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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Havelock Lions Club President Passes Away at 48

Havelock Lions Club president Brian ‘Gratz’ Grattan passed away at the age of 48 at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre on Monday.

Facebook photo.

Grattan has been a member of the Lions club for over 25 years and was actively involved with children’s sports. He was heavily invested in the Havelock Lions, Havelock Minor Hockey and Havelock Express Softball as a volunteer coach.

The Lions Club made a Facebook post on Tuesday announcing the news and made the following statement:

“It’s with heavy hearts and great sadness that our club announces the passing of our president Lion Brian Grattan.

Lion Brian was a valued and respected member of the Havelock Lions Club for over 25 years. His positive impact and contribution to the club and his community will be greatly missed by anyone who has had the privilege of his acquaintance and friendship. Over the course of holding numerous leadership positions within the club, Lion Brian was the very definition of our motto “We Serve.”

A Melvin Jones fellow & a recognized authority on Lions traditions and camaraderie, he was the reliable source to bring out the laughter or light up the room. His reputation for honesty & dedication is well-earned and appreciated by all who knew him. His passing leaves a tragic void within our club and within our community that he was so deeply proud of.”

“Brian lived his life with the Lions’ clubs motto at the forefront,” said MPP Dave Smith. “He served. He served his community with the same love that a father shows to his children. My heart goes out to his family in their time of loss. I hope that they can draw comfort in the knowledge that so many people in the Havelock area have benefitted by the work he did and the passion he showed in serving his community.”

His funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Brett's Funeral Chapel in Havelock on Thursday. The club is inviting anyone to attend the Havelock Lions Hall on 39 George St. following the service.

Visitation hours are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. Friday’s hours are from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m.

There is a Lions service at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Donations can be made to Havelock Minor Hockey, Havelock Express Baseball or the Havelock Lions Club in honour of Gratton in lieu of flowers. The family requested visitors to wear Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys or blue and white in honour of his favourite NHL team.

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Havelock Boys Return Home With Heads Held High After Representing Ontario At Eastern Canadian Fastpitch Tournament

The Havelock Express U15 Rep Softball represented Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Championships, held in Brookfield, Nova Scotia last weekend.

“For eight years I have watched most of these boys grow and develop their skills, battle through wins and losses and just grow together in the sport they love to play,” said Cheryl Levesque, who started the Havelock Minor Softball Program eight years ago with her husband, in a social media post. “No matter what happens We thank you our home town community for getting them all here.”

The team was selected by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) to represent Ontario at the tournament. When they found out they had been selected, businesses and residents in Havelock rallied together to fundraise $14,000 to help get the team to Nova Scotia.

In their first game on Thursday Havelock Express defeated the Carbonear Islanders 9-6, with Raine Ayrhart named player of the game.

The boys faced the home team, the Brookfield Elks, on Thursday and were defeated 9 - 2. Raine Ayrhart received the player of the game award for a second time.

On Friday, Havelock played a tough game against Wilmot Thunder, but finished with a loss of 6 - 4. Raine Aryhart was Havelock’s player of the game.

At 1 p.m. they fell 4-2 to the Clarenville Caribous.

On Saturday Havelock defeated the East Hants Mastodons 5-4 in their first playoff game. Player of the game was Wes Minard.

In a close final game on Saturday night, the Goulds beat Havelock Express 13-12. Wes Menard received player of the game.

Ultimately the home team the Brookfield Elks won gold.

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Small Town Boys Putting Havelock On The Map As Softball Team Selected To Represent Ontario At Eastern Canadian Championships In Nova Scotia

The Havelock Express U15 Rep Softball team has been selected by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) to represent Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Championships being held in Brookfield, Nova Scotia.

Front Row: Braydon Cooper, Dennis Roberts, Austin Levesque, Gage Locke Back Row: Coach Dave Cooper, Coach Bryce Levesque, Jori Ayrhart, Raine Ayrhart, Josh Davis, Kaleb MacDonald, Wes Menard, Nolan Mahoney, Jack Burns, Holden Rutherford, Coach Mike Menard. Photo courtesy of Havelock Express Minor Softball Association.

Cheryl and Bryce Levesque started the Havelock Minor Softball Program eight years ago in hopes to help youth develop their skills while allowing them to play locally.

The U15 Rep team plays in the Kawartha Softball League, though they play exhibition games with stronger teams in the OASA from neighboring communities.

Last weekend the team competed in the OASA Eliminations in Grafton, a tournament that seeds teams into their brackets for provincials.

Havelock Express was ranked number one in the B bracket.

On Sunday, Bryce, who helps coach the team, received an unexpected phone call inviting the team to represent Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia.

“OASA called my husband and told him the news,” said Cheryl. “We didn’t have a game until Tuesday so that’s when we told the parents and kids. They were shocked.”

Cheryl says the majority of the team has been playing ball together since the program started.

“They’ve grown up playing ball together.”

The team was given until Wednesday at noon to accept the invitation and now have about one month to raise the funds to get the boys to Nova Scotia.

They hope to raise $10,000 - $12,000, which will be split evenly amongst players families to cover some of the cost of travel and accommodations.

Cheryl says as of Friday she already has $600 in donations in her hand, with plenty of local business owners having pledged to sponsor the team as well.

“Our community is absolutely unbelievable,” she said. “Even before this happened local businesses have always been so eager to help. We got new jerseys this year and were hoping to have a couple teams sponsored, they stepped right up and sponsored all six teams. We were able to get some new equipment, some bats, it’s really amazing.”

As a team made up of local boys in a town of just under 5000 people, Cheryl says this opportunity is a huge deal.

“We are a small little town known for our jamboree and a train station. This is so overwhelming we’re still trying to process it,” she said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for this team and a chance to not only represent Ontario but also our town.”

The four day tournament will run from Aug. 18 - 21. In the past OASA has sent 2-3 teams to represent Ontario against teams from Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Quebec.

“We hope to go down there and be competitive. If we do well that’s a bonus.”

Those wishing to make a donation can E-Transfer Erin King, Havelock Minor Softball Program Fundraiser Coordinator at erin_king@kprdsb.ca. Tax receipts can be issued if mentioned in a note.

Businesses that would like to donate or sponsor the team should reach out to Cheryl Levesque at 705-750-5205 or at m_r_jewel@hotmail.com.

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Community Rallies Around Havelock Families After Losing Their Home And Business To Fire

Local woman Holly Bohnsack lost her home, her business and her pets after a fire destroyed her Havelock home on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Nicole Ephgrave.

Two tenants that lived upstairs, Steve and Lois Wright were able to get out safely, but also lost everything.

Bohnsack and her two daughters, Sterling and Lakelyn, were not home when the fire started though they lost their beloved dog Otis in the accident.

According to her lifelong friend Nicole Ephgrave, Bohnsack runs her cookie business, April and August, from her home. This means that until she is able to find a new home or a space to bake and replaces the lost equipment she will not be able to run her business.

“Even if she did find a kitchen, she lost all of the tools she needs to make her creations,” said Ephgrave. “They literally lost everything.”

When Ephgrave heard about the fire, she knew she wanted to do something to help.

“Everyone was trying to reach out to see what she needed, but she’s just in shock right now and unsure where to start,” said Ephgrave. “I though we could all contribute and help her start to recover and figure things out over the next little while.”

Currently, Bohnsack and her daughters are staying with a friend and, while they lost everything, Ephgrave thought helping financially would be better for the time being rather than donating household items and clothing.

Less than 24 hours after the GoFundMe was started friends, family, past customers and community members have donated $3,640 to the family.

To donate to the Bohnsack family click here.

A family member of the Wrights also started a GoFunMe, and are accepting physical donations of clothing and necessities as well as monetary donations for both families at The Cottage in Havelock.

To donate to the Wrights click here.

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Havelock Country Jamboree 2022 Cancelled After 30 Years Future Of Festival Unsure

The Havelock Country Jamboree will not run in 2022, after celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2019, and plans for a 2023 jamboree are unclear.

The four day festival which attracts over 20,000 people annually and has been called Canadas largest live, outdoor country music and camping festival has not happened since 2019 due to COVID-19.

In its 30 year run the concert has seen the likes of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jason Aldean, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson, Wynona Judd and Travis Tritt as well as showcased plenty of local talent.

On Saturday organizers announced on social media that the 2022 festival has been cancelled and plans for 2023 are uncertain.

They noted that, for those that had purchased tickets for the 2020 festival, the issue surrounding refunds is being discussed. They will be contacted when the issue is resolved.

The official Havelock Jamboree website is https://havelockjamboree.com/

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Havelock Ready For Sunny Days With Approval Of New Splash Pad This Summer

The Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen will be getting a splash pad this summer, announced on social media.

The splash pad at The Norwood Community Centre. Photo courtesy of The ANCC.

The splash pad location is proposed for 39 George St E, in the Village of Havelock.

This is also the site of the Havelock Community Centre, a baseball field and multiple play structures.

This is an ongoing project, with no publicly set completion date.

Updates will be posted to the Township’s social media.

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Ontario Government Announces 128 New Long Term Care Beds Coming To New Home In Havelock

The Ontario government is allocating 128 new beds to a new long-term care home in Havelock, announced on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Dave Smith.

This is part of the government’s $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 net new long-term care beds by 2028 and 28,000 upgraded beds across the province.

The Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen will seek proponents who are interested in developing and operating the long-term care home on municipally owned land in 2022.

“The people of Havelock have waited far too long for a long-term care centre. The previous sole source deal had no reasonable prospect of being built,” said MPP Dave Smith. “Today, we are taking measures so that Havelock is in control of the long-term care home that they deserve. They can choose the best fit for their community instead of being told who they had to use. They can choose a provider who will get it built.”

Typically, those wishing to operate long-term care homes submit applications through the call-for-applications process. In this case, working with Havelock, the Ministry is allocating the 128 beds prior to the town identifying a licensee. Once the town selects an operator for the proposed home, the ministry will review the project in the same manner as all other applications.

There are now 539 new and 357 upgraded long-term care beds that are in development or under construction in the Peterborough area, including the following projects:

• 84 new and 172 upgraded beds at Extendicare – Peterborough

• 68 new and 124 upgraded beds at OMNI – Riverview Manor

• 35 new and 61 upgraded beds at Pleasant Meadow LTC

• 224 new beds at PeopleCare – Peterborough

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Help A Badly Injured Havelock Father Of Four With A Heart Of Gold

Joe's four children

Photo of accident via CHEX TV

Joe Deshane is a small town volunteer firefighter in Havelock, a kind, funny, well known man around town often spotted with a cup of Tim Hortons in his hand. He is also the breadwinner for a young family consisting of a wife and four small children. On Friday (August 15th), Joe was involved in a serious accident while driving a tractor trailer. He has suffered severe injuries, and will require a lengthy rehabilitation—putting an enormous financial strain on his family. The town of Havelock near Peterborough is rallying around him, setting up a donation page (their aim is $10,000) to help offset some of the costs for medical, housing, daily needs and transportation for the Deshane family. Please share this post, and consider giving here. Every amount counts in large amounts.

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