Welcome to the Late Summer 2024 edition Navigate between pages using the ☜ previous and next ☞ page icons at the top and bottom of each page.Click the issue title “Late Summer — August/September” (at the top of the page) to go to the table of contents for this...
Sharing summer fun with all your nearest and dearest, family and best buds.
Here’s to Summer! Since our last issue, I have been buzzing around the province and beyond, doing just that. From camping trips to visits to friends and family in Toronto, Guelph, Quebec, and more, I have been enjoying all the summer has to offer…which is a lot.We are...
Festivals, Events, Outdoor Adventure and Getaways in Orillia & Lake Country
Summer’s Not Over Yet in Orillia & Lake Country!The dog days of summer are here, and maybe you’ve started to run out of ideas for things to do with the kids and they’re scrolling on their phones from a permanent spot on the couch. We get it, it’s hard to keep the...
Love for Community and Family: Bruce Chappell
Community Hero:Bruce Chappell —by Hillary Handy Bruce Chappell is a dad, grandfather and a lifelong farmer. You’ve driven past his family’s farm, aptly named Chappell Farm, many times. Located on Penetanguishene Road where Barrie blends into Oro-Medonte, this family...
Markets, Pickleball, Mills, and Museums in the Village on the River
Coldwater Communique —by Lois Rooney-Giurin Coldwater is the place to visit during the summer! From its slow, relaxed winter pace, June launches the village into its bustling, energetic summer mode. From food to Christmas ornaments to crystals, shopping in Coldwater...
Government Investment In Community Agencies And Front-line Services
Jill Dunlop MPP As MPP for Simcoe North, I am pleased to share some significant updates that will positively impact our communities. Firstly, the province is increasing our support to community agencies and front-line services by providing over $4.7 million in funding...
Georgian Dental’s Annual Day of Community Giving and Caring
Georgian DentalFree Dental Care Day —by submitted On Saturday, June 8th, 2024, Georgian Dental in Orillia proudly hosted its 11th annual Smiles On Us event, a testament to the clinic's deep commitment to serving the community. In a single day, this dedicated team of...
Summer In Horseshoe Valley — Farm Fresh Produce, Music, Drinks, Great Food, And Golf
Horseshoe Valley Kaleidoscope —by Valerie Thornton At last, we are able to get fresh produce that is grown here in Ontario. The fresh peas that I picked up at Egos down Horseshoe Valley Road (along with some raspberries and green beans) have always been a favourite of...
The Musings of an 88-year-old Musician and Creative Person
Digressions by D’reen —by Doreen Uren Simmons Hi Guys. Wet enough for you? This morning, July 16th, at 10 am it was pitch black and our street was a river. An hour later all is calm and the next few days are predicted to be sunny with moderate temperatures. Funny...
Arts Orillia’s Future Fest Eco Art symposium: an opportunity to imagine a new reality
Arts Orillia brings you Future Fest —an Eco Art symposium and your opportunity to imagine a new reality for our environment! This exciting and innovative three-day event features physical theatre, lectures, an immersive digital art experience—and more! Canada’s best...
Reflections On Alice Munro, Child Abuse, and Uncomfortable Conversations
Millennial Perspectives Alice Munro, Child Abuse, and Uncomfortable Conversations —by Laura Proctor Having “the uncomfortable conversation” might feel like the worst thing in the world, but it might be the best thing we can ever do. Like many Canadians, I woke up the...
OSMH Grateful for Much Needed Donations and Funding
Letter to the Community - July 18, 2024 —by OSMH President and CEO Carmine Stumpo Although the lazy days of summer have begun, it is anything but at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. Summer is typically a busier time for accessing healthcare as we welcome the...
Oro-Medonte Township News – August/September 2024
Township NewsAugust/September 2024Regularly scheduled Meetings of Council for the months of August and September, 2024 will take place on the following dates: Council Meetings:Wednesday, August 14th – 3:00 p.m. Public SessionWednesday, September 11th – 3:00 p.m....
Learning Life Lessons with Lemonade
The Toddler Tourist The Lemonade Stand —by Hillary HandyThe lazy days of summer are in full swing. It has been a fun summer this far, traveling across the province doing all the fun and free things we can! But when we are homebound for a few days, one thing that my...
Van Morrison Tribute Show coming to Orillia in November
Mariposa-In-Concert Show Announcement —submitted Mariposa favourite, Matt Weidinger, returns to Orillia on November 23 to kick off the Mariposa in Concert (MIC) 2024-25 season with his Van Morrison tribute show.“It’s Too Late to Stop Now - The Music of Van Morrison,”...
The Mystique of the Small Towns of Collioure and Barrie
Places of our Soul —by Peter Howden“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:The soul that rises with us…hath had elsewhere its setting” Intimations of Immortality,William Wordsworth (1770-1850)Have you ever had a feeling about a place, that you had been there...
Memories from Mariposa Folk Festival 2024
—photo by Deb Halbot
Old-Fashioned Hall Social and Fossil Hunting in and around Carley
Carley Hamlet Updates —by Kelly Skinner-Meyer The Carley Hall has had a few family gatherings this summer and so far, it has been a wonderful summer. A wee bit wet perhaps and a delay with the hay, but greenery abounds. My gardens are flourishing.A couple of our...
Puddle Paws Hydrotherapy: Helping Furry Friends Get Better One Paw at a Time
from the Orillia CDCPuddle Paws Hydrotherapy: Helping Furry Friends Get Better One Paw at a TimeRandy and Billie Streeter, a brother and sister team and co-owners of Puddle Paw Hydrotherapy, know how pet parents feel when their beloved four-legged family member is...
Habits, Habitats, and Happenstance: Grey Fox in a Sanctuary
Speaking of Wildlife Cinder the Grey Fox —by Jamie Proctor Welcome to the sixteenth column describing the animals of Speaking of Wildlife: Ontario animals that can’t be released back into the wilderness of Ontario due to injuries or habituation to humans. Today we’ll...
It’s Summer in Eady: Questionnaires, Strawberries and Cider
Eady Updates —by Bonnie Smith I don’t know whether anyone else feels water-logged this summer, but I sure do! Our weather has been extremely wet in this part of the province this year and it doesn’t seem to want to quit. Recently, when it rained over 80 mm in a 24...
Behind the Federal Government’s Carbon Tax: an in-depth look!
Sustainable Simcoe North Axe the Tax or Eat the Rich? —by Madeleine Fournier of Green Orillia We’ve all heard it: “Axe the tax!” It’s an oft-repeated catchy right-wing slogan about rolling back the federal government’s carbon tax. But is it rooted in fact and logic? ...
New Resource Book for Teaching Drama Available Soon
Who Needs Drama?a new book by Severn resident, Jackie Bennett —submitted Who needs drama? No one if we’re talking about The Real Housewives of Orillia. But author, and retired teacher, Jackie Bennett, of Severn, believes we do need it when it comes to purposeful drama...
Edgar Hall, Celebrations of Life, and Activities in Oro-Medonte
Edgar/Clowes Community Updates —by Patricia Shellswell While I have not contributed for awhile it feels good to once again be part of North Simcoe life. The end of December I had the misfortune to crack a bone which kept me housebound for over five weeks and took...
New Pickleball Club in Orillia
Pickleball! Pickleball!! Pickleball!!! —submittedAll you ever hear about is the unbelievable explosive popularity of a sport that none of us had even heard about a few years ago. The game is described as a cross between tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. The reasons...
Help Kids Navigate Transitions and Feel Good About Themselves
Supporting Children Going Back to School —by Zoe Fysikoudi, Registered Psychotherapist Recently, I spent my holidays in Greece, my country of origin. As our time with family and friends drew to a close, I felt a mix of sadness at saying goodbye and excitement at...
Walks in Copeland Forest and Beausoleil Island in September
Oro-Medonte Ganaraska Hiking Club Anyone is welcome to join in on any of the following events. Please bring drinking water on all hikes; hiking boots and poles are recommended. The Oro-Medonte club does not hike during the summer but will start up again in the fall....
Staying Involved, Active, Good for Mental and Physical Health
In The Moment Musings —by Gail McIlroyIt’s the idle hours that make people sick and often depressed anytime, but especially in holiday seasons. Sleep deprivation is also the enemy. Discipline really is the key. For people without family, it’s important to get...
Gardening (with Gail) Tips for Late Summer and Fall
Gardening with Gail —by Gail McIlroyWe have had an excellent summer in this part of Ontario. In June we experienced warmer temperatures than normal and added precipitation, which lasted well into July. August temps returned back to normal. I mention all of this...
Random Samplings — removing the barriers to making art.
Random Samplings by CastonOver the years I’ve presented some art pieces under the title “Random Samplings” —with no context… no explanation… just some Random Strangeness that I’ve hoped would tickle a funny bone, raise and eyebrow, spark a thought… maybe even foster...
Warminster Retirements, Gardening, Graduations, and Garage Sales
Warminster Write-Up —by Hillary Handy It feels like school just was let out for the summer and now we are inching closer to fall. How does that even happen? There were lots of fun activities that happened at Warminster Elementary before the school year wrapped up....