Peterborough Folk Festival News: Submission Deadline & Band Promotion 101 Workshop Coming Up!

Memories of the 2010 PFF. The deadline for performer submissions to the 2011 Peterborough Folk Festival is February 28th, and submission guidelines can be found on PtboFolkFest.com. 

PFF receives more than 1,000 submissions from artists around the world each year, and is known Canada-wide for breaking new acts. Coming off a highly successful 2010 PFF, this year's PFF takes place Friday, August 26 to Sunday, August 28, 2011—so mark it on your calendars!

PFF Artistic Director Candace Shaw, who PtboCanada spotlighted last year in this Q&A, is also hosting a Band Promotion 101 workshop on February 2 at Sadleir House in Peterborough. Designed with the emerging artist in mind, Shaw draws on her many years of experience in the music industry to help up-and-coming artists understand the art of self-promotion. Cost is only $10, and participants must register at PtboFolkFest.com.

[Peterborough Folk Festival; PtboCanada Interview: Candace Shaw, Artistic Director of Peterborough Folk Festival; 2010 Peterborough Folk Festival]

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PCVS Start Website And Facebook Page To Bring Attention To Its Possible Closure

With the recent news that one of Adam Scott, Kenner, TASSS and PCVS will likely be closing due to plummeting enrollment at those schools, it should come as no surprise that the schools would try to build awareness—and drum up support—for why their school should remain open.

PCVS has recently launched both a Facebook page and website, Peterborough Needs PCVS, to educate the public about what's happening, and what they can do to get involved. 

This will most certainly be a controversial, heated process determining the fate of one of our schools—and one of the biggest stories in Peterborough this year—so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. The school board has a series of community meetings starting next month that are sure to be packed.

[Related: One (Or More) Of Peterborough's High Schools May Close]

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Learn All About Habitat for Humanity Peterborough At Upcoming Sessions

Our local branch of Habitat for Humanity will be holding information sessions over the next few months as a way to promote community involvement and answer any questions you may have on how and what you can do to volunteer with the organization.  

There are many volunteer positions that are available for those who wish to play an active role with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Last fall, Habitat completed three more homes in Peterborough.

You can also follow Habitat for Humanity Peterborough on Twitter @habitatpd.

[Habitat for Humanity Peterborough]

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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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]

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]

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Christmas Miracle Broadcast This Weekend At Lansdowne Place

The Christmas Toy Drive wraps up this Saturday (December 11th) with the Christmas Miracle Broadcast live at Lansdowne Place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is still time to donate your new, unwrapped toy at drop-off locations throughout the Patch. 

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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Good Cause: Donating To "Samaritan's Purse" At Peterborough EMS

The past few years, I have made it a tradition to fill a Samaritan's Purse: Operation Child shoebox. A well thought out trip to the dollar store along with some knitted slippers and my shoebox was quick to overflow this year.

I dropped off my box at the Peterborough EMS Headquarters on Saturday. When I went there to deliver it, I was greeted by a friendly paramedic. As he led the way to where the boxes were being collected, I could not believe my eyes when I saw boxes upon boxes ready to be shipped. What an overwhelming community response to such a wonderful cause.  

I will continue to do this donation every year, as I can only imagine the smiles on the children's faces on the other side of the world on the day those boxes that were packed with such care arrive for them to open.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

[Samaritan's Purse]

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