Peterborough Blogs
Omemee Shirt Purchased For Neil Young From PTBO Northern Originals In Peterborough
/Mike Watt, owner of PTBO Northern Originals, a heritage-based clothing brand focused on local pride in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, was ecstatic when a member of Neil Young's crew dropped in to purchase his Omemee shirt on Friday (December 1st).
"An assistant came in and grabbed them for Neil and Daryl [Hannah, his partner] on Friday," Watt tells PTBOCanada of his T-shirt line, which is available online and at his store Flavour Fashion in downtown Peterborough.
"We actually hid an 'N Y' in the design—his initials—as a tribute to him," Watt tells PTBOCanada.
Neil Young's show in Omemee
Young may not have worn the Tee for his special concert Friday night in his home town of Omemee, but it was a cool moment the entrepreneur Watt won't soon forget.
"I have to be honest—when we developed the design for the shirt we always hoped to get one to Neil," he says. "We're huge fans and want to pay tribute in some small way. This was special."
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Imagining If Neil Young Rocks Omemee
/There is much speculation—some of it courtesy of hints from Neil Young himself—that his December 1st acoustic concert to be broadcast on CTV, streamed online on CTV.ca and live streamed on Facebook may well be coming to us from Omemee, Ont., near Peterborough, the place Young spent some of his formative years as a child.
Toronto, Pickering, Winnipeg and Omemee—all places Young lived as a kid—are on the shortlist of where Young is expected to play from. But the small town of Omemee, with its historic Coronation Hall—the very hall Young posted a video in front of a couple months ago (more on that below)—would be the perfect choice for him to play coinciding with the release of his new album, The Visitor.
Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada.com
Not only did Young spend some of his adolescent years there—below is a Grade 1 class photo at Omemee Public School (1951-52) where he is standing in the back row, third from the left—but for many years a volunteer run museum, the Youngtown Rock & Roll Museum, was based out of Omemee until 2014 that was dedicated to the rock legend.
The old Youngtown museum in Omemee
His iconic "Helpless"—with its lyrics "There is a town in North Ontario, with dream comfort, memory to spare"—was written as an ode to his Omemee childhood home.
And his Facebook post (see below) saying "I will be going to my town"—not city—further fuelled the notion that he would pick Omemee, though one could interpret him using "town" colloquially, yes.
As well, back on September 24th, Young made a stop in Omemee in front of where he's rumoured to be playing and mentioned "the Visitor" in a tweet that is now carrying extra weight...
Ryan Lalonde is a co-producer of an upcoming documentary The Radius Project that looks at the wealth of famous musicians who come from the area in and around Peterborough, such as Young, Thousand Foot Crutch, Three Days Grace, My Darkest Days, I Mother Earth, Ronnie Hawkins, The Leahys (and Natalie McMaster), producers Greg and Rob Wells, and Serena Ryder.
"For Neil Young to play a show here in town and to document it for people to watch forever, it'd be huge," Lalonde tells PTBOCanada. "And it's a testament to not forgetting where you come from."
Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada.com
"If it's Omemee he chooses—and I still think it's a BIG 'if'—it really brings him full circle," adds Lalonde. "This would be a phenomenal gift to the town, even if for one night only. It gives them a legitimate claim to their favourite son. Everyone has an opinion where his home town is, and this might just put the argument to bed."
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Neil Young Returns To Childhood Home Of Omemee For Visit, Posts Video
/Neil Young spent his formative years in Omemee, Ontario near Peterborough.
Here he is in Grade 1 at Omemee Public School (1951-52), standing in the back row, third from the left...
Neil Young, third from left, standing in the back row
Well the rock star just returned there for a visit and posted this video to Twitter in front of Omemee Hall, to remind people of his roots...
He also posted the video to Facebook...
Young, 71, who now lives in Northern California, was back in Canada to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at a ceremony at Massey Hall in Toronto.
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Neil Young In Grade 1 At Omemee Public School
/Neil Young spent many of his formative years in Omemee, Ontario near Peterborough—and a museum, Youngtown Rock & Roll Museum, dedicated to the rock legend was there for many years before relocating to nearby Lindsay.
An awesome photo (see below) was posted to the Vintage Peterborough, Lindsay and the Kawartha Region Facebook page of Young in a Grade 1 class photo at Omemee Public School (1951-52). Neil is standing in the back row, third from the left (with that distinct Neil Young facial expression).
Neil Young, third from left, standing in the back row
Young's "Helpless"—with its lyrics "There is a town in North Ontario, with dream comfort, memory to spare"—was written as an ode to his Omemee childhood home.
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Neil Young Returns To Omemee In Upcoming Documentary
/[YouTube via @mr_kearnsy]
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