Irish blessings

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For the past year the Asphodel Norwood Cultural and Heritage Committee have been celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the 1825 Peter Robinson emigration. In May of 1825 nine ships left Cobh Ireland carrying 2,024 Irish immigrants, headed towards a new life in Upper Canada. Under Robinson’s leadership they were settled across the district, of the over 400 family groups on board the ships, 32 would come to call Asphodel (Norwood) home.

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The Heritage Committee celebrations started off in March with a ceremonial flag raising at the Norwood Town Hall. The group organized three historical talks relating to the Irish settlers experiences in the “new world”. A special research weekend was held at the Heritage Centre in Westwood allowing guests to find out more about the families and potential relatives. Maps were prepared and provided to anyone interested for a self-driving tour of the township highlighting the locations of the original farms belonging to the 32 settlers. In June they hosted a Homecoming Picnic at the Westwood Park with food, live entertainment and a special tree planting and dedication plus a sunrise service held at Hiawatha. The committee brought their Peter Robinson Emigration bicentenary celebrations to a close on November 18 with a fantastic Irish Ceilidh held at the Norwood Town Hall.

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In its basic form a Ceildh is social gathering, a community party with food, entertainment and usually a little imbibing. While the Lion’s Club were kind enough to look after their bar for anyone wishing to imbibe, the historical committee pulled out all the stops to deliver an entertaining and enjoyable evening. Following the welcome greetings, the evening kicked off with a unique limerick and blessing delivered by the incomparable Linda Cardwell; the Norwood Lion’s Club had the sold out crowd in stitches with their original tongue in cheek version of the Irish Rover’s famous song “Wasn’t that a Party”. This traditional Irish shindig featured (in true Irish style, I might add) a fine buffet of finger foods and of course cake. As alluded to earlier, no Irish party would be complete without music and the committee organized an excellent array of modern songs by well-known local entertainer Kevin Hornsby (who was also the MC for the evening) followed by Hunt the Hare, a locally based modern Celtic group, who performed earlier this year at the Peterborough Irish Club Gala held at the Peterborough Canoe Museum. The Town Hall exhibited a hue of “40 shades of green” from the various Irish themed decorations that included a collection of individually handcrafted centerpieces. Inspired by the fairy houses of Irish folklore the naturally sourced displays were the creation of Norwood Horticultural members Linda Birch and Linda Gordon, (with some help from some of their other members). As an added bonus one lucky guest from each table got to take a centerpiece home with them.

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The Asphodel-Norwood Cultural & Heritage Committee extends sincere appreciation to everyone who played a role in making this year’s Asphodel-Norwood’s Peter Robinson Bicentennial Celebrations a resounding success. With Gratitude to their supporters:

The Township of Asphodel-Norwood – Mayor, Council and Staff, Federal Grant: Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program – Community Anniversaries, Nine Ships 1825

Inc., St. Paulʼs Roman Catholic Church, St. Paulʼs Cemetery, Asphodel-Norwood Public Library, Norwood & District Horticultural Society, Norwood Lions Club, Kawartha Ancestral Research Association Peterborough, Canadian Irish Club Business Advisory Committee, Asphodel-Norwood Fire & Rescue, Linlor Farm Pure Maple Products, Hiawatha First Nation – Sunrise Service, Megan Hawthorne, Peterborough Weavers & Spinners Guild, St. Andrews United Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church: Hastings and Lang Pioneer Village.

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Thanks to their guest speakers: Elwood Jones, Dennis Carter Edwards, Betty Bennett, Nick van der Graf, Linda Cardwell, Cheryl Levy, Mary English Cooper, Jeff Dornan, Paula Warr and Suzi Stanley.

Thanks are also extended to the many entertainers who helped with the celebrations including: Kevin Hornsby, Hunt the Hare, Angellica Ottewill, lrish Millie, Keene Country, Jacqueline Doyle, John Foreman, The Norwood Lions and a special thanks to the Sound Technician Alan Lunn.

Thank you to Jenny Lyons and her staff for her culinary expertise and catering services

A special mention of thanks to NDHS Student Volunteers: Hannah McLean and Destiny Maddison for their enthusiasm and willingness to help with the celebrations

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The Cultural & Heritage Committee also deserve a thank you for their dedication in preserving and sharing the history of Asphodel Norwood, the committee is made up of seven members: Brenda Bullock, Suzi Stanley, Jeff Dornan, Laurie McQuaig, Julie Maddison-McLean, Marion Stockdale and Councillor Paula Warr.

Most importantly, however we honour and recognize the 32 Irish families who courageously settled in our Township in 1825 – may their stories live on!

Asphodel Norwood Santa Claus Parade

Norwood Legion Branch 300 will present Asphodel Norwood’s Santa Claus Parade on Saturday November 29 beginning at 7 p.m. This year’s theme is “A Small Town Christmas”. The parade route will leave from Alma Street head down to Flora Street before turning on to Queen St. It will follow Queen all the way up to Cedar St. then turn onto King St. following it to Elm St. before turning into the Norwood Fair Grounds. Members of the Asphodel Norwood Firefighters will be waiting at the fair grounds to dazzle spectators with their always highly anticipated fireworks display, while Santa takes a few minutes to tend to his reindeer before making his way to the Legion to greet all the boys and girls (and give out goodie bags of course). The Legion will have the hot chocolate on to help alleviate any chill in the air.

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Night Market

Asphodel Norwood’s popular Night Market returns this year on Saturday, November 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. held both inside and outside the Norwood Town Hall. For anyone wondering the market is actually happening a little earlier in the season so it will align with the Santa Clause Parade happening the same evening. While in town for the parade, fireworks and a visit with Santa you can enjoy some festive holiday shopping and some tasty treats, highlights include a

multitude of vendors, extended hours for many local businesses plus the Asphodel Norwood Library will have a variety of activities for the children in their “Kids Zone”.

Church Bazaar

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 19 Flora St. Norwood will host their annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a limited supply of their famous shortbread available (Shortbread pre-orders can also be picked up the same day). Vendors will include Ten Thousand Villages, homemade quilts, a jumble table and more. There will be a few raffle prizes and of course a traditional delectable lunch served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring homemade soups, sandwiches and dessert all for only $8. There is no cost to visit the bazaar itself. This is the last Christmas bazaar of the season in the area, don’t miss out!

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