Vancouver-based arts company Hong Kong Exile will perform NINEEIGHT and Room 2048 at the Market Hall in Peterborough on September 21, the first presentation of Public Energy's 2017-18 season. (Photo: Remi Theriault)
Public Energy is kicking off its 24th season on Thursday, September 21st at 7 p.m. with a double bill of cutting-edge multimedia dance from Vancouver-based company Hong Kong Exile at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.
Public Energy presents NINEEIGHT and Room 2048 by Hong Kong Exile (Vancouver)
When: Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 7 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) How much: $20 ($15 students/underwaged)
Performed by Milton Lim, Remy Siu, and Natalie Tin Yin Gan. There will be a post-show question-and-answer session with the performers (refreshments will be served). Tickets are available at the Market Hall Box Office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
Hong Kong Exile is made up of three contemporary artists: Milton Lim (theatre), Remy Siu (new music), and Natalie Tin Yin Gan (dance). The three met as students at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts and have been consistently creating and producing work since 2011 when the company was formed.
Through dance, music, and multimedia, Hong Kong Exile investigates cultural politics in an era of globalization, and focuses on underrepresented experiences and identities in their work.
Since its inception, the company has developed a reputation as an engaged, rigorous, and prolific emerging arts company, and has created 14 original works since 2011.
They were honoured for their work by being named 2017 Artists-in-Residence at Vancouver’s PuSh Festival, one of Canada’s most prestigious international performing arts festivals.
VIDEO: Hong Kong Exile
Hong Kong Exile will be bringing its two signature works to the Market Hall: NINEEIGHT and Room 2048.
NINEEIGHT explores the feeling of anxiety in Hong Kong surrounding the British handover of the country to China in 1998. This began a 50-year transition period of “one country, two systems” that will end in 2047.
Win a pair of tickets!
kawarthaNOW is giving away a pair of tickets to see NINEEIGHT and Room 2048, courtesy of Public Energy.
Room 2048, the sequel to NINEEIGHT and the company’s latest work, explores the uncertainty of a future beyond Hong Kong’s transition to China. Sourcing seminal films by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong Exile’s performers are animated by live manipulated top-down projection. In digital light, bodies sway, shake, and run — oscillating between gestures of the mundane and the sacred. Room 2048 is audacious, avant-garde, and experimental.
“A clever, fascinating, and absorbing dance piece that lingers in the memory long after the show,” says Lawrence Kelson of Plank Magazine. “This is a company that is full of confidence, and trusts in its ability to engage and challenge its audience.”
NINEEIGHT by Hong Kong Excile is a multimedia dance theatre work with live-generated electronic sound and projection. Sourcing from Mo Lei Tau, a phenomenon of absurdist, comedic film that emerged in Hong Kong in the 1990s, NINEEIGHT explores a climate of political uncertainty and anxiety of Hong Kong in the years awaiting its return to the hands of Mainland China on July 1, 1997. Room 2048, the sequel to NINEEIGHT and the company’s latest work, explores the uncertainty of a future beyond Hong Kong’s transition to China. (Promotional photo)
Natalie Tin Yin Gan, the lead artist for NINEEIGHT and Room 2048, is a contemporary dance artist specializing in improvisation and interdisciplinary collaboration. She lives and works on the un-ceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. Natalie has a double degree in Contemporary Dance and International Studies from Simon Fraser University.
Following the Market Hall performance, refreshments will be served as the company engages in a post-show talkback session with the audience.
Tickets are $20 ($15 students/underwaged) and available at the Market Hall Box Office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
The day after the performance (September 22), digital media designer and member of the company, Remy Siu, will give a special workshop called “Integrating Digital Media in Performance” from 2 to 4:40 p.m. at Artspace (378 Aylmer St. N., Peterborough). To sign up for the workshop, email admin@publicenergy.ca.
Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter, and playwright Diane Flacks will participate in a staged reading of her play "Unholy", the first presentation in the 2017-2018 season of New Stages Theatre Company's popular The Page on Stage reading series. The reading takes place on Sunday, September 24 at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough.
On Sunday, September 24th, New Stages Theatre opens their 2017-2018 season with the first reading in their popular The Page on Stage series with a presentation of Unholy by Diane Flacks — who will also be participating in the reading.
Unholy is a show about the role women play in different religions and if they should abandon it due to the misogyny inbred into the various doctrines.
First presented last winter at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Unholy was written by Canadian playwright, actress, and comedian Diane Flacks. While studying at Hebrew school, Diane became interested in the role that women play in religion when she discovered a prayer that stated “Thank you God for not making me a woman.”
Eventually, Diane rejected religion completely, but the process turned into the script for Unholy. The show opened to positive reviews and is set to be restaged later this year at Buddies in Bad Times from November 23rd to December 10th.
New Stages presents Unholy
When: Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 8 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) How much: $20 ($15 for students or art workers)
Written by Diana Flacks and featuring Diana Flacks, Niki Landau, Patricia Hamilton, Tommie-Amber Pirie, and Blair Williams. Tickets are available at the Market Hall Box Office, by calling 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org .
For the Market Hall reading of Unholy, producer and New Stages artistic director Randy Read is bringing members of the original cast — including Flacks — along with another interesting actress who originally helped workshop the play.
Unholy is a staged debate featuring four very different women from different faiths. Gathered together for a YouTube channel called Unique Ideas, the question being discussed is “Should women abandon religion?”
On the pro-religion side are Maryam Hashemi (Tommi-Amber Pirie), a young Muslim feminist lawyer, and Yehudit Kalb (Niki Landau), an Orthodox Jewish “female” rabbi.
On the opposing side are Liz Feldman-Grant (Diane Flacks), a Jewish-born lesbian atheist, and Margaret Donahue (Patricia Hamilton), an excommunicated nun who still considers herself to be Catholic.
Actor/director Blair Williams also appears as the debate’s moderator Richard, who attempts to keep order in the debate as the women get more passionate about their personal stances on religion.
The story also features character-building moments where the women are removed from the debate in flashback vignettes which further explain their past experiences, shedding light on their stances and attitudes towards religion.
“The core of the play is something we all grapple with in term of all religions,” says Randy. “Do we abandon them, or do we try to work from within to change them? I’ve never understand why the Catholic Church won’t let women become priests, when they are so desperate for priests.
“I find as I get older I find myself thinking about faith. Do I not ignore it? It’s so bred in us. So I think the audience will enjoy the play because it’s such a healthy and funny exchange of the ideas.”
Always looking for plays that challenge the audience by looking at often controversial subjects from different viewpoints, Randy admits that while he knew of the play, it took a New Stages subscriber to put it on his radar for the current season.
The staged reading of “Unholy” also features Niki Landau, Patricia Hamilton, Tommie-Amber Pirie, and Blair Williams.
“Unholy was sort of in my mind because it has that strong dialectic,” Randy sayys. “But when I was selecting plays for this season, I got an email from one of our subscribers who suggested that it might be a good one for our reading series. It really meant a lot that someone would take the time to write to me, so I took it seriously. I got a copy of the play and took a look at it more closely.”
Randy first became aware of Unholy when he was working with longtime friend Patricia Hamilton, who is best known to audiences for playing the role of Rachel Lynde in CBC’s classic Anne of Green Gables series, as well as its follow up Road to Avonlea.
“Patricia was involved in workshopping Unholy last year,” Randy says. “Diane really wanted Pat to play the role of the excommunicated nun, but when it came time to do the final production she was unavailable to do it.”
New Stages reading of Unholy will see Patricia Hamilton in the role she was intended to have for the first time in front of an audience.
“I’m glad we can get Pat to explore the play with an audience,” Randy says. “She got to workshop and help develop the play, but never got to do it.”
Randy is also excited to have Diane reprising her role of Liz, a role that seems to be the closest to her own personal beliefs.
“Diane will be doing the role again for us, which is great because we’ll have the playwright with us for the talk back discussion at the end of the night,” Randy says, referring to the question and answer discussion held following all of New Stages’ The Page on Stage readings.
As well as being a playwright, Diana Flacks is an actress who has starred in films like “Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy”, “Dog Park”, and (pictured) “Portrait of a Serial Monogamist”.
Popular with New Stages subscribers, The Page on Stage reading series has always drawn a large audience and is continuously a memorable and impactful night of theatre.
This year, New Stages will be focusing the majority of their season on the reading series, with a presentation of Beverly Cooper’s If Truth Be Told in February, and a two-part presentation of Tony Kushner’s modern classic Angels in America in April and May.
Watching a play reading is a different sort of theatrical experience then watching a full performance, but it is just as compelling — in many instances, it becomes a celebration of the prose rather than the spectacle on the stage. Randy also manages to bring together big talent for these performances, and it is often the closest that our community gets to seeing Toronto theatre in Peterborough.
For more information on New Stages’ current season, visit www.newstages.ca.
Unholy will be presented on Sunday, September 24th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough). The performance starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $20 or $15 for students or art workers, available at the Market Hall box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at markethall.org.
The George-King Centre in the heart of downtown Peterborough is one of the commercial properties that Cherney Properties owns and manages in Peterborough and Lindsay. (Photo: Cherney Properties)
When it comes to creating communities, Cherney Properties has the history, the team, and the passion to make it happen.
Property manager Kristi Dick explains why the Peterborough company, formerly known as Cherney Realty, decided to rebrand in 2017.
“I think when people saw ‘realty’ they thought we were realtors,” she says. “We’re not — we’re property managers. ‘Cherney Properties’ better reflects what we do.”
Kristi Dick is Property Manager at Cherney Properties. (Photo courtesy of Kristi Dick)
Cherney Properties has a large stake in the Kawarthas: they own 13 properties in Peterborough and one in Lindsay under three sub-companies — each with a long Cherney family history.
H & M Cherney Realty is the company which originally began as a furniture store in 1937 by Myer and his brother Harry, the husband of the late local ‘power woman’ Erica Cherney. Meyer Cherney Holdings Ltd. owns the Valley High II high-rise residential apartment building on Hedonics Road in Peterborough, and Mike Cherney owns a residential townhouse property on London St. in Peterborough along with some strip malls.
“It’s pretty involved operating three companies under one umbrella,” Kristi says. “Because they’re all family-owned, it’s easier for us to brand them all as Cherney Properties.”
That’s the landscape, but it’s the people that make Cherney Properties what it is, she adds.
Take for example, a tenant whose business is thriving: they need a larger space and Cherney Properties works with them to find something appropriate. On the other hand, if that business is struggling or changing, Cherney will work with them as well.
“We know that businesses have difficulties, so we try to work with them,” Kristi says. “The bottom line is that we always try to be fair and honest. That’s the long-standing reputation we foster.”
And Kristi believes it works, because many tenants have remained in Cherney properties for “many years.”
“They wouldn’t stay around otherwise,” she says.
With their own maintenance staff and their relationships with local trades, Cherney Properties is positioned to offer full service to its clients.
“It doesn’t matter who it is we’re dealing with, it’s a relationship we’re building,” Kristi says, adding that she’s been with Cherney for two decades. “We like the long-term relationships.”
Cherney Properties also manages two residential properties, including the Valley High II apartment building on Hedonics Road in Peterborough. (Photo: Cherney Properties)
Like any relationship, that requires trust founded on honesty and integrity, she adds.
“Those who founded the business built it up to what it is today,” she says. “People like Erica and members from Harry and Myer’s branches of the family. We miss Erica a lot. She would pop in here each afternoon. She always said ‘having a tenant is better than not having one’, and I always remember that. We do everything we can to keep our tenants happy. Her words are words we live by.”
Today, Cherney Properties boasts 100 commercial tenants and 140 residential tenants. In addition to Kristi, there are three other office staff, three full-time maintenance staff, a custodian, and two part-timers.
It’s busy, she says, building and maintaining relationships with more than 250 people, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“My vision is to maintain Cherney Properties in the same fashion that it was built — with honesty and integrity as the foundation, fairness as the model of operation, and in the spirit of a good family-run company, where you can consider more than just the dollars and cents.”
Award-winning Toronto-based guitarist Rob Tardik brings his smooth jazz, Latin, and world instrumental music to Peterborough for the first time. Local singer-songwriter Mary-Kate Edwards will join him on stage to sing two of his songs.
Rob Tardik is on a mission.
CANCELLED
Market Hall presents Rob Tardik
When: Saturday, September 23, 2017 at 8 p.m. Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough) How much: $25 general admission ($30 for assigned cabaret seating)
With special guest Mary-Kate Edwards. Tickets are available at the Market Hall Box Office, by calling 705-749-1146, or online at www.markethall.org . Tickets are also available (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).
Truth be known, the multi award-winning guitarist has been has been hard at it for more than 20 years now, his goal simple but dripping with sincerity: expose as many people as he can to a form of “feel good music” that they’re not typically exposed to.
That odyssey will bring Tardik and his music industry-hailed contemporary jazz/word music talent to Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, September 23, with Peterborough’s Mary-Kate Edwards singing two of his songs.
Tickets to the 8 p.m. show, a Market Hall Presents offering, cost $25 ($30 for cabaret table seating) at the box office, by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at www.markethall.org. Tickets are also available (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).
“People are kind of force fed a diet of pop-driven music by the major radio stations,” says Tardik, who recently captured first place in the instrumental category as presented by the International Acoustic Music Awards.
“I’m just really trying to expose people to an eclectic sound featuring a lot of different styles that they might not ever hear. You don’t hear instrumental music. You have to go to a CBC channel or maybe Jazz FM in Toronto. If anything, I call my music pop instrumental with jazz and world and Latin influences.”
VIDEO: Instrumental Guitarist Rob Tardik’s Voyageur Music Video (2017)
However Tardik defines his sound, there’s no denying it’s a sound that has clearly resonated. With his sixth album, Synergy, set for release on November 3rd, he’s continuing a progression that fully evolved with his 2011 recording B.E.L.L. — his “life acronym” that stands for Balance, Energy, Laughter, Love.
“When people come to a show, they really want to get a little bit of relief from their life,” Tardik says. “They want to get away from their work and whatever else is going on and be transformed.
“I want people to leave on a positive note. I want to leave people with some balance, energy, laughter and love that they can bring to their lives that leads to limitless opportunities for them. We can all get to that bright spot in our lives, our dreams, but we’ve got to open those doors.
“Sometimes they’re only slightly ajar but you’ve got to go after it. That led me to Moments, my fifth album. By trying to find B.E.L.L. at the right time, by taking risks and being limitless in our perseverance and hard work, that will present great moments in our lives.”
VIDEO: “Moments” – Rob Tardik
Terming his discography “a tell-tale autobiography” with the theme of each album giving a clear indication of where he was at creatively and personally at the time of release, Tardik explains that Synergy speaks to what he’s “collectively done” to this point in his life.
“B.E.L.L. is a synergy; all the elements coming together. Any moment in our lives is a synergy of many different things coming together to create that moment. The world needs more synergy. I’m trying to do musical moments. That’s really where I’m at with this show.”
Tardik is no one-trick pony. Currently a member of the guitar faculty at Centennial College of Applied Arts in Toronto, Metalworks Institute in Mississauga and the Merriam School of Music in Oakville, he’s as much about educating others as he is performing. But make no mistake — songwriting is a passion-fueled obsession that excites him like nothing else.
Rob Tardik in performance. The afternoon before his evening performance at the Market Hall, the guitarist will be hosting a free guitar clinic at Long & McQuade in Peterborough.
“I’ve had so many nights where I’ve jumped out of bed and wrote down a lyric or just jotted down ideas,” he laughs.
“My excitement is bringing these to fruition, from album to album, and seeing the progression of my songwriting growth. I get excited when I have a little seed of something. I have a guitar in our living room. It’s my main songwriting guitar; an old Yamaha classical guitar I bought for 300 bucks when I was 15. I actually recorded with it on the last album for the first time.
“On this album I recorded with it again because I wanted it to be immortalized. It has been such an important guitar to me. That guitar is the one I’ve done all my songwriting on. It has some kind of energy to it — the riffs come out, the melodies come out.”
Reflecting on his upbringing in Etobicoke, Tardik clearly recalls there being music in the family home. His grandfather played guitar and his father played trumpet. In fact, in his native Hungary, his father performed after work on barges on the Danube River. Later, he exposed his son to genres of music beyond the pop realm such as bossa nova, Latin, flamenco and jazz.
“At a young age I just knew I wanted to play guitar,” says Tardik.
“I didn’t know where it would take me. If I could play my guitar and make a living, somehow turn this into a career where I could earn money from it, that was really where I was at. I wasn’t naturally gifted or talented. I had to work hard and practice. But having a knack for writing original songs, maybe that was something I had in me that was unique. I just heard melodies in my head and still do. It’s just the way I’m wired. I tell people I’m not crazy. I just hear things a lot.”
Tardik has clearly heard the right things. In 2016, his songs “Christmas Moments” and “Eros (Passion)” debuted as the most-added tracks on the Billboard U.S. Smooth Jazz charts; his 2013 single “One World” zoomed to the top of that chart and stayed there for three weeks; and, in 2010, he captured Canadian Smooth Jazz Guitarist of the Year honours.
“It’s great to go to the studio; grab some coffees and snacks for the day and hunker down. It’s almost like ‘OK, I’ve got to go to my job today.’ But the live experience, sharing all that hard work, is equally important to me. You get up on stage and people hear all these little ideas and dribs and drabs that have come out, and I’ve got five, six, seven people synergizing.
“Originally it was just a little thing I hummed at five o’clock in the morning. It’s surreal. You plant one seed and you get a whole crop from it. We just keep working and cultivating and nurturing in the studio, giving it all the energy it needs to do its thing.”
VIDEO: “Eros” – Rob Tardik
Looking ahead to his Peterborough show, Tardik is excited to return to what he terms his second home. His family spent many summer days at a friend’s cottage on the Otonabee River. Later, his parents bought and restored a cottage off Greenwood Drive that was once owned by the late Margaret Laurence.
“I’m not just coming to Peterborough and passing through. I have a real distinct tie to the region and I have some stories to tell. People there don’t know Rob Tardik. My dad was not a celebrity of any kind. We were a family that owned a cottage like many other people. I just want people to have a good night enjoying some music.”
“I look at my college students and I ask, ‘Why are we here? What is the purpose of everything you see in this room?’ The bottom line is it’s about a song. Everything in music is to do with a song. That’s what moves people. Music moves people of all ages. What’s a guitar do? The strings are there to play a song. That’s what it’s all about in one word — a song.”
“I really appreciate Market Hall taking a chance. Most of the acts passing through there have a sound that people know. A lot of times, if you want to hear jazz or Latin or world music, you’re going to have a tough time finding it in small towns.”
While in the city on September 23rd, Tardik will indulge his lifetime goal to educate by hosting a free guitar clinic from 4 to 5:30 pm. at Long & McQuade at Aylmer and Townsend streets. To register, call store manager Daryl Guy at 705-742-5332.
Shari Keys-Williams and George Eliadis were killed on July 15 after a car crossed the centre line and hit a group of motorcyclists. Both leave behind children. (Photo: Shari Keys-Williams / Facebook)
A 38-year-old Hastings Highlands man has been charged following an investigation into a July accident near Haliburton that claimed the life of two motorcyclists.
On Saturday, July 15, 2017, an eastbound Chrysler PT Cruiser crossed the centre line on Highway 118 between Trappers Trail and Essonville Line in Highlands East Township and struck four motorcyclists in a group of seven travelling westbound.
As a result of the crash, two motorcyclists received serious life-threatening injuries and the other two motorcyclists — 52-year-old George Eliadis and 42-year-old Shari Keys-Williams, both from Uxbridge — were killed.
Eliadis was a popular Deputy Commander of Toronto Paramedic Services and Keys-Williams was his partner and a member of the Durham Boxing Academy. Both Eliadis and Keys-Williams leave behind children.
Dennis Mourtney, 38, of Hastings Highlands, has been charged with careless driving, driving without a licence, and driving a vehicle without a valid permit.
Mourtney will be appear in provincial Offences Court in Lindsay on November 2, 2017.
A 56-year-old woman was killed Sunday night (September 17) while attempting to cross Highway 7 near Lancaster Road east of Peterborough.
The woman was struck by a tractor trailer at around 8 p.m. Peterborough County OPP and and emergency crews responded to the accident, where the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Highway 7 between Burnham Line and Drummond Line was closed until around 12:30 a.m. on August 18th for collision reconstruction by police.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
OPP have now identified the woman as Susan Margaret Little, age 56, of Peterborough.
A post mortem examination is scheduled for today at the Provincial Forensic Pathology Unit at the Forensic Services and Coroners complex in Toronto.
Peterborough Multi-Sport Club brings you inside the world of fencing and longsword fighting with programs for adults and youth. Fall registration is now open for all programs as well as an after-school athletic program for kids. (Photo: Peterborough Multi-Sport Club)
While watching Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth spar in the snowy Winterfell courtyard in Game of Thrones, or the fierce Ragnar wielding sword and shield in the series Vikings, I often found myself imagining what it would feel like to step into the boots of a bold swashbuckler and head into battle, longsword in hand.
As luck should have it, the same week Game of Thrones season 7 ended, I was offered an opportunity to take a stab at both longsword fighting and fencing with a private lesson at Peterborough Multi-Sport Club (275 Rink Street, Unit 14, Peterborough, 705-775-5095), a sports facility that specializes in fencing, archery, jiu jitsu and, most recently, German longsword.
I was ready to unleash my inner warrior.
Peterborough Multi-Sport Club offers a friendly, supportive environment with lessons for the entire family in fencing, archery, jiu jitsu and, most recently, German longsword. (Photo: Peterborough Multi-Sport Club)
The fine points of fencing
After a quick tour of the facility by hospitable owners Scott Nichols and Michelle Curran and a briefing on the club’s history and new afterschool program, I was whisked away by Curran to get geared up in official fencing garb — the all-important wire mesh mask, glove, padded jacket, a protective ‘plastron’ that covers the torso, a mandatory chest guard, and a light, thin sword (also known as a foil).
At first, you’re able to borrow club gear, but if you decide to take it up more seriously, you’ll want your own kit.
kawarthaNOW writer Paula Kehoe gets a lesson from Head Coach Scott Nichols on the basic commands, moves, and positions while fencing-a subtle sport that emphasizes etiquette and technique. (Photo: Peterborough Multi-Sport
I begin with a warm up doing laps, jumps, and lunges across the gym for about 10 minutes until it is time to learn a few sword-wielding techniques from Nichols, the club’s Head Coach.
We face each other and tip our swords to the ground in salute.
He starts by explaining the basic commands, moves, and positions while fencing — a subtle sport that emphasizes etiquette and technique.
We have a friendly bout on a rectangular strip, using the tip of our sword to touch our opponent’s vest, or to block the sword, all while doing sort of a sliding scurry.
My feet never leave the ground but scoot forward or backward, with my left foot back and my right foot in front.
“It’s a mental game,” explains Curran, the club’s Assistant Coach. “One that demands quickness and a decisive strategy.”
Win a two-hour private session from Peterborough Multi-Sport Club
kawarthaNOW is running a contest where you can win a complimentary private two-hour session for two in the sport of your choice, a value of $100 courtesy of Peterborough Multi-Sport Club.
The two-hour session could be for an adult couple, a parent and a child, or two children above the age of eight.
This contest is only open to our VIP readers. To become a VIP reader, for more details about the contest, and for your chance to win, sign up to our weekly e-news.
“It’s not so much of reacting to what your opponent is doing, but trying to strategize and plan out moves ahead of time, hoping to draw your opponent in so that you can have them attacking you where you want them, and being ready with the proper distance and defense to outwit them.”
Having previous athletic experience certainly gives you a leg up, but it’s not a requirement to get started in fencing.
“You can do well even if you’re not an athlete,” Nichols says. “Anyone who is committed to fencing can learn the footwork and the positions.
“It’s always been a sport that appeals to people who don’t thrive in team sports. It’s for those who like intellectual sports.”
Curran says people don’t realize how great of a workout fencing is, and practice can offer much more than the monotony of going to the gym after work.
“You can go to the gym and get a good workout, or you can come to the club and get the same benefits by playing with swords,” Curran laughs.
Medieval swordplay
After a half hour of dueling, Nichols and I move on to German longsword fighting, a revival of a once-forgotten ancient European martial art with timed bouts and complex rules. The biggest differences between the longsword and fencing are the practical uses behind the sword.
Peterborough Multi-Sport Club owners and coaches Scott Nichols and Michelle Curran enjoy a friendly spar with longswords. All of the techniques used at the club’s practices are based on historical European martial arts and is supported by strength, speed and assertive execution. (Photo: Peterborough Multi-Sport Club)
While fencing is considered a sport, Nichols says, longsword focuses more on historical context. All of the techniques used at their practices are based on historical European martial arts and are supported by strength, speed, and assertive execution.
The sport is picking up momentum in Peterborough. Over the years, the club has invited Ottawa swordplay instructor Craig Shackleton, who has been researching and training in medieval European combat since 1997, to teach youth and adult sessions.
VIDEO: Medieval swordplay coming to Peterborough Multi-Sport Club
I turn off the fencing part of my brain and get ready to spar like I see in the films. This time around, we use heavy steel swords that requires the use of two hands while I get a lesson in basic longsword techniques.
Head Coach Scott Nichols, left, and Ottawa swordplay instructor Craig Shackleton, right, give a longsword demonstration. German longsword fighting has become a revival of a once-forgotten ancient European martial art with timed bouts and complex rules. (Photo: Peterborough Multi-Sport Club)
“Longsword fighting is a contact sport,” says Nichols. “Your objective is to hit your opponent.”
He shows me some basic moves. I start with some defensive blocks, and after getting those down, I block several of his attacks in a row.
“Skill and technique decide the outcome here, rather than strength and size.”
Nichols adds the key to the art is landing a blow while preventing an opponent’s counterstroke.
Arya would be proud.
Peterborough Multi-Sport Club is offering an open house and a longsword workshop on Sunday, October 1 at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. The cost of the workshop is $20.
If you’re interested in attending, contact the club by phone at 705-775-5095 or email at info@peterboroughmultisport.com to register.
Unique sports gaining popularity
With the already saturated sports market in Peterborough, it can be hard for any minor sport to fight for breathing space and survival amongst all the new and different programs available.
Nichols says that seems to be changing. Fencing and medieval combat are still quite niche, but rapidly experiencing a resurgence, more so with the release of each Game of Thrones season or a Star Wars blockbuster.
That’s great news for hardcore sword enthusiasts.
After-school athletic program
Starting this month, Peterborough Multi-Sport Club is offering an after-school athletic program for kids in Grade 1 to Grade 8 in fencing, longsword, jiu jitsu, archery, and circus arts to help them improve their fitness and connect them with sports they might not otherwise get a chance to try. (Photo: Peterborough Multi-Sport Club)
Starting this month, Peterborough Multi-Sport Club is offering an after-school athletic program for kids in Grade 1 to Grade 8 in fencing, longsword, jiu jitsu, archery, and circus arts to help them improve their fitness and connect them with sports they might not otherwise get a chance to try.
Nichols says the after-school program encourages a team environment, but mainly individual achievement in a supportive environment.
“If kids don’t love a common sport that is offered to them at school, they sometimes don’t see themselves as athletes. Giving them an opportunity to experience different activities might give them the confidence they need to pursue a sport.”
The program will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and will offer a different sport each day of the week. Pick-up from local schools is available as well as extended pick-up times after 5 p.m. to suit busy family schedules.
Call Peterborough Multi-Sport Club at 705-775-5095 for more details and to reserve a spot.
For all program information, times and fees, visit the Peterborough Multi-Sport Club website at peterboroughmultisport.com. You can also follow them on Facebook.
These seven local business owners receive a share of $25,000 in grant money from the second round of the Starter Company Plus program: Maureen Brand of Garden of Eden, Sarah Susnar of Play Cafe, Leah Frampton of Green Leaf Baby, Lynn Franscio of Elixir, Jane Davidson of Best Write Communications, Lisa Torres of Access Homeopathy, and Claudia Foung of iMake iMove. The announcement was made at a special event at Elmhirst's Resort near Keene on Thursday, September 14, 2017, hosted by Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development's Business Advisory Centre, which administers the program funded by the Province of Ontario. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
As fitting as it would have been, Leah Frampton didn’t stand on the north shore of Rice Lake early Thursday evening (September 14), hands on her hips, and loudly proclaim for all to hear, “I did it!”
As one of seven local entrepreneurs sharing in $25,000 in grant dollars awarded as a result of their participation in the second intake of the Starter Company Plus program, Frampton’s enthusiasm was more restrained than that but was no less infectious.
“I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish; I’m proud of the business plan I was able to create and I feel really confident going forward,” said Frampton, whose home-based Peterborough business Green Leaf Baby creates stylish, practical and “geek-inspired” handmade product for babies, moms, and tots.
Leah Frampton of Green Leaf Baby, in the City of Peterborough, offers stylish, practical, and geek-inspired handmade products for babies, moms, and tots. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
Open to entrepreneurs over age 18, not enrolled in school and looking to either start a business or expand an existing business in operation five years or less, the Starter Company Plus program is delivered by Peterborough & tge Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre with funding from the Province of Ontario.
The program guides entrepreneurs through a series of workshops to support their creation of a formalized business plan.
At the program’s conclusion, each pitches his or her business idea to a panel of judges for the chance to secure a share of the grant dollars available.
“This program has been designed to support entrepreneurs with the resources that they need to grow,” wrote Suzanne McCrimmon, Director of Business Development with Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development in a prepared release.
“In this particular intake, we are pleased to see a theme of businesses that focus on growing healthier communities and families in the region.”
Along with Frampton, the following were introduced at Elmhirst’s Resort near Keene as grant money recipients:
Lynn Franscio of Elixir in the Township of Douro Dummer, which provides health-conscious consumers with a source for organic, vegan, and vegetarian food products.
Lynn Franscio of Elixir, in the Township of Douro Dummer, provides health-conscious consumers with a source for organic, vegan, and vegetarian food products. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
Claudia Foung of iMake iMove in the City of Peterborough, which offers unique after-school services for children ages 6 to 12, blending STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) curriculum with creative and artistic flair.
Claudia Foung, of iMake iMove, in the City of Peterborough, offers unique after-school services for children ages 6 to 12, blending STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) curriculum with creative and artistic flair. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
Maureen Brand of Garden of Eden in the Municipality of Trent Lakes, an eco-friendly business which supplies reusable cloth menstrual and incontinence products, baby products, and household cloth products.
Maureen Brand of Garden of Eden, in the Municipality of Trent Lakes, runs an eco-friendly business which supplies reusable cloth menstrual and incontinence products, baby products, and household cloth products. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
Sarah Susnar of Play Cafe in the City of Peterborough, which provides a cozy place for children and their caregivers to create, explore, play and connect with new friends, expanding their program offering.
Sarah Susnar of Play Cafe, in the City of Peterborough, provides a cozy place for children and their caregivers to create, explore, play and connect with new friends, expanding their program offering. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
Jane Davidson of Best Write Communications in the City of Peterborough, a communications specialist developing and delivering online courses and coaching.
Jane Davidson of Best Write Communications, in the City of Peterborough, is a communications specialist developing and delivering online courses and coaching. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
Lisa Torres of Access Homeopathy in the City of Peterborough, a homeopathic family health care practice.
Lisa Torres of Access Homeopathy, in the City of Peterborough, provides a homeopathic family health care practice. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
“There was really a good sense of community between all the participants; everyone helped each other out and we all pitched (our businesses) to each other and gave each other really great feedback,” says Frampton, who will use her grant money to purchase an industrial sewing machine to “create a lot more a lot faster” as well buy a packaging system that will allow her to print labels as opposed to doing them by hand.
“It (pitching her business) was terrifying. I’m not a great public speaker. I felt like I was going to barf going in but the judges were warm and friendly and very welcoming.”
For Davidson, whose business aims to coach not-for-profits and small-to medium-sized technical businesses on how to produce their own content for their respective websites and media releases, as well as “unfreeze” those frozen in the writing process, Starter Company Plus’ value laid in its forcing her to do her homework to be successful.
“Everything starts with a great idea but then you’ve got to go and prepare a business plan and do the numbers thing,” she said, adding she too came away impressed with the we-are-in-this-together spirit exhibited by all 15 entrepreneurs enrolled in the program.
Madeleine Hurrell, Starter Company Plus Program Coordinator with Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre, makes out a presentation cheque for $5,000 to Claudia Foung of iMake iMove. Each of the seven local business owners received a portion of the $25,000 in grant money. (Photo: Tyler Wilson)
“Nobody thought about the grant money during the process. It wasn’t in our heads. Because everybody was so different in terms of what they were offering, there was a generosity of spirit.
“I was panicking over my business plan and (Puppeteria owner) Shelley King rescued me. Everybody helped everybody else. They didn’t say support each other but somehow by osmosis that came through.”
While each grant recipient wore a huge smile at the gathering, Starter Company Plus program co-ordinator Madeleine Hurrell was beaming from start to finish.
“I am incredibly proud right now,” said Hurrell.
“For some of them, coming in, they were afraid to speak in front of people. To be here tonight with strangers, being able to speak confidently and concisely and eloquently about their businesses, that makes me really proud. The networking, working the room…to see them doing that is very satisfying.”
The third intake for Starter Company Plus is now open, with an application deadline of September 29th. Those interested in applying are required to attend a “Starting Point” workshop, either September 18th or 25th, 2:30 to 4 p.m., at the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s Board Room (175 George St. N., Peterborough).
“We’ve had great attendance at our first two workshops,” said Hurrell.
“It’s just a question of keeping the momentum going and reminding folks that the program is for entrepreneurs in the city as well as the county.”
For full details on the Starter Company Plus program, including program description, eligibility requirements, terms and conditions for the program, visit peterboroughed.ca/starter-company-plus.
Breast cancer survivor Amy Semple (fourth from left) joins Mohan Joshi, pharmacist/owner of the Shoppers Drug Mart at High Street and Lansdowne in Peterborough, and his team to celebrate the kickoff of the 2017 Shoppers Drug Mart Growing Women's Health Campaign. Proceeds from this year's campaign (on now until October 6th) will support the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation's $1.9 million effort to fund three new state-of-the-art mammography machines for PRHC's Breast Assessment Centre. (Photo: PRHC Foundation)
“One night, just before bed, I found a lump.”
So said Amy Semple, a local high school teacher and breast cancer survivor, when she visited Shoppers Drug Mart at High Street and Lansdowne in Peterborough this afternoon, along with representatives from the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation.
They were there to thank Shoppers Drug Mart for supporting the PRHC Foundation’s $1.9 million campaign to acquire three new full-field digital mammography machines for the hospital’s Breast Assessment Centre.
Until Friday, October 6th, customers and employees at any one of Peterborough’s four local Shoppers Drug Mart locations will be given a chance to make a donation directly to the PRHC Foundation through Shoppers Drug Mart’s 2017 Growing Women’s Health campaign.
Donations can be made by visiting any one of the following Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Peterborough until October 6th: 1875 Lansdowne Street West, 741 Lansdowne Street West, 971 Chemong Road, 225 Charlotte Street, and 361 George Street. The donations will support the purchase of the new mammography machines.
“It took two weeks to obtain the formal diagnosis at PRHC’s Breast Assessment Centre,” Amy told staff at Shoppers Drug Mart. “I had breast cancer. I was only 32 years old.”
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From our special editorial section on Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival 2017:
The youngest member of Peterborough’s Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat team, she now fundraises herself to ensure that other women also receive the same quality of care and support at PRHC that she did.
“This technology that you’re helping fund will help save lives,” Amy said. “Imagine what it could mean to the women in our community, maybe even someone in your family. Thank you.”
Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, at the age of 32. She says the day she received her formal diagnosis was “by far, the worst day of my life.”
Pharmacist/owner Mohan Joshi thanked Amy for coming and sharing her story, and said that supporting initiatives like the PRHC Foundation’s mammography campaign is what Shoppers Drug Mart’s Growing Women’s Health campaign is all about.
“We’re committed to helping build a healthier community for us all,” Mohan said. “We hope that, together with the employees of Shoppers Drug Mart, our customers will join us in supporting this vital equipment for the thousands of women who have mammograms at Peterborough Regional Health Centre every year.”
The new full-field mammography machines will give PRHC’s radiologists the ability to look at the breast from many angles to confidently determine if anything looks suspicious. Not only will this reduce the need for callbacks, reducing anxiety in patients, but it will help radiologists detect tumours earlier and when they are smaller in size.
The national Shoppers Drug Mart Growing Women’s Health campaign supports local organizations that make a difference to women’s health in each store’s own community. Customers and employees can purchase a $1 leaf, $5 butterfly, $10 apple, or a $50 bird, which are then displayed in each store’s front window for the duration of the campaign. All proceeds go to women’s health initiatives across Canada,
For more information about PHRC Foundation and to find out how you can support the hospital, call 705-876-5000 or visit www.prhcfoundation.ca. For more information about Shoppers Drug Mart’s Growing Women’s Health campaign, visit www.shoppersloveyou.ca.
Singer-songwriter Jerry Leger will be performing a duo show with Dan Mock on bass at Marley's Bar & Grill in Buckhorn on Saturday, September 16. Leger, whose latest record Nonsense and Heartache produced by Michael Timmins is long listed for the Polaris Music Prize, has toured with Ron Sexsmith, The Sadies, Fred Eaglesmith, Danny Michel, Skydiggers, and more. (Photo: Laura Proctor)
Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, September 14 to Wednesday, September 20.
If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.
8pm - Out for Good Peterborough Pride DJ Dance Party
Saturday, September 16
7:30pm - VegFest benefit w/ Bobby Watson and Kate Kelly ($10)
Monday, September 18
8pm - Vampire Folk Band w/ Evangeline Gentle (PWYC)
Coming Soon
Saturday, September 23 8pm - Mysterious Entity presents Act On It! Pride Party w/ Say Yes to My Dress! hosted by David Bateman, Elvira Kurt, Devians and the Odd Man Out, dance at 11pm ($15 for full show, PWYC for band and dance)
The Ceilie (Trent University student pub)
1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough
(705) 748-1011
Thursday, September 14
8-11pm - Open mic night w/ host Henry Eccleston (no cover, all ages, prize for fan favourite)
Coach & Horses Pub
16 York St. S., Lindsay
(705) 328-0006
Thursdays
10pm - Open Jam w/ Gerald Vanhalteren
Wednesdays
7-11pm - Live music
The Cow & Sow Eatery
38 Colborne St., Fenelon Falls
(705) 887-5111
Saturday, September 16
9:30pm - Karaoke
Dobro Restaurant & Bar
287-289 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 775-9645
Thursday, September 14
10pm - Robin Hawkins Band (no cover)
Friday, September 15
10pm - Live music TBA (no cover)
Saturday, September 16
10pm - Live music TBA (no cover)
Wednesdays
Open stage
Dominion Hotel
113 Main St., Minden
(705) 286-6954
Wednesday, September 20
7:30pm - Poets in the Pub
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 21 8pm - Ginger St. James ($25)
Friday, September 22 9pm - The Moulton Dawson Project
Dr. J's BBQ & Brews
282 Aylmer St., Peterborough
(705) 874-5717
Saturday, September 16
1:30-5pm - Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association Deluxe Blues Jam (by donation)
Frank's Pasta and Grill
426 King St. E., Cobourg
(905) 372-2727
Fridays
9pm-12am - Karaoke Night Girls Night Out; 12am - DJ Chrome
Saturday, September 16
8:30pm - Little Lake; 11:30pm - DJ Chris
Sunday, September 17
7pm - Little Underground, Backyard Riot, Martin Gladman (no cover)
Sunday, September 24 Keyboards! By Justin Million, Sean Conway's Birthday Party
Golden Wheel Restaurant
6725 Highway 7, Peterborough
(705) 749-6838
Wednesdays
7-9pm - Line Dancing Lessons w/ Marlene Maskell ($7 per person, all levels welcom
Gordon Best Theatre
216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 876-8884
Friday, September 15
8pm - Ivory Hours w/ Heartless Romantics and Paper Shakers ($10 in advance, $15 at door)
Coming Soon
Saturday, September 23 9:30pm - Queer BIPOC Dance Party ($5-10 or PWYC)
Saturday, September 30 9pm - Jesse Slack Album Pre-Release Party w/ Emma Leeson ($10)
Hot Belly Mama's
378 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 745-3544
Thursday, September 14
8pm - The Quickshifters (PWYC)
Junction Nightclub
253 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 743-0550
Thursday, September 14
10pm - Weekend Warmup (downstairs pool room) w/ live DJs
Friday, September 15
10pm - Y2K Flashback w/ DJ Bill Porter (no cover)
Marley's Bar & Grill
17 Fire Route 82 Catalina Bay, Buckhorn
(705) 868-2545
Friday, September 15
6-9pm - Chris Culgin
Saturday, September 16
6-9pm - Jerry Leger
VIDEO: "Things Are Changing 'Round Here" - Jerry Leger
VIDEO: "Big Smoke Blues" - Jerry Leger
McThirsty's Pint
166 Charlotte St., Peterborough
(705) 743-2220
Thursdays
10pm - Jan Schoute
Fridays
10pm - Brian Haddlesey
Mondays
10pm - Trivia Night
Tuesdays
9pm - Topper Tuesdays w/ DJ Jake Topper
Wednesdays
9pm - Cody Watkins
The Mill Restaurant and Pub
990 Ontario St., Cobourg
(905) 377-8177
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 28 7pm - Garage Dog EP Release Party
Murphy's Lockside Pub & Patio
3 May St., Fenelon Falls
(705) 887-1100
Sunday, September 17
3pm - Halfway to St. Patrick's Day ft live traditional Irish session musicians, storytelling w/ Jonathan Lynn, Irish whiskey tasting & more
Oasis Bar & Grill
31 King St. E., Cobourg
(905) 372-6634
Thursdays
6:30pm - Live music
Sundays
5:30pm - PHLO
Wednesdays
6:30pm - Live music
Red Dog Tavern
189 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 741-6400
Thursday, September 14
6-11pm - Red Dog Laughs Comedy Show volume 2 ft August MacDonald, Tim Munro, Matt Douglas, Kristal Jones, Daniel Smith, Mélanie Dubois, Ernie Vicente, Ricardo Mejias, Xulf Ali, Chad Gibson ($5)
Saturday, September 16
8pm - Borderless Fest Rainbow Romp Dance Part ft live music by Meowlinda, Holy Christopher followed by DJ Mike Lee ($5 or free w/ fest pass $30 or $20 for students/underwaged)
Tuesdays
10pm - Open mic w/ Matt Diamond
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 21 Sean Conway
Friday, September 22 Mayflys Landing
Saturday, September 23 Union City
Riley's
257 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 750-1445
Thursdays
Travis Berlinbach
Fridays
Travis Berlinbach
Saturdays
Josh Gontier
Sundays
Josh Gontier
Mondays
Josh Gontier
Tuesdays
Josh Gontier & Cale Gontier
Wednesdays
Guest performers
Sapphire Room
137 Hunter St., Peterborough
(705) 749-0409
Saturday, September 16
8pm - Borderless Music & Arts Festival Pride Queer Social & Dance Night w/ DJ Molly Millions ($5 or free w/ fest pass)
Coming Soon
Friday, September 22 11pm - Thirst presents Who We Are drag show
Thursday, September 27 7pm - 20th Anniversary Celebration ft food, DJs, and special guests
Shots
379 George Street K9H 3R2, Peterborough
(705) 749-9315
Wednesdays
10pm - Wednesday House Party
The Social
295 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 874-6724
Thursdays
Throwback Thursday
Fridays
Nashville Night
Saturdays
Saturday Night Live w/ live music & DJ
Sundays
Sunday Funday
Tuesdays
Social Circuit Games Night
Wednesdays
Student Pub Night w/ live music
Coming Soon
Friday, October 20 10pm - Punch Douglas
Southside Pizzeria
25 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough
(705) 748-6120
Fridays
9am-12pm - Open mic ($2);
The Spill
414 George St., Peterborough
(705) 748-6167
Friday, September 15
7pm - PRIDE without Borders open mic; 8pm - Witch Prophet, Television Rd, Perkolator, I.M.Brown, Above Top Secret ($10 or free with Borderless Fest pass)
Saturday, September 16
8pm - Wayne Kennedy, The Rough Go!, Liam Parker, The Depression Suite, Old Scratch, Backyard Riot ($5)
Tuesday, September 19
5:30-8pm - Peterborough Pride ChiSeries ft Sylvie Bérard, Kristyn Dunnion, Gemma Files (free, donations excepted)
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 21 3:30-6:30pm - Pop-Up Drop In Rainbow Youth; 9pm - Paper Shakers EP RElease Party w/ Rhys Climenhage & St. Homer ($10)
286 George Street North, Peterborough
(705) 876-0008
Coming Soon
Saturday, September 23 7pm - Benefit for Hospice Peterborough ft Black Sabbath tribute band Brookdale Mafia ($20, tickets available at The Venue, Hospice Peterborough, Eastbank Variety, and Moondance)
Friday, September 29 7-11pm - Rebel Tour ft Anthony Tullo and Nicole Ray ($10)
Friday, November 10 8pm - Produce for Veterans presents Ambush, Dean James, Austin Carson Band, Sticks N' Tones ($25 til August 31, $30 advance, $35 at door)
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