Crazy as the following may seem, this is the last print edition of the Napanee Beaver for the year 2023.
Rest assured, we’ll be back in print on Jan. 11, 2024.
Seems like only three months ago we were wrapping up 2022 and yet, here we are, doing it again for another year. And so in the spirit of the season, it only seems fitting that we take a look back at some of the top stories from the previous 12 months.
Dolefully, the top local news story of the year was most certainly the Oct. 23 fire that destroyed the Lennox Agricultural Society Community Centre. Fortunately no lives were lost in the blaze, but the loss was still a major blow to the community. Often referred to as the ‘old arena’, the building on York Street was still very much in use at the time of its untimely demise. In the wake of the fire memories and tributes have poured in, a testament to what that structure meant to such a diverse cross section of the community.
It wasn’t all sorrow in 2023 of course. Among the more fun stories to cover was the Napanee AFW U20 Express capturing the gold on home turf at the Canadian Fast Pitch Championships in mid August.
Keeping in the sports theme, the NDSS Golden Hawks high school enjoyed a level of success likely never seen in the history of the school. Junior girls volleyball, curling, wrestling, baseball and cross-country all reached new heights as the accolades just kept on coming from September right through June.
In April we had the pleasure of celebrating a pair of local centenarians-local WWII veteran William Smith and 104-year-old Margaret Rivers.
September’s highlight included a sit down with James Caughill and his dog Muckwah during their brief stay in Napanee as part of their walk across Canada to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless-and their pets.
On the local comedy scene our community lost some of its funny, first in November with Napanee Beaver cartoonist Tim Nimigan calling it a career after 20 years. More recently, the Newburgh Community Christmas Concert staged its last shows, ending a 44 year run.
As we have for the last eight years, we completed the year with a visit to Morningstar Mission to snap a photo of Owen Hewett and his annual winter clothing donation to those in need-always a highlight.
Over the Christmas break, we’ll be compiling our favourite photos of the last year and posting them online at www.NapaneeBeaver.ca. Any breaking news that takes place over the holidays will also be posted so be sure to check to website or X (formerly known as Twitter). We’ve also be launched a Reddit account and are back on Facebook with a page simply titled The Napanee Beaver.
And so we’ll close out 2023 by wishing happy holidays to our readers and offering a sincere thank you to those who have supported us throughout the year.
As a fun side note, the Napanee Beaver was first published on Jan. 1, 1870. Come New Year’s Day we will 155-years-young.
-Adam Prudhomme