Peterborough DBIA Looking to Crown Top Hot Chocolatier During Inaugural Hot Chocolate Fest Running Feb. 17 - 26

The quest to become the ‘Top Hot Chocolatier’ is on as Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (PTBO DBIA) is hosting their inaugural Hot Chocolate Fest while featuring 15 over-the-top creations announced on Monday morning.

18-month-old Jasmine Stoner is enjoying a raspberry white hot chocolate following the announcement of the Peterborough DBIA inaugural Hot Chocolate Fest taking place from Feb. 17 - 26. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The festival takes place from Feb. 17 - 26 where residents can vote online for their favourite hot chocolate creations by 14 businesses. Local menus throughout downtown feature the drinks on their menus to determine Top Hot Chocolatier. The winner earns bragging rights for the year and a hot chocolate-themed trophy.

PTBO DBIA has created a ‘Hot Chocolate Trail Map’ to let voters plan out their own hot chocolate crawl to try all 15 entries.

“We are proud to be working alongside our partners at the DBIA to support the new Hot Chocolate Fest,” said Joe Rees, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development director of tourism. “This initiative supports local restaurants and cafes during a traditionally slower period in the winter season and will encourage increased visitation and spending in the downtown.”

Entries include classically flavoured hot chocolates, to more outrageously delicious creations with some containing alcoholic chocolate beverages. Vegan and gluten-free entries are also included in the event.

A pop-up stand giving away free hot chocolate is being set up at the Peterborough Square front courtyard from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We want folks to vote to show their love and support for those local culinary creators and hopefully, by the end of ten days, we'll have a definitive answer as to who the top hot chocolatier is in Downtown Peterborough,” said Hilary Flood, PTBO DBIA communications and marketing manager.

Several drinks were demoed at the announcement with creations from Black Honey and Canoe Co. Café. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The following are the 15 entries from the 14 businesses:

• Black Honey (Matcha White Hot Chocolate)

  A decadent white hot chocolate drink infused with matcha green tea powder and toasted marshmallows.

• Black Honey (Mayan HOT Chocolate)

  This luxurious vegan hot chocolate creation infused with cayenne pepper and cinnamon is dressed to impress with a delicious, whipped cream topping, chili pepper and cocoa dust. This spicy hot chocolate is paired with spiced chocolate cookie-perfect for dipping. Vegan and gluten-free options are available.

• Naked Chocolate (Couverture Hot Chocolate)

  Celebrating a menagerie of high-quality couverture chocolate blends from around the world. Naked Chocolate is brewing up a lusciously thick hot chocolate.

• KitCoffee (Cinnamon Hot Chocolate)

  Homemade hot chocolate with house-made cinnamon syrup, whipped cream topping and sprinkled with Cocoa and cinnamon hearts.

• Dreams Café (Toasty Charms Hot Chocolate)

  Indulge in some nostalgia with this homemade hot chocolate, flavoured with toasted marshmallow syrup, whipped cream, marshmallow fluff and some lucky charms hit with the blow torch. 

• Turnbull Café (Fudge Brownie Raspberry Hot Cocoa)

  A delicious blend of rich dark chocolate infused with raspberries, topped with whipped cream and layered with chunks of espresso fudge brownie and fresh raspberries. It’s delicately drizzled in a blanket of pure chocolate sauce under a halo of cocoa snow.

• Champs Bar and Grill (“Hot” Chocolate Wings)

  Chef Jessie has put a unique and delicious spin on the classic Hot Chocolate using Champs’ signature, nostalgic wings for the adventurous hot chocolatier. Tossed in their infamous hot honey sauce and drizzled with a hearty layer of rich dark chocolate.

• Nateure’s Plate (S'more Martini, 19+)

  This extraordinary s'mores-inspired adult chocolate martini with Creme de Cocoa, Kahlua and Vodka. Featuring vegan vanilla hot chocolate, topped with a house-made marshmallow whip and Biscoff graham crumble.

• Agave by Imperial (Hot Churro-late)

  Warm up with this thick and creamy authentic Mexican hot chocolate made with cocoa and dark chocolate. Served with two cinnamon and sugar-topped churros made-to-order and perfect for dipping.

• Speak Easy Café (Breakfast of Chocolate)

  Speak Easy features a salted caramel hot chocolate with a chocolate and cookie rim, topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, candied chocolate bacon and a white chocolate sunny egg.

• The Black Horse Pub (Flanders Rum Cha Cha, 19+)

  Rich house-made hot chocolate with an ounce of Flanders rum chata topped with whipped cream and homemade toasted marshmallows infused with even more rum chata for good measure. Served with graham crackers dipped in chocolate.

• Milk + Tea (Bubble Pudding Chocolate)

  A creamy slush chocolate bubble tea with chewy tapioca, caramel pudding, topped with cream, Oreo bits and drizzled in caramel. Served with an egg bubble waffle slice.

• Dr. J’s (Amaretto and Chocolate Orange Hot-tail, 19+)

  This adult beverage features a luxurious house-made hot chocolate alongside Laura Secord chocolate vodka, Grand Marnier, French orange liqueur & Amaretto. Topped with toasted marshmallows and chocolate drizzle. Served with an almond wafer cookie for dipping.

• Canoe Co. Café (Raspberry White Chocolate)

  Dive into this beautiful white raspberry hot chocolate. Topped with whipped cream, raspberries and sprinkles. Served with steamed milk (of your choice) with lactose-free and vegan options available. Can be served hot or iced.

• Tragically Dipped Donut (Maple Mallow Hot Chocolate)

  Creamy from scratch hot chocolate house made with charred maple marshmallows freshly toasted to order.

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First Annual I ❤︎ Beer and Taco Festival Coming to The Peterborough Memorial Centre

Tickets are on sale now for the first annual Peterborough I ❤︎ Beer & Taco Festival at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on April 15.

photo courtesy of the peterborough memorial centre.

Join the festival for a night of beer, cider and spirit sampling, games, dancing and tacos; featuring 18 local vendors and 14 Ontario breweries and 2 distilleries.

Tokens are $2.50 and are used for food and drinks. They are available for purchase at the event by cash only.

All general admission tickets include an official 12 ounce I ❤︎ BEER sampling cup. Session number one will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and session number two from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.

General admission tickets start at $10 (plus applicable fees and taxes) and are on sale online, over the phone or in-person at the Grant Thornton Box Office. The Box Office is open for in person sales Wednesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Peterborough Memorial Centre notes that this is a 19+ event. Please drink responsibly.

Visit the 2023 Peterborough I ❤︎ Beer & Taco Festival event page for more information.

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Havelock Fire and Ice Festival Hosting Hockey Player Brigette Lacquette

The HBMProud Havelock Community Outdoor Rink is set to host the Fire and Ice festival; a free event featuring hockey player Brigette Lacquette on Feb. 11.

Photo courtesy of the Havelock Fire and Ice Festival.

From noon to 7 p.m., the Havelock Fire and Ice festival will have many family-friendly activities to enjoy, including ice carving, fire performers, a petting zoo, fireworks and more.

The festival will feature an appearance by hockey player Brigette Lacquette. Lacquette is the first First Nations hockey player to be named to Canada's National Women's Team.

Lacquette first joined the National Women's U18 Team in Aug. 2008, and went on to win silver and gold at the 2009 and 2010 IHF U18 Women's World Championships.

For more information on Havelock’s Fire and Ice festival, visit the rink’s Facebook page.

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ReFrame Film Festival Announces Complete Lineup of 2023 Films

The ReFrame Film Festival reveals a slate of over 60 social justice documentary films for the upcoming virtual festival from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

The virtual festival features an extensive list of films on the International circuit including Subject, which explores the life-altering experience of sharing one's life on screen through the participants of five acclaimed documentaries, Be My Voice about exiled journalist Masih Alinejad who urges Iranian women to rebel on social media, The Seeds of Vandana Shiva presenting the incredible life story of the Gandhian eco-activist and Devil Put The Coal In The Ground, which looks at the devastation brought on by the coal industry and its decline.

Canadian premieres include Norwegian Headache about a historic lawsuit that grants unborn Norwegians the right to a clean environment and Freedom Hill which explores the environmental racism washing away the town of Princeville, North Carolina. Canadian feature films include The Colour of Ink following acclaimed Toronto artist Jason Logan as he creates incredible inks from foraged plants and found objects and Love in the Time of Fentanyl about a renegade safe injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Local short films include the world premiere of Rewilding the Classroom by educator Cam Douglas and filmmaker Rodney Fuentes, about aligning educational practices with the reality of environmental crises through the Youth Leadership in Sustainability program and The Butch and the Baby Daddy, by Trent professor Karleen Pendleton Jimenez about a trans/butch lesbian who asks her close friend to help her build a family.

ReFrame and Artspace have collaborated for an in-person exhibition on-view at Artspace from Jan. 25 to Feb. 25. Featured projects include What Fools These Mortals Be, a three-channel video installation that reimagines Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a series of tableaux vivants (living pictures) performed by formerly incarcerated women and Intravene, an immersive audio experience about the opioid crisis. For viewing times and additional live performing information, check out the ReFrame and Artspace websites.

The festival is also hosting an in-person opening night screening at Showplace Performance Centre on Jan. 26. Opening night will feature All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the critically acclaimed film about the life and activism of renowned photographer Nan Goldin. Tickets are sold separately and are not available as part of the virtual festival.

Audiences across Canada can stream the documentary films from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3.

The full program can be found on the ReFrame website, with virtual passes and ticket packs available now. Tickets for individual virtual films will be available as of Jan. 11. 

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ReFrame Film Festival Announces 2023 Lineup and Opening Night Details

ReFrame’s 19th annual documentary film festival will be taking place from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3, 2023, screening over 50 films as part of its virtual festival and returning to Showplace Performance Centre for an in-person screening opening night.

All the Beauty. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

The full program will be released in early January, but a first look at films include the following.

On opening night, the in-person opening night event features the critically-acclaimed film All the Beauty and the Bloodshed by Laura Poitras. The film follows the life of artist and activist Nan Goldin in her mission to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid overdose crisis. ReFrame notes that opening night tickets are sold separately and are not included in the purchase of a Virtual Festival Pass.

Local film offerings will include Fault Lines: People, Work and the COVID-19 Pandemic by Natasha Luckhardt and Rob Viscardis, Bob Romerein’s film Choices and Our Glorious Bodies, a short film by Frankie Mcgee.

A diverse range of films in the Canadian spotlight include Eternal Spring from director Jason Loftus, Ali Kazimi’s Beyond Extinction: Sinixt Resurgence, Okay! The ASD Band Film by filmmaker Mark Bone and the acclaimed film Framing Agnes.

Opening night tickets are $20 or pay-what-you-can, and are available on the ReFrame website. For the in-person screening on Jan. 26, masks will be mandatory and are available on-site. Virtual Festival Passes/ pass packs are available through the ReFrame website, with pay-what-you-can tickets for single films to be released in January.

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2023 ReFrame Film Festival Dates Announced; Beginning Late Jan. 26

The 19th annual ReFrame Film Festival has announced its dates for its 2023 season, running nine days from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3 announced on Friday.

WOCHIIGII LO: END OF THE PEACE. DIRECTED BY HEATHER HATCH. PHOTO COURTESY OF REFRAME FILM FESTIVAL.

The documentary festival presents the year’s most important, thought-provoking, and inspiring documentary films focused on intersectionality, diversity, human rights and environmental responsibility according to a press release.

“We’re thrilled to be able to share this captivating collection of films from coast-to-coast-to-coast while continuing to connect our community and keep them safe,” said Kait Dueck, ReFrame festival director.

ReFrame was a beneficiary of an Ontario Trillium Grant of $44,600. The funds are invested into staff, rental costs, cleaning materials and creating the virtual an in-person experiences of the festival.

“Many festivals and events have been adversely affected during the pandemic and have had to find new ways of engaging with their patrons,” said MPP Dave Smith. “Today is recognition of how this $44,600 grant allowed the ReFrame Film Festival to continue providing their audiences with the outstanding entertainment they have grown to look forward to every January.”

This year’s poster was desiged by local artist Casandra Lee. Photo courtesy of REFRAME FILM FESTIVAL.

Screenings of all the films can be done virtually and tickets can be purchased online at ReFrame Festival’s website with discounted Early Bird Virtual Passes (for individual or household passes) available at this article’s publication.The Early Bird Virtual Passes grant streaming access to the entire catalogue of virtual festival films.

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Kait Dueck Welcomed as ReFrame Film Festival’s New Festival Director

The ReFrame Film Festival welcomes new festival director Kait Dueck to their team, announced Tuesday.

Photo by Theresa James. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

Dueck has been part of the local arts community in Peterborough from a young age, having attended the Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School (PCVS) in their Integrated Arts program.

She is an alumnus of Carleton University, Trent University and Fleming College, with education focusing on gender studies, environmental studies and the arts through a justice-based lens.

Dueck is an artistic administrator and volunteer coordinator with over a decade of experience working at the Showplace Performance Centre as a house manager.

"I am elated to have the opportunity to marry my greatest passions at ReFrame Film Festival: social and environmental justice, arts and culture, and the Peterborough/Nogojiwanong community,” says Dueck.

She takes over from Jay Adam, who has worked as festival director for ReFrame for the past five years. Adam saw ReFrame through two virtual festivals during the pandemic.

“ReFrame is pleased and excited to have Kait joining us”, says Jim Hendry, board chair with ReFrame. “Her long association with the festival as house manager for our main venue, Showplace, and her commitment to the social justice and environmental principles the festival is built around made her stand out among a number of highly qualified applicants for the Festival Director position.”

Dueck steps into the role of festival director on Tuesday.

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The Mac And Cheese Festival Returns to Downtown Peterborough Restaurants

The second-annual Peterborough Mac and Cheese Festival is back with 19 cheese-filled dishes to try this October.

Photo by Felicia Massey.

The self-guided festival encourages community members to participate however they like, from hosting a dish crawl with friends to takeout parties or even dining solo. Attendees can plan their festival route using the interactive Mac Map.

Restaurants will be competing again for local votes in hopes of becoming this year's mac and cheese champion. Foodies will be able to vote online for their favourite mac and cheese dish throughout the month.

There are a variety of options including the Forest Vegan Mac, the Crepes of Wrath Mac and Cheese Crepe and the El (P) Creamy 3-Cheese Chorizo BeerMac.

These unique macaroni dishes will be featured on the menus of local restaurants throughout downtown for the month of October. By the end of the month, one dish will be crowned champion.

The 2022 champion will receive a cheesy hand-crafted trophy, donation in their name to Kawartha Food Share and of course, a year’s worth of bragging rights.

Sam’s Place Deli speaking on last years’ victory. Photo by Felicia Massey.

Last year, Sam’s Place Deli’s Bacon Jalapeno Mac and Cheesewhich took home the first place title.

“We were beyond proud to be chosen by the Peterborough community as the winner for 2021, and we had a lot of fun coming up with our sandwich recipe. It was an amazing feeling to hold that trophy above our heads,” said Sam Sayer, owner of Sam’s Place Deli. “We can’t wait to compete again this year. More than anything, we are excited to see what the other chefs will be bringing to the table this fall.”

The Peterborough Mac And Cheese Festival will be running a food drive in support of Kawartha Food Share, with each restaurant location accepting non-perishable donations for the entire month. Festival goers are encouraged to bring their donations downtown when visiting any mac and cheese restaurant location.

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The Keene Pumpkin Festival Is Back For Oct. 15

Keene is seeing orange again for next month as The Keene Pumpkin Festival returns Oct. 15 announced on Monday.

Photo courtesy of The Keene Pumpkin Festival.

The one-day festival runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Village of Keene.

With the parade at 9 a.m. and the great pumpkin weigh-off at noon, The family-friendly event features the pumpkin pyramid, straw bale maze, axe throwing and Maple the Milking Cow.

The festival has a vendor’s market, critter visits, food, draws, live music and more. The Antique Car Show and Dog Show are both returning this year.

New to the festival is an Indigenous art display of quilling at the historical society display.

Admission is $2 a person at the festival gate. For more information, visit The Keene Pumpkin Festival website.

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10th Annual Purple Onion Festival Cancelled Due to "Ongoing Logistic Issues"

The 2022 Purple Onion Festival scheduled for Saturday in Millennium Park has been cancelled according to Transition Town Peterborough due to ‘ongoing logistic issues with the City of Peterborough’ announced Sunday afternoon.

The Purple Onion Festival marched during the return of the Canada Day Parade in Peterborough through George Street. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Purple Onion Festival celebrates the security of life essentials such as local food, water, energy, culture and wellness.

Transition Town Peterborough’s Facebook page issued a statement regarding the cancellation:

It is with saddened hearts, Transition Town Peterborough has decided to cancel this year's Purple Onion Festival due to ongoing logistic issues with the City of Peterborough. The last minute demands made by the city have made it impossible to continue this year's festival. We look forward to working with council and staff to eradicate and streamline the process for next year. Further, it is our position that, unrealistic hurdles put forth by the city, along with their lack of co-operation or any attempt to help resolve, rather than hinder the process, are also deterrents for others to attempt to stage similar community events. Community involvement is at the heart of every healthy city.

It also came to our attention that, as much of the infrastructure is left in the Millennium Park overnight, the presence of the homeless in the park at night has created a heightened risk of vandalism and forced a major supplier to rethink and ultimately withdraw from the event due to their concern with working with the City. This situation evolved despite the good intentions of the festival planning team to highlight the homeless issue through the showing of the PATH Tiny Home, and to tie homelessness to the local food security issue identifying both as serious outcomes of the Climate Crisis Emergency that now engulfs us all.

Our apologies to the many volunteers, sponsors and vendors who have shown their support this year and in years past.

We hope to see everyone in 2023.

The event was to include live music, a craft beer garden, local farmers, an eat local challenge, the healthy kids’ corner and more. Guenther Schubert was the returning host chef of the Taste of the Kawarthas food tent.

The Purple Onion Festival was last run in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

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