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.”