From Karen and the rest of the McKecks team, have a safe return home and remember your Sweet Home Haliburton for Summer 2011…McKecks 25th Anniversary year long celebration.

See you next year!

We have a bunch of photos to get posted here on the blog and in our photo gallery and we’ll let you know as soon as we can get to that. Stay tuned!

The book is being written by local author Charlie Teljeur and published by Sellebration Publishing, Haliburton. Charlie and his video/tv production partner Wayde Greer have put together a promo video for the project, featured below.

Enjoy and stay tuned for more exciting news on this cool community project.

Click on images to enlarge them.

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Our team this year in the Relay for Life was Team Braveheart. We like to consider ourselves Bravehearts in the fight against the enemy and our team was made up of young and old, healthy and otherwise.

We had one of our own, a 17 year old diabetic dishwasher who walked for his grandma, his colleague, whose step mom passed from breast cancer, donated his lunch money to walk. There was the young girl we see step up consistently – the one with the wounded heart from saying goodbye to one of the youngest of Bravehearts in her own family.

We had a patron from the other side of the bar that felt she was already part of the team because she just belonged here. Another patron…whose husband was the team mascot and set up the tent and encouraged us all night long as his survivor spouse let us paint her face and hair on arriving from a long day’s work and drive from Toronto and then kept her on the track instead of a warm bed overnight.

We had another Braveheart who signs off her emails with “life isn’t about surviving the storm, it’s about learning to dance in the rain” and she danced the victory lap at 5 am as we linked hands to splash one more lap in that rain that was relentless from 3 o’clock on. And there was the young brave that became a family member at McKecks by learning the trade as he watched and knew he somehow belonged to this family, no matter where his primary residence was….

There were also the efforts of the rest of our team…holding the fort at the restaurant in their Relay T-shirts and working the night and all the following day so we could sleep, and for this old gal, reset the body clock. There were the choppers, and stirrers, and deliverers of chili to the party of 700 at midnight, and it was so good to eat hot food at that point of the night.

Then there was the ultimate gratitude of knowing we belong to a little haven of compassion that rolls up it’s sleeves and does something, rather than wait for someone else to do it.

We saluted the survivors, the committee, fellow villagers, the residents of tent city all there for the same cause; churches, schools, businesses, family, neighbours, friends….and we slept the sweet sleep that is often taken for granted on a daily basis.

Thank you Haliburton for one memorable evening to celebrate, remember and fight back. Until next year…..

More photos coming soon…

Yes, the NHL rookie sensation and Haliburton hometown hockey hero, Matt Duchene, is coming to the SMILE Festival on August 7th to meet you and sign your swag. He’ll be set up at the Donation Centre in Head Lake Park from 1:30pm until 2pm. If you haven’t had a chance to meet the man himself yet, then this will be it. We hope to see you there.

Come on out & SMILE!

First up is a performance by Toronto based kid’s entertainer Robert Davis. Robert will be bringing his Kids Music & Comedy Show to the stage with a big hunk of music and a little chunk of comedy. Fun, catchy songs, kid friendly jokes and magical surprises throughout this popular family music show are sure to please the whole family.

Check out one of Robert’s videos below and you can learn more about him on his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/robertdaviskidsshow

And we’re also very happy to announce that the awesome crew from Camp Wanakita will be coming out to set up their Kid’s Games. From 2pm to 5pm, right in Head Lake Park, there will be a ton of cool and fun stuff to do including face painting, a fish pond and obstacles races.

Come on out & SMILE!

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The really big news that we’re very proud to announce is that great Canadian rockers The Northern Pikes will be headlining the festival. The guys that brought us hits like She Ain’t Pretty, Teenland and Girl with a Problem are coming to Haliburton and will be in Head Lake Park on August 7th. Check out their website at www.thepikes.com.

As for the rest of the day, we’re going to have something for everyone. Here’s the rundown…

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The music of the Ragweed Jazz Band is for listening, dancing, tapping toes, ordering up another beer, and for remembering the golden years of jazz – the 30′s and 40′s – when people like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman were setting the tempo. (www.ragweed-jazz-band.com)

Simply the Best Tina!

An 8-piece Tina turner tribute band. Audiences are blown away by the incredible intensity and high energy created by “Simply The Best Tina!” who sizzles and smoulders about the stage along with her gorgeous dancers who are masters at delivering sweet and powerful harmonies. (www.simplythebesttina.ca)

Local Haliburton bands will include…

Sheri Hawkins and The Wiseguys – A unique blend of blues, swing, rock and jazz. (www.sherihawkins.com)

The Rabid Dogs – If you’re a local, you know who these guys are and if you’re not, you’ll never forget them!

And for the comedic portion of the Festival, we have on offer 3 of the finest stand up artists that Yuks Yuks will send us! Cedric Newman, Dave Martin & Lawrence Morgenstern will keep you busting a gut in between the musical portions of day.

And to top it off, there will buskers performing throughout town from 12 until 2 and there’s going to be a treasure hunt too!

Check back for more details as they become available.

Special Thanks to Parker Pad & Printing Ltd

Official Print Sponsor of the SMILE Festival

HALIBURTON – Team McKecks and The Blue Line today announced a new exciting event which will take place in Head Lake Park on August 7th; SMILE, “The Haliburton Music & Comedy Festival”. Proceeds will not only go to The Blue Line, the Community Support Program of the well known restaurant on Highland Street, but also to participating organizations and their volunteers.

SMILE will be a festival where music and comedy come together in an all day event. “This is an unique combination of talent whereby we present 6 to 7 bands as well as a variety of the province’s best comedians. It will be a day to make everyone smile“, explains Creative Director, Sean Carthew.

Head Lake Park will be the location for this all day event (12 pm – 9 pm). Representatives of The Blue Line have already had their first planning meeting with the Municipality of Dysart et al.

McKecks owner, Maarten Steinkamp: “When I took over the restaurant last year, I shared my ambition to organize a music event in Haliburton. It is time to make that promise come true. I am extremely grateful for the support from the township, especially Reeve Murray Fearrey and Tammy McKelvey“.

The Blue Line, powered by Team McKecks, has been supporting the Haliburton community over the past 9 months in a variety of ways. “It has been such a rewarding and grateful experience. We just want to be able to keep doing this. I hope we raise lots of money with SMILE” explains McKecks General Manager, Karen Frybort.

She is calling on fellow organizations and ‘chariteers’ to help The Blue Line to organize SMILE. “And we will share the proceeds with these volunteers…all in the spirit of our organization; we help others to help themselves. Another assist from The Blue Line!”.

SMILE is meant to be a fun event to  support serious matters in Haliburton, like health, education and general well being. Frybort: “August 7th will be a day where we want to make people happy, in more than one way!”

The line-up for SMILE will be announced early June. Carthew: “It will be a mix of local bands and artists from elsewhere. Blues, Jazz, Rock and great Comedy. It will all be there“.

Special Thanks to Parker Pad & Printing Ltd

Official Print Sponsor of the SMILE Festival