Less than 48 hours after having its annual service grant boosted by the City of Peterborough, Showplace Performance Centre board members, staff, and donors gathered Thursday afternoon (November 30) to celebrate one of the theatre’s founders and most fervent supporters.

The Erica Cherney Theatre sign, situated above the doors to the main 640-seat performance space in the lobby, was unveiled by Erica’s children Karen and Rich Cherney as their brother Michael looked on proudly.

VIDEO: Unveiling of The Erica Cherney Theatre at Showplace Performance Centre

“This summer Beth (McMaster) approached me with an idea, saying ‘The board and I think there’s a wonderful way to honour your mom. It would be a win-win. You’re looking for causes to support; we want to honour your mom. What about naming the main auditorium at Showplace for her,'” said Michael.

“Mom is with us today. She is chuckling and she is blushing, saying ‘Oh c’mon, really?’ But most of all she has a smile on her face. That is how the three of us remember her.”

A very successful businesswoman as well as a tireless supporter of numerous community organizations, causes and events, Erica died on August 16, 2016, after a length battle with cancer. She was 84.

“We were always talking about the possibility of this place … we were reading from the same page,” said McMaster who, along with Erica, Betty Farquharson and Barbara Scott, spearheaded a campaign to gather support for the development performance theatre in the downtown core.

That led to the purchase of the Trent Cinemas property in 1995. After the building was gutted and renovated, Showplace opened on October 5, 1996.

“On my way in this morning, I stopped at the cemetery to see her grave and tell her hello and what we’re up to,” said Rich.

“Her gravestone reads ‘Cherish the memory and let it live on’. We think naming this theatre after her, and doing our best to ensure that Showplace continues to survive and thrive, is one of the best ways we know that patrons of the theatre can, in fact, cherish her memory.

“One thing that many people have said, both about mom and myself, is we are shit disturbers. We’re also passionate about things that are important to us. We’re passionate about showing what is important to us. We’re really passionate about this community, about maintaining our legacy in it, about not forgetting it.”

For her part, Karen mused on what her mom’s reaction would have been to the dedication.

“First of all, she would have first chosen to help anonymously. This probably wouldn’t have been her first choice, just because she liked to do thing without fanfare for her. It’s touching. It brought tears to my eyes that I didn’t expect.”

The Cherneys joins a list of Showplace naming partners that includes Nexicom, Darling Insurance, Publican House Brewery, Whelan’s Flooring Centre, and David Goyette. Each has paid for their naming right.

Showplace interim general manager Emily Martin termed the cost for the main theatre naming “substantial” but added ‘That didn’t come into effect as much as having Erica’s name on the theatre. That’s where the value is (for Showplace).”

Also on hand was Paul Downs, past president of Nexicom. The Millbrook-based telecommunications company bought the naming rights to Showplace’s lower-level performing space, the Nexicom Studio, several years ago.

He termed the Cherney dedication “marvelous to see,” adding, “It’s a reminder of how important it is for everyone in the community to be involved and support Showplace. It’s a unique venue.”

Thursday’s dedication capped off a great week for Showplace. On Tuesday (November 28), city council approved the provision of an annual service grant to Showplace in the amount of $137,181 — an increase of $30,000. In addition, the theatre will be granted $75,000 this year for renovations and another $75,000 in 2018 for the same purpose.

The funding comes on the heels of Showplace’s restructuring its finances to help deal with an ongoing deficit and much-needed renovations.

“This is a 640-seat theatre in the heart of our community,” said Mayor Daryl Bennett at the dedication. “In many ways, the heart of the community is what this place is.

“That speaks volumes about the reasoning behind city council’s long-term commitment. This has been a 20-year engagement and we’re just getting started.”

Despite no official announcement from either Neil Young or Bell Media, evidence continues to mount that the iconic Canadian musician is holding his live-streaming concert at Omemee’s Coronation Hall on Friday, December 1st.

First, we broke the news on Monday (November 27) that the City of Kawartha Lakes had provided a road closure permit for Bell Media, which is producing the concert in partnership with Young’s film production company Shakey Pictures.

Now we have further visual proof, courtesy of Craig Foster, that Neil will be returning to his childhood hometown for a performance.

First, there were the trucks that began to arrive at Coronation Hall on Tuesday (November 28):

Several are parked around the property:

Crews are unloading lots of equipment:

And now there’s this video Craig took of a long black fence installed around the parking lot beside Coronation Hall:

And finally, there’s this photo of a crew member with a tag read reads “Neil’s HT Boy’s”:

Unless this is a reference to some obscure street gang in Omemee, it seems clear that the crew is working on concert setup for Neil Young’s hometown concert (“HT” could refer to “Home Town”).

kawarthaNOW has also received reports of lengths of cables being installed between Coronation Hall and Trinity United Church across the road, presumably so the church can be used for a control centre or viewing location.

While we don’t have any photos, we’ve also received reports of Neil himself staying at local accommodation in the area, as well as sightings of his girlfriend Daryl Hannah, who is reportedly directing the concert.

Neil hasn’t named Omemee, but earlier today (November 29), he posted on Facebook that he would be performing live “from my Canadian Home Town”:

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.

VIDEO: Neil Young From Somewhere In Canada Preview

While some radio stations owned by Bell Media are giving away tickets and we have reports of certain people who have a connection with Neil receiving them, as far as we know no tickets are being sold to the general public.

All Omemee photos and video are courtesy of Craig Foster.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation is thanking donors for investing $1 million in surgical innovation at our local hospital.

The donor investment has allowed PRHC to equip nine of its 12 operating rooms with state-of-the-art, minimally invasive surgical tools — transforming the way surgery is performed at the hospital.

Surgical care has been an essential part of health care for over a century: it save lives, prevents disability and further illness, and puts people on the road to recovery and better health. At PRHC alone, more than 22,000 surgical procedures were performed last year.

But for years, surgery often required a large incision, a long hospital stay, and an even longer convalescence. While this type of surgery can improve or even save your life, there are inherent risks involved and it can take up to six weeks before you’ve completely recovered.

Today, advances in techniques and technology used in minimally invasive surgery are changing the standard of care for many common surgical procedures.

For example, instead of making foot-long belly-to-pelvis incisions, minimally invasive surgeons make substantially smaller cuts and use scopes, cameras, and specialized instruments to perform the procedure inside the patient’s body.

As a result, the patient experiences less pain, shorter hospital stays, quicker recoveries, less risk of post-surgery complications such as wound infection, and overall better outcomes.

Last year, donor support helped the PRHC Foundation outfit nine of the hospital’s 12 operating rooms with new high-definition scopes, lenses, lights and cameras that allow surgeons to see with incredible clarity inside the body. It also funded new high- definition monitors and replaced existing but outdated surgical tools with standardized, state-of-the-art instrument sets.

The new equipment is enabling surgeons to increase the total percentage of surgeries performed at PRHC using minimally invasive techniques from 40 per cent of procedures towards the hospital’s goal of 80 per cent.

It’s empowering PRHC surgeons to treat more kinds and more difficult forms of cancer (including stomach, gastrointestinal, uterine, adrenal, spleen, kidney, ovarian and urinary cancers), perform emergency appendectomies, and treat emergent ulcers, hernias, and bowel blockages using minimally invasive surgical techniques.

While the government provides funding to hospitals, it doesn’t provide the money for the vast majority of PRHC’s equipment needs. The donor investment in minimally invasive surgical tools is also helping PRHC to attract new surgeons who wish to practice their skills in a state-of-the-art facility.

VIDEO: Investing in Minimally Invasive Surgery at PRHC

Surgeon Dr. Lynn Mikula, Chair of PRHC’s Medical Advisory Committee, says PRHC’s surgeons have the talent and training, and they’re passionate about treating significantly more patients with minimally invasive surgical techniques.

“Our hospital had the will and the facilities but we needed the help of donors to purchase the equipment and technology that empowered us to realize our vision,” Mikula says. “Thank you.”

In fact, PRHC was recently recognized internationally for its surgical safety outcomes for patients.

Out of nearly 800 hospitals from across the U.S. and Canada who participated in the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), PRHC was one of only 66 hospitals — and one of only eight in Canada — that received the designation “Meritorious”.

This places PRHC among such esteemed peers as Sunnybrook Health Sciences, Mount Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins.

While the PRHC Foundation is thankful for the donor investment in surgical innovation, over the next few years, PRHC will need significant investments in equipment and technology in the following areas:

• Cancer Care – $8.75 million (Mammography, Laboratory & Diagnostic Imaging) – Funding the equipment and technology that will allow PRHC to provide innovative, individualized and compassionate services across the spectrum of cancer care, for patients from across our region, right here at home.
• Women & Children – $1.0 million (Neonatal ICU/Labour & Delivery) – Funding the lifesaving equipment and technology that keeps expectant mothers and their babies safe and healthy.
• Emergency Essentials – $3.2 million – Funding the essential medical technology and equipment that keeps PRHC ready for your emergency.

This holiday season, consider making a generous gift that will make a real difference in the lives of patients. To make a donation, call 705-876-5000 or visit www.prhcfoundation.ca.