The decision by members of the Verona Community Association's festival committee to shorten this year's Verona Cattail Festival to two days from its usual three in no way compromised what proved to be another successful festival year.

Organizers somehow managed to cram in all of the regular annual festival events that keep crowds coming back, including the popular duct tape boat races at McMullen park beach, which attracted 18 boats with 36 paddlers and many more people who helped to build the boats.

The opening parade, which took place on Saturday morning along Road 38 was also well attended with a fine array of close to 20 colorful, high-quality floats and numerous young and old bog-inspired characters. Prizes where given out to parade participants in several categories; winners included Sheldon Lovegrove, the Butterfly Princess Willa Morton, the First Verona Scouts for their float and Asselstine Hardware for their huge butterfly-ornamented float.

There were tours of Verona and a bigger and better than ever classic car show that was a huge draw on Sunday. New this year were live steam train demonstrations courtesy of the members of the Frontenac Society of Model Engineers.

The customary wide array of activities for kids were also set up on site and new this year was Morphy the bouncy caterpillar, which was a popular draw. The Cattail Express Train made countless trips around the grounds loaded with youngsters who also enjoyed the cycle and skills centre that was set up in the parking lot. Inside the hall were numerous educational games, displays and demonstrations for the inquisitive types. The canteen offered up regular and special festival treats like funnel cakes and more and the vendors' market this year swelled to include over 40 vendors.

Perhaps the biggest draw of all was the stellar line up of 14 live musical acts that were front and centre at the festival stage from noon till well after sundown. The groups included both local bands and bands from in and around the Kingston area, which kept festival goers entertained and the festival emcees Debbie Lingen and Dick Miller on their toes all weekend long. Juno-nominated Gary Rasberry was commanding the stage when I visited on Saturday while the powerhouse blues band Lisa V and the Roosevelts waited in the wings. The Saturday night headliners, the Rock a Billy All Stars and the Sunday afternoon closers the ToneKats show that entertainment coordinators Linda Bates and Rhonda Storring definitely did their homework. This year's festival was co-managed by Wayne Conway and Ron Bruyns and Conway said he was pleased with the early turn out on Saturday. On average the festival attracts between 2000-3000 visitors and with any luck, though one day shorter this year, festival organizers will continue to meet that mark.

Photos

-VCF parade 1 & 2 courtesy of Louise Day

2016- Debbie Lovegrove and Lily the Fairy strike a pose with Asselstine Hardware's butterfly float ornament

2011- youngsters loved the Festival's new Morphy the Caterpillar bouncy tunnel

Close to 50 trail users and numerous members of staff from the County of Frontenac and Township of South Frontenac, along with other dignitaries attended the festive official opening of Phase ll of the Frontenac K&P Trail, which took place at the bridge at Hardwood Creek in Verona on August 9.

The K& P trail is part of the Trans-Canada Trail in Ontario, which extends over 2000 kilometres and connects numerous communities across the province from Windsor to Ottawa. This phase completes one of the last gaps of the trail in Ontario. South Frontenac Councilor Allan McPhail, who has chaired the County of Frontenac Advisory Committee for Trails, has seen the trail expand from Orser Road in Kingston up to Verona in his four years as chair. Phase ll of the project extended the trail from Harrowsmith in an 11 kilometre stretch to Verona and included the rebuilding of the Hardwood Creek bridge, which had been removed by the trail's former owner, Bell Telephone.

According to McPhail, the replacement of bridges has been one of the major obstacles along the way as they are by far the most expensive part of the rebuilding project. Phase ll was funded significantly through Trans-Canada Trails and the Government of Ontario through the Pan Am/Parapan Am Trails initiative.

MPP for Kingston and the Islands, Sophie Kiwala, congratulated all the parties involved and said that the Frontenac County section of the trail is a great investment. It will not only link up sections of the Trans-Canada Trail but will also connect the trail to four major game venues and will incorporate trail markers at points of historical and cultural significance. "This trails investment is part of the broader $42 million Pan Am/Parapan Am Games promotion celebrations and legacy strategy, which will ensure a lasting legacy and will benefit Ontarians all across the province,” Kiwala said.

Al MacPherson is president of the Kawartha Trans-Canada Trail Association and chair of the board of the Trans-Canada Trail Association. He is a professor and author and is passionate about Ontario trails. He spoke of the inception of the idea to build a Trans-Canada Trail, which came about in the year 1992 at a meeting he was at in Banff, Alberta. “Everyone in the room said yes, but everyone outside that room didn't agree. But now here we are, over 20 years later with the trail 75% complete.” He also spoke of the beauty of this particular section of the trail. He is committed to developing trails because, “They are gateways to nature, to active living and they also help preserve and showcase the natural beauty of this beautiful country of ours.” He credited the communities of Frontenac county that have enabled the Phase ll project to happen.

The next phase of the extension, Phase III, will take place this fall and will include reconditioning the trail up to Cole Hill church located at White Lake Road north of Godfrey. After that the trail will be extended through Tichborne where it passes across private property before finally reaching Sharbot Lake.

Regarding negotiations with the private property owners in that section, McPhail said that the county has been in contact with them through letters and other communications yearly in the hopes of beginning official negotiations in the near future. McPhail hopes that the county will be able to reach an agreement with those property owners so that the trail can proceed with as few obstacles as possible. His message to those property owners, "If the trail is not right beside your home, and you have a large property, please consider allowing the trail to pass through.”

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony guests enjoyed cake and free wagon rides courtesy of Wayne Garrison and his able horse team of Prince and Skittles.

Phase II of the Frontenac K&P Trail, from Harrowsmith to the north end of Verona, will officially open on Saturday, August 9.
The public is invited to join representatives from the Government of Ontario, Trans-Canada Trail and Frontenac County for an official opening ceremony at 1:30p.m., followed by light refreshments and free horse-drawn wagon rides along the trail.
“This stretch of the Frontenac K&P Trail cuts through a beautiful area of the Frontenacs,” says Bud Clayton, Warden of the County of Frontenac. “Heading north from Harrowsmith, users venture through agricultural land, wooded areas, rock cuts, and wetlands before coming to the Hardwood Creek Bridge and its beautiful views, then on through the village of Verona.”
This official opening will celebrate the redevelopment of Phase II, which was completed in 2013, in part due to funding received through the Trans-Canada Trail (TCT) and the Government of Ontario through the Pan Am/Parapan Am Trails initiative. “The Trans-Canada Trail is delighted to have been able to support the development of this section of greenway trail that means so much to people living in the Frontenac area, and that helps bring us closer to our goal of connecting our national Trail and Canadians by 2017,” says Al MacPherson, Chair of Trans-Canada Trail Ontario, who will speak on behalf of the TCT.
“Ontario is helping close the gaps along Ontario’s Trans Canada Trail as a major legacy investment of the 2015 Games,” said Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. “Once complete, the Pan Am/Parapan AmTrails will connect Frontenac County to communities across the province. An incredible Games legacy, the trails will promote healthy lifestyles while providing valuable recreational and active transportation opportunities for Ontarians of all ages and abilities.”
Work has begun on the redevelopment of Phase III, which will see the installation of another bridge at White Creek and the redevelopment of 9.8km of trail from the north end of Verona through to White Lake Road. The redevelopment of the Frontenac K&P through to Sharbot Lake is expected to be completed in 2017.

A wide variety of local business owners on the lookout for grant money to grow their businesses attended the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation's grants workshop at the Verona Lions hall on July 16. Numerous presentations were made, including two by the FCFDC's executive director, Anne Prichard, who spoke about the new Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP)and their collaborative projects grants.

Presentations were also made by several other organizations who give out grants. Stephanie Attwood of the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) outlined the various Trillium grants available to groups and organizations, and Chris Gleeson, a senior business advisor with the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment, spoke about their special programs. Amy McFadden from FEDDEV (Federal Economic Development Agency) Ontario spoke about the Southern Ontario Prosperity Initiatives that her organization runs. Karen McGregor of the St. Lawrence Employment Centre in Sharbot Lake outlined the employee subsidies and grants her organization offers.

The workshop attracted over 60 business owners from a diverse group. Among them was Tom Richardson, general manager of Lanark/Mazinaw Forest Inc., who has worked in the past with the FCFDC on various training projects. He said he is looking again to the FCFDC for training and capacity building grants for forest workers specifically from the Algonquin First Nations community in the area.

Rena Upitis, executive director of Wintergreen Studios, the eco lodge and education centre located on Canoe Lake Road, was in attendance to find out more about the changes to funding opportunities and possible new funding opportunities. As a not-for-profit business Wintergreen has received funding from the FCFDC in the past and most recently from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which enabled them over the last year to prepare and bring workshops on sustainability, renewable energy and sustainable building off site to over 400 individuals. With that funding now running out, Upitis said she is looking at other funding opportunities to expand their workshops and specifically to bring similar workshops to local youth and seniors in the area. Upitis was also looking for funding to develop a local festival for Geo-caching.

Sven Schlegel and Willa Murray of Mari Cla Ro, from Toronto, design and make bags and accessories from recycled materials. They moved their studio/workshop to Snow Road in January 2013 and are looking for funding so that they can further develop their product lines as well as bring their products to Europe and the US. Schlegel said that in the past the company has received funding from the FCFDC.

Michael Tkautz of Green City Initiatives is hoping to develop an urban farm either in rural or downtown Kingston. He is currently looking for partnerships and funding opportunities to build “an organic farm for inner city dwellers with zero emissions and transportation and with year round crop production that uses 70% less water, no chemicals and zero fossil fuels.”

Laura Carter, manager of branch operations for the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, was looking specifically at Trillium grants but also at other grant opportunities that could be accessed in partnership with other businesses. The KFPL has in the past received OTF grants, one of which helped to renovate the library in Hartington. Carter said she is also looking at other collaborative projects to help expand technology in the region.

Ian Brumell, treasurer of the Cloyne and District Historical Society, said the society is ”always looking for grant and employment opportunities” and that the organization has in the past successfully received OTF grants for their Pioneer Museum renovations. Laura Bradley, Jim Pine and Lisa Severson, all staff of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, the company that brought high speed internet to Eastern Ontario, were looking for “economic development opportunities to assist with digital strategies for their ten-year program” as it relates to economic development and specifically to “a study of cell gap analysis for eastern Ontario”. They hope to create a project similar to their broadband improvements. Farmers were also well represented at the meeting. Dianne Dowling was in attendance wearing numerous hats. As president of the National Farmers Union, Local 316 she was looking for EODP funding for possible new projects “helpful to the local food and farm system”' as well as exploring funding opportunities for “larger collaborative food hub/food cluster projects.” She was also on the lookout for funding to update the Local 316's local food directory, Food Down The Road. As a member of the board of the Kingston and Area Seed Initiative (KASSI), she was looking for funding for possible individual or co-op projects designed to “increase the amount of locally adapted and used seed in order to grow a more resilient, sustainable and self-reliant food system in the area.” Lastly, as a member of the recently formed Food Policy Council of Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington, Dowling was exploring funding opportunities for upcoming concrete food policy projects.

These were just some of the business people who attended the grant workshop and they represent a diverse group of local business owners and operators hoping to grow their business with the help of the FCFDC and other organizations offering up grant money.

Members of the Verona Community Association held their fifth annual Family Fishing Day at the beach in McMullen Park on July 12. The free event, which coincided with the last free family fishing weekend this summer, attracted 67 children and 64 adults to Rock Lake in Verona where fishers of all ages cast their lines into the lake from the two floating docks there. A plethora of prizes were given out to every child and included fishing rods, reels, tackle boxes , sweat shirts, toys and more. The event included a free lunch of blue jay ball park hot dogs, popcorn, watermelon and drinks.

Linda Bates, who is the vice president of the VCA, said that the aim of the event is to attract members of the community to enjoy being together, having a meal and having a bit of fishing fun in the sun. The VCA wishes to thanks the 16 volunteers who helped out and all of the sponsors who made the event possible as well as all of the participants who took part in the event.

The Verona Cattail Festival has announced this year's entertainment line-up. The festival will take place on Aug. 9 and 10 at the Verona Lions Centre, Verona. The festival, which began 19 years ago, will feature 14 outstanding bands from Kingston and the Frontenacs.

" It is important that the festival provide a platform for local talent to play," stresses Linda Bates, entertainment coordinator. "Kingston and the Frontenacs have a lot of awesome musicians. It was very difficult to narrow the list of incredible talent down to 14 bands. The line-up includes Juno nominated musician Gary Rasberry, the KingsTown Tenors, the Limestone City Voices, the Monarchs, Rockabilly Allstars, and much more." Linda adds, "The energetic lineup offers a mix of different genres that should keep everyone enthused and tapping their toes for both festival days. The wide range of music includes Country, Celtic, Blues, Folk to Rock and Roll. The Verona Cattail Festival is a wonderful venue for the community. It provides a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere to sit back and enjoy all the local talent. " Linda concludes

The Verona Cattail Festival is a Verona Community Association event, with proceeds going back into the community. Since its inception, the festival has helped create The Music in the Park Concerts, the Family Fishing Day, Christmas in the Village, the Christmas Day dinner and the Flower Barrel Contest, all free events. Admission to the Verona Cattail Festival is $5 for each day, children 12 and under are free. For more information visit veronafestival.com

Jamboree goers of all ages visited the 63rd annual annual Verona Lions Jamboree at the Verona Lions grounds on July 4, 5 and 6. The event, which is one of Verona Lions' major fundraisers of the year, usually begins on a Thursday but this year it was moved ahead one day and commenced on the Friday due to Canada Day falling on Tuesday and midway staff not being able to set up in time for a Thursday opening. That being said, the three-day event included everything regular jamboree goers have come to expect, including the midway rides that this year included a new Surfs Up ride, games of chance, bingo under the pavilion and of course the Lions famous Jamboree burgers.

The next big summer fundraiser for the Verona Lions will be their annual garlic festival, which will take place at the Lions hall on Sat. August 30.

Music lovers will be happy to know that the Verona Community Associations free summer concert series has returned for another season at McMullen beach in Verona. Famed flautist Anne Archer who also plays locally with opened the season with the first concert in the series that took place on June 29 on a hot and windy day at the beach where she was joined on her flute and tin whistle by two members of the Celtic Kitchen Party's Andrew Vanhorn of Kingston on lead vocals and guitar and Ted Hsu also a Kingstonian on fiddle.

The groups performed their celtic flavoured repertoire that included a number of beloved singalong tunes including The Irish Rover, Farewell to Nova Scotia, Rattlin' Bog, and Dirty Old Town brought out the Irish in many listeners who sang along on many tunes. The trio played two sets and their laid back charm and their perfect blend made for a memorable day of high quality music at the beach. Members of the Verona Community Association offers up a canteen at the concerts where hot dogs and cold beverages are available as well as free train rides for kids on the VCA's Cattail express. The series' two upcoming concerts include Chuckwagon Express who will be performing their repertoire of classic and traditional country music on Sunday July 20. Rock and rollers The Monarchs will performing classic rock from the 1960's- 1980's at the final concert in the series that will take place on Sunday August 17.

The concerts take place at in Verona at McMullen beach from 1:00-3:00Pm and in case of heavy rain or thunderstorms will be moved to the Verona Lions hall on Verona Sand Road. For those who missed the first concert of the VCA series, Anne Archer will also be performing with her classical group CACCIA at the Mill Street Cafe in Sydenham on Saturday July 5 from 11:45 AM-1:45PM and again with her four piece flute quartet Toute Ensemble for an afternoon of music and poetry at The Book Store in Tamworth on Sunday July 6 at 2:00PM.

In an effort to get young students involved with the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life, staff at Prince Charles Public School in Verona held their own special Relay for Life event at the school on June 20. The school’s Relay is now in its fourth year and included a presentation in the gym in which Cam Whalen, a fundraiser/relationship manager with the Canadian Cancer Society in Eastern Ontario, spoke about the importance of the CCS's annual Relay event and how the funds raised are used to help individuals battling the disease. School Principal Peter Dendy invited his mother Joyce Dendy, a cancer survivor, to participate in the PCPS relay. Joyce who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, underwent surgery and treatment, and is now cancer free. I spoke to her at the event and she stressed the importance of women getting regular mammograms. She said that she regularly takes part in the annual Kingston Breast Cancer Action Kingston Walk as well. She was pleased to be able to come to the school and said that the event is an important one for students. “As time goes on students will remember these kinds of events and will come to realize that they have done something to help”, she said.

After the formal gym presentation, Joyce proceeded to the school’s track and lapped it, after which she received multiple “high fives” from the students as she passed by. The students were then invited to Relay on the track along with her.

Prior to the relay students were given envelopes and asked to fundraise and it was announced at the presentation that they raised over $2,000 for the cause. Leading up to the event students were made aware of various cancer statistics and the importance of raising funds so that more research can be done and more services can be made available to those diagnosed the disease.

Lisa Cousins-Badour, who teaches at the school, said the Relay is an important way of making students aware of the disease, how best to prevent it and how to help support the efforts of the CCS. Congratulations to all of the students, who not only reached but surpassed their $2,000 goal. Students who raised the most funds will be winning a special prize; they will be dyeing PCPS teacher Ms. Edmonds’ hair as a reward for their efforts.

photo-2012

On June 6, Prince Charles Public School held their Panther Palooza. The annual event Palooza is a chance for the Verona community to come together for some Friday evening fun and to fundraise for the school, which is looking this year to purchase new school sports team uniforms and a new sound system.

Palooza is now in its fourth year and was resurrected after a one-year absence. It is put on by the special events committee of the school's parent council, and included performances by the 11 student finalists in a talent show that took place earlier in the week. Students played musical instruments and sang and danced on the large stage set up behind the school specially for the event. Youngsters also had a chance to enjoy a number of games, a petting zoo and barbecue. Inside the school guests had a chance to bid on a number of items, all donated by individuals and local businesses, and a live auction was held outdoors that offered up special theme baskets created by students in each class. Long lines formed in front of school principal, Peter Dendy, who offered up his face as a target for the sponge toss while the locally beloved band Bauder Road performed rock/country favorites from their polished repertoire.

Nicki Gowdy, who chairs the special events committee with the parent council, said that Panther Palooza is a great way to wrap up the school year, raise funds for the school, and also for the entire community to get together and enjoy some fair weather outdoor fun.