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Peterborough Blogs
A Hand Carved Unity Pole By Local Ojibway Artist Kris Nahrgang Has Become A Hit
/To celebrate the enormous contribution that Canada's indigenous people have made to this great land, the CNE commissioned local Ojibway artist Kris Nahrgang to create a Unity Pole this year.
Photo via @JoeM_2015 on Twitter
The majestic and vibrant 25-foot pole by Nahrgang has become a popular attraction at the CNE, and has drawn lots of attention to the artist. It was carved from a majestic white cedar tree from the Peterborough area, and embraces both indigenous and universal symbols.
Nahrgang documented the construction of the Unity Pole on Facebook, and posted there on May 24th that it was completed...
On July 18th, Nahrgang posted to Instagram that the Unity Pole was ready for delivery to Toronto...
"The pole was created to offer a story of Unity, and healing for all Canadians, and has been created to include a story of hope for relationships for all of us," says Nahrgang.
"It is hand carved, and painted in bright Woodland style. It will represent a great vision of togetherness for all who come to view it."
Photo via @JoeM_2015 on Twitter
"The Unity Pole has become a huge attraction for the CNE, and has taken on a life of its own," Nahrgang tells PTBOCanada. "The pole for me was a way to show the beauty of indigenous art, and the stories of my Mississauga Ojibway Heritage. My goal was to create a piece of art that spoke to the country, and now the world, as to the need to educate ourselves about indigenous people, and our Culture."
Nahrgang adds: "I felt that this was a great opportunity to offer a good story, of inclusion, harmony and balance that needs to be pursued between all peoples in this beautiful Country. The impact of the pole has been viral, and its story has gone worldwide. It has changed my life and taken me to a new realm of the art world and offered a great respect for my art, and to myself as an artist."
The Unity Pole is on display at the Heritage Court in the Enercare Centre at the CNE until September 4th. The plan after that, Nahrgang tells us, is for it to be set up in a permanent location on the CNE grounds.
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91-Year-Old Kenn Grainger With His 12 Secrets To Living A Great Life
/Kenn Grainger was born March 7th, 1927. He moved to Peterborough with his family when he was 15 from Neepawa, Manitoba. He had four kids with his wife Irene, who passed away in 1992 after a battle with breast cancer. Kenn has outlived most of his friends and three of his children.
Kenn Grainger at Fairhaven (August 14th, 2017)
Kenn worked in the construction business, but where he really gets the most out of life in its adventure. Of having an impact on family and friends, and in giving back through volunteering and public speaking. Indeed, he has been a lifelong volunteer for over 60 years.
He first caught the volunteer bug in his late 20s when he started volunteering with the Kinsmen Club of Peterborough. He's also been involved with Kiwanis Club, YMCA and the United Way of Peterborough. He was Chairman of the CNIB and is currently, at age 90, Chair of the Pathway to Fame in Peterborough, something he himself was inducted into in 2005. For over a decade starting in the mid-Nineties, he was a motivational speaker in local schools.
Kenn Grainger in his room at Fairhaven
Also, Kenn is legally blind—he has macular degeneration, which first came on suddenly on November 5th, 1992 (yes, he remembers the exact day it started)—but has still remained active and involved in the community. He started skydiving regularly at age 70, after he went blind. He has waterskiied on Stoney Lake at age 88 and ziplined off of Fairhaven at age 89, both to raise money for Fairhaven where he resides.
KenN and his wife Irene: The photos hang on his wall at Fairhaven and were taken in 1990 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. "We better get these taken," she said, "as we don't know how long I'll have." She died in 1992.
He works the phone with friends and for organizations every day, and makes you feel like you're his best friend and you've known him forever. He loves to talk and to listen, and has a photographic memory right down to remembering your phone number.
He moves about Fairhaven with ease and by memory, and knows exactly where every single picture hangs in his room. He loves going out for social occasions but doesn't drink—and rarely has. "I've probably had the equivalent of one case of beer in my lifetime," he laughs.
Ken gets a lot of phone calls
Based on his own approach to life and living, Kenn gives PTBOCanada his 12 Secrets To Living A Great Life below...
1. "There's no point in worrying about stuff you can't do anything about. Just live. If you can't do anything about something that has happened, don't sweat it. Move on."
2. "You're affected by your environment. You're a product of your environment. Community and friends have a tremendous impact on who you are."
"If we each do a little bit, we all do a lot." —Kenn Grainger
3. "If you want to have a friend, you have to be a friend."
4. "Keep perspective. Keep a positive attitude. Keep looking at the positive rather than negative side of your conversations and interactions with others. Because negativity around you usually takes you to more negavity. Positivity does the opposite."
5. "I hate boredom. I'm always looking for things to do. Keep active, keep moving. When I cut off driving because of my eye condition, I started skydiving at age 70. And I continued to do the things I was already doing, like volunteering."
A student made this for Ken covering his amazing journey in life: "Make the Best Of What You Have".
6. "Give people a chance. Always look at someone new with an open mind. Meet new people and give them the benefit of the doubt. Give them a chance. Listen. Because you just never know."
7. "It's never too late to change, and be a better person."
8. "I've always tried to make friends, day after day, month after month, year after year. It's an impossibility to have too many friends."
9. "If you're fortunate enough to have kids, teach them the best things in life. Teach kids good manners. Teach them how to be polite. Teach them how to be good people. Your kids learn from you very quickly, the day they are born actually. They catch on from a very young age. They're observing, listening. Kids have ears and they pick up things you think they might not hear. Say and teach them the right things."
10. "Volunteer. I believe in volunteering for the good of society. If we each do a little bit, we all do a lot. There is hundreds of ways we can make a difference."
11. "I don't have any bad friends because if they're bad, they're not my friend. If someone is my friend, it's because they're a good person."
12. "I like the good things in life, the positive things. I want to leave an example. You can't say one thing and do the opposite. I want to leave an example to people to inspire them."
He will.
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Peterborough Entrepreneur Launches Mobile App For Users To Discover Their Next Meal Based On Their Mood
/Peterborough entrepreneur Sultan Moni, a student at Trent University, has launched a new app that could change the way consumers choose their next meal. Zatiq is a platform for users to discover local foods around them that will match their cravings to a meal.
Through artificial intelligence, this unique app—now available in Google Play Store and launching on the App store in August—could redefine the food and hospitality industry. A mix of inputting the user’s mood and meal preferences will allow the app to be personalized at any user’s command.
“People are always hungry but often never know what they want to eat,” says Moni. “I wanted to solve that problem since there are so many different types of meals to discover.”
Moni is based out of the Innovation Cluster’s downtown Cube in Peterborough, and combined his love for trying new meals and developing technology to create a food discovery app that can benefit anyone who wants to discover new food and find that perfect dish.
Entrepreneur Sultan Moni
“It is exciting to see a disruptive new app born in Peterborough & the Kawarthas which has the potential to be used in different markets around the world," says Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster.
With Zatiq’s leading search capabilities, there are various inputs available to find their next meal. When searching by business, user’s can browse for specific restaurants, cafés and other food hot spots. The innovative “mood” search engine lets the user find meals that will satisfy based on what they are feeling, such as happy or heartbroken. No matter what kind of day the person is having, they can find a meal fit for them.
With the ability for users to follow each other’s profiles, the app provides an interactive experience when trying new foods, allowing people to comment or like another user’s ratings, check-ins, or pictures.
Another benefit of the app is each time a user checks in to a location, points are gained. These can be redeemed as coupons, discounts, samples, offers and other deals provided by businesses. Rewards could be anything from a free coffee to a free iPhone 7.
“This app will expand even more as people in different locations download it,” says Moni. “Zatiq will allow users to add meals and locations to the app’s search list, so anyone around the world will be able to find a good meal, gain points and have fun wherever they are.”
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17-Year-Old St. Peter's High School Student To Seek New Democratic Party Nomination In Peterborough-Kawartha
/Zach Hatton, a 17-year-old (he turns 18 in January, making him eligible to run on Election Day, which is June 7th, 2018) entering Grade 12 at St. Peter Secondary School, will be announcing his candidacy to run for New Democratic Party Nomination in this riding on Thursday (July 20th) afternoon at a press conference at Millennium Park behind the Silver Bean Café.
Photo by SC Photography
"My friends and family have been so supportive of my decision," the politically-engaged student tells PTBOCanada. "It has been truly humbling the support I have received from everyone. I am choosing to run at this time because this election is crucial and it is important to get ideas on the table from all sides. Youth are being pushed aside in government with the two other major parties and this time we must stand up and say the youth in this province matter."
Photo by SC Photography
"I believe that even though I am so young, my experiences can help this riding," Hatton tells PTBOCanada of running in the Ontario election. "I have been a volunteer for many years and have worked on three campaigns already and have been around politics forever. I have been very involved since 2014 but have always had a big interest and have known I wanted to do this as my career for the people of this riding."
Photo by SC Photography
Hatton says he will be using social media aggressively during his campaign for MPP to spread his campaign messages. He will have Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and Youtube accounts activated in the coming days and will be using all of them to get his message out under the username ZachHatton4Change to spread the word to youth and beyond.
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This Clap Out Tribute To Peterborough Custodian Mr. Hilts Is Awesome
/The "clap out" is a cool tradition at many schools for Grade 8 students moving on to high school.
What was extra cool about the clap out at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough on Monday (June 26th) was that retiring custodian Rick Hilts (aka "Mr. Hilts") was able to partake.
Mr. Hilts gets the clap out
Custodians are the unsung heroes of schools, so this "clap out" was a terrific gesture to Mr. Hilts and his profession.
Watch the video below posted to the school's Twitter channel...
A Superhero Kid Named Harrison Who Touched So Many Lives Is Now In Heaven
/Peterborough's Harrison McKinnon lived a short life but had a huge impact on so many.
The little boy who we wrote about last year during his battle with lymphoma—he and his parents helped raise awareness about the vital need for blood donors—died on Saturday (June 17th) at the age of 2 years old after a brief and unexpected battle with infection.
Harrison
"Our hearts have shattered into a million pieces... after a brief and unexpected battle with an insidious and relentless infection, today we kissed and held our darling Harrison for the last time," his mom Shannon wrote in a Facebook post.
"On June 17, 2017, 2:15pm, at the age of 2 years, 9 months, our beautiful, sensitive, thoughtful, cuddly, funny and infinitely brave firstborn baby boy peacefully gave up his fight and left all his pain and suffering behind. We are left heartbroken that we will never know the amazing person he was destined to become, but so honoured and thankful that he chose us as his parents so we could know how full our hearts and lives could be. Because of him, we know a love we never guessed was possible before he became ours for his short time in this world. 'Mamoo' forever, Little Love"
Harrison pictured last year with his parents Barrett and Shannon
The powerful obituary for Harrison speaks of an "army of people"—family and friends and caregivers and community—that has been so supportive of Harrison and family during his battle, and praying for them. And that included the teams at PRHC in Peterborough and SickKids in Toronto.
"From the beginning of our fight the paediatric team at PRHC have been our number one champions and supporters - doing everything and anything in their power to help make our path a little bit easier to walk and whatever they could do to help make Harrison well... We would like to express our heartfelt and endless thanks to our exceptional medical team at Sick Kids, who treated us with amazing compassion and kindness, and more like family than patients."
Harrison with his baby brother, Jack
"Harrison fought cancer relentlessly for more than half his life, with a remarkably sunny disposition and with an incredible bravery and strength that left us in awe of him in his short time here with us," his parents write in the obit. "In the end, he beat the beast twice, but ultimately lost his fight to a fierce and opportunistic infection that was able to overcome his body as a result of side effects of treatments he received to help him win his battle with cancer."
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people consider making donations to The Children's Oncology Group Foundation—an organization that funded the trial of the drug that ultimately helped Harrison beat his disease—donating blood in his name, or registering with the stem cell donor registry to help save a life like Harrison's.
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Portrait Of Peterborough Artist Series Launches Showcasing 40 Local Artists
/Peterborough photo artist Mike Taylor has launched an awesome "Peterborough Artists and Artisans Portrait Project" showcasing the tremendous talent in the arts community in Kawarthas.
Jeffrey Macklin, photo by Mike Taylor
Taylor is creating a portrait of 40 select creatives (some of those are featured in this post) as they work, and is hoping to exhibit the entire collection when it's completed at a gallery show (he has four portraits remaining to shoot).
Shannon Taylor, photo by Mike Taylor
"I started this project about 10 years ago, but it was pushed to the side as life got in the way," Taylor tells PTBOCanada of the series. "This past February, I decided that I was ready to pick it up again. So I started researching the local arts community, began sending out email letters and booked my first few portraits."
Megan Ward, photo by Mike Taylor
"The first to shoot was Rob Niezen in his home studio, and the most recent was Lakefield artist Marilyn Goslin," Taylor tells PTBOCanada of his series which is nearing completion.
Rob Niezen, photo by Mike Taylor
"Most of the time, an artist I approach will accept," Taylor says of the series. "I’ve been turned down only twice. A pretty good success ratio I think."
Victoria Wallace, photo by Mike Taylor
"In most cases, the day that I shoot the artist is the first time I meet them," Taylor says. "I go in cold, not knowing what sort of person or environment I will encounter. The challenges are many [he documents some of them here]—and I revel in them all."
John Climenhage, photo by Mike Taylor
"When I moved to Peterborough in 2002, it was very apparent to me this is a very richly artistic community, Taylor tells PTBOCanada. "Being a creative myself, I saw this series as an opportunity to build a body of work that could stretch my skills, while bringing more attention to these talented people. They deserve it. The city deserves it. I’m happy to be part of such a great group of people."
Kate hyde, photo by mike taylor
Recently Taylor started an additional page on the website where he writes about how a few of the portraits were accomplished. "Readers get insight into what is involved in the process, the challenges I deal with, along with what their artist-heros are like while at work," Taylor says.
Paul Nabuurs, photo by Mike Taylor
Taylor's hope is to assemble an exhibition that holds all 40 portraits in addition to a piece of art by each artist. "The idea is that visitors who come to see their favourite artist will be exposed to potentially 39 others that they weren’t familiar with—it’s a win-win scenario," he says.
Peer Christiansen, photo by mike taylor
