Partnership Leads to Grand Opening of New Barbershop Off Downtown Peterborough

The newest place to get a haircut has opened up as owners Paul Ferguson and Curtis Self have opened up their new shop, Peterborough Barbershop with its grand opening on Tuesday.

Majority of the shop's decor has come from pieces in both barbers' houses or gifts from customers. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The shop is located on 165 Sherbrooke St., the former site of Laurie Jones and Company Hair Designers which closed down after 36 of business due to Jones retiring.

“It's nice to be in what was Laurie's spot for the better part of 40 years,” said Ferguson. “It's kind of a full-circle type of thing. I've had family members that have gone to her for years and years so it's nice to take over those roots and continue that legacy of a good family spot here.”

The family-friendly and welcoming atmosphere of Jones’s business is what Self and Ferguson want to incorporate into their barbershop.

“We're trying to have a good welcome spot and be family-oriented,” explained Ferguson. “We wanted to bring back the values of a good family traditional barbershop.”

“We want it to be a community hub for people to come by, feel comfortable and a welcoming spot for anyone who wants to come in for a bit of a trim,” added Self. 

Self had barbered for the past eight-and-a-half years while Ferguson worked in the business for the past five. Self began as an apprentice and became a master barber. He apprenticed Ferguson as the latter is currently a senior barber, working his way towards being a master barber.

Both men say that opening the shop was the next step in advancing their careers.

“It was the logical next step,” explained Self. “It's just a progression in our carer and decided to take on the task and the responsibility of opening up a barbershop for ourselves.”

“Becoming a shop owner I think is the best way for me personally to become the best possible I can and doing it with Curtis was a shoo-in just because we work well together,” said Ferguson. “He was a mentor to me and we feel like we can grow in this space better than any other spot.”

Since the first week of the barbershop’s opening, both barbers have been seeing customers in past businesses they have worked in that have been ‘emotional at times’ according to Self.

“It tugs at your heartstrings a bit,” explained Self. “It's heartwarming and it's just gratifying seeing those faces because really at the end of the day, what it's about.”

“Being a barber is a perfect opportunity to meet with people all day long,” said Ferguson. “We wanted to be a part of the fabric of the community and being in the southern part of downtown here has been amazing.”

Peterborough Barbershop is open five days a week from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. from Tuesdays to Fridays and 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Appointments can be booked online with walk-ins welcome.

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Peterborough Animal Care Centre Receives Grant of Over $1.5 Million From Provincial Government

The Peterborough Animal Care Centre (PACC) has received a grant of $1,560,500 from the Minister of Infrastructure of the Province of Ontario to continue its building development and expansions announced by MPP Dave Smith and the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) on Friday morning.

A stray kitten with Sarah Graham, PACC animal care attendant. The kitten and her siblings were found in an abandoned house with their mother Ursula. Photo by Samantha Bianco.

The funding will aid in several programs and project completions such as an off-leash public access dog park, trail system, memorial patio and garden space according to Shawn Morey, PHS executive director.

"It's directly supporting our programming, we're doing a lot of kids camps, we're going to be doing some programming around responsible pet ownership and facilitation of adoption,” he said.

Kassie Graham, PACC Marketing & Communications Coordinator (left) with Moose (middle) and Sarah Graham (right). Moose is up for adoption at the PACC and is behign showcased at the future site of the centre’s off-leash public access dog park. Photo by Samantha Bianco.

The PACC had known about the funding for roughly over a year but was finalized around Christmas according to MPP Dave Smith. He says the work PACC does in conjunction with the Solicitor General’s office was obviously to lobby for the facility to receive government funding.

“The Humane Society, they are the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals locally. They do a lot of that work for us and work with the Solicitor General's office,” explained Smith. “We recognize what's happening in the greater Peterborough area and I'll even go beyond Peterborough County. The facilities they had previously weren't big enough to do a lot of things they needed to do.”

To that point, the PACC had been community-funded however Morey says that they are still seeking $3 million to finish it. There could be more requests down the road for building expansion within the next few years.

“This center has been built by the community, for the community. That's one of our big statements with making this come to fruition,” said Morey. “It's been 10 years in the making since we initially had this concept of building this state-of-the-art facility completion. Plus we have additional phases that we're going to look at over the next few years to help advance the building.”

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Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy To Open Peterborough Musicfest This Canada Day

Peterborough Musicfest lifts the curtain on its 36th season on Saturday, July 1, helping thousands celebrate Canada Day by presenting fiddle music duo Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy.

photo courtesy of peterborough musicfest.

MacMaster, a native of Nova Scotia, and Leahy, lead fiddler for the famed musical family from Lakefield, married in 2002 and remain Canada’s reigning couple of Celtic music. Often performing with their musical children, they have been awarded numerous honours including Juno and East Coast Music awards.

MacMaster and Leahy have recorded three albums together.

In 2015, their debut album ‘One,’ produced by the legendary Bob Ezrin, was released. The following year saw the release of ‘A Celtic Family Christmas.’ There things sat until earlier this year and the release of ‘Canvas,’ which introduced rock, pop, Latin and classical influences to their trademark Celtic sound, featuring guest support from Rhiannon Giddens, Yo-Yo Ma and Brian Finnegan.

“The fiddle was definitely common ground for us when we first got together,” reflects MacMaster, a member of the Order of Canada since 2006. “I was so in awe of Donnell’s family, of 11 siblings who could play and had a family band. And here I am now doing almost exactly the same thing. Well, kind of. This whole thing - first playing music by myself, then playing music with Donnell, then touring with Donnell and the children and all of us playing music together - has evolved in a very natural way. We feel incredibly lucky to be together as a family and to be letting our children develop their musical talent.”

“The only downside is that we can’t do all we’re asked to do and might like to do in other circumstances because we are parents first,” adds Leahy.

With Canadian jazz music great Moe Koffman headlining, Peterborough Musicfest debuted July 1, 1987 under the name Peterborough Festival of Lights with concert series founder Fred Anderson at the helm. Over the years since, artists representing practically every genre of music have headlined, bringing thousands to Peterborough’s Del Crary Park.

Peterborough Musicfest is funded by corporate sponsorships – most of those being locally owned businesses – multiple levels of government support, fundraising initiatives and private donations. As a result, Musicfest has been, and steadfastly remains, a uniquely free admission event. Dallas Green, Our Lady Peace, Serena Ryder, Gordon Lightfoot, 54-40 and Blue Rodeo are just a few of the sensational music acts that have appeared over the years.

Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall, staff and a board of directors, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.” In order to fulfill this mandate and keep attracting legendary musicians to our stage, Peterborough Musicfest encourages any individual or business interested in sponsoring the festival to reach out online or via phone at 705-755- 1111.

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Seasonal Changes to Peterborough Transit Routes Effective April 30

Peterborough Transit will implement seasonal changes to some of its routes beginning April 30.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

Route 5 The Parkway

Weekday Southbound and Northbound routes will operate on hourly service from 7:45 p.m. until 11:35 p.m.On Sunday the last trip will depart at 7:35 p.m.Late night service will be suspended

Route 6 Sherbrooke

Westbound 7:22 a.m. trip will be cancelledWestbound and Eastbound will operate with regular 30-minute service from 7:40 p.m. to 11:50 p.m.Late night service will be suspended

Route 7 Lansdowne

The 7:50 a.m. trip from Willowcreek to Fleming will be suspended.Route 7 will follow the 7A seasonal route from May to October, via Ashburnham, the Lift Lock and Hunter.. Stops on Rogers Street between Maria Street and Hunter Street will continue to be served by Route 4 trips.

Route 10 Technology Drive

Afternoon service will be reinstated with trips from the terminal departing at 2:15 p.m., 2:50 p.m. and 3:25 p.m.

OnDemand/Pink Community Bus

Afternoon service from 1:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. will be suspended

Route 11 Water

Route 11 and 11A Water serving Trent University will be suspended

Stay up-to-date with service changes

Transit customers are encouraged to check route schedules and stay up-to-date with adjustments to Transit routes, including weather delays, service interruptions and cancellations:

Follow Peterborough Transit on Twitter: @ptbo_transit, or subscribe to text/SMS or email updates through MyBEAT.

Plan your trip with Google Maps or the Transit appVisit our service alerts webpage for real-time Twitter Timeline updates on peterborough.ca/TransitServiceAlerts

Customer service can be reached at 705-745-0525.

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Ontario’s Transportation Planning Survey Coming to Randomly Selected Households in Peterborough

Starting last fall and continuing this spring, approximately 1.4 million households in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and surrounding areas, including Peterborough, will be asked to take part in the Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS).

file photo.

The Transportation Tomorrow Survey is jointly undertaken by 25 funding agencies including the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), Metrolinx, the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission), and municipalities across the study area. Results from this survey will help local and regional governments, as well as the province and transit agencies, make transportation planning and investment decisions.

Randomly selected households will receive an official invitation letter informing them they have been selected to take part in the survey. The invitation letter will provide households with a secure access code and more information about the survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary. Households can participate by accessing the project website, or by calling the survey hotline at 1-877-216-7786.

Canadian-based research firm R. A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. will conduct the survey on behalf of the participating agencies. The study runs from the fall of 2022 until spring of 2023 and the results will be and released in 2024. The Transportation Tomorrow Survey has been administered every five years since 1986.

Survey questions will focus on trip information for each household member, including origin, destination, time, reason for travel, mode of transportation, as well as some basic demographic questions. Residents that did not make any trips can still participate in the survey, as this helps build a snapshot of the travel patterns of the population as a whole and ensures the survey reflects the make-up of the general population. All survey responses will remain anonymous and will be combined with other responses in order to identify travel patterns.

For more information, visit the link.

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Peterborough Petes Topple Ottawa 67's in 3-1 Victory; One Win Away From Eliminating Regular-Season Champions

The Peterborough Petes are one game away from knocking off the regular-season champion Ottawa 67’s after a 3-1 victory at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night with the series as the same score.

The Petes have won three consecutive games against Ottawa, one more victory than during their regular season series. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes gave Ottawa no room in the first period, limiting them to four shots in the period while putting Ottawa’s goalie Max Donoso under siege with 11 shots of their own. He and Petes goaltender Michael Simpson were able to stop them all however as it remained scoreless after one.

Brennan Othmann continued where he left off after scoring the game-winner on Tuesday night with a tipped shot from captain Shawn Spearing to put the Petes up 1-0. Just over six minutes later, Chase Stillman joined the score sheet by pounding on a rebound to extend Peterborough’s lead to 2-0. Spearing had the secondary assists, putting him at two for the night. Ottawa was able to get on the board with just over a minute left as Luca Pinelli on the powerplay capitalized on a rebound and scored after excellent puck movement from Ottawa to make it 2-1.

The Petes continued pushing the pace as they controlled majority of the third period and limiting puck possession for Ottawa. Owen Beck gave Peterborough some insurance with an empty netter for a 3-1 victory and a 3-1 series lead. Spearing assisted on that play for this third helper.

Spearing, Stillman and Donoso were named the three starts of the game respectively.

The Petes will try to close out the series this Saturday as they head back to the nation’s capital for game five with puck drop at 4 p.m.

A record 50/50 jackpot of $9,668 was won in honour of longtime Petes volunteer and Booster Club founding member, Betty Nelson who passed away on March 31. A portion of the proceeds will be donated in Nelson’s name, courtesy of the Peterborough Minor Hockey Council.

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Largest Passenger Aircraft to Depart the Peterborough Airport Leaves For New York City

BST Vacations (Blowes & Stewart Travel Group Ltd) has started their 2023 Peterborough Departures program, with their first charter of the season leaving the Peterborough Airport for a long weekend in New York City Thursday morning.

photo by felicia massey.

Passengers departed on a Boeing 737-800 – the largest aircraft in Nolinor’s fleet – which left for the Big Apple at 10 a.m.

This aircraft is also the largest passenger aircraft to land or take off from the Peterborough Airport, with a carrying capacity of 189 passengers.

“We are thrilled to be working with Nolinor Airlines’, says Scott Stewart, President of BST Vacations. “Having access to an aircraft of this size will allow us to grow our Peterborough Departures program, and allow us to move more people to more destinations in the future.”

All photos by Felicia Massey.

BST Vacations is travelling to their three best selling destinations of all time in 2023, including St. John’s, Newfoundland, New York City and Nashville, TN, as well as adding Austin, TX as a new destination to the list. While St. John’s and Nashville are sold out, there is limited space available on the departure to Austin, Texas from May 4 to 7.

They say passengers can expect a truly enjoyable, hassle free travel experience without the headache of battling traffic, and without the additional expense that comes along with flying from a large airport (food, parking, baggage fees, stopover hotel, etc.).

“I am over the moon, our entire team is over the moon,” continued Stewart. “We’ve been building towards this day for seven years.”

The New York City trip is $1,889 per person (tax included) and includes three nights at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, with breakfast and other amenities included.

Food and beverage are all locally sourced and included on the flight. This is part of BST’s community first initiative, where rather than outsourcing the food and beverage to the airline, they bring it on themselves and support local businesses.

Continental breakfast and in flight meals are hand picked and made to order the morning of the flight by Sobeys Catering department on Lansdowne Street. Spirits and beer on board are from local distilleries and craft brewers, and in 2022 BST Vacations served the Publican House Pet Pilsner onboard and were able to collect $1,500 in donations for the Humane Society’s Pet Project.

For full details on the 2023 departures, visit the website.

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Peterborough GreenUp Shifting Gears Program Presents the May Challenge

The GreenUp Shifting Gears Program presents the May Challenge from May 1 to June 2; helping the Peterborough community make shifts towards using more active and sustainable transportation.

Shifting Gears is for anyone in the Peterborough Region who wants to take less solo car trips, in favour of walking, cycling, taking transit, carpooling and telecommuting.

What is included:

- Trip Tracking: participants are encouraged to track their sustainable trips online. You can follow overall community statistics via our email newsletter and also sign up for workplace leaderboards. Shifting Gears loves some friendly competition!

- Prizes: tracking trips leads to prizes! Each week participants who tracked their trips are eligible for multiple prize draws. The more weeks you track, the more chances to win.

- Resources and workshops: Shifting Gears runs exclusive workshops to support transportation shift, as well as, online resources for individuals and employers. Workshops run seasonally, but you can find resources available all- year round.

Sign up and gain access to community news, challenge reminders, workshops and program resources, as well as tracking your trips for the month of May and be entered into weekly prize draws.

To learn more and register, click the link.

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City of Peterborough Calling Poets For Renaissance on Hunter Poetry Gardens Project

The City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program is inviting local poets to submit expressions of interest to the Renaissance on Hunter Poetry Gardens Project announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The Renaissance on Hunter public art projects have decorated Hunter Street for the past two years. The planters delineating lane closures in the café district have been transformed into a series of whimsical themed gardens created by artists.

“I’m excited about the vibrancy that the City’s Public Art projects bring to Peterborough – especially to downtown,” said Councillor Joy Lachica. "I encourage local poets to check out this unique opportunity to have your work featured in the Renaissance on Hunter Project and contribute to a thriving downtown.”

The vision for Renaissance on Hunter gardens this year is a meandering wildflower meadow that will serve as a backdrop for a rotation of poetry from June to September according to the City of Peterborough. The project is a partnership with GreenUp, which will design and install the gardens and Peterborough’s Poet Laureate, Ziysah von Bieberstein, who will provide curatorial oversight and support.

This is a two-stage call with the second stage having a short-list of candidates who will be paid an honorarium to develop their proposals. Four to six poets will be commissioned to compose three poems over the course of the summer. 

The call for expressions of interest for the project and more information about the project parameters with tips about the application process are on the City’s Public Art webpage at peterborough.ca/publicart. Applications are accepted from residents in Peterborough, Peterborough County, Hiawatha First Nation, and Curve Lake First Nation are welcome.

The application deadline is May 17 at 4 p.m. All applications must be submitted online.

“From the outset the Renaissance on Hunter projects have encouraged partnerships and collaborations to create more opportunities for artists, ­­and to present projects that reflect a cross-pollination of ideas,” said Wendy Trusler, City of Peterborough public art facilitator. “We are excited to extend an invitation exclusively to poets for this year’s garden project. Incorporating works by text-based artists, poets and writers into public art programming is important for the arts sector and for our community.”

The Renaissance on Hunter public art projects are administered and funded through the City of Peterborough Public Art Program and presented in partnership with the Downtown Business Improvement Area and GreenUP. 

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Things To Do In-and-Around Peterborough This Weekend; April 21 - 23

File Photo.

Here are nine things to do in Peterborough City and County this weekend from April 21 - 23!

Reel Rock 17 Film Tour

Don't miss three heart-stopping new films featuring the year’s biggest climbing & adventure stories: a wild expedition on Nameless Tower in Pakistan; a new cutting-edge route in a massive limestone cave in France; and a journey to Palestine’s West Bank to explore the power of climbing to change lives.

Burning the Flame
Big wall free climbing masters Babsi and Jacopo seek their greatest challenge yet: a free ascent of Eternal Flame, an elusive 3,000-ft. route up the legendary Nameless Tower in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. Facing extreme conditions and 5.13 trad climbing at high altitude, a two-year quest comes down to one short weather window. Captured with drones and on-mountain cameras in one of the most stunning places on earth, Burning the Flame transports viewers to a place normally off-limits to all but the world’s best climbers.

DNA
29-year-old French sport climber Seb Bouin has been quietly working his way through the elite grades, culminating in his attempt to establish a long pitch out an overhanging cave in the Verdon Gorge of France. His proposed line is so futuristic, the moves so improbable, that if Seb can put it all together it may be the most difficult route ever climbed.

Resistance Climbing
In the strife-torn hills of Palestine, a diverse crew of Bedouins, dirtbags and urban professionals embraces climbing as a much-needed respite from the burdens of the Israeli occupation. American writer & climber Andrew Bisharat visits the West Bank to explore his own roots and the power of climbing to transform lives.

When: Apr 22, 6 p.m.

Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre

Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door

League 1 Ontario Men's Home Game - Electric City FC vs North Toronto Nitros

The Electric City Football Club men’s team is hosting their second home game of the season against the North Toronto Nitros.

When: Apr 22, 2 p.m.

Where: Fleming College

Tickets: $15 - $30

Peterborough Pop Ensemble Presents “A Century of Song”

The Peterborough Pop Ensemble is excited to announce that our 2023 spring concert, A Century of Song, will take place at Market Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m.!

Featuring music starting from the 1920s and hitting every decade since, this concert will highlight some of the best of the Ensemble’s repertoire including jazz standards, gospel, pop, songs of WWII, Motown and so much more! With a little something for everyone, this concert will surely have you tapping your toes, dancing, and singing along. Save the date now; we can’t wait to see you there!

When: Apr 22, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Where: Market Hall Performing Arts Centre

Tickets: $15 - $30

Brisk Recharge @ The Legion

Brisk Recharge takes the Legion stage for some more acoustic renditions of your favourite hits from the 1960s-2000s.

Come on out for a great night of sing-alongs and some of the cheapest drinks in town!

When: April 22, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Peterborough Legion

Tickets: $5 non-members, free for members

Nitetime Drive w/ Lowery Mills & Far From Infamy

Erben presents Lowery Mills with special guests Nitetime Drive and Far From Infamy. Lowery Mills is bringing their high energy southern rock show to Peterborough at the Erben. Expect a high voltage night that will keep you moving all night long with special guests Nitetime Drive and Far From Infamy.

When: April 22, 9 p.m.

Where: Erben

Tickets: $10

Peterborough Saturday Farmers Market

Buy directly from the farmer who grew it, raised it, harvested, or foraged it! Sixty percent of our vendors are primary producers who have gone through a third party inspection process to verify they grow 100% of what they sell. The remaining forty percent include bakers, prepared food vendors, artists and community groups.

Enjoy a festive market atmosphere with Peterborough’s finest prepared food vendors, artisans and musicians. 

Come find us every Saturday to find local produce, delicious takeaway meals and goodies, and artisan wares. We look forward to seeing you there!

When: April 22, 8 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Where: Peterborough Square

Pick Up Some Produce at The Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market

We invite you to listen to the sounds of our local musicians while visiting our 100+ vendor outdoor market May 1 to October 31, rain or shine in the Morrow Building parking lot. From November 1 to April 30, we are located inside the Morrow Building just south of the parking lot.

The establishment of a central market area for individual trade or sales has been a feature of societies all over the world for centuries. This trade has taken place in Peterborough for the past 190 years. This efficient method of commerce (ie. producer, direct to consumer) has gained much interest in recent years as small businesses have grown. We at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market are proud to be part of this popular phenomenon.

As producers of local food and crafts, we stress freshness, quality and value as we deal each and every week with our market patrons. Come and enjoy this traditional shopping experience.

When: April 22, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Where: Morrow Park (151 Lansdowne St. W, Peterborough)

Roots & Blues: Po'Boy & Calamity Return to Black Horse!

Join Torontonian Po'Boy Jeffreys & Calamity Jane as they hit the road to bring their old-time Country, Blues, Ragtime and Jugband songs to Urban Angus Steak and Wine in Arnprior!

When: April 23, 4 p.m.

Where: Black Horse Pub

Tickets: Free

Jazz Month feat. Noah Abrahamse

Noah Abrahamse performs at The Black Horse as we celebrate Jazz Month!

When: April 22, 5 p.m.

Where: Black Horse Pub

Tickets: Free