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The temperature may be cooling down, but the events in Perth are continuing to heat up! October kicks off with the return of the Perth Night Market on Saturday, October 1. The evening will feature a variety of entertainment, including musicians and street performers, 80+ artisans and vendors, and many of Perth’s restaurants and businesses will be open late.
Get into the Halloween spirit with the famous Perth Ghost Walk starting from the Perth Museum on October 27, 28 and 29. Perth Ghost Walk is led by historian Susan Code McDougall, who will take you through some of the eerie tales and reported ghost sightings in the town’s past.
Don your best undead look and join the Zombie Walk! Beginning at Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 29, participants will walk through downtown before coming back to Crystal Palace where prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Thank you to the generous sponsors, including Rideau Candy Shoppe, Balderson Kidz, Miss Penny’s Closet, gather, Concave Gallery, Mariposa Design and Treasure Lane by the Tay.
Other events taking place throughout October and November include Pumpkin Season at Scotch Line Farm, Ecotay Harvest Market (October 9), and Perth Pumpkin Parade (November 1). The Perth Farmers’ Market will be hosting their final market of the season on Saturday, October 8 from 8am to 1pm at the Crystal Palace. Be sure to check out Studio Theatre too for what’s on, as well as the vast collection of guided and self-guided tours! Visit <perth.ca/events> for more information and to stay up-to-date on details.
The Arts Circle at MERA is planning a month-long celebration entitled Trees 4 Life at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners throughout October.
Lanark County is blessed with millions of trees, and their positive contribution to the climate and the well-being of the residents is something to be acknowledged and celebrated.
The kick-off of Trees 4 Life will be a concert by the renowned musician and environmentalist Ian Tamblyn, who present his music and stories on Sunday, October 2 from 2–4pm at the Schoolhouse. Tickets are $25, plus fees, at Tickets Please (485–5434, TicketsPlease.ca).
The Schoolhouse will also be the home to tree-related art for the entire month, and is open to the public on Saturday mornings and other days. Please check <meraschoolhouse.org> for times when there are activities at the Schoolhouse.
On Saturday, October 15 there will be a free day-long Trees 4 Life Festival that features something for everyone. There will art activities for children, a planting of 50 trees in the afternoon, and tree art on display both on the grounds and in the Schoolhouse.
Artists from across the Lanark area are invited to bring their tree-related art to share with the public throughout the day. For further information, please contact Wayne Stryde at <gwstryde@outlook.com>.
Almonte in Concert is a non-profit organization that hosts chamber music concerts at the acoustically wonderful Almonte Old Town Hall, where they are privileged to welcome internationally acclaimed classical musicians in every discipline. They have just announced their 2022-23 season, and as always — it’s a classic!
The first concert of the season takes place on Saturday, October 29, and is entitled “Beethoven Rebooted”. It features a group called VC2 — two cellos in the capable hands of Amahl Arulanandam and Bryan Holt. This duo has been captivating audiences with their performances of classical masterworks, unknown gems and boundary-pushing music. It is said that the cello would not have risen to the prominence it holds today without the revolutionary cello sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven, which forever altered the cello repertoire. In this concert, VC2 share their passion for these works, the culmination of a project in which they serve as a springboard. Their program includes works by cellist/composer-friends of Beethoven, composers who followed Beethoven’s example, and VC2-commissioned works inspired by these benchmark cello sonatas.
Saturday, December 3 brings “Christmas with Quartom”, featuring Kerry Bursey (tenor), Benoit Le Blanc (baritone), Julien Patenaude (baritone) and Philippe Martel (bass-baritone).
Quartom, as in “four men”, is an irresistible vocal quartet that combines perfectly mastered polyphony with boundless charm and pushes vocal harmonization to rarely achieved performance levels. With their original arrangements of well-known melodies, Christmas with Quartom is sure to put you in the festive mood. Performing some of the greatest classics of the season as well as staples from Christmases around the world, Quartom will also delight you with excerpts from their latest release, Rendez-vous.
Things kick off in the new year with a concert called “Few and Fewer” on Saturday, January 14, 2023. Few and Fewer brings together two internationally acclaimed artists, Guy Few and Mark Fewer, whose performances have been described as “sheer brilliance” (L.A. Times) and “genre-bending” (National Post). With pianist Stephanie Mara, they sweep audiences off their feet with a diverse program of classical, contemporary and jazz-inspired repertoire featuring works by Pablo de Sarasate, Giacomo Puccini, George Gershwin and many more surprises!
Saturday, March 11 brings “Nature’s Folk Songs” to the stage, featuring pianist and conductor Nicolas Ellis with the Agora String Quartet. The season wraps up on Saturday, April 15 with “Nannerl”, a concert featuring the Mathieu-Chua Duo of Véronique Mathieu (violin) and Stephanie Chua (piano).
All concerts begin at 7:30pm at the Almonte Old Town Hall. Individual concert tickets are $44 (including fees), and you can save by purchasing a season pass for $190. Tickets and passes are available from Tickets Please (485–6434, TicketsPlease.ca), through <almonteinconcert.com>.
Prices include all fees and charges. When available, tickets may also be purchased at the door.
The Valley Artisan Show is thrilled to be returning for 2022. This year’s show takes place on November 5 and 6 from 10am to 4pm in the upper hall of the Almonte Community Centre, located at 182 Bridge Street. You are sure to find gifts with originality, quality and attention to detail, created by twenty artists and crafters presenting their original creations in a relaxed, friendly and festive atmosphere. Forgo the gift cards, big box stores and stressful malls, and make this your first holiday shopping destination.
This show always strives to bring in lots of new artistic talent as well as returning favourites to provide a wide variety of handcrafted items for those special people on your shopping list. You’ll find great items to put under the tree, add to gift baskets and fill stockings, plus a few things for yourself too!
Some of the gift choices from the exceptional array of vendors include beeswax candles and flavoured honey from award-winning Heavenly Honey; scrumptious scented soaps and scrubs; eye-catching glass works; and knitted, woven, felted and sewn items. You’ll also find delicate crocheted jewellery with semi-precious stones and wire-wrapped dichroic glass pendants to enhance an outfit, as well as great books for children, games for the family, miniature quilts, birdhouses, weaving, sweet and savoury preserves and sweet treats — the list goes on and on.
Visit <valleyartisanshow.blogspot.ca> or find them on Facebook for more details. Parking and admission are free, and you can enter for a chance to win a fabulous door prize. Homemade light meals and baking will be served by the Friends of The Hub, with proceeds going to assist many great causes in the community. The Lanark Animal Welfare Society will be selling raffle tickets, calendars and other items to raise money for their shelter. You can find out more about them and see their wish list at <lanarkanimals.ca>.
There are plenty of additional reasons to plan a daytrip to Almonte beside the Christmas in the Valley Show. You can take a stroll down the main street with its boutiques, antique stores and restaurants, and enjoy the views on the winding Riverwalk pathway. For even more “handmade” shopping, there are other craft sales happening in Almonte that same weekend!
The Perth & District Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the annual Business Awards of Excellence will be celebrated in casino style on Thursday, October 20. Recognizing that the last couple of years have been difficult for businesses, the chamber wants to recognize that all their businesses are “winners” for persevering through the trials and tribulations of Covid-19.
This year’s event welcomes everyone out for a fun evening to support local businesses. “We wanted to put on an event that brings our business community together for an evening of celebration,” explains the new General Manager Tracey Raycroft. “We continue to seek new and creative ways to recognize our business achievements despite the ever-changing social landscape.”
The Casino Night will take place at Code’s Mill in Perth. Tickets are $60, which include a free drink, appetizers, music and casino chips. There will be more than nine different casino games and over 16 tables for everyone to try. Winners will be able to cash in their chips for a chance to win fun local prizes.
Sponsorship is available for interested businesses at a rate of $350 per table. Sponsorship includes two casino tickets.
“We are looking forward to seeing the community come out to support local businesses,” says Adib El-Khoury, chair of the Membership Committee. “We are long overdue for an evening of celebration.”
Tickets are available until 12pm on October 13 by visiting <perthchamber.com> or by sending an email to <manager@perthchamber.com>.
At the heart of the novel Fearnoch, says author Jim McEwen, is a plea to its characters — “to remember the basics: be humble, be honest, and remember your neighbour is more like you than you think.”
McEwen, who grew up in Dunrobin, says the plea might be basic and even cheesy, but he adds: “I do think bad things happen when we forget to be humble and honest, and when we forget that our neighbour across the fence line, whether or not we agree with them on everything, is also a human being and probably just like you … and you’re gonna need their help one day to get the hay in and they’re gonna need you.”
Published by Newfoundland’s Breakwater Books, McEwen’s first novel looks at small town farm life in an undistinguished Ottawa Valley farming hamlet in its twilight.
“It is a love story to farmers and small towns in a way,” the author says. “That’s a big part of it. Like a tip of the hat. A ‘we’re still here,’ and ‘every place matters to somebody’ sort of idea. I wanted to let my characters ‘sing in their chains’ a little. One of the main characters is a farmer and the book is set in an agrarian-becoming-suburban place. I think the death of the family farm is an important theme: there’s so much tragedy and beauty in there too.”
He likes the images of fences as well, which you’ll find in the novel. “Old rotting ones, new sturdy ones — the fences you see everywhere driving around West Carleton, or Lanark County, Arnprior, wherever. I tried to use them to symbolize divisions between neighbours.”
McEwen adds: “I just wanted a box that I could stuff to the top with all these little beautiful and painful bits — sentences, images — that I don’t want to get lost and want to see what they look like on a page, you know? Fearnoch is the box. Could be a story my dad told me about growing up on a farm in Munster Hamlet, or a funny conversation with my friend Conor from Kinburn, or something I saw in New York City, or read in a history book… anything. The box of a small farming town works perfectly.”
When you’ve written a novel, McEwen says, you can sometimes forget what it’s about after reading it over countless times. A friend of the author’s read the book and summed it up very well, and also helped quash McEwen’s fears that he’d poked too much fun at “country and city characters”.
McEwen reports, “My friend said something like, ‘we’re all pretty silly when you get right down to it. But there are some beautiful bits along the way, if we could just frig off a bit!’”
Fearnoch might be Jim McEwen’s first novel, but he’s already an accomplished and award-winning writer who has published work in Riddle Fence and The Telegram. He has worked as a stonemason, a tree-planter and a youth worker, but he is quick to remind you that he is not a farmer.
“Yes, I grew up in Dunrobin, but I’m not a farmer. I must make that very clear,” he says. “I grew up around farms and helped with the haying sometimes, but I know very little about farming.”
What on earth is winter wheat, for instance? McEwen had no idea. “Like anything,” he says, “the more you ask, the more you realize you don’t know.” So part of his research was talking to a few lifelong farmers. Through them, he learned about fixing small engines on dozens of pieces of equipment, auctions for equipment and animals, all the accounting involved with farming, and shooting skunks (to name a few). Farming, he learned, was not about just putting a seed in the ground.
“I talked to some farmers in Dunrobin and they were just treasure chests of insight, stories, beautiful language. They gave me a better idea of West Carleton and surrounding area over the years as it changed with the rest of the world.”
Though McEwen’s novel is set in the Ottawa Valley, he hopes the story — and the essence of the book — will have a universal appeal.
“I set the book in the Ottawa Valley because I suppose it was comfortable for me,” he says, “and there are so many beautiful little pieces I wanted to hold onto and try to put into words, but these are ideas that should work in any setting imaginable.”
Just a few of those ideas? “Do not forget the old-timers. They know more than you think, that’s for sure. Do not leave them behind, leave no one behind.”
McEwen writes about farm life charm, kindnesses, trust, and falling in love at the town dump, but also of great betrayals. Fearnoch shines a light on the lessons we learn along the way.
“Don’t steal egg money from a coffee can on a side road!” he says. “Ever! Don’t do it!”
That is part of Fearnoch’s appeal, one McEwen hopes might rope in many readers, not just folks from the Ottawa Valley. “People who know the setting and people who’ve never heard of it. I hope it can have regional and universal appeal and poignancy at the same time. That’s my great hope. Doesn’t matter where you’re from — every old place has its stories.”
So far, the feedback McEwen has received has been overwhelming, he says. “In a wonderful way,” he adds. “From all types of people too: young and old, from very different backgrounds and worldviews. I’m so grateful and touched.”
He can count Alexander McLeod, bestselling author of Animal Person and Light Lifting, as a fan. “If Charles Dickens grew up on the Ontario/Quebec border, spoke a little Franglais, and knew a whole lot about farming and minor league hockey, then he might be able to create a cast of characters as memorable as this one,” McLeod writes of Fearnoch. “Jim McEwen’s beautiful portrait of a community in transition is simultaneously intimate and vast, loving and angry, tender and hilarious. If you are from anywhere, or if you have ever been caught in the swirling, primal forces that sometimes push us towards and sometimes pull us away from ‘home,’ then this is the book for you.”
High praise, indeed. Fearnoch is available in fine independent bookstores, and online at Breakwater Books <breakwaterbooks.com> or through Indigo and other online sellers.
The West Carleton Arts Society is delighted to announce that its signature show “Expressions of Art” will return to the Carp Fairgrounds Agricultural Hall this fall! This exhibition and sale will showcase the creative talents of more than thirty top artists from the Ottawa region, all selected through a formal, independent jurying process. The show has been held annually for more than 25 years, and returns on Thanksgiving weekend this year.
After two years of virtual shows, the artists are excited to be back live and in-person; come out to meet and chat with them. It will be a fabulous show, featuring high-quality vibrant displays of images and colours with everything from landscapes and abstracts to photography and glass. There will be a variety of artwork and media to please every taste.
Entrance to the show is free and there is plenty of free parking. The venue is fully accessible. Cash donations to the West Carleton Secondary School Fine Arts bursary program are gratefully accepted.
The opening reception or “Vernissage” will be held on Friday, October 7 from 7–9pm, and features live music by Natalie Hoffman, tasty morsels and a cash bar. The show continues on Saturday from 8am to 4pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
For more information and a preview of some of the artwork, please visit <westcarletonartssociety.ca/expressions-of-art>.
About WCAS
Established in 1988, the West Carleton Arts Society (WCAS) is an active, non-profit volunteer organization of vibrant, talented visual artists and fine crafts people. Their dynamic program includes three annual shows, two of which are juried. They host an annual Spring Into Art Conference, workshops, regular ARTiculate get-togethers, and for members, an opportunity to show your work at several local venues.
One of the best places in Lanark County to witness a panoramic view of fall colours is from the top of Blueberry Mountain at cliffLAND. On October 15, come on out for a special fundraising day to learn more about and help support the conservation work of the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT). Come and hike the gently rising trail at your own time and pace and enjoy one of the Seven Wonders of Lanark County. Ecologists will be on-site throughout the day to answer any questions you may have, and there will be games and challenges for little explorers. The MMLT strives to keep wilderness protected for all time, where all species thrive and people connect with nature. Learn more about their properties and events at <mmlt.ca>.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made all of us more aware of the impact of isolation on our wellbeing. This sense of isolation forms the underpinnings of an art installation launched in 2016. Coordinated by textile artist Line Dufour, with the participation of over 500 international makers, Fate, Destiny and Self-determination was created as an initiative to reduce the isolation artists experienced in their artistic process using social media, planned hands-on events and gathering them together to exhibit their collective efforts. Inclusiveness is the weft that weaves the installation together.
Composed of three sections, the main woven panel (on the left) was created by Dufour, referencing the contemporary practice of tapestry where artist and weaver are one. The panel on the right was woven by visiting participants ranging from the inexperienced and amateur to the professional. This references traditional tapestry conventions where many weavers work(ed) on the tapestry at various stages and did not contribute to creating the tapestry designs.
The final, central section is composed of irregular shapes contributed by weavers world-wide. The pieces are positioned at varying heights, between the two main panels, floating freely in space, as though the tapestry is pulling apart or coming together. As Dufour receives each shape she documents it and posts it to the project page on Facebook as well as on Instagram @tapestryline and Twitter @tapestry_line. Thus far, 864 shapes have been received from 43 countries, and a total of about 520 people have participated. The installation continues to expand as it accepts shapes on an ongoing basis.
The exhibition will also be interactive, if Covid restrictions allow, with small frame looms prepared in advance for visitors to the gallery to weave shapes using yarn or materials for other textile techniques, permitting local textile artists and artisans to interact with the public and to feature their own work along with the installation. In this manner, the project retains its vitality by inviting ongoing engagement from the community.
Fate, Destiny and Self-determination is on display at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum from October 1 through to December 18. A vernissage with Line Dufour and participating artists takes place on Saturday, October 1 from 2–4pm, both in-person and virtual. Please visit <mvtm.ca/exhibits> for details.
Until October 28, Almonte’s Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to present Garden of Mana, artist Gizem Candan’s first solo exhibition. The show can be seen in-person during regular Gallery hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am–5pm, and Sundays from 11am–4pm.
Gizem Candan was born in 1996 in Istanbul, Turkey. From 2014 to 2019, she earned two undergraduate degrees from Yeditepe University in Istanbul, one in graphic design and the other in plastic arts and painting, both with honours. She then moved to Toronto, where her studio is currently based. She begins the MFA degree in Criticism and Curatorial Practice at OCAD University in Toronto in September 2022.
Candan’s work is inspired by her surroundings and the people in her life. Her works explore psychological states, including states of tension and anxiety in contemporary society and culture. Her subjects range from portraits of people she has met, to puppets she has created, to objects in her environment. She sees the “Garden of Mana” as a unique garden based on the human connection with nature. “Mana” refers to an inner energy in both animate and inanimate objects in many native cultures. In Turkish, “mana” also refers to “meaning” — hence “Garden of Mana” translates to “Garden of Meaning.”
Candan’s works have been exhibited in Canada and Turkey, and are held in many private collections and the Special Collections of the Toronto Reference Library.
On Saturday, October 1 from 2–4pm, meet Gizem Candan at an in-person vernissage. Please note: for everyone’s comfort and enjoyment, Sivarulrasa Gallery is voluntarily limiting the capacity for in-person events to 50% of the posted capacity. Please email <info@sivarulrasa.com> to register for either the first hour (2–3pm) or the second hour (3–4pm) of the vernissage. The Gallery is located at 34 Mill Street in Almonte, and online at <sivarulrasa.com>.
The Guatemala Stove Project (GSP) is a charity run by local volunteers. These volunteers raise funds to build safe, efficient masonry cookstoves in western Guatemala. Built by Guatemalan masons of concrete, mortar and steel, the GSP-funded stoves greatly improve the lives of rural Maya families. The stoves include a metal chimney which removes toxic smoke from the home. The enclosed firebox shields children from open flames and greatly improves fuel efficiency. This saves the limited resources of Maya families and reduces deforestation. Over the past 23 years the GSP has funded the building of 7,568 family cook stoves and 40 larger school stoves. These stoves have improved the health, life expectancy and overall well-being of over 46,000 Maya people!
Besides all the above benefits, efficient cookstoves reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by an average of 2 to 3 tons per year. Over the lifespan of one stove, the carbon reduction would more than offset the average carbon footprint of a typical Canadian (calculated at 14.2 tons in 2019). When considered collectively, GSP stoves will have offset over 190,000 tons of CO2!
Although efficient cookstoves have always been the main focus of the GSP, the organization expanded its mandate to respond to emergency situations and provide disaster relief (floods, crop failures, combating the debilitating financial effects of Covid) in western Guatemala. The GSP also funds microloans for small farmers and educational bursaries for rural students.
The GSP has organized annual exposure trips to Guatemala every February for volunteers from Canada and around the world. Although Covid has restricted in-person operations in Guatemala, the GSP is hoping to be able to resume trips again in the future.
This November, the Guatemala Stove Project continues to support Maya families with two upcoming fundraising events. The first is their third annual Online Auction. Hosted by <32auctions.com/2022GSP>, supporters will have the chance to fund a stove, support a microloan, help a rural girl get an education or bid on a variety of interesting and useful items. The online auction opens November 4 and runs until November 14.
The Perth Fundraising Dance returns on November 19 at the Perth Civitan Hall. Get on your feet and move to the sounds of DLUX, a 7-piece dance band. Expect to hear some Motown classics, Talking Heads, Clash, Rickie Lee Jones, Dr John, rock and roll classics, plus lots of harmonies!
Please visit <guatemalastoveproject.org> for more details, or find them on Facebook.
The vendors of the Almonte Farmers’ Market would like to thank all of our loyal patrons and friends for shopping with us on a regular basis. We would also like to welcome all of the newcomers to town! If you have not made our market part of your Saturday morning routine, this is the time of year to start. Mark these important dates on your calendar!
Our regular market season in the Almonte Library parking lot wraps up on October 15 — one week after Thanksgiving (seeing as Thanksgiving is so early).
Our Harvest Market takes place on November 12, and our Christmas Market is on December 10. Both from 9am to 1pm, and both in the upper hall of the Almonte Arena. You’ll find local organic produce, beef, pork and lamb, local honey and maple syrup, baking, preserves, soaps, herbal remedies and other body products, take-home meals, plus a wide selection of crafts and other gift ideas. Bring your knives in for a tune up, grab a coffee and see what is going on. We’ll see you there!
Modern technology has contributed immensely to higher incomes and longer lives in rich countries, and almost all work in these countries relies heavily on the use of high tech. Low- and middle-income countries lag far behind high-income countries in harnessing technological opportunities, but want to emulate rich countries and use technologies to increase their income and enhance quality of life. Many attempts to inject high tech in these countries have, however, had disappointing results. This has led some to argue that low-income countries do not need high tech but rather clean water and better access to existing traditional technologies.
In the Almonte Lecture via Zoom on Friday, October 28 at 7:30pm, speaker Halla Thorsteinsdottir will consider if and how high tech can be harnessed in low-income countries to the benefit of their populations, and tell stories gleaned from examining technologies in these countries spanning a 35-year career.
Visit <almontelectures.net> to register for the Zoom lecture, discover more details about Almonte Lectures speakers and their subjects, or make a donation.
A lesson from our favourite son- in- law, Uwe. We were out for dinner, and when the bill came there was the usual tussle over who was going to pay. Uwe deftly picked up the bill, and quietly said, “Just say thank you”. So easy, so refined. From then on, we’d settle the paying scheme before we left the house, so there was no hassle at the end of a beautiful meal. For the non-paying party, a simple “thank you” sufficed, knowing that the next time, the tables would be turned.
The art of “thank you” is being lost. We gave a family heirloom to new parents, and although the grandparents assured us the gift is loved, there has been no note of acknowledgement from the parents. “In my day,” that despised phrase, we had to write thank you notes whether we liked the gift or not. I can recall as a new bride writing a seemingly sincere thank you for a disgustingly awful ashtray/lamp business that we hated.
Looking through a binder of old letters lately, I found hand-written “thank yous” my mom had saved as a grandma’s treasures, a treat for me to find fifty years later. There were stacks of them, a testimony to good manners we instilled in our kids.
I know a lovely lady who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, but cherishes Thanksgiving as a time to share her gratitude. She hand-delivers thoughtful messages of appreciation to the ladies at the Hub, the library, the pet food store, her garage. Wouldn’t you love to have your day brightened with one of those? No flowers, no gift, just a very sincere thank you that she took the time to write in her own script on real stationery.
Think what it would mean to pass along gratitude to the guy who holds the traffic flag on Mill Street, day after day, dealing with snarky drivers who want access to the street. Think how thrilled the young people who watered the flowers downtown would be to know you loved those baskets. What about the cashier at the grocery store, if out of the blue you stopped and gave that dear person a genuine personal thank you for always being pleasant and packing your groceries for you? If that cashier is a teenager, and you compliment their tattoos or crazy hair colour, you can bet they will remember you forever.
Did you ever stop to think that the Mayor or town councillors toil on our behalf every day, with pay that doesn’t nearly cover their personal commitment, and get squat other than vitriolic slurs and complaints? What if you graced their mailbox with a personal note for something significant they have provided for you; or, if nothing else, for the very fact that they represent you at countless meetings that boggle the mind with the deluge of paper they have to digest and discuss? Besides your valuable vote, they need an occasional pat on the back during their terms of office. Just do it!
It’s not true that monetary pay is the only reward. Ask any healthcare provider what that added note of thanks does, what a sincere “you have been my solace in my hour of need” means. Sure, it’s easy to put that in a newspaper announcement, but I often wonder if they’ll ever see it. A personal touch goes way farther than a public announcement.
How surprised I was to receive a handwritten note of appreciation for a sympathy card and message I had sent a few weeks back! I didn’t expect it, but I was consoled by the thought that the bereaved and I shared a moment of understanding that an email message would never have touched.
So this Thanksgiving, after you’re stuffed with turkey and into that soporific afternoon of indolence, get out a package of dollar store thank you cards, probably ten in a pack, and think about ten people who have influenced your life this year. Now, with genuine gratitude, tell them how special they are to you. Corral your kids into doing likewise. Yes, they’ll whine and head for their cellphones, but this is pen-in-hand proper writing time. And for goodness sakes, don’t correct their spelling. In fact, if they want to write without you seeing it at all, that’s fine too. Then fifty years from now, maybe you’ll find those treasured letters stained with grandma’s tears, proof that a little person loved her enough to send a special message.
Buy those cards now along with the turkey and trimmings, get the stamps, and do it up right. Write the cards, and pop them in the mail, and then wait for the responses. You and your kid won’t be sorry.
So here’s my own personal THANK YOU to all of you who read these columns monthly, who stop to tell me we’re in this together, who laugh and commiserate when needed. I appreciate every one of you and treasure you as friends indeed. And I especially THANK Kris and Rob for indulging my writing addiction for lo these many years. It’s a labour of love!
Library After Dark returns to the Perth & District Library on Saturday, November 5 with a night of music by acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Suzie Ungerleider.
Library After Dark is a special fundraising concert series that offers a chance for people who love music to see top-notch artists in an uncommon space.
Born in Northeastern US and raised in Western Canada, Suzie Ungerleider began performing under the name Oh Susanna in the mid-1990s, winning instant praise for her striking voice and poetic songcraft. Suzie had been quietly working as a clerk at a Vancouver library when in 1996 she self-released a cassette tape of seven songs recorded for just $200, and found herself besieged by music industry executives and agents after performing a tiny set at a local club.
She has been nominated for three Juno Awards and four Canadian Folk Music Awards for Best Solo Performer, Best Contemporary Singer, and English Songwriter of the Year. Suzie’s latest album, entitled My Name is Suzie Ungerleider, is her first release under her given name and has recently been nominated for a Juno for Best Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Suzie lives in Vancouver with her husband, her daughter and their dog Willow.
Doors open at 7pm and music starts at 7:30. You can also enjoy a beverage from the cash bar at the library during the show. Tickets are $30 and available at <perthunionlibrary.ca/library-after-dark> for purchase online in advance, or at the door.
Art… and Soul
I exaggerate. She only has skulls. The Marina Raike skull sculptures currently on display in Gallery II at Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte are models Marina has created out of plaster and hydrocal using a human skull that had been in the collection of the Niagara Falls Museum. Welcome to the intriguing and intellectually challenging world of postmodern art.
My interview with Raike a few weeks ago was one of the most visually and intellectually stimulating encounters I have experienced. There is general consensus that postmodern art strives to engage the viewer in the active pursuit of synthesizing and following the string of concepts presented before them — a highly cognitive action.
Raike succeeds. Her works are intriguing and thought-provoking. Whether it’s a collage of antiquated photos and snippets of text from old books and gin bottles, or a cast of a human skull with horns that are casts of her own hands, Raike’s artworks tease a “why?” from your subconscious. Why is the human skull with human hands piece titled “Cervine”? Some of you will know; some of us have to look it up. Why does her collage titled “Obey Bearspray” juxtapose photos of Queen Victoria and a black bear gleaned from antiquated gin bottle labels? Why do some of her collage pieces include light switches encased in birch bark? What is she saying? What does she hope you will think?
The title of her installation at Sivarulrasa Gallery — Looking Back — is a clue. She explains: “When I anchor an old photo or scrap of text to an art object, I’m extending its relevance and giving it new meaning… Looking back can give us a broader perspective for facing whatever lies ahead.” Raike loves the immediacy of collage; it is direct and spontaneous and invites free association. She likens it to playing with words — a kind of ‘image salad’ with its mixture of seemingly random words and phrases and illustrations, but capable of making a statement and triggering thought. In many ways it is like the poetic form of literature.
Her portraits of ravens and kestrels and other animals leave no doubt as to her formidable talent as a realistic painter, but again, she brings her unique aesthetic into play. The portraits are set against acrylic underpaintings that are complete works of art in their own right. On her website <marinaraike.com> she groups them under the heading “Natural Materials, Natural Subjects.” Here she indulges in her lifelong interest in and love of geology, incorporating mineral particles sourced from geological formations in eastern Canada. As noted by the Gallery, “These mixed media paintings reference parietal (prehistoric cave) art, petroglyphs and engravings with a deeply respectful and realistic approach to the birds and animals she portrays.”
In her Artist Statement, Raike describes her muses and her process: “I like to experiment with organic materials. My work has both spontaneous aesthetics and precise elements. I often depict animals in wild or domestic spaces. I call it 21st century cave art. It makes me contemplate our relationships with animals now and from the earliest known times. The visual richness of sands, gems and metals also inspires me. The images and textures draw my imagination into thoughts about the environment and the experiences of different creatures.”
It Doesn’t Suit my Disposition
Marina’s career in art was launched in Brampton in Grade 2 when the child sitting next to her leaned over and confided, “You’re almost better than me!” Marina’s teacher had been very encouraging of her work, and her mother was an accomplished oil painter, so faint praise became yet another stimulus to pursue her career as an artist. Describing her education at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) in Toronto, her face breaks into a wide smile as she recalls her introduction to postmodernism by the “incredibly creative people in the experimental department.” She tried everything, and discovered her calling was to make art for art’s sake, using it as her voice to explore political and environmental and feminist issues.
While earning her BFA she was awarded the Forsythe Scholarship for drawing and painting. She immersed herself in the rich art life in Toronto, participating in The Artist Project at Exhibition Place and collaborating in numerous exhibits. Raike has exhibited across Canada, the United States and internationally. Her work has appeared in the TV series Suits, in British Vogue, The Huffington Post, as well as noteworthy collections in North America and overseas. She enjoys giving artist’s talks and has spoken at Ryerson University and (most appropriately) at The Canadian Society for Art of the Imagination.
She worked for several years as a web developer/animator for Spin Master Toys, but came to the realization that it is simply not in her disposition to have a boss. Eventually she moved to Montreal for five years, but decided to check out the Ontario real estate market when she wanted to purchase a house. Fortunately her friendships with local ceramic and visual artist Chandler Swain, and Ottawa’s Bhat Boy (they met their first day together at OCAD), brought her to Almonte, and she immediately purchased her home and moved in with her adored rabbit and cat. Her invitation to join The Ten Collective ensured her quick membership in Almonte’s flourishing arts community.
Each artist featured in theHumm is asked to provide a one-sentence answer to the WHY (do they create their art) question that appears on the back of their ATC (Artist’s Trading Card — check the top righthand corner of this page). Raike’s response perfectly captures her success and the personal gratification she experiences as an artist: “To evoke any combination of thoughts and feelings in someone through my art is incredibly rewarding to me.” Her current show (until October 14) at Gallery II at Sivarulrasa Gallery in Almonte is a perfect opportunity to see how well she succeeds.
Artist Trading Card
WHO Marina Raike
WHAT Postmodern Mixed Media Artist
WHERE <sivarulrasa.com/artists/marina-raike><marinaraike.com><marinamayraike@gmail.com>
WHEN Until October 14, Sivarulrasa Gallery,34 Mill St., Almonte, <sivarulrasa.com>
WHY “To evoke any combination of thoughts and feelings in someone through my art is incredibly rewarding to me.”
The Mississippi Mills Art Romp is back again this Thanksgiving Saturday and Sunday, October 8 and 9, from 10am to 4pm daily. Over fifty artists and artisans from the Crown and Pumpkin and Maple Run Studio Tours will offer an extensive range of art, craft, design, fine food and beverages, all set in the glory of our beautiful fall season. Whether you are looking for a scenic drive to interesting places, a special gift, a personal treasure or a taste experience, this event truly offers something for everyone.
The thirteen stops throughout the Almonte, Clayton and Pakenham areas have been carefully curated by Art Romp organizers to present an enticing variety of artistic and taste expressions. Multiple artists at each location reduces driving time while still offering a fascinating route past unique local businesses, historic buildings and inspiring rural scenery. The tour map and stop addresses can be found at <mapleruntour.ca> and <crownandpumpkin.com> as well as in the advertisement in this month’s edition of theHumm.
In Almonte you will find four intriguing venues. Hummingbird Chocolate, in their new factory and café next to Home Hardware, also offers tours (amid an irresistible aroma) and will host a photographer and printmaker. Murkay Creations, located on Laroque Street behind Shopper’s Drug Mart, will host three glass artists who will be giving demonstrations of flame working (melting glass rods to create beads), while a local designer will be offering her line of eco-fabric, made-in-Canada knits. At the Dairy Distillery, in addition to their artisan-distilled Vodkow (sample and enjoy!), you will find a jeweller and children’s clothing designer in their new lounge area. In downtown Almonte, the Almonte Potters Guild members will have a variety of new clay work on offer.
Moving out of Almonte, take a drive through spectacular fall colours to the junction of Wolf Grove and Tatlock Roads, where you will find the historic Union Hall. Here six tour veterans will be showing pottery, glass vessels, natural beauty products, miniature quilts and pewter ware.
Clayton Community Centre, in the nearby village of Clayton, hosts fourteen fabulous artists offering a range of products including honey, woodworking, painting, candles, jewellery, fine textiles, fibre works, children’s books and ceramics.
Ten minutes from Clayton, Fluid Coffee opens the doors of their solar-powered coffee roasting facility where you can see their process and taste their uplifting brews before you take a quick jaunt back up Tatlock Road to visit Humphrey Leather Works. Then, head back to the village where you can get refreshments and more at the historic Clayton General Store.
Travelling up Bellamy Mills Road you will come to Willow Creek Studio, featuring expressionist paintings. Then just up the tree-shaded road is the next stop, Cochran Lumber and Maple Products, featuring woodworking and maple products and the works of a multi-media artist.
At the end of the Bellamy Mills Road, turn onto the 7th line of Ramsay and follow the green maple leaf signs of the Maple Run tour to Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm. Here you will find eight artists showcasing pottery, woodturning, quirky wood carvings, woollen goods and copper shawl pins, weaving and felting, wire crochet and gemstone jewellery, indie hand-dyed yarns and herbal products. This is an excellent destination for families, with activities such as pick-your-own pumpkins, tractor-drawn wagon rides, a straw bale fort and zipline for kids, a farm store and gift shop, and a café.
The Art Romp isn’t over yet though — a drive through Pakenham and up Waba road leads to Cartwright Springs Brewery where, in addition to sampling fine craft beer, you can see watercolour paintings and sculptural-fabric creations. Continue to the 10th line of Pakenham for the final stop on this leg of the tour: the studio of a well-known glass artist who will be demonstrating the complex and fascinating art of creating vessels from hot glass.
Check Facebook for posts by both tours, as well as the new Facebook and Instagram pages for Mississippi Mills Art Romp. Visit them often for up-to-date information!
A final tip for art romping: do consider bringing cash or cheques. Cell phone and internet access can be tricky in the rural stops in our beautiful area.
Nine years ago my world fell apart. The darkness settled in and life as I knew it no longer existed. It swallowed me completely and I began the biggest fight of my life for survival. I began searching for ways to live with the darkness. It was my reality and I felt like nobody understood just how REAL it was. I found poetry, which helped me to not feel so alone. And I found art, which helped me to express myself.
I lived in the darkness for five years battling my demons. I learned to accept them, welcome them, play with them and love them. But what I really needed was to be saved from them. By expressing myself through my artwork I was able to begin healing.
Today I am free of the darkness. Although it creeps in from time to time it is no longer my reality, but a reminder of how strong I am. It is a reminder of the biggest battle of my life and how hard I fought… And won. What’s left of that time in my life are the pieces of me that helped me survive.
Concave Gallery in Perth presents Pieces of Me, an exhibition of works by Chelsea Charlebois, from October 1–30. The opening is on October 1 from 5–10pm, during the Perth Night Market. Find more details at <facebook.com/concavegallery>.
OK — I admit that being the editor of a paper that covers the arts and entertainment scene in the small towns of the Ottawa Valley has made me somewhat partial to the small towns of the Ottawa Valley, but I feel confident in telling you, dear readers, that the best cocktail bar in Ottawa is located in Smiths Falls.
How do I define “best”? Unpretentious, delicious, imaginative, affordable (seriously), locally-sourced food, and connected to other local treasures. Not to mention friendly and invested in their community. How’s that for a start?
The speakeasy in question is The Post Office Cocktails, located in the cozy stonewall basement of the stately heritage Thomas Fuller Post Office building at 30 Russell Street East. Serendipitously, the space once housed a speakeasy called The Dugout where railroad workers would enjoy a drink at the end of a long day. According to the website <thepostofficecocktails.com>, the hope for the newly renovated space is to create: “a place where the service and ambiance are so inviting that you will put down your cell phones and lose track of time.”
Owner Jillian Dagenais has been in restaurants since she was 15. She “got her chops” at The Moon Room in Ottawa, and now specializes in reinventing the classics. I tried her Blueberry Bullet and noted that the flavours were subtle at first, then revealed their complexity as I had tastes of salt and bites of cheese. I loved it more with each sip! My companion (OK, it was Rob) enjoyed “a well-crafted and deliciously complex Old Fashioned and Paloma”. We also partook of a charcuterie plate of delicious offerings from the Perth Cheese Shop, and a red pepper hummus plate that featured scrumptious veggies from a local grower that Jillian knows.
Jillian was actually lured to Smiths Falls by her cousin who runs Bowie’s — the fabulous live music venue just down the street <bowiessmithsfalls.com>. She finds that The Post Office is attracting both locals who have been “waiting for something like it all their lives”, as well as recently transplanted urbanites who are looking for a little slice of what they left behind. Because there are no Ubers in Smiths Falls and it’s hard to get babysitters to stay late (a typical small town challenge), she offers special deals like a “drink a bottle, take a second home for 20% off”.
The Post Office is open Wednesday through Saturday from 2pm to last call at 10pm. Drop in and say “hi from theHumm” to Jillian and her amazing staff, or look for them popping up at other local hot spots like C’est Tout Bakery!
Samantha Martin belts out Delta blues, soul, funk and R&B with a voice that literally shakes the foundations with its strength and passion. Backed by her terrific band Delta Sugar, she has been a force on the Canadian Blues scene since her début album Send the Nightingale came out in 2015, earning her four Maple Blues Award nominations. Her next two albums — Run to Me (2019) and The Reckless One (2022) — both earned her Juno Award nominations, and she’s had a staggering number of Maple Blues Award nominations (twenty to be exact) over the past six years in the categories of Best Female Artist, Best Entertainer, Electric Act, Recording and Songwriter of the Year. To say this woman is a talent is an understatement!
On Friday, October 28, Samantha and her band will travel from Toronto to The Cove Inn in Westport to kick off this year’s amazing Blues on the Rideau (BOTR) season. Samantha comes to the Cove fresh off another successful European tour and a summer of performing at major Blues Festivals across Canada to large enthusiastic audiences.
“This is the fourth time she has played Blues on the Rideau,” says BOTR organizer James Doran, “and every one of her shows has been remarkable. How fortunate we are to be able to see her so up close and personal in the intimate setting of The Cove.”
Martin is the lead singer, songwriter and focal point of the group. A dynamic frontwoman, she possesses a stunning voice that is capable of summoning up tidal waves of spine-tingling emotion in one instance while delicately bringing out the nuances of a gut-wrenching lyric in the next. A torrid force of nature, night after night she takes audiences to emotional peaks while leaving them stunned with her sheer pin-you-against-the-wall power.
While Martin is a powerhouse unto herself, the vocal alchemy of Delta Sugar is not the work of a single talent. In combination with what she likes to term her “co-vocalists,” the vocal blend that Delta Sugar produces is pure, unadulterated gospel-tinged, neuron-tingling magic where the sum is even richer than the already soul-melting parts. Find out more at <samanthamartinmusic.com>.
This season, the price for dinner and the show is $100 plus HST, which includes a delicious full-course dinner, the show, dancing, door prizes and donation to charity. Proceeds from Samantha’s show will go to support the Westport Food Bank.
Reservations are required for all shows, so please call The Cove at 273–3636 or email them at <thecoveinnwestport@gmail.com>. Why not book a room as well and enjoy all that Westport has to offer! The Cove has a limited capacity and most BOTR shows sell out in advance. Cancellations or changes to reservations will be accepted up to one week prior to show date without penalty.
To find out more about Blues on the Rideau and their 2022-23 season, visit <BluesontheRideau.ca>.
The Merrickville Artists’ Guild is pleased to hold its pre-Christmas show and sale on November 12 from 10am to 5pm at the Merrickville Community Centre. Over thirty artists will showcase a wide variety of beautiful paintings, drawings, pottery, jewellery, woodcrafts, photography and textile arts.
The Community Centre is located at 354 Read Street — adjacent to the fairgrounds. Admission is free and parking is available on-site. For additional information, please visit <mag-artists.ca> or contact Nick Previsich at <nprevisich@bell.net>
Two three years ago, Rob and Kris Riendeau (aka Humm Team Productions) presented their show Who Stole Christmas from Mississippi Mills at the Almonte Old Town Hall. That musical parody sold out all performances and was a ton of fun for all involved. This December they are back with their new undertaking, Sketchy Santa — Holiday Shorts, which they attempted to put on in 2021, only to be thwarted by you-know-what. Foolishly optimistically, they are trying it again this year, so Rob Riendeau of theHumm caught up with head writer of Humm Team Productions, Rob Riendeau, to get the inside scoop on the new show.
theHumm: So, what’s the inside scoop on the new sort of new show?
Rob Riendeau: Well, two three years ago, we had so much fun putting on Who Stole Christmas that we immediately booked the Almonte Old Town Hall for two weekends in December of 2021. Our original plan was to put on another full-scale, big production, original musical. The pandemic kind of took the wind out of our sails for that show, but I do have a couple of scenes written and we will probably put it on one day.
Meanwhile, Kris and I stayed active theatrically over Zoom. I took some writing courses. Kris and I gave some writing workshops, and we presented an evening of short plays on Zoom for Hallowe’en last year. At some point, we decided that if it was at all possible, an evening of sketches at the Old Town Hall would be a fun and do-able project. I sort of envisaged a cross between Saturday Night Live and The Muppet Show.
What makes an evening of sketches a more do-able project?
Great question, Rob. By focusing on one sketch at a time, we could keep the rehearsals limited to smaller groups. We were also able to make use of several of the sketches that I wrote during the lockdown that had never seen the light of day. And we were able to open up the writing to more people. This show features a sketch by Zach Brown, who participated in our writing workshop.
I have heard that Zach’s sketch is great! Really worth the price of admission all on its own. A real laugh riot! People are saying it will be the highlight of the show!
Sure.
So, are there any other talented people involved in writing the show?
Umm… well… Kris Riendeau wrote a very funny sketch as well. And Mike McCormick, who was a big part of the success of Who Stole Christmas, wrote the music and reworked some of the lyrics for the song This Is Not a Musical in this show.
He fixed your lyrics?
I wouldn’t say “fixed”…
He would. So, is this a musical?
No, it is definitely not a musical! We just couldn’t afford the expense of doing music… as we explain in the big musical production number This Is Not a Musical.
So, no jingles like in Who Stole Christmas?
There might be a few jingles that sneak in from time to time.
Oh good! The Jingle Belles were one of my favourite parts of the last show!
Yeah, I didn’t write those either. That was all Bonnie Vallentyne.
She’s really funny!
How many more questions are there?
We’re nearly done. So, when is it happening and how can people get tickets?
Performances are scheduled for 7:30pm on November 11, 12, 17 and 18, with 2pm matinees on Sunday, November 13 and Saturday, November 19. People can head to <ticketsplease.ca> to order their tickets, or call 485–6434 if they want to go old school. And if they order before November 1, they save $5 with our early bird special!
What happens on November 1?
Then we shift to “late bird” regular pricing. Don’t be a late bird.
And do any of the proceeds go to a good cause?
Oh yes! This show is a fundraiser for the 2022 next Puppets Up festival — since this year’s was so much fun and we had planned to raise money for them last year…
Does that mean that there are hilarious puppeteers involved? I’m a big fan of Stephen Brathwaite’s comedic genius!
Yes. I think we’re done here.
Thanks Rob! Can’t wait to see the show. This is Rob Riendeau, signing off.
I admit it, I often feel overwhelmed when it comes to climate change. Like you, I see footage of the wildfires, droughts, floods and the record-setting heat waves across the world, including Canada. But rather than sparking outrage, these images often make me feel helpless. I try to do my bit: my family gardens, we have bicycles. But with multinational corporations and petrol states such as China and the U.S. pumping out a continuous stream of carbon dioxide, how much difference can my family make? With our 2013 Subaru Legacy and 120-year-old house, can we make any real difference in the overall climate situation? It’s easy to feel apathetic.
But the other day, I came across some rather shocking information. Did you know that there are different types of greenhouse gases? I didn’t. It turns out that the villainous C02 that we hear so much about is a mere juvenile delinquent. The real climate criminal is methane. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane is between 28 to 36 times more effective than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a ???-year period, and 80 times more powerful over a 20-year period.
You’ve likely heard that methane emissions stem from livestock. It’s true. Every time a cow burps or passes gas, a little whiff of methane wafts up into the atmosphere. But did you know that landfills are another major source of methane? Yes, landfills. I always assumed that food waste would break down into compost while in landfills. After all, aren’t they just giant holes in the ground? But it turns out that it doesn’t. Landfills are designed for storage, not decomposition. They lack the oxygen required for organic matter to biodegrade. Instead, those kitchen scraps, yard waste and other organic matter that we mindlessly deposit into our garbage bags sit for years, slowly releasing methane that would otherwise be converted into soil by microbes and healthy bacteria.
The amount of methane produced in landfills is staggering. In Canada, in any given year it is equivalent to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (including C02) of about 20.3 million passenger vehicles or 11.9 million heated homes. Indeed, it has been suggested that if organic waste was a country, it would be the third worst polluter in the world, second only to China and the United States.
EPA data shows that food scraps are the single most common material landfilled, comprising 24 percent of overall waste. In Canada, the average person sends over 200kg of organic waste into the garbage each year. Imagine the impact when this breaks down? Simply by keeping organic material out of the garbage, the average household can cut down on one-third of their overall garbage output.
Sounds grave, but it is actually wonderful news. As much as I would like to retrofit my home, install geothermal heat, and trade in my Subaru for an electric vehicle, it is not necessary to make a substantial difference (though kudos to those who take these steps). All I have to do is keep kitchen and yard waste out of my garbage.
But how? Enter composting. Not only does composting help to reduce waste; it also makes our soil healthier. This in turn produces healthier plants, helps clean our water and air supply, and draws carbon down into the soil from the atmosphere. Yes, you read that right. Composting acts as a valuable carbon sink that actually reverses some of the damage caused by climate change!
But wait, that’s not all! Compost can also be used to regenerate soil. It can replace synthetic fertilizers and rejuvenate fields where the soil quality has been eroded through unsustainable farming practices. It also enhances soil’s ability to retain moisture, which means less irrigation and less soil lost to wind and water erosion. With the right application, compost can even revitalise scrap land that is too rocky to farm (here’s looking at you, Middleville).
With all of these benefits, why don’t more of us compost? Well, there are a number of reasons. To start, there is a lack of awareness. Like me, most people assume that leftover food decomposes in the landfill. They don’t know about the methane being produced, nor the disproportionate impact it has on the environment.
Next, there is confusion around what can be composted. You’ve probably heard that some foods, such as meat and bones, cooked food, or leftover salad with dressing on it, can’t be composted. Luckily this is not accurate, but these perceptions do impact people’s willingness to try. After all, subtracting the meat, salad and cooked food, what is left? Can we really expect people to sift through their leftovers for that one salad leaf or carrot that is left unpolluted by butter or salad dressing? David Suzuki or my grandmother, maybe, but not an average old sinner like me.
There is also a “yuck factor”. Food scraps can be slimy, especially if they are left inside for a few days. Many of us also worry about the smell or the potential for it to attract critters. This is a valid concern, especially in urban areas where we are likely to upset the neighbours. You don’t need the reputation as that smelly, racoon-attracting house on the block, trust me.
Finally, you may have tried composting and then given up. How many of us have that old black plastic bin sitting beside the shed? We tried it for a season. It filled up, and there it has sat full of yard clippings and egg shells since 2001. If this is you, you are not alone. I know I’ve got one, as do the neighbours on both sides of me.
All in all, composting household organic waste is one of the most important things we can do for our community, our local environment and the planet! But it’s not simple; these barriers can be hard to overcome. If only there was another way…
We may think we know coral reefs, yet most of us have never seen one up close. And people alive today could be among the last to ever see a living reef. In an upcoming talk at St. Andrew’s United Church in Pakenham, reef ecologist Peter Sale will use stories from coral reefs to reveal their sheer wondrousness — simple stories, complicated stories, stories about their history, their architecture, their value, and especially about the amazing lives of their creatures. His goal is to make reefs real — something that we might care enough about to want to save.
Educated at University of Toronto and University of Hawaii, Peter Sale enjoyed an academic career as a marine ecologist doing research on coral reefs in Hawaii, Australia, the Caribbean and places in between, while holding faculty positions at University of Sydney (1968–87), University of New Hampshire (1988–93), and University of Windsor (1994–2006). Most recently he was Assistant Director in charge of managing the coastal program for United Nations University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health based in Hamilton, Ontario. He remains Distinguished University Professor (Emeritus) at University of Windsor and has lived with his wife Donna in Muskoka since 2006, continuing to write and speak on critical environmental issues. His 2011 book Our Dying Planet tells of our impacts on the environment from the perspective of an ecologist who has seen environmental decline with his own eyes.
His latest book, published by Yale in 2021, is entitled Coral Reefs: Majestic Realms Under the Sea. It reveals the sheer wondrousness of reefs, while reflecting on why we don’t value the natural world as we should. For the past 16 years Peter has brought his expertise in aquatic ecology to the deliberations of the Muskoka Watershed Council <muskokawatershed.org>, an amazing community resource on which he has served as a Member, a Director and as Chair. Peter blogs at <petersalebooks.com>.
“The Wondrousness of Coral Reefs” is part of the Community Outreach Speaker Series at St. Andrew’s. It takes place on Wednesday, October 12 at 7:30pm at the Church <standrewsunitedpakenham.org>, and admission is free. This talk is sponsored by the Pakenham Civitan, St. Andrew’s United, St. Mark Presbyterian and St. Peter Celestine Catholic churches.
The Celtic-Folk band Turpin’s Trail returns to Carleton Place for a concert on November 12. Members of this Kingston-based band play over a dozen instruments and sing traditional songs as well as original tunes. They have played all over eastern Ontario and Atlantic Canada, including Newfoundland. Visit <turpinstrail.com> to hear their music and find out more about them.
For this show they will also feature their new member — Jessica Wedden <jesswedden.ca>. This young musician sings, plays the ?ddle and dances, and adds even more variety to Turpin’s Trail concerts. Jessica has already won awards for her ?ddling and composing, and Ashley MacIsaac says she is one of the best performers he has ever seen.
The concert will take place on Saturday, November 12 at 7pm at Zion-Memorial United Church, located at 37 Franklin Street, in Carleton Place. Refreshments and merchandise will be for sale at the concert. Tickets are $22 for adults, $10 ages 6 to 16, and free for 5 and under. They can be purchased from Tickets Please (485–6434, TicketsPlease.ca), or from the Church o?ce from Tuesday through Friday from 9am to noon. Call the o?ce at 257–2133 for information, or visit <zion-memorial.ca>. Tickets will also be available at the door if the concert is not sold out.
Great news — a double bill opens at Studio Theatre Perth on October 13!
One play is entertaining and funny. The other — intriguing, perhaps a wee bit spooky — is a real treat for mystery lovers. Hence the title of the evening: Muses and Mysteries.
The painting entitled Whistler’s Mother came about through circumstances similar to those presented in the play of the same name — though probably not as hilarious as the play, which is born of the fertile imagination of playwright Tony Cosier.
As she enters, the apparent hope of Whistler’s live-in model is that she may have some cozy time with the painter. This soon proceeds into flirtation and from there into two lovers’ tomfoolery interrupted — alas — by Whistler’s landlord and the arrival of his mother. How the iconic painting emerges from all this is of minimal importance to the entertainment value of the play, which is enormous.
The part of Whistler is deftly played by Patrick Bugby, whose considerable athletic ability is tapped by the playful activities that ensue. His model, housekeeper and lover is played by Claire Campbell. The landlord and Whistler’s mom are brought to life by Joseph Nieforth and Heddy Sorour. This talented cast shares a gigantic amount of stage experience — some of it derived from previous Studio Theatre productions. Their inspired performances are fine-tuned by the experienced directorial hand of Jane Stott.
Your Scottish thrift, incidentally, gets you not just one play but two of them — both excellent, but vastly different.
You might call The Attic a latter-day melodrama, and you would not be far off. An ordinary couple plans to sell their house. Cleaning the attic, they find old things. Warm memories? No. Out of the dusty past, frightening considerations loom. The unfortunate couple is threatened by something unknown, and you — theatre buff and ticket holder — may feel unsettled on their behalf following the unfolding developments. What would you do? How might you handle the situation troubling the couple? You will no doubt find your emotions involved in The Attic.
The Attic features Joanna McAuley-Treffers, Kieran More, David Hamilton, Diane Coté and Dani Bone-Corbishley. They are coached in their realistic interpretation of people and events by Marilyn Dahan-Nichols.
Collectively, the two casts share an extensive amount of theatrical experience and talent. They are an extraordinary group.
The same may be said of the two directors. With their long careers in all aspects of theatrical art, they bring a skilful directorial touch to these seasoned performers.
This will be an exquisite evening of theatre. Don’t miss it!
Performances take place at 7:30pm on October 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22, with 2pm matinées on Oct 16 and 23. All performances will be held at Studio Theatre Perth on Gore Street. Tickets are $24 ($19 opening night) and can be purchased from Tickets Please (485–6434, TicketsPlease.ca). Tickets are also available at the door. For more information, visit <studiotheatreperth.com>.
Muses and Mysteries is proudly sponsored by Aspira Carolina Retirement in Perth.
A group of Ottawa Valley musicians are moving their weekly acoustic song circle to Equator Coffee’s Almonte café on Thursday evenings from 6-8pm.
The collective began meeting last October. It’s led by Almonte musician Nathan Sloniowski, who is a founding member of The Ragged Flowers band and is putting the finishing touches on his second solo album, Love Letter to Elora, for release this coming spring.
“I spent 2019 in Elora, where I had come of age in the 70s, writing music for the new record. A big part of that experience was a song circle I joined that had been running for almost twenty years,” says Nathan. “My wife Glenna and I returned to Almonte just in time for the pandemic in 2020. And no surprise, I found myself strumming guitar solo on the balcony and recording into a computer while dreaming of playing live with fellow musicians again.”
In the fall of 2021, Nathan’s friend Pat Arbour opened a café in downtown Almonte. Inspired by the Elora song circle, they reached out to musical friends to see if they’d like to share tunes, back each other up, and otherwise shake off the Covid cobwebs.
“The pandemic was still very much a thing, so we kept it a musicians-only, after-hours private event and masked up when required,” explains Nathan. “But as restrictions diminished, we started letting a few people in the door to listen, and more musicians started coming — to the point where we now regularly attract 6–10 players, some of whom have written their very first songs due to the support they received from coming out.”
This past summer the collective moved its weekly event outside beside the Blakeney Rapids. Looking for a new indoor home for the fall, Nathan approached Craig and Amber Hall at Equator Coffee, who agreed to keep their Almonte café open on Thursday evenings from 6–8pm for what will now be a weekly public event.
“We’re taking on a new format for Equator Coffee,” says Nathan. “From 6–7pm we’ll try out new songs for and with each other. For the second hour, from 7–8pm, we’re going to play familiar cover tunes and invite people to sing along with us. It could be anything from a David Bowie song played on solo ukulele to a Gillian Welch or John Prine classic where we all raise the roof together.”
New musicians are definitely welcome. “It’s an acoustic song circle — no plugs, no wires — we just go around the circle one at a time and listen closely to how a song’s being expressed. Those of who feel comfortable try to add in harmonies or instrumentals including mandolins, harmonicas, flutes, fiddles and acoustic-friendly suitcase drums,” adds Nathan.
“What we ask of new musicians is that you be able to get through a single song or songs from start to finish in a musical way. Playing just one song in an evening is perfectly OK. But if you can’t sing on key, can’t keep your instrument tuned or riff all over someone else’s song to the point of distraction, we sort that out. We’ve seen people go from shyly playing one cover tune to confidently débuting new original songs in just a couple months. We’re all getting better together as we support each other’s music.”
To give new members an idea of what they might be getting into, Nathan asked existing members of the song circle collective to contribute some one-liners that describe their current musical selves. Here’s what came forward from a few of them…
Heather Adeney is an electronics hardware designer by day, who has been crafting her songs for decades and has recently started bringing them out for others to share.
Steve Wildesmith is a songwriter, melody maker, writer of easy-to-sing choruses. He loves the shared experience of being in the company of those who sing and play.
Jennifer Noxon is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and community choir leader whose poetic and painterly descriptions tell the stories of everyday characters in a most extraordinary way.
Jack Teertstra is a retired punk rocker turned country and folk aficionado, an original writer, fresh to the craft, who enjoys complex progressions and time signatures, just to keep things interesting.
Kat Adeney is an engineer and lifelong flautist who became hooked on songwriting after her firstborn took flight. Her songs aim to please the ear and the brain while occasionally surprising either or both.
Jonas Barter is an unapologetic collector and composer of quirky tunes who counts as his greatest musical skill the ability to tap his foot.
Reserve Friday, December 9 at 6:30pm for a very special event at Almonte’s Old Town Hall. “So What Now, Lanark County” will be an evening of presentations by several individuals who were involved in the recent Renfrew County Coroner’s Inquest into the 2015 murders of three women by the same man.
Tickets are $10 and will be available soon from Tickets Please (485–6434, TicketsPlease.ca). Free tickets will also be made available upon request by sending an email to <whatnowlanarkcounty@gmail.com>.
This event, in support of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, has been organized by a group of passionate local advocates who believe in a community approach to social justice. The idea is to learn from the Inquest, look at the services in Lanark County, see what needs to be done to enhance the safety of women and children, and — most importantly — to stop male violence.
Renowned lawyer Pam Cross will make a presentation, which will be followed by a panel moderated by Lanark County Interval House director Erin Lee with Superintendent Derrick Needham OPP, Julie Lalonde of Renfrew County Sexual Assault, and others involved in this first-ever rural-focused inquest.
The Coroner’s Jury and Inquest into the murders of those three women resulted in 86 recommendations for a broad range of actions. It is a powerful document. Recommendation number 25 caught my eye, focusing on the education needed for real change. It states:
“Use and build on existing age-appropriate education programs for primary and secondary schools, universities and colleges. Such programs should include violence prevention, recognizing healthy and abusive relationships, identifying subtle indicators of coercive control, understanding risk factors (such as stalking, fear caused by Intimate Partner Violence, strangulations, threats to kill), managing and processing feelings, dispute resolution, community and bystander obligations, the need for safety planning and risk management, and the unique experiences in rural and urban settings.”
If, eventually, all 86 recommendations are fulfilled, just imagine what a difference that will make for our communities, rural and urban.
Lanark County Interval House and Community Support, Stir It Up Collective, and the Lanark County Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program are pleased to be partners in this critical event.
Kudos to Bob Perreault of radio station Lake 88, who is featuring all 86 of the Jury recommendations, starting on September 22 — the seventh anniversary of the Renfrew murders. One recommendation will be read each Thursday at 8:15am as part of the news.
Kudos also to Sam Laprade of CityNews Ottawa 101.1 FM, who is hosting a six-part series on Intimate Partner Violence which started on September 22, from 1–1:30pm and will continue every Thursday. Her first interview was with Erin Lee of Lanark County Interval House.
You can find the complete list of Jury recommendations at <lukesplace.ca/86-recommendations-for-change-from-the-renfrew-county-inquest>.
Four years ago, I ran for election in my township of Drummond/North Elmsley. I picked up at the door that there was a change in the wind, people were genuinely concerned about the climate crisis.
I didn’t run this year because I have turned my attention to developing a local community organization, Climate Network Lanark (with my colleague Gord Harrison), and to contributing to the development of an aggressive county-wide Climate Action Plan.
Things have changed a lot in those four years. The climate crisis has worsened, with more than 600 Canadians dead from climate change heat, 16 million children in Pakistan sickened and flooded out with no prospect of improvement at all, more people everywhere suffering fires, floods, droughts, water and food shortages, insurance companies backing away, what once were secure supports crumbling…
And now, once again, the fossil fuel industry is claiming wins, and our political and economic leadership is backing away from serious action.
At the UN recently, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: “Our world is in big trouble… Let’s have no illusions. We are in rough seas. A winter of global discontent is on the horizon, a cost-of-living crisis is raging, trust is crumbling, inequalities are exploding, and our planet is burning… We have a duty to act and yet we are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction. The international community is not ready or willing to tackle the big dramatic challenges of our age.”
He blamed world leaders for being out of step with the global public on climate. “We have all seen the appalling images from Pakistan, and this is just at 1.2 degrees of global warming, and we are heading for over 3 degrees,” he warned.
Clearly, we can’t look to global leadership to carry the full weight of pulling us out of this deadly situation. And nor should they. Half of all our greenhouse gas emissions are governed or influenced by our local governments. If there ever was a time for “we the people”, it is now.
It is we the people who will turn the ship on this crisis. That too was evident at the UN, as developers of innovative solutions noted. Said one: “People are demanding homegrown solutions.” And another: “The fight for climate change is decided in emerging markets.”
And one of the best ways we have is at our fingertips right now — with this municipal election.
As some wise local municipal leaders told us, “Candidates need to feel the heat of the climate crisis.”
So get out, talk to your candidates, ask them what they will do about the climate crisis here, about slowing it down (mitigation) and about protecting you and our community from its ravages (adaptation). Climate Network Lanark has provided some questions to get you started.
Then VOTE — vote for the candidates who understand we are in a real crisis and who want to take real action.
I wish that in my municipality I had an opportunity to have my candidates debate and answer those questions. But I don’t, because in Drummond North Elmsley the Reeve and the four Councilor positions have all been acclaimed.
Please, take advantage of your opportunity to vote.
Questions for Candidates at the Door and in All-Candidates Meetings
What are you doing to contain the exorbitant costs of continuing to use fossil fuels, to get us off those fuels, and to help our economy and create local jobs by tending to the climate crisis?
The County is developing a Climate Action Plan for the community. They have also developed a Corporate Climate Action Plan for their own buildings, fleets and assets. Will you commit to developing a Climate Action Plan for our own corporate buildings, fleets and assets in this lower-tier municipality, and commit to consulting with the public about our ideas and needs?
Lanark County is home to some of the last remaining wetlands in southern Ontario, which absorb 2–5 times as much damaging greenhouse gases as forests do. Will you press for serious wetland protection in local and County Official Plans and implement it in zoning by-laws?
Will you commit to promoting getting off fossil fuels so that families can take action to reduce their carbon outputs using federal funding for environmental upgrades of older homes, and for Electric Vehicles, as is called for in the County Climate Action Plan?
Last year, the climate crisis caused more than 600 Canadians to die from extreme heat. Will you commit to developing a “heat emergency” plan for our municipality that includes establishing cooling centres, organizing neighbourhood watch groups that will monitor vulnerable people in their areas, providing transportation as necessary to a nearby cooling centre, and ensuring that information about the program is provided to every household?
Wildfires would be extremely problematic in our heavily forested rural municipalities. Many residences are located along dozens of small “feeder” roads, and it could be lifesaving to establish escape routes based on seasonal wind direction and good communication systems. Will you commit to consulting with experts on managing escapes from wildfires and establishing and publicizing a locally specific escape plan?