September 28, 2022

Deep thoughts to start off this week: If you place a single cherry in a pail, is that just a drupe in the bucket?

This weekend’s 4elements living arts Elemental Festival is going to be fantabulous! Everything from storytelling to a family ceili and dance, to improv, to music in nature… all right here in Kagawong! For specific days and times, check out: ​​https://4elementslivingarts.org/elemental-festival/  

 

The Angel Bus “Fall’N Angels” Dance fundraiser is back! This Saturday (October 1st) from 7-11pm, get your groove on at the Burpee & Mills community hall and support a fantastic cause. Tickets are $15 per person. Music by the Manitoulin Swing Band and Missy’s Groovy Little Band. The Angel Bus is a wheelchair accessible van that provides transportation free of charge to Residents of Manitoulin Lodge and adult citizens of western Manitoulin with mobility issues. You can also donate directly to the Angel Bus: https://www.manitoulinauxiliary.org/donate 

 

Team Fergmeijer watched a documentary on how to make pickles this past week. It was jarring. 

 

Though Mary B is unable to participate in this year’s Run for the Cure in Sudbury this weekend, Kagawong will still be well-represented! Heather T is once again running for friends like Mary, and fundraising for breast cancer research, prevention, and patient care. It’s not too late to donate! Visit http://support.cancer.ca/goto/htheijsmeijer

 

The Manitoulin Planning Board is holding a series of public meetings for the purposes of receiving public comments and considering the adoption of proposed new zoning by-laws. The meeting for the Township of Billings will be virtual, on Wednesday, October 5th at 7pm. Contact Kathy at the town office for the link.

 

We decided we wanted a new pet, so we went to the pet store to buy a goldfish. The clerk asked us if we wanted an aquarium, but we told him we don’t really believe in astrology. 

 

A note to all eligible voters in Billings - all municipal ballots are mail-in. They should be arriving in your mailbox late September or early October. Want to get some clarity on who to vote for? Come out to the All Candidate meeting at the Park Centre on Thursday, October 6th. You can meet and greet the candidates informally from 6:30pm - 7pm; the candidates will have a chance to formally speak to the audience from 7 - 8pm; questions will be taken 8 - 9pm, and closing remarks will be at 9:30pm. Moderator will be John Diebolt. The meeting will also be available via Zoom for those not able to attend in-person. Contact Sandy Cook (cookilburrow@hotmail.com) by October 3rd to receive the Zoom link. 

 

In related news, the library will be closing early on Thursday, October 6th to allow all employees and board members to attend the all candidates meeting. Adjusted hours will be 4pm - 5:30pm. 

 

Exciting news - Christmas in Kagawong is back! We’ll post more information as we receive it, but for now, mark November 18-20th on your calendars. 

 

We’re once again putting out the call for your original short poems/haikus/limericks and the like. Submit them  to fergmeijer@gmail.com and we’ll get them in the column! As long as they are PG. The Expositor editors only let us get away with so much. 

 

A forgetful old gasman named Dieter, 

Who went poking around his gas heater, 

Touched a leak with his light; 

He blew out of sight— 

And, as everyone who knows anything about poetry can tell you, he also ruined the meter.

Have a good week!

September 21, 2022

Team Fergmeijer bought a discount GPS off some guy we met in a parking lot. We can’t be sure, but we think it’s a knockoff. It asked us if we wanted to “make an illegal u-turn here to save 10 minutes?” When we said no, it was like, “nerd.”

Congratulations to the Manitoulin Tennis Club’s Harvest Tennis tournament this past weekend! Local tennis star Keith M won the doubles portion along with Danielle D, while Kris L won the singles portion. Thanks to everyone who came out for this last tennis event of the season. As long as the warm weather holds, tennis players might want to keep an eye on the Manitoulin Tennis Club Facebook page for pop-up playing times.

 

The Angel Bus “Fall’N Angels” Dance fundraiser is back! Saturday, October 1st from 7-11pm, get your groove on at the Burpee & Mills community hall and support a fantastic cause. Tickets are $15 per person. Music by the Manitoulin Swing Band and Missy’s Groovy Little Band. The Angel Bus is a wheelchair accessible van that provides transportation free of charge to Residents of Manitoulin Lodge and adult citizens of western Manitoulin with mobility issues. You can also donate directly to the Angel Bus: https://www.manitoulinauxiliary.org/donate 

 

Did you know that the Billings Library has dozens of audio books? We went looking for books on tape, but didn’t see anything to do with packing, masking or ducts. 

 

A note to all eligible voters in Billings - all municipal ballots are mail-in. They should be arriving in your mailbox late September or early October. Want to get some clarity on who to vote for? Come out to the All Candidate meeting at the Park Centre on Thursday, October 6th. You can meet and greet the candidates informally from 6:30pm - 7pm; the candidates will have a chance to formally speak to the audience from 7 - 8pm; questions will be taken 8 - 9pm, and closing remarks will be at 9:30pm. Moderator will be John Diebolt. 

 

Happy 29th birthday goes out to Barb E this week, and belated happy birthday wishes to Joan H who celebrated last week. You are absolute proof that fabulous has no age limit!

 

Though Mary B is unable to participate in this year’s Run for the Cure in Sudbury on October 2nd, Kagawong will still be well-represented! Heather T is once again running for friends like Mary, and fundraising for breast cancer research, prevention, and patient care. If you are interested in donating, visit http://support.cancer.ca/goto/htheijsmeijer

 

More details have been released on this year’s 4elements living arts Elemental Festival… and it’s going to be ah-may-zing! October 1st and 2nd will see music take over Kagawong with events at the Park Centre and Sandy Beach. For the impressive full lineup, check out: ​​https://4elementslivingarts.org/elemental-festival/  

 

The Manitoulin Planning Board is holding a series of public meetings for the purposes of receiving public comments and considering the adoption of proposed new zoning by-laws. The meeting for the Township of Billings will be virtual, on Wednesday, October 5th at 7pm. Contact Kathy at the town office for the link.

 

We’re once again putting out the call for your original short poems/haikus/limericks and the like. Submit them to fergmeijer@gmail.com and we’ll get them in the column! As long as they are PG. The Expositor editors only let us get away with so much. We’ll kick things off with an ode to amore:

 

When the moon hits

Your knees and you

Mispronounce trees; 

Sycamore

 

Have a good week!

September 14, 2022

We hope all the students had a gym-dandy first week back to school and that nothing lessons your enthusiasm for learning! We’re sure you were so bright, the teachers had to wear shades. With luck you will find a group of friends that you really clique with. Keep angling for that A in geometry, and everyone will see you are a class act!

And just like that, another summer comes to a close. Of all the Kagawong summer traditions, Team Fergmeijer loves the market the most. A huge crafty and artisanal THANK YOU goes out to Ethel Newburn for keeping the over 50 vendors organized from week-to-week all season long, and dealing with last-minute changes due to weather. We’re already looking forward to next June!

 

Did you hear about the tennis player who was not allowed to take out books about aces at the library? That’s because he never returned them. The Manitoulin Tennis Club is, ahem, serving up one more tournament to close out the season! Come out this Saturday (September 17th) at 9am to the Manitoulin Secondary School courts for the Harvest Tournament. All players of all abilities are welcome. There is a $5 entrance fee OR bring a small harvest (i.e., quart of beans or tomatoes, a squash, some corn, etc.) - everyone will walk away with a prize! Contact Chris Theijsmeijer at ctheijsmeijer@gmail.com or at 705 618-7155 for more information or to register. Rain date of Sunday, September 18th. 

 

The millwheel in front of the Town Office is getting a make-over! The brother-sister duo of Morgan and Kendra Edwards had their design selected earlier this year, and have now started the process of bringing their idea to life. Stop by and check out their progress this week!

 

More details have been released on this year’s 4elements living arts Elemental Festival… and it’s going to be ah-may-zing! October 1st and 2nd will see music take over Kagawong with events at the Park Centre and Sandy Beach, including concerts by Elijah & The Backburners, O’Schraves Ceiligh and Family Dance, Cassidy MacAuliffe (of the Woodland Sisters), and Ariadne. More information coming soon - keep an eye on their website ​​https://4elementslivingarts.org/elemental-festival/ or their Facebook page as we get closer to the date.

 

We took the shell off of our racing snail yesterday, thinking it would make him more streamlined and go faster. Doesn’t look like it worked. If anything it seems to have made him more sluggish. 

 

The Manitoulin Planning Board is holding a series of public meetings for the purposes of receiving public comments and considering the adoption of proposed new zoning by-laws. The meeting for the Township of Billings will be virtual, on Wednesday, October 5th at 7pm. Contact Kathy at the town office for the link.

 

Billings Township has put out the call for elections officials. Check out the town website (www.billingstwp.ca) for more information on the requirements for these paid positions. Application forms are available on the township website or at the township office during regular business hours. Completed application forms must be returned to Kathy McDonald at the town office by 12:00 pm this Friday, September 16th. While you’re at it, make sure you’re registered to vote! Election day is Monday, October 24. 

 

This week’s words of wisdom: never underestimate the value of closure. You know what they say about cliffhangers… Have a good week!

September 7, 2022

The end of the summer season always makes us a bit more reflective. We start to ask some of the deep questions, like: if you cross a chicken with a cow, do you get roost beef? Is a pair of scissors one or two? Are painkillers just the ‘mute notifications’ option for our bodies? Do you suppose a librarian could be referred to as a bookkeeper? Would that make a referee a game warden? And a milkman a cowboy? What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?

4elements living arts kicked off a series of Elemental Festival events with a concert by Georgia Hathaway at the Old Church on the Hill this past Thursday. Georgina shared her Manitoulin-inspired music with a very appreciative audience. Keep your eyes peeled for even more upcoming events in September and October! 

 

The music continued Friday night as Chris Theijsmeijer led an evening of song as a fundraiser for the library. Thank you to Chris and the generous crowd for supporting the library.

 

This is it - your last chance to check out the amazing market in Kagawong! Wednesday is the final market of the 2022 season. Stop in for fresh veg, creative crafts, delicious food, amazing art, and a multitude of other fantastic goods. The market runs 10am-3pm. It’s never too soon to stock up on gifts for the holidays! 

 

Happy birthday to a couple of amazing women: Susan S & Kim B both turned 29 recently. Remember, just because you remember dancing to the Macarena, doesn’t mean you are old! Former Kagawongian Amanda G celebrated her 29th last week. Although technically she is no longer a local, she has many in the community who wish her well. Mandy, please know that although you may be far away, your birthday did not pass uncelebrated. In fact, your cake was delicious!

 

How do swimmers clean themselves? They wash up on shore! Having said that though, we have to keep our shores in ship shape, especially when it comes to the Kagawong River. A gentle reminder that altering the flow of the river can be damaging to the fish who spawn at the falls. This includes (but is not limited to) building your own enclosed pool within the already existing, natural pool at the base of the falls. 

 

Billings Township has put out the call for elections officials. Check out the town website (www.billingstwp.ca) for more information on the requirements for these paid positions. Application forms are available on the township website or at the township office during regular business hours. Completed application forms must be returned to Kathy McDonald at the town office by 12:00 pm on Friday, September 16th. While you’re at it, make sure you’re registered to vote! Election day is Monday, October 24. 

 

While shopping for cars this week, Team Fergmeijer learned that “heated seats” are so-named because “rear defroster” was already taken. Have a good week!