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June is upon us, and with it comes the vibrant celebration of Pride Month in Mississippi Mills! This year, we gather under the theme “Courage to Be Me”, honouring the strength and resilience of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
Once again, Pride in Mississippi Mills is collaborating with Lanark County Wide Pride — a coalition of local Pride committees. Together, we have a fantastic line-up of events and activities that will make this year’s Pride Month truly memorable. These events cater to various interests and ages and offer a chance for residents and visitors alike to come together, show their support and have a great time! Get ready to wave your rainbow flags and join the festivities!
Drive-Out Parade
The colourful heartbeat of Pride Month, our annual Drive-Out Pride Parade will take to the streets of Mississippi Mills and beyond on Saturday, June 3. This inclusive event welcomes everyone to join in the celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Participants are encouraged to decorate their vehicles, displaying their support and pride. The festivities will begin at 11:30am with a flag raising ceremony at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum featuring Mayor Christa Lowry. At 12:45pm the drive-out will commence, starting from Almonte, passing through Carleton Place and Smiths Falls, and concluding at Stewart School in Perth. We encourage all participants to continue the celebration by joining the Perth Pride Parade, which begins at 3:30pm. The parade route will lead from Stewart School down Wilson to Gore, culminating at Last Duel Park where a community fair and entertaining activities await!
Comedy with DeAnne Smith
Mark your calendars for two evenings of laughter with comedian DeAnne Smith, brought to you by Curious & Kind. On Tuesday, June 13 DeAnne Smith will be joined by comedian Seema Rani at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. The doors will open at 6:30pm and the show will kick off at 7. Admission is priced at $20 or by donation, and tickets are available from Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434).
The laughter continues on Wednesday, June 14 as DeAnne Smith takes the stage alongside storytellers Nils Hamster, Celeste Sawan, E. Nur Ali and more surprises at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. Doors will open at 6:30pm, with the show starting at 7. Admission for this event is priced at $15 or by donation, and tickets are available from Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434). Get ready for a hilarious and memorable evening!
Pride Storytime & Craft
Join us at the Mississippi Mills Public Library on Saturday, June 24 for a delightful Pride Storytime & Craft event. Starting at 11am, this family-friendly gathering offers a chance to celebrate love, diversity and inclusion. Enjoy captivating readings of inspiring and inclusive stories, followed by engaging craft activities. It’s an opportunity for children and families to come together, learn and have fun in a welcoming and accepting environment. Don’t miss out on this heart-warming event!
Pride Celebration at Dairy Distillery
On Sunday, June 25 from 11am to 3pm, Almonte’s Dairy Distillery invites everyone to join in their Pride celebrations! In partnership with local businesses, community members and artists, Dairy Distillery is filling their greenspace with a variety of family-friendly fun-filled activities and entertainment to promote inclusivity and raise funds for Pride in Mississippi Mills. Come and satisfy your taste buds with delicious food from the on-site food truck while enjoying an all-ages drag performance featuring the fabulous Holli Cow and her special guests. This captivating performance promises to delight the whole family! This is the perfect way to celebrate Pride Month in Mississippi Mills, where we come together to celebrate love, diversity and community spirit. Join us for a fantastic day of fun and camaraderie!
This is just the tip of the Pride iceberg! For more details on these events and many, many others, visit <queerconnectionlanark.ca> or @prideinmm on Facebook.
In addition to these awesome events, you are sure to see support for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities from local businesses and organisations. Many establishments in Mississippi Mills will proudly display rainbow flags and decorate their storefronts!
Pride Month in Mississippi Mills is an exciting and vital time for the town and its residents. Through your participation in various events, Mississippi Mills will continue to demonstrate its commitment to diversity, equality and acceptance. This month-long celebration provides a platform for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and allies to come together, promote dialogue and foster a stronger sense of belonging. Let us embrace the spirit of inclusion and stand in solidarity with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, ensuring that Mississippi Mills remains a friendly and welcoming place for all!
Choose The Blues Productions is pleased to announce the first ever 1000 Islands Blues Cruise — a 3-hour evening cruise through the magnificent 1000 Islands combined with a deluxe buffet dinner and show featuring boogie-woogie piano legend Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne and his band. Proceeds go to support the Kingston Food Bank <kingstonfoodbank.ca>.
The event takes place on the Island Queen, the unique 3-decker Mississippi-style riverboat operated by Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises. During the cruise a delicious full course chicken and rib buffet dinner will be served, followed by the show and dancing with a short intermission to hand out door prizes and present the donation cheque to the Food Bank.
Boarding is at 6pm and departure is 6:30pm sharp from 1 Brock Street at the foot of Confederation Park in downtown Kingston. The boat returns at 9:30pm.
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne <kennybluesboss.com> is a world class bluesman whose career has spanned over 30 years. Born in L.A. as the son of a preacher, he first learned how to play gospel music and then moved on to blues, soul and R&B in the style of Fats Domino, Johnnie Johnson and Ray Charles. He moved to Canada years ago after marrying a Canadian girl, but he tours all over the world, especially the U.S. and Europe. He’s a member of the Boogie-Woogie Piano Hall of Fame in Ohio; recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Jus Blues, Mississippi; a Living Blues Magazine USA Award winner; a JUNO Award Winner (and four-time nominee) and multiple Maple Blues Award winner. He brings a great band with him for this performance and always delivers a fabulous show. He has always been a favourite at the Blues on the Rideau shows at The Cove in Westport.
There are two options for tickets for this evening: cruise, dinner and show for $200 (plus HST), and cruise and show only for $140 (plus HST). Door prizes, dancing and the donation to the Food Bank are all included. More details and online ticket purchasing is available at <ChooseTheBlues.ca>. Advance reservations are required and capacity is limited, so book early. The deadline for booking dinner packages is June 9 — after that only cruise and show tickets will be available.
This is a rain or shine event. The first and second decks are enclosed with enough room for everyone even if the weather is bad. The upper deck is open with lots of bench seating for sightseeing.
The 1000 Islands Blues Cruise is supported by Downtown Kingston, the Limestone City Blues Festival, Kingston Blues Society, Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises, Perth Brewery and Rosehall Run Winery. It is produced by Choose the Blues Productions, which has been running the Blues on the Rideau fundraiser series at The Cove Inn in Westport for the past 17 years.
Natives & Clay, a new plants and pottery sale, will feature nursery-propagated native plants suitable for Ottawa Valley gardens from Beaux Arbres Native Plants, as well as garden-themed stoneware pottery by Pine Ridge Studio.
Beaux Arbres <beauxarbres.ca> is a native plants nursery based in Bristol, Quebec. Owner Trish Murphy explains that all her plants are nursery propagated from locally-sourced wild plants and seeds. She specializes in plants native to the Ottawa Valley, as well as garden-worthy wild?owers from Eastern North America.
Beaux Arbres is certi?ed through the Canadian Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Habitat. Many of the plants you are seeking to attract pollinators to your garden, or to add to your collection of native plants are available. In addition, Trish brings her seeds and plants to Farmers’ Markets, the Friends of the Farm sale in May in Ottawa, and other gardening-related events during the summer. She will be bringing a large selection to Natives & Clay.
Elisabeth (Lis) Allison, owner and chief (alright, only) potter at Pine Ridge Studio <pine-ridge.ca> will be hosting the event and displaying her pottery, much of which is decorated with ?owers and ferns. Her special interest in ferns, especially ferns native to the Ottawa Valley, will be expressed in her fern-design mugs, bowls and serving dishes.
Natives & Clay takes place from 10am to 4pm on June 24 and 25 at Pine Ridge, located at 6114 Carp Road. In addition to shopping for native plants or pottery, you may wish to enjoy a walk around Lis’s woodland garden or perhaps to walk her Fern Trail through the woods.
Mark your calendars, make some plans, and tell your friends: Almonte Celtfest will be back in Gemmill Park for a fine weekend of family-friendly entertainment from July 7-9!
The one-and-only Barra MacNeils kick off the festival with a ticketed event on Friday, July 7, that also features honey-voiced troubadour Lynn Miles.
Thanks to the generosity of festival sponsors, entrance to Saturday and Sunday’s programming is by donation at the gate. Those two days also promise plenty of music, dancing and fun in the park from noon ’til late. The lineup has something to please everyone!
The festival is thrilled to present a rich variety of Celtic and folk-based music, including The Small Glories, a roots powerhouse duo from the Prairies; The Fretless, who mash richly layered string quartet arrangements with fiddle tunes and folk melodies; Jessica Pearson and the East Wind, who will win you over with her catchy, relatable story songs; and Music in the Glen, a flute, uilleann pipe and guitar trio coming in from Ireland. Francophone fiddle and stepdance duo Mélissandre & Alexis, as well as high energy Celtic-Canadian group Mariner’s Curse will also grace the main stage with their presence.
This year’s festival also carries on the tradition of showcasing local performers with plenty of talented regional musicians and dancers on the bill. Festival goers will be entertained by the Receivers, bluegrass band CR5, the Barley Shakers, the Lyons Sisters with Chad Wolfe and Mark Allen, the Ottawa Celtic Choir, Saloon Dion, Tripoly, The Reel Ottawa Dance Company, Fraser, and the Monday Night Fiddlers.
Rounding out the event will be food trucks, artisans, Celtic music workshops, buskers downtown, activities for children and a seniors’ tent — making this a widely accessible, family-friendly festival.
Almonte Celtfest would like to thank the Town of Mississippi Mills and Heritage Canada for their support that will ensure that this year’s festival is one of the best yet.Volunteers are still needed for this year — please go to <almonteceltfest.com/get-involved-2> or email <volunteerceltfest@hotmail.com> for more details.
Almonte Celtfest takes place from July 7–9 at Gemmill Park in Almonte.
Check out <AlmonteCeltfest.com> for details and follow @AlmonteCeltfest on Facebook and Instagram for festival news and updates.
It’s June! Time to get outside and see what’s happening in the area — and what better way to do that than to take a tour of some of the fabulous houses and gardens around Almonte? The Almonte General Hospital Fairview Manor Foundation (AGH-FVM) and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (MVTM), with the generous support of several community businesses, have put together a tour featuring seven houses and three outstanding gardens.
This is Mississippi Mills’ Bicentennial year, so the Tour highlights Almonte’s history as a mill town by featuring two of the grand estates built by some of the original mill owners, “Pinehurst” and “The Glen.” And just down the road from The Glen, with sweeping views of the Mississippi, are two of the town’s earliest nineteenth-century stone homes, now beautifully adapted for modern living while preserving their original heritage architecture. “New Burnside” and “Old Burnside” were built by James Wylie, one Almonte’s first entrepreneurs and legislators. Not all of the town’s early citizens built large estates, however, so also included on the tour is a unique home designed to incorporate an original rustic log cabin.
Two outstanding modern homes are also featured: one with soaring spaces and magnificent views, the other designed to be energy efficient and to blend seamlessly into its surroundings.
And for gardening inspiration, there is something for everyone. One magnificent garden covers 3.5 acres and flows over limestone ridges to the Mississippi, while another is a container garden tucked away in the centre of town that gives new meaning to the term “walled garden.” And, finally, a third spectacular terraced space pays homage to the area’s agricultural roots and Almonte’s beautiful waterfalls. All are inspiring examples of the hard work and creativity of their owners.
So mark your calendars for Saturday, June 24. Tickets are $40 each and entitle you to tour the homes and gardens from 10am to 5pm. All proceeds go to support the AGH-FVM Foundation and the MVTM.
Tickets can be purchased online at Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca or 485–6434) and include complimentary light refreshments donated by Orchard View by the Mississippi, a tour of Orchard View by the Mississippi, and entry to the Textile Museum, located at 3 Rosamond St. E. in Almonte.
Tickets will also soon be available for sale in person at the Textile Museum. Brochures will be emailed to all online ticket buyers, but physical tour brochures will also be available soon for pickup at the Textile Museum. Follow AGH-FVM Foundation and MVTM on Facebook and Instagram for up-to-date information and more details.
Art Works! Perth encourages all art lovers to pay a visit to their fifth annual Art Tour from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25, from 11am to 5pm each day. Eighteen artists in ten locations in and around Perth will be showing new works of art in their studios and homes, and in businesses in the downtown core. Come and enjoy the work of local and established artists and take advantage of the many delightful stores, restaurants and sights of this small town at the same time.
More information, including maps and samples of pictures, pottery and more can be found online at <artworksperth.ca> and in local advertising. If you have questions about accessibility, directions, etc., please call 647–963–8358.
Perth Photographic Society Exhibit
Until the end of July, drop into the Perth Library to view works by the Perth Photographic Society. This group of like-minded photographers from in and around Perth came together in 2021. Members come from different backgrounds and life experiences with photography, and share a passion for creating wonderful images.
This shared objective is achieved through a combination of in-camera shooting, studio setups, computer-based post-processing and the use of various print media and image presentation formats. By sharing their interests and skills through meetings and photographic outings, they help each other grow and develop as photographers. This exhibit is entitled Everything and Anything, to reflect the variety of images that are included.
The Art of Barb Sohn
For the month of June, the art of Barb Sohn will be on display at the MERA Schoolhouse. Everyone is invited to MERA for the show’s opening event on June 3 from 2–4pm.
Barb has been painting most of her life while working full time as a social worker. When she retired in 2015, she began to paint full time after downsizing to a rural home near Perth. She built a studio in the woods and began to explore painting in a more in-depth way.
Barb’s paintings are inspired by local landscapes in Eastern Ontario. “Working with acrylics on canvas, I paint the natural environment that surrounds me in Eastern Ontario where I live,” she explains. “My paintings reflect my fascination with the interaction between light, colour, pattern in water and landscape. Because of the many layers of design in the transparency of water, the possibilities are endless. I work to capture these mesmerizing qualities with bold colour and solid design. My work is an ongoing process of discovery — starting with the observation of some aspect of the natural world that I bring to life through my personal interpretation and style.”
Come out to the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners (974 Dalhousie Concession 9A) on Saturday, June 3 from 2–4pm to meet the artist, view her works and purchase that “must have” piece. To arrange to see the exhibition at times other than the Meet the Artist event, please contact Wayne Stryde at <gwstryde@outlook.com>.
Tarts and Arts in the Park
The Rotary Club of Arnprior will be hosting its second annual Butter Tart Festival in Robert Simpson Park this August. This park overlooking the Ottawa River will be in spectacular full bloom at that time of year. It will be a great way to wrap up the summer enjoying games, entertainment, and everyone’s favourite — butter tarts!
The festival runs from 9:30am to 4pm on Saturday, August 26. Admission is free, and your four-footed friends are welcome on their leashes. Children can run loose under a responsible watchful eye.
The theme of the festival for this year is “Through the Looking Glass”. Following on this Alice in Wonderland story, butter tart entries will be judged and the Queen of Tarts for 2023 will be crowned. Mad Hatters and Cheshire Cats will abound to run activities for kids of all ages throughout the day. Little Ray’s Reptiles will again be present from 1–2pm, and Alice in Wonderland games and a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party will fill the day. All of this in addition to the park’s splash pad and play structures, available for use at all times.
Organizers are reaching out to bakers, artisans and crafters who wish to display and sell their handmade goods. For vendor information and registration, please visit <ArnpriorRotary.ca>. If you require further information, call Terry at 623–6726 or email him at <tdawson@bell.net>.Mark your calendars for August 26!
I’m so done with being on my hands and knees, digging in shovelfuls of mushroom compost and slotting canna lilies in every vacant little space I can find. I began with a proper plan: five here, three there, and two standing proudly in the planters, and now I know that when/IF they grow, they’re going to be coming up in every imaginable place, mostly not where I thought. Confession: several may come up in the compost heap, because I just couldn’t find another hole to bury them in.
My sister has limited space, mostly deck area, and she’s perused the Proven Winner website to come up with beautiful planter “recipes”. I look at the superb examples downtown, and figure for sure I could do that too. I know what to buy, how to do it, and yet my planters look like they fell off the back end of a truck, hodgepodge affairs of geranium cuttings with two struggling leaves, a centrepiece of one of the aforementioned cannas, and border plantings of parsley. My mantra on that is if you can’t be handsome, you can at least be handy.
I use the best of soils from mushroom compost to sheep manure, potting mix and Miracle-Gro, and then I declare it’s a miracle if they do grow at all. Long ago I gave up on all bedding plants except marigolds, which I cannot ignore. I don’t allow myself to visit a spring greenhouse without a list, and I never take a cart or a box because I’d be tempted to fill it in an effort to emulate the “recipe” planters. I’ll make do with what geraniums I’ve rescued from last year, some oxalis, the marigolds and decorative basil.
I couldn’t resist planting some cucumber seeds I’d saved from last year, and carefully tucked eight in the big planter. Then I found an old package and threw in eight more, just in case the first ones don’t grow. I’d been successful in growing some pepper plants indoors. They in no way resemble the ones in the greenhouse, and look positively pathetic in the outdoor pots now, but who knows, they might improve with a bit of sun and Miracle Gro.
This brings me to the tomatoes that I feed to the cutworms. In early April I always fall for the indoor planting frenzy, and have to pretend I’m being frugal by buying potting soil and planting the little darlings in the clever spinach containers with the plastic lids. Within days they’re poking through the soil, and looking like they’ll be serious plants. This year, they’re especially good. I’ve hardened them off outside, and they’re getting sturdy stems and bright green proper leaves.
However, I haven’t gotten brave enough to actually get them in the ground yet. I know what’s going to happen. I coddle them out of their little box, place them delicately in a yogurt container with the bottom cut out, dig the hole, add compost to the bottom, set the container so the top edge is just above the surface of the soil, and with a tablespoon gently feed the purchased enriched soil right up to the plant’s neck. I’ll pat its little head, firm the soil around it, and gently set the tomato cage with the designer cover over its tiny nothingness. The next morning, I’ll come to check, and find that at least half are wilted, the stem chewed nearly through. I can scoop my finger around the plant and find the fat gross cutworm that had its way with my seedling. I always save back at least five replacements, and out of the total batch of, say, twenty, I’ll be happy if I get eight. Every year I trust it’ll be different, but I don’t hold my breath.
Is the garden a total failure? No way! Come August, just as I’m beginning to think it was once again a total waste of time, energy and soil, out come the successes. The cannas grow four feet tall with flowers the hummingbirds love, the geraniums get full heads of floppy flowers, the parsley makes a spectacular border plant, the basil grows taller than the marigolds, the hibiscus throws out one more gigantic flower, and even those struggling peppers and cucumbers start to produce. If I’ve thwarted the cutworms, the tomatoes are lush and juicy, much to the dog’s and chipmunk’s delight. I’ve made designer covers for each of the tomato cages, but they can still grab a couple before I do.
The garden won’t be the picture perfect one I planted in my mind. It won’t look my neighbour’s pristine and productive show piece. It surely won’t win any awards for orderliness or formality, but it’ll be mine. Things will bloom where I plant them — or not — and I’ll swear that “next year I’ll do better”, knowing full well next year will turn out just like this year, an exercise of botanical chaos built on the premise that more is more and if it doesn’t grow, I’ll reef it out and plant something else.
On Saturday, June 10 at 3pm, Ottawa Chamberfest is pleased to present Angelique Francis and her band in the most gorgeous setting ever — the Farmgate Cider heritage barn! You can make a day trip to the farmers’ market, drop in for the show, sip on a cool cider, listen to a little music and still get home for dinner.
One of Canada’s finest emerging blues artists, Angelique’s soulful smoky vocals and instrumental techniques are rooted in tradition, but with a unique and modern sensibility. Within her vocal style you can hear the influence of legends, and yet her sound is all her own. Years of touring, writing and rehearsal give her a maturity of sound that belies her years, and the payoff, in the form of her latest album Long River, is remarkable. In 2023 alone, Angelique won multiple Maple Blues Awards and a JUNO.
Chamber Pints is Chamberfest’s bar concert series, bringing musicians from different traditions into exciting new settings. Tickets are pay what you can, so everyone can enjoy the music, and some shows are standing room only! For this show, organizers recommend getting your tickets in advance at <farmgatecider.ca> or <chamberfest.com>, or by calling 234–8008. Farmgate Cider is located at 4547 Mohr’s Road near Arnprior.
St Paul’s United Church in Perth is happy to be hosting the youthful Univox Choir from Toronto on Friday, June 23 at 8pm. The reputation of Perth as a place to find appreciative audiences prompted them to include St. Paul’s on their tour of Eastern Ontario. Conducted by Malcolm Cody MacFarlane, Univox is a mixed-voice community choir for young adults based in Toronto. The non-profit music organization carries the core principles of musical excellence, social responsibility and relationship building.
Univox serves the Toronto community by offering spirited performances of choral music, both old and new. Works are primarily performed a cappella and span a wide range of the choral spectrum: Renaissance madrigals and motets, choral classics, modern composition, spirituals and international folk songs. You will get to hear a few Canadian composers when the St. Paul’s choir joins Univox on In Remembrance by Eleanor Daley, and Rebecca Campbell’s arrangement of Ian Tamblyn’s Woodsmoke and Oranges. There will be a backdrop of images from the canoeing adventures of St. Paul’s choir members Leslie Hoyle and Bill Elgie to accompany this evocative and haunting song.
Univox singers come from a diverse range of musical backgrounds; most have sung in choirs at different times in their lives. The choir aims to fill the niche for young adults who wish to continue to have a rewarding choral experience with others in their age group.
Every year, Univox Choir selects a charity partner to work with. This partner receives a portion of ticket sales from concerts, and the opportunity to include information about their organization either at the concert or in the program. This year, Univox Choir is proud to partner with Among Friends, an organization dedicated to community mental health programming for adults aged 18-65. Focused on fun and mental health promotion, Among Friends invites participants to be fully engaged with the tremendous possibilities life has to offer.
For this event, proceeds will also go to St. Paul’s United Church. Admission will be by donation, at 25 Gore St W. The concert starts at 8pm on June 23.
The sights and sounds of the Pipes and Drums and Highland Dancing are returning to Carleton Place after a 13-year hiatus. There were plans in the making just prior to the pandemic to re-introduce an annual Carleton Place Community Tattoo, but those plans, like many others, unfortunately had to be cancelled.
However, by popular demand, a Town of Carleton Place Tattoo is once again being planned and will be held on Sunday, June 25 beginning at noon on the grounds of the local Captain A. Roy Brown Legion Branch 192. The Tattoo is being held as a tribute to the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The reinstating of this Tattoo has drawn much interest amongst the Pipe Band community — so much so that organizers have had to cap the number of bands participating.
The Duty Band for the Tattoo will be the RCMP Pipes and Drums and Highland Dancers from Ottawa. The band will proudly wear the RCMP tartan kilt and world-famous red serge tunic as their dress uniform. This is also a special year for the RCMP as they will be celebrating their 150th anniversary.
Other participating bands include the Highland Mist Pipe Band from Ottawa, the Barrie Pipes and Drums, the Kemptville Legion Pipes and Drums, the Black Watch Association Pipes and Drums from Montreal, the Royal Canadian Air Force Pipes and Drums from Ottawa, the Smiths Falls Gordon Pipe Band, the MacEoin Ramsay Pipe Band from Kanata, the Almonte Legion Branch 240 Pipe Band, the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band from Ottawa and the Ottawa Caledonian Pipes and Drums. Adding to the Scottish Heritage event will be the Rosemary Breman Highland Dancers from Carleton Place.
The Pipe Bands will participate in two massed band performances — once during the Opening Ceremonies that will begin at noon, and another to close out the afternoon. Each band will perform individually throughout the afternoon, while the Rosemary Breman Highland Dancers will perform following the Opening Ceremonies and prior to the individual band performances.
Refreshments and food will be available throughout the afternoon in the back yard of the Legion grounds at a nominal cost. There will be no admission price, but a collection will be taken to assist with offsetting the costs of the Tattoo.
In order to facilitate the marching of Pipe Bands, spectators are being asked not to congregate on the playing field, on the perimeter of the field or on any of the surrounding streets. These areas will be cordoned off for access for the Pipe Bands and will be policed through the assistance of our local OPP.
Spectators are asked to only congregate in the back yard of the Legion grounds. Although there is some seating available, it is being suggested that people may wish to bring their own lawn chairs. Unfortunately, due to Legion rules, pets are not allowed on the Legion grounds and only specialized service dogs will be permitted.
Road closures include Morphy Street from Mullet Street to Ramsay Street, and Ramsay Street from Morphy Street to George Street. Cars are asked not to park, and pedestrians are asked not to gather on these two streets. Pipe bands will congregate on Morphy Street and march along Ramsay Street to George Street prior to marching onto the playing field to perform throughout the afternoon.
This event is a community event, and the public is invited to come out and enjoy some real Scottish heritage. The event will be held rain or shine.
In celebration of Pride Month, Rainbow Storytime returns for its third consecutive year at the Perth Library. Rainbow Storytime is a wonderful way to meet members of the community while sharing inclusive picture books and stories. Inclusive programming and celebrations in the library offer families a safe space to celebrate diversity and self-expression. Each week of Rainbow Storytime will feature a new guest reader, theme, and letter sound. Special guests from Queer Connection Lanark County will read stories with which they have a special connection.
Visit the library on Thursday mornings in June from 10:15–11am to participate in this fun programming! If you prefer to join virtually, please register online at <perthunionlibrary.ca> to receive a Zoom link.
As an interested observer of how the Climate Crisis is being discussed in the mainstream media, it’s encouraging to hear of so much action being taken in every facet of how we live our energy-intensive lives — from homes to cars and products of every kind, the change to low-carbon alternatives is truly inspiring. I’ve seen small windmills that look like beautiful little tree sculptures with whirling leaves, roadways made of recycled materials that become solar collectors, and every auto manufacturer making sure they are not left behind in the rush to capitalize on the Green Wave. You can even get a big impressive looking — although quiet — electric pickup truck!
However, one thing that is really gaining momentum is how we are shifting energy systems in homes away from fossil fuels. Home heating and cooling isn’t as fun and newsworthy as a fantastic electric sports car, but in Lanark County it is one of our biggest challenges. It turns out that houses are one of the greatest contributors of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Canada the second largest source of GHGs in Lanark County.
So the shiny red sports car of the home heating conversation is the heat pump! And within this exciting topic, the biggest news is about cold climate heat pumps.
Cold climate air source heat pumps are more efficient and can operate in colder temperatures than conventional air source heat pumps. Conventional heat pumps typically lose heating capacity at colder temperatures. It is generally not recommended to operate them when temperatures drop below -10°C, while cold climate heat pumps can still provide heat to -25°C or -30°C, depending on the manufacturer’s specifications (and there are even ones that operate down to -40°!).
There is a basic overview about heat pumps on the Climate Network Lanark website that can answer most of your questions. What they are, how they work, the different kinds, local installers, links to info on energy audits and more can be found at <climatenetworklanark.ca/heat-pumps>.
I’ve also heard comments that “heat pumps don’t work in Lanark County.” Fear Not! Lots of people already have them and are very happy with them. Many do have a back-up system for the few really cold nights. Most people in rural Lanark County have two if not three heating systems, so having a back-up system is not uncommon. Also, any conventional electric air source heat pump has the capacity to turn on a resistance heater (like a baseboard) when the temperature drops that low. But a bizarre advantage of the climate crisis is that we are rarely experiencing such low overnight temperatures in the winter now, and aside from rare nights, a conventional heat pump has worked for many these past few years.
But I wanted to talk to folks who had installed and used a cold climate heat pump to see what they thought about it all. I was able to talk to someone in a newly built house and someone who had installed a similar system in an existing home.
John Grierson, who lives near Pakenham and is a retired engineer with some experience in mechanical heating systems, gave me an extensive tour of his amazing new home and his heating/cooling system. He described how he planned his home to run on a heat pump and tells me: “Our plans called for extended times away from home and air conditioning, which, with the desire to reduce greenhouse gasses as much as possible, led us to select the heat pump.”
The first thing John did was consider all the options for heating (and cooling) the new home. He says: “In 2018 I started the design for the new house. One of the unknowns was how to heat it. There are many options.” Here John provided a chart he made detailing the possible systems on offer and extensively noted the pros and cons of each system.
Included were airtight wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor furnaces with hot water heat, propane or natural gas fired air ducted system or hydronic (water) system, and finally heat pumps.
I asked him if he had any words of wisdom on the experience. Here are a few gems from his experience.
“Make sure that a heat loss calculation is done for new builds. (Something that can be contracted with an EnerGuide for Houses auditor.) Use existing heating data for existing buildings to properly size the heat pump. Oversizing a heat pump is NOT a good idea.
If you have needs for a ‘zoned’ system where different areas of the home have different temperature requirements, the latest trend is to use multiple smaller heat pumps, known as “mini-splits”, one for each area rather than one larger heat pump. The “mini-split” does away with ducting and a “head” is installed in each zone.”
“Install the outside unit so that the bottom of the unit is at least 1.2m above ground level with at least 0.5m of free space between the bottom of the unit and any horizontal surface,” he adds. “During the defrost cycle, the unit will drip water, which forms ice under the unit. The clearance is needed to ensure that the ice build-up doesn’t rise to the bottom of the unit.”
John also helped his neighbour, my friend, get a heat pump for her home: a 1970’s raised ranch bungalow. My friend is very happy with the retrofit, despite the initial cost (which was offset by rebates through the Greener Homes program). She’s happy that her heating costs will be so much lower, but even more thrilled that she is getting a cooling system as well, as a part of the workings of a heat pump. The payback is about eight years, then it’s all savings and no extra cost to purchase and install an air conditioning system.
There seems to be a new trend where neighbours get together to share experiences in cutting their GHGs and retrofitting their houses. Climate Network Lanark is pleased to announce it has received funding to pilot such projects here throughout Lanark County. They started the “Almonte Climate Concierge Cluster” in the winter, and are expanding the project into Carleton Place, Lanark Village, Perth and Smiths Falls this year. To join up or find out more, email <sue@climatenetworklanark.ca>.
I hope this overview will spur some more conversations and interest when you are thinking of a new heating system or are designing a new home.
DeAnne Smith is a Canadian Comedy Award winner who now lives in New York. They have performed at Just for Laughs, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Iceland Comedy Festival (to name just a few), and they’ve been on TV all over the world. You can watch their half-hour special Gentleman Elf on Netflix, but — better yet — you can come and see them live at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum when they come to Almonte for two shows on June 13 and 14! theHumm contacted DeAnne to find out more about these intriguing pop-up events.
theHumm: The last time I saw you perform was on a Zoom event during the thick of the pandemic (and you were hilarious, by the way!). How have things been going for you since then?
DeAnne Smith: That’s a big question! How have things been going for anyone? A mix of wonderful punctuated by absolute existential dread. Since you’ve last seen me I’ve recorded a special for Crave, recorded an album, toured a show in Australia, and had top surgery! I also watched the entirety of The Sopranos again and drank a lot of fizzy water.
Like the Zoom event, these shows are being produced by Wake Lloire of Almonte’s Curious & Kind. How did you two first connect?
Wake was the first person to ever book me for a “long” set (25 minutes) when I was brand new at comedy. They were producing an event in Ottawa and I was coming from Montreal. It was a poetry event, and I did a stand-up set to close the night. I’m not sure how we first connected, but maybe in poetry circles? When I first moved to Montreal, I was dabbling in poetry. I eventually settled on comedy, though, because it’s much easier to tell whether or not your words are having the intended effect. I’ll take the laughter of comedy over the reflectful silence of a poetry reading. Honestly, though, the two have a lot in common: economy of language, aiming for a strong response, and having to justify your career to your parents.
Your tagline reads “Comedian. Writer. Trouble-maker”. What kind of trouble can people expect at these two shows? Should people come to both so they don’t miss any of the fun?
The two shows should be pretty different, though I reserve the right to do some of the same jokes from night to night, if I feel like it! (The thing about me is that I don’t plan too far ahead. It’s all about being in the moment with the crowd. Expect a fair amount of improvisation!) The first show is the one-person show that I just took to Australia, and one I workshopped in Almonte last summer, when it was just a newborn idea. Obviously it’s grown a lot since then, and circles around themes of loss, family and relationships. (But in a fun way, I promise!) Melbourne’s The Age said it was “Better than therapy!” which is all I’ve ever wanted from a review.
The second show is... I don’t exactly know, can you check in with Wake? :)
Wake Lloire: The first show features opener Seema Rani from Gatineau. In the second show, DeAnne goes up first, and then is followed by four or five storytellers telling short true, personal stories that will leave you with a full heart.
You come across as a very polished performer. How did you get started in comedy, and what do you do to hone your craft?
Polished? I’ll take it! I got started in comedy the way anyone gets started: with a fair amount of hope and delusion at open mics. I started in Montreal, which didn’t have a robust scene at the time, so I used to crash regular, non-comedy open mics. There was a Tuesday night mic at Grumpy’s, a basement dive bar that was a lovely challenge to perform at. I learned a lot there, because the first level of performing in a place like that was to be interesting enough to get people to turn away from their conversations with their friends and pay attention. After that, you could work on trying to make them laugh. What do I do to hone my craft? I get on a lot of stages! There are no shortcuts.
It’s amazing to me that a small town like Almonte gets to host shows by a comedian of your calibre. What do you like about performing in smaller, more intimate venues?
I love a small venue! For me, it’s all about being with the people who are there, in a moment that can’t be replicated. Small venues are great for that feeling of intimacy and immediacy. And Almonte is such a lovely town! I’ve been there a couple of times now, but always on my way to somewhere else. I’m excited that I’ll have a couple of days to stick around and get to know the place. Actually, don’t be surprised if I end up doing 20 minutes of Almonte material on the second show!
Don’t delay — get your tickets to one (or both!) of DeAnne’s shows! Find them at Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca or 485–6434). Doors open at 6:30pm, and the shows start at 7.
Back Forty is excited to announce the details for their 6th annual summer food festival, taking place on July 1 from 11am to 6pm. What began in 2016 as a small celebration to mark the opening of their newly renovated cheese factory has since grown into a leading destination for lovers of artisan cheese, food, craft beverages and music.
Back Forty is a small family business, run by Jenna and Jeff Fenwick, that has become known for its fantastic selection of delicious raw sheep milk cheese varieties. In addition to cheese making, the dynamic couple also work tirelessly on their farm, growing the organic produce and heritage meats which are featured on the menu at their on-farm bistro, open every Friday and Saturday starting June 16. At this year’s Curds and Cooks, Back Forty will be teaming up with three talented chefs who are excited to showcase the bounty with traditional wood-fired cooking. Communal feasting around fire dates back to ancient history, and on July 1 customers will be sure to enjoy the enhanced natural flavour that comes from cooking quality produce fireside.
This year’s event will also feature a fantastic selection of local food producers including Grains and Goods Bakery, Perth Pie Company, Ludwig Fine Chocolate, Tasha’s Table and more. Beverage producers will also be onsite to quench your thirst and introduce you to their unique products. This year’s featured producers will include Stalwart Brewery, Dairy Distillery, Kin Vineyards, and refreshing non-alcoholic options such as Artizen Kombucha and Auralis Botanicals.
Curds and Cooks wouldn’t be complete without Back Forty’s beer battered deep fried curds! The giant-sized sheep curds, battered in Stalwarts’ proprietary beer batter, have become a festival favourite. “At last year’s event the demand for our curds far exceeded expectations. As a result we’ve tripled our curd capacity and will be in a much better position to serve our patrons,” says owner and cheese maker Jeff Fenwick.
A major attraction to any festival is always great music, and this year visitors are in for a very special treat. On a world tour and hailing from Jamaica, Syd Perry will be the featured artist. Accompanied by his five-piece band, Syd will perform his original roots blues reggae. Inspired by the rocksteady era of the late ’60s, roots reggae of the ’70s and blues music of the ’40s and ’50s, Syd has an original sound that is sure to please. His music and his mission are intended to uplift and enlighten, and will be the perfect complement to a wonderful day. Curds and Cooks is free to attend, great for all ages, and the perfect destination for any cheese, drink, food or music lover. Find out more at <artisancheese.ca>!
Hi, I’m Renée Kokonya Sullivan. I’m a mom of three, wife, entrepreneur, and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant. This summer, I will be running a diversity summer camp for children aged 8-12 years at Stonecroft Barn in Almonte.
Almonte Diversity camp will offer a safe space for kids to ask questions without judgment, bring their full selves and learn tools and techniques that equip them to be more inclusive in their community.
As Canada continues to become more diverse, through initiatives including the federal government’s pledge to bring in 500 thousand immigrants, rural communities such as ours need to develop a capacity to be more welcoming to a diversity of people and perspectives. And we need to prepare our children to live in diverse communities. As an immigrant myself, I love living in a small town and I love to educate and make rural workplaces and communities more inclusive for the next generation. For me it’s about my children being able to truly be themselves in their work and in their community.
What is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?
Diversity means that each individual is unique and recognizes our individual differences. These can be race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical ability, neurodivergence, religious belief, political belief or other ideologies.
Equity refers to the principle of fairness. Equity is similar to equality, but equality only works when everyone starts at the same place. Therefore, equity focuses on helping people obtain what they need so they can get to a place where equality is possible.
Inclusion means that we need to make sure that no one is excluded because of their differences. This is not simply about including diverse groups, but also making sure everybody feels welcomed so they have equal access to opportunities and resources and can contribute fully to our society.
It is important to speak to children about differences because they see it, and they speak about it, not with judgment but with curiosity. They will notice different skin colours, someone on a wheelchair, someone wearing a head wrap, same-sex couples, etc. It is important that children learn how to talk about differences so that they can learn to embrace diversity in a way that is respectful and celebrates different cultural backgrounds and experiences.
Learning about DEI creates an awareness of different cultural beliefs, opportunities, abilities and sexual orientations. It encourages acceptance and helps prepare children for life in a diverse world. It exposes them to more ideas and information and helps them adapt to an evolving world. It highlights that we all play an important role in our communities.
What We do
At Almonte Diversity Camp we encourage questions about differences. We understand that talking openly helps children understand that it is okay to notice differences and it is good to talk about them in a polite way. While we celebrate differences we like to focus on similarities. We all love our families and we like to play and have fun.
The camp will take place at Stonecroft Barn in Almonte. We will explore these important topics through experiential learning, cooperative games, storytelling, reading books, making artwork, going on virtual field trips, and spending lots of time playing outside. The camp is for ages 8 to 12. The first offering is the week of July 31 to August 4, and the second is August 14 to 18. The content will be the same for the two weeks, so please only register your child for one of the weeks. For more information on the camp, please go to <almontediversitycamp.ca>.
Self-published children’s book author Natasha Peterson is excited to present her latest book, Don’t Judge a Character by its Book. Like her previous stories, this latest has lessons for the reader presented in rhyme with beautiful illustrations. This newest book is about the harm that can come when we judge someone or something too quickly.
Have you ever wondered what happened to some of your favourite fairy tale characters after their story finished? Was there justice for the “bad guys”, and were the “good guys” as pure and wonderful as they seemed? In this book, a reporter named Ivana Find-U follows-up with these characters and reveals a different side of the story. The rhyming text and cute illustrations playfully bring to life the lesson that we are all complex and we should not be judged by one story alone because our life is filled with many stories, enough to fill several books.
Natasha Peterson writes for her own company, Polar Bear Press, and has always loved writing rhyming stories for children. Illustrated by Nafia Arshad, Don’t Judge a Character by its Book is Natasha’s eighth book. Her previous books include Gayle the Goose Goes Global, Nutty Neighbours, Harold the Homeless Hermit, Polar Bear Pete’s Perfect Performance, Grady the Grasshopper Graduates, Gayle the Goose helps Presley the Perplexed Platypus and The Zoo’s News. All Polar Bear Press books are available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and at a variety of shops locally.
More information about the book and upcoming events can be found at <polarbearpress.com>.
Art… and Soul
The unifying theme of this young Perth artist’s ambition is her unequivocal determination to treat the world she inhabits with respect and appreciation. Elise Abrams-Ogg creates her artwork “largely as an act of devotion, to both the subject and to the materials, cultivating reverence for both of those things with the time and attention it takes to create.”
At the moment she has put her classically inspired watercolour paintings and graphite drawings on hold, to concentrate on her exceptional cedar shingle art. Working primarily with Eastern white cedar shingles, she “celebrates the endurance, integrity, beauty, strength and functionality of this gift of nature”. Her classically trained artistic ability, combined with her meticulous and innovative woodworking skill, has resulted in several stunning commissions. A quick Google survey of “shingle art” reveals that her mosaics and murals celebrating geometry and nature easily place at the top of the list for artistic merit.
Working from her shared multimedia studio space at Perkolator Creative Collective in Perth, Elise painstakingly shapes the cedar shingles with her scroll saw in accordance with the full-size pattern she creates on paper. It is challenging work — first to visualize the desired effect from multiple perspectives, and then to work out the shapes of the individual pieces in each layer as they overlap for water resistance and durability. An amazing example of her virtuosic command of this demanding artistic medium is her recently completed Cochlea Luna. The large piece is a depiction of a complex, spirally coiled nautilus shell, augmented with representations of the phases of the moon. The name of her piece is Latin for moon snail, another spirally shaped ocean dweller. She casually mentions that she spent a fair amount of time graphing polar equations to enable her to control the width of the spiral to her exact specifications…
Whittling Down the Opportunities
Working with her cherished wood is powerful medicine for her. Elise suffers from being “confronted with insurmountable opportunity” (I love this quote, now contentiously attributed to Walt Kelly’s Pogo). To express her dilemma more positively, she enjoys tremendous potential. She excels at math and biology, languages, history, archaeology, drawing, painting and creating cedar shingle art. In high school at Eastwood Collegiate Institute in Kitchener she won the Bronze Governor General’s Academic Medal, and went on to garner top grades while earning her B.A. in Classical Studies at the University of Guelph.
As part of a university project she participated in three archeological digs in Turkey, unearthing the secrets hidden in Pompeiopolis, an ancient city founded by the Roman general Pompey the Great in 64/63 BC, in the Black Sea region of Turkey. She also read Homer’s great epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey in ancient Greek. Her classical studies continue to inspire her love for the aesthetics of the ancient Mediterranean and the forms of nature.
After her first year at university, she and her sister, a fellow student, decided to take a break from academia and do some traveling. Both were studying art and architecture and were eager to explore the culture of a different locale. They also wanted to meet local people and get to know a place intimately rather than just hitting the tourist highlights. They signed up at <Workaway.info> for a stint in Tuscany as agricultural volunteers and soon realized they had embarked on a wild two-month life-changing hippy adventure that introduced them to the concept of permaculture. This approach to land management and community design applies principles of whole systems thinking in areas such as regenerative agriculture and community planning.
Ironically, a book published in 1975 titled The One-straw Revolution — An Introduction to Natural Farming, written by Masanobu Fukuoka, set Elise on a reexamination of her priorities. The book is an amalgam of spiritual, technical, political and philosophical concepts. For Elise, after spending four summers during high school working as an egg collector in “the chicken barn from hell” with 50,000 birds confined in battery cages, the adoption of patterns observed in flourishing natural ecosystems was, and remains, a goal worth changing her life’s ambitions for. She returned home convinced she wanted to be part of something better and more meaningful to her personally than striving for academic achievement and being subjected to peer evaluations. By the time she graduated she had reached her decision to start farming rather than go on to get advanced degrees.
Her journey is still evolving. After three years of growing food organically during two internships, Elise decided to study Heritage Carpentry and Joinery at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology. (Characteristically, she became Director of the College’s Students Association.) As she puts it, “My agricultural journey changed my life… it changed my idea of what a successful life could be.”
Today she is pursuing a career in carpentry while developing plans for a future initiative in community agriculture. She views carpentry as “a way to provide essential services to community while incorporating a love of art and design that is inspired both by nature and the classical tradition.” Her goal is to be able to build beautiful, modest, well-built structures out of natural, sustainable and/or previously used materials, guided by respect for the people who will use them. As an aside, she quips that a certain amount of naïvety and idealism is an act of rebellion.
In the meantime, Elise is working as a member of the finishing crew for two builders of log homes and energy-efficient homes. She also enjoyed working as a co-instructor for Amy Webster’s recent Women’s Power Tool Course at Wildwood Perth Millwork Shop, encouraging novices to acquire foundational skills to explore new possibilities. Her own options and ambitions remain as varied and numerous as ever, but today she enjoys being in control of her own agenda.
A Shingular Opportunity at Art in the Garden
The annual Art In the Garden event coming up at Kiwi Gardens near Perth on Father’s Day Weekend (June 16–18) provides an outstanding opportunity to feast your eyes on Elise Abrams-Ogg’s exceptionally conceived and executed cedar shingle art <kiwigardens.ca/art-in-the-garden>. Be sure to order your tickets for a timeslot in advance, available at Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434).
I highly recommend that you clip and save Elise Abrams-Ogg’s Artist Trading Card at the top of this page for future reference. Like many of the multi-talented Renaissance people who informed her classical education, this gifted young woman’s exploration of her tremendous potential bears watching.
Artist Trading Card
… but this may just be the fairest of them all. The Killaloe Community Craft Fair is a Brigadoon-like festival that springs up on 100 acres along the backroads of Killaloe once a year. For three days the spirit of a ’70s flashback combines with timeless vibes to release a wave of positive energy and good grooves. Along with eclectic live music and late night DJs under the stars, there are also drumming circles, yoga, nature walks, a kids’ parade, food vendors and all the natural artistic essence you would expect from a community brimming with creativity.
The fair was started as a combination flea market and low-fi get-together by a group of city-fleeing hippies in 1976 on Fern Zadra’s farm. Its roots are legit — growing from the last time we tolerated middle hair partings. Hand-painted signs leaned against gates; vendors’ trestle tables held scarves, long earrings, and possibly the first sighting of lentils in the Ottawa Valley at the food tent. The stage was a platform built from plywood a few inches off the ground. People danced on the grass to live music and watched amateur puppet shows with adults who rejected the pomp of real grown-ups.
From its chicken-wire start, the Fair grew to a huge three-day festival in the ’80s with a giant stage, pyramid bar and sound booth on a new site on Mountainview Road. Unfortunately, a series of events led to its demise in the ’90s. However, happily for everyone who saw it as a summer touchstone, the offspring of the first influx stripped the ballooned over-budget monstrosity back to basics and revived the fair with its best bits intact.
Now it is an event that has stood the test of time, not to mention Covid, and has woven itself into the region’s cultural heritage. The Fair always takes place on the second weekend of August, so this year it lands on August 11–13 and promises to breathe exciting and diverse blooms into being. The evening entertainment features Great Lake Swimmers, Lindsay Bar, Blue Hazel, and from Montreal, the high energy Kon-Fusion. Tickets can be purchased on the Fair’s website at <killaloefair.ca>.
On June 11 at 3pm, Musical Matters will present a concert entitled “Gone But Not Forgotten” at St. Andrew’s Church. It features music from the ’60s as a tribute to artists or members of groups who have passed, while their music lives on. Songs by Buffalo Springfield, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Everly Brothers, Wilson Pickett, The Drifters, Marvin Gaye and more will be performed.
The performance takes place in the beautiful sanctuary of St Andrews Presbyterian Church at 1 Drummond Street. Admission is $10 at the door, and elevator access is available at the rear of the church just off the parking lot. All proceeds will be distributed by The Table Community Food Centre to families who have been displaced by the Harvey Street fire. Come out and enjoy an hour of some of the best music from the ’60s!
Musical Matters is a group of musicians working under the sponsorship of Perth Community Church. Most are local musicians who donate their time and talent to raise money for causes in the Perth community. This past Christmas they raised over $2100 for Interval House.
July is just around the corner, folks, and with it comes the 10th year of music in Augusta Park at 5 Wednesdays in July (although there are only 4 this month). We are brimming with talent this year and are focussing on more diverse talent when we can.
The first concert on July 5 will be a variety show called Dr. Brown’s Uptown Travelling Medicine Show, with each artist having 15 minutes to entertain our family-friendly audience. Generally the concerts go from 6–8pm, but this one will start 15 minutes early so that the Almonte Legion Pipe Band can open the summer concert series! Also featured that evening will be Allan, Kiki & Joey Graff, Stephen Brathwaite & Noreen Young, the Adenay Sisters, Steve Wildesmith, and Kentucky. Judge A Book will play a closing set from 7:30–8pm.
On July 12, Gentle Sparrow will play from 6–7, followed by Lanark County Revival from 7–8. July 19 brings TRXSTR from 6–7 and the Kamengo Culture Troupe (visiting Canada from Uganda) from 7–8. The series finishes up on July 26 with Colby & Cash from 6–7 and Jasper Bridge from 7–8.
The Almonte Civitan will be providing their much-appreciated BBQ on July 5 and 19, and everyone is invited to bring contributions to a community pot-luck (including your own plates and cutlery) on July 12 and 26. Don’t forget your lawn chairs!
Organizers are currently looking for sponsors for these concerts. CorCann <corcannhvac.ca> has graciously contributed, as they did last year. Musicians need to be paid, and we know their artistic endeavours take work and expense. If your organization or company would consider supporting our efforts, we can guarantee some media exposure, a mention on the poster and an acknowledgement each evening of the series. If interested, please email Allan at <rootbound@rogers.com>.
So rosin up the bow, get your dancing shoes on, come and enjoy a fine evening of music in Augusta Park! Stay up-to-date by visiting <facebook.com/FriendsofAugusta-StreetPark>.
Just when we thought we had safely made our way out of the pandemic, Covid hit our show with a vengeance, but in the true spirit of theatre we decided the show must go on — albeit not when it was originally scheduled! The cast and crew have continued to work diligently to bring this play to our audience, especially for those who originally bought tickets and were disappointed to not be able to see it in April. We are so hoping you are able to come in June!
What to do when you learn your husband is likely cheating on you, and you have the option to leave him and be loved? That is the dilemma of Lady Windermere (played by Ming Leonard) when confronted with that possibility by the dashing Lord Darlington (played by Garett Pipher). And what about those who believe they aren’t guilty of betraying trust, while everyone professes they are? What are they to do if they can’t immediately explain what is really going on? That is the dilemma of Lord Windermere (played by Taylor Gilligan) and the mystery woman, Mrs. Erlynne (played by Donna Howard).
The phrase that comes to mind is: “oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”. That’s a not a quote from Oscar Wilde, but rather from Sir Arthur Scott, who, like Mr. Wilde, was a playwright. However, it’s likely that Mr. Wilde knew this phrase well, as it is intricately woven into this play.
Lady Windermere believes that she has a perfectly happy life with her adoring husband and young child. However, once she is alerted to Lord Windermere’s seemingly brazen relationship with Mrs. Erylnne, she begins to question her own feelings, her marital position, and the loyalty of her husband. On top of it all, Lord Windermere insists that Mrs. Erlynne be invited to Lady Windermere’s birthday ball. What?! When Mrs. Erlynne in fact attends the party, Lady Windermere receives a proposal from Lord Darlington, who professes love for her, and of whom she is already fond. What’s a lady to do? To make it even more interesting, Lord Augustus Lorton (played by David Wright) has his sights on Mrs. Erlynne.
Taking a serious yet at times a comedic look at marriage, sex and gender, Wilde’s play contains one of his best-known lines: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” This play covers the multiple elements of moral dilemmas, scandal, intrigue, blackmail, responsibilities of motherhood and the effects of gossip, to the point that it forces the question of whether any of the characters can be considered “good” or “bad”. Often referred to as a play about a “Good Woman”, will you be able to decide if there is one? Only one way to find out — come and see what you think!
Catch Lady Windermere’s Fan at the Station Theatre in Smiths Falls on June 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30pm, with 2pm matinées on June 18 and 25. Tickets are now on sale at Special Greetings, 8 Russell Street East, Smiths Falls, and online or by phone at 283–2244 with credit card. If tickets are still available, they can be purchased a half-hour before showtime at the door. For more information, please visit <smithsfallstheatre.com>.
Youth in Mississippi Mills are gearing up for another AWESOME summer with Mississippi Mills Youth Centre (MMYC). We are offering nine themed summer camps for youth ages 10–18. To browse our camps online and to register, please visit <mmyc.ca/shop>.Mississippi Mills Youth Centre is a non-profit located at 134 Main Street East in Almonte. Known for our low-cost day camps and free after-school programs, MMYC creates opportunities for youth to connect with their community, learn new skills, and have fun in an inclusive, supervised environment.
Our camp day begins when doors open at 9am, followed by circle, planned games, outdoor time and more! Each themed week features a special guest visit, an art activity, a science activity, a special excursion, batch cooking, tennis court time, an afternoon at the splash pad, a trivia gameshow, and a themed dress-up day on Friday. All snacks, meals and field trip costs are included in the cost of camp.This summer’s camp themes are Secrets of Almonte Week, Animal Week, Space Week, Outdoors Week, Real World Week, Week Around the World, Water Week, and Tall Tales Week, featuring new and exciting activities and games, and all of our old favourites.
Can you help MMYC fund camp spots for our youth? We have seen an increasing need for subsidized camp spots in the past two years. Donations from our community help us make sure cost is never a barrier for youth accessing their community space. To donate online go to <mmyc.ca> and click the red “Donate Now” button.
For more information or if you would like help with online registration, please call 256–5959 or email <programcoordinator@mmyc.ca>.
The Carleton Place and District Community Band (CPDCB) is a local community-based band that performs primarily in Carleton Place and the surrounding area. The band was formed over 25 years ago by 13 enthusiastic musicians and has grown to its present complement of 40 musicians. Musicians range in age and experience from having played for a couple of years to those retiring from a career of performing music professionally. The concert band consists of woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments, and is very fortunate to have two very experienced and talented singers who are regularly featured in the concerts.
CPDCB will be kicking off its 2023 season with a spring concert entitled Disney and Beyond. This concert has been specially planned for folks who know and love the spectacular music from many of the Disney movies released over the past fifty years. It will take place at the Carambeck Community Centre on Sunday, June 4 at 2pm. The Disney theme is sure to bring back many fond memories for both young and old. Music from Encanto, The Lion King, Aladdin and many other Disney movies will be performed, along with other selections to create a wonderful musical program for the afternoon. As a special feature of this year’s program, the band is excited to feature a new arrangement by Peter Archibald, retired principal arranger for the Canadian Forces, which will be sung by one of the singers. Admission is $10, with children under 12 attending for free.
This summer the band will be presenting a series of free outdoor concerts at Riverside Park on Monday evenings. The concerts will take place at 7:30pm on June 19, July 10 and July 24. Each will present a program of music to please all ages. Come out on a summer evening, bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy music in the park.
The CPDCB is open to musicians of all ages and is always looking to add more musicians to the mix. If you play an instrument now, or if you have played in a band years ago, come out and enjoy making music again. The band plays a variety of styles and strives to show off the best abilities of the musicians. There are no fees to join, and if you have two or three years of experience or more the CPDCB will be a great fit for you. Rehearsals take place on Monday evenings from 7:30–9pm at 137 John Street in Carlton Place. Please contact President Mike Peckett at <mpeckett@sympatico.ca> for further information. Stay up to date at <facebook.com/cpadcb>.
On Thursday, July 6, Sivarulrasa Gallery is pleased to present Music in the Glen, a traditional Irish Trio featuring Brendan Mulholland (flute), Conor Lamb (uilleann pipes, whistles) and Deirdre Galway (guitar). This enchanting evening of music will include a mix of traditional and newly composed Irish music on pipes, flute, whistles and guitar.
Doors open at 7:15pm and the event runs from 7:30–9pm. A dessert reception with the artists will follow the performance. Tickets are $44 plus HST and there are only 22 seats available, so reserve yours now at Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434).
About the Artists
Music in the Glen is an exciting new trio performing the very best of Irish traditional music. These musicians deliver the infectious rhythm and soul which are the hallmarks of Irish music.
Forged from a relationship of 20 years of playing music together, Conor and Brendan have joined forces with Deirdre on accompaniment to create a sound that draws upon a long developed bond and mutual musical understanding.
Each musician is a respected artist in their own field. Through different projects they have performed across the globe from Belfast to Washington, Moscow and Seoul in venues ranging from local folk clubs to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Milwaukee Irish Festival Main Stage. Individually they have featured on a dozen albums and have performed with a variety of international acts including Réalta, Gráinne Holland, Craobh Rua and Mary Dillon. Collectively they are one of the finest trios on the Irish music scene today.
For more information about the Culture22 series at Sivarulrasa Gallery, please visit <sivarulrasa.com/culture22-sivarulrasa-gallery>. The gallery is located at 34 Mill Street in Almonte.
Opening at Studio Theatre Perth on Thursday, June 15, Tempting Providence tells the story of “Nurse Bennett’” — a part of Newfoundland history.
Just over 100 years ago, an English nurse arrived at a small outport in the north-west part of the island. She had committed to staying for two years. She stayed for almost 70.
Myra Bennett (née Grimsley) was to become a legend on the island, delivering hundreds of babies, extracting thousands of teeth, performing some incredible surgeries and earning herself the Order of Canada in the process.
Written by Canadian playwright Robert Chafe, Myra’s story is one of courage, resilience and even humour.
Director Jane Stott got a first-hand look at the area last year. “I went to the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland in 2022 and travelled the route that Nurse Bennett took in the 1920s,” Jane explains. Except then there were no roads along the 300 miles of coastline where she brought her medical expertise,” she says.
With 10 years of nursing experience and training as a midwife, Myra moved to the remote community of Daniel’s Harbour. There were no medical facilities and no doctors. And actually, no harbour. She set sail on a Friday; it happened to be the 13th of the month; she was tempting Providence indeed.
As with anyone coming “from away”, the locals had a hard time warming to the newcomer; except for one man, ex-merchant marine Angus Bennett, who fell for her immediately. Within two years he had a ring on her finger and was the father of the first of three children. Myra wasn’t going to be leaving.
As the sole medical practitioner in the area, it was no picnic. But Myra was driven by duty and hard work and could easily match the dour “get-on-with-it’ spirit she encountered everywhere.
Myra is played by Kiara Côté, who Studio Theatre audiences will remember from her lead role in Educating Rita. This time she takes on a completely different persona. Currently studying drama at George Brown College in Toronto, Kiara says she is still exploring the accent. The dialect training she has been taking at school is very helpful. Back in Perth for the summer, she loves the town. “When I retire, I want to move here,” she enthuses.
Theatregoers have seen Kieran More three times since he moved here in 2019: as Sherlock Holmes in December 2020, and last year as Callum in The Attic and as Uncle Harry in This Year, Next Year. He plays Angus Bennett in this play.
“Angus and Nurse Grimsley have a shared experience of the world outside of Daniel’s Harbour and of the horrors of war,” he says. Angus realizes that Myra is repressing her feelings, fearing that if she does feel deeply “she won’t be able to stop and will lose control.”
Chrystine Williams, who returned to the Studio stage this year in The 39 Steps, takes on the several “woman” roles in Tempting Providence. Ottawa’s GP Lattanzio makes his Studio Theatre début in this play, taking on the other “man” roles. With experience in plays and movies, he drives in from Carp each day. It’s “well worth the trip,” and gives him a chance to rehearse his lines, he says.
Both Chrystine and GP wear simple base costumes, with the occasional use of a scarf or hat to indicate the season. “They don’t leave the stage,” says Jane Stott. “They just pick something up from a hook if needed.”
The set comprises a series of panels, each depicting a background for the action. Versatile (and ingenious) use of props completes the picture (you should see what they can do with a table!). The lighting and the set allow the audience “see and hear the ambience of the scenes”, notes technician Joseph Nieforth.
“We’re not seeking pure realism in that it is in Angus’ memory,” explains Kieran More. “Memory is not exact; things are suggested, things are as they are remembered.”
Tempting Providence opens on Thursday, June 15 and runs until June 25, with Thursday to Saturday performances starting at 7:30pm and Sunday matinées beginning at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.com, 485–6434). For more information, please visit <studiotheatreperth.com>.
The production of Tempting Providence is proudly sponsored by Mariposa Design, located at 32 Gore St. East in Perth.
The Perth Citizens’ Band, Canada’s oldest continuing town band, is preparing for the 2023 season of its annual Summer/Fall Pops concert series. These concerts in the downtown core have been a longstanding tradition of the band for well over 100 years. They feature a variety of music ranging from classical, Broadway and movie themes to 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.
The first concert will take place on Saturday, June 10 at 1pm on the lawn of Inge-Va house, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary. The remaining Pops Concerts will all be held at the Crystal Palace, located on the Tay River Basin in Downtown Perth, and will take place rain or shine. The dates for these concerts are Thursday, June 29 at 7:30pm; Thursday, July 20 at 7:30pm; Sunday, August 13 at 2pm; Sunday, August 27 at 2pm; Sunday, September 17 at 2pm and Sunday, October 15 at 2pm.
Some seating is available, but audience members are invited to bring along a lawn chair or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll along the river basin 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 25, and in downtown Newboro for Canada Day celebrations on July 1. For more information, please visit <perthband.ca>.
It didn’t take long after the last curtain fell on Puppets Up! 2022 for the organizing brain trust to sense there was an opportunity to expand the Almonte puppetverse and do something new and special with the festival brand.
“Our goal with Puppets Up! 2022 was to bring a bit of joy to town after a few long years of pandemic life. We felt like we succeeded, but we always had that voice in the back of our heads saying ‘where do we go from here?’,” explains Jane Torrance, the chair of the Puppets Up! Board.
It took a few weeks of reflection, but in the end it was pretty clear to everyone involved, she adds. “Puppets Up! has always been about bringing the world of puppetry to the people, but after seeing the enthusiasm of the audiences we knew we had to find a way to bring people to the puppets too.”
And so PuppetCon was born.
Débuting in Almonte from August 11–13, PuppetCon will feature hands-on workshops, crowd-pleasing performances and enlightening panel discussions, all with the goal of pulling back the curtain and giving puppet enthusiasts a chance to pull a few strings and move a few rods for themselves.
“Honestly, we’re blown away by the generosity of the puppetry community here in Almonte and beyond,” says Jenny Sheffield, the program coordinator for PuppetCon. “We started asking folks if they’d like to come and run some workshops, and these highly talented and accomplished artists just can’t wait to help others learn and explore the craft.”
The Con will feature everything from puppet building workshops for children and beginners right up to sessions on how to promote a show and build a brand for aspiring and emerging professionals. Participants will learn from the likes of Bob Stutt, Noreen Young, Jamie Shannon and the Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers — just to name a few.
“We really wanted to make sure there was something for everyone,” adds Sheffield. “We even have a special workshop for teachers and educators on how to incorporate puppetry in schools.”
And, of course, it wouldn’t be an Almonte puppet event without a few world-class puppet shows. Several performers have even agreed to be part of panel discussions, taking questions from the audience and sharing some insights into the world of the puppet arts.
Throw in some free children’s activities and a vendor market, and PuppetCon will surely be a can’t-miss addition to the summer calendar.
“We all love the colour and excitement and energy of the main festival, and we’re excited to be bringing that back in 2024,” explains Torrance. “But PuppetCon is an incredible opportunity to help grow and develop the puppet community and further Almonte’s reputation as a hotbed for puppetry. I can’t wait to be sitting in a tent at a Puppets Up! festival in a few years and see a show that was developed by someone who got their start at a PuppetCon!”
For more details and to register to attend, visit <puppetsup.com>.
It’s a sign of spring — the Red Trillium Studio Tour is back! The 2023 spring tour will take place on June 3 and 4, from 10am to 4pm each day in beautiful rural West Ottawa.
The Red Trillium Studio Tour has been running semi-annually for more than 24 years. While there have been some changes over the years, the talent and creativity of the artists and the warm welcome that you will receive at every studio remains the same.
There are 11 studio stops with 25 artists, juried by the Red Trillium Studio Tour organizers to ensure that you will find a variety of artistic and creative expressions. This year there are eight artists who are new to the tour. Whether you are simply looking to take a picturesque road trip, or are seeking a treasure or gift, there is something for everyone. Having multiple artists at some studios reduces the driving time — check out <redtrilliumst.com> and download the map. Plan your route based on your interests and time. Families and friends often do the tour together — it’s a great way to see the countryside and support local artists.
Interested in pottery? Then visit Studios 1 and 2 in the Kinburn area. Studio 1 is the home of Teresa Wingar, whose unique pottery is influenced by 18th Century English slipware. Teresa has two guest artists: Tamara Campbell, an abstract artist working in mixed media; and Gilly Marston, a landscape and wildlife painter and photographer. At Studio 2 (Pine Ridge Studio) you’ll find Lis Allison, another talented potter whose work is inspired by the beautiful gardens at Pine Ridge. Lis has three guests: Brenda Beattie, a watercolour artist; Micheal Peterson, who creates unique functional baskets; and Olga Girsa, an artist new to the tour who works primarily in acrylics.
Studio 3 in Woodlawn is the home of Steve Duffield, where you can see his workshop and his original creations using local wood. Steve enjoys the creativity he finds in working with wood.
Studio 4 in MacLaren’s Landing is home to “Shiny Things by Roxanne”, a glass artist and jewellery designer. Roxanne will be joined by Kevin and Sandra of “MurKay Creations”, also glass artists. Together they will be giving demonstrations of flame working (melting and blowing glass). Roxanne has two guest artists new to the tour this year: Jane Cass, an award-winning nature and landscape photographer; and Wendo Van Essen, a fibre artist who creates whimsical felted creatures, brooches and pin cushions.
At Studio 5 in Buckham’s Bay West you’ll find artist Marlene Othmer, who creates colourful panels of stained glass. She is hosting two guest artists: Steve Svarckopf and Thérèse Boisclair. Steve is also new to the Tour and is a woodworker. Thérèse, an abstract artist, enjoys combining the bold colors of acrylic painting with tissue paper to achieve a myriad of textures and patterns.
Unfortunately, Studio 6 in Constance Bay was impacted by severe flooding and has withdrawn from the spring tour. Hopefully they will return for the fall tour.
Studio 7 in Constance Bay is the home of Carolyn Sandor-Weston. Carolyn works with two different media — stone sculpture and acrylic painting — which she uses to tell stories through her art. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, you have several options nearby: The Lighthouse, The Point Dining Lounge, or The Bay Café.
Studio 8 in Dunrobin is home to Jeffrey Sugarman. Jeffrey explores art through his painting, metal sculpture and his garden. Jeffrey will be hosting guest artist Carolyn Barnett, who creates one-of-a-kind hand-loomed knits and felted clothing.
The Heart and Soul Café, on the way to Studio 9, is a good place to enjoy some home-cooked food. Then at Studio 9 you’ll find landscape artist Karl Kischel. Whether canoeing in Algonquin Park or hiking in the Carp Hills nearby, he finds inspiration around every corner.
Studio 10 is the home of Jennifer Ajersch, another artist new to the tour. Jennifer uses acrylic paints to capture the beauty of our Canadian landscapes, as well as pets and the local cows of West Carleton. Jennifer is hosting guest artist Sue Gibb of “Hazy DayZ Dragonflies”. Sue creates hand-crafted life-size copper dragonflies and butterflies.
St. Mary’s Church is Studio 11. This old stone church is a lovely setting for three artists: John Chamney, Rain Kazymerchyk and Bryce Ritchie. John creates beautiful functional wooden turned bowls, pepper mills, salt grinders and more. Rain is the artist behind “Silvercidal Tendencies”, designing and creating beautiful silver jewellery. Bryce Ritchie is another artist new to the tour, an abstract artist who works mostly with acrylic paints and markers.
Studio 12, which is located near Carp, is the workshop of Jake Baldry, another artist new to the tour. Jake found his passion for creating one-of-a-kind wood home décor a few years ago. He loves to create items from driftwood and barnboard.
In the village of Carp you can visit Ridge Rock Brewery or Alice’s Village Café for dine-in or take-out. The Cheshire Cat, close to Carp, is another popular eatery.
Please check Facebook for posts about the spring tour. Enjoy the drive and art that you will find on the Red Trillium Studio Tour!
On Monday, June 12, students are back at it again for Almonte and District High School’s fifth annual Relay for Life event. After having great success at the event last year with the students raising over $47,000 for cancer research, they are ecstatic about this year’s event and are well on their way to reaching this year’s goal of $20,000, with over $12,000 raised so far.
Relay for Life is an event where a community, organization or school comes together to raise money for cancer research through the Canadian Cancer Society. It is a twelve-hour event where participants walk laps to show that “we are bigger than cancer.” Leading up to the event, the students fundraise as much money as possible for cancer research.
Jenna Acheson, a grade 12 student and the chair of Almonte DHS’s Relay for Life committee says “I am absolutely astounded by how much of an impact Almonte DHS has made towards the Canadian Cancer Society. Seeing the event year after year is so inspiring and makes me beyond proud of my school and community!” Relay for Life has long been an event that can bring communities together all over Canada.
As grade 10 student and Relay for Life committee member Olivia Falco says, “Last year, our Relay event proved to me that even as a small town, we are capable of making a huge difference.” The committee hopes that this year’s event on June 12 is just as successful, if not even more successful than last year’s.
If you would like to donate and help the students at Almonte DHS reach their goal of $20,000, you can go to <relayforlife.ca/Almonte> and show that together, “we are bigger than cancer.”
On July 11, the John Levi Community Centre in Almonte is going to be transformed into a Texas roadhouse when the formidable Texas Horns from Austin come to town right after their appearance at this year’s RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa. The Texas Horns have backed up countless American roots and blues legends, and individually they have played with some of the most important North American musical icons including Albert Collins, Doug Sahm and Freddy Fender, Colin James and many others. They currently perform with Jimmie Vaughan, and recently opened for Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall. John Mills (the baritone sax man in the group) even played in Rodney Dangerfield’s act! Their new album Everybody Let’s Roll has been a huge success on the American roots and blues charts.
Last year, local musician and promoter Matt Chaffey convinced the Horns to play a couple of pre-Bluesfest shows in the Ottawa Valley. That experience was such a success that Matt is bringing the group back to town for a repeat performance. theHumm had a chance to connect with Matt to find out more this dynamic musical group and what they might have in store for Ottawa Valley audiences.
theHumm: People who caught the show last year know what a talented and entertaining group they are, but can you describe The Texas Horns concert experience for those who weren’t there?
Matt Chaffey: The Texas Horns — Kaz Kazanoff, John Mills and Al Gomez, hailing from Austin, Texas — have a powerful sound. They play rhythm and blues Texas-style on tenor saxophone, trumpet and baritone saxophone. When you hear them live you get to hear a group of musicians who have played together for 25 years and who have backed up many legends of the American roots and blues tradition. They bring all of their experience and dedication to their performances and the sound they make together is truly joyous. Last year’s show was a big success, and we are very much looking forward to bringing it back to Almonte. You can hear some of the material from their new album Everybody Let’s Roll on Blue Heart records at <thetexashorns.com>.
What is your history with The Texas Horns? Where did you first meet and how have you collaborated over the years?
I met them while performing at the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest many years ago. We have played together on many shows at that festival with many fantastic artists including WC Clark, Lavelle White, Billy Gibson, David Maxwell, Red Young and MonkeyJunk. I’ve also played with them as part of their own show, and they have joined me on many of my own projects. In late February of 2020 I was fortunate to make a record with them in Austin, Texas, with Kaz Kazanoff producing. That will see the light of day in 2024.
Who will be joining the Horns on stage?
This concert features me on guitar and vocals, Maple Blues award winner Laura Greenberg on bass, Stephen Adubofuor on drums and Leighton Rodney on keyboards. This is a great group backing the horns this year. And as a bonus there will be a special guest.
For folks who are heading to Bluesfest this year, when and where can they catch you?
This year I will be performing my new album Unknown Legend in its entirety with a 9-piece band behind me! I’ll be on the Sirius XM stage at 9pm on Saturday, July 8. The Texas Horns will be performing that same day at 6:30pm on the River Stage. Both the Texas Horns and I will be appearing in each other’s shows.
The Texas Horns are performing at John Levi Community Centre in Almonte on July 11 at 7pm. There will be a cash bar. Tickets are $40 plus applicable fees from Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434)
The Rideau Lakes Studio Tour is back for its 25th anniversary, and it promises to be a spectacular showcase of the region’s finest artists. Taking place on Canada Day weekend, July 1 and 2, the event will feature more than 18 artists opening their studios to the public, allowing visitors to see how these talented creators work their magic.
To celebrate, they are offering studio visitors a chance to win a $250 gift certificate which can be redeemed with any of the participating artists! Check out their website at <rideaulakesstudiotour.ca> for more information.
The tour will take place throughout the beautiful Rideau Lakes region, providing an opportunity for visitors to explore the natural beauty of the area while also discovering some of Canada’s most talented artists. With painters and sculptors, potters, weavers, beaders, carvers, glass workers and more, the tour promises something for everyone, and visitors will be able to meet with the artists, learn about their creative processes, and purchase their work.
But the studio tour is more than just a showcase of artistic talent — it’s also a celebration of the vibrant community that makes the Rideau Lakes region so special. As visitors travel from studio to studio they’ll enjoy stunning views of the lakes and countryside, sample local food and drink, and connect with the friendly and welcoming people who call this area home.
For many of the artists involved in the tour, it is an opportunity to connect with their audience and share their passion for their work. By showcasing their art in their studios, they create a more intimate and personal experience for visitors, making it an unforgettable event for all involved.
“I look forward to the interaction with people and the opportunity to show them my work in my own studio in the village where I draw much of my inspiration,” says award-winning wildfowl sculptor and painter Ted Stewart of Niska Studios. “It’s a chance to share my creative process and demonstrate some of my carving techniques.”
For visitors, the studio tour offers a chance to discover new artists, add to their art collections, and experience the beauty of the Rideau Lakes region in a unique and meaningful way. With so much to see and explore, visitors are encouraged to plan their route in advance and take advantage of the many resources available on the website.
Whether you’re a seasoned art collector or simply looking for a fun and inspiring way to celebrate Canada Day weekend, the Rideau Lakes Studio Tour is an event not to be missed. Come discover the beauty and creativity of this vibrant community and join in the celebration of 25 years of artistic excellence.
Rideau Lakes Studio Tour would like to thank the Rideau Lakes Township for their generous grant, and Lake 88.1 for their advertising partnership.
Darrell Graham has raised the outstanding amount of $12,000 so far for the June 10 AGH run! He used his business name, Darrell Thomas Textiles, to create a fundraising page for the Almonte General Hospital Run for Women’s Health, and he’s determined to keep adding to this incredible support for women’s health equipment. I met him as he paced his route recently, and he’s not setting any limits on how much he can raise if enough people get behind him. Darrell is very passionate about this fundraiser and is pressing all the right buttons to make this run a huge success as he measures out every metre of his way to the finish line!
But let’s hear about his mission from Darrell:
“I have owned my company for 23 years. And for that time, women are primarily my majority client. I am a feminist and love what women bring to the world. I also love my mom who was the greatest woman I have ever known. But most of all, I love making a change and helping people.
“One of my goals has always been to give back to the community and do fundraisers like this, and running a 5K is a small sacrifice for me to be able to make a difference. I have not run in a very long time, but I am now going to take the plunge. I am lacing up my runners to tackle the 2023 Almonte General Hospital’s Run for Women’s Health.
“All of the funds that I raise will support our local hospital in purchasing equipment that provides necessary care within the Obstetrics Department and Women’s Health area. 100% of these funds will help the foundation fund urgently needed equipment in the birthing centre and in support of women’s health care.
“Women play a pivotal role in the sustainable development of any country. Time and time again, women have proved themselves as leaders in all fields of life be it healthcare, education, as well as cultural development as a whole. The majority of our clientele have always been women and it is my honour to try and give back to them.
“Did you know that although the Ontario government funds the operation of hospitals, it does not provide funding for replacement or new clinical equipment? That means $0 given to our hospital other than fundraising events like this.
“The moment we think about helping someone, we often take a step back, looking at our pockets. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’ Would you help me in making a difference? If you would like to help, please go to <aghfvmf.givecloud.co/fundraisers/darrell-thomas-textiles>
“Thanks sew much for your support!”
All the best on June 10, Darrell, and thanks for your boundless enthusiasm and fundraising efforts to make our community a more caring place.
Please help Darrell prove that his capacity to support Women’s Health at the Almonte General Hospital is unlimited!
If you’re a fan of truly great blues music, you won’t have to wait until the fall to get your Blues on the Rideau (BOTR) fix at The Cove Inn in Westport. BOTR and The Cove are delighted to announce a brand-new Summer Outdoor Blues Series, featuring the same great dinner, show and dancing combo that has made their winter series so popular. We’ll bring you all the details in our July issue, but we thought the keeners might want to book early and save the following dates…
On July 13, the JUNO award-winning Steve Strongman Band <stevestrongman.com> comes up from Hamilton to kick the series off, with proceeds going to the Westport Lions Club Beach. On August 10 you can catch Ottawa’s phenomenal MonkeyJunk <monkeyjunkband.com>, with proceeds going to the Friends of the Westport Arena. Then on September 7, the fabulous Miss Emily <themissemily.com> brings her band up from Kingston for a show that supports the Westport Food Bank.
All shows take from 5–9pm place rain or shine. The price of $130 (plus HST) per person includes a delicious buffet dinner, the show, door prizes and the donation to charity. Reservations are required, so phone 273–3636 now to grab yours and visit <bluesontherideau.ca> for more details.
As one who struggled to learn French as an adult, I am amazed at the ease with which young children pick up new languages. I believe that similar forces are at play in how we connect with nature and with nurturing growing things. I attribute much of my interest and success in gardening to working alongside my paternal grandmother at a very young age. I have to admit that I am not nearly the perfectionist that she was — I can still see her spacing bean seeds exactly two inches apart with the scar down.
However, I am the first to admit that gardening is a bit of a hard sell to most kids (and to many adults). Truth be told, it isn’t completely the bucolic activity that I like to imagine. There are weeds to pull, bugs to pick and squeeze, potatoes to hill and of course elements to brave — rain, wind, heat, mosquitos and deer and racoons…
Several decades ago, I tried to get my boys interested. And to be completely honest I often had to resort to bribery, promising a donut on the way home from our allotment gardens in the Alta Vista area of Ottawa. But my boys often found ways to amuse themselves. One of my “fond” memories was the time they led me down the main garden path, whereupon I stepped into a rather large hole in the pathway. The young lads had cleverly dug a hole in the pathway and covered it with branches, creating what they called an “elephant trap”.
Our schools do yeoman service by including gardening among the myriad components of curriculum. In many cases schools form partnerships with local horticultural clubs or community gardens. Kids often plant seeds such as peas, beans or sunflowers in little pots and watch them germinate and grow in school room windows and then take them home at the end of the school term. Some parents have confessed to me that the little plants did not thrive in their new home environment. Many schools also have a garden with raised boxes where kids start plants. The problem of course is who is going to look after these gardens when schools are closed for the summer.
Youth Centres are perhaps a better fit for our gardening season, as their programs ramp up for the summer.
Sharon Ruth, Executive Director of the Carleton Place Youth Centre, describes their mission as one to inspire, engage and celebrate youth through social, educational recreational activities and community participation encouraging a youth base invested in their local community.
The Youth Centre has raised beds that are used in their gardening program. They are planted in the spring by Youth Centre participants, staff and volunteers. The centre runs a weekly summer camp, and tending to the garden will be part of the day camp program. Volunteers are available to help when needed and to ensure the garden is growing as planned.
Sharon notes that: “They feel that this gardening program will teach youth aged 8–18 valuable skills for their futures when it comes to being able to grow their own food. The harvest of these gardens will be used in their own cooking classes, and any extra produce will be donated to the local food bank. Donating the extra vegetables to the food bank also teaches youth the importance of supporting the communities in which they live, particularly those more vulnerable to food scarcity and insecurity. From planting to watering and weeding, this activity will become a daily component during summer camp as focus will be put on our growing abundance. The goal is for youth to take pride in their accomplishments and find enthusiasm for one day growing a garden of their own.”
The summer camp is for ages 8–12 and runs Monday to Friday, with each week having a different theme. Operating alongside of this camp is the Leaders in Training program for youth aged 13–18. This program is geared to high school students who will earn volunteer hours, valuable leadership and personal skills, and be able to deliver an activity that they have created throughout the week to the summer camp participants.
Email <cpycsummercamps@gmail.com> for more information on the summer camps, or <cpyccoordinator@gmail.com> for more information on the Leaders in Training program.
Lilli Nothnagel, Executive Director of the Mississippi Youth Centre, is clearly on the same page. She opines that: “Volunteer gardening programs for youth increase the chances that they will have a life-long interest in their community, while allowing them to connect with fresh and local food. Research shows that volunteer garden programs help to decrease their stress and anxiety levels overall as well as fostering responsibility. The Mississippi Mills Youth Centre has noticed that youth are able to build intergenerational community relationships through our gardening programs.”
To learn more or to register for MMYC’s volunteer garden program, please email <programcoordinator@mmyc.ca> or call 256–5959.
For adults who want to help the community and learn a lot about vegetable gardening, might I suggest volunteering at the garden created by the Lanark County Food Bank in Blakeney. This two-acre garden began its third year in May. In the first two years, 30,000 pounds of fresh organic produce was grown for food bank clients. Volunteers are asked to commit to a weekly 3-hour shift throughout the growing season. Experienced gardeners lead the work in a gorgeous rural setting. For more information, please contact food bank manager Tammy Parent at <lcfb.thehungerstop@gmail.com>.
On June 20, come to Appleseed Farm in White Lake for a compost learning adventure. Ground-breaking research into the soil food web will be presented by instructors Keisha and Casey Ernst. Go deeper into understanding the life of soil and learn practical hands-on techniques useful for a wide range of composting methods, from backyard to large scale. Plus, discover how microscopes improve your understanding of our complex soil ecology. This course will give you all the new tools to improve soil health.
From small garden to large scale — this program suits municipal waste, farmers and compost operators as well as gardeners, soil lovers and the nature-curious.
First, dive deep into biological composting and the different ways that beneficial soil microbes can be cultivated at home. The group will tour the different bioregions of the farm, collecting samples to assess microscopically, and look at the various processes and materials that can be used to create rich soil.
There will be a focus on application of compost extracts, compost teas and infusions. Participants will learn how to create nematode extractions and protozoa infusions.
Important to the new science method is microscope use. If you are already making compost or working with living soil, please bring a sample with you to take a closer look at the microbes. If you own a microscope, please bring it along as well.
Presenters Keisha and Casey Ernst have been focusing on soil regeneration and habitat restoration as a team since 2011. They have studied under Dr. Elaine Ingham over the past eight years and worked with her on many projects. In 2018, Catalyst BioAmendments <catalystbioamendments.com> was founded as an experimental and educational focused compost lot. The aim was to apply the techniques taught by Dr. Ingham to compost made at large scale and to improve the processes to ensure the product is reliably hosting diverse populations of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes.
Catalyst was successful in creating a biological focused product, and since 2019 Keisha and Casey have been using the compost with their consulting. They are working to raise food quality by helping farmers increase microbial biomass in their agricultural soils. Their work supports microbe farmers world-wide in improving composting practices.
Their main focus is on fostering a community around microbe farming. They have a passion for helping the unseen lives in the soil come into view through images and videos taken with a microscope and hands-on workshops where everyone can explore together.
The workshop runs from 10am to 5pm on June 20, and lunch is included. Early bird registration is $125 (after June 4, the cost is $150). Payment can be made by etransfer to <mark.mackenzie@appleseedlawn.com> (Cangro Enterprises Inc.). Appleseed Farm is located at 549 Kippen Road in White Lake. For event details and updates, find Appleseed Farms on Facebook and visit <ONfungi.net>.
Dust off your lawn chairs and celebrate the dads in your life on Sunday, June 18 with music in the garden of the Mississippi Mills Public Library, Almonte branch. Join the Friends of the Library for an afternoon concert featuring the talented sounds of TRiPOD. Hailing from Elphin, Ontario, TRiPOD is not unfamiliar to Almonte audiences, having first appeared at Canada Day celebrations in 2018. Settle down among the peonies and irises to enjoy original and cover tunes from this talented trio.
TRiPOD’s pianist, Kathryn Briggs, started lessons at the age of seven and began teaching music in her teens. It wasn’t long after meeting Terry Tufts in the 90s that she recorded her first instrumental album Small Awakenings, produced by songwriter Ian Tamblyn. Kathryn has since performed solo at many festivals and as an accompanist to musicians from across Canada, such as Laura Smith, Kelli Trottier and David Francey.
A brilliant guitar and mandolin player, Terry has worked with artists such as Tom Paxton, Jesse Winchester, Brent Titcomb, James Keelaghan, Oliver Shcroer, David Francey and the Arrogant Worms. Powerful messages are woven throughout his songs, with lyrics that celebrate life and all its twists and turns. As the Museum of Canadian Music (MOCM) notes, “There is something about his sound that revisits that combination of Lightfoot’s voice and Red Shea’s guitar work, spilling from only one man.” With the encouragement of Almonte luthier Linda Manzer, Terry and Kathryn formed the Algonquin Ensemble, a musical project interpreting the artwork of Tom Thompson. Sonic Palette: Tom Thomson’s Voice Through Music 100 Years Later, premiered at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in 2017.
Their daughter Beth’s entire life has been surrounded by music. As the youngest member of TRiPOD, she joined the group somewhere between Parry Sound and Thunder Bay, when the family toured Canada. She will bring her own vocal stylings to this Father’s Day concert.
Save the date for a wonderful musical afternoon, June 18 at 2:30pm, the first of our Solstice Concert Series. The lush library garden is maintained by volunteers of the Almonte and District Horticultural Society (established 1921). Tickets are available at Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434). Please bring your own lawn chair. In case of rain, the concert will be held indoors at the library.
The Friends of the Mississippi Mills Public Library (FMMPL) is a fundraising group that works to support and promote the services of the Mississippi Mills Public Library. We offer elegant artisans wares at the Friendshop, opposite the circulation desk at the Almonte branch of the library. We can be found running online auctions, a mammoth book sale and the Solstice Concert Series. Anyone is welcome to join FMMPL through the annual membership of $10/person or $25/corporate membership. FMMPL is always looking for new, enthusiastic friends to help support our fundraising efforts. Contact us at <friends@missmillslibrary.com> or visit <missmillslibrary.com/about/#Friends>.
Union Hall is a Registered Charity owned and maintained by the community, and is mainly self-sufficient, with financial support from the Municipality of Mississippi Mills as well as the Hub/Rebound. Concentrated efforts throughout the pandemic period, and still ongoing, have resulted in significant improvements to the facility, thanks to support from local businesses and private donations. The hall is a busy place these days, with yoga twice a week and lots of birthday parties and other family events taking place.
Last year at this time we put out a plea for more volunteers, and this resulted in quite a few people coming forward to lend a hand. This year, we are focusing on the need for more Board members. We currently have a crew of seven — but our bylaws allow for up to eleven. Why do we need more? Well, Board members keep day-to-day operations going, including booking the hall and sign, overseeing cleaning, maintenance and renovations, managing the finances, etc., and there is more of all of this work due to increased hall usage. And we really need a Volunteer Coordinator to keep our larger team engaged and happy! The Board meets once every month or so during the warmer months, and everyone pitches in to get the work done. Our philosophy for Board members is: do what you can, according to your abilities, interests and availability. Every effort to share a bit of the workload is appreciated. And let’s face it: we won’t be around forever, so the recruitment of a few new people every year is important.
All are welcome at the Annual General Meeting on June 15 from 7–9pm, where we will report on the past year’s activities, review the finances, elect Board members and make plans for the coming year. The event will start with a presentation by long-time Union Hall supporter Ed Lawrence, who will answer your gardening questions. After a short break for refreshments, the business meeting will begin. Watch local media for more details as the arrangements unfold.
Union Hall is located at 1984 Wolf Grove Road at Tatlock Road. For information about the hall or the AGM, please contact Linda at <camponi@storm.ca> or 808–2781.
Someday I’ll Find You is the novel C.C. Humphreys had to write. It is, he says, “the book of my heart.”
The novel, Chris’s twenty-second, is a dazzling adventure story about a spy and a pilot who fall in love but are wrenched apart during World War II. It’s inspired by his parents’ true story. Chris’s father Peter Humphreys was a fighter pilot with the RAF, and his mother Ingegerd Holter was a Norwegian spy. They fell in love and married in London in 1944. How could he possibly not write about them?
He felt compelled to. However, he points out, “They are not the characters in my novel, Billy and Isle.” They are, however, the inspiration for the story itself, a story he has long wanted to tell and fictionalize.
“My father, the fighter pilot, was not one of those warriors who didn’t talk about it, as many did not,” Chris says. “In so many ways these were his glory days — he had purpose, respect, though he didn’t say what the cost was to him, the sheer terror, which certainly left him scarred. My mother did not tell stories. Partly her guarded nature, mainly I think because the war had not been glorious for her, with her country invaded, friends murdered, and the daily toll that being a spy took — simultaneously dull and terrifying.”
Chris, who comes from a family of storytellers — actors and writers — says he got to know his parents more intimately by imagining their experiences during the war.
“My dad died nearly forty years ago, my mum ten,” he explains. “But getting to understand what they had gone through, how their natures were shaped so much in the crucible of war, helped me understand them much more deeply. Not as ‘parents’, their role with me. As struggling humans, seeking what we all seek. Especially love. But as a novelist,” he adds, “you need to understand the psychology of your characters that has been shaped by experience. Imagining my characters’ lives, gave me insight into my parents’ — and so into mine.”
In some ways, though, Chris found this novel more challenging to write than anything he’d written previously, and he shelved it several times. Chris’s grandfather, Karl Holter, an acclaimed writer and a Nazi, provided the inspiration for the fictional character Wilhelm. This was difficult subject matter to tackle, of course, but in developing his fictional characters, Chris says he did what he always does, “a lot of research, and a lot of imagining.”
“It was hard sometimes to consider why my grandfather sided with the Nazis in Norway,” he says, which in his Author’s Notes for the book he refers to as his family’s “dirty linen.” “Trying to understand that without excusing it.”
With the grace and precision of the skilled novelist he is, he accomplishes that superbly in Someday I’ll Find You — a beautifully written, riveting, deeply moving novel about a man and a woman at war. Accordingly, praise for the internationally bestselling author’s latest thriller is overwhelming wonderful. “A fantastic double-whammy! An edge-of-your-seat war story,” writes Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author of Outlander, “and a nuanced, intriguing romance. Totally immersive and impossible to put down.”
“Someday I’ll Find You is an absolutely wonderful novel… And one I shall read again and again,” raves Genevieve Graham, bestselling author of Bluebird.
“Someday I’ll Find You is, simply put,” says Natalie Jenner, author of Bloomsbury Girls, “Canadian historical fiction at its best.”
Chris says the praise is hugely rewarding.
“It would have been terrible to write the book of my heart and have people go ‘meh’!” he jokes. “What thrills is that the colleagues who have said these lovely things are so accomplished themselves. It is wonderful to be respected by my peers. That said,” he adds, “what I love most is the thought of all these people in Canada taking the journey of this book with me and having their own experiences with it. Each one will have a different experience and I so look forward to hearing how people react, what touches them in the book. That’s truly why I write.”
Someday I’ll Find You has a very cinematic feel to it, I thought, the dialogue pitch-perfect and propulsive. I asked Chris, who is also an accomplished actor and playwright, if his work in film and writing for the stage plays into his writing style as a novelist.
“It absolutely does,” he said. “What drives me as an actor and a playwright also moves me as a novelist. I love to get inside a character, find out what makes them tick, what drives them, see how they succeed, how they cope with failure. To find the common humanity. And yes, in both those trades dialogue is key. I want that propulsive story, and dialogue is such a great way of moving the action forward while revealing who the person is, what they say, what they choose not to. I am also a film nut. Maybe one day they’ll make a film of one of my stories!”
He’s come close, he adds.
Chris, who was born in Toronto and grew up in the UK, now lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. His books have been published in more than ten languages and have won numerous awards. His novel Plague won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada in 2015.
By fortunate happenstance, Chris will be launching Someday I’ll Find You in Perth at The Book Nook on Friday, June 9.
“My brother Alan retired there after forty years with Foreign Affairs,” says Chris. “He loves the town and its people. I haven’t had a chance to visit yet, so my book launch has given me that opportunity. But I won’t just be signing — I’ll be talking about the book, my family history, the challenges and excitements of writing this novel. And I’ll be bringing a piece of a Spitfire!”
He hopes to see lots of people there, and indeed, he should. Get there early for what promises to be a spectacular night of storytelling featuring one of the best writers of historical fiction in the business.
Someday I’ll Find You is available at local independent bookstores like The Book Nook, and wherever fine books are sold.