The side-wheeler, "Kaloolah," was one of the most famous steamers of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Built in Buffalo, New York, in 1852 by Francis N. Jones, the "Kaloolah," of 620 tons, measured 138 feet long. Her engine was very old, hav...
To the Editor: Our fearless premier, Doug Ford, is sure acting as if he is the King of Ontario. Look at some of his actions: He wants to appoint the chairs of a number of regional governments and give them strong mayor powers. The unelected chairs would take orders from ...
Slow walking If your walking pace slows while you're in your 40s, it may be a sign you're aging faster than is typical. Walking is one of the easiest and best exercises you can do. To start a walking program, begin with five minutes per day and build up to 30 minutes. Try to work...
The first Earth Day took place April 22, 1970, in the United States, following a massive oil spill off the coast of California in 1969. Millions of Americans participated in teach-ins, rallies and clean-up projects, reflecting growing public consciousness of the harmful effects of polluti...
To the Editor: Why has the Municipality of Kincardine decided to eliminate the compost bins placed at the south end of the Town of Kincardine on Bruce Avenue? This was the only way that taxpaying, conscientious Kincardine residents could deal with our compostable material. The mu...
Missed it by a day! April Fools' Day, that is. That’s okay because we have the rest of April to be out and about, and get re-acquainted with all the happenings and goings on in town and around the region. You’d be a fool not to check out what events are coming up....
In 1879, the 60-foot steam tug, "Prince Alfred," arrived in Wiarton to replace the "O’Koura" which had burned on Colpoys Bay the previous summer. Owner Andrew Port offered travellers a daily, one-way passage from Wiarton to Owen Sound for 75 cents. The winter ...
Sponges It doesn’t take long for sponges to become a hotbed of bacteria. They can spread germs to your hands and then to your food. Or if you have a cut on your hand, bacteria can enter your body that way. Even if you boil or microwave your sponges after each use, sc...
At the start of the year, my column talked about working on being your best … with reminders to focus on the somewhat lofty goals involved in living your best life. I realized I had to follow this up with another important reminder … to also march to your own drum. I b...
It may be hard to imagine looking out the window right now, but I predict that one day soon the sun will come out, the temperature will rise, and gardeners and homeowners everywhere will experience an irresistible urge to go outside and “clean up.” After a long winter spent in...
Henry Cargill was instrumental in getting a bank established in Cargill to serve his many business interests, as well as local merchants and farmers. The Trader's Bank opened in 1902, at 201 Cargill Road, and merged with the Royal Bank in 1912. In the summer of 1924, the original...
Successes and how far you got aren’t as important as the distance you travel from where you started. The biggest mistake you can make is to believe that you are working for someone else. Monday is a hard way to spend one-seventh of your life. Pros are people who do jobs wel...
Christmas and New Year's celebrations are behind us. So is all that sugar … for better or worse. I’ve got to admit that I enjoyed all those sweet treats and chocolate offerings that magically appear during the holidays. It’s hard to say no to candy and desserts t...
As we enter the month of February and the horticultural industry gears up for massive sales of flowers, I’m reminded of the oft-quoted lines from Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet": “…What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name woul...
The following story was written by Elva L. Lowry and was published in "Footprints in Time - Stories and Tales from Huron Township," the Ripley Agricultural Society's 150th anniversary booklet. It is reprinted here, with permission, marking the 55th anniversary of this fierce...
Little boys played with beautiful rocking horses, either one large horse astride his rockers with stirrup and saddle, or two horses with a seat between them for a smaller child. Then there was the Gee Horse — a stick with a horse head on the end with a strap from the mouth for the c...
1. Take a 10- to 30-minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you must. 3. Buy a TiVo (DVR), tape your late-night shows and get more sleep. 4. When you wake up in the...
When you write a column, it’s hard to ignore the obvious topics at the start of each year, such as changing one’s habits or starting a diet, that a writer typically writes about. I tried to and didn’t succeed. My inner voice kept saying … Come on, do you best &...
Happy New Year! The changing of the calendar is a traditional time to reflect on the year past and plan for the future. For gardeners, that may mean browsing seed catalogues, and the websites of plant nurseries or Lee Valley for new tools. I hope everyone is enduring the wintry weather...
So, there I was in the balcony of Knox Presbyterian Church, Kincardine, Saturday night, Dec. 20, for the return of Handel's Messiah. I've lived in Kincardine for 30 years and I have never seen this performance. Not because I didn't want to, but because we were always busy -...