Here Is The Peterborough Musicfest 2016 Lineup For 30th Anniversary Season
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There's A Little Bit Of Fort McMurray In All Of Us
/When you see the images in Fort McMurray, Alberta, you see pure devastation. It's been called a catastrophe, an apocalypse, an inferno, a horror movie, a multi-headed monster, a worst kind of nightmare—whatever you want to call it, this massive wildfire looks like pure hell.
And you watch the images on TV and social media, and hear what people are saying who have lost everything, and hear their distraught fire chief and exhausted firefighters, and you can feel their pain. Everyone is safe so far thank god, but man the destruction you see is almost unfathomable. And you look at that community of Fort McMurray and then you look inward a little about the stuff you have—your own house, belongings, car, family, pets, community.
[photo above via @cbc]
Fort McMurray's population is pretty darn similar in size to Peterborough, and you see the impact this fire is going to have there on homes and businesses and schools and infrastructure and such. Ten thousand hectares have been burned, over 1,600 structures destroyed—and there is no sign the damn fire is abating.
The whole community has been evacuated, like around 80,000 people—and a state of emergency has been called. And you're just thinking, This is nuts. Absolute nuts. Unimaginable. It can't be happening. What can be done? How can we help? How do we fix things?
[photo above via @cbc]
Peterborough went through a devastating flood in 2004, and we remember first-hand what it's like to see a community go through so much destruction. The national spotlight was on us back then, and Canada got behind this city to help however it could.
But when you look at Fort McMurray, you're like, Holy Shit. You wonder about what the tens of thousands of people forced from their homes into work camps and temporary shelters will have to go back to. And you wonder, what the heck can you do? That's what a lot of people are talking about right now.
[photo above via @StormhunterTWN]
The Canadian Red Cross needs all the donations you can give, but you also just want to load up your truck or vehicle and drive to Alberta and help these people. Just hug them even. It's hard not to feel their pain. Their nightmare doesn't end tomorrow or the day after. They're living it in this moment.
The rebuilding will happen, sure, but right now all you can see and feel is the destruction. And your heart hurts for them.
—By Neil Morton
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The Hero Of Hunter Street Playing This Summer At 4th Line Theatre
/Millbrook renowned outdoor theatre 4th Line Theatre is showing the world premiere of Maja Ardal’s The Hero of Hunter Street this summer for its first production of the season.
This will be one of the most ambitious, epic productions that 4th Line Theatre—celebrating its 25th anniversary season—has ever produced.
The Hero of Hunter Street tells the story of the December 1916 Quaker Oats factory explosion and fire—its 100 anniversary is this year—in Peterborough that killed 23 men and irrevocably changed the lives of local families.
This highly anticipated play—which has been in development for four years—examines the devastating destruction and profound community response to one of Canada’s worst industrial disasters.
Photo by Rebekah Littlejohn Photography
Examining the nature of heroism and the rebuilding of a community, this emotionally riveting production features a large cast of professional and community actors, unforgettable musical numbers and explores how lives are rebuilt in the face of tragedy.
This tale of one of the most significant events in the history of Peterborough is the perfect way for 4th Line to celebrate 25 years of regionally-focused, life-changing theatre.
The Hero of Hunter Street runs June 28th to July 23rd at 4th Line Theatre. Get your tickets here.
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Peterborough Principal Live Tweets His Day In The Life At A School
/St. John Catholic Elementary School Principal Andy Sawada is doing a really neat experiment on Wednesday (May 4th), taking us inside the life of a principal—and school—by live tweeting his day.
Using the hashtag #dayinthelifeoftheprincipal, Sawada is giving his followers a fascinating window into his day.
Principal Sawada with a student
"This idea came up last week when one of my friends asked me what I do during the day," Sawada tells PTBOCanada. "Many people have an idea of what the principal role is, but the principal role has changed immensely since you and I went to school. So, I thought of live tweeting my day, which can be a challenge, but I usually tweet out school happenings at the @StJohnPVNC handle. Additionally, I thought that this could be a transparent way of showing and sharing what my job entails."
Here are some of his tweets so far...
Why You Might See Fog Coming Out Of Sewers In Peterborough
/If you see fog coming out of city sewers, well it's not filming for a horror movie or anything.
Rather, the City of Peterborough is working with Cole Engineering Group Ltd. to identify sources of rain water entering the sanitary sewers and develop a plan to reduce these flows.
Photo Courtesy City of Peterborough
The sanitary sewer system takes wastewater from houses, businesses, and industries to the treatment plant for treatment before being discharged into the river. Inflow and infiltration occurs when rain and ground water enters the sanitary sewers through cracks or holes in the pipe network or other connections such as catch basins or roof downspouts
This increased volume reduces the capacity of the sanitary sewer pipe network and the treatment plant. This also increases the risk of overloading the pipe network and potential basement flooding.
How The Sewer Testing Works...
-> To identify sources of inflow and infiltration, Cole Engineering is conducting a sewer fog testing program from the beginning of May until the end of August 2016.
-> The fog test consists of blowing a harmless coloured vapour into City sewer manholes and pipes and observing where the fog exits from the system.
-> The fog is expected to exit primarily out of manholes on the street and the sewer plumbing stack at the top of your house. It is also possible for fog to exit stormwater catch basins and downspouts on your house.
-> The fog used in the test has no odour, isn’t harmful to your health, and will disappear after a few minutes.
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Holy Cross Students Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Event Was A Thing Of Beauty
/[***UPDATE: YWCA tells PTBOCanada that the total amount raised for the Holy Cross Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event is $2,383.25—surpassing their goal of $2,000! Awesome!!]
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This year's Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event for YWCA takes place May 27th, but in the build up to the big day many local schools—Holy Cross, Crestwood and Kenner—are hosting their own special events to raise money and awareness among students.
On a beautiful Tuesday (May 3rd), Holy Cross students and staff hosted a great day at their school to show their support for Walk a Mile and promote healthy relationships.
More than 50 staff and students participated, walking four laps on the school track in heels.
Eileen Kimmett was there and snapped these great photos...
There were also great tweets throughout the Walk a Mile event at the school...
The day was further proof that youth in our community—the next generation to make an impact—are amazing.
[Related: 10 Things You Should Know About 2016 Walk A Mile In Her Shoes]
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$11,000 Raised At 2016 Walk So Kids Can Talk In Peterborough
/Despite a rainy first day of May, almost 100 walkers turned out for the 2016 Walk So Kids Can Talk supporting Kids Help Phone on Sunday morning.
The James Strath Public School Drumline provided entertainment as walkers registered...
Photo by Daniel Morris
Kids Help Phone is a free, anonymous confidential counselling and information service for young people—an invaluable resource for them.
At Sunday's event, there were many great volunteers, including Justine, a first-time volunteer pictured below...
Photo by Daniel Morris
People of all ages came out to support this amazing cause, which raised more than $11,000 for Kids Help Phone.
That included a younger walker sporting a cape on the route...
Photo by Daniel Morris
After the walk, Boston Pizza was kind enough to donate pizza for participants...
Photo by Daniel Morris
