New scholarship program at Great Lakes created in honour of late Sarnia judge
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Fairbank, Wright and the Group of Seven works part of new art gallery exhibit
September 10, 2017
Lisa Daniels says art in the First World War was either eager and optimistic or brutally realistic. The Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery is hosting the exhibit Witness, Canadian Art of the First World War. It comes from the Canadian War Museum to mark the 100th anniversary of Canada’s participation in Vimy Ridge. At the time, the government paid
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Contrasting cousins at Victoria Hall art show
September 9, 2017
Janice Bonish and Don Brimmer were cousins who had drifted apart. But their love of art has brought them closer and led to the latest exhibit at Petrolia’s Victoria Hall. Bonish of Thunder Bay and Brimmer of Camlachie knew each other when they were young. “I was born in Petrolia and my mum is from here. We used to spend
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The Joy of Painting
August 10, 2017
Regina Gudelis says being true to yourself brings out the joy of painting. The artistic journey of Gudelis is now on display as part of the Victoria Hall Art Shows series. The Joy of Painting features work by Bright’s Grove artist – a self-taught artist who has spent over half a lifetime honing her skills through art studies. “I have
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Lambton Archives has room to grow after $200K renovation
August 4, 2017
There is now a lot more room to store Lambton County’s history. The Lambton Room has recently doubled the size of the archives for the county, but Archivist Dana Thorne says they didn’t have to build a single room. The key is giant mobile shelving units with a single aisle. You find the material in the aisle you want to
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Art committee members show their own creations
July 20, 2017
Karen Campbell and the Victoria Hall Art Advisory Committee look long and hard for talented local artists for their exhibits. This month, the group didn’t look too far. They decided members of the committee, past and present, should pick a few items to be part of the July show called Committee Creations. Campbell has been painting in retirement and contributed
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New Petrolia art show shows vibrancy of watercolour
June 3, 2017
Mark McLean is about to surprise you with vibrant colours. The Sarnia artist’s watercolours are this month’s show by the Victoria Hall Art Advisory Committee. McLean loves to surprise people with deep vibrant colour in his work. McLean say watercolours are often seen as “soft and muted…but watercolour as far as I’m concern can be much more than that,” he
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Sharpe shares grandmother’s story by publishing her diaries
April 28, 2017
Heather Sharpe wanted to share her grandmother’s story. Isla Smith lived in Wyoming and was, in later life, a writer in the 1970s. She penned three books, A Small Town Affair, The Country Town and A Country Parish – which celebrated the centennial of Wyoming Baptist Church. But it wasn’t Mills published works that interested Sharpe – it was the
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Silver Stick action ramps up Tuesday in Petrolia
December 26, 2016
It’s time for the Earle Trevail Memorial Regional Midget Silver Stick Hockey Tournament at the Greenwood Recreation Centre in Petrolia. The puck will drop on the 49th annual event on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 8:30 a.m. and will continue to the semi-finals and finals on Dec. 30. The Petrolia Oilers and Mooretown Jr. Flags will represent the area in the
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Life long friends celebrate Canada’s birthday in a unique way
November 25, 2016
A group of Lambton County ladies who have been friends for decades have come up with their own unique way to celebrate Canada’s 150th and couple of milestone birthdays. Sharon Stonehouse, Carolynne Griffith, Karen App, Gayle Jackson and Linda Moore – who have been friends for 60 years – have created the Celebrate Canada 150 calendar. Griffith got the idea
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Sitzes honoured for 50 years behind the plate
November 21, 2016
As an umpire, Norm Sitzes is normally cool under pressure. But the man who has seen just about anything you can imagine on Enniskillen’s ball diamond was flabbergasted when Enniskillen Mayor Kevin Marriott named him the Ontario Senior of the Year. Sitzes, 82, started coaching boys’ fastball in Oil Springs over 50 years ago. He turned to umpiring in the
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Petrolia wants you to tickle the ivories Saturday
October 7, 2016
The Independent Staff If you have always wanted to tickle the ivories in front of a crowd, this may be your chance. On Oct. 8, the Town of Petrolia is wheeling two pianos under the canopy at the Farmers’ Market for the first ever Piano Slam. Laurissa Ellsworth, director of marketing, says the concept is simple. “Anyone and everyone is
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Hillsdale tour draws huge crowd of history buffs
September 24, 2016
The gloomy, rainy weather failed to put a damper on the Hillsdale Cemetery Tour . The rich and varied history of Petrolia came alive as the Petrolia Heritage Committee, the Petrolia Community Theatre, and a group of about 100 volunteers made the lives of eight cemetery “residents” live again last Saturday. This is the third time the tour has
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