“The whole idea of this festival is it’s not just for people who already use yarn,” said organizer Miranda Holmes.

She runs String Theory Yarn Shop on St. Andrew Street West in Fergus and started the festival three years ago as people were emerging from pandemic-related restrictions.

She recalls worrying about how it would go, as it was the first year public gatherings were allowed without restrictions.��

But her fears were eased when the festival went ahead as planned. “It was really great,” she said.

This year’s festival, which takes place May 25 from 9:30am to 4:30pm, promises to be even better.

The free rain-or-shine event boasts more than 50 vendors, which will display their wares in booths along St. Andrew Street. The street will be closed to vehicles between St. David and Tower streets for the day.

Holmes said people can expect to see a variety of indie yarn dyers, such as Fergus Yarn Co., selling their hand-dyed yarns, and a variety of vendors selling supplies and tools for various fibre arts. ��

But a number of vendors will also offer finished items, such as socks, dryer balls, handmade throws, pillows and more.

Holmes also emphasized the “educational component” to the festival.��

There will be multiple fibre-related demonstrations and exhibits, including a few animal exhibits.

“We’ve had alpacas every year,” Holmes said, noting Harmony Meadows will be bringing the animals to the event again this year.��

There will also be some lambs and at least one angora rabbit, she said.��

Holmes had hoped to be able to feature a sheep-shearing demonstration, but unfortunately, there were no shearers available.

“This is prime shearing season, so everyone’s booked,” Holmes said.

Despite that, there will be a “sheep to shawl” demonstration, showing the process of taking a clean fleece and turning it into spun yarn that will then be woven on site.

“By the end of the day, we’ll have a shawl to raffle,” said Holmes.

There will also be a flax demo, “showing how flax goes from a plant into linen,” a bobbin lace-making demo, and Riverside Rug Hooking will have an exhibit showing its creative rug-making process.

And though it’s not fibre-related, festival-goers can expect to hear the sounds of the Fergus Pipe Band, which Holmes said is invited each year to create a sense of connection to the town’s heritage.

“We invite the pipe band, because well, it’s Fergus, and because you get such an air of festivity,” Holmes said.

Last year’s festival attracted approximately 5,000 people from all over the province, she said, noting the influx of people likely benefits surrounding businesses.

Holmes said parking is available in public parking lots, but arrangements have also been made to use the parking lot at A.O. Smith on Hill Street, where there will be a shuttle bus available to take people to the festival.

Part of the benefit of hosting the festival on the closed street downtown “is it helps attract customers to all these other stores,” Holmes said.

Lots of people come because it’s an excuse to visit a picturesque town, and some may even hit the festival and then venture to nearby Elora to check it out, too, Holmes said.

“If you make a day of it, it’s nice,” she said.

The post Spinners, weavers and yarn galore at Fergus Fibre Fest appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

Competitors took their places in a circle of easels in the middle of the school’s gymnasium, and were given 20-minutes to paint whatever they wanted – without using a reference photo, or going a second overtime.

Attendees voted for their two favourites of the 24 paintings created by the students from CWDHS, John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute, College Heights Secondary School and Westside Secondary School.

Each of the paintings created during the battle was available for auction, and 26 were sold, raising a total of $532.�� Half was donated to the Centre Wellington Foodbank, and the other half went to battle winner and CWDHS student Bella Freil.��

Six other artists made it to the final round: Kate Adema, Maddison Muir, Anna Main and Ava Noorlander from CWDHS; and Paige Bannon and Jasper Sampson from John F. Ross.��

The Centre Wellington students are no strangers to speed painting – there’s a club at the school called Battle of the Brushes that meets weekly to practice creating 20-minute paintings.�� ��

College Heights

Carissa Deering is part of the art club at College Heights – that’s where she found out about the Live Art Battle.

“Speed painting isn’t my thing,” they said, but they wanted to give it a chance to push their limits, and would likely participate again.

Deering does lots of painting and sketching in her free time, she said.

But when it came time to start painting during the competition, their mind went blank.

So she improvised on the spot and painted something she knew she’d be able to finish quickly – an image of a young woman with a dramatic dark slash of paint across her eyes.

John F. Ross

John F. Ross student Jasper Sampson heard about the Live Art Battle from his friend at CWDHS, Kate Adema, as well as his art teacher.��

He decided to sign up “to have some fun,” check out the competition’s “vibe,” and see what the other artists created.��

He described his peers’ work as “super epic,” and was impressed by their level of talent.

He was particularly impressed by the students who used acrylic paints during the competition, noting he chose water colour because it’s the fastest medium.��

For Sampson, competing in the Live Art Battle was “stressful but fun” and he would definitely sign up to do it again. ��

Westside

Nakhai Letts is a Grade 11 student at Westside Secondary School in Orangeville.��

Letts said before the competition he hadn’t painted for a long time, but he signed up because he thought it would be fun.

When Letts paints, he paints his emotions, and during the battle he was feeling nervous but enjoying the process, he told the Advertiser.��

The outside of his painting depicts his nervousness, while the blue on the inside reflects his enjoyment.��

Letts said he would have��preferred painting with spray paint, but that wasn’t on the list of approved materials.��

Letts’ little brother and mom came to Fergus with him for the battle.��

Centre Wellington

The battle winner Bella Friel from CWDHS also had her three-year old brother with her at the Live Art Battle.��

During the first round she painted a snowy owl – which she chose because she loves all animals, especially birds of prey, she told the Advertiser.��

She said she’s painted owls before, so she felt comfortable doing so without a reference.��

In the second round Friel painted a side-profile of a face with long wavy black hair.

Friel said she’s enthusiastic about art and has drawn for her entire life.

She hopes to spend her life persuing her artistic passions, and will be studying design at Conestoga College next year.��

And at CWDHS, Live Art Battle organizers and art teachers Bobbi Bentham Reynolds and Jen Main have hopes the battle will become an annual event.��

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May is Sexual Violence Prevention Month and sexual assault centres across Canada are hosting events to raise awareness about rising rates of sexual violence and to voice support for survivors.��

In Ontario, there has been an 18 per cent increase in reported sexual assaults every year since 2016 – a huge increase given that just 6% of all sexual assaults in Canada are reported to police.��

Calls to the Women in Crisis 24/7 Crisis Line increased 22.5% between 2022 and 2023, officials state.

The Guelph event, Celebrations of�� Survivor-ship, will feature an exhibit of local survivor art, poetry readings, gentle yoga sessions and a reading from Rachel Suhonos’ new memoir The Bees, as well as information tables and activities with local organizations that support people who have experienced sexual violence.

Head to the red pavilion or look for event signage when you get to Riverside Park.

The venue is accessible.��

To learn more follow @gwwic on social media or visit .

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This year marks Harrison’s milestone with the Sweet Adelines International, a global music organization of women singers focused on the musical art form of barbershop harmony.

Her melodious journey began with the Mapletone Chorus in Listowel, where her passion and confidence flourished.

“I was not a performer,” said Harrison.

Her love for singing eventually surpassed her nerves and, after a gentle push from friends in the chorus, she decided to give it a try.

Eventually the Mapletones disbanded, and she transitioned to the Kitchener Waterloo Sweet Adelines, Grand Harmony Women’s Chorus.

“It is wonderful to think I’ve belonged to that organization for that many years,” Harrison told the Community News.

“It’s just such an honour.”

She performed as a tenor, lead and in bass sections, but drew the line at singing baritone.

“The music has changed so much through the years, it’s been a real learning curve musically,” said Harrison.

She also competed at the Sweet Adeline’s International competition in the states, and won first place with her chorus.��

Through the decades she was an inspiration to many members in the chorus, as she was more than a singer, she was a mentor.

“A lover of music, she knows the words to just about every song up to the 90s,” said Harriston native Judy Tuck. “She is a very kind and compassionate person.”

Harrison has always been a firm believer in barbershop style music and wanted the group exposed to high quality music, stated Tuck.

She adored singing at nursing homes, and watching the music lift others as it does herself.

“I have so much to be thankful for, and so many people to thank,” said Harrison.

Four years ago, she retired from the chorus, but her impact of uniting women in harmony and friendship remains.

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Now in its third year, the self-guided tour provided art lovers an opportunity to enjoy beauty inside and outside of the studios.

Marquetry artist Stephen Haig works strictly with wood. The process dates back thousands of years and requires exacting skill. Haig creates designs using several different sheets of thin wood.��

The grounds around Haig’s Imagine Studio and Gallery in Elora are bright and inviting, and inside, Haig is happy to show guests, like Jancinthe Andette his artistic process.

Andette, who lives in Brampton, said she always comes to the Elora Fergus Studio Tour in the fall. When she heard about the spring tour, she wanted to bring her daughter Stephanie Toms to celebrate Mother’s Day.

“I love coming here. There are so many artists in one location, it’s phenomenal,” Andette said.��

“It’s a small show, compared to the fall show,” Haig said. “But it’s important to get things out, to get them shown.”��

Creativity inside and out – The Elora Fergus Spring Open Studios self-guided tour brought locals and visitors out to artist studios on Mother’s Day weekend. Marquetry artist Stephen Haig’s Imagine Studio and Gallery was a popular location. Photos by Lorie Black

Haig and 10 other artists on the spring tour are also part of the fall tour, said artist Grayce Perry, who helps organize the spring show.��

“We are not associated with the fall show. But we are all from it. There’s a certain calibre of artists, but we don’t have to jury them in,” said Perry.

She works in mixed media, painting and sculpture. For her Gateway Series, she starts with Japanese paper.

“I will probably always continue doing this series. It’s the idea that we all have wounds,” she said.

“So, I prepare the paper ahead of time and then cut it out with an Exacto knife, and then burn holes in the paper. Then I repair it with gold. The idea is that all our wounds are gateways for our true strength and beauty.”

Marquetry – Sea turtle marquetry piece by Stephen Haig. Photo by Lorie Black

Perry invited fellow artist, silversmith Laurie Stevenson Bullock of TruForm Jewelry Design in Belwood to show her work in Perry’s home studio.

Bullock works free form; nothing is created from molds. She often uses elements like torch-fired enamel, gold, copper and sterling, and repurposed items like pewter trays, in her work.��

She has a tribal series with “animals like sea turtles, owls, coyotes and bears. Everybody seems to like the bears,” Bullock said. ��

“It’s been really steady today. People come in and see your work, and chat about your work. How fabulous is that?”

The post Elora Fergus Spring Open Studios: beauty inside and out appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.