Charm Tree Toys In Downtown Peterborough Closing Down

We're sad to report that Charm Tree Toys, owned by the awesome Maren Fine—a huge supporter of the downtown and all things Peterborough—is closing in downtown Peterborough. We wish Maren all the best—as she says to us in a tweet, "it is a very sad time." Indeed.

[UPDATE: We started a Facebook thread, with the question, "So how do we make our downtown thrive? A brainstorm. All ideas welcome. Fire away..." So many great ideas being generated there. Join the discussion. Click here.]

—pics via Julie Morris

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

The Toronto Blue Jays Winter Tour Hits Peterborough January 12th

Members of the Toronto Blue Jays—including Steve Delabar, Adam Lind and Colby Rasmus—will be at an autograph session at Lansdowne Place mall Sunday, January 12th, in the Centre Court near Sportchek. The session will take place from noon until 1:30 p.m.

This is the fourth annual Toronto Blue Jays Winter Tour presented by TD, and the tour will be also be making stops in Oshawa, Kingston, St. Catharines, London and Mississauga during the month of January.

[via @AndrewStoeten]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

Here's Pictures Of Backyard Rinks In Peterborough & Area

[UPDATE #2: CBC's Strombo plugs our post.]

[UPDATE: Deadspin picks up the story.]

We asked for pictures of your backyard rinks from the area and they're starting to roll in—including the best homemade Zamboni we've seen yet. Send us your rink pictures—email us here or tweet us here—and we'll add to this post.

via Mike Garside

via Jen Bell

via Ken Elrick II (good effort)

via Jen Pinarski in Bobcaygeon

via Jason McMahon, a rink in Cavan

via Jason McMahon, another from a rink in Cavan (great Zamboni!)

via Jeff Mills, Lakefield

via Tom and Melanie Main, farm near Norwood

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

If I Could Tweet Right Now, Here's What I'd Tweet

Peterborough's local and global world-changer Maryam Monsef is in another corner of the planet where she can't tweet as social media and many websites are censored/blocked there (we won't reveal location as it could make it unsafe for people she is with, she tells us).

We asked her in an email if she could tweet out a message (she loves Twitter, and the power of social media) to people back home in Peterborough and Canada, what would she say? Here it goes, and she asked us to share this with all of you...

"If I could tweet right now, I'd tweet about the reality check I got upon arriving here. I'd tweet about my health. How much I appreciate being an able bodied person and how stupid I was to do things to jeopardize it.

If I could tweet right now, I'd tweet about how much I miss being my own person in Canada, the ability to work, socialize, and to contribute to society. I can't go anywhere alone here. I can't be spontaneous. I am not encouraged to seek adventures. I am indoors 99% of the time and I miss riding my bike downtown.

If I could tweet right now, I'd tweet about how grateful I am to have a Canadian passport. That piece of paper guarantees me a safe and secure life in Canada, and the opportunity to visit any country in the world without the hassles the people here face.

If I could tweet right now, I'd tweet about my newfound appreciation for Family. The people who love you unconditionally, share sweet and not so sweet memories with you and want the very best for you. I have that kind of a family here and am blessed with the same kind of love from my Peterborough community.

If I could tweet right now, I'd tweet about the amazing little women who have declared themselves to the country's Red Pashmina reps and are determined to collect nominations of local women of impact, just as we have in Peterborough.

Basically, if I could tweet right now, I would be overtweeting more than ever because having so much to say and not having access to my favourite social media platforms is not good for my heart ;)

My goal for 2014 is to make better use of the skills, means and liberties my Canadian life affords me. Now I know without a doubt that I am the lucky 1%."

—Maryam Monsef

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

The Silver Bean Cafe Is Expanding

The Silver Bean is making good use of both their "off season" and land resources by combining both buildings as they undergo some renovations.

The breezeway is no more, and the kitchen will be expanded. After work is complete, there will be an additional 128 square feet.

Here are some of the other plans they have in store for 2014:

• Showing every game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (between June 12 and July 13)
• A weekly board games night 
• A dedicated Scrabble afternoon (likely Tuesday afternoons)
• A chess night (likely Monday evenings)
• More outdoor concerts
• More #BeanUp (tweetup) social gatherings
• Gatherings of people in specific professions (cycling, graphic designers, writers, ukulele players, etc)
• Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Summer Social

The Silver Bean Cafe will reopen on May 1st, 2014. The countdown is on!

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

Frost Quakes Strike Peterborough Again

People were awoken again this morning (December 30th) by loud "Kaboom!" noises—similar to what many heard on Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. Many were jolted from their sleep, and had to get up and look around the house. They reported their walls shook, and that it sounded like the roof was collapsing.

These are, apparently, Frost Quakes—aka Cyroseisms—that struck, rare, localized seismic events that occur when a sudden drop in temperature freezes the groundwater, which then expands and cracks the soil and rock.

Indeed, CP24.com reports "loud boom-like noises that rippled through parts of southern Ontario early Monday morning were likely caused by frost quakes, police say."

People in York Region, Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough heard multiple booms in the early morning hours.

The explosive expansion of air is similar to a thunderclap, says CP24 meteorologist Bill Coulter.

Email us here if you heard it, tweet us, and follow along at hashtag #FrostQuakes and #FrostQuake on Twitter.

Or just rock out to the below...

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

DBIA Featured Post: Charlotte Anne's Restaurant

Small business owners are a different breed of person. They are drawn to their work life like no other, and always keep coming back for more. The owner/operators of Charlotte Anne’s, located at 390 Queen St. in the underrated downtown area just west of the Hunter St. bridge, are exactly that.

Michelle Christie recently became the restaurant's new owner, and works alongside her associate Tracey Ormond to form a team that was together many years ago under the same roof. Both ladies have come back in a different capacity to a place they pretty much call home. The name Charlotte Anne’s comes from the original owner from 30 years ago.

The restaurant aims to offer a little bit of something for everyone and still has a few original recipes available. They have a red seal chef there, Arthur Minor, who brings over 30 years experience. While offering a few high end dishes including steak, they offer a lot of comfort foods that have become favourites for people they know as regulars. Their half and half special offering—half salad and half fries—has become a must have for people on the go, either as a sit-in option or a fast and convenient takeout dish!

Offering daily specials, everything is made in house and from scratch. The ladies are proud to use many local ingredients and give you a product and service that is as down to earth as you can get. Must haves on the menu include the quiche, homemade soups, hot pastas, chili and more. One of their most successful meals of the week is their Sunday brunch with an all you can eat buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that has all the fixings!

Sunday brunch!

Both ladies have their specialties inside the restaurant. Michelle is hands on from start to finish. As the owner, you’ll see her on the floor taking orders and seeing the whole process through the kitchen until the food is delivered. She knows that as the owner she is a face of the brand so customer service is number one! Tracey is also all over the restaurant, but has a focus in Charlotte Anne’s budding catering business.

The restaurant’s “That’s a Wrap” special is a free delivery of wraps and salads made available for groups of 6 or more. They are always busy making deliveries for business lunches and even school study groups, and are now focused on reaching customers who aren’t aware that they provide this awesome service!

Charlotte Anne’s has been a proud member of our downtown community for over three decades now and is happy to be located in a great little neighborhood between Dan Joyce’s and Fontaine’s. They’re proud to carry on the tradition of giving back to the community, and plan on being a big part of it for years to come. They recently hosted the NHL alumni hockey party to raise money for the Special Olympics.

Now fully licensed and recently renovated, the ladies at Charlotte Anne’s invite you to come and give their style of comfort food a try. They know you’ll be happy you did!

For more on Charlotte Anne's (390 Queen St.), go to:
Phone: 705.742.2944
Website: CharlotteAnnes.ca
Facebook: Charlotte Anne's Restaurant

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

Here's Party King The Cat Reading PTBOCanada.com

It's not just humans that read us. The famous Peterborough cat Party King is learning about Frost Quakes by reading PTBOCanada.com. Send us your pics of your pet(s) reading PTBOCanada.com—email us here or tweet us here.

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

Did A Frost Quake Hit Peterborough On Christmas Morning?

Many people in Peterborough and surrounding areas reporting feeling a loud boom on Christmas morning—around 2 a.m in the Peterborough area. It was enough to jolt many from their sleep, get up and look around the house—and on the roof!

One explanation was that it was Santa landing, others wondered whether it was a meteor—but the most plausible explanation was that it was a cryoseism, also known as a "frost quake," according to Global News. Cyroseisms, Global reports, "are rare, localized seismic events that occur when a sudden drop in temperature freezes the groundwater, which then expands and cracks the soil and rock. The crack will release a sudden burst of explosive energy, resulting in a loud noise and shaking."

The boom was felt at different times—11 p.m. on Christmas Eve in Toronto, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill and Sutton, but around 2 a.m. in Peterborough, and at other times in other areas.

Comment below if you heard it.

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

Peterborough's Brent Tully Named To TSN's All-Time, All World Junior Hockey Championship Team

Tully back in the day anchoring D for the Petes

Former Petes captain and Peterborough native Brent Tully was named to TSN's All Time, All World Junior Hockey Championship Team. Others on the list include Russia's Alexander Ovechkin and Pavel Bure, as well as fellow Canadians Eric Lindros and Wayne Gretzky—the greatest player in the history of hockey, .

Tully won two gold medals with Canada at the 1993 and 1994 World Junior Championships, serving as team captain during the '94 title run. Tully played for the Petes from 1990 to 1994. He was drafted in 1992 by the Vancouver Canucks, 93rd overall, but never played a game in the NHL.

In 1997, after several years in the AHL, he went to Germany where he played five pro seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga before retiring from hockey in 2002. Tully is currently the Assistant General Manager with the Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Junior (A) Hockey League, and resides in Peterborough.

—PTBOCanada's sports reporter Scott Arnold

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.