awards celebration will takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 27th at Lakeview Arts Barn (2300 Pigeon Lake Rd., Bobcaygeon). Tickets are available for $55 per person, $440 for a table of eight, or $550 for a table of 10.
Galerie Q’s new location in Millbrook is currently being renovated. (Supplied photo)
Galerie Q in Cavan is moving to 38 King Street West in Millbrook, right beside its sister gallery The Millbrook Gallery.
The new location, which is currently being renovated, will have more space for Galerie Q to exhibit its signature French Canadian artists, its collection of all-Canadian Royal Canadian Academy artists, and paintings by recognized local artists including Neil Broadfoot, Norman Brown, Peer Christensen, and Valerie Kent.
When it opens, Galerie Q in Millbrook will feature Quebec artists Pierre and Gilles Bedard, Christian Bergeron, Juan Cristobal, Ginet Leblond, Raynald Lerclerc, Yvon LeMieux, Kelly Paterson, Trevor McKinven, and Nathalie Voisine. There will be more events at the new location and more artists providing demonstrations.
Until the Millbrook location is ready, Galerie Q will remain open at its Cavan location on weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment at 705-944-8888. For more information, visit www.galerie-q.com.
Huntsville eco-lifestyle retail store Sustain grand prize winner of Win This Space Peterborough
Jonathan MacKay of Sustain Eco Store accepts the grand prize, which includes a free year’s lease of a storefront in downtown Peterborough, at the Win This Space 2019 entrepreneurial competition finale at Aria on March 5, 2019. Jonathan and his wife Celine (not pictured) already own and operate an eco-lifestyle retail store in Huntsville, which they will expand to a second location in downtown Peterborough this spring. (Supplied photo)
Sustain, an eco-lifestyle retail store in Huntsville owned and operated by Jonathan and Celine MacKay, has won Peterborough’s Win This Space 2019 entrepreneurial competition.
The MacKays win a grand prize package is valued at more than $40,000 and includes a free year’s lease of a downtown storefront.
Sustain Eco Store is a Huntsville-based business that promotes zero-waste living by selling eco-friendly and sustainable household and personal care products. The MacKays plan to expand their concept to Peterborough by opening their second location in downtown Peterborough this spring.
Downtown Peterborough has a new live music venue called Simcoe Ptbo
Simcoe Ptbo is located at 172 Simcoe Street, the home of Retro’s E-Sports Bar.
Simcoe Ptbo, a new live music venue located at Retro’s eSports Bar at 172 Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough, is now open.
A joint venture of Retro’s eSports Bar owner Andrew Warman, musician Chase Wilson, and Kristen Kerr, Simcoe Ptbo will host live music events with a focus on punk, metal, and hard-core rock.
Andrew Warman and his wife Michelle opened Retro’s eSports Bar in 2017, after renovating the second-floor space. Wilson and Kerr came up with the idea of a live music venue and Warman approached them about using the space for live music events.
Simcoe Ptbo will be open on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) and on select weekdays, and will be offering open mic nights every other Tuesday. As a division of Retro’s eSports, Simcoe Ptbo will also host select nights for e-sports.
Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce announces nominees for its Business & Community Achievement Awards
The Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce has announced the list of 71 nominees for its 13th Annual Business & Community Achievement Awards Gala.
The chamber received 127 nominations or local businesses, organizations, and individuals across Haliburton County in the categories of Business Achievement, Customer First – Business, Customer First – Employee, Entrepreneur of the Year, Highlander of the Year, Innovation & Creativity, New Business, Not-for-Profit of the Year, Skilled Trades & Industry, Tourism & Hospitality, and Young Professional of the Year.
The award recipients will be announced at a gala on Saturday, March 30th at Pinestone Resort.
Hospice Peterborough executive director Linda Sunderland is retiring
Hospice Peterborough executive director Linda Sunderland (right) accepting a cheque from Peterborough County Warden Joe Taylor in May 2018 for Hospice Peterborough’s Every Moment Matters Campaign and the new Hospice Peterborough Care Centre. Sunderland is retiring from the organization after 26 years. (Photo: Hospice Peterborough)
Linda Sunderland, executive director of Hospice Peterborough, will be retiring at the end of June 2019.
Sunderland joined Hospice Peterborough in 1993 as a volunteer coordinator and assumed the role of executive director in 2005. Since that time, she has led the organization on its mission to develop a 10-bed hospice residence.
“It has been an incredible adventure these past 26 years,” Sunderland says. “Hospice clients, staff, volunteers and donors have taught me so much and allowed me the chance to fulfil this amazing collective vision. In this next chapter of my life, I am looking forward to spending more time focused on family, friends and relaxation.”
The board of Hospice Peterborough is currently recruiting a new executive director.
Deadline to apply for ignite100 entrepreneurial competition is March 15
The deadline to apply for the ignite100 entrepreneurial competition is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15th.
Launched earlier this year by Community Futures Peterborough (CFP), the competition’s grand prize is a repayable loan of $100,000.
The prize features no payments in the first year and no interest for the first three years (CFP will pay the interest for the first 36 months).
Eight semi-finalists will be selected by March 30th and will make their pitch to a panel at a live competition on May 2nd. Three finalists will then make a private presentation to the Board of Directors at CFP on June 18th, with the winner announced at the CFP’s annual general meeting on June 27th.
For more information and to apply, visit ignite100.ca.
Federal government provides $1 million in funding to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton
YWCA Peterborough Haliburton exeuctive director Lynn Zimmer and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Minister of International Development Maryam Monsef at the announcement of $1 million for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s “Homeward Bound in Peterborough” project on March 5, 2019. (Photo: Office of Maryam Monsef)
Last Tuesday (March 5), Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Minister of International Development, announced $1 million in federal funding for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s “Homeward Bound in Peterborough” project.
The Homeward Bound model has been successful in several provinces helping women with children in vulnerable situations earn college diplomas, achieve self-sufficiency, and improve their safety and economic security. It will provide them with housing that fits within their income, mentoring and supports, and child care assistance while they complete post-secondary education in high-demand fields.
“We are very grateful for this federal support,” says YWCA Peterborough Haliburton executive director Lynn Zimmer. “Along with our unique local partnership with Peterborough Housing Corporation, it will allow us to bring the Homeward Bound program, a proven approach to moving women-led families to economic security, to the women and children of Peterborough.”
In 2018, Monsef announced more than $50 million in funding for nearly 60 projects in communities across the country, including “Homeward Bound in Peterborough”, to support survivors of gender-based violence and their families.
“Over 21,000 women and children in Peterborough County count on the services of the YWCA every year,” Monsef says. “With this investment, we are funding women’s organizations like YWCA Peterborough Haliburton that provide essential services to support survivors and their families.”
Ventra Group Company fined $130,000 after critical worker injury at Peterborough plant
Nova Scotia company Ventra Group has been fined $130,000 after a worker was critically injured in September 2017 at its plant at 775 Technology Drive in Peterborough, which manufactures injection moulded plastic vehicle components.
The worker, an employee of a contractor hired by Ventra Group to provide industrial cleaning services, was working alone and cleaning the area around various injection moulding machines. The worker’s hair became caught in the machinery, resulting in a critical injury.
The company was fined after pleading guilty for failing as an employer to ensure that the measures and procedures prescribed by section 24 of Ontario Regulation 851 — the Industrial Establishments Regulation — were carried out in a workplace, contrary to section 25(1)(c) of The Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The regulation states that “where a machine or prime mover or transmission equipment has an exposed moving part that may endanger the safety of any worker, the machine or prime mover or transmission equipment shall be equipped with and guarded by a guard or other device that prevents access to the moving part.”
The court also imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Peterborough Chamber hosts breakfast meeting with Rhonda Keenan in Peterborough on March 12
The next Peterborough Chamber of Commerce “Chamber AM” breakfast meeting takes place from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12th at Carousel Restaurant & Tavern (116 Lansdowne St. E., Peterborough).
Rhonda Keenan, President and CEO of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, will speak on the topic “What’s next for Peterborough? An economic development update.”
Networking begins at 7 a.m., with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. (when you can make your best 30-second elevator speech to the room), followed by the speaker at 8 a.m.
There is no cost for the event (order what you like and pay for what you order).
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs hosts community economic development workshop on March 12 in Douro-Dummer
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is hosting “Community Economic Development 101 Workshop” from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12th at the Douro-Dummer Community Centre (2893 Highway 28).
The free workshop is intended for municipal councillors and staff, business professionals, and community volunteers who want to learn the basics of community economic development and take away practical tools to help a municipality attract job and investment and tackle economic development barriers.
City of Kawartha Lakes Age Friendly Steering Committee hosting information sessions on age-friendly business in Lindsay on March 18
The Age Friendly Steering Committee of the City of Kawartha Lakes is hosting an information session on age-friendly business from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, March 18th at Between the Bread Eatery and Market (17 William St. S., Lindsay).
The session is free and open to all business owners and staff who are interested in learning how to make their business more age friendly. There will be a light breakfast during the presentation, and take-away resources will be available.
Kawartha Chamber hosts Business Owners Sharing Solutions (B.O.S.S.) in Bridgenorth on March 20
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is hosting its first Business Owners Sharing Solutions (B.O.S.S.) of 2019 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20th at Bridgenorth Community Hall (836 Charles St. Bridgenorth).
The topic will be “Generating Sales with Social Media & Online Marketing” and will feature panellists Heather Watson of acorn30, Matt Stimpson of We Design Group, and Mallory Graham of Rosey’s Trading Post.
The session will be moderated by Madeleine Hurrell, Economic Development Officer at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre.
Peterborough Chamber hosts seminar on building a leadership team on March 20 in Peterborough
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s next Lunch Box Learning session takes place from 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20th in the chamber’s boardroom (175 George St. N., Peterborough).
Dennis Geelen of Lindsay-based business consulting firm Zero In will present on the topic “Building a Cohesive Leadership Team”.
Lunch Box Learning is free to attend for Chamber members and members of the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough. Bring your own lunch.
Nomination deadline for Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards is March 22
The nomination deadline for the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Business Excellence Awards is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 22nd.
Nominations are being accepted in the following nine categories: Excellence In Business (Retail-Based Business), Excellence In Business (Service-Based Business), Pride And Progress, Customer Experience Award (Service Business), Customer Experience Award (Retail Business), Community Impact, Non-Profit Organization, and the Chair’s Award.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony on April 27th in Hastings. For rules and regulations and an online nomination form, visit trenthillschamber.ca/business-awards/.
Application deadline for April trade show for heritage tradespeople and contractors in Peterborough is March 22
The application deadline to apply for the the second annual trade show for heritage tradespeople and contractors in Peterborough has been extended to Friday, March 22nd.
The Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee is hosting the trade show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 27th at St. James United Church (221 Romaine St., Peterborough). The goal of the trade show is to connect contractors and tradespeople with experience working on heritage buildings with owners of heritage properties in the City of Peterborough.
Tradespeople with relevant experience are encouraged to fill out an application form online at www.peterborough.ca or at the Heritage Preservation Office at 210 Wolfe Street.
A space at the event will cost $15. Tradespeople must be able to demonstrate that they have experience working with heritage buildings and that their work complies with the standards and guidelines for the conservation of historic places in Canada.
Submit completed forms by email to heritage@peterborough.ca or return paper copies to the Heritage Preservation Office.
Peterborough Chamber hosts annual general meeting on March 26 in Peterborough
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 130th annual general meeting from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26th at The Venue (286 George St. N., Peterborough)
Guest speakers include Ashley Challinor, vice-president of policy with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Trevin Stratton, chief economist with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber members will be asked to approve the chamber’s audited financial statements and the actions of the chamber’s board for 2018.
The cost for the event, which includes lunch, is $30+HST for members and $40+HST for non-members. For mroe information and to register by March 19th, visit www.peterboroughchamber.ca.
Kawartha Chamber hosts Business After Hours in Peterborough on March 26
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is hosting its first Business After Hours of 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26th at The Canadian Canoe Museum (910 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough).
The evening features networking, learning about some of the non-profit organizations in the area, and exploring The Canadian Canoe Museum. Non-profits with small displays at the event will include Abbeyfield House Society of Lakefield, Camp Kawartha, Community Care, Cuddles for Cancer, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, Indian River Reptile Zoo, Peterborough Humane Society, and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation.
To register for the free event, visit a href=”http://business.kawarthachamber.ca/events/register/10128″ rel=”noopener” title=”Business After Hours Registration – kawarthachamber.ca” target=”_blank”>business.kawarthachamber.ca/events/register/10128.
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development hosts inaugural Business & Entrepreneurship Conference in Peterborough on March 28
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development is bringing together business owners from across Peterborough & the Kawarthas for the inaugural Business & Entrepreneurship Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28th at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club (1030 Armour Rd., Peterborough).
This is a must-attend event for entrepreneurs looking to learn from industry thought leaders, network with like-minded professionals to develop partnerships and collaboration, and grow and improve their business. Keynote speakers are Nikki Pett on the topic “Relationship Marketing” and Darrell Keezer on the topic “Digital Disruption”, wiht special guest speaker George Anastasopoulos.
There will be an afternoon panel on customer service in the digital age features local business people include Katie Dempsey of Blind Ambition, Bob Gauvreau of Gauvreau & Associates, Mike Watt of Providence/S.O.S./Flavour Fashion, Scott Murison of Wild Rock, and Nicole Truman of Fox Law.
The conference registration also includes the opportunity to participate in the “Headshot Photo Booth”, where business owners can get a professional photo taken.
Early bird tickets are $40+HST until March 10th ($55 after) and include breakfast and lunch.
This event is being presented with the support of Kawarthas Northumberland, Canada Business Ontario, and the Peterborough Region Angel Network.
Northumberland Chamber hosts 2018 Business Achievement Awards in Cobourg on March 29
The Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Business Achievement Awards from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, March 29th at the Best Western Plus Cobourg Inn and Convention Centre (930 Burnham St., Cobourg).
The annual awards recognize excellence and honour high achievers in the local business community.
Tickets for the gala, which includes a multi-course dinner, are $90+HST. Purchase tickets by March 25th by phone at 905-372-5831 or online at nccofc.ca/events/register/1364
Peterborough Emergency Management and Safety Forum on April 4 and 5
The Peterborough Emergency Management and Safety Forum is taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4th and Friday, April 5th at Stonehouse Hall (2195 Lansdowne St. Peterborough).
This two-day event is an opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field of emergency management and safety planning and execution. The forum will cover incident management and mitigation, emergency planning and responses, public safety, business continuity planning, interoperability in times of crisis or serious event, and coordinated collaborative response.
There will be guest speakers from Orlando, Florida speaking on lessons learned from the Pulse Night Club shooting, Peterborough Police Chief Scott Gilbert speaking on the 2018 Toronto van incident, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the O.P.P. speaking on communications and the media in a crisis, Tom McKay (President of the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners), and an expert panel on cyber security.
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism hosts second annual Rural Tourism Symposium on April 11 in Keene
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism is hosting the second annual Rural Tourism Symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 11th in the Agriculture Heritage Building at Lang Pioneer Village Museum (104 Lang Rd., Keene).
This symposium for tourism industry professionals will include a keynote presentation from Lisa LaVecchia, president and CEO of Destination Ontario, as well as presentations by: Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario; Trevor Benson, director of food tourism innovation with Culinary Tourism Alliance; Jewel Cunningham, director of Ontario Waterways with Parks Canada; and David Robinson of Destination Canada.
There will also be a tourism town hall by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, one of a series presented by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Destination Canada, and local industry partners.
The cost of $125, which includes a continental breakfast and a market-style lunch. For more information and to register, visit ruraltourism.biz.
For more business-related events in the Kawarthas, check out our Business Events column.
Environment Canada is forecasting 10 to 15 cm of snow today (March 10) for northern Peterborough County (including Woodview and Apsley), Haliburton County (including Haliburton and Minden), and Hastings Highlands (including Bancroft).
Snow associated with an approaching Colorado Low has moved into Eastern Ontario and will persist for much of the day.
The snow may briefly change to rain in the afternoon or early evening as temperatures rise above the freezing mark. There is a risk of freezing rain as well in some areas, but it is not expected to be overly significant.
Total snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are expected, with the heaviest snow likely until mid afternoon.
One or two localities, especially from near Ottawa to Hawkesbury may receive total snowfall amounts of 15 cm. However in general, total snowfall amounts will be just below the warning threshold of 15 cm per 12 hours.
Motorists should allow for extra time to reach their destination due to low visibility in heavier snow. Untreated roads will be snow covered and may be slippery.
In the southern Kawarthas (including Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland), a special weather statement remains in effect for rain mixed with a few flurries and strong southwest winds gusting to 70 or 80 km/h.
These winds may be strong enough to produce minor tree damage and isolated power outages, especially in locations which receive the stronger wind gusts. The strongest winds are expected over the higher terrain of the Dundalk Highlands and along the shores of Lake Huron, eastern Lake Erie and eastern Lake Ontario.
A rare photo of Peterborough photographer Andy Carroll, taken at The Only in downtown Peterborough. Preferring to stay behind his lens, Andy has quietly created an ongoing visual documentation of Peterborough's landscapes and culture, with a focus on theatre and music. (Photo: Sam Tweedle / kawarthaNOW.com)
For the past five years, Peterborough photographer Andy Carroll has become a beloved — albeit quiet and unassuming — figure on the local cultural scene.
From behind his camera lens, Andy has created what is becoming an important body of visual work capturing downtown Peterborough’s people, landscapes, and events, with a focus on the theatre and music community.
A personal and friendly man, Andy doesn’t have the flashiest presence. Instead, he has the type of photographic stealth that allows him to get close to the action and capture it for eternity. In the era of social media, Andy’s photos have become a community staple, and could be the most important chronicle of Peterborough’s cultural landscape in decades.
A wet winter’s night at Hunter Street at Water Street in downtown Peterborough, 2019. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
When I approached Andy about doing an interview, he was reluctant at first. If Andy has any ego, he hides it very well, but perhaps he’s more used to being behind the camera instead of in the spotlight.
“I listen to a fair number of podcasts with artists and photographers and a lot of them put a fair amount of thought into what they are doing,” Andy says. “They’ve got projects and plans and concepts but, honestly, I’ve never had a concept for what I’m photographing.
“I take a lot of my photos usually when I’m on my way somewhere. For instance, the photos I take on the London Street Bridge: usually I’m there because I’m going to my mom’s place.”
Fog on Hunter Street in downtown Peterborough, 2013. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Perhaps that makes Andy an accidental artist, but there’s no denying that his incredible photographs of downtown Peterborough are striking and have hit an emotional chord with Peterborough residents.
His moody nighttime photos of George and Hunter Street give the historical buildings an old-time gothic feel. From streetlights reflecting in the rain, to fog covering Victoria Park, to the city buried in snow, Andy’s mix of the elements and Peterborough’s architecture reflects the vision of an artist.
Through Andy’s camera, Peterborough is transformed into a mysterious and mythical urban landscape that people have truly connected with.
“I think people connect to these photos because they are going to those places too,” Andy says.
A view from the Peterborough County Courthouse, 2013. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Andy, who is self-employed as a non-fiction book editor, began his relationship with photography more than three decades ago when he was living in Toronto.
“I got my first camera in 1985 when I was in university,” Andy recalls. “A friend of mine was getting one and he researched it, which meant back in that time reading through Consumer Reports. So I got the same one. It was an SLR with exchangeable lenses, and that’s what I used until I got a digital in 2006.
“I did a fair bit of landscape photos and some people pictures, but I didn’t take a lot of photos because it was expensive. Every time you took a photo, you’d have to pay for printing.”
Marsala Lukianchuk and the Rob Phillips Trio, with Al Baggs at right on the sax, at The Black Horse, 2017. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Of course, it’s no secret the advent of digital cameras has been a game changer in the world of photography.
“In the old days, ten to twenty rolls (of film) was a lot of pictures,” he says. “Now I take more pictures than that every night I go to The Theatre on King.”
Back in the days of film, photographers used to talk about their “hit rate”.
“That meant how many photos were actually good,” Andy explains. “That’d vary in what your standards are, and your standards when you are beginning would be lower than if you were a famous artist. Most of us are in the middle.
“But certainly the fact that you can take more photos digitally makes for a higher hit rate. If you take more pictures, you have a better chance of getting a good photo.”
A portrait of Peterborough actress Sarah McNeilly, 2017. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Although Andy’s work has become an important part of the local artistic community, he is still relatively new to Peterborough having only relocated from Toronto in 2012.
“I didn’t know I’d like Peterborough as much as I do,” Andy says. “I moved to Peterborough because my parents were here, and I was getting kicked out of my GTA apartment, so it seemed like the right thing to do.”
Soon after his arrival, it was a chance meeting with one of Peterborough’s favourite actresses that led Andy to become the arts community’s premier photographer.
“When I moved to Peterborough, The Black Horse was the closest pub to my apartment,” Andy recalls. “I met Sarah McNeilly who was working there at the time. She introduced me to The Theatre on King because she was in Pennies From Heaven, which was their first show.
“So I went, but I wasn’t taking pictures. I started taking pictures when they did Kate Story’s Romeo and Juliet: Superstar ice Miners of Europa.”
Peterborough poet Justin Million, host of KEYBOARDS!, at The Garnet, 2018. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Staged in November 2014, Romeo and Juliet: Superstar Ice Miners of Europa was the second show that I covered at The Theatre on King (TTOK) for kawarthaNOW. In the years that followed, Andy and I have become sort of a duo at TTOK — although never planned nor discussed — with both of us showing up like clockwork to nearly every preview show.
Other than TTOK’s Ryan Kerr, Andy is probably the only one who has been to more events than I have, capturing the mirth and magic of everything from theatrical productions, to book launches, to film screenings and private celebrations.
“TTOK is a community,” Andy says of the theatre. “That’s the main community I’m involved in. From those people I know other people, but it all centres around the theatre.”
Wyatt Lamoureux and Dianne Latchford in Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame” at The Theatre on King, 2016. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
From his phone, Andy shows me a list of shows and events he has photographed at TTOK and I compare to see how many of them I covered. Reflecting on some of the best shows I’ve seee, and a couple of the not-so-good ones, I ask Andy what his favourites are.
I get a very different response than I’m expecting.
“I’m looking at the shows very differently than others,” he says. “I’m looking at the shows visually, so instead of favourite shows I could talk about favourite photos.”
While Andy has become known for his TTOK photos, he has also captured the nightlife at downtown bars like The Black Horse and The Garnet, creating equally engaging and dynamic visuals of the performers who make music on their stages. I ask Andy what his relation with those spots in particular are, but I get a similar answer to my question about his landscape photos.
“That’s just where I hang out,” he says. “Besides TTOK, I don’t go out to take pictures somewhere. I just take pictures at places where I’m going. Mostly it’s just a photo diary more than anything.”
Nikki Weatherdon, Derek Bell, and Quinn Ferentzy in Jean-Paul Sartre’s “No Exit” at The Theatre on King, 2017. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
But just like his landscape photos, Andy’s photos of performers are dynamic. He manages to capture a variety of emotions and expressions from Peterborough’s actors and musicians, creating a visual that is always in motion and completely alive. In Andy’s photos, everyone is beautiful and larger than life. But, once again, a part of the process of getting the perfect photo is the sheer volume of what digital allows Andy to do.
“I’d like to say that everyone is equally photogenic, but it’s not true — some people are just really good at posing,” Andy says. “A lot of people take one photo with their phones and they’re done. When I shoot someone performing, I take a thousand photos you never see. It’s like the theatre: I take a thousand photos, but you only see five or ten.”
Over the past few years, Andy’s photos have accompanied many of my articles (he doesn’t ask for anything in return other than a credit), and his images are among the most dynamic theatrical photos being taken.
Kate Story and Lindsay Unterlander in Jean Genet’s “The Maids” at The Theatre on King, 2018. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Many of Andy’s photos have become iconic, and are crucial in the promotion and support of the local arts community.
“Ultimately photography is a form of advertising,” Andy observes. “If the audience see a good picture, they’ll click on an article.”
In 2018, Andy released his first collection of his favourite TTOK photographs as a calendar, which is still available for sale at the theatre (171 King St., Peterborough). With his work becoming increasingly popular, I ask Andy if an art exhibit could be in order.
“I haven’t seriously thought about doing an exhibit,” Andy admits. “But I have recently thought about what to do with the photos. Putting together the TTOK calendar was one project, and I’ve thought that I might put together a book of photos from the original TTOK.” (The theatre moved from its original 159 King Street location in 2018).
Ryan Kerr is his original production “Unexploded Ordnance” at The Theatre on King, 2018. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
Andy’s body of photographic work is a gift to the Peterborough community. He has documented the downtown arts experience in a way no local photographer has managed to do before, beautifully capturing faces, events, and landscapes with a vibrant eccentricity that is pure Peterborough.
Andy may just be photographing the world as he walks through it, but the end result is a continuous living visual picture of Peterborough’s culture.
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