September 29, 2017

4elements Elemental Festival kicks off today! Multidisciplinary Métis artist Moe Clark will kick off the festivities with a musical performance at the Park Centre starting at 8pm. Saturday, be sure to come out to see the second musical guest, Melody McKiver. That show starts at 5:30pm. Sunday is the official unveiling of the new Connections Trail Sculptures. Join 4elements and the Billings Connections Trail sculpture artists for an artist “walk and talk” along the trail, starting from the Park Centre at 1pm. Contact 4e for more information at (705) 282-0444 or info@4elementslivingarts.org.

The Old Mill Heritage Centre is updating its list of Billings Township War Veterans. If you know of anyone who should be added to its records, please call:  705 282 1442 or e-mail: oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca.

Happy birthday goes out to honourary Kagawongian Kathryn B, who turns 29 on Monday. And congratulations to Jef & Trish on their nuptials this weekend! May the joys be many and the facebugs be few.

The Park Centre is THE place to be this fall! Join us for Tai Chi on Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, Karate on Wednesdays from 6:00pm - 7:00pm (for youth) and 7:00pm - 8:30pm (for adults), and Zumba on Thursdays from 7:00pm - 8:00pm. There’s no better time to get active!

Last Saturday, the Manitoulin Community Choir and The Island Singers performed together in front of a very appreciative audience. Even this week’s heat wave couldn’t put a damper on the enjoyment of the audience as the choirs combined their efforts in a celebration of Canadian music. All said, the performance raised $700 for local charities!

The euchre results from the last tournament are in! In first place were Charlene & Donna; in second place were Bill & Ann; in third were Pat & Rosemary tied with Bev & Sally. Most Loners went to Brad & Bill; the low score prize went to Karen & Alex, and Mike and Susan walked away with the door prize.

Mary Buie & Heather Theijsmeijer are once again participating in the CIBC Run for the Cure in Sudbury this weekend, raising funds for breast cancer research, outreach, and support. Between the two of them, they have raised almost $1700 at time of writing, but are always looking to raise more! To donate, go to http://www.supportcbcf.com, click the donate button, and search for either of their names.

Like all of our loyal readers, Team Fergmeijer has been suffering a bit in this heatwave. It’s so hot, it’s not even funny. Sadly, neither is our column this week. Check back with us next week when the mercury drops to a reasonable temperature for comedy. Then we can start complaining about the cold. Have a great week!

September 22, 2017

Team Fergmeijer has been noticing the leaves have started changing. It feels a bit early still, but we do enjoy the fall season. What’s not to like? Pumpkin everything, sweaters, halloween, hoodies, beautiful foliage, and mosquitoes and blackflies finally return to, well, anywhere but here.

The Old Mill Heritage Centre is updating its list of Billings Township War Veterans. If you know of anyone who should be added to its records, please call:  705 282 1442 or e-mail: oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca.

Happy early birthday to Barb E who will be celebrating her 29th birthday on Monday. Another very happy (though somewhat belated) 29th birthday goes out to Kevin M (and presumably his brother Ken M) who turned 29 last Monday.  

The Park Centre is THE place to be this fall! Join us for Tai Chi on Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, Karate on Wednesdays from 6:00pm - 7:00pm (for youth) and 7:00pm - 8:30pm (for adults), and Zumba on Thursdays from 7:00pm - 8:00pm. There’s no better time to get active!

Special note: there will be no Zumba session on Thursday, Sept. 28th.

Tomorrow! Sept. 23, join the Manitoulin Community Choir and The Island Singers for a Celebration of Canadian Music! The concert starts at 7:30pm at Manitoulin Secondary School; tickets are $10 per person or $20 per family, with all proceeds going toward local charities.

Have you taken a stroll through the township recently? Keep an eye out for the new art installations! More information available from 4elements. Speaking of 4elements, the Elemental Festival is swiftly approaching and they are looking for volunteers to help with activities the weekend of September 29 - October 1. Contact Vanessa at 282-0444 for more information, and check out the advertisements in the paper for more information on the festival itself!

The Hydro One planned power outage set for September 30th has been cancelled. That’s right, you have lots of time to do laundry, vacuum, and do dishes all day on Saturday! Or nap; no judgement.

We close this week’s column with a heartfelt apology. Last week, Team Fergmeijer neglected to inform our loyal readers that Tuesday, September 19th was Talk Like A Pirate Day. In order to atone for this grievous oversight, we would like to ensure we don’t miss any other important dates in September, including National Fight Procrastination Day, which was the 6th (we intended to tell you before the date, but somehow just didn’t get around to it), today which is Elephant Appreciation Day, Sunday the 24th - Punctuation Day!!!!!! and (our favourite) the 28th is National Drink Beer Day. We promise to honour all of these to the best of our ability. Especially that last one. Have a great week!

September 15, 2017

Bark at the park was very well attended, with dogs (and their owners) from all over the Island and a few even from the US. With games, costumes, competition, play and treats for all, it was a huge success! One of the participants was bragging that she threw a stick five miles, and her dog managed to find it and bring it back. Team Fergmeijer thought that sounded a bit far fetched.

Did you miss Bark in the Park? Don’t terrier self up about it. You can always come out to the dog park on Sundays at 1pm and join the Kagawong Canine Social Club.

Happy 29th birthday to Keith M! He’s still tearing up the tennis courts like he was 28.

Today at 4pm there is a "Ribbon Cutting Ceremony" for the fully restored Post Office Museum. Federal, Provincial and Municipal representatives will be in attendance along with the Billings Museum Board and members of the original local Historical Society. A reception with refreshments will follow next door at the Old Mill Heritage Centre here in Kagawong. Hope to see you there!

The Park Centre is THE place to be this fall! Join us for Tai Chi on Tuesdays from 6:30pm - 7:30pm (special BEGINNER session Sept. 19), Karate on Wednesdays from 6:00pm - 7:00pm (for youth) and 7:00pm - 8:30pm (for adults), and Zumba on Thursdays from 7:00pm - 8:00pm. There’s no better time to get active! Team Fergmeijer has a favourite exercise. It’s something between a lunge and a crunch. It’s called lunch.

On Saturday Sept. 23, join the Manitoulin Community Choir and The Island Singers for a Celebration of Canadian Music! The concert starts at 7:30pm at Manitoulin Secondary School, with all proceeds going toward local charities.

What are your plans for Saturday, September 30th? Hydro One has a planned power outage that day from 9am to 3pm. When we heard about that, we were like, WATT?!

The 4elements Elemental Festival is swiftly approaching and they are looking for volunteers to help with activities the weekend of September 29 - October 1. Contact Vanessa at 4elements (282-0444) for more information, and check out the advertisements in the paper for more information on the festival itself!

Every once in awhile we get fan mail and we make every effort to reply. Here’s one example from a devoted reader:

“Dear Team Fergmeijer: Mutt you hound us with these doggone puns?? I find them repugnant! Sincerely, Lynne and John.”

Dear Lynne and John, We take our jokes furry seriously, and believe that these puns are pawsome.

Have a great week!

September 8, 2017

It’s been a great first week back to school! In the excitement of getting started on the first day of school, when driving home, one teacher was pulled over for allegedly rolling through a stop sign. The officer recognized the driver as an English teacher, and said “Miss Smith, those stop signs are periods, not commas!”

Happy birthday to Kim B who turns 29 next week. Team Fergmeijer is hoping at least one person goes up to her and tells her she’s ‘looking fine at 29’!  

The library has shifted back to regular winter hours: Tuesday & Thursday 4 - 7pm; Saturday 10 - 1pm. The library movie night has also moved to every other week. Saturday, the library is showing Transformers: The Last Knight. Show starts at 7pm and admission is free!

What did the dog say when it sat on a piece of sandpaper? ROUGH!

Tomorrow! Bark in the Park is back again! The fun starts at noon and runs until 2. This year’s theme is ‘Our rescued animals and local organizations who help.’ Bring your four-legged friends and sit, stay and play! And don’t forget, the Kagawong Canine Social Club meets every Sunday at 1pm.

I wonder if the invention of the shovel was considered ground-breaking...

Does the change in seasons send you looking to try a new activity for the fall? Look no further than the Park Centre in Kagawong!

Tuesday nights from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, join Chris Theijsmeijer to learn Tai Chi. Beginners welcome, with donations going to the Recreation Committee. Tai Chi begins Sept. 19.

Wednesday nights, join Steve Fox-Radulovich for Karate classes. Youth class from 6:00pm - 7:00pm, and adult class from 7:00pm - 8:30pm.

Thursday nights, Zumba is back! Join Casey Boisvert and get ready to boogie. Zumba starts Sept. 14 at a special time: 5:30pm - 6:30pm, and then returns to its regular time of 7:00pm - 8:00pm for Thursdays after that. $10 per class, or pay in advance for a month at a rate of $5 per class.

Friday nights, take a break - you deserve it!

The 4elements Elemental Festival is swiftly approaching and they are looking for volunteers to help with activities the weekend of September 29 - October 1. Contact Vanessa at 4elements (282-0444) for more information.

Team Fergmeijer is totally into fitness. Fitness whole pizza into our mouths. Have a great week!

September 1, 2017

Happy Labour Day! Did you know? Labour Day celebrates the contribution of workers to our economy. We celebrate it by not working.

This week, happy birthdays go out to several Kagawongians: Mandy C and Diane L both turned 29 this past week, and Susan S celebrates 29 classy years tomorrow. Just remember, the older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana.

Take comfort this Labour Day in knowing the pressure to have fun this summer is finally over. And as the summer wraps up, the library has shifted back to regular winter hours: Tuesday & Thursday 4 - 7pm; Saturday 10 - 1pm. The library movie night has also moved to every other week. The next movie night is Saturday, September 9th. Check out the Facebook page for more information and trailers.

Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Floyd Graham who passed away this week. Floyd had been a fixture of the community for decades and will be missed by us all.

Save the date! Bark in the Park is back again this year on September 9. The fun starts at noon and runs until 2. This year’s theme is ‘Our rescued animals and local organizations who help.’ Bring your four-legged friends and sit, stay and play! And don’t forget, the Kagawong Canine Social Club meets every Sunday at 1pm.

Labour Day signals a change in seasons. It’s the end of complaining about how hot it is, and the start of complaining how cold it is.

Does the change in seasons send you looking to try a new activity for the fall? Look no further than the Park Centre in Kagawong!

Tuesday nights from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, join Chris Theijsmeijer to learn Tai Chi. Beginners welcome, with donations going to the Recreation Committee. Tai Chi begins Sept. 19.

Wednesday nights, join Steve Fox-Radulovich for Karate classes. Youth class from 6:00pm - 7:00pm, and adult class from 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Karate starts Sept. 6.

Thursday nights, Zumba is back! Join Casey Boisvert and get ready to boogie. Zumba starts Sept. 14 at a special time: 5:30pm - 6:30pm, and then returns to its regular time of 7:00pm - 8:00pm for Thursdays after that. $10 per class, or pay in advance for a month at a rate of $5 per class.

Friday nights, take a break - you deserve it!

August 13th euchre tournament results are in! Jim & Sally took first place, with Ted & Ruth just behind in second place. Ken & Theresa squeaked passed Sharleen & Donna by one point to take third place. Honourable mentions go to loners Jim & Sally; Low Score Kal & Lily; and door prize Frank & Eva.

Of course, the long weekend question of greatest importance to Team Fergmeijer is, does the ‘no white after Labour Day’ rule apply to wine? Have a great week!