Providence Bay
Alexis Hannigan
Alexia here with your stuffed turkey fly! When everyone actually reads this here column of mine it will actually be a week after I wrote it. Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet as of today. Today like every day, I give thanks for all of the people I have in my life and in my world. Since I decided to call Manitoulin Island home in 2023 (though I had visited since 1991) today officially marks my second year of living here on the Island as a full-time, four-season resident. What have I learned and how has this changed my heart? Well, today I was at Rainbow Ridge cheering on all of the amazing runners and kids who ran their hearts out and I reveled in how our kids up here have such determination, athletic prowess and true grit and it makes me so happy and proud that I can raise my daughter in such a strong and united community surrounded by so many incredible coaches, teachers, mentors, friends, families, neighbours, knowledge keepers, elders, and strong and fierce women! I enjoyed watching the races and reflected on the fact that how you start and how you finish are determined by so many variables and factors, as in life! Regardless of where or how we start, our finish and future is still so full of possibilities and great expectations. Surround yourself with strong souls who inspire, nurture and stoke your soul fire. Keep close the ones who recognize the best part of you and celebrate and cherish you for everything you already are. Don’t go changing just to please others, stay true to your innermost voice and vocation, stay in-tune to the rhythm of your own heart and breath. Do this, and the right ones will follow and find comfort there. You’ve got to find your people, press on with true conviction and courage, the big bouquet curtsy and big finish is a whole lot of love and the most beautiful version and evolution of yourself.
Be good and love large.
Here’s what’s happening:
Providence Bay Arena: The Prov Bay Fall Vendor Market is on Saturday, October 18 with a few more fun fall events to look forward to before the rec night skating and hockey season goes full tilt – stay tuned!
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 705-377-5726.
Exercise Classes Fridays at 9 am.
Providence Bay Community of Christ Church: Joys and community updates on Sundays at 10:30 am. Service is Sundays at 11 am. 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! Come to the 2025 open house on Sunday, October 19 from 2 to 4 pm at 84 Munro Street in Providence Bay and learn about our club, enjoy some snacks and beverages, meet new friends, register for learn-to-curl or join the leagues! Hope to see you there! Junior curling is back Saturdays starting Saturday, November 8 until the end of March. Ages SK to Grade 8. Equipment provided $25 per curler. For more information go to provcurling.ca/junior.
Food Drive: REVEL Realty and I are sponsoring the annual pick-a-pumpkin for a nonperishable food drive again this year for Manitoulin Family Resources Food Bank. We will have pumpkins generously donated by Tom Cooper of Cooper Farm and I will have a table set up inside the Vendors Market on Saturday, October 18 at the Providence Bay Arena. Look for posters and announcements coming soon! Items in demand for the food bank this Season are cleaning supplies, juices, pet food dry and wet, dairy free products and canned meat. This will be updated again for October – please visit the MFR Facebook page for updates. How can you get involved? Come to the arena to say hello, bring your non-perishable food donation and then pick-a-pumpkin! If you like, you can take a Fall/pumpkin selfie at our photo booth for fun! Hope to see you all there! Thanks for your support!
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, October is packed with celestial beauty.
October 19, a stunning moon. Venus’s conjunction shines at dusk.
October 21 to October 22, the Orionids meteor shower peaks with fragments of Hailey’s Comet blazing across the sky.
November 5, full moon (freezing moon or Baashkaakodin Giizis) or Beaver Moon.
The Friends: Happy birthday to all of you mid-October babies! Farewell to my baby brother Christian who heads back to Vancouver tomorrow, safe travels! Manitoulin and I will miss you! Sincere regards to the families and friends grieving and missing their loved ones during this time. Remember the good and happy times always.
Go easy out there on the roads as there are more kids and critters crossing and commuting at this time of year so eyes up! If you are visiting Manitoulin Island, welcome!
You can visit the Central Manitoulin Township webpage or visit ExploreManitoulin.com for updates on all the events happening near you.
“You got to find your people
The ones that make you feel alright
That tell you the truth then wish you well
You gotta find your people, then you’ll find yourself
You gotta find your people, then you’ll find yourself”
Songwriters: Kevin Rhoads, Drew Holcomb.
Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer
We enjoy autumn in Billings so much, wild horses couldn’t drag us away from this place right now. Although, in reality, wild horses could probably drag us anywhere pretty easily. They probably wouldn’t even have to be wild; domestic horses could likely do it also. Most horses would have a pretty good shot at moving us at least a moderate distance. More than likely, one calm donkey would be able to handle the job. If we are honest, any of the ungulates would have no issue dragging us away, wild or otherwise. If a herd of determined sheep wanted to drag us anywhere, dragged there we would be. The point being, the Island is incredibly pretty this time of year.
The Kagawong Seniors Active Living Program is going strong: Fitness with Kelly runs Thursdays from 9 to 10 am and Monday yoga classes run 9 to 10 am ($5 per class). All activities will be at the Park Centre and anyone over the age of 55 is welcome to join.
New date! The Seniors Active Living Program is also planning a Gratitude Lunch on Wednesday, October 22 at 11:30 am at the Park Centre. Come for the food, music, trivia challenge or to visit with friends. Contact Mary for more information and to reserve your seat, at 705-348-2285 or seniors@billingstwp.ca! A $5 donation is appreciated
This week we are wishing a very happy 29th birthday to Islanders Sue W and Ken F and Island-related Jef-with-one-F, and Claire T. At your age, people expect you to be calm, dignified and sober. Be sure to disappoint them all!
The Billings Library board is busy gathering a fantastic collection of items for their annual silent auction. This year’s online auction is November 13 to 16. Join on Facebook (FB.com/groups/libraryauction) to be the first to see what is up for bid with sneak peeks starting in November.
Fall may be in full swing right now, but Billings is already planning a sweet spring with the Manitoulin Maple Syrup Festival in the works for March! There will be games, events, vendors, interesting guest speakers, and of course, food, all with a maple syrup focus. Vendors and baking competitors can pre-register, but tickets for the dinner are not on sale yet. Visit https://manitoulinculinarytourism.ca/ for more information and to register.
Holy Mackinaw! Rumour has it Toronto Maple Leafs announcer Joe Bowen will be coming to History Hockey Day in Kagawong in 2026! The Old Mill Heritage Centre is looking for Manitoulin hockey or NHL memorabilia for an exhibit tied into the day. Please contact Rick at oldmillheritage@billingstwp.ca or (705) 282-1442 to reserve your spot in the upcoming Local Hockey Hall of Fame!
We are working on a pumpkin spice flavoured antacid. We plan to call it AuTums. Have a great week!
Meldrum Bay
Elaine Bradley
Friday night at cards we were in the marina building because the hall was being set up and decorated for a luncheon on Saturday. At euchre the high lady was Rose VanEvery with 68 points; high man was Anne Giffin Steele with 67 points; Bob Benedict won most lone hands for the men with two; for the ladies Myra Duncanson won with two; most euchres went to Diane Jones with 10; Mildred Kelly brought home the door prize; and Natasha McVey won the 50/50 draw.
Condolences to the family and friends of Ginger Morrison who passed away June 24, 2025. The Celebration of Life was at the gravesite with Rev. Janice Frame officiating and lunch was at the Meldrum Bay Community Hall. A lot of people attended and the hall was full. The decorations were lovely and the collection of photos gave people a chance to wander down memory lane.
Due to the funeral Karen Noble did not have her usual yard sale and gathering. We will catch up this week and enjoy some coffee and muffins and other goodies.
We had missed Rev. Janice Frame while she was away and it was nice to have her back on Sunday. I played the organ as Kay was away. After the service we gathered around coffee, cake and cookies to visit.
The hall renovations are underway. The front staircase is gone. They are working hard.
Tuesday was Kits and Quilts at the hall. Everyone was told to park on the road, not in the parking lot, so as not to get in the way of the construction. The hall is open via the side door.
We are planning a community turkey dinner at the hall on Saturday. I was just talking to someone at the store and another group has also planned a turkey dinner for Sunday at the hall. We do love getting together and eating. What a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Barrie Island
Enid Runnalls
Cool fall weather has arrived, and the harvest moon is waning. The farmers are preparing for winter, working on some yards, cleaning, repairing and ploughing fields. The maple bush is gradually turning crimson and the denizens of Gordon/Barrie Island are decorating their farm gates and driveway entrances with bales of hay, pumpkins and scarecrows.
Helen Scott of St. Catharines visited Scott and Enid Runnalls last week. She enjoyed the summery weather and visits with family during her stay which she described as ‘halcyon.’
On Tuesday a peloton of ‘Biking Grannies’ were spotted cycling on and then off Barrie Island. Apparently, the Sudbury based group were here to enjoy the quiet, safe and beautiful roads of Barrie Island and to picnic at the lovely Goose Gap Park.
Sandy Miller, Cheryl Rogalsky (Gore Bay) and Enid ventured to the BEAM Paints outlet in M’Chigeeng on Tuesday. They were captivated by the selection of paints, paint brushes and art accoutrements.
Jordan Miller is hammering up a new roof at Oliver Runnalls’ house.
Arie Miller ran with the C.C. McLean Colts team at the Cross-Country meet at Rainbow Ridge Golf Course in Manitowaning. He is now preparing for the run in Gore Bay at the Manitoulin Golf Course.
Speaking of running, Katie Runnalls is participating in the Toronto Marathon on Sunday, October 19. She’s working from Barrie Island this week so you might see her running the local roads.
Breanna Campbell is selling her homebaked pies (apple or blueberry) at $30 a pie as a fundraiser for her son’s Panthers hockey team. Carolyn ordered four — one for Oliver and then she will be putting the rest away (in her freezer).
Mark your calendars for the Birding event at the Gordon/Barrie Island Hall. Terry Land will be presenting how to ‘Bring Birds to your Backyard’ on Thursday, November 6, at 2 pm. Also, Anna and Wayne Aelick will be selling birdfeeders and birdhouses at the event.
Sending get well wishes to Sylvia Fletcher who is recuperating in Sudbury at the Lasalle Rehabilitation Centre.
Silver Water
Karen Noble
On Friday night October 3 we went to play euchre in Meldrum Bay at the marina building. The hall was being set up for Saturday.
There was a large group of UCW ladies who prepared the lunch for Ginger Morrison’s funeral on Saturday morning at the Meldrum Bay Community Hall. A number of us attended the service at the cemetery. There was a big crowd in attendance and most of them came back to the hall to eat.
On Saturday after I got home, Gladys and granddaughter Willow Duncanson came to our house. Willow’s school in Espanola is collecting pop can tabs for a contest. I helped them take the tabs off a lot of cans out of the garage. Then we gave her a box full of tabs that people have dropped off here. If anyone would like to help Willow, Shelby, Kinley and Everly, please drop off can tabs to our house or to Murray and Gladys Duncanson or Randy and Lori Walker.
On Monday I went to Gore Bay to work and to do errands.
On Monday evening we went to play euchre at the Burpee and Mills Complex. There were 10 tables.
On Tuesday, Albert Meijer and I went to Meldrum Bay to work on the Kits and Quilts project. We had a number of people out and got a lot accomplished.
On Tuesday afternoon, Heather Wilson and I went for a swim in Silver Lake. The warm days we have had did not help the water temperature much. It was likely the last swim for 2025.
On Tuesday evening, I went to fire practice with Albert to hand out more garbage pickup schedules. I walked home handing out schedules and picking up cans.
On Wednesday I made the pumpkin and apple pies for this weekend.
On Thursday I worked from home in the morning and then worked on some knitting in the afternoon. Albert and I went for a walk handing out more schedules in the afternoon.
There was euchre at the Silver Water Community Hall on Thursday night.
