October 26, 2018

Is there nothing so beautiful as the final haul on Hallowe’en night?! The time for trick-or-treating is just around the corner. Beware the ghoulies and ghosties this Wednesday night, and be safe!

Over 800 ballots were cast, and the results are in! Congratulations to the new mayor and councillors of Billings township! Mayor Ian Anderson will be joined in council meetings by Bryan Barker, Sharon Alkenbrack (incumbent), Sharon Jackson, and Michael Hunt.

Happy Birthday to Rachel B who turned 29 this week. We heard Pat wanted to take her somewhere nice. We hope he wasn’t Baroque and had Monet for Degas to make their Van Gogh.  Another Kagawongian celebrating a birthday next week is Meranda N. She is not celebrating her 29th quite yet, which is good because once she does, we at Team Fergmeijer (who may or may not have changed her diapers once upon a time) are going to start feeling really old.

Calling all aspiring actors in elementary schools! MSS has announced this year’s musical will be the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, “The Mikado”. They are holding open auditions for students in grades 5-8 tomorrow (Oct. 27) from 11am - noon at the high school. Contact bauery@rscloud.ca for more information or to be sent the audition monologue.  

Pull on your best costume and don’t forget your dancing shoes - it’s time to eat, drink, and be scary! Come out and BOOgie at the family Halloween dance on Saturday at the Park Centre. Ghouls and ghosts of all ages will have a blast with pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, and treats galore. Free admission, though donations to the food bank are appreciated.

Don’t forget! Hydro One has announced a power outage for the Sunday, October 28, from 6am until noon. Try to not trip over all the black cats while stumbling around in the dark.

Team Fergmeijer would like to welcome Willa W back from a recent whirlwind trip to Mexico!

Are you a witch who keeps flying off the handle? Or a warlock who feels like they are a curse on everyone in their lives? Are you a skeleton who feels alone, like you have nobody? Do you know a mummy who is wound too tight and needs to learn how to unwind? Join the new support group meeting in town starting soon. Come out on nights of the full moon to share and support one another. Refreshments will be provided.

The scarecrows are busy doing what they do best - hanging out, waiting for some attention. Stop in at a local business to pick up your official scarecrow tracking sheet, then head out around town and find as many as you can, jot down their names, and submit your form for the chance to win a sweet prize.

Ina Swain is raising money for the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer, and the Greater Sudbury Animal Shelter by selling Sudbury Professional Firefighters calendars for $20. Interested? Contact Ina at 282-3498 for more information.

Come out and join the fun at Euchre! Last week’s scores were:  1st Place-Sheila & Graham Fogal, 2nd Place-Doris Tustian & Elva Lloyd, 3rd Place-Bev Pickard & Sally Lanktree, 4th Place-Fred Pickard & Jim Lanktree, Most Loners-Sheila & Graham Fogal, Low Score-Bill Case & Betty Jean Bailey, Door Prize-Sharleen Van Horne.

If you find yourself tired after a long night of trick-or-treating, you can sit and rest on a pumpkin. But you butternut squash it! Have a great week!

October 19. 2018

The wind storm this week knocked a lot of the leaves off the trees, but it’s still looking bright and colourful out there. It’s impossible not to love this time of year; it’s autumn-matic!

Election day is Monday! Haven’t voted yet? You must hand deliver your ballot to the town office in order for it to be counted. Follow the instructions in your election notification letter for more information. The office will be open to receive ballots until 8pm Monday, October 22.

Team Fergmeijer sends out big happy birthday wishes to Kagawongian-in-law, and cake-eating king, Ken F. who turns 29 today!  

Are you a vampire whose love life sucks? Are you a poltergeist who feels you aren’t the man you used to be? Do you know a zombie who hasn’t felt alive in years or a headless horseman who feels totally disconnected? A new support group will be starting up in town next week. Come out nights of the full moon to share and support one another. Snacks will be provided provided.

Calling all aspiring actors in elementary schools! MSS has recently announced this year’s musical will be the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, “The Mikado”. The directors are holding open auditions for students in grades 5-8 on Oct. 27 from 11am - noon at the high school. Contact bauery@rscloud.ca for more information or to be sent the audition monologue.  

Scarecrows are popping up everywhere - stop in at a local business to pick up your official scarecrow tracking sheet. Find as many as you can, jot down their names, and submit your form for the chance to win a sweet prize.

Who did Frankenstein take to the dance? His ghoul friend! Come out and BOOgie to all sorts of music at the family Halloween dance on October 27th at the Park Centre. Ghouls and ghosts of all ages will have a blast with pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, and treats galore. Free admission, though donations to the food bank are appreciated.

Don’t be frightened… Hydro One has announced a power outage for the Sunday before Hallowe’en (October 28) from 6am until noon. On the upside, it’s a perfect time to check your house for ghosts.

As the temperature cools down, euchre in Billings is heating up! Regular Wednesday Euchre runs through to November 14 with a tournament on November 21. Last week’s scores were:  High Score - Fred Pickard; Most Loners - Phyllis Cacciotti; Low Score - Bev Pickard; Door Prize - Kal Merrilees.

Have you chosen your halloween costume yet? We are considering skipping the costume, and just creeping it real this year. Good thing we still have a bit of time to make up our minds. Have a great week!

October 12, 2018

It’s that wonderful time of year - crisp sunny days, gorgeous leaves, pumpkin spice everything, all perfectly situated between Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en. No matter the time of year, though, don’t ever cross a turkey with a ghost. You’ll end up with a poultrygeist!

Happy birthday to Jef with one F as he celebrates his 29th trip around the sun on Tuesday! TOPOLOBAMPO!

This past Sunday, Steve Paikin hosted a tribute to Mayor Aus Hunt, celebrating 65 years of elected service in Billings! The Park Centre was packed with well-wishers, with Mr. Paikin bringing greetings from Jean Chrétien, Hurricane Hazel McCallion, and some of Lester B. Pearson’s family members. And, as we had hoped, there was indeed cake! Congratulations, Aus!

The municipal election is just around the corner! Yesterday was the deadline for mailing in your ballot - from now until Monday, October 22, you must hand deliver your ballot to the town office in order for it to be counted. Follow the instructions in your election notification letter for more information.

What music will the mummies request at the Hallowe’en dance? Wrap music! Come out and BOOgie to all sorts of music at the family Halloween dance on October 27th at the Park Centre. Ghouls and ghosts of all ages will have a blast with pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, and treats galore. Free admission, though donations to the food bank are appreciated.

Kagawong is looking great! Everywhere we look there are amazing fall decorations popping up. Kudos to the various community groups who have worked hard to keep the public areas looking festive and to those private home and business owners who go above and beyond decorating for the season.

While you’re checking out the the decorations, be on the lookout for some new residents around town! Scarecrows are popping up everywhere - stop in at a local business to pick up your official scarecrow tracking sheet. Find as many as you can, jot down their names, and submit your form for the chance to win a sweet prize.

Don’t be frightened… Hydro One has announced a power outage for the Sunday before Hallowe’en (October 28) from 6am until noon. Quite fitting, we think.

Euchre fans take note! Regular Wednesday Euchre runs through to November 14 with tournaments on October 17 and November 21. Last week’s scores were: High Score - Susan Arbour; Most Loners - Elva Lloyd; Low Score - Mike Arbour; Door Prize - Lily Third.

Team Fergmeijer had a wonderful thyme at our Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a bit of effort of course, so we decided to start the preparations early so we could get a drum leg up on the cooking. (Our least favourite job is stuffing the bird; it’s such a crummy job.) There we were, yam-ering away with each other while we prepared the deep fryer for the turkey, when we realized that if Grandma Fergmeijer ever saw that we weren’t slow roasting the bird, she would turn over in her gravy. We figured we’d keep on with our new method, even though Grandma would have cried fowl, as we like to stay abreast of all the newest cooking techniques, and to be ahead of the carve when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal.

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is all the leftovers the next week, but remember, it’s all fun and games until your pants won’t do up. Have a great week!

October 5, 2018

This week, Team Fergmeijer is preparing for Thanksgiving in our traditional way, by shopping for stretchy pants.

Happy birthday to born and raised Kagawongian, and Team Fergmeijer relative, Jamie F who is turning 29 this weekend. We will not be making any old-age jokes to mar this momentous occasion. Seriously, just the fact that he’s still alive is enough of a miracle and should be celebrated.

Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance? He had no body to dance with! There will be lots of bodies on the dance floor at the family Halloween dance on October 27th. Ghouls and ghosts of all ages will have a blast with pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, and treats galore. Free admission, though donations to the food bank are appreciated.

Steve Burrows, author of the Birder murder mystery novels, managed to hold his own in the midst of the enthusiastic flock of admirers on Saturday as he took some extra time out of his weekend to meet fans and sign books. One enterprising fan, who prefers to read on her tablet and having no physical book to get signed, showed great ingenuity and taped a piece of paper to the inside of her tablet case and had him sign that. Mr. Burrows was quite impressed!

A full house took in the final performance of the Old Church on the Hill fundraising concert series as Kagawong Folk Roots blew the roof off on the weekend. Nearly a thousand dollars was raised with that one show alone! That will go a long ways towards the renovations planned to get the Old Church up to snuff.

Kagawong is looking great! Everywhere we look there are amazing fall decorations popping up. Kudos to the various community groups who have worked hard to keep the public areas looking festive and to those private home and business owners who go above and beyond decorating for the season.

Congratulations to Kagawongians Mary Buie and Heather Theijsmeijer who collectively raised over $2800 for the CIBC Run for the Cure this past weekend. Heather was the top fundraiser for the Sudbury event, with Mary not far behind. Thank you to everyone who donated!

Aus Hunt has spent more years in politics than many of us have been alive. He’s retiring from decades serving the community as mayor, so the community is coming together to show our appreciation and love. Come out to the Park Centre on October 7th for speeches and stories from a number of dignitaries, all headed up by Steve Paikin. Team Fergmeijer is hoping there’s cake. Not for ourselves, you understand, but for Aus’ sake of course.

Hydro One has announced a power outage Sunday, October 28 from 6am until noon. Plan ahead!

Euchre fans take note! Regular Wednesday Euchre runs through to November 14 with tournaments on October 17 and November 21. Last weeks’ scores were: High Score - Bev Pickard; Most Loners - Fred Pickard / Phyllis Cacciotti; Low Score - Ken Richard; Door Prize - Mike Arbour. Come out next Wednesday and try your luck.

To help celebrate Thanksgiving, Team Fergmeijer presents “An Ode to the KGB”:

K is for Kagawong, our village so fair: first choice of turkeys, flaunting plumage without care.

G is for Gobble, the birds’ noble cry! Fierce enough to stop traffic, and alarm passersby.

B is for Brigade: an army of fowl. Marching up and down hills, always on the prowl.

Turkeys of Kagawong, an ever-growing flock; official bird of Billings, bawk bawk bawk!

Happy Thanksgiving and have a great week!