With that in mind, you never know what to expect when they ask a bunch of “seniors” to get on stage and strut their stuff. Senior Star is a talent competition open to anyone 65 years and older and a Canadian resident. Contestants get five minutes on-stage to sing a song, play an instrument, or do both. (Not to mention throwing in a little dancing as the spirit moves them. Check out Maggie Viveen’s tap interlude:)

Now in its seventh year, the contest is holding local auditions, and while Senior Star is put on by “another” retirement community, you don’t have to be resident there to take part.

More music

Dale Murray at the 2011 finals.

Barry Gardner channels Nat King Cole at a local competition in Pickering.

Registration

Liz has long had a passion for music. And for the last 12 years, she’s brought musicians and audiences together at her home on Irish Mountain overlooking Meaford and the sweep of Nottawasaga Bay. (The 100th Irish Mountain House Concert is scheduled for July 27.)

“What I love about live music is that we can all sit together and experience something, but each person gets something different from a song or lyrics or melody,” says Liz “It speaks differently to everyone. The rewarding part is being able to enjoy myself and know that other people are experiencing something special and that I’ve helped to bring the musician and the audience together.”

Booking her non-profit concerts, along with her involvement as a judge and presenter with the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, kept her in the thick of the folk music scene, and Liz would often informally recommend artists to other presenters and promoters. Gradually, she found herself being called on to program for-profit gigs, such as the Village Vibe series at the Village at Blue Mountain. She became manager for Canadian roots and blues artist Mark Reeves. And then she was asked to become Artistic Director for Ontario’s Eaglewood Folk Festival. All while continuing her career as a full-time teacher.

But a year ago, she decided to retire from teaching and take up music and artist promotion more seriously. “I decided after 25 years of teaching, I felt like doing something a little bit different,” says Liz. “And since my passion has been music for the last bunch of years, I thought I could do more to help bring music to people and help musicians.”

Before long, she’d also been recruited by Firebones Management, a major Canadian artist management company, and she now represents a number of acts, including Suzie Vinnick, Wendell Ferguson, David Celia, Rob Lutes and Steve Poltz, along with Reeves.

Liz Scott with husband, Rich Fletcher, left and Canadian icon Valdy.

The shift hasn’t been a total breeze, but Liz is enjoying her second career.

“It’s tough work,” says Liz, “and I still miss the kids at school and that part of my life. But it’s a brand new energy for me. The learning curve is really high, and it will take awhile to find my feet, but it’s exciting. It’s rejuvenating. It’s injected something different into my life.”

But soon the name Knights of Meaford will be known to hockey fans across the province. It’s the moniker of Meaford’s brand new Greater Metro Jr. A Hockey League (GMHL) franchise.

The GMHL was founded in 2006 by retired pro hockey player Bob Russell to provide exciting hockey within a developmental league for players aged 16 to 21. Seven teams played in that first season, and by last year, 15 teams competed, with the Bradford Rattlers taking the Russell Cup in February.

The team, coached by Meaford native Nathan Parrish, will play their first home game on October 17, as part of a 42-game season. The draft begins next Sunday, but the Knights already have their first player lined up: 17-year-old Georgian Bay Secondary School student Jordan Rear.

Season’s tickets are on sale now till June 20 at special prices of $125, $80 for students and seniors. Call 705-345-8509 or email meafordjrahockey@live.ca

The 55+ Friendship Club is a popular Meaford social group, which devotes volunteer time to the community and raises funds for the Alzheimer’s Association, tags for cancer research, and cares for various town gardens by planting and watering.

The club, which began in 1995, is open to men and women, retired or not, who are 55 years old and older, and boasts a mix of newcomers to the Meaford area as well as those who have lived here all their lives.

Meetings provide a chance to talk to others with similar interests; hear speakers on topics of current or special interest; play games; enjoy craft days with member displays; participate in “show and tell days”; and gather for parties celebrating Hallowe’en, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas.

The final meeting of the year, before the summer break, usually involves a special outing, such as a picnic, a luncheon trip, or a pot-luck dinner.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the club, head to the Meaford-St. Vincent Community Centre on a Tuesday at 2 p.m., or call Leo Girard, at 519.538.3035 to learn more.

Some Meaford residents have questioned the location of the clinic, saying it’s outside of central urban Meaford. We wanted to bring a bit of perspective to the discussion.

For those who aren’t that familiar with Meaford and its small-town scale, the new clinic location is about a mile from the centre of town as the crow flies. For those on the west and south end of town, including residents of Meaford Haven, it’s admirably located. Those on the east and north of town have a little further to travel, though compared to any larger centre, it’s not very far at all.

And while it’s obvious that no matter where the clinic was located, some town residents would be closer than others and many would have to drive – people also seem to forget that this clinic is intended to serve the Municipality of Meaford. If you look on a map, the bulk of the Municipality is west of the town proper.

Locating the Health Clinic at the northwest end of town, by Meaford Haven, offers easier access for a majority of Municipality of Meaford residents, who live west, north and south of the town itself. It’s also on a well-travelled route for residents shopping in Owen Sound. While remaining within the town proper, it’s the most central location possible.

If the North East Grey Health Clinic (NEGHC) team had decided to situate the medical clinic on the southeast end of town, you can see that it’s not far away from the Thornbury Health Clinic – the first successful project by the group.

So rather than geographically concentrating the clinics, NEGHC has expanded their reach.

In addition, Meaford Haven plans for a 25,000 square-foot medical and commercial centre which we expect will house a pharmacy, a hearing-aid centre, a health food store, and offices for practitioners – such as a chiropractor, optometrist, dentist, and more. So Health Clinic clients from all parts of the community will have easy access to all of their health needs quite close to the clinic.

Finally, a very generous individual has given the property for the clinic to NEGHC. On behalf of all Meaford residents, we’d like to thank this donor.

“We desperately need space for doctors.” he told the group. “The doctors that are here now have been with us for long time and they would like to retire.”

He also share information on Meaford Haven, noting its proximity to the new medical clinic.

“The Mayor also spoke about the Meaford Haven development that is proposed for land next to the proposed medical clinic,” says the article in the Meaford Express. “He said the Meaford Haven development is a large subdivision that will include up to 400 units. He said part of the development plan is a retirement facility similar to Seasons in Owen Sound.”

But while most people are excited about the new medical clinic, there have been grumblings about its location. We’ll take a look at those arguments next time.

We’ve found their story interesting, in that it mirrors much of what we understand and have written here about a rich, rewarding retirement lifestyle.

When the Tobins started thinking about retirement, they took a hard look at their finances and realized that in order to remain in the home and neighbourhood they’d lived in for 12 years, they’d need to both get rid of their car and fully pay down their mortgage. Neither was an option. The alternative was to move out of Toronto, which was just too expensive a place in which to retire.

Starting to seriously think about retirement had been sparked by visiting retired friends in Bracebridge, Ontario and seeing the retirement lifestyle they were enjoying in a smaller Ontario community. So moving from the city already had attractions.

On top of that, they’d always seen their Toronto neighbourhood as having a small-town atmosphere, with shops and the Beach within strolling distance. They set out to find the same feeling in a smaller community.

Their priorities included affordable housing, a community on the water with a public beach nearby; proximity to a golf course; an active arts community; and walking distance to town. Hmmm, starting to sound familiar? You might as well describe Meaford Haven.

The Tobins’ search took them north to Muskoka, further north and east to the Ottawa area, and then along Lake Huron and over to Georgian Bay. They found Collingwood a great place, but not suited to retirees on their budget. (We wish we might have met them on their travels, and shown what Meaford Haven has to offer in a short while.) And in the end, they chose Kingsville, for all of the above reasons.

In their most recent post, they reveal how much they’re saving by living a small-town Ontario retirement lifestyle. Owning a more affordable house, along with other reduced costs, has freed up an additional $350 a month.

We’ll keep following the Tobins, and hope to hear more about their real-life retirement in small-town Ontario.

Memorial Park

Meaford has a real hidden gem right in town. Memorial Park offers parks, trails, camping, and a beautiful sandy beach. We say hidden, because it’s hidden from the town proper. Thornbury does have some beautiful little areas of waterfront and beach access, but unless you’re willing to drive or cycle a few kilometres, nearby houses and roads make you feel like you’re in the middle of town.

Meaford’s green

About a decade ago, Meaford began a composting pick-up program. On visits to larger centres “down south”, we learned that we were well ahead of the curve on this one. You can put any compostable materials in your weekly pickup, including things like paper towel and food you might not want in your backyard composter, like meat and bones. And pickup’s free every week. Just last week, Meaford was recognized for their waste diversion efforts by Michael Scott, CEO of Waste Diversion Ontario. We’re number one in Ontario, with a 62.78 waste diversion rate – compared to the provincial average of 46.52 percent. (Thornbury, or Blue Mountains, doesn’t pick up compost – but you can buy a composter from them for $30.)

Central to area attractions and major centers, but with a small town feel

While both Thornbury and Meaford are pretty much between the two larger communities in the area – Owen Sound and Collingwood – in recent years Thornbury has, understandably, oriented more toward Collingwood… and all that entails. More crowding. The weekender rush. It can be exciting, but just 10 minutes down the road, your Meaford retirement neighbourhood retains a more homey small town feel. You’re also that much closer to all the additional attractions up the Bruce Peninsula.

Meaford’s more affordable

A Thornbury retirement is going to be a bit more expensive. The pressures moving west from Collingwood and Blue Mountain development have pushed house and condo prices up. But you can still get a bargain in Meaford! Just ask us about it.

A Meaford property owner has donated land next door to Meaford Haven for the 6,000 square foot clinic, which will be able to accommodate four doctors and a physiotherapist.

“Very simply, and in Thornbury it was proven, without a clinic we’re not going to get new physicians,” von Teichman told council. “Immediately after the [Thornbury] health centre was opened we [leased] every spot in it, and we now instead of two doctors, we have four doctors, and a fully fledged physiotherapy office in there as well.”

In addition to the clinic, Meaford Haven’s plans include a commercial block which will be aimed at offering additional space for health and medical practitioners and suppliers.

Pam will discuss how the museum sources and acquires artifacts for the museum; how staff researches and catalogues the artifacts, and the challenges such a small museum faces in taking care of a growing and changing collection.

Space is limited, so call or email to register soon. (It’s free.) 519.538.1060 (ext 1123) or email lori@meafordlibrary.on.ca.

If this talk interests you, you may also be interested in volunteering at the Museum. It’s a great way to get involved in the community, and the historical insight you gain through spending time there will give you a real sense of this beautiful small town – not to mention arming you with a bunch of cocktail party conversation starters.

Just don’t worry about the ghost of the museum.