Welcome to the archive of Team Fergmeijer's Kagawong news column in The Manitoulin West Recorder and The Manitoulin Expositor.

Monday, December 25, 2017

Holiday Special 2017

‘Twas the night before Christmas
as you read by the fire,
the latest news and gossip
from Team Fergmeijer.

Brad and Deb were asleep
tucked up in their bed,
with visions of retirement
dancing in their heads.

Mike in his kerchief
and Aus in his cap,
had just settled down
for a long winter’s nap.

As is usual, this year,
Billings was a happenin’ spot.
So much was going on,
we filled the new parking lot!

This year saw more concerts
with music aplenty.
Entertaining for all those
turning nine-and-twenty!

The Gobble Brigade managed
to double its flock,
causing locals and tourists
to both stop and gawk.

The folks at 4elements
installed lots of new art.
Enhancing our community?
They’ve done their part.

When the moon crossed the sun,
we released our inner nerd.
Hopefully you didn’t look directly up,
or eye damage may have occurred.

We learned more about Pearson
and if we aren’t quite mistaken,
had more sightings than usual
of the one and only Steve Paikin.

In between fangirling
over the aforementioned person,
this year we reported
the most euchre results, for certain!

We celebrated all year
with Winter- and Summerfest,
proving once again
that Kagawong is the best

There were dances and parties
where everyone shakes legs,
spooky Hallowe’en costumes
and hunts for Easter eggs.

Kagawongians got active
in numbers truly outrageous.
with Zumba, Tai Chi, and Karate,
Keeping us slightly less spacious.

So once again we reflect
on a mighty good year!
May your holidays and 2018

be filled with good cheer!

Friday, December 15, 2017

December 15, 2017

Christmas is so close we can taste it! Of course, Team Fergmeijer would like to remind our faithful readers that this time of year is not all about presents and toys. It’s also about stuffing your face with meat and sweets!

The Billings Community Christmas Concert last weekend was a resounding success! Over $300 was raised and dozens of non-perishable items for Manitoulin Family Resources were donated, all in the name of good laughs and song. If you missed the show, stop by www.Facebook.com/Kagawong1 to view photos and videos of the concert.

Are you so happy about the holidays that you can’t help but sing? Join community carollers tomorrow (December 16) at the Main Street CafĂ© from 1pm to 2pm for a community carol sing-a-long!

Even though at this rate we’re likely to have snow for the holidays, it’s still possible to have a green Christmas! Just pop on over to the Billings Go Green Kagawong blog (http://gogreenkagawong.wordpress.com) to see some eco-friendly ideas to make your Christmas a little greener.

December 19 marks the end of an era - Debbie and Brad’s last day at the Esso. After more years than Debbie will let us count, they are retiring. Team Fergmeijer will miss them, but we look forward to getting to know the new owners. Happy retirement Deb and Brad!

Happy birthday wishes go to the youngest star of the Community Christmas Concert, Hailey F who is turning not quite 29 this year! Hope you have an awesome day.

Got some last-minute stockings that need filling? Go no further than Kagawong! There are lots of great options for shopping local for the holidays - be sure to check them out!

Are you less than thrilled with the blustery weather we’ve been having lately? Several Kagawongian snowbirds feel your pain. We have been told the weather is so cool in Florida, that they have actually had to turn off their air conditioning. Poor things.

Rain, snow or shine, the Kagawong Canine Society continues to gather every Sunday at 1pm with more and more dogs and their humans joining in the fun.


Next Thursday marks the Winter Solstice. In our efforts to not make the day even shorter than it already is, Team Fergmeijer will refrain from regaling you in the long and detailed history of celebrations of the solstice. Suffice it to say, we’re all looking forward to the days getting longer again. Have a great week!

Friday, December 8, 2017

December 8, 2017

Now that we’re a full week into December, it’s time to break out the Christmas jokes! Why are Dasher and Dancer always taking coffee breaks? Because they are Santa’s star bucks.

Tomorrow night! Don’t miss out on one of the cornerstone holiday events for the township - the Billings Community Christmas Concert starts at 7pm at the Park Centre. Bring along a cash donation or non-perishable food items to the food bank for admission to this famously fun and foolish frolick.

The Island Singers & Friends will be performing “We Shall Light a Thousand Candles” on December 10th in Little Current at 3pm at the United Church, and in Mindemoya on December 11th at 7pm at the Missionary Church. Don’t miss it!

It’s official decorating time! If you haven’t had to stand back and determine whether your tree is perfectly decorated or has crossed the line to be a contender for a Lady Gaga outfit, you aren’t Christmasing hard enough.

A very happy birthday goes out to Laurie from the west end who is turning 29! Although she’s a HUGE fan of ours, she asked if we would let her remain anonymous, so we won’t publish her last name since it’s a pretty well known one in Evansville. You can always count on Team Fergmeijer to keep our sources confidential and to put our readers’ privacy first!

A reminder that the Kagawong Mall has switched to winter hours. Saturday and Sunday stay the same (10am-6pm and 1pm-6pm respectively), but the opening hours for Tuesdays and Thursdays have switched and are now 2:30pm - 6:30pm in order to take advantage of as much daylight as possible.

This week, we are sad to report on the passing of Roger Lloyd recently. He was a fixture in many of the volunteer groups in the community and he was a large part of making so many of these events so fun and successful. We offer our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

Last night students from across the Island came together for the annual Manitoulin Schools Christmas Concert. School bands and musical groups played to a packed house at the high school. Thanks to the organizers, leaders and students for making it such a special night of music.

Looking out the window lately, Team Fergmeijer has been hoping for a white Christmas. But if the white runs out, we’ll drink the red. Have a great week!

Friday, December 1, 2017

December 1, 2017

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… well, not around Billings so much, but we’re sure snow is just around the corner. Team Fergmeijer has been working hard to get into the Christmas spirit this week, but it took forever to get the darn bottle open.

Mark the calendar - the Island Schools Christmas Concert is Thursday, December 7 at 7pm at Manitoulin Secondary School. Come and hear students from the high school, as well as from six island elementary schools, perform music for the season. Entry is by donation at the door.

One of the cornerstone holiday events for the township is the Billings Community Christmas Concert. This year it is on Saturday, December 9, starting at 7pm. We need more performers to round out the night. Want to tell some jokes (you can’t be as bad as Mike), or maybe recite a poem or monologue? Whatever gets you in the mood, let us know at Kagawong@live.ca or reach out to us at www.Facebook.com/Kagawong1.  

And if that’s not enough to get the Christmas earworms going, the Island Singers & Friends will be performing “We Shall Light a Thousand Candles” on December 10th in Little Current and in Mindemoya on December 11th. Island Singers are always an excellent way to get into the (non-alcoholic) Christmas spirit.

The folks at the Esso thought the Kagawong Community Christmas concert could use a little shaking up this year. They were thinking a tropical theme would be awesome, and have started to dig out the hole for the hot tub.  It’s still scheduled for the Park Centre at the moment, but we will let you know if Deb gets the grotto finished in time for the show to change venues. Former Esso employee and hot tub enthusiast Jamie Ward was overheard to say, “Everyone into the pool, yo!”

A very happy birthday goes out to Chantelle W. who turns 29 on Sunday. Technically, she doesn’t live in Billings, but it’s close enough. Plus, we hear she’s good with sharp implements and we didn’t want to tick her off.

It turns out it’s not just Team Fergmeijer that are huge fans of local summer celebrity Steve Paikin. Seems there is a whole underground fan club, at least there is according to anonymous commentator Willa Wilson.

A reminder that the Kagawong Mall has switched to winter hours. Saturday and Sunday stay the same (10am-6pm and 1pm-6pm respectively), but the opening hours for Tuesdays and Thursdays have switched and are now 2:30pm - 6:30pm in order to take advantage of as much daylight as possible.

Want to check out some of Team Fergmeijer’s greatest hits? Want to see just how often we reuse the same jokes? Curious about just how often we bring up Steve Paikin? Then check out our online archive! http://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.ca/

Have a great week!