Providence Bay
Alexia Hannigan
Alexia here with your seasonal friendly fly! Or “flies” I should say…this is the time of year where “Deep Woods, Deet and Fire Smoke” officially replace hair product and perfume. Gardeners and Firekeepers know!
Well, it’s official! The Victoria Day opening weekend is behind us and that means Providence Bay is open for business! And yes, all of your favourites are back!
Huron Island Time on the boardwalk, Providence Bay Tent and Trailer Park, Mutchmor Peace Café and Lake Huron Fish ‘n Chips! And yes, this means the public washrooms are open again-hooray! It also means more people walking/cycling on the roads and in and around the beach and boardwalk. Beachcombers are busy picking up treasures and sometimes plastic bottles or cans to keep the sand safe for little toes and animals and we appreciate it. Let’s keep the beaches clean and safe everyone! And to all you road warriors out there, eyes up and both hands on the wheel, deer are everywhere now as are the kamikaze birds and nesting turtles. Be on the lookout for wildlife, kids, cyclists and motorcycles.
We have a whole beautiful, busy season under the sun ahead of us! Take a deep breath, enjoy yourself, it’s officially ‘Toulin Time’.
Providence Bay Arena and Fairgrounds: Providence Bay Youth Soccer started Saturday, May 3 and will run every Saturday weather permitting (Sundays if Saturday rain). Weekly practices will be held in Providence Bay until the Island Wide Soccer Tournament in Little Current on Saturday, May 31. There will be no soccer on Saturday, June 7. Our final year-end practice and beach party will be in Providence Bay on Saturday, June 14.
Providence Bay Community of Christ Church: Joys and community updates at 10:30 am, service 11 am.
Providence Bay / Spring Bay Lions Bottle Drive continues next to the arena, return your empty bottles and cans (we know there are lots during the playoff season). Your empties help give back to your local community!
Providence Bay Hall: Exercise classes continue Friday mornings at 10:30 am. Tai Chi continues Monday and Thursday.
Providence Bay Beach Boardwalk and Discovery Centre: Providence Bay Beach is an amazing 2 km sand beach on Lake Huron coast that is open to the public. Play safe and enjoy the beautiful beaches, boardwalk and views!
Be sure to stop into Huron Island Time to say hello to Lance, grab some delicious snacks, an epic fruit smoothie or Farquar’s famous ice cream!
Check out the Mutchmor Peace Cafe and delight in local art, crafts, jewelry and enjoy a cup of coffee or an iced latte!
If you see Matt and crew, ask about Huron Fish and Chips! Yes sir, they are open too!
The Horses: Keep an eye on the Manitoulin Horse Enthusiasts Facebook for events and activities.
PSA: If you see a horse and rider on the road please slow down, give ample room when passing and use caution and don’t honk unless necessary! Horses are beautiful but can be unpredictable if startled. Riders should be brightly dressed (including helmet), single file at the edge of the roadway and be using hands signals.
The Critters: Toulin Turtles: Turtles are nesting all over the side roads right now so please watch closely and slow down while driving around lakes and wetlands. If you see an injured turtle contact Turtle Pond at 705-691-0433 or visit Friends of Manitoulin Turtles online.
The Heavens: Halley’s Comet is back! When skies are clear Eta Aquarid boasts one of the best celestial shows of the season, you may see shooting stars right up until May 27. The Milky Way rises before dawn at the end of ever shorter nights for northern stargazers, while longer and cooler nights south of the equator enable longer contemplation of the dazzling deep southern skies. Here’s what to see in the night sky this weekend through to next week
May 17, Uranus lies in conjunction with the Sun. It will slowly emerge in the constellation Taurus in the morning sky by next month.
May 20, last Quarter Moon, 11:58 UT.
May 22, again, in the morning sky before sunrise, look east to see a waning crescent moon with Saturn rising behind it by nearly 4o. Venus also shines brilliantly to the east. If you have a telescope handy, look also for 8th-magnitude Neptune about 2o northeast of Saturn.
Use resources like NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center or SpaceWeather.gov for up-to-date forecasts on solar activity and aurora visibility. Check here for best viewing nights https://aurorawatch.ca/.
Next full moon is the Strawberry Moon of June 11.
The Friends: Happy Birthday to all of you mid-May babies! Congratulations Jordan and crew on the grand opening of the D-social! The hills are alive with the sights, sounds, sensations and “savioiurs” of late spring. Make every minute count! Breath it in, drink it up, we get only one life, so make it count!
“Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
– George Carlin
Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer
Things have been a bit difficult at our day jobs lately. Our boss calls Team Fergmeijer ‘the computers.’ Nothing to do with intelligence, it’s just that we go to sleep if left unattended for 15 minutes. Of course, if it were up to us, we’d still be at our old jobs as engineers. Guess we burned one too many bridges there, though. Our current occupations aren’t too bad, truthfully. Though the number of meetings is a bit of a drag. We firmly believe they shouldn’t last longer than a laptop battery or our bladders. We were venting to local career coach Jamie Ward, and he agreed with us saying, “my biggest problem with meetings is, that despite their name, they are rarely about me, yo!”
The Manitoulin Tennis Club would like to thank everyone who came out for the annual season kick-off, the Black Fly Tournament this past weekend. It was great to have everyone out swatting at tennis balls and flies. Players of all ages and abilities are welcome to come out to the courts at Manitoulin Secondary School on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm and Sundays at 10 am for friendly matches. Free tips and lessons are also available from a certified coach. See you on the courts!
Come out on Sunday (May 25) for the Island Singers’ spring concert, Songs for the Earth. The performance starts at 3 pm at Manitoulin Secondary School, it will feature a variety of pieces from various genres and a special performance by a member of the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $15 each and are available at the door. Children 12 and under are free.
Manitoulin Metal Robotics is once again hosting their annual e-waste drive. Stop by Manitoulin Secondary May 26 to 30 from 3 to 5 pm or Saturday, May 31 from 10 am to 2 pm to drop off any dead electronics, including appliances, batteries of any kind and devices. Look for the robotics team members outside by the basketball court on those days.
Happy birthday to a couple of smart, funny, good-looking and fabulous individuals: Gerry M and Casey B! (We’re pretty sure we got in all the things you wanted us to say. Just let us know if we missed any and we can add it in later.)
Interested in some pick-up pickleball? Head to the Pickledome (aka the Kagawong River Complex)! We haven’t been able to track down specifics, but it appears to be happening on Thursday evenings. If you have your own gear, you can play almost any time!
There have been alterations made to the Billings bulk water system. If you have any issues or questions, the fantastic folks at the town office are happy to help you.
Thinking of burning brush as you tidy up your yard? Don’t forget that burn permits are required in Billings! Stop by the township office to get your free permit, which is valid for one week. Burn permits are not required for a small bonfire.
We’re counting down the sleeps! The first Kagawong market of the summer will be on Wednesday, June 25. We can’t wait to welcome all the vendors and visitors back to the Kagawong River Complex.
On Saturday, June 28 it is Team Aelick’s annual stroll for liver in support of Liver Canada. This 5k walk through the village starts at the Park Centre at 11 am. You can join the stroll, support from the sidelines and donate through their team page (bit.ly/teamaelick). Donations over $20 qualify for a tax receipt.
Billings Library’s annual used book sale is set for Saturday, July 19. Rain or shine, there will be thousands of books up for grabs, as well as a few surprises to be revealed in the coming weeks.
The library will also be holding their annual beach movie on Saturday, August 9. They will be showing the 80s classic, Labyrinth!
Don’t you hate it when people answer their own questions? We sure do. Have a great week!
Barrie Island
Enid Runnalls
Family members and friends came together on Saturday at the Barrie Island Hall to attend the interment and memorials of Grant Baker and Rod Greenman. The hall was busy with the visitors and it was a reunion of sorts as so many attended from far and wide. Old photos were viewed and stories traded as we remembered Rod and Grant. They will be missed.
Cheryl Rogalsky of Gore Bay, Sandy Miller and Diane Brunetti of Kagawong were out for a visit with Enid Runnalls.
Scott Runnalls celebrated his birthday on May 11 with a special barbecue and birthday cake, but not before bringing a bouquet of daffodils to his mother Barbara Runnalls to honour her for Mother’s Day! There was a lot of celebrating going on!
Raymond Runnalls (now of Richmond Hill) along with sons Steven of Sunderland and Adam of Tottenham visited with their cousins Scott and Enid Runnalls and Oliver Runnalls. They also stopped in at the Manitoulin Lodge to visit with Edna Robbins and Barbara Runnalls.
Local farmers have begun to plant grain and some cow/calf pairs are being moved from the home calving grounds to pasture. Also fences are being fixed. It’s a busy time.
The full moon (Flower Moon) was viewed on May 11,12 and 13 and with that our local gardeners can get started as the final Spring Frost is behind us (according to the Farmer’s Almanac, 2025.)
Turtles and other wildlife are on the move towards their breeding grounds. Please drive slowly and with caution particularly on the Barrie Island Causeway as there are many birds, and turtles crossing the roads. Also be careful on the roads on the borders of water or marshlands.
Let me know if you have any news!
