What’s on this weekend: Afrocentric community potluck, roller derby, and more

You’re reading the July 12, 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 second Peterborough Currents newsletter of the week. I’m Alex, the arts and community reporter for Currents.

We got some great feedback last week from readers who enjoyed the events-focused newletter, so I’m back to bring you a second edition!

In this week’s newsletter:

• A local photo festival’s shut down is sparking conversations about arts funding
• A chance to learn about African and Caribbean culture at a free potluck atop Armour Hill this Saturday
• Peterborough’s roller derby league is hosting two bouts this weekend
• The last show ever at the Montreal House might be an unplugged Christian pop-punk anniversary concert

Let’s get started!

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Spark Photo Festival to shut down after 12 years

The Spark Photo Festival is shutting down, citing “financial pressures that do not appear to be resolvable over the next few years.”

Spark is not the only arts organization that is struggling to make ends meet right now. I wrote about the financial challenges facing local arts organizations and I spoke to one advocate who is calling for increased municipal funding for the arts. You can read my story on the Currents website.

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Jamaican chicken on offer at annual Afrocentric potluck

The Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough (AANP) is inviting community members to its annual potluck this weekend at the Armour Hill pavilion. You’re welcome to bring the family and a dish to share, but there is no requirement to bring food in order to attend — there will be Jamaican chicken and other dishes available.

Founded by Cheryl Edwards and Charmaine Mugumbe and sponsored by the local chapter of the United Way, the AANP is a community organization that raises awareness of Black histories and cultures.

“We welcome everyone who wants to learn about Black people in a positive way. We focus on how people achieved and thrived as opposed to how they suffered,” said Edwards. 

“We are very community oriented and we very much believe in self-education. We want people to arm themselves with the truth, the realities, as opposed to stereotypes and misinformation,” she added.

In its early days, the AANP existed to connect members of the local Black community with each other. But in recent years it has evolved to include the broader community.

“A lot of caucasians show up, and although we’re hoping to also reach more BIPOC people, it’s a little challenging to do that here in Peterborough. We usually get about 60 people coming out to the potlucks,” said Edwards.

This year’s potluck is on July 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the community meal, guests can expect a drawing workshop, interactive drumming performance, and educational speakers. Reserve a spot here.

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Peterborough Area Roller Derby to face teams from Alliston this weekend

Molly Spartan is one of the veteran athletes with Peterborough Area Roller Derby (PARD). As she gears up for PARD’s second home game of the season this weekend, she shared with Currents what attracted her to the sport back in 2009 — and why she still loves it.

“I was looking for something to do that would let me deal with some of my life frustrations. Eventually I realized it’s not really about aggression; it’s actually very joyful,” she said. “In our best moments we are amazing at supporting each other. It’s the first sport where I felt it was okay to be the weirdo that I am.”

PARD has made strides in recent years. In 2023, they became a member of the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association, meaning teams from the local league can now compete regionally, nationally, and globally.

Spartan said at least a quarter of PARD players are also on Team Ontario, and that some have even tried out for Team Canada. “It’s really exciting to see all of the opportunities for our players to travel and compete at a high level.”

The July 13 double-header bout will feature PARD’s junior team taking on Alliston Junior Roller Derby starting at 2 p.m., followed by the PARD regulation team facing off in a WFTDA-sanctioned bout against Alliston’s Renegade Derby Dames at 4 p.m.

The bouts take place at the Douro Community Centre on Highway 28. Prizes will be up for grabs during the half-time “Chuck-a-Duck” fundraiser. Tickets are $15 at the door, and kids aged 12 and under are free. You can save $5 by purchasing an advance ticket here.

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Christian pop-punk unplugged at the former Montreal House

It’s been twenty years since Hawk Nelson released its first album, kicking off a career that would include Juno and Grammy nominations for the Christian pop-punk band from Peterborough.

Now lead singer Jason Dunn is living in Peterborough again, and he’s celebrating the 20th anniversary of that first album with a solo, unplugged show at the historic Montreal House at the corner of Aylmer and King.

The Montreal House has a long and storied history as a music venue, and it’s slated for demolition to make way for a new development by Ashburnham Realty. “This could very well be the last show there ever,” Dunn said. “And there have been some really monumental acts come through.”

Dunn quit Hawk Nelson in 2012. But he still remembers penning the lyrics to that first album when he was nineteen years old and working as a toll booth operator at the Peterborough hospital. The lyrics he wrote back then drew criticism for the way one line appeared to compare same-sex marriage with murder.

“I took a lot of heat for that,” Dunn said. “I’m not trying to defend myself, because it really wasn’t what I was trying to say. But again, I was nineteen years old, and I would just be scribbling hundreds of lyrics down in a day, trying to get these songs written. Had I written that song today, it would have been a lot better.”

Dunn’s show is on July 13 starting at 8:00 p.m. “It’s gonna be an opportunity for people to come and sing their hearts out together,” he said. Tickets here.

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