July 28, 2017

After some exceedingly damp weeks, summer seems to be in full swing on the Island. Time to enjoy barbeques, playing outside, swimming in the lake, and endlessly arguing with your children about why they have to go to bed when it’s still light out.

Next up in the Old Mill Heritage Centre’s Historic Speaker Series is Patricia Pearson, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson (limited seats still available). For more information, contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca

Tomorrow is another movie night at the library! Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul starts at 7pm. Admission is always free; check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers. It’s a great way to spend time with your kids this summer, especially for those days when you start to consider which wine pairs best with your kids being home all day.

Break out the cake and balloons… many Kagawongians are celebrating birthdays this week! Mike C (aka MBB), Willa W, and Merideth C all turned 29 this week, and Beth G will be joining that crowd this weekend. Many happy returns to you all!

Have you been to the Riverbend Stage lately? One afternoon each weekend throughout the summer you can enjoy some live music at this hidden gem tucked away behind the Park Centre. Musical talent Townline (country, folk, gospel) and Oh Behave (music from the 50s and 60s) will be performing on a variety of dates over the next few weeks. Admission is free and it is a great family event. Contact the Billings Economic Development Committee for more information.

And now for something completely different! On August 12-13 join in the Lower Mudge Bay Fun on the Water poker run! Enter at the Austin Hunt Marina (entry fee of $5) and enjoy exploring Mudge Bay by boat while collecting your poker hand. A pot luck supper will follow, as well as live music. Ask at the marina for more details.

The results are in from the July 19th euchre tournament! Tied for first place were Brad, Bill & Wilma Wright, and Shirley; second place was also a tie between Kal Merrylees, Lilly Third & Jim and Sally Langtree; Brad, Bill and Jim and Sally Langtree all tied for lone hand; low score prize went to Doris Tustian & Roger Lloyd; the door prize went to Mike and Susan Arbour.

We have been a bit hard on kids this week, but we want to make it clear that we think having kids is one of the biggest joys life has to offer.**

**Not including during: summer holidays, bath time, bed time, any time before 6am, when trying to leave the house, when trying to pee alone, when you are sick, when they are sick, on the weekends, and at any point during the teenage years.

July 21, 2017

Summerfest 2017 was another smashing success this year.  We hope everyone is recovering well from the extremely busy (and fun!) weekend.  Billings is lucky to have such a dedicated group of organizers and volunteers willing to put in the time and effort to make events like this available to residents and visitors alike.

As always, the Kagawong Canine Social Club meets Sunday at 1pm at the off-leash dog park on Carter Crescent. New members are welcome! Overheard at the dog park last week was a very loud, “NO!” directed at one rambunctious pup, followed by a much quieter, “We talked about this.”

Next up in the Old Mill Heritage Centre’s Historic Speaker Series is award-winning journalist and bestselling author Andrew Cohen, as well as Patricia Pearson, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson (limited seats still available). For more information, contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca

Rain or shine, check out the farmer’s market every Wednesday from 10am-3pm at the covered pavilion by the basketball court. Support local artists, farmers and craftspeople - get your home-grown veggies, homemade treats, and handcrafted gifts all in one place!

Tomorrow is another movie night at the library! This one is for the older kids: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (PG13). Admission is free, as usual. Check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers.

Kagawongian in spirit, Jen C’s birthday is this weekend. As she’s living in Alberta now, there will probably be a stetson and some cowboy boots involved as she celebrates the big 2-9. Also celebrating is Madeline McColman. Many happy returns on her 29th birthday. An extra-special happy birthday goes out to honorary Kagawongian, Emma R. On Thursday, Emma will be turning 7. That’s right on 07/27/2017, she’s turning 7! That’s even better than turning 29.

Residents will notice an unusual tranquility settling over the land in the Lebar hill area. In what Team Fergmeijer is sure is an unrelated occurrence, MBB (Mary Buie’s Brother) has embarked on the annual week-long North Channel Race from Hilton Beach to Little Current. We hope he’s not doing it because of pier pressure, but regardless, best of luck to him! There really isn’t anything quite like sailing. It’s a fine art involving getting wet and getting places very slowly at great expense.

Much like this column is a good way to kill time, and brain cells, while staying in touch with what’s going on in Kagawong. Have a great week!

July 14, 2017

Summerfest is here!! This weekend is jam-packed with fun starting with a parking lot party tonight at the Park Centre. DJ Ardy is providing the music to dance the night away. Saturday has activities running all day including kids games,  a special market, big canoes, Chanson de voyageurs et d’habitants canadiens-francais, and a fabulous quilt show at the Park Centre. Saturday also features an evening concert featuring Celtic/French-Canadian band Fagroongala. Sunday morning take part in the annual Blessing of the Boats at the Anglican church, and join 4elements and special guest speaker Alan Corbiere as he discusses the treaty history of Manitoulin. Rest up this afternoon, because it’s going to be a busy weekend!

One half of Team Fergmeijer is out being a roving reporter, and has discovered that camping is intense.

The Old Mill Heritage Centre launched their Historic Speaker Series on Wednesday with Steve Paikin, the first of three presenters throughout the summer. Next up is award-winning journalist and bestselling author Andrew Cohen (show is sold out!), as well as Patricia Pearson, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson (limited seats still available). For more information, contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca

Have you ever tried on new shoes and thought, “Well, one of these isn’t right.”

A reminder that the farmer’s market it back up and running Wednesdays from 10am-3pm at the covered pavilion by the basketball court. Get your home-grown veggies, homemade treats, and handcrafted gifts all in one place!

The Kagawong Canine Social Club continues to meet each Sunday at 1pm at the dog park. Bring your furry friend for socializing, exercise and fun for the both of you.

Tomorrow is Saturday night at the movies! The Billings Library will be showing Boss Baby (rated PG) at 7pm. Admission is free, as usual. Check out the library Facebook page for upcoming show dates, titles and trailers.

We’ve decided that fans of the decimal have a point.

A very happy birthday goes out to Ardis who will be celebrating another trip around the sun on Monday. We’re pretty sure that makes 29 trips in total for this lovely lady. Some Fergusons will be celebrating birthdays next week - Jenny and Craig both turn 29 on the same day. Team Fergmeijer had to get them into the column this year or the family reunion was going to be pretty awkward. Again.

Speaking of family reunions, the whole Buie clan (which includes Buies, Cichons, and Lawrences) was in town last week. It was loud, rambunctious, and silly. In other words, it was a typical, perfect visit.

There is so much going on in Kagawong this week that we don’t really have space to add long, involved humour, so we had to find the shortest jokes possible. Our apologies, we hope things in town slow down soon so we can go back to filling this column with nonsense.

July 7, 2017

Based on the number of cars parked illegally on the bridge by the falls, Team Fergmeijer figures it must be summer time! We plan to spend the majority of our summer enjoying the many beaches around the township. After all, B.E.A.C.H. = Best Escape Anyone Can Have!

4elements is hosting a special movie event on July 8th. Come out to Norm’s Park for a 7pm screening of 'Moose River Crossing' followed by a Circle Q&A and discussion with director, producer and writer, Shirley Cheechoo. Proudly sponsored by Kakekalanicks (https://www.kakekalanicks.org/) and co-presented by Billings Public Library.

Got some old paint or dead batteries lying around? Household Hazardous Waste Day is tomorrow (July 8) from 1pm to 4pm. Bring your hazardous waste to the Mindemoya Roads Building by Tann’s corner for a free dropoff, and help keep dangerous goods out of our landfill.

The Dutch attempted a land invasion of the Island last week. The covert operation involved copious amounts of fancy cheese, board games and more candy than a 10 year-old should probably be allowed at one time.

Honorary Haweater, Penny Little, asked us to include a small farewell notice - “I have sold up and left, and am grateful for the community welcoming me.” She has arrived back in the UK and looks forward to staying in touch with her Island friends.

The library would like to welcome back their summer student, Emily, and with her the return to summer hours. You can visit the library Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm (closed for lunch from 12-1).

The library would also like to thank everyone who came out to support the book and bake sale on Wednesday, as well as the slew of volunteers who helped to set up. It was a huge success, and they couldn't have done it without you.

The town council invites all community members to the second public Billings Strategic Planning Session on Monday, July 10th at 7pm at the Park Centre. If you are interested in the infrastructure and sustainability of our township, come on by.

This coming week, the Old Mill Heritage Centre kicks off their Historic Speaker Series with Steve Paikin presenting at the Kagawong Park Centre at 7:30 pm on July 12th.  Later in the summer, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Andrew Cohen will visit, as well as Patricia Pearson, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Admission is free for all presentations, but seating is limited. For more information, contact the Old Mill Heritage Centre at 705-282-1442 or email oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca

On top of everything else going on in the village, the farmer’s market it back up and running Wednesdays from 10am-4pm. Get out and enjoy it all - we’ll see you at the beach!