The Huron-Wendat First Nation was honoured at a commemoration ceremony last week, which included the unveiling of embossments on the new Solina Road bridge in Clarington.

The Huron-Wendat was a confederacy of eight clans of Iroquoian-speaking nations. It was Huron-Wendat Chief Donnacona who, at Stadacona (a 16th-century St. Lawrence Iroquoian village near present-day Québec City), welcomed the explorer Jacques Cartier during his journey in search of the Indies in the 1530s.

Five of the Huron-Wendat clans, comprising about more than 100,000 Huron-Wendat, lived in what is now Ontario, with their territory extending from Lake Nipissing in the north to Lake Ontario in the south, and from Île Perrot in the east to Owen Sound in the west.

As many as 3,000 members of the Huron-Wendat Nation lived in present-day Durham Region, growing corn and other crops.

In around 1650, the Huron-Wendat clans were dispersed by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois, or “People of the Longhouse”). The Huron-Wendat descendants in Canada now mostly live on the Wendake Reserve north of Québec City, which represents four of the eight clans.

The Solina Road bridge, located between Taunton Road and Concession Road 6, was constructed as part of the Highway 407 East Phase 2 project that is extending the 407 to Highway 35/115.

The embossments on the bridge — turtle, wolf, bear, and deer — represent the four clans of the Huron-Wendat Nation at Wendake.

More than 800 archaeological sites, mainly located in southwestern Ontario, mark the ancestral territory of the Huron-Wendat. Archeological work conducted before the construction of Highway 407 East Phase 2 found some 150,000 items.

While many of these items were pottery fragments, other items recovered included clay pipes and beads made of sea shells from the Atlantic coast and rocks found only in Quebec, which showed the extent of the trading relationships between indigenous peoples that existed before Europeans settled the area.

At the commemoration ceremony held on Tuesday, November 14th, Dr. Louis Lesage represented the Huron-Wendat Nation. Representatives from Blackbird Infrastructure (the company building Highway 407 East Phase 2), the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and Infrastructure Ontario were also on hand to mark the occasion.

A benefit for Crystal Parker is being held Sunday afternoon at The Dobro in downtown Peterborough.

The Peterborough woman was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer that has spread to her liver and blood, and will be undergoing treatment.

Crystal, whose spouse is local musician Shea Bailey, has a son, Brodie, who just turned one year old.

The benefit takes place on Sunday, November 26th beginning at 4:30 p.m. at The Dobro (287 George St. N., Peteterborough) and will feature live music, door prizes, raffles, food, and more. The cost is $5.

In addition to the benefit, friends of Crystal have set up a GoFundMe campaign at www.gofundme.com/crystal-parkers-fight-for-cancer to raise money to support Crystal and her family with medical and living expenses, and possibly to create a fund for her son.

If you see military vehicles and soldiers carrying weapons on rural roads this weekend in the Kawarthas, don’t be concerned — it’s just a training exercise.

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces has advised it will be conducting military training between Peterborough and Port Hope from Friday, November 24th to Sunday, November 26th.

Called “Worthy Charge”, the training exercise will involve members of the Ontario Regiment, the Queen’s York Rangers, and the Governor General’s Horse Guards. The training area may include Welcome, Cavan Monaghan, Garden Hill, Campbellcroft, Bewdley, Fraserville, Millbrook, and Bailieboro.

On roads in these areas, you may encounter green military vehicles and soldiers wearing military camouflage and carrying weapons. The exercise will also include civilian vehicles (including minivans) and some soldiers dressed as enemy forces, wearing civilian clothing or camouflage.

The training exercise will not use any live or blank ammunition, explosives, or pyrotechnics.

For safety reasons, the military is asking members of the public to drive slowly when passing any military vehicles or personnel.

Timing, they say, is everything.

While Sunday’s benefit for Rick Young raised some serious cash for the cancer-diagnosed singer and musician, it also raised high the spirits of a close-knit community of musicians and live music followers still reeling from the recent sudden loss of singer and guitarist Jan Schoute.

“It’s been a hell of a couple of weeks emotionally,” says Gailie Young, Rick’s wife and longtime musical partner in the aftermath of the “I Get By With A Little Help From Friends” benefit held on November 19th at The Venue.

“The benefit was the release of positivity. Everybody just wanted to be happy and have a great time. The room was so full of love.”

And full of people. According to event organizers, some 500 tickets were sold, with every penny of the $25 cost assisting the Youngs as Rick continues his battle against non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Combine that with the $10,335 raised to date via a GoFundMe campaign, along with raffle and 50-50 draw proceeds brought in at the event, and you get the picture.

With music performance the sole source of the couple’s income, the proceeds will go a long way in easing their burden.

Also playing a huge role in the event’s success were sponsors The Venue, kawarthaNOW.com, Kawartha TV and Stereo, Long and McQuade, Signarama, and Porter Sound. And artist John Climenhage donated his talents, creating two paintings live at the event that were then raffled off.

Meanwhile, a small army of volunteers took on various roles, including Andy Pryde who technically managed the stage for each act.

And as is often the case at such events, spontaneous acts of kindness abounded, including the donation of $120 by Washboard Hank and Catfish Willie — the contents of their tip jar from their Sunday afternoon gig at The Black Horse.

While Rick couldn’t be at the benefit — he’s resting in anticipation of his third round of chemotherapy in early December at PRHC — he watched the nine-hour event at home via a live stream feed set up by Sean Daniels. Gailie’s mother, Beatrice McLaren, also watched from her home.

“Gailie and I are used to doing benefits for other people,” Rick says, a reference to their stepping up big time at previous benefits for Bobby Watson, Buzz Thompson and Lydia Black, the granddaughter of drummer and singer Al Black.

“When it’s turned around and it’s all aimed at you, well, I felt like I was being a bother. It took me awhile to accept the love and generosity … to learn how to do that. That was something new.”

What wasn’t new was the outpouring of support Peterborough’s music community showed one of their own.

A total of 10 acts — Jackson Delta Electric, Bobby Watson and Kate Kelly with The Crown Royals, The Fabulous Tonemasters, Al Black and The Steady Band, The Rob Phillips Band, House Brand, Max Mouse and The Gorillas, Groove Authority, The Quickshifters, and Dennis and Michael O’Toole — took to the stage, each performing for free. Like Rick and Gailie, all have called The Black Horse Pub home at various times over the years.

“We would go out and do our gigs but we had no idea the impact of that until Sunday … people came out of the woodwork,” says Gailie, who’s performing Monday nights at The Black Horse with several musical friends stepping in to fill the void created by Rick’s absence.

“This has really lifted Rick’s spirits,” says Gailie, noting he has lost 35 pounds off his already lean 190 pounds.

“Like anybody who has an illness, he was pretty down. But he has seen the messages on Facebook. He knows he’s got so much love behind him. There are days when he’s okay and bopping around. Other days, he feels really tired and weak from the chemo but, overall, the man is so optimistic, it’s amazing. He still has his hair … he still has the white mane.”

“I have to do everything in slow motion” is Rick’s self-assessment.

Following his fourth and final chemotherapy session in early January, Rick will be assessed to determine what course of action, if any, will be required moving forward.

“I hope to return to the (music) scene some time in February or March … it was nice having a little break for awhile after playing every weekend for 12 years but I miss it,” says Rick.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s benefit also saw the official release of The Lost Album, Rick and Gailie’s first CD. Comprised of 16 original songs penned by Rick, it was produced by Pryde and finished in time to be ready for the benefit.

“We’re starting to get some really nice reviews,” says an elated Gailie.

“You never know. You do the work, a labour of love, and you put it out there and then you sit there with your hand over your mouth going ‘Oh my God, what have I done?'”

The Lost Album is available for purchase for $20 on Rick and Gailie’s new website at therickgailieband.bandzoogle.com/music and, according to Gailie, possibly soon at Moondance Music.

VIDEO: “The Wall is Up” by Rick & Gailie

Meanwhile, the GoFundMe campaign for Rick is set to close down by week’s end. Until then, it can be found at www.gofundme.com/hbp3c2-a-little-help-from-my-friends.

Peterborough-born Gailie met Toronto-born Rick at a house party in 1971 and struck up a close friendship.

In 1992, her marriage at an end, Gailie reconnected with Rick, who moved with her back to Peterborough to live with Gailie and her young daughter Stephanie. They married in 2003.

It was at Historic Red Dog, at the urging of singer Charlotte Melby, that the duo first performed at open mic events. That marked the start of a four-year Wednesday evening gig at the Hunter Street West pub.

A fixture at The Black Horse Pub since it opened 12 years ago this past August, Rick and Gailie are known for their uniquely harmonized covers of Beatles music as well as hits by other 1960s British Invasion bands such Herman’s Hermits and Gerry and The Pacemakers.

Canadian-born music icon Neil Young will be performing a 90-minute live streaming concert on Friday, December 1st — and there are rumours it may take place in his childhood hometown of Omemee.

According to Billboard, the concert called “Somewhere In Canada” will take place at a venue with a capacity of about 200. Reportedly, there are holds on a number of venues across Canada.

The concert coincides with the December 1st release of Young’s latest record The Visitor, as well as the opening of the Neil Young Archives — a comprehensive chronological collection of Young’s entire catalog of recorded music, films, videos and books, with free audio streaming (at least initially).

So why the speculation the concert will take place in Omemee? On his Facebook page on November 11th, Young — who now lives in northern California — wrote:

“December 1st will be a big day for me. The Visitor will be coming to your town. I will be going to my town. You will be able to hear me and see me. My archive will open on that same day, a place you can visit and experience every song I have ever released in the highest quality your machine will allow. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. In the beginning, everything is free.”

It’s the line “I will be going to my town” that has prompted rumours the concert will take place in Omemee, the small town near Peterborough where Young spend his formative childhood years and is referenced in the song “Helpless”.

Young most recently visited Omemee this past September (he was also spotted at several locations in Peterborough along with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah).

However, before you get too excited by the possibility, it should be noted Young also grew up in Toronto and Pickering as well as Winnipeg.

“Somewhere In Canada” is being produced by Bell Media in partnership with his Shakey Pictures and will be directed by Hannah.

The concert will be live streamed on Friday, December 1st at 8 p.m. EST in Canada exclusively on CTV.ca (or by using the free CTV GO app) and on iHeartRadio.ca. Note: the concert will not be broadcast on CTV on cable or over the air, it’s available online only.

For people living outside of Canada, the concert will be live streamed on Facebook (the Facebook stream will not be available to Canadian residents) — visit www.facebook.com/ctv for details.

Young teases secret location

After the concert announcement, Young himself has continued to tease his fans on social media about where the concert may be staged.

First, on November 22nd, he posted a photo of himself beside a train with a tumbleweed and wrote “enounter with a tumbleweed heading north”. He was wearing a Winnipeg, Canada t-shirt, implying he is travelling to Winnipeg.

Then, on November 24th, Young posted a video of him riding on what appears to be train while playing guitar and wrote “pickerin’ and a grinnin / see you soon” — modifying the common bluegrass idiom to imply that he is heading to Pickering.

If this is another clever misdirection by Young, then the remaining option of Omemee seems most likely.

kawarthaNOW has also received a third-hand report from a source claiming the concert will be held at Omemee’s Coronation Hall and that advance tickets are already being distributed to selected people.

However, despite requests to several people in the know, we have been unable to confirm the report.

This story will be updated as more details become available.

When Dr. Wagdy Rayes retired at the end of June and closed his practice at Apsley Medical Centre, residents of the town of Apsley were left without a family doctor.

While the search for a new family doctor for Apsley continues, the Peterborough Family Health Team (PFHT) has been exploring temporary solutions since Dr. Rayes announced his retirement. There are around 1,000 residents of Apsley who currently do not have a family doctor.

“It is Peterborough Family Health Team’s responsibility to ensure all residents of the City and Country of Peterborough have access to adequate primary health care services,” says PFHT Executive Director Lori Richey.

“We continue to search for a permanent family doctor to take over the primary care for patients, but in the meantime we need a solution. People cannot go without access to care.”

One of the temporary solutions is a telemedicine clinic, where patients could consult with a “virtual” family doctor.

VIDEO: Telemedicine puts a doctor virtually at your bedside

Telemedicine uses telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care from a distance. The doctor and the patient communicate through a computer, with a registered practical nurse present to conduct any physical examination required, to take blood pressure, administer medications, etc.

Through the use of technology, the virtual doctor is able to see the patient’s vital signs in real time. The virtual doctor can also provide prescriptions.

This temporary clinic would also enroll patients and then, once a new family dcotor is recruited and is running a practice, smoothly transition them to the new family doctor.

“The Peterborough Family Health Team has supported our community in terms of providing basic primary care to our residents,” says Mayor Rick Woodcock of North Kawartha Township. “I have no doubt that once the pieces are aligned for the telemedicine service, our town will once again have access to the care we require.”

While PFHT works on implementing the telemedicine approach, Apsley residents who require care have the following options:

• Visit the Lakefield VON Nurse Practitioner Clinic at 150 Strickland Street in Lakefield. The clinic is open Wednesdays and Thursdays. Residents are encouraged to book an appointment in advance by calling 705-651-4866.
• Visit Peterborough Regional Health Centre at 1 Hospital Drive in Peterborough if you urgently require health care services.

While there is a Nurse Practitioner Hub at 183 Burleigh Street in Apsley, that service is currently at full capacity and can only provide care to patients who are already enrolled. When a new family doctor has been recruited, the nurse practitioner and all enrolled patients will be transferred to the new family practice.

For more information on the Peterborough Family Health Team, visit www.peterboroughfht.com.