Alexia here with your fall chill fly? Can you feel it? The season is turning faster than a prize horse around a barrel. As the post fair, post tourist season and post birthday blitz adrenaline levels and schedules get somewhat back to normal.
The back to school, silly season, hockey and curling season is coming in fast and furious and the rodeo will start all over again! With a few more wonderful months left to make memories, add a little sugar and pumpkin spice, make them count, make them nice!
Here’s what’s happening: Fairground and arena clean up and turnover time! No events for now but there will be the Providence Bay Fall Market around mid-October and a few more fun fall events to look forward to before the skating and hockey season goes full tilt so stay tuned!
Manitoulin recreational events calendar with class schedules for Providence Bay Hall, Mindemoya Hall and Spring Bay Hall visit: events.centralmanitoulin.ca or contact Alison Sloss at asloss@centralmanitoulin.ca 705-377-5726.
Providence Bay Community of Christ Church: Check the Providence Bay Community of Christ Facebook page for announcements and updates!
Providence Bay Curling club: Yard sale alert! Saturday, August 30 from 8 to 11 am at 84 Munro Street, Providence Bay (corner of Munro and Mira).
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 epic sunrises, moon rises and sunsets.
Sunset Music Series: The series officially marshalled in the new music, check the Sunset Series posters and Huron Island Time and Manitoulin musicians Facebook page for updates. This weekend marks the season finale for the sunset series. You can expect a big finish and fun time from these awesome artists: Friday, August 29, Teilhard Frost; August 30, Kristine St. Pierre and on Sunday, August 31 join Nettish and Friends for the Grand Finale. This is not a ticketed event, but you can support your local musicians by donating side of the stage show. Note if the show gets rained out, it is always pushed to the next show day! Location: Providence Bay beside Huron Island Time. Parking and washrooms on site. The music series features great musicians and artists who take to the stage right beside the Boardwalk and Discovery Centre. Bring your blankets and chairs!
Reuse/Recycle: The Providence Bay Reuse Shed is open at the Providence Bay Transfer Station. For more information contact 705-377-5726. Visit the transfer station at 4077 Government Road. Summer hours are Thursdays, Saturdays or Sundays from 2 to 6 pm until the September long weekend.
The Lions Club bottle drive continues next to the arena; this program is open to the public and we encourage everyone to drop off their used bottles and cans. Your empties help fund great local initiatives.
The Providence Bay and Spring Bay Lions progressive “Catch the Ace” lottery continues to benefit the Mindemoya Hospital Auxiliary Inc.
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. September 7, Corn or “Harvest” Moon,
total Lunar Blood Moon Eclipse, September 7 to 8.
The Friends: Happy Birthday to all of you end of August babies! We welcome you all to Manitoulin Island, we wish you a wonderful, happy and safe summer holiday!
Check out your favourite local businesses, art galleries and restaurants social pages for special events. You can also visit the Central Manitoulin Township webpage or visit exploremanitoulin.com for updates on all the events happening near you.
As the last of the lazy hazy days of summer fade away – make sure to enjoy the last gifts of the season surrounded by the people you love because every day is a gift.
“Dancing fires on the beach, singing songs together.
Though it’s just a memory, some memories last forever.”
Lakeside Park, Neil Peart of Rush
Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer
It is officially back to school time, and we’re sure parents and kids are both having big feelings about it (not necessarily the same feelings, though). It brings back a lot of memories for Team Fergmeijer. We went to a private school on a surfing scholarship – it was a boarding school. It had a great music program, but on the first day the teacher locked herself out of the classroom – her keys were on the piano. At one point, budget cuts meant the math teacher had to take a shift in the cafeteria, but at least it meant we were getting three square meals a day.
In honour of the impending start of school, we present, “An Ode to Summer’s End”:
School bells ring, are you listenin’?
New binders and backpacks, we’ll be christenin’,
A beautiful sight: new erasers and graphite,
It’s time for back-to-school on the island!
And with the return to school this coming week drivers are reminded to watch for little ones getting on and off buses around the Island as everyone settles back into routine.
Haven’t been able to make it to the Kagawong market this summer because you always have something on Wednesdays? Great news! The Kagawong Evening Market is back, Saturday, August 30. Come by the Kagawong River Complex from 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm to shop from over 40 vendors showcasing unique, locally sourced and handmade goods. There will also be live music and food available for sale on-site. See you there! And don’t forget there is still one more regular Wednesday market on September 3.
As we come to the end of another amazing summer season, we want to take a moment to thank the township summer students for all their hard work over the last months. You make a lot of amazing things possible in our little town!
Body Stories Dance has announced their 2025/26 dance schedule for classes in Kagawong, which include offerings for children, youth, adults and seniors. You can register on their website: www.bodystoriesdance.com.
We want to wish Susan S, Diane L, and Kagawong-adjacent Amy H a very happy 29th birthday this week. If your age is getting you a bit down, consider this: You aren’t over the hill. You’re at the peak of awesomeness!
Billings Library invites all Billings families to register their children (under 5) for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library! Each month, the Imagination Library program mails an age-appropriate book to registered children each month up to their 5th birthday, absolutely free to the family. To take part, complete and return the registration form found on the library’s Facebook page (FB.com/kagawonglibrary), or visit the library in person for a paper copy and more information!
As students are gearing back up for English class, remember pre- means before, post- means after. Using both at the same time would be preposterous. Have a great week!
Barrie Island
Enid Runnalis
The heat seems to have broken this week and we are enjoying cool, misty mornings, warm sunny afternoons and balmy evenings. A little bit of rain has kept the grass green and the tomatoes are ripening on the vine. Sandhill cranes are here in abundance!
Wedding bells are ringing for Kayla Greenman (granddaughter of Lillian and Lance Greenman) who will marry her fiancé William McIntosh on Saturday, August 22 at 4 pm. They met at Nipissing University and presently live in London, Ontario. The Greenman and McColeman clans are here celebrating the nuptials from all points: Don and Betty Greenman have arrived from Innisfil, Pat and Sheri, Alyssa and Brady from New Market are here, as well as Natalie and Roger, Lily, Krystan and Alex Hayden from Lively. Details are pending.
It looks like a beautiful day for Kayla’s wedding and for the Beach Barbecue at Julia Bay! Today the community will be picnicking at 4 to 7 pm at the Barrie Island Causeway where free Burt Farm hotdogs and potluck will be served. Jon Best and Elora Miller will be strumming the guitar and singing sweet tunes and we will keep our eye on MaD HoTdeR the clown, as she will surely be up to some silly antics! Should be fun!
Carolyn Lane-Rock has been out enjoying an evening bike ride and scouting the roads for apples. She’s already put down some apple jelly and some salsa, with the help of her trusty assistant, Jim Miller.
Wayne and Gaye Cox of Kingsville are already up here for the hunting season, and the preparation begins now! They love the fall, and it can’t come soon enough for them.
Rob Lane has returned from his Mediterranean cruise and is glad to be back with his feet on Barrie Island soil and some building projects ahead of him.
George Calback reports that Carolyn hasn’t been well, and he is taking good care of her at home.
Scott and Enid were out for supper at Matt’s Stand on the Bidwell Road last Sunday. It was a lovely day to eat outside, the woodfired pizza was delicious and they enjoyed Matt’s entertaining banter. They can’t wait to go back.
Abbie Wynter made it safely home to London, UK in spite of the Air Canada strike. After his Barrie Island vacation, he had to reroute his original direct flight plan and flew from Ottawa to Portugal to London. He reports it was a long layover, but all went well and begins his A levels in STEM at a new school.
Carolyn Lane-Rock gave a guided tour of the Manitoulin Island this week with her cousins, Jim and Sandy Miller and Enid in tow. They visited long departed relatives in Mills Cemetery, then drove a road that would break a snake’s back into South Portage Bay, enjoyed the artwork of Barrie Islanders, Mary Anderson’s and Jane Weber’s art at Perivale Gallery and Enid’s at the MFAA Art show in Sheguindah Museum, marveled at the heritage of Batman’s Mill, gasped at the awe-inspiring view of Ten Mile Point and enjoyed delicious pizza at Dockside in Little Current. They concluded their tour at Russ and Sarah Smith’s Garden where they had a little visit with Turner, Anika and Kjell. Along the way, Carolyn shared stories of her youth and the history of the area.
Silver Water
Karen Noble
Murray Duncanson, Doug Carter and Harold Rogers left on Tuesday, August 19 to fly into a northern lake to go fishing.
Brenda Carter went to southern Ontario on Wednesday for visiting and appointments.
Aileen Noble and her son, Ronan Callahan are at the cottage on Silver Lake. They visited me on Thursday morning and had a tour of our gardens. They helped pick the beans and took them home to have with their lunch.
On Friday night we went to Meldrum Bay to play euchre.
Saturday morning, we had a very busy market in our yard.
Monday night we went to euchre at the Burpee and Mills Complex. Congratulations to Tom Howard who had 104 points; Myra Duncanson with 91 points and Sally Lanktree with 82 points. The three of them shared the money jar and took home three of the top prizes.
Wednesday morning, Albert Meijer went to help Doug Wismer and Eric Thiessen with a project at the fire hall.
On Wednesday I went to town for groceries. In the afternoon, my niece Tamara came to our house, and she helped me make a batch of pies and the cakes for Friday morning’s café at the Gore Bay Community Hall. This is the Silver Water UCW’s last turn for this summer.
There will be an LSB election meeting at the Silver Water Community Hall on Wednesday, August 27 at 7 pm.
There will be a lasagna dinner at the hall on August 30 at 5 pm.
The UCW meeting resumes on Thursday, September 4 at St. Andrew’s United Church in Silver Water at 1:30 pm.
Happy 25th wedding anniversary to Lara and Chad Chevrette on August 19.
Condolences to the family of Pat Sorbara.
Condolences to the family of Jeffrey Smith.
