Author: Gordon Gibb

Our congratulations to Pathway of Fame Inductee Drew Hayden Taylor (Class of 2018). The Curve Lake First Nation author and playwright took home a Canadian Screen Award earlier this week for the documentary “The Pretendians.”

The CBC feature, hosted by Hayden Taylor, received the prestigious Donald Brittain award for best social/political documentary program.

The documentary was partly filmed in Taylor’s home community of Curve Lake First Nation, and explores the appropriation of Indigenous identity and culture by non-Indigenous people.

It first aired last September on CBC-TV’s “The Passionate Eye.”

Taylor was also nominated for best writing for “The Pretendians,” as well as best host for the APTN documentary series “Going Native.”

The hardware was handed out in Toronto on Tuesday, April 11th.

The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District would like to take this opportunity to thank DAVID GOYETTE for his recent donation towards furthering the work of The Pathway.  An inductee to The Pathway of Fame (Class of 2021) and for a time, a member of our Facilitating Committee and invaluable with his expertise (as well as financially) towards our successful 25^th anniversary concert at Showplace, David has kindly extended what we can characterize as a generous donation towards the ongoing efforts of The Pathway of Fame.

Given that The Pathway operates without any source of stable funding beyond donations, advertising revenue from our annual ‘Footprints of Life’ magazine, and other sponsor support – such unexpected gifts from the community are welcome.

It has, and remains our fundamental priority to honour the tireless efforts of local citizens in the arts and humanities based on nominations provided by the community at large – nominees who are selected by a citizen’s committee operating independently of the Pathway Fame, ensuring that both the nomination and selection process is truly representative of the community.

The Pathway takes care of the rest. We arrange for customized engraved granite markers, produce and publish ‘Footprints of Life,’ the glossy magazine that serves as the official publication of The Pathway, and a welcome keepsake for inductees and their families. Together with Showplace – our hosts – we stage a suitably grand induction ceremony along with the presentation of framed certificates, for which we also arrange.

Thanks to our major sponsors https://ptbopathwayoffame.ca/sponsors/, we have managed to maintain this important community asset, and remain duly proud of what it represents – the capacity to recognize deserving citizens in a lasting, public setting. But there have been times when we’ve carried on, with the cupboard almost bare.

Thus, we are so grateful for donors such as David Goyette in stepping forward  – as have others previously  – helping us with the ongoing work of The Pathway.

Anyone wishing to make a donation, or perhaps even a bequest to further the work of the Pathway, are invited to contact us.

We thank you.    

The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District is once again seeking nominations from the community for this year’s class of inductees to The Pathway. Deadline is April 30th.

It is no secret that our community benefits greatly from a wealth of volunteerism, performance, literary pearls and other individual efforts which combine to create the rich heritage enjoyed by this community in the arts and humanities. The Pathway of Fame was created in 1997 to honour those who have given of themselves so selflessly for a period of years, or a lifetime.

Nominations can be made for deserving individuals in any one of the following categories: Visual Arts, Dramatic Arts, Literary, Entertainment / Musical, Cultural Betterment, Community Samaritan, Community Builder, or Media. A one-page nomination form is available to download as a pdf from the Pathway of Fame website at the following link: https://ptbopathwayoffame.ca/nominees/ or as a hard copy from Package Plus on Rink Street. There is a cost of $10 per nomination.

The Pathway also encourages groups and organizations to consider nominating a deserving individual in any of the available categories.

While nominations can be made throughout the year, the annual deadline for nominations is historically April 30th, in order to provide ample time for The Pathway to process, and vet the various nominations received.

It is also important to note The Pathway of Fame is not directly involved, in any way, with the decision-making process as to whom is selected for induction. Nominations come from the community at large, and are then vetted by a citizen’s committee appointed each year to review the nominations, and recommend nominees for induction. In this way, The Pathway of Fame is merely the facilitator: nominations are made, and inductees selected by the community, for the community. Historically, The Pathway has consistently followed the recommendations of the citizen-led Nominations Committee.

Successful inductees are honoured each September with an event hosted at Showplace Performance Center, with names engraved onto individual granite markers permanently installed along the Pathway of Fame at Del Crary Park.

The Pathway of Fame is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization comprised of community volunteers. We honoured our first Class of Inductees in 1998.

The Pathway thanks NEXICOM, the official internet provider and site host for The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District. This year, Nexicom is celebrating its 125th year.

Our congratulations to Peterborough historian, genealogist and Pathway of Fame inductee Rosemary McConkey on the release of her new book Green Routes, a focus on the Peter Robinson settlers, and their descendants.

McConkey commenced work on the book in 2017, writing the manuscript in long hand, with the goal of having it ready for publishing by 2023.

And Rosemary met her deadline.

“I wanted to put something out before the public in our area, two years before the bicentenary for the Robinson immigration of 1825,” McConkey said, in comments to The Peterborough Examiner. “That would bring back historical interest of this important immigration.”

In writing  the book, our Class of 2020 inductee wanted to ensure the story engaged readers, as opposed to droning on akin to a historical research paper.

“I think history has to have a face,” she told Peterborough’s oldest newspaper. “So, I’ve given an historical perspective, and literary perspective as well.”

Green Routes was published in association with the Trent Valley Archives.

Congratulations to Rosemary McConkey – author, historian, and Pathway of Fame inductee!

For 25 years the Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District has been focused on celebrating the previous, and in many cases ongoing efforts of those who have devoted a lifetime to volunteerism.

Going forward, it is our intent to explore the recognition of young people who are just embarking on such a path.

To that end, we acknowledge the contributions of young people who are already actively giving of their time and talents towards the benefit of others. And we would like to recognize and encourage those efforts through a new category: ‘Youth Ambassador.’

As an ongoing legacy, we intend to spend the next year seeking guidance and partnerships with various stakeholders to help identify criteria, facilitate nominations, and achieve the ultimate goal of recognizing a Youth Ambassador as part of our annual Induction – and as a part of our legacy going forward, for the next 25 years for the Peterborough and District Pathway of Fame.

It is our ultimate hope that this initiative, providing all goes well in establishing its genesis and structure, will not only put the spotlight on adolescents already on the track to a lifetime of volunteerism, but will serve the dual purpose of encouraging young people to consider the value, and rewards of volunteerism.

Please check back with us for additional details and progress throughout the year.

The Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District is pleased to welcome three new members to our Leadership Team, effective immediately.

Stephanie Bolender was Founding 1st Vice-Chair of The Pathway of Fame at its inception in 1997-1998, and served as assistant to fellow Director Barb Bell. Stephanie remained active with the Pathway Facilitating Committee until Bell’s death in 2008. Listeners to Trent Radio 92.7 may remember Stephanie as long-running co-host of a popular weekend country music program.

Jim Ross has volunteered at Showplace for the Pathway of Fame annual induction ceremony over the past four years. A fraternal associate of our Chair, Mr. Ross is a Past Master the Masonic Lodge locally. Since retiring from Fed-Ex, Jim and his wife are busy remodeling their new home on Baseline Line Road.

Tom Watt is retired, and continues to serve as Councillor at Large for the municipality of Douro-Dummer. Mr. Watt is eager to begin his tenure on our Facilitating Committee in this, the 25th year of the Pathway of Fame, Peterborough and District.

With the Christmas Season now here, The Pathway of Fame of Peterborough and District is asking the community to consider nominating someone deserving of recognition to The Pathway as a gesture of goodwill befitting the season.

While the call for nominations is heightened in the spring (admittedly we reference an April 30^th deadline for submissions to be considered for the current calendar year), nominations can be submitted at any time throughout the year. As we are now in the season known for generosity and goodwill, recognizing an individual, or individuals who have had a lasting, and positive impact on the community would translate to a unique gift, at this time of giving.

The Pathway also encourages groups and organizations to consider nominating a deserving individual in any of the available categories:  Visual Arts, Dramatic Arts, Literary, Entertainment / Musical, Cultural Betterment, Community Samaritan, Community Builder, or Media.

A one-page nomination form can be downloaded as a pdf from https://ptbopathwayoffame.ca/nominees/. The Pathway of Fame is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2022.