Queen Mary Is Celebrating 100 Years In Peterborough With A Day Of Celebration On June 1st

Queen Mary Public School is celebrating 100 years in Peterborough this year, and the big celebration takes place June 1st, 2013 at the school from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (1445 Monaghan Road).

Then, that night alumni and community members will come together for a “Nuit Blanche”-inspired evening at ARIA nightclub, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. You can register for the special day at queenmary100.ca.

Also, in conjunction with this, their 100th year, Queen Mary is looking for sponsorships to help them update their auditorium.

Their goal is to raise $25,000 to update the auditorium and install three smartboards, which would be about half the expected cost of the improvements.

There are various sponsorship opportunities available, ranging from platinum ($5,000) to bronze ($350). Those interested in sponsorships can email questions to qmparentcouncil@hotmail.ca.

[Queen Mary's 100th Reunion]

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Watch This Fantastic Peterborough Is A Hockey Town Video Made For Hockey Day

This is just about the best thing ever. This video was produced by Wayne Eardley with excellent music and lyrics by Peterborough's Rob Wilkes and his band The Conestokers. It captures Peterborough hockey culture, lore and history perfectly. Watch and share, a new Peterborough hockey anthem is born...

[YouTube]

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The Iconic hiTOPS Sign Is No More In Downtown Peterborough

hiTOPS Facebook page photoThe iconic hiTOPS sign in downtown Peterborough has come down, and been replaced with this sign pictured below for a new Thai restaurant.

hiTOPS Chinese Restaurant had been undergoing renovations for sometime, but much speculation has surrounded whether it would in fact re-open with the same name and ownership.

hiTOPS, and its facade, has been a landmark downtown. It has been locally owned and operated for four generations by the Hum family, and has been in business here for over 100 years.

Now, in its place, is Real Thai Cuisine restaurant.

No word yet from the hiTOP owners on what happened, and whether in fact they own this new restaurant.

[hiTOPS photo via hiTOPS Facebook page; Real Thai Cuisine picture via @xhastyp]

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Peterborough Lift Lock Gets A-List Treatment At Toronto International Boat Show

Parks Canada are showing off a historic piece of Peterborough all week at the Toronto International Boat Show.

Helping to promote tourism here in our city, the Peterborough Life Lock are front and centre at their booth.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Canadian Canoe Museum Hosting Free Open House This Sunday

The Canadian Canoe Museum is having an open house this Sunday (January 13th) from noon until 5 p.m.

Come visit the museum and explore the exhibits for free. The Peterborough Model Railroaders and the Lindsay & Region Model Railroaders will also be there.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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St. Peter's Secondary School Celebrating Its 100 Anniversary This Year

St. Peter's is celebrating its 100th anniversary in Peterborough this year—the school opened its door at its original location on September 2, 1913 with 59 students. The official anniversary weekend takes place this year on Thanksgiving, October 11th and 12th. Contact St. Peter's with your own memories of the school here, learn more about celebrations here, and view pictures from past yearbooks here. Watch the video below from a history buff who happened to find some abandoned photographs from St. Peter's taken in 1916 and 1920 that will be used as part of the celebrations.

[YouTube]

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Why Moving The Canadian Canoe Museum To A Waterfront Location Downtown Would Rock

The Canadian Canoe Museum announced today (November 21st) that a feasibility study is being undertaken starting in January to determine in part what it would take to move to a waterfront location downtown from their current location for the past 15 years at 910 Monaghan Road.

It's never made much sense to be where it is (more than one person has remarked as such), and moving this excellent museum right down by the water in the core of Peterborough seems like an entirely logical thing to do. It would drive many more tourists and cottagers—and even locals—into the downtown area to visit the museum.

Imagine touring the Canoe Museum, then stepping outside it and going canoeing and kayaking on the Otonabee River and Little Lake. And afterwards, tourists and the like can eat and shop and take in some theatre downtown. Brilliant.

"During the years that we've been operating on Monaghan Road, it has become apparent to us that we will need to redevelop the Museum in order to achieve these goals, and so we are commissioning a feasibility study as the first step," says the museum's director James Raffan in a PR release.

Funding for the study comes from private donors and a grant from the Peterborough Community Futures Development Corporation.

Where do you think a great place for a new site would be for construction of a facility near the downtown?

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Remembrance Day Poem: In Flanders Fields

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields" sends a haunting message—lest we forget. Millions of poppies bloom around the world to remember the sacrifice made by the courageous men and women who secure the rights we enjoy. These poppies grew across battlefields of Flanders in World War I, and their red colour is an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

The red in the Red Pashmina Campaign is inspired by the red of the poppy. This Sunday, we will remember the blood spilled and reflect on how well we have carried the torch.

This video is a tribute to the fallen soldiers of war and the families they’ve left behind. —Maryam Monsef

[YouTube]

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Here's The Final Commencement Held At PCVS

PCVS held their final Commencement in the School Auditorium on Friday, October 26th. This is the last graduating class ever from this school, which the KPR closed last year.

[Related: PCVS: Then Now & Forever]

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Historic Birchbark Canoe Arrives at Canoe Museum In Peterborough

A historic Birchbark Canoe from the 1700s has arrived at the Canadian Canoe Museum. It is believed it was crafted somewhere along the St. Lawrence River, brought to England in the 1700s, then recently transported back to Canada. Although it is degrading, it is an excellent example for researchers to study.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is looking for outreach opportunities and would like to use this canoe to establish discussion to learn more about the canoe's history and also build a full sized replica for an exhibit.

Learn more from the outdoors blog Trail Swag.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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