Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a visit to Peterborough on January 17, 2016. The Prime Minister is returning to Peterborough on January 13, 2017 for a public town hall meeting. (Photo: Linda McIlwain / kawarthaNOW)
As part of his cross-Canada tour to consult with Canadians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be attending a town hall meeting in Peterborough on Friday, January 13th. He will be joined by Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, who was sworn in earlier today as Minister for Status of Women.
According to information received from Monsef’s office, the two-hour town hall “is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to remain connected with Canadians and engage with them across the country, at home in their communities. The Prime Minister wants to hear from you about how you are feeling as we enter the new year.”
The town hall takes place from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Friday, January 13th, at the Banquet Hall at Evinrude Centre (911 Monaghan Rd., Peterborough). As there is hockey tournament taking place at the Evinrude Centre at the same time, arrangements have been made for town hall participants to park across the street at the Canadian Canoe Museum.
People are asked to RSVP if they plan to attend. [Editor’s note: the RSVP page at Maryam Monsef’s website is no longer available, so we have removed the link.]
On his way to Peterborough, Prime Minister Trudeau will be stopping at Rhino’s Roadhouse in Bewdley on Rice Lake, where he may try ice fishing (photo: Rhino’s Roadhouse / Facebook)
On his way to Peterborough, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to make a brief, informal stop at Rhino’s Roadhouse on Rice Lake in Bewdley. He will arrive there at 9 a.m. on Friday for breakfast and, weather permitting, may go ice fishing on Rice Lake.
Rhino’s is a popular restaurant on Rice Lake that was rebuilt after being severely damaged in a September 2015 fire. Note that the restaurant is not accepting any reservations for Friday morning due to the publicity it has received as a result of the announced visit.
Snofest Pete kicks off the Snofest lineup with the help of his friends from Showplace and the Snofest Committee (photo: Snofest Peterborough)
January. Back to work full force, back to school. If you’re not a full-fledged snowthusiast then you might be feeling the mid-winter meltdown creeping in. Luckily, there’s no lack of activity, entertainment and talent in Peterborough and the Kawarthas for you to choose from. There is so much going on (and more every year) that I have a challenge limiting my picks. So this week’s list is designed to get some glow back in your January blues. Oh, and just so we’re clear — we’re 69 days to the first day of spring!
Snofest is back of course and it’s on for the full month. Snofest Idol wrapped up this past weekend, with the winner — 16-year-old Snelgrove Eadie, a Thomas A. Stewart Grade 11 student — announced at Showplace Performance Centre.
Carnival on the Hill happens on Saturday, January 21st, starting with the Mayor’s Pancake Breakfast followed by fun events indoors and outdoors beside the Liftlock canal and at the Peterborough Museum and Archives.
Speaking of the Liftlock canal, keep an eye out for our canal skating updates as conditions freeze further (and thaw, and freeze). Here is our most recent update.
For the full lineup of Snofest events in one convenient place, check out our Snofest column.
It’s hot inside the Market Hall this month with Mudmen, Lee Harvey Osmond, Broadway Gender Benders, and more
In Sadie’s Last Days on Earth, Sadie (Morgan Taylor Campbell) has a list of things to do before the apocalypse: master survivalist cuisine, learn to sew, kiss a boy, and (most importantly) get her best friend Brennan (Clark Backo) back (photo: Jag Gundu)
Kudos to the Market Hall (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) for presenting extra shows and bringing in some unusual events and hot acts this season.
This Thursday night, A71 Entertainment — founded by Peterborough’s own Chad Maker and Kirk Comrie — presents Canadian indie film Sadie’s Last Days on Earth at 7:30 p.m. This movie isn’t playing in local theatres and it’s a one-night-only screening. More event details are here and make sure to read Sam Tweedle’s exclusive interview with co-producer and actor Paula Brancati.
Canada’s Celtic rockers Mudmen perform on January 14 at the Market Hall (photo: Mudmen)
Then on Saturday night, Mudmen will definitely heat up the Market Hall stage starting at 8 p.m. Always entertaining and definitely unique, Mudmen are a blast of Celtic energy whose members — including the bagpipe-playing Campbell brothers — are known to be characters both on and off stage. And they’re challenging you to wear some plaid. Read our music writer Josh Fewing’s interview with Robby Campbell.
As well writing and performing music, Tom Wilson is an accomplished painter. When he stopped drinking in 1997, Tom began painting in his unique Picasso-like style, which includes intricate inscribing of song lyrics and stories onto the canvas. Here he’s pictured in front of “The Mystic Highway”, a mural commissioned by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the City of Hamilton for the 2015 Juno Awards. (Photo: The Canadian Press / Peter Power)
And next Thursday (January 19), Tom Wilson is back as Lee Harvey Osmond with his very talented band made up of his son Thompson Wilson, drummer Ray Farrugia (formerly of Junkhouse), and pedal steel talent Aaron Goldstein. Tom’s a renaissance man, a lot of fun on stage and these are some of the best musicians in Canada. Does it get better than that? Read our interview with Tom by Josh Fewings.
Also at the Market Hall next Friday night (January 20) is New Stages Theatre Company’s annual Cabaret Night. It’s typically a sellout, so don’t delay and get your tickets now. This year’s theme is “Broadway Gender Benders”, when some of Canada’s (and Peterborough’s) finest musical theatre performers sing songs from roles they would never be cast to play. This promises to be one of the most exciting and unique nights of theatre all year.
Bobcaygeon gets lucky with Mayhemingways this Friday the 13th at the Kawartha Coffee Co.
Mayhemingways (Josh Fewings and Benj Rowland) are playing at Bobcaygeon’s Kawartha Coffee Co. on Friday night. This might be one of your last chances to see them perform locally before they head out on a tour with Joel and Bill Plaskett this spring. (Photo: Jeremy Kelly)
kawarthaNOW kudos to Kathleen Seymour at Kawartha Coffee Co. (49 Bolton St., Bobcaygeon), who clearly recognizes talent when she sees it. This Friday night, she’s bringing Mayhemingways in to play a show.
Mayhemingways — the multi-talented Benj Rowland and our very own Josh Fewings — are a duo with a big sound of fuzz-folk. It’s roots music tinged with bluegrass, Cajun, and Celtic music, delivered by accordion, banjo, guitar, drums and bass pedals.
The show at Kawartha Coffee Co. takes place on Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The hat will be passed over the course of the evening (with a suggested donation is $10).
This booking is fresh off the announcement that Mayhemingways will be the backing band this spring for Joel Plaskett, who’s touring a new record with his dad Bill. Read our interview with Josh and Joel by Paul Rellinger.
Back to business! Save the dates for these notable business events
You may have noticed that Peterborough and area has stepped up the networking game over the past few years. Every week, there’s a great selection of events where business owners can learn, be inspired, and network. If you haven’t browsed our business networking column lately, you might want to take a look — and it’s regional too!
Coming up later this month, on Wednesday, January 25th at The Venue (286 George St. N., Peterborough) is the second annual Power Hour presented by the Greater Peterborough Area Chamber of Commerce. Keynote speeches will be delivered by Maryam Monsef (MP Peterborough-Kawartha and Minister of Status of Women), Jeff Leal (MPP Peterborough and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), J. Murray Jones (Warden, County of Peterborough) and Daryl Bennett (Mayor, City of Peterborough).
This event is an important opportunity for the business community to speak and hear directly from Peterborough’s elected officials. City and County Councillors, First Nations Chiefs, and City and County CAOs have also been invited to attend. It was a sellout last year, so don’t delay to book your seats.
Recovered lawyer, feminist comic, and CBC radio host Candy Palmater is one of the keynote speakers at the first-ever International Women’s Day Conference Peterborough on March 8th in Peterborough (publicity photo)
And save the date of Wednesday, March 8th for the first International Women’s Day Conference Peterborough. I have to admit, I’m pretty excited about this event. It may have something to do with me falling into a woman-crush zone with Candy Palmater last summer when she hosted her first show on CBC Radio. Well, if you’re a Candy fan too, you’ll definitely not want to miss the conference on International Women’s Day 2017, because Candy Palmater will be one of three keynote speakers, along with author Sarah Vermunt and our local angel Linda Kash.
The conference is a full day of workshops and learning, under the theme of “Inspire, Empower and Act”, and was conceived by Louise Racine, local business owner of Thirteen Moons, when she won the Judy Heffernan Memorial Award. She was inspired to put her win to good work, and is leading a local committee to organize the event, which has been endorsed and promoted by the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough. Read our story on the conference — and watch for more updates coming soon!
That’s a wrap for this week. And just another reminder there are 69 days to the first day of spring. Stay warm. Because January.
If you’d like to have your event considered as a top pick, your first step is to make sure to submit it to our event system.
If you want to be in the know about what’s coming up (and maybe win tickets!), you should subscribe to our VIP Enews which will arrive in your inbox every Wednesday morning — along with a link to the most recent version of this column. Sign up for our VIP Enews here.
Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think by posting a comment below.
Vegan Sweet Home makes vegan desserts as well as some gluten-free items, like these peanut butter cups (photo: Kristin Gibson Photography)
This month, Eva Fisher tastes extraordinary vegan treats with Vegan Sweet Home and talks to Executive Chef Jess Hendren from Peterborough’s new small plates bar, the Lounge by Lignum. She discovers what’s growing in January with Tiny Farm, and learns how Springville Chinese restaurant Golden Wheel Restaurant is honouring its honky tonk history.
Have your cake and eat it too with Vegan Sweet Home
As a vegan who loves baking, Courtney Vanden Anker has had to get creative. She makes indulgent vegan baked goods using her own recipes for her business, Vegan Sweet Home.
While visiting her market stall you might find decadent chocolate brownies, thickly iced carrot cake, chocolate peanut butter cups, or even her own take on Pop Tarts.
Before she became a vegan, Courtney loved to bake. When her sister became vegan, it was important to her that her sister be able to eat the food that flowed like a conversation between their two households.
“I didn’t want her not to be able to eat a muffin off my kitchen counter.”
Vegan Sweet Home owner Courtney Vanden Anker makes vegan desserts using her own recipes (photo: Eva Fisher)
Rather than look through vegan recipe books, she used her own recipes and makes substitutions: ground flaxseed and water for egg and chickpea flour paste for meringue. Her sister encouraged her to start a business, and two years ago Vegan Sweet Home was born.
“It’s about trying out recipes and seeing what works. The kitchen is my favourite place.”
You can also order vegan pot pie, shepherd’s pie, macaroni and cheese, and lasagna from Vegan Sweet Home. Courtney has plans to start bringing these to the Peterborough Farmers Market within the month, but you can now order them directly.
Courtney is also planning to share her recipes. She is currently working on a cookbook that uses easy to source ingredients. She admits that “there are lots of awesome vegan cookbooks out there, but often they have ingredients that are very hard to find.” Her focus is to create decadent treats from vegan ingredients that are easily accessible.
You can find Vegan Sweet Home on Facebook and Twitter, or you can call 705-761-2931 to place an order.
The Lounge by Lignum brings small plate dining and hard to find wines to Peterborough’s downtown
The Lounge by Lignum, a new wine bar and small plates dining lounge, opens in downtown Peterborough on January 18 (graphic: Lignum)
The Lounge by Lignum (442 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-775-9463) is a new restaurant, wine bar, artisan furniture gallery, and event space opening on Wednesday, January 18th.
The design part of the business, Lignum by Design, will feature tables, cabinets, and wine racks created by owner Steve Verge.
Executive chef Jessica Hendren says that the restaurant will feature small plates, a favourite format for her that she honed in several high profile chef positions in Ottawa. Rather than order one entree, you can order several smaller plates to try. To Jessica, this offers an opportunity to experience more flavours.
“I like to go to a restaurant and try different things. I don’t like to be limited to one dish. When I go to a nice restaurant I want to be able to experience everything.”
Jessica notes that the menu will change regularly, and will feature a variety of cuisines.
“It will be an international menu. I could be doing basically anything: Italian or Japanese or Greek. I’m not limited.”
Jessica will be working closely with front of house manager and sommelier George Anagnostou, formerly of The Original Greek. “George and I have been looking for an excuse to work together.”
Wine will be offered by the glass or in tasting flights of three, with three different white wine flights and three different red wine flights. The Lounge by Lignum will feature wines otherwise unavailable in Peterborough.
On February 11th they are bringing Tony Aspler, a Toronto sommelier and published writer, to do a wine and food tasting and seminar. There will be seven different courses and seven different wines, and Tony will speak between each course. Jessica says that they plan to do more of this type of event in the future.
“For me this business is about exploring different flavours and learning about different types of wine: the region, the grape, and also the food and why you’ve paired it with that. It’s a concept of learn, explore, and share.”
The 27-seat venue will also be available for private parties. For reservations and more information, visit their website at loungebylignum.ca.
Growing in the snow: extended season farming in the Kawarthas
Tiny Farm’s greenhouse allows them to grow greens well beyond the regular growing season (photo: Tiny Farm)
With snow blanketing the fields, it can feel like nothing is alive in January. Farmers and gardeners across the region know that delicious local vegetables can still be harvested.
Mike Mannix from Tiny Farm doesn’t offer his bright and flavourful market greens in January, but he uses an unheated greenhouse so he can bring his harvests to the farmers’ market as late as December and as early as March. The greenhouse warms Mike’s plants significantly.
“Minus 32 was the lowest we recorded last winter. In the greenhouse, the lowest we recorded was minus 13. That’s a pretty significant reduction for just a layer of plastic.”
That being said, like any farming endeavour, the weather plays a vital role in the success of the crops.
“It’s old fashioned, low-tech farming. The only thing that’s mitigating the winter conditions is a layer of plastic.”
Lettuces, kale. and an edible bok choi flower make for a colourful winter salad. These were harvested last March during a snow flurry. (Photo: Tiny Farm)
Cold hardy plants use solutes and special proteins that act as a natural antifreeze. This allows vegetables like kale, carrots and spinach to survive well below freezing.
“You have to know your crops. From one variety of kale to another you can get a difference of several degrees of hardiness. Choosing the right variety can be the difference between surviving or not.”
Mike says that the key to harvesting winter salad greens in an unheated greenhouse is to wait for a sunny day when the greenhouse warms up dramatically.
“If you cut leaves while they’re partially frozen, they will thaw out and turn to mush.”
Mike notes that even without a greenhouse, snow can act as an insulator, allowing some hardy plants like spinach to survive and grow again in the spring.
Spinach, kale and lettuce are three of the hardiest salad greens that Tiny Farm grows in their greenhouse. They also grow arugula, mizuna, and mustard, which tend to die out in December. Even in extreme cold, the farm yields incredible flavour. According to Mike, that flavour is often different from that of summer greens.
“The taste can change in the cold. It’s never bad but it’s different.”
You can find Tiny Farm at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market beginning in March or April, or right now on Instagram.
The Tung family returns to Golden Wheel Restaurant
Back under the management of the Tung family, Golden Wheel Restaurant offers both Chinese-Canadian dishes and more traditional fare (photo: Hailey Urqhuart)
The Tung family is back in the restaurant business.
In 2014, Mei and Patrick Tung sold their popular Springville location, Golden Wheel Restaurant, (6725 Trans-Canada Hwy, Peterborough, 705-749-6838). Little did they know that they’d be reopening in 2016 with daughter Susan Tung as restaurant manager.
Susan brings with her a love of the hospitality industry, cultivated while working as a bartender during her time at the University of Toronto. She found it a great way to connect with people in her community.
“I really like creating experiences for people. I like making people feel very special. I think it goes a long way when you remember someone’s name and what they usually get, down to the little things that they like about their meals and their drinks.”
Through Golden Wheel Restaurant, she plans to bring a greater diversity of Chinese food to the Kawarthas.
“It’s nice to be able to educate people about what Chinese people actually like to eat.”
Mei Tung’s new sugar-free sweet and sour sauce is made with a pureed raspberry base (photo: Hailey Urqhuart)
Alongside Chinese-Canadian dishes, Golden Wheel Restaurant serves several more traditional dishes including a stirfry beef dish with Chinese vegetables, and a rice noodle with beef and black bean sauce.
Golden Wheel Restaurant is also innovating on Western Chinese food. Mei Tung recently created a sugar-free sweet and sour sauce using a pureed raspberry base. According to Susan, “you still have that sweet and tangy flavour but it’s not overbearing.”
Susan is also developing the space as a live music venue, a nod to its past when it was known as the Honkytonk.
“People have so many memories with that building and what it used to be. As much as we are a Chinese food restaurant, we still embrace what it was. We’re trying to bring back live music and events.”
On January 28th, you can come for all you can eat buffet and live music with Guelph County Line. It costs $15 for buffet admission and, if you want to just watch the music, entry is free after 8 p.m.
Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, pictured here with Governor General David Johnston and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was sworn in on January 10, 2017 as Minister of Status of Women (photo: Adam Scott)
As part of the cabinet shuffle to be announced by the Trudeau government on Tuesday (January 10), CBC News is reporting that Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef will be moved from Democratic Institutions to the Status of Women portfolio. She will replace Patty Hajdu, who will become the Minister of Labour.
The move is one of several changes as a result of the shuffle, which comes as Prime Minister Trudeau embarks on a cross-country campaign-style tour.
The shuffle, which comes two weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States, is also seen as preparation for the uncertainties of Trump administration. The U.S. is Canada’s largest trading partner and, wile Trump has largely ignored Canada to date, he has promised to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Monsef’s removal as Minister of Democratic Institutions comes after she was widely criticized for her handling of electoral reform, one of Trudeau’s campaign promises. Karina Gould will take over the portfolio.
Maryam Monsef with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before being sworn in as Trudeau’s youngest cabinet minister on November 5, 2015 (photo: Maryam Monsef / Facebook)
First-time MP Monsef was sworn into cabinet in November 2015 as Trudeau’s youngest minister at age 31. She was tasked with reforming the government’s Senate appointment process and proposing a replacement for Canada’s 150-year-old electoral system.
Although Monsef had completed a reform of the Senate appointment process by July 2016, critics accused her of stalling on electoral reform. The issue came to a head in December 2016, when Monsef claimed in the House of Commons that an all-party committee had failed to do its job. MPs on the committee accused her of lying in the House of Commons, and Monsef eventually issued an apology.
Other changes in the Trudeau government to be announced today, according to CBC News:
Chrystia Freeland replaces Stéphane Dion in foreign affairs (Dion is leaving politics to take a diplomatic post)
John McCallum will be named Canada’s ambassador to China
François-Philippe Champagne will be named Minister of International Trade
Ahmed Hussen will be named Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
The new cabinet will hold its first retreat on January 23rd and 24th in Calgary, Alberta.
At the January 7th Peterborough Petes game, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton received a $15,000 cheque from the Bell Let's Talk Community fund for mental health programs for women at YWCA Crossroads Shelter (photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton)
During the Peterborough Petes game on Saturday, January 7th, Bell Let’s Talk presented YWCA Peterborough Haliburton with a $15,000 grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund.
The grant will support the “Saying Yes: Better Serving Abused Women with Mental Health Issues” program at YWCA Crossroads Shelter.
“YWCA is proud to receive a Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant to support the work YWCA Crossroads Shelter does every day to help more women with mental health and addiction issues,” says Jen Cureton, YWCA Director of Philanthropy & Communications.
“The $15,000 grant, along with a donation from The Peterborough Foundation and other private donors, will support ongoing staff training as we continue to work on saying yes to women with complex issues.”
The grant to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton is one of more than 70 grants made by Bell Let’s Talk in 2016 to community organizations across Canada that help people living with a mental illness.
“Bell Let’s Talk is so pleased to support the tremendous work being done by the YWCA Crossroads Shelter,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk.
The January 7th Peterborough Petes game was dedicated to mental health awareness, in advance of Bell Let’s Talk Day on Wednesday, January 25th.
On that day, Bell will donate five cents to support Canadian mental health programs for every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell Canada and Bell Aliant customers, every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk, every post using #BellLetsTalk on Instagram, and every use of the Bell Let’s Talk geofilter on Snapchat.
The Bell Let’s Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research, and workplace initiatives. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
An updated Reggie's Hot Grill in Peterborough's East City has reopened under the ownership of Steve and Carolyn Effer and features original Reggie's recipes (photo: Reggie's Hot Grill / Facebook)
Reggie’s Hot Grill
Steve and Carolyn Effer are making a name for themselves in the local fast food business.
The couple opened the Red Wagon Chip Truck last May on the Lakefield highway near Giant Tiger. And two weeks ago they became the proud new owners of Reggie’s Hot Grill in East City. They have quickly given Reggie’s a facelift with new fryers, a new venting system, a fresh coat of paint, and an expanded menu while keeping your Reggie’s favourites.
BlushDrop capture all of the video shot from friends and family at weddings and professionally edits it into a keepsake montage (photo: BlushDrop / Facebook)
Since winning the Bear’s Lair competition last year, Rick Dolishny has been busy building his business. BlushDrop takes the video shot by friends and family at weddings and special occasions and creates a keepsake montage.
Rick has established key markets, so he is taking his show on the road with a full trade show exhibit at Canada’s Bridal Show in Toronto, then it’s on to shows in Chicago and Dallas. By pre-selling gift cards and wedding packages, Rick plans a big kick start to his 2017.
Located at Venture North, you can check BlushDrop out at www.blushdrop.com.
Discovery PBX on January 10
The Discovery PBX on January 10 also features a special announcement from Sofie Andreou & Associates (image: Peterborough Chamber)
Lots of business events are happening this week… The Chamber of Commerce kicks off its 2017 schedule of the Peterborough Business Exchange with Discovery PBX, profiling a number of new Chamber members in a tabletop trade show format.
It’s a great opportunity for the business community, employers, consumers, and community agencies to connect with these new business owners.
The event is open to everyone and takes place tomorrow (Tuesday, January 10th) from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Venue on George Street in downtown Peterborough.
Women in Politics panel on January 11 at Women’s Business Network of Peterborough
The Women in Politics panel features MP Maryam Monsef, Selwyn Mayor Mayor Smith, and Peterborough City Councillor Diane Therrien (image: WBN Peterborough / Facebook)
The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough starts off strong on Wednesday night (January 11) with Women in Politics, a panel featuring MP Maryam Monsef, Mayor Mary Smith, and Councillor Diane Therrien, moderated by the Chamber’s Sandra Dueck.
January 13 deadline for Win This Space competition
The Win This Space competition prize includes a rent-free storefront in downtown Peterborough (image: Peterborough DBIA / Facebook)
The Peterborough DBIA’s Win This Space deadline is this Friday (January 13).
You could win your own storefront in the downtown with 12 months free rent and a raft of other prizes, products, and support services. You just need to put together a good business pitch in a three-minute video and submit it.
Peterborough's own Mayhemingways (Josh Fewings and Ben Rowland) are heading out on tour with Bill and Joel Plaskett in early spring (photo: Jeremy Kelly)
If any musician still needs validation of the importance of always giving your best when performing live, Josh Fewings of Mayhemingways has a story to share.
In August 2014, Fewings and bandmate Benj Rowland performed at the Peterborough Folk Festival. Unknown to them, Juno Award-winning recording artist Joel Plaskett was in the Nicholls Oval Park crowd, later catching up with the Peterborough musical duo at a festival after-party.
“He dug us,” recounts Fewings, noting Plaskett invited him and Rowland to drop by his Dartmouth, Nova Scotia recording studio the next time they were down east. They eventually did just that last year, with Plaskett then catching their act in a neighbouring Halifax pub.
With studio work completed on Solidarity, an album written and recorded with his father Bill, Plaskett looked to touring the new music in 2017. Some 1,200 kilometres distant, Fewings’ phone buzzed.
“Joel asked if we were free in March and April,” Fewings says. “The only thing we had planned was to do a little tour of Europe, but we only had three or four gigs booked so we cleared our calendar.”
“Him asking us (to tour) so out of the blue is mind blowing. He has a really good band (The Emergency) but this tour is about the album with his dad and he wanted a different approach on it. Anytime someone like Joel Plaskett asks you tour, that’s a good day.”
“My dad and I playing music together is something real.” To be released in February, Solidarity is the new album Joel Plaskett (right) recorded with his father Bill (photo courtesy of Joel Plaskett)
With Solidarity due to be released on February 17th, the 20-stop cross-Canada tour begins on March 15th in Truro, Nova Scotia. So far, the only show in the Kawarthas is on Wednesday, May 3rd at the Academy Theatre in Lindsay (tickets are $34.50 and can be ordered at www.academytheatre.ca or phone 705-324-9111. For all the tour dates, visit joelplaskett.com/tour/
Peterborough show announced!
The Plasketts and Mayhemingways will perform at the Market Hall in Peterborough on Sunday, May 7, 2017. Tickets are $33.90+fees and go on sale January 18th. For more information and to order tickets, visit www.markethall.org.
As well as backing up the Plasketts, Mayhemingways will open each show, with lead singer Rowland switching between accordion, banjo, guitar, and tenor guitar (while holding down the bass using foot pedals) and Fewings on drums, percussion, and back-up vocals. This allows the duo to produce a big sound for their mix of originals, traditional tunes, and covers, all with distinct Cajun, blugrass, country, and Celtic influences. They’ve been described as folk-rock, alt-country, and “fuzz-folk”.
“The Mayhemingways are great,” Plaskett tells me in a phone interview. “They make a real racket for two guys. And I mean racket in a good way. I thought it would be a neat fit.”
VIDEO: “Altantic City” by Bruce Springsteen, performed by Mayhemingways
The new record and tour with his dad Bill is a new direction for Plaskett.
“It’s strange for me to not bring my band on the road with me — it’s a huge part of what I’ve done,” Plaskett explains. “But I wanted this record to be about my father and me. If I have the band there, the expectations are for the show to end up in a big rockfest. With my dad, that’s not the end game. I want to be able to control the dynamics, with a more acoustic presentation. I pick the points where the electricity is there.”
And the 42-year-old Plaskett has generated a lot of electricity over the last 24 years as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His initial foray into the music business saw him serve as lead singer and guitarist for Halifax-based Thrush Hermit and, in the late 1990s, drummer for Neuseiland. After both bands broke up, that’s when things really fell into place for the Lunenburg native.
Fronting The Emergency, Plaskett earned a Juno Award nomination in 2002 as Best New Artist — a nod earned via critical acclaim for the trio’s debut album Down At The Khyber. Follow-up album Truthfully, Truthfully brought commercial success the trio’s way.
All the while, Plaskett kept hard at it as a solo artist as well, recording four albums in total, the latest being 2015’s The Park Avenue Sobriety Test. And the plaudits kept coming his way: five more Juno Award nominations and a win in 2010 for Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Three, as well as numerous nominations and wins at the East Coast Music Awards.
VIDEO: Bill & Joel Plaskett – Solidarity Album Trailer
In 2016, a project that been percolating for some time finally got his full attention.
“My dad has been an inspiration but also someone I learned from when I was younger,” Plaskeet says. “I’d been wanting for awhile to document what he does and sort of collaborate with him.”
“Since I’ve become a parent, I feel the clock ticking a little bit. Becoming a father myself, I realize the connection I have with my dad is powerful. He’s still very able-bodied, but he’s in his seventies now and neither of us is getting any younger. So it was ‘Let’s make a record together.’ It’s something I’m really lucky to be able to do. I’m hoping this may be the first of several records we do.”
Describing his father as “a good singer and guitar player in his own right,” Plaskett says the album features songs written by both himself and his dad.
“It’s definitely a folkier side of what I do. My dad and I share a love of folk music; English stuff from the 1960s and 1970s. There are influences that we share. It’s folky in its instrumentation but it’s also got a little political undercurrent, social commentary, stuff like that. We recorded the album during the run-up to the American election. Not that we were writing about that, but that was sort of the backdrop.”
Bill and Joel Plaskett: “My dad and I share a love of folk music.” (photo courtesy of Joel Plaskett)
“The song Solidarity isn’t a political song per se but, to me, the title and what it represents sort of ties in to my and my dad’s story. The verses are little vignettes from our lives. The older I get, the more my own politics creep into my writing. At the same time, it’s not all about that. There are love songs on the record too.”
While touring is nothing new for Plaskett, touring with his dad is — and that has both father and son excited for what lies ahead.
“My dad and I playing music together is something real,” he says. “I’ve had people tweeting me that ‘I bought tickets for me and my mom’ or ‘for me and my dad’. My 20-year-old self probably would have thought that’s not very punk rock but, where I am in my life now, it makes me happy to hear that.”
Not lost on Plaskett is how fortunate he has been to prosper in a business where fame is often fleeting at best.
“I don’t have a back-up plan. I think that’s why I’m still playing, to be honest. I don’t have an education to fall back on. My education is basically my experience playing music and writing songs, and learning how to perform them live and putting on a strong show. The fact that I’m able to carve out a living is really a blessing. To be able to include my dad in that is even better.”
VIDEO: “Hunter Street Blues” – Mayhemingways
On January 16th, the Plasketts will welcome Fewings and Rowland back to their Nova Scotia studio where they’ll rehearse for the tour. For Fewings, there’s a sense that “a cosmic alignment is happening” in terms of Mayhemingways’ good fortune.
“I like to think it’s been pretty well earned from playing as much as we can since we got together,” says Fewings, adding, “Even if this hadn’t come about, we would still feel very good about what we’ve done.”
Ahead for the duo, prior to the Plaskett tour, is a February trip to Alberta to record tracks for a new album — a follow-up to their 2016 critically acclaimed debut album Hunter Street Blues.
Meanwhile, for Plaskett, post-tour will see much more of the same: writing and recording with the addition of exploring “something more conceptual” with his friend and songwriter Shotgun Jimmy. But the tour with his dad, he says, is currently at the centre of his universe.
“I love playing gigs,” he says. “It makes me feel more connected to people. It makes me feel like I’m part of something. There’s a shared energy. It feeds my ego too — don’t get me wrong, but it has a lot to do with not feeling so alone in the world.”
Reminded that Lindsay’s Academy Theatre, where he’s played before and will again on May 3rd, lays claim to a resident ghost, Plaskett isn’t concerned.
“I heard that. I sort of believe in that stuff, so I’m ready. Bring it on.”
That’s a sentiment no doubt shared by many who are anxious to experience his new tour with his dad Bill and Mayhemingways.
Time-zone inventor Sir Sandford Fleming in 1895 (photo: Wikipedia)
Today is the 190th birthday of Sir Sandford Fleming (1827-1915), the namesake of Fleming College in the Kawarthas, and Google has honoured Fleming’s birth with a doodle.
Fleming is best known as the inventor of Universal Standard Time (including time zones), but he also helped engineer much of Canada’s national railway and designed Canada’s first postage stamp.
Born in Kircaldy in Scotland, Fleming began working for an engineer at age 14, when he learned to design and build harbours and waterworks, and also surveyed for the railway. He moved to Canada in 1845 at the age of 18, and spent his first summer at the Peterborough home of Dr. John Hutchison.
Google’s doodle on January 7, 2017 honours Sir Sandford Fleming’s 190th birthday (illustration: Sophie Diao)
Fleming worked in Peterborough as a surveyor until 1849, when he became a fully qualified engineer. He drew and printed several maps, including the first map of Peterborough.
Beginning in 1863, Fleming led plans for the Intercolonial Railway, which would connect New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec). In 1867, he was appointed engineer-in-chief for the railway. Despite objections, he insisted on building railway bridges out of fire-resistant iron and stone instead of less expensive wood.
By 1871, plans were made to extend the railway west to bring British Columbia into the confederation of 1867, and Fleming was offered the chief engineer post on the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1872, he surveyed a practical route through the Yellowhead Pass across the Rocky Mountains.
Donald Alexander Smith (Lord Strathcona) driving the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway at Craigellachie, British Columbia, on November 7, 1885, with Fleming standing behind him (photo: Wikipedia)
By 1880, 600 miles completed of the railway were completed, but a change of government and privatization of the railway resulted in Fleming’s dismissal from the project. However, in 1884 he became a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway and was present when the last spike was driven on November 7, 1885.
Sir Sandford is best known for inventing Universal Standard Time, as a result of issues he identified while working on railway timetables. In standard time, the globe is divided into 24 time zones, each an hour from the next and all a fixed number of hours from the “prime meridian” in Greenwich, England. Standard time was adopted globally in 1884.
VIDEO: Heritage Minutes: Sir Sandford Fleming
Seven facts about Sir Sandford Fleming
In 1849, the 22-year-old Fleming helped found the Royal Canadian Institute in Toronto in 1849, a society dedicated to the “encouragement and general advancement of the Physical Sciences, the Arts and Manufactures”, and he designed the society’s crest. The institute established the Sandford Fleming Medal and Citation in 1982, which is awarded annually to a Canadian who has made outstanding contributions to the public understanding of science (past winners include David Suzuki, Jay Ingram, Terence Dickinson, and Bob McDonald).
In 1851, at the age of 24, Fleming designed Canada’s first postage stamp, known as the “three-pence beaver”. Despite tradition calling for using Queen Victoria on stamps, Fleming proposed using the beaver as a symbol of Canada because it was characteristic of Canadian wildlife and was known for its industriousness, building skills, and tenacity.
Fleming designed Canada’s first postage stamp, the “Three-Pence Beaver”, which helped popularize the beaver as an emblem of Canada (image: Canada Post)
In 1879, Fleming championed the idea of a trans-Canada telegraph and an underwater cable linking Canada with Pacific nations, which ultimately led to a telegraph cable laid across the floor of the Pacific Ocean in 1902, connecting Vancouver Island to New Zealand and Australia.
In 1879, Fleming was appointed chancellor of Queen’s College in Kingston, where he helped to establish the (originally Presbyterian) institution as a secular university with strong science and engineering programs. He remained chancellor until his death in 1915 at the age of 88.
In 1895, Fleming proposed a flag for Canada, featuring the Union Jack on a red background with a white seven-pointed star.
In 1897, at the age of 70, Fleming was knighted by Queen Victoria.
Fleming College, a community college of applied arts and technology, was named after Sir Sandford Fleming. It opened in Peterborough in 1967 and has since expanded with campuses in Lindsay, Haliburton, and Cobourg.
The green flag is flying at the Trent canal near the Peterborough Lift Lock, meaning the ice is safe for skating (file photo)
The green flag is flying at the Trent-Severn Waterway canal at the Peterborough Lift Lock, meaning the ice is safe for skating.
It’s the first time the canal has been open for skating this winter.
If you plan to head out for a skate this weekend, be advised that the ice is currently rough. The City of Peterborough plans to flood the ice next week, weather permitting, to smooth it out.
The Trent Severn Waterway and the City Peterborough offer public skating on the canal at the Peterborough Liftlock every winter.
The city monitors ice conditions regularly, with a flag flying to indicate the status. A green flag means ice conditions are safe and skating is permitted, and a red flag means the opposite.
For other public skating in Peterborough and The Kawarthas, remember to check out our Public Skating events column.
In Sadie's Last Days on Earth, Morgan Taylor Campbell stars as Sadie Collins, a teenaged girl who's terrified of the forecasted apocalypse (photo: Jag Gundu)
As we look at the news, the internet, and social media, there’s doubt that our entire society seems to have suffered massive anxiety about 2016. Going into 2017, we hope for change but it’s also possible we’re at the threshold of the apocalypse.
A71 Entertainment presents Sadie’s Last Days on Earth
When: Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) How much: $10 general admission
Tickets are available at the Market Hall Box Office, by calling 705-749-1146, or online at www.markethall.org (a $3 box office service fee applies). Tickets are also available (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).
It’s an interesting time to be living in — which beautifully plays into many of the major themes in the new Canadian independent film Sadie’s Last Days on Earth, making its one-night only debut at Peterborough’s Market Hall on Thursday, January 12th, 2017.
Produced by BrancSeater Productions, Sadie’s Last Days on Earth is the latest in A71 Entertainment’s continuing film screenings at Market Hall. Founded by former Peterborough residents Chad Maker and Kirk Comrie, A71 Entertainment gives audiences across Ontario and beyond the opportunity to see homegrown independent films that might normally slip under the radar of the blockbuster fare offered at major movie theatre chains.
Sadie’s Last Day on Earth is the story of an 18-year-old Sadie (Morgan Taylor Campbell), who becomes convinced the end of the world is near. As she begins preparations for the upcoming apocalypse, Sadie puts together a list of things she needs to achieve before the end, from learning how to sew to kissing a boy to winning back her best friend Brennan (Clark Backo).
On Sadie’s (Morgan Taylor Campbell) list of things to do before the apocalypse: master survivalist cuisine, learn to sew, kiss a boy, and (most importantly) get her best friend Brennan (Clark Backo) back (photo: Jag Gundu)
At the helm of Sadie’s Last Days on Earth are writer/director Michael Seater and producer Paula Brancati. It’s the second feature film by the pair of Toronto-based actors, who visited Peterborough back in December 2015 when A71 Entertainment brought their first film, People Hold On, to the Market Hall.
According to Paula, Sadie’s Last Days on Earth was inspired by the belief the world would end on December 21, 2012 because of the end of the Mayan calendar (among other things).
“We’re ambiguous about what time the film takes place in, but it’s an interesting time for this film to come out,” Paula tells me in a phone interview. “Especially with the political temperature these last few months and with everything that went on in the world last year.”
The film, starring Morgan Taylor Campbell as Sadie, explores modern teenage anxiety and the universal theme of acceptance from others and ourselves (photo: Jag Gundu)
Probably best remembered by audiences for her role as Jane Vaughn in Degrassi: The Next Generation or as Jenny Zalen in CBC’s cult favorite Being Erica, Paula is currently performing the role of Miss Honey in the Toronto stage production of Matilda: The Musical.
She not only co-produced Sadie’s Last Days on Earth, but also appears in the film as Sadie’s teacher Connie.
“I definitely had my producer hat on very tightly leading up to our three days shooting Connie,” Paula says. “But Mike wanted to take me off e-mails for the three days we were doing my scenes.”
Paula describes the significance of Connie’s role in the film.
Co-producer Paula Brancati (left) also stars in the film as Connie, Sadie’s teacher and confidant (photo: Jag Gundu)
“Once Sadie goes full on into preparing for the apocalypse, she’s lost her best friend Brennan,” Paula explains. “One of the things on Sadie’s list to get Brennan back, so she confides in Connie. Connie also confides in her because she’s ending a relationship. So they have a unique language they share, and they trust each other and treat each other as equals.”
Although Sadie’s Last Days on Earth looks like a quirky teen comedy following in the traditions of Heathers or Ghost World, the film presents a commentary on anxiety through its strong female protagonist.
“Sadie is an incredible heroine and a wonderful leading character to watch,” Paula says. “She’s so charming and hilarious in expressing all of her neuroses in the film. Our girl Morgan Taylor Campbell is fantastic in this. I think it’s a really cool time for female characters who are strong, and we’re seeing that in television and film in many ways.’
Paula’s involvement in Hold On People and Sadie’s Last Days on Earth has proved her to be a successful producer. But her role in the film doesn’t mean she intends to revert to acting.
Sadie (Morgan Taylor Campbell) has two weeks to prepare for the apocalypse (photo: Jag Gundu)
“I think there’s a world where it’s possible to do all of it, if you’re willing to put in the time and you have incredible team members,” Paula explains. “I love working with Mike and starting our company has changed the course of my career, and it’s changed the ways I can be involved in this business that I love so much.”
Both Paula and co-producer Michael Seater started acting at a very young age. Michael is best known for his lead role in the popular Canadian teen sitcom Life with Derek, and he also appeared in a recurring role as criminal mastermind James Gillies in Murdoch Mysteries, as well as other television and film work.
You can’t see it in theatres: Sadie’s Last Days on Earth screens for one night only at Peterborough’s Market Hall on January 12
“Neither Mike nor I went to formal school for production training, but we have had thousands and thousands of hours on sets since we were very little,” Paula says. “So finding each other has been a joy, and being able to produce content that we feel is worth watching, and hiring our friends to act in it, or finding a crew in line with our tastes, and being able to continue to build on that relationship is a dream. It’s so much fun to be able to make films with people you admire.”
Sadie’s Last Days on Earth opened in Toronto on December 9th with a limited run, but gained a tremendous response.
“We ended up staying in theaters longer than we had expected because ticket sales were great, and we were sharing space with Star Wars: Rouge One,” Paula says.
“I was pleased that people wanted to come out and see a Canadian indie at a time when there was so much award-season fare that was available. I think that there is space for all kinds of film, and I think that our audience is hungry for content that feels fresh.”
Support Canadian cinema! Don’t miss the chance to see Sadie’s Last Days on Earth at Market Hall on Thursday December 12th. The film begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10.
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