Real Talk!

School is almost over... soon, the happy voices of children will be calling out, "I'm bored".... so, here's a smattering of news items and some of the many, many things to do in the area:

Highway 62 between Selby Hill and Maynooth is under construction... those who have had to travel the lumpy bumpy bit of highway will appreciate the work...

meantime, there are a few traffic snarls...

Also on Highway 62, just before Maynooth, a solar farm is being installed. It looks similar to the one in Coe Hill....

Speaking of which, the work of Coe Hill area artist Tobe Muir and her husband, Gary Miller, is being featured in an exhibit at the Innuit Gallery- 201 Queens Ave in London, Ontario.

Computer Assisted Retinal Analysis is being deployed in the area.

The Upper Madawaska Valley minor baseball team took the A championship title.

The Barry's Bay and Area Library is offering the downloading of audiobooks (via the province's funding of the OverDrive project) from its website. Also, the library is circulating museum passes for free admittance to some national (including the newly renovated Canadian Nature Museum) and Renfrew County museums. Free passes mean no fees (for up to a family of five) and no waiting in line-ups to pay for admission.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School in Bancroft will become a green energy leader in Eastern Ontario as they begin preparations to build a biomass boiler system for the facility by September 2010.

We were sad to learn of the recent passing of community volunteer, Dennis LeFeuvre, community leader, known as an environmental crusader, advocate for youth and fish hatchery champion.

Graphite Bible Camp is celebrating its 50th year.

Barry’s Bay has a new gazebo, near the Zurakowski Park. Watch for community events at this venue.

Put down the beer, no more beavertails, and take one less slice of pizza - you've only got a couple of days left to train for the Barry's Bay Triathlon or Duathlon. June 27th, 2010 marks the 18th annual running of this challenging race in the Madawaska Highlands!

Florence VanderMeer, an educational assistant at North Hastings High School , has been awarded with the Premier's Award for Excellent Support Staff.

George Thorogood band’s lead guitarist for a dozen years, Jim Suhler, will be playing this weekend at Combermere’s Bent Anchor as their special season opener!

The 47th Annual Rockhound Gemboree takes place in Bancroft on July 29 to August 1, 2010. This is Canada's largest gem & mineral show and it brings together over 110 dealers of fine mineral specimens, gemstone jewellery, and lapidary supplies. Highlights include a gold panning booth, rock and mineral talks with geologists from Natural Resources Canada, a swapping area, a mineral display and expert mineral identification services offered by Malcolm Back of the Royal Ontario Museum, and geologist-led mineral collecting field trips. Last year, the event was identified as one of the top 100 Festivals & Events in Ontario.

The first annual 2 day, 3 stage music festival “Bomb BayBlast” is scheduled for July 1 & 2nd in Barry’s Bay and will focus on local and regional talent of varied music genres from around the Ottawa Valley. Early Bird passes are available until June 30th! For more information see: http://bayblast.ca/eventinfo.html

The Mineral Capital Concerts look forward to a fantastic season in 2010 with musical events on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, June through August at the Millennium Park in Bancroft.

This weekend, June 25-27th it’s McNab Days 2010 - Affair of the Arts in Burnstown. www.burnstown.ca

Remember, the farmers market runs from mid June to Thanksgiving in the pretty village of Combermere.(Corner Of Hwy 62 And Mill Road)

Also in Combermere, the Madonna House Gift Shop, Gallery, Flea Market and Museum are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until Thanksgiving. Their used bookstore is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. until Thanksgiving.

The Combermere Craft Cabin is located at 39244 Combermere Road (Highway 62) and is open Open weekends -May to October. Weekend and weekdays - July and August (Closed Mondays-except holiday Mondays). It is well worth the trip to see the extraordinary work of some of our local artisans and crafters.

The CO BLITZ takes place on Sunday, August 1, 2010 at Combermere & Area Community Centre. It’s aA fun-filled day full of activities for the whole family, to celebrate being a part of the wonderful area of Combermere. Enjoy live music, games, petting zoo, lawn mower races and more!

The Barry's Bay Farmers' Market is open on Friday evenings 3-6pm at the Railway Station Park until Thanksgiving. & Friday August 20th from 10-6 , Taste of The Valley which is an extended farmers' market featuring the best market goods from across the Ottawa Valley! Over 40 venders selling: Dairy; Beef; Lamb; Honey; Pork; Preserves; Produce; Crafts; and more.

Tuesday nights are “Blues Jam Nights” at the Wilno Tavern.

Ian Tamblyn is playing at the Wilno Station, this Saturday night (June 26th)

Griffith Farms are hosting a Horse Pull on the 26th at 1:00 at 1075 Cold Creek Road
(off Lett's Cemetery Road) in Eganville.

The works of Alice Vermeer are on display at the Upstairs Gallery, at the railway station in Barry’s Bay. Her collection of watercolour paintings and pen & ink drawings, are inspired by the beautiful Ottawa Valley scenery. July 9 - Aug 1 the exhibit will change to The Nesting Habit in which Cara Bleskie and Catherine Toth will use recycled materials, objects from nature and photography to create an installation looking at the theme of travel and the railway.

Also, at the South of 60 Arts Centre, until July 4th, is Hans Aggarwal’s series of mixed media work investigating what people buy and consume and the impact of this activity on the environment. This show is entitled “Manipulation”. July 9 - Aug 1 Hockey Stick Junkestra Musician and artist, Mark Sepic will create a large, interactive music sculpture right in the gallery. The sculpture will be made out of recycled objects from our community, such as pots and pans, sinks and broken wooden hockey sticks. For more information see: http://www.southof60.com/index.php?whichpage=home

The Madawaska Valley Movement Arts Festival is slated for August 20-29th and includes workshops for children, youth, adults, seniors and professional movement artists. For more information visit www.morningstararts.com

All Dance Project, South of 60 and Morningstar Center present Caboose, a site specific creation- at the caboose, near the water tower on Aug 27th 8:15 p.m. in Barry’s Bay.

Saturday July 10th, the arts & crafts festival will be held at the old train station in Barry’s Bay.

Artists In The Park (Barry’s Bay):

July 30 Ottawa Valley Music Festival Choir The OVMFC will be doing James Wright's Gallery of Song, poems set to beautiful choral music describing nine different paintings by Group of Seven artists.

Aug 13 Shroeder Nordholt - Pianist
Schroeder will perform an assortment of classical, jazz/blues, and pop.

Aug 27 Ken Ramsden and Zeke Mazurek Zeke and Ken will perform classical, folk, and celtic musical selections on guitar and violin.

July 30th 1-5pm Janet Moore – Painter Janet will demonstrate mixed media/ painting.

Aug 13th 1-5pm Brian Michel - Camera Obscura Brian will demonstrate his pin hole camera in a yurt.
Come and find out what it is like to step inside a camera.

Aug 27th 1-5pm Jamie Turnbull – Potter Jamie will demonstrate turning clay on a pottery wheel.

Also, check out the shows at the Bancroft Playhouse, this summer!

& there are so many other places to see, planned events, artists, artisans.... I dare anyone to be bored in these here parts!

UPDATE: at 1:40 this afternoon we were shaken by an earthquake for a good 15 seconds or more... and then, a smaller tremor.... Fabian thought someone had hit the store in Barry's Bay... Sandi thought someone had hit the office in Bancroft... my dishes rattled and my computer monitor rocked on the desk... it really scared the dog (and me).