Hello Fergus!

A crisp night with a cloudless sky made for some pretty pictures. The lunar eclipse, where the earth passes between the sun and the moon, can be seen by the naked eye.

This February 20, 2008 lunar eclipse had excellent weather conditions, and apart from clouds moving in near the end of the eclipse, we could see all stages from our front door steps - and even from inside (much warmer! :o)

Here are some pictures from a lunar eclipse watch centre in Argentinia (although we saw it in reverse order, starting in the bottom left corner):

(a selection from the series below) Read the rest of this entry »

That is the third day in a week that we have to keep the kids at home. No school today, as the school buses are canceled due to inclement weather. We heard on the radio that Highway 6 was closed off north of Fergus, but I heard reports from several people that they have not seen any barricades. Read the rest of this entry »

It is the second of February again: Groundhog Day. Wiarton Willie has failed to see his shadow, so according to this weather analyzing rodent we are getting an early Spring! :-O)

That means that instead of hiding in his burrow, Wiarton Willie has all the time in the world for some driving around town.

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Did you know that there is a website with online printable coupons from local businesses? Yes, coupons from Fergus/Elora businesses like True Centre or The Brew House. Visit www.ferguseloracoupons.com and subscribe to the email list!

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This week a new publication landed in our mail box. The Wellington Advertiser, Centre Wellington’s largest circulation community newspaper, has launched a new business publication called Minding Our Business. The introductory issue of January 2008 introduces us to the Boards of local business advocacy organizations like the Fergus BIA, Elora BIA and Chamber of Commerce. There is a column from yours truly, Nardo Kuitert, about setting up your Google Adwords campaign…

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The Fergus Elora News Express of January 9, 2008 says that Fergus First Night celebrations was a hit. The front page article mentions that an estimated 2500 people participated in the events - with about 800 to 1000 people witnessing the official ringing in of 2008 at Midnight. Are you like me, that you hope that this will be the beginning of a new tradition?

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All the best for 2008 for you and your loved ones! Did you have a good New Year’s celebration? We spent some time downtown Fergus for the First Night. There were free trolley rides, picture opportunities with Shrek & Fiona, lots of music and a real Countdown (to 9 o’clock) for the children.

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A White Christmas feels like a Year End bonus - snow adds so much to the Holiday spirit. And it can be so beautiful too - with frosted trees and bright blue skies.

This was on Boxing Day, by the way. As you can see from the first two pictures above it was not as bright on Christmas Day. Read the rest of this entry »

2008 marks the year of Fergus’ 175^th Anniversary. A Fergus 175th Committee was started, chaired by Mary Lloyd, and its members have been working tirelessly on planning a great number of fun events.

From its website www.fergus175.ca we can read about a number of these plans. One event is coming up soon, as a special New Year’s Eve celebration will kick-off this festive year.

Other plans include a street festival and other festivities in the summer. The website mentions:

The big homecoming celebration of Fergus’s 175^th will take place from June 28 through July 1, starting with a major summer street festival, A Doors Open tour of heritage buildings, a concert featuring local musicians and bands, and things to do for the whole family are being planned for four days of activities finishing with the annual Canada Day celebrations hosted by the township of Centre Wellington.

The 2008 Fergus Truck Show and 2008 Scottish Festival and Highland Games have agreed to include historic components in their festivals as part of the celebration. Other groups and organizations are encouraged to plan their own festivities; these can be promoted with the help of the Fergus 175th Committee.

For more information you can call 519-843-5140.

P.S.: This website FergusPages.com (a.k.a. fergus-ontario.com) is not affiliated with any other organization but Web Development & Optimization firm U-C WEBS.

December 31, 2007 is the kick-off of Fergus’ 175^th Anniversary celebrations.The tentative name “Freeze Fest” has been dropped in favour of “First Night” - because that’s what it is: the First night of a festive year. So come on out to the downtown area for an evening of FUN! And you can celebrate in several other areas that night as well: the Fergus library, Fergus Grand Theatre Lobby and Melville United Church are the ones that we know of right now.

The Centre Wellington Fire Department will have a pumper truck located next to the main stage. And there will be several stores who will open up their stores that night. Come on out, for a fun night on the town!

Family Style New Year’s Countdown 2007/2008
Downtown Fergus

Admission: FREE!
NO ALCOHOL

Various appearances throughout the night: Betsy Busybody. Catch the latest gossip from the past century.

Master of ceremonies: Gary Bryant.

07:00-08:00 p.m. (main stage) Children’s entertainer Sandy MacDonald (formerly of the Beirdo Brothers)

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