LOCAL HEADLINES

In a game that lived up to its potential, the Stratford Irish came back to defeat their archrival, the Strathroy Jets, 5-4 in overtime on Nov. 14.

Stratford Festival actress Barbara Fulton took to the stage at the Stratford Perth Museum on Nov. 15 to read Linda Webster’s “To Flush or Not to Flush,” a story chronicling her mother’s act of private protest when the City of Stratford changed its water-usage fee sometime in 1992, charging property owners a flat rate.

Student filmmakers and former Stratford District Secondary School (SDSS) students Peer Wahlquist and Emelia Auster had their moment in the limelight recently after the film they made with their friends and fellow BearCast film club members in Grade 12 took Best Narrative at two youth film festivals.

The cost of housing and a lack of affordable options for residents of Perth-Huron across the income spectrum are primary drivers for the recently announced increase to the area’s living wage, which rose from $23.05 per hour in 2024 to $24.60 this year.

Avondale United Church’s annual Carolfest will get visitors ready for the holidays with lots of performances, including getting the audience to sing along.

Earlier this month, award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter Loreena McKennitt was one of the honoured guests at two back-to-back events in London, England recognizing the transformational power of words and stories, with reminders of their potential to elevate the human condition and bridge cultures.

Perth County Players are set to stage Stratford’s second ever pantomime production, Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood, and organizers are promising it to be a family-fun show residents won’t want to miss.

Five years after opening its doors at 804 Ontario St., Little Leaf Cannabis Co. Inc. has grown into more than a retail store. For co-founders Paul Thompson and Leanne McPhie, it’s a place where education, compassion and conversation meet – a community hub where cannabis is reframed not as a taboo, but as a tool for wellness and connection.

Christmas magic is in the air as Stratford actor Monique Lund is set to join co-hosts David Rogers and Sheila McCarthy, along with a stellar lineup of performers, to take the stage at the Festival Theatre for the third annual A Stratford Christmas show.

Paris Jewellers has been robbed for the fifth time in recent years, according to the Stratford Police Service.

Harper Rae Asch found out that she was going to play the iconic redheaded orphan Annie in the Stratford Festival’s 2025 production of Annie in September 2024. Now, over a year since that revelation, she is still kicking her heels across the Festival Theatre stage.

The beloved Christmas Trail by Destination Stratford returns for the holiday season.

Kerry Ramsay, founder of Fresh Idea Collective, hopes her new book will carry on the mandate of uplifting others through coming together as a community.

Stratford-Perth Pride (SPP) has been putting together local get togethers since the summer, hosting an event the first Sunday of each month to socialize with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as well as allies, and they’re getting ready for their next event: a theatre viewing of Wicked: For Good on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. 

In a fast-moving world, sometimes it’s good to slow down and connect. The Stratford Public Library encourages connection with its upcoming programming. 

The Stratford Hunter Steel Warriors played two cross-conference games last weekend, hosting the Welland Jr. Canadians and travelling to Caledonia for a matchup with the Corvairs.

The Huron-Perth Lakers U16 AAA squad continued their strong start to the 2025-2026 ALLIANCE season with a dominant 5-1 win on the road over the Cambridge Jr. RedHawks on Nov. 14.

The unofficial kick off to the winter holiday season will return the last weekend of November, with lots of beloved programming returning.

Whether she was set up by the gods as a scapegoat for all things chaotic or curiosity got the better of her, Pandora was always going to open that box, allegedly unleashing all the evils of mankind.

After the opportunity to travel to Prague for international competition with Team Canada Dance, Pierce MacNeil has returned to Stratford Dance Co. a more determined tap dancer who wants nothing more than the opportunity to do it all over again next year. The St. Marys resident and District Collegiate and Vocational Institute (DCVI) student is still grinning greatly for the experience.