MeMe’s Cafe celebrates 10 years of business on New Hamburg’s Peel Street

Meredith Hagen (left), founder of MeMe's cafe, shares memories of the past decade with a customer at the cafe's 10th anniversary on Nov. 30.

It’s been 10 years since MeMe’s Cafe first opened, and owner Meredith Hagen celebrated the anniversary on Nov. 30 with prizes and special deals.

In many ways, it was business as usual. Coffee was poured, and food was eaten. But it was also a chance for customers to look back on a decade of business. Some regulars cried and hugged Hagen. Local musicians played, and every 10th customer received a prize donated by another downtown New Hamburg business.

Hagen took a historic Peel Street building and reshaped it into her vision of a cafe that’s upscale but not over-the-top. Her menu focuses on unique dishes with fresh ingredients.

In 2005, MeMe’s even hosted a citizens’ election debate that was televised on CBC’s The National.

Starting a business and finding success isn’t easy, Hagen said, but she’s now glad she took that risk.

“It’s been a good day,” she said. “It’s been a good 10 years.”

Tavistock welcomed Santa with the sun on Saturday

Float organizers got creative with the “toys” theme to make Saturday’s Tavistock Santa Parade a big success. Check out the photos if you missed it.

Gingerbread creations on display this week

Spend some quality holiday time with your family and your friends by entering this year’s Gingerbread House Contest. This year’s theme for the contest is ‘Tropical Christmas’.

The last date for the Gingerbread Houses to be dropped off is tomorrow, Nov. 30 between 5:30 and 7:30 at the New Apostolic Church across from Forest Glen School. Judging will take place at 7:30 and viewing is open to the public on Dec. 1 from 5:30 until 7:30.

Contest rules are available HERE.

If you have any further questions please fee free to contact Helen@519-662-4089 or Kathryn @519-662-2960

Mmmm…turkey…see you at the Legion tonight

Joan Fulton (left) and Gord Campbell (right), of the New Hamburg Legion, show off the two big turkeys cooked for the Legion’s annual Turkey Dinner Friday night.

The club is hosting two seatings for the annual event, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 in advance. Guests are asked to wear red to support our troops and earn a chance to win a free meal.

Crafted with care — Wilmot Seniors Woodworking Club tasked with making flag stands for Portrait of Honour’s gala return

Steve Selmenci prepares to bond several pieces of wood together for a flag stand project the Wilmot Seniors Woodworking and Craft Shop is working on for the gala return of the Portraits of Honour tour next month.

Courtney Duczman
For the IndependentThe Wilmot Seniors Woodworking Club are constructing 158 wooden flag stands — one for each Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan — to help raise money for the Portraits of Honor National Tour.

The tour is coming to Cambridge on Dec. 10 for the Welcome Home Gala which will display the 50-foot wide by 10-foot high mural painted by Dave Sopha.

The Wilmot Senior team is making 75 stands to display at the Gala and the rest of the 158 will be constructed afterwards due to the lack of time available and the quantity of stands required.
Stephen Lock, a member of The Portraits of Honor Welcome Home Committee, says, “The Portraits of Honor Welcome Home Committee are especially grateful to the Wilmot Seniors’ Shop woodworking and Craft Club for volunteering to manufacture the bases for the flags.”

Each stand will include the wooden base, a plaque with a dedication to a soldier, and a Canadian flag attached to the stand. Sponsors purchase the stands that will be displayed at the Gala, and after the event is finished the sponsors get to keep the stands do display in their place of choice. The funds raised are given to the Portraits of Honor Tour to be used to assist our troops and their families that need help.

The Parade starts at 9:30 a.m. leaving from the Preston Kinsmen Club and heading to the Maple Grove Police Fleet Centre. The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. and has a public viewing of the mural until 4 p.m. The Gala Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion – Preston Branch 126.

Residents line up in Wilmot in advance of flu season

Registered Waterloo Region Public Health nurse Marsha Koehler (right) gives a very cooperative patient, Amarjeet Dhaliwal (left), her annual flu shot at the Wilmot Recreation Complex on Wednesday. Courtney Duczman, For the Independent

 Residents of Wilmot Township came out to the Wilmot Recreation Complex to get their flu shots Wednesday. Clinics have been set up since Oct. 31, and will continue across the region until January 12. All clinics run from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Dale Russell, a registered nurse for Public Health,  believes the flu shot is really worth the while. It not only protects you and your community from the disease, but also ” the people you love” who are not eligible to get the shot.  She also believes that getting the flu shot has many great benefits.

Although the shot is a great way of preventing the disease, Dale also explains that most people will experience flu-like symptoms, such as body aches or slight fever, anywhere up to 10 days after receiving the shot. She assures that it is nothing to worry about and it is completely normal to get these symptoms and that you are not sick. This simply means the vaccine is working.

The flu shot is free to all residents of Ontario for anyone over the age of 6 months. Don’t wait until its too late, visit your family doctor or attend one of the two upcoming clinics;

Jan. 10- Public Health, 99 Regina Street S., Waterloo, Room 508

Jan. 12- Public Health, 150 Main Street S., Cambridge, Room 170

Movember moustaches fight prostate cancer

Jason Falk (left) and Ron Weber started with a clean face on Nov. 1. They won't shave their moustaches until the end of this month, and are hoping for donations that help Prostate Cancer Canada.

Jason Falk (left) and Ron Weber want to put money where their mouths are. Or rather, where their moustaches are.

Along with over 120,000 other participants across Canada, Falk and Weber are letting their moustaches grow all month for the Movember fundraiser to fight prostate cancer.

The “Stache Riders,” their local team of 15 participants has embraced a range of facial hair styles and hopes to raise $3,000.

More information can be found or donations made at the Movember website.

Internationally, Movember has raised $176 million from 1.1 million participants worldwide since 2004.

Kids get special story time at the New Hamburg library

Librarian Janelle Wenger shares a story with an attentive audience.

Local students had the day off school because of a PD day, so the New Hamburg Library filled the gap by offering story times and other activities.

The free “Fun on the Farm” and “Preposterous Puzzle Day” entertained kids aged 3-7 on Nov. 18.

Local libraries offer a range of programs for children and families each week. More information on New Hamburg’s schedule can be found at this website.

Librarian Janelle Wenger reads to kids in the Ernie Ritz room next to the New Hamburg Library on Nov. 18.

Reading is the goal for Firebirds players at Baden and New Hamburg libraries

Local hockey players may have scored some points for literacy.

Members of the New Hamburg Firebirds Jr. C team left the ice to share stories with children at the New Hamburg and Baden public libraries on Nov. 16.

The free family story times were part of “Let’s Read,” a region-wide program to promote family literacy. The players read from this year’s “Let’s Read” book selection, called “Farm Team.”

Charity Christmas wreath auction starts at Colour Paradise Greenhouse

Christmas decorations this year can help your front door look good, plus help a good cause. Starting tomorrow, 40 custom-made Christmas wreaths will be up for auction.

The wreaths were all uniquely decorated, then donated by local businesses and agencies.

The auction starts Nov. 17 at Colour Paradise Greenhouses at 1209 Bleams Road in Mannheim. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with refreshments will be at 5 p.m.

The silent auction runs from Nov. 17 to Nov. 26, except Sunday, during business hours.

All proceeds will go to the House of Friendship. Each year, the charity group serves over 42,000 low-income people living in Waterloo Region with emergency food and shelter, as well as addiction services.

Cancer support agency benefits from local girl’s gift to honour her grandpa

Left to Right – Jim Bender, Tammy Bender, Alyssa Bender, Chantel Bender, Melanie Bender, all of Punkeydoodles Corners, along with Grandpa Gerry Zinger and Grandma Carol Zinger

Melanie Bender (back row, center) celebrated her recent 8th birthday by collecting donations for Wellwood, in lieu of presents, from friends and family. Her gift to Wellwood of $1,000 was presented in honour of her grandfather, who has been on his own cancer journey

Wellwood is a community-based, non-profit organization based in Hamilton that provides information, supportive care programs and peer support to people who have received a diagnosis of cancer, their families and caregivers, and healthcare providers. Working with existing community agencies and cancer care providers, Wellwood aims to provide integrative supportive care.

 

Wellesley woman wins iPad in local Pharmasave contest

Charlotte Kruk (left), co-owner of the New Hamburg Pharmasave store, gives away a new iPad to Dot Heinz, whose name was one of 10 drawn across Ontario.

Dot Heinz was the lucky winner of a new iPad last week during a nation-wide contest

Heinz came to New Hamburg’s Pharmasave drug store on Nov. 14 to claim her prize, worth over $500.

Heinz entered her name during a contest in September, hoping to win a gift certificate. After entries were collected in 435 Canadian stores, she was one of only 10 Ontario winners.

The prize was to celebrate Pharmasave’s 30th anniversary.

Holy Family school sings the blues with local guitarist John McKinley

Blues guitarist John McKinley (left) invited Holy Family student Nathan Koopman up for a musical jam, along with teacher Alan Dicknoether (right).

Students at Holy Family Catholic school heard musical history Nov. 14 when blues guitarist John McKinley performed an educational concert.

Students clapped and sang along to the Kitchener guitarist’s fancy fretwork and slide guitar. The presentation was part of the Kitchener Blues Festival’s “Blues in Schools” program, which has been bringing this musical style to local schools for eight years.

“Blues is the music that fed all the music we listen to today,” said McKinley to the gym full of elementary students.

He played a selection of classic blues-based songs, then explained the blues scale and how it influenced modern rock, hip hop and pop music.

Student Nathan Koopman also got his moment to shine, as McKinley invited him onstage. Teacher Alan Dicknoether, a musician who organized the school visit, rounded out the trio.

John McKinley has played the Kitchener Blues festival and visited local students throught the "Blues in Schools" program.

Junior girls basketball team looks to stay undefeated in playoffs

Waterloo-Oxford’s first-place girls basketball team continue their run to a championship tomorrow.

The Crusaders play on Nov. 12 at 12:30 after defeating Bluevale Collegiate 49-17 in their playoff match on Tuesday.

The W-O girls will face Jacob Hespeler Secondary School, who finished fourth in the league with a 10-4 record. The Crusaders were first at 13-0.

If the Crusaders win tomorrow’s semi-final game, the Waterloo County Secondary School Athletics finals are on Nov. 16.

‘Tis the season for Tree of Light

Lisa Elg and Donna Moss trim a tree for the window of Murray's Clothing that will eventually go into the home of the winner of this year's Tree of Light raffle. The annual Tree of Light, organized by the Lioness and Lions Clubs of New Hamburg, raises money to support Wilmot Family Resource Centre, Aldaview Services and various community projects. Each $5 donation buys a light for the big tree downtown and gets you a ballot for a chance to win this fully-decorated tree donated by Meadow Acres. The tree is valued at over $500. The annual Tree of Light ceremony will be held Friday, Dec. 2.