After the jazz appetizers of Friday night, you might still have an appetite for the three-course musical menu on Saturday. It starts with the Big Band Era on Saturday afternoon at the Beaver Valley Community Centre, featuring the Georgian Sound Big Band, the Lighthouse Swing Band, and the Toronto All Star Band playing jazz, swing and current “standards”. And a bevy of swing dancers will inspire you to try out some new old moves.

Had enough big band music? No, you haven’t. Starting at 7 p.m., the Georgian Sound Big Band and Toronto All Star Band lead off the evening performances. But as the night grows dark, the Martels kicking into gear with high energy 50s and 60s rock and roll hits. (The core of this group got together in 1957 and backed up teen idol Bobby Curtola.)

Or… as dusk falls, get ready for Dawn – Dawn Tyler Watson, that is – at the Westin Trillium at the Village at Blue Mountain. Dawn has won Best Female Artist at the Quebec Lys Blues Awards six times in a row, and took home the 2009 Album of the Year honours.

Dawn Tyler Watson

Don’t worry, you can sleep in Sunday morning. The musical brunch at the Golf Club at Lora Bay doesn’t begin till 10:30, and the gospel/spiritual music at St. Georges Parish Hall starts at 2 p.m.

Lora Bay’s popular 5-course brunch features the Dixieland style of the Regal Jazz Band, and the afternoon performance introduces gospel singer Dave Randall and a group of young spiritual singers, Chaverim.

In the Southern Georgian Bay area, April showers bring jazz in the wee hours… and in the afternoon… and at brunch. Just down the road, in Thornbury and Clarksburg and at Lora Bay, you can fill just about every waking moment from Friday to Sunday during Jazzmania listening to jazz, big bands, swing, gospel – and even rock ‘n’ roll.

This popular event brings in bands from far and near, featuring prominent local acts, high school jazz ensembles from the surrounding area, and well-known performers from Ontario and outside the province. This festival brings fresh meaning to the cliché, “a feast for the ears”; in fact it’s a veritable smorgasbord.

Here’s what’s on the menu.

The Jazz Youth Invitational kicks things off early on Friday, with student ensembles performing before jazz professionals and getting feedback and commentary, followed by a performance by the Noodle Factory Jazz Project. You can drop in any time.

The Music Crawl has always been a popular way to sample sounds from a variety of acts, in a variety of venues on Friday night… but before you start your jazz journey, consider this year’s new Dinner Jazz feature. Choose by venue or choose by band, but be prepared to enjoy great food and music in one of the area’s fine eateries. Here’s who’s on where.

Allister Bradley at the Ruffed Grouse Bistro
Dixie Kings at the Marsh Street Centre
Jamie Ruben & Steve Zsirai at the Sisi Trattoria
Joe Huron & Dennis McAndrew at the Bruce Wine Bar
Karen Holgate & Jan Menkal at the Simplicity Bistro
Louis Lefaive at the L E Shore Library
Mike Grace and Friends at the Beaver Valley Community Centre
Shawn Mei Trio at the Mill Café
Wayne Buttery at the St. George’s Parish Hall

Visit here to check out the menus. (And get your reservations in early)

After dinner, get ready to “crawl” with jazz and blues at a number of “hot spots” open until nigh on midnight.

That’s just the first day. Rest up for a full day Saturday, and the popular Jazz Brunch at Lora Bay on Sunday. More tomorrow.

This weird winter is wrapping up with a string of sunny, warm days in the forecast over the next week, and our local maple syrup makers are hoping for some colder nights to help this year’s sweet crop along. But even if this year’s syrup is as rare as liquid gold, make plans to take in one of the maple syrup festivals not too far from Meaford Haven.

Saturday, March 24 to Sunday, March 25
Saugeen Conservation Old-Tyme Maple Syrup Festival
Satisfy your sweet tooth and support conservation at this popular festival which features all the tasty treats, great entertainment, expert chainsaw carver Bobbi Switzer, and a step back in time at the Pioneer Encampment featuring a working blacksmith, native re-enactors, frontier popcorn and more. This year, catch the Guinness Book of World Records attempt for the largest sap bucket in the world.

Sunday, March 25
Sweetwater Festival
Along with the usual maple syrup festival fun, Wye Marsh offers a cooking demonstration featuring maple syrup specialties.

Family fun at the Holstein Maplefest

Saturday, April 14 to Sunday, April 15
18th Annual Holstein Maplefest
Visit a 40-acre working sugar bush for an “edutaining” day of demonstrations and displays, including a taffy pull and ice cream making; a free craft sale; Splash’n Boots Interactive kids show; and an all-day pancake and sausage breakfast.

Saturday, April 21
Elmvale Maple Syrup Festival
Tour the sugar bush; admire (and buy) arts, crafts and quilts; enjoy musical entertainment throughout the day; cheer on the log sawing contest and the pancake eating contest; and much more.

This just in… “Bored of Education” is re-introducing live music to this favourite Meaford pub. Be there tomorrow night, Friday, November 18 to see this “class”ic band in action at the Wharf at Peggy’s Landing.

You won’t be disappointed.

One of Meaford’s freshest faces on the food scene is Roosters Diner, which offers good old fashioned fare – such as home cut fries, burgers, whistle dogs, fish and chips, and all-day breakfasts, as well as a number of healthy choices in sandwiches, chicken dishes and more. Currently, it’s operating as a takeaway restaurant, but Maria will soon be expanding Roosters into a full sit-down diner.

Maria has travelled a long route to bring Roosters Diner to Meaford. For nearly three decades, she and her husband, John, were the Northern Ontario area franchisees for Dixie Lee Food Systems. After stints in Barrie, Parry Sound and North Bay, the couple moved to Orphir, about 45 minutes east of Sault Ste. Marie, with plans to open up the far north for Dixie Lee.

John passed away three years ago, and Maria continued as the area franchisee until recently, when Dixie Lee re-acquired her interest. In the meantime, she’d taken over the lease and operation of the Meaford Dixie Lee when the franchisees decided to get out of the business a couple of years back.

While this was in part due to her business philosophy, she thinks there was something else involved. “It was probably because I’m somehow feeling – beyond the legal, business part – connected to Meaford,” says Maria. And when she ended her relationship with Dixie Lee, she realized she had an opportunity to do something new with the Meaford location. “As I was head leasee on this location, I chose to think about what one could do,” says Maria. “I looked at my agreement with Dixie Lee, and realized I could launch a different concept – as long as it wasn’t competitive. I immediately approached our landlord, and began to make plans to expand next door.”

Since opening, Maria has found Meaford’s response to be very positive, and she’s enjoying the experience. “Being a hands-on owner is cool,” she says. “I love the community; Meaford is a beautiful community with very nice people. You live in one of the nicer parts of Ontario, I dare say. So it’s a pleasure being here and doing business here.”

Right now, she’s on the road a lot, travelling between Orphir and Meaford, and she may seek a local manager or owner to take over the business – or might even consider a move south.

“Our sales indicate people are definitely going out to eat as long as the food’s good, the service is good, and the price is reasonable,” she says. “It’s fun to see your store busy and have a customer tell you they had a great meal.”

Roosters Diner offers a reward program, which gives you great deals on special occasions in your life. Drop in to the diner on Trowbridge Street across from the Post Office, or visit the website to find out more.

Maria Struik

We’ve been introducing a few of the local restaurants lately. So we thought we’d give a brief “taste”, heh heh, of dining opportunities in Meaford and the surrounding area. (* indicates a licensed premises)

The Leeky Canoe *
Wide variety of hearty meals at reasonable prices.
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Leeky-Canoe-Pub-Eatery/221175615520

Ted’s Range Road Diner *
Traditional and exotic fare in unique surroundings.

Captain’s Corner Fish & Chips *
Specializing in, you guessed it!
108 Sykes Street North

Eggcitement Bistro
Homemade breakfasts and lunches using fresh ingredients.
16 Nelson Street West

Fisherman’s Wharf at Peggy’s Landing
Pub-style menu and beer on tap overlooking Meaford Harbour.
Trowbridge and Bayfield Streets
226-662-7000

McGinty’s Café *
Great coffee, fresh baking and more.

Earth Harvest Café
Fair trade coffee, vegetarian dishes and 100-mile selection

Rooster’s Diner
Chicken, burgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, fresh-cut fries and more.

Meaford Diners’ Club *
Gourmet meals made from fresh local ingredients.
226-668-4673

Fisherman’s Wharf at Peggy’s Landing*

There’s more:

• Bogusia’s
• The Kitchen
• Meaford Motel
• Dairy Queen
• New Orlean’s Pizza
• Deli Family Restaurant
• Suzy’s Place
• Peter’s Restaurant
• Pizza Delight
• Tim Hortons
• Oriental Restaurant
• McDonald’s
• Subway

And more…

Meanwhile, the impressive Lora Bay Grill at Lora Bay Golf Club is just a few minutes down the road, offering casual and fine dining in a seasonally inspired menu. And within a short drive you’ll find more than enough dining opportunities to make choosing tough, with restaurants in Thornbury, the Village at Blue Mountain, and Owen Sound.

We talked about Ted’s Range Road Diner the other day. Well, another Meaford institution is back in action. Back in the 80s, Roberta and John Avery opened the Fisherman’s Wharf – a restaurant, pub and motel at the Trowbridge bridge over the Bighead River. The “Wharf” quickly became a success, and when the Averys sold it, Gary Skrepnek ran the establishment for well over a decade. Gary sold the Wharf a few years back to Mick and Christine Mould, who’d recently arrived in Meaford from the Whitby area of Yorkshire, England with their sons, Thomas and Roderick. In the years since, the Wharf has seen a few changes. For awhile, the Moulds ran the restaurant, then they leased it out to a couple of entrepreneurs. After a brief stint as the Blue Bay, Dawn Nicholson renovated the premises and returned the old establishment to its original moniker, running the business successfully for a couple of years. But last spring, Dawn closed the business, and for the first summer since the blogger arrived in Meaford, there were no pints on the patio overlooking Meaford harbour. It seemed a Meaford tradition had come to a close.

Well, the Moulds have decided to bring the Wharf back to life, and the new “Fisherman’s Wharf at Peggy’s Landing” restaurant and pub has opened its doors once again. (The new addition to the name, Peggy’s Landing, refers to the name David Miller christened the promising new settlement when he first pulled up his boat near the Wharf in 1838 – after his wife, Peggy.)

Fisherman's Wharf Pub

Roderick is working in the kitchen, preparing meals in the Gastro Pub tradition – putting a gourmet twist on traditional pub fare and using local ingredients as much as possible, including suppliers such as Sun Rise Organics, Ashanti Coffee, and the Moulds own farm garden.

We enjoyed a beer there on the weekend, and Mick says he expects to have the draught taps running again very soon. And if the weather cooperates, we may yet have that pint on the patio and maintain a two-decade tradition.

Meaford Harbour from Fisherman's Wharf

For more than 20 years, Wednesday night in Meaford has been “jam night” – more specifically “Jam night at Ted’s”. Drive up the old Range Road, now known as Valour Road, toward Irish Mountain, and as you crest the first of the heights, you’ll see an interesting, somewhat surreal, sight on your left. An old steel Quonset hut, spruced up with white siding and a green awning, sits in the midst of an oft-overflowing parking lot. In a small stand of trees in the middle of the lot, a chainsaw sculpture by Fran Bouwman depicts a young girl staring at the fairies inhabiting an old dead spruce. And if it’s Wednesday night, the sound of rockin’ live music spills out from the packed space inside, as the house band plays and the open mike is taken up by anyone else who wants to play.

Inside Ted’s Range Road Diner, curved, shellacked Aspenite covers the walls, the rustic environment contrasting with the incredibly wide-ranging menu arrayed on colourful chalkboards – offering everything from traditional fare to such delicacies as catfish, bison strip loin, elk chops, wild game stir-fry (elk, emu, venison, bison, musk ox, ostrich), and even alligator.

This one-of-a-kind Meaford attraction and tradition has been featured in national media – and both Ted and his diner have even made it to the “big” screen in an independent horror flick called
Scarce.

Doris Lajoie recently celebrated the first birthday of Eggcitement. And she has some big plans for the future of the popular bistro on Nelson Street in Meaford.

A decade ago, Lajoie was working as a secretary, when she decided it was time for a change. “I just changed careers at age 40,” she says with a laugh. “I needed a change and I love cooking. My dad was an executive pastry chef, and I guess it’s in the family.” (Her two daughters currently work at the restaurant.)

Doris Lajoie

For 10 years, Lajoie operated Beyond the Clouds – that is, the Beyond the Clouds Café at the Collingwood Airport – where she quickly became famous for her streusel-topped pies. But she’d long had her eye on opening a restaurant in Meaford, where she lived.

When Mark and Debbie Young retired two years ago and closed the Sirloin Cellar butcher shop and deli, Lajoie thought the location was perfect – and she began to make serious plans for Eggcitement. She overhauled the main floor, adding a full kitchen, putting in booths, and completely renovating and redecorating. By October, she was nearly ready, but she still didn’t have a full-time cook. “It was getting late in the year,” she says. “So I just said, ‘Tomorrow, we’ll open the door and see what happens.’ And it took off from there. It’s been a very busy year.”

That’s not surprising, considering the full and varied menu made mostly from scratch and from fresh, local ingredients. Eggcitement is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. 365 days a year, but the bistro offers a lot more than bacon and eggs.

“I just thought that Meaford needed something that’s very different,” says Lajoie. “I want to provide that. We do Jamaican food, Indian food, German food, Italian food – we make our own fresh pasta.”

While the menu regularly features Lajoie’s specialties – frittatas, omelettes, Eggs Benedict, a sandwich menu and an egg menu – you can always count on more than one “eggciting” daily special. “Every day it’s something different,” she says. Specials include such mouth-watering creations as pulled turkey, grilled cheese stuffed with pulled pork, crème brûlée French toast, and crêpes. Lajoie makes nearly everything from scratch, including apple jelly made from the organic apples growing in her front yard, gravies, beef jerky and salad dressings. The maple syrup comes from a local supplier and she’s arranging to get some locally harvested honey straight from the comb. In the summer, you can cool down with smoothies and fresh-pressed juices on the sidewalk patio.

Lajoie’s currently working on getting a liquor licence for beer and wine, and she hopes to eventually expand to the second floor of the building, opening the new area for the dinner trade. She is also currently poised to offer meal deliveries within five minutes or so of downtown Meaford.

Visit Eggcitement at 16 Nelson Street West or call 519-538-1968.

The Meaford Diners’ Club has released the next two mouth-watering menus for Friday, October 21 and Friday, October 28 – featuring local fare prepared to perfection by Jesse Reed and Rachel Frisby.

Click on the images below to get the pdf files.