Providence Bay
Alexia Hannigan
Alexia here with your blaze orange fly! Something funny happens around this time of year on the Island. I like to call it the grandstand! It’s where everybody and their uncle is in a tree stand or travelling across the border for the hunt to get meat in time for the winter. It is more or less the quiet calm and reprieve before you hear a few shots fired here or there and then all the bells, whistles and bucks come out to play! As the Island gears up for another good hunt, harvest, must-have and honey dew and doe list, let’s take a moment to reflect upon the strength and resilience of our amazing communities. To our Elders, home and away, knowledge keepers, healers, animal protectors and healers, volunteers, professional network, incredible business and outreach community. Let us also take a moment to respect and acknowledge our Mother Earth, freedoms and shared journeys as we learn new and better ways to adapt, teach, share and give knowledge. We in turn can preserve and protect the wisdom behind the best kind of stewardship and the most respectful and rewarding partnerships. These are the seeds of strong roots, piers and beams of stronger foundations, this is the culture and creation around new and better beginnings. The unification of ideas, generations, cultures, teachings, healing and a better future for all. Forge ahead like fire moss and focus on the good.
Here’s what’s happening:
Ice ice baby! Here we go!
Providence Bay Hall: Manitoulin recreational events calendar with class schedules for Providence Bay Hall visit centralmanitoulin.ca or contact Alison Sloss at asloss@centralmanitoulin.ca or call 705-377-5726.
Exercise classes continue Monday and Friday mornings at the Providence Bay Hall through until Monday, December 15.
Providence Bay Community of Christ Church: Joys and community updates on Sundays at 10:30 am; services are Sundays at 11. Check the Providence Bay Community of Christ Facebook page for announcements and updates!
Providence Bay Curling Club: Everyone is welcome at the Providence Bay Curling Club! Junior Curling is back Saturdays until the end of March. Ages SK to Grade 8. Equipment is provided, $25 per curler. For more info visit: provcurling.ca/junior.
Friday, November 28 to Sunday, November 30 join in the fun at the first bonspiel of the Manitoulin curling season! This an open bonspiel – teams can consist of any gender combination. Three games guaranteed, and of course, there are CASH prizes! Don’t miss out on the fun! Contact David at providencebaycurling@gmail.com or 705-377-4668 to register your team!
The Heavens: Manitoulin Island is a dark sky reserve so find a dark sky spot, bring your telescope and enjoy the wonders of the cosmos. Whether you’re a seasoned skywatcher or just love watching shooting stars and auroras.
December 5 is Full Supermoon (Cold Moon/Oak Moon, Little Spirit Moon).
The Friends: Happy Birthday to all of you late-November babies!
Go easy out there on the roads! The hunt is on, the cold is here and that means more animals are on the move and more hazards and unpredictable conditions on the roadways. Plan ahead of any weather and go easy.
“When you focus on the good, the good gets better.” anon
Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer
Due to personal reasons, Team Fergmeijer will be saying “Aye” and “Arrrggggh” instead of yes and no for the time being. We don’t want to get into the details, so please respect our piracy during this difficult time.
This Friday! The Manitoulin Community Choir will be performing in Kagawong on Friday, November 28 at the Park Centre. This is always a great concert with a lovely variety of music. You might even spy a Kagawongian or two in the chorus! The concert starts at 7:30 pm, and tickets are $15.
Seniors Active Living is offering a seniors’ gift making workshop on Saturday, November 29 at the Kagawong Park Centre! Choose from the chance to make a cedar wreath ($35), a treasure box ($30), ceramic gift ornament tags ($35) or truffles or spiced “bourbon” cherries ($35). Contact Mary at 705-348-2285 to register and for more information.
We are wishing a very happy birthday to Candy T, Nora U, and Chantelle W, as they celebrate their 29th birthdays. You don’t become cooler with age, but you do care progressively less about being cool, which is the only true way of being cool. This is known as the Geezer’s Paradox.
Team Fergmeijer has always had a strong entrepreneurial streak. Currently, we are thinking of starting a new service that connects people who purchased a large appliance with children that have no box fort.
From the KFC to the KGB, catch up on old times with the complete archive of Team Fergmeijer columns, all the way back to 2015! Check out http://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com to get your fill of puns and haiku.
Reminder for anyone planning their big day, any wedding can be a fairy tale wedding if you serve porridge and release three angry bears into the reception hall. Have a great week!
Meldrum Bay
Elaine Bradley
It is amazing how the world changes for hunting week. Small cabins that are empty all year have three or four trucks parked outside. Men are wandering on the side of the road and in the bush dressed in bright orange. Our community hall is being used nightly to host a dinner for one of the families. Other families are also gathering with young and old joining in the event. Some have shot deer. Rose is thrilled that her grandson got a 6-point buck. One person was fishing at the waterfront the weekend before the hunt started and caught the largest rainbow trout my husband has ever seen.
Last Sunday morning was the hunters’ breakfast in Silver Water. There were bacon, sausage, eggs and pancakes. It sounded really good. Silver Water’s meals are always good. We missed as we were visiting a very sick relative on my husband’s side in Sault Ste. Marie. That was also the day of our last service of the year at the Meldrum Bay Church. Thanks to everyone who came out.
Jamie and Norma Nelder are not thinking about the hunt. They are the new proud grandparents of twin baby boys. My niece Jessica and her husband Fred had twin boys on November 11. They were premature and after a week of feeding issues they are now strong and home in Iroquois Falls. Jamie and Norma are visiting them. We are getting inundated with pictures.
On Friday night, November 7, there were four tables at cards with two sit outs. High lady was Linda Rumley with 68 points; high man was Tom Rumley with 76 points; most lone hands for the ladies went to Lois Wismer with five; most lone hands for the men went to Bob Benedict with four; Lisa Townsend won for most euchres with nine; the money jar is safe; Rose VanEvery went home with the juice; Diane Jones won the 50/50 draw; Guy Bigras won the door prize. Cards is every Friday at 7 pm. We have a great time. Come and join us.
Everyone stay safe and have a great week.
Barrie Island
Enid Runnalls
The desaturated landscape of November has been punctuated by flecks of fluorescent hunter orange this week on Barrie Island. Most of the hunters have packed up and left, but the gang at Lanevale Farm were gathering by dark in the camp last evening. They came far and wide for this week. This was the first time that Linda and Doug Lane’s three-year-old great-grandson ‘Spiderman’ Garret joined in with his dad Brendan Courtnay from somewhere outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Surrounded by family and friends and especially his favourite uncle Thomas, the little guy was raring to go! Just around the block from the Lanevale Gang, the Merrylees ‘Half Chance’ Hunt Gang has been putting in some early mornings and long days and no doubt they have lots of tales to talk about the season.
Rhonda and Charlie Smith of Massey were up at their hunt camp trailer this week. Rhonda returned home earlier, and Charlie invited Scott and Enid Runnalls for a bit of company over dinner on Thursday night. While there they had a little phone visit with old friends Glen and Elaine Dahl. Charlie recited some of his recently composed poems, along with the one inspired by Enid’s painting of the wind in September.
I expect there will be more hunting gang reports coming in the near future, so stay tuned.
Meanwhile back at the farm, the cattle are still being moved to the winter-feeding grounds. That seems to be an ongoing job. Also, the daily feeding and watering routines have begun in full force.
Micah Runnalls helped his dad stack wood and had a good week of learning at school. He is off this weekend with his mom to the Santa Claus Parade in Sudbury. Details pending.
Speaking of Santa Claus, I hear he will again be parading down the streets of beautiful Gore Bay on December 6. Also, on that day Gordon/Barrie Island is hosting their Christmas Market at the Community Centre on Noble Side Road.
Silver Water
Karen Noble
On Friday, November 14 Albert and I went to Gore Bay for errands and to finish shopping for the pancake breakfast. It is amazing how quickly the new buildings across from the Valu Mart are being completed.
On Friday night we went to euchre in Meldrum Bay, I took Lois Wismer and Myra Duncanson.
On Saturday morning we went to the community hall to cook the sausages for Sunday. There was a crew of ladies who showed up to help set tables, fill coffee pots and more.
On Saturday evening, we took Robbie Baldwin to the turkey dinner in Tehkummah. They had a good crowd and the food was wonderful. We ate our fill and thanked everyone on our way out.
On Sunday morning there was a hunter’s pancake breakfast at the community hall. We thank everyone who volunteered to help and everyone who came out to eat. We especially thank Chris Bray of The Butcher Barn for the sausages and TJ Murray for the delivery. The proceeds go to the Mindemoya Hospital and have every year since we started the breakfast. The UCW had a bake sale at the breakfast and sold out.
On Monday night I took Myra and Ken Duncanson to the Burpee/Mills Complex for euchre.
On Tuesday there was fire practice at the fire hall with a small group.
On Wednesday afternoon there was a yoga class at the community hall.
We had a visit with Greg Duncanson and his friend Neal Runnalls. We visited with Andy Cull, Craig Duncanson, Paul McCallum and more on Thursday.
The community thanks Paul and Dianne McCallum for the turnips they donated.
I heard a few deer stories this week. There are a few less deer on the west end to run across the road in front of the vehicles. We had the MNR do a check on a hunter in front of our house on Thursday. All went well and the driver left with his deer.
On Thursday evening there was euchre at the Silver Water Hall at 7 pm.
Happy Birthday to Wilda Hunter.
Condolences to the family of Kyle Bond.
Condolences to the family of Dave Purvis.
