April 26, 2023

Sometimes yours truly starts to ponder the really deep questions in life, and this week we found ourselves trying to decide which songs would go best with Shakespeare’s greatest works. We thought perhaps “Back Stabbers” (The O’Jays) might work well for Julius Caesar. Othello is of course paired with “Suspicious Minds” (Elvis), King Lear has to be Neil Young’s “Old Man” and Romeo & Juliet get’s the Amy Winehouse treatment with “Love is a Losing Game.” Antony and Cleopatra feels like a “Bad Romance” (Lady Gaga), while the Merchant of Venice would have to be “Money” by Pink Floyd. What about “The End” by The Doors for Hamlet? And of course, the song that fits best with Macbeth has to be Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” Did we miss any or get any wrong? Let us know! Fergmeijer@gmail.com 

In a whirlwind, Cinderella story, the robotics team at Manitoulin Secondary School - Manitoulin Metal - qualified for the world championship in Houston! The team, including Kagawongian Daphne C, had to do some seriously creative efforts to raise the funds needed to fly themselves, and their robot, Bumblebee, down to Texas, but the Island community came through once again, donating more than $20,000 to the cause! At the time of writing, the team has completed the first day of competition with some stunning victories. We are confident they will continue to do Manitoulin proud!  

We lost Mary Buie last week, and the whole Island and beyond has felt the loss. She was a force to be reckoned with and lived her life to the fullest. A quiet day for Mary was one where she had only 6 things on her agenda! There was very little that Mary did not have a hand in: Guides, church, choir (sometimes 2 or 3 at a time!), Burns Wharf Theatre, self-appointed welcome wagon and biscuit-maker, her work as nurse and midwife (not to mention her unofficial shifts as village nurse treating sprains, advising on aches, and removing the odd set of stitches), world travel, dancing in Carnivale, flower arranging at the cafe, coffee dates with friends, community Christmas concerts, caroling, the list goes on. And that doesn’t even touch on her love of her family and her friends.  

Mary’s celebration of life will be Sunday April 30th at the M’Chigeeng arena from 1-3pm. Mary left strict instructions that there should only be bright, cheerful colours at the event. 

It’s not just the grass that is looking a little greener! This past weekend was Earth Day, and the Billings Climate Action Committee hosted a circular economy swap event, as well as a community clean-up and composting dehydrator demonstration. Looking to learn more about how our township is working to become greener? Check out https://billingscac.blogspot.com/

The Billings Volunteer Fair is on from 2-8pm today (April 26) at the Park Centre. Stop in to meet the many organizations that work to make our community so special. Learn about their efforts and events, and you are sure to find a comfortable fit for you.There will be refreshments as well as prizes to be won.

Looking to do a little toe-tapping? Kagawong Concert presents bluegrass and roots music by The Barrel Boys at the Old Church on the Hill this weekend! Swing on by Saturday, April 29. Doors open at 7:00pm and the music starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and free for kids 12 and under. Check out the Facebook event “Kagawong Concerts Presents: The Barrel Boys” for more information

Are you a business owner within the municipality of Billings Township? Come out to the Billings Business Group meeting on May 10th. Starting at 7pm at the Park Centre in Kagawong, take the opportunity to meet other business owners and discuss issues of concern and opportunity! Contact westman@lambac.org or 705-282-3215 for more information. 

Not sure how to celebrate Mother’s Day? We’ve got you covered! Treat Mom this Mother’s Day and bring her out to the Anglican Church Mother’s Day Lunch, Saturday May 13th. The church is offering delicate sandwiches and delectable desserts from 11-2pm. The cost is $20 per person.

Don’t forget - the landfill is now operating on summer hours. The Billings landfill will be open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2pm-6pm, and Saturdays & Sundays from 10am-4pm.

Some fashion advice this week. We at Team Fergmeijer feel that there are just some things women shouldn’t wear. Like the weight of other people’s expectations and judgements. Have a great week!

April 19, 2023

The difference between weather and climate is that you can’t weather a tree but you can climate. And the weather lately has been positively spring-like! Other than that one ice storm, of course. A typical Manitoulin spring after all! 

Look out, gobbling ninjas… there’s a new bird in town! Meriwether the woodpecker is taking advantage of Kagawong’s many woodpecker amenities (that is, trees and treats from Phyllis C) and appears to be taking up permanent residence in our lovely village. If you are a birder or general nature lover, why not join the Manitoulin Nature Club? Check them out at www.FB.com/ManitoulinNatureClub or contact them via manitoulinnatureclub@gmail.com

Don’t miss out on the chance to work in the loveliest community on the island! The township is still looking to fill three student summer positions. Applications are still being accepted for positions at the marina and with Public Works. Send your resume to tmills@billingstwp.ca as soon as possible.

It’s a trio of celebrations! Many happy returns to three wonderful women this week: Marilyn P, Jean W, Kristy C all turn 29 next week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, respectively. They say you should take every birthday with a grain of salt. We say be sure to add some sugar, flour, butter, eggs and vanilla, then bake at 350 for 35 minutes!

This weekend! Join the Billings Climate Action Committee in celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 22. From 10am - noon they’ll be hosting a circular economy sale (community yard sale) at the Kagawong outdoor rink. Book a table at the rink with Tina Beckerton (tbeckerton@billingstwp.ca), or if you prefer to host your own on your property, let Tina know and the location of your sale will be added to a community list. There will also be a community clean-up that day. 

Compost - it can be  more than a pile in the yard! A new addition to the aforementioned Earth Day activities, members of the Climate Action Committee will have an alternative composting demonstration set up at the Park Centre. Bring along some compostable material if you’d to see it in action! Looking to learn more about how our township is working to become greener? Check out https://billingscac.blogspot.com/

It’s just around the corner! Billings Volunteer Fairs is happening April 26th. Stop in at the Park Center from 2-8pm to meet the many organizations that work to make our community so special. Learn about their efforts and events, and you are sure to find a comfortable fit for you.There will be refreshments as well as prizes to be won.

Mark your calendar! Treat Mom this Mother’s Day and bring her out to the Anglican Church Mother’s Day Lunch. Saturday May 16th, the church is offering delicate sandwiches and delectable desserts from 11-2pm. The cost is $20 per person.

Don’t forget - the landfill is now operating on summer hours. The Billings landfill will be open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2pm-6pm, and Saturdays & Sundays from 10am-4pm.

Bulk water users can access the new quick-fill station at the water treatment plant (75 Beach Street). It has options for 2” and 3/4" fill spigots. Remember to bring your clean Cam-lock female fitting to connect to the 2” option. Contact Tiana Mills at the town office for more information (tmills@billingstwp.ca)

What do you call a snowman in April? A puddle! Have a great week!

April 12, 2023

It’s that time of year again and your trusty Team Fergmejier has decided that not only do our homes need some spring cleaning, but perhaps our bodies do too. We have decided to dedicate this season to our health. First we tried to Google our symptoms, and we ended up at conjuctivitis.com. Man, is that a site for sore eyes! (These optometry jokes just keep getting cornea) Finally we met with our health team. They had a student-doctor helping them that we had a lovely chat with and learned lots of fun facts, like it turns out that of all the test in medical school, the one on kidney stones is the hardest to pass. They also told us that we could hear the blood moving through our veins if we listen varicosely. Most of the news from our checkup was good, though we were both diagnosed with low blood pressure. For treatment, we were prescribed two Ikea self-assembly cabinets. 

The young and young-at-heart enjoyed meeting Peter Cottontail this past weekend at the Billings’ annual Easter Egg Hunt. Thank you to everyone who hopped on out! And remember, if you found any chocolate eggs in the hunt that were not wrapped in foil, they aren’t chocolate eggs!

With the warming (and unpredictable) weather lately, the outdoor community rink is closed for the season. Please be sure to stay off the surface while everything melts. Fear not - there will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy community events under the dome throughout the spring and summer!

Sure the days are getting longer, but you REALLY know summer is just around the corner when the landfill switches back to its summer hours! The Billings landfill will be open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2pm-6pm, and Saturdays & Sundays from 10am-4pm.

The township is looking to fill three student summer positions! Applications are still being accepted for positions at the marina and with Public Works. Send your resume to tmills@billingstwp.ca as soon as possible.

Happy birthday vibes are being sent out to Maya H who turns the big 29 this week. Don’t worry about getting older. Statistics show that those who have the most birthdays live the longest!

Looking to combine your love of yard sales with your love of saving the planet? Join the Billings Climate Action Committee in celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 22. From 10am - noon they’ll be hosting a circular economy sale (community yard sale) at the Kagawong outdoor rink. Book a table at the rink with Tina Beckerton (tbeckerton@billingstwp.ca), or if you prefer to host your own on your property, let Tina know and the location of your sale will be added to a community list. There will also be a community clean-up that day. Looking to learn more about how our township is working to become greener? Check out https://billingscac.blogspot.com/

It’s just around the corner! Western Manitoulin Volunteer Fairs are happening this month. Stop in to meet the many organizations that work to make our communities so special. Learn about their efforts and events, and you are sure to find a comfortable fit for you. Billings’ is April 26th at the Park Centre from 2-8pm and includes refreshments as well as prizes to be won.

Bulk water users can access the new quick-fill station at the water treatment plant (75 Beach Street). It has options for 2” and 3/4" fill spigots. Remember to bring your clean Cam-lock female fitting to connect to the 2” option. Contact Tiana Mills at the town office for more information (tmills@billingstwp.ca)

If you did not find this week’s medical-related puns funny, you should probably get yourself checked out. You might be irony deficient. Have a great week!

April 5, 2023

Oh, for peeps sake, it’s Easter time already! A chance to absolutely Cad-bury yourself in chocolate. This year is eggstra special, as we received an early Easter gift from a friend in Australia. They really shelled out and sent it by express hare-mail. This year is the first in a long while that Team Fergmeijer will be getting together for Easter. We were going to do the traditional dinner, but now we are leaning towards brunch instead. What better way to celebrate Easter than to get everybunny together for a meal at IHOP? 

Cooo-ngratulations to this year’s Sandhill Crane spotting competition! It was a tight race this year, with more entries than ever before! But bragging rights go to first-time winners Paula and John M for first hearing the melodious coo of the sandhill crane within Billings township limits. Honourable mention goes to Kathy J who first spotted the long-legged and winged creatures elsewhere on the Island. Thanks to all who reported sightings!

On April 1st, a few crane enthusiasts braved the nasty weather for the annual Sandhill Crane Coo-ing and Interpretive Dance contest. It was quite the flap - we just can’t stop raven about the bird-like performances!! Some contestants came prepared, but there were others who were clearly winging it. Don’t cry fowl, but the dances and coos were so good, the judges announced it was too close to caw-ll. If all of this sounds like a bit of ostrich, rest assured we certainly wouldn’t try to fool anyone this past Saturday, would we?

Sure there’s the spring equinox and the return of the cranes, but you REALLY know summer is just around the corner when the landfill switches back to its summer hours! Beginning Saturday, April 1 (no joke!), the Billings landfill will be open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2pm-6pm, and Saturdays & Sundays from 10am-4pm.

The township is looking to fill three student summer positions! Applications are still being accepted for positions at the marina and with Public Works. Send your resume to tmills@billingstwp.ca as soon as possible.

Happy birthday wishes to Sharon A this week. At 29, you might start feeling like you are getting up in years, but really, ‘old age’ is always 15 years older than we are.  

Get those egg baskets ready - the Easter Bunny is coming to Kagawong! The Billings Parks, Recreation and Wellness Committee is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at the Park Centre on Saturday, April 8th at 11am. Everyone is welcome to hop on by! 

We heard a rumour about the Easter Bunny. Seems they are interested in studying to become a doctor and have applied to study at John Hop-kins University.

Enjoying the lovely spring weather? Take some time to thank Mother Earth! Join the Billings Climate Action Committee in celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 22. From 10am - noon they’ll be hosting a circular economy sale (community yard sale) at the Kagawong outdoor rink. Book a table at the rink with Tina Beckerton (tbeckerton@billingstwp.ca), or if you prefer to host your own on your property, let Tina know and the location of your sale will be added to a community list. There will also be a community clean-up that day. Looking to learn more about how our township is working to become greener? Check out https://billingscac.blogspot.com/

Quick question: Is saying you don’t like Easter haresy?

Mark your calendars! Western Manitoulin Volunteer Fairs are happening in April. Stop in to meet the many organizations that work to make our communities so special. Learn about their efforts and events, and you are sure to find a comfortable fit for you. Billings’ is April 26th at the Park Centre from 2-8pm and includes refreshments as well as prizes to be won.

Bulk water users can access the new quick-fill station at the water treatment plant (75 Beach Street). It has options for 2” and 3/4" fill spigots. Remember to bring your clean Cam-lock female fitting to connect to the 2” option. Contact Tiana Mills at the town office for more information (tmills@billingstwp.ca)

And lastly, an excerpt from our up-coming book, “Parenting Is Easy When You Don’t Have Any Kids” (publication date tbd): Easter egg hunts are proof your kids can find something themselves if they really want to. Have a great week!