Some people in Norfolk County know him as Don. Dondie Deming is the administrator for Kindness Kounts Norfolk County, with nearly 5,000 Facebook members. “Dondie… nobody’s heard of the name,” said Deming, who was named after an Italian orphan from the 1961 movie Dondi, although Dondie has Scottish origins. “It was an orphanage boy in a movie on television in the 70s. And go figure, I grew up in Children’s Aid.

Courtland’s Jayden King is not only brushing up on his curling skills for the Montana’s Brier Feb. 27 to March 8 in St. John’s Newfoundland, but also his ability to kiss a cod and ingest dark rum. “We’ll do the whole screech situation,” laughed the 23-year skip of the Farm & Food Care Ontario Men’s Curling Championship winning rink. “Whatever comes along, we are excited to go along for the whole ride.”

On Christmas Day, everyone should enjoy being seated around a table with family, or friends, or just a friendly community, having a festive meal together. That’s what drives the annual Community Christmas Day Dinner in Simcoe, hosted by Church Out Serving at Riversyde 83. On Dec. 25, more than 200 people experienced that joy.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The teenage cast of “The SpongeBob Musical,” a Young Theatre Players production on stage in Simcoe this month. SpongeBob and his friends band together to save their undersea home of Bikini Bottom from an imminent volcanic eruption.

The Royal Canadian Legion Simcoe Branch 79 is planning year-round festivities in 2026 to celebrate a century of supporting veterans. “Our Legion is older than 100, but a combination of other veteran organizations was established right after the First World War in 1919,” said James Christison, president of the Simcoe Legion Branch 79. 

Daryl Granger’s ‘Young Farmer’ is a beautifully crafted, educational, and often humorous documentary told through the eyes of seven-year-old boy, Roman Boyd.