The Opeongo Line: Recent Episodes
Scholar-Gypsy
Local historian Mark Woermke presents some fascinating new research into a frontier family who once called the Bark Lake Settlement their home in the latter half of the 19th Century. For nearly ten years, the Cuthertsons kept a stopping place at Bark Lake, about ten kilometres west of present-day Barry's Bay. But one of that Cuthbertson clan would eventually end up in Hollywood early in the 20th Century where she made quite a name for herself.
Recently, former Algonquin First Nation Chief Kirby J. Whiteduck spoke to the Bromley Historical Society near the very place where, in 1613 Samuel de Champlain, once met the famous one-eyed Algonquin Chief Tessouat. It was there that Champlain, as representative of his 17th Century French Colonial government, first negotiated with the somewhat resistant Algonquin Chief. And yet what happened to that Algonquin First Nation since that famous meeting over three hundred years ago is a story as well known to Chief Whiteduck, as it would seem too little known by the rest of Canada. Still, in this new Canadian era of truth and reconciliation, when the Bromley Historical Society heard what Chief Whiteduck had to say, it promised, at the very least, to be a new beginning. Note: Due to some significant technical challenges, the quality of our audio recording is not consistent throughout so in advance we apologize to Chief Whiteduck and to our listeners.
Local historian Mark Woermke presented an intriguing look at the curious religious history of Renfrew Country when he gave a talk recently at the Upper Ottawa Valley Heritage Centre in Pembroke. His original research and entertaining anecdotes certainly provided his live audience with new insights but best of all, Mr. Woermke brought that unique 19th Century cultural history of Renfrew County to life as only he could.
Late one summer evening in 1909 twenty-year old William J. Thurston was hard at work, busily stoking the steam engine of a train passing along the north shore of Carson Lake. It was part of the Grand Trunk Railroad running between Ottawa and Parry Sound. But that mixed train of passengers and freight never got more than six kilometres west of Barry's Bay when something happened to end Mr. Thurston's young life. Recently, the tragedy of that train derailment was unravelled and commemorated by Frank Burchat and his friends who all still live on Carson Lake.
Under the able direction of Peter Glofcheskie, The O'Choir Boys sing their hearts out in honour of St. Patrick's Day. Their acapella performance includes a wide variety of religious and secular songs; everything from Amazing Grace to What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor, with 'Danny Boy' and 'The Fields of Athenry' thrown in for good measure!
It's late one night in the Spring of 1933 as the scheduled Opeongo Line train arrives six hours overdue at the old Barry's Bay Train station but that's not the only problem it's six weary passengers will have to face before morning. The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present a local adaptation of Arnold Ridley's 1923 stage hit, The Ghost Train.
The plot thickens as the passengers now face the unimaginable as they hunker down in the old Barry's Bay train station, some more nervous than others.
Our play about what happened one night in the Spring of 1933 at the Barry's Bay Train Station comes to its inevitable if unexpected end.
When Sean Conway, the host of "The Local" got together recently with his old friend, Michael Johnson, the former Chief Administrative Officer of Renfrew County, more than a few great stories were told. There's the one about the gallows in the county jail, and the one about the first female Warden and, of course, the one about when Mr. Johnson nearly drowned while working on the last log drive near Timmins, Ontario.
Four members of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre are here again to help you enjoy the quietude of another relaxing Boxing Day with some stories and verse from places around the world where Boxing Day isn't celebrated but where celebrations by any other name often take place.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present their annual Christmas show. This year it includes everything from a very funny story set on the Irish Sea to a unique verse composed back here in Canada by Lucy Maud Montgomery -- all in hopes of helping you kick-start a very Merry Christmas.
Inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame last year Eddie Francis is a well-know local musician who hails from Combermere. In an exclusive performance at the old train Station in Barry's Bay, Eddie recounts a time when he was sixteen and took a train from that very station to a meeting in Wheeling, West Virginia. He also sings more than a handful of his original songs inspired by local people.
Mark Woermke and The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present a new version of his beloved street play, Meet Me At The Station, only this time it's in the form of an old-time radio play set in Barry's Bay in 1944.
In honour of St. Patrick's Day, the Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents a show with over 200 limericks -- some pure nonsense, some Irish, some geographic, some dealing in romance and marriage, some risqué but not rude, and some that are simply tongue-twisters -- but none mad, bad, or dangerous to know.
In honour of St. Valentine's Day, The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents three one-act plays -- all very short conversations about the love between a man and a woman. Somewhat quirky dialogues, they sound very 21st Century though they were all written over a hundred years ago.
For the past few years, the host of The Opeongo Line's "Local", Sean Conway, has sat down with the Mayor of the Township of Madawaska Valley, Mark Willmer, to talk about what the municipal government has had to deal with over the past year and what it faces in the coming year. This year was no different. Join us now for a very interesting conversation about the local politics and economic fortunes of a place we all call home.
Again this year, we are proud to present the Wilno Heritage Society Community Choir as they sing Koledy - a traditional evening of Polish, Latin and English Christmas Carols. The choir has more than three dozen members and is made up of mostly senior citizens of Polish-Kashub heritage who have grown up in the area singing these songs since childhood.
Again this year we are proud to present the Wilno Heritage Society Community Choir as they present Koledy - a traditional evening of Polish, Latin and English Christmas Carols. The choir has more than three dozen members and is made up of mostly senior citizens of Polish-Kashub heritage who have grown up in the area singing these songs since childhood.
Whatever Christmas means to people, whether Christian or otherwise, whether fervently religious or occasionally spiritual, there's a undeniable joy and intentional good will to the season that is undeniable. The Opeongo Readers' Theatre attempt to explain what that is so.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre celebrates the artistic life and theatrical talent of Cathy Chapeskie, one of its own, who passed away recently. An early and regular contributed, Cathy Chapeskie leaves an impressive record of her work with the ORT. This show includes three of her best performances.
A Halloween story that can be listened to the whole year through or for as many scary, romantic nights as you can handle. Angels of Arbor Vitae is no ordinary story. Part fictional horror, part local history, and certainly part unrequited romance, it's something you'll not soon forget.
In celebration of the 130th Anniversary of the coming of the OA & PS Railway to Barry's Bay in 1894, Theresa Prince, a Stationkeeper, re-enacts a farm girl's stroll down the main street of Barry's Bay as she visits local merchants from well over one hundred years ago.
Mark Woermke celebrates the 130th Anniversary of the Barry's Bay Train Station, built in 1894, by giving a talk, detailing the history of its station agents who once worked there. His presentation was followed by a general discussion with the audience, with many sharing their own intriguing stories.
In the autumn of 1967, Madawaska Valley District High School first opened its doors in Barry's Bay, and so too did the history of one of that school's most famous sports teams, the MVDHS Wolves. It was a Junior "B" hockey team that within four years won everything there was to win in eastern Ontario. This past February nearly three dozen of its members met again in Barry's Bay to rekindle those glory days.
In the autumn of 1967 Madawaska Valley District High School first opened its doors in Barry's Bay, and so too did the history of one of that school's most famous sports teams, the MVDHS Wolves. It was a Junior "B" hockey team that within four years won everything there was to win in eastern Ontario. This past February nearly three dozen of its original members met again in Barry's Bay to rekindle those glory days.
William Percy French was born in County Roscommon in 1854 and grew up to become one of Ireland's most successful songwriters. At times wildly comedic and genuinely funny; at other times surprisingly warm and inspirational. The Opeongo Readers' Theatre were so taken by him, some of them break out into song in this novel celebration for St. Patrick's Day.
In honour of St. Valentine's Day, The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents nineteen of the world's greatest love letters, famously written by men and women in the heat of passion. From the sublime to the ridiculous, it's a show destined to be better than anything you will ever see printed on a pink greeting card sold at the corner store.
Martha Linton and Stella Yeretch, two local musicians born and raised in the Upper Madawaska Valley, were recorded in the mid-20th Century, singing old folksongs in both English and their native Polish-Kashub. Martha passed away in 2009 and Stella in 1996, but those recordings demonstrate their stellar contributions to local culture.
Sean Conway, host of "The Local" chats again this year with Madawaska Valley Township Mayor Mark Willmer about the challenges and opportunities that engaged him throughout 2023. As well, the Mayor discusses new challenges and opportunities heading his way in 2024 - everything from new development charges, housing, forest fires, flooding, rebuilds of local infrastructure, and many more things that keeps him up at night.
The Wilno Heritage Society Community Choir celebrate Koledy a choral selection of Christmas Carols brought over to Canada beginning in 1858 when their ancestors left their homeland in Kashubia, a region of Poland, and settled in the Upper Madawaska River Valley, centred on Wilno, Ontario. With a wonderful mix of Latin, Polish, Kashub and English, it's a night to remember.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre offers up its annual Christmas show, this year a collection of five short stories with an equal number of short lyric poems, all often forgotten classics but all intended to keep at bay that blue, blue, blue Christmas that Elvis often used to sing about at this time of year.
Yakabuski Hardware happily served Barry's Bay and its surrounding area from 1918 until 2001. Karen Yakabuski, Roseanne Visutski and John Yakabuski chat with Sean Conway about the life and times of one of the Upper Madawaska Valley's most unique family businesses.
Yakabuski Hardware happily served Barry's Bay and its surrounding area from 1918 until 2001. Karen Yakabuski, Roseanne Visutski and John Yakabuski chat with Sean Conway about the life and times of one of the Upper Madawaska Valley's most unique family businesses.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents the story of Archie Belaney, a 17-year-old Englishman who first came to Canada in 1906 and where he reinvented himself as 'Grey Owl, an Indigenous environmentalist and friend of all forest animals. His story of cultural identify theft reads like Robin Hood.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents the story of Archie Belaney, a 17-year-old Englishman who first came to Canada in 1906 and where he reinvented himself as 'Grey Owl, an Indigenous environmentalist and friend of all forest animals. His story of cultural identify theft reads like Robin Hood.
Cathy Chapeskie reads a new, original short story for Halloween. It's based on a February 21st 1873 news story found in the Chicago Tribune that spoke of a horrific incident it claimed happened near Barry's Bay. A story best understood as partly true and party fiction.
The Wilno Heritage Society Community Choir ‘Celebrating Polish Hymns’ has nearly 40-members but it's like no other choir anywhere in Canada, and perhaps the world. Made up of senior citizens, some well into their eighties, it gave its first remarkable public performance recently atop Shrine Hill overlooking the little village of Wilno.
A new chapter of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre's gives a rousing history of Eganville and the Bonnechere River Valley in the 19th Century. From the fur trading post established among the Algonquins of Golden Lake in 1825 to some wild and crazy happenings in 1899, the history of the Bonnechere is like no other.
A new chapter of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre's gives a rousing history of Eganville and the Bonnechere River Valley in the 19th Century. From the fur trading post established among the Algonquins of Golden Lake in 1825 to some wild and crazy happenings in 1899, the history of the Bonnechere is like no other.
In an annual salute to our largest founding local culture, the Opeongo Line offers up two authentic voices -- one male; one female, one sadly no longer with us, and one still working hard to preserve our local heritage and cultural identity. In their own unique ways, Annie Shulist (nee Yantha) and Peter Glofcheskie both show us in more ways than one what it truly means to be a Polish-Kashub Canadian.
The Opeongo Line proudly presents Mary Blank and Marie Villeneuve as the provide for the first time ever, the play-by-play and colour commentary for the 2023 Opeongo Heritage Cup Women's Championship game between the Kashubian Griffins and the German Black Eagles. Not to be missed!
The Upper Madawaska Valley's premium hockey tournament returns this Spring for the first time in three years and "The Local's" host, Sean Conway, sits down with Dave Shulist, Marie Villeneuve and Dan Conway to talk about how it all came about in 2006 and why it's about more than just hockey.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre are back again to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the dry wit and easy humour of Father O'Flynn, the fictional creation of Alfred Perceval Graves, the comical son of a Protestant Bishop of Limerick who knew a thing or two about Irish humour.
A rousing Sunday afternoon celebration as the Stationkeepers MV reopen its Barry's Bay Railway Museum with the joyous sounds of the Yo-Yo Mammas and the Stationkeeper Singers as they entertain an enthusiastic audience with local and Canadian fiddle classics.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre proudly presents the world premiere of Sir Gilbert Parker's long-lost 'Pike-pole Sketches on the Madawaska,' four short-stories written in the 1880s about some imaginary folks who once worked upon one of the great rivers of the Ottawa Valley.
Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Karen Filipkowski and Lynn Stewart, all members of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre present a 200-year-old story, somewhat true and sometimes fiction, of Archibald McNab, Renfrew County's very own feudal countryman of Robbie Burns.
In honour of a very old Canadian tradition established in 1646, the new Mayor of the Township of Madawaska Valley, Mark Willmer, sat down with Opeongo Line host, Sean Conway, on this New Years Day and discussed matters of municipal interest.
The Opeongo Line's annual Christmas show with Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Karen and Rob Filipkowski, Carol and Brian Peterson, Lynn Stewart and Mark Woermke, all members of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre. This year they present eight short stories, all about Christmas in Canada, by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The Opeongo Line's annual Christmas show with Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Karen and Rob Filipkowski, Carol and Brian Peterson, Lynn Stewart and Mark Woermke, all members of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre. This year they present eight short stories, all about Christmas in Canada, by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Three personal essays written and read by Barry Conway including "On McAuley Lake Road," "The Back Forty." and "The Big Eddy," all memoirs of growing up in the Upper Madawaska and Opeongo River Valleys in the 1960s.
Three personal essays or memoirs written and read by Barry Conway including "On McAuley Lake Road," "The Back Forty," and "The Big Eddy," all about life in the Upper Madawaska and Opeongo River Valleys in the 1960s.
The Bromley Historical Society hosted Sean Conway, a former Ontario cabinet minister, who spoke in Cobden recently about the federal election of 1917 and the atypical results in Renfrew County due to the Conscription issue.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present its annual Halloween show including an ancient tract about Irish Banshees, a wild story about a town drunk who dies and comes back to run for office, a curious tale of Siberian magic and, finally, a disturbing story about our local area's most haunted places, Reds and Buck Hill.
Anne K. Wilde brings us a special Thanksgiving gift, a unique hour of Algonquin songs, folktales and legends provided by several Indigenous women who live along the York River in the Hastings Highlands near Algonquin Park.
The first part of the second Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidates meeting held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry's Bay, Ontario on Sunday, September 25th to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. This event was sponsored by the Valley Gazette and moderated by its publisher, Michel Lavigne.
The first part of the second Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidates meeting held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry's Bay, Ontario on Sunday, September 25th to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. This event was sponsored by the Valley Gazette and moderated by its publisher, Michel Lavigne.
The second part of the second Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidates meeting held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry's Bay on Sunday, September 25th to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. This event was sponsored by the Valley Gazette and moderated by its publisher, Michel Lavigne.
The second part of the second Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidates meeting held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry's Bay on Sunday, September 25th to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. This event was sponsored by the Valley Gazette and moderated by its publisher, Michel Lavigne.
The first part of the Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidate’s debate was held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry’s Bay on Tuesday evening, September 13th, to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. The debate was moderated by Sean Conway.
The first part of the Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidate’s debate was held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry’s Bay on Tuesday evening, September 13th, to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. The debate was moderated by Sean Conway.
The second part of the Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidate’s debate was held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry’s Bay on Tuesday evening, September 13th, to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. The debate was moderated by Sean Conway.
The second part of the Township of Madawaska Valley's All Candidate’s debate was held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 406, in Barry’s Bay on Tuesday evening, September 13th, to sort out who will be the next mayor of the township and who will be elected to the four council seats. The debate was moderated by Sean Conway.
To honour the Madonna House's 75th Anniversary this year, Mary Davis, Mary-Lynn Murray and Christina Milan discuss their history and deep commitment to the continued existence of this very unique lay apostolate established by Catherine and Eddie Doherty along the Madawaska River in Combermere, ON in 1947.
In celebration of the return of the 'Irish Gathering' festival in Killaloe ON after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the Opeongo Readers' Theatre kick off the shenanigans and malarkey that go on all weekend long. Here's Nicole Zummach, Jane Corbett, Kristin Marchand and Rob Filipkowski with an unforgettable evening of stories and verse.
In celebration of the return of the 'Irish Gathering' festival in Killaloe ON after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, the Opeongo Readers' Theatre kick off the shenanigans and malarkey that go on all weekend long. Here's Nicole Zummach, Jane Corbett, Kristin Marchand and Rob Filipkowski with an unforgettable evening of stories and verse.
Back in the Day host, Martina Coulas, interviews Robbie Hanna Anderman about his more than fifty years living on Morninglory Farm in the Wilno Hills. A story of grit and determination, music and art, it's a remarkable memoir like no other.
Back in the Day host, Martina Coulas, interviews Robbie Hanna Anderman about his more than fifty years living on Morninglory Farm in the Wilno Hills. A story of grit and determination, music and art, it's a remarkable memoir like no other.
Back in the Day host, Martina Coulas, interviews Robbie Hanna Anderman about his more than fifty years living on Morninglory Farm in the Wilno Hills. A story of grit and determination I, music and art, it's a remarkable memoir like no other.
In a bitter-sweet discussion, Arthur Milnes, an extraordinary political historian, looks at the good, bad and ugly of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. But he also discusses the attempt by some to remove the name, image and words of Sir John A. from public view.
Taken from a recording of a live Opeongo Readers' Theatre show performed on August 27th, 2018 in Whitney, ON, this show includes rare readings drawn from early local history including an 1819 trip down the York, an 1829 exploration of the Opeongo, and David Thompson's 1837 journal of charting the Madawaska.
Taken from an audio vault of 2018 live performances by the Opeongo Readers' Theatre, this show presents Thomas G. Devine's "On the Opeongo Line," "The Shanty Teamsters Marseillaise," "A Wesleyan Methodist's Ride Through Rockingham," and "The 1874 Inspection of the Bark Lake School."
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents the curious story behind the founding of Algonquin Provincial Park. Lesley Betts, Lynn Stewart and Jeff Bowman perform the original writings of two very different men who shared the same wilderness dream.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre honour three local women -- Helen Dombroski, Teresa Beanish, and Mary Cybulski -- who all made significant contributions to the economic growth of the Upper Madawaska Valley, but whose lives should also remind us of the significant cultural contribution made by local people of Polish-Kashub heritage.
Born in the Wilno hills on November 12th, 1927, Agnes Coulas was in grade school when her mother died and yet she also unexpectedly met the love of her life, Stanley Chippior, at a church bazaar shortly after he returned from the Second World War. But if there's one thing she knows for certain after nearly 95 years of living, it's to take life as it comes. She chats with 'Back in the Day' host, Martina Coulas.
Born in 1880, Thomas Patrick Murray not only witnessed the coming of the OA & PS Railroad to Barry's Bay in 1894, he helped build it. Tom's great grandson, Graham Conway, performs a one-man show of Tom reliving those early years in his own words.
Thomas Patrick French was no ordinary man who came to Renfrew County in 1855. He was the Crown Land Agent charged with bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of immigrants to settle on free farm land along the newly opened Opeongo Colonization Road. It's was no ordinary job and he was no ordinary man from County Mayo.
Thomas Patrick French was no ordinary man who came to Renfrew County in 1855. He was the Crown Land Agent charged with bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of immigrants to settle on free farm land along the newly opened Opeongo Colonization Road. It's was no ordinary job and he was no ordinary man from County Mayo.
The 'Local' host, Sean Conway, chats with Joanne Olsen, Mark Woermke and Karen Yakabuski about the history of celebrating St. Patrick's Day among the Irish as well as the non-Irish of Barry's Bay throughout the 20th Century.
The 'Local' host, Sean Conway, chats with Joanne Olsen, Mark Woermke and Karen Yakabuski about the history of celebrating St. Patrick's Day among the Irish as well as the non-Irish of Barry's Bay throughout the 20th Century.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre gives a rousing performance of William Henry Drummond, a writer sometimes consider controversial but still considered an extraordinary Canadian poet in places like the Upper Madawaska and Opeongo River Valleys where people say we talk funny!
Lesley Betts, Jeff Bowman and Lynn Stewart of The Opeongo Readers' Theatre perform selections from Joshua Fraser, George Thompson and Gilbert Parker's books about shanty and river life as it was carried on among lumberjacks in the Upper Ottawa Valley during much of the 19th Century.
In honour of Dougald Finley McIsaac (1917-2008), a Cape Breton fiddler who once lived in Barry's Bay and was beloved for his Scottish airs, The Opeongo Readers' Theatre celebrates with a rousing show of the Ploughman's Poet, Rabbie Burns.
Ann Omanique-Bruder talks with 'The Local's' host, Sean Conway, about her grandfather, John Omanique, one of the great foundational characters who helped develop Barry's Bay, beginning in 1894. Ann also sheds light on her own parents and their own contributions to the Omanique Legacy.
Two more memoirs written and presented by Barry Conway, about the joy of being a young boy growing up in Barry's Bay, thanks to a cast of wonderful characters and interesting places around town.
The Madawaska Valley Public Library presents its 'Old, New, Borrowed, Blue,' Christmas Show. Head Librarian Karen Filipkowski and her very able troupe perform 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' as well as one of its best comedic parodies, 'A Politically Correct Christmas Poem.' Not to be missed!
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre perform four unique Christmas short stories written by four of the world's best writers, A. A. Milne, Anton Chekhov, Guy du Maupassant and Charles Dickens. Jeff Bowman, Lynn Stewart, Lesley Betts, Rob Filipkowski and Cathy Chapeskie all give one of their best performances of the year -- Merry Christmas!
The Madawaska Valley Public Library in Barry's Bay presents its fourth show involving some very old local history about the village of Barry's Bay, some new things happening at the library, some of the hottest books borrowed from the library this month, and last but not least, the tale of Rumplestilizkin, taken from Andrew Lang's Blue Fairytale Book.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents this Remembrance Day show based on twelve unique moments, all drawn from the First World War. From those first two shots fired in Sarajevo to Lawrence of Arabia's ultimate revenge, it's a show meant to look at the stuff that utterly changes a warrior's soul, as much as it's meant it to honour Canada's many war dead.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents its annual Halloween show with Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Brian and Carol Peterson, and Lynn Stewart; all serving up as an appetizer, five horrible bits of poetry, quickly followed by a grotesque main course -- three short stories by H.P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce and Edgar Allan Poe. Enough to make your skin crawl!
The Opeongo Line again present's the third episode of the Madawaska Valley Public Library's new podcast, 'Old, New, Borrowed, Blue.' In this episode, the library staff recounts the fascinating early history of Barry's Bay, brings us all up to date on the many new and borrowed books available at the library and finishes off with a flourish with the original 17th Century fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
Joanne, Linda and Marilyn Plebon chat with Barry Conway about the many joys and memorable sorrows of being part of the family that built, owned and operated one of the great cultural venues that ever graced the shores of Kamaniskeg Lake near Barry's Bay.
Joanne, Linda and Marilyn Plebon chat with Barry Conway about the many joys and memorable sorrows of being part of the family that built, owned and operated one of the great cultural venues that ever graced the shores of Kamaniskeg Lake near Barry's Bay.
Sean Conway, host of "The Local," returns with a great story about Chippawa Lodge, once one of Ontario's premier summer resorts located on Lake Kamaniskeg. It was the 1950s and it was a place as exotic and carefree as it now seems lost forever, except in the vivid memories of two gracious women who once first met there as children, Julie Fisher-Ryall and Julie Maloney.
Sean Conway, host of "The Local," returns with a great story about Chippawa Lodge, once one of Ontario's premier summer resorts located on Lake Kamaniskeg. It was the 1950s and it was a place as exotic and carefree as it now seems lost forever, except in the vivid memories of two gracious women who once first met there as children, Julie Fisher-Ryall and Julie Maloney.
The Opeongo Line proudly presents the second of the Madawaska Valley Public Library's soon-to-be launched independent podcast, "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue." This month's episode brings together an old story of Barry's Bay that includes it's original Algonquin name, some new books that grace the shelves of the library, more than few things you can borrow, some of which will get you into places for free, and wonderful story from Andrew Lang's Blue Book of Fairy Tales.
Wendy Jocko, the chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation at Golden Lake, and her cousin, Jane Ann Chartrand, who hails from Madawaska, talk about growing up in Madawaska and the Algonquin heritage that they both share.
In celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Madawaska Valley Public Library, The Opeongo Line launches a new monthly podcast produced by the library's current staff. Made up of four distinct elements, "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue" will remind us all of things past, keep us abreast of new books, popular titles, and finish up in style with a gripping story from The Blue Fairy Tale book.
Barry Conway reads "Vicker's Creek Mourning," "Bentley's Winchester," "The Acorn Wars," and "Stafford Mountain Starlight," four personal essays, or memoirs if you like, that he wrote about what it felt like to grow up as a young boy in Barry's Bay in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Barry Conway reads "Vicker's Creek Mourning," "Bentley's Winchester," "The Acorn Wars," and "Stafford Mountain Starlight," four personal essays, or memoirs if you like, that he wrote about what it felt like to grow up as a young boy in Barry's Bay in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present Lesley Betts, Cathy Chapeskie, Carol Peterson and Lynn Stewart each reading one of four classic short stories by Katherine Mansfield. These include "The Singing Lesson," "The Garden Party," "A Cup of Tea," and "Bliss," all masterful works of World Literature.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present Lesley Betts, Cathy Chapeskie, Carol Peterson and Lynn Stewart each reading one of four classic short stories by Katherine Mansfield. These include "The Singing Lesson," "The Garden Party," "A Cup of Tea," and "Bliss," all masterful works of World Literature.
As part of The Opeongo Line's effort to both celebrate Canada Day today yet recognize the need for some Indigenous Canadians not to celebrate Canada Day this year, we have brought together Art Milnes and Sean Conway, two seasoned observers of Canadian political history, to discuss how we became an independent nation on July 1st 1867. They look at how our very fallible Fathers of Confederation created Canada in the midst of the 19th Century; what they got right and what they definitely failed to understand.
As part of The Opeongo Line's effort to both celebrate Canada Day today yet recognize the need for some Indigenous Canadians not to celebrate Canada Day this year, we have brought together Art Milnes and Sean Conway, two seasoned observers of Canadian political history, to discuss how we became an independent nation on July 1st 1867. They look at how our very fallible Fathers of Confederation created Canada in the midst of the 19th Century; what they got right and what they definitely failed to understand.
In honour of Father's Day, the Opeongo Line presents a show dedicated to the memory of Henry Nicholson, a lumberman of the old school, an extraordinary local baseball player, a wonderful Little League Baseball coach, and a man who left a lasting impression with his six children, eleven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. A man of infinite jest and genuine good humour, Henry was a dad for all seasons.
In honour of Father's Day, the Opeongo Line presents a show dedicated to the memory of Henry Nicholson, a lumberman of the old school, an extraordinary local baseball player, a wonderful Little League Baseball coach, and a man who left a lasting impression with his six children, eleven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. A man of infinite jest and genuine good humour, Henry was a dad for all seasons.
'Back in the Day' host, Martina Coulas, chats with Bernice Mintha who was born in 1930 in Barry's Bay when everybody in town seemed to have a cow, a pig and a gaggle of chickens. Bernice eventually became a nun but in the 1930s her childhood was second to none. Join her for the first part of her very own story of her life and times.
'Back in the Day' host, Martina Coulas, chats with Bernice Mintha who was born in 1930 in Barry's Bay when everybody in town seemed to have a cow, a pig and a gaggle of chickens. Bernice eventually became a nun but in the 1930s her childhood was second to none. Join her for the second part of her very own story of her life and times.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre celebrates this Victoria Day with a curious collection of classic Victorian literature, everything from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous love poem to a young Winston Churchill's thrilling report of his 1899 escape from a POW camp in South Africa.
'Back in the Day' host, Martina Coulas, chats with Don Palubeskie, born just before Christmas, 1945 in Barry's Bay, Ontario. A first-rate fiddler and story teller, Don worked in his parent's store -- Jason's'-- on main street Barry's Bay, all while pursuing his musical and sporting interests, as well as becoming one of the most successful pranksters in his home town in the 1950s and '60s. His story is like no other but it's also the reason the Upper Madawaska Valley has the unique character, culture and heritage it does.
'Back in the Day' host, Martina Coulas, chats with Don Palubeskie, born just before Christmas, 1945 in Barry's Bay, Ontario. A first-rate fiddler and story teller, Don worked in his parent's store -- Jason's'-- on main street Barry's Bay, all while pursuing his musical and sporting interests, as well as becoming one of the most successful pranksters in his home town in the 1950s and '60s. His story is like no other but it's also the reason the Upper Madawaska Valley has the unique character, culture and heritage it does.
The Opeongo Readers’ Theatre offers this special edition show with Cathy Chapeskie, Joshua Blank, Peter Glofcheskie, Angela Lorbetskie, Shirley Mask-Connolly and Theresa Prince – all reading from their latest local history research and telling the story of how our local Kashubians came to Renfrew County.
The Opeongo Readers’ Theatre offers up this special edition show with Cathy Chapeskie, Joshua Blank, Peter Glofcheskie, Angela Lorbetskie, Shirley Mask-Connolly and Theresa Prince – all reading from their latest local history research and telling the story of how our local Kashubians came to Renfrew County.
Born during the Second World War, Joan Archambault grew up on the shores of Victoria Lake before moving to Madawaska. She was a frequent guest on the 10,000 acre estate of one of Canada's richest tycoons; she helped fight a forest fire that nearly destroyed her home, she worked with her grandmother, a part-time undertaker, and when Joan wasn't down at the river swimming or fishing, she was often jamming with a rockabilly band.
Five short stories about love and marriage in Springtime by that master of short fiction, O. Henry, read by Lesley Betts, Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Lynn Stewart and Mark Woermke, all members of the Opeongo Readers' Theatre.
Isadore Yantha was born on March 25th, 1933 in Wilno, Ontario, famous as Canada's first Polish-Kashub settlement. Now 88-years old, he talks with 'Back in the Day' host, Martina Coulas, about his life and times growing up on a rugged hard-scrabble farm, making a name for himself in the local timber industry as a skidder man, and living for the pure joy of dancing the night away with his young wife, Monica, at Plebon's Lakeside Pavilion.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a rousing selection from Lady Gregory's curious research concerning the Patron Saint of Ireland. Drawn for ancient Irish manuscripts and the 1,500-year-old story-telling tradition of the Emerald Isle, this episode contains everything from an old Irish monk praising his cat, Pangur Ban, to a wild, insult-filled debate between Patrick and Oisin about the merit's of Christianity versus the the joys and sorrows of being the last living member of Ireland's mythological band of great men, the Fianna.
Ruth Coulas was born in 1927 on a farm near Cross Lake, six miles from Madawaska, Ontario. At 94 years of age, Ruth tells a story of her life and times second to none. Funny, fiesty and full of remarkable eye-witness observations of the social history of the Upper Madawaska Valley in the early and mid-20th Century Ruth talks with Back in the Day host, Martina Coulas.
Ruth Coulas was born in 1927 on a farm near Cross Lake, six miles from Madawaska, Ontario. At 94 years of age, Ruth tells a story of her life and times second to none. Funny, fiesty and full of remarkable eye-witness observations of the social history of the Upper Madawaska Valley in the early and mid-20th Century Ruth talks with Back in the Day host, Martina Coulas.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre celebrates winter with twenty traditional poems drawn from famous Canadian, British and American poets, everything from light verse to weighty words worthy of a BBC mini-series. We also have a bone-chilling reading of Jack London's classic short story, "To Build a Fire."
Martina Coulas, host of 'Back in the Day,' chats with 95-year-old Maxie Mintha, that much beloved former businessman of Barry's Bay who recalls all manner of things about his home town, and none more pleasing than his main street bakery where locals enjoyed his wife, Susan's, oven-warm homemade bread and cinnamon rolls.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents the second part of Dr. Francis Codd's 1847-1852 Letters, about his practice of medicine and his many adventures throughout Renfrew County in it's earliest days. An entertaining and informative look at life in the Upper Ottawa Valley nearly 175 years ago. Performed by Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Kristian Marchand and Lynn Stewart.
Host Martina Coulas presents another episode of 'Back in the Day,' this time with Freeda Higginson who grew up in the little village of Madawaska between the Great War and the Second World War. She saw everything from her hometown picked up and moved inland to make way for a hydro-electric dam in 1942 to seeing the King of England up close and personal.
Host Martina Coulas presents another episode of 'Back in the Day,' this time with Freeda Higginson who grew up in the little village of Madawaska between the Great War and the Second World War. She saw everything from her hometown picked up and moved inland to make way for a hydro-electric dam in 1942 to seeing the King of England up close and personal.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre rings in the New Year with five inspiring tales from Canada's famous author of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Lesley Betts, Cathy Chapeskie and Carol Peterson perform five short stories that all involve incidents that occur on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. A perfect way to close the door on 2020 and open it on 2021.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents three short stories, all with local interest and all about Christmas: James Elverson's 'Lost on the Limit,' Lucy Maud Montogomery's 'Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket,' and Barry Conway's 'A Christmas Wish.'
'Back in the Day' host Martina Coulas chats with Carman Palubeski about his life growing up in Barry's Bay in the mid-20th century when his parents ran a diner and later a variety store. He also talks about his exotic travel, and his love of reading, music and dancing. He also reveals more than a few interesting stories about some of the great characters he once knew, along with the odd salty local expression.
'Back in the Day' host Martina Coulas chats with Carman Palubeski about his life growing up in Barry's Bay in mid-20th century when his parents ran a diner and later a variety store. He also talks about his exotic travel, and his love of reading, music and dancing. And he reveals more than a few interesting stories about some of the great characters he once knew, along with the odd salty local expression.
Back in the Day host Martina Coulas continues her wide-ranging discussion with Merita Recoskie who talks about growing up in Barry's Bay during the Second World War and pursuing a career in nursing. With an amazing power of recall, Merita vividly describes life along the main streets of her home town.
Back in the Day host Martina Coulas has a wide-ranging discussion with Merita Recoskie who talks about growing up in Barry's Bay during the Second World War and pursuing a career in nursing. With an amazing power of recall, Merita vividly describes life along the main streets of her home town.
The Opeongo Reader’s Theatre presents a unique collection of eye-witness accounts by young men and women who went off to the Second World War. It includes everything from two letters written by a young woman from Barry's Bay to her older brother serving overseas, to a daring escape from a POW train under cover of darkness as it hurtled through the Ottawa Valley.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents its annual Halloween show, five classic ghost stories including: Anatole France's 'The Mass of Shadows', Guy de Maupassant's 'The Flayed Hand,' Algernon Blackwood's 'A Woman's Ghost Story,' Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Masque of Red Death,' and Myla Jo Closser's 'At the Gate.' Performed by Lesley Betts, Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Lynn Stewart and Mark Woermke.
Local historian Mark Woermke presents a fascinating look at 31 German-speaking families who emigrated to Renfrew County, Ontario between 1858 and 1900, looking closely at six particular families who settled near Rockingham and noting what happened to them after they arrived.
Martina Coulas talks with Beth and Johnny Hilderbrandt about how they first met, Beth's first trip to Barry's Bay by train, and Johnny's early life growing up here on a farm. Forever young, the Hildebrandts offer up great stories about hog-wrassling in the old railway stockyard, sneaking into the Exchange Hotel underaged, and helping to save the old Barry's train station.
The Opeongo Line presents Martina Coulas in conversation with two Lorbetskie women; first, Martina speaks with Julia Lorbetskie who was born nearly 101 years ago near Paugh Lake, four miles north of Barry's Bay. After she married, she moved into town where she and her husband Johnny raised six children, including their youngest daughter, Connie, who Martina speaks with and learns of her abiding joy in having the good fortune of growing up in Barry's Bay in the 1950s and 1960s.
This second interview conducted by Martina Coulas deals with the local history of two Lorbetskie women. First, Martina spoke with Julia Lorbetskie, the nearly 101-year-old mother of her youngest daughter Connie, who in this second interview speaks about growing up in the village of Barry's Bay in the 1950s and 1960s
Lesley Betts and Mark Woermke of The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present new documentary evidence that reveals in significant detail the early life of John Samuel James Watson, Rockingham's man of mystery. An inspirational leader and founder of one of the most productive and progressive villages in Renfrew County in the latter half of the 19th century, Watson was also a man with a shocking secret that he successfully managed to hide until now.
Back in the Day host Martina Coulas talks with William J. Goulet, a young man who arrived from Eganville in the early 1960s and established Barry's Bay's first funeral home. And when Bill wasn't getting ready for the next funeral, working in a hardware store, checking hydro meters, driving ambulance, or working for the school board, every Saturday night he was dancing up a storm down at the Lakeside Pavilion.
'The Local' host Sean Conway chats with Joshua Blank, author of "Stills in the Hills: Moonshine Memories from Around Canada's First Polish Kashub Community," an award-winning article about illegal moonshine made in the Wilno hills.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present The Boogie Man, or what happens one summer afternoon in 1897 when Biddy Culhane, a milk-maid from Maynooth meets Taig Harrington, a shepherd from Douglas in the OA & PS Train Station in Killaloe. Performed by Kristin Marchand, Lynn Stewart and Jeff Bowman.
In the first of a two-part series about John S.J. Watson, the much-fabled founder of Rockingham, Lesley Betts and Mark Woermke of The Opeongo Readers' Theatre reveal new documentary evidence about Watson's exotic life prior to emigrating to Canada where he built one of the most progressive 19th century villages in all of Renfrew County.
During the Second World War, Theresa Prince was born near Barry's Bay on a small, hard-scrabble farm with no electricity, no indoor plumbing and no easy chance to live out her dreams. Yet her story is more than just about her irrepressible courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. It's really a story about the heart and soul of our local culture and heritage.
Four short stories taken from James Joyce's The Dubliners: Araby, Eveline, The Boarding House and Counterparts, each one a revelation, if not an epiphany. Read by Jeff Bowman, Cathy Chapeskie, Lynn Stewart and Mark Woermke of The Opeongo Readers' Theatre.
A special Canada Day celebration with Arthur Milnes, a curious Canadian, who regales us with a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at our Canadian Prime Ministers and other world leaders.
A special Canada Day celebration with Arthur Milnes, a curious Canadian, who regales us with a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at our Canadian Prime Ministers and other world leaders.
The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present three oral histories collected in the Upper Madawaska Valley in the early 1990s. They include Rose Burchat Chapeskie (1909-2000), Evelyn Hildebrandt Villeneuve (1919-2002) and Bernice O'Grady Billings (1926-2005).
Jeff Bowman, Kristin Marchand and Mark Woermke perform three classic ghost stories as The Opeongo Readers' Theatre presents Saki's Open Window, Edgar Allan Poe's Tell-tale Heart and W.W. Jacobs' Monkey's Paw.
In this year of Covid-19 when every major social event seems to be cancelled, our intrepid Opeongo Readers' Theatre arrives just in time to help celebrate Victoria Day like only Canadians do, and like only a village with a curious Balmoral connection to Queen Victoria can. Listen to some unique historical moments in the life of the 19th century England, as well as one very giddy British ghost story by Canada's favourite humorist, Stephen Leacock.
Mark Woermke of The Opeongo Readers' Theatre performs some of Robert Service's best-loved poems -- The Shooting of Dan McGrew, The Cremation of Sam McGee -- along with some other unique works, appropriate for a pandemic. It's a performance bound to lift your spirits.
Join Rural Roots' host Mark Woermke as he rides in an old half-ton truck with two of the locally-famous members of the 1973-74 Women's Hockey Association Champions, Marie Villeneuve and Judy Whelan, as they relive their glory days.
In honour of the Ottawa Valley Irish and St. Patrick's Day, The Opeongo Readers' Theatre present two of Lady Gregory's best Irish comedies, Hyacinth Halvey and The Workhouse Ward, performed at the Hastings Highlands Public Library in Maynooth, Ontario.
For more than fifty years, the social event of Barry's Bay was the annual St. Hedwig’s Summer Picnic. Launched by a young Father Peter B. Biernacki in 1912 to help build his St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church in 1914, this little village picnic quickly outgrew even his wildest dream. It became so widely known in Eastern Ontario that special nine-coach excursion trains would arrive, adding to the thousands of people who were already there for the premier church picnic of the Ottawa Valley.
Three short one-act comedies adapted from Anton Chekhov: A Tragedian In Spite of Herself, The Proposal, and The Bear. Performed in Barry's Bay, Ontario at the old train station on February 9th, 2020 by The Opeongo Readers' Theatre in front of a live audience in honour of St. Valentine's Day.
In the winter of 1847, a young British physician arrived in Montreal and made his way up through the Ottawa Valley, arriving eventually in a tiny backwoods settlement along its western frontier. What he experienced there over the next few years, he put into a set of uniquely vivid letters he sent back to England. Performed by The Opeongo Readers' Theatre at the Pembroke Public Library on January 25th, 2020, those letters provides a unique window into the dark, druidical world that would become Renfrew County.
One of the great institutions of Barry's Bay, The Balmoral started out as a small railway hotel, built in 1894 by Josh Billings in response to the coming of the OA & PS Railroad. Over the next 100 years, it became much more to the local community. Joanne Billings-Olsen reminisces with The Local host, Sean Conway about the life and times of The Balmoral, including working there when she was only eleven years old.
An adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's "A Russian Christmas Party" performed live at the old Barry's Bay Train Station on Tuesday, December 10th 2019 by the Opeongo Radio Flyers.