June 26, 2020

Have you ever noticed that although each month usually has 30-31 days, the last month of school seems to have 1741 days? It’s officially here, though - the last day of school!! Not that we have to tell students or teachers, as they have had it marked on their calendars in red pen and circled since Christmas. 

Did you hear about the math teacher who only taught subtraction? She just wanted to make a difference! Speaking of making a difference in math, congratulations to local nerd and Team Fergmeijer superfan Heather Theijsmeijer on being awarded the 2020 Award for Excellence and Innovation in Mathematics Education, by the Ontario Mathematics Co-ordinators Association (OMCA) earlier this month.

Post Secondary students can make some extra money this summer (up to $5000!) even if they are already collecting CESB. Contact the library to take part in the program (705-282-2944    billingslibrary@vianet.ca) and you can beef up your savings for school and have new skills and experiences to add to your resume. 

Team Fergmeijer applied to the library for a job a few years back, but the interview didn’t go so well. They were asked to describe themselves in three words, and answered, “Lazy.”

 

And don’t forget that the library’s new “BOOK A BOOK” pickup service is up and running!  Simply call or email the library with your ‘wish list’ items by Saturday of each week and pick up the following Tuesday. For details and book lists visit www.billings-library.com 

A lot of the usual fun activities have been cancelled this year, but one long-standing tradition continues: market day in Kagawong! The regular market will be held at the Old Church On The Hill as the downtown location will be off-limits due to construction. Contact the township office for more information. Sugar Bush Coffee House and Bridal Veil Variety are also both offering possible locations for a market through the summer! Contact the businesses directly for more information about taking part.  

 

FREE fresh fruits and veggies continue to be available each week courtesy of Noojmowin Teg. Pickups are Fridays from 1:30pm to 3:30pm (or until supplies last) at the Billings Fire Hall (95 Main Street). This week: strawberries and tomatoes!

Got broken electronics? Old cans of paint or liquid chemicals? Batteries or fluorescent light bulbs? Start gathering it up - the next Hazardous Waste Collection day is next weekend (July 4) in Mindemoya.

Don’t forget that the township has a volunteer network in place. If you are in need of help (grocery delivery, pharmacy pickup, etc) or if you know of anyone who may need this type of assistance, contact the town office. (705-282-2611; mbonenfant@billingstwp.ca). 

Greatest scientists of all time were invited to a reunion. Newton said he'd drop in, Ohm resisted the idea, and Boyle said he was under too much pressure. Darwin said he'd wait to see what evolved, Pierre and Marie Curie radiated enthusiasm, and Pavlov positively drooled at the thought of a fun night. Ampere was worried he wasn't current; Audobon said he'd have to wing it; Edison thought it would be illuminating, Einstein said it would be relatively easy to attend and Archimedes was buoyant at the thought.Unfortunately, Dr Jekyll declined - he said he hadn't been feeling himself lately, but Morse RSVP’d saying, "I'll be there on the dot. Can't stop now, must dash." As always, Hertz said he planned to attend with greater frequency in the future and Wilbur Wright accepted, provided he and Orville could get a flight. Have a great week!

June 19, 2020

As part of the Billing Township Emergency plan, town council is looking around the world for examples on how to ease back into normal living post-pandemic. One they are looking closely at is in Egypt. The government there has asked the city’s taxi drivers to drive around Cairo sounding their horns. It is hoped that the familiar sounds of the city will induce a return to tranquility and normality following the pandemic shutdown. Operation Toot ‘n’ Calm ‘Em will be in effect for the rest of the week. 

For those of you who have been feeling a bit cooped up lately, good news! The main beach and Sandy Beach are both open to the public (though the play equipment is still off-limits) and the river trail is partially opened for one-way travel. Visitors can walk from the river mouth to the hydro station and around to the exit across from Upper Street. The trail further on to the falls and access to the falls themselves are still off-limits.

There was a fantastic turn out this past Sunday for the March for Change in Kagawong! Special thanks to Sandy C and Janice F for organizing. Weren’t able to make it? Black Lives Matter Manitoulin is hosting an island-wide peaceful protest today, beginning at 3pm at the Manitoulin Welcome Centre in Little Current, with a march beginning at 6pm.

Everything old is new again! The Town Office is back in the Old Mill! The office remains closed to the public but you can reach staff by phone or email. Office hours are: Mon-Thurs 8:30am-4pm & Fri 8:30am-12noon.

The library is sad to announce that its annual book and bake sale is officially cancelled for 2020, but they will be back and bigger than ever in 2021! 

On a brighter note, the library is looking for a current post secondary student (or one who will be in September) to take part in the Canadian Student Service Grant Program. The program allows students to volunteer at non-profits (like the library!) over the summer and get paid by the government (up to $5000). Students can participate in this program even if they are collecting CESB. Contact the library for more information (705-282-2944  billingslibrary@vianet.ca).

And don’t forget that the library’s new “BOOK A BOOK” pickup service is up and running!  Simply call or email the library with your ‘wish list’ items by Saturday of each week and pick up the following Tuesday. For details and book lists visit www.billings-library.com 

A lot of the usual fun activities have been cancelled this year, but two businesses are working to make sure one long-standing tradition continues: Sugar Bush Coffee House and Bridal Veil Variety are both offering possible locations for a market through the summer! Contact the businesses directly for more information about taking part. 

FREE fresh fruits and veggies continue to be available each week courtesy of Noojmowin Teg. Pickups are Fridays from 1:30pm to 3:30pm (or until supplies last) at the Billings Fire Hall (95 Main Street). This week: cucumbers and grapes!

The township has extended the landfill hours again! You can now visit Denis (from a safe distance) Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 2-6pm. 

Got broken electronics? Old cans of paint or liquid chemicals? Batteries or fluorescent light bulbs? Start gathering it up - the next Hazardous Waste Collection day will be July 4 in Mindemoya.

Don’t forget that the township has a volunteer network in place. If you are in need of help (grocery delivery, pharmacy pickup, etc) or if you know of anyone who may need this type of assistance, contact the town office. (705-282-2611; mbonenfant@billingstwp.ca). 

Team Fergmeijer got a new job at the guillotine factory. We’ll beheading there shortly. Have a great week!

June 12, 2020

Turns out, on this day in history Al Capone was arrested on tax evasion charges. Not too long ago we considered approaching the mob for financial backing for a kitchen utensil/fine liquor distillery company we were launching. In the end we dropped the idea altogether - it was just two whisky a business proposition. We only considered it because we worked with them in the past, supplying the mafia with filing cabinets, filofaxes and calendars. It’s true; we were involved in very organized crime. 

Some good news to go along with this nice weather - the main beach and Sandy Beach are both open to the public again! Social distancing is still mandatory, and the play equipment around town is still off-limits, but it will be great to get in the water again! The falls and river trail remain closed for the time being. 

Billings continues to benefit from the amazing efforts of Noojmowin Teg, who have been co-ordinating the distribution of FREE fresh fruits and veggies in our community over the past few weeks! Pickups are Fridays from 1:30pm to 3:30pm (or until supplies last) at the Billings Fire Hall (95 Main Street). 

The happiest of happy birthdays goes out to former Kagawongian Maria M-L who turned 29 this week. She ended up getting her gift a bit early, but even if it had come with a receipt, we can guarantee she and Joe won’t be returning it for a different model. Also celebrating on the weekend is Karlene S, an honourary Kagawongian. Happy 29th Karlene - you make 29 look awesome!

A lot of the usual fun activities have been cancelled this year, but two businesses are working to make sure one long-standing tradition continues: Sugar Bush Coffee House and Bridal Veil Variety are both offering possible locations for a market through the summer! Contact the businesses directly for more information about taking part. 

Did you hear about the mafia who took control of the cheese industry? The Marscapone Family is not to be messed with!

Remember that the landfill will be open Thursdays AND Sundays from 2-6pm. Yard and construction waste will now be accepted. 

Looking for a good beach read? Use the library’s new pickup service (that we at Team Fergmeijer have officially dubbed “BOOK A BOOK!”).  Simply call or email the library with your ‘wish list’ items by Saturday of each week and pick up the following Tuesday. For details and book lists visit www.billings-library.com

We were really intrigued by a movie about string instruments in the mafia, and were going to watch it with the family, but in the end we decided not to because it had too much violins. 

Got broken electronics? Old cans of paint or liquid chemicals? Batteries or fluorescent light bulbs? Start gathering it up - the next Hazardous Waste Collection day will be July 4 in Mindemoya.

Don’t forget that the township has a volunteer network in place. If you are in need of help (grocery delivery, pharmacy pickup, etc) or if you know of anyone who may need this type of assistance, contact the town office. (705-282-2611; mbonenfant@billingstwp.ca). 

If desperate times breed desperate word play, we are preparing for a pun-demic! Have a great week!

June 5, 2020

If you walked outside this week and heard people clapping, you’re not being applauded… the mosquitos are back! It serves as a good reminder that any time you are feeling a bit insecure about yourself, just remember that the mosquitoes find you very attractive!

Thanks to Noojmowin Teg for co-ordinating the distribution of FREE fresh fruits and veggies in our community over the past few weeks! The next pick-up will be Friday, June 5 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm (or until supplies last) at the Billings Fire Hall (95 Main Street). This week: fresh bell peppers and clementines! 

There’s a very special birthday coming up... Happy birthday to honourary Kagawongian Mr. Steve Paikin! We hear it’s a big one (the big 2-9, of course), and we’re sorry he can’t be here on the island to celebrate. Happy birthday also to a pair of lovely young (29, to be exact) Kagawongians who shall remain nameless. We hear there will be lots of cake!

A reminder that the falls and river trail, and the playground at the main beach continue to be closed until further notice. On the upside, the dog park is OPEN. The township asks that users practice responsible social distancing from other humans in the park, but feel free to get up close and personal with the puppers!

Word on the street has it that Kagawong will soon be getting our first drive-thru dining experience! Team Fergmeijer spoke with local drive-thru enthusiast Jamie Ward, who said “The traffic light has been gone for some time now; we clearly needed a dash of big-city flair, yo.” 

Remember that the landfill will be open for garbage and recycling deposit Thursdays AND Sundays from 2-6pm. Yard and construction waste will now be accepted. Please ensure your waste is well-organized prior to attending the landfill in order to keep wait times to a minimum.

What has antlers and sucks blood? A moose-quito!

The Billings Public Library has launched their new pickup service that we at Team Fergmeijer have officially dubbed “BOOK A BOOK!”  Simply call or email the library with your ‘wish list’ items by Saturday of each week. Your order is pulled from the shelves, and can be picked up on the library porch the following Tuesday and Saturday. Precautions are being taken, including contactless pick up and quarantining returned books for at least 72 hours before reshelving. Full details, including book lists, can be found at www.billings-library.com

Got broken electronics? Old cans of paint or liquid chemicals? Batteries or fluorescent light bulbs? Save the date! The next Hazardous Waste Collection day will be July 4 in Mindemoya. More details will be shared closer to the date.

Don’t forget that the township has a volunteer network in place. If you are in need of help (grocery delivery, pharmacy pickup, etc) or if you know of anyone who may need this type of assistance, contact the town office. (705-282-2611; mbonenfant@billingstwp.ca). 

We have been browsing online, looking into the science of mosquito bites. Turns out, when a mosquito bites you, it mixes in the blood of its previous victims. The sheep DNA makes our blood especially wooly, causing the bite to itch. It was on the internet, so it must be true. Have a great week!