May 27, 2016

Firstly, Team Fergmeijer would like to apologize if our column is late this week. After a long weekend of amazing weather and shopping in and around Kagawong, we are still recovering from a sudden influx of onion rings, bonbons and chocolate.

Registration is now open for River School - a partnership between 4elements Living Arts and Manitoulin Streams to deliver a series of summer programs for kids and adults along the Kagawong River. Come prepared to get your feet wet and your hands dirty! For more information, or to register, phone 705-282-0444 or email patricia@4elementslivingarts.org.

The Park Centre is still a happenin’ place to be: Zumba continues for three more sessions on Thursdays at 7pm, until June 16. Tai Chi is cancelled for Tuesday, May 31, but is having one last session Tuesday, June 7 at 6:30pm.

Looking to take advantage of a gym full of new equipment to help get into shape? Check out the Kagawong Fitness Club! If you would like to tour the gym or start your membership contact Sharon Jackson, or drop Team Fergmeijer a line and we can get you in touch with the right people.

A very happy birthday to Casey Boisvert who celebrated her 29th birthday yesterday! Team Fergmeijer is in the process of choreographing a Zumba routine to the tune of “Happy Birthday” for her, but just can’t seem to get the grapevines and side salsas to work.

Save the date! St. John’s Anglican Church is hosting a Lasagna Dinner fundraiser (with home made pies!) on Friday, June 3 from 5-7pm at the Park Centre. Tickets are $14 for adults, $7 for children under 10. Call 705-282-1031 for more information or to reserve your seats!

Start gathering up all your old electronics and batteries - Manitoulin Secondary School’s Go Green committee is holding an e-waste collection on June 11th from 9-2pm.

On Saturday, MPP Mike Mantha will be in town kicking off his Food Bank March in support of Manitoulin Family Resources Help Centre Food Bank. Mr. Mantha will be walking from the Billings Township office in Kagawong to the Manitoulin Family Resources Centre in Mindemoya. Everyone is welcome to participate, either by joining in the walk or by donating non-perishable food items at drop-off locations along the route.

Euchre is running each Wednesday night at 7pm at the Park Centre and everyone is welcome to come out for a hand.

If you’re in the village, keep an eye out for the ducks, cranes and geese that are nesting and raising their babies. You can often see geese and fluffy little goslings along the river by the ESSO. In fact, just the other day, a duck walked into the ESSO while Jamie Ward was working, and bought a chapstick. Jamie said, “Will that be cash or charge?” The duck replied, “Just put it on my bill, yo.”

May 20, 2016

Marina slips are in, daffodils and spring flowers are in full bloom, residents are busy spring cleaning and planning gardens… SO STOP SNOWING ALREADY!

Sunday saw the re-launch of the Kagawong Fitness Club (KFC). Plucky (the KFC mascot - you can see him in the main window of the club!) was pleased to see so many people out to see the new, high-tech equipment, and welcomed several new members. If you would like to tour the gym or start your membership contact Sharon Jackson or drop Team Fergmeijer a line and we can get you in touch with the right people.

Families from all over the township came out for the Family Fun and Feedback day. Kids rocked out with Zumba instructor Casey Boisvert, and the grown ups shared ideas and brainstormed possible initiatives to make Billings as family-friendly as possible. Thanks to all who attended!

Save the date! St. John’s Anglican Church is hosting a Lasagna Dinner fundraiser (with home made pies!) on Friday, June 3 from 5-7pm at the Park Centre. Tickets are $14 for adults, $7 for children under 10. Call 705-282-1031 for more information or to reserve your seats!

Team Fergmeijer would like to offer our heart-felt congratulations to Bill and Evone MacKay who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary earlier this month, as well as to the McKeen family who celebrated Heather’s marriage this past weekend in Ottawa! Stop in and toast them with a cup of coffee this weekend - Manitoulin Chocolate Works is open for business.

Chocolate Works isn’t the only long-awaited opening this weekend- Riverside, Heritage Centre, Bare Naked Beauty, and Boo-Bah-Lou Candy Corner - along with the fab businesses that keep us in food, fashion and fun all year long like Main Street Cafe, Bridal Veil Esso, Dig and Doug’s Cedar Furniture, Hunt’s Store and all the others who make Kagawong special.

Euchre is running each Wednesday night at 7pm at the Park Centre and everyone is welcome to come out for a hand. Last week’s results are Ladies’ High Aline, Men’s High Muriel, Ladies’ Lone Lily, Men’s Lone Mike, Low Score Lil, Door Prize Theresa.

Start gathering up all your old electronics and batteries - Manitoulin Secondary School’s Go Green committee is holding an e-waste collection on June 11th from 9 -2pm.

Next week MPP Mike Mantha will be in town kicking off his Food Bank March in support of Manitoulin Family Resources Help Centre Food Bank. Mr. Mantha will be walking from the Billings Township office in Kagawong to the Manitoulin Family Resources Centre in Mindemoya. Everyone is welcome to participate, either by joining in the walk or by donating non-perishable food items at drop-off locations along the route.

The Kagawong Canine Social Club invites you to the weekly doggy social every Sunday at 1pm.

The library is showing the movie The Little Prince on Saturday. Show starts at 7pm. BYOP (bring your own popcorn)!

As we put some effort into spring cleaning the house and yard, Team Fergmeijer has decided that we are not clumsy, the floor just hates us, the table and chairs are bullies, and the walls get in our way on purpose.

May 13, 2016

The sun is out, the grass is green, it’s everyone’s favourite time of year - construction season! The construction guys were out doing prep work for some repairs to the causeway. Plan for an extra few minutes to get through the stop lights once they are operational.

Stop lights in Kagawong! How very urban!

Billings Council is hosting a Family Fun and Feedback day tomorrow and invites parents, teens and children to come out to the Park Centre to give your input into what goes on in your community. At 11:30 am (please note the time change) kids and teens can join legendary Zumba instructor Casey Boisvert upstairs for a Zumba party while parents and caregivers meet downstairs for an information and feedback session lead by Barb Erskine. From 1 to 3 pm, the whole family can join Heather Thoma and Jenna Carter for a Kagawong River Plant Quest, part of 4elements Living Arts’ Elemental Excursions program. Enjoy the trail walk, discover nature, play at drawing and journaling in the great outdoors.

Save the date! St. John’s Anglican Church is hosting a Lasagna Dinner fundraiser (with home made pies!) on Friday, June 3 from 5-7pm at the Park Centre. Tickets are $14 for adults, $7 for children under 10. Call 705-282-1031 for more information or to reserve your seats!

KFC is new and improved and ready for business! Plucky is holding an open house this Sunday from 2-4pm for long time fans as well as the new and curious, so he can showcase all the fabulous new equipment. Come by, say hi and learn how to start your membership. The Kagawong Fitness Centre is located at 91 Main Street.

Want to honour/embarrass your friends and neighbours? Send us their birthday info and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Euchre is running each Wednesday night at 7pm at the Park Centre and everyone is welcome to come out for a hand. Last week’s results are Ladies’ high - Marissa, Men’s high - Graham, Men’s lone - Muriel, Ladies’ lone - Elva, Low score - Lil, door prize - Kal.

The Kagawong Canine Social Club invites you to the weekly doggy social every Sunday at 1pm. If you haven’t been there for awhile, you’ve missed seeing Bear running around in his new shades, like the Fonz of Kagawong: “Bark! Bark! Heeeeeeeeeeeey!” The park is always a fun choice for both canines and their humans. See you there? Perfectamundo.

Some springtime words of wisdom: Be young at heart, even if you are older in other places. Have a great week!

May 6, 2016

Happy May, everyone! April showers bring May flowers. May flowers bring…. allergies. They bring allergies.

Saturday night Team Fergmeijer will be putting on our fanciest bellbottoms and hippie vests so we look our best for the Spring Wing Ding at the Park Centre. The retro rock ‘n’ roll themed licensed dance is raising money for the Angel Bus. $10 gets you through the door and on the dance floor. Don’t forget to check out the impressive list of door prizes on the Kagawong Facebook page, too!

Billings Council wants to know how you would make the township more “family-friendly.” They are hosting a Family Fun and Feedback day on May 14th and invites parents, teens and children to come out to the Park Centre to give your input into what goes on in your community. At 11am kids and teens can join legendary Zumba instructor Casey Boisvert upstairs for a Zumba party while parents and caregivers meet downstairs for an information and feedback session lead by Barb Erskine. From 1 to 3 pm, the whole family can join Heather Thoma and Jenna Carter for a  Kagawong River Plant Quest, part of 4elements Living Arts’ Elemental Excursions program. Enjoy the trail walk, discover nature, play at drawing and journaling in the great outdoors.

Save the date! St. John’s Anglican Church is hosting a Lasagna Dinner fundraiser (with home made pies!) on Friday, June 3 from 5-7pm at the Park Centre. Tickets are $14 for adults, $7 for children under 10. Call 705-282-1031 for more information or to reserve your seats!

On Saturday night the Billings Library will be showing the movie Race - about Jesse Owen’s fight to become an Olympic legend. Show starts at 7pm. Check out the library’s Facebook page for more information.

Stopping by the Kagawong Fitness Centre? Plucky says, “bring your shades!” The KFC is sporting shiny new equipment including a rower, universal weight machine, two treadmills, two recumbent bikes, and free weights.  Contact Sharon Jackson for information on the gym’s reopening and to get a membership.

Congratulations to the MSS Girls’ Gymnastics team who won GOLD at the OFSAA (all-Ontario) championships in Windsor last week. Team Fergmeijer had the opportunity to interview the coaches, who stated, “the girls performed well under the pressure, and represented Manitoulin extremely well, yo.”

Want to honour/embarrass your friends and neighbours? Send us their birthday info and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Euchre is running each Wednesday night at 7pm at the Park Centre and everyone is welcome to come out for a hand. Last week’s results are not available at the time of printing, but we will include them in next week’s column.

Team Fergmeijer would like to wish all the mothers out there a very happy Mother’s Day and we offer this special sentiment to our own moms: Thanks for getting me through that 30-year awkward phase. For enduring the torture of my adolescent years I promise to always keep your electronics functional. Oh, and we’ll be over for supper by 6pm!