Afrocentric community meal… plus more local events

You’re reading the February 6, 2025 edition of the Peterborough Currents email newsletter. To receive our email newsletters straight to your inbox, sign up here.

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Good afternoon and welcome to the arts and community newsletter from Peterborough Currents. I’m Alex, and I send this newsletter every week to catch you up on what’s happening in Peterborough.

This week:

• Local potters hand-craft one-of-a-kind bowls to fight hunger
• Free community meal to celebrate Black History Month
• Local high school brings Newsies musical to Showplace
• And, as always, some happenings around town this weekend

Let’s get started!

Local potters hand-crafting bowls to fight hunger

Every winter, artisans at the Kawartha Potters’ Guild roll up their sleeves to craft hundreds of one-of-a-kind bowls to benefit local food charities as part of the Empty Bowls fundraiser.

Longtime potter Cathy Allen has donated pieces to the event every year since it began more than 20 years ago. She’s already well on her way to finishing several bowls for this year’s edition of the fundraiser, which takes place on Friday, February 21.

“I love to make things, and I like to donate in this way, because I think it’s really important for our community,” said Allen.

In the past, Empty Bowls has been organized by the local YWCA branch in support of its Nourish food action program. But the YWCA recently decided to close Nourish due to funding constraints, a press release stated. Sue Flanagan, who is on the board of both the YWCA and the Potters’ Guild, called that a “difficult decision.” 

But Flanagan said the Guild wants to continue donating its bowls. “Our board at the Potters’ Guild is invested in this,” she said. “They want it to go forward.”

The YWCA is willing to continue helping with the event for another year or two, Flanagan said. So, Empty Bowls is evolving. This year it will support new charities: Kawartha Food Share and One City Peterborough.

For Cathy Allen, that means her ceramic creations will continue to help raise money for local food programs. “It’s nice to know that my pieces will be used and in someone else’s home,” she said. “And they can enjoy knowing that they’ve spent money on a ticket that’s helping the community.”

I visited the Kawartha Potters’ Guild to learn about the artisans’ creative process and why they donate their works to Empty Bowls. I also spoke with organizers about the future of this local initiative. Check out the full story on the Peterborough Currents website. 

Peterborough Currents is happy to be a media sponsor of the Empty Bowls fundraiser. As part of our in-kind sponsorship, we agreed to publish a story about the event and provide free advertising to help promote it.

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Afrocentric community meal and music for Black History Month

Cheryl Edwards and Charmaine Magumbe co-founded the Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough (AANP) to provide education and create gathering spaces for Black people in Peterborough and the Kawarthas back in 2007.

Every year they celebrate Black History Month with a free community meal, and the 2025 event is set for this Sunday, February 9. All are welcome to join AANP at the Peterborough Lions Community Centre from 1 to 3 p.m. for a lunch of Jamaican chicken, barbeque chicken, Nigerian rice, Jamaican curry chicken, and spiced rice with kidney beans.

In addition to enjoying the selection of Afrocentric cultural foods, guests will be treated to a presentation about Black history by local teacher Jane Braithwaite, followed by a musical performance by Peterborough-based artist Faith Nolan.

“We welcome everyone who wants to learn about Black people in a positive way,” said Edwards. “That’s what I hope for, and of course, that they’ll enjoy themselves and connect with each other.”

Guests are also welcome to bring a salad or dessert to share, although this is not mandatory. Online registration is required for this free event.

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A huge cast of teens to perform on Showplace stage

St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School students will play newspaper carriers fighting for their rights in 19th century New York City in the school’s production of the musical Newsies, running February 12 to 15 at Showplace Performance Centre.

Based on a true story, the musical follows young newsboy Jack Kelly as he leads a strike to demand fair wages for the city’s newspaper carriers. The cast includes more than 200 high school students and staff. Director Paul Crough said being able to feature so many young performers was a big factor behind selecting this story for St. Peter’s big biennial musical.

“We always try to pick a musical that features a large ensemble to showcase as many talents that our students possess,” Crough said. “The musical numbers and choreography are so dynamic and electric, it allows us to have a full two-hour experience for the whole cast as well.” 

Seventeen-year-old Adrianna Malloy, who plays journalist Katherine Plumber, said being an actor is her “dream job” and hopes taking on one of the lead roles in this production opens the door to more opportunities in theatre in the future. “It’s built my confidence a ton and given me the confidence to want to audition for something outside of school,” she said. 

Tickets for Newsies are available at the Showplace box office or online.

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Looking for something to do this weekend?

• Local writers will share their works this Friday, February 7, at The Theatre on King’s A Night of Stories and Poems event. Running from 7 to 9 p.m., the night will include pieces by Graham Wylie, Geeta Narine, Alex Deng, Chancellor McGuigan, Kade Davies, Sarah Waldner, Dante Pettapiece, and Shaun Phuah. Find tickets online or at the door for $12.

• Zwena Grey will lead a Black Girl Snowshoe trek through Jackson Park this Friday, February 7, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Snowshoes are provided by Camp Kawartha and beginners are welcome. This is a free event for a limited number of participants, so reserve a spot online.

• Author Michael Henry is coming to Take Cover Books this Friday, February 7, to talk about his book Old-Growth Forest Walks. The book details his explorations as a forest ecologist and explains the history of Ontario’s greenbelt. In addition to reading excerpts from the book, Henry will discuss Ontario’s oldest forests and answer audience questions from 7 to 9 p.m. RSVP for this free event online.

• Local folk musician Washboard Hank and longtime friend and bandmate Reverend Ken will entertain the crowd with a free live show at Jethro’s Bar and Stage from 8 to 10 p.m. on Friday night.

• If the real headlines are getting you down lately, head to The Theatre on King this Saturday, February 8, for a completely improvised, fake newscast that promises to deliver lots of laughs. Produced by Rapid’s End Improv, the evening will feature the cast of Ball Pit Improv playing unstable news anchors delivering absurd, made-up news stories. The show runs from 8-10 p.m. and tickets are available online.

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