10th Annual Purple Onion Festival Cancelled Due to "Ongoing Logistic Issues"

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The 2022 Purple Onion Festival scheduled for Saturday in Millennium Park has been cancelled according to Transition Town Peterborough due to ‘ongoing logistic issues with the City of Peterborough’ announced Sunday afternoon.

The Purple Onion Festival marched during the return of the Canada Day Parade in Peterborough through George Street. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Purple Onion Festival celebrates the security of life essentials such as local food, water, energy, culture and wellness.

Transition Town Peterborough’s Facebook page issued a statement regarding the cancellation:

It is with saddened hearts, Transition Town Peterborough has decided to cancel this year's Purple Onion Festival due to ongoing logistic issues with the City of Peterborough. The last minute demands made by the city have made it impossible to continue this year's festival. We look forward to working with council and staff to eradicate and streamline the process for next year. Further, it is our position that, unrealistic hurdles put forth by the city, along with their lack of co-operation or any attempt to help resolve, rather than hinder the process, are also deterrents for others to attempt to stage similar community events. Community involvement is at the heart of every healthy city.

It also came to our attention that, as much of the infrastructure is left in the Millennium Park overnight, the presence of the homeless in the park at night has created a heightened risk of vandalism and forced a major supplier to rethink and ultimately withdraw from the event due to their concern with working with the City. This situation evolved despite the good intentions of the festival planning team to highlight the homeless issue through the showing of the PATH Tiny Home, and to tie homelessness to the local food security issue identifying both as serious outcomes of the Climate Crisis Emergency that now engulfs us all.

Our apologies to the many volunteers, sponsors and vendors who have shown their support this year and in years past.

We hope to see everyone in 2023.

The event was to include live music, a craft beer garden, local farmers, an eat local challenge, the healthy kids’ corner and more. Guenther Schubert was the returning host chef of the Taste of the Kawarthas food tent.

The Purple Onion Festival was last run in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

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Photos: The Fourth Annual Peterborough VegFest Flourishes Despite Heavy Rain

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There were 38 vendors and waves of people that hit up the fourth annual Peterborough VegFest at Millennium Park on Sunday.

Despite the heavy rain, Peterborough braved the harsh weather to enjoy vegan-friendly and local food and product vendors. The event provided entertainment with seven local musicians such as Irish Millie and Steelburner & Suns. Free activities such as take-out poetry and a cooking course were offered at the vegan festival.

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Photos: 33rd Annual Peterborough Folk Festival Rocks Nicholls Oval Park

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Following ticketed events at Market Hall on Thursday and Friday evenings, free performances were held throughout the weekend in Nicholls Oval park as part of Peterborough Folk Festival.

Nathan Truax and band performs during Peterborough Folk Festival 2022. Photo by Luke Best

First organized in 1989 as part of the now defunct Peterborough Arts Umbrella, the festival became a not-for-profit organization in 2001 and a registered charity in 2018.

The mandate of the festival is to promote folk music and arts within the Peterborough community as well as provide safely accessible venues and diverse audiences for both local and Canadian touring musicians.

The 2022 edition of Folk Fest featured acts such as the Sudbury string band, Murder Murder.

I, The Mountain from Kitchener played through sunset and into the evening.

Afie Jurvanen, known by his stage name, Bahamas headlined the show with a packed performance on Saturday Night. Jurvanen was born in Toronto and raised in Barrie.

On Sunday the 12-piece band from the Niagara area, My Son The Hurricane performed during the day. Lead singer Jacob Bergsma, wore a Zellers smock to commemorate the announcement that the Canadian company would be returning.

In addition to the performances, the festival featured an artisan village, a food village and valet bicycling parking provided by B!KE Community Bike Shop. Reusable dishes were used by food vendors and a team of volunteers washed and returned them to keep the festival as eco-friendly as possible.

The Peterborough Folk Festival is a volunteer-run, non-profit, registered charity organization and relies on the generosity of sponsors and donors to keep the event free.
If you’re interested in making a donation or learning more: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/peterborough-folk-festival/

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Photos: The Strumbellas perform at Peterborough Musicfest in Del Crary Park.

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Juno award-winning band, The Strumbellas, performed at Peterborough Musicfest in Del Crary Park Wednesday night.

Photos by Luke Best

Attendees were happy to welcome them back to Kawarthas, by filling the park and dancing into the night. The Strumbellas did not disappoint. With a high-energy performance they had the crowd singing along to their hits such as “Spirits,” “We Don’t Know,” and “In This Life.”

The evening was concluded with an encore featuring a cover of Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”

Lead singer Jimmy Chauveau described the evening as “all sorts of magic” and that he couldn’t wait to come back.

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Photos: Nagasaki Commemoration Lantern Ceremony at Little Lake

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The Peterborough Peace Council hosted its annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration Ceremony at Little Lake on Tuesday evening.

Traditionally the lanterns have been released towards the fountain however this year’s strong winds sent them along the shoreline. Photo by Luke Best.

“It’s important to remember exactly what happened,” said Gianne Broughton, a Peterborough Peace Council member.

The commemoration began with Broughton acknowledging the 77th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan by the U.S Military.

Peterborough Peace Council member Sheila Nabigon-Howlett then shared how Canada has not yet signed the UN Nuclear Ban Treaty and called for the end of nuclear tech.

“This is an opportunity to look at the globe and see what is happening. It’s not pretty,” she said.

An open invitation was offered if anyone would like to speak their mind, about the past or about the future. Two speeches were made after an open mic invitation was offered to speak their mind, about the past or about the future, followed by a song.

Peterborough Peace Council and supporters were invited to release paper lanterns into the water after the sun had set. This Japanese custom is a gesture of respect for those who have died and gives participants a moment to think about their ancestors and loved ones.

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Two Long Running Selwyn Festivals To Take Place This Weekend

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The Lakefield Jazz, Art & Craft Festival and the Ennismore Shamrock Festival will both take place this weekend after two years of cancelled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo courtesy of The Township of Selwyn.

The Lakefield Jazz, Art & Craft Festival will take place on Saturday at Isabel Morris Park 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Visitors to the outdoor evet will be able to listen to live, local music from Marsala Lukianchuk and Friends,
Logan Murray and the Spoon Lickers and many more. A full list of performers is available here.

Artisans and food vendors will be open and available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a full list of vendors click here.

Admission is $10 and can be paid upon entry.

Photo courtesy of the Township of Selwyn.

The Ennismore Shamrock Festival will take place on Sunday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Robert E. Young Recreation Complex.

The Shamrock Festival hosted it’s inaugural event in 1967, to celebrate Canada’s Centennial year.

The day will begin at 8 a.m. with a BBQ, hosted by the Shamrock Festival Committee - includes peameal bacon on a bun, burgers, hot dogs and drinks. There will also be a youth soccer and baseball tournament.

Beginning at 10 a.m. visitors will be able to enjoy a bouncy castle, outdoor games, a petting zoo, free ice cream sundae decorating and many more child friendly events.

The Shamrock Festival is free to attend, though entrance to the Craft Show (located inside) is $2.

For a detailed list of events click here.

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Photos: Sam Roberts Band Rocks Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park

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Less than one year since their last appearance in town, the Sam Roberts Band performed at Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park Wednesday night.

This was the Sam Roberts Band’s third appearance in Peterborough. Their first appearance was at Showplace Performance Centre on Nov. 24, 2014. Photos By Luke Best.

Fans packed the park and were ecstatic to see the Sam Roberts Band return since their last appearance in August. The drive-in concert at the Peterborough Memorial Centre was cut short due to a storm.

After so much time without concerts, Sam Roberts told the crowd to “Throw your shame out the window and dance!”

Throughout the evening, the alternative rock band played fan favourites such as “Shapeshifters” and “Brother Down.” Roberts shared stories of playing Peterborough for the first time in 2002 at the since-closed nightclub, Sin City to a single attendee named Kevin.

The Sam Roberts Band marks the first Wednesday concert and third performance for the 2022 Peterborough Musicfest. The New Pornographers is the next act and performing next this Saturday at 8 p.m.

Peterborough Musicfest is a free event hosted every Wednesday and Saturday in Del Crary Park. Concert-goers can bring their lawn chairs or rent them for $4 at the event.

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ReFrame Film Festival Releases Line-Up For 2022 Festival

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ReFrame 2022 has released the full lineup of 71 social justice documentaries coming to this year’s virtual film festival which will run Jan. 27 - Feb. 4.

Wochiigii lo: End of the Peace. Directed by Heather Hatch. Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival.

This years line up focuses on themes like food justice, art as resistance, climate change, and healthcare. The documentaries are made both by local and international filmmakers.

The 18th annual ReFrame Film Festival will be available for audiences to stream across Canada.

The Hands That Feed Us is a film that focuses on migrant farmworkers who work on farms, in greenhouses and processing plants throughout Canada. It was filmed in Milbrook.

Youth V Gov follows 21 activists from across the nation as they file a lawsuit against the United States. The case reveals evidence that the government has endangered their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property by acting over six decades to create the climate crisis.

Daughter of A Lost Bird follows Kendra Mylnechuk, an adult Indigenous adoptee, born in 1980 at the cusp of the enactment of the Indian Child Welfare Act.

For a full list of films and descriptions click here.

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Buckhorn Festival Of The Arts To Be In Person In 2022

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After two years of virtually hosting, the Buckhorn Festival of the Arts is set to be in person in 2022.

The festival, which was established in 1978, takes place at the Buckhorn Community Centre.

The festival showcases artists from all over Canada and gives visitors the opportunity to purchase art, listen to music and enjoy food from various cooks.

For the last two years due to COVID-19, organizers have taken a virtual approach to showcasing artists. On Monday they announced on social media that the festival will be in person in August 2022.

Dependent on the COVID-19 situation, the festival will run August 13 -14, 2022.

For more information click here.

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The Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival is Accepting Applications for Next Year's Event

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Applications are now being accepted by Indigenous artists in all genres to perform in the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival (NIFF).

File Photo.

NIFF is an unjuried, uncensored festival for independent indigenous performers.

Unlike the fringe movement, NIFF focuses specifically on local and regional Indigenous artists, mentorship, collaborative learning, knowledge sharing and skill development.

Performers are chosen by lottery and receive 100% of the box office proceeds.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 17.

Artists are chosen in January and selected artists perform at Trent University from June 21-26, 2022.

For more information on the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, click here.

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