Video: Watch A Mural Come Together In A Junior Common Room At Trent U

[YouTube via Flavour Fashion Blogspot]

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Plush Owner Mike Watt Is Channeling Joaquin Phoenix

Mike Watt, owner of hip Peterborough stores Plush, Flavour Fashion and S.O.S, tells PtboCanada he's not sure when the beard is going to go. For now, he says even though it does get itchy, it's staying put—and continuing to grow. When the beard comes off, we will break the news.

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Peterborough's Liz Lewis Pitches "Sexapalooza" To The Dragons' Den Tonight

Yet again a local entrepreneur is headed to the den in hopes of securing a deal with the dragons on CBC's Dragons' Den.

This time it is Liz Lewis with her company Sexapalooza. She has asked for $100,000 for a 40% stake in her company. With the money, she has aspirations of taking her trade show company stateside.

Tune in tonight (January 26th) at 8 p.m. on CBC to find out if she was able to convince the dragons to invest. 

[Pics from show via Dragons' Den]

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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Update

on 2011-01-27 12:41 by PTBOCANADA

No deal was made with the Dragons in last night's episode. More deets here.

Peterborough Folk Festival News: Submission Deadline & Band Promotion 101 Workshop Coming Up!

Memories of the 2010 PFF. The deadline for performer submissions to the 2011 Peterborough Folk Festival is February 28th, and submission guidelines can be found on PtboFolkFest.com. 

PFF receives more than 1,000 submissions from artists around the world each year, and is known Canada-wide for breaking new acts. Coming off a highly successful 2010 PFF, this year's PFF takes place Friday, August 26 to Sunday, August 28, 2011—so mark it on your calendars!

PFF Artistic Director Candace Shaw, who PtboCanada spotlighted last year in this Q&A, is also hosting a Band Promotion 101 workshop on February 2 at Sadleir House in Peterborough. Designed with the emerging artist in mind, Shaw draws on her many years of experience in the music industry to help up-and-coming artists understand the art of self-promotion. Cost is only $10, and participants must register at PtboFolkFest.com.

[Peterborough Folk Festival; PtboCanada Interview: Candace Shaw, Artistic Director of Peterborough Folk Festival; 2010 Peterborough Folk Festival]

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Stuff To Do In The Patch This Weekend

Friday

Snofest Family Swim (6:30 p.m. - Free) Sport & Wellness Centre

Saturday

Snofest Pancake Breakfast (9:00 a.m. - Free) East Peterborough Lion's Club

Wild Rock Outfitters: Nordic Ski Glide Wax Clinic (9 a.m. - $10/person) Kawartha Nordic Ski Club

Snofest: SnoGames on Armour Hill (includes Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides, Hockey Shootout, SnoGolf) (10 a.m. - Free) Outside the Peterborough Museum

Wild Rock Outfitters: Snowshoe Demo (10:30 a.m.) Trent University Nature Trails

Trent University: Athletics Centre Community Open House (1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Schedule) - Free)

Snofest: Chilli Contest (1:30 p.m.) Heritage Pavilion

Sunday

Wild Rock Outfitters: Classic Ski Lessons (10 a.m. - $25/person) Kawartha Nordic Ski Club

REELKids Film Festival: Stella Star of the Orient (10:30 a.m. - $5/person or $15 for four) Showplace

Wild Rock/B!ke Winter Group Bike Ride (12:00 p.m.) 

Wild Rock Outfitters: Skate Ski Lessons (1 p.m. - $25/person) Kawartha Nordic Ski Club

REELKids Film Festival: Letter for the King (1:30 - $5/person or $15 for four) Showplace

To submit info for "Stuff to do in the Patch This Weekend", email evan@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

Some of the Stuff PtboCanada Has Covered This Year

So we started this blog all about Peterborough in May. And it's been fun. Really fun. Peterborough, you rock. In one long run-on sentence, here's some of the stuff we've covered since we launched about 8 months ago: 

We've covered the life of a Peterborough ER doctor, Jake's closure, The International Dragon Boat Festival, Reggie's HotGrill, a smoking dude on a bike during the gas leak, Have You Seen Video..., a rock star of posters, a guy who draws, a mural man, the Christmas Parade, the Canada Day Parade, the Arkells at the Red Dog, happy people, people lying down, an anti-bullying event, a breakfast program, a zombie crawl, a yarn shop, a snow sculpture, an email that was the talk of the mayoral race, the YWCA shelter, a cheesy store, a book store, a person who misses Peterborough, the CIBC Run for the Cure, a dude who called on a wrestler in the Memorial Centre parking lot, awesome bands, the Peterborough Folk Festival, Focus Fair, 3 Loonie event, the Old Stone Symphony, Dean Del Mastro yearbook pics, Jay Scotland and Lois Tuffin taking a dip, beaches, bars & restaurants, Peterborough Square in 1987, Sarah Harmer at the Gordon Best, Twitterborough, and a BIG garage sale.

Thanks to all our contributors and readers, and all those who have been tipping us and following us on Twitter. Please continue to spread the word about PtboCanada.

[Related: Video: Peterborough Year in Review]

Flashback! Peterborough Square During Xmas 1987

[YouTube]

What are your memories of Peterborough Square from back in the day? Add comments below.

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Spotlight: Needles in the Hay Yarn Shop Is The Place To Be For Knitters

With a strong passion for "all things wool," Bridget Allin moved to Peterborough with the impression that we had an existing yarn store. When she found out that the one here had recently closed, she killed two birds with one stone by creating a job for herself and opening a store of her own: Needles in the Hay.

Bridget found herself busy right from the get-go, as Peterborough is home to lots of organized knitting groups. "The reception to the store has been amazing as knitting is a hobby embraced by all ages," she says.

Bridget feels that knitting has been making a resurgence in recent years. With websites such as Ravelry (a site that lets you network with others and share knitting patterns) and KnittingHelp.com (for knitting explanations and techniques), knitting has become more accessible, she believes. More knitting conferences are starting to spring up as the culture starts to grow and people pay more attention to the materials of products and where they are sourced.

Although yarn is available from box stores, if you are looking for a natural fibre yarn or one with a luxury fibre in it (such as cashmere), Needles in the Hay is the place to be. Bridget's passion shows and she is very knowledgable. Classes will be added in 2011 to help people of any knitting or crocheting level. One of the classes will be a knitting refresher course as many people have tried knitting at some point in their life and just need a helping hand to get started again.

Needles in the Hay (705-740-0667) is located at 385 Water Street. It's open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays. For more info, email Bridget here.

[Words & Pictures by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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PtboPics: Focus Fair At The Spill

Jamie Campbell (@uniformgrey on Twitter) showing off her handmade BloopA wide variety of arts and crafts from Lucky Jackson (luckyjackson.etsy.com)

[Focus Fair]

[Pictures by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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The Spill Hosting 5th Annual Focus Fair Holiday Sale

The 5th Annual Focus Fair Holiday Craft Sale takes place Saturday, December 11th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, December 12th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Spill Cafe (414 George St. N.)

This is a good opportunity to shop for a holiday gift, as this craft sale has a great selection of unique gifts handmade by local artists.

And supporting local artists/shops in the downtown core is always a good thing.

For more info on the fair, contact focusfair@gmail.com.

[Related: Great Reasons To Shop Downtown This Christmas]

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