By theWedge.LIVE For the first time in our history we are getting on the road non-stop to visit endless locations. We start December 21st. Maggie M could be spotted selling Christmas trees and serving eggnog at kick-off. It will be like a campaign tour except, featuring you, your village, your town, your city, your stories, … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, Wedgee-in-Chief, theWedge.LIVE It was a “feels-like-40” morning when we visited Big Sky Ranch on the Eastern edge of Kemptville. This animal sanctuary surprised us from the moment we drove up the shaded drive. The grounds were beautiful, well-kept, for a large retinue of surprising residents. Our first encounter with a few … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, Wedgee-in-Chief, theWedge.LIVE I arrived at this long-planned destination, an oasis for nature-seekers looking for an escape from urban life. The gates were open. The warden was nowhere in sight; so, I sauntered in to capture its treasures. I was the lone blood sacrifice at the Rideau River Provincial Park, it seemed. … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, Wedgee-in-Chief, East Ontario Trekker I tilted my head like when a dog looks at a fan, squinting my eyes, as I read the fishing regulations. It took the romance out of the spontaneous, “Hey, let’s go fishing!” “Not so fast,” regulators say. Don’t catch the wrong fish at the wrong time. … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, Wedgee-in-Chief, and East Ontario Trekker 🚘 SHARE buttons at story’s end O! the darling buds of May. Wait, it’s still April. Beat the overcast-cool-weather-blues, throw on your jackets and pile in the car. Go! You may still require a pair of mucky-muck boots or shoes to explore our region. It’s epic … Continue reading
by theWedge.LIVE ❤️ TO SHARE click icons at story’s end Shiverfest Winter Festival in Manotick makes the best of the winter blues. It turns this formerly industrial and beautiful, historic town renown for Watson’s Mill into a a hub of activity. It’s all volunteer run by the Manotick Village & Community Association. It is heartwarming … Continue reading
By Grace Begot, Contributor, theWedge.LIVE 💙 TO SHARE click icons at stories end Every year from January trough February courage is mustered by people taking a freezing plunge for a cause, across Canada and other wintering nations. In our neck of the woods, the Perth Polar Plunge continues unabated this January 1st. They’ve been plunging … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Wedgee-in-Chief, Editor, theWedge.LIVE 💚 TO SHARE click icons at story’s end. TO SUBSCRIBE go to upper-right column. TO COMMENT go to upper-right of story. When fall is in full regalia catching the sun is a special event. We caught up with our warm friend as it kissed Carleton Place in all the … Continue reading
By theWedge.LIVE ❤️ TO SHARE click icons at story’s end. TO SUBSCRIBE go to top right column. TO COMMENT click top right of story. Most Ontarians are familiar with Doors Open Ontario events across our province. It’s that day of the year when venues’ doors are flung open in full regalia. You could say they, … Continue reading
By theWedge.LIVE 💙 TO SHARE click icons at story’s end The Kawartha Voyageur is charming her way up and down the Rideau, from Kingston to Ottawa and back. She is a beauty at 120 feet of steel. She is also an engineering feat able to collapse her top to fit under low bridges. (I guffawed … Continue reading
By theWedge.LIVE 💙 TO SHARE click icons at story’s end This review presented this writer with tough choices. There are so many wonderful waterfronts in East Ontario–no two are identical. All present unique experiences. The wedge Editor, Maggie M, picked three locations based on three factors : size, variety of activities and water access. The … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Wedgee-in-Chief, Editor, theWedge.LIVE 💚 TO SHARE click icons at story’s end It was around 9:00 am when this writer crossed over the first causeway onto Mille Roches Island, Long Sault Parkway, last July 26th. A few ‘early-birds’ were jogging and bicycling, but I basically had the park to myself. What followed was … Continue reading
By thewedge.LIVE “A New Voice For East Ontario” Chances are when you travel through the centre of the wedge on one of its oldest highways, “The King’s Highway 43,” your eyes will catch an extraordinary vehicle likely on its way to a Highway 43 Car Club event. Since 2007, Rod Rafter, Founder and President, has … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Wedgee-in-Chief, Editor, thewedge.LIVE There is nothing that equals a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds to frame an idyllic town. They are rare these days. The wedge could not miss this opportunity to capture downtown Smiths Falls on this glorious day, priming its biggest public event the next day. Did you … Continue reading
Story by thewedge.LIVE – A New Voice For East Ontario One of the most dangerous sports on earth can now be experienced from the bleachers at Perth Fairgrounds this June 23rd, 2:00 p.m. The Bulls And Broncs Show features professional bull riding, junior bull riding, bareback bronc riding and ladies barrel back racing. And plenty … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Wedgee-in-Chief, Editor, the wedge.LIVE 🖤 TO SHARE click icons at story’s end It was September 2014 when Bob Besharah, owner of Class Axe Guitars, Kemptville, made a phone call to his friend, Karen Bedard, while she visited New Brunswick. This moment, a discussion about the creation of a music festival in Kemptville, … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Wedgee-in-Chief, Editor, the wedge.LIVE 🖤 TO SHARE click buttons at story’s end “Prickly,” is how the Township of Drummond /North Elmsley refer to a business duo, the impetus behind today’s Rideau Ferry back in 1815. I almost spit my tea on this word. The lore about John Oliver and his son is … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, Wedgee-in-Chief, the wedge.LIVE 🖤 TO SHARE click icons at story’s end This writer was taken on a grand tour of Brockville’s, Aquatarium™, by its affable Host, Executive Director, Bill Rogerson. He was plucked from Gananoque over seven years ago, its former Asset and Infrastructure Manager, to bring Aquatarium’s 27,000 sq. ft. … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE 🖤 TO SHARE scroll to story’s end and click icons. “I discovered boating when I was five years-old.” “I’ll never forget the first fish my son speared.” “We’ve never had a bad day on a boat.” Such are emotional quotes from people living life more fully on our waterways. … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE “As you climb on the chairlift in Sunshine (Banff, Alberta) a sign in the snow reads, ‘Welcome to British Columbia’,” I shared with a wide-eyed, young downhill skier while running errands today. I love to see the puzzled expression. “You cross the provincial border on the chair,” I explained. … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, The Wedge.LIVE Yup, it’s great P.R. for Ottawa. To quote Guy Laflamme, Executive Director, Ottawa 2017, our capital is no longer “beige.” The rink on Parliament Hill is a major photo op. Canadians are no longer timid. Dialogue about ideas seems to be shifting to, “Let’s do it. Why not!” Moments … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, thewedge.LIVE ❤️ To Share This Story Scroll to the End and Click Your Buttons This writer attended a fantastic Friday evening in Perth–one filled with immersive sights and sounds beyond my expectations. This event, The Festival of Lights, ushered in the Christmas holidays with a “bang”–literally. On arrival, I struggled with … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE “It was a combination of persuasion and magic,”states acclaimed, Public Librarian of 2017, Karen DeLuca, in signing Mary Walsh to appear at the Arnprior Library. DeLuca received this highest award from the Ontario Library Association. Carolyn Swayze, also employed in the same library, received the Youth Librarian of 2016 … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE You will be tempted to touch the life-size creatures carved by Ron Hanniman. This writer cannot grasp how anyone could carve the hairs of feathers, layer upon layer, out of wood. It seems to defy the laws of physics. This is perhaps why he toiled over each piece for … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE I was struck with a revelation about Brockville mid-summer. Sure, it’s a beautiful marine city as I have previously written and photographed; but, there is a lot going on beyond the sight line, below waters and below the ground. I attended Centeen Park, Brockville’s renown dive site, to gain … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE This writer was an accidental tourist at Trainfest, August 26th. I immediately realized this event offered far more than met my eyes from the road. I stood on the platform as a black 1912 steam locomotive barreled toward me, whistling, coming to a full stop. The engine weighs 77 … Continue reading
By Maggie M, Editor, thewedge.LIVE “It started in PEI first, then opened in Australia. Ottawa Bluesfest brought it to East Ontario,” recounts Kelly Symes, General Manager, The Festival of Small Halls. Every once-in-a-while an idea strikes this writer as exceedingly special. This idea stems from the creative mind of the man who founded renown, Ottawa … Continue reading
A partial eclipse of the U.S. total eclipse can be viewed from here in our region starting at 1:17pm and ending at 3:48. Our maximum eclipse will be at 2:35 pm; at this time Tennessee will be in full eclipse and darkness for a few minutes. Do not look up at the partial eclipse at … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE “How fast can you recite Hamlet’s soliloquy?,” I asked Ian Farthing, Actor. He is one of a cast of three joining Susie Burnett and Helen Juvonen in the final St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival stage performance of 2017, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).” Do not miss the humour … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, the wedge.LIVE This writer is running out of English superlatives to depict the precious gems that are the villages, towns and cities in the wedge. Gananoque (“Gana-knock-way”) is vivid, sculpted, bucolic, enchanting… If ‘Gan’ were a woman, everyone would declare she is, “drop-dead gorgeous.” Her expansive gateway heralds beauty beyond our … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, The Wedge.LIVE When I visited Brockville, a mother and her two young sons, sat quietly taking in the sound of roaring waves, the grand view, their feet inches from the St. Lawrence River. The two boys became very animated as an enormous cargo ship entered into our view. “Woooaaa!,” they exclaimed. … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, thewedge.live I stepped onto terra firma in Renfrew, Ontario, a beautiful town in the Upper Ottawa Valley, for the first time in my life last week. The first man I met was tall, very tall, I’m guessing 9 feet, and wooden. His given name is, Big Joe Mufferaw, a French Canadian … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, thewedge.LIVE This writer went on another tourist marathon last week, this time in the Town of Arnprior, Ontario. First, I explored its natural hot spots; then, I discovered some of its excellent businesses, through a downpour which did not cease. It’s only rain, not fire and brimstone; so, I visited each, … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, thewedge.LIVE Last week, this writer drove into a town that had been in my thoughts for some time; but, until then, my feet had not touched its soil. Arnprior was astonishing and an exhilirating discovery. It is unquestionably a ‘must visit’ travel destination. There is a bit of a nerd in … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, thewedge.LIVE Visiting Westport always leaves this writer smiling inwardly. Its locals are unpretentious, kind, relaxed and bubbling with creativity. I continue to say, “Westport is one spirit with different faces.” On this beautiful day, the first after so much rain, I began my journey on Westport’s edge and circled around town … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, http://thewedge.LIVE There are a few Lockmasters’ Houses in Smiths Falls; however, one has been unoccupied for years–until now. This historic building visible from the bridge connecting Beckwith with Brockville Street, Smiths Falls, will soon house the offices of European corporation, le Boat. In fact, it is to be its North American … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, http://thewedge.LIVE On yet another overcast, damp day, I visited the uber-sweet village of Westport. Everywhere I looked, a photo beckoned. The harbour on the North side, Upper Rideau Lake, is always beautiful; but, its island seems to be nearly swallowed up by rising water levels. It seems the island is only … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, thewedge.LIVE The tiniest beach in North America is in our neck of the woods, in the Village of Portland. Last year, I held a conversation with a traveler across the beach without raising my voice. You could cross it in three or four leaps. This miniature treasure with a grand view … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, http://thewedge.LIVE At times everyone feels the tug of tranquility, an escape from mobile ringtones, tedious routines and gnawing responsibility. We forget to breathe deeply, to commune with the earth from whence we came. Our region is covered in secret places that heal, places of solace. This writer frequents a few spots … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, http://thewedge.LIVE This writer sat with six friends at Michael’s Table last Saturday night. I was the stranger in their midst; so, I brought a new perspective. Reportedly, Princess Di sat to my left; this disclosure came from Charlton Heston’s doppelganger on my right. The couple, Bev and Dale, had long ago … Continue reading
By MAGGIE M, Editor, http://thewedge.LIVE and Host of “WHERE IN the wedge is MAGGIE M?” On February 1st, all ‘SmithFallians’ where invited to participate in a long list of events, 150 to be exact, for the duration of 2017, Canada’s 150th birthday. At the core, it is volunteering; but, truly it is an opportunity to … Continue reading
Every year the Manotick Polo Club brings polo out of its exclusive, uppety domain, to riders who want to do more than, “ride around in circles,” says President, Ward Yaternick. Yaternick also owns and operates Next Analytics in Manotick, an impressive marketing analytics dashboard for businesses. For people looking for new experiences this activity promises … Continue reading
By MaggieM, Host of WHERE IN the wedge IS MAGGIE M? “I love to watch people enjoying the event,” glows Portland Outdoors President, John Bongers. How he finds the time to oversee the 2017 Skate The Lake, Portland, beats me. Bongers is a sophisticated cattle farmer who rises at 4:30 am. Portland is a quaint … Continue reading
The 2017 festivities begin at Ottawa City Hall at 5:45 pm, December 31st, with free hotdogs, hot coffee and hot chocolate, live music performances and animation. Then… at 6:15 pm, a special ceremony talked about all year, the lighting of the cauldron ! It’s not just another new year ushered in; it’s Canada’s 150th anniversary. … Continue reading
Canada kicks-off its 150th birthday celebrations on January 1, 2017! And the wedge is getting knee-deep into the fun of it. thewedge.LIVE is launching the wedge 150 : a rural conquest for every town and city in the wedge (East Ontario). Everyone in the wedge can participate: individuals (18+), businesses, schools, groups. Ottawa is doing … Continue reading
It was late August, only one month ago, that I rolled up my slacks and tread through the water in Westport to cool off. I picked up shells which I loved to do as a child. One mussel was still alive, so I returned it to the depths. Before this jaunt, we had been sitting … Continue reading
I was at the ByWard Market in Ottawa last Thursday afternoon and the place was hopping! I was truly surprised to find out how large, how many blocks, lanes and courtyards are comprised in the ByWard : 400 + shops, cafes, restaurants, craft vendors, produce vendors, clubs and services. Did you know the ByWard Market … Continue reading
I ventured South again to yet another gem in The Wedge. Once I drove over the bridge, made it to the waterfront, I discovered two unique attractions one block from each other. I was silly and inspired under hour. Here is my third Episode of WHERE IN the wedge IS MAGGIE M? I’ll be back … Continue reading
Perth is saturated in stories and ‘histories’. The town is beautiful to behold; but, its stories need to be told. Who better than Julie Brunelle and Peter Wood? Both teachers by profession, this husband-wife team court the public with unique tours of Perth on wheels. Get a quick impression with our video, our second episode, … Continue reading
Stay-tuned for our story of a few select locks on the Rideau Canal, Ontario. Chaffeys is very special; here is a preview in our short film. Continue reading
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