uxbridge town talk - february 2016
DESCRIPTION
UTT - February 2016TRANSCRIPT
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uxbridge town talk
willow springs winery | one step at a time | sugar cookies | the second wedge brewing co.
Volume 8 | Issue 1 | February 2016
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explore the shops in Uxbridge. discover globally sourced products. shop locally for brand names & unique gifts! dine out at a local restaurant or relax at a spa. THINK UXBRIDGE FIRST!
The Uxbridge BIA invite you to become home-town proud!
toys, c loth ing and accessor ies for the t rendy and t iny
SUIT YOURSELF!Why pay full price next year, when you can get them on sale this year?
offSnow
Suits
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Wayne CordingleyBROKER
, ABR®, SRES
24 Toronto Street Uxbridge ON
L9P1E6
Direct: 416-936-0254O: 905-852-2424 • F: 905-852-2626
facebook.com/[email protected] www.getusold.ca
TM
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4 Banff Rd., Hwy47S, Unit #7, Uxbridge, Ont., L9P 1S9www.roanespaint.com phone: 905-852-5315 fax: 905-852-2215
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And be seen in a premium spot inside front cover!
ContactUxbridge Town Talk
(905) 862-3747 uxbridgetowntalk.com
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v o l u m e 8 | i s s u e 1 | f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6
7 14 15
STAFFManaging Editor: Elaine LeighGraphic Designer: Sandi LeighSales Manager: Sandi Leigh
CONTRIBUTORSDarrin DavisMackenzie BradshawDorothea HelmsJoanne RichterSamantha Smith
COVER PHOTOJohn Cavers | Local Photographer | Photo taken at Bredin’s Bakery
CONTACT USPhone: 905 862 3747Email: [email protected]
MAILING ADDRESSPO Box 1035, Uxbridge ON L9P 1N3
OFFICE ADDRESS24 Toronto St. N., Unit 3Uxbridge, ON L9P 1E6
facebook.com/uxbridgetowntalk twitter.com/uxtowntalk
contents
Pick up copies at: Zehrs,Vinces, Blue Heron Books, Township Office,Uxbridge and Zephyr libraries, NRG4Life and more.
EDITORIAL MESSAGE Unless otherwise stated, all product reviews, articles and other features are chosen by us at our discretion. If you would like to be featured please contact us.
Uxbridge Town Talk is a monthly publication by Sweet World Media. The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for the claims, views, opinions, comments or advertisement herein. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. Uxbridge Town Talk does not endorse
any advertised product, service or event. The Publisher is not responsible for any typographical errors. Advertisers are responsible for any copyright issues. Uxbridge Town Talk will not be held
responsible for errors, print or otherwise, in submitted ads. No part of this publication, including advertisements, may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher.
Copyright © Sweet World Media 2009-2016 www.sweetworldmedia.com
The font used in “Uxbridge Town Talk” is the Gibson Family Font designed by Rod McDonald to honor my father in law John Gibson. It is available for sale at www.canadatype.net/fonts/
gibson. All proceeds are donated by Canada Type to various programs to help improve creative arts and to elevate design programs in Canada.
The secret of change is to focus al l of your energy not on f ighting the old but on building the new
~ Soclats
Change, how do we handle it in our small quaint town? I believe without change we cannot grow, but how much change is a good thing? Change forces us to grow ie: new job, new business, mov-ing in or out, or any new relationship. People and their lives are always changing. In the end, will it be for the good or will it just be different. Everything happens for a reason.
Undoubtedly, Uxbridge is an incredible place to live and grow. Now, do we love it for what it is now or do we allow change? I wonder how the founders of Uxbridge felt about changes. His-tory would suggest that the town had to change to grow and sustain the businesses. But where do you stop and should you? It is the age old question of every municipal government. As the town grows so do the needs of the residents.
My 85 year old mom always said “you cannot stop change,” to which I agree, but you can control it. I guess our local council-lors have the difficult task of finding that balance. As a resident I like Uxbridge the way it is, a quiet, safe and friendly community that has everything we need. As a business, zero growth is fright-ening. How do businesses stay afloat with ever increasing com-petition in brick and mortar and online sales. Yet, we have little increase in the population. Simple math says that will not work. So do we keep our quaint friendly town as is and support our lo-cal businesses, or do we allow faster growth. This is a question asked by many, I don’t have the answers, but only know when I travel, my favorite places to visit are quaint towns with lots of variety, shops, events and attractions.
I have great faith in the powers that be and suspect the resi-dents and councillors of Uxbridge will find the balance we need to sustain the beauty, keep or add to the shopping variety and encourage visitors to our town. These visitors will help to keep our businesses growing by walking the trails, eating at our unique restaurants and shopping at our unique stores. Our larg-er chain stores have friendly staff that actually want to assist with your shopping experience, making Uxbridge’s big box stores a civilized experience that you will not get in the larger cities.Change or no change, only time will tell.
Change is inevitable so let’s be thoughtful about building the new in Uxbridge.
-town talk
4Town Talk TidbitsFebruary Facts
6Faces of UxbridgeJack Ballinger
7Agricultural NewsWillow Springs Winery
8Community CalendarFebruary 2016
9Community Calendar Cont’dFebruary 2016
10Peacefully ProductiveOne Step at a Time
11Art in UxbridgeA Fun February in Uxbridge
12Youthful YammeringsExams
13UTT KitchenBredin’s Bakery Sugar Cookie
14Guest ColumnThe Second Wedge Brewing Co
15My EnvironmentThe Best Time to Plant a Tree is Today
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s| february facts | SOURCED FROM: TODAYSPARENT.COM | TIMEANDDATE.COM | GONE-TA-POTT.COM | HY-VEE.COM
Chocolate LoversMonth
Is it any surprise that February is National Chocolate Lovers’ Month? Boxes of chocolates
and truffles are turning up on everyone’s’ desks these days
and maybe we’ve got more reasons than ever to hoard
the chocolate for ourselves. In moderation, it’s healthy!
No, really. Chocolate contains iron, potassium,
fiber and some of our favorite antioxidants, flavonoids. The flavonoids found in
chocolate may be able to do things like relax blood
vessels and promote healthy circulation, both of which
may lead to healthier blood pressure levels. Chocolate also contains polyphenols,
antioxidants that protect the body from free radical
damage. Of course, the darker the chocolate, the
healthier it is. Start with 57% cacao dark chocolate, or
even semi-sweet, and work your way up until you find the perfect dark chocolate fit for
you.
February starts on the same day of the week as both March and
November in common years, and August in leap years.
February is the third month of winter in the Northern
Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, February is the
seasonal equivalent of August in the Northern Hemisphere (which
is the third month of summer).
Canada officially got its own national flag on February 15, 1965 — almost 100
years after it became a country (in 1867)
Many Canadians take the time to observe Groundhog Day on February 2 each year, which is also Candlemas. Groundhog Day in Canada focuses on
the concept of a groundhog coming out of its home in mid-winter to “predict” if spring is on its way in the northern
hemisphere.
February Patterns Having only 28 days in common years, it is the only month of the year that can
pass without a single full moon. It is also the only month of the calendar
that once every six years and twice every 11 years, will have only four full 7-day weeks. In
countries that start their week on a Monday, it occurs as part of a common year starting on
Friday, when February 1st is a Monday and the 28th is a Sunday, this was observed in 2010 and can be traced back 11 years to 1999, 6
years back to 1993, 11 years back to 1982, 11 years back to 1971 and 6 years back to 1965; and so on twice 11 years consecutively and once six years either forward into the future or back into the past. In countries that have the week start on a Sunday, it occurs with a common year starting on Thursday, with the next occurrence in 2015, and previous occurrences in 2009 (6 years earlier than
2015), 1998 (11 years earlier than 1998, and 1987 (11 years earlier than 1998). This works
unless the pattern is broken by a skipped leap year, but no leap year has been skipped since 1900 and no others will be skipped until 2100. (Years that are evenly divisible by 100 are not
leap years, unless they are also evenly divisible by 400, in which case they are leap years.) For
any system, it cannot happen in a leap year.
EVENTSBlack History Month - Canada & USAParent Leadership MonthGroundhog Day - February 2ndValentines Day - February 14thItalian - LGBT History Month - United KingdomMonth of Language - for the BangladeshisLeap Day - February 29th (every 4 years)
February
2nd, 2016Groundhog Day
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905.852.0031
170 Reach S�eet, Unit 4, Uxbridge
y a r n a p p a re l g i f t s
We a re e x c i t e d t o a n n o u n c e t h e g r a n d
o p e n i n g o f o u r N E W S T O R E l o c a t e d a t
2 4 To ro n t o S t re e t o n F E B R U A RY 1 3 t h
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Faces!!!!Over the past few years we have had many, and of course each month I have the opportunity to meet the most incredible people. This month’s faces is no exception, our conversation was fun, informative and fascinating. I learned not only about his adventures but also about his dedication, loyalty, but most im-portantly I re-affirmed his love of Uxbridge. I am not sure any intro-duction is necessary as I am certain most of you know him, but let me introduce Jack Ballinger, Regional Councillor, Husband, Proud father and un-conditional friend to Uxbridge.
This was actually a difficult article to write. The fact that Jack is
so well known, along with the long list of stories and accomplish-ments he has, is there anything else that can be said. So as a writer I am going to try and share some facts that you may not know.
Jack was born on Groundhog day, I will deem this a fun fact, next
time you see him check out his tie, yes it has groundhogs on it. Happy Birthday Jack.
Jack is a hockey player from way back. After playing for many
years, he became President and Coach of the Uxbridge Black-hawks Old-timer’s for 30 years. During his tenure they raised over $ 40,000.00 toward the second ice pad at the Uxbridge Arena. His passion for hockey shines with the honour of being inducted into the Old-timer hockey hall of fame in Ottawa, something he speaks proudly of. Jack also enjoyed skiing and he raced the most difficult races in the world. “Cour de Bois” is the longest cross-country ski-ing race in the world and Jack completed it. He continues to be a passionate member of our local Legion. He was a long time Recre-ational Director and Assistant Director of the St. John’s School and frankly the list continues...
I could write pages about Jack’s accomplishments, but as a writer
I think I should share a bit about who Jack is and what he stands for, from my perspective. First he is absolutely a friend to Uxbridge, strongly advocating for causes that need a boost. Over the years,
he has helped raise thousands for the many causes that make Ux-bridge what it is today. Jack is sincerely proud to have contributed so much to our small community has certainly left his mark on this community for years to come.
Politically, Jack is a constant advocate for our town, representing
Uxbridge in the region, a job that I am sure is a constant challenge, but one that with Jack’s power of persuasion consistently benefits Uxbridge.
Jack latest goal is his dream for Uxbridge’s participation in Can-
ada’s Sesquicentennial ( 2017- Canada’s 150th birthday) celebra-tions. A dream that will not only have families enjoying the out-doors, but also, if plans work out, it will have Uxbridge as the hub for celebrations in Durham Region. After my discussion with Jack I suspect we will all be an integral part of these celebrations. For all of you that have had the opportunity to talk with Jack, you will agree he has a strong power of persuasion. Stay tuned…………
As a resident of Uxbridge Elaine has taken the helm of Sweet World Media, publisher of Uxbridge Town Talk. Elaine has three passions, family, photography and her Golden Retriever Jake. With a new business, four grandchildren and plenty of photo opportunities in Uxbridge, life’s been busy but fun!
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e| jack ballinger | BY ELAINE LEIGH
Family run
25for over years
Uxbridge Renovation Showroom | 905-852-7722 | 17991 Lakeridge Road
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| willow springs winery | BY SAMANTHA SMITH
Recently I came across Willow Springs Winery, a family established vineyard founded on the old world wine-making traditions from Italy, passed on for generations to the Winemaker today, Mario Testa. Located only a short drive from Uxbridge,
Willow Springs Winery offers beautiful views and a variety of local, award winning wines.
The Testa family purchased land on the Oak Ridges Moraine and planted the vineyard in the early 60s. The soil and environment are conducive to the four varieties of grapes that Willow Springs har-vests, which consist of two red grapes: Baco Noir, Marechal Foch, and two white varieties: Vidal and Seyval Blanc. The white wines will age in stainless steel tanks while the reds will age in French oak barrels. The eleven acres of vineyard will yield, depending on the year, between 5,000-10,000 liters of wine per year; which is around 6,650 – 13,350 bottles of wine, coming in last year at ap-proximately 8,000 bottles.
Their most popular bottle of the cur-rent selection is the Vidal Icewine. Most recently the 2012 won the National Gold Medal at the 2015 All Canadian Wine Championships. Willow Springs Icewines have done well not only in Canada but internationally as well, tak-ing home medals from the Finger Lakes International Wine Championships. The local favourite however is their Moraine Red, a blend of their local Marechal Foch and Baco Noir grapes.
Thanks to being locat-ed atop the Oak Ridges Moraine and having a natural spring on the property, the vines here receive an adequate amount of hydration to thrive without additional artificial sources being brought in. The vines will however require mainte-nance throughout the year, from pruning and trimming (which takes place in late fall and then again mid-spring), to mid season inspections of the vines, leaves and grapes as well as keep-ing watch over the vine-yard for animals that like to sneak tastes of the product such as birds, which are scared off us-ing an air gun.
If you have yet to experience this hidden gem, take an afternoon drive and check out what Willow Springs Winery has to offer. They welcome walk-ins and will be pleased to set you up with a tasting. If you have a little more time on your hands, they are happy to have you bring some snacks or a picnic lunch and enjoy the views of their vineyard over a bottle of wine. They also offer more formal services from private events to unique and rustic weddings.
F UN FAC T S:1. Did you know that white wine could be pro-duced from red grapes?
2. The pigment in the wine comes from the skin of the grapes coming into contact with the pressed juices. Skins may be removed soon after the grapes are pressed or prevented from coming into contact with the juice at all to lessen or eliminate the red pigments from colouring the wine.
3. Did you know that a standard barrel of wine contains 60 gallons of aging wine, which is near 295 bottles of wine?
4. Each vineyard will yield a different amount of grapes per acre dependent on the density and age of their vines, soil and environmental condi-tions unique to their location.
5. Did you know that to call a wine “Icewine”, as one word it must be from Canada? Similar to the way in which to be called “Champagne” it must come from the Champagne region in France?
6. Ontario provides somewhere in the ballpark of 90% of all of Canada’s Icewine.
After spending the last year traveling abroad Samantha has come home to discover the hidden gems in and surrounding Uxbridge. Local to Goodwood, Samantha splits her time between managing her family’s Alpaca farm, photography and traveling - so naturally exploring local farms seemed like a perfect fit!
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r| february community calendar |
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9TH
St Paul’s Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Enjoy a delicious hot pancakes and sausage dinner with butter, real maple syrup, fruit salad and more. Continuous serving in the lower hall. This annual “Shrove/Fat Tuesday” event is always popular, so get your tickets early. $8 adults, $5 kids 5-12, pre-schoolers free, family $20. Proceeds to church and outreach programs. Tickets available at the door, or phone 905-852-7016. www.stpauls-uxbridge.ca and on Facebook.Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pmWhere: St Paul’s Anglican Church, 65 Toronto St. S.Contact: 905-852-7016
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10TH
Registration Fair The Registration Fair will be held at the Uxbridge Arena and Community Centre, 291 Brock Street West, on February 10th, 2016 from 6:30p.m. to 8:00p.m. Book the family on one evening under one roof for all activities/sports etc. If you want to book a table please call Bev Northeast at 905-640-3966 or by email at [email protected]: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pmWhere: Uxbridge Arena, 291 Brock St. W.Contact: 905-640-3966
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12TH
The Durham West 4-H Exchange Club Fundraiser. The Durham West 4-H Exchange Club has been accepted to go on a provincial exchange to Strathcona Alberta - east of Edmonton. This will be happening in July and August. They have 10 kids between the ages of 14 and 17. Each club is responsible to raise funds to cover the expenses of touring our local areas. They have a fundraiser planned for Friday Feb 12th , 2016, it is a delicious Roast Beef Dinner and an Assortment of Desserts at Sandford Hall in Sandford. Continuous supper from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, cost is
$16.00 per person - family rate $55 (family rate for parents and siblings under 20)Time: 4:30 pm - 7:30 pmWhere: Sandford HallContact: 905-852-3827 or [email protected]
MONDAY FEBRUARY 15TH
Maplebrook Dental Family Day Public Skate Day. Maplebrook Dental is hosting a public free skate on Family Day at the Uxbridge Arena and Recreation Centre. Come by for a skate and free hot chocolate from 1 pm- 3 pm!Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pmWhere: Uxbridge Arena, 291 Brock St. W.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20TH
The Coldest Night of The Year. February 20th is the 3rd annual North House walk for the homeless and hungry. Cities, towns and villages all across Canada will be out walking in their community to raise money for their local charities to support their homeless and hungry. All the money raised stays in the community for the community. Walk start and finish at the Uxbridge Arena Community Room. Registration is from 3-4pm. Opening Ceremonies and Walk start at 4pm-5pm. Registration closes and route closes at 7pm. Walk route is straight down Brock Street 2kms - from the Arena to the CIBC and back or 5kms- from the Arena to the High School and back or 10kms- do the 5kms twice if you dare! After the walk join us for chili, hot chocolate, coffee or
tea. Musicians who want to jam for 1/2hr or so should contact [email protected] or Anne at [email protected]. Bring your own instruments. Choirs also encouraged. Time: 3:00 pm Where: Uxbridge Arena, 291 Brock St. W.Contact: [email protected] or 705-432-8654
Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Night. Udora Community Hall Board presents a Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Night in support of the Hall on Saturday, February 20th. Doors and licensed bar open at 7pm, Comedy Show starts at 8:30 pm. Tickets $25 per person (tax included) available at the Udora General Store and UPI Gas Bar or call 705-228-8102. Come out to enjoy the best stand-up comedy around and support our local community hall. Time: 7:00 pm (doors open) 8:30pm (show starts)Where: Udora Community Hall, 24 Victoria Rd.Contact: 705-228-8102
Emory Lester & Jill Jones Band Stars at Greenbank. World renowned mandolin player, Emory Lester, will perform with the captivating Jill Jones and their band at the Greenbank Folk Music Society on Saturday, February 20th, 2016. The opening act for this show will be Chris Saunders and Abby Zotz from Uxbridge. Tickets $25 each at Blue Heron Books, 62 Brock St West, in Uxbridge, 905-852-4282 or POE Design, 146 Queen St, in Port Perry, 905-985-0060 - or Phone 905-985-8351 for reserved tickets. Visit our website for more info - www.greenbankfolkmusic.caTime: 8:00 pmWhere: Greenbank Centennial Hall, Hwy 12, GreenbankContact: 905-985-0060
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25TH
Barrymore by William Luce at the Uxbridge Music Hall. Spend an evening with John Barrymore as he shares his thoughts and reflections on his meteoric
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career in old Hollywood. “John Barrymore was Icarus who flew so close to the sun that the wax on his wings melted, and he plunged back to earth – from the peak of classical acting to the banalities of show business.” – Brooks Atkinson. This event runs from February 25th - March 5th.Time: 8:00 pmWhere: Uxbridge Music Hall, 16 Main St. S.Contact: Lisha @ [email protected]
REGULAR EVENTS
Baby Cafe is a non-fee drop in program offered Mondays, all pregnant women, parents & caregivers with infants are welcome. Each session is facilitated by a Lactation Consultant, and a healthy snack is provided. For more information families can contact us.Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 amWhere: Uxbridge Public School, 64 Victoria DrContact: 905-862-3131 or [email protected]
Friday Morning Music w/ Marg Time: 9:30 am - 11:30 amWhere: Uxbridge Public School, 64 Victoria DrContact: 905-862-3131 or [email protected]
Monday Morning Singers. Beat the ‘Winter Blahs’ by singing with the women’s choir, directed by Anne Mizen. The group’s preparing a spring concert on April 29th. Practices are Monday Mornings from 9:15-11:30 am. Begins January 18th. No auditions. Visit www.mmsingers.org Where: St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 65 Toronto Street SContact: 905-852-3693
Wanna Dance? Line Dancing. “You can dance, have fun and exercise all at the same time!” says Dianne Wiseman, the instructor for the line dancing classes being held at the Seniors Centre in Uxbridge. For ages 55 plusLine dancing is great exercise for virtually
your whole body. Every Thursday.Time: 9:00am - 11:30amWhere: 75 Marietta Street, UxbridgeContact: 905-852-7792
Taoist Tai Chi at the Uxbridge Seniors Centre. Includes a gentle set of movements that promote well-being for people of all ages and in all conditions. Beginner class: every Friday 9-10am. Continuous class: every Friday 10-11:30am. Where: 75 Marietta Street, UxbridgeContact: 905 852 2587
Royal Canadian Legion Every Friday night we play euchre, so if you are interested please come out at 7:00 to sign up and play starts at 7:30 PM. It is a great night of fun for all in the downstairs clubroom.Where: Royal Canadian Legion, Uxbridge
Royal Canadian Legion We have Bingo every Thursday night at 7:30 P.M. until spring. Come on by the upstairs hall with your friends, it could be your lucky night.Time: 7:30pmWhere: Royal Canadian Legion, Uxbridge.
Royal Canadian Legion Darts runs every Wednesday night at 7:30 P.M. until spring. Teams are all set but someone is always looking for a spare. Cost for a spare is $3. It’s a great night of fun for all in the upstairs hall.Time: 7:30pmWhere: Royal Canadian Legion, Uxbridge
Royal Canadian Legion Meat rolls run every Saturday afternoon from 4–5 PM until Spring. It has been a Canadian Legion tradition for years. Come on out and support your local legion and maybe take home dinner..Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pmWhere: Royal Canadian Legion, Uxbridge
Royal Canadian Legion On the 3rd Monday of every month we hold a veterans afternoon from 2-4 P.M. This is open to all
veterans and their spouse/guest in the area not just Uxbridge members. They enjoy food, beverages, entertainment and door prizes compliments of the Uxbridge Legion. So come out and enjoy an afternoon with old friends and acquaintances or meet some new ones. Night of fun for all in the upstairs hall.Where: Royal Canadian Legion, Uxbridge
Open Mic Thursdays. Open Mic Thursdays are every Thursday at Wixan’s Bridge Presented by Beau’s All Natural Beer and Wixan’s Bridge! Watch awesome local talent, and sing a few songs if you feel up to it! It’s always a great time! The first Thursday of every month there’s a free sampling of Beau’s Lug Tread beer. There’s raffles every Thursday for the performers and the audience! Starts at 9pm. Hosted by Bodan. 2 mics, an acoustic, a bass, a cajon and a foot tambourine are provided for general use!Time: 9:00pm - 11:45pmWhere: Wixan’s Bridge 65 Brock Street WestContact: 416-587-4572
Karaoke Wednesday. Karaoke is now every Wednesday Night at Wixan’s Bridge in Uxbridge! It’s All Ages on the main floor.Time: 8:00pmWhere: Wixan’s Bridge 65 Brock Street West Uxbridge.Contact: 416-587-4572
Friends of the Uxbridge Public Library The Friends of the Uxbridge Public Library meet on the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Uxbridge Library lower meeting room. The Friends of the Library bring awareness to the library by organizing book sales and other events. All proceeds go to the library to help in various expenditures including adding to their extensive DVD collection. New members always welcome.Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pmWhere: 9 Toronto Street South
published by
Watch for it in theFebruary 25th edition of the Uxbridge Cosmos newspaper!
2016 Township of UxbridgeSpring and Summer
CommunityGuide
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| one step at a time | BY DARRIN DAVIS
January is a time when many of us attempt to make major changes in our lives. A fresh new year, a fresh new ‘us.’ Whether it’s losing weight, getting our finances in order, developing our business, or completing that artistic project we’ve been working on, January brings with it lots of determination and hope. We rush out of the gates and sprint with reckless abandon, full of zest and zeal (and perhaps a fair amount of Christmas turkey and candied yams.)
Then February comes, and with it some stark realizations, a few harsh realities. Maybe the plan to write for 2 hours every morning before work was a little too ambitious? Maybe dropping eight pounds a week until the spring was a slight overshot? Maybe your (my) album isn’t going to be mixed and mastered and ready to launch by February?
I was getting my hair cut in town last week, and a young personal trainer from a local gym came in for his bi-weekly trim. When asked how things were going, he complained that the gym was currently “full of ‘resolutioners,’ “ but by February things would be “back to normal.” (By which I think he meant: Empty.)
But friends, it doesn’t have t o be this way!
Lasting, meaningful changes in life are rarely the product of dra-matic, massive turnabouts. Yes, occasionally a person may walk into the ocean as Cat Stevens, nearly drown, and suddenly emerge ashore as Yusuf Joseph. But don’t count on it, folks.
What you can count on is yourself, and your ability to be an agent of change by making slight, incremental adjustments which will gradually right the ship which has gone off course. By taking stock of what the issue is you’d like to work on, pin-pointing what is with-in your power to change, and acknowledging what is beyond your control, you’ve made the vital first step. Your next move is to em-ploy a process which was first developed by a Japanese automotive company.
The process is called ‘kaizen,’ and if you can start to apply it to your creative projects, personal health and business practices, you will reap some pretty wonderful rewards. Simply put, kaizen is the principle of continual, gradual improvement through incremental but consistent change. Incremental and consistent. Two kind-of-boring, certifiably unsexy words if I’ve ever seen them. But what is sexier- going like gangbusters for a few weeks at an unsustainable pace, then burning out and returning to the comfortable palace of your well-insulated living room and cozy couch, or making daily micro-adjustments to your habits and rituals, slowly refining your daily practices with achievable, measurable goals, until one day- boom! you’re a master?
Yeah, I’ll take the patient measured master over the flash-in-the-pan burn-out, any day, thank you very muchly.
If you want to wake up earlier each morning to have some sacred ‘you-time’ to work on your art and your self, don’t try to start get-ting up at 5:45am this coming Monday, if your usual wake up time is 8:30am. It will be painful, awful, catastrophic, stinky and just plain no good. Instead, apply kaizen. Monday, get up at 8:20am. Try that for a few days. It’s such a small change that you won’t no-tice. I promise. Then try 8:10am for a few days. Still working for you? Soon you’re getting up at 8:00am, easily. And after a month or so, you’ve added an hour each morning to working on whatever project holds the key to your perfect little heart. See? Awesome. Incremental. Consistent.
This same principle is super-effective for increasing your daily ex-ercise, practicing an instrument, learning a cool new art technique or medium, etc. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Johnny Cash had his final #1 hit with a funny song called ‘1 Piece at a Time,’ a classic country novelty tune about a GM worker who can’t afford to buy one of the Cadillacs he works on each day, but decides a little patience and consistent ingenuity may get him what he wants. He sneaks out small car parts gradually from the plant, and over the course of decades, eventually builds a sweet ride for himself- a real one-of-a-kind gem. Now, I’m not advocating stealing from your workplace. But I think you get the point.
So folks, I encourage you to dream big, in small steps. Break huge plans down into tiny tasks, and get started. Make small ad-justments to your routine as you go, and keep on refining your workflow. Soon you’ll find yourself just where you want to be. And there is absolute nothing boring about that.
Darrin Davis is a professional musician, singer/songwriter, painter and photographer. His bi-weekly live music video series ‘Songs On A Pink Couch’ can be subscribed to at www.youtube.com/user/the-darrindavisband. Darrin hosts a weekly Sunday night Acoustic Open Mic at Colonel McGrady’s Pub, 44 Brock St. W. He lives in the wild-wood splendour of Uxbridge, Ontario, with his lovely wife Amy, his darling newborn daughter Sadie, and his incorrigible pup, Dublin. All 4 are relentless Blue Jays fans.
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The weather may be chilly, but things are heating up in Uxbridge when it comes to culture and the arts — especially live theatre at the Uxbridge Music Hall. After an invigorating run of On Stage Ux-bridge’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in January (wouldn’t you love to own that amazing car?), the Music Hall is being morphed into new imaginary worlds for two fantastic offerings this month.
The ever-imaginative Kathy and Mike Bridgeman of Ryleepuss Productions are bringing a classic to life, with “The Music Man” on February 11-14 and 18-20. A fun experience for the whole fam-ily, this musical centres around the outrageous confidence man, Professor Harold Hill, who sells instruments and band uniforms to the naïve townsfolk of River City, Iowa on the premise that he will start and train a band. He has a hidden agenda, however, which is complicated when he falls in love. This show has dancing, quirky characters and memorable songs such as “76 Trombones ” and “Til There Was You.” Tickets are $15 for youth (16 and under) and $22 for adults and seniors. Prices include fees. Visit StarTicketing.com, Ryleepussproductions.com or to ask about group rates, call Mike at 416-702-6604.
Later in the month, from February 25 through March 5, Cosmos Productions presents “Barrymore By William Luce.” This remark-able one-man show stars Paul Francies as John Barrymore, the in-famous black sheep of the beloved American Barrymore acting family. “John” will recount much of his event-filled life and dazzling career in old Hollywood as a romantic leading man. Admired for his roguish handsomeness, the iconic actor will share the ups and downs of his intriguing legacy, which ended in tragic despair. This sounds like a dramatic performance you won’t want to miss. Tickets are $20 (including all fees) and are available at StarTicketing.com.
Rehearsals started in earnest in January for “uxperience,” the an-nual musical-variety show that raises money for local charities. Can you believe that this is uxperience’s 25th year anniversary? This year’s show will take place May 5, 6, and 7 at the Uxbridge Music Hall, and it’s called “Alice’s Adventures in Uxland.” You can only imagine how much fun we’re having coming up with Alice-related skits to complement iconic songs from the past. You will see some familiar faces from the past as well, as former friends join us for this anniversary production.
Three years ago, my husband and I joined this group of commu-nity-minded residents, and we are having a blast. Belonging to an arts organization brings creative satisfaction and friendship that can only come from the magic of like-minded people getting to-gether for a common purpose. To move an audience to laughter, tears and creative thinking is a unique feeling shared by visual art-ists, musicians, sculptors, writers … you get the artistic picture.
Folks, Uxbridge has it all, and you can be part of it. Whatever your preferred artistic genre, now is the time of year to think about getting involved in local arts-related events and organizations. Here is the contact information for just a few of the local groups that may appeal to your unique brand of artistry.
Dorothea Helms, a.k.a. The Writing Fairy, is an award-winning writer and popular creative writing instructor who also owns the freelance business Write Stuff Writing Services. She makes her liv-ing connecting people and ideas, and can be reached at [email protected]
Uxbridge Studio Tour UxbridgeStudioTour.comCelebration of the Arts CelebrationoftheArts.caUxbridge Arts Association UxbridgeArts.caArtists of Uxbridge ArtistsofUxbridge.caUxbridge Lions Art in the Park Uxbridge.com/LionsArt/uxperience uxperience.ca Uxbridge Historical Centre UxbridgeHistoricalCentre.comLucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario LucyMaudMontgomery.caThe Thomas Foster Memorial FosterMemorial.comUxbridge Horticultural Society UxbridgeHorticulturalSociety.comUxbridge Writers’ Circle [email protected] Morning Singers MMSingers.orgPineridge Chorus Uxbridge PineridgeChorusUxbridge.ca
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| a fun february in uxbridge | BY DOROTHEA HELMS
Naturopathic Doctor, Valerie James,will help you with the following:
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And more...Free 15 minute consultations available!
Explore how Naturopathic Medicine can help youLocated in the Uxbridge Health Centre
In Rexall Plaza @ SE corner of Toronto St & Elgin Park Dr2 Elgin Park Dr Unit B
Naturopathic medicine is covered by mostextended health care plans
Call (905) 852-1009 ext 1013 to book your appointment www.uxbridgend.com
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s| exams | BY: MACKENZIE BRADSHAW
The wil l t o succeed is important , but what’s more important is the wil l t o prepare.
-Bobby Knight
Hi, I’m Mackenzie a student at U.S.S. and I am hoping that I am re-membered for my last two articles in the Uxbridge Town Talk maga-zine where I wrote about Remembrance Day and our school’s play “ The Election.” Well I’m back for February’s issue and writing about exams and how they affect us!
Exams are always a stressful time for a high school student, but at Uxbridge Secondary School the staff will try their hardest to make studying for the exams the least stressful possible. Most teachers give us a week of review in class and also the opportunity to study in class. Plus, on the days where there isn’t an exam you can use the time to study or just relax. It is helpful too when our teachers hand out a sheet with all the major points that could be on the exam. Now we have a study buddy for the next couple of days! Everyone studies differently, but I take this approach: when I get home from school, I sit down, grab all my notes, put on some music and start writing everything I’ve learned over and over and over again for a good 3 hours everyday. When exam time comes, I sit down for about an hour depending on the type of exam I am writing that day. Sometimes though when I’m thinking about a question on my exam, I’ll lose focus and drift off into my own little world for a bit until I figure out the answer.
When exam time rolls around, it can make anyone very stressful, emotional and sometimes a little frustrated. We study for hours on end just to make sure that we get the best grades because we know that they are going to affect us when we go to apply for college or university. Because we are studying hours on end we don’t get enough sleep and we start to worry and we can get quite emotion-al. Then there’s the occasional sheet that is missing from your notes that you don’t have or your teacher still hasn’t given you your ex-ams study sheet when there’s only less then a week to your exam! So of course we get very frustrated. It’s weird how we get like this over exams. I understand that colleges and universities are looking
for the best grades, but do we really have to stress about it. I under-stand that studying can be stressful, but do we really have to have mental break downs all the time? Even when we don’t have all the things that we need to study , we don’t have to get frustrated. If you think about it we could easily solve all of these problems. Instead we choose to stress.
The best feeling ever is walking out of that class room and real-izing that you have just finished writing your last exam of the se-mester! We can sleep in, lie around in pyjamas and do absolutely nothing. Actually, that is kind of what we do already, but we have a reason this time! Also over the last few days of relaxation and free-dom we can throw away all the work that we did in the first semes-ter or we keep some of it for friends that are going into that same subject. Maybe it will help relieve their stress if they have extra notes. Once we head back to school for the beginning of second semester it’s like a fresh start, but then you realize that in just a cou-ple more months you’re going to have to relive all of that stress and all of those emotions all over again.
Mackenzie Bradshaw is a grade 11 co-op student here at Sweet World Media. In her spare time Mackenzie likes to do a lot of drawing and says art therapy is the greatest stress reliever. She also likes to listen to music and watch movies. Her goals for the future include Art College and possibly becoming a Graphic Designer, a Tattoo artist or an Interior Designer.
www.uxbridgetowntalk.com
www.sweetworldmedia.com
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| sugar cookies | PROVIDED BY : BREDIN’S BAKERY, 12 BROCK STREET WEST, UXBRIDGE
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Yield: Serves 8-10 dozen
Ingredients1.5 lbs. White Sugar1 lb. Regular Shortening3 Large Whole Eggs1 Cup Of Milk2.5 lbs. Pastry Flour1 oz. Baking Powder1/2 oz. Salt1/2 tea Spoon Of Vanilla
Directions1. Cream together sugar & shortening.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients In a seperate bowl.
3. Combine all ingredients & mix until it’s a solid piece of dough.
4. Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 320 degrees fahrenheit (baking time can depend on thickness of cookie so keep an eye on them)
5. Cool and decorate as desired.
** Recipe can easily be cut in half for a smaller amount of cookies.
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On December 28, 2015, we opened our doors at The Second Wedge Brewing Co. and began pouring beer crafted right here in Uxbridge to a crowd of thirsty locals. This day marked the culmination of three years of research, planning, negotiating and building - and the start, we hope, of a bright new spot on the Ontario beer map.
Many people ask Rob and me, “What made you want to open a brewery in U x b r i d g e ? ” Well, the answer is t h r e e f o l d . We’re madly in love with beer, for starters. We wanted to start a business
where we live, that would enhance what’s already here. And we wanted to create one that had appeal beyond our town’s borders, to draw in people from all over, who may use the nearby trails every weekend but never stop in to our main street.
So let’s talk about each of these in turn.
Beer! Yes, it’s that pale stuff you drank out of red plastic cups in university, and maybe never got much out of other than an inexpensive buzz (and subsequent hangover). But it’s also something completely different, when made in small batches, with attention to ingredients and the brewing and fermentation processes. That care and skill brings complexity to a beer’s aroma,
flavour and body. It makes beer as enjoyable as a delicious meal, and definitely as enjoyable as wine. It takes a great craftsman to accomplish this. We’d like to introduce you to The Second Wedge’s brewmaster, Doug Warren, whose years of brewing experience make our beers stand out in a crowd.
Contributing to our local business culture, and working together with other small businesses, is incredibly important to us. Besides having our beers on tap in local bars and restaurants (as I write this we’re about to celebrate our first restaurant launch, with more to come), we’re partnering in many small ways with local shops, artisans and even a nearby farm (keep an eye out for Willo’Wind pork, now being fed a luxury diet of spent brewing grain!). We feel these small exchanges add up to a big whole: strong community relationships and lots of creative ways to engage with customers. The same goes for our participation in the wider small-brewery community - we’re all working together to uphold the craft beer culture, so we share ideas, collaborate and cheer one another on.
F i n a l l y , our local pride and love for the i n c r e d i b l e l a n d s c a p e that makes U x b r i d g e such an trail hotspot: we came up here 12 years ago with our young kids for the natural b e a u t y , and never get tired of “getting out there” into the forest and town trails. Rolling hills? We’ve got them in spades. People who come up here to ride their bike, hike, run, ski or snowmobile — they get that. But they might not be coming into downtown afterwards, to enjoy our shops, bars and restaurants. There’s also a growing number of people looking to explore breweries across Ontario, who may not have visited Uxbridge before. We named ourselves after the second wedge of the Oak Ridges Moraine (the Uxbridge Wedge), to help give people an idea of what we consider to be Uxbridge’s best feature.
All these reasons guided us as we developed our company and designed our space. You might say that our company tag line speaks to our own journey to opening a brewery: All Trails Lead Here. So, we hope you’ll come in and enjoy some of beers in our tasting room, or grab a few bottles or a growler to go. You can bring in your bike, roll in your stroller and carry in (or order in) some food. We’re even dog friendly, and you might just be greeted by our friendly black Lab, Sadie. Cheers!
Joanne Richter is one of the co-founders of The Second Wedge Brew-ing Co. She came to Uxbridge by way of Montreal and Toronto. Jo-anne is a certified beer judge and published author, and has worked in production management for most of her career.
| the second wedge brewing co | BY: JOANNE RICHTER
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Home Inspections by: Informed Decisions
416 573 5977 www.onthebeaminspections.ca | [email protected]
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| the best time to plant a tree is today | BY: ELAINE LEIGH
The best time t o a plant a tree was twen-ty years ago. The next best time is t oday
~chinese proverb
I thought this month I would do a bit of writing about our environment. Our children’s future depends on how we treat the environment today.
Like many of you, we do our best. We recycle, don’t use plastic
water bottles and purchase local whenever possible helping to reduce our carbon footprint. We endeavor to purchase from those that manufacture responsibly. I deem myself a ‘wanna-be’ environmentalist. I am not fantastic at it, but I am constantly trying.
This leads me to our most recent environmental adventure. I am a city girl, but recently our family purchased 13 acres of paradise that we are dedicated to keeping as an environment oasis for years to come.
I thought I would share with you our journey, one that is fun, educational, exhausting and absolutely amazing, but how we treat these 13 acres will be so critical to our environment. Yes, it’s only 13 acres, but every acre matters and we intend to do what it takes to make our little piece of paradise environmentally healthy.
Since we came from the city we were green. That is, not
knowledgeable with forests or pond management. We knew enough that we would have to find someone with expertise in the area and that proved to be our most valuable resource! The experts walked our property and prepared the most extensive report on recommendations to keep our property as natural as possible. The report also contained information on what our property consists of, by basically dividing our property into quadrants. This approach gave us an overview of trees and bushes, etc. We felt that this information was truly valuable in that we can plant and maintain the tree population with native trees that allow for the natural progression of a forest.
Our first order of business was to post “no hunting” signs. We are not hunters nor do we want hunters on our property. I must say that this decision was not because we are opposed to hunters, but that for us wildlife on the property excites us. We have no opinion on the pros and cons of hunting, just simply our thoughts on how it affects our property.
Next we identified the invasive species on the property. In
our case it is Buckthorn trees and bushes. This has proven to be a challenge, as they are not eradicated easily. We have taken on the task of identifying them, marking them and then coming up with a plan to remove them one at a time if necessary. Our team of arborists recommended leaving them if they are not blocking our walking trails, but control them as much as possible. So our next plan is to find the seedlings which are the easiest to control. We are lucky that we have a large meadow area that has many Buckthorn seedlings, so our plan is to cut them back and cover with a large black tarp hoping to kill them off completely.
We are not keen on using chemicals, so this seems like the most environmentally friendly process; although I confess we are not certain if it will work.
Next step is to cut down the Buckthorn’s that are close to our trails as they have been allowed to flourish for many years. Some
trees are quite large! It was suggested we mulch, then use the wood chips to mark our walking trail, an idea we like. We will also burn some as is legally allowed. Eventually the trees will be replaced with a suitable tree that is native to the area to minimize the effect on our forest.
This environmental journey is an extensive, exciting one for us!
I hope to keep you updated on our progression. We are definite novices but are having a great time not only enjoying being outside but also learning how important it is to sustain trees, wetlands and ponds. After all, the best time to plant trees is today.
As a resident of Uxbridge Elaine has taken the helm of Sweet World Media, publisher of Uxbridge Town Talk. Elaine has three passions, family, photography and her Golden Retriever Jake. With a new business, four grandchildren and plenty of photo opportunities in Uxbridge, life’s been busy but fun!
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