Eady News

— by Bonnie Smith

Spring has finally sprung…and what a most welcomed spring it is! I think most people are  extremely happy to see the sunshine and warmer temperatures arrive this year after the very snowy and long winter we have had.  We have not had a winter with this amount of snow in this part of the province in numerous years, and I know that most people were just very tired of it! We just hope that there is not too much flooding happen in the area as a result of the high temperatures that are expected.

Unfortunately, this winter many of our Oro-Medonte building structures suffered the wrath of winter and were not able to handle the weight of this year’s snow load. Several barns, driving sheds, garden greenhouses, small sheds, etc. collapsed in the area. However, we are thankful that no-one was injured in these collapses.  There will be a lot of residences having to do a substantial amount of extra “spring cleanup” this year.

The Eady community was, once again, saddened to learn about the recent loss of two more of its long-time residents. Annie Coombs, 86, wife of the late Fred Coombs, passed away on January 24, 2025 at Oak Terrace in Orillia where she has resided for the past couple of years.  Annie was a long-time member of the Eady-Grenard Women’s Institute, was a local bus driver for 26 years, was a Life Member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #270, Coldwater, and was a member of the Eady Hall Board for 48 years.  Annie worked tirelessly at Eady Hall at turkey suppers, garage sales, BBQ’s, Christmas concerts and numerous cleaning bees. Annie will be greatly missed by her family, all her neighbours and friends of Eady and surrounding communities.

Rev. Heather Dobson passed away on March 5 at Spencer House, Orillia, at the age of 78. Heather lived many years at the family farm on Line 11 both as a young child growing up, and also after her retirement before moving to Spencer House. Heather was a teacher at Warminster Public School before moving into the ministry where she became a minister of the United Church of Canada. She was also past chaplain of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #547, Lefroy (1988 – 1990), and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #34, Orillia.  Heather is survived by her sister, Joanne Tinney of Eady, and her brother and sister-in-law, Bert and Bernice Dobson, also of Eady, along with many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews, many of whom live in or close to Eady. Heather will be missed by her friends and her many family.                  

Keep those dancing shoes tuned up because on Saturday, May 17 the COPE Service Dogs Fiddle Jam/Square Dance Fundraiser will once again be held at Eady Community Hall. All proceeds will go towards the COPE Service Dogs training program. Please come out for an afternoon of fiddle music, dancing, and support this wonderful cause. Admission by donation.

 The Eady Community Hall Board is pleased to announce its Spring Speaker Series which will run each Thursday afternoon from April 27 through to May 29 beginning at 2 pm at Eady Community Hall. We have a great variety of general interest speakers lined up (most presentations are geared for persons 50+ years) and we hope you will come out and join us for a cup of coffee, a chance to meet with neighbours, and listen to some great information that we hope will be of some interest to you. Admission is free, although we will always welcome donations! All proceeds will go towards upkeep of our hall.

Here is a list of the topics our speakers will be speaking on:

April 27 – Anti-Fraud Awareness – This speaker is from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Senior Support Unit who will present information on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, where they are located and what they do. Discussion on some of the most recent and successful scams that are happening at this time including romance scheme, grandparents (emergence) scheme, prize and lottery scheme, bank inspector scheme, Canada Revenue scheme, and service calls scheme.   

May 1 – My Medical Emergencies:  Be Prepared – Our speaker will be from the County of Simcoe Paramedic Services and will present on the operations of our Paramedic Services, where 911 calls get routed when called, coverage areas of paramedics, increasing call volumes, tiered response, File of Life, etc. 

May 8 – Stronger Bones, Better Lives – our speaker from Osteoporosis Canada will speak about lifestyle modifications to optimize bone health and reduce your risk for broken bones or fractures. And if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis – learn lots more about it!

May 15 – Voyage of the Vikings – Local author and photographer, Lynn Holden, will tell us of what sparked her interest in learning about the Vikings and her journeys that spread over 30 years in search for clues that the Vikings had left behind. 

May 22 – Birdwatching for Beginners – Part 1 – Eady’s own naturalist, with an emphasis on birds, Greg Sadowski, will teach us how to identify birds through basic knowledge of avian physiology, behaviour and environments.

May 29 – Birdwatching for Beginners – Part 2 – A follow up to the May 22 session, which will involve a nearby field trip to “experience” what we learned.

Keep your eyes peeled around the community and on our Eady Hall Facebook page for more information. Whether you live in our community of Eady or in one of our surrounding communities, we would love for you to join us for these interesting presentations!

Easter is quickly approaching, and with that comes Easter services for our local churches.  Again this year, the Coldwater United Church and Wesley Eady United Church will be holding a joint “Easter Sunrise Service” on Sunday, April 20 at 6:30 am on the Moonstone Hill (by Hwy. 400).  This is a short service followed by a pancake breakfast at the Eady Church at 7:15 am.  All are welcome to attend. As the sunrise service is held outdoors, please dress accordingly. 

St. George Anglican Church, Fairvalley (Line 11) will also be holding its Easter service on Sunday, April 20 at 10:30 am.  All are welcome.

As a reminder, the Eady Community Hall is available for daily or weekly/ monthly recurring rentals. Please contact eadycommunityhall@gmail.com for more information or to have a tour of our hall, or call Oro-Medonte Township at 705-487-2171. We have very reasonable rates!

Happy Spring! We hope to see you at some of our upcoming events!