Many, many businesses today stage events. Promotion events, fundraisers, product and service launches… you get the picture. Charities stage events all the time. New businesses build events around their official openings. Schools, organizations, community groups, retirement homes… the ‘event’ is turning into an industry all on its own. So Georgian College decided to add an…
It all began with a tiny red crocheted sweater and little pants. My first baby (Kid One) had outgrown them and at four months old was into other cute treasures. Kid One is almost 34 today. Like it was yesterday, I remember this moment. A group of us passed around clothes and toys to each…
Val Garner Emms was a no-nonsense kind of woman. She had to be, as the oldest sister of 10 Garner kids and then mother of three of her own. Of course with that kind of family dynamic, she was pretty direct and very definite. You get the picture. People reminisced about Val, enjoying her uniqueness…
When Megan Kirk was researching for her Masters degree thesis, what she discovered was like a huge wakeup call! And, not content to just publish her findings and get her degree (in Exercise Technology), she’s now doing something about it. She was a student at University of Victoria, living in one of Canada’s most health-conscious…
At first, it seemed like a petty game that would play itself out. But no; the issue of Ron Baird’s remarkable steel sculpture, The Spirit Catcher, is on full boil, a sign of a shift in thinking. When The Spirit Catcher was erected at Expo in Vancouver in 1986 it was the artist’s monument to…
Barrie has been named one of the best places in Canada in which to start a business (GD Sourcing) and I believe that! Why? Because there are so many people and organizations here with a helping attitude for the new entrepreneur. One of our true business nuggets in this community is Anne Dorsey, business librarian…
It takes an incredible group of people to keep perspective and not toss in the towel. The folks at Central United Church (all 250 of them) have had one of those years… you know, the kind when you’re really glad to see New Year’s Day and put it all behind you. 2011 was one of…
It really affects your self esteem if you let other people tell you you’re no good.” That is the premise that pushed Mackenzie Oliver start the “I Love Me” Club when she was seven years old. Now, this wisdom-packed 11 year old is focussing her energy on a better universe and heading to Kenya, to…
Crunch! I’d just bought a single Courtland apple, to munch while out on a walk with my friend Barb. 1978 and we were both very pregnant; walking was a great activity. I will never forget the taste and smell of that apple. I’d bought it at Cancilla’s Fruit and Vegetable Market. When Anthony Cancilla turns…
Call it your first, best bargain of 2012, if you like. Or your ticket to international dining. Or the chance to welcome the new year as part of a great community. Or the mayor’s levee. Mayor Jeff Lehman launches his inaugural New Year’s Day Brunch & Levee this Sunday. Barrie’s City Hall Rotunda will offer…