Holiday Special 2019

Twas the night before Christmas; Fergmeijer felt sublime.
For the second year running, Our column’s on time!  

Another year has gone by, in our little town.

So many things to mention that add to our renown. 

So sit back and relax - we won’t be too long,

As we recap events in quaint Kagawong.

Come Experience Billings! ...is our new motto.

With so much to see and do, it seems apropos!

Finally selling one’s house does not disappoint...

Now ALL of Fergmeijer lives out at the Point!

Kagawong welcomed travellers, from near and from far;

John and Mary Buie got a fancy new car!

We held our third annual Crane Competition;

For Willa and Peter, it’s a bit of an addiction.

Subs and pizza in Kagawong? It’s true, now you can!

Grab a yummy slice thanks to Al and Betty-Ann.

Summer was glorious! We came out with a tan.

And for once a wet spring led to no fire ban.

The tourists were aplenty! We know that’s so-so... 

But Jean, Jamie, and Leith, got a new deck, yo!

We saw you at the movies, if sharks were your thing.

When it comes to great whites, the Meg was the king.

The Bay Hill can be tricky, as Tustians can attest. 

Bruce stayed calm and collected, but the cows weren’t impressed.

It wasn’t the first time that cattle ran amok, 

and the KGB felt that they were pushing their luck.

We had the Christmas concert - the show’s infamous

Since we don’t let our talent (or lack) hinder us.

This year saw a concert that was filled with past lore, 

Songs, skits, and great music, and tails from Eeyore.

The new Star Wars is out! Our fav’s Chewbacca,

But who needs giant Wookies, when we have alpacas!

Summerfest, Winterfest, and gath’rings galore.

Keeping us busy - 7/24.

Many of us had journeys, some uphill both ways. 

With laughter and support though, we saw better days.

The future’s so bright that we have to wear shades,

So bring on the new year, and new escapades! 

We wish all of you peace, joy, and laughter aplenty.

We can’t wait to see what comes in the year 2020!

December 20, 2019

In the spirit of the holidays, one half of Team Fergmeijer went out to dinner on a blind date. He tried to impress her by ordering the food in French. It might have worked, except that they were at a Chinese restaurant. Not long after, a duck walked up to their table with a rose in its beak and said, “Your eyes sparkle like diamonds.” They immediately waved over the waiter and complained, “There’s been a mistake. We ordered the aromatic duck.” No word on whether there’ll be a second date.

A gentle reminder that holiday schedules will be in effect for the Municipal Office (closed December 23, 2019 at 4 p.m. until January 2, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.) as well as at the Mall and library (closed December 24th and 31st). 

Happy birthday to Kagawongian Darren H. Rumour has it he’s a bit concerned with the whole turning 29 thing, but we’d like to assure him he doesn’t look a day over 28! Matt G isn’t quite a Kagawongian, but we know he wishes he were, so we’re offering him a shout-out on his birthday. Of course, there’s no way for us to know how old he’s turning out there in Central Manitoulin...29? 45? 93? Who knows?! Some might say the same applies to Manitoulin’s favourite social media maven, Christine L-M. Not Team Fergmeijer, though. Christine’s awesome. She feeds us. She definitely turned 29 this week. 

Several Kagawong businesses had their first ever ladies’ night last week. Upper Kagawong was bustling with shoppers stocking up on gifts and goodies! 

Have you found that it’s getting harder and harder to find advent calendars? We hear their days are numbered...

The Island Singers held their Christmas concert last weekend. Both concerts were jam-packed with people enjoying the show. What better way to spend an afternoon than with such talented singers!

Don’t forget that students will be off school after today. Watch out for all those bundled up balls of energy as they ramble about over the next couple of weeks. 

Have you stopped in to see the falls lately? They look amazing all iced up! We had lovely compliment on our driving when we stopped in there the other day. We were down admiring the falls for a good 20 minutes, and when we got back to the car, a piece of paper was on the windshield that said, “Parking Fine.” That was nice.

The next euchre tournament will be held January 15th in the Park Centre. Bring a friend or find a partner there. 

The efforts to get the rink iced up have started! Fingers crossed it might be ready by Christmas. Volunteers are still needed for outdoor rink maintenance throughout the winter season. If interested, contact Sharon at 705-348-2722, or sign up at the township office (temporarily located at the Park Centre). 

We heard a Pat H and Rachel B were out for a final kayak before the river completely froze over. They got pretty chilled after awhile, so they lit a fire in the boat. It sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too. Have a great week!

December 13, 2019

Christmas is less than two weeks away! This time of year we get very Santa-mental and spend a lot of time sprucing things up around the house, but with the cold weather settling in, we went to the library looking for a good book to curl up with in front of the fire. We discovered a great biography on Santa Claus. Turns out, when he and Mrs. Claus met, it was love at frost sight. They had great chemis-tree and it was the type of whirl-wind romance where all you can do is hold on for deer life. Santa wanted to get married right away, but of course, Mrs. Claus ended up with the final sleigh. She wanted him to meet her parents, so they didn’t think Santa was up to snow good. Santa made a good impression: shook hands, told jokes, and snow on and snow forth. Turns out what impressed her parents the most was that Santa was an elf-made man. 

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 changed and are now 2:30pm - 6:30pm in order to take advantage of as much daylight as possible. However, having said that, the landfill will be closed on December 24 and December 31, 2019 as will the library. 

The Municipal Office will be closed December 23, 2019 at 4 p.m. until January 2, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. 

Happy birthday to Hailey F who turns slightly less than 29 next week. We thought about splurging on a big present, but then decided that being related to us is really the best gift she could receive.  

The annual Kagawong Christmas concert on Saturday was one of the best yet! With more than a dozen acts, there was something for everyone and laughter a-plenty. Highlights included visits from Eeyore and Patsy Cline! Thanks to the generous folks at Dig and Doug Furniture and Manitoulin Chocolate Works who donated fantastic items! All told, the concert raised over $600 for the library and the Heritage Centre. 

The Island Singers are having their Christmas concert this weekend - Saturday the 14th at the Little Current United Church, and Sunday the 15th at the Mindemoya Missionary Church! Both concerts are at 3pm; tickets ($10 per person or $20 per family) are available from any choir member or at the door.

The next euchre tournament will be held January 15th in the Park Centre. Bring a friend or find a partner there. 

Can’t seem to get enough time outside in the snow? Volunteers are wanted for outdoor rink maintenance. If interested, contact Sharon at 705-348-2722, or sign up at the township office (temporarily located at the Park Centre). 

With all the excitement of the Christmas season, do you have trouble sleeping? Try lying down on the very edge of your bed. You should drop off really quickly. Have a great week!

December 6, 2019

The first week of December is under our belts and that means it’s time to put up the Christmas lights! Or, for some of us, it’s that glorious time of year where we can stop being embarrassed that they were never taken down last year. 

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 changed and are now 2:30pm - 6:30pm in order to take advantage of as much daylight as possible. 

Happy birthday to Laurie Z, newly elected president of the Team Fergmeier Fan Club! Membership is small, so it was really more of an acclimation to office, but she is confident that more will join as time goes on. 

This is it! Tomorrow is the (in)famous Kagawong Community Christmas Concert! Starting at 7pm, there is a full slate of performers, some with actual talent! Admission is by cash donation with all funds going to the local library and the Heritage Centre. Rumour has it there will be chances to bid on great prizes, and we’ve had an RSVP from the man in red himself, too!

But wait, there’s Myrrh! The Island Singers are having their Christmas concert next weekend - Saturday, December 14, at the Little Current United Church, and Sunday, December 15 at the Mindemoya Missionary Church! Both concerts are at 3pm; tickets ($10 per person or $20 per family) are available from any choir member.

We heard that Ted and Sandy on top of the hill are moving some of their animals to new pastures for the winter. It’s all happening in a smooth and orderly fashion; everyone is alpaca’d up and ready to go.  

The next euchre tournament will be held January 15th in the Park Centre. Bring a friend or find a partner there. 

Can’t seem to get enough time outside in the snow? Volunteers are wanted for outdoor rink maintenance. If interested, contact Sharon at 705-348-2722, or sign up at the township office (temporarily located at the Park Centre). 

Team Fergmeijer doesn’t usually get into the whole Black Friday thing, but this year we did take advantage of the sales to stock up on some stocking stuffers. We managed to snag the last copy of The Little Drummer Boy’s Greatest Hits album on CD! It includes the songs “Pum Pum Pum Pum,” “Rum Pum Pum,” “Ba Rum Pum Pum,” “Rum Pum Pum Ba Rum Pum Pum,” and special bonus track “Pum Pum Pum, Ba Rum Pum Pum.”

November 29, 2019

Congratulations to the Kagawong Scarecrow Hunt winners! Alec & Mack Mills of Kagawong, and Brett Denning of Echo Bay found all 13. Well done! 

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 changed and are now 2:30pm - 6:30pm in order to take advantage of as much daylight as possible. Of course, no one tells us anything, so we are just assuming it will be the same as last year at this time.

Up for a little Song and Cider? The Manitoulin Community Choir’s annual winter concert will be held in Gore Bay this year, instead of in Kagawong. Stop in at the Gore Bay Community Hall tomorrow (November 30) at 7:30pm for a great evening of music. And cider! 

Don’t forget! There will be a Climate Action Open House hosted by the township on Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm in the Park Centre. All are welcome.

Last Wednesday we had 6 tables of players come out for euchre night in Kagawong! High score went to Bill & Rita; second went to Cathy & Eva; third was Mike & Susan; fourth was Ann & Sally. Bill & Rita had the most lone hands, and the low score went to Doris & Elva. The very special prize was won by Eva. The next euchre tournament will be held January 15th in the Park Centre. 

On Thursday, December 5, come out to the high school to hear students from around the island perform in the annual MSS Christmas Concert! In addition to the high school students singing and playing instruments, students from C.C. McLean, Central Manitoulin, and Lakeview will also be performing. Admission is by donation at the door, and the concert starts at 7pm. See you there!

Only one week away! The Kagawong Community Christmas concert is set for Saturday, December 7th. We have a full slate of performers (though more are always welcome! Contact MBB at willismjc@coomes.ca). Admission is by cash donation with all funds going to the local library and the Heritage Centre. Rumour has it there will be chances to bid on great prizes, too!

And if all that doesn’t get you into the Christmas spirit, The Island Singers are having their Christmas concert Saturday, December 14 at the Little Current United Church, and Sunday, December 15 at the Mindemoya Missionary Church! Both concerts are at 3pm; tickets ($10 per person or $20 per family) are available from any choir member.

With all these musical events, Team Fergmeijer thought it might be appropriate to tell some musical jokes (noteworthy puns, after all, are our forte!). We wanted to tell one about a staccato, but it was too short. And we wanted to tell one about a fermata, but it was too long. In the end, we thought maybe we could make a suggestion for how to fix a broken tuba. It’s easy, really, just get a big tuba glue.

As a follow-up on a recent story, you may remember reading about the alpacas and donkeys up at Cookilburrow. Well, apparently the alpacas, in order to separate themselves from the donkeys, have decided to form a choir. We’ve heard them sing - they’re pretty good! They don’t even need any accompaniment: they’re an alpacapella choir. Have a great week!

November 22, 2019

Deer season is upon us! We hope everyone has had a successful and safe rifle season. Team Fergmeijer was talking to some local hunters this past week, and they offered up tips and tricks to make sure you’re not “tagged” this hunting season. 1) Dressing up for Christmas? Don’t break out the festive reindeer headbands until AFTER November 25. 2) Feeling a little peckish? Don’t be tempted by that big pile of free apples over there in that field. Better to splurge on fruit from Bridal Veil Variety. 3) Prefer salty snacks? Nice try, but that giant salt lick isn’t for you. Try some sea salt caramel from Chocolate Works instead! 4) When kneeling down to examine tracks, make sure to keep an eye out for the train. 

The village was a-hustlin’ and a-bustlin’ this past weekend at Christmas in Kagawong. Collectively, we must have all been pretty good this year as Santa himself even showed up on Sunday! Thanks to all the vendors and visitors for making this past weekend so festive!

Happy birthday to Justin C who celebrated a monumental 29th birthday last week with his inaugural visit to the island. Nora U is also celebrating the big 2-9 - alles gute zum geburtstag!

On the hunt for Song and Cider? The Manitoulin Community Choir’s annual winter concert will be held in Gore Bay this year, instead of in Kagawong. Stop in at the Gore Bay Community Hall on Saturday, November 30 at 7:30pm for a great evening of music. And cider! If you can’t make it on Saturday, the open dress rehearsal is Wednesday, November 27 at 7:15pm.

The Township of Billings has hired a Climate Change Coordinator to facilitate the development of a Climate Action Plan. This plan will outline strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions both on a corporate and community level. Please call the municipal office or contact Kristin Koetsier at centralcc@eastlink.ca if you would like to be involved.

There will also be a Climate Action Open House hosted by the township on Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm in the Park Centre. All are welcome.

The Kagawong Community Christmas concert is set for Saturday, December 7th. We’re looking for skits, songs, poems, interpretive dance… anything you’d like to share! Contact MBB at willismjc@coomes.ca  And let’s be real, the talent part is genuinely optional, just look at the regular hosts. Remember, the more acts we have, the less time the hosts have to ‘entertain’ the crowd with their ‘jokes.’ Admission is by cash donation with all funds going to the local library and the Heritage Centre. Rumour has it there will be chances to win great prizes, too!

As many of our readers know, Team Fergmeijer is awfully fawn’d of puns. We often rack our brains to come up with ones in season. Not all the pun ideers are ours, though. Sometimes we buck the trend and ask our deer friends for help. When local ruminant-enthusiast Jamie Ward was asked about this time of year, he said “my favourite game to hunt is chocolate chip cookie doe, yo.” Have a great week!

November 15, 2019

In an effort at reversing this unseasonable cold snap, MBB hosted a select group of locals for an impressive bonfire, melting a good portion of the snow and ice in his backyard. Like the good Brit he is, MBB and friends lit the Guy and celebrated nothing happening on November 5th a long time ago. Susie provided an excellent spread as per usual, and didn’t get mad when someone (certainly not one of yours truly) may or may not have started in on the chili a bit early. In related news, MBB launched his own clothing line last weekend. In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have lit the fireworks so close to the laundry. 

Speaking of the cold, we hope you can read this column. It's hard to understand a message when it's typed while wearing three pairs of heavy woollen mittens.

Happy birthday to the inimitable Mary B who turns 29 on Monday. We are confident her fun with sparklers at Guy Fawkes was just the tip of the iceberg of the fun she and the family have planned for this big day!

The Township of Billings has hired a Climate Change Coordinator to facilitate the development of a Climate Action Plan. This plan will outline strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions both on a corporate and community level. Please call the municipal office or contact Kristin Koetsier at centralcc@eastlink.ca if you would like to be involved.

There will also be a Climate Action Open House hosted by the township on Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm in the Park Centre. All are welcome.

Did we mention it was cold this past week? One half of Team Fergmeijer needed a local anesthetic for a dental procedure on Monday, and was told by the dentist to just stick her face outside the window for a few minutes!

The most Christmasy weekend in Kagawong is here! Stop by the Park Centre today (November 15th, 4pm - 8pm), tomorrow (November 16th, 10am - 4pm), and November 17th (11am - 3pm)  and check out all the vendors and festivities. The jolly old gentleman himself might even make an appearance on Sunday! While you are out and about that weekend, be sure to stop in at St. John’s Anglican church to see their fantastic angel display, pick up a little something from their bake sale and gift tables. They will have their famous mulled cider and activities for the kids available as well! Make the Christmas shopping trifecta complete by stopping over in M’Chigeeng at the high school craft fair, too!

Have a talent? Have no talent, but are comfortable performing in front of a crowd anyway? Sign up for the Kagawong Community Christmas concert! This year’s community Christmas concert is set for Saturday, December 7th. We’re looking for skits, songs, poems, interpretive dance… anything you’d like to share! Contact MBB at willismjc@coomes.ca  And let’s be real, the talent part is genuinely optional, just look at the regular hosts. Admission is by cash donation with all funds going to the local library and the Heritage Centre. Rumour has it there will be chances to win great prizes, too!

How cold was it this past week? Kids at school have started using flannel notebooks! Sorry, that’s not true. We’re just trying to tell outrageous lies so that our pants will catch on fire and warm us up. Have a great week!

November 8, 2019

Team Fergmeijer believes in setting goals for ourselves and this fall we decided to learn french. We thought we were starting easy with how to count in french, but it’s been pretty tough. At one point we 5 to our knees in frustration. Seriously, it was so bad we were ready to 7 our textbooks on fire. We’d had just about e9, but then realized that we were starting to understand what the passage 16. Turns out 10 isn’t so difficult after all! Of course the real trajeudi is that next week we are starting to learn the days of the week. 

Happy birthday to Rachel M who turns 29 this weekend. She’s also known as The Cute One (for obvious reasons). Also turning 29 is Jody K. We’re not sure what she’ll be doing to celebrate but it’s probably outside and decorated with pink!

Monday is Remembrance day and Kagawong will have its annual service at 11am in the Park Centre. There will be no potluck this year, but there will be a silver collection.

The Township of Billings has hired a Climate Change Coordinator to facilitate the development of a Climate Action Plan. This plan will outline strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions both on a corporate and community level. Please call the municipal office or contact Kristin Koetsier at centralcc@eastlink.ca if you would like to be involved.

There will also be a Climate Action Open House hosted by the township on Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm in the Park Centre. All are welcome.

You better watch out… and you better not cry! Christmas in Kagawong is right around the corner! Stop by the Park Centre November 15th (4pm - 8pm), November 16th (10am - 4pm), and November 17th (11am - 3pm) and check out all the vendors and festivities. The jolly old gentleman himself might even make an appearance! While you are out and about that weekend, be sure to stop in at St. John’s Anglican church to see their fantastic angel display, pick up a little something from their bake sale and gift tables. They will have their famous mulled cider and activities for the kids available as well!

Have a talent? Have no talent, but are comfortable performing in front of a crowd anyway? Sign up for the Kagawong Community Christmas concert! This year’s community Christmas concert is set for Saturday, December 7th. We’re looking for skits, songs, poems, interpretive dance… anything you’d like to share! Contact MBB at willismjc@coomes.ca   And let’s be real, the talent part is genuinely optional, just look at the regular hosts.

Because the renovations at the Old Mill has the town office in the downstairs of the Park Centre (where both groups would normally hold fundraisers during Christmas in Kagawong) the annual fundraisers for both of these worthy organizations have been put on hold until next year. So, this year’s community Christmas concert will raise funds that will be split between the Billings Library and the Heritage Centre. 

The library would like to offer their heart-felt thanks to Tizzy who donated a large variety of hand-knit hats and scarves. Her beautiful (and warm) creations are available for purchase in the library with all proceeds going to support library initiatives!

We noticed that Ted and Sandy seem to be working on some secret (probably government-funded!) genetic engineering project up on the hill these days. Don’t think we didn’t notice the addition of donkeys to the herd of alpacas. What do you suppose one would call such a mix? Alponkeys? Donpacas? Regardless, we look forward to socks woven from the softest donpaca fur for Christmas!

Have a great week!

November 1, 2019

It’s hard to believe October is Octover. Sadly, that means Novembrrrrrr is officially here. 

Team Fergmeijer knows how much you love our puns, and we had quite a few lined up for Hallowe’en. Some of our skeleton ones are pretty humerus. We have some vampire puns too, but they suck. And our autumn ones will certainly leaf you smiling. 

We can’t wait for Sunday morning - an extra hour of sleep due to changing our clocks back, and no alarm clock to go off due to the power outage! That’s right - there will be an island-wide power outage on November 3rd from 8am until 2pm. Stay warm!

Happy birthday to Gail L. It’s hard to believe such a tiny frame can support a whole 29 years, but she does it with style!

The municipal office has made the big move to the Park Centre and is back to their regular hours: Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 4:00pm; Friday: 8:30am - 12:00pm. A little birdie told Team Fergmeijer that someone at the town office has been looking into purchasing a small (perhaps cabana-sized?) fireplace. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions about the who and the why of that one.

Did you hear about the man who unsuccessfully sued the airline for misplacing his luggage? He lost his case.

Congratulations to the Billings Go Green Committee on their Waste Reduction Week activities last week. Still got climate change on the brain? The Township of Billings has hired a Climate Change Coordinator to facilitate the development of a Climate Action Plan. This plan will outline strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions both on a corporate and community level. Please call the municipal office or contact Kristin Koetsier at centralcc@eastlink.ca if you would like to be involved.

There will also be a Climate Action Open House hosted by the township on Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm in the Park Centre.

Christmas in Kagawong is right around the corner! Stop by the Park Centre November 15th - 17th and check out all the vendors and festivities. The jolly old gentleman himself might even make an appearance!

This year’s community Christmas concert is booked for Saturday, December 7th. Have a talent? We’re looking for skits, songs, poems, interpretive dance… anything you’d like to share! And to be honest, talent is optional. Contact MBB at willismjc@coomes.ca  

Because the renovations at the Old Mill has the town office in the downstairs of the Park Centre (where both groups would normally hold fundraisers during Christmas in Kagawong) the annual fundraisers for both of these worthy organizations have been put on hold until next year. 

So, this year’s community Christmas concert will raise funds that will be split between the Billings Library and the Heritage Centre. 

With the arrival of November, Team Fergmeijer has started thinking about Christmas presents for family. For our uncle, the music lover, we found a very rare, unreleased rap song by Gershwin. It’s a double CD and has beautiful sapphire cover art. He’s going to love Gershwin’s rap CDs in blue. 

Have a great week!

October 25, 2019

Hallowe’en is just around the corner! You might be wondering why a couple of witches like Team Fergmeijer don’t like to ride their brooms when they’re angry? Because they’re afraid they might fly off the handle.

The scarecrow hunt is on for a few more days! Pick up an entry form at Bare Naked Beauty or Bridal Veil Variety, and then track down as many scarecrows in town as you can between now and October 31st. Entries with the most scarecrows identified will get a prize. Be careful… there are some tricky ones out there!

The weather has been a bit wild this week. Tuesday was so windy, we went for a walk in an orchard and got caught in an apple-lanche! 

Happy birthday to wild thing Rachel B who celebrated the big 2-9 just yesterday. Miss Meranda N is not yet at the ripe old age of 29, but she’s working really hard to get there. She’ll be celebrating on Tuesday. Happy birthday to you both!

The municipal office was closed for a few days this week for the move to the lower level of the Park Centre, at 39 Henry Drive. Things should be all set up and ready to go, and the office is back to their usual hours of Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 4:00pm; Friday: 8:30am - 12:00pm. We heard Mayor Anderson was disappointed not to get the yellow cabana again, but they couldn’t find an extension cord long enough for him to run the space heater in there. 

This week is Waste Reduction Week! Last night, St. John’s Anglican Church, in partnership with the Billings Go Green Committee presented: A Plastic Ocean, an important film about our oceans. And tomorrow (October 26), be sure to check out Junk in the Trunk! If you have gently used clothing, books, household appliances, or furniture you no longer need, bring your “junk” to sell, swap or give away! 10am - noon at the Market Pavillion on Old Mill Road. For more information, call Sharon at 705-348-2722.

Got climate change on the brain? The Township of Billings has hired a Climate Change Coordinator to facilitate the development of a Climate Action Plan. This plan will outline strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions both on a corporate and community level. Please call the municipal office or contact Kristin Koetsier at centralcc@eastlink.ca if you would like to be involved.

There will also be a Climate Action Open House hosted by the township on Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm in the Park Centre.

24 players attended the monthly euchre tournament last week, with some folks coming from as far away as Meldrum Bay to join the regulars and local folks. Results for the night were: High score 74 Doris & Elva; Second 72 Mike & Susan; Third 69 Karen & Myra; Fourth 68 Fred & Jim; Most lone hands (4 way tie) 5 Kal & Lilly; Low score 58 (2 way tie) Bill & Brad and Donna & Eva; Special prize Myra. Special thanks to Pat and Elva for your help! The next tournament is on Wednesday, November 20 at 7:30 pm. Please note tables will be set up on the upper level at the Park Centre for the next several months.

Team Fergmeijer took part in a pumpkin carving competition earlier this week. We aren’t sure why we didn’t win. Our jack-o-lantern was gourdgeous!

Don’t forget! There will be an island-wide power outage on November 3rd from 8am until 2pm. We plan to put this power outage to excellent use. By napping.

It is never too early to start planning for the holidays! Christmas in Kagawong is November 15th - 17th with vendors all three days. In addition, this year’s community concert is booked for Saturday December 7th. Mark both events on your calendar!

Have a great week and a faboolous Hallowe’en!

October 18, 2019

With all the extra visitors to Kagawong this past weekend - including a film crew at the falls last Friday! - Team Fergmeijer couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a guy trying to walk his pet cheetah. The cheetah was having none of it and refused to go anywhere no matter how much the guy hauled on the leash. We thought, that guy’s trying to pull a fast one!

The scarecrow hunt is on! Pick up an entry form at Bare Naked Beauty or Bridal Veil Variety, and then track down as many scarecrows in town as you can between now and October 31st. Entries with the most scarecrows identified will get a prize!

Happy birthday to Ken F this week. He’s not from Kagawong, so there’s no telling how old he’s turning, but he has many Kagawong connections and never misses an edition of Team Fergmeijer!

In addition to birthdays, we have several weddings to celebrate! Congratulations go out to Brianna and Neil who tied the knot just last week. Eric and Robin celebrated last month right in town at the Riverbend stage! Maddy and Justin took the plunge last week, and while not technically local, we know they want to be pretty badly, so we’ll give it to them just this once. 

Waste Reduction Week is October 21-27, and there are several events around the township worth checking out! To start, St. John’s Anglican Church, in partnership with the Billings Go Green Committee presents: A Plastic Ocean, an important film about our oceans. Thursday, October 24th at 7pm at St. John’s - admission is free and refreshments will be available. All welcome!

And then on Saturday, October 26th, be sure to check out Junk in the Trunk! If you have gently used clothing, books, household appliances, or furniture you no longer need, bring your “junk” to sell, swap or give away! 10am - noon at the Market Pavillion on Old Mill Road. For more information, call Sharon at 705-348-2722.

Team Fergmeijer had started putting things aside for the Junk in the Trunk event, including an old limbo stick. But wouldn’t you know it, someone broke into their garage and stole it! Seriously, how low can you go?!

Conspiracy, manipulation and trickery? No, we’re not talking about a new political scandal; we’re talking about... Café Murder! Join the MSS Musical Theatre program students, staff and alumni Oct. 25 & Oct. 26th for an evening of interactive, mystery dinner theatre! Dinner service begins 6:30pm at MSS (includes lasagna dinner with sides, drinks, and dessert, as well as laughter, mayhem, and just a dash of murder). $25 per person, admission by reservation only. To get on the guest list contact Yana Bauer (bauery@rscloud.ca), or call 705-348-2340. All funds raised support the Manitoulin Secondary School Musical Theatre program’s 2020 production.

Speaking of CURRENT events… there will be an island-wide power outage on November 3rd from 8am until 2pm. Since this happens every year at around this time, this news should not come as a shock to you.

It is never too early to start planning for the holidays! Christmas in Kagawong is November 15th - 17th with vendors all three days. In addition, this year’s community concert is booked for Saturday December 7th. Mark both events on your calendar!

We haven’t seen much of the sun lately, so Team Fergmeijer has been obsessing about it over the last week or so. We’ve had some deep thoughts on the issue. For instance, does the sun go to university to get brighter? Or does it not bother, since it already has, like, 28 million degrees? Have a great week!

October 11, 2019

The season has definitely made the switch from summer to autumn, and it’s time to get all of those outdoor jobs done before we settle in for a nice cozy winter in front of the fireplace. Team Fergmeijer had a big old maple tree, a bit too close to the house for comfort. We decided that it needed to be cut down last weekend, and hired a couple of scarecrows to take care of it. They put in a good effort, but in the end couldn’t do it. Turned out to be a tree man job. 

It’s October… which means the scarecrow hunt is on! Pick up an entry form at Bare Naked Beauty or Bridal Veil Variety, and then track down as many scarecrows in town as you can between now and Oct. 31. Entries with the most scarecrows identified will get a prize!

The Nobel Prize Laureates were announced this week. One of the winners was a scarecrow from out Grandor way. Why did he win the Nobel Prize? Because he was outstanding in his field. When asked about it, the humble scarecrow said “This job isn’t for everyone, but hay… it’s in my jeans. And I get a good celery”

Happy belated birthday to Leith W. He’s got a long way to go before he hits 29, but we hope he had a great day anyway!

Mary and Heather would like to thank everyone who supported them as they raised money for the CIBC Run for the Cure last Sunday. At final tally, they raised over $2600 between them, and were both in the top ten of all fundraisers for Sudbury. 

Team Fergmeijer went out for supper with a scarecrow the other night, but he didn’t eat very much… he said he was already stuffed.

Speaking of CURRENT events… there will be an island-wide power outage on November 3rd from 8am until 2pm. Since this happens every year at around this time, this news should not come as a shock to you.

Conspiracy, manipulation and trickery? No, we’re not talking about the upcoming election, we’re talking about... Café Murder! Join the MSS Musical Theatre program students, staff and alumni Oct. 25 & Oct. 26th for an evening of interactive, mystery dinner theatre! Dinner service begins 6:30pm at MSS (includes lasagna dinner with sides, drinks, and dessert, as well as laughter, mayhem, and murder). $25 per person, admission by reservation only. To get on the guest list contact Yana Bauer (bauery@rscloud.ca), or call 705-348-2340. All funds raised support the Manitoulin Secondary School Musical Theatre program’s 2020 production.

It is never too early to start planning for Christmas - this year’s community concert is booked for Saturday December 7th. Mark it on your calendar!

A visitor from Tehkummah was laughing at one of the Kagawong scarecrows, saying it was fat. It wasn’t really, just a little husky. We hope you enjoyed this week’s column. We don’t always make scarecrow puns, but when we do, they’re a-maize-ingly corny. Have a great week!