February 26, 2016

Pro winter tip: Did you know? The best way to stay warm indoors during the winter is to move into a corner of the room. Why? They’re all 90 degrees!

Winterfest was a tremendous success despite the lack of cooperation by Mother Nature. Large crowds of people packed into the Park Centre to explore the many displays and demonstrations set up by local organizations. The food was as fantastic as was expected, with heaps of accolades going to Mary Lewis on winning the Taster’s Choice award at the chili cookoff! The best part is that the sledding hill is still in business for anyone who wants to take it for a spin. With these temperatures, it won’t last long so take advantage of it while you can!

Staying active has never been easier - check out the Kagawong Fitness Club at 91 Main Street, or join a Zumba class Thursdays at the Park Centre from 7-8pm. Tai Chi will also be starting up March 1 (and running most Tuesdays) at 6:30pm at the Park Centre.

Billings Library is holding its second Kagawong Canine Reading Club tomorrow. It features Magical Paws Book Buddies, trained therapy dogs, who help children become more comfortable reading by curling up with them, and allowing the children to ‘teach’ the dogs to read. These sessions are free for kids ages 6-10 and start at 10:30am. If you are interested call the library at 282-2944 or send a message via their Facebook page (facebook.com/kagawonglibrary).

The Kagawong Folk Roots Collective are reprising their Gospel Night from this past autumn! Join them in a fundraiser for the Angel Bus, Saturday, March 5 at 7pm, at St. Andrew’s United Church in Silver Water. There will be lots of new- and old-timey gospel favourites. Bring your hand fans, wide-brimmed hats, and singin’ voices to an evening of excellent entertainment, yo.

We get a bonus day next week! Ah, Leap Year... giving us an extra day to reflect upon how unproductive we are with extra time. Have a great week!

February 19, 2016

Tonight! Spend an evening sampling wine and indulging in a variety of delectable cheeses while you enjoy the music of Jim Smith at the wine and cheese event. Tickets are $25, and include one glass of wine. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available. Call 282-8044 or 282-2023 for more information and to purchase your tickets. Do it quickly - seating is limited!

Winterfest, winterfest, winterfest! It’s finally here! Come out to the Park Centre Saturday to check out classic and antique snow machines, sample Kagawong Tails and maple syrup taffy, try your hand at ball hockey skills competitions, visit the many booths and organizations set up throughout the day, and challenge your tummy to the chili cookoff. The good times start at 10am.

Congratulations to all Kagawongians involved in last week’s production of Once Upon a Mattress at Manitoulin Secondary School. The show played to packed houses, and treated audiences to a fun, funny, toe-tapping experience.

Happy birthday to Ruth Farquhar. If gossip is to be believed, she’s turning 29 on Sunday!

Still trying to get rid of that lovey-dovey Valentine fog from last weekend? Let the library get you back to normal with some classic monster mayhem. They are showing Victor Frankenstein on their big screen tomorrow night at 7pm.

The township and recreation committee has had to finally admit defeat in their battle against Mother Nature. Despite the hard freeze last weekend, the overall weather of the last months (as well as the forecasted warm spell and rain) has made the community rink a no-go for this year. Big thanks go out to all the people who were ready and willing to volunteer their time and energy to get the rink up and running, especially the fire department. We’ll try our luck next year.

Team Fergmeijer was chatting with some off-island friends who didn’t understand how cold it was last weekend. We tried to make it clear to them: it was so cold that when the farmers milked their cows they got ice cream; politicians stopped blowing hot air; our shadows froze to the sidewalk; we chipped a tooth on our soup; we fell out of bed and broke our pajamas; Grampa’s teeth were chattering while still in the glass; we pulled everything out of the freezer and huddled inside to stay warm.

February 12, 2016

Love is in the air! Team Fergmeijer can't wait for Valentine’s Day because we get to make cupcakes for those special people in our lives... ourselves!

The community rink behind the Anglican Church is not open for skating yet. Mother Nature just has not been cooperating. Stay tuned - with another wintry blast or two we might be able to get skating before too long.

Happy birthday to Heather Scott and Chris Thiessen, both of whom will be turning 29 this coming week, and to Neil Lawrence (née Buie) who will be celebrating his 29th birthday on Valentine's day. Many happy returns to you all!

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Jack Hunt. A good neighbour and friend to many in Billings, he will be missed.

Manitoulin Secondary School’s musical theatre program has launched this year’s production, Once Upon A Mattress. Opening night on Thursday was a huge success! There is still time to experience this hilarious show; get your tickets in advance at Robertson’s IDA in Gore Bay or the Guardian Pharmacies in Mindemoya, Little Current or Manitowaning. There will be tickets available at the door, as well. Shows run tonight and Saturday, curtain rises at 7pm.

Staying active has never been easier - check out the Kagawong Fitness Club at 91 Main Street, or join a Zumba class Thursdays at the Park Centre from 7-8pm. Tai Chi will be starting up soon, too!

Spend an evening sampling wine and indulging in a variety of delectable cheeses while you enjoy the music of Jim Smith at the wine and cheese evening on February 19th. Tickets are $25 and include one glass of wine. Call 282-8044 or 282-2023 for more information and to purchase your tickets. Do it quickly - seating is limited!

Be sure to party hearty this Valentine’s day! And don’t forget the best part about this special occasion - the day after when all the chocolate goes on sale. Have a great week!

February 5, 2016

Team Fergmeijer would like to apologize - apparently by simply putting in print last week that the community rink behind the Anglican Church would be open soon, we invited the rain to make us liars. Stay tuned - with another wintry blast or two we might be able to get skating before too long.

You may (or may not) remember that a number of years ago, the Settlers Players of Kagawong (SPOK) was founded right here in our beloved township. It was such a successful group, that it inspired several spin-off groups around the province. This week, we would like to welcome Chris and Joanne, co-founders of the Ottawa branch, SPOO, who will be staying in Kagawong for a week.

If you give them half a chance, Chris and Joanne would love to tell you about how Manitoulin Secondary School’s musical theatre program is nearly ready to launch this year’s production, Once Upon A Mattress. Get your tickets in advance at Robertson’s IDA in Gore Bay or the Guardian Pharmacies in Mindemoya, Little Current or Manitowaning. There will be tickets available at the door, as well. Shows run February 11 - 13th, curtain rises at 7pm. (Chris and Joanne will be playing in the pit band!)

Winterfest weekend will soon be here! Along with the outdoor winter fun, the recreation committee is also holding its annual chili cookoff! Top prize for people’s choice is $50. If you would like to participate, contact Gail Los (282-0549) for full details.

If you are one of our more sophisticated readers, you might be interested in the wine and cheese evening that same weekend. Spend an evening sampling wine and indulging in a variety of delectable cheeses while you enjoy the music of Jim Smith. Tickets are $25 and include one glass of wine. Call 282-8044 or 282-2023 for more information and to purchase your tickets. Do it quickly - seating is limited!

Good grief! The library will be showing The Peanuts Movie tomorrow. Admission is by donation, and the show starts at 7pm.

It’s February. Time to re-evaluate those new year’s resolutions from January. Team Fergmeijer had a goal of working out every day, and we’ve been pretty consistent with it. Well, we didn’t go to the gym today, but the guy working at the McDonald’s was named Jim, so, same thing.