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Providence Bay
Alexia Hannigan

Alexia here with your friendly June Fly! I know I am not alone when I say I have replaced all grooming and aesthetic protocol this Summer in the interest of repelling black flies and mosquitoes. If you happen upon any Islanders tackling landscaping, gardening or any other outdoor endeavours, be forewarned.  They will be covered in soot, mud, leaves, with bleeding bites and scratches on their faces, necks, legs and arms, fanning and flailing rhubarb leaves and cedar shoots around for dear life, disgruntled, dishevelled, yelling profanities and making strange noises. It is not the Zombie Apocalypse, but merely one of the worst bug seasons on record. The black flies and mosquitoes this season are at the next level of Hell- in a head net.   The flood waters levelled and relocated many animals and nesting grounds, causing more animals and critters to move. The waters also created prime conditions for mosquito and black fly egg-laying, so come prepared: layer up and spray yourself down. Get the Calamine, Ozonol, Hydrocortisone, Aloe or the DIY varieties of natural remedies- you will need them! Booooooo to the bugs. It doesn’t all bite! This is the time to witness all the wonders of the natural world coming back to life: turtles, goslings, fledglings, butterflies, bumblebees, and beautiful budding trees. And oh, the sweet aromas that fill the air from the cherry, apple blossom and lilac trees in bloom! What a sensational time it is to be (eaten) alive and to be visiting Manitoulin Island—home of the great Spirit! It is a time of new life, of renewal, of Indigenous cultural celebrations and ceremony- enjoy this beautiful part of your journey and hold sacred the wonderful gifts and people that are sure to cross your path while you are here. 

Here’s what’s happening:

Prov Bay Arena and Fairgrounds:

Bluegrass in the Country at the Prov Bay Lone Pine Stage:

June 12-14, 2026! Tickets can be purchased locally or on our website. Visit www.bluegrassinthecountry.net

Providence Bay Fairgrounds Little Kickers Summer Soccer Program: Get ready to bring that World Cup energy to the fairgrounds field this summer! Our summer sessions are officially open for registration. With the World Cup spirit in the air, spots are expected to move fast. Don’t get left on the sidelines—secure your place today! We know summer is busy, so we’ve made sure there’s a time and place for everyone: Weekend intensives are perfect for diving deep into play and training. Visit www.littlekickers.ca/ for more information. 

Agricultural Society and Fair: The 2026 “Carnival Lights and Musical Nights” Providence Bay Fair is scheduled for August 21-23 and will be epic as always. Be sure to follow the Providence Bay Facebook page or visit providencebayfair.ca. 

Providence Bay Community of Christ Church: Joys and community updates, Sundays at 10:30 am. Service at 11 am.

Providence Bay Hall:

Spring Exercise Class: Exercise classes continue at the Prov Bay Hall on Fridays from 9to 10 am. 

Pickelball Classes: Manitoulin Pickelball Club has booked Every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8 pm for organized play at the outdoor courts behind the Mindemoya Ball fields (Weather Permitting). Non-members are encouraged to drop by and see what the game is about. Introductory sessions are provided to new players. We recommend wearing running shoes and comfortable clothing. For information contact George Ballantyne 705 677-4732.

On Thursday, June 11 from 2 to 4 pm at the Providence Bay Hall, Phyllis Cacciotti is joining us to discuss teach us about bird identification and songs. To register for this session, please email Alison at [email protected]. 

Central Manitoulin Seniors Drop-In: Join us every other Thursday from 1 to 3 pm April 30 to June 25 in the Council Chambers. A welcoming space to enjoy games, coffee, conversation and community. For more information contact Alison at 705-377-5726.

Manitoulin Yoga: Classes will be starting on Tuesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 10. This session will run until Tuesday, August 25 and Wednesday, August 26. Registration is required to attend. For more information or to register, please email Alison at [email protected]. All skill levels are welcome.

Providence Bay Beach is an amazing 2 km sand beach on the Lake Huron coast that is open to the public. Enjoy the beautiful beaches, boardwalk and epic sunrises, moonrises and sunsets. Please keep our beaches, boardwalks and waterways clean- please throw your garbage and recycling in proper bins to help keep the beaches and lakes kid-safe and pet-friendly! 

The much-anticipated 1st Annual Mindemoya River Duck Derby is almost here! July 1 is going to be one for the books! Join us in Providence Bay on the Mindemoya River for a packed day of fun, friendly competition and community spirit. Enjoy the outrageous duck decorating contest, the corrugated boat race, a rubber duck race, a duck derby, a food drive benefitting Manitoulin Family Resources and a Canada Day Celebrations competition to decorate your yard with ducks. The excitement kicks off at 11 am—what a way to launch the Summer! 

The Horses: Check the Manitoulin Horse Enthusiasts Club Facebook page for updates and events. The Providence Bay Horse Ring is to be used by permission only. 

Turtles birds and other critters are nesting all over the side Roads right now so please watch closely and slow down while driving around lakes and wetlands. If you see an injured Turtle contact Turtle Pond at 705 691-0433 or visit Friends of Manitoulin Turtles online. Please visit their Facebook page or their website at turtlepondwc.com. For wildlife emergencies or guidance text 705 691-0433

Happy Birthday to all of you early to mid-June babies!  Happy nuptials if you’re getting hitched, happy Spring training to all of you amazing baseball club players, coaches and fans and happy graduation celebration Month to all! Happy Pride and Happy Indigenous History Month! 

Welcome friends, neighbours and visitors, old and new. Take care of this beautiful land and legacy! 

Visit the Central Manitoulin Township webpage at centralmanitoulin.ca or visit exploremanitoulin.com for updates on all the events happening near you. 

Notable June Dates and Events: June 12-14: Bluegrass in the Country Lone Pine Stage Providence Bay; June 13: Comicon Little Current (NEMI) Rec Centre, 10 am-3pm; June 13: MICA North Channel Bike Park Opening Day 11am-3pm; June 13: Manitoulin Streams Jackets and Jeans fundraiser dinner, AOK Doors 6 pm dinner at 7 pm; June 15: Pride Manitoulin  1K/5K colour ride, walk, wheel race on Meredith Street in Little Current; June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day and June is Indigenous Peoples History Month. Island-wide events; June 21: Summer Solstice-First Day of Summer!; June 19-21: Pearson Cup Softball Tourney; June 25-28:  Mindemoya Youth Softball Tourney (Central Manitoulin Complex Grounds); June 26-27:  South Shore Volunteer Firefighter and First Responder Youth and Adult Salmon Fishing Derby in support of the TFD; July 1: Canada Day celebrations Island-wide, the great Providence Bay Duck Derby and race!

Kagawong
Team Fergmeijer

Spring has finally arrived in Billings Township and we are cautiously optimistic for the rest of June after several consecutive days in which the weather forecast appears to be making a genuine effort. Conditions remain favourable for gardening, porch sitting, and explaining to visitors that “it’s usually not this windy.” (It makes a nice change from constantly saying, “Quite a bit of snow, eh?”) Most notably, the arrival of the warmer weather has seen Islanders engaging in the ancient ritual of driving around to see whose dock survived the winter. Of course, experienced Islanders know not to truly put the snow shovels away until at least Father’s Day. 

The big news in Billings is the change over from post office boxes to community boxes. With Michael’s retirement, Canada Post is moving everyone in the township to new community boxes (those who already have home delivery should be keeping that service - but don’t quote us on that). For a short time during the transition, residents who would normally get their mail at the post office in Kagawong will need to drive to Gore Bay to get their mail. You should have received a notice with all the specifics in the mail last week. 

Kane you believe how fantastic the hockey exhibit at the Old Mill Heritage Centre is? That’s right, unlike the Maple Leafs, the museum is still going strong in June! People have been Rushin to check out the exhibit. If you haven’t been yet, it’s worth taking a shot at - the museum is now open 7 days a week. We Bet-tman you’ll love it!  

Seniors can get valuable financial, legal, and safety information at Manitoulin Legal Clinic’s Wise Futures: Sharing Safety, Estates, and Financial Knowledge, an all-day community event held at the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre on Thursday, June 18th. Learn from experts on elder safety, estates and financial planning, advocacy supports, and community resources, visit information booths, be entered for door prizes and give-aways, and enjoy breakfast and snacks as well! Register by phone: 705-368-3333 or email: [email protected] 

Thinking of burning brush as you tidy up your yard? Don’t forget that burn permits are required in Billings! Stop by the township office to get your free permit, which is valid for one week. Burn permits are not required for a small bonfire.

Upcoming Seniors Active Living events at the Park Centre: Yoga, Mondays at 9 am; indoor walking, Tuesdays at 2 pm; Yoga with Sam, Wednesdays at 11 am; and Fitness with Kelly, Thursdays at 9 am. Contact Mary at 705 348-2285 for more information on any of the SAL activities.

Tennis, anyone? The Manitoulin Tennis Club is back to meeting Sunday mornings at 10 am at the Manitoulin Secondary School courts. Players of all abilities are welcome, with lessons available in the near future.

Never run out of summer reads! Stock up at the Billings Library used book sale Saturday, July 25. Thousands of books will be available at the red-roofed pavilion (or the Pickledome if it has the nerve to rain on our parade). And that’s not all: August 8th, it’s BYOF (bring your own floatie) at the library’s annual beach movie. 

Happy birthday to Mary N who is turning 29 this week! We aren’t saying this necessarily applies to Mary, but in general, you do hit a certain age where you tend to go from ‘I probably shouldn’t say that’ to ‘what the heck, let’s see what happens.’

Save the date! The annual History Day in Kagawong will be August 13th. We’ll roll out more info as we get closer to the date.

In science news, scientists have grown human vocal cords in a petri dish. The results speak for themselves. Have a great week!

Barrie Island
Enid Runalls

June is a beautiful month here on Barrie Island--a chorus of birds greets the rising sun very early every morning beginning (around 4:30 am) so there is no need to set your alarm clock!

With the cow/calf pairs out on the pasture, the farmers have finished seeding the land and need some rain for the hay crop.

Shout out to the Gordon/Barrie Island roads crew who have been out to grade and prepare the Barrie Island roads for the summer season. It will be much appreciated by drivers and residents alike to keep that dust down.

Richard Runnalls has returned to his garden to check on its progress and relax for a few days and visit with his neighbours and cousins on Julia Bay.

Sandy and Jim Miller along with Carolyn Lane-Rock and Oliver Runnalls put their garden in at Grandview Farms. Micah prepared the small plot by running the cultivator over it a few times last month. Reece and Cameron decided to grow corn for the first time in years. It’s a group effort and they may recruit the help of Pickle the dog and Melody the horse to keep the raccoons away.

Meanwhile Enid and Scott are planting in their raised bed vegetable garden and hoping for a good growing season.

Congratulations to Great Grandmother Edna Runnalls Robbins Wright of the St Josephs Lodge on the arrival of Simon Montgomery Allas, a second son for Mikayla and Jon Allas of Ajax and also 4th grandson of Kevin and Lisa Robbins of Gore Bay. 

Enid has just returned from a road trip to southern Ontario, visiting with school friends in Waterloo Ian and Christine Brunt. Christine and Enid took in a musical (‘Something Rotten’) in Stratford and dined with Michele Litster (formerly of Nameless Lake). Then over in Ajax, Enid and Lisa Robbins met up and presented art workshops to over 100 participants on ‘mindful watercolour exploration’ at the ‘Her Health’ Event for the Milestone Churches. While there Enid and Lisa stayed in Uxbridge at the home of Lisa’s eldest daughter Shannon and Evan Ding and their sons, Bowie and Teddy. Lisa has been down there for a month to help out with the newest family member and his big brother Frankie Allas!

Birthday wishes go out to Oliver Runnalls who is celebrating his 91st on June 8. 

Meldrum Bay
Elaine Bradley

Friday morning, Rose, Pat and I drove into Gore Bay to attend Almaz’s coffee get-together. We had a great time, as we always do. We did a bit of shopping and then returned home.

That night at cards, the hydro had taken out the water system, so we brought water in and used paper plates and cups. We did not suffer at all. It was great. Eleven people attended, and we had two full tables and one three-handed table. Shirley came by to visit with us half-way through, which we enjoyed.

High man was Natasha McVey with 75 points. High lady was Brenda Carter with 70 points. Most euchres went to Doug Carter with nine. Most lone hands for the women went to Karen Noble with five, and she also took home the juice. Lisa Townsend had most lone hands for the men with four. Lisa also won the 50/50 draw. Judy McVey won the door prize. 

Tuesday was Kits and Quilts at the hall. There were a lot of people there, working industriously. I helped in one group to bag the toiletry items, and another group was stringing bags that had been sewn up previously. Two quilts were in progress. I would estimate 15 people were there. We put together close to 400 bags which we packed into large clear garbage bags. One of our ladies is going south for a few days and she is bringing that whole load down with her. The need is huge. The fact that the need is there, is sobering. We all are so glad to do our part.

Thursday was UCW in Silver Water. Three ladies went down in Peggy’s car. Peggy was mentioning that a doe had her brand new fawn in her yard. It was so tiny. We all enjoyed hearing about it. But I was a bit envious as I have not seen a fawn yet. At UCW the Canada Day parade was being planned. The talk was mainly about preparing the float and volunteering to make pies. Plans were made concerning the fishpond and kids games. They assured me that my favourite part, the sausages on a bun will be featured this year as well. It’s not being held on Canada Day, but on Saturday June 2h. Last year was really nice, I’m looking forward to this year’s event.

The lady’s slippers are out. Their bright yellow flowers on the side of the road are so cheerful. The strawberries are full of flowers. I wonder if I’ll beat the chipmunks to them. Last year the chipmunks won.

Have a great week everyone!