Year in Review in photos – May 2018

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Year in Review in photos – May 2018

The sun shone on about 3,000 students gathered at Zwick’s Island Park in Belleville for Celebration of Dance, hosted by the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board. The event, in its 28th year, still features the ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ dance as the longest running, along with new dances proposed by schools, this year including ‘Thunder’, ‘Waka Waka’ and ‘The Greatest’.

Perfect weather pitched in for thousands of anglers dropping their lines in the 28th annual Kiwanis Walleye World Fishing Derby. The County’s Terry Mindle landed the big prize for top walleye weighing in at 12.69 earning him a $15,000 boat, motor, trailer and accessories.

Hundreds of supporters of quality end-of-life care stepped out to support programs and services of Hospice Prince Edward on Sunday – to the tune of more than $25,000. The Hike for Hospice, an annual fundraiser now in its seventh year, unfolded on a sunny Sunday morning from the Prince Edward Community Centre and flowed along two routes in Picton. – Sharon Harrison photo

Catharine Huff and Lanny Huff with Foundation Executive Director Penny Rolinski, Communication Co-ordinator Briar Boyce, Foundation Chair Monica Alyea and Marthe Robertson, the Back the Build campaign co-ordinator.

A special tribute honoured Lanny and Catharine Huff as “sparks” in Prince Edward County for building a strong future. The well-known philanthropists were honoured by the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation and County Foundation on behalf of many area organizations for their generous commitment to community over many years. The tribute was titled ‘The Huff Family: Building a Strong Future for Prince Edward County.’ – Sharon Harrison photo

Supporters of the Alzheimer Society walked through Sandbanks Provincial Park on the Saturday morning of Mother’s Day weekend in honour of yesterdays disappearing and uncertain tomorrows, but most importantly, to provide ‘Help for Today. Hope for Tomorrow’. Morgan Haviland, new to the Picton branch Alzheimer’s office, thanked participants, volunteers, sponsors and those who donated. She also thanked students from St. Gregory School in Picton, who led the walk.

Prince Edward County youth brought the house down at the Regent Theatre performing music, comedy and dance with professional community coaches. Funds raised at the show go toward keeping the youth centre on Picton’s Main Street open and to provide program supplies, healthy snacks, transportation, educational field trips and workshops.

Fans throughout Prince Edward County and well beyond are filling social media with congratulations to The Wellington Dukes for an incredible season ending Sunday night at the RBC national final in British Columbia. From 132 teams to just two at the Canadian Junior A Hockey League final, the Dukes were ahead into the third where the Chilliwack Chiefs tied, took their lead, then won 4-2. Just moments after, the Dukes’ tweeted congratulations to the Chiefs “on winning the cup on home ice in front of your incredible fans. This organization is top notch and ran an incredible National Championship tournament.”

Myles Jarvis, of Picton, used his Phantom 3 drone to capture students and staff at Queen Elizabeth Public School in a special a photograph to appear in the school’s final yearbook. In September, all QE students move to become Junior Panthers at PECI as it becomes a K-Gd 12 school.

Four Prince Edward County Gd. 10 Venture Enrichment students from Prince Edward Collegiate job-shadowed mentors this month with other Bay of Quinte residents participating in the inaugural Young Women in Leadership Program (YWIL). The program, initiated here by Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis, offered young women from Belleville, Quinte West, and Prince Edward County an opportunity to job-shadow a mentor in a local business, agency, organization, or office. The mentoring program was designed by MP for Oakville North-Burlington, Pam Damoff, to create opportunities for young women to increase their knowledge and understanding of career options, but also to develop skills and build confidence in professional environments.

Five-year-old Sage, and 11-year-old Chloë,were visiting from Kingston and learned how to make a pom pom with Christine Johnson.

A herd of alpacas joined a fluffle of English and French Angora rabbits and a flock of sheep as adorable examples of natural fibres at this year’s second annual Fibre Fest. The humans demonstrated the magical transformation of that fibre in myriad ways. If it was spinning, knitting, felted or hooked it could be found at Picton’s Prince Edward Community Centre as the venue transformed into a festival of everything fibre. – Sharon Harrison photo

Picton Home Hardware’s Adam Busscher, staff members Darren Haennel, Paul Courtney, Robert Matthews, Monica Baldwin and Foundation director Leo Finnegan. At front, Chrissy Busscher, Foundation vice-chair Fran Donaldson and Linda Ryan, who co-ordinates the electronics recycling events.

Picton Home Hardware has become the first business to publicly commit to ‘Back the Build’ of a new Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital. Home owners Adam and Chrissy Busscher and staff, along with local electronics recycling co-ordinator and volunteer Linda Ryan, present $3,000 to Hospital Foundation directors Leo Finnegan and Fran Donaldson. Picton Home Hardware has now given $4,300 toward the Back the Build Campaign. This gift brings the store’s cumulative giving history to $31,226.99 since 2010.

A dressy look from the past highlighted the 110th annual meeting of the Prince Edward District Women’s Institute this month. Guests Cindy Donafield and Laurel Slone modelled dresses and under garments from the late 1800s that they have made, tying in anniversary celebrations by imagining how some past WI members may have dressed.

Joining guests at the launch of Books for County Babies, from left, are: Peggy Neil – family outreach nurse Prince Edward County Health Team; Betsy MacKinnon – Friends of the Wellington Library; Anne Preston – Chair County Kids Read; David Simmonds – Friends of the Wellington Library and Nancy Puddy – Friends of the Wellington Library.

County Kids Read and the Friends of the Wellington Library, in partnership with the Prince Edward County Health Team, launched a new ‘Books for County Babies’ where each County family with a newborn will receive a book bag containing a board book, a selection of nursery rhymes and finger plays and information about Prince Edward County Libraries and County Kids Read.

A project at Sonrise Christian Academy brought generations together as students partnered with residents at the H.J. McFarland Memorial nursing home to learn life stories and record them in biographies. Throughout the school year they worked on taking the information collected to write a personalized biography for their partnered resident. On May 28th the students proudly presented the published biography books to the residents.

Bay of Quinte riding candidates include Joanne Belanger (NDP); Robert Quaiff (Liberal); Cindy Davidson (Libertarian) and incumbent Todd Smith (PC).

The seventh debate for candidates in the new Bay of Quinte provincial riding – was sponsored by the Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Agriculture. Prepared questions were presented from both groups covering risk management, farming jobs, labels on foods, spending and deficits and skilled trades. There were about 150 people in attendance in hear candidates Todd Smith, Joanne Belanger, Robert Quaiff and Cindy Davidson.