The Villager 2023 July

The community makes the Villager magazine

By Ellen Cohen

The new owners of The Villager, Jiun and Mikaila asked me if I’d like to write an article – some history of the magazine and some memories.

The history:

The opportunity to publish a local magazine presented itself in 2012 after we learned the Washago area publication was getting ready to close. Without it, there would be no local news and no vehicle local businesses could use to reach their market.

Before the first Villager was published, we met with and got support from local businesses, community leaders, non-profit organizations, politicians at all levels, and professionals who might contribute strong stories. Concurrent to this work, we enlisted the help of a designer to create ‘the package’ and began the process of collecting interesting and relevant editorial pieces.

We launched The Villager in March of 2013. To us it looked terrific and read like a dream! Thankfully, the readers agreed. It wasn’t long before they were telling us ‘We read The Villager every month – cover to cover.’ That’s all I needed to know to be inspired and to continue to provide our community with the best I could for a community I love - for every one of the 113 issues over the past 10+ years.

Past covers of The Villager

The memories:

It’s all about the people. Those who have served. Those who have volunteered. And those who have participated so enthusiastically.

Readers will remember with me: the sparkle of lights of the first Washago nighttime Christmas parade; the intense pleasure of witnessing the return and growth in numbers of ‘our swans’; too many losses including past Fire Chief Eric Dowell, and Donald Westcott, extraordinary community volunteer; the massive ongoing effort of the Couchiching Conservancy to help save our biodiversity; the monthly look at wonders in nature by reader favourite

Ron Reid; the selfless volunteerism and contribution to the community of Washago Lions, Washago Art Club, Ramona Agricultural Society.

There are countless more memories within the pages of The Villager. The people who created those memories, who inspired the stories are the history to me. They are The Villager.

I feel such great pride that The Villager will live on through new owners. Kind, compassionate, bright and sincere people, Jiun and Makaila will move The Villager on to new and exciting heights.

Publishers

Jiun Liao and Mikaila Bolzonello

Art Director

Marleen Walz

Welcome to The Villager, an independent, locally owned print and online magazine for Severn, Oro-Medonte, and Orillia published every month.

Submit your stories and events

We want to hear from you! If there’s anything interesting, a topic you would like covered, or an event you want the community to know, send us an email hello@villagernews.ca

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Deadline

Prearranged editorial contributions as well as advertising space must be received or booked by the 15th of every month.

From the Publisher:

It Takes a Village...

Welcome to our first issue of The Villager as the new publishers! We are very excited to take on this journey with all of you.

We are Jiun (pronounced like the month of June) and Mikaila, a husband and wife team with a profound love of telling stories and being part of our community.

As with all of you, we enjoyed reading The Villager every month and were saddened to hear that it was going to stop back in May. I met with Ellen about it one day, and I left that meeting completely enthralled by the passion she had for this magazine. The way she talked about the community, the readers, and the advertisers solidified my hunch that this was something special.

Mikaila was thankfully on board as long as she was part of it too, and we officially took over the magazine a couple of weeks ago. Since then, we have been all hands on deck learning from Ellen and working towards this issue.

Let me tell you, publishing a magazine is hard. Days fly by, and starting in the middle of the month didn’t give us much breathing room. But we did it! We managed to publish July, albeit slightly smaller than we would have hoped.

Regardless, this wouldn’t have been possible without the many people that helped us. All our contributors, advertisers, Marleen our graphic designer, and of course Ellen herself.

This first kick at the can and the overwhelming amount of support to put this together in such a short time reminded me that it takes a village to create something great. I wonder if that’s why Ellen called it The Villager…

Thank you for being part of the journey with us. We have a lot of plans, a lot of content that didn’t end up in this issue, and we can’t wait to share it all with you. You’ll hear more from us soon.

At the end of the day, this magazine is for you, the community. If you have anything you’d like to share that the community should know, or anything you’d like to see improved, please make sure to email us.

After all, it takes a village :)

Meet The Publishers

MEET MIKAILA

Well, hello! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Mikaila, one of the two new publishers for The Villager (Jiun’s better half).

Jiun and I share 2 beautiful children - a 7 year old and a 6 month old. To say our lives are busy is an understatement. By day I am a Real Estate Broker, by afternoon I am a publisher for The Villager and by night I am a Stage Manager for theatre! Honestly, all three happen at all times of the day so it’s hard to say which one is my ‘day job’. Yes, many have called me ‘crazy’. Whether it’s true or not is still up for debate…

My family has been in the area since the 1960s. My grandfather owned an electrical contracting company that helped to build quite a bit of infrastructure in the area way back when. Though I grew up in Toronto as a kid, I have always felt strong ties to the area.

After living in other parts of Canada and abroad for many years, Jiun and I decided to settle here in 2016 and raise our family. It was the best decision we have ever made and we have only become more and more entrenched in the community as the years have gone by. We feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful supportive people in this area and look forward to connecting with many more!

MEET JIUN

I’m originally from Ecuador, South America. I met Mikaila in University when I made the decision to study in Canada and the rest she has already told you about.

Similar to Mikaila, I’m a marketing strategy consultant by day, new publisher of The Villager by later that same day, and a strategy coach for a government run program called Digital Service Squad. In that program, me and 3 other coaches help small businesses across Simcoe County learn and understand how to create marketing that makes a difference.

I’ve always loved living in places that have that small town feel. Where everything is less busy, everyone knows each other, and people seem more willing to lend a hand.

It’s a pleasure writing for you.

Mikaila and Jiun with their children, on the day they became the new publishers.

Kevin Graton Reels in the Win at the Orillia Perch Festival

By Jiun Lao

The winner of the 2023 Orillia Perch Festival grand prize boat was Kevin Graton of Brampton, Ontario. Kevin fished in this year’s derby along with his son, Cooper. The prize boat was sponsored by Lund Boats and Mercury Marine, with the cover donated by Cummins Canvas Co. and storage and transportation provided by Crate’s Lake Country Boats.

The Perch Festival grand prize winner is determined by a draw at the official closing ceremony. To qualify for the draw, an angler must be registered for the derby and catch at least one perch during the festival. Anglers are allowed to submit one catch each day, and each catch provides the angler a ballot in the draw, meaning that the more days an angler goes fishing and is successful in catching a perch, the more chances they have to win the grand prize.

While traditionally anglers were required to bring their fish to the “perch headquarters” at Tudhope park for verification, the past two Perch Festivals have featured an app that allows anglers to submit photos of their catch remotely, allowing not only for the fish to be released back to the water immediately, but also for anglers to participate from various locations around Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching.

The app used for 2023 was My Catch by Angler’s Atlas, a British Columbia-based company that specializes in fishing maps and related resources. The My Catch app is used for fishing derbies all around Canada and the United States. Angler’s Atlas

works with government natural resource departments and conservation authorities to use fish data gathered through the app to help with research projects, like tracking population distribution and the spread of disease in fisheries.

In addition to the grand prize boat, dozens of other prizes were awarded through the Perch Festival. Runner-up prizes included a fish finder, kayak, and paddle board, and children’s grand prizes were a canoe and gift certificates for local shopping sprees. In addition, daily prizes of fishing rods and hats were awarded each day of the festival.

The Orillia Perch Festival takes place each year in late April or early May. Information about the 2024 festival and registration will be available on the Orillia & District Chamber of Commerce website, orillia.com, starting in early spring.

The Orillia District Chamber of Commerce (ODCC) is a non-profit organization made up of over 500 member businesses serving the City of Orillia, Severn Township, Ramara Township, Oro-Medonte Township and Chippewas of Rama First Nation. The ODCC is committed to providing an integrated voice for a prosperous business community that fosters local economic development and sustainable growth.

The winner of the 2023 Orillia Perch Festival grand prize , Kevin Graton, and his son Cooper.

Local Comfy Cases Donates 1,000 Pillows for Children and Families Affected by Cancer

A local volunteer-based program, Comfy Cases (Children And Sewers Exchanging Smiles), is donating an astounding 1,000+ pillowcases to Ontario’s Campfire Circle (formerly known as Camp Ooch & Camp Trillium). Comfy Cases is a small but mighty grassroots non-profit program of OPACC (Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer). Campfire Circle is a privately funded, charitable organization founded in 1983. They have year-round, in-hospital and overnight camp programs for kids and families affected by childhood cancer.

Typically, Comfy Cases’ volunteers and Community Coordinators make pillowcases for children that are in hospitals with cancer, as well as other life challenging issues, illnesses, and injuries all over Ontario. Comfy Cases is now beyond thrilled to be collaborating with Campfire Circle; a space where all kids can engage in camp-inspired programs and just be kids. Opportunities offered by Campfire Circle are not limited only to children who have received a cancer diagnosis; Siblings Camp also allows siblings to participate in the magic of camp, a place where everyone can feel the sense of normalcy that comes with spending time outdoors, as well as building life skills through activities amongst other children and families.

Upon entry to Campfire Circle, every child – camper or sibling – will receive

a backpack decked out with neat and useful goodies including a Comfy Cases pillowcase. Comfy Cases pillowcases will also be distributed during the year to kids in hospitals and others participating in Campfire Circle’s community programs. Campfire Circle asked for 1,000 pillowcases!! Unsurprisingly, Comfy Cases was more than eager to fill such the request! This was a huge undertaking for the sewing volunteer teams. Additionally, since campers can come from all over Ontario, it was only fitting for Comfy Cases’ Lead Coordinator, Claudia Kugelmass, to reach out to each independent Comfy Cases Regional Coordinator across Ontario to ensure that there are sufficient pillowcases available. They did it.

An endeavour of this magnitude would not be possible, if not for the overwhelming and continual support of the following generous people and organizations: fabric sponsors; local community families; friends and quilt guilds, fabric shops and larger fabric distributors donating fabric; those that chose to donate financially to assist with the purchase of fabric and other relevant goods; and the wonderful volunteers sewing these beautiful pillowcases. So, thank you to everyone involved!

Your Local Comfy Cases:

Kaaren Brandt (705) 330-5633

North Simcoe/Muskoka Coordinator - Comfy Cases www.comfycases.ca

Marketing With Soul

Comfy Cases sew colourful pillowcases for children in hospitals with life challenging illnesses.

New

Washago Family Dentistry

8291 County Rd. 169, Washago • 705-689-6600

• Exams

• Cleanings

• Sport Mouth Guards

• Night Guards

• Whitening

• Mild Sedation (nitrous oxide/laughing gas)

Checking the Pulse

• Bonding

• Veneers

• Crowns

• Bridges

• Implants

There is always a lot to do on Canada Day in Washago!

Celebrate Canada Day in Washago

Are you ready for a day filled with excitement and activities? There’s lots to do today to celebrate Canada Day. With a schedule full of events, this day promises to be a fun-filled extravaganza.

The festivities kick off bright and early at 8 a.m. with a delicious pancake breakfast held at the Lions Hall on 4343 Hamilton Street. Indulge in a mouthwatering stack of pancakes soaked in syrup, kicking off a day filled with yummy treats.

Following the breakfast, from 9:30 a.m. until noon, you can head over to the Community Centre, where the Washago Art Club will be arts and crafts session. Unleash your creativity!

At noon, you can enjoy a sizzling BBQ, relax in the outdoor beer garden, and revel in the energizing beats of live music back at the Lions Club. Prepare to be captivated by the performances of eight incredible bands, each bringing their unique style and talent to the stage.

Throughout the day, there will also be raffles and a silent auction, offering you the opportunity to win fabulous prizes while supporting your local community. This event is open until 8 pm.

There’s also Washago’s Canada Day Parade at 1pm on Muskoka Street followed by cake back at the Community Centre.

So get ready, bring your loved ones, and join in the fun today. This day is a chance to make lasting memories and contribute to the Washago community. Let’s celebrate togetherness this Canada Day!

Washago is a small community located close to Highway 11 in the Township of Severn north of Orillia and south of Gravenhurst. It’s downtown includes great local restaurants and stores which typically source local products! The downtown is also in close proximity to the Green & Black Rivers, and northern Lake Couchiching with access to the Trent-Severn Waterway. Washago is a great place to plan a stop to enjoy a leisurely stroll and visit the shops and dining locations.

Black river cherry wood smoked salmon sandwich

By Chef Becky

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 trout fillet

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

• 1 tablespoon grated parsley

• 1 tablespoon aioli

• 1 bakery bun

• 1/4 cup arugula

• 2 slices of heirloom tomato

METHOD:

1. Take a piece of tin foil and place the trout fillet on it.

2. Sprinkle the grated lemon rind, sea salt, and parsley all over the fillet.

3. Wrap the tin foil tightly around the fillet.

4. If you have a smoker or BBQ with cherry wood pellets, place the wrapped fillet inside and cook it. If you don’t have a smoker, you can find a YouTube video

on how to make a smoker box using tin foil and moist wood chips.

5. Cook the trout for about 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of the smoker. It’s best to cook it low and slow.

6. While the trout is cooking, prepare the aioli by mixing 1/2 cup of mayo or sour cream with 1 tablespoon of chopped dill in a bowl. Mix well and refrigerate.

7. Once the trout is done cooking, break it up into smaller pieces.

8. Take your preferred bun and place the pieces of trout on it.

9. Top the trout with the slices of heirloom tomato and arugula.

10. Spread the aioli on the other half of the bun.

11. Serve the trout sandwich with your favourite cold beverage.

Black river cherry wood smoked salmon sandwich

Chef Becky Lennerton is proprietor of Black River Food Company and the innkeeper at Sir William Mackenzie Inn, Kirkfield, Ontario.

Get Ready to Experience the Mariposa Folk Festival!

The Folk Festival is one of those events we make sure to write in our calendars every year. It’s a three day festival filled with nothing but live music, camping, and entertainment. Founded in Orillia in 1961, and it has grown to become Canada’s most legendary musical gathering.

Last year was the first time the festival returned as an in-person event after covid and it sold out FAST.

“The festival sold out in record time last year, and with such a dynamic and diverse lineup, Mariposa 2023 is once again sure to be a hot ticket,” said Mariposa Folk Foundation President, Pam Carter. “There’s something for every age and preference. I’m particularly moved to see the number of three-generation families that gather at the festival. Some of the magic of Mariposa is our constant evolution to remain relevant and true to our roots for generations to come.”

This year seems no different. The festival happening on July 7-9 is already sold out except for a few Friday tickets as of this writing. The Friday tickets will probably be sold out too by the time you’re reading this. It helps if you write it in your calendar like we did.

But, you might not know that there is a special stage in downtown Orillia that is free to go and listen to artists taking part in the festival. It’s on Mississaga Street between Matchedash and Peter.

In crafting this year’s lineup, Festival Artistic Director, Liz Scott, was inspired by the beauty of Mariposa’s natural setting and her belief in the importance of in-person connections.

“Pulling together the 2023 program is so exciting. As usual, the recognizable names are far outnumbered by the fresh,

surprising, new artists to be discovered from stage to stage to stage. That’s the trust audiences have had in Mariposa for over 60 years. It’s simply the best annual reunion of beautiful souls in a glorious setting. I can’t wait!”

The 2023 artist lineup includes Tegan and Sara, Feist, Rufus Wainwright, The Wood Brothers, Rural Alberta Advantage, KT Tunstall, Wild Rivers, Judy Collins, Matt Andersen & the Big Bottle of Joy, Jeremy Dutcher, and more.

For a full list of the artist lineup this year and to see if there are any tickets left, visit

Mariposa Folk Foundation

Box 383

Orillia, Ontario, Canada L3V 6J8

First Ever Pride Event in Orillia

by Jiun Liao

“It was amazing to see so much love and support in Orillia. All of us agreed that it was one of the best days of our lives.” said Lake Country Pride board member, Celeste Lalumière.

Lake Country Pride, the organization that put together this parade, has as its roots an Instagram post by Celeste that she made last summer. “I attended the drag event at the library, and was so thrilled to see people come together. I always felt that Orillia had such a beautiful sense of community, but that queer visibility was missing. That night, I created the Instagram page and it grew from there – with folks following the page and people reaching out to get involved.”

Now with five board members, they decided to create a larger Pride presence in Orillia. They had never done anything like this before, and weren’t sure how it would all come together. There were many conversations with downtown organizations and the city to figure out all the by-laws, permits, street closing, and any other requirements needed for the parade.

To raise funds, one of the board members, Kristie, created a GoFundMe and shared it with the community. Within four hours, Lake Country Pride raised over $2,000, which fully funded the expenses for the event.

“Many local businesses donated, as well as community members. It was so incredible to see how much support there is for pride,” said Celeste. “We had lots of folks messaging on social media asking how they could help, and that they were so excited for the event.”

As the day of the parade drew closer, tension mounted as some of the requirements needed for the city to issue the permit allowing the event to go through were still pending. Luckily, the stars aligned and the permit was issued the day before the parade.

“I was so relieved to finally have it in hand,” said Celeste.

Lake Country Pride were hoping that about 200 people would show up. On the day, about 400-500 people ended up attending, showcasing the amount of support there is for events like this in the area.

“We hope to see a bigger pride event next year – to close the street all day and have vendors. I hope that the huge turn

out and support we received is a clear message to the city that the people want and need pride in Orillia. This was all done by a small organization that has only been operating for 9 months, and was completely community funded.”

“It was so incredible to see how much support there is for pride”

Gathering of parade members in Orillia. Publishers daughter (inset).

Lake Countyr Pride were happy with the turn out!

More information about Lake Country Pride, check out their Instagram page (@lakecountrypride).

Theatre Festival Returns This July

The Simcoe County Theatre Festival returns to the Five Points Theatre in July 2023 with six new productions written, directed, and performed by local Simcoe County artists. A play for every taste, including a stoner comedy, dramas, and even an opera!

The Simcoe County Theatre Festival was first created in 2022 by Theatre by the Bay to provide opportunities for local theatre artists to write, direct and produce their own plays. Bringing the Festival back in 2023 was a no-brainer for Artistic Director, Iain Moggach.

“An indie theatre scene is a sign of a healthy arts community,” says Artistic Director, Iain Moggach. “I am delighted that the Simcoe County Theatre Festival is returning for its second year to provide artists an incredible opportunity to have their work shown to the community and to grow and develop their theatre skills.”

The second annual Festival consists of six unique one-act plays ranging from 40 to 50 minutes in a variety of different genres and styles.

Continued on page 13

Five Points Theatre. This key cultural landmark, conveniently located in Barrie’s downtown, is a stage for a variety of community events.

© salterpilon.com

“An indie theatre scene is a sign of a healthy arts community”

Canoe Lake

Written by Megan Adam and directed by Shanda Bezic. Summer resident Winnie Trainor accidentally meets Tom Thomson when he comes to Canoe Lake to paint. What follows is a poignant tale of wild non-conforming love that ends in the untimely and mysterious death of a Canadian artist.

Planet of the Apps

Written by Kristian Diesen and directed by Stacey Schat. Come meet our middle-aged human as they navigate love, loneliness, golf addictions and the search for validation online. Whether in a mirror or through a screen, what does love look like in the 21st century?

Site #420

Created by Black Cat Studios and directed by Archie Ballantyne. A group of four “stoner” friends finally make the time to go on that camping trip together until one friend goes mysteriously missing.

Sophie

Created by Alondra Vega-Zaldivar and directed by Valeria Bravo Reyes. A one woman opera that follows the life of a theatre actress. She recounts her life and lustrous career to a room full of reporters, but as the stories begin to unfold, her world crumbles into a brutal reality.

Stalling

Written by Michelle Greig and directed by Betony Main. Two women find themselves in a pub restroom during a funeral wake. As they face the reality of loss, Stalling gives an honest portrayal of love had, love lost, and love stolen.

Stiff and Sons

Written by Aidan Gouveia and directed by Rochelle Reynolds. With their funeral home on the edge of bankruptcy, one family resorts to extreme measures to save their dying business.

For more information, visit theatrebythebay.com/festival

The City of Barrie manages the Georgian Theatre, a professional performing arts facility on the Georgian College campus, and the downtown Five Points Theatre, presented by Pratt Homes & Pratt Development and including the Park Place Theatre.

230 Coldwater Rd. W., Orillia, ON L3V 3M2

Heather Howe

Sales & Marketing Manager

T 705-325-7300 C 705-345-7245

heather.howe@atriumretirement.ca www.atriumretirement.ca

Five Points Theatre bespoke purple seating

© City of Barrie

July 1 CANADA DAY!

Oro-Medonte Farmers’ Market

New location for 2023! We can’t wait to welcome vendors and customers at Chappell Farms. Market Opens Canada Day from 10am-4pm Then runs every Thursday from 12pm-6pm during July and August. oromedontecc.com/farmers-market

July 6- Ongoing

Quayle’s Brewery

4567 Line 12 N, Coldwater, ON L0K 1E0 Head over to Quayle’s Brewery and enjoy live music throughout the summer! quaylesbrewery.ca

July 7-9

Mariposa Folk Festival

Tudhope Park mariposa.frontgatetickets.com

July 7, July 7, July 21, and August 18

Orillia Farmers’ Market: Night Markets

Downtown Orillia from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Back by popular demand! Located at the Orillia Public Library.

orillia.ca/en/visiting/orillia-farmers-market

July 8

Golf Tournament

Oro-Medonte Fire Fighters & Moonstone Parks and Recreation Community Centre Inc. Settlers’ Ghost Golf Club 3421 McNutt Rd, Barrie, ON experience.simcoe.ca/events-directory/golftournament/

July 14-16

Orillia Scottish Festival, Tudhope

Welcome to the 45th annual Orillia Scottish Festival! The Orillia Scottish Festival was founded by Duncan Fleming of the Orillia Branch 34 Pipes and Drums in 1978, the Orillia Scottish Festival is the longest continuously running festival in Orillia…except for during COVID-19 of course! scottishfestival.ca/

July 15

11th Annual Ramara Classic Car Show

Lagoon City Marina

150 Laguna Parkway-Lagoon City, Brechin, ON. ramarachamber.com

July 22

Merchants and Makers from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Welcome to Downtown Orillia’s Merchants and Makers Event! Join us downtown for a Saturday filled with interactive demos, handmade goods, unique products, and interactive activities for your family. This event will feature our downtown stores, market vendors, live music, street animation, and much more!

July 23

Downtown Orillia Summer Block Party

A downtown summer street festival like no other! Showcasing a fusion of art, fun interactive activities, live music, delicious food, kid zones, and sizzling sidewalk sales!!!

July 26

Cinema in the Courtyard

Come enjoy a free movie night under the stars in Downtown Orillia! These Cinema in the Courtyard nights will be hosted in the Orillia Public Library Courtyard with confection and food options from local downtown merchants, a family craft with the Orillia Public Library, and free popcorn! The movie titles are TBD, so stay tuned to downtownorillia.ca and social media channels for the announcement!

Editorial contributions: The Villager encourages contributions of articles, recipes, photographs and other creative materials from the community. Email hello@villagernews.ca with your submission. We reserve the right to edit materials received and can assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials.