Some of the Stuff PtboCanada Has Covered This Year

So we started this blog all about Peterborough in May. And it's been fun. Really fun. Peterborough, you rock. In one long run-on sentence, here's some of the stuff we've covered since we launched about 8 months ago: 

We've covered the life of a Peterborough ER doctor, Jake's closure, The International Dragon Boat Festival, Reggie's HotGrill, a smoking dude on a bike during the gas leak, Have You Seen Video..., a rock star of posters, a guy who draws, a mural man, the Christmas Parade, the Canada Day Parade, the Arkells at the Red Dog, happy people, people lying down, an anti-bullying event, a breakfast program, a zombie crawl, a yarn shop, a snow sculpture, an email that was the talk of the mayoral race, the YWCA shelter, a cheesy store, a book store, a person who misses Peterborough, the CIBC Run for the Cure, a dude who called on a wrestler in the Memorial Centre parking lot, awesome bands, the Peterborough Folk Festival, Focus Fair, 3 Loonie event, the Old Stone Symphony, Dean Del Mastro yearbook pics, Jay Scotland and Lois Tuffin taking a dip, beaches, bars & restaurants, Peterborough Square in 1987, Sarah Harmer at the Gordon Best, Twitterborough, and a BIG garage sale.

Thanks to all our contributors and readers, and all those who have been tipping us and following us on Twitter. Please continue to spread the word about PtboCanada.

[Related: Video: Peterborough Year in Review]

PtboPic: The Lunar Eclipse Taken From Atop An Apartment Building In Downtown Peterborough

[Pic submitted by Paul W. Austin-Menear]

[Lunar eclipse]

Send your PtboPic to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

Jay Scotland Teams Up With Dave Devall For A Great Cause

Clockwise from left: Graham Hart, Wally Macht, Jay Scotland & Dave Devall

The Salvation Army have been setting up their Christmas Kettle Campaign annually for the past 118 years, with the first kettle in Canada operating from St. John's, Newfoundland in 1906.   

On Saturday (December 18th), CHEX TV's Jay Scotland and Graham Hart, along with former broadcaster Wally Macht and former CTV weatherman Dave Devall, were on hand at Lansdowne Place encouraging donations to one of the many kettles throughout the city.

Many folks gathered and listened to the festive music from The Salvation Army Canadian Brass Band, and placed a donation in the kettle. (You can also donate online.) 

[Words by PtboCanada's Julie Morris; picture by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

PtboPic: Snowman Dude Is Totally Ready To Hit The Slopes

Peterborough continues to bring it with the snow sculpture creativity with this one below on Bonaccord.

[Pic submitted by PtboCanada's Jeffrey Macklin]

Send your PtboPic to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

Peterborough Raises More Than $100,000 For Kawartha Food Share At 3 Loonie Event

The Wolf's TJ Connors broadcasting live at 3 Loonie event this morningCongrats Peterborough, you raised more than $100,000 for Kawartha Food Share this morning at the annual 3 Loonie event outside the studios of The Wolf and Kruz FM in downtown Peterborough. Amazing. Our city rocks.

[Picture by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

Spotlight: Needles in the Hay Yarn Shop Is The Place To Be For Knitters

With a strong passion for "all things wool," Bridget Allin moved to Peterborough with the impression that we had an existing yarn store. When she found out that the one here had recently closed, she killed two birds with one stone by creating a job for herself and opening a store of her own: Needles in the Hay.

Bridget found herself busy right from the get-go, as Peterborough is home to lots of organized knitting groups. "The reception to the store has been amazing as knitting is a hobby embraced by all ages," she says.

Bridget feels that knitting has been making a resurgence in recent years. With websites such as Ravelry (a site that lets you network with others and share knitting patterns) and KnittingHelp.com (for knitting explanations and techniques), knitting has become more accessible, she believes. More knitting conferences are starting to spring up as the culture starts to grow and people pay more attention to the materials of products and where they are sourced.

Although yarn is available from box stores, if you are looking for a natural fibre yarn or one with a luxury fibre in it (such as cashmere), Needles in the Hay is the place to be. Bridget's passion shows and she is very knowledgable. Classes will be added in 2011 to help people of any knitting or crocheting level. One of the classes will be a knitting refresher course as many people have tried knitting at some point in their life and just need a helping hand to get started again.

Needles in the Hay (705-740-0667) is located at 385 Water Street. It's open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays. For more info, email Bridget here.

[Words & Pictures by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

PtboPic: One Of The Awesomest Snow Sculptures We've Seen In The Patch

It's just off of Wallis, on Merino.

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

PtboPics: Focus Fair At The Spill

Jamie Campbell (@uniformgrey on Twitter) showing off her handmade BloopA wide variety of arts and crafts from Lucky Jackson (luckyjackson.etsy.com)

[Focus Fair]

[Pictures by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

PtboPic: The 115 Is A Royal Mess

And pretty much down to one lane. Avoid it.

Send your PtboPic to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

PtboPics: The New City Council Is In The House

Former mayors Sylvia Sutherland and Paul Ayotte were in attendance at the Inauguration of Peterborough City Council today. It should be an interesting and—hopefully—highly productive and transparent four years with Mayor Daryl Bennett and the new City Council, which is composed of a mix of rookies and seasoned veterans.

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.