The Boro Announces Wild Rock Outfitters As Holiday Window Contest Winner

The Boro announced on Wednesday that Wild Rock Outfitters placed first in their annual Holiday Window Contest.

Wild Rock Outfitters staff members Bridget Moore (left) and Rachel Dean (right) celebrating their winning window. Photo courtesy of The Boro.

“This holiday season has been all about community, getting outdoors, and supporting each other. Our staff brought their fabulous ideas and talents together to create a beautiful expression of just that, and we're so happy they'll be rewarded for their efforts. We are so grateful to have a team filled with so much enthusiasm, skill, and love,” said Tori Silvera, Wild Rock General Manager. “Thanks Peterborough, and have a wonderful holiday, whatever you're celebrating."

This year’s winners are:

1st place — Wild Rock Outfitters, 169 Charlotte Street

2nd Place — Statement House, 378 Water Street

3rd Place — Green Street, Shop, 237 George Street

The top three winners will be receiving $1,000, $500, and $200 for their winning windows. Locals voted online for their top three holiday window displays throughout the contest period from November 19 to December 6.

“It feels very festive downtown right now thanks to the creativity of our brilliant shop owners. This year’s theme was Holiday Cheer and our businesses curated wonderfully cheery holiday window displays this season,” said Terry Guiel, DBIA Executive Director. “It’s incredible to see the community rally behind our small businesses. Over 2,400 votes were cast throughout the contest, and we are just blown away by the local enthusiasm for this program.”

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The Boro Announces First Holiday Shopping Passport Early Bird Winner

Derek Banville has won The Boro’s first Holiday Shopping Passport early bird draw of 2021.

Derek Baneville with Wild Rock Outfitters owner Scott Murison. Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA.

Banville’s completed Holiday Shopping Passport was drawn on Dec. 1 at The Pasta Shop located at 165 Sherbrooke St. in downtown Peterborough.

Banville’s winning passport came from Wild Rock Outfitters, where he purchased a new bike for his son’s November birthday. Derek was granted his $500 Boro gift card prize by shop owner Scott Murison at Wild Rock Outfitters on Dec. 2.

“My family loves shopping at Wild Rock. It’s our go-to place for camping gear. We are so grateful to win the first Holiday Shopping Passport draw of the year- and can’t wait to add a little more adventure under the tree this holiday season with our prize money,” said Banville.

Locals are encouraged to pick up a Holiday Shopping Passport at any one of the 150+ participating shops, boutiques, salons, restaurants, and cafes in downtown Peterborough. Each completed Holiday Shopping Passport increases the chance to win up to $1,500 in Boro gift cards.

With the holidays currently in full swing- there are still lots of opportunities to win BIG this festive season with two more $500 early bird draws coming up this December and the $1,500 grand prize in early January:

Early Bird #2 — $500, Dec. 8.

Early Bird #3 — $500, Dec. 15.

Grand Prize — $1,500, Jan. 12.

During Holiday Passport season shoppers receive a stamp every time they spend $10 at a participating downtown business. When a passport is filled (20 stamps), Passport holders simply complete the contact form located at the bottom of their passport and drop it off at a ballot box at any participating business.

Eager stamp collectors are welcome to collect free stamps at the Peterborough Public Library, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Visitors Centre, and the Boro Holiday Hub (located at 373 George St.)

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Hobby Shop Welcomes Gaming Community Back For In-Store Play

Local hobby store Dueling Grounds is open again for in-store play, welcoming its tight-knit community back together after a long separation due to COVID-19.

Wayne Mittelstaedt (pictured) opened Dueling Grounds in Toronto for over a decade before moving to Peterborough. The store had its grand opening in town on July 2, 2017. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

The store is located at 304 George St N Unit 200 and holds the largest selection of new and used tabletop games in Peterborough.

Since its opening in 2017, players have flocked to the store to play games such as Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Pokémon and Warhammer.

When the pandemic hit, owner Wayne Mittelstaedt closed the store and quickly shifted to curbside pickup and delivery only.

“My passion has always been to create a community, bring people together and to play games. That’s why I opened the store,” said Mittelstaedt. “To lose that part of the business was really disheartening. It was a real struggle just to stay open. We were just trying to survive.”

The store has ran several charity events such as food drives and cancer fundraisers. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

When restrictions lifted and he was able to reopen the store to shoppers, he was hesitant to invite gamers in for play. As someone who is immunocompromised, he was unsure how safe he felt re-opening.

“We’ve had some setbacks. We’re re-opening a lot later than a lot of other places,” he said. “ The space itself is working against us because we’re a unit inside of another so we don’t have windows we can open. We have to now rely on the AC units for airflow.”

Solomon Skuljicak (left) and Joshua Butcher (right) playing the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game at the store’s weekly tournaments. The store hosts several weekly events and tournaments for several card and tabletop games. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The store officially re-opened for in-store play on Nov. 18.

“It filled my heart with a little bit of joy that had been missing,” reflected Mittelstaedt.

Building the community is more important than the games themselves according to the hobby store owner.

“This place brings together a gaming community,” said Mittelstaedt. “I’ve had more than one person say they’ve met their significant other here, I even had one person invite me to their wedding.”

Mittelstaedt’s main goal is to create a space where anyone feels comfortable.

“I’ve always considered the community I build as a safe space for everyone,” he said. “I have a place here where anybody is welcome and they feel included, safe and supported.”

The store is now open for in-person shopping, in-person play and can be booked for gaming events in advance.

Hours for in-store shopping are Tues.–Wed. 12:00-7:00 p.m., Thurs.-Fri. 12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

For event times, visit Dueling Grounds Facebook page.

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The Boro Opens Holiday Hub Downtown To Spread The Christmas Magic

A new festive pit stop for holiday shoppers has opened downtown Peterborough, to brighten the streetscape along George Street between Simcoe and Hunter.

Elves will wrap gifts at the Holiday hub every Friday. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Located in the former Pensieri Shoe store at 373 George St., the pop-up Holiday Hub will provide complimentary gift-wrapping services for all downtown shoppers.

With two ‘elves’ on scene, any shopper with a gift purchased downtown (receipt required) can get that gift wrapped every Friday from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. until Dec. 17.

The new hub will also host a local toy drive in support of the Salvation Army and The Children’s Foundation. Visitors are also invited to take a selfie with the Grinch of George Street, painted by local artist Tim Wales and colour a picture of their own.

“We wanted placemake this space and turn it into a space where people could gather and enjoy all the magic that is the holidays, while getting some perks for shopping downtown,” said Hillary Flood, Peterborough DBIA. “We also will be turning it into a holiday market where you can enjoy a slew of local art vendors that will be happening on December 11 and 18.”

Initially, the Holiday Hub was initialized by The Boro as a ‘placemaking’ initiative to help animate a section of George Street that was under construction.

While the construction wrapped up sooner than anticipated the Holiday Hub will still act as a place to enjoy the holiday season.

“The idea behind it all is that when you have closed store fronts it can make the downtown feel kind of drab. So this is the first model of a positive intervention where we take over a store front for whatever reason and turn it into something that people want to gather in.”

The space being used for the Holiday Hub was donated to The Boro by Gentry Apparel, who own the building.

The Holiday hub will be open Fridays 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday Dec 11 and 18 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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Tonic Karaoke Searches for New Owner to Carry on Legacy

Tonic Karaoke, a popular karaoke bar on George Street, is looking to pass the mic on to a new owner and Jason Gravel is hoping he will be the one to take over.

Jason Gravel and his daughter Emilia. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Tonic Karaoke, Peterborough’s only private-room karaoke bar, has been in operation for over ten years. They offer eight private rooms for parties as well as a lounge area and bar for guests.

“Unlike a lot of bars there’s a major therapeutic part to Tonic - there’s research on it. The act of going up and singing a song that speaks to you, and putting emotion behind it - it’s extremely cathartic. For some people this is more than just a bar it is a form of therapy.”

Gravel says that he, along with the other patrons, hopes that the bar will stay in ‘the family’ of dedicated regulars.

“It’s a very accepting group,” he said. “They’re all accepted equally because we love the music and the atmosphere. There’s no judgement on age, race, sexuality, everyone’s welcome as long as you’re respectful, it’s always been a safe space for any one of any type.”

Owners Greg and Mira McClenaghan went public with the sale of Tonic Karaoke earlier this month, after government restrictions enforced on their establishment encouraged them to pursue other ventures.

“When we get ready to go back to normal what’s going to be left?,” said Gravel. “We’ve lost the Twisted Wheel we’ve lost Hot Belly Mama’s and Old Stone, Pete’s is gone. What is really left of downtown at this point?”

To donate to the ‘Keep Tonic in the Family’ click here.

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Downtown Peterborough Gets the Green Thumb With Launch of Green Team

One City Peterborough has added a new horticultural team, called the “Green Team” to make downtown Peterborough a cleaner and more welcoming community hub for everyone this summer announced in a press release on Tuesday.

One City Peterborough’s Employment Program began in 2018. Photo Courtesy of DBIA.

The team cares for all the planters and some green spaces downtown. that came with the new pop-up patio project. The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) purchased all the botanicals for this summer’s streetscape including flowers for 75 large patio planters and another 31 painted flower pots.

“This is an exciting extension of our strong partnership with One City Peterborough and it offers an excellent opportunity to help some of the most vulnerable people in our downtown,” says Terry Guiel, DBIA executive director. “We’re looking forward to seeing the Clean and Green Team downtown, showing their downtown pride and we hope you will give them a wave when you see them.”

Workers will be able to explore the world of urban horticulture as they learn how to care for the many plants in Downtown Peterborough.

 "One City is excited to once again partner with the DBIA to offer opportunities for employment, community engagement, and care for the downtown,” said Jenny Bloom, One City Peterborough’s Employment Program Facilitator. “Our employees take pride in contributing to the beautification of downtown and this new Green Team will have them doing just that while also gaining new skills in gardening, and spending time outdoors.  We can't wait to see the positive impact this program has on our community."

“Congratulations to the Peterborough DBIA on expanding their partnership with One City Peterborough and introducing the new Green Team program,” says Diane Therrien, Peterborough mayor. “Thank you to all of the volunteers and members of the DBIA and One City Peterborough for introducing this exciting project and all of your work to keep Downtown Peterborough clean, vibrant and a destination to enjoy great local food and shopping.”

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Explore Downtown With The New "The Boro" $1,000 Gift Card Giveaway

PTBOCanada wants the community to explore Downtown Peterborough with “The Boro” gift cards and we are doing a giveaway to help promote all our wonderful local businesses.

PTBOCanada purchased $1000 in “The Boro” gift cards to support our community and is teaming up with the Downtown Business Improvement Association (DBIA) to give away 10 gift cards worth $100 each starting this Wednesday (March 3rd)! It can be used at over 100 different stores in the downtown area to 10 lucky winners!

Every day, we will post a picture of a downtown business on PTBOCanada Instagram and Facebook pages, so make sure to follow those pages if you’re not. Fans can guess the location in the comments where the picture was taken. One randomly chosen fan will win a $100 gift card daily.

The old paper gift certificate (above) has been replaced with a plastic gift card (below) since December of 2020. The new method allows businesses to be paid immediately compared to leaving a difficult paper trail to track down sales. Photo by David Tuan Bui, PTBOCanada

The old paper gift certificate has been replaced with a new gift card that is easier to use and fits better in your wallet or purse. The card was introduced in early December of 2020. It has sold more than $80,000 that has circulated back into Downtown Peterborough. This was a major jump in sales compared to the annual $30,000 that the paper gift cards made according to Hillary Flood, DBIA Communications Manager.

“Through this program, we're seeing every day that it hasn't slowed down since the holidays,” she said. “People are wanting to support small businesses and shop local and they're seeing this gift card as a gift of possibility.”

More than 100 stores and services can be used with the gift card. Over 30 stores accept it through online shopping. Photo courtesy of the DBIA.

You can purchase the cards at the DBIA on 313 Water St, Peterborough, just across from ServiceOntario.

“Especially in these times, people really do feel good about supporting downtown businesses,” said Flood. “This is an easy, low-barrier way to facilitate that.”

Hillary Flood, DBIA communications manager (left) and Kirtus Evoy, PTBOCanada owner (right), celebrate their partnership to promote Downtown Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan Bui, PTBOCanada

The DBIA office is open from Monday to Friday with business hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can contact them at (705) 748-4774. There is a minimum purchase of $25. The cards are 100% recyclable but not reloadable (yet).

“People can take that card and explore downtown in a whole new way,” said Flood. “We’re excited to see how this transforms the way people shop downtown.”

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Watch: Melissa Payne In Downtown Peterborough Covering "Downtown" By Matt Mays

This song produced by Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor was recorded live in downtown Peterborough. It's from Melissa Payne's High and Dry album.

[via YouTube]

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