This piece by youth artist Gabriel Botting will be on display at the inaugural Peterborough Youth Arts Festival on Saturday, May 5, 2018 at PACE at PCVS in downtown Peterborough. Conceived by youth actor Lydia Etherington, presented by Art for Awareness, and supported by thee City of Peterborough National Youth Week Committee, the festival features both exhibits and live performances of music, dance, and spoken word. Photographer Wayne Eardley will also be presenting a photography workshop on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at Millennium Park. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Youth Arts Festival)
It’s National Youth Week and, this weekend, local theatre collective Art for Awareness is presenting the first annual Peterborough Youth Arts Festival (PYAF).
A newly launched initiative, PYAF is a chance for young local artists from all over the city and area to network with one another and exhibit their talents in a multidisciplinary showcase.
The Peterborough Youth Arts Festival is the brainchild of 15-year-old Lydia Etherington, a veteran youth actor and a Grade 9 student in the Kenner International Baccalaureate program. (Photo courtesy of Lydia Etherington)
Having been under development for close to a year, the festival is the brainchild of 15-year-old Kenner student Lydia Etherington.
For most of her life, Lydia has been involved within the arts community. Starting at the age of four, Lydia has appeared in more than 20 stage productions through different theatre companies, and has even written, directed, and produced her own shows.
However, despite being known primarily as an actor, Lydia has also engaged in music, dance, and art, and admits her main interest these days is songwriting.
Over a year ago, she contacted Art for Awareness with the idea of putting together the festival as a way for young artists to network with one another and to create new inroads into the arts community that they might otherwise not have.
“It’s been in my mind for a very long time,” says Lydia. “I was fortunate to have my dad [Tim Etherington] who has connections with the theatre community so I could start when I was four — but not everybody has that. There aren’t that many opportunities for young people to do their own thing in the arts. They can join a show, but that’s going to be regulated by adults.
“So I wanted a way for young people to be able to show their talents and network without that adult help. I just wanted to create a chance for them to come together and just celebrate the arts.”
With events aimed at young artists over two days, the crux of the festival takes place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 5th at PACE at PCVS (201 McDonnel St, Peterborough). The original home of the integrated arts program, PCVS is a fitting place to hold the first festival as it helped inspire a generation of artists and performers before the school shut down in 2012.
But, as Lydia explains, students should not limit their exploration of the arts to what’s provided in their school art programs.
“I think that it’s important that students, no matter what high school they go to, should have the arts available,” Lydia says. “But I think that it’s more important that young people need to participate in arts outside of their schools.”
Work by Emma Poley, one of the youth artists participating in the inaugural Peterborough Youth Arts Festival that will also feature other youth artists and performers including Kaia Martin, Greta Sina, Anika Rosen, Gabriel Botting, Aimee Gordon, Dante Pio, Maya Raval, and Paige West. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Youth Arts Festival)
With more than 20 young artists and performers participating in the event, the festival will have art and writing on display starting at 1 p.m., with music, dance, and spoken word performances starting at 2 p.m.
Artists and performers participating in the Saturday event include Kaia Martin, Greta Sina, Anika Rosen, Gabriel Botting, Aimee Gordon, Dante Pio, Emma Poley, Maya Raval, Paige West, among others.
“This is just the first year … it’s kind of our beta run, but we are hoping to expand on it,” Lydia points out. “We want to see how it’ll go and get ourselves off the ground. In future years, we hope to have more artists and to do more workshops.”
On Sunday, May 6th at 3 p.m., the first PYAF workshop will take place starting at the Silver Bean Cafe in Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough with local photographer Wayne Eardley.
Photographer Wayne Eardley (right), pictured with his wife Karen and his parents at the 2016 opening of his photography exhibit at the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Eardley will be leading an outdoor photography workshop at Millennium Park on May 6, 2018. (Photo: Selrahc Yrogerg)
“It’s going to be a walk-around where people can use their mobile phones or their cameras if they’ve got them,” Lydia says.
“They can take pictures and Wayne will show participants angles and lighting and different techniques that people can add to their photography work kit, that will make their photos just a little bit better. It’s also a way to explore Peterborough and take some really nice pictures.”
PYAF is also being supported by the City of Peterborough National Youth Week Committee. National Youth Week starts today (May 1) and continues until Monday, May 7th. (See a list of events at www.ptboyouth.com.)
The first Peterborough Youth Arts Festival takes place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, 2018 at PACE at PCVS in downtown Peterborough.
“Everyone we’ve talked to love this idea and they’ve been very supportive,” says Lydia. “It’s something you see in Peterborough all the time. It’s the willingness to contribute to local initiatives and the passion that everyone has for their ideas.
“It’s incredible to see that an idea that some kid has can happen because so many people are helping.”
Peterborough is renowned for its artistic community, and it’s the youth of today who will make up our arts scene of tomorrow.
The PYAF is a positive way to allow these young artists to get a head start on tomorrow, by allowing them to connect with one another and strengthen their own individual place within the existing culture.
As Lydia herself notes, she has already created new professional relationships with local artists in the process of creating the PYAF.
“I already knew a lot of the people involved, but have met so many new people through other artists,” she says. “Once you get into it, there is such a big network of young artists who are waiting to put themselves out there, whether it is in a little coffeehouse or a play. There is so much talent in this town.”
The Peterborough Youth Arts Festival takes place on Saturday, May 5th at PACE at PCVS (201 McDonnel St, Peterborough). Doors and exhibits open at 1 p.m. with live performances beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is $5 or pay what you can.
Wayne Eardley’s photography workshop will be held on Sunday, May 6th at 3 p.m. beginning at the Silver Bean Cafe in Millennium Park (130 King St., Peterborough). This workshop is free for participants under 18 years of age.
Visitors to the Art Gallery of Peterborough looking at a painting by Keita Morimoto at the opening of the 'These things I Have Seen' exhibition, one of three exhibits on now at the gallery until June 24th. (Photo: Karol Orzechowski / Decipher Images)
This May, there are interesting new exhibits featured at the Art Gallery of Peterborough, a talk at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington by multidisciplinary artist Anne O’Callaghan, and Martha Eleen’s ‘Before Tomorrow’ opening at the Art Gallery of Bancroft.
The 50/50 Art Draw is happening at Artspace, with a preview night during the First Friday art crawl on May 4th. Also on May 4th, Christensen Fine Art launches a new show by abstract painter and installation artist Rowena Dykins, while Chey Greig and Joe Stable are featured at Acme. Later in the month, work by Tsēma Ighara is opening at Artspace.
There’s a creative disciplines workshop with Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping at Artspace and a Arts and Heritage Centre of Warkworth lantern-making workshop, and not to be forgotten are the inaugural Peterborough Arts Awards, coming up on May 25th during the Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts which features guest speaker Wanda Nanibush of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Finally, Public Energy Performing Arts is seeking a summer student as a program assistant in media and communications.
The Art Gallery of Bancroft presents ‘Before Tomorrow’ by Martha Eleen starting May 1
Detail of an abstract painting by Martha Eleen on display at ‘Before Tomorrow’ at the Art Gallery of Bancroft. (Photo courtesy of Art Gallery of Bancroft)
‘Before Tomorrow’ is a series of paintings by Martha Eleen illustrating the artist’s journey into abstraction. As her work is rooted in her life, this show also makes reference a period of time before during and after the death of her son. Martha is now in a place where she depicts her own internal landscape in her abstract canvasses.
Eleen’s paintings have received critical attention in the form of curatorial essays, reviews and publications, and have been exhibited in public galleries in Canada, U.S.A, Mexico, and Japan. Her work is represented in permanent collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario. She is an honours graduate of Emily Carr College of Art in Vancouver. Eleen lives in Toronto where she teaches painting and drawing at Toronto School of Art and is represented by Loop Gallery.
‘Before Tomorrow’ will be on display at the Art Gallery of Bancroft Tuesday, May 1st until Saturday, May 26th. Drop by the opening reception on Friday, May 4th at 7:30 p.m. to see the collection and perhaps discuss more about the process with the artist.
The gallery will also be offering “Ways of Seeing: Four different ways to enter a painting process”, a workshop with Eleen from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Sunday, May 6th. Contact the gallery for details.
The Art Gallery of Bancroft is located at 10 Flint Avenue in Bancroft. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday (the gallery is also open on Mondays from mid-May through mid-October). For more information, visit www.artgallerybancroft.ca.
‘There is no map for the road I find myself upon’ by Rowena Dykins opens at Christensen Fine Art on May 4
‘This one Belongs to the Night’ (2018) by Rowena Dykins. (Photo courtesy of Christensen Fine Art)
Based in the Peterborough area, Rowena Dykins is an abstract painter and installation artist who captures movement and energy through the use of gesture, composition, and colour.
Her latest show, ‘There is no map for the road I find myself upon’, is informed by travel, change, and exploration. These bright striking paintings, sometimes almost topographical, are abstracted, poetic interpretations of places and rhythms in the natural environment.
An opening reception will be held during the First Friday Art Crawl on May 6th from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop in, get inspired by these dynamic paintings, and meet Rowena in person.
The exhibit continues until continues to Saturday, May 26th.
Christensen Fine Art is located at 432 George Street North in downtown Peterborough. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit www.christensenfineart.com.
Acme Art & Sailboat Co. presents works by Chey Greig and Joe Stable on May 4
‘Colour Drunk’ is a series of paintings by Peterborough artist Chey Greig. (Photo courtesy of Acme Art & Sailboat Co.)
Drop in on Acme Art and Sailboat Company in downtown Peterborough during the First Friday Art Crawl and see ‘Colour Drunk’, a series of colourful paintings by Chey Grieg.
A native of British Columbia, Greig is a Peterborough artist works predominantly in the medium of painting but also explores photography as an art form. Greig describes herself as a self-taught artist and is inspired by her late father andartist Levine Flexhaug, who is recognized as a pioneer and substantial contributor to the western Canadian art culture.
The opening will run from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, May 4th, when artist Joe Stable will also be featuring a new series of his copper works in the Copper Closet.
Acme Art and Sailboat Company is located at 129-1/2 Hunter Street West, 3rd floor, in downtown Peterborough. Hours of operation are Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Artspace 50/50 Art Draw on May 5
At the 50/50 art draw, the emcees will draw a ticket at random and call out a number, and the ticket holder with that number will choose a piece of art off the wall. Profits from all art sales are shared between our participating artists and Artspace. (Photo: Matt + Steph)
Artspace’s annual fundraiser, the 50/50 Art Draw, takes place on Saturday, May 5th, with doors opening at 7 p.m. This event promises to be fun for all featuring the always exciting art draw, door prizes, music, snacks and drinks. Tickets for the party alone are $25, and for the art draw are $100.
This is a good opportunity to get a great piece for a low price while supporting a local arts organization. There will also be the ‘fire sale’ at the end of the night, so if you are there to enjoy the fun but have not purchased a ticket for the Art Draw, you may well end up bidding on something during this part of the evening, which is open to everyone in attendance.
Artspace will be open for viewing during the First Friday Art Crawl on the evening of May 4th.
Artspace is an accessible space located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.
Visual Arts Centre of Clarington hosts an artist talk with Anne O’Callaghan on May 6
Part of Anne O’Callaghan’s exhibition “Utopia! Who’s Listening Now” at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington. (Photo: Jean-Michel Komarnicki)
In “Utopia! Who’s Listening Now”, Anne O’Callaghan’s current exhibition at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, the multidisciplinary artist takes on current issues of surveillance, propaganda, and communication.
O’Callaghan’s work explores ways in which artists effect change by addressing current political issues. Art and politics always have had an interesting relationship, and this show aims to subvert and deconstruct the ways in which corporations and institutions (such as the government) have developed and used surveillance and propaganda in recent times.
O’Callaghan will give a free artist talk from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 6th at the Visual Arts Centre, where she will discuss her installation with curator Sandy Saad. If you are in the area, drop by and check out this free event.
The exhibition is on now and continues until Sunday, May 20th.
The Visual Arts Centre of Clarington is located at 143 Simpson Ave in Bowmanville. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. It is a partially accessible venue with an accessible washroom and a ramp to the front entrance with a manual, inward-opening door. Hours of operation are Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.vac.ca
‘Expanding Together’ Workshop at Artspace with Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping on May 12
Kyle Topping and Chrissy Poitras, owners and operators of Spark Box Studio, are leading a free workshop for people in creative disciplines at Artspace in Peterborough on May 12. (Photo: Spark Box Studio)
Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping run Spark Box Studio, which is home to a residency program and their own studio practices. They frequently run workshops and are guest lecturers at OCAD University in Toronto and Queen’s University in Kingston.
‘Expanding Together’ at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 12th at Artspace is a free interactive workshop geared towards people in creative disciplines, and encourages sharing of information and discussion around a number of relevant topics from creative business management to other creative concerns. Run by these two arts dynamos, it promises to be both fun and informative.
For more information about Chrissy and Kyle, check out their website at sparkboxstudio.com and don’t miss the fun and informative ‘Business of Art Blog’ and ‘Art School Guide’.
Artspace is an accessible space located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.
Arts and Heritage Centre of Warkworth presents a sculptural lantern-making workshop on May 12 and 13
The Arts and Heritage Centre is presenting a two-day lantern-making workshop on May 12 and 13. (Photo courtesy Arts and Heritage Centre of Warkworth)
In preparation for the second annual “Warkworth by Night” family-friendly street festival on Saturday June 2nd, the Arts and Heritage Centre is presenting a two-day lantern-making workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 12th and Sunday, May 13th at the Warkworth Town Hall Centre for the Arts (40 Main St., Warkworth).
Shadowland Theatre from Toronto Island along with The Branch Ranch in Warkworth (local specialists in all things twig) will be leading the workshop with the theme “flight & light / birds & insects”, a unique combination of basketry, sculpture, and theatrical magic.
The workshop costs $100, with all materials included. The workshop is limited to 20 participants, but a few spaces are still available. To register, visit ahcentre.ca.
Artspace Presents ‘future generations’ by Tsēma Igharas on May 25
A work from ‘future generations’ by Tsēma Igharas. (Photo courtesy of Artspace)
Tsēma Igharas (formerly Tamara Skubovius) is an interdisciplinary artist and a member of the Tāłtān First Nation. In ‘future generations’, she takes on the conflicting ideologies between Tāłtān culture and tradition and the value systems imposed by colonialism regarding land and natural resources. These value systems are challenged by Igharas, and the impact they have had on indigenous cultures is made known.
‘future generations’ imagines possible futures for indigenous peoples. This show is an encouragement to care for oneself and the land, and acts as a means of education. By presenting strategies and gestures of resistance, Igharas encourages acts of decolonization. The opening of this show coincides with the launch of a publication focusing on the work of Igharas, written by Erin Sutherland and Jamie Isaac. This limited edition book will be available for sale through Artspace.
The opening reception will be held on Friday, May 25th from 7 to 10 p.m. The following day, Igharas will lead a free bead-making workshop at Artspace from 1 to 3 p.m. No previous experience is required.
‘future generations’ will be on display at Artspace until Saturday, July 14th.
Artspace is an accessible space located at 378 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Parking is available in the municipal lot on Hunter Street between Aylmer and George. For more information, call 705-748-3883 or visit artspace-arc.org.
Peterborough Arts Awards to be presented at the Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts on May 25
Wanda Nanibush, Curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario, will be the guest speaker at the Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts on May 25, 2018, where the inaugural Peterborough Arts Awards will be presented. (Photo: Andrew Williamson)
The Electric City Culture Council will be presenting the inaugural Peterborough Arts Awards from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 25th during the Mayor’s Luncheon for the Arts at McDonnel St. Activity Centre (577 McDonnel St., Peterborough).
Six awards of $2,000 each will be presented for outstanding achievement in the arts, in the categories of emerging artist, mid-career artist, senior artist, achievement by an Indigenous artist, arts champion, and arts catalyst.
The guest speaker at the luncheon will be Wanda Nanibush, Curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Three new exhibits on now at the Art Gallery of Peterborough
‘Extensions 1’ (2013) by Carolyn Code featuring polished cans and embroidery thread. (Photo courtesy Art Gallery of Peterborough)
Three new exhibits opened in April at the Art Gallery of Peterborough and are running until Sunday, June 24th.
‘These things I have seen:’ features works by Carolyn Code, Megan Ellen MacDonald, and Keita Morimoto, three artists who deal with materials and subject matter in ways that bring together past and present vernacular in new and interesting ways.
Bringing together commonplace household materials such as aluminum cans and embroidery thread, Carolyn Code creates contemporary art out of commonplace materials, and old techniques (such as traditional embroidery) are seen in a new light.
The paintings of Keita Morimoto and Megan Ellen MacDonald use traditional painting techniques to depict scenes that represent contemporary schools of thought such as the disruption of established power hierarchies, colour schemes, and traditional narratives — thus subverting the original sentiment behind the styles of representation.
There will be an exhibition tour and talk with the artists from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 10th.
A detail from ‘Memories of Paris’ (2001) by J.C. Heywood. (Photo courtesy Art Gallery of Peterborough)
‘Carpe Diem’ features works by J.C. Heywood from the gallery’s Permanent Collection. A master printmaker, Heywood trained at the Ontario College of Art where he studied woodblock and later discovered screenprinting. He went on to learn etching under Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17 in Paris. He taught at Queen’s University in Kingston for 32 years and continued to explore, gaining new skills through technological shifts.
A visual treat, this series of brightly coloured and intricately textured prints from Heywood’s Millennium Works series is bound to put some bounce in your step. True to the title ‘Carpe Diem’, this selection of work is uplifting and inspiring, reminding us that life is to be lived and enjoyed as best we can.
A detail from ‘Visiting Grandma’ (1977) by Daphne Odjig. (Photo courtesy Art Gallery of Peterborough)
‘Presence: Portraits from the Permanent Collection’ features works by Carl Beam, John B. Boyle, Rita Briansky, Sheila Butler, Michael Caines, K. M. Graham, David Hockney, Ivan Eyre, Stephen Livick, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Nobuo Kubota, Oskar Schlienger, John Scollard and Michael Snow.
This exhibit has a lot to offer. With a focus on representation of the human form, the exhibit provides food for thought as we see how the art of portraiture progresses and changes over time. A portrait can say a lot about the person who creates it, as well as who is being represented. Often a sign of the times, the portrait is very interesting to contemplate within social and historical context.
The Art Gallery of Peterborough is located at 250 Crescent Street in downtown Peterborough and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. It offers free admission, barrier-free access, and a gallery shop. Parking is available in the Del Crary lot. For more information, call 705-743-9179 or visit agp.on.ca.
Public Energy Performing Arts seeks summer student
The team at Public Energy Performing Arts is seeking a summer student to assist in the development, design and delivery of marketing and communication plans and campaigns for the organization’s 2018-2019 season and 25th anniversary year. (Photo: Public Energy / Facebook)
Public Energy Performing Arts is seeking a summer student for the position of Program Assistant in Media & Communications.
The successful candidate will assist in the development, design, and delivery of marketing and communication plans and campaigns for Public Energy Performing Arts’ 2018-2019 season and 25th anniversary year.
The opportunity is open to people aged 15 to 30 years old who are currently full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year.
The application deadline is May 11, 2018. For more information including a complete job description and how to apply, visit publicenergy.ca/about/job-opportunities/.
A 32-year-old man from Tudor Township in Hastings County faces several charges, including arson for a fire that took down internet, landline phone and cell phone service in the Bancroft area on Sunday (April 29).
On Saturday (April 28) at 11:30 p.m., the Central Hastings detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were called to a residence on Cleveland Road in Tudor Township for a break and enter. A homeowner reported he located a man in his house who had stolen shoes and some money. The homeowner confronted the suspect, who fled on foot.
On Sunday at 3 a.m., OPP were called to assist with a fire at an abandoned house along Highway 62 near Bannockburn Road north of Madoc. An investigation determined that the same man involved with the break and enter started the fire.
The fire seriously damaged nearby Bell Canada fibre optic cables and copper wire, resulting in a widespread outage of communication services in Hastings County, including Bancroft, Tudor and Cashel, Limerick, and Wollaston townships, and parts of Faraday, Hastings Highlands, and Carlo-Mayo townships.
Internet, phone, and cell phone services were affected. Most services have now been restored.
Eugene Dobratz, a 32-year-old man from Tudor Township, has been charged with break and enter a dwelling house, arson – damage to property, and failure to comply with probation. He will appear in bail court today (April 30) in the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville.
It is unknown at this time whether further charges will be laid against Dobratz as a result of the communications outage caused by the fire.
The new and expanded Bigley's Cottage Kitchen is now open at 49 Bolton Street in Bobcaygeon in the former location of Kawartha Coffee Co.. which has moved across the street and is opening later in May. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Business news this week includes the opening of the expanded Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen in Bobcaygeon, a sneak peek at the soon-to-be-open Kawartha Coffee Co. at The Doctor’s Office in Bobcaygeon, a new employee time clock app called MotherClock developed in Apsley, website awards for the City of Kawarthas Lakes, the winners of the Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence and the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, and a government investment in CPK Interior Products Inc. of Port Hope.
New regional business events this week include an accessibility workshop for businesses on May 3rd in Peterborough, a provincial all-candidates meeting on business and agriculture issues on May 3rd in Port Hope, a free financial seminar from Community Futures Peterborough on May 4th, and the Innovation Cluster’s annual general meeting on May 31st.
The expanded Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen in Bobcaygeon is now open
In the former location of Kawartha Coffee Co. at 49 Bolton Street in Bobcaygeon, Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen is open to the adjacent Bigley’s men’s wear store so customers can walk through. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
The expanded Bigley’s Cottage Kitchen is now open in the former location of Kawartha Coffee Co. at 49 Bolton Street in Bobcaygeon, and is gearing up fora grand opening celebration on the Mother’s Day weekend.
kawarthaNOW spoke with Sherry Peel, owner of Bigley’s — one of Bobcaygeon’s largest and most well-known retail businesses — about their expansion from a small cottage store across the street to the new two-level store.
“The Cottage Kitchen store originally was about 1,000 square feet and was really outgrowing that space,” Peel says. “Customers were asking us for an expanded version of these product lines. When the opportunity arose to look at the Kawartha Coffee Co location, it made sense to do it.”
When Kawartha Coffee vacated the location to move across the street, Bigley’s owner Sherry Peel says it was a perfect opportunity for Bigley’s to move the Cottage Kitchen store into that location as its adjacent to their men’s wear store. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Kawartha Coffee Co. moved out of the 49 Bolton Street location late last fall and is preparing to open across the street at the building previously known as The Doctor’s Office (see our story below).
“The location is right beside our men’s wear store and 30 per cent of our kitchen product shoppers are men,” Peel explains. “For quite some time we’ve wanted an entirely seamless shopping location, and that has now happened. This was a perfect opportunity and the timing was right to make it happen.”
The renovation included opening the exterior wall of 49 Bolton Street into the adjacent Bigley’s men’s section, which means that customers can now walk from the new kitchen retail space into men’s wear, and then into women’s fashion, and of course into the shoes section for which Bigley’s is renowned.
The second floor features a cafe and is space for special events, food sampling, and shopping nights. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
The second floor of the kitchen space is now a café, designed to grab a quick coffee or tea while shopping in the store or as a place to take a break. Peel also sees the second floor as a perfect space for special events, for sampling their gourmet food lines, and for shopping nights.
“Incorporating services like the café is a trend that just makes sense,” Peel says. “We’ve been her for 30 years and retail has changed immensely in that time. The pace of change is increasing faster now with social media and online shopping. We’re a family-oriented retailer — the entire family shops here together and we’re striving to give our customers what they want in a destination retail location.”
The store is absolutely chock full of colourful trendy and practical kitchen gadgets and hostess gifts. The back area of the store now includes a gift basket creation area, where you can tell staff your budget and they’ll create a basket for your hostess gift, or for Mother’s Day, or even a BBQ basket for a cottage host.
Kawartha Coffee Co. at The Doctor’s Office opening in Bobcaygeon in May
Kawartha Coffee Co. owner Kathleen Seymour examines redesign work in progress at Kawartha Coffee Co.’s new location at The Doctor’s Office at 58 Bolton Street in Bobcaygeon. (Photo: Kawartha Coffee Co.)
If you’re a resident of or a regular visitor to Bobcaygeon, there’s little doubt you’ve been missing the food and fun at Kawartha Coffee Co. since they moved out of their location at 49 Bolton Street last fall. But good news is on the horizon as Kawartha Coffee Co. is getting ready to open at its new location, literally just across the street.
Known for many years as “The Doctor’s Office”, the building located at 58 Bolton Street is the new home of Kawartha Coffee Co. And this new location may well be home to the largest outdoor patio in The Kawarthas, with room for 110 people.
Owner Kathleen Seymour tells kawarthaNOW that “Kawartha Coffee Co. at The Doctor’s Office” in in the final phases of its renovation and redesign and is gearing up for a mid-May opening, with some exciting food ideas and patio plans in store.
Inside the new Kawartha Coffee Co. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Kawartha Coffee Co.’s new chef Graeme Miller is a recognized name as the oh-so-healthy chef from Two Healthy Rabbits. Genevieve McAdam, previously from the Lil Organic Kitchen in Whitby, is joining Miller.
Seymour says the plan is to incorporate global flavours, like Mexican fusion, with locally sourced food. Kawartha Coffee Co. is an Ontario Culinary Tourism designated FeastOn restaurant, which means that patrons can be assured that locally sourced food and drink is guaranteed and indicated on the menu.
The new Kawartha Coffee Co. location features a huge patio area that can seat 110 people. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW.com)
Inside the restaurant, customers will find comfy seating areas with room for 30 in this beautiful heritage building dating back to the early 1900s. While Kawartha Coffee Co. will continue to serve their signature hot and cold beverages with their decadent treats, the focus in their grab-and-go area will be on healthy eating, including smoothies, composed salads, baguette sandwiches, fresh juices, and more. They will also feature local artisan-made products.
The patio area will feature a food truck along with a refrigerated beer truck as part of the bar area. Penni Holdman, a resident of Fenelon Falls, is helping Seymour design the exterior patio space. Holdman is an international award-winning special event design architect and production professional, with over 30 years of hands-on event experience providing complete ‘beginning to end’ event design, management, and production.
The new logo of Kawartha Coffee Co. at The Doctor’s Office, designed by Douglas + Son of Bobcaygeon.
In addition to its heritage features and immense front area, The Doctor’s Office was indeed a real doctor’s office in the ’70s and ’80s. It later became a large cottage bar and then a restaurant. Coincidentally, Seymour met her husband Mike Fagan at that location — and he is now a doctor.
Apsley-based startup’s app turns a smartphone or tablet into an employee time clock
MotherClock is a mobile app that can turn an Android smartphone or tablet into an employee time clock. Developed by Jeff Sayers of Apsley, the app is available in beta for testing. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
MotherClock Inc., a Apsley-based digital startup cofounded by Jeff Sayers and Brad Thompson, is launching its mobile app that turns a tablet or a smartphone into an employee time clock.
As of Monday, May 7th, employers in Ontario can download a beta version of the app to test the time-tracking functionality with their employees.
At Sayers Foods, a family-owned and operated grocery store in Apsley with around 50 employees, Motherclock developer Jeff Sayers went through three different payroll platforms, each with its own set of issues. Finding it difficult to stay organized while manually calculating each employee’s work hours into the payroll system, he knew there had to be an easier way.
So Sayers developed the MotherClock app for Android mobile phones and tablets. The cloud-based app allows employees to sign in and out with the simple click of a button and also allows an employer to manage employee information, view, edit, and delete time clock records, and review calculated payroll totals including employee pay, taxes and deductions, all free of charge.
Developed with the cooperation of the Canada Revenue Agency and some of Canada’s leading financial institutions (co-founder Brad Thompson oversees the financial strategy of the company and is also the head of sales), Sayers’ app will also allow users to transmit payment instructions to the banking system to pay employees, as well as related taxes and deductions to the Canada Revenue Agency, for a transaction fee of two dollars per employee per pay.
Sayers is hoping various Ontario businesses will download and test the beta version of the app and provide feedback to the company, prior to the release of an official version.
For more information and to sign up for the beta program, visit www.motherclock.com. As of May 7, 2018, the beta version of the app will also be available on Google Play.
City of Kawartha Lakes receives international awards for its new municipal and tourism websites
A screenshot of the award-winning Kawartha Lakes Tourism website.
The City of Kawartha Lakes has received two 2018 Hermes Creative Awards for its new municipal and tourism websites launched in 2017.
The Kawartha Lakes Tourism website at www.explorekawarthalakes.com was named a gold winner in the tourism website category, and the City of Kawartha Lakes municipal website at www.kawarthalakes.ca received an honourable mention in the government website category.
The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professional involved in the concept, writing, and design of traditional materials, marketing and communication programs, and emerging technologies. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, and international organization comprising several thousand creative professionals. The competition receive more than 6,000 entries each year.
“We would like to thank our residents, local businesses, and special interest groups for providing valuable input to ensure the new websites would meet the needs of our community,” said Cheri Davidson, Manager of Communications Advertising and Marketing. “Special thanks to our web developer eSolutions Group who expertly led us through the redevelopment process. The success of our websites has been driven by a partnership between government, community and industry.”
The City of Kawartha Lakes websites were funded with support from the Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC), which invested $100,000 for website development under the Eastern Ontario Development Program’s Community Innovation stream. The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport provided 50 per cent funding for all of the imagery and videos used on both websites through the Regional Tourism Organization (RTO8) Kawarthas Northumberland.
Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce hands out 2018 Awards of Excellence
Bobcaygeon Horticulture Society president Ruth McIsaac with her Citizen of the Year Award from the Bobcaygeon & Area Chamber of Commerce. (Photo: Office of Jamie Schmale, MP Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock)
On Saturday (April 28), the Bobcaygeon & Area Chamber of Commerce announced its 2018 Awards of Excellence at a gala at the Lakeview Arts Barn.
Ruth McIsaac, president of the Bobcaygeon Horticulture Society, was selected as Citizen of the Year at the Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce 2018 Awards of Excellence gala.
Other award winners were Andy Lummiss and Jessica O’Neill (Employee Achievement), Bobcaygeon Eye Care (Business Achievement), Granny Birds Wool Shop (New Business Achievement), Happy Days Houseboats (Hospitality), Bobcaygeon Canada Day Committee (Not for Profit Achievement), Canada/US Walleye Tournament (Tourism Achievement), and Sarah Quick of Globus Theatre (Creative Arts Achievement).
Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce hands out 2018 Business Excellence Awards
Martin Albert, cofounder of saffron producer True Saffron of Warkworth, receiving the 2018 Business of the Year Award from the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce. (Photo: Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce / Facebook)
Also on Saturday (April 28), the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce handed out its 2018 Celebration of Business Excellence awards at a ceremony at Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford.
The 2018 recipient of the Business of the Year Award was True Saffron of Warkworth. From their farm in the rolling hills of Northumberland County, entrepreneurs Martin Albert and Eric Charbonneau produce saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, which is derived from the flower of the saffron crocus plant. True Saffron is the top producer in Canada of high-quality organic saffron.
Other award winners were Johanna Allen (Chair’s Award), E Squared Fitness (Emerging Entrepreneur Award), Kinch Eddie Litigation (Customer Experience Award, service-based), The Bakery Warkworth (Customer Experience Award, product-based), The General on Main (Pride And Progress Award), The Natural (Ignite 2018 – Business), Community Care Northumberland (Ignite 2018 – Non-Profit Organization), Antonia’s Bistro (Excellence In Business), Beautiful Images by Montserrat (Community Impact Award), and Dollarama Campbellford (Inclusive Community Employer Award).
CPK Interior Products Inc. of Port Hope receives $895,000 from the Eastern Ontario Development Fund
CPK Interior Products Inc., which manufactures automotive interior products such as door panels and consoles for the North American market, has received an $895,000 investment from the Province of Ontario under the Eastern Ontario Development Fund.
Along with its own investment of $7,237,400, the company will use the funds to modify its facilities and install advanced new equipment.
Headquartered in Port Hope, the company also has locations in Belleville and Guelph as well as in Auburn Hills in Michigan.
The total investment will support 333 existing jobs in eastern Ontario and will create 89 new jobs. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
Peterborough Chamber hosts accessibility workshop for businesses on May 3
The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting a lunch-and-learn workshop on accessibility from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Chamber’s offices (175 George St. N., Peterborough).
You will learn how the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) applies to your business and the advantages of developing an inclusive workforce. Topics will include responsibilities under the legislation, how to develop an accessibility plan and comply with the AODA, why hiring individuals with disabilities makes good business sense, and resources available to help you hire, accommodate, and retain employees with disabilities.
Community Futures Peterborough offers free “Financial Fridays: Record Keeping Made Easy’ seminar on May 4
TRIACON founder Carey McMaster will present a seminar on financial record keeping on Friday, May 4.
Community Futures Peterborough is offering a new training series called Financial Fridays with the aim of supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs with information on finance and business acumen.
The free sessions will be held on the first Friday of each month and will be a combination of workshops and seminars delivered by the economic organization’s community partners and local experts, giving attendees the chance to connect with professional service providers in their area.
The inaugural Financial Friday takes place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, May 4th at Community Futures Peterborough (351 Charlotte St., Peterborough). “Record Keeping Made Easy” will educate you in Canada Revenue Agency’s guidelines and requirements, how organized records benefit your business in the long run, and what resources are available to help you.
The seminar will be presented by Carey McMaster, founder of TRIACON. She has provided consulting and training services for over a decade, with clients including start-ups, community service agencies, commercial enterprises, municipalities, and the provincial and federal government. She has also managed and operated several successful companies in her career.
Northumberland – Peterborough South All-Candidates Meeting in Port Hope on May 3
The Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce is hosting a provincial election all-candidates meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8th at the Cameco Capitol Arts Centre (20 Queen St., Port Hope)
The free event will include an opportunity to meet the candidates (Liberal incumbent Lou Rinaldi, PC candidate David Piccin, and NDP candidate Jana Papuckoski) and learn about issues that affect local business and agriculture.
Business Owners Sharing Solutions (BOSS) – Mental Health in the Workplace on May 9
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism’s next Business Owners Sharing Solutions (BOSS) seminar takes place from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9th at the Lakefield Legion (10 Nicholls St., Lakefield).
The session will focus on coping strategies and techniques to encourage mental wellness in your workplace, with panelists Jack Veitch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Dave Pogue of Team 55, and Ashley Challinor of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.
Innovation Cluster Peterborough and The Kawarthas hosts its annual general meeting on May 31
The Innovation Cluster Peterborough and The Kawarthas is hosting its annual general meeting from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 31st at VentureNorth (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
Beginning at 2 p.m., the public can tour The Cube, the Innovation Cluster’s 10,000-square-foot business incubator, and meet some of the region’s most promising start-ups.
The annual general meeting, which is open to the public, takes place at 3 p.m. and will include highlights from 2017.
Kawarthas Northumberland annual tourism partner meeting on June 20
Todd Lucier, co-founder of Northern Edge Algonquin Retreat Centre, a retreat designer and IGNITE facilitator will be the guest speaker at the Kawarthas Northumberland annual tourism partner meeting. (Photo: Northern Edge Algonquin Retreat Centre)
RTO8’s Kawarthas Northumberland is inviting tourism operators from within the Kawarthas Northumberland region (City of Kawartha Lakes, City and County of Peterborough, and Northumberland County) to its annual partners meeting (annual general meeting) from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th at Iron Horse Ranch (804 Ontario 7A RR1, Bethany).
The meeting will provide tourism operators with the opportunity to meet Kawarthas Northumberland board members and staff, along with representatives and advisors from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and to network with other tourism operators.
The guest speaker at the session will be Todd Lucier, co-founder of Northern Edge Algonquin Retreat Centre, a retreat designer and IGNITE facilitator. Lucier will speak on how tourism operators can leverage their own resources to build new and exciting visitor experiences, with an appreciation for the importance of community collaboration.
The event is free, but advance registration is required by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 8th. Register at Eventbrite.
Susan Dunkley, Manager of Development and Outreach at the Peterborough Humane Society, is one of the local women profiled so far for "Inspire: The Women's Portrait Project", which will culminate on International Women's Day 2019 with a gala photo exhibition and fundraiser for a local women's charity. Professional photographer Heather Doughty founded the year-long project, with the support of certified makeup and lash artist Selena Wilson, as a way to tell the stories of remarkable women in the community. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty always wanted to do a portrait project, so last month when she found herself thinking about how many remarkable women there were in the Peterborough area, she decided to take her spark of an idea and blow it up into an inspirational movement.
“Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project” is just getting off the ground and Doughty has a lot of work to do in the year ahead — because she’s not just taking a few photos, she has decided to create a dynamic, introspective experience for at least 52 local women.
Doughty is accepting nominations at inspirethewomensportraitproject.com of women in the Peterborough community who inspire, support, uplift, and empower others. There are 15 different categories to choose from and every woman who is nominated will be asked to nominate two other women so that the project can grow organically.
Each woman nominated for the project has to submit a bio and choose three words that describe who they are and what they do in their communities. “Vibrant, Courageous, Kind” are the three words that describe Tracey Ormond, owner of That’s A Wrap Catering in Peterborough. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
The women who are nominated meet with Doughty and make-up artist Selena Wilson. They spend an hour or so shooting portraits in a location selected by the nominee and then three final photos are selected.
Two of the photos are shared immediately on the project website and on social media. The third portrait is top secret and will be revealed at the project’s grand finale gala on March 8th, 2019 — which just happens to be International Women’s Day.
The portrait project goes deeper than just the visual representation of these inspiring women, because each project participant has to submit a bio and choose three words that describe who they are and what they do in their communities.
“This is turning into a full experience,” Doughty says. “I go and I meet these women and they tell me their stories. It’s an interesting experience to see them coming up with all these cool ideas about who they are and what they mean to other women.”
Not only do the nominees get to see themselves through the lens of a camera, but many are asking for their three words on social media — leading to really insightful dialogue and moments of introspection.
“The project is really coming alive,” Doughty says. “There is such a connection. The women are so happy to be nominated and when they start telling their stories so much emotion comes out and this is what I’m capturing.”
“Energetic, Personable, Motivated” are the three words that describe Crystal Jessup of Crystal Jessup Photography in Peterborough. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
Doughty says that many of the women have been surprised by the project feedback and they’re starting to see things in themselves that they might not have really connected with previously.
Many of these women are not in the news or not well known, so the nominations are having a big impact.
“It’s like we’re pulling these women out and saying that they are inspiring others and supporting others,” Doughty laughs. “We’re bringing these women out from the shadows and it’s so joyful.”
While the scale and scope of the project are something new for Doughty, photography has always been a part of her life. She fell in love with it as a child and she’s been shooting professionally for 10 years now. She says she feels such power every time she picks up her camera.
“That once click captures a moment forever and it’s amazing,” she explains.
Now, combining her art with the storytelling components of the project, Doughty is looking forward to watching Inspire grow over the months to come.
“The three words are so important,” she says. “The three words are where the walls come down and everyone wants to tell the stories behind those three words.”
And that’s likely what the project’s legacy will be. A legacy of helping women recognize the power of their actions, the impacts they have made in their communities, and capturing the look on their faces at that precise moment when they stand before the camera to own their success.
“That one click captures a moment forever and it’s amazing.” Heather Doughty of Heather Doughty Photography is the founder and lead photographer of “Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project”. (Photo: Heather Doughty Photography)Certified makeup and lash artist Selena K. Wilson of SKW Beauty of Peterborough is assisting Heather Doughty with “Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project”. (Photo: Selena Wilson)
As well as nominating women at the project’s website (there’s no specific deadline), you can also nominate a local women’s charity that will be given a fund-raising opportunity, through a percentage of ticket sales and individual donations, at the project’s gala celebration in March 2019. Nominations for charities are open until August 1, 2018.
Rock and alt-country band The Sadies headline the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund Benefit Concert on Friday, May 11, 2018 at the Market Hall in downtown Peterborough. The event, which will feature performances by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, will be emceed by Ojibway playwright and author Drew Hayden Taylor, who will also perform. All proceeds from the concert and a silent auction will be donated to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund to support reconciliation. (Publicity photo)
A group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous performers are coming together on Friday, May 11th at 7 p.m. at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
Presented by Journey Magazine Ptbo, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund Benefit Concert will raise money to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The show will be emceed by award-winning Ojibway playwright and author Drew Hayden Taylor from Curve Lake Nation, who will also perform. Other Indigenous performers include hoop dancer Crystal “Beany” John, the Wshkiigomang Women’s Hand Drum Group from Curve Lake First Nation, and spoken word artist Keara Lightning.
In addition to headliners The Sadies, non-Indigenous performers include Peterborough folk duo Mayhemingways (who recently opened for The Sadies) and the Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Jazz and Combo Bands.
Tickets for the event are $40 for cabaret table seating or $25 for general admission, and are available now in person at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
All proceeds from the concert will go to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, which supports awareness, education, and acts of reconciliation between the First Peoples and the settlers of Turtle Island/Canada.
‘The Secret Path’, written and directed by the late Gord Downie with illustrations by Jeff Lemire, tells the story of 12-year-old Chanie Wenjack who died more than 50 years ago while trying to walk 600 kilometres to his northwestern Ontario home after fleeing a residential school in Kenora. (Illustration: Jeff Lemire)
The fund, which was established about a year before Gord Downie’s death from brain cancer in 2017, arose two years after The Tragically Hip front man created The Secret Path, a personal project to tell the story of Chanie Wenjack through an music album, graphic novel, and documentary.
Gord was inspired to develop The Secret Path after learning about Chanie, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died from exposure on October 22, 1966, after escaping his forced confinement at Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora and attempting to walk the almost 600 kilometres back to his family home on the Marten Falls First Nation in Manitoba.
The Wenjack Theatre and the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Peterborough are both named in honour of Chanie.
Gord Downie’s brothers Mike and Patrick and Chanie Wenjack’s sisters Pearl Achneepineskum, Daisy Munroe, and Evelyn Baxter along with Professor David Newhouse, the school’s director, and Trent University president Dr. Leo Groarke, at the official launch of the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies on March 2, 2018. (Photo: Trent University)
The May 11th benefit concert will be an illustration of community reconciliation in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
There will also be a silent auction to raise money for the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, including this stone sculpture from Zim Art hand carved by Zimbabwean artist Simon Chidharara. (Photo: Zim Art)
Before the show begins, there will be a silent auction from 6 to 7 p.m. and again during the intermission.
Some of the items donated so far include a hand-carved stone sculpture by Zimbabwean artist Simon Chidharara from Zim Art, an acoustic guitar from Long & McQuade, Not Forgotten Scarves from Pam Hart, a season pass to Public Energy, a bracelet from HiHo Silver, a private behind-the-scenes tour for up to 10 people from The Canadian Canoe Musuem, and various gift certificates.
To introduce the event, Shirley Williams (a member of the Bird Clan of the Ojibway and Odawa First Nations of Canada and Professor Emeritus of the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University) and Anne Taylor (Cultural Archivist at Curve Lake First Nation) will offer a welcoming prayer and land acknowledgement.
Mike Downie — Gord’s brother, co-producer of The Secret Path, and co-founder of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund — may also be speaking at the benefit, although his attendance is still to be confirmed.
The highlight of the evening for some will be a performance by rock and alt-country band The Sadies, based out of Toronto.
Called “Canada’s greatest living rock band”, The Sadies consists of brothers Dallas Good and Travis Good (who lives in Hastings west of Campbellford) on guitars, mandolin, and lead vocals, along with Sean Dean on upright bass and Mike Belitsky on drums.
The Sadies have been described as Canada’s greatest living rock band. (Illustration: Jeremy Bruneel)
The Sadies have a special connection with the late Gord Downie, having toured with The Tragically Hip and then collaborating musically with Gord on a special project.
“The Sadies have toured with The Hip probably more than any other band,” Gord once said in an interview. “I got to know them pretty well and loved their sets.”
After supporting The Hip during its 2007 World Container tour, The Sadies were invited to perform on the now-defunct CBC Radio concert series Fuse, which promoted creative collaborations between different artists.
Gord Downie performing with The Sadies in support of their 2014 musical collaboration “Gord Downie, The Sadies, and the Conquering Sun”. (Photo: Kevin Lamb)
The Sadies suggested a collaboration with Gord, and that eventually led to the 2014 album Gord Downie, The Sadies, and the Conquering Sun, for which Gord wrote the lyrics and The Sadies the music.
The Sadies were hoping to collaborate again with Gord after the May 2016 announcement of his diagnosis of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, but Gord died on October 17, 2017.
VIDEO: “Another Season Again” – The Sadies
VIDEO: “Crater” – Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund Benefit Concert is presented by Journey Magazine Ptbo and has been endorsed by the Kawartha Truth & Reconciliation Support Group.
Event sponsors include Brant Basics, CHEX Peterborough, Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough, City of Peterborough, County of Peterborough, Curve Lake First Nation, Fresh Radio 100.5, kawarthaNOW.com, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, KPR Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Leon’s Peterborough, Patrick McAuley of Bowes & Cocks, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, PTBOCanada, Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada, Trent University Faculty Association, and The Wolf 101.5 FM.
To donate to the silent auction, email Sheila Howlett at showlett3@cogeco.ca.
About the Performers
Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hayden Taylor is one of Canada’s leading Indigenous playwrights, authors, and humorists. For more than 20 years, he has written about the world from an Indigenous perspective. His award-winning plays have been produced in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
His 2010 novel Motorcycles and Sweetgrass was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, and his latest fiction work is a science-fiction collection called Take Us to Your Chief and Other Stories. He has also written numerous scripts for television series, including The Beachcombers, North of 60, and Mixed Blessings. Drew’s latest play, Cottagers and Indians, is based on a years-long dispute between cottage owners on Pigeon Lake and James Whetung, an Anishinaabe from Curve Lake First Nation, who has been planting and harvesting wild rice in Pigeon Legion and surrounding lakes. Drew also recently directed the documentary Searching for Winnetou, which explores the century-old German fascination with native North Americans including a mythical Apache warrior named Winnetou.
Beany John
Crystal “Beany” John is Taino and Cree from Kehewin in Alberta. A champion hoop dancer and grass dancer (she is only one of two women in Canada given permission to be part of the Grass Dance Society), she has been teaching hoop dance to youth in Alberta and Ontario since 2004. She has taught at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Anishnabe Health Youth program, Trent University, Toronto Native Canadian Centre youth program, Native Child and Family Services and the Kehewin First Nation.
Beany’s mix of hoop dance and hip hop has been called “dynamic” and “exciting.” Her contemporary style is one-of-a-kind and she has a following of young Indigenous people throughout Canada and the United States.
Keara Lightning
Spoken word artist Keara Lightning is a nehiyaw iskwew from Samson Cree Nation and a queer femme poet. She’s been writing poetry her whole life and recently started reading her poems in public.
Keara grew up in small-town Ontario and currently lives in Nogojiwanong, where she is studying Indigenous Environmental Studies at Trent University. She likes plants, making teas, and cooking for people.
Wshkiigomaang Hand Drum Singers
Lead singer Janet McCue and Mary Alice Taylor are original members of the Wshkiigomaang Hand Drum Singers from Curve Lake First Nation. Janet is a long-time leader and advocate who dedicates her time to raising awareness for social justice, empowering the aboriginal community, providing education to local schools and museums, and supporting those marginalized by poverty. She has performed locally and internationally, sharing her music which has been described as hauntingly beautiful and heart-moving. Alice is a retired native language teacher at the Curve Lake First Nation day care.
The Wshkiigomaang Hand Drum Singers has performed for Prince Andrew at the Canadian Canoe Museum, the Peterborough Dandelion Festival, Juno Beach in France, and at many other events.
Mayhemingways
Josh Fewings and Benj Rowland of Mayhemingways.
Mayhemingways consists of Benj Rowland (lead vocals accordion, guitar, banjo, bass pedals, lead vocals) and Josh Fewings (drums, harmony vocals) and is acclaimed for mixing traditional genres like folk, country, Celtic, bluegrass and more to create their own unique sound.
In 2013, the duo released their first EP engineered by James McKenty (Blue Rodeo, Cuff The Duke, The Weber Brothers) and followed it up with a full-length album Hunter St Blues. After completing a tour last year with Canadian rocker Joel Plaskett and his father Bill for their Solidarity album, the duo released their second full-length record, Skip Land, this year.
TASS Jazz and Junior Combo Bands
The Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Jazz and Junior Combo bands are two award-winning bands consisting of talented high school students under the direction of Vince Abrahamse.
The panelists at "Cultivating Change: Engaging Women In Political Action" held on April 26, 2018, from left to right: Laridae management consultant Lauren Hunter, 2010 Cambridge municipal election candidate Gail Moorhouse, and Selwyn Township Mayor Mary Smith. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW.com)
Besides representing Peterborough politically, what distinction do current MP Maryam Monsef and former MPP Jenny Carter share?
If you answered they are the only two women to ever represent the city at the provincial or federal level, step to the front of the line. (Editor’s note: Gillian Sandeman also represented the riding of Peterborough as a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1977.)
That revelation was just one of several brought to the attention of a sold-out audience of around 80 women who gathered Thursday evening (April 26) at the Ashburnham Reception Centre for “Cultivating Change: Engaging Women In Political Action”.
“Cultivating Change: Engaging Women In Political Action” was held on April 26, 2018 at the Ashburnham Reception Centre in Peterborough.
With the central message being that when women get involved in the political process, communities change, the non-partisan event featured a panel of three women with different political experiences: longtime local municipal politician Mary Smith, veteran election campaign organizer Lauren Hunter, and former Cambridge municipal election candidate Gail Moorhouse, who now lives in Peterborough.
The presentation and ensuing discussion, co-moderated by Devon Girard and Jocasta Boone, urged women to get involved politically in their communities.
Boone pointed to the 1995 endorsement of the economic and social councils of the United Nations which set a target of 30 per cent female participation at all decision-making levels. While that target has come close to being met at the municipal politics level across Canada (28 per cent), it’s been a far different story locally.
“When we look at the last five (municipal elections) in Peterborough, only 19 per cent of candidates have been women and only 18 per cent of those have been elected,” said Boone.
“Why does this matter? When we achieve gender equity, we know our communities change. Gender equity impacts every aspect of our communities. It’s currently estimated that if we achieve gender equity it would add $150 billion to the Canadian GDP. This isn’t small stuff. We’d have a thriving economy.”
Saying “We need to lead by example, to have the viewpoints of women heard and matter,” Boone urged the audience to get involved, noting change will be the result.
“The minute there are women sitting around the table, the minute we achieve that 30 per cent, the culture (of politics) will change. Women are more inclined to collaborate. They are more inclined to work across party lines. It would not be the way it is right now if we achieve equity.”
A sold-out crowd of around 80 women attended the non-partisan “Cultivating Change: Engaging Women In Political Action” event held April 26, 2018 at the Ashburnham Reception Centre, including Kim Zippel (left), who has announced her intention to run as a municipal election candidate in Otonabee Ward, and Sheila Wood, who is eyeing a run in Ashburnham Ward. (Photo: Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW.com)
Earlier, Smith, Hunter and Moorhouse shared their experiences as major players in the male-dominated political sphere.
Mary Smith, the current second-term mayor of Selwyn Township, echoed the notion that more women in elected positions would prove to be a game changer.
“From what I’ve seen in local government, women are more willing to follow process and work collaboratively through that process,” said Smith, whose political career began in 1998 when she was acclaimed deputy reeve for Lakefield.
“I respect that. I think that brings us to a better place in the decision-making process in government. The more women we have on council, the more open council is to gather information to put in front of the public.”
Asked by Girard what needs to be done to motivate more women to seek elected office, Lauren Hunter said an awareness of potential candidates is key, followed by encouragement.
“We are seeing more women in positions of leadership … the more we have that, the easier it will be for the younger generation to see herself sitting around the table,” Hunter said.
“We each need to take it upon ourselves to find women in the community in non-traditional places. There are a lot of politicians who are lawyers or have a business background and that’s great, but that doesn’t mean that it’s only those professions that make great politicians.
“Great politicians come from all walks of life. We need to start seeking them out. Ask her to run, and then ask her to run again, and over and over until she says ‘Yes, you’re right, I do have the qualifications, I am capable and I deserve to be there.'”
Referring specifically to audience member Diane Therrien, a relatively youthful Peterborough city councillor serving her first term, Gail Moorhouse said she’s a role model for younger women to consider running.
Hunter, who worked for a time for MP Monsef, said much the same about her, noting young girls look to her with awe.
VIDEO: Devon Girard & Lynn Zimmer talk about “Cultivating Change” on CHEX
Boone, meanwhile, left the audience with several ways they can bring about change, leading to more empowerment for women while inching that gender equity percentage higher, not just in political circles but in all male-dominated scenarios.
“The first is you’ve got to show up and you did tonight,” she said. “You came out. You made the commitment of time. You made it a priority. We have to keep showing up. We can’t do this work while sitting at home. We need to show up.”
Boone also listed voting, sharing a talent with the community, volunteering with a campaign, donating cash to candidate, run for elected office, getting involved with a voter or citizen engagement initiative, advocating on an issue that matters to you personally, and engaging your network
“We can get to 30 per cent, just 30 per cent is all we’re asking for,” said Boone.
“We are 53 per cent of the population. We have networks. We can do this. It’s important that we’re having this discussion. It’s important that we’re sharing with our neighbours and our sisters and our daughters and our co-workers. It is important that this not end at nine o’clock tonight.”
Along with Boone, Girard, and Moorhouse, other organizers of the event were kawarthaNOW.com founder and publisher Jeannine Taylor, acorn30 founder and CEO Heather Watson, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton executive director Lynn Zimmer, and Louise Racine, founder of Thirteen Moons and the Peterborough International Women’s Day Conference.
There are three drive-in theatres in the Kawarthas: the Port Hope Drive-In (which is already open on weekends), the Lindsay Drive-In (which opens for the season on April 27, 2018), and the Havelock Family Drive-In (which opens for the season on May 18, 2018). Pictured is a drive-in theatre in Chicago circa 1950, when the alternative to traditional movie theatres began to gain popularity.
It’s the 85th anniversary of the drive-in theatre this year and, despite decades of challenges that have put many drive-ins out of business, the idea of watching outdoor movies from your car has endured.
Many people still relish driving out to a rural area, parking their car, heading to the concession stand for popcorn, getting comfy with some blankets and pillows, and tucking in for an evening of watching two (or more) movies.
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For the older generation, it’s partly nostalgia (how many Baby Boomers were conceived at a drive-in, we wonder?). But even young people born during the internet age of on-demand video are discovering the drive-in experience.
That’s good news for the three drive-in theatres operating in the Kawarthas, including the Lindsay Drive-In (229 Pigeon Lake Road, Lindsay) which opens for the season tonight (April 27).
The Port Hope Drive-In (2141 Theatre Rd. S., Cobourg) — Canada’s oldest continuously operated drive-in — has already been open for a few weeks, and the Havelock Family Drive-In (800 11th Line, Hastings) opens for the season on the Victoria Day weekend (May 18).
David Vahey of Omemee brought his 1955 Buick Super to the Lindsay Drive-In in 2017. Drive-in theatres were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950s. (Photo: Lindsay Drive-In / Facebook)
That’s not to say that the drive-in theatre industry isn’t continuing to face challenges. The Owen Sound Twin Drive-In Theatre at Springmount, which opened in 1950, closed permanently this year. Toronto’s only drive-in at The Docks will also not be opening this season.
Back in 2012, the Mustang Drive-In in Peterborough — with the largest screen in Ontario at the time — closed for good, when the owner was unable to afford the switch to digital projection (more on that later).
And the Port Hope Drive-in was reluctantly forced to raise its prices this season for the first time in five years, to deal with increasing costs.
Even so, 18 drive-in theatres continue to operate in Ontario, with drive-ins located in Fonthill, Grand Bend, Gravenhurst, Guelph, Hanover, Havelock, Kingston, Lindsay, London, Midland, Oakville, Oro-Medonte, Pembroke, Perth, Picton, Port Hope, Sharon, and Tilbury.
A brief history of the drive-in theatre
Invented by Richard Hollingshead of Camden, New Jersey, the first drive-in theatre opened in 1933.
The concept of the drive-in theatre was invented in the late 1920s by Richard Hollingshead of Camden, New Jersey. The story goes that his overweight mother couldn’t get comfortable in regular movie theatre seats, so Hollingshead came up with the idea of an open-air theatre.
He mounted a 1928 Kodak movie projector on the hood of his car, projected the film onto a screen made of two sheets nailed between two trees, and placed a radio behind the screen for sound. Eventually he developed a ramp system so cars could park at different heights to see the screen without being obstructed by other vehicles.
In 1933, Hollingshead received a patent for the concept, formed Park-In Theatres, Inc. and opened “Automobile Movie Theater” — the very first drive-in theatre. He charged 25 cents per person and 25 cents per car, with a maximum cost of $1. Park-It Theaters later licensed the concept to Loews Drive-In Theaters, Inc. (the origin of the phrase “drive-in theatre”), but drive-ins didn’t become popular until the advent of in-car speakers in the early 1940s. In 1946, Skyway Drive-In in Stoney Creek, Ontario (since closed) was the first drive-in theatre to open in Canada.
After some legal issues between Park-In Theaters and Loews Drive-In Theaters, Hollingshead’s original patent was overturned in 1950, and drive-ins began popping up everywhere. They were popular because they offered affordable family entertainment. People could bring their babies and kids and amorous teenagers could find some privacy from their parents in what became known as the “passion pit”.
During their peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theatres in the U.S. and 250 in Canada. Drive-ins were popular because they offered affordable family entertainment.
During the drive-in peak of the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theatres in the U.S. and 250 in Canada. Today, there are fewer than 350 drive-ins left in the U.S. and fewer than 50 in Canada.
The decline of the drive-in began in the 1970s, with the rise of home entertainment options — colour television, cable, VCRs, and video rentals — that encouraged families to stay in the comfort of their homes. The energy crisis of the 1970s also had an impact, as did the widespread adoption of Daylight Saving Time (which forced movies to start an hour later, making them less family friendly).
To supplement their declining revenues, some drive-ins (which were already showing B movies rather than first-run movies, due to restrictions from movie studios) began screening mature films and adult films. However, this created a negative image and further discouraged families from attending.
The growing real estate market and increasing property taxes also affected the viability of drive-in theatres, many of which were located in the suburbs or in rural areas. Theatre owners ended up selling to developers who built shopping malls or residential housing developments on the properties.
The Mustang Drive-in in Peterborough closed in 2012 when the owner was unable to afford the switch from film to digital projection. The Owen Sound Twin Drive-In Theatre at Springmount, which opened in 1950, closed permanently this year. Toronto’s only drive-in at The Docks will also not be opening this season. (Photo: Jay Callaghan)
Despite the decline in attendance that shuttered many theatres, the quality of the drive-in experience continued to improve. In the 1970s, the original sound system used for drive-in theatres (an external speaker hung inside a car’s window) was replaced by low-power AM broadcasts to car radios and, in the 1980s, by higher-quality FM radio broadcasts.
In the early 1990s, movie studios began offering first-run movies to drive-ins, and the drive-in theatre had somewhat of a resurgence. People could now see new and popular movies at drive-ins instead of going to a regular movie theatre.
The resurgence was short lived, however. In the 1990s and the 2000s, even more home entertainment options became available, including DVDs, larger and cheaper high-definition flat-screen televisions, and streaming internet video including Netflix. The final nail in the coffin for some drive-ins came when movie studios began to move away from producing 35mm film prints to digital, with an ultimatum issued to theatres to switch to digital in 2013.
This meant that drive-ins had to purchase high-definition digital projectors if they wanted to screen new movies. The conversion cost was $75,000 to $100,000 per screen — a difficult expense for drive-in theatres to justify with a limited number of daily screenings, and particularly for Canadian drive-in theatres that only operate for part of the year.
Still, even facing all these obstacles, drive-ins continue to make a go of it. But if you want to keep your local drive-in in business, make going to a drive-in movie a regular outing during the season.
The Lindsay Drive-In is the only two-screen drive-in in the Kawarthas. (Photo: Lindsay Drive-In)
What’s playing at local drive-ins
During drive-in season, kawarthaNOW.com publishes movie listings every week for the Lindsay, Port Hope, and Havelock drive-ins on our Movie Listings page.
This weekend (starting April 27, 2018), Lindsay Drive-In is screening Sherlock Gnomes and A Quiet Place on Screen One, and Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther on Screen Two. The movies run nightly from Friday, April 27th to Sunday, April 29th and on Tuesday, May 1st. For more information, including ticket prices, visit www.lindsaydrivein.ca.
From Friday, April 27th to Sunday, April 29th, Port Hope Drive-In is screening Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. For more information, including ticket prices, visit www.porthopedrivein.com.
Both drive-ins will open seven days a week in early summer, when school is out.
The Havelock Family Drive In opens for the season on Friday, May 18th (the Victoria Day weekend). For more information, visit www.havelockdrivein.com.
Originally from Montana and now living in Toronto, singer-songwriter Rachael Cardiello brings her indie soul-folk music (and her viola) to The Garnet in downtown Peterborough on Wednesday, May 2. Rachael is touring with her brother Jon Cardiello (Wrinkles), performing as Bombshell Nightlight, who will be opening. (Photo: Michael Cardiello)
Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, April 26 to Wednesday, May 2.
If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.
8pm - Special Olympics Peterborough fundraiser ft Standard Electric w/ Lagan & Derelict (donation at door)
Frank's Pasta and Grill
426 King St. E., Cobourg
(905) 372-2727
Friday, April 27
9pm-12am - Karaoke; 12am - DJ
Saturday, April 28
7pm - The Spirits; 11:30pm - DJ Brown Sugar
Wednesday, May 2
8-11pm - Open Mic
Coming Soon
Saturday, May 5 7pm - Madman's Window; 11:30pm - DJ McPimpin
Saturday, May 12 8pm - The Breezeway Band; 11:30pm - DJ McPimpin
Saturday, May 19 8pm - Nurse Joy; 11:30pm - DJ C. Martell
Saturday, May 26 8pm - The Quickshifters; 11:30pm - DJ Mocha
Ganaraska Hotel
30 Ontario St., Port Hope
(905) 885-9254
Friday, April 27
10pm - DJ Loco Joe
Saturday, April 28
2pm & 10pm - Marty and the Mojos
Sunday, April 29
2-5pm - Red Stove Jam w/ Zacahary Shields, Mike Watson, Glen Furguson, Bob Johnson, Mark Inwards, Denis Nelson, Rick Dickerson, Angie Austin, Hope Horsfield
Coming Soon
Thursday, May 3 6:30pm - Elvis Presley Show ft Elvis impersonator Al Ross
Friday, May 4 10pm - DJ Loco Joe
Saturday, May 5 2pm & 10pm - Baz Little Rock Band
The Garnet
231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 874-0107
Thursday, April 26
9pm - The Real Shade and guests
Friday, April 27
9pm - The Steady Swagger, Niall, The Effens ($10)
Saturday, April 28
9pm - Punk Show ft T-Rex Marathon, Strange, The Beat Abbatoir ($5)
Thursday, May 24 8pm - Peterborough LIVE presents Rockafellas w/ Broken Harmony, The Heartless Romantics, M.J. & The Beetus, Goombas, Rhys Climenhage ($15 for all-access festival pass or $10 per show, in advance at www.ticketscene.ca/events/21027/)
Saturday, May 26 8pm - Peterborough LIVE presents Mayhem w/ The Divided Line, Odd Ones, Jagged, My Affected Reality, Outshined, Present Tense ($15 for all-access festival pass or $10 per show, in advance at www.ticketscene.ca/events/21057/)
Friday, May 4 6:30pm - Dinner and Elvis Impersonator Al Ross
The Social
295 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 874-6724
Friday, April 27
10pm - Nashville Night
Saturday, April 28
6:30-9:30pm - International Jazz Day Peterborough presents Carrie Chesnutt Quartet (no cover); 10pm - Saturday Night Live ft High Waters Band
Coming Soon
Saturday, June 2 10pm - Ivory Hours w/ Paper Shakers
Southside Pizzeria
25 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough
(705) 748-6120
Fridays
9am-12pm - Open mic ($2)
Turtle John's Bar & Grill
4620 County Road 45, Cobourg
(905) 377-9113
Coming Soon
Sunday, May 13 12pm - Grand Opening ft dance performances by #M Dance works, DJ Chris, face painting and jumping castle (fundraiser for The Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation)
Turtle John's Pub & Restaurant
64 John St., Port Hope
(905) 885-7200
Friday, April 27
10pm - Rocky's Birthday Bash ft Head Case
The Venue
286 George Street North, Peterborough
(705) 876-0008
Coming Soon
Friday, June 1 7pm - RiseUp TV Tour Spring 2008 hosted by Roger Boucher and ft Ian Kurz, Taylor Merrick, Missy Knott, and more ($10)
While anyone can fall victim to the Canada Revenue Agency scam, elderly people are especially vulnerable as they may not check with family or friends before providing financial information to a scammer.
Spring is tax season, and it’s also scam season.
Police services across the Kawarthas are reminding residents to beware of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam, which is very active right now.
“This scam is evolving from year to year and becoming more sophisticated and more believable,” says Detective Constable Keith Calderwood with Peterborough Police Service Fraud Unit.
The scammers pretend to be CRA employees, claim that you owe the government money, and often threaten you with arrest if you do not pay.
Recent versions of the scam demand that you pay using gift cards, including iTunes and Steam cards. For telephone scams, the scammers often spoof the incoming number that appears on your call display so it appears to be legitimate.
On Monday alone (April 23), Peterborough police received 36 calls from residents reporting they had been contacted by income tax fraudsters. Recently, a local college student was scammed out of more than $1,500 after responding to a fake CRA email where she provided the scammers with all of her personal and banking information.
The City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service and the Northumberland detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have also reported calls from residents about the CRA scam.
Police are reminding residents to never provide identity or financial information or payment to someone who claims to be from the CRA, whether by telephone or in email.
CRA will never contact you by telephone or email to ask for identity or financial information, threaten you with arrest, or demand payment using gift cards. There are some legitimate reasons why CRA may contact you by telephone or email. In those cases, you should always verify by calling the CRA directly at 1-800-959-5525 (corporate income tax) or 1-800-959-8281 (personal income tax).
“These scammers are extremely aggressive and convincing,” Calderwood says. “If you get one of these calls, do not act (by giving them information). Hang up, call a trusted family member, friend, and call your bank.”
If you receive a scam phone call, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501. For more information, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
If you have been a victim of fraud (meaning you have lost money to a scammer), contact your local police service.
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