The HMCS Ojibwa is spending her first Christmas in Elgin County. Last Friday she was decorated for the holidays and received a Christmas present in the form of a cheque from the estate of John and Dorothy Palmer. 

The “Lighting of the Boat” ceremony is in keeping with the tradition of the Royal Canadian Navy to decorate its boats and ships for Christmas. It’s perhaps the first of many naval and marine traditions which will come to the area along with the HMCS Ojibwa submarine.

The Midtown Tavern proved it could morph quite nicely into a Christmas concert venue on Sunday, as Meg McTaggart performed a release concert for her brand new cd, Winter Songs. She covered all of the songs from the album, plus a few more, accompanied by Don Baker during packed 4 and 8pm concerts.

Helmut Ostermann treated a capacity crowd to over 100 years of railway images at the CASO Railway Station on Tuesday evening. The slide-show presentation, entitled “Whatever Happened to St. Thomas?” is an important documentation of a period of time that is of interest to railway enthusiasts and historians. It is also a remarkable collection from an artistic point of view, including many stunning night-time photos taken by Ostermann. 

HMCS Ojibwa watchers lined the Welland Canal on Sunday November 18 to watch the submarine make her journey from the Heddle Marine Shipyard in Hamilton through the locks on her way to Lake Erie and Port Burwell.

With Shelley McVittie’s Gallery as a source of nostalgic inspiration, jewellery designer Kim Murch has recently developed a new "Throughout Time" line of vintage jewellery especially for Shelley.

Kim is among several Canadian artisans who are featured in Shelley McVittie's store. She brings a love of nature and semi-precious stones and a creative flair to crafting her one of a kind jewellery.

The Sparta and District Historical Society presented their eighteenth annual Feast at the Forge on Saturday, with good food and cheer by candlelight in the impressively decked out Forge and Anvil Museum.

The feast, looking to the year 1875 for this year's menu inspiration, included mulled cider and comestibles, Crème Boston, Home-made Brick Oven Baked Bread, Boeuf au Vin, Chou Rouge et Pomme, Puree de Pomme de Terre, Roasted Butternut Squash, Salad de Fruite en Gelee & Condiments. It was cooked up and served by a bevy of volunteers from the Historical Society and community. 

“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.

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.