PTBOCanada Featured Post: Trent University's Awesome Forensic DNA Summer Camp

PTBOCanada Featured Post: Trent University's Awesome Forensic DNA Summer Camp

Sponsored post by Trent University Forensic DNA Camp

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Meet The Peterborough Dentist Who Travels Around The World To See Pearl Jam

Peterborough dentist Edward Segura has to be one of the biggest Pearl Jam fans on the planet. Segura, who owns every Pearl Jam album ever made, has been to about 40 Pearl Jam concerts around the world.

"I clearly remember the day in 1991 when I first heard Pearl Jam," Ed tells PTBOCanada. "My then-girlfriend and current wife Christine and I were hanging out at my parents’ home in Toronto after spending a day record shopping on Yonge Street. I had purchased this band Pearl Jam’s debut record, Ten, as it was being touted as an incredible record from a young angry band with great music and social integrity. I had heard 'Alive' on the radio as it was on regular radio play at the time. As soon as the needle hit the record….well that was the beginning of a lifelong affair for me with this unparalleled band."

Ed with his son Aidan in Prague to see Pearl Jam in 2012

Segura travels around the world, often with his wife and two boys, Aidan and Liam, to go to Pearl Jam concerts—working his vacation schedule around them, and getting front row seats as much as possible.

"A live show by Pearl Jam must be experienced to truly appreciate just how good this band is," he says. "They never play the same set twice, and play on average 2:45-3 hours a night in a world where most big bands will play on average 1.5 hours!"

Seeing Pearl Jam in New Orleans in 2013

The first time Ed saw Pearl Jam perform live was at Lolapalooza on August 5th, 1992 at Barrie’s Molson Park—an unbelievable experience for a self-described "19-year-old grunge pissed-off kid."

"The energy is one I will never forget," Ed tells PTBOCanada. "The crowds during the '90s grunge era were very aggressive and there was a lot of crowd-surfing and slam dancing. You had your ripped jeans or jean shorts,  a T-shirt under your flannel shirt, long hair, and Doc Martens with wool socks. That was the uniform. As I have gotten older, I have noticed: (1) crowds are older, as is the band obviously; (2) that youthful aggression and disdain for everything no longer exists but the excitement of seeing them perform live is alive and well; and (3) the crowds are familial."

The Pearl Jam tour shirts Ed has collected over the years

After Lolapalooza, Ed would see them perform anywhere near/in Toronto, where he was living at the time, and over the years things have snowballed since moving to Peterborough.

"I have been guilty of planning family trips around Pearl Jam tours," Ed tells PTBOCanada. "In 2012, my son Aidan and I saw them twice in Berlin and in Prague."

Ed's son Aidan with the tambourine Eddie Vedder gave him at Berlin concert

Indeed, an amazing moment with Eddie Vedder happened at one of the Berlin shows. "I managed to get Aidan, who was 10 at the time, front row seats, and Eddie Vedder gave him his tambourine at the end of the show—which was an unforgettable event for both of us."

"We stayed at the Four Seasons Prague and didn’t realize the band was also staying there (we missed them)," Ed adds. "That family trip was awesome, and seeing them perform in Europe was the icing on the cake."

Wristband tickets Ed scored in 2014 for Detroit concert

Ed (to the left) of Eddie Vedder rocking out in Detroit, 2014

Ed has travelled to various Canadian and U.S. cities to watch them over the years: Hamilton, Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, New Orleans, New York, Detroit, Chicago, and somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin for their 20th anniversary shows.

Seeing Pearl Jam in Halifax, 2009

Seeing Bono and Eddie, 2005, Toronto

Over the past week alone, Ed's family went to Ottawa to watch them perform—then saw them twice in Toronto. "All three sets were three hours long and vastly different," Ed says. "Any hardcore fan will tell you that there are no two PJ shows that are alike, and that is the beauty of this band."

Ed with his son Aidan seeing Pearl Jam in Ottawa, 2016.

Rocking out to Pearl Jam in Toronto, 2016

Another concert pic from Ed at Pearl Jam's Toronto show, 2016

Ed is such a huge Pearl Jam fan that he plays their songs as part of this grunge/classic rock cover band, the Jobbers, he's in in Peterborough with four other local fortysomething guys. He also loves discussing Pearl Jam with his patients, and has been known to play their music during his operatories.

He also has a collection of 40 guitars in his basement, and would love to get one signed by members of Pearl Jam some day.

Seeing Eddie in Halifax, 2005

Next up for Ed and his Pearl Jam tour: This August, he and fellow Peterborough dentist Dr. Brian Smith along their wives will be going to see Pearl Jam perform at Wrigley Field in Chicago. "That will be insane," Ed says.

Oh, and Ed adds that there are much bigger Pearl Jam fans than him: "Believe it or not, there are way crazier fans than myself. I just read about a guy who saw his 1000th show!!!"

—By Neil Morton

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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.

See this Instagram photo by @rosapearlterry * 14 likes

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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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Taste Of Downtown Kicks Off Awesome Summer Event Season

PTBOCanada Featured Post: Taste Of Downtown Kicks Off Awesome Summer Event Season

Sponsored post by DBIA

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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 Bunch Of Peterborough Kids Had Life Changing Experience At A Tim Hortons Camp

A Bunch Of Peterborough Kids Had Life Changing Experience At A Tim Hortons Camp

When you a buy a coffee on Tim Hortons Camp Day, this is where it goes

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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."

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

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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