Environment Canada has ended the special weather statement for heavy rainfall and issued a severe thunderstorm watch for this afternoon (August 21) for the Kawarthas.
Conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts and torrential rain.
The threat of severe thunderstorms will begin this afternoon and persist through this evening.
Although the primary threats associated with these thunderstorms are torrential downpours and damaging winds, there is also the chance of an isolated tornado.
Fast-moving water across a road can sweep a vehicle away. Remember, severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
Severe thunderstorm watches are issued when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms that could produce one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.
Regardless of the size of your boat, "Boating 2: Beyond The Basics" will help you acquire new boating skills or brush up on the skills you already have. Registration is now open for the course, offered by the Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron, which runs every Monday evening for six weeks beginning on September 17, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron)
In a sink-or-swim world, the Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron, while hopeful we can do the latter, is hard at it ensure we never do the former.
Since 1959, the local unit of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons has trained thousands of pleasure boaters in safe practices and knowledge of area waterways via a number of training courses.
Starting Monday, September 17th, “Boating 2: Beyond The Basics” will be offered anew, allowing holders of the required Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card to acquire new boating skills and/or brush up on skills that have long laid dormant. Course instruction is each Monday evening for six weeks through November 5th.
The course will be held at Adam Scott Collegiate and Vocational Institute (175 Langton St., Peterborough). The cost is $145 for squadron members ($165 for non-members) with registration available online at www.boatingcourses.ca/cities/Peterborough.
“This course that talks about navigation, safety, anchoring, lines, ropes, knots … it’s a little bit of everything,” explains Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron commander Nick Cliteur.
Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron commander Nick Cliteur who, along with other squadron members, is an instructor of the “Boating 2: Beyond The Basics” course. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron)
He says this is the third year Boating 2 has been offered, noting it evolved from the breaking up of a much more comprehensive course into two smaller courses.
Upon completing the Boating Two course — all pass, assures Cmdr. Cliteur — those interested can opt to take Boating 3, which focuses on marine navigation skills.
“We try to convince you that if you stick around for another six weeks, we’ll introduce you to charts and how to navigate, and how to get round safely using a compass, bearings and that sort of stuff,” Cmdr. Cliteur says.
“Some people are happy just taking the Boating 2 course, and then some say ‘Hey, that was so interesting, I’m sticking around for Boating 3.’ We average seven to 10 students in our courses and can accommodate a maximum of 20.
“The nice thing about that is we have seven to 10 instructors, people who have been on the water boating for years and years. It’s one-on-one. That’s why we know that by the time they’re finished the course, they will pass.”
All instructors are squadron members, Cmdr. Cliteur among them.
“We’re very fortunate to have some very talented people instructing. We have a guy who knows everything about anchors. He teaches that part. I’m pretty good with spring and fall lay-ups: how to get ready for the boating season and how to put things to bed. Trent-Severn (Waterway) always has a person come and join us just to talk about how to get through the locks.”
The “Boating 2: Beyond The Basics” course also includes information on how to navigate through the locks on the Trent-Severn Waterway. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron)
With the Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron set to mark its 60th anniversary next year — its charter was granted June 17, 1959 upon the passing of the basic piloting exam by 10 members of what was then the Peterborough Piloting Club — a number of outreach activities are being planned. Details will be posted on the squadron’s social media platforms as well as its website at www.peterboroughsafeboating.org.
According to Cmdr. Cliteur, one can look no further than the membership to explain the squadron’s track record of success.
“Every organization, including us, would love to increase membership but we’ve been very consistent,” he says.
“I’d love to find a way to meet and greet younger people and invite them to come and join us with their ideas. Whatever works for them, we’d love to get them involved. Everybody likes to do something, so we try and find out what those somethings are.”
In partnership with Transport Canada, the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons offer a free recreational vessel courtesy check to confirm compliance with Transport Canada;s Safe Boating Guide. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron)
“For the tenth year, we’ve gone out and dedicated a few hours at various locations and met other boaters and made sure their boats are safe as a free courtesy,” Cmdr. Cliteur says.
“It shows people the passion we have for boating and for boating safety. On August 25th, we’ll be meeting people at the locks in Buckhorn for the Rock The Locks event. It’s a chance for the people on my bridge to get out and answer questions and have a fun activity for three or four hours.
“We have some of the most enterprising members. We like to do more than just boat. During the winter months, when the boats are put to bed, we like to get out and do things like bowling or curling, just for a day or evening out.”
Among its activities, the Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron does educational outreach in the community. Pictured are squadrom members at an awareness and information booth at St. John’s Anglican Church in Lakefield in June, which featured a special “Boaters Blessing” service. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron)
On a personal level, Cmdr. Cliteur is proud to join a long line of predecessors who have guided the squadron and kept it true to its mandate.
“I took an oath to promote boating safety, to support the members of the bridge, to support the membership in ensuring that everything that we can do to take our membership to the next level, by listening, being involved, and working with the national team,” he says.
“Recreational boating is as strong as ever. People are finding it a little more difficult to buy bigger units but, on the other hand, we’re seeing a huge increase in the number of people using personal watercraft. That’s as much a vessel as a 30 or 35-foot unit.
“We’re trying to figure out a way to reach out to those people to teach us how we can make it safer for them or give them information to stay safe out there. That is the one challenge we have. It’s critical that they understand the importance of being safe on the water and that we work together to ensure that.”
Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2019, is a unit of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, which celebrated its 80th anniverary this year. (Graphic courtesy of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons)
Canadian Power Squadron (CPS) was founded in Windsor in 1938 after a group of boaters travelled to the Detroit Power Squadron to take the United States Power Squadrons Coastal Navigation Course. Upon their successful completion of the course, they formed the Windsor Power Squadron. There are now 166 squadrons in all provinces and the Yukon Territory.
CPS was incorporated in 1947 and, in 1985, changed its name to Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons. At that time, the French name, Escadrilles canadiennes de plaisance, was formally adopted.
Local restaurant entrepreneurs Rejean Maranda and Cameron Green, owners and operators of Kettle Drums and McThirsty's Pub in Peterborough, have officially opened their latest venture: The Thirsty Goose pub and restaurant in downtown Port Hope. (Photo: The Thirsty Goose)
This week’s round-up of regional business news includes the grand opening of The Thirsty Goose in Port Hope, the 20 young entrepreneurs selected for FastStart Peterborough’s Camp Startup, the re-opening of Kawartha Credit Union’s branch at Chemong Road in Peterborough, and the closing of the Nordia call centre in Lindsay.
Also featured is a review by the City of Peterborough of residents’ concerns for transportation and storm water related to the proposed Ashborough Village development in East City, a donation by Christensen Fine Art to the Brock Mission, and the rebranding of Dr. Doug’s Family Chiropractic Centre in Peterborough.
Regional business events added this week include Lift Lock Escape’s grand opening in downtown Peterborough on August 21st, the Peterborough Chamber PBX at the Innovation Cluster on September 4th, the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough 2018-19 season kick-off meeting on September 5th, the Port Hope Chamber’s 17th Annual Golf Tournament on September 13th, and the Lindsay Chamber’s Fall Golf Classic Tournament on September 20th.
We publish businessNOW every week. If you’d like us to promote your business news or event in businessNOW, please email business@kawarthanow.com.
Rejean Maranda and Cameron Green’s latest venture The Thirsty Goose officially open in downtown Port Hope
Cam Green and Rej Maranda (third and fourth from left) and Eric cut the ribbon officially opening The Thirsty Goose at 63 Walton Street in downtown Port Hope. Also pictured is Paul Mintha, Vice President of the Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce, Councillor Terry Hickey, Martha Ciana of the Port Hope HBIA, and Councillor Jeff Lees. (Photo: Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce / Facebook)
Although it’s been open for business since late July, The Thirsty Goose at 63 Walton Street in downtown Port Hope held its official grand opening last Friday (August 17th).
The Thirsty Goose is a joint venture of local restaurant entrepreneurs Rejean Maranda and Cameron Green, owners and operators of Kettle Drums and McThirsty’s Pub in Peterborough.
Located next to Furby House Books, the pub offers a range of domestic, imported, and craft beers.
The menu includes soup, salad, nachos, a burger, sandwich, and several varieties of chicken wings, and some unusual offerings including “Stirling’s Delight” — a fried donut topped with cinnamon apples, whipped cream, candied pecans, Canadian maple syrup and bacon.
There’s also weekly live entertainment on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays.
The Thirsty Goose is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Monday to Saturday (open past 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays).
Twenty youth entrepreneurs selected to participate in Camp Startup at Camp Kawartha in September
Some of the 20 youth entrepreneurs selected for the Camp Startup business bootcamp at Camp Kawartha from September 14-15, 2018. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
Last Wednesday (August 15) at its E-Connect event at Publican House Brewery in downtown Peterborough, FastStart Peterborough announced the 20 successful applicants for the upcoming Camp Startup entrepreneurial bootcamp.
Richard Mathieu, Kasandra Gill, Abdullah Alvi, Conor Lynch, Amber Pula, Katrina Schouten, Ranvijay Singh, Sulfiya Moideen, Amitozdeep Singh, Vinny Lana, Krishma Gabba, Geoff Wolfer, Gaurav Ahuja, Erica Rankin, Reilly de Jong, Meet Nakrani, Tyson McDonald, Atam Goyal, Dylan Trepanier, and Timothy Bissonnette will all be participating in Camp Startup, which takes place from September 14th to 16th at Camp Kawartha.
The participants — all between the ages of 18 and 29 — were selected based on their innovative business ideas, ranging from helping the environment to increasing accessibility, during the application process.
FastStart Peterborough is a youth entrepreneurship training partnership that brings together Trent University, Fleming College, and the Innovation Cluster
“Each year we present this event for 20 new aspiring youth entrepreneurs to experience getting out of their comfort zone and learning new skills,” says Rosalea Terry, Marketing Manager and Senior Innovation Specialist of the Innovation Cluster. “This year, we have re-envisioned the experience to be a more inclusive and well-rounded experience, going to Camp Kawartha for outdoor activities rather than a canoeing portage trip.
The 20 successful applicants will participate in a weekend of business, networking, and leadership challenges. Campers will arrive at Camp Kawartha Friday evening for an icebreaker night, following Saturday and Sunday with team-building exercises while implementing their own enterprise ideas.
To end the experience on Sunday, campers in their group will pitch to a panel of established judges in entrepreneurship and business, that they will have been preparing throughout the weekend. Members of the winning team will split $500 in cash to go towards entrepreneurial pursuits.
“This exercise is a great way to combine everything the participants have learned over the weekend to convey in a business pitch,” Terry says. “When the youth finish the trip, they are always more confident in a group setting and the abilities they have as an entrepreneur.”
Many past participants of the experience have since went on to build businesses through both the FastStart program and the Innovation Cluster.
Kawartha Credit Union celebrates grand re-opening of Chemong Road branch in Peterborough
The Chemong Road branch of Kawartha Credit Union. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Credit Union)
Last Wednesday (August 15), the Kawartha Credit Union celebrated the grand re-opening of its retail location on Chemong Road in Peterborough.
“We are very excited to further invest in the Peterborough community with this renovation to our Chemong Road branch,” says Kawartha Credit Union CEO Robert Wellstood. “It offers us the opportunity to better serve our Peterborough members through our innovative service model, and round out access to our competitive products and services in every corner of the city.”
Led by branch manager Dana Chambers, the Chemong Road location offers features included a a branch ambassador who greets members and determines how their needs can best be met, private offices (not teller stations) where staff can have confidential conversations about members’ financial needs and provide wealth management advice and lending services, and two 24-hour ATMs.
The reception area of the renovated Kawartha Credit Union branch at 1091 Chemong Road in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Kawartha Credit Union)
“We will be moving all of our branches to this new format over the next few years,” Wellstood says. “It has been well-received by members at our Peterborough branches and also in Brockville and Kingston.”
The branch at 1091 Chemong Road is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Nordia announces Lindsay call centre to close in December 2018
The Nordia call centre located at the Whitney Town Centre on Kent Street in Lindsay. (Photo: Nordia)
Nordia announced last Wednesday (August 15) that it’s closing its Lindsay call centre effective December 21, 2018.
Located at the Whitney Town Centre on Kent Street, the call centre currently employees 63 people (48 customer service representatives and five management and support staff, with another 10 employees on leave). The call centre was previously operated by American multinational corporation Sykes Enterprises.
Nordia director of communications Philip Van Leeuwen says the decision to close was made because of the high cost of rent, the difficulty of attracting employees, and the limited opportunities for business growth in the area.
Nordia operates 14 call centres with more than 5,000 employees across Canada in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario — including 300 employees at its Peterborough call centre.
Van Leeuwen says the Lindsay employees will be able to apply for positions at Nordia’s other call centres. Nordia will offer severance packages to eligible employees, and will offer job skills training and assistance with resume preparation and job searches.
In September 2016, employees of the Lindsay call centre voted to join the United Steelworkers union, joining employees at Nordia call centres at Kitchener, Quebec City, and Sherbrooke who were already members of the union. Those three call centres continue to operate.
City of Peterborough to address resident concerns for storm water management and transportation related to proposed East City subdivision
The draft plan for the proposed 700-unit Ashborough Village development east of Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough’s East City. (Graphic: City of Peterborough)
Following a community meeting on Ashborough Village (the proposed development of a 700-unit subdivision east of Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough’s East City), the City of Peterborough has announced it will address concerns raised by residents about traffic and storm water management.
In response to residents’ concerns, City Council will be asked to commit funds for a transportation review in early 2018. The new development will also be required to address storm water management on its site.
“The planning application process is facilitating conversations between residents, the applicant, and the City on existing situations as well as on new conditions that we expect to change with the projected growth in that part of the City,” says Brad Appleby, subdivision control and special projects planner with the City of Peterborough.
As part of the subdivision agreement, the city will acquire a block of property currently owned by the Ashborough Village developer to address off-site storm water management concerns raised by residents who live north of the proposed development. Once the property is in city ownership, the City will have the ability to implement improvements by directing water to the newly acquired property, subject to the approval of the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority.
A full report from City staff on the draft plan of subdivision application for Ashborough Village will be released on Thursday, August 23rd and it will go to the General Committee on Monday, August 27th. Residents will have an opportunity to speak to City Council on the item during the meeting on August 2th.
City Council will consider the item at its meeting on Monday, September 10th.
Christensen Fine Art to donate $4,352 to Brock Mission
Peer and Lori Christensen of Christensen Fine Art have announced they will be donating $4,352 to the Brock Mission for its new building fund.
The Christensens raised the money during a close-out sale when they moved from their downtown storefront location earlier this summer.
The pair will present a cheque to Bill McNabb, Executive Director of the Brock Mission, on the building site at 217 Murray Street at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21st.
Dr. Doug’s Family Chiropractic Centre to rebrand as Peterborough Maximized Living Chiropractic Centre
The new name and brand of Dr. Doug’s Family Chiropractic Centre.
Dr. Doug’s Family Chiropractic Centre (354 Charlotte St, Peterborough) is being rebranded as Peterborough Maximized Living Chiropractic Centre.
Owned and operated by well-known local chiropractor Dr. Doug Lukinuk, Dr. Doug’s Family Chiropractic Centre will officially reopen under its new name on Wednesday, September 19th.
The grand reopening takes place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and will feature tours, demonstrations, and refreshments. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take at 2 p.m. and will be attended by Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett and other dignitaries and guests.
According to a media release, Peterborough Maximized Living Chiropractic Centre will include new and expanded services such as wellness, workshops, and fitness classes.
Lift Lock Escape grand opening in downtown Peterborough on August 21
Find out if you have what it takes to save humanity from nuclear Armageddon in the Judgment Day escape room at Lift Lock Escape. The new entertainment business in downtown Peterborough, which also offers virtual reality gaming and a board game cafe, has its grand opening on August 21, 2018. (Photo: Lift Lock Escape)
Lift Lock Escape in downtown Peterborough is having its official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 21st.
Located at 351A George Street North, Lift Lock Escape is an entertainment business featuring escape rooms, virtual reality systems and games, and a board game cafe.
Designed for groups of two to eight people, escape rooms are real-life interactive story quests where you have to find hidden objects, figure out clues, and solve puzzles to achieve an objective within a designated time limit. Lift Lock Escape is launching with the Judgment Day escape room (“Will you be able to save mankind from nuclear Armageddon?”) with Super Jail Breakout (“Can you get out in time?”) coming soon.
Lift Lock Escape will also offer two virtual reality stations, featuring the Oculus and HTC Vive VR systems and a catalog of games, as well a board game cafe.
Peterborough Chamber PBX at Innovation Cluster on September 4
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting its next PBX (Peterborough Business Exchange) event from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 4th at the Innovation Cluster (270 George St. N., 3rd Floor, Peterborough).
Women’s Business Network of Peterborough Season Kick-off Meeting on September 5
The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough (WBN) launches its 2018-19 season with a kick-off meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 5th at the Holiday Inn Waterfront (150 George St., Peterborough).
The meeting will feature three WBN members — 2018 Member of the Year Tracey Ormond of That’s A Wrap Catering, Monika Carmichael of Trent Valley Honda, and photographer Heather Doughty — sharing their stories with other members.
Networking begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the speakers at 7:30 p.m.
The event is free for WBN members but anyone can register online for $50 and come as a guest (space permitting). For more information and to register as a guest, visit www.womensbusinessnetwork.net.
Port Hope Chamber 17th Annual Golf Tournament on September 13
The Port Hope & District Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 17th Annual Golf Tournament beginning at 11:30 a.m. (shotgun start at 12:30 p.m.) on Thursday, September 13th at the Ash Brook Golf Club (7215 Dale Rd., Port Hope).
The event includes lunch, 18 holes of golf (cart included), and a steak dinner. There will be a best ball fun tournament and prizes.
Business After Hours in Bridgenorth on September 19
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism’s next Business After Hours event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19th.
During the “Bridgenorth Hop”, the Chamber will visit members in Bridgenorth, including Bridgenorth Deli, Style Boutique, and TCB Office Furniture & Supplies.
More details will be announced as the date nears.
Lindsay Chamber Fall Golf Classic Tournament on September 20
The Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce is hosting its Fall Golf Classic Tournament from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 20th at the Lindsay Golf & Country Club (282 Lindsay St. S., Lindsay).
The event fee of $141.25 includes a BBQ lunch, 18 holes of golf (cart included), and dinner. There will be prizes for women’s and men’s closest and longest drive, most honest and winning teams, and putting and chipping contests.
New Venture Session on September 26, 2018 is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs or startups looking for support in the business community. (Photo: Peterborough & The Kawarthas Economic Development)
Peterborough & The Kawarthas Economic Development is hosting a workshop for entrepreneurs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26th at St. Matthew – St. Aidans Church (1946 Lakehurst Rd., Buckhorn).
The “New Venture Session” is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs or startups looking for support in the business community. The session will provide an overview of the foundations of starting and running a business, resources and programs that are available for entrepreneurs in Peterborough & the Kawarthas, the business model canvas exercise, how to access support from the Business Advisory Centre, and getting started on the “Startup Checklist”.
Next Kawartha Chamber B.O.S.S. session takes place on October 3
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism’s next B.O.S.S. (Business Owners Sharing Solutions) session is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2nd at Camp Kawartha (1010 Birchview Rd., Douro-Dummer).
The session will explore team building programs, practices, and activities, and discuss the importance of establishing trust, setting goals, and honouring the goals of others. Refreshments will be provided.
The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s Love Local Business Expo will take place this year from noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3rd.
The region’s largest business showcase, in previous years the Expo took place at the Morrow Building during September. While spacious, the location was also somewhat uncomfortable during the heat of late summer and required a lot of carpets to cover up the concrete floor.
This year’s Expo is taking place at the Envinrude Centre, which features air conditioning and hardwood floors.
Watch for more details as the date gets closer, but you can register for a booth now at peterboroughchamber.ca.
Juno-nominated folk-soul singer-songwriter Bobby Bazini performs a free concert at Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough on Wednesday, August 22, 2018. (Publicity photo)
Issuing a tremendously successful debut album is truly a double-edged sword.
Peterborough Musicfest presents Bobby Bazinik
When: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at 8 p.m. Where: Del Crary Park (100 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: free
Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets (lawn chairs are available to rent for $4/chair). VIP seating available for Sponsors and Fest Friends. No smoking, alcohol, or pets permitted. There’s no public parking at Del Crary Park, but there’s neighborhood street parking nearby and ample parking in downtown Peterborough.
What musical artist doesn’t want his or her first recording to be well received by the masses? Besides the financial reward that brings, such success is vindication that his or her music is striking a chord, so to speak, with an audience that’s forever craving a new sound for its collective ears.
But then the age-old adage comes into play: a great first act is indeed tough to follow. The bar has been set very high.
Surpassing — even matching — that benchmark is a daunting task. Several are the rewards for those that do; obscurity is often the lot of those who come up short.
Bobby Bazini (born Bobby Bazinet) has walked this walk.
In March 2010, his debut album Better In Time debuted at #4 on the Canadian Albums Chart, fuelled by its lead single “I Wonder”. With more than 80,000 units sold, that was one very tough act to follow.
VIDEO: “I Wonder” – Bobby Bazini
Toss in Bazini’s two 2011 Juno Award nominations for New Artist of the Year and Pop Album of the Year, and suddenly it seemed that everyone was talking about the young talent from Mont-Laurier, Quebec.
On Wednesday, August 22nd at Del Crary Park, Peterborough Musicfest will provide full evidence that Bazini has not only fully met the expectations set early on but has well surpassed them, in the form of yet another platinum-certified album and a growing legion of fans.
Admission is free to the 8 p.m. show.
Bobby Bazini shared the stage with the legendary Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. & the M.G.’s) in July 2015 at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. (Photo: Photo Agencie QMI / Phillipe Olivier Contant)
Bazini’s gravitation to music has a familiar ring to it — a guitar gifted at a young age and the presence of recorded music in his life.
“Johnny Cash is the one who made me want to start playing guitar and sing,” recalls Bazini in a May 2015 interview with Jenna Melanson of Canadian Beats Media.
“When I was 12, my parents divorced. I didn’t want to choose between which of my parents I would live with, so I went to live with my grandmother instead. Her favourite singer was Johnny Cash and his music was often playing in the house. Music suddenly became very important at that point in my life.”
Just six years later, he found himself performing at a festival in his hometown of Mont-Laurier.
VIDEO: “Cold Cold Heart” – Bobby Bazini
“Hugo Sabourin, who was the musical director of CFLO, the local radio station, saw me perform there and we became friends and started working together,” Bazini says. “He helped me find a management team in Montréal and he made me realize I had a voice. That’s when everything started for me.”
Although he grew up with French as his first language, he sings only in English. Bazini took it upon himself to learn English by watching TV and listening to music, his motivation being that all his favourite artists — Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan were other big influences — sang in English and did pretty well.
Signed by Warner Music Group, the aforementioned debut album Better In Time catapulted Bazini from obscurity. Come 2014, ready to produce a follow-up, he upped and left Montreal for California to record with legendary producer Larry Klein.
VIDEO: “Bubblegum (I Can’t Stop This Feeling)” – Bobby Bazini
Just five days after meeting Klein over breakfast, Bazini went to work at Village Recorder, a studio where, among others, Johnny Cash himself recorded. The result was Where I Belong, released by Universal Music Canada.
In less than 12 months, that tough first act was followed and then some. The new album sold some 125,000 copies, making it the best-selling Canadian album of 2014. It too was certified platinum, led by the single “Cold Cold Heart”.
Predictably, Bazini was now very much in demand for live appearances. Sold-out performances were the norm, not the exception. In June 2014, some 60,000 caught his act at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
VIDEO: “Blood’s Thicker Than Water” – Bobby Bazini
Bazini arrives in Peterborough with an expanded song arsenal that includes his newest album Summer Is Gone. It was recorded in London, England and produced by Martin Terefe, who has worked with Shawn Mendes, James Blunt, and James Morrison. In addition, Bazini worked with songwriters who have Adele, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, and Amy Whitehouse listed among their credits. Clearly he had upped his game.
“The first album (Better In Time) we just recorded what I had; the second album (Where I Belong) was more about trying to sit down and write a record,” says Bazini in a November 2016 interview with Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette.
“There was a little bit of pressure because of the success of the first one. Looking back now, I think I was very close to my influences (on the second album). This one (Summer Is Gone), I just wanted to make a record that reflects me and the artist that I am. I hope people like it as much as I do.”
VIDEO: “C’est La Vie” – Bobby Bazini
Indications are people do indeed like Summer Is Gone and its lead single “C’est La Vie” — and not just people in his native province.
“I started writing that song in the sessions with Terefe in London. He was the one who said, ‘How about we call it C’est la Vie?’ I was surprised because I always write in English. My three albums have been English. And it’s funny that you have to travel so far, to London, U.K., to write a song with a French title.”
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 18 free-admission concerts featuring a total of 20 acts during its 32nd season — each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights at Del Crary Park.
Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the entire 2018 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
Two people have been murdered in two separate incidents in the Kawarthas over the weekend, in Trent Hills and in Kawartha Lakes, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
On Saturday (August 18) at around 4:15 a.m., officers from the Northumberland Detachment of the OPP responded to a reported shooting at an address on Church Street between Trent River Road and Daley Road, north of Campbellford in the municipality of Trent Hills.
Officers arrived on scene to find 43-year-old Scott MacDonald suffering from obvious trauma from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local area hospital where he later died.
According to witnesses, two suspects were observed departing from the scene.
The homicide is being investigated by members of the OPP Northumberland Major Crime Unit, OPP Central Region Forensic Identification Unit, OPP Emergency Response Team, and the OPP Canine Unit, under the direction of Detective Inspector Gerald Scherer of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch.
Police do not believe there is any threat to public safety as a result of this incident. They are asking anyone with information regarding this crime to contact the Northumberland OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
In the other weekend incident, on Sunday (August 19) at around 9:25 a.m., officers from the City of Kawartha Lakes Detachment of the OPP responded to an apparent murder-suicide at an address on Spen Haven Road in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Officers arrived at the residence to find a 51-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man dead at the scene. A preliminary investigation has concluded the woman’s death is a homicide.
The incident is being investigated by members of the OPP City of Kawartha Lakes Major Crime Unit, OPP Central Region Forensic Identification Unit, under the direction of Detective Inspector Matt Watson of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch.
The names of the two deceased people are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Police advised there is no threat to public safety as a result of this incident, and are asking anyone with information regarding this crime to contact the City of Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 705-324-6741.
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Dewey Via is coming up from St. Augustine in Florida to perform in the Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough on September 11, 2018. (Publicity photo)
If John and Vicki Cranfield were beach people, this story would end right here.
Showplace Performance Centre presents Dewey Via
When: Tuesday, September 11, 2018, at 8 p.m. Where: Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: $30
Tickets available in person at the Showplace Box Office, by phone at 705-742-7469, or online at www.showplace.org.
Fortunately for local live music fans, the Peterborough couple likes to explore when on vacation.
Such was the case during a trip to historic St. Augustine, Florida in early 2015.
It was there, in that city’s quaint downtown, that their senses were first awakened to the sounds and sights of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Dewey Via (pronounced Vi). So impressed was Cranfield that he invited Via — urged would be more precise — to bring his abundant talent to Canada for the first time.
In September of that same year, before a packed Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre, Via headlined at venue’s former Elite Blues Series. Now, three years to the day, Via returns to the same space on Tuesday, September 11th. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show cost $30 at the box office or online at www.showplace.org.
VIDEO: “Soliciting The Affections (Of My ‘Ole Lady)” – Dewey Via
“John and Vicki were repeat visitors (to the Mi Casa Café) and we struck up a friendship,” recalls Via, 55, of making the Cranfields’ acquaintance.
“They really liked the music. John kept at it … ‘Why don’t you come to Canada?’ He was involved at that time with the blues thing at Showplace. I also went to Midland and did a performance there. We have a pretty good following from up that way that comes to St. Augustine every year. We’ve made a lot of good friends from there, so it’s nice when can go back up and have a good time hanging out with everybody.”
Cranfield says curiosity brought him and his wife to the Mia Casa Café, but a deep appreciation of Via’s talent and onstage persona has brought them back every year since.
Dewey Via performing in Villano Beach, Florida, in 2017. (Photo: Dennis Miele / Facebook)
“We wandered around St. Augustine and kept hearing his name,” says Cranfield.
“Walking down the street one day by this pub, we heard this amazing voice and guitar and went in. He’s very talented but he’s passionate too. I’ve never seen him just deliver a song with no passion. There’s a saying down there when people are talking about him, that he should do an album called Better Than. Every time he does a cover, he puts his own twist on it or he combines it with another song and everyone comes up and says ‘That was better than the original.'”
A native of Virginia, Via was a plumber before trading in his toolbox for a guitar case full time. Soon enough, St. Augustine, with its bustling live music scene, beckoned.
“I did my family thing and career earlier and decided in my later years I want to try and play music,” says Via.
VIDEO: “Wake Me Up” – Dewey Via
“I’m not trying to be a star or anything. I want to make a decent living at it and we do okay. St. Augustine is a good place to be able to do that. There’s this cool vibe here. It’s akin to living near a theme park without really living near a theme park. It’s the nation’s oldest city, so we draw a huge number of tourists every day of every year. A lot of them come for the music and the art.”
Describing his music as “organic,” Via says his talent “comes from inside,” adding “I don’t use any gadgets or anything. I might run a little delay on the board once in awhile but that’s about it. I try to keep it interesting for myself and the audience.”
A typical set sees Via serve up a wide mix of genres.
“I’m doing some Lionel Ritchie and bluegrass tunes and a Bill Withers song and then a John Prine song … Americana I would say. But I also do The Beatles, The Who, stuff like that. I also do a fair amount of original material. I just released a double album that I recorded about a year or so ago with The Moses Creek Band, a live project. I prefer live stuff. That’s what people really want to hear. They come to buy an album and they say, ‘Hey man, we want to hear what you do here.’
Dewey Via with his wife Tara earlier this year in Key West in Florida. (Photo: Dewey Via / Facebook)
According to Cranfield, the plan was to bring Via back to Peterborough last year but Via’s wife Tara — they married in June prior to his first Peterborough visit — was in the midst of battling breast cancer.
Via says she’s doing “really well” now” and, as a talented artist herself, remains the creative anchor of his merchandising.
Along with his Nexicom Studio show, Via will perform a gig at the Publican House Brewery and play at the wedding of the Cranfields’ daughter Kim. As well, he’ll head to Midland again for a gig there. In between, he’ll indulge his passion of fishing. Last time here, he got out on Chandos Lake.
“I was surprised how much the countryside up your way looks like Virginia,” says Via.
“The people were amazingly nice and respectful of the music. In Canada, it seems, the audience is quiet. They don’t want anybody talking while you’re playing. That’s so different from here.”
VIDEO: “Sleeping on the Floor” – Dewey Via
There’s another difference, notes Cranfield, and it bothers him to no end.
“It’s the same situation as here, in that musicians don’t get paid by the bars,” Cranfield says.
“What we noticed down there is Dewey has a big tip jar. Most nights it’s full. Not just ones, but twenties, tens, fives. That’s how he’s making his living. We go to the Black Horse and nobody tips. It’s just not done in Canada. I don’t know why that is.
“You go for dinner, a couple of beers, so you’re willing to pay for that but you don’t pay for the music. I think it’s a sad statement. If I’m there for three hours or even an hour listening to somebody play, I should be paying him. The Americans just do that. Musicians here are playing for fun basically.”
VIDEO: “Small Town” – Dewey Via
His trek north aside, Via says his St. Augustine performance schedule — he plays four shows weekly at the Mi Casa Café and one at a sports bar — suits him just fine.
“I get a lot of advice about going on the road and doing this and that but it would have to be awfully appealing,” he says.
“I enjoy my job and being here. I get to see so many different faces. We meet a lot of friends here. I drive five minutes to work. It gives me the opportunity to fish a couple of days a week. I am pretty blessed.
“I was a plumber for a long time and that’s great work. I loved it but I wanted to try and do this. It wasn’t easy at first. I had to keep my day job for a long time, but I eventually got to where I could just do this.”
Now working on another solo CD release — he says it will “probably” be a live project again — he and wife Tara may hit the road at some point and “maybe flip over across the pond” to Europe. Wherever his music takes him, be it St. Augustine or Peterborough or Midland or points as yet unknown, the opportunity to bring his music to people is something he says he’ll never take for granted.
“It’s always humbling,” says Via. “My job is to make people happy. I don’t do politics or religion or anything in my show.”
“You come to a show and we’re going to make music and have a good time, have a few drinks and relax and leave the world behind for awhile. I see all the smiles when I’m playing. That’s a huge reward right there. They’re here (in St. Augustine) on vacation to enjoy themselves. My job is to help them do that. It’s very gratifying.”
“I could push and press but I really have no delusions about being a star. I’m just here to entertain people and that’s what I do. I’m looking forward to doing it as long as I can.”
And if the Cranfields continue to bring their friend back home with them, is Canadian citizenship a possibility?
“Who knows? It’d sure be easier to get across the border.”
For more information on Dewey Via, visit www.deweyvia.com. To check out Showplace’s full fall and winter lineup and for ticket details, visit www.showplace.org.
The Ashburnham Village Business Improvement Area is screening the 2017 adventure comedy film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" on a 24-foot outdoor movie screen in Peterborough's East City at 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 26, 2018. (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
For the third year in a row, the Ashburnham Village Business Improvement Area is hosting a family-friendly summer outdoor movie night in Peterborough’s East City.
Note on the film being shown
Originally, the live-action and computer-animated comedy film Peter Rabbit was to be screened, but the film has now been changed.
The 2017 adventure comedy film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle will be shown on a 24-foot-screen at 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 26th.
A 24-foot movie screen will be set up across Hunter Street East, facing east toward Rogers Street. Hunter Street East will be closed between Burnham and Rogers Street for the event.
Admission is by voluntary donation, with a recommended amount of $5 per family or $2 per person.
The event is intended for families, and smoking and alcohol are not permitted.
People are asked to bring lawn chairs and blankets (seating will be on the road and sidewalks) and arrive from 7 to 7:30 p.m., with admission beginning at 7:45 p.m. and the film screening at 8 p.m.
VIDEO: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle< Official Trailer
All proceeds from admission will go to support The Canadian Canoe Museum, which is raising funds for a new facility adjacent to the Peterborough Lift Lock in East City.
And speaking of the the Peterborough Lift Lock, check out the new brilliant new bike racks in East City. The bike racks were created by Peterborough company City Welding Works.
YMCA of Central East Ontario is seeking nominations for the 2018 YMCA Peace Medal, which will be awarded to a local peacemaker during YMCA Peace Week, which takes place from November 17-24, 2018. (Graphic: YMCA)
The YMCA of Central East Ontario is seeking nominations for the 2018 YMCA Peace Medal.
Each year, YMCAs across Canada celebrate acts of peace by recognizing individuals and groups who — without any special resources, status, wealth, or position — have demonstrated a commitment to building peace within their community or communities elsewhere in the world.
“We know that there are some outstanding people in our community,” says Cindy Mytruk, Peace Week Coordinator at the YMCA of Central East Ontario – Balsillie Family Branch, “By recognizing the ways that these individuals and groups are working towards peace, we have the opportunity to learn, share and make our own commitments to get involved in peace work.”
During YMCA Peace Week, which takes place from November 17th to 24th, 2018, local peacemakers will receive special recognition at Peace Medal ceremonies across Canada. During Peace Week, YMCA programming across the country will have a component of peace woven throughout so that participants, young and old, can contemplate what peace means to themselves and their loved ones.
Peacemakers are selected through a nomination process. Nomination forms are available at YMCA branches or at www.ymcaofceo.ca.
Completed Peace Medallion nominations must be submitted to the YMCA of Central East Ontario – Balsillie Family Branch Peterborough no later than 10 p.m. on Friday, October 5th, 2018. Nominations may be submitted by mail to 123 Aylmer Street South, Peterborough, ON, K9J 3H8 or via email to cindy.mytruk@ceo.ymca.ca.
Nominees should demonstrate a commitment to community building, empathy and understanding of diverse perspectives, advocating positive change in the community, building and strengthening community connections and inspiring others to foster peace.
Nominations should focus on activities that have taken place within the last two years. Self-nominations will not be considered, and professionals who are paid to do peacemaking work are not eligible for nomination.
Since 1987, more than 1,500 people and groups across Canada have received a YMCA Peace Medal. In the Peterborough area, Charmaine Magumbe was honoured with the 2017 Peace Medal for her work as an advocate for racial justice.
Angela Seeger sings as Adele, Kara Chandler sings as Lady Gaga, and Jeremy Wright sings as Paul McCartney in The Legends, a free concert at Peterborough Musicfest on August 18, 2018 at Del Crary Park in Peterborough. (Supplied graphic)
Peterborough Musicfest presents The Legends
When: Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 8 p.m. Where: Del Crary Park (100 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: free
Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets (lawn chairs are available to rent for $4/chair). VIP seating available for Sponsors and Fest Friends. No smoking, alcohol, or pets permitted. There’s no public parking at Del Crary Park, but there’s neighborhood street parking nearby and ample parking in downtown Peterborough.
As the 32nd Peterborough Musicfest season dances its way to its August 25th finale, here’s a bit of pop music trivia to impress your friends with.
More than 2,200 artists have covered Paul McCartney’s melancholic ballad “Yesterday” … and that’s only the acts we know about. That makes McCartney’s 1965 gem one of the most-covered songs in popular music history.
On Saturday, August 18th, at Del Crary Park, we’ll be reminded — again — how timeless that ode to love lost is when Legends Live takes to the Fred Anderson Stage, paying tribute to not only Sir McCartney’s music but also two more recent musical icons: Adele and Lady Gaga.
Admission is free to the 8 p.m. show.
Presented by Burlington-based Bounty Enterprises — a tribute act promoter which has brought audiences Abbamania, Night Fever, An Evening of Englebert, and This Is Tom Jones to mention but a few — Legends Live has at its core an all-Canadian cast backed by the Abbamania band (studio musicians, singers and violinists) and the Chicago Transit horn section. In total, the cast numbers 13.
Just this past Saturday (August 11th), Musicfest presented Bob Seger tribute act Against The Wind and will close out the 2018 free concert series August 25th with Classic Albums Live: Chronicle Volume 1 by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
VIDEO: Angela Seeger performing as Adele and Jeremy Wright performing as Paul McCartney
With tribute acts headlining three of Musicfest’s last five concerts of the summer, it’s clear the plan is to strike a season-ending familiar note for live music fans.
St. Catharines singer Angela Seeger with her Adele look. (Photo: Angela Seeger / Facebook)
According to Bounty Enterprises CEO and Legends Live producer Garry Lichach, this is the first time this three-tribute-acts-in-one production has come to Peterborough, although it has toured around the globe.
Featured will be Jeremy Wright of Hamilton portraying McCartney, Angela Seeger of St. Catharines taking to the stage as Adele, and Kara Chandler of Brantford performing as Lady Gaga.
“People will be surprised how close to the three singers these people look and sound,” assures Lichach.
In paying homage to McCartney, Adele, and Lady Gaga, Legends Live recreates — note for note, chord for chord — the hit music of three multi Grammy Award-winning pop music superstars.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney performs during the Gershwin Prize concert honouring him in the East Room of the White House, June 2, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Liverpool-born McCartney gained worldwide fame as the bass guitarist and singer with The Beatles, his song-writing partnership with John Lennon producing arguably the most influential and instantly recognizable music of the post World War Two era.
When The Beatles broke up in 1970, McCartney fashioned a stellar second musical life, founding Wings with wife Linda Eastman, former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine, and drummer Denny Seiwell. Before disbanding in 1981, Wings produced a bevy of hit songs and headlined global tours.
A two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — with The Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1999 — McCartney has won an astounding 18 Grammy Awards and has written, or co-written, 32 songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Knighted in 1997 for his services to music, McCartney is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion U.S.
Still touring at age 76, McCartney will release his 17th solo album, Egypt Station, this September.
Adele
Adele performing at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia, March 2017. She performed to over 70,000, a record attendance in South Australia. (Photo: Rob Sturman)
Although well less than half McCartney’s age, Adele — her full name is Adele Laurie Blue Adkins — is quickly attaining comparable status.
The 30 year old’s 2008 debut album, 19 — this and her subsequent records named for the age of the singer during their production — was certified seven times platinum in her native England and three times platinum in the United States, buoyed by the singles “Hometown Glory”, “Chasing Pavement”, “Cold Shoulder”, and “Make You Feel My Love”.
Unbelievably, Adele’s 2011 follow-up album 21 exceeded her debut album’s huge success. It was certified 16 times platinum in England and certified diamond in the United States, making it the best-selling album of 2011 and 2012 worldwide with sales in excess of 31 million. The album’s success was powered by five chart-topping singles: “Rolling In The Deep”, “Someone Like You”, “Set Fire To The Rain”, “Rumour Has It”, and “Turning Tables”.
After releasing “Skyfall” in 2010 — co-written and recorded for the James Bond film of the same name — Adele released her third album 25 in 2015. It was that year’s best-selling album and was certified diamond in the United States. Its lead single, “Hello”, became the first song in that country to sell more than one million copies within a week of its release.
With 14 Grammy Awards and counting, Adele has sold more than 100 million records. Named Artist of the Year by Billboard in 2011, 2012 and 2016, Time magazine listed her as one of the world’s most influential women in 2012 and again in 2016.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga performing on ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour at the Bell Centre in Montréal in 2014. (Photo: proacguy1 / Flickr)
New York City born Stefani Joanne Angelima Germanotta — is it any wonder the 32-year-old settled on Lady Gaga for her stage name? — exploded onto the pop music landscape with her 2008 debut album The Fame and its singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”, and maintained her momentum with the 2009 EP The Fame Monster.
However, it was her second full album, 2011’s Born This Way, that lifted her to worldwide acclaim, the title track becoming the fastest-selling song on iTunes with more than a million downloads in less than a week.
In 2016, with the release of her fifth album Joanne, Lady Gaga became the first woman to have four number one albums in the United States in this decade.
With total sales of 27 million albums and 146 million singles, Lady Gaga has received six Grammy Awards and was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2015.
In addition, she has been praised for her philanthropic work and social activism, and for her non-profit organization, the Born This Way Foundation, which promotes youth empowerment and combats bullying.
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 18 free-admission concerts featuring a total of 20 acts during its 32nd season — each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights at Del Crary Park.
Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the entire 2018 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
Item #10 on our ultimate Peterborough & the Kawarthas summer bucket list for August: ZimArt's Rice Lake Gallery near Bailieboro. On over two acres of a picturesque farm overlooking Rice Lake, you will find the most comprehensive collection of Zimbabwean stone sculpture in Canada, with more than 300 hand-carved African stone sculptures, with some reaching a height of nine feet. Read on for 10 more unique summer experiences available to residents and visitors alike in Peterborough & the Kawarthas.
Whether you’re looking for an exciting new adventure, planning a staycation for your family, or simply want to get out and enjoy nature, there’s something for you all summer long in Peterborough & the Kawarthas.
Here are 11 must-try things to add to your summer bucket list in Peterborough & the Kawarthas for August.
This is part two of our ultimate Peterborough & the Kawarthas summer bucket list. If you’re looking for even more things to do, make sure to check out our list for July.
1. Paddle the backcountry at the largest park south of Algonquin
Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park in northern Peterborough County offers a backcountry experience for novice paddlers and seasoned trippers alike, with more than 100 campsites spread over six recommended loops accessible only by canoe or kayak.
Did you know that Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, located north of Woodview in the Township of North Kawartha, is the largest park south of Algonquin?
With 375 square kilometre areas of preserved wilderness and more than 100 campsites spread over six recommended loops, the park provides the perfect opportunity for a backcountry experience for novice paddlers and seasoned trippers alike.
The campsites can only be reached by canoe or kayak, and most require portaging to access them. But once you get there, you’ll be set — most of the campsites have three tent pads, a designated fire ring, a picnic table, and a privy toilet.
Prepare to experience beautiful nights under the stars, following a rewarding day of paddling. And you won’t have to worry about hearing anything other than the call of a loon: to maintain the wilderness atmosphere of Kawartha Highlands, the use of amplified stereo devices is prohibited throughout the park.
If you’re a first-time tripper, or want to rent gear, local adventure companies can offer you a variety of outfitting services, including trip planning advice, ultra-light canoes and kayaks, high-quality camping gear, pre-packed meals, pre- and post-trip accommodation, professional guides, and more. For your outfitting needs, check out Anstruther Marina in Apsley, Long Lake Lodge in Apsley, Adventure Outfitters in Lakefield, and Wild Rock Outfitters in Peterborough.
2. Shop at the largest country store in Peterborough & the Kawarthas
Lockside Trading Company in Young’s Point has more than 7,000 square feet of cottage and country items and attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year.
Lockside Trading Company in Young’s Point is the largest country store in Peterborough & the Kawarthas, offering 7,000 square feet of cottage and country items including high-quality indoor and outdoor furniture, home decor, clothing, lighting, giftware, and more.
Located in what was originally the lockmaster’s house for Lock 27 on the Trent Severn Waterway, Lockside was founded in 1987 as a tiny shop by Susan Mattucci and the late Brian Holmes. Over the past 20 years, it has grown into a full-service, four-season shopping destination that attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year.
Aside from the shopping, Lockside also offers an interior design service for your home, cottage, or business as well as Steamer’s Café, offering ice cream, milkshakes, specialty coffees and teas, coolies, and more.
A 20-minute drive north of Peterborough, Lockside Trading Company is located at 2805 River Avenue in Young’s Point, just off Highway 28. It’s open 362 days a year from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 1-888-714-0484 or 705-652-3940 or visit www.lockside.com.
Pulled pork poutine from the Angle Iron Kitchen food truck, owned and operated by Chef Brian Henry. (Photo: Angle Iron Kitchen / Facebook)
While you’re visiting Lockside, make sure to stop by the Angle Iron Kitchen food truck, located right beside the Young’s Point General Store (at 2095 Nathaway Drive, just around the corner from Lockside).
Owned and operated by Chef Brian Henry of The Spice Co., this isn’t your average chip truck. Most famous for their tacos (available with shrimp, butter chicken, curry, and butter chick pea), Angle Iron Kitchen’s menu also includes poutine (regular, pulled pork, and southwest chili) as well as a steak sandwich, fried chicken, and some unusual combos including chicken and waffles and pulled pork cheesecake.
Oh, and you can also get fries.
Angle Iron Kitchen is open daily from 11 a.m. to around 6 p.m. Follow them on Facebook.
3. Challenge yourself to escape from the Old West in Peterborough
Escape Maze offers interactive real-life challenges with Old West themes on Cedarbank Farm in Peterborough. (Photo: Escape Maze)
The year is 1866. There’s a gold rush in Peterborough & the Kawarthas, and with it has come the Old West: taverns, backhouse poker games, vaudeville acts, and the occasional really good mystery.
This is the world of Escape Maze, a series of interactive games run on a Peterborough family farm by Jake Walling along with her brothers Mike and Fred Preddy and other family members.
In 2014, Walling and her brothers discovered the fun of escape rooms: interactive real-life games where you and your friends are locked inside a room and have to use a combination of teamwork and brainwork to figure out how to escape — all while the clock is ticking down and time is running out.
Jake Walling and her brothers Mike and Fred Preddy run Escape Maze with seven other family members. (Photo: Escape Maze)
They wanted to set up their own escape rooms in the barn on the family farm, so they picked an Old West theme to match the building and the surroundings. Today, Escape Maze offers four indoor escape rooms, each with a different theme, set of challenges and unique experiences. There’s “The Curious Case of Cariboo Cameron”, “The Backhouse Poker Room”, “The Freak Show”, and “The Battle for Granny’s Gold”.
There’s also “The Shaft”, a haunted escape experience for Halloween, as well as four outdoor adventure trails with early settler and First Nations themes: The Gold Rush Trail, The Pioneer Trail, The Great Bear Trail, and The Young Warrior Trail.
Escape Maze is located on Cedarbank Farm at 156 Cedar Bank Road in Peterborough and is open daily. For more information, including prices, and to book your adventure, visit www.escapemaze.com.
New this year, Escape Maze is also now offering three escape rooms at Lansdowne Place Mall in Peterborough. For more information and to book a reservation, call 705-761-6293.
4. Enjoy the best in Canadian art at the largest gallery in Peterborough & the Kawarthas
The Art Gallery of Peterborough offers regular exhibitions throughout the year, including works from its 1,400 item permanent collection featuring both Canadian and Indigenous artists.
Located on the shore of beautiful Little Lake in the heart of Peterborough, the Art Gallery of Peterborough is the largest gallery in the region with more than 1,400 contemporary and historical paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs, and mixed media works in its permanent collection.
The collection features works by the late Peterborough artist David Bierk and the late Ronald Bloore, as well as William Brymner, Horatio Walker, A.J. Casson, Arthur Lismer, Lawren Harris, and A.Y. Jackson, and many more. The gallery has recently been collecting works by First Nations artists, including regional artists Mary Anne Barkhouse and Michael Belmore as well as Daphne Odjig, Carl Beam, Jane Ash Poitras, Michael Robinson, and Rebecca Belmore.
Current exhibitions running at the gallery are “Signs of Life” (featuring new works by sculptor Rod Mireau), “Peeling” (featuring works from the permanent collection by painter and sculptor Ivan Eyre), and “Selections: Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour” (featuring the work of more than 30 artists from the City and County of Peterborough who are part of the 34th annual Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour, held September 23rd and 24th). Both exhibitions run through August and September.
While you’re there, drop in to the Gallery Shop, which offers a diverse selection of truly one-of-a-kind works in ceramics, glass, jewellery. and more. From fine arts and crafts by regional makers to jewellery to books by local authors to ceramics to fun stuff for kids, you’re sure to find a great souvenir of your visit or a perfect gift for family or friends.
Located at 250 Crescent Street, the Art Gallery of Peterborough is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends. Admission is free, and the gallery is an accessible facility. For more information, visit agp.on.ca
5. See a camel, a meerkat, a crocodile … oh my … along the Otonabee River in Peterborough
The squirrel monkey is one of more than 45 species of animals at the Riverview Park & Zoo in Peterborough, an accredited zoo praised as one of the most ethical in Canada.
Praised as one of the most ethical zoos in Canada, the Riverview Park & Zoo consists of over 55 acres of scenic parkland on the shores of the Otonabee River, just north of downtown Peterborough.
Attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year, the zoo features more than 27 exhibits and 45 species of animals, including a yak, camel, two-toed sloth, wallaby, emu, river otter, squirrel monkey, crocodile, Sichuan takin, meerkat, and many more.
The zoo offers its popular Meet the Keeper program on weekdays at 1 p.m. until August 31st, where you can learn about the animals and meet the animal care staff (a different animal is featured each day of the week). At 1:30 p.m. or 4 p.m., you can see Melissa and Splish the river otters up close as animal care staff feed them their afternoon treats.
Along with its animal exhibits, Riverview Park & Zoo also offers recreational opportunities for both children and adults, including a children’s playground and splash pad and walking trails and a nine-hole frisbee disc golf course.
But it’s not just a zoo — it’s also a playground for people of all ages. There are walking trails, a nine-hole frisbee disc golf course, a vintage miniature train ride until the end of August, a children’s playground (with equipment for physically challenged children), a splash pad, beautiful gardens with an ornamental fountain and sundial, and a large picnic area along the river. On most Sunday afternoons during the summer, there are free concerts at the gazebo.
Riverview Park & Zoo is located at 1300 Water Street in Peterborough, Operated by the Peterborough Utilities Commission and an accredited facility by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo is open year-round from 8:30 a.m. until dusk. Admission and parking is free.
6. Marvel at the largest known concentration of Indigenous rock carvings in Canada
At The Learning Place Visitor Centre at Petroglyphs Provincial Park in Woodview, you can learn more about the over 900 petroglyphs and the traditions and culture of the Indigenous inhabitants who carved them.
Many hundreds of years ago, the Indigenous peoples in the area now known as Woodview, just northeast of Peterborough, carved more than 900 petroglyphs of turtles, snakes, birds, humans, and other images into a white marble rock face.
You can visit this sacred site, known as “The Teaching Rocks”, at Petroglyphs Provincial Park. At The Learning Place Visitor Centre, managed by Curve Lake First Nation, you can discover the traditions of the Ojibway (Nishnaabe) people through the teachings of the medicine wheel.
Souvenirs and refreshments are available at the Park Store, located in the visitor centre, where you can browse through nature books for children and adults, as well as books on rock art and Indigenous culture.
While you’re at the park, you can also visit the bright blue-green McGinnis Lake — one of only a handful of meromictic lakes in Canada (where layers of water don’t intermix). Note: to preserve the lake’s unique nature, swimming and other water-based recreation is prohibited.
Petroglyphs Provincial Park is located at 2249 Northey’s Bay Rd. in Woodview, just off Highway 28. The park is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (no vehicles are allowed in after 4:30 p.m.). As a day-use only park, there are no overnight camping facilities.
7. Enjoy a cuppa Scottish tea at the historical home of Peterborough’s first resident doctor
Enjoy Scottish teas at Hutchison House, a living history museum that was the 19th century home of Peterborough’s first permanent resident physician, Dr. John Hutchison, a native of Scotland.
Scotland has a long relationship with tea. In the early 1600s, the Duchess of York, Mary of Modena, formally introduced tea to the country. Later, many Scots went to India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to start and run tea estates (Scotsman James Taylor is known as the father of Ceylon tea). English breakfast tea was actually created in Scotland, and Lipton, one of the most recognizable brands of tea in the world, was started by a Scottish citizen.
So it’s only fitting that Hutchison House, a living history museum that was the home of Dr. John Hutchison — Peterborough’s first permanent resident physician in the early 1800s and a native of Scotland — offers Scottish Teas during the summer.
Served daily (except Mondays) from 1 to 4 p.m. on the terrace in the period garden (or indoors during inclement weather), the Scottish Teas includes fresh-baked scones, preserves, whipped cream, oatcakes, and tea, lemonade, or ice tea. Complimentary tours of Hutchison House are included with the teas.
Offering a glimpse of life in Ontario in the 1800s, Hutchison House is one of the oldest limestone houses in Peterborough, built by volunteers in 1837 for Dr. Hutchison. One of the bedrooms is dedicated to Sir Sandford Fleming, the Scottish-Canadian inventor of Universal Standard Time (including time zones) who also helped engineer much of Canada’s national railway and designed Canada’s first postage stamp. A cousin of Dr. Hutchison, Fleming lived in the house when he came to Canada in 1845, at just 18 years old.
Scottish Teas are available at Hutchison House until Labour Day. The cost is $10 for adults and youth, $5 for children (ages 6-10), and free for children five and under. Reservations are recommended for groups of more than four.
8. Explore the past and the present at Peterborough’s ‘museum on the hill’
The Peterborough Museum & Archives has a huge collection of artifacts and documents that preserve and celebrate the collective history of Peterborough and the surrounding area.
Opened on Canada’s centennial year in 1967 — but with a century of history behind it — the Peterborough Museum & Archives sits on top of Armour Hill beside the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of the Peterborough Lift Lock.
From early photographs, newspapers, and journals to furniture, military memorabilia, and textiles, the museum’s huge collection of artifacts and documents preserve and celebrate the collective history of Peterborough and the surrounding area.
The museum’s collection includes the Peter Robinson Papers, which chronicle the 1823 emigration of Irish settlers to Ontario under Peterborough’s namesake, as well as the Balsillie collection of Roy Studio Images, featuring over 300,000 film and glass plate negatives dating back to 1896. There’s also a herbarium (pressed-flower album) created in 1891 by Peterborough area settler, author, and amateur botanist Catharine Parr Traill.
The museum is located at the top of Armour Hill, beside the Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site of the Peterborough Lift Lock.
The museum doesn’t just offer a look back at Peterborough’s history — there are also contemporary exhibitions running during August.
Featuring stunning aerial photographs, “On the Trail of the Monarch Butterfly” documents the 2005 trip of Mexican filmmaker and pilot Francisco Gutiérrez as he flew his ultra-light aircraft (nicknamed Papalotzin, Aztec for “little butterfly”) from Montréal to follow monarch butterflies on their 6,000-kilometre migration from Canada to the mountains of central Mexico.
Another exhibition running during August is “Making the Invisible Visible”, a series of photographs about pollinating insects originally curated for Peterborough’s 2017 SPARK Photo Festival. The series of photographs, with the themes of “Monarchs and Milkweed”, “Pollinators in Peterborough”, “Bountiful Bees”, and “Beautiful Butterflies”.
Peterborough Museum & Archives is located in Ashburnham Memorial Park on Museum Drive at 300 Hunter Street East in Peterborough. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is by donation, and there is free parking. You can also take City of Peterborough transit to get to the museum (the “Ashburnham #11” route).
A popular destination for locals, the Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground is named for a series of seven caves formed thousands of years ago at the end of the last ice age, by the rushing melt waters of a glacier that covered Ontario.
Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground is known for a series of seven caves formed by the melt waters of a glacier thousands of years ago.
All you need to explore the caves is a flashlight or a headlight. You can spend a couple of hours or even the entire day enjoying the caves, described as a “natural underground jungle gym”.
If underground fun isn’t for you, no worries: there’s a lot more to do at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground.
You can hike a 15-kilometre trail that meanders through forests and across a limestone plain.
There’s a lookout where you can relish a great view down the gorge of the Indian River. On your hike, you will encounter interesting geological formations including potholes and kettles and even a disappearing river!
Or bring a canoe (you can also rent one at Warsaw Caves) and have a relaxing paddle on the Indian River while taking in the great scenery.
With its flat water and gentle current, the river is perfect for novice canoeists. If you’re ambitious, you can even paddle to the village of Warsaw (a four-hour return trip). And if you enjoy fishing, you can catch perch, crappie, sunfish, and bass in the river.
Along with the caves, Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground offers hiking trails, paddling, and fishing along the scenic Indian River.
To make a weekend (or a week) out of your trip, there are 52 camp sites available in a beautiful wooded setting. While the sites are unserviced, there’s an accessible comfort station offering washrooms, showers, a laundry room, and a dish wash station.
Located at 89 Caves Road in Warsaw, Warsaw Caves Conservation Area and Campground is open until Thanksgiving each year. For more information, including fees, and to download a spelunking guide for the caves, visit www.warsawcaves.com.
10. Experience a taste of Africa on Rice Lake
Visitors can explore the more than 300 sculptures at their own pace, meet with the visiting Zimbabwean artist, and learn about this internationally acclaimed art movement and the Zimbabwean artists represented by ZimArt. All of the artwork is available for sale.
If you’re an art lover, you must take a trip to ZimArt’s Rice Lake Gallery near Bailieboro (about 20 minutes south of Peterborough).
On a picturesque farm overlooking Rice Lake, you will find the most comprehensive collection of Zimbabwean stone sculpture in Canada, with more than 300 hand-carved African stone sculptures — with some reaching a height of nine feet — on display over two acres.
ZimArt’s Rice Lake Gallery was founded in 2000 by Fran Fearnley, an avid art collector and former journalist who spent two years volunteering in South Africa where she was introduced to Shona sculpture in Zimbabwe.
Visitors can explore this unique gallery at their own pace, meet with the visiting Zimbabwean artist, and learn about this internationally acclaimed art movement and the 50-plus Zimbabwean artists represented by ZimArt. All the works are available for sale.
A highlight of the summer is the annual exhibition and sale at ZimArt. This year’s exhibition, “Rice Lake 18”, is on now until September 3rd and features ZimArt’s 2018 artist-in-residence Tutani Mgabazi. Tutani will be on site during the exhibition to discuss his work, the work of his fellow artists, and to demonstrate the art of stone carving.
On weekends during the exhibition, a selection of hand-made Zimbabwean crafts and other items will be on sale. All proceeds will go to ZimKids Community Support, a Canadian not-for-profit supporting grassroots projects in Zimbabwe.
Located at 855 Second Line Road east of Bailieboro, ZimArt is open from 11 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. daily until Thanksgiving. Admission is free. For more information about ZimArt, visit zimart.ca.
11. Take a trip back in time to the pioneer days in Keene
Lang Pioneer Village Museum features more than 30 restored and furnished buildings representing the life and trades of a settler in the 1800s, including a fully operational grist mill, weaver shop, blacksmith shop, and many more.
You can take a trip back in time to a 19th-century village at Lang Pioneer Village Museum, nestled along the banks of the historic Indian River in Keene.
The living history museum features more than 30 restored and furnished buildings, constructed between 1825 and 1899, with costumed interpreters of all ages demonstrating the life and trades of a settler in the 1800s.
Visit the fully operational Grist Mill and the S.W. Lowry Weaver Shop, which houses two of only a handful of Jacquard looms in North America. See sparks fly from the anvil in the Blacksmith Shop and watch handbills printed on the old press in the Register Print Shop. Chat with the Village carpenter at his treadle lathe, or the spinner at her wheel, and visit the 14-room Keene Hotel for lemonade or afternoon tea.
And Lang Pioneer Village Museum is not just about European settlers: at Aabnaabin Camp, you can also discover the history, language, and culture of the Michi Saagiig (Mississaugas) Indigenous people.
A photographer’s paradise, the village is complete with lanes and pathways, farm animals, rail and stump fences, vegetable and herb gardens, and more historically authentic details.
For a souvenir of your trip, or to find a unique gift, visit the Museum Shop for locally crafted items, historical books, traditional toys, natural bath and beauty items, ironware, hand-dyed wool, traditional music CDs, and one-of-a-kind items.
Open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Labour Day, Lang Pioneer Village Museum is located at 104 Lang Road in Keene. For more information and admission rates, visit www.langpioneervillage.ca.
Stay tuned for more items for your Peterborough & the Kawarthas summer bucket list in September!
All photos are courtesy of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism except where noted.
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