On Saturday, Artist Todd Tremeer started a four-week session, Junior Art, grades 4-8, at A Gift of Art in Newcastle. Sisters Natalie Birch, Emily Forth and Leah Birch are learning to draw realistically with pencil and charcoal. During the session students will learn how to draw faces, complex objects and imaginary creatures. Painting with watercolours and building 3D sculptures with paper and other tools are also on the agenda.
Growth in Newcastle is evident and a new school, to many seems pretty straight forward progress. However, in February 2022 Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) submitted a Capital Priorities Business Case for a new K-12 school at the Grady Drive/Rudell Road property.
After many delays, some COVID related and some cost related, 2023 is looking bright for Clarington’s hospice. “We are definitely making progress. I’m 100% confident that we will break ground this spring,” says Melodie Zarzeczny, chair Durham Region Hospice – Clarington.
Okay Orono, it’s that time again – time to share the love. Winning the 2023 Kraft Hockeyville Grand prize is within our grasp. The winner will host an NHL pre-season game and receive $250,000 for arena upgrades.
Like many of you, I have fond memories of skating in the old ‘barn’ arena. Figure skating or playing hockey on cold winter days was often accompanied by snow coming through the roof. The year before being condemned the community came together making the necessary repairs to get one more season out of the old arena.
The new area, built in 1977-78, came with a price tag of almost $1,000,000.00 – $270,000.00 of that was raised through community donations. Fast forward 45 years and our arena is in need of some big-ticket capital renovations that are crucial to ongoing operations.
Area residents do not have to travel into Toronto to see top-notch live theatre, nor do they have to fork out the several hundred dollars per ticket to enjoy a show or pay for parking. The Northumberland Players have a full slate of dinner theatre shows this year. Their current production, entitled ‘Hilda’s Yard’, by Canadian playwright Norm Foster, is on at the Best Western Hotel in Cobourg, with Newcastle’s own Jim McLaughlin starring as the hard-nosed bookie with a soft side, Beverly Woytowich.
Kicking off the New Year in style, the Newcastle Community Hall held their second event, a Roaring 20s themed New Years Eve Gala, in celebration of the hall’s 100th Anniversary this year. Gala committee members (LtoR) Bill McKe, Janeen Rowsell , Myno Van Dyke, Jane Black , Gabriella Bell and Councillor Willie Woo. Plans are underway for a big celebration late July. Stay tuned.
In 1957, Newcastle Village Chief Constable Art Randall had to resign for health reasons. He would be the last ‘Chief” in Newcastle. The Village went to the Ontario Provincial Police for help and signed a contract with them for a “One Man Detachment”. Assigned to Newcastle was a good friend of Art Randall’s – Provincial Constable Louden ‘Bruce’ Tillson.
This is a story about a railway line in Clarington, where the trains are on time and stop at a number of interesting places. There are steam engines, diesel engines, passenger cars and box cars, flat cars, refrigeration cars, carrying a variety of people and goods. There are bridges over creeks and rivers, and crossings with lights.
By Jim Richards
The 9th annual Orono Winter Bird Count was conducted on January 3, 2023. A total of 56 species were noted (eight-year average), and a compilation of 9249 individual birds were tallied under the leadership of compiler Tyler Hoar of Oshawa.