Providence Bay
Alexia Hannigan
Hello everyone, Alexia here with your Friendly Fly! And yes, all those buggers are back in droves! The hornets are back too, my friends, so watch where you step and keep your windows and sheds well sealed. It’s flea, tick and tax season again (groan).
Let me begin by saying we know it’s springtime because of the 80 km/hour winds, new buds and shoots; muddy boots; birds, bees and bevy of songbirds in the trees! The Island was busy and buzzing with wonderful Easter services, fun, festivities and fellowships. Providence Bay Community of Christ Church hosted a wonderful service and hot cross bun fellowship.
The return of the rain has helped clear the roads a bit and a lot more folks are venturing south now for various appointments, leisure and other matters of business, fiscal and otherwise. Danny Gilchrist went to Toronto and back for a few days and said the roads weren’t too bad. Chris Walker held his songwriters’ workshop this past weekend and it was a successful and fun event.
The Providence Bay Hall hosted a seniors’ drop in last Thursday where fun and games were in the cards! The next Coffee Club meeting is tomorrow, looking forward to catching up with everyone, especially Cheryl Sheppard (who used to pen this column with Ingrid Blay). Speaking thereof, March’s full moon, the “Worm Moon,” rose two Sundays ago and was partially eclipsed for almost five hours into Monday as seen from some parts of the world. It sets up a total solar eclipse for North America at the next new moon of Monday, April 8. There are tons of events scheduled around this celestial celebration and event. Mind your eyes and those of your pets and loved ones during this time. Be sure to sport your SVs (also known as solar viewing glasses or solar eclipse glasses) eyewear designed for direct and safe viewing of solar events such as eclipses. Always best to consult with an eye expert regarding glasses and eye protection of course.
I am looking forward to this rare and incredible celestial event that segueways us into the busy season of spring sales and markets, sewing seeds and garden prep, fish frys and outdoor festivals and fun; fireside chats with friends and, of course, baseball!
FB post from the Central Manitoulin children’s baseball club group: Upcoming events registration for C.M.C.B.C is April 19 from 6 to 8 pm at the Mindemoya ball field. Let’s play ball!
Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer
This time of year Team Fergmeijer channels their inner pirate and has a good time walking the prank. Some people can go a bit far with the pranks, though. Like the person who stole all the lavatory equipment from the OPP station in Little Current. Police report that they are investigating, but at this time they have nothing to go on. And that friend of ours who went a bit overboard with his prank last year. He swapped the price labels on the gas pumps at that local station. Looking back, it was not a great April fuels joke.
We were so excited to see Providence Bay’s community column back up and running – welcome back!
Happy 29th birthday wishes go out to Kagawongian Sharon A, seasonal Kagawongian Tahnee P and Andrew C who, back in the day, was Kagawong-adjacent. Remember, you are only as old as you feel, so don’t let it get you down that you now require multiple packs of candles for your cake.
Special thanks to the Easter Bunny who hopped back into Kagawong this past weekend working with the Parks, Rec and Wellness committee in an amazing collaboration! Kids of all sizes were on the hunt for goodies and everyone had a wonderful time. As always, the key to a good Easter egg hunt is to remember that if you find a chocolate on the ground, but it’s not wrapped in foil, it’s not chocolate.
This year’s annual Manitoulin Sandhill Crane Coo-ing Competition on April 1 had a record number of competitors take part! While we can’t name them all, we can give you the highlights of the event. In 5th place was Randy Holeweigh (seemed quite out of breath, which may have affected his score), in 4th place was Kent C. Strait (an optometrist from the Sudbury region). Jenna Rossity (who brought gifts for all the competitors) came in 3rd, and Juan Manband (who had his own squeeze box and harmonica to accompany his coo-ing) placed 2nd. Honorable mention goes out to Lowden Cleer (who had the coo heard the farthest away), but the top performing entrant was Andy Wineriss with a truly inspired coo. The only moment to mar the occasion was a brief encounter between two competitors that got a bit heated. We interviewed one of the individuals, Kirstin Swoare, but The Expositor refused to publish her comments.
As of April 1, the landfill hours shift to spring and summer hours. Stop by to say hi to Denis (and drop off your sorted garbage and recycling) Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 pm to 6 pm and weekends 10 am to 4 pm.
“Come as You Are” on Saturday, April 13 and enjoy an evening of contemporary inspirational music (and sing-along) courtesy of Cia and Bill Savage at St. John’s Anglican Church. The fun starts at 7 pm with refreshments provided. Donations towards repairing the front stained glass window of the church are greatly appreciated.
On the following weekend, the Billings Climate Action Committee is hosting an Earth Day event. Come out Saturday, April 20 for a community clean-up, a “junk in the trunk” sale, activities for youth and information on green technologies. Interested in being a vendor? Contact Vince Grogan at vgrogan@billingstwp.ca for more information.
On the same weekend, join The Island Singers as they celebrate their 60th anniversary! On Saturday, April 20 at 2 pm at Manitoulin Secondary School, current and past members of the choir will be presenting a concert of classics and modern favourites. Tickets are $20 and available at the door. Visit “The Island Singers – Manitoulin Island” on Facebook for more information.
Later on in May, Manitoulin Streams is hosting an outdoor angling trade fair right here in Kagawong! More details on the May long weekend event will be shared in the coming weeks. For more information, check out manitoulinstreams.com, or contact anglingtf.manitoulin@gmail.com, or 613-857-9877.
How do you keep an Islander in suspense? We’ll reveal all in the next column! Have a great week!
