Electric City Culture Council Announces Bierk Art Fund Bursary Recipients

The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has announced that two $1,000 Bierk Art Fund (BAF) Bursaries have been awarded to local high school students Zijian (Suzanne) Tian of Lakefield College School and Ava Cummings of Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School.

photo courtesy of ec3, facebook.

Tian will pursue studies at Parsons School of Design in New York, and Cummings will attend Durham College’s Animation Program.

The BAF is an endowment fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough (CFGP), established to recognize arts champion and supporter Liz Bierk, and to honour the contributions she and her husband David Bierk have made to the arts in Peterborough.

EC3 says that many people from many walks of life have contributed to this fund over the years, and it has now grown large enough to support the Bierk Art Fund Bursary Program, which provides two bursaries of $1,000 each to graduating high school students living in the City or County of Peterborough.

These students’ works demonstrate great promise and artistic, showing a serious commitment to pursuing further studies at the post-secondary level in the visual or media arts.

Tian was born in Shanxi, China, and continued her high school studies at Lakefield College School. She has been accepted at the Parsons School of Design, and will pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in their Fashion Design program. She works in media such as watercolour, 3D print, pottery, photography, collage, and fashion design, and says her dream has always been to become an artist.

Ava Cummings is graduating from the Visual Arts Program at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School and will be attending Durham College for 2D & 3D Digital Animation. Between her love of drawing and her fascination with animated episodic productions and feature-length movies, Cummings says she feels drawn to the animation industry.

The Bierk Art Fund Bursary Program application process asks students to present their art portfolios to an assessment committee/panel of local artists and arts professionals. This year’s panel was comprised of professional artist and educator Cyd Hosker, and AGP Curator Fynn Leitch, who were impressed by the talent and potential demonstrated by Zijian (Suzanne) Tian and Ava Cummings.

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QUAKERborough Releases New Commercial Highlighting Plant Employees in the Peterborough Community

Quaker Oats (PepsiCo Canada) has released a new commercial for the QUAKERborough brand, which includes employees from the local Quaker Plant at 34 Hunter St. W.

Photo courtesy of citizen relations PR.

“In 1902, Peterborough welcomed Quaker into the proud community we now like to call QUAKERborough – a place with great food and welcoming neighbours who make you feel right at home,” says Logan Chambers, Senior Director of Marketing with PepsiCo Canada. “Acknowledging the warmth and support that Quaker has received over the years, the brand is on a mission to personally welcome newcomers to the city with open arms with the help of our dedicated plant employees and the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough.”

The process started in April of this year, when Peterborough’s New Canadians Centre advertised a casting call on social media for a family new to the community.

Now two months later, the commercial shows the QUAKERborough van driving around the community, and assisting the new family in moving a couch into their home.

To view the full commercial, visit the link.

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PTBOCanada Adds Angela O'Grady to the Team as New Writer

Humber College graduate Angela O’Grady joins the PTBOCanada expanding team as their newest writer on Monday.

O’Grady’s hobbies include camping, music and eating at local restaurants. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

O’Grady’s hobbies include camping, music and eating at local restaurants. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

O’Grady earned her Bachelor’s Degree in journalism in April and was born in Peterborough. She graduated from St. Peter’s Secondary School in 2016 and grew up in Douro.

“I’ve always loved everything local and very excited to be able to report on the place I grew up in,” said O’Grady.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Angela back when we did our internships together,” said David Tuan Bui, PTBOCanada Editor. “We had a great rapport then and I know we’ll have fantastic chemistry working for PTBOCanada moving forward.”

O’Grady has been an athlete her whole life playing sports such as hockey, baseball and field hockey. Photo Courtesy of Angela O’Grady.

O’Grady has been an athlete her whole life playing sports such as hockey, baseball and field hockey. Photo Courtesy of Angela O’Grady.

O’Grady went into journalism since she enjoys writing. The career choice always had something to write about which made it a good fit she tells PTBOCanada.

You can reach out to O’Grady with her email at angela@ptbocanada.com.

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Hometown PTBO: Gary Lawless Growing Up In Peterborough, the City's Great Athletes and His Journalism Career Into the NHL

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with Vegas Golden Knights Insider Gary Lawless on growing up in Peterborough, the local athletes he grew up and played with and his journalism career in town to the NHL.

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PTBOCanada Announces David Bui As New Editor

New PTBOCanada Owner/Publisher Kirtus Evoy is excited to announce that David Tuan Bui is joining us as the Editor of PTBOCanada.

“David has been living in Peterborough for over 30 years and has been actively engaged with our community,” says Kirtus. “He is a Trent University alumnus and his journalism background is going to be a significant asset for the company moving forward. He is full of many fresh ideas for fans of PTBOCanada. His personality and enthusiasm are just what we’re looking for to help us in this new chapter of PTBOCanada.”

David Bui

David Bui

“David is a fantastic fit for PTBOCanada,” says Neil Morton, former editor/owner. “He has such great energy, and a love for community, collaboration and hyper-local journalism. He has a passion for storytelling and bringing the PTBOCanada brand to life in new, engaging ways that will really resonate with readers. I’m super stoked to see where he takes this.”

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“I’m incredibly honoured to be given this opportunity to be working for PTBOCanada,” says David.

"I’ve always loved Peterborough and have embraced what the city has to offer. Now I can share all my experiences with everybody around me and I hope I can bring this city even more to life with my perspective. I wish Neil Morton nothing but the best. I’m certain that Kirtus, Aaron Elliott and I can really hit the ground running and make PTBOCanada a place where everyone can enjoy our content as we go into the next chapter. I look forward to interacting with our community to really highlight the wonders this city has to offer.”


David expressed his gratitude for this opportunity on Twitter…

You can reach David with story ideas at davidbui@ptbocanada.com.

You can reach our new owner Kirtus Evoy at kirtus@ptbocanada.com for inquiries regarding advertising opportunities.

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4th Line Theatre Launches Propel Weekly Writing Program

4th Line Theatre has announced they are launching a new initiative this month, the Propel Weekly Writing Program, adding to the company’s virtual programming as part of the Nexicom Presents 4th Line Theatre @ Home event series. 

Anyone interested in participating is invited to join Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell for one or all in this 11-week series of online writing/creation workshops. The workshops are designed to inspire writers and creators and to allow them to commit time to their projects. There will also be time in each session to discuss work and collect feedback from Blackwell. 

Kim Blackwell (photo courtesy 4th Line Theatre)

Kim Blackwell (photo courtesy 4th Line Theatre)

“It is so challenging to carve out the time to devote to your artistic endeavours, especially your writing projects,” says Blackwell. “The Propel Writing Program will allow interested participants to join me twice a week for a 20-minute period of writing and then, if you want, we can discuss your project, your progress and any challenges you are facing.”

The writing workshops will run twice-a-week on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. beginning on Wednesday, February 17th through to Thursday, April 29th. Thanks to Nexicom, registration is free-of-charge. Space is limited to 50 participants per session, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The sessions will be hosted on the Zoom video platform.

Click this link to register. Once registered, you will receive an email prior to the event with a link to the meeting on the Zoom video platform.

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Gone (Ice) Fishing For A Week

Hey all, we wanted to wish you all the best with your holidays and a terrific 2020!

PTBOCanada.com is turning 10 years old in 2020 and are excited to have become a part of the fabric of this wonderful community through storytelling about Peterborough and the Kawarthas on social media.

We are taking a break for a week or so from this here blog to get some much needed R & R, but will be doing some posting to our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels (combined reach: 60,000+ fans) so follow us there!

-> Follow us on
Twitter.
-> Like us on
Facebook.
-> Follow us on
Instagram.

See you back here in early January!

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Mike Judson To Co-Host "Mike And Miles In The Morning" On Country 105

Mike Judson, who recently announced he was leaving his job as Weather Analyst on CHEX Newswatch and as host of CHEX Daily after five years with the station, is joining Country 105 radio where he will co-host a new morning show called Mike and Miles in the Morning alongside current Country 105 co-host Miles Gibney.

Mike Judson on the Mic

Judson will be replacing the retiring Ron McFarland, who was at Country 105 for 22 years (and Peterborough radio for 40 years). They are big shoes to fill, but Judson is up for the challenge. "Ron is a local radio legend who has forever left his mark on his listeners," Judson tells PTBOCanada. "Obviously that is a lot of pressure on me coming into a show where the guy before me was so cemented in his role, but I am really, really excited for it. When it comes to the show's direction, I think we are going to let things happen organically and see what feels right."

The move is like coming back full circle for Judson, as he actually got his start in local radio with the Country 105/Energy 99.7/91.9 BOB FM family when he first moved to Peterborough. "I love radio as a medium and always have," he tells PTBOCanada. "TV was fun but I have been looking into getting back into radio for a while. I started my career in radio 10 years ago and it was always my dream to become a morning show jock. The dream has come true and I am looking forward to having a blast every morning with Miles and of course, the devoted Country 105 listeners."

Photo by Craig MacPhee

Judson will miss the adrenaline rush associated with tracking storms and relaying that important information to the public in a timely fashion as a weather analyst, but says he will continue chasing them. "Even though I've given up my post, I'll still be tracking storms. I've done that since before I was even the weatherman."

Judson, a terrific interviewer, will also miss the CHEX Daily—especially its current format which he loved. "When the CHEX Daily became my own show, it really became a passion piece. I got to interview whomever I liked and really dig into the interviews. I'm a very curious person and used the platform as an opportunity to try and ask questions that maybe weren't usual. I always want to know what makes people happy and how they use their time to make the most out of life. The people I interviewed on the CHEX Daily taught me about taking risks and being positive, and certainly helped prepare me for future life events."

Miles gibney & mike Judson

Judson says the CHEX family was terrific to him—"When my family faced a recent crisis, CHEX really stepped up to help make life a lot easier for me while I took care of my wife and son—I'll never forget that"—but is ready to seize the moment with this great opportunity at Country 105.

Aside from listening to him on the morning airwaves—Mike and Miles in the Morning debuts Monday, March 6th and airs 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday to Friday—you can also catch Judson regularly at the Gordon Best Theatre where he is a member of the well-known Citiots Improv troupe, at the Theatre on King where he plays Victor Marshall in the popular Crime City series, and in various other theatrical productions.

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The Wolf 101.5 Has Been Rocking Peterborough For 25 Years

February 14th, 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of 101.5 The Wolf in Peterborough. The station launched on February 14th, 1992 at 6 p.m. with a live broadcast from Casey’s Bar and Grill on Chemong Road.

Photo from The Wolf 101.05 archives

The first song the Wolf played on their launch was "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin.

The studios were originally located on Television Road on Television Hill before moving to the corner of King and George in Downtown Peterborough on February 1st, 1999.

Photo from The Wolf 101.05 archives

Their longest running event is the Three Loonies on the Street broadcast in support of Kawartha Food Share and Corus Feeds Kids. Over the past 16 years, The Three Loonies in conjunction with 101.5 The
Wolf, CKRU (currently 100.5 Fresh Radio) and CHEX Peterborough have raised more than 1.3 million dollars.

They will be holding an on-air concert on the 14th from 10 a.m. to midnight called Wolfstock 25: The Wolf’s 25th Anniversary Celebration that will feature 25 of the biggest bands on the planet.

Photo from The Wolf 101.05 archives

The Wolf will also be hosting a meet n’ greet on the 14th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Centre Court at Lansdowne Place, and will be offering listeners free birthday cake and the chance to win some great prizes.

Three Days Grace (Photo from The Wolf 101.05 archives)

PTBOCanada.com wishes our friends at the Wolf a Happy 25th!

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Two Dishes Cookshop To Be Featured On Hit Canadian Food Network Show "You Gotta Eat Here!"

Peterborough's Two Dishes Cookshop & Catering (261 Charlotte St.) is going to be featured on an upcoming episode of the hit Food Network Canada show You Gotta Eat Here!

See this Instagram photo by @twodishes * 68 likes

Promoting restaurants across our great country, the show features the owners, talks to customers, and shows how signature dishes are created at incredible restaurants across our great land.

This will be great promotion for Two Dishes Cookshop, the downtown and Peterborough, and Two Dishes is soon going to be able to dawn the awesome You Gotta Eat Here! sticker in its window.

What dish they will have featured on the show is yet to be known but we're looking forward to watching some behind the scenes footage of one of this city's best locally owned restaurants.

Photo via Two Dishes Catering Facebook page

Photo via Two Dishes Catering Facebook page

Filming takes place Thursday, June 16th and Friday, June 17th at Two Dishes so it will be closed on those days for deelicious reasons.

—post by Aaron Elliott

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