Providence Bay
Alexia Hannigan
Alexia Here with your Friendly Fly!
Is it me or did May just fly by? What a busy month it has been. A lot of us are getting our checklists checked off, now fulfilling those fearful and loathing tasks. It can be quite satisfying when all is said and done. There is always so much work to be done on opening weekend! But we did it with bells on, well done everyone! Victoria Day weekend was brilliant, beautiful and rather windy! That didn’t stop any of us locals from the traditional “first swim” in Providence Bay, the water was cold, a little choppy and indeed wet.
A lot of visitors, friends and neighbours came through our lovely little township, and it was such a pleasure seeing everyone in good spirits and having so much fun! With all the fun came lots of sun and when that happens, we get a little bit of magic. A myriad and medley of pink, purple and white blossoms kiss the air with pollen and perfume; feathers and foliage fill the trees much to the delight of the birds and the bees. Everyone put out their hummingbird feeders, planters and fancy pots and just like that, we’re in the throes of summer.
If you type bear on your Facebook, search engine and select “posts” you will see, that yes indeed our larger animal bear friends are out for some fun as well. And I’m not talking about Winnie the Pooh.
“Ngii waabmaa Gchi mkwaa!” Gayle Payette, you’re right!
My daughter spotted one off Monument Road on her night vision camera, and he was big and burly and hungry! If you’re visiting Manitoulin for some hiking and trailblazing, be sure to pack bear bells, whistles or spray, you really don’t want to surprise any mama or big papa bears while on your bushwacking adventures, be safe and be smart! Black bears are not “cute” they are predatory, unpredictable and if you get in their way, they will eat you and your bells and whistles. For the most part they don’t want to see people, so make noise and they will stay clear.
We have all been half eaten alive now anyway by all the blackflies and mosquitos and I know a few ticks have found their way onto local kids and pets, buggers! Kathy Jewell has some good sprays and repellents at Kat’s Pet supplies in Mindemoya be sure to stop in and say hello!
Let’s enjoy the countdown to June where we celebrate art, yard sales, open markets, oprys and Bluegrass in the Country June 7 to 9 right here in Providence Bay with all the proceeds going to the Special Olympics.
This summer is going to be epic! Can you feel it? Here’s what’s happening:
Providence Bay Arena and Fairgrounds: Providence Bay Youth Soccer had an amazing tourney and barbecue last Sunday in Little Current. Well done teams, players and coaches. Keep your game faces on, more big events around the corner. Family Rec Night possible start June 14 TBA.
Bluegrass in the Country June 7 to 9, for info visit www.bluegrassinthecountry.net.
Providence Bay Hall: Cards and socials continue Tuesday mornings. Exercise classes continue Friday mornings at 10:30 am. Lions Club meeting tonight, Wednesday, May 29.
This Saturday, June 1 Providence Bay celebrates The Great Northern Opry Inductee Carol Gilmore, 7 pm start, music by the Manitoulin Opry members. Ticketed event. Caroline and Alex had an epic Stag and Doe, Carneval at Mindy Hall, congratulations to all! Hello to visiting family and friends!
Providence Bay Beach and Discovery Centre, yes the loo and public changerooms are open next to the Hall. Please keep it tidy for everyone. Please keep our beaches clean and safe for kids, pets and wildlife. Please use garbage and recycling bins at all times. Huron Island Time is next- level busy and well stocked with ice cream and cold drinks! Say hello to Lance and Hayden, enjoy a stroll along the boardwalk and see if you can spot some fish, turtles or frogs along the Mindemoya River.
If you walk by On the Bay Bed and Breakfast across from the town hall, be sure to say hello to Ingrid and Trevor!
The Mutchmor Gallery and Café and Huron Fish and Chips and Co. are a must when in Providence Bay, enjoy local art and fare and pick up a map of the Island. Be sure to say hello to Matt, Ben, Carter at the chip stand and Bridget, Lex (me), Elizabeth, Clau and Obayaa at The Peace Café.
Fundraising Events and Walks: Check the Providence Bay/Spring Bay Lions Club and Manitoulin Information and Events and Central Manitoulin Facebook and web pages for updates for June, July and August. I am usually around with tickets in hand for one thing or the other so if you see me don’t be afraid to ask!
The Providence Bay Walk to Remember is Sunday, June 2 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Registration at 10 am, walk begins at 10:30 am. Visit pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca/walktoremember/, this is a day to hold space and remember lost loved ones for families, so please have respect and honour their space and peace.
Cenotaph at Monument Corners: Public is invited to the annual Decoration Ceremony Sunday, June 2 at 1 pm at the Island Cenotaph at Monument Corners Spring Bay. Pay homage and respect to the men and women who served. If there is inclement weather this event will be held in the Mindemoya Community arena.
The Heavens: On June 3, a rare event known as the “Parade of Planets” will occur, where six planets of the solar system will align in a straight line, visible just before sunrise. New moon, June 6; first quarter, June 14; full strawberry moon, June 22. The Strawberry moon is a time of new potential renewal and abundance in line with ripening fruits. The medicine is reconciliation. A time of letting go and renewal. Last Quarter June 28
Central Manitoulin is having a wood chipping for fire prevention event from May 18 to June 16. All brush for Central Manitoulin residents will be free to drop off at the Providence Bay transfer depot between and including these dates. Please have your Landfill ID card ready! At the end of the event, the brush pile will be chipped and the pile of wood chips will be offered back to residents free of charge. The Providence Bay transfer station is located at 4077 Government Road in Providence Bay. The transfer station is open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 6 pm from May long weekend to September long weekend.
Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay awhile- wind down and enjoy some much needed ‘Toulin Time’.
Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer
We’ll, we’ll, we’ll… if it isn’t autocorrect. To be honest, autocorrect, we are getting real tired of your shirt. We really hate when you make us say thongs we didn’t Nintendo. We try to be really careful when writing this column, because one small mistake and a joke’s lunchline is urined. To make things worse, autocorrect is now suggesting swear words, which means we have to be really careful when talking to our Manitoulin mom about ducks.
As always, Billings is a hotbed of gossip and goings on. The hottest bit of tea the township spilled recently is that Billings is getting a new tractor! Not to mention that the Manitoulin Ukulele Group, of which many Kagawong strummers are a part, has recruited a couple of new forks, uh that is, folks. We can’t wait to hear them!
Flying a kite might have its ups and downs, but the free family kite festival on Sunday, June 2 is going to be fantastic! The event runs from 1 pm to 4 pm in Gore Bay and is hosted by the Western Manitoulin Community Garden. With balloon animals, rock painting and a free barbecue lunch (courtesy of the Gore Bay Lions Club), there is something for everyone!
David H, Wren C, and Morgan E are all celebrating their 29th birthdays this week and we want to wish them the happiest of happy birthdays. In fact, we tried to arrange Jimmy the Singing Pony as a surprise for you all, but they had to cancel due to illness. Jimmy was a little horse.
Have you a dinking problem? Kagawong has newly-painted pickleball courts in the outdoor rink! Check out the Kagawong Outdoor Recreational Facility page on Facebook for more information.
Don’t forget that the Old Mill Heritage Centre is now open for the season. The popular vintage camera and photographic exhibition has been brought back from last year, and there is also a new exhibit featuring local representatives who have gone on to have storied political careers. Be sure to stop in!
With all this sunny weather, things are definitely heating up! Kagawong is becoming quite the hot spot as well. Check out all the activities going on in Billings over the coming months: Team Aelick are gearing up for their Stroll for Liver in early June. Stroll on over yourself to https://bit.ly/strollforliver to donate to this worthy cause. The Jabbawong Storytelling Festival is Friday, July 5 and Saturday, 6. The library book sale and local author showcase will be held Saturday, July 20, and the Manitoulin Art Tour is on that same weekend. And don’t forget about Kagawong’s huge market on Wednesdays throughout the summer! If you have (or know of) any other events and activities, let us know so we can let everyone else know! Email us at fergmeijer@gmail.com
Tennis, anyone? The Manitoulin Tennis Club is back to meeting Sunday mornings at 10am at the Manitoulin Secondary School courts. Players of all abilities are welcome, with lessons available in the near future.
With the new tractor, the public works guys will be able to really plow through their to-do list this summer. Have a great week!
Meldrum Bay
Elaine Bradley
We did not have cards on Friday night, May 17. The hall was being prepared for the ATV ride the next day. Early in the day the ATVs were gathering. There were two routes, a shorter one and a longer one. When everyone got back there was stew, chili and dessert waiting for them. A lot of hard work goes into preparing for this run. We are grateful to Lee McDonald for being the main organizer, with many others lending a hand. Permissions had to be obtained to cross private property. Lee went out with a group of friends and cleared trails. He also collected prizes for the event. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it a success and for the riders who came out to enjoy the day.
The docks are in, the gas pumps are functional, the store has ice cream and coffee. Our boat is tied up to one of the new docks and the docks and the ramps are really pleasant to walk on.
Joe Weston is once again organizing his Poker Paddle. It has become an annual event and it is really a fun day. It will be at Lilly Lake in Meldrum Bay on Saturday, June 22. So mark your calendar and don’t miss out.
On Saturday, May 25 we went to Silver Water for their ham and scalloped potato supper. It was really good. We looked forward to it.
A quick botany note. The Manitoulin Gold are on the roadside and still blooming. The lady slippers are starting. In the yard beside us there’s a tiny purple one and nearby the bright yellow lady slippers are starting to show up everywhere. We don’t seem to have trilliums here, but we have driven down Silver Lake Road just to enjoy looking at the ones that are there.
Have a great week everyone.
Barrie Island
Lillian Greenman
On Saturday, May 18, Tanya and Chad Carter held an 80th birthday party for her dad, Ikuo Urata. Their cottage in Goulais River hosted family from all over Ontario. Family attending was Lucas Green from Sault Ste. Marie, Darren and Sandra Urata and daughter, Brooklyn from Georgetown, Lance and Lillian Greenman from Barrie Island, Natalie Hayden from Lively, Sharon Noble and daughter Yvonne from Well and Gary Greenman from Ottawa. A Celebration of Life was held for Mrs. Bonnie Urata on Sunday in Sault Ste. Marie.
Silver Water
Karen Noble
On Thursday, May 16 Jim and Patsy Kling arrived at their cottage for a few days.
Also on Thursday, Kate Duncanson and husband Chip Tomisch showed up at her mother, Myra Duncanson’s home with their new puppy, Yoshi. Yoshi is a few weeks old and well on his way to being a huge dog.
There were eight tables of euchre players at the Silver Water Community Hall on Thursday.
Fausto and Kathy Lion were here for a few days and checked on their cottage in Silver Water.
On Friday, May 17 euchre in Meldrum Bay was cancelled so the hall could be prepared for Saturday’s ATV run and luncheon.
On Saturday morning, Albert Meijer and I went to the estate sale for Dale Harper in Evansville. We got there just after 9 am and a huge crowd was already on site. We bought a few kitchen items and then left. The family had a very successful weekend.
At 11 am on Saturday there was a committal service for Arthur Addison at the Silver Water Cemetery.
After the service, Albert and I went to Meldrum Bay. We saw one group of ATVs just coming out of Essing Road onto the highway. We went to buy some stew and chili as take out. On the way home we saw a second group headed to the hall on their return trip.
When we arrived home, we left the car in the garage and walked up to Arthur’s house to have a barbecue lunch provided by his family.
Doug Carter returned on Sunday from his trip to Southern Ontario.
On Sunday afternoon we got a surprise visit from my uncle, Jim O’Neil and his partner Shirley Flick. Uncle Jim had been to his sister’s funeral on April 28 in Chemainus, BC. He had a good visit with his three sons and his sister’s family while out there. My sister Aileen Noble and her son Ronan Callahan also went to the funeral.
Monday night we went to play euchre at the Burpee/Mills Complex. There were eight tables of players. Congratulations to Lilly Third who had 93 points and won the money jar.
Tuesday, Albert went to the Meldrum Bay Hall to help with the kits and quilts project. The group put together some hygiene kits and worked on finishing quilts.
Brenda Carter returned on Tuesday from being down south. Her son Michael, his new wife and stepdaughter were there for a visit. They returned home on Sunday.
Gladys Duncanson and I had our first swim on Wednesday, about 20 minutes long. On Thursday we went for a walk.
Lynn and Mike Tyler arrived on Thursday at their cottage.
Colleen and Eric Julseth arrived at their cottage on Thursday.
Happy 60th anniversary to Murray and Gladys Duncanson on May 30. There will be a celebration at the Silver Water Community Hall on June 1 starting at 3:30 pm.
Tehkummah has their next euchre tournament on Sunday, June 2.
The June 6 UCW meeting is being held at Sylvia Pfiefer’s house.
There will be an LSB meeting at the Silver Water Hall on Saturday, June 8 at 10 am.
On Sunday, June 9 there is lunch at the Silver Water Hall and everyone is welcome. There is a euchre tournament starting at 1:30 pm upstairs afterwards.
On Monday evening, June 10 is the last euchre at the Burpee/Mills Complex until September.
Happy 90th birthday to Helen Black on June 5.
Condolences to the family of Janet Wells.
Condolences to the family of Barry O’Neil.
Condolences to the family of Roderic Brawn.
