Our Favourite Picks for Winter 2015

Must fish, reach out, see, explore and listen!

November 25, 2015 | | Back Issues | Community | Departments | In Every Issue | Must Do | Winter 2015

mustdo_CVCperch_dp5496140Must fish

If the summer fishing season seems eons ago, cheer up. It’s just about ice fishing time. Dig out your parka and sub-zero boots and reserve your ice hut now for the Island Lake Fishing Derby from February 1 to 29. Prizes will be awarded for longest northern pike, black crappie and yellow perch.

For details, see Credit Valley Conservation, 1-800-367-0890, creditvalleyca.ca

If you need a primer on fish in the area first, attend a free lecture called “Fish of the Credit River” hosted by Phil Bird of CVC on January 26 at Orangeville Seniors’ Centre. 519-942-2972. uppercreditfieldnaturalists.org

Finally, wrap up your winter fishing season with a theatrical take on the leisure sport. In Norm Foster’s play The Great Kooshog Lake Hollis McCauley Fishing Derby, a pompous investment banker learns about more than how to fish.

It’s at Grace Tipling Hall in Shelburne on February 19 to 21, 26 and 27. Tickets are $15. tiplingstagecompany.com

Must reach out

As the devastating civil war crisis in Syria continues, here’s hoping the Canadian government makes good on its pledge to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees as soon as possible.

Doing their best to help speed the process are many Canadians who have stepped up to sponsor particular individuals and families – financially committing to help them settle here, find homes and work, and adjust to Canadian life for a year after they arrive.

Among the Headwaters folks who have signed on for this good work are two grassroots organizations, Project Safe Haven and Headwaters Refugee Sponsorship Group (in partnership with the Anglican United Refugee Alliance).

Each group is supporting a branch of the same family (the fathers are brothers). The four adults and six children fled Syria more than two years ago and are currently in limbo in Jordan.

The families’ savings are running out, work permits are hard to come by, UN food aid has dried up and they fear being deported back to Syria. (Happily, a third brother and the men’s parents have been accepted as refugees in Chicago.)

Please consider contacting these groups to donate and to learn more. (We’ll be following their progress and posting upcoming fundraising events.)

Headwaters Refugee Sponsorship Group

Contact: Brian Logel |[email protected], 519-941-0286
Donations: Westminster United Church, Orangeville |westminsterorangeville.ca, 519-941-0381

Project Safe Haven

Contact: Lynda Cranston |[email protected], 519-939-6286
Donations: www.youcaring.com/projectsafehaven

This Syrian refugee family is being sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Courtesy Project Safe Haven.

This Syrian refugee family is being sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Courtesy Project Safe Haven.

Must see

For a dose of fairy-tale magic, don’t miss the new production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid by Orangeville Music Theatre from January 8 to 17. The theatre group is among the first to secure the rights to the Broadway hit in which Ariel, Prince Eric, Ursula, Flounder the fish and others enchant with well loved tunes including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.”

The musical takes place at the Orangeville Town Hall Opera House. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under, and $10 for kids five and under (plus a box office fee). Call 519-942-3423. orangevillemusictheatre.com

mustdo_LittleMermaid792263244Must explore

No plans to visit Manitoulin Island anytime soon? No worries. Peel Art Gallery, Museum & Archives brings the enchanted Ontario spot south for a breathtaking winter exhibit.

From the Heart of Turtle Island: Contemporary Art from Manitoulin Island runs from January 24 to March 20 and showcases stars from the island’s contemporary First Nations art community. Using a variety of styles, these artists plumb their personal and collective histories for inspiration, mingling beauty, pain and hope in their work.

You can also get up close and personal at an Art Workshop with Turtle Island Artist Nikki Manitowabi on Saturday, January 30, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $40. pama.peelregion.ca

Thunder Spirits by James Simon Mishibinijima

Thunder Spirits by James Simon Mishibinijima

Must listen

Claude Presbyterian Church in Caledon, by painter Z.R. Mech.

Claude Presbyterian Church in Caledon, by painter Z.R. Mech.

Caledon’s Claude Presbyterian Church dates back to the 1870s and is a beloved local landmark and place of worship. It’s also host to a year-round series of public concerts that ramp up at Christmastime. Start with A Celtic Christmas Celebration with Stratford band Rant Maggie Rant on December 13 at 7 p.m.

Up next is a free Claude Salon talk by maestro Rob Hennig. On December 14 at 7 p.m., he’ll tell the story behind the Handel and Bach music he’ll be conducting five days later.

The Claude Sanctuary Concert: Repertoire from Handel’s Messiah and J.S. Bach, performed by the Headwaters Concert Choir and Great Lakes Symphony, takes place December 19 at 2:30 p.m. (storm date December 20). The concert also features youth musicians from the Ontario Music Scholars program.

Tickets for each concert are $20 at ticketscene.ca or $25 at the door.

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