Peterborough's Rosalea Terry Just Rocked Disney World For The First Time Ever

At the beginning of May, I embarked on a magical adventure to Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the first time ever—as an adult!

From Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom to the beers of the world at Epcot Pavilion, Disney was everything that I had imagined and more. All the while remembering the No. 1 travel rule of Peterborough as my boyfriend and I did: never leave home without your Peterborough Northern Originals tees.

The magic of Disney! 🏰✨

See this Instagram photo by @rosapearlterry * 14 likes

Rock'n'rollin in our @ptbonorthernoriginals at the Aerosmith ride! 🎸

See this Instagram photo by @rosapearlterry * 16 likes

After admiring the architectural detail of Main Street USA and being greeted by an extravagant parade hosted by everyone's favorite Disney characters— including my personal fave, Ariel—I felt like I became part of their world.

Every other float I have ever seen in my lifetime pales in comparison to the rides here. The first ride that we hopped on was the infamous Splash Mountain.

That's us in the back row in the below pic—you can't really miss us. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Epcot World Showcase was a sightseeing adventure condensed into an amazing theme park that started in Canada and ended in Mexico.

Disney Springs at night

Seeing Canada through the eyes of Disney at Epcot Pavilion was hilarious—maple syrup, hockey sticks and beer.

Martin Short narrated a short film O'Canada in Circle Vision highlighting the natural beauty of our country. Sadly, no mention of Peterborough.

We also totally rocked the water parks there...

The view from the chair lift heading to the top of Blizzard Beach

Right before the typhoon got us at Typhoon Lagoon

I didn't realize I was headlining on May 5th at Disney World until I entered the Aerosmith studio at Rock'N'Roller Coaster and saw the poster. The Disney smart band had personalized my vacation down to the last detail.

As a roller coaster fanatic and adrenaline junkie, the Rock'N'Roller Coaster Aerosmith ride was by far my favorite.

Boasting an impressive acceleration speed of 0 to 92 km per hour in 2.8 seconds while blasting Aerosmith tunes, it provided a true VIP rock and roll Disney experience.

Disney is a place where you never outgrow the vacation. As an adult visiting Disney, I could truly appreciate how technologically advanced and innovative every aspect of the theme park was offered.

It's light-years (wink, wink) ahead of what I thought it would be...

I began the trip as an adult and when I left, I felt childlike with excitement—all thanks to the magic of Disney!

—By Rosalea Terry

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That Magical Session On Stoney Lake With Ronnie Hawkins, Gordon Lightfoot & Kris Kristofferson

UPDATED POST (August 16th, 2016): It has been unveiled on Kris Kristofferson's Facebook page that their magical collaboration that weekend on Stoney Lake was "Me & Bobby McGee". You can buy it here.

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ORIGINAL POST (May 12th, 2016)

By all accounts, it was a magical couple of days in early May on Stoney Lake near Peterborough that no one who was there will ever forget.

Music icons Ronnie "The Hawk" Hawkins, Gordon Lightfoot and Kris Kristofferson gathered at The Hawk's sprawling Hawkstone Manor Estate overlooking majestic Stoney Lake in the Kawarthas for a secret recording session in the Hawkstone studio—the specific details of which no one will divulge yet.

Front row: Gordon Lightfoot, Ronnie Hawkins & Kris Kristofferson. Back row: Robin Hawkins (The Hawk's son), Ryan Weber, James McKenty & Sam Weber. Photo by Leah Hawk, Facebook page

Many local musicians—including the Weber Brothers, James McKenty from The Spades, Melissa Payne, Karl "Kawartha Karl" Lawson and more—were also there, along with The Hawk's kids Robin and Leah, and some members of the Sadies and Blue Rodeo.

"We were fortunate enough to be part of a historical moment," Sam Weber, one of the hired session musicians, tells PTBOCanada, adding "We were asked to keep what went on pretty much under wraps until further notice."

Photo by The Weber Brothers, Facebook page

What we do know is that a special song was recorded.

"3 Pals who happen to be Legends!!! Lightfoot Hawkins and Kristofferson!! What a song they recorded, last 2 days!! Can't disclose what CLASSIC HIT it is. All in good time!!!," Leah Hawk, The Hawk's daughter, said on a Facebook post.

Photo by The Weber Brothers, Facebook page

Imagine being a fly on the wall for this recording session with these legends The Hawk, Kristofferson and Lightfoot...

Photo by The Weber Brothers, Facebook page

Melissa Payne had this to say to PTBOCanada about being there: "It was an honour and a privilege to watch these three legends not only immersed in one another's company but to watch them come so Alive with their shared passion for the music."

Photo by The Weber Brothers, Facebook page

Kawartha Karl, who is good friends with The Hawk, even had the chance to have his guitar autographed by Gordon Lightfoot...

Karl Lawson and Gordon Lightfoot (photo by Eric Kelso Mckibbon, Facebook)

We can hardly wait to see the result of this music collaboration.

—By Neil Morton

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Quentin Has A New Little Buddy At The Zoo From Edmonton

The Riverview Park & Zoo has welcomed a new addition.

Yao-Ming (or "Awesome"), their new yearling Sichuan takin, just arrived from the Edmonton Valley Zoo.

Yao-Ming

Now Yao-Ming just had his first meeting with Quentin Takin-tino—who came to the zoo back in 2014 from Assiniboine Park & Zoo in Winnipeg—and Yao-Ming appears to be a little nervous.

Yao-Ming and Quentin meeting

They're both kind of figuring each other out...

But the zoo tells PTBOCanada everything is going well between them so far, and we're sure they'll be besties in no time.

Heck, they're already posing for the camera (selfies could be next, and a Twitter account)...

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A Big Mac For Fort Mac: Local McDonald's Helping Fort McMurray Families

UPDATE: May 10th, 2016 -> The Big Mac For Fort Mac is going across Canada. "An Every Big Mac Supports Fort Mac fundraiser is happening across the country this coming Friday through Sunday," Adam Grachnik, External Communications Manager with McDonald's, tells PTBOCanada. "A number of guests and franchisees, including in Peterborough, came forward with similar ideas. We’re donating $1 from the sale of every Big Mac purchased in every one of our 1,400 restaurants across the country over the three days to the Red Cross."

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ORIGINAL POST

Local Peterborough area McDonald's restaurants have stepped up bigtime, with one dollar from every Big Mac sold going to help the relief efforts for the people of Fort McMurray.

This amazing "Big Mac For Fort Mac" news comes via our friends from The Wolf...

Photo via The Wolf

As one Fort McMurray evacuee remarked on The Wolf Facebook page, "As a former resident of Ptbo & current evacuee of Fort McMurray this makes my heart swell ❤️ Please go have a Mac for the Mac!"

Another Fort Mac evacuee had this to say: "Peterborough born and raised, but now I'm here back from the Mac after 4 days on the run. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that every little bit helps. We have our cats and the shirts on our back, but we are still fortunate and lucky to be home."

$1 from every Big Mac sold Ptbo area @McD_Canada locals goes to @redcrosscanada supporting Fort MacMurray families in need #BigMacForFortMac

— Carey Walker (@CWalker1015) May 6, 2016

A local McDonald's employee tweeted at us about how kind a gesture this is for the local franchise owners to do this...

'A Big Mac for Fort Mac' Our generous boss is donating $1 from every BigMac sold to help Fort Mac families. @Ptbo_Canada

— Vada Nelson (@vada_nelson) May 6, 2016

The locations involved are in Peterborough, Lakefield, Lindsay and Bancroft, but we hope to see this spread to other franchises across Canada.

Spread the word. And buy a Big Mac.

[Related: There's A Little Bit Of Fort McMurray In All Of Us]

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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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