Peterborough Blogs
Photos: Opa! Greek Festival Booms After Three-Year Hiatus With Dance and Traditional Cuisine
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Over 2,000 people came and went at the return of the Greek Festival from a three-year hiatus, held at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday. Traditional Greek favourite meals such as souvlaki, gyros, baklava and Greek salad were served at the event. Dancing, a kids’ fun zone and live entertainment were the amenities offered during the festival.
New Canadians Centre Launches Multicultural Food Crawl For June
/The New Canadians Centre (NCC) and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (PTBO DBIA) have put on a fun and delicious way to celebrate diversity with the Canadian Multicultural Festival during all of June, announced at Poco Burro Burritos on Thursday morning.
(from left to right) Minal Burdrani, Poco Burro co-owner; Tu Nguyen, NCC community engagement assistant; Andy Cragg, NCC execcutive director and Sunny Dalia, Poco BUrro co-owner. Poco Burro had opened at the former Jimmy Guaco’s location on Nov. 7. Photo by David Tuan bui.
The festival is being kicked off with the launch of the Multicultural Food Crawl involving 10 Downtown Peterborough restaurants.
For every $10 spent during June, a stamp is given for your Multicultural Food Passport. Six stamps enter food lovers in a draw to win one of three $100 Boro Gift Cards. Passports can be collected at the ten participating restaurants or at NCC.
The following are the Downtown restaurants:
Bhojan
Brothers Pizza
Curry Mantra
Dirty Burger
La Hacienda
La Mesita
Levantine Grill
Milk and Tea Shop
Naka Japanese
Poco Burro Burritos
On June 24, free samples from the 10 restaurants are available from noon to 7 p.m.
Participants can vote for their favourite restaurant on the food crawl online where two posts are chosen at random to win a $25 Boro Gift Card. Tag us to share your experience @newcanadianscentre #multiculturalfoodcrawlptbo We will draw 2 posts at random to win a $25 Boro Gift Card!
“Journey through the culinary world in downtown Peterborough,” said Hillary Flood, PTBO DBIA communications and marketing manager. “We are very excited to support the New Canadians Centre for the second Canadian Multicultural Festival and to recognize the hard work of these newcomer entrepreneurs.”
In addition to the Food Crawl, there are several Canadian Multicultural Festival activities for the month of June:
June 24: Family Zumba party at Peterborough Square Courtyard
June 26: An introduction to Cricket with the Peterborough Cricket Club at New Canadians Centre
June 27: “Healing & Hope – Reflections on the Refugee Experience” Community Conversation at the Peterborough Public Library
June 28: Try Vietnamese Cooking at New Canadians Centre
June 29: K-Pop Dance Workshop at YMCA
June 30: Crafts from around the world at New Canadians Centre
June 30: Salsa Dance Night at Quaker City Square
“Celebrating the richness of multiculturalism is a cornerstone of our work,” said Andy Craig, NCC executive director. “We are so fortunate to share in unique customs, music, dance, food, sports and stories that contribute to a vibrant community.”
June 27 is Canadian Multiculturalism Day.
Photos: St. John C.E.S Students Get a Taste of French Culture at Delectable Fine Foods
/France came to grade 4-8 students from St. John’s C.E.S as they received a French culture and history lesson from Delectable Fine Foods owner Christel Rumgay at her store on Monday and Tuesday.
Students learned the origins of cheese, its making process and how it impacts French culture, all while receiving food samples.
The trip to the local artisanal store is part of St. John’s French learning curriculum based on the French Enriched School Environment Funding grant (up to $500).
The grant allows schools to explore unique experiences for learning about the French beyond its language.
Electric City Culture Council Cancels Upcoming Artsvote Meeting
/The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has cancelled the Artsvote Peterborough candidates meeting for this Tuesday due to COVID-19.
Open Mic poetry at the Silver Bean Café on May 4. Photo courtesy of EC3 and Andy Carroll.
This decision comes as Peterborough Public Health raised the COVID-19 Risk Index to ‘very high’ on Wednesday and recommends people avoid indoor social gatherings.
EC3 staff are currently dealing with COVID-19-related illnesses.
Due to the nature of the event, where the public and candidates sit together face-to-face to have discussions, EC3 says they felt it is best to make this call.
EC3 and the Artsvote Peterborough Coalition are currently developing an alternate plan for candidates to speak on these important issues, with more details to come.
The Electric City Culture Council is a not-for-profit organization supporting the arts and culture community in Peterborough.
They provide strategic leadership, research, grants, professional development and partnerships that build and strengthen the arts sector in our community.
2023 Community Grants Program Open to Applicants This October
/Not-for-profit groups can get a little boost as the City of Peterborough 2023 Community Grants Program is open to applications as of Oct 14 at noon.
Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.
Any not-for-profit group or association is invited to complete an online application for a Community Project Grant or a Community Investment Grant through the grants program.
The Community Grants program provides financial assistance to non-profit, community-based organizations that provide direct programs, services or activities that enhance the quality of life for Peterborough residents in areas of social services and health, arts, culture, heritage, recreation or the environment.
Applications will be open for the following Community Grants streams:
Community Project Grants – support for a specified project for which the requested amount is $250 to $1,000.
Community Investment Grants – support for projects and special events, specific programs or operating budgets for which the requested amount is $1,000 to $15,000.
All applicants will be evaluated and approved by the City of Peterborough Council.
The deadline for both the Community Project Grant and Community Investment Grant applications is Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.
Photos: Nagasaki Commemoration Lantern Ceremony at Little Lake
/The Peterborough Peace Council hosted its annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration Ceremony at Little Lake on Tuesday evening.
Traditionally the lanterns have been released towards the fountain however this year’s strong winds sent them along the shoreline. Photo by Luke Best.
“It’s important to remember exactly what happened,” said Gianne Broughton, a Peterborough Peace Council member.
The commemoration began with Broughton acknowledging the 77th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan by the U.S Military.
Peterborough Peace Council member Sheila Nabigon-Howlett then shared how Canada has not yet signed the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty and called for the end of nuclear tech.
“This is an opportunity to look at the globe and see what is happening. It’s not pretty,” she said.
An open invitation was offered if anyone would like to speak their mind, about the past or about the future. Two speeches were made after an open mic invitation was offered to speak their mind, about the past or about the future, followed by a song.
Peterborough Peace Council and supporters were invited to release paper lanterns into the water after the sun had set. This Japanese custom is a gesture of respect for those who have died and gives participants a moment to think about their ancestors and loved ones.
Canada Day Parade Is Back On the Streets After a Two-Year Hiatus
/With last year celebrated “at home” and 2020’s being cancelled, the annual Canada Day Parade toured through George Street with 20 different organizations leading the charge on Friday.
The parade began at Confederation Square Park and City Hall and ended at Morrow Park. The parade’s theme was “Together Again” in reference to the parade being in-person after being postponed for two years.
Pre-parade activities included the bike decorating contest, Canada Day tattoos and flags. The Electric City Swing band sang “O Canada” prior to the parade.
A “Happy Birthday Canada” cake at City Hall was featured and given out to anyone in attendance.
Groups such as the Lions Club, Peterborough Petes, Peterborough Paramedics, Peterborough Police Service, Peterborough Fire Services, Peterborough Century 21 Lakers and more took part in the return to the nation’s festivities.
New Canadians Centre Launches Inaugural Week-Long Canadian Multiculturalism Festival
/In honour of Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, the New Canadians Centre (NCC) is organizing a week-long inaugural Canadian Multiculturalism Festival in Peterborough beginning Monday to June 27 announced Wednesday morning.
(from left to right) Andy Cragg, NCC executive director; Zebiba Sultan; Brisham Ramoutar, NCC communications and community engagement specialist and Hilary Flood, DBIA communications and marketing manager. Flood samples Ethiopian cuisine made by Sultan. The vegetarian dish contains red lentils, split peas, beets and a salad atop a large piece of injera (Ethiopian sour flatbread).
The festival aims to display multiculturalism within Peterborough through performance, storytelling, film and food.
“Celebrating multiculturalism in Peterborough creates community and helps people to feel like they belong,” says Andy Cragg, Executive Director. “We are proud to showcase the richness of experience in our community. It’s an underappreciated and unrecognized day in Canada.”
A food crawl with six downtown restaurants can earn you tickets towards Boro gift cards. Every $10 you spent from June 20 - July 1, gets anyone a stamp towards a Multicultural Food Passport. Collecting six earns a draw for the gift cards and participants do not have to visit all six restaurants to earn an entry.
Stamps and passports are available at the NCC or the following restaurants:
Curry Mantra
Levantine Grill
Hanoi House
Real Thai Cuisine
Dirty Burger
Milk + Tea
“Downtown Peterborough is a culinary hotspot for multicultural cuisine in the region,” said Hillary Flood, Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area communications and marketing manager. “We are so excited to be partnering with the New Canadians Centre for the Canadian Multiculturalism Festival to acknowledge and celebrate the significant contributions of our international cuisine and newcomer-owned restaurants and how they have shaped our culinary fabric downtown."
The following is a list of events occurring throughout the week:
Flavours of the World Sampling Day
All six restaurant will offer free samples of their food on June 25 between noon and 7 p.m.
Try It Series
The community can get their feet wet and participate in music, dance, cooking and sports from across the world:
Indian Spices - Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the NCC
Peruvian Flower Making - Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the NCC
Taekwondo - Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at King Edward Park
Ethiopian Cooking - June 23, 6 p.m. via Zoom with Zebiba Sultan (ingredient kits can be obtained at the NCC from Monday to next Wednesday)
Zumba - June 24, 6 p.m. at the Silver Bean Patio (Millennium Park) by Dianely Hernandez
Anyone can register online at the NCC website to participate.
Cultural Fusions Video Series
Films are showcased to Dancers and musicians’ craft and culture with two films, “The Story Won’t Die + The Magic of Beginnings” and The Magic of Beginnings.
The former is about a Syrian rapper, tortured by Bashar Al-Assad for his lyrics, who uses his music to survive one of our century's deadliest wars.
The story of revolution and exile in a new documentary reflects a global battle for peace, justice and freedom of expression.
The Magic of Beginnings is about a local English-as-a-second-language teacher that learns Arabic to make the newcomers in her class feel at home.
Anyone can register online from the NCC’s website for a link to view the films online for free between Monday and June 27.
Building A Home Book Reading & Activities
On June 26 at 2 p.m., author & illustrator Casandra Lee will read her children’s book “Building A Home” followed by some creative art-based activities for children and families.
The book is about six children from Syria, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Pakistan who are now living, playing, and going to school in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough. The book was commissioned and published by the New Canadians Centre.
Multiculturalism Panel
The final da features a Canadian Multiculturalism Festival event at a panel discussion with Trent Professors Mohmin Rahman and Feyzi Baban and Cragg.
Discussions include immigration in Canada, local responses to immigration and perspectives on multiculturalism in Canada and Europe.
Each year, the NCC supports over 1000 clients hailing from over 100 countries and speaking more than 70 different languages. In 2021, the NCC saw a record-breaking number of immigrants come to their facility according to Cragg.
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New Canadians Centre Holds Virtual Multicultural Day
/New Canadians Centre is holding Canadian Multiculturalism Day to celebrate the contributions of the diverse cultures that make up Canada and its way of life on June 27 according to a press release.
Photo Courtesy of New Canadians Centre.
