Watch: Peterborough Artist Jason Wilkins Creates Illustration That Was Retweeted By The Rock

It was a surreal week for Peterborough-based artist Jason Wilkins. He created an illustration that got retweeted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who has more than 13 million followers on Twitter…

I see you’re ready to play 👏🏾😂#Jumanji https://t.co/FZnf11saRd

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 14, 2019

The illustrator/caricaturist/muralist—check out his Instagram page here—was on the StudioPTBO podcast talking about what that experience was like, as well as giving practical advice for artists that are looking to build their brand on social media.

Illustration Jason Wilkins created

Watch the episode with Wilkins below in conversation with hosts Cody May and Neil Morton…

Listen to more StudioPTBO marketing podcasts here.

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Watch: Take A Tour Of Alex Bierk's Art Studio On "PTBOCanada" Show

On Episode 36 of PTBOCanada, we take a tour of the Hunter Street studio of artist Alex Bierk.

Alex Bierk in his studio: February 6th, 2018

In the show, our Neil Morton speaks with Alex about creativity, culture, melding art and commerce, upcoming projects, the opiod crisis, addiction recovery and how his late father, renown artist David Bierk, was a huge inspiration to him and his siblings…

Watch the episode below…

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A Peterborough Man Built An Awesome Backyard Curling Rink & Rocks For About $100, Eh

You hear a lot about backyard rinks but not backyard curling rinks. Well Aaron Kempf managed to MacGyver a mint one in his Peterborough backyard—all at a cost of only about $100.

Kempf fashioned lights across his backyard in the summer so he could ride his pump track—a type of off-road terrain for cycle sport—after his daughter went to bed, and the rink was a way to continue to take advantage of the lights throughout the winter and also a good excuse to get out of the house on winter nights. 

Below is his summer cycle track (the rink he built would be constructed on the opposite side of the yard)…

HOW HE MADE THE RINK

“Construction was as simple as I could make it,” says Kempf, who describes himself as “handyish” depending on what the project is and how good the YouTube videos are. “I came across this idea last year and wanted to give it a try. It is basically a landscaping project which I’m comfortable with as it has a high threshold for mistakes. We like having projects on the go so this was a pretty easy one to try.”

At first, Kempf tried just shoveling snow in order to make a rink outline but the first few snow falls they got in November and December all melted. “In early January, I bought a couple 1x4s and made a rough frame for the rink. I then spent a weekend spraying several thin coats of water,” he tells PTBOCanada.

Kempf says the 1x4s did not create a water tight seal so he chipped a bunch of ice from a couple puddles that had formed in the corners of the pump track and used that to fill the gaps. After that, he continued slowly flooding it.

“There were a few leaks along the way,” Kempf says. “Next year, I’ll probably build a sturdier frame and line it with plastic to keep our water usage down. After I had an even coat of ice across the whole rink and it was thick enough to walk on, I installed the rings.”

The outer blue rings are two round plastic tablecloths he got from Dollarama. Kempf measured so each ring was a foot wide and cut the excess off. The red rings are from a single rectangle plastic tablecloth—also from Dollarama. He cut it in half and freehanded two circles with a sharpie and a pair of scissors. After that, he set them on the ice and flooded overtop a few times.

The rink was made on the opposite side of the yard from the pump track

HOW HE MADE THE CURLING STONES

The rocks were made from two $1.25 metal bowls from Dollar Tree—”the bowls at Dollarama were twice the price and too tall,” says Kempf, who punched a hole through the top of half of them with a screwdriver and then cut out a rough circle with a jigsaw.

“I used construction adhesive to attach them together, filled them with concrete and inserted some threaded metal pipe for the handles. Once they were set I trimmed the handles so they wouldn’t stick out passed the edge of the bowl, inserted a small piece of foam on each handle and wrapped them in blue and red hockey tape.”

The last step in creating the rocks required cutting a slit out of foam backer rod with an razer blade and wrapping it around each rock.

“This is to minimize damage to the bowls when they hit each other as I’m not working with an actual chunk of granite like a real curling rock,” explains Kempf. “They are probably half the size and weight of regulation curling rocks but they work well with the dimensions of the rink (about 8’ by 30’).”

After all this ingenuity, it was time to chillax and throw the rocks in the tee (hopefully)…

AARON’S WIFE ALIX GIVING IT A TRY

The family has made good use of the rink thus far, including Aaron’s wife Alix and his folks who are in town from British Columbia for a couple weeks of visiting.

Aaron’s Dad

Kempf himself is no Olympic curler or anything—”I have curled once in my life before this, watched it on TV a few times, and course seen the Paul Gross classic Men with Brooms—but that’s besides the point.

He’s not the best skater so a traditional rink didn’t make sense, wanted to take advantage of Canadian winter, of having a backyard (“we moved from a Toronto apartment a few years ago so we are trying to make the most of it”), plus Google made it look relatively easy to build.

And if you build it, they will come…

Die-hard curlers, might say—as Kempf notes—that the ice isn’t perfect. “I didn’t try to pebble it, and anyone with actual curling skills would probably be irritated with the imperfections.”

But like any sport and any rink, you have to start somewhere. And why not hurry hard and sweep on your DIY backyard curling rink in Peterborough? 

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Jacob Rodenburg From Camp Kawartha... You Rock!

Jacob Rodenburg

Each month, PTBOCanada awards someone that is making a difference locally that you nominate. This month, Jim Moloney from the Riverview Park and Zoo gave a glowing shout-out to Jacob Rodenburg, Executive Director of Camp Kawartha (Environment Centre is at 2505 Pioneer Road in Peterborough and Camp Kawartha’s main site is at 1010 Birchview Road in Douro-Dummer).

Here’s what Jim had to say about Jacob…

“Jacob is the Executive Director of Camp Kawartha and a champion of environmental stewardship in our community. In addition to his inspired leadership at Camp Kawartha, he is the visionary and driving force behind the Pathway to Stewardship & Kinship project.

This is an incredible initiative to develop a community-based strategy intended to foster environmental stewardship in our youth. The project brought together representatives from both school boards and numerous other local conservation and educational organizations to brainstorm, research, and develop a community-wide, cooperative, and coordinated program of environmental education. The project has made great progress with a fully developed educational framework having been developed, with more than 40 local classes participating in pilot sessions, and dozens of local organizations and individuals providing support for the pilot. This project is just "freeking" amazing!”

— Jim Moloney

Know of an unsung hero who is makng a difference here in Peterborough? Nominate them for a “You Rock” award and they might receive a handmade token of their awesomeness!

—post and photo by Evan Holt

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OHL And AAA Petes To Honour Steve Richey For Contributions To Local Hockey

The OHL Peterborough Petes and Peterborough Minor Hockey Council “AAA” Petes have announced they will honour late scout, coach and mentor Steve Richey, who passed away on April 13th at age 54 as the result of a heart attack.

To honour their former scout, the OHL Petes have renamed their Education Fund Scholarship/Bursary Award after Steve. The award is given annually to a graduating PMHC player.

“Steve was a wonderful and valued part of our scouting staff for numerous years,” says Petes General Manager Mike Oke. “He was highly regarded in and made invaluable contributions to the Peterborough hockey community, and as such, we’re honoured to recognize him by renaming this award.”

Steve Richey

Steve gave back tirelessly to the sports community throughout his life, acting as a coach and mentor to many. In addition, The Peterborough Minor Hockey Council “AAA” Petes will honour Steve by re-naming their annual Midget tournament the Steve Richey Tournament of Champions.

“Every January for the past 12 years, the PMHC has hosted some of the top minor and major Midget teams, featuring players who are eligible for the OHL Priority Selection, that come to showcase their talent and skills for scouts,” says PMHC President and Petes alumnus Mike Martone. “We feel, as an organization, that it’s only fitting to rename our tournament in honour of Steve, who played his minor hockey in Peterborough, played in the OHL, and scouted for the Petes.”

The 2019 Steve Richey Tournament of Champions take place January 17th to 20th, 2019. For more information, click here.

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How A Peterborough Woman With A Prosthetic Got Her Fitting Paddle

Peterborough’s Rachel Quilty was born with a partial left arm and has lived with a prosthetic for most of her life. The 19-year-old, who is affiliated with War Amps, had always wanted to become a camp counsellor at Camp Oconto—an all-girls camp where she had spent many years as a camper.

With her prosthetic, she wasn’t able to complete level D instruction with a traditional paddle which she’d need to teach canoeing as a counsellor. After seeking advice from fellow camp counsellors and getting the word out, The Canoe Museum writes in a blog post how volunteers, retail business and organizations came together to make a paddle that worked for her.

Photo of Rachel with her fitted paddle courtesy Canoe Museum

THE ORIGINAL PROTOTYPES

“Wild Rock Outfitters donated a used paddle for the first prototype, in which a hole was added to accommodate the hook at the end of her prosthetic arm,” the Canoe Museum writes. More than 10 design prototypes were made over the next year to fit with Rachel’s prosthetic.

When Five Counties Children’s Centre asked Wild Rock if there was anyone they could recommend as this project evolved to find her the perfect fitting paddle, they suggested the Canadian Canoe Museum and that’s where volunteer Rick Schuett became involved.

Rachel and Rick at Canoe Museum

Rick, who has been creating custom canoe paddles for three decades, carves paddles on the second floor in the artisan exhibit area on Fridays. Rick’s first paddle for Rachel worked well, with its middle connector on the shaft for movement, but over time the constant pressure eventually broke it apart and the metal hook from her prosthetic wore down the wood on the paddle’s grip.

For the second paddle, the Canoe Museum says that “Rick re-designed the middle connector pieces with stronger materials that enabled the lower portion of the paddle to be mobile for more ease and control. In addition, he added a piece of metal to the paddle’s grip to prevent wear and tear from the hook.”

Photo courtesy Canoe Museum

HOW RACHEL USES THE PADDLE

-> Rachel puts the hook from her prosthetic arm through the hole in the grip and uses her right arm to move the bottom of the paddle.

-> The notch in the middle acts as the wrist she doesn’t have on her left hand and then she’s able to maneuver the paddle to perform various strokes.

With Rick’s expertise and dedication, he has given Rachel the means to accomplish her goals. The Canoe Museum says that in addition to becoming a camp counsellor, Rachel is working as a certified lifeguard and swim instructor at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre where she also uses the specialized paddle to teach swimming.

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A Trent University Nursing Student Is Trent Judo Club's First Female Black Belt

Trent University nursing student Sarah Miller has earned a tremendous honour, becoming Trent Judo Club’s first female black belt. The promotion was made by Sensei Tom Hino and the Trent Judo Club to Sarah, along with the assistance of Sensei Paul Teleki as her Uke partner, at Trent Athletics Centre on Monday (December 10th) evening.

Sarah Miller: “This black belt promotion is truly an honour.”

“This black belt promotion is truly an honour,” says Sarah. “I began Judo at three years old. I was taught discipline, courage, modesty and respect for my fellow Judoka. I learned very quickly that it’s not easy to win, and losing is sometimes harder. Competing at the Canadian Nationals was truly an honour and taking home the bronze medal was great but this milestone allowed me to remember why I love this sport so much. Judo is a part of my life and not a day goes by that I don’t remember what this great sport has taught me.”

Left to right: Eric Guy, Paul Teleki, Sarah Miller & Tom Hino

Sensei Tom Hino says Sarah’s promotion is significant for the following three reasons:

“1. The ratio of men and women is often one sided in Judo, therefore Sarah's black belt promotes positive role modeling for the girls in our Junior classes to be equals among genders.
2. Since the opening of our club in January 2011, we produced 5 Shodan (1st degree) black belt and 1 Ni-dan and Sarah’s accomplishment is a perfect addition to the team.

Sarah holding her Uke partner Paul

3. Sarah is a Trent U student with a heavy workload. Nevertheless she accomplished this feat which indicates Judo training can go hand-in-hand with academic success for all levels of study (from elementary to Ph.D.). Last year, we had a Master Degree student who got Ph.D. as well as his black belt and went on to become a professor at Queens.”

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Former PCVS Student's Documentary "Youth Unstoppable" To Headline Peterborough ReFrame Film Festival

Youth Unstoppable, a documentary film made by former PCVS student Slater Jewell-Kemker made to amplify youth voices against climate change, will be the opening night film headlining Peterborough’s ReFrame Film Festival at Showplace on Thursday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Jewell-Kemker say that climate change is “actually this incredible opportunity to change everything for the better.” It was while still a student at PCVS that she began her work as a filmmaker-activist chronicling the global youth movement, and most of her early work was made right here in Peterborough.

Slater Jewell-Kemker filming her documentary

Slater moved to the area from Los Angeles when she was 10 years old. “I love this area,” she says. “One of my very first short films, Peace Begins, screened at the ReFrame Film Festival, around the time I started this documentary. It always kind of stuck in my mind, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to come back here when I’m done with this film, to come back to my home area where I can bring my friends and have them see what I’ve been doing for the past ten years?’”

“Slater’s story shows us a way forward in a global crisis that often seems impenetrable, and I know it will foster critical discussion, action, and change amongst all who see it,” says ReFrame Creative Director Amy Siegel.

Scene from her documentary

ReFrame, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will showcase over 60 documentary films at downtown locations—including ten by local filmmakers. ReFrame runs January 24th-27th, 2019.

For more information on the ReFrame lineup and tickets, click here.

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Watch: Our "We Are PTBO" In Conversation With Reptile Enthusiast Jordan Leal From House Of Scales

PTBOCanada.com in collaboration with our spinoff agency StudioPTBO have launched a new Docu-Series called "We Are PTBO". The series spotlights ordinary citizens in the community who help make this city extraordinary.

Jordan Leal at House of Scales

The series is produced by Rob "Electric City" James from StudioPTBO. In this show, we chat with local business owner and reptile enthusiast, Jordan Leal, about all things community and reptilian.

Watch the episode below…

-> Watch the first episode here in conversation with Amino Yusuf.

-> Watch the second episode here in conversation with Wayne Ferguson.

Know someone that you think should be spotlighted in the series? Email Rob here.

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