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What started off as a part-time business in Cumberland, Ontario has led the husband and wife team of Adam Ozorak and Jessica Cadman back to Jessica’s hometown of Almonte. “Almonte is such a friendly and charming town — not to mention it’s a great place to raise our growing family!” explains Jessica.
After making the official decision to relocate, the young couple decided it was time to start playing a bigger game and launched Ozo Construction — a locally-owned and operated foundation repair, interlock, renovation and home services company. Not only did they recently become first-time parents in January 2018, but together they decided to embark on the journey of entrepreneurship. Why, you may ask? After working for other people, they realized that it just wasn’t going to cut it — in terms of finances, hours, and operating methods and standards. They knew if they were to be successful and do what they loved — helping others achieve a beautiful, safe home for themselves and their families — they needed to do things their own way. And thus, the journey began.
As exciting as it was when they decided to go full throttle with their own company, it was a nerve-wracking adventure for the two of them; for not only did they have to create a prospering company to survive themselves, but they had a new mouth to feed (and soon to be another one, as they are welcoming baby number two)! Regardless, they took the leap, and with over twelve years’ experience in the construction industry, started seriously creating a booming construction business. “Before now we had been cautiously tiptoeing into entrepreneurship… but with our growing family and our recent move, we decided it was time to take this dream of ours to the next level,” explains Jessica.
As part of a growing number of young entrepreneurs, Adam and Jessica are dedicated to creating a better future for themselves, their customers, and their growing number of employees. “It’s not a small thing we are doing when you look at it. We are working to help create a better town, a better province, and more job security in our local area. There’s nothing better than knowing that you are helping others — whether it’s by designing and building an ideal kitchen that customers will love, or hiring a new worker and seeing how happy and grateful they are to work with a business that operates as a caring team,” says Adam.
1117-Y, 1202-L. Those were my telephone numbers when I was six and twelve. I’ve forgotten what I had for dinner yesterday but can remember those numbers! We used to say we were as old as dirt, but now we say we’re as old as a party line, or as old as a telephone with a crank handle and an operator who said “number pu-lees-ah”. And yes, I’m that old. Dirt has nothing on me!
We’re still hold-outs with a landline that I’m not about to relinquish, no matter the cost. You can find us in the phone book, although you might be hard pressed to find a phone book. We thought it was peculiar when we moved to West Carleton, within the City of Ottawa, that we had an Almonte phone number, but we were proud of that since although we may reside in Ottawa, we live in Almonte. And there we are in the Almonte phone book too. Every year the phone book becomes thinner and thinner, but it still has a place of honour in — what else — the phone book drawer!
We make good use of our landline, with jacks in nearly every room, and four phones handy where we can find them. I never have to wonder where I left the darn thing because there it is, right on the desk beside the phone book. We have several models of phone too: a clunky looking grey one with the answering machine mechanism, an old-fashioned beige cordless that doesn’t work if you’re more than 15 feet from its base, a dark green sleek plug-in model, and an ancient pink one coated in mosaic glue in the basement. I like to get salesmen on that one because the static makes it sound like we’re in Siberia.
Our phone doesn’t ring very often anymore, except for the fellow who wants to rewire our computer or sell us printer ink. He doesn’t know my cell phone number, so never calls that. Why would he? That phone lives in my purse, usually turned off. I don’t keep him on the line long, since I know he needs to make about a thousand calls, all computer-generated. The robo-calls around election time set the phone jangling too. Here’s my theory: these companies use the landlines because they know there will be “older than dirt” people on the other end, who are sitting by their phones waiting for someone to call them, someone who just might fall for their pitches.
When I need a local service, I turn first to the phone book Yellow Pages. Sadly, they often demand I search a website, or leave a voicemail. I haven’t had much success getting Mr. Google to come and repair the plumbing. However, if I call the local plumber, he’s right at the other end of my phone line and he will come within a couple of hours. I realize I’m likely going the way of the dodo bird, but trying to noodle about on Google to find a particular thing is frustrating and often non-productive when the list is right there in the phone book. Further, I can annotate the ads in the phone book, compare prices, write them down where they are easy to find, and have the reference ready when I need to make that call again.
There is a problem arising though. The Yellow Pages is an advertising cost, and in this day of cyber-everything businesses are taking to the clouds and plunging their money into every conceivable medium they can. Many have abandoned the Yellow Pages, forcing me to spend fruitless hours negotiating websites. Further complications arise when Facebook gets its tentacles into the mix. Not being on Facebook, I might be missing a great deal — or not.
The phone book serves us in so many other ways. It’s become the habit now to introduce ourselves with first names only, and unless people want you to contact them, you have no way to find them again. When both names were used in an introduction, we could easily go to the phone book and find an address or a phone number and call a person on their landline. Now new acquaintances drift through our lives as Jim or Jennifer, and only if we meet that person again do we make connections. Then we have to whip out our cell phones and programme in numbers and pray we don’t make a mistake. Cell phones have taken over for most people, with exclusion from the phone book a certainty, and email addresses impossible to access. We have to rely on others in the hope our message will get to the intended recipient. It’s wonderful to pick up a call and find a friend on the other end of the line.
Last week I was thrilled to hear from my cousin with whom I hadn’t spoken in ten years. He’d found a card with our phone number on it, and lo and behold we still have that number! We talked for nearly a half-hour, and promised we’d do that again. I love to call my sister and just gab. We both like to hear that phone ring. I can see her sitting by her phone table, the same as I am.
So if you want to find us, we’re still there in the old phone book: the Jones on Carroll Side Road. And we will be for as long as they publish the phone book. We won’t leave until Ma Bell decides to publish a compendium of cell phone numbers. It’ll only be accessible online though, like everything else these days.
That’s it from the old woman who’s “as old as a party line” — and proud of it!
Unleash your inner yogi at a brand-new yoga festival in a town that’s on the rise — beautiful Smiths Falls. On Saturday, June 15, grab your mat, water bottle and a positive attitude and head for one of the fastest-growing communities in Eastern Ontario to take part in a one-of-a-kind event celebrating healthy lifestyles and the practice of yoga for all ages — the RISE Yoga and Wellness Festival.
The first of its kind in the Ottawa Valley, RISE is a free, fun, family-friendly and educational event running from 9:30am to 3:30pm in Centennial Park in Smiths Falls. Situated alongside the historic Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the setting couldn’t be more inspirational for doing yoga outdoors. Spread your mat and bask in the sunshine and beautiful scenery while experimenting with or expanding your yoga practice.
Upward dog, downward dog… all the dogs will be on-site during this fun and interactive event! Visitors will find a number of activities to keep inspired, all day long. Three yoga classes will take place on the main lawn, and six workshops will unfold throughout the day, focused on varying topics like SUP yoga, Acroyoga, Oov mobility, barefoot mobility, and mobility tools.
When you need a break from all your yoga you can relax in the community tea tent, or wander through the on-site product vendors to see what’s new in the health and wellness industry. After working up an appetite you won’t need to go far to enjoy some delicious and nutritious goodies; food and drink vendors will be on-site to complete the health and wellness experience.
Perfect for participants of all ages and abilities, newbies or experienced yogis, the RISE Yoga and Wellness Festival is a one-of-a-kind experience for anyone interested in health and wellness. Families will love the child- and family-friendly classes, the interactive children’s area, and a two-kilometre children’s run that will get the day started on the right foot.
The festival is the culmination of more than six months of planning, and was inspired by an already existing health and wellness focus in Smiths Falls, with the intent of drawing visitors from farther afield to come and celebrate everything the town has to offer.
Connect, grow, and love yoga — and yourself — at the RISE Yoga and Wellness Festival! For more information, visit <riseyogafest.ca>.
Sound of the Muse Records recording artists The Life of Pearls will celebrate the summer solstice and present their new 2019 album release and stage show Into the Beautiful Blue at Union Hall at 7:30pm on Saturday, June 22. The adult contemporary/singer songwriter concert features a four-piece band fronted by the lush vocals of singer/keyboard player Shann Bailey and the beautifully rendered songs and stories of songwriter/guitar player Timothy Trieste.
Described by CBC Radio as “engaging music and poetic songs… connected by inspired story narrations written for the stage… an entertaining and thoughtful concert about place, memory and the search for meaning,” the concert will be adapted to integrate references to the history of the Hall and the natural and historical landscape of Mississippi Mills.
A portion of the proceeds from the concert will be contributed to Union Hall’s Renovation Fund.
For more information, to buy advance tickets, or to hear the music of The Life of Pearls, please visit <thelifeofpearls.ca>. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door on June 22 for $20.
Located at 1984 Wolf Grove Road (at the corner of Tatlock Road) and constructed in 1857, Union Hall is owned and maintained by the community, with support from the Municipality of Mississippi Mills.
Readers Write
Due to circumstances beyond the Studio Theatre’s control, Norm Foster’s comedy The Ladies’ Foursome, originally scheduled to open on May 30, has been rescheduled to open on Thursday, July 4. Please visit <studiotheatreperth.com> for details about this delightful comic hole-in-one, now opening on July 4. Tickets are $24 at Tickets Please (485–6434; ticketsplease.ca) and at the Studio Theatre box office on show nights.
A Big “Thank You” from the Textile Museum
The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum’s 2019 Soup for Thought event on March 30th was a huge success! To our guests, volunteers, and our generous donors who provided us with the most delicious soups, coffee and essential equipment — St. James Gate, Black Tartan Kitchen, Almonte Lobby Bar, Tea & Cake, Orchard View by the Mississippi, Fluid Solar Roasted Coffee, Heirloom Café, Café Postino, Equator Coffee Roasters, Prior Engagements and North Market — our heartfelt thanks for your support!
Important Date Change for The Ladies’ Foursome
Almonte General Hospital Fairview Manor Foundation is preparing to welcome golfers to their 17th annual Golf Classic on Friday, June 7 at the Canadian Golf and Country Club. All funds raised during this annual Mississippi Mills tradition will help support new diagnostic imaging equipment at the Hospital.
The day includes 18 holes of golf with a shared cart, a lunch, a sumptuous sirloin beef supper, online/silent and live auctions, and more. You can join the fun for $150 per golfer or $600 per foursome. Golfers can register online at <almontehospitalfoundation.com>.
“We are grateful to the sponsors who help make the day such a tremendous success,” says this year’s presenting sponsor Guido Patrice of Patrice’s Your Independent Grocer. Sponsors include: Emond Harnden LLP, Carleton Place Terrace, Deugo Home Services, C.R. Gamble Funeral Home, New Age Automotive, Linda Manson Duncan and Family, Modern Niagara HVAC Services Inc., Power-Tek Electrical Services, and Sports Systems Canada. Opportunities are still available for partnership.
You are invited to discover more about this and other Foundation events — including how to register, become a partner, or make a donation to support local health care close to home. Please contact Louise Beckinsale at 256–2514 x2296 or visit <almontehospitalfoundation.com>.
A Company of Fools is back with their Torchlight Shakespeare in the Park series — visiting 36 parks all across Eastern Ontario during the months of July and August. A stellar local cast of Fools both new and old play 14 different roles to retell Shakespeare’s best-known story in community parks — the perfect setting for an evening summer picnic, friendly for the entire family (even your dog).
For the first time in eleven years, the Fools tackle Shakespeare’s iconic story Romeo and Juliet. The city of Verona is plagued by violence, as an ancient rivalry between the Capulets and Montagues causes fighting in the street. The son of Montague (Romeo) crashes the Capulets’ ball and falls for Capulet’s daughter (Juliet). The two marry in secret and find themselves at the centre of a city-wide feud.
A carnival setting creates the backdrop for the Fools’ fantastical take on the streets of Verona. Swords are paired with water pistols, and live music is played by a carnie barker with a megaphone. Audiences will be transported to an adolescent paradise of dangerous pleasure. Relive your teenage angst with the Fools this summer as they present the world’s favourite romance.
About the Team
Two of Ottawa’s favourite young actors play the bard’s star-crossed lovers: Norah Paton (whose one-woman show Burnt found national success) stars as Juliet, while Ottawa improv legend and Fools veteran Leslie Cserapy plays Romeo. Past Fools Kate Smith and Geoff McBride return in the roles of Lady and Lord Capulet. And Fools fan-favourite Kate McArthur (Sebastian/Maria from 2018’s Twelfth Night) also returns to play the roles of both Mercutio and the Nurse. Alongside her is a new Fool, Andrea Massoud, playing Benvolio.
When and Where?
The tour runs from July 2 to August 17, and you can find the full schedule at <fools.ca> after June 15. As in past years, there will be performances in McDonalds Corners and at The Herb Garden near Almonte. All of the shows are pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation of $20/person. The actors pass hats once the performance has concluded to collect donations.
Building bridges is what well-connected communities do, whether it’s to solve a transportation need or to help improve the health and wellbeing of their residents. Carleton Place Town Hall staff have helped to build a bridge with an amazing span, one that reaches all the way to the middle of the North Atlantic.
It started with an offer from, of all places, the Embassy of Iceland, wishing to share their country’s musical culture with people from our area. Senior staff at Carleton Place’s town hall were quick to respond and have arranged an appropriate venue, the town hall’s upper auditorium, for a true musical treat for the ears on Wednesday, June 5 at 7:30pm. Renowned Icelandic mezzo-soprano Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir, accompanied by pianist Snorri Sigfús Birgisson, will present an evening of favourite Icelandic songs and popular opera arias. His Excellency Ambassador of Iceland Pétur Ásgeirsson will host a short reception during the intermission.
Under the leadership of the town’s CAO, Diane Smithson, the connecting link in this bridge of sharing was a plan to ask for voluntary donations at this event for Planet Youth Lanark, seeing that, thanks to the generosity of the Embassy and with support of the town, admission is free.
Planet Youth Lanark is a new way to engage our community with the goal of reducing the onset of drug and substance use among our youth. Using an investigative and detailed survey of grade 10 students, which was pioneered and developed in Iceland (here comes the link), Planet Youth Lanark will provide area communities with the timely and accurate information needed to help plan and deliver grassroot solutions to the serious risks of substance abuse.
In a recent 20-year span, regular harmful substance use among youth in Iceland dropped from a European Union high of 48% to the lowest rate at less than 5%. The universal response to how this was achieved is found in Planet Youth, also known as “the Icelandic model”. Thanks to detailed information received from annual student surveys, Iceland was able to create positive social and environmental change, providing their youth with more opportunities to follow healthy and creative pursuits. The nation also enjoyed the benefits that accrued from parents and children spending more time together. This model has been adopted in over twenty countries around the globe with promising results, and interest is growing. Our own local steering committee plans to help support similar results here.
More information and progress reports can be found at <planetyouthlanark.ca>. More details on the concert can be found at <carletonplace.ca>. We hope to see you there!
The Planet Youth Lanark steering committee is deeply appreciative of Carleton Place’s support of this effort.
Celebrating Canada’s Garden Days, the Rideau Woodland Ramble is pleased to announce that ART, JAZZ & the GARDEN will take place on Saturday, June 15 from 9am to 5pm. Music will be provided by Red Jazz and Nicolas Stackhouse, and members of the MAG Artists (Merrickville Artists Guild) and several guest artists will be in the award-winning gardens displaying and selling their art. Admission is free and all are welcome — please come and celebrate Garden Days and the creativity of these great artists. This is a wonderful chance to experience the gardens at the height of their summer glory.
This display garden and garden centre, named Destination Garden Centre of Canada in 2015, is open to the public at 7210 Burritt’s Rapids Road, County Rd 23, and is situated on seven acres of picturesque woodland. Its mission is to capture the imagination of gardeners and plant collectors. The Ramble is open from mid-April to November daily from 9am to 5pm. For more information, please visit <rideauwoodlandramble.com> or call 258–3797.
Like the amps in Spinal Tap, Mississippi Mills Bicycle Month is going to eleven this June! From its inception, MMBM has envisioned a world that is healthy, active, economically strong and environmentally sustained; a world where community is strong, inclusive, vibrant and safe. Building on a decade of two-wheeled fun, the eleventh iteration includes lots of the great events the community has grown to love, plus a brand-new fundraiser for Lanark County Interval House. And like MMBM founder Jeff Mills says: “The beauty of Bicycle Month is it is fun. By its nature, riding a bike is first and foremost a joy.” So come on — get happy — and get on your bike!
This Year’s Events
The best way to keep up-to-date on all of the happy happenings is to follow Mississippi Mills Bicycle Month on Facebook (organizers have scheduled posts in advance of all events) or to visit <mmbm.ca> where you’ll find a full calendar of events (as well as links to local resources, routes and initiatives).
June is filled with group rides for all ages. The Mississippi Mills Family Bicycle Club will host Tuesday evening rides for families (you define family in your way, and remember, you don’t have to be from Mississippi Mills) as well as the Street Party/Potluck on June 1 on Mill Street in downtown Almonte (which will be closed to vehicles as of 5pm, with the potluck starting at 6pm). This, like every bicycle month event, is open to all. Come celebrate community, enjoy live music, bring a dish (and your own plates and cutlery please) and help build a really long table on Mill Street!
The RIMM Rovers will hold rides for older riders each Thursday morning. Or how about a birdwatching tour with Birders on Bicycles (June 8), a ride to Carp for brunch at Alice’s Village Café (June 9), or a tour of four local breweries (June 22)? On June 8 you can partake of free live music at PorchFest de Miss Mills (see below).
The annual Tour de Mississippi Mills takes place on Saturday, June 15, and you can choose a loop of 30, 60, 80 or 100 kilometres in length. This year’s Tour starts at Equator Coffee Roasters and ends up across the parking lot at Crooked Mile Brewery. Also on Saturday, June 15, families and individuals alike are invited to raise funds for and awareness of the important services provided by Lanark County Interval House by participating in Break the Cycle. This 5k family-friendly ride along the beautiful Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail runs from 1–4pm, starting and ending at the Almonte Library parking lot. There will be refreshments and prizes, but you need to register in advance — find a link at <mmbm.ca>.
2019 Silver Chain Challenge — Walk or Ride!
Whether you’re from Mississippi Mills or not, you too can help build a culture of cycling in your area. Throughout the month of June, walk or ride and then log your kilometers in the Silver Chain Challenge, and join in the friendly competition between Lanark and Renfrew Counties. Every kilometre you log on foot or on your bike and post at <silverchainchallenge.ca> is a vote for more cycling infrastructure and a healthier quality of life.
Porchfest Line-up Announced!
Last year’s inaugural Porchfest de Mississippi Mills event was a smashing success — hundreds of happy people walked and cycled from porch to porch in Almonte to partake of fabulous free musical performances by over a dozen groups. The organizers of the second annual Porchfest are thrilled to share the list of performers and events taking place on Saturday, June 8. While there may be a few more surprises in the mix, so far they are expecting: The Dusty Bits (a guitar ensemble who formed at the Mississippi Mills Musicworks), Cratur (dance-inspiring fiddle tunes), The Ragged Flowers (bringing enough folklectic harmonies to lift up the rafters), The Christa Lowry Quintet (classical music with some fun twists and turns), Ricocheted (two local porch owners who formed a musical union), Gifts for Gaia (an art show by three artists with a mutual love of nature and the planet), Fred Dell’Amico (a singer-songwriter who at the age of 70 is just hitting his prime), Lost: Pet Pigeon (performance, music, poetry, stories…), Will Nailey, The Somerset Combo (lively, atmospheric, smooth and classic jazz), and The Brindled Cats (who will play a sponsored event at Crooked Mile Brewery featuring standards, bop and modern jazz tunes in a conversational style that is both relaxed and adventurous).
Festivities will take place rain or shine (hopefully shine!) from 3–6pm around Almonte. Bring folding chairs, liquids and portable shade, plus some cash for the performers when they pass the hat. Final locations, times and the full lineup will be announced on June 8 at <mmporchfest.com>. There is still a need for both porches and a few more performers, so if you have a last-minute idea be sure to sign-up online in order to join the fun!
Each year, Almonte Celtfest attracts thousands of visitors to the Ottawa Valley for three days of Celtic music, dance and history. The celebration was created in 1997 by three young men — Brian O’Connell, Dan O’Connell and Terry Currie — who shared a deep appreciation for their Celtic heritage. Today, more than two decades later, the gathering is one of the best-reputed Celtic festivals in North America.
This year’s event takes place from July 5–7, and things get off to a rollicking start on Friday night with Celt-rockers the Mudmen along with Ottawa’s Les Rats d’Swompe.
Les Rats d’Swompe are a trio of proud French Canadians with a shared passion for traditional violin and the music of yesteryear. Most recently, they were nominated for the Country Music Association of Ontario 2019 Award for Francophone Artist/Group of the Year!
Next up is Canada’s Celtic rock warriors, the Mudmen. With 3,000 performances, nine CDs and six music videos to their credit, the brothers’ initial influences were The Irish Rovers, who gave them their start. That is, until a friend introduced them to AC/DC. Now that sounds like a party!
While Saturday and Sunday are entry-by-donation at the gate, Friday evening is a paid event in Gemmill Park with tickets only $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite, the Celtfest Facebook page, their website <almonteceltfest.com>, Crooked Mile Brewery and Baker Bob’s.
The music continues all weekend with over a dozen seasoned performers taking the main stage from noon until dusk, including Twin Flames — a powerful husband and wife duo and winners of the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Award for Aboriginal Songwriters of the Year.
Also performing on Saturday is Anna Ludlow. Drawing on the spirit of her working-class Nova Scotian ancestry, Anna fuses traditional Celtic tunes with a modern percussive vibe. Most recently, Anna was the lead fiddler in the hit musical Come From Away at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.
Saturday closes out with the main weekend headliner: Cape Breton’s own world-renowned fiddler Ashley MacIsaac. The name speaks for itself — plainly put, he’s a legend! Bring your dancing shoes and maybe an extra fiddle bow if you’ve got one.
Build Your Skills at Celtic College!
No Celtic music festival would be complete without a Celtic College. At Celtfest, aspiring musicians can register for workshops on Saturday morning from 10–11:30am at the Almonte Town Hall. Intermediate and advanced fiddle players have the opportunity to learn from a true Cape Bretoner, Anna Ludlow. Her students will focus on bowing techniques, ornamentation, ear-training and set-building. The goal is to build a new set in the class and add a “unique-to-you sound”, which is what Anna is all about.
Sweden’s own Silverfura, new to Celtfest this year, will be teaching Swedish tunes and demonstrating the difference between polska, släng-polska and a hambo. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn from these amazing international artists.
Also accepting students is Graham Lindsay. Using the D whistle, the workshop will cover basic fingering, breathing and blowing technique, scales and scale exercises, and work on a couple of simple tunes to get you started. Participants will also get a demonstration on playing the Irish flute (bring one if you have one), pointing out not only the differences but also the important similarities between flute and whistle.
For those interested in a guitar workshop, Celtfest College presents Joe Campbell-McArdle. Joe is a guitarist, banjo player, mandolin player and singer and has been an active member of the thriving Irish traditional music scene in Belfast for over ten years. He co-hosts multiple sessions, including a weekly session in the famous Sunflower Bar every Sunday. Among his many musical projects he plays with Lonesome George, a critically acclaimed folk fusion/Irish traditional group who have been touring to showcase their new album of original music in Ireland, the UK and Germany.
And last but not least is Alistair Dennett, one of Prairie Oyster’s original members, conducting a workshop on the bodhrán. Alistair’s students will start from the ground up (literally), learning the fundamentals of keeping time with the foot, tipper (stick) hand technique and incorporating the left (tone) hand. They will explore modern bodhráns and playing styles and how they got this way. The workshop will also cover the basics of “pedaling” with the stick hand, accenting with the tone hand, and how they fit into playing jigs and reels.
The celebrations continue into Sunday with a Fiddle Mass at Holy Name of Mary Parish. The day continues with performances by the Monday Night Fiddlers, Celtic Cross Dancers, and Silverfura. Later in the afternoon, Celtfest guests will enjoy Perth’s own James Keelaghan. James is one of the most distinctive and identifiable voices in the Canadian singer-songwriter community. Closing out the weekend are The Fitzgeralds, Canadian Grandmaster Fiddle and Step Dance champions three times over!
Almonte Celtfest also hosts children’s activities, Celtic sports, craft artisans and much more. Hungry patrons can sample from the many food trucks, and those with a thirst will enjoy the two craft breweries on tap at the bar — Crooked Mile and Perth Brewery. An accessibility tent will be onsite for those needing additional services.
This year is shaping up to be the biggest Celtfest yet, and organizers are proud to bring these amazing artists to Almonte. They hope you will join them and experience all that Celtfest and Almonte have to offer. Don’t forget to take a walk down Mill Street, drop into the amazing shops, grab an ice cream cone, and listen to the many buskers that will be there to entertain you. For more information, visit <almonteceltfest.com>.
See you in Almonte!
The award-winning Classic Theatre Festival in Perth is hosting a summer-long party in 2019. The Ottawa Valley’s only professional theatre company is celebrating its 10th anniversary season with some of the longest-running, most popular plays in Broadway history.
Starring some of Canada’s top theatrical talent, the Festival offers affordably priced reserved seats for family-friendly shows featuring comedies, thriller/mysteries and drama. A fully-rounded theatrical experience features pre-show talks explaining the history and context of the play a half-hour before each performance, a massive loonie/toonie book sale, theatrical history lobby displays and a fully stocked concession stand loaded with summertime treats.
Located at 54 Beckwith Street East (at Harvey) in Perth, the 2019 mainstage season opens with the ninth longest running play in Broadway history, a remarkable comedy about the passions and excitement of World War II-era New York City. When young people from across the nation converge on the Big Apple, they discover new loves, share their dreams, and navigate the challenges of rapidly changing moral codes in John Van Druten’s Voice of the Turtle (June 21 to July 14).
Meanwhile, comic sparks fly when a bombastic professor of dialects tries to turn a working-class flower girl into an upper-class lady in the most popular of Shaw’s plays, Pygmalion (the basis for the musical My Fair Lady). Full of unforgettable Shavian characters — Henry Higgins, Eliza Doolittle, Colonel Pickering and Alfred Doolittle, among others — this legendary satire on class, gender and particularly British mannerisms, all served up with gentle and loving humour, runs from July 19 to August 11.
The mainstage season closes with the longest-running comedy thriller in Broadway history. Deathtrap (August 16 to September 8) follows a formerly successful playwright who engages in a deadly game to steal what he feels would be a “killer script.” Filled with ingenious plot twists and a string of bodies, Deathtrap was written by Ira Levin, the author of Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil and The Stepford Wives.
All mainstage shows are performed at 2pm Tuesday through Sunday, with Wednesday and Saturday evening shows at 8pm. The facility is wheelchair accessible and air conditioned, with free parking.
The Festival’s popular theatrical walking play, Perth through the Ages (June 26 to August 25, Wednesday to Sunday at 11am, Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm), presents an hour-long, family-friendly mystery of Perth during the Great Depression, entitled The Forgotten Ones. As rural people cope with 1930s challenges, a recently-evicted farm girl arrives in town to search for her missing grandmother; she eventually approaches a truth she may not want to discover.
The Festival’s popular dinner theatre experience in partnership with Michael’s Table expands this year to include a lunchtime sitting. Running Tuesdays (June 4 to August 27) from 11am to 1pm and again from 5–7pm, visitors will enjoy a sumptuous three-course meal along with a performance of Androcles and the Lion, G.B. Shaw’s hilarious satire on the Roman Empire as seen through the eyes of a Christian slave and a very different “king of the forest.”
Tickets for all shows are available online at <classictheatre.ca> or toll-free at 1–877–283–1283.
Colours of Nature at Strévé Design Studio
You are invited to come and enjoy Colours of Nature — works by Canadian artist Linda Banfalvi at Strévé Design Studio and Gallery in Perth, from June 17 to July 13. There will be an opening vernissage on Sunday, June 23 from 1–3pm, and Linda will also be there on Sunday, July 7 from 1–3pm to paint at the gallery. Come and see the artist at work and discuss the paintings on display.
This collection of paintings depicts the beauty in nature. The use of bold colour and strong composition in Linda’s representational abstract landscape and floral paintings will take you to a place of peace and happiness. Through this body of work, the artist wishes to share how she sees this exciting and inspiring world. There is much to marvel at if you take the time to look. Linda works with acrylics, mixed media, and oil and cold wax. You will see paintings on canvas, cradled wood panel, and on watercolour paper mounted on cradled wood panel and varnished. Some paintings are large scale and invite the viewer into the image, whereas smaller works give a glimpse of a moment in time. All the paintings have a lively use of colour and texture that unifies them as one artist’s view of nature. There will also be several collaborations of Linda’s paintings with her son Chris Banfalvi’s metal sculptures, which together create unique works of art. For more details, visit <lindabanfalvi.com> or <strevedesign.com>.
“Silversmith” — a Clarification
Burnstown artist David Ivens writes: “I am a silversmith: that does not mean that I only work with silver, nor does it make me a jeweller; in fact I am not a jeweller.
“I work with hammers and other tools, to transform (mostly) sheet metal into things like teapots, trays, vases, sculptures… A silversmith works with non-ferrous metals, but this does not mean I do not work with ferrous metals, because I need to make my tools out of ferrous metals. I normally use silver solders to join pieces together, but common welding and brazing are also used. I sometimes work with bar stock rather than sheet metal; we call this forging. I forge solid items like spoons, knives, forks, handles, bangles, bracelets, beads (whoops slipped into making jewellery!).
“I make castings, I cast ingots, I forge ingots, and those ingots can be forged into sheets. It is easier/cheaper to buy prepared sheet metals. Sometimes I take different kinds of sheet metal, heat them together until they join into a solid block, then I hammer it back out until it is the thickness of one of the original sheets. I take parts of it away so you can see all the different metals. I can then hammer it into a hollow form so it will hold liquid, or join it with other fabricated sections to make a vessel with a purpose. I then sand, polish and patina it to take all those hammer marks away so you cannot discern how it was made. Some of the pieces might need to have a hinge or some need extra material for support, some need insulation, or ventilation, or they are designed for some practical use. I think that’s fun, and I would love for you to come and be a part of the fun in my studio workshop.”
You can find out more about David’s metal forming workshops at <davidivens.ca> or contact him at <david@davidivens.ca>.
CANADIANA Continues in Almonte
Combining immersive landscapes with intriguing sculpture, the CANADIANA exhibition continues at Almonte’s Sivarulrasa Gallery until June 30. Curated by Sanjeev Sivarulrasa, the show brings together works by artists George Horan (St. John’s, Newfoundland), Karen Haines (Edmonton, Alberta), Barbara Gamble (Ottawa, Ontario), and Deborah Arnold (Almonte, Ontario).
Based in Newfoundland and Labrador, artist George Horan’s work is inspired by the rugged terrain of the Newfoundland coastal landscape. The passion of Alberta-based artist Karen Haines is plein air painting, inspired by the landscape with its changing light and ephemeral qualities. Traveling throughout Alberta, and contending with all the challenges of painting outdoors, her work vibrates with energy, capturing direct light, reflected light and diffuse overcast light. Refined over three decades, Ottawa-based artist Barbara Gamble’s oil painting process involves the multi-layering of coloured waxes to create luminous surfaces. Her immersive 5 ft x 7 ft painting Gatineau Forest is one of the central works in the show. Almonte-based sculptor Deborah Arnold has been sculpting stone for three decades, drawn to its innate strength and grace. Her latest work, Oracle, combining glass, stone, and steel stands guard at the entrance to the show. Visit <sivarulrasa.com> for more information.
Art on the Riverside
A show of art works by Carleton Place High School students will take place on June 14 from 6–9pm. The art show will be held at CPHS, which is located at 215 Lake Avenue West. All of the participating students have agreed to give proceeds to CHEO this year. They are charging a $5 fee to all those 13 and older. The students will be providing snacks, and are also holding a silent auction of items donated by local businesses. For more information about the show, please contact the art teacher, Mr. Troy Smith, at the school (257–2720) or by email <troy.smith@ucdsb.on.ca>.
Summer Fibrations at MVTM
On Saturday, June 22, Out Of The Box fibre artists are returning to the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum with another exciting display of fibre art. Over 150 individual pieces will be on display in a wonderful collection called Summer Fibrations. The centrepiece of the show will focus on eight beautiful Summer Colours. You will be intrigued by them as well as by independent pieces — all of which will showcase unique and innovative uses of fibre and cloth. Be inspired by the colour, texture and techniques employed by these artists!
This exhibit runs until July 6. The Textile Museum is located at 3 Rosamond Street East in Almonte, and you can find more details at <mvtm.ca>.
Arts Circle Exhibition at MERA
The members of the MERA Arts Circle will be holding a vernissage of their recent paintings at the Schoolhouse in McDonald’s Corners on Saturday, June 1 from 11am to 1pm. The exhibition will continue until June 30. Check <meraschoolhouse.org> for times when the doors are open for viewing.
A number of the paintings will be for sale, with part of the proceeds going to MERA to support the ongoing operation of the organization. But do come just to see what they have accomplished this year.
The MERA Arts Circle is a collection of amateur painters who meet regularly to take mini-workshops, share information and techniques, and support one another in their many artistic endeavours. The group meets on Friday mornings, and new members with any level of art experience are welcome to join them. There is no fee to join, but is open only to MERA members, which is $50 a year for an individual membership. This membership also allows you to partake of the many other programs at MERA including pottery, stained glass and fibre arts.
So please come out to the McDonalds Corners Farmers’ Market at MERA, and visit the opening of this exhibition. Most of the artists will be present to celebrate with you the joy that is the artist’s life. MERA is located at 974 Conc 9A Dalhousie in McDonalds Corners.
Rideau Lakes Studio Tour
The 21st annual Rideau Lakes Studio Tour will be celebrated on June 29 and 30 in the Rideau Lakes district, concentrated around the villages of Portland, Newboro and Chaffey’s Locks. It features paintings, pottery, quilts, weaving, woodworking, sculpture and jewellery for your home and garden. Studios will be open from 10am to 5pm each day. Free brochures guiding you through the tour are available at most area stores, restaurants and welcome centres.
The artists have the welcome mats out and are ready with a few surprises for you. For more information, please visit <rideaulakesstudioandgardentour.com> or call 272-3630.
Back Forty Artisan Cheese will be hosting their 4th annual summer festival at their Cheese Factory on Saturday, June 29 from 10am to 4pm. Relax along the Mississippi River while enjoying great cheese, local food, drinks and live music.
Back by popular demand, Frontenac Outfitters will be set up along the riverbank to offer the public a chance to test out kayaks, canoes and stand up paddleboards. Carleton Place’s Stalwart Brewery and Almonte’s Dairy Distillery will both be on-site pouring their delicious craft beer and cocktails. Of course there will also be plenty to eat and sample, with local producers offering everything from handcrafted chocolate and kombucha to preserves. Sharbot Lake’s Seed to Sausage owner/chef Mike McKenzie will be on the grill, and Back Forty will have plenty of cheese-related treats, including their signature beer-battered deep-fried curds. Enjoy authentic roots reggae music performed by RasTafari Syd Perry. Syd specializes in playing a 12-string guitar and harmonica and will be accompanied by Jeffery Singh on traditional Jamaican drums.
Owner and cheesemaker Jeff Fenwick explains that “the event started out as our season opening celebration, and although our tasting room is now open from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving, we decided to keep the event on the July long weekend to kick off the summer. On June 29 we hope to showcase many of the talented food and drink producers in our region and of course offer a wide selection of our handcrafted cheeses. It’s a fun and relaxing outing suitable for all ages and free to attend.”
About Back Forty
Founded in 2000, Back Forty Artisan Cheese is now the only cheese factory located in Frontenac County. They specialize in traditional and unique high quality raw sheep and water buffalo milk cheeses. Their cheese factory shop and tasting room is open every Saturday from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving. For directions or to learn more, please visit <artisancheese.ca>.
Much like some retired humans in our area, songbirds have returned for the season! Unlike most retirees, many of the birds are nesting at High Lonesome Nature Reserve. Anyone who has been to High Lonesome in the springtime knows that it is a bird lover’s paradise. Plan to join the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) on Sunday, June 23 from 10am to 1pm to Discover Birds and their Friends and Foes.
High Lonesome is a 200-acre gem. Located high in the Pakenham hills, it has landforms and ecosystems that provide excellent habitat, food sources and homes for a wide range of bird species. Everything from songbirds and water-loving birds to owls and birds of prey can be found living among its forests, meadows and wetlands.
At this time of year diminutive warblers have made their way from Central America and Mexico and are making High Lonesome their summer home. They are joined around Joel’s Pond by the colour and song of scarlet tanagers, Baltimore orioles and brown thrashers. The pond is also home to turtles, frogs, butterflies, dragonflies and other local critters. June is also an excellent time to see a great array of wildflowers!
High Lonesome is a haven for nature’s finest and a place of tranquility for those of us who visit. Grab your field guides, bring a snack or lunch, and join us for a post-trek discussion at the Welcome Centre. We will share some ideas and tips for seeing wildlife in our part of Ontario. Help us to compile our list of sightings, which will be used to add to the scientific information needed to manage this splendid tract of land and water.
High Lonesome Nature Reserve is one of eight properties conserved by the Land Trust. Over 2,600 acres of ecologically significant land in eastern Ontario have now been protected by MMLT, which is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year.
Admission is just $10 for members and $15 for non-members. High Lonesome Nature Reserve is located at 867 Carbine Road in Pakenham. Advance tickets and directions to High Lonesome are available at <mmlt.ca>.
Many thanks to sponsors Vamos Outdoors and L.G. Lee and Sons for their generous support of this event.
When devoting time for anything to do with communities, one appreciates the work and dedication of amazing volunteers. The true rewards too, are those lasting relationships we forge when working together. Those involved in the music sector share the common bond of the love of live music, and the continued goal of presenting music and performance experiences to appreciative audiences. Then too, there are the special ones — those who make the extra contributions that make a difference. And yes, as lifetimes go, we lose good people.
Doug Fleming was one of these. The Ontario Festival of Small Halls, held in some forty communities across Eastern Ontario, will greatly miss him in 2019. We learned he passed away earlier this month, at age 87. His funeral was held in one of the Small Halls festival’s most beautiful venues — St. Andrew’s United Church in Pakenham.
I met Doug through staging concerts in the acoustically wonderful Almonte Old Town Hall for events such as Almonte Celtfest and other community fundraisers. Doug took me to task one night for a band he deemed too loud for the space, and wrote a scathing review in the local papers — and we became friends thereafter. He was right!
Doug was a regular patron of Small Halls from the festival’s inception. He went beyond though, by organizing a host committee for the Tatlock Hall — a former Presbyterian/United Church moved from Hopetown in 1939, that has been lovingly restored. He applied to host a FOSH concert in 2017 (Old Man Luedecke) and again in 2018 (James Keelaghan) and for these successful concerts Doug was at the door as greeter and seller of tickets for an amazing gift basket of local artisan foods. He was really proud of these shows, and their association with the broader Small Halls festival.
But he went beyond just hosting. Doug has also been a huge fan, and probably attended at least a quarter of the 100+ FOSH concerts over the past five years. In his late 80s, he would show up by himself and take a preferred seat in the front row. You could see that his enjoyment level was absolutely high with every act that hit each stage. Kelly Symes (Festival of Small Halls General Manager), other crew members and I would keep an eye out for him and make a point of making him feel a part of that night’s offering. He always gave a verbal review at the end of the night — and we listened!
Doug was also a faithful attendee and supporter of the excellent Folkus Concert Series, held in Almonte’s Old Town from January onward each year. Sandy Irvin posted this tribute on Facebook when news of Doug’s passing became known: “Doug was the only person I’ve held a seat for at Folkus Concert Series. He called me and said he’d be late because he had a gig. He showed up in a medieval monk’s robes, blessed the crowd, and settled into his usual spot to the left of centre stage. He was a charming man, full of interest in everything and everyone. He never stopped being curious and he loved live music passionately”
The last time I saw him was at our Christmas concerts. A cold, snowy, dark night and a sold-out show in Lombardy along the Rideau — Doug was there early and one of the last to go. He definitely felt part of our broader musical family.
Yep. 2019 Festival of Small Halls will definitely miss his presence and energy. We’ll keep a chair for him.
Our thoughts go to Doug’s family and those close to him.
What is Art Works! Perth and what drew a printmaker, several painters, a glass artist, a sculptor and a woodworker together to establish it?
Art Works! Perth is an organization of creative artists working in, and close to, the heritage town of Perth, Ontario. The group was founded to provide a network for rural artists to come together to talk, learn, develop ideas and provide opportunities for other artists and community members to become involved in the visual arts in the Perth area.
The heritage character of Perth has attracted a significant number of artists, actors, and craftspeople to Lanark County, which in turn draws visitors from all over Ontario to a variety of cultural events throughout the year. Art Works! Perth wants this to grow, consolidating Perth’s reputation as a cultural destination and hub in the region.
Visitors to Perth can already browse shops, boutiques and galleries, go to the theatre, listen to live music, and check out craftspeople at the local Saturday market. And now, Art Works! Perth wants to provide residents and visitors with an opportunity to meet the people who make art in Perth and to see some of them at work!
To do so, they are organizing the first annual Studio Tour in Perth from June 21–23. Designed to be complementary to the longstanding studio tour centered in the Brooke Valley each Thanksgiving weekend, this studio tour will feature 21 artists located in 11 locations, all within 12km of downtown Perth. The locations are a mix of home studios, galleries, two breweries and a distillery.
The founding group of 11 artists has invited guest artists to join them, in order to offer visitors a wider range of art forms and styles. All of the artists are keen to share with visitors their love of art as well as information about their chosen medium and what their studio space looks like.
The artists who founded Art Works! Perth include Caroline Evans, Riley Garner, Susan Cartwright (this month’s profiled artist), Richard Hutton, Jenn Raby, Pat Purdy, Barb Sohn, Maureen O’Brien, Donna McPhail, Maureen Bennett and Brent McGillivray. Guest artists for this studio tour include Kathy Besharah, Arlene Fyffe, Linda Myers, John Shea, Heather Sherratt, Peter Emmink, Joyce Pruysers Emmink, Janet MacKay, Laurie Winter and Stephen Snider.
The studio tour runs from 2–6pm on Friday, June 21, and from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit <artworksperth.ca> or find them on Facebook.
OK friends and neighbours, it’s time to start really thinking hard about who we choose to represent our riding federally this fall. I know, I know, our riding always votes Conservative — but what if we were to send a strong message for change, along with a swelling number of voters across Canada who are concerned about all the pressing issues we have to confront? Come out and meet the new Green Party Candidate for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston — Steve Kotze — on Sunday, June 16 from 2–4pm at Carriageway Studios in Almonte.
Why are the Greens gaining momentum across the country? In Steve’s words, “People are starting to realize that the Green Party is more than a one-issue party, that it has policies that deal with all facets of the economy, and our social and political life. Green policies in other countries have been shown to have positive impacts on the economy. Jobs and ‘greening’ the economy are central to the Green Party platform. With more Greens in Ottawa there will be more people to push for the changes that need to happen — Greens are not beholden to corporate interests, Greens represent all their constituents and not just the people who voted for them.”
Steve is a 35-year resident of Lanark County who was chosen from a slate of three very strong candidates. He lives a low-carbon, “green” lifestyle with his family in rural Lanark County. He works as an accountant and regards himself as fiscally conservative. He has helped many organizations build and strengthen their capacity with sound financial management. He is dissatisfied with the status quo, particularly here in our riding. He feels that instead of helping communities to be strong and sustainable, the Conservative agenda has sought to save money by spending taxpayer dollars to tear apart hard-won institutions that help everyone live happier more prosperous lives. Steve’s mission is to work to strengthen communities by implementing Green policies that are so critical in this time of economic and environmental upheaval. It is exciting and hopeful to witness a groundswell of support across national and party lines to implement longstanding Green policies.
So come with your questions, scepticism, or just to say “hi” and give Steve your support. We look forward to attracting folks from all sides of the voting spectrum as a lead-up to this incredibly important federal election (fall 2019). We can work together toward a brighter future where lots of great jobs, great healthcare, great education and great community supports are the focus: not simply “economic growth”, which obviously doesn’t do much for regular and vulnerable Canadians. You can be a part of this move to a brighter future by supporting Steve Kotze and the Green Party this fall. Come and find out more on June 16 at Carriageway Studios.
Throughout 2019 there will be a variety of special events commemorating the 200th anniversary of Carleton Place. You’re sure to find something to capture the attention of children, adults, visitors and residents alike. So plan to attend our joyous festivities, concerts and local attractions, showcasing Carleton Place at its very best!
Local groups, businesses, organizations and museums have so much to offer, proudly displaying the cultural richness and heritage of Carleton Place. Discover our unique traditions and history with its colourful past and present personalities. Whether you are visiting or reside in the community, this is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the arts, music and various events during our 200th anniversary! Be sure to take in the farmers’ markets, explore the shops, and embrace our hometown hospitality, entertainment, and awesome dining venues for an unforgettable experience.
Special Celebration Highlights
On June 15, the annual Lambs Down Park Festival takes place at the Carleton Junction (behind the Canadian Wool Growers Co-operative). The 200th Anniversary Celebration Committee will be present, and there will be numerous craft and local business vendors, activities for children, pony rides, sheep shearing, plenty of food, live music and much more!
Come to Riverside Park on July 1 from 12:30-10pm for the fabulous Canada Day Celebration, where you can enjoy free family events hosted by the Recreation and Culture Department, featuring games and activities for the entire family’s enjoyment! Live music will be provided by the CP Band, Brock Zeman, Jamie McMunn, Jimmy Tri-Tone, Redneck Limousine, Starfire and Jaxstraw. The grand finale features the most spectacular fireworks show in the Ottawa Valley!
Head back to Riverside Park on July 27 for a very special Carleton Place 200th Celebration Concert! This 10-hour outdoor music concert features headliner Jason Blaine with our very own Brea Lawrenson and several other local bands. Admission is $30 at the gate or $25 in advance from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum, the Carleton Place Arena, the Carambeck Community Centre, or from Tickets Please (ticketsplease.ca, 485–6434).
The Mississippi Mudds will be presenting CP 200+ “Time to Remember” — a journey through the history of our town and area by means of a magical archive where every object, book or document brings stories to life. Shows are at 7:30pm on Nov. 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22, and at 2pm on November 16 and 23. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit <mississippimudds.ca>.
For up-to-date details about the Carleton Place 200th Anniversary Celebration, or to find out how you can support the celebration committee and assist with their events, please visit <carletonplace200.ca> or follow Carleton Place 200 on Facebook. Opportunities abound to work at the welcoming table greeting guests, handing out freebies and posters, or serving at the canteen — to name a few!
200 Years of History
During the War of 1812, Lord Bathurst executed strategic measures, as decreed by King George III, to escalate British emigration to Canada for colonization, thereby halting American northward expansion. This discouraged invasion from the United States by fortifying the territory with inhabitants loyal to the crown combined with the British military presence.
Initially, Beckwith township was surveyed for settlement in 1816, with properties being granted to English soldiers in 100-acre allotments. Soon after, in 1818, the Scottish highlanders would arrive in greater numbers, with their superb stone masons, skilled tradesmen and expertise with raising livestock. By 1819, William Moore and his family were given settlement rights and Edmund Morphy with his older sons were awarded land grants the same year. These first two Irish families were the adventurous forefathers of the town’s heritage!
The community was known by a few designations, such as Morphy’s Falls and Boulton’s Mills. A grist mill was built in 1820 by Hugh Boulton, on the Mississippi River in the heart of town at 35 Mill Street. Later in 1829, the community was renamed “Carlton Place” by a merchant, Alexander Morris, inspired by a public market in Glasgow, Scotland. It was one of many communities including Perth, Almonte and Richmond, that were populated by Irish, Scottish, English and French immigrants.
Forestry was the earliest industry to arise in the Carleton Place region, where giant white pines were highly prized for wood products and building. Numerous lumber mills were built along the Mississippi River stemming from Carleton Place. Due to its centralized location, railroads from Brockville and Ottawa eventually converged here by 1857. Machining companies in town brought prosperity, providing maintenance and manufacturing services for train engines, farm ploughs, boat motors and many other mechanical parts. David Findlay established an iron foundry in 1862, later renamed Findlay Bros., Co. Limited, which operated for 112 years until 1974. They became famous for fabricating energy-efficient stoves, furnaces and cooking utensils. In addition, many textile mills opened to manufacture woolen garments. Eventually in 1918, the local Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers (CCWG) was established.
In 1870, Carleton Place was incorporated as a village independent of Beckwith Township, and as a town by 1890. Victorian architectural masterpieces were plentiful — such as the first Town Hall, built in 1872. Currently, this historic building houses the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum. Our present Town Hall was erected in 1897.
Another historic landmark, originally named the Lake Park Hotel, was built in 1887 on Mississippi Lake and was reputedly haunted. The fashionable resort offered hot water and electricity, fine dining, a dancing pavilion, fishing, duck hunting and even a horse racing track in years to follow. The location was just thirty minutes from town accessible by the steamboat “Carleton”. In 1890, Peter Salter purchased and renovated the facility to include four storeys and renamed it the “Queen’s Royal Hotel”. Illustrious guests included Prime Ministers, hockey stars and other famous personages. Jack Dempsey, who held the world heavyweight boxing championship title, was one such celebrity. During the 1920s, the notorious gangster Al Capone was also a regular at the “Queen’s”, which served as a “getaway” during prohibition.
Carleton Place also boasts the oldest flat water and sprint racing Canoe Club in Canada, operating continuously since 1893. The club has sustained its popularity as a leader in all competitive aspects of the sport, as well as youth development.
Our well-respected hometown resident, Captain Arthur Roy Brown, shot down and fatally wounded Manfred Von Richthofen — aka the infamous “Red Baron” — in World War I, on April 21, 1918.
Of course, we should not forget Stompin’ Tom Connor’s iconic country folk hit song of 1970, Big Joe Mufferaw, inspired at the former “Mississippi Hotel” on Bridge Street in Carleton Place!
Visit <carletonplace200.ca/200-fun-facts> to learn many more historical facts, and come on out and celebrate with us. Hope to see you there!
What do a Mississippi Mills picnic, a school in Nicaragua and a lunch program in the northern community of Wabauskang First Nation have in common?
SchoolBOX Story
Well, exciting times are afoot at SchoolBOX as the “little organization that could” ramps up operations in its next targeted country — Canada! You may know that what began with the simple gift of a notebook and pencil, quickly evolved to build libraries and classrooms in Nicaragua. SchoolBOX has constructed a total of 104 classrooms, created 81 libraries and delivered 623,465 notebooks to kids to date. But did you know that very first school completed in Nicaragua, back in 2008, was built with the help of two Wet’suwet’en First Nation cousins from BC, Danielle Wall and Nicole Ogen?
SchoolBOX North
Danielle’s empowering volunteer build experience sparked the idea for the Indigenous Youth Empowering Student Program (IYES). Developed by Sarah Kerr and Danielle Wall in 2009, the program invites First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth from Canada to help “make education possible” for kids. Youth research and share their cultures while on SchoolBOX builds, and then reflect on how they could use what they learned in Nicaragua to make a difference in their remote communities back home in northern Canada. Danielle, now Education Coordinator for her Wet’suwet’en First Nations Band, continues to lead IYES teams to Nicaragua as well as work to make education possible in her own home community.
Library to Lunches
It’s exciting to see the impact Indigenous youth volunteers, from communities in five provinces and territories, are now having at home with support from SchoolBOX. The Wabauskang First Nations Library, inaugurated as the newest First Nations library in Ontario in 2018, was created by IYES volunteer Terri Meekis after her trip to Nicaragua. She helped to construct a rural school and library on her build trip to that country, and yet her home reserve didn’t have either. She’s now an elected band councillor and is working with SchoolBOX to achieve her community’s vision for education at home. This June, a new Lunches for Learning Program is launching in Terri’s home community to help eliminate the education gap for students on reserve, only 49% of whom are graduating high school across the country.
Picnic with Purpose
To support the new lunch program, SchoolBOX is hosting its first Picnic with Purpose at the Cedar Hill School on Saturday, June 15. A twenty-dollar ticket gets you a delicious picnic lunch (full of culinary delights for people of all diets), while also providing a school lunch for a child on the Wabauskang First Nations reserve. Enjoy live music by talented locals, join in the great picnic games or bid on summer-themed treasures including a shiny new BBQ! Muskoka Brewery beer, Miss Mills Mimosas, and a popsicle stand run by our youngest volunteers will all be part of the family fun!
Making Education Possible
The power of SchoolBOX rests in the simple fact that we are united in our love for all children, and in our belief that education is the key to defeating poverty, wherever we find it. This means providing school supplies and books in Nicaragua, where only half of kids are getting to high school, as well as providing books and healthy lunches to kids on reserves in Canada where less than half of kids are finishing high school. The teams at SchoolBOX are so grateful for the kind support from this community in “making education possible” for tens of thousands of kids, by way of a simple notebook and pencil or a nourishing lunch. Thank you! Gracias! Miigwetch! Sne Kalyegh!
Picnic lunch baskets will be available by ticket or chance. Tickets (only 60 for sale) are available at Baker Bob’s, or online at <SchoolBOX.ca>. See you at the School House on Saturday, June 15 from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Please contact Sarah Kerr at 647–882–7484 or <sarah@schoolbox.ca> with any questions.
June comes unhurried, all barefoot and breezy. The cat’s lazing in a patch of sunlight in the window. On the clothesline, sundresses catch punches of wind. Nearby a bumblebee drones about the English daisies. The neighbour’s mowing her lawn and the sweet smell of freshly cut grass hangs in the air, tickling your nose. Oh, you could down a tall, tasty glass of homemade iced tea right about now, and so you head inside and pour yourself some; with a slice of lemon and a scattering of ice cubes, the taste is succulent. You pine for a day at the beach, not far off now, the earthy feeling of hot sand between your toes, the swish of the lake water kissing the rocky shoreline, and refreshingly clean and cool through your fingers.
Ah, yes — June, a farewell to spring, a welcome to summer. There are so many lovely things to do in June in Perth — take that first swim in a lake, cycle around town, or take an easy stroll through a fragrant community garden or beneath the majestic trees in Stewart Park. What better place to find yourself a four-leaf clover? And you should try. It’s the magic and delight in those seemingly little things in life that are often the best, isn’t it? I think it is.
There are some wonderful events happening around town too. Case in point: on Sunday, June 9, Shelley McLaren’s Women & Men of the Tay perform in concert at St. James Anglican Church. If you’ve never heard this choir sing, they are magnificent. Accompanying them for this performance will be special guests Pamela Newton and Raphael Shaw. The concert begins at 2pm, and a freewill contribution to the choir may be made at the doors.
In June, there’s once again fine jazz at the Perth Manor. Their first concert, as part of their new Jazz at the Manor series, was a sell-out. Their second, on Thursday, June 13, featuring the jazzy pop and poppy jazz of the Taylor Angus Duo, promises to be another marvellously entertaining night. After the concert Taylor Angus and Logan Brown will be available for a chat and a mingle. Tickets are $35 and include the concert and hors d’oeuvres. There will be a cash bar. Tickets are available in advance by calling the Perth Manor at 264–0050 or dropping by the Manor in person at 23 Drummond Street West.
On Saturday, June 15, you can go back in time and enjoy the soothing sounds of The Carpenters as Perth’s Studio Theatre presents Close To You: Celebrating the Music of the Carpenters. Janice Wilkins and Darrell Bryan — backed by their all-star band — will be performing the tunes of The Carpenters, who created some of the most memorable love songs of the seventies, and they’ll be playing not only album favourites but deep tracks as well. Tickets for this concert are $24. They are available at <jansingskaren.com> or at door at the Studio Theatre. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Sunday, June 16 is Father’s Day. Just a simple reminder to those of us who are fortunate to need it. And perhaps a reminder to grill up something smoky and delicious on the BBQ, and make sure Dad’s favourite cold beverage is chilling in the cooler. Also, he doesn’t need anything, he has everything, so don’t get him anything. Or is that just my dad?
Now, that said, who’s ready to celebrate the start of summer with a fantastically fun, tropical-style party? The Stewart Park Festival and the Downtown Heritage Perth BIA are kicking off the summer in exuberant fashion with the party of the season — Welcome to Margaritaville. Taking place on June 22 at the Crystal Palace, the evening’s celebrations begin with a tailgate party at 5pm featuring games, giveaways and a deliciously fun Cheeseburger in Paradise contest, when party-goers get to decide who makes Perth’s best cheeseburger. Yum!
Then at 8pm it’ll be time to dance to the sweet summer sounds of Brian Neale & Northern Harbour, one of Canada’s première party bands playing the best of Jimmy Buffet, The Eagles and The Beach Boys. “Whatever shall I wear?” you may be asking. Your most colourful attire, of course (think tropical: hula skirts, Hawaiian shirts, surfer shorts, and seashell and coconut bras). All are invited to do so. There will be prizes, in fact, for the most original parrot head hat. That’s right. This event is, after all, presented in conjunction with the Northern Landshark Parrot Head Club. And as a kindly welcome to “Margaritaville”, downtown restaurants will feature special menu items all weekend, and there will be some amazing sales in Perth’s excellent retail shops as well, so watch for those.
One ticket covers both events. They are $30, and available at Shadowfax (67 Foster Street), by calling 267–6817, or online at <shadowfax.on.ca>. From atop my humble soapbox, I enthusiastically recommend you get your tickets early, because this is going to be the non-stop, feel-good party of the season. Enjoy!
Now, for many years the Perth Kilt Run has taken place in June, so this is a reminder to those expecting it this month: this year’s Kilt Run, the 10th annual, will take place on August 17. Registration for participants will remain open until June 21. The Kilt Run is now part of a new festival called Freedom Fest (you can find out more about it and also register to run at <freedomfestperth.com>). The festival runs from August 17–18 and will feature Juno award-winning artists at a welcoming concert, free to the public, in Stewart Park.
The last event on tap this June is an exciting one — another kick-off to summer but this one at the MERA Schoolhouse, a dazzling triple-bill evening concert featuring James Keelaghan, Tripod (Terry Tufts, Kathryn Briggs, and their daughter Beth), and the Long Sault Trio. Starting at 7pm on Friday, June 28, this is a fundraiser designed to assist MERA’s continuing efforts to promote community involvement through the arts. Tickets are $25 and are available at Tickets Please (11 Gore Street East, 485–6434, ticketsplease.ca>.
Enjoy your summer, everyone.
There is a little pub in Terminal C at the Dulles International Airport that serves up the best hamburgers east of the Mississippi (the U.S. Mississippi, that is). Running along the back wall of that pub is a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the runway and a trio of small tables where you can sit and enjoy one of those to-die-for burgers while watching jumbo jets and puddle jumpers alike gracefully (and sometimes not so gracefully) touch down. That’s where I was last month and that’s what I was doing — watching planes, eating a burger and letting myself be wowed by the fact that: 1) tens of thousands of people hurtle through the air from city to city every day, and 2) that my favorite burger joint is in an airport. I’ve accepted the fact that there are some things in life that I will never understand, these two things included.
On the other side of the room a few dozen people were standing shoulder to shoulder at one of two bars, straddling their rolling suitcases. At least a dozen more travelers stood in line at the door waiting to snag a spot inside… and yet the two small wooden tables next to mine remained unoccupied. “What’s with the empty tables?” I asked the waitress as she topped off my glass. She laughed out loud. “Seriously?” “Yeah…” I nodded. She put the water pitcher down and pointed at the growing lineup at the door, still chuckling. “Oh, honey. Take a look around. There ain’t no outlets back here.” And then she sighed, her smile faded. “You know, I remember when people would stand in line for these seats. Folks back here would clap as the planes came in, chat with each other — they smiled a lot. But now?” She shook her head and looked around the room. “Not so much. You enjoy that burger.” And off she went.
My friend Ronald tells me that when things don’t make sense, it’s good to simply say: “Oh.” When we first met almost twenty years ago, Ronald would talk my ear off about airplanes, old musicals, and girls… and not necessarily in that order. He was autistic and had a tendency to start his stories mid-thought, end conversations abruptly mid-sentence and say whatever came to mind; traits that took some getting used to and traits I grew to envy. At church, he’d stand up during prayer time and share the things he was grateful for: his Lawn Boy mower, his corgi Gilda, 747s, Shirley Jones, his mom and dad, the State Fair… heck, I even made the list from time to time. And then he’d tell us about the things that ached him, too: “My friend Jennie’s dad drank too much and he died…”, “I hope I can have a girlfriend someday. I would treat her like a queen and make her smile. I get lonely sometimes…,” and “Why doesn’t somebody do something about all the guns? I don’t understand…” He would end with “That’s all. Thank you for listening.” And to nobody in particular I’d always say softly, “No, Ronald. Thank you for speaking.”
I don’t understand how it works but thanks to Ronald I know that it does: sharing the seemingly insignificant, silly, everyday joys of life and naming the things that keep us up at night and break our hearts are how things like empathy, compassion, hope, joy and love grow. I saw it happen week after week in that room: connection. All because one person was courageous enough to be real… and the rest of us were courageous enough to listen.
When I told Ronald I was leaving Iowa to marry Peter and move to Canada, all he said was, “Oh.” After fourteen years of sharing the highs and lows of life week after week, I was expecting a little more than one syllable. So I waited a few seconds and then broke the silence: “That’s it? Just ‘oh’?” The response that came was pure Ronald: “I can’t decide whether I want to say ‘oh, no’ or ‘oh, wow’ so I just said ‘oh’...” He stopped abruptly and walked away mid-sentence. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Oh,” indeed.
Admittedly, there are a lot of things I don’t get: how socks get lost in the dryer, what happens after we die, how it is possible for a huge tin can full of people to fly through the air, or how it is that we ache to see and be seen but hide behind our devices more and more every day. But there are some things I am certain of: unplugging every now and then is a good idea, sharing the things that break our hearts and make us smile is good for the soul, and the best burger you’ll ever find is in a little pub in Terminal C in the Dulles International Airport. If you’re ever there, grab a table by the window…
Users of Lanark County’s five public libraries are beginning to feel the loss of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) program. This well-used delivery service was scrapped after the 2019 Ontario Budget saw a 50% decrease to the Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS), which organized the service.
According to the most recent Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport statistics, the libraries in Lanark County have a combined total of 25,543 active cardholders, representing well over a third of Lanark County residents. Together, the libraries brought in about 7,500 interlibrary loan books for County residents in 2018, an estimated value of $225,000 worth of materials.
“This is a huge loss for rural communities like ours,” says Carleton Place Public Library CEO Meriah Caswell. “Small public libraries like the five in Lanark County try very hard to meet the information needs of our communities, but no library can offer everything. The loss of the delivery service effectively cuts us off from the world, and from each other.”
Library patrons with specific format or language needs are feeling the hit the most.
“A Francophone patron came in to return a French book that she had received through interlibrary loan. She was close to tears,” explains Monica Blackburn, Deputy CEO of the Mississippi Mills Public Library. “She is a Francophone in an Anglophone community. The Library has a very small French collection, because the population doesn’t warrant a larger one. She was close to tears because interlibrary loan was the only way she could continue to read French material.”
“We are a homeschooling family of five, on one income in rural Ontario,” says Joleen from Drummond/North Elmsley Township. “Our curriculum is heavily supplemented by books available at surrounding libraries. Books not available in our town, and books we cannot afford to buy.”
When asked what the Interlibrary Loan service meant to him, Drew from Perth was effusive: “It means that queer folks can access LGBTQ books from other branches that they may not be able to read otherwise. It means that people can get books to help them research unique topics that their library may not stock. It means smaller remote libraries can still have as big a selection as Toronto branches. It means we aren’t punishing folks for not having access to large city libraries. It means we aren’t limiting knowledge.”
Local libraries will be able to access the online portal to make Interlibrary Loan requests in June, but will be required to pay for all shipping costs through Canada Post. “This is a blow to our budget that we were not anticipating this year,” says Smiths Falls Public Library CEO Karen Schecter. “It will be a difficult decision for our Board to make to decide whether or not we can afford it. The money will need to come from somewhere, and library budgets are already stretched.”
Those wishing to show their support for their public libraries are encouraged to write the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport Michael Tibollo (6th Floor, 438 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2K8), or contact Randy Hillier at 267–8239 to share how changes to the Ontario Library Services budget affect you. Everyone is also invited to the “Kick Off to Summer Reading” events at the Carleton Place Public Library and at Stewart Park in Perth (for the Perth Union Library) on June 28.
Horsetail… timothy… mullein… bramble… goldenrod… vetch… elderberry…. My eyes move slowly, feasting on the verdant verge between the willow growing out of the swale draining into the pond close by, and me sitting at the lawn edge. Catkins droop from the umbrella of branches above. Veery trills its metallic melody from the forest close by. Wren chats at something — perhaps me — from behind. Somewhere warbler squeaks out its squeaky-wheel song. Poplar scent thickens the air. It is the pinnacle of spring — an uncontrollable eruption of greens across the landscape. Life swells upward from deep in the earth.
Amidst the glamour of this island of wildness stranded between lawns, pond and garden, and shrouded by the hunch of the willow, I am beholding a colony of nettle fanning out before me, quietly but surely advancing her territory. This pocket of rich, moist soil that runs along the swale and pond edge has become ever-expanding nettle territory over the years. And now, the garden adjacent to the pond — which always had a mind of her own — has finally abandoned her corsets of control and firmly embraced her wild side — opening to nettle’s sideways but persistent advances with apparent glee.
For the last few weeks I have enjoyed an almost daily ritual of harvesting nettles. Today, I’ve been sipping tea made with a harvest I took this morning. And, now sitting here next to her with my tea, I suddenly become aware that the fluids circulating within my body are miraculously being infused with minerals and nutrients the nettles themselves, perhaps just this morning, have taken up from deep in the soil right under my feet! This miraculous exchange of nutrients from soil to plant to me is happening right here, right now, and strikes me suddenly as being simply profound, and utterly and completely intimate. How can one understand this and not marvel?
Nettle — Urtica dioica — will be familiar to most folk, for at some time or another one is likely to have been startled with a sharp Hey, hell-ooo! Watch it! I am here! In other words, you may have felt the sting as you brushed by a patch unawares. Sadly her sting, plus her ability to infiltrate and colonize a tidy garden or disturbed ground, is the unfair reputation with which the plant has been most commonly stuck.
Yet so often, quickly-formed judgments overlook the more potent nuances of things. Spend time with nettle — respecting and revering her deep, earthy green, and strong, upright character — and she begins to reveal her deeper nature. Prominent veins and a sturdy, square stem suggest a strong structure and clear channels for circulating energy and fluid up and outward throughout the plant. Beneath the ground, a network of crisscrossing rhizomes, spreading horizontally, connects the entire community of plants you see aboveground. Nettle’s strong vertical and lateral energy for me signals a capacity to conduct energy in all directions.
Nettle provides a deeply supportive whole-body tonic at a time when we most need it. As the winter recedes and the garden has not yet yielded first crops, nettle, one of the first-to-emerge wild greens, bridges the gap. It is most often found in the “between” places — edges of woods, barnyards and pastures, hedgerows, ditches and gardens — where the soil is rich and moist. She’s a feral princess haunting the edgelands.
Nettle nourishes the body when taken in teas and infusions, or cooked like spinach in any number of recipes. She is revered by old cultures and herbalists as one of the most nutrient-dense plants we have — very high in vitamins C and A, iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, silica, sulfur, chlorophyll, and also amino acids (protein building blocks). She is deeply nourishing.
As her preference for moist locations might suggest, nettle has an affinity for taking up and activating the fluids in the body. Eaten or imbibed, it acts as a nutritive tonic for the tissues of the body with a particular affinity to the urinary, renal, adrenal and reproductive systems. Nettle stimulates the flow of fluids in the body, helping to get things moving; detoxifying and nourishing blood and intercellular fluids that may have become stagnant, wan and depleted after a long winter.
Nettle can be harvested through the entire growing season. Don’t worry — the sting disappears with cooking. Her tender shoots and leaves emerge in early May and are delicious in pesto, spanakopita, spring soup (with other spring greens like sorrel and dandelion) and anywhere you might use cooked spinach. Throughout the summer, though not as tender, the leaves can still be cooked fresh, used in tea, or dried for winter use (e.g. in smoothies or teas). At the end of summer the plants (which may reach a height of over six feet!) droop with tassels of tiny seeds that contain essential fatty acids. Harvest and eat them straight-up in small amounts or mixed into porridge, muffins and the like for a nutritional energy boost that also supports healthy skin, nails and hair. Finally — a gift for men especially — the roots harvested in the fall, when the energy descends down into the ground, can make a good tincture or tea for tonifying a tired or inflamed prostate!
Nettle recipes abound online — for everything from pesto (delicious) to hair rinse, so give them a try and see what you glean from this beautiful plant! Just be sure to treat her with care and a good dose of gratitude and respect!
For posts on nettle and other plants covered in this column, visit @pineoakyarrow on Instagram.
You would think that the editor of this area’s Arts & Entertainment paper would have a pretty good handle on the quality of talent out here in the Ottawa Valley. I thought so too, but apparently I hadn’t been getting out enough over the winter months (I’m going to blame all that darn freezing rain). I attempted to rectify the situation this spring — taking in performances of The Phantom of the Hubera, the Mudds’ We Will Rock You, Almonte & District High School’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (above, currently nominated for no fewer than 7 Cappie Awards including Best Play), stand-up comedy by Rachelle Elie and Derek Seguin, and the inaugural concert by Perth’s Group Encore featuring Joel Martin and Eugene Friesen with special appearances by the Lanark Offbeats and friends (below).
I attended each with what I thought were pretty high expectations, but each time my mind was just blown by the amount of talent (both onstage and behind the scenes), the level of commitment, and the sheer outpouring of heart and soul from the stage. Looking back, I can enthusiastically recall details about each show, even as the particulars of whatever it was I watched on Netflix fade away. And I regret missing all the other live performances that took place in that time frame! I’m going to try to convert that into the impetus to get off my tuchus the next time my comfy couch calls. Going out requires overcoming a bit of inertia, but is almost always much more satisfying.
So now that the roads are clear again, I can only shout “don’t miss out!”, and encourage you, dear reader, to assuage your FOMO by getting out and supporting live art, theatre, music and more in our amazing area. You’ll find numerous opportunities in this issue…
The Station Theatre is bringing world-class magic and illusion to Smiths Falls on Saturday evenings this summer. OUTERBRIDGE – Clockwork Mysteries is a high-energy magical adventure for both adult and family audiences. Recognized as one of the most creative and dynamic shows of its kind, critics have hailed Ted and Marion Outerbridge as “champions of magic” (Bergedorfer Zeitung, Germany) and described their performance as “a visual feast” (Jinhua Daily, China). The Outerbridges have recently relocated from Montreal to Smiths Falls and they are delighted to be celebrating their magic in the Ottawa Valley!
OUTERBRIDGE takes its audience on a bizarre and fascinating journey through time. Within seconds of taking the stage, the Outerbridges fuse their revolutionary illusions with split-second artistry to hold viewers spellbound. With the help of an elaborate Victorian time machine, the performers and spectators travel back in time together. The audience is invited into a mysterious clock tower equipped with a variety of timekeeping devices. They become part of a race against time, experience time accelerating and slowing down, and participate in predicting the contents of a time capsule. Keeping their audience enthralled from the first astonishing illusion to the spectacular finale, the Outerbridges create an experience that far exceeds expectations.
The Outerbridges’ unique approach to magic has garnered them worldwide touring experiences most recently in China, Germany, the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and on Princess Cruises. As the largest and most successful touring illusion show in Canada, they have received both the 2011 Award of Excellence from Ontario Contact and the 2010 Touring Artist of the Year award from the B.C. Touring Council. Check them out at <tedouterbridge.com>.
OUTERBRIDGE – Clockwork Mysteries plays the Smiths Falls Station Theatre on most Saturdays throughout the summer (June 29, July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 24, 31). Showtime is 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 and $30 and are available by phone at 283–0300, online at <smithsfallstheatre.com> and in person at Special Greetings (8 Russell Street East in Smiths Falls).
The Perth Citizens’ Band, Canada’s oldest continuing town band, is preparing for the 2019 season of its annual Summer Pops Concert Series. These summer concerts in the park have been a longstanding tradition. All concerts are held at the bandstand located in Stewart Park, directly behind the Town Hall in historic downtown Perth, and are free to the public.
They feature a variety of music including classical, Broadway and movie themes, as well as jazz, blues and other popular forms; a bit of music for all tastes and ages. In addition, conductor Brian Tackaberry includes heritage pieces from the band’s historic files as well as songs by Canadian composers or arrangers.
All concerts take place rain or shine and begin at 7:30pm, except for the June 27th concert which begins at 7pm and is held in conjunction with the Strawberry Social sponsored by the Perth Rotary Club. Audience members are invited to bring along a lawn chair or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll through the park during the performances. In addition, the band will be performing at the North Lanark Regional Museum’s annual Strawberry Festival in Appleton on Sunday, June 23, and at Perth Labour Day celebrations in Stewart Park on Monday, September 2. The Pops Concerts for this year are on June 13 and 27 (Strawberry Social), July 11 and 25, and August 8 and 22. For more information, visit <perthband.ca>.
Your faithful correspondent Weetbix returns after a brief absence, and thirsting for novelty in the realm of food and beverages, turns his attention to the subject of juice — or, more accurately, juices. Prompted by the Editor, a visit is paid to a local producer and purveyor of juice where product was sampled and notes were taken. We are happy to report that Clare Carty’s Little Mississippi Juice Company delivers on Clare’s statement that “the quality of the product is really where it all begins and ends”. We shall return to this topic later but first, a few comments about nutrition, health, language and food.
Weetabix is easily confused and readily confesses to having difficulty in understanding text even though specific words may have generally accepted definitions. According to Humpty Dumpty, “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” Perhaps that is the mantra of much of the food business.
The labelling of food products is regulated and intended to be clear as to the contents of whatever it is we are being offered to ingest. Advertising copy is intended to persuade and is allowed to treat facts as elastic, but in these days of fake news, what are facts and how are they determined? Clare’s labels are as clear and straightforward as her products, but random sampling of competing “juice-based” products provides a rich lode of unsubstantiated claims, exaggerated benefits and projected wishful thinking. Words such as “enzymes” and terms such as “CFUs” appear along with nonsense statements suggesting that somehow things are better because the manufacturer does not have good quality control procedures! Were it just harmless nonsense, this abuse of language could be viewed as a form of entertainment. Unfortunately, partial truths and unsubstantiated claims can produce harmful outcomes. Buyers of food and beverage products are genuinely seeking guidance towards avoiding harm and achieving better health.
Good nutrition is essential to good health. The complexities of foods and metabolism are, well, complex. Informative studies are difficult and costly. Worse yet, they do not always give support to the marketing department. On the other hand, extrapolating without critical review of data is unsound and dangerous. We do not assess risks well and intuition does not provide reliable guidance. Sellers of food products have an obvious bias and many studies carry the taint of their funding sources.
Existing regulations are biased in favour of large producers and enforcement is weakened by claims of interference with “free speech”. Processed food products, even those conspicuously claiming to be “natural”, are made with the intent of financial gain. The further away one gets from the source/raw materials, the more opportunity there is for profit engineering and slick marketing to take the lead over other considerations. Many companies which present themselves as “health oriented” are primarily driven by margin contribution. Careful reading of labels and claims should be done with one’s BS detector turned to 11!
And so to specifics: first of all, juices are not juice drinks, although Weetabix has seen products labelled “100% juice and other ingredients”. Correct. Juice drinks, especially those listing “filtered water” as an ingredient, are suspected of containing cynic hydrate and are all wet all through. They are certainly cheaper to make than juices, and it is hard to put quality back into something from which it has been assiduously filtered out. Beware also of juice cocktails in which natural fruit sugars are replaced with high fructose syrup as an economical way to extend more costly ingredients.
And finally we get to the meat of this article… which is juice. Put another way, juice is a meaty subject, but enough of what passes for dry wit. Eating fruits and vegetables can actually be hard work. Chewing takes time and effort, so, being more technologically advanced than our ancestors, it is reasonable to progress from chewing and swallowing to simply swallowing. Not only that, but in liquid form fruits and vegetables can be blended to produce new and interesting flavours. Herein lies the motivation for home juicing — a way to achieve the nutritional benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables with the added benefits of ease of consumption and the ability to create novel flavours. Truly, juices are a convenience food well suited to a busy lifestyle. There is, however, a catch. Real juice is difficult to make. Weetabix hears an imagined voice touting the convenience of home juicers. Do not fall for this unless your idea of the perfect juice is orange juice, in which case consider a hand press specifically designed for this one task. Otherwise consider that most home juicers end up unused after a brief period of enthusiastic experimentation. Making juice at home is not magic but it does take effort, attention to raw materials, and a significant clean-up.
Enter Little Mississippi Juice Company. Clare Carty, founder and owner, is willing and able to fill the desire for “liquid fruit and vegetables”. In a small commercial kitchen she hand-processes produce and fills recyclable containers for a small but growing list of customers who, in her words, want the benefits of juice without the hassle of making it. The premise is borne out by customer anecdotes and as Clare points out, a lot of preparation and work goes into each batch. There are some economies of scale. Weetabix is impressed by the result and notes that Clare also creates interesting flavour blends while staying true to her mission objective — to deliver only the juice, the whole juice and nothing but the juice.
A refugee from the Dilbertian world of high-tech, Clare is happily self-employed without concerns for idiot bosses and their meaningless projects. She has a clear vision based on creating, making and selling products that are health-supporting and tasty too. Starting with five basic flavours she has plans to diversify into related products such as frozen juices on a stick (Popsicle is a brand name). Watch for them this summer. She is committed to local sourcing and “organic growth” and is willing to take time to learn her local markets. For Clare, pure, healthy juices are a simple and important mission. For the rest of us, they are a healthy and convenient nutritional product. Since retail distribution is both difficult and fraught with problems associated with maintaining quality, Clare has started out selling directly from her small commercial kitchen (located at Carriageway Studios in Almonte) and at the Almonte Farmers’ Market <almontefarmersmarket.com>. She also takes orders online; check out her website at <littlemissjuice.ca> and get juiced!
It is the time of year when winter-weary gardeners, desperate for a breath of spring, rush into garden centres to purchase cartloads of plants. When they return home they face the challenge of putting the plants together to create the beautiful garden they have been dreaming of. All but the most experienced garden designers find this difficult. When does it bloom? How big will it be at maturity? How many plants do I need in that space? Is it the right plant for my garden conditions? Do these plants look good beside each other? Wouldn’t it be great if you could answer all those questions and shop with a garden plan or list of plants that fits in your space and works in your garden conditions!
After several years of collaboration, local nursery Whitehouse Perennials and software engineer David Priest think they have found the solution to the challenge. <whitehouse.smartgardenplans.com> is a website that allows anyone, with the click of a mouse, to browse already-created garden plans or to design their own garden.
You can see a garden design in 3-D and view the garden throughout the seasons to see what will be in bloom. When you add a plant to your design it is displayed at mature size so you can see how it fits your space and how it looks with other plants in your design. Take a picture of a wall of your house and drop it into your design to see what the plants look like against that background.
The website includes a recommendation engine that makes suggestions for plants that will complement your existing ones. If you are creating a new garden, you can use it to make suggestions as you design. Want a specific colour or a plant that blooms in late summer? Smart Garden Plans will search its database to give you ideas.
It is free to create an account and look for plant combinations, save plants and combinations to a wish-list, browse existing plans or create your own design with up to five varieties of plants in a 12x12 space. Templates for larger garden design that allow you to use an unlimited selection of plants involve a one-time cost ranging from $5 to $15. You can also use it to create a digital record of plants you have in your garden instead of hanging on to those plastic plant tags. There is an instructional video to walk you through the garden design process at <whitehouse.smartgardenplans.com/videos>. Contact the nursery at <suzanne@whitehouseperennials.com> for information about upcoming instructional seminars to help you master the many features of the website.
It all started in Smiths Falls forty years ago when the first triathlon was held along the banks of the historic Rideau Canal. On June 22, the Town of Smiths Falls will once again welcome hundreds of participants to the Smiths Falls Classic Triathlon, where participants can challenge themselves by running, cycling, and swimming the scenic course through the community.
This event has proved it has staying power — after forty years it is the longest continuously running triathlon in Canada, and shows no signs of ending anytime soon. It also offers three different options for triathlon competitors, suitable for varying ability levels. The Sprint Triathlon & Relay will feature a 500m swim, 21K cycle and 5K run; the Super Sprint Triathlon will feature a 200m swim, 21K cycle and 5K run; and the Try-a-Tri is perfect for beginning triathletes, offering a 200m swim, 21K cycle and 2.1K run. Also on offer are two duathlon swim/cycle events, a Sprint Duathlon and a Sprint Swim/Cycle. A two-kilometre kids’ run for children 11 years and younger is also available for young athletes interested in getting started in racing.
“The course in Smiths Falls has a lot to offer for this race — it’s a really beautiful course,” explains Ian Fraser, a partner with Somersault Events, the group that has been organizing the Smiths Falls’ race for the past 25 years. “The swim portion takes place in the Rideau River at Lower Reach Park, just above the locks, and it’s very scenic.”
According to Fraser, one of the unique elements of the Smiths Falls Triathlon is that it is an evening race, with a 6pm start. This can result in a much more pleasant temperature range than early morning events.
With this year marking the triathlon’s 40th anniversary, Fraser is expecting a good turnout, and says he’s optimistic about the future of this long-running event and a return of the record numbers experienced in past years. “I’m confident we’ll be talking about the 50th anniversary in a decade,” he adds.
Registration for the Smiths Falls Classic Triathlon ends at 6pm on June 16, and can be completed at <somersault.ca/triathlon/smiths-falls>.
Smiths Falls will be alive with Indigenous culture on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, when the town and Smiths Falls & District Collegiate Institute’s (SFDCI) Indigenous Studies Program partner with the Mohawks of Ahkwesasne First Nations and Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn and Kitigan Zibi First Nations to host the third annual Spirit of the Drum Traditional and Educational Powwow.
Two full days of activities are planned on Duck Island, running from 10am to 8pm on Saturday, and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday.
The Powwow will feature traditional Indigenous educational teachings, traditional singing, dancing and drumming by Host Drum Eagle River from Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and co-host Drum Bear Nation as well as the Ottawa River Singers and Kitchissippi Rini. The emcee for the weekend will be Greg ‘Mista Wasis’ Dreaver, Mistawasis Nehiyawak, Treaty 6 Territory.
The Grand Entry ceremony will take place at 12pm both days, and there will be traditional educational teachings, food and craft vendors on-site both days. SFDCI hospitality students will prepare and serve a Grand Feast to the First Nations Powwow participants on Saturday. The two-day event is free to attend and veterans, Indigenous peoples and the public are welcome.
Traditional dancers will be the highlight of the event, and the Head Male and Female Dancers for 2019 are Awema Tendesi from Kitigan Zibi and Josée Bourgeois from Pikwàkanagàn First Nation.
“We’re thrilled to partner once again with SFDCI and First Nations’ representatives and community partners to host this annual event in Smiths Falls,” says Jennifer Miller, Manager of Economic Development & Tourism for the town of Smiths Falls. “It’s important for the town to recognize Smiths Falls’ Indigenous heritage and the First Nations people who make up the community and surrounding area.”
The event is funded in part by the Government of Canada and was developed by the Indigenous Studies program with the objective of educating and sharing First Nations culture with youth and the community in the spirit of reconciliation. At least two educational seminars will be offered to the public during the afternoons, taught by Elders/Knowledge Keepers. Times are yet to be determined.
SFDCI Indigenous Studies teachers collectively explained the importance of studying the Indigenous history and honouring Indigenous traditions at ceremonial events like the Spirit of the Drum Powwow: “Reconciliation and youth are important themes for the municipality, to enable Indigenous Studies students and Indigenous youth to tell their own story about the history of Canada. Student’s projects from the high school will be on display in the Educational Gallery area of Duck Island, along with displays from various colleges that offer Indigenous Studies programs.”
Many students and residents in the Smiths Falls area share First Nations’ heritage, and the event will offer Indigenous youth and the public alike the opportunity to experience Indigenous culture. The Powwow is open to the public and will be a fun, free, and interactive way to celebrate and recognize Indigenous culture in the community.
SFDCI students have stated that the purpose of the Pow Wow: “is to bring people together; to connect the school with the community; and to share, teach, and celebrate Indigenous culture and traditions. SFDCI is within the Upper Canada District School Board spanning the traditional territories of the Algonquin and the Mohawk Nations.”
The event takes place on Duck Island in the middle of the Rideau Canal and Rideau River in downtown Smiths Falls. Free parking will be available in the RCAF parking lot off Abbott Street, at the Detached Lock, or at the Park Avenue beach area.
For more information, please contact the Town of Smiths Falls at 283–4124 x1127 or visit <smithsfalls.ca> or <calendar.powwows.com>.
Each spring, community and cultural events seem to pop up like tulips throughout Mississippi Mills, and this year is no exception. June gets “rolling” right away with the eleventh annual Mississippi Mills Bicycle Month (see facing page), which offers a variety of events for all ages (along with some great music and a wonderful new fundraiser).
And speaking of “rolling”, if you feel like there’s an inordinate number of funky VW vans on the roads, you probably have BusFusion to thank <busfusion.com>. From June 6–9, 250 vans (and their occupants) will be camping out at the Fairgrounds in Almonte — a tie-dyed sight to behold!
On the Saturday of that weekend (June 8), the sixth annual DandyFest will take place from 10am to 2pm at Dandelion Foods in Almonte <dandelionfoods.ca>. There you’ll find a wide selection of local producers and wellness partners who will be sampling, demonstrating and talking about their fantastic products. Plus, there will be music, a BBQ with gluten-free and vegan options, store discounts, prizes and so much more. And when that event winds up, you can cycle on over to Bicycle Month’s second annual Porchfest event <mmporchfest.com> for even more great music (see facing page).
Wednesday, June 12 brings the grand opening of Curious & Kind — the area’s newest (and dare we say only) spoken word & comedy performance venue / social enterprise / podcasting station (with some visual art and soap-making thrown in). Check out the article on page 6 of this issue, and check them out on June 12 (and beyond!).
And on the topic of talented people who left the area and then returned to start cool new endeavours — which we were totally on, as long as you went to page 6 like I told you to (bossy much?… well, it is my column…) — young musician Andrew Jahn will be giving a piano concert on June 15. Andrew grew up in this area and just recently opened his own music studio in Carleton Place (called 8va Music — you can check it out at his Open House on Saturday, June 22 from 10am to 2pm at 5 Bates Drive in CP). On Saturday, June 15 at 7:30pm he will play a concert entitled “A Night to Remember” at the Almonte United Church. It will feature original material, and admission is $10 at the door. Find out more about Andrew, and his summer piano lessons and group classes, at <8vamusic.ca>.
Canada’s Birthday Celebrations
When it comes time to celebrate Canada’s Birthday, Pakenham and Almonte have enough activities to keep you busy from dusk ’til dawn ’til dusk!
Canada Day Eve kicks off in Pakenham with a fundraising BBQ starting at 5pm, and then from 6–9pm there will be balloons, bouncy castles and face painting outside the Stewart Park Community Centre. At 7pm the annual Canada Day Eve Parade sets out to wind its way through the village (twice!), followed by a Fireman’s BBQ. From 8pm until dusk Pakenham’s own Mike Ryan will be organizing live local music inside the Community Centre (with refreshments available), and then at dusk there will be an amazing fireworks display! The next morning there’s a Pakenham Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast, and then it’s time to head on over to Almonte…
… for all the Canada Day fun at Gemmill Park! From 3pm to dusk you’ll find a BBQ and refreshment garden, kids’ crafts, face painting, t-shirt-making, carnival games and bouncy castles. Main stage entertainment runs from 3–9:30pm, featuring Bluesfest Be in the Band (from local high schools), Terry Tufts, the Almonte Legion Colour Party, Breanne Murray, Joe MacDonald, Huricane Season, and more! Another terrific fireworks display at dusk caps off the celebrations. For more details, visit <exploremississippimills.ca> or call 256–1077.
Just as the sun will brighten up the summer skies, the five strong female actresses in this laugh-out-loud comedy will brighten up the Station Theatre this June. The playwrighting team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten have written 19 comedies, all set in the south, and although The Dixie Swim Club is no exception, the characters are so relatable that local audiences will recognize their best friends, the gals they’ve known all their life, and maybe even themselves.
Kathy Lacasse, who was last seen on the Station Theatre’s stage as Miss Marple in last fall’s Agatha Christie hit A Murder is Announced, has taken on the role of director for this show. She spent many happy years with the Brighton Barn Theatre, both on stage and directing. Since moving to the Brockville area she is keeping that passion alive, and the Smiths Falls Community Theatre is pleased to have her on board.
The Dixie Swim Club tells the story of five very different women — a device that could easily be stereotypical or clichéd. But the deep friendships that are established in this play and the love that each one feels for the others, even though they poke fun and make jokes at each other’s expense, is what keeps this play refreshingly real. Sheree (Wendy Monagle) is the leader of the pack who never stopped leading; Lexie (Jen Hart) is the flirt, who’s been flirting her way through men since college; Dinah (Pat Hunter) was so focused on work that she forgot to flirt; Vernadette (Liz Stienberg) has the worst luck any human possibly can have; and Jeri-Neal (Katharine Coleman) starts the play as a nun, as straight-laced as they come. But even with all of those different personalities, a friendship was born when the five girls were on their college swim team many years ago. The bond they formed would keep them in each other’s lives through many decades, through many experiences, and through thick and thin.
The play starts in 1986, twenty years after graduation, and ends in the present when the girls are 77. Life changes around them, often with hilarious lines of dialogue, but friendship is one thing that stays constant. As Lexie says to the group after an intense fight: “I don’t want to lose this. Our friendship is the one sure thing I’ve always had to hold on to.” So bring your best friends and be prepared to laugh the night away when you meet this amazing group of women.
The show runs on Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15 at 7:30pm, with a matinée on Sunday, June 16 at 2pm. The second weekend runs Thursday to Saturday, June 20–22 at 7:30pm and finishes up with a matinée on Sunday, June 23 at 2pm. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and can be purchased with cash at Special Greetings, (8 Russell Street); online or by phone (283–0300) with credit card. If tickets are still available, they can be purchased a half-hour before showtime, at the door, with cash. For more details, please visit <smithsfallstheatre.com>.
When I had my first baby, I had trouble finding simple, safe, well-designed playthings to help keep my active child happy and occupied — toys like the ones I had enjoyed. I was born in England during the war years, when toys were hard to find, so my dad made many of our toys himself, such as dollhouses, scooters and building blocks. As grumbling would not solve my problem, I chose to start my own toy shop! I had two friends who had Cordon Bleu training, so our original concept was to join forces and open a combination kitchen/toy shop.
Great idea, but what about a name? “Ampersand” seemed appropriate, as the word means “and”, which left us leeway to expand in any direction we might choose. Finding a suitable retail space was the next challenge, especially with no credit rating and very little capital. After much searching and many disappointments, we found a 100 sq. ft. space in the now-demolished Masonic Temple on Ottawa’s Metcalfe Street. Not perfect, but it was a start and the rent was affordable. The small space led us to put the kitchen merchandise on the back burner, focusing only on toys. It required many renovations, which we did mostly ourselves, with many days spent designing and building the 2-foot wooden display units, painted and stencilled to resemble children’s wooden building blocks.
Searching for toys that encouraged creative activity and motor skills while offering high play value and durability was the next challenge. Local toy representatives told us our philosophy would “just not fly” and would take us straight to the poor house. Undaunted, we researched European toy companies and attended toy shows in Toronto, the UK, Germany and New York. This was in the ’60s, so we couldn’t simply use Google to find the toys and games and activities that we wanted.
We soon moved to a larger shop, on Sussex Drive, as the ByWard Market was “the place to be!” It was a fun place; I had to break up many a plastic-swordfight in our dress-up section! And I had to dissuade boisterous children from trying out the boomerangs. A treasured memory is the time a small girl was allowed to choose any gift from the shop and, after carefully looking at everything, Catherine Clark selected a pretty little ring, price: 25 cents.
We were lucky with our customers — mums and dads with their children and then grandchildren would return and talk about the toys that they had bought over the years that were being passed down and enjoyed again. I loved getting to know my customers and seeing their children grow from babes to teens; the idea that I had played even a small role in their development was very rewarding.
Shopping has changed so much. In the ‘60s–’80s there was no online shopping, no debit machines, and even credit cards were not always accepted. These days, malls and big-box stores are everywhere, and small retailers with knowledgeable staff are becoming extinct. We are so lucky to live in Almonte, where small retailers fill our main street and you can always get a friendly smile and update on local happenings.
When the city did extensive renovations along Sussex Drive, we decided to close up shop. I was unwilling to part with many of the toys I loved, so I stored them away… until now. We are downsizing, so I have to find new homes for them. I will be having a two-day vintage and antique toy sale at 7 Johanna Street in Almonte on June 8 and 9, from 10am to 4pm. Please come and join me in my walk down memory lane, and perhaps find a new memory to take home. Adults only, please, as space is limited.
The Station Theatre is proud to welcome Vili V for the summer concert of their 2019 music series. Vili V is a dynamic and versatile performer. Boasting a comprehensive repertoire from the ‘50s and ‘60s, his Vintage Favourites Live show brings the best of music’s golden age to you. The show celebrates everything from classic rock ‘n’ roll and pop to romantic ballads and forgotten hits by artists like Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Tom Jones, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra. This promises to be a fun night of entertainment.
Born and raised in Hamilton, Vili was moved at an early age by hearing Elvis Presley singing How Great Thou Art on his family record player. He knew he wanted to inspire the type of emotion that he was feeling listening to Elvis. “His voice inspired me to always sing with as much passion and conviction as I could,” he explains. Influenced by Elvis, Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole and many others, Vili started performing semi-regularly at events. At 17, he became a grand champion first-place winner of the Collingwood Elvis Festival, singing to thousands at the street festival and other venues. It was also around this time that he started to play the guitar.
Vili attended Mohawk College in Hamilton, where he learned all aspects of music and then applied it, studying jazz and classical idioms. Some of his teachers had performed and recorded with big stars like Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion and Anne Murray! Vili has had many wonderful experiences performing with notable Canadian talent, including taking over for Matt Dusk in The Kings of Swing and playing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with comedian Russell Peters, country legend George Hamilton IV, three-time Grammy winner Walter Ostanek, Glass Tiger frontman Alan Frew, hip-hop artist Maestro Fresh Wes, the cast of The Sopranos and Elvis Presley’s original vocal group The Jordanaires. He’s even met Michael Bublé! As a father and a husband, his most important message is that life can be filled with joy, and he has always felt a calling to reach people with a message of love hope, faith and healing through music. You can find out more about him at <vilimusic.com>.
What a wonderful way to spend a summer night! The show starts at 8pm on Friday, June 28. Tickets will be on sale at Special Greetings (8 Russell Street in Smiths Falls, cash only) and can also be picked up half an hour before the start of show at the box office at 53 Victoria Avenue (subject to availability). Online and telephone orders are available too. Adult tickets are $30 and student/child tickets are $15. For more details call the Station Theatre at 283-0300 or check out <smithsfallstheatre.com>
If you are a long-time Humm reader, the name “Danielle Grégoire” may be familiar to you. Shortly after moving to Almonte in 2007, she kick-started the Lanark County Spoken Word scene — bringing Ottawa performers out to this area, giving workshops, and ultimately creating the Lanark Live Poets Societs (LiPS). LiPS became the first rural team ever to compete at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, and they are going strong to this day. After moving away and spending six years in Seattle, Washington, she has been lured back to this area, and is already working on another fabulous endeavour! Here’s what she has to say about it:
TheHumm: In a really small nutshell, what have you been up to in the years since you were last in this area?
Danielle Grégoire: Well, in a nutshell, I moved to Seattle and took up stand-up comedy! I realized there weren’t a lot of women doing comedy, and after doing it myself for awhile I realized why. So I decided to start a space for getting more women into comedy — called the Comedy Womb — and it was life-changing! I handed it off to a group of phenomenal comedians who changed the name to the Comedy Nest and have been running it ever since. It’ll be six years old in April.
Then I was offered the job of producing the Seattle Moth StorySLAM, and wow did I ever learn a lot! Except, apparently, how to sum up six years in a nutshell… I spent my time in Seattle running show after show after show. I ran shows about sadness, hilarious life stories, queer issues, and a special set of shows for youth. I met so many wonderful and talented people, but never stopped dreaming of coming back to my heart-home in Mississippi Mills.
I hear you’ve leased a wonderful space in Almonte in the Heritage Mall at the bottom of Mill Street. What have you got lined up for your Grand Opening on June 12?
So much! It’s going to be a full day of poetry, comedy, storytelling, music, puppets, crafts, art, workshops, snacks, friendship, community, little goodie bags… and soap. There will also be a box for suggestions, messages of support and donations.
It’ll be open from 10am to 10pm that day, and it’s also my 40th birthday, so Curious & Kind and I can share a wonderful start of a new and exciting chapter.
You describe Curious & Kind as a “social enterprise”. What are some of the major differences between opening a business and starting a social enterprise?
I think the major difference is that this isn’t about making money. It’s about taking the money we make and re-investing it into the space, and the community, and building a sustainable model so we can keep it going without constantly worrying about government funding. I want this to be sustainable. I want to give my time and energy to make this happen. I am motivated and fed by folks sharing their stories and taking chances. That is what drives me.
What are some of the ways in which people can hitch their talents, time and energies to this endeavour right away?
We are looking for:
Crafters/artists who want to teach workshops and sell their wares.
Performers, poets, storytellers, comedians, puppeteers, sketch artists, improvisers, monologuists, and folks who are passionate about sharing what they know in a performance-based setting.
People who want to learn how to podcast! We have a professional recording space and we will be holding workshops once we are open.
Folks looking for a space to run writers’ groups, board game nights and crafting circles.
Ideas! If there’s something you want to see happen in the space, let me know at <curious.and.kind.almonte@gmail.com>.
How can people continue to support and be involved with Curious & Kind once the doors are open?
They can support it coming in, telling their friends and family about it, by dropping by to let us know what they’d like to see, by performing, taking or teaching workshops, and connecting us with the creative people in their life!
Curious & Kind opens at 12B Mill St. (in Almonte’s Heritage Mall) on Wednesday, June 12. If you’re curious, find them on Facebook or contact Danielle at <curious.and.kind.almonte@gmail.com>.
Canadian Jazz and Blues music legend Chris Whiteley is coming to Lanark County on June 3 to perform in the intimate setting of the New Life Retreat’s beautiful living room. Along with his wife, award-winning vocalist Diana Braithwaite, Whiteley crosses the country (and the ocean!) to bring his soulful and swingy take on the blues to delighted audiences everywhere.
Whiteley will be familiar to concert- and festival-goers as a founding member of the Original Sloth Band, the Whiteley Brothers Blues Band, and as half of the power duo with Diana Braithwaite. He is also beloved to radio listeners as a member of the Vinyl Café Orchestra (three guys, it turns out...).
Come and enjoy this rare, intimate performance at the beautiful New Life Retreat, located at 453 Dobbie Road near Hopetown. Seats are limited, so please reserve yours by texting Jenny Whiteley (that’s right, Chris’s daughter, and Elphin’s own) at 416–254–2233 or emailing <jenny_whiteley@hotmail.com>. Tickets are $20 and refreshments will be available. The show starts at 7:30pm.
The Calabogie Summer Market is having its first Wool Day on June 22 to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of using wool. This natural renewable fibre can be made into many products such as clothing, hats, boots, rugs, insulation and even dwellings. It’s warm when wet, is anti-microbial, odour-resistant, durable and completely biodegradable. As concern grows for the negative long-term effects on the environment of synthetic fabrics made from fossil fuels, wool is once again getting the respect and appreciation it deserves.
Calabogie Family Farm will be bringing some of their sheep that day. Family member Natalie Wimbauer, who has been a commercial sheep shearer, will be demonstrating her outstanding skills. She will be working with yearling ewes that will be sheared for the first time. Referred to as hogget, this fleece is highly prized and will be available to local spinners at the market. Watching a skilled shearer in action is very entertaining and educational as well.
There will also be a kids’ spinning workshop, as well as demonstrations of spinning, weaving and felting to show how wool goes from sheep to finished product. Carlene Paquette, a member of the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild (OVWSG), will be demonstrating spinning. Her first wheel (called a Ladybug) has a cheerful red bike wheel as the drive wheel. As a long-time crocheter and knitter, spinning seemed like a reasonable progression. It has since become a passion, and now she spins most days. She owns several more wheels, including ones with large bobbins for spinning large skeins of fat yarn. Her biggest skein to date weighs 826 grams and is made with beautiful alpaca fibre from a local farm near Ottawa.
Calabogie’s favourite fibre artist, Susan Allen, also of the OVWSG, will be demonstrating weaving. Susan has been weaving beautiful scarves, shawls, blankets and tea towels for many years. Janet Stanley and Wendy Chaytor will be showing visitors how to needle felt creatures and decorative items. At the Kid’s Corner, Stephanie Keon-Pinkerton of Silver Lake Fibre will show kids how to spin wool into yarn on a homemade drop spindle. The workshop will start at 11am and run until the market closes at 1pm. The kids will be able to try it themselves and take home a bit of yarn to use for crafts.
Special guest artisans will be showing their wool work, and a variety of wool products, yarns and roving will be available, along with the usual selection of local produce, foods, maple syrup and even award-winning Haico’s Hot Sauce from Ottawa. There will be live music with the Musical Mayhem Jam Band. It’s an open jam and open mic format hosted by local musicians who range from beginners to old hands. Anyone who wants to play, sing or just provide rhythm support is welcome to participate. Bring your acoustic instruments and favourite songs along and join in the fun! All music should be acoustic (we have limited access to power at the market) and appropriate for an all-ages event. The market runs from 9am to 1pm at the Calabogie Community Centre, located at 574 Mill Street in Calabogie. For more information please visit <calabogiemarket.ca> or email <info@calabogiemarket.ca>.