“Nobody’s Perfect”, presented by Aylmer Community Theatre, is one of those plays which, early on, gets the audience rooting for all of the characters.  The story unfolds with the revelation of human imperfections, flashes of life’s absurdities, and twists and turns which will hopefully bring each person involved to a happier place.

“Fox on the Fairway” opens  in the Tap Room of the Quail Valley Country Club as the staff prepare for the annual inter-club golf tournament against archrival Crouching Squirrel.

We meet four adults (played by Greig Graham, Paul Blower, Trisha West and Shirley Bentley) whose lives have crossed paths in various ways over the years and who exhibit varying levels of meanness, vindictiveness and self-interest. In contrast, we are also introduced to two in-love, young innocents who are employees at Quail Valley (played by Bethany Mink and Darian Burrows).

Steven Page made his first visit to St. Thomas on Wednesday, giving an entertaining performance and filling the Princess Ave Playhouse with his powerful, distinctive voice.

Page sang his heart out for almost two hours, non-stop except for the commentary between songs, managing to cover a hefty playlist with the aid of his guitar-tuner Boris.

Organizers and community have come together for the past three years to make the “Bowling for Boobs” fundraiser a fun, widely supported and highly successful community event.

This past Friday thru Sunday, teams bowled at both Heritage Lanes and Park N Bowl, added this year to accommodate the 109 participating teams. All those balls, laughs, fun and pink gear added up to $43,000 raised for the Canadian Breast Cancer Society.

The John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award contest, now in its sixth year, is an excellent opportunity for Canadian short-story authors. On Saturday evening at the WEDS theatre in Dutton, the award presentation was also a chance for the audience to learn about a remarkable Canadian author from the past and to hear a mesmerizing reading of the winning short story by its author.  

It was an art-full weekend in Elgin County with “For Art’s Sake”, an Artists & Artisan Showcase at the Art Emporium in Port Stanley and the Elgin Fall Colours Studio Tour.

Open just since this past spring, the Art Emporium is operated by a group of five artists whose goal is to provide a venue to show their own work, and also that of many other regional artists and artisans. With ample floor and wall space, the bright gallery is well set-up to show off an abundance of work.

With Hoptoberfest in the fermenter, a busy summer past and busier ones on the horizon, Railway City Brewing Company has just announced an upcoming facility expansion. It will enable them to keep up with ever-increasing demand for their popular brews, and grow into the future. If they have their way, there will be “a few more Dead Elephants coming out of St. Thomas, Ontario.” 

In less than five years Railway City Brewery has established a reputation for good beer and good fun. It has made its mark with award-winning craft brews, special seasonal offerings, tastings and tours at its St. Thomas production and retail outlet. Funky brew names and branding have played on the Jumbo the elephant and Railway City themes, making it “our beer” for St. Thomas and Elgin County residents, and making it identifiable to craft beer-lovers across Ontario.

Families found no shortage of outdoor activities available near-by this past holiday weekend. Photos below are from just a few places where people gathered to enjoy fall colours and fresh air on a beautiful Thanksgiving Monday. All of them continue to offer the best of fall as their festivals and activities continue throughout October . Check the events listings page for details and hours for the places mentioned below, and more.  

Heather Snow took on the local food challenge put out by Local Food for Local People Coalition in June. Her completed challenge card was drawn randomly from the almost 200 people who took part, making her the winner of a wonderful basket of locally produced thanksgiving foods presented at the Horton Farmers Market this past Saturday.  

Fans and friends flocked to the CASO Station on Sunday to join Christine Klaus Noble for the launch of her four children’s books.

From the round-the-world quest for a perfect pet (not an alpaca) in Can I Please have a Pet?  to Keith’s annoying habit of scaring family members (including Nana reading a Looney Spoons cookbook at the cottage) in Ooga Booga, the books are packed with busy family life and warmth. Vivid, imaginative and fun illustrations by Martin Murtonen fill every page.