This year, CanoeFM celebrated 20 years along with their annual radiothon from July 7-9.

CanoeFM had a full schedule of events last weekend. Community members were able to bid on surprise pop-up auction items along with an online auction.

Station manager, Roxanne Casey, said they had raised $55,175 as of July 11. “The volunteers have worked very hard over the last 20 years to create a radio station that belongs to the people of Haliburton County. I applaud volunteers past and present who bring their passion and personalities into the station to provide this incredible service of community radio to listeners far and wide,” said Casey.

They encouraged people to come into the station and see the action live. All donations were entered into a draw to win one of five $100 gift cards to Haliburton Foodland. Anyone who made a donation of $100 or more received a limited edition 20th anniversary CanoeFM T-shirt.

The radiothon was presented by Minden Subaru and sponsored by NOMI Resort Club and Minden & Haliburton Home Hardware & Building Centres.

For more information on the 2023 annual radiothon: canoefm.com/radiothon-2023.

Places for People (P4P) received a $50,000 cheque from the Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC) July 10.

P4P has launched its community bonds project, which has three different series of investments available to the public.

HCDC made an investment via the bond investment option series B. It will earn interest and allow HCDC to continue supporting loans and economic development activities in Haliburton County.

P4P will work alongside Tapestry Community Capital which will manage investments. The social housing agency will use the bonds to refinance current projects. They can then take on larger developments that will be sustainable.

Options include: option 1 series A includes three years with three per cent interest with a minimum donation of $1,000. Option 2 series B includes five years with four per cent interest with a minimum donation of $5,000. The last option available, series C, includes seven years with five per cent interest with a minimum donation of $10,000.

Places for People’s bond target is $850,000. For more information on investing with them: placesforpeople.ca/ invest.

Jeff Berthelette, the outreach liaison with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters Invading Species Awareness Program, and a few of his colleagues and volunteers were at Camp Wanakita last week removing invasive Chinese Mysterysnails and Banded Mysterysnails from the water.

“It was a really fun day and we spoke to hundreds of campers, informing them of invasive species and how to prevent their spread,” Berthelette said. He said they removed 1,210 invasive snails from Koshlong lake.

He added, the snails can severely degrade water quality and ecosystems that can impact fisheries and recreation. He noted some well-known species, such as zebra mussels and round goby, have already received a fair bit of attention.

“Chinese Mysterysnails and Banded Mysterysnails can both have similar impacts as they can prey on native fish eggs but can even spread parasites that cause intestinal fluke,” he said.

Berthelette said there had been a tremendous effort to eradicate these invasive species by a team of volunteers and staff who have taken mandatory training in order to become certified to remove the snails by hand.

To date, they have removed more than 700,000 snails and hope to reach one million.

For more information on the invasive snail: invadingspecies.com.

When Norland resident Paul Christie retired to cottage country more than a decade ago, he didn’t know the half of the natural wonders that surrounded him.

The name refers to the granite barrens that separate the Canadian Shield and limestone reserves that skirt large parts of southern Ontario. The Land Between is one of Canada’s most unique ecotones, meaning it contains elements of the ecosystems it borders while boasting one-of-a-kind features of its own. The space boasts the highest mineral diversity in Ontario and is home to hundreds of native species.

“The Land Between is a true natural wonder of the world… that I feel is totally unpromoted and underappreciated,” Christie told The Highlander, noting he wants to create a space that showcases all the region has to offer.

A keen horticulturist, Christie has conceptualized The Land Between Garden, which he hopes to install at Ward Memorial Park in Norland. With a 40-foot diameter, the space will feature eight gardens, all blossoming with perennial plants native to the area. Lou Loree, a one-time member of the Haliburton County Master Gardeners, has been drafted in to help with the design.

Christie said the structure would include walkways for people to traverse and feature an educational component.

Initial estimates have pegged the cost somewhere north of $180,000. Christie said he’s brought in $30,000 already, with a golf tournament fundraiser held at Monck’s Landing golf course in Norland last weekend raising $5,000. The City of Kawartha Lakes has contributed $7,500 to the project, while Christie noted many local workers and businesses have stepped up to hel

An application has been submitted to the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which, if successful, could see the project break ground in the spring.

There’s still a need for further community support, though. Christie said residents can contribute to the project by purchasing donor bricks, which will be installed throughout the garden. There are buy-in options at $500, $100, and $25. There’s also an opportunity for people to sponsor memorial benches, he said.

To donate, contact Christie at tlbgarden@ gmail.com or 905-391-5803.

The Bateman family has decades of memories of time spent at family cottages in the County.

The exhibit opened July 8 and features paintings by Alan, Brad, Jack, Robert, and Ross, and photographs by Birgit Freybe Bateman. It includes original paintings and limited-edition prints, with a selection of prints for sale in the gallery along with a book.

During an artists’ talk this past Saturday, Robert’s son, Alan Bateman, discussed how he was inspired by his family’s art and how he especially enjoys painting with acrylics.

“We had to go to the top of 12 Mile Lake near Carnarvon for drinking water during the Second World War.”

One community member asked Robert Bateman about the moment he went outside and decided to draw.

The renowned wildlife painter said he was 12 years old. After hearing that Alan was born in Nigeria, another community member asked Robert what drew him to Africa. He responded, “Africa had a purity that South America and other parts of the world didn’t have.”

The gallery is open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More than 30 faculty pieces are on exhibit in the Great Hall at the Haliburton School of Art + Design.

The exhibit is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, said Erin Lynch, operations and programming manager at the college. She added some of the pieces are also for sale.

This is the eighth year for the exhibit at the college. In past years, it was held at the Rails End Gallery and Art Centre in Haliburton. The exhibition features pieces from faculty who teach at the Haliburton campus.

Dean of the School of Arts, Xavier Massé, had high praise for the faculty. “We have a helluva talented faculty here that needs to be showcased more often. It is their uniqueness and quirkiness that makes this school what it is, a place for everybody. A safe space to be who you are.”

He went on to say the faculty represents the uniqueness of the community at large.

The exhibit closes Aug. 18.

An auction of the work will commence July 17 and runs until Aug. 8. An in-person gathering will take place at the Haliburton campus Aug. 10 beginning at 5 p.m. The evening includes a cocktail reception and a silent auction. The event is open to everyone.

All proceeds from the art auction fund bursaries for students attending programs at the Haliburton campus. These bursaries are more important than ever as HSAD students juggle the rising costs of fuel, groceries and rent alongside their education, the college said in a press release.

The online auction can be found at HSAD Faculty Art Auction/32auctions.

While ACM Designs is planning the big reveal for its HALI Restaurant Makeover later this month, Mill Pond owner Brad Archer was happy to pose for a few photos in the new space July 7.

The restaurant received a $25,000 facelift after being announced as the competition winner in March. Hosted by ACM Designs, the Carnarvon eatery beat out Truss Foodworks Smokehouse and Maple Avenue Tap and Grill for the prize of a design and décor upgrade. Archer said it was the first substantial renovation of the site in more than 30 years.

This is the second contest of its kind in the community following the Big Lobby Makeover in 2020, which saw the $25,000 transformation of the front entry at Bonnie View Inn.

ACM Designs owner Andria Cowan Molyneaux said she places huge importance on these social responsibility campaigns, noting she feels obligated to invest back into the community that has supported her business for several years.

“A big part of our culture is understanding where we live and who we live with. We’ve been very fortunate over the last years to make it through COVID, grow as a company and be very successful. But it wasn’t the same for everyone,” she said. “We have chosen to reinvest in our community, care for and support these businesses.”

Other partners contributing to the makeover included Churko Electric, Kegel Heating and Cooling, Cordell Carpet, Emmerson Lumber, Yours Outdoors, Quartz Co. Surfaces, and Cambria Surfaces.

The Riverside Inn is celebrating its 100th anniversary of serving Norland and surrounds.

New owners, Vicki Taylor and Mike Hawes, had planned a big celebration.

“We had a celebration planned for the Canada Day long weekend, but the weather reports were not looking too good,” said Taylor. “We had to make a decision to postpone the event until Aug. 5.”

Originally built in 1923 for the mill workers across the road on the Gull River, the establishment has gone through a variety of reimaginings throughout the decades. It was even a soda shop throughout the 1950s.

“We have heard a number of iterations about different things that it had been used for,” said Taylor. “There is a little cashier’s booth in the main bar and some people have told us, and this may be folklore, that they remember their grandparents coming here to pay bills, so it may have functioned as a post office at some point.”

A kitchen was added. “We have had a lot of people come by and tell us they have been coming here since they were kids,” said Taylor. “We had a gentleman, not too long ago, who was born here and is now in his mid-80s and remembers the inn before it was a restaurant.”

Taylor said the previous owners ran the restaurant for 11 years, and before that, it was a fine dining establishment with a Le Cordon Bleu classically-trained chef. “It has been kind of everything over the years, and now we are keeping the casual family style atmosphere that was created by the people we bought it from,” said Taylor.

In its original form, it is believed to have had eight bedrooms. Through the years. they have been rented out by some owners, and not by others. Taylor and her family are living in the rooms above the establishment.

Taylor can’t say enough about the community and how she and her family have been welcomed. “We have been so lucky. The locals support so strongly,” she said. “We were really blessed. About 80 per cent of the original staff stayed. Such great people, the atmosphere, happy and supportive and helpful.” She added the team took them under their wings and have been wonderful, and a lot of fun.

Some renovations have been done, such as the patio being resurfaced, but they wanted to keep the original structure they fell in love with. “We have made very little changes,” explained Taylor, “We have changed the menu, but it is an amazing spot and people remember it. We have locals and people that have been coming for years. It is that kind of place and we really want to keep that.

“The cottage traffic is fabulous, like icing on a cake,” said Taylor, “but the cake is our locals and regulars.”