2014 Doors Open Peterborough Is This Saturday

Every year, Doors Open gives you the opportunity to discover first-hand Ontario’s hidden heritage treasures. Doors Open Peterborough is this Saturday (May 3rd), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will give you the chance to visit...

• Auburn Generating Station (908 Water Street)
• Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Historical Pumper Truck (Del Crary Park)
• Kirkland Engineering (570 Water Street)
• Peterborough Airport (925 Airport Road)
• Peterborough Memorial Centre (151 Lansdowne Street West)
• Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame (151 Lansdowne Street West)
• Peterborough Museum and Archives (300 Hunter Street East - Museum Drive)
• Confederation Square (501 George Street North)
• TV COGECO (1111 Goodfellow Road)

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Postcards Of Peterborough Churches From Over The Years

Thanks to Trent Valley Archives for supplying us with these...

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Old Postcards Of Lift Lock

Through a unique partnership we have with Trent Valley Archives to bring local history to life, we bring you these gems...

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10 To 15 cm of Snow Enroute, Here's What A Snowstorm Looked Like In 1907

About 10 to 15 cm of snow is projected for Saturday, with the chance of freezing rain. Miserable! Here's what George St. (lookin south from Simcoe St) looked after a snowstorm circa 1907 (at least the sidewalks look clear).

photo courtesy Trent Valley Archives

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Look: We Love These Vintage Postcard Scenes of Peterborough

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PTBOCanada Pics: Canadian Canoe Museum At The Toronto Boat Show

The Canadian Canoe Museum has an interactive booth at the Toronto International Boat Show (which runs January 11th to 19th).

The booth has historic canoes, a paddle carving studio (in which you can sign up for a special one-day workshop on Thursday, January 16th or Friday, January 17th), a kids zone and an actual canoe building workshop.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Jeremy Ward describing the steps it takes to create a Canoe

A 14' Canvas-Covered Canoe

PTBOPics & Coverage: Jane's Walk 2013 Peterborough Creek Mystique

Peterborough had five Jane's Walks this year and we attended the Creek Mystique walk which was guided by Kim Zippel and Gina Varrin. This walk was to introduce us to the importance and historic past of Jackson Creek, which runs through the heart of Peterborough.

As everyone gathered to set off on the hike, there was a funny moment where our walk guides had to stop midstory until a noisy car had finished driving by, and yet nearby bicycles proved to be quite unobtrusive. Perhaps a nod to Jane's thoughts on urban lifestyle.

We learned that the Oak Ridges Moraine to the West supplies the headwaters for Jackson Creek and the creek itself is 155 km long. It even supplied water to local mills who processed Red Fife Wheat back in the 1840s, which is a living artifact that is part of Canada's living history (and can still be found in a locally brewed beer).

The walk had numerous stops along the way to point out changes over the years, to both the creek itself and the surrounding area. As we build up the city (i.e. more roads and development, less trees) there is an impact on Jackson Creek and its biodiversity. Man-made objects such as Gabion Baskets have been placed along a high ridge to keep the hill at bay, but as we learned later in the walk, while they are effective they might not be the best choice for a diverse ecosystem. With the natural riparian area displaced, we loose things such as filtration and a root system that prevents erosion.

One of the interesting projects that happened after the 2004 Peterborough flood was that of a downtown Peterborough business that was almost swept away due to erosion. The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority oversaw the restoration of the Jackson Creek banks next to this business. Cedars were harvested alive to keep the roots, with the hopes that they would grow back into the bank and help stabilize it. Stone, rock and rebar was used to help fortify it, and so far it has been successful (and a fairly new idea).

If you live downtown Peterborough, you might forget that the creek is even there, but you can see it disappear under the city at Brock Street and Alymer.

In 1955, there was a plan put forth to "daylight" the creek, which meant to expose sections of it to daylight. Again, this would help the riparian area, but as our walk leaders opened the idea to conversation we all agreed that it would also help the natural well-being of the public. The flowing water helps lift the moods of those within earshot, is visually appealing and could be made into a public attraction.

Kudos to the very knowledgable Kim and Gina and the Peterborough Field Naturalists for organizing this walk. Not only did they have plenty of historic tidbits, but in true Jane's Walk fashion they opened every thought for group conversation. There were no "wrong answers" and it made for very light and interesting discussion.

Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist who envisioned cities as ecosystems that changed over time. She felt that it was better for both community and your own personal health for less auto infrastructure, and more of a diverse, greener, interactive community. You can read her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities and take part in the Jane's Walks which run every year in her memory.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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PTBOCanada Pics From Doors Open At PUC & Fire Station #3

We had a chance to pop in to both the PUC's Water Treatment Plant (1230 Water Street) and the Peterborough Fire Station #3 (839 Clonsilla Avenue) during Saturday's Doors Open. One neat thing is that despite how modern both buildings were, they both contained a link to the past. The Fire Station has a mini museum of older firefighting equipment, including a pair of "Cover's Gas Tight Rubber Goggles" from the 1940s, and the water treatment plant has an older scale and testing equipment. Nice to see that Peterborough's past is not forgotten.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Dean Pappas Tell His Canadian Story, Including Origin Of Pappas Billiards

[YouTube]

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Club Aragon (And Bobby Kinsman) Was The Place To Be Back In The Day In Peterborough

[UPDATED March 11th: The entire documentary airs on TVCogeco. Check their website for times.]

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Once upon a time, Club Aragon (now Trentwinds) was Peterborough's ultra-modern nightspot. Bobby "Mr. Big Band" Kinsman and his orchestra was the house band there for many years, and the likes of Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Robert Goulet played gigs there. Kinsman's house band played there for 25 years, starting in 1947, and his band also played the Peterborough Arts and Water Festival from 1970 to 1976. Kinsman, who is in The Pathway of Fame, was known for giving money to charities and helping struggling musicians. Here his son Tom talks about how his legendary Dad came to Peterborough and what Club Aragon was like...

[YouTube via TVCogeco]

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