Our favourite picks for Autumn 2013

Must party

It will be two days of song, dance, stories and, of course, birthday cake when Theatre Orangeville, Dufferin County Museum & Archives and In The Hills put on their party hats for their joint  20th Anniversary Celebration – and everyone’s invited.

In The Hills columnists Dan Needles and Ken Weber will tell stories, singers and musicians Lily Frost, Cathy Elliott, Dinah Christie and Will Devonshire will perform, as will the alumni of the T.O.Y.S choir, Sarah Robinson will dance, and Theatre Orangeville will reprise Founders / Keepers, a play written to celebrate this year’s sesquicentennial of the founding of Orangeville. In between, museum curator Wayne Townsend and archivist Steve Brown will introduce you to the tales behind some of the museum’s thousands of artifacts.

It all takes place at the museum, located at the corner of Airport Road and Highway 89 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6. Museum admission is free for the weekend. For the full schedule 
see www.theatreorangeville.ca, www.dufferinmuseum.com or www.inthehills.ca.

Must see

The ideal time to check out the Headwaters Arts Gallery, a beautiful, newly opened space dedicated to showing the work of local artists, may be during the Headwaters Arts Festival, which runs from September 20 to October 6.

In conjunction with the Festival, the gallery is celebrating the bounty of the season and the talents of local artists by hosting a juried art show titled Harvest. Gallery goers can enjoy the lovingly crafted works of celebrated wood turner Jim Lorriman (right), the giddily colourful oil paintings of Inglewood artist Julia Gilmore (top left), and the hauntingly enigmatic images of contemporary realist painter Steven Volpe(below).

The gallery is located in the Alton Mill Arts Centre at 1402 Queen Street, Alton. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The juried show concludes October 13. 
For information on the Alton Mill Arts Centre and forthcoming events at the Headwaters Arts Gallery, go to www.altonmill.ca.

Must fill

The Vial of Life is a pill-sized bottle that could save your life in a medical emergency.

If emergency responders are called to your home, a Vial of Life fridge magnet tells them that your medical history can be found in a pill bottle in the fridge. Inside the bottle a folded information sheet documents vital health information, such as your blood type and details of the medications you’re taking. If you’re unconscious or unable to speak, this information enables paramedics to start lifesaving procedures right away.

Sponsored by Dufferin County Community Services and the Dufferin County Paramedic Service, the Vial of Life program is geared toward senior citizens and others who may be at risk, especially if they live alone. 
   To arrange for a group presentation on the program or to request a Vial of Life kit, contact the Dufferin County Paramedic Service at 519-941-9608.

Must eat and drink

World Food Day is on October 16, but Albion Hills Community Farm is marking the occasion by holding Farmstock, a celebration of local food, on Saturday, October 19.

This fundraising event kicks off at 3 p.m. with entertainment, an auction and a cash bar featuring beer, wine and cider tasting. Locally grown produce will be available for sale, and at 5 p.m. teams of students from St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Bolton will step into the spotlight and compete in the Harvest Top Chef Challenge. Visitors can buy a food pass that entitles them to enjoy the results of students’ culinary efforts. Winners of the challenge will be announced between 8 and 9 p.m.

Farmstock 2013 takes place in the President’s Building at the Albion Bolton Fairgrounds, 150 Queen Street South, Bolton. Admission is free, but food passes can be reserved online for $20 (five tickets for a choice of five food courses) or purchased at the door for $20 (four tickets for a choice of four courses). For information and to reserve food passes, go to 
www.albionhillscommunityfarm.org.

Must tick off

Ticks are nasty little insects that feed on blood and spread Lyme disease, a bacterial illness that has become more common in southern Ontario. In its early stages Lyme disease is highly treatable with antibiotics, but if it goes unrecognized and untreated – and it often does – it can do lasting damage.

To protect yourself when venturing outdoors, wear light-coloured clothing with long sleeves and long pants tucked into your socks. Because black-legged or deer ticks, the most common variety in the Headwaters region, tend to lurk near the ground, try to avoid brushing against shrubs and walking in long grass. Insect repellants containing DEET can ward off ticks, but should be applied with care.

To find out more about Lyme disease and what to do if you find that a tick has latched onto you, check the following websites:

• Peel Public Health
• Ontario Ministry of Health
• Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation