Canadian music icon Fred Penner will be performing a free family concert at Lansdowne Place Mall in Peterborough on March 3, 2018 as part of the week-long Peterborough Winter Folk Festival. (Photo: Kendra Hope)
Canadian music icon Fred Penner is returning to Peterborough to perform a free family concert at Lansdowne Place Mall (645 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough) on Saturday, March 3rd.
The children’s music peformer is best known for his song “The Cat Came Back” and his television show Fred Penner’s Place, which aired on CBC in Canada from 1985 to 1997.
The two-time Juno winner most recently took home the Best Children’s Record award at the 2017 Canadian Folk Music Awards, for his album Hear The Music, which features Ron Sexsmith, Alex Cuba, Basia Bulat, The Good Lovelies, Terra Lightfoot, Afie Jurvanen (a.k.a. Bahamas) with backup vocals from Fred’s own family.
VIDEO: “I Hear The Music” performed by Fred Penner
Fred last performed at the Peterborough Folk Festival in the summer of 2016.
Presented by Lansdowne Place and the Peterborough Folk Festival, the concert begins at 12:30 p.m. at Centre Court with performances by local musicians Kate Suhr and Melissa Payne, followed by Fred’s performance from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
“Children’s and family activities have always been an important part of the festival in the summer,” says Ryan Kemp, artistic director of the volunteer-run Peterborough Folk Festival. “We are really excited to team with Lansdowne Place to bring Canadian icon Fred Penner to Peterborough.”
The free concert is part of the Peterborough Winter Folk Festival (previously known as the February Folk Folly), which runs at various venues from Friday, March 2 to Saturday, March 10, 2018.
The festival also includes a series of ticketed concerts. Downchild Blues Band performs at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Friday, March 2nd. The Sheepdogs will be at Showplace Performance Centre on Tuesday, March 6th, followed by Randy Bachman on Wednesday, March 7th, with special guests Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs opening on each night.
On Friday, March 9th, My Son The Hurricane with special guest Broken Harmony will take the stage at the Red Dog Tavern and, on Saturday, March 10th, Peterborough’s own Mayhemingways (Benj Rowland and Josh Fewings) will be releasing their new album “Skip Land” at The Mount, with special guest Ali McCormick.
For more information on the Peterborough Winter Folk Festival and how to buy tickets, visit www.peterboroughfolkfest.com.
One of the three men who broke into the rear entrance of Wild Rock in downtown Peterborough before stealing Canada Goose parkas. (Photo: Wild Rock / Facebook)
Outdoor gear retailer Wild Rock Outfitters in downtown Peterborough is asking for the public’s help in solving a break-in.
At around 4 a.m. overnight on Wednesday, January 10th, three men entered the store after bumping the lock on the rear door.
Once inside the store, the men stole a number of Canada Goose parkas.
One of the thieves captured on a security camera inside the store with one of the parkas. (Photo: Wild Rock / Facebook)
The trendy and expensive coats (which can retail for $900 or much higher depending on the coat) have been a favourite target of thieves. They are also a source of controversy among animal rights activists, largely for the company’s use of coyote fur to line the jacket hoods.
According to a post today (January 22) on Wild Rock’s Facebook page, the three men who stole the parkas drove a silver mini-van. The vehicle and a couple of the men were captured on security footage.
Wild Rock is offering a jacket of your choice if you can help them locate the thieves. You can contact them directly at 705-745-9133 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Canada Goose parkas have drawn the ire of animal rights activities for their use of coyote fur. The trendy and expensive coats are also a favourite target of thieves. (Photo: Canada Goose)
Josh Fewings and Benj Rowland of Mayhemingways have released the first single, "Frances the Truck Driver", from their new full-length record Skip Land. The single is available now on Spotify, Google Play Music, and iTunes, and the full album drops on February 23, 2018. (Photo: Wayne Eardley)
A common denominator of any successful partnership is shared give-and-take; each party gives equally, each party reaps rewards equally.
Since 2013, Josh Fewings and Benj Rowland have worked their partnership to perfection and live music fans across the country and beyond have benefitted. With their stage coupling — Mayhemingways — now about to turn the page on a new chapter of their journey together, both are steadfast in their determination to stay the course.
In other words, if it ain’t broke, why even consider fixing it?
On February 23rd in Calgary, Mayhemingways will officially release Skip Land, a new 10-track offering recorded about an hour south of the Alberta city in Nanton. The band has already released the first single, a track titled “Frances The Truck Driver”, which is available now on Spotify, Google Play Music, and iTunes.
VIDEO: “Frances the Truck Driver” – Mayhemingways
Produced by Steve Loree, who also produced Mayhemingways’ first critically acclaimed full-length album Hunter St. Blues, the new album was actually recorded close to a year ago. However, a very busy 2016 — which included a cross-Canada tour opening for (and backing) Joel Plaskett and his father Bill and a trek across Europe — put its release on the backburner.
Locally, the new album will be front-and-centre when Mayhemingways return from touring out west to headline a March 10th concert at the Mount Community Centre (1545 Monaghan Road, Peterborough, 705-875-5045) — part of the Peterborough Winter Folk Festival.
Tickets to the 8 p.m. licensed all-ages show cost $12 (including service fee) at Bluestreak Records and The Mount, or $15 at the door. You can also order them online at ticketscene.ca.
Opening is Ali McCormack, who had a residency at The Garnet, while former Pig’s Ear bartender Andrea Forsell will lend her skills to the occasion. With the now-closed Brock Street pub having been a favourite haunt of Mayhemingways, Josh says Andrea’s involvement is a no-brainer.
“If you can’t have The Pig’s Ear, you might as well bring the bartender,” he laughs.
The new record “is a little darker, a little more eclectic too,” according to Josh.
“How we recorded it was kind of different too,” he explains. “The producer had a vision he wanted to try, sort of capturing more of what our live show sounds like. It has a kind of realism to it.
“It’s not overly produced or perfect, which for the songs that are on it kind of fits. There are a lot of auxiliary sounds — Benj hums along on one song. It’s real and it kind of suits where we are at this point.”
Last year, Mayhemingways toured Canada with Bill and Joel Plaskett and played at Massey Hall in Toronto. (Photo: Mayhemingways)
For his part, Benj — who wrote the lyrics and music — says the album’s recording was equal parts satisfying and interesting.
“Some songs, you have an idea in your head of how they’ll sound but they don’t turn into that,” he says. “And then sometimes, they turn into something better than you thought they would. The last record was very intentionally place-specific. This album is something else. That wasn’t the focus. It goes somewhere else.”
“Where we’re from is always with us, but it’s not always literal,” Josh adds. “The influences both Benj and I had growing up — Washboard Hank and The Silverhearts — a lot of that stuff has kind of seeped into different parts of what we do.”
On the road in the Czech Republic in November 2017. Since forming in 2013, Josh Fewings and Benj Rowland have performed more than 600 live shows across Canada and in Europe. (Photo: Mayhemingways)
Tom Wilson (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond, Junkhouse) has described their music as “mind-bending and original music with deep roots in the tradition of dark North American folk,” and Josh and Benj have been remarkably consistent in the delivery of that sound.
That, Benj notes, is by design, not by accident.
“There’s a formula,” he says. “I like it and I’m not bored of it.”
But while there’s a signature Mayhemingways sound, that doesn’t mean the music doesn’t evolve.
“There’s always progression whether you’re trying for that or not. Making another record is progression. I learn by doing. That’s progression for me. You’re a different person than you were when you made the last record.”
As for the chemistry at the root of their success, Josh says that has been nurtured and enhanced by the unique closeness of the duo format.
“When you’re in a car with someone for so long — we’ve played about 600 shows — you grow that thing twins have, where you know what the other one is thinking. It’s just like any couple in that you have to be ready to compromise.
“We have friends who are in bands of seven people. Just trying to figure out even basic things like hotels, I can’t imagine.”
Life on the road for touring musicians isn’t always fun, but for Josh and Benj there’s a definite benefit to Mayhemingways being a duo. “When you’re in a car with someone for so long, you grow that thing twins have, where you know what the other one is thinking.” (Photo: Mayhemingways)
In their partnership, Benj writes the songs and employs various instruments such as the banjo, mandolin, accordion, and guitar, while Josh adds “a bit of my own rhythms” — he also books shows and uses his more outgoing personality to handle networking.
“We’ve definitely had a lot of luck to be able to do it this long,” Josh says. “We’re super independent. Labels can be really good but as soon as they’re in there, they’re part of the decisions too.
“You need to keep on rolling, adding shows. The plan is to keep going at it and hopefully gain new fans.”
Benj concurs, attributing his part in Mayhemingways’ continued success to being “more adult, more stable, more mature”.
“We’re not trying to explode anything,” he says. “We get down to it and do the work. We both know what’s involved. We don’t have unreasonable expectations.”
For more on Mayhemingways, including a complete listing of upcoming shows, visit mayhemingways.com.
Josh Fewings and Benj Rowland of Mayhemingways in a publicity photo for their new record “Skip Land”, which follows their critically acclaimed 2016 album “Hunter St Blues”. (Photo: Wayne Eardley)
Andrew Winslow of Winslow Gerolamy Motors Limited (left) accepts the Environmental Excellence Business Award from Ontonabee Conservation at its 59th annual meeting on January 18, 2018. Winslow Gerolamy Motors donated a cube van to the environmental organization for use in transporting tree seedlings. (Photo: Otonabee Conservation)
This week we feature an environmental award from Otonabee Conservation for Winslow Gerolamy Motors, the first intake of 2018 for the Starter Company Plus at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre, the new board of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Horizon Plastics International of Cobourg being acquired by an American company, and upcoming business events including the nomination deadline for the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce annual business awards.
If you have business news or events you want us to share with our readers, email business@kawarthanow.com.
Ontonabee Conservation presents local automotive business Winslow Gerolamy Motors Limited with environmental award
Winslow Gerolamy Motors Limited (1018 Lansdowne St, W., Peterborough) received the Environmental Excellence Business Award from Otonabee Conservation at its 59th annual meeting in Keene on Thursday, January 18th.
Dealer principal Andrew Winslow accepted the award on behalf of the company.
For a number of years now, Winslow Gerolamy has donated the use of a cube van enabling Otonabee Conservation staff to pick up, store, and deliver thousands of tree seedlings to various planting sites throughout the watershed. Having the use of the van lessened Otonabee Conservation’s carbon footprint by reducing the number of trips it would otherwise take to transport the trees. The logistics were also simplified, helping the program to run more smoothly and efficiently.
Dr. Sue Carstairs (right), executive and medical director of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, accepts the Environmental Excellence Stewardship Award from Ontonabee Conservation chair Andy Mitchell and vice-chair Sherry Senis. (Photo: Otonabee Conservation)
Also honoured were Meaghen Thompson and Olivia Handley of Ennismore Guides, who received the Environmental Excellence Conservationist Award for demonstrate leadershiping and inspire others to understand and become engaged citizens within our natural environment, and the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, which received the Environmental Excellence Stewardship Award for the organization’s dedication to the protection and conservation of Ontario’s native turtles.
“The awards recognize the conservation efforts of those who are very passionate about conservation but remain quite humble about their involvement and accomplishments,” says Otonabee Conservation chair Andy Mitchell. “It’s our way of saying thank you and sharing their success with the watershed community.”
Applications now open for Starter Company Plus program’s first intake of 2018
Madeleine Hurrell, Economic Development Officer who oversees the Starter Company Plus and Summer Company programs at the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre, shares information with Starter Company Plus participants at a summer workshop. (Photo: Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
If you’re looking to start or expand a business in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, are over 18 and no longer enrolled in full-time studies, applications are now being accepted for the first intake of the Starter Company Plus program.
The program is funded by the Government of Ontario and administered locally by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre,
The five-week program, which has three upcoming intakes in 2018, is designed to provide business training for aspiring and established entrepreneurs, aged 18 and over in the City and County of Peterborough who are launching a business or expanding an existing venture that has been in operation for five years or less.
There are four intake sessions taking place on Thursdays in February. The first “Starting Point” session starts Thursday, February 1st from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the VentureNorth boardroom just down the stairs from Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development office at 270 George St N, Peterborough.
Attendance at one of these sessions is a mandatory first step to applying for Starter Company Plus. Sessions will take place on February 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce announces 2018 Board of Directors
Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett swears in Jim Hill of James F. Hill Financial Management Services as the chair of the 2018 board of directors for the Peterborough Chamber. (Photo: Sofie Andreou)
On Tuesday, January 16th, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce held the inaugural meeting of the 2018 Board of Directors.
The new chair of the board is Jim Hill of James F. Hill Financial Management Services, along with vice-chair Ben vanVeen (Century 21 United Realty Inc., Brokerage), treasurer Dawn Hennessey (Business Development Bank of Canada), secretary Stuart Harrison (Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce), and directors at large Joe Grant (LLF Lawyers LLP) and Allison Seiderer (Living Well Home Medical Equipment).
Directors are Sofie Andreou, Tim Barrie, Chris Calbury, Gwyneth James, Mary McGee, Lorrie McMullen, Neil Morton, Amy Simpson, and Morgan Smith.
Appointees to the 2018 board are Mayor Daryl Bennett (representing the City of Peterborough), Selwyn Township Deputy Mayor Sherry Senis, (representing the County of Peterborough), Lorie Gill (representing the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough) and Paul Glenn (representing the Peterborough County Federation of Agriculture).
American company acquires Horizon Plastics International Inc. in Cobourg
Cobourg’s Horizon Plastics International Inc., which operates plastic molding factories in Cobourg and Mexico, has been acquired by Core Molding Technologies Inc. of Columbus, Ohio for $63 million U.S. The acquisition is not expected to result in any restructuring, shut downs, or reduction of its 250 employees. (Photo: Horizon Plastics International Inc.)
Ohio-based Core Molding Technologies Inc., a leading North American compounder of custom sheet molding compound and molder of fiberglass reinforced plastics, has acquired Horizon Plastics International Inc. (HPI) of Cobourg for $63 million U.S.
HIP, which will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Core Molding Technologies Inc., was founded in 1972. The company is a custom low-pressure structural plastic molder with 250 employees at the head office and manufacturing facility in Cobourg and its second manufacturing facility in Mexico. The company had annual sales last year of around $60 million U.S.
HPI owner and CEO Brian Read says he was looking for a new owner for the company, and Core Molding Technologies was a good fit.
“As I looked to transition ownership of HPI, it was important to find the right partner,” Read says in a media release. “As a long-term Cobourg resident and business owner, future stability of the organization and support of our outstanding technical and production teams was a high priority. I also favoured a strategic partner with the scale and technology foundation to continue growing these specialized processes into expanded applications.”
Core Molding Technologies Inc. states it plans to continue all operations at HPI and “does not expect any significant restructuring, shut-down or employee severance costs.”
Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Business After Hours Lakefield Health and Wellness Hop on January 23
Robyn Jenkins and Evelyne Derkindren of The Robyn’s Nest Photography Company & Beauty Boutique in Lakefield, one of three businesses participating in the Business After Hours Lakefield Health and Wellness Hop.
Members of the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism will be visiting three Lakefield businesses on Tuesday, January 23rd from 5 to 7 p.m. to learn tips and tricks for wellness in the new year.
The Business After Hours Lakefield Health and Wellness Hop takes place at Salon Sorella & Day Spa, Robyn’s Nest Photography & Beauty, and Cuddles for Cancer.
Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting on January 30
The Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 111th Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, January 30th at 6 p.m. at The Woodlawn Inn (420 Division Street, Cobourg).
Members are invited to attend and hear an overview of the Chamber’s activities for the past year, including presentation of the Chamber’s audited year-end financial report. The 2018 Executive will be introduced, and elections will be held to fill the available seats on the Board of Directors.
Immediately following the AGM, there will be “The Chair’s Dinner”, featuring a four-course meal with wines to accompany each dish.
For more information, visit the Chamber’s website at nccofc.ca.
Upcoming business seminars at Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland: January 31, February 7, March 6
The Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland is hosting three upcoming seminars as part of its Advanced Seminar Series.
On Wednesday, January 31st from noon to 1:30 p.m., Peter Thomas will present a social media seminar. He will speak about developing a social media marketing plan, understanding your buyer persona, and tools for social media with a focus on business Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
On Wednesday, February 7th from 1:30 to 3 p.m., professional photographer Mike Gaudaur will present a product and business photography workshop. He will discuss set up and lighting for your product photos, how to make your photos effective for your online marketing, and taking professional-quality photos of yourself and your staff.
On Tuesday, March 6th from noon to 2 p.m., Peter Thomas will present a seminar on today’s online marketing environment. He will speak about what makes a good website, search engine optimation, content marketing, digital marketing plans, and more.
The cost is $10 for members of the Port Hope and Trent Hill chambers and $15 for non-members (cash only at the door). Advance registration is required to secure a space. Email bizhelp@northumberlandcounty.ca or call 905-372-9279.
Launch & Learn at Headwaters Community Farm & Education Centre in Cobourg on February 7
Headwaters Community Farm & Education Centre is offering a “Launch & Learn” session about corporate and wellness day retreats offered at the farm on February 7. (Photo: Headwaters Community Farm & Education Centre / Instagram)
Headwaters Community Farm & Education Centre (3517 Rowe Rd, Cobourg) is hosting a “Launch & Learn” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7th.
Owners Linda and Tony Armstrong are inviting representatives from organizations to find out more about corporate and wellness day retreats offered at the farm, which is located 10 minutes north of Highway 401 between Port Hope and Cobourg.
The preview includes a sampling of Headwaters’ food and mocktails, a tour of their activity and meeting facilities, a presentation about what the centre has to offer, and a choice of three sample workshops.
To reserve your complimentary spot, email info@headwatersfarm.ca by Wednesday, January 31st.
Nomination deadline for Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce Business & Community Achievement Awards – February 15
Nominations for the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s 12th Annual Business & Community Achievement Awards are open until 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 15th.
Award categories are Business Achievement, Customer First, Business, Customer First, Employee, Entrepreneur of the Year, Innovation & Creativity, New Business (1-3 years), Young Professional of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year, Skilled Trades & Industry, Tourism & Hospitality, and Highlander of the Year.
The awards gala will be held on Saturday, March 17th at Pinestone Resort (4252 Haliburton County Rd 21, Haliburton).
Peterborough Chamber “Power Hour” evening with elected officials returns on February 21
MP Maryam Monsef, County Warden Joe Taylor, Mayor Daryl Bennett, and MPP Jeaf Leal listen to a question from moderator Sandra Dueck at the “Power Hour” event hosted by the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce on January 25, 2017. (photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Power Hour” — an evening with Peterborough’s elected officials — returns on Wednesday, February 21st.
The event takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m at The Venue in downtown Peterborough.
There will be a full hour of questions and answers with Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, MPP Peterborough Jeff Leal, County of Peterborough Warden Joe Taylor, and City of Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett.
Tickets cost $65 for Chamber members and $75 for non-members (or $450 for a table of seven for members and $525 for non-members). HST will be added to the ticket price. Register here.
“Bridges Out of Poverty” workshop for employers on March 7
The City and County of Peterborough Social Services, along with Agilec, Employment Ontario, Employment Planning & Counselling, Fleming Crew Employment Centre, and the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge, are hosting a free workshop for employers on “Bridges out of Poverty”.
The Bridges out of Poverty fraemwork, which originated in the U.S. and has been adopted by other communities in Canada, aims to help people who grew up in poverty and educate the agencies who assist them. The workshop will provide information on the framework as well as the variety of financial incentives available for employers in the community. It will also provide information on understanding and retaining employees.
The free workshop takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7th at Agilec Peterborough office (Brookdale Plaza, 863 Chemong Rd, Unit 20-A). Refreshments will be served.
The New York Times has run a feature story on the impact of the pending closure of the GE plant in Peterborough. (Screenshot of NYT website)
The New York Times has just run a feature story describing the pending closure of the General Electric plant in Peterborough and the city’s economic challenges and successes.
The January 21st story, entitled This City Once Made Much of What Canada Bought. But No More., juxtaposes the pending closure against the Trump administration’s claim that Canada and Mexico have benefitted more from free trade than the United States.
“But the idea that Canada has prospered at America’s expense is a tough sell in Peterborough, a city northeast of Toronto,” writes Ian Austen, a Windsor native who now lives in Ottawa and has reported about Canada for The New York Times for more than a decade.
The story includes photos of Peterborough — the Quaker Oats plant, Peterborough mayor Daryl Bennett, The Canadian Canoe Museum, and more — taken by Toronto photographer Aaron Vincent Elkaim.
“This year General Electric, which employed about 6,000 people here at its peak, will add its name to the long list of manufacturers that have left town,” Austen writes. “The shutdown, which the company attributes to a 60 percent drop in demand over four years for the factory’s products, will end the corporation’s 126-year history in Peterborough.”
The article quotes Unifor union local Bill Corp, who has worked for GE for 35 years and attributes the plant closure to the impact of free trade under Nafta.
“They said it was going to be great,” Corp says in the story. “If this is great, then maybe nothing would be better.”
Austen then describes Peterborough as a city that “doesn’t fit the image of a down-at-the-heels Rust Belt town”, and goes on to mention Peterborough’s attractions including the Trent canal, the Peterborough Lift Lock, and Trent University, and notes that Peterborough is growing.
However, he also points out old factory sites in the city, including the Westclox clock factory (now the Time Square building) as well as the Outboard Marine Canada plant (now the location of the existing Canadian Canoe Museum).
Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett is also quoted in the story, pointing out that the local shift away from large-scale manufacturing predated free trade.
The article goes on to quote Corp wondering where older GE employees are going to find work once the plant stops operations.
“They’re in their mid 40s, mid 50s, and they’ve been tradesmen their whole lives,” Corp says in the story, adding that they are unlikely to find jobs that have the pay or benefits offered by GE.
Austen does point out that some industry continues to thrive in Peterborough, using the example of Peterboro Matboards. Previously Peterboro Cardboards Limited, the company was sold in 2001 and revitalized by the new owner, Alan Yaffe. The company now employs 34 people.
Yaffe tells Austen that, whenever Peterboro Matboards advertises a job, around 100 people apply with a couple of days.
“Peterborough’s got a good work force, there’s no question of that,” Yaffe tells Austen. “There’s just not places for those people to work. It’s crazy what’s going on here.”
It should be noted that Austen doesn’t mention the plans for the new $24-million Canadian Canoe Museum at the Peterborough Lift Lock, the planned new casino, the new Peterborough Library opening at the end of January, the VentureNorth building in downtown Peterborough, development of lands at Trent University, and other economic development activities under way in the area.
The iconic Hi Tops restaurant sign is now hanging in one piece on a wall in Hot Belly Mama's restaurant in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Hot Belly Mama / Facebook)
The Hi Tops restaurant sign, a piece of Peterborough’s history, has found a new home at Hot Belly Mama’s restaurant.
The neon sign was taken down in January 2013 from the former Hi Tops restaurant on George Street in downtown Peterborough, after owner Ed Hum closed the landmark restaurant in late 2012.
His family had operated the restaurant since the early 20th century, but Hum decided to close after his mother passed away and his father developed a terminal illness.
The iconic sign originally marked the location of the former Hi Tops restaurant on George Street in downtown Peterborough, which was operated by the Hum family since the early 1900s. (Photo: Hi Tops / Facebook)
When Bill Kimball, artistic director of Public Energy, found out the 20-foot sign was coming down, he asked Hum if he could have it.
In March 2013, at the invitation of owner Dave Tobey, Kimball agreed to have the sign placed inside The Spill — directly across the street from the former Hi Tops restaurant.
It was hung on the south wall there in two pieces until The Spill closed permanently in October 2017.
The sign was hanging in two pieces in The Spill, directly across the street from the former Hi Tops restaurant, until it also closed in October 2017. (Photo: Marguerite Pigeon)
When Travis Smith, owner of Hot Belly Mama’s, found out The Spill was closing, he asked Kimball whether he could display the sign in Hot Belly Mama’s.
The sign now hangs there, this time fully assembled.
Peterborough MPP and Minister Responsible for Small Business Jeff Leal (third from left) with Starter Company Plus program coordinator Madeleine Hurrell (right) and the owners of seven local small businesses that shared $26,000 in funding from the third intake of the Starter Company Plus program offered by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre. The first intake for Starter Company Plus in 2018 takes place in February. (Photo: Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
When doula and prenatal education service Hello, Baby! needed more space for its growing operation, co-owners Steph Hayes and Jenn Avis quickly discovered it wasn’t so easy a task. The overhead to rent traditional office space was too high and buying property wasn’t a feasible option.
The rise in demand for hired help to support mothers from the early stages of pregnancy through birth and beyond was growing, leaving Hayes and Avis grappling with space needed to accommodate their expanding clientele and the number of services they wanted to offer.
Since their startup took off in 2016, Hayes and Avis have been meeting clients for appointments in coffee shops and renting space at Watson & Lou, Peterborough Living Yoga, and The Monocle Centre for the Arts in downtown Peterborough.
Steph Hayes and Jenn Avis, owners of Hello, Baby! became participants of the third intake of the program last fall, and moved on to secure a $4,000 grant through the program. As a result of their winnings, the doulas will open the doors to their new office space on 239 Charlotte Street in March. This financial assistance will help with several expenses, including furniture, shelving for retail products, and a retail point-of-sales system. (Photo: Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
“We saw the potential for our business. We were growing fast and realized we can’t continue without having a space of our own,” says Hayes. “The whole cornerstone of our business is based on community and we want to offer barrier-free services to people and balance that with running a business. The only way to do that is if we have our own space.”
Through the entrepreneurial grapevine, Hayes and Avis heard about the Starter Company Plus program, a Government of Ontario-funded initiative administered locally by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre, and were encouraged by previous participants to enroll.
Along with 14 other small business owners, they became participants of the third intake of the program last fall, and moved on to secure a $4,000 grant through the program.
The five-week program, which has three upcoming intakes in 2018, is designed to provide business training for aspiring and established entrepreneurs, aged 18 and over in the City and County of Peterborough who are launching a business or expanding an existing venture that has been in operation for five years or less.
Starter Company Plus grew out of the organization’s previous iteration, the Starter Company program (that catered only to youth aged 18 to 29) and the 2016 B.L.A.S.T. (Business, Launch, Assistance, Support and Training), pilot program for older entrepreneurs over the age of 30.
Throughout the program, the Business Advisory Centre staff guides and supports participants through a series of interactive business workshops, seminars and networking events, with topics ranging from writing a thorough business plan to marketing and social media campaigns, to budgeting and making their pitch to compete for one of seven micro-grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
Since its inception last March, the program has already generated some favourable numbers.
Starter Company Plus by the numbers
Since March 2017:
Business plans created: 45
Participants who engaged in business training: 56
In-class business training hours: 81
Grants issued: 21
Total of grant dollars: $77,000
Jobs created: 51.5
Businesses startups enrolled: 28
Business expansions enrolled: 17
Hours perfecting business pitches: 20
Mentors & guest speakers: 20
Forty-five small business owners have gone through the program (28 startups and 17 expansions), with 21 of them receiving a share of $77,000 in funding. Those businesses also created 51 jobs within the region.
Through the Starter Company Plus program, business owners are stretching their entrepreneurial skills and creating employment, which is good for the local economy, says Madeleine Hurrell, the Economic Development Officer who overseas the Starter Company Plus and Summer Company programs.
“When businesses succeed, they help stimulate and stabilize local neighbourhood economies by creating local jobs,” she says.
Hurrell adds that one way to elevate your business is to leverage the benefits of local business support programs, such as those offered by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre — one of 57 small business enterprise centres funded by the Ontario government. Services offered at the Business Advisory Centre include information, workshops, and confidential, complimentary one-on-one consultations for businesses at any stage.
Madeleine Hurrell, Economic Development Officer who oversees the Starter Company Plus and Summer Company programs at the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre, shares information with Starter Company Plus participants at a summer workshop. (Photo: Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development works closely with other community partners like the Innovation Cluster, Community Futures Peterborough, and the Chambers of Commerce.
According to Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, the City and County of Peterborough is a great community for starting a venture, with 50 percent of businesses in the region being owner-operated.
Seeking out opportunities to improve your business skills is always a good idea, says Cara Walsh, Corporate Communications Officer at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.
“At its core, Starter Company Plus is a business training program,” says Walsh. “The business plans the participants create become more cohesive, and their confidence and business skills improve so much having gone through the program.”
She says game-changing skills like effectively forecasting your cash flow and sales, as well as monitoring your profit and loss are critical, and learning how to pitch your product or service hones skills that are essential when applying for further funding.
Pitching isn’t just about cash, but perfecting a skill in your entrepreneurial toolbox that could come in handy in the future when looking for investors, whether it’s going to the bank or to Community Futures for business financing, Walsh says.
Hurrell adds that while grant money is important, Starter Company Plus provides mentorship throughout the process, as well as mentorship services to the winning pitches to ensure the entrepreneurs see positive results.
For Hayes and Avis, churning out a cohesive business plan and winning the pitch competition before a panel of industry judges yielded much more than the money they received. The camaraderie and support amongst competitors, for one, along with an “eye opening” financial projection showing them that they could take their small business to a new level of success.
“If we hadn’t received the grant, we were happy to walk away with that business plan. We would have won in both scenarios,” says Hayes. “Make the time to do this program and make it a priority. If you can commit to that and your business, you will be successful, no doubt.”
As a result of their winnings, the doulas will open the doors to their new office space on 239 Charlotte Street in March. This financial assistance will help with several expenses, including furniture, shelving for retail products, and a retail point-of-sales system.
The permanent location for the pregnancy and parenting hub will allow Hayes and Avis to provide support from fertility through to life with a newborn, a wellness boutique, classes and workshops, placenta encapsulation, and free drop-in programs.
“There’s really no wrong door in this community for entrepreneurs,” says Walsh. “All you have to do is make that first call and there is someone supportive at the other end of the phone that will help you navigate the system and figure out what support you need in order to be successful.
“Peterborough is unique in that there is always someone wanting to help you out and the community support organizations work together to make it a great environment for entrepreneurship to thrive.”
Apply now for Starter Company Plus’ first intake of 2018
Aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs participating in a workshop day in July 2017 hosted by the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre. Workshops included topics such as market research, marketing, finances, customer relations, and networking. (Photo: Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
If you’re looking to start or expand a business in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, are over 18 and no longer enrolled in full-time studies, applications are now being accepted for this year’s first intake.
There are four intake sessions taking place on Thursdays in February. The first “Starting Point” session starts Thursday, February 1st from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the VentureNorth boardroom just down the stairs from Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development office at 270 George St N, Peterborough.
Attendance at one of these sessions is a mandatory first step to applying for Starter Company Plus. Sessions will take place on February 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have identified the snowmobiler whose body was recovered on Sunday (January 21) from Sturgeon Lake as 48-year-old Earl Strong of Courtice.
Strong was a firefighter with the City of Toronto and leaves behind a wife and three boys.
Strong went missing after an accident on Sturgeon Lake near Bobcaygeon in Kawartha Lakes on Saturday night (January 20). His body was located in the lake by the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit on Sunday after an extensive search.
Strong and a friend were snowmobiling on the ice at around 7 p.m. on Saturday when they went into the water. Initial reports were that they broke through the ice, but it was confirmed they accidentally drove their machines into open water.
When the OPP, Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Services, and Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service arrived on scene, they found a bystander pulling a 46-year-old man out of the water, but Strong could not be seen.
The rescued snowmobiler was taken to hospital, but his condition is unknown.
A search for the Strong began on Saturday night and was suspended at midnight. On Sunday, the search continued with an OPP helicopter joining the recovery effort.
Search teams found Strong’s on Sunday at 4:30 p.m., around 100 metres from the shortline.
Police have not released the identity of the rescued man who was taken to hospital.
The accident happened on the first day of Snowmobile Safety Week, which runs until Sunday, January 28th. The OPP and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs promote the annual safety week to encourage snowmobilers to ride safely. Last year was the worst so far snowmobile deaths, with the highest number of fatalities in nearly 15 years.
A post-mortem examination will take place in Toronto.
Toronto pianist Anastasia Rizikov will join the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra to perform Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" at Paris Bustle & Blue on Saturday, February 3rd at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Bo Huang)
On Saturday, February 3rd at Showplace Performance Centre, let the rhythms of Maurice Ravel and George Gershwin carry you away from the winter weather to the jazzy streets of 1920’s Paris!
French composer Ravel’s imaginative works influenced Gershwin’s own kaleidoscopes of sound during a decade when the boundaries of art and music were being pushed in Europe and North America.
Their time- and place-defining compositions inspired the programming of Paris Bustle & Blues, the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s third concert of the 2017/18 season.
The PSO will perform Ravel’s “Ma mère l’oye” (Mother Goose Suite), Bolero, and Pavane, as well as Gershwin’s “An American in Paris”. Award-winning young Canadian pianist Anastasia Rizikov will join the orchestra on stage to play Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”.
French composer, pianist and conductor Maurice Ravel in the 1930s. The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra will perform his Mother Goose Suite, Bolero, and Pavane on February 3rd. (Photo: Wikipedia)
PSO Music Director & Conductor, Michael Newnham, calls it “rare that two composers, each coming from two completely different cultures and backgrounds, whose music is so often played and so memorable, should have had a personal connection and were able to influence one another” as did Ravel and Gershwin.
“Ravel’s music seems to define what is ‘French’ to our ears, as Gershwin’s defines ‘American’,” Michael says.
American composer George Gershwin on the cover of TIME magazine in 1925. The PSO will perform his “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue” on February 3. (Photo: TIME)
Yet they each affected the other’s sound and created music that captured the atmosphere of Paris in the early 20th century.
“When Gershwin went to Paris in 1926, it was with a view to studying with Ravel to learn his ‘secrets’ of lush harmonies and sophisticated orchestrations,” Michael explains.
However, Ravel turned Gershwin down for fear of negatively impacting the American’s unique sound, which Ravel enjoyed.
The result, Michael says, was that “Ravel’s own style at that point took on elements of dance music and the blues, with a more astringent treatment of the orchestra. Gershwin, with his An American in Paris, composed in 1928, brought a fullness of orchestral treatment into his style, while remaining true to his own musical nature.”
Michael calls the composers “two sides of the same coin: On the one hand, the ingenuous talent from the New World, wishing to become more sophisticated. On the other hand, the master craftsman, representative of hundreds of years of French musical culture, becoming rejuvenated by the exciting sound from across the ocean.”
VIDEO: “Bolero” performed by the Wiener Philharmoniker
Paris Bustle & Blues will conjure visions of the beauty and energy of a city and time that likely already spark the imagination of many audience members, at a moment when they may be feeling weary of the winter weather.
“Sometimes we think that certain places and time periods seem to offer something special,” Michael says. “The very idea of Paris summons up so many images for so many of us. We all want to go there, especially when our weather becomes cold and dull.
“The music of Ravel, with its colour and perfect beauty, and Gershwin’s with its combination of energy and tenderness, can take us there, even for just a moment.”
At only 19 years old, pianist Anastasia Rizikov has already played in the prestigious Carnegie Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall, Fazioli Hall, Auditorio Manuel de Falla, Hong Kong City Hall, and the Kremlin. (Photo: Bo Huang)
Adding to the concert experience will be 19-year-old Anastasia Rizikov’s performance of “Rhapsody in Blue”, the composition that first earned Gershwin appreciation from Ravel.
Anastasia says she has very personal connection with Rhapsody in Blue.
“As a child, I vividly remember the feeling of excitement that never ceased to take over me when I saw the Disney Fantasia [2000] animated short based on this music, which in my personal opinion, was probably the most vibrant and creative of the Fantasia shorts. Certainly it was my favourite.
“But when I saw [Leonard] Bernstein’s famous 1976 performance with the New York Philharmonic, where he acted as both soloist and conductor, at the age of 12 I fell in love with this music and knew I had to play it myself.”
VIDEO: “Rhapsody in Blue” with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic
Anastasia was able to add the solo arrangement of the music to a recital in Binghamton, New York only two weeks later.
“The American audiences were thrilled, and so was I,” she says. “Since then, this piece frequently appeared in my recitals during my early teen years, and I had the pleasure of playing it in every possible arrangement.”
Anastasia gave her first solo recital at the age of five and made her debut with orchestra two years later. She has appeared with major orchestras around the world, including the National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Michigan Philharmonic Orchestra, and City of Granada Orchestra.
The Toronto resident has played in the prestigious Carnegie Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall, Fazioli Hall, Auditorio Manuel de Falla, Hong Kong City Hall, and the Kremlin. She has worked with such conductors as Neal Gittleman, Peter Oundjian, Shalom Bard, Bernhard Gueller, Alain Trudel, Boris Brott, Ovidiu Balan, and Salvador Brotons.
Single concert tickets for Paris Bustle & Blues are available from the Showplace box office at a cost of $48.50, $38.50, or $20 for adults, and $10 for students. Please visit the box office in-person at 290 George St. N in Peterborough, online at www.showplace.org, or call 705-742-7469.
Ticket holders are invited to attend “Meet the Maestro,” a pre-concert talk by Maestro Newnham, at 6:40 p.m. in the Showplace theatre.
Paris Bustle & Blues is funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough (CFGP). The PSO gratefully acknowledges the financial support of CFGP, a public foundation that inspires giving to build a vital community for everyone. For more information, please visit www.cfgp.ca.
American composer George Gershwin (right) at a birthday party honoring Maurice Ravel (at the piano) in New York City on March 8, 1928. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Tom Hanks in a scene from the award-winning documentary film "California Typewriter", an ode to the typewriter that opens the 2018 Reframe Film Festival. Typewriters will be set up at all venues during the festival so attendees can contribute to a community art project being created by Peterborough mixed-media artist Jeffrey Macklin. (Photo: American Buffalo Pictures)
ReFrame, Peterborough’s acclaimed documentary film festival, returns for its 14th year from Thursday, January 25th to Sunday, January 28th. This year’s festival will screen 65 documentary films, including 11 by filmmakers from the Peterborough area and three Oscar-nominated films.
The films will be shown at four venues in downtown Peterborough: Galaxy Cinemas (320 Water Street), Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte Street), Showplace Performance Centre (290 George Street North), and The Venue (290 George Street North).
In addition to the films, ReFrame is offering two filmmaker panels on Saturday, January 27th at The Venue: “Directors and Editors: The Magic of Documentary Storytelling” at 11:30 a.m. followed by “Indigenous, Impressive, Intimate: A Panel Discussion on Relationships Revitalized” at 12:30 p.m. There will also be art installations at Evans Contemporary (2 Bankers Common), Market Hall, and Showplace, as well as local food and drink vendors at the film venues.
Printed schedules of the 2018 ReFrame Film Festival are available at the GreenUP Store in Peterborough and Happenstance Books and Yarn in Lakefield, or visit reframefilmfestival.ca. (Graphic: ReFrame Film Festival)
Social events include “ReFrame Film Fête” on January 25th at 9:30 p.m. at Evans Contemporary (by invitation only), “Meet and Mingle” with live music by Chester Babcock on January 26th at 9:30 p.m. at Showplace Nexicom Studio, “Unscripted: Makers and Shakers” on January 27th at 6 p.m. at The Sapphire Room (137 Hunter Street West), and “Saturday Late Night” featuring live music by Pat Temple & the HiLo Players on January 27th at 9:30 p.m. at Brio Gusto (182 Charlotte Street).
Daytime passes for the festival are $30 for adults or $20 for students or or the un(der)waged, and are valid all weekend long for films before 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for evening feature films must be purchased separately for $10 with a daytime pass, or $15 without. Rush tickets may be purchased at the door, if available, for $10 for daytime films or $15 for evening features.
You can buy passes and tickets in advance online at the Reframe website (link below), or at Showplace during the festival.
For the complete schedule of films and events and to get your tickets, visit reframefilmfestival.ca. You can also pick up a printed schedule at the GreenUP Store (378 Aylmer St., Peterborough) or Happenstance Books and Yarn (44 Queen St., Lakefield).
With 65 films ranging from shorts to feature-length documentaries, there’s a lot to choose from at this year’s festival. Here are eight documentaries, including five with a local connection, we think you should be sure to check out:
California Typewriter – Thursday, January 25th at 7:30 p.m. at Galaxy Cinemas
Ken Alexander of California Typewriter, one of the one of the last typewriter repair shops in America and the namesake for the documentary profiling artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter. (Photo: California Typewriter)
The festival opens with California Typewriter, a 103-minute ode to the typewriter directed by Doug Nichol that took home the “Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking Directing” award from the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival.
The film is a documentary portrait of artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter as a tool and muse, and features Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and others.
It delivers a thought-provoking meditation on the changing dynamic between humans and machines, and encourages us to consider our own relationship with technology, old and new, as the digital age’s emphasis on speed and convenience makes us question whether our machines are serving humans or vice versa.
The film also movingly documents the struggles of California Typewriter, one of the last repair shops in America dedicated to keeping the aging machines clicking, as well as Toronto antiquarian typewriter collector Martin Howard, who over 30 years has collected around 80 vintage typewriters built in the 1880s and 1890s — including the Caligraph 2 from 1881, the first typewriter to hit the market with a full keyboard.
The Caligraph 2 from 1881 was the first typewriter on the market with a full keyboard. Toronto antiquarian typewriter collector Martin Howard, who is one of the subjects of “California Typewriter” and has one in his collection, will be attending the screening. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Howard, whose antique typewriter collection is said to be the largest in Canada, will attend the screening.
As a tribute to the film, the festival is hosting a community art project called “ReFrame Types”. Manual typewriters will be available all ReFrame venues during the festival, where attendees can type their thoughts about the films, the festival, and what technology means in their life.
The typed sheets will be provided to Peterborough mixed-media artist Jeffrey Macklin, who will be at Market Hall working to create an “art-i-fact” from these messages (and maybe even parts of typewriters) — attendees can contribute to his work, and watch as his creation grows.
VIDEO: “California Typewriter” Trailer
ShapeMaker: The Sculptor Don Frost – Friday, January 26th at 3:50 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
Lakefield sculptor Don Frost polishing one of his pieces from “ShapeMaker: The Sculptor Don Frost”. (Photo: Michael Morritt)
Peterborough filmmaker Michael Morritt and Mary L. Holley, who last collaborated on the 10-minute experimental film SHOW in 2016, have co-directed this 22-minute documentary that explores the work and philosophy of Lakefield sculptor Don Frost.
Frost is best known locally for his 1974 ‘Figures Dancing’ sculpture, a 14-foot-tall steel and fiberglass piece work in the courtyard of Peterborough Square in downtown Peterborough, and the 2010 ‘Resurrection Cross’ 24-foot scuplture outside the Catholic school board office on Lansdowne Street West.
In 1983, he created ‘Equinox’, a 50-foot sculpture inside the Michael Starr Building in Oshawa. In addition, his work graces private collections around the world, including four large sculptures purchased by the Saudi Arabian royal family.
Filmed on location over two years, ShapeMaker: The Sculptor Don Frost premiered in September 2016 at the Canada-China International Film Festival in Montreal where it was nominated for Best Cinematography.
VIDEO: “ShapeMaker: The Sculptor Don Frost” Trailer
Fix and Release – Friday, January 26th at 5 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
“Fix and Release” is a documentary about the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough. (Photo: Scott Dobson)
Directed and produced by Toronto’s Scott Dobson, the 16-minute documentary explores the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, a non-profit charity in Peterborough that operates a hospital for injured wild turtles.
Canada’s only freshwater turtle trauma centre fights to even the odds for survival that freshwater turtles face in a modern world. Most turtle species in Canada are endangered due to loss of habitat and collisions with cars and boats. Dr. Sue Carstairs leads a team of dedicated staff and volunteers as they develop their own groundbreaking approach to reptile medicine.
This visually beautiful film shows turtles in a way that few have seen before, highlighting their amazing ability to recover from catastrophic injury and hinting that these ancient creatures may be more complex than previously thought. Turtles are vital for healthy wetlands and every saved turtle makes a difference.
As Dr. Carstairs says, “We are saving the world one turtle at a time”.
The documentary won Best In Festival at the 2017 Yorkton Film Festival in Saskatchewan, Best Canadian Short at 2017 NorthWestFest in Alberta, and Best Documentary at the 2017 Scienema Film Festival in Australia.
VIDEO: “Fix and Release” Trailer
In From The Cold – Friday, January 26th at 5 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
“In From The Cold” explores how and why Rob Fortin, Susan Newman, John Hoffman, and Curtis Driedger (not pictured) launched the annual “In From The Cold” Christmas concert that has raised $126,000 for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families since 2000. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW.com)
Peterborough filmmaker Rodney Fuentes created this 15-minute documentary profiling “In From The Cold”, the annual benefit concert for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.
In From The Cold was launched in 2000 by John Hoffman, Susan Newman, Rob Fortin and Curtis Driedger, a group of accomplished Peterborough roots musicians who came together to establish a traditional Christmas concert that would be unlike any other.
The concert, which sells out Market Hall for two nights every year, not only celebrates the music of the season but is also an important fundraising event for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families. Since 2000, it has raised $126,000 for the shelter. The revenue generated from the concert has become an important source of income to support homeless youth and families in the Peterborough area.
The documentary explores how a group of Peterborough residents found a way to direct their passion while giving back to their community.
VIDEO: “In From The Cold” Teaser
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World – Friday, January 26th at 7:30 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
Fred Lincoln “Link” Wray, a Shawnee Native American, wrote the 1958 instrumental hit “Rumble”, the first song to use distortion and feedback on the electric guitar and one which introduced the “power chord” to rock music. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Directed by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, this 102-minute documentary explores the role of Native Americans in popular music history.
The film is named after the 1958 instrumental hit “Rumble” by the late Fred Lincoln “Link” Wray, a Shawnee Native American, which was the first song to use distortion and feedback on the electric guitar. It also introduced and popularized the rock “power chord” — and was one of the very few instrumental singles to be banned from the radio for fear it would incite violence.
Father of the Delta Blues Charley Patton, influential jazz singer Mildred Bailey, metaphysical guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix, and folk heroine Buffy Sainte-Marie are among the many music greats who have Native American heritage and have made their distinctive mark on music history. For the most part, their Indian heritage was unknown.
The documentary explores how the Native American influence is an integral part of music history, despite attempts to ban, censor, and erase Indian culture in the United States. It uses playful re-creations and little-known stories, alongside concert footage, archives. and interviews. The stories of iconic Native musicians are told by some of America’s greatest music legends who knew them, played music with them, and were inspired by them: everyone from Buddy Guy, Quincy Jones, and Tony Bennett to Iggy Pop, Steven Tyler, and Stevie Van Zandt.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World won the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary at 2017 HotDocs, the Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytelling award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, the Best Music Documentary award at the 2017 Boulder International Festival, the Audience Choice Award award at the 2017 Biografilm Festival, Best Documentary at the 2017 Albuquerque Film and Music Festival, and the Audience Award at the 2017 Illuminate Film Festival.
VIDEO: “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World” Trailer
Lovesick – Saturday, January 27th at 4 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
“Lovesick” explores the cost of our love of cottages by exploring the threats facing Lovesick Lake near Burleigh Falls from shoreline and residential development. (Photo: Lauren Bridle)
Documentary filmmaker Lauren Bridle has been spending summers at her family’s cottage on Lovesick Lake near Burleigh Falls for the past 18 years. After watching the lake change over the years, with fluctuating water levels, invasive plants, and residential development, Bridle was inspired to create this 27-minute documentary.
Once a prosperous region used by Canada’s First Nations peoples for hunting and fishing, Lovesick Lake is now under threat by proposed vacation properties that will increase the population of one of the smallest lakes on the Trent-Severn Waterway by hundreds.
The film poses questions about the land that we all enjoy: What was here before us? How has the water and landscape changed? What are the effects of development? And, most importantly, at what cost do our beloved cottages come at?
Bridle’s thesis film for her Master of Fine Arts at Ryerson University, Lovesick premiered at the Toronto DocNow Festival in June 2017.
VIDEO: “Lovesick” Teaser
Shut Up And Say Something – Saturday, January 27th at 7:30 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
“Shut Up And Say Something” follows spoken word artist Shane Koyczan on an emotional journey to reconnect with his long-estranged father. (Photo: Stranger Productions)
Produced and directed by Melanie Wood, this 82-minute documentary explores the emotional journey of acclaimed spoken word artist Shane Koyczan as he reunites with the father he never knew.
Koyczan is most famous for the anti-bullying poem “To This Day” which has 22 million views on YouTube. His poignant and powerful poems tackle everything from bullying to body image but, behind his larger-than-life stage persona, is a private and awkward man (“I grew up friendless”).
Koyczan allows us to join him on a deeply personal and momentous journey to finally meet his long-estranged father after 39 years. The result is his most significant and most difficult poem yet: an ode to the parent he never, and yet always, had.
Shut Up And Say Something is a powerful and intimate look at how a master wordsmith mines the scars of his past for truth and acceptance — and the most important poem of his life.
The film won Most Popular Canadian Documentary at the 2017 Vancouver International Film Festival.
After the screening, there will be a filmmaker question-and-answer session and panel discussion with special guests and spoken word performers Moe Clark and Charlie Petch.
VIDEO: “Shut Up And Say Something” Trailer
Birthmark – Sunday, January 28th at 2:30 p.m. at Showplace Performance Centre
In “Birthmark”, Lester Alfonso explores his troubled relationship with his own birthmark and interviews other people about their birthmarks. (Photo courtesy of Lester Alfonso)
As a child growing up in the Philippines, Peterborough filmmaker Lester Alfonso was often blamed for his family’s misfortunes because of a Filipino superstition that a birthmark on the buttocks is bad luck.
After realizing as an adult that this cultural attitude was still influencing his self image, Alfonso was inspired to embark on a journey of healing through filmmaking. Birthmark makes its world premiere at the ReFrame Film Festival.
The film is a wry, sensitive, and candidly confessional exercise in creative anthropology.
By soliciting other mark-bearers to add their testimonies to his own, Alfonso documents his journey to find peace and forgiveness and to quiet the voice in his head.
“It’s not only about the marks we are born with, but the marks we imagine for ourselves.”
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