Providence Bay
Alexia Hannigan
Alexia here with your Friendly “countdown to fair” fly. If anyone is following the countdown on https://providencebayfair.ca as of right now there are 15 days, 4 hours, 56 minutes and 43 seconds until fair. Dearest “gentle reader” by the time you are reading this on Wednesday we will be at the eight-day mark on your mark, get set and go! Time to begin the frenzied panic attack of everything we procrastinated about and can no longer be put asunder. We must tinker, toil, paint, polish, prim, groom, train, trim, tack, pick, prep, pickle, pack and prepare with the precision and purpose of a Coopers Hawk on a predatory stalk in the middle of a heatwave, no less.
So, we wince and whinny and wipe our brow. We will do our best to be the best that we can be, and we will shine our biggest and brightest, these are the final days of summer, make ‘em count.
Here’s what’s happening:
Prov Bay arena and fairgrounds: The hub and heart of all the latest activity around our little township. The “Eagleson” Soundstage has landed and is an impressive sight to behold. Katie G. and crew are making good headway for the horses, they can always use help with clearing stones from the pad, so if you’re ever around there please help clear stones and debris if you can!
Summer Fun: preregistered programs daily Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. Remember to save your spot via centralmanitoulin.ca.
Friday Family Rec Nite: continues 7 to 9 pm. Drop in and play pickleball, badminton,basketball, cornhole, ping-pong and air hockey with friends, family and neighbours. All ages welcome.
Lions Club bottle drive: Drop off your empties next to the arena for a good cause, this helps keep our Township clean and helps us give back to the community.
PB/SP Pancake Breakfast, Saturday, August 17 from 8 am to 11 am.
Providence Bay Hall: Central Manitoulin Beachside Market
featuring local bakers, foodies and fun continues Thursdays through August from 11 am to 3 pm. Contact Central Manitoulin for vendor information and details.
Providence Bay Beach Boardwalk and Discovery Centre: Sunset Music Series continues this weekend from Friday and Saturday 6:30 pm to 9 pm.
Check the Huron Island Time Facebook page or Sunset Music Series online for the full musical lineup. Be sure to bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the shows!
The Discovery centre is filled with wonders and teachings of our elders and locally trained experts. Drop by to learn about the incredible biodiversity of our Island’s ecosystem. Huron Island Time is busier than ever! Be sure to ask Lance and crew about their awesome ice cream flavours and sweet and savory food! Stroll along the beach and boardwalk. Take a dip or a wade in the warm waters of Lake Huron or the Mindemoya River. Make memories, snap selfies and enjoy the beautiful scenery, music and views! Be sure to visit the local eateries for great food, great inspiration and good company. You will meet a lot of locals here and there and perhaps meet some local artists as well.
Dear beachcombers, visitors, friends and neighbours, please keep our beaches clean and safe by using the blue bins all along the Boardwalk.
Providence Bay Curling club Prov Bay fair parade participant meetup and prejudging. August 16 to 18.
Mindemoya: Manitoulin Zumba continues Tuesday evenings behind the Lions Pavilion from 7 to 9 pm.
Taekwon-do continues through August on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 pm at the Mindemoya Community Hall Drop-in classes available for vacationers and summer residents.
Spring Bay: Yoga continues at the Spring Bay Hall on Tuesdays at 2 pm and Wednesdays at 6:15 pm.
Providence Bay Community of Christ Peace Church (McNevin Street), Wednesday Youth Group is at 6 pm; Sunday town meeting at 10:30 am; Sunday Communion at 11 am.
Quilting demo on Saturday, August 17.
The Horses: August 18 from 9 am to 1 pm at the Providence Bay Fair Horse Show. Please reach out to Katie SG on Facebook or manitoulinhorseclub71@gmail.com for more information.
The Heavens: Morning of Wednesday, August 7, double shadows of Galiean moons will travel across Jupiter’s disk. On Thursday, August 8 the stars of Sagitarius, the Archer teapot tilts west in evening with a flat bottom formed by the stars Ascella to the east and Kaus Australis to the west, a pointed spout on the right west marked by Almasi and a pointed lid marked by the star Kaus Borealis. On Friday, August 9, look for the waxing crescent moon and shining to the lower right of Virgo’s brightest star Spica (evening). On Sunday, August 11, Perseid Meteor shower peak (overnight between Sunday 11 pm and dawn on Monday) this is the most popular shower of the year delivering as many as 100 meteors per hour. On Monday, August 12, first quarter moon. On Tuesday, August 13, the waxing gibbons moon will rise midafternoon. As the sky darkens after sunset, Antares, the bright reddish supergiant star in the heart of Scorpius will appear just to the moons upper left. On August 14 Mars meets Jupiter (pre-dawn) the planets will be visible around 2 am. Next Full Moon is August 19 aka Sturgeon Moon/Red Moon/Manoominike-giizis or wild Rice/blueberry moon.
Mentions: Shout out to our amazing Postie Pam, you are a champion, and an amazing part of our wonderful community. Thank you for all you do. Joan and Jan we thank you, Nadia and crew at the Providence Bay Tent and Trailer Park; Ingrid and Trevor for your continuous grounds and community garden upkeep. Matt and Kat for your warm fires and friendly chats, Huron Sands and crew for the food and snacks, Dawn for the wonderful work you do for local businesses, the Church and the fair, Carol and Lyle Dewar for the wagon, Maxim for your beautiful art and all the local artists, authors, musicians who make Manitoulin magical.
Powwows: https://northernontario.travel/indigenous
https://mchigeeng.ca. Next one close to home is in M’Chigeeng at month end.
“Life is not measured by the breathes you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
Kagawong
George Carlin
Team Fergmeijer
It’s official: we’re now into the dog days of summer. One might think that on these lazy, hot days, there is little to do in a village of only a few hundred people. But to prove otherwise, Team Fergmeijer has called on some of our local community correspondents to update our loyal readers with all the Kagawong goings-on. First up, Sadie has been keeping an eye on local businesses and reports a steady stream of visitors lately. She’s always happy to welcome new faces to the village! Herbert shares that the local night life has been a-bustle with various wildlife and wants to remind everyone that Kagawong offers tremendous views of any potential northern lights once darkness falls. Just don’t be too late sneaking in back home. Long-time downtown resident Noodin reports that the construction on the bridge over the Kagawong River is progressing nicely. She’s looking forward to the road eventually being open to pedestrians again. Up the hill, Hannah shares that gardens are peaking in colour this week, thanks to hot days interspersed with good dousings of rain. And all the doggie residents of the village (Kaga-dogians?) would like to remind our loyal readers that the off-leash dog park is an excellent place to let off some steam.
Tomorrow is the annual History Day in Kagawong! Thursday, August 8, come by the Park Centre in Kagawong for either the matinée (3:30 pm) or evening (7:30 pm) session. At both sessions, author and journalist Mike Strobel will speak about the North Channel “Rhu” tragedy, as well, author and journalist Richard Thomas will celebrate the Chi-Cheemaun with 50th anniversary sailing stories. Don’t miss out! Check out the Old Mill Heritage Centre on Facebook (facebook.com/KagawongMuseum) for more information.
Pride Manitoulin is back! Beginning tomorrow and lasting all weekend (August 8-11) there are activities for all ages happening all over the Island, including concerts, creativity workshops, drag shows, worship services and more. And yes, there’s a parade! Check out pridemanitoulin.ca for more information, times and locations.
Happy 29th birthday to Meg M! Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt, because once you’re over the hill, that’s when you begin to really pick up speed.
Struck by inspiration? The township is still accepting name suggestions for the Kagawong covered rink. Proposed names are being accepted at the town office until the end of August. Check the township’s Facebook page for more information.
Along with naming the covered rink (and perhaps the township’s new tractor and maybe even the market/picnic pavilion), it has come to our attention that the new bridge on the Kagawong River Trail is also without a name. In an effort to celebrate all new structures in Kagawong, we begin yet another completely informal, not-affiliated-with-the-township and unlikely to get approval, naming competition for the new bridge. So far, submissions include Bridget, Ferrous Bueller, the Kagawong Kauseway and Team Fergmeijer’s personal favourite, the Punderpass. Also submitted was the completely unexpected suggestion of the Span-ish Inquisition. Email fergmeijer@gmail.com and let us know your pick!
Don’t let the nameless dome deter you… Come down into the village and make your way to the rink area Wednesday from 10 am until 3 pm to check out the over 70 regular vendors at the Kagawong Market! There is something there for everyone.
Did you hear about the dog that wouldn’t bring the ball back? He thought it was too far-fetched. Have a great week!
Meldrum Bay
Elaine Bradley
My husband and my brother have been enjoying fishing in the straits and each time have come home with some fish. Combined with the fresh potatoes from the garden it is such a treat to eat fresh caught fish.
Tonight, the lake was like glass. It was really quite magical.
Everyone is getting busy preparing for the beef barbecue with corn on the cob. This year they have added a yard sale component so that should be fun. We are looking forward to a fun day and a delightful meal.
It’s been hot and sunny and many are coming out of the local store with huge ice cream cones and big smiles on their faces.
Barrie Island
Bill Runnalls drove from his home in Winnipeg to Barrie Island to visit with the Runnalls and Miller families for most of July. He enjoyed walking the Island, visiting the farm and relaxing at the lake. Bill also went with Sandy and Jim Miller to Ottawa for a few days.
The family and friends of Edna Robbins (née Runnalls) gathered at the Barrie Island Community Hall to wish her all the best in advance of her 90th birthday in October. Included in the group were her siblings, her children, many grandchildren and three great-grandsons!
Margueritte and Travis Strong from Copper Cliff visited George and Carolyn Calback on the weekend.
Silver Water
Karen Noble
On Friday, July 26, Albert Meijer and I went to Gore Bay to the market and the café. It was our local UCW’s turn to sell the coffee and treats. They did very well with their sales.
On Saturday the graveside service was held at the Silver Water Cemetery at 11 am for Bonnie Henry. There was lunch afterward at the Silver Water Community Hall.
On Saturday afternoon, the recycle bins were open. Shawn Noble helped Albert look after them.
I went to Ice Lake on Saturday morning to work at Norm Morrell’s auction. There was a large crowd and lots of stuff for everyone to buy. I left Ice Lake at 4 pm, went home to pick up Albert, then we went back to Gore Bay for the fish dinner for Harbour Days. We had a visit with Jim and Joanne Smith and Wayne and Anna Aelick while we ate.
On Sunday afternoon, Myra Duncanson and I went to the euchre tournament in Tehkummah. We did not bring home any prizes, but we had a good time. The next one is Sunday, September 8.
On Monday, Colleen Julseth joined Gladys Duncanson and me for the swim. Before we got in the lake, Lori Mastelko showed up and the four of us visited for quite a while. The lake was perfect.
On Tuesday morning, I went to my bookkeeping job in Mindemoya for the day. I left in time to shop at Foodland and then attend a meeting at the Manitoulin Planning Board. Reminder to the residents of Robinson and Dawson Townships to contact the planning board if you are considering any new building on your property. There is a new by-law on their website that can help, but Theresa and Jake are the best resource.
On Wednesday, Albert took our car into McQuarrie’s to have the new modules installed to correct the issues with the sensors.
On Thursday night there were five tables of euchre players at the Silver Water Hall.
When I got home after euchre, Albert had left a note that the fire team had been called to a car accident. When the team arrived, they were not needed, so they went home.
Doug and Brenda Carter are back home after returning their friend to St. Catharines.
Paul Sorbara’s family is arriving this week and spending a week with him and Beth Wagner.
Kathy and Fausto Lion arrived on Thursday and will be at their cottage on the weekend.
There will be a market in our yard on August 10. The next two weekends I will be working at auctions, so the market is cancelled. The next one will be Saturday, August 31.
On August 11 there is a luncheon at the Silver Water Community Hall. There will be a euchre tournament in the afternoon starting at 1:30 pm.
Condolences to the family of Valinda Fogal.
