Knitting together three faiths … plus more local events

You’re reading the September 13, 2024 edition of the Peterborough Currents email newsletter. To receive our email newsletters straight to your inbox, sign up here.

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Good morning and welcome to the arts and community edition of the Peterborough Currents newsletter. My name is Alex, and I send this email every Friday to catch you up on what’s happening in the community.

This week:

• Making interfaith connections at the Abraham Festival
• Historic Peterborough on display during Doors Open
• Free concert at Millennium Park
• And more!

Let’s get started.

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Peterborough’s annual Abraham Festival weaves together the faiths of spiritual cousins

A chance meeting between Muslim and Christian educators on a blustery February day sparked the idea for Peterborough’s Abraham Festival 21 years ago. Today, organizers of the annual interfaith event remain committed to fostering community and understanding between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The festival returns this weekend with events planned for Friday and Sunday.

“It’s an opportunity to get together with people and listen,” said festival co-founder and chair Elizabeth Rahman. “Our mission is to know one another and so it is not a time to grab on and hold on to your own religious beliefs, but it’s a time to listen and share.”

Rahman first met co-founder Helen McCarthy at St. Peter Catholic Secondary School in 2003, when she was invited to speak to McCarthy’s world religions class about Islam. It had been a snow day so there were no students in the classroom, but the two immediately formed a connection and spoke about their faiths, Rahman remembered.

“We both realized how much we had in common, but also that we wanted to bring together the children and lay groundwork for understanding,” Rahman said. “We felt by bringing people together to talk, they would see each other as human beings rather than a person of a certain faith.”

So they founded the Abraham Festival and continued to work together until McCarthy passed away on December 30, 2023. A tribute to her memory will take place during this year’s festival.

In addition to worship services in all three traditions, this year’s festival will feature The Knitting Pilgrim, a show by the Toronto-based textile artist Kirk Dunn. Dunn spent 15 years knitting three massive stained glass window panels that represent the three Abrahamic faiths.

“The Knitting Pilgrim really takes you through my path with my artistic struggle and my faith,” Dunn said. The show explores his journey in learning about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, along with his process of following through on a fifteen-year project.

“A lot of people have something in their lives that they are passionate about, but you know, it just goes on for so long. They lose faith. It’s hard, it’s a struggle,” he said. “The Knitting Pilgrim really speaks to that.”

Everyone is invited to take part in the Abraham Festival.

To learn more about the Abraham Festival, and to find a full schedule of events, visit the festival’s website.

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New ways to explore the city during Doors Open Peterborough

Doors Open Peterborough will give locals a look behind the scenes at some of the city’s historic buildings and culturally significant sites this Saturday, September 14. Click here for an interactive map of Doors Open locations.

“It’s always been neat to me that people are getting to see places that they wouldn’t get to see otherwise,” said organizer Erik Hanson. “There’s so much stuff behind the scenes in Peterborough, in these buildings that that the public doesn’t really know about.”

As part of Doors Open, local historian Gord Young will also lead walking tours of Hunter Street Bridge and the surrounding area. The tours will start under the arches in James Stevenson Park (325 Hunter Street East) every hour between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Trent Valley Archives’ Elwood Jones will conduct walking tours with local historian Don Willcock exploring Peterborough’s old downtown starting at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tours will depart from Hutchison House. 

At the Peterborough Museum and Archives, actors will perform ‘Tick Talk: A 10-minute scene from history’ written by D’Arcy Jenish and directed by Bea Quarrie. Performances will take place at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m.

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Fifth annual Big Band Day at Millennium Park

Big Band Day is back at Millennium Park this weekend, with five bands performing a range of music by the riverside. The concert is free to attend, sponsored by the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and Long and McQuade Musical Instruments Peterborough. 

More than 100 instrumentalists will showcase their talents starting at noon on Saturday, September 14. Peterborough Concert Band will be joined by Northern Spirit Big Band, Marenger Band, Electric City Swing, and Knightshift. Each band has its own unique character, with some focusing on big band era music, while others will play classical, swing, jazz, gospel, and medley pieces.

“It’s a great opportunity to share music which is not the most common kind of music out there these days,” Peterborough Concert Band manager Ken Abraham said. “It’s a way to continue a tradition of free public performances in parks by concert bands.” 

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Looking for more to do this weekend?

• Kawartha Downs is hosting weiner dog races tonight (Friday, September 13) from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is free, with prizes and giveaways up for grabs. Learn more here.
• Peterborough Museum and Archives is hosting an outdoor screening of ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ in Ashburnham Memorial Park tonight (Friday, September 13) from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with crafts and activities following the movie. Admission is by donation. See event details here.
• Peterborough VegFest is free to visit this Sunday (September 15) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 25 vendors will gather to share fresh food and goods at Millennium Park. Find more details here.
• Community members are invited to help clean up East City this Sunday. Gloves, bags, pick-up pails and litter grabbers will be provided, along with coffee and donuts. The group will meet at the Quaker Park Tennis Club parking lot at 9 a.m. and gather litter between Driscoll Terrace and the London Street footbridge. Find out more and RSVP here.

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PHOTOS: Planting trees and building community at the Trinity Centre

Volunteers and guests of the Trinity Community Centre established a community orchard, planted a row of shade trees, and installed rain garden planter boxes on the grounds of the Trinity Centre this week. The idea was to “help address some challenges like storm water management, lack of shade, food security and community belonging,” according to a media release.

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