Mike Procter of Sharbot Lake won the Provincial Tomahawk Throwing Championship again on the August long weekend. Procter has been throwing tomahawks for close to 17 years and he first took home the Bob Gregory Provincial Tomahawk Trophy in 2014. Procter is one of the founding members of the Frontenac Blades, a group of knife and tomahawk-throwing enthusiasts. The Blades gave a demonstration at the Sharbot Lake Farmers’ Market on August 6.

By 1963 the parishioners of St. James Major Catholic Church were well aware that the small church they attended every week in Sharbot Lake was not big enough for their needs.

With a capacity of 60, there were often over 100 people in attendance and in the summer time there were many more.

As some of the parishioners from back then recall, services were often held in less sacred spaces in the summer time.

“We held services in the high school auditorium, the township hall and even the beer store parking lot on the highway,” recalled long-time parishioners, Marg DesRoche and Theresa Ferguson, when they were interviewed for a video that was recently made about St. James Major.

When services were held in the church there were often people on the outside looking in. The church was also unheated, so it was cold in winter and hot in the summer. It also had no fire exit.

All of these flaws were well recognized by the early 1960s, and that was when the congregation spent around $2,500 to purchase a 2.5 acre lot on Highway 38 just north of the village for a new church. The lot where the small church was located was too small to even put in a septic system, never mind build a larger church.

Purchasing the lot was a first step, but unfortunately there was no mechanism available to the local parish to start the second step.

As Marcel Giroux, another long-time parish member, said in the video, the bishop and the church administration had to be convinced about the kind of church that would fit for Sharbot Lake

“There were complications dealing with the diocese and their expectations that took a long time to overcome,” Giroux said.

In 1988 all that changed, thanks to a bit of inside information. Archbishop Spence, who was originally from Perth, did not like crowded spaces. Knowing that, the Sharbot Lake parish invited him to a service, and with 100 people crammed into the 60-person church, “He realized in a more direct way that we needed a new church. So they let us come up with our own design to build a church that we would be able to afford,” said Giroux.

One of the members of the building committee that was struck was Doreen Onfrichuk. She knew of a family who were in the midst of building a cottage on Sharbot Lake when a family member died, and they were no longer interested in finishing the cottage. The family was willing to sell the property for $50,000 and the church community was willing to pitch in and finish it.

The parish went to the archbishop's office, which had said it would support the project, asking for a loan of $50,000 to buy the property, which was agreed to.

They then began selling tickets for $100 each for a draw with the cottage as the prize, which would have been worth about $100,000 in those days. They sold 2,400 tickets, and once the loan from the archbishop’s office was paid off and the cottage was paid for, the building project had the seed money it needed to get underway.

“We kept on fundraising while were starting to build, and we were getting a lot of support from the people who came to our church, but also from people who attended other churches as well. Everyone thought it was a worthwhile project,” said Giroux.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the new church took place in 1990 and the church was built by 1991. The total cost of the new St. James Major, with a capacity of over 300 in the sanctuary and a large hall with kitchen facilities on the lower level, was over $600,000.

The parish ended up with a mortgage for $169,000, which was set up for 25 years, but just through normal church operations and without any specific fund raising campaign, it was paid off within nine years.

Twenty-five years later, St. James Major has become a fixture in the region, not only as a center for Catholic worship for permanent and seasonal residents, but also as an education center, thanks to St. James School, which is located on the property.

It has also been the site of musical events, including a summer concert series in the 1990s, and concerts by Tafelmusik and the Barra McNeils, to name a few. The hall has been the location for weddings, fundraisers, and family gatherings - just about every kind of community event. It also serves as a gym for the St. James Major School and is the location for the annual Strawberry Moon Festival.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the church, a celebration is scheduled for Sunday, August 20, starting at 2 pm.

Archbishop Brendan O'Brien will be joining the celebration for the dedication of a new baptismal font that parishioners have paid for through fundraising in honour of the 25th. The ceremony will include hymns, songs and readings.

After the ceremony, the church hall will be open, and memorabilia and photo albums will be on display. A 25th anniversary video, which has been prepared to mark the anniversary and is available for purchase, will be playing.

The three surviving building committee members, Marcel Giroux, Theresa Ferguson, and Marg DesRoche, along with Father John Brennan, the priest who was at the church back then, will be the guests of honor. There will be refreshments served as well, including cake.

Impact felt from Richardson's return

Mike Richardson, looking rested and relaxed, shook hands with his old and new bosses before settling down to make his first report in his role as interim public works manager for Central Frontenac on Tuesday afternoon (August 8) at this month's only meeting of Central Frontenac Council.

“I'm happy to be here since I was ready for something to do with myself. But don't forget that I am retired and the township still needs to look for a permanent person for the job,” he said.

Parts of the report that he submitted were for items that he said Council might be more familiar with than he was, but there were a number of items where he had made changes and a number of others where he was seeking direction from Council.

One change he has made is in the way personnel are used. Terry Asselstine, who supervises township buildings, is now overseeing the waste sites as well.

“Terry has a lot of experience at the waste sites and he has been able to bring them back into compliance with regulations,” he said.

He also presented the tenders for the Arden Road construction project. The lowest bid was from Gemmill Sand and Gravel at $313,247 which is $43,000 over the budgeted amount of $260,000.

Part of the reason for the overage is that Richardson changed the specifications of the job, lowering a hill by 2 metres, straightening the road by 1.5 metres, and clearing rock to a width of 12 metres instead of 9 in order to make the road safer once the project is completed. As well, only 1.4 kilometres of road will be done, instead of 5 in order to stay within range of the budget.

The extra $43,000 can be found in other areas of the construction budget. Council accepted Richardson's changes and granted the contract to Gemmill's.

Burke Settlement Road bridges

Richardson recommended that instead of doing a rehabilitation project only on bridge #15 on Burke Settlement Road, work will be done on bridge #16 as well. He said that the two projects are similar and could be done at once. The extra cost of $140,000 can come from the public works reserve.

“If we do this job this year and the Elm Tree Road bridge next year, it will being our bridge rehabilitation plan to completion by 2018, at which time council will have the freedom to look at other types of infrastructure projects,” he said.

Council accepted his recommendation.

No to Crow Lake speed bump, not to speed hump

“I'm not sure if Council is asking public works to deal with the speed issue at Crow Lake or if a speed bump has been approved, but I would recommend against a speed bump,” Richardson said.

He said that as far as he is concerned the best way to deal with the issue is to take it on when the road is re-paved, which is due to be done. “With proper engineering we can deal with this in a more permanent way” he said.

The other alternative is a speed hump, rather than a bump, which is designed to be safely crossed at a speed of 40 km/hr, whereas a bump is designed to be safely crossed at 15 km/hr.

“I use that road myself everyday,” said Richardson, “and 15 km/hr is pretty slow.”

He said that he has consulted with the engineer for the City of Kingston, who uses speed humps for specific purposes. “She said that the humps can be used in specific circumstances. They usually put a temporary hump in to see what it does, and the temporary hump costs $5,000.”

He pointed out that there is no room at the side of the road at that location, and that a hump “might lead to cars landing on houses.”

Councilor Tom Dewey said, “We are already into August, and we would have to remove the hump in a couple of months anyway.”

Noxious weeds

Richardson recommended that the township approach Frontenac County about developing a strategy to deal with noxious weeds on the sides of township roads, particularly Giant Hogweed and Wild Parsnip.

“It's something that should be dealt with, maybe by hiring a weed specialist on a contract basis to look at it on a county level. There's no point dealing with this as a township,” said Richardson.

“We could bring this up at the meeting of the chief administrative officers” said Mayor Frances Smith.

“I think it should be brought directly to Council. I think there is nothing more effective than an angry mayor at a political meeting,” said Richardson.

“It's not like that any more,” said Smith, “but I will bring it to the council.”

Wheelchair ramp for Road 38.

When the bridge was taken out at Road 38 in Sharbot Lake, a wheelchair ramp on the east side of the road was removed and not replaced. Councilor Bill MacDonald said that he has been approached by a constituent who says they now have to ride much further in order to cross the road as a result. Council approved spending $2850 to put in a ramp.

Eagle Lake floating dock removed

Building Inspector Jeremy Neven reported that the floating dock on Eagle Lake has deteriorated to the point where it is no longer safe and has been removed.

“We have extended the fixed dock as far as we could,” said Neven, “and we will need to put the cost of a new floating dock in the 2017 budget. But we will hear from people about this soon.”

Crow Lake boat launch

As the result of historically low water levels on Crow Lake, island dweller Lyle Turner, who said his family has owned their cottage for 44 years, appeared before Council to talk about how difficult it has become to put a boat in or take a boat out of the water at the township dock on Crow Lake.

“The water is so low and the rocks have been pushed out from the dock by the lake so it actually gets more shallow as you go deeper in. It's very difficult and risky to put in or take out a boat right now,” he said.

He suggested that the township clean out some rocks from under the water.

Jeremy Neven said that in order to do something under the water the township would need to get clearance from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and maybe the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans “which could take some time, maybe a fair bit of time.”

Council instructed Neven to see if there was a way to expedite matters.

“Let's not forget we are dealing with the driest year in a long time,” said Frances Smith. “I have heard reports from people who say their well has gone dry for the first time in over 50 years.”

After finishing second in both 2014 and 2015, Mat Fraser easily won the 2016 Reebok Crossfit games, the elite event in a sport that tests strength, agility and endurance with a large number of extreme events.

Forty top male and 40 top female finishers from qualifying events around the United States gathered at the Stubhub Centre in Los Angeles last Wednesday (July 20). They were bussed to an airport and flown to an unknown location. This year it was a place called The Ranch, the same location where the original Crossfit Games took place in 2009.

They completed three events at the ranch on day 1 of the five-day, 15-event competition.

The first event was a 7 km run, which included three 1 km loops on flat pavement, and 4 km climbing up and down hills with steepness ranging up to 50 degrees. That event was followed by a dead lift event with 20 weights ranging from 415 to 625 pounds. The final event of day 1 was known as a chipper. A 30 lb soft ball has to be tossed over an 8 foot mark on a wall 50 times and then the ball is carried to a kind of sit up machine. The athlete does 30 situps while rolling the ball and up and down their body, making sure it touches the ground on the way back and a bar on the way up. Finally, the athlete runs up a steep hill, while still carrying the ball.

Mat Fraser finished first in the 7 km run, tied for 23rd in the deadlift (by far his lowest result in the five-day championships) and finished 2nd in the Chipper. He was in the overall lead by the end of day 1, and never looked back.

The athletes then returned to the StubHub Centre, and completed 12 more events over a four-day period. The events included a 280 metre handstand walk; a swim; weightlifting and gymnastic events and a sprint event; all culminating in Redemption, which features six climbs up a pegboard wall alternating with barbell thrusts.

Mat Fraser did not win a single event after the 7km run, but he reeled off seven 2nd place event finishes, including three in a row at one point, along with a 4th, a 5th, two 6ths and two 10ths. He was so dominant that he could have sat out the last three events in the competition and still won the overall title on points.

By the end of the games, he had beaten the second-place finisher, Ben Smith, by 194 points.

It was indeed redemption for Fraser, who was beaten by Smith last year. Fraser even finished 2nd in the final event, in front of a capacity crowd at the StubHub Centre, which included his ecstatic parents, Don and Candy.

Mat Fraser is from Sharbot Lake. His parents Don and Candy were Canadian Champion Pairs Figure Skaters in 1975 and 1976 and competed in the 1976 Olympics. They went on to win the World Professional Pairs Championships in 1983 and 1984 and are still remembered as the only pairs team to perform what became their signature move as professionals, the no-hands death spiral.

They lived in Sharbot Lake in the late 1980s and early 1990s while Candy practised medicine at the Sharbot Lake Medical Clinic. They then moved to Vermont and have lived there ever since, but have never cut ties to Sharbot Lake.

Don's mother, Dorothy Fraser, has been a mainstay of the Sharbot Lake 39'ers for many years and still lives on Wagner Road, where Don has been seen often lately, as he is building a new house.

Mat has also maintained contacts with friends in Sharbot Lake over the years.

(The CrossFit Games events are available on Youtube, including the final event and celebration.)

The final event is captured here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGb3pPp0idE – Mat Fraser comes up at about the two-hour mark)

Taking a cue from a campaign in Kingston, the Leadership in Training volunteers with the Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) Youth program have set up collection baskets at three locations in Sharbot Lake to encourage donations of toiletries for the North Frontenac Food Bank.

“Many people don't realize that it is not just food that people need from the food bank, but items like toilet paper, toothpaste, razors, and soap are also important,” said Brian Dunford, youth co-ordinator with NFCS.

Leadership in Training (LIT) is a program at NFCS that is funded by the United Way. Youth are volunteering at the NFCS summer program and at other programs throughout the year.

“It was our LITs who had the idea for the Toilet Paper the Town project,” said Dunford. “They have developed materials for the campaign, and have placed collection bins and written materials explaining the program.”

Bins are located at Sharbot Lake Pharmasave, the NFCS adult building (behind the Oso Hall) and the St. Lawrence College Employment Centre. The group is looking for new locations as well.

The program is set to run until August 18, the date of the annual NFCS Community Barbeque, when a presentation will be made to the North Frontenac Food Bank.

“We kind of have a soft deadline for this on the 18th, said Dunford, “but we may keep it going after that.”

On Saturday, July 23, Theresa, Katie and Becki Procter will once again swim across Sharbot Lake to raise money for cancer research and to support those suffering from the disease. Over the past 7 years the three girls have raised more than $12,000, all of which stays in our area. The girls will enter the water near Sharbot Lake provincial park at 10 am and swim 3 km. to the Sharbot Lake beach, arriving at the Farmer’s Market around 11 o’clock. Donations can be dropped off at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, Northern Frontenac Community Services or at the beach on the 23rd. Or you can donate online at http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/hopeswim2016.

Over 100 Tai Chi practitioners from as far afield as Ottawa and Belleville traveled to Sharbot Lake on Monday, July 11 to participate in a three-hour intensive session, which featured instructors from the Ottawa and Kingston regions.

The event, which was the first of its kind in a rural location, was put on in order to provide practitioners with a chance to work for a longer time on their positions, and to access different teachers than they are used to at their home centers.

“Even though everyone learns the same moves and sequences, sometimes hearing the same information in a new way can make a difference,” said Jim Gazzard, the Ottawa-based regional vice president of the Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi organization, which is affiliated with the International Taoist Tai Chi Society, the largest non-profit Tai Chi organization in the world.

Gazzard said that since the Sharbot Lake chapter, which is affiliated with the Kingston branch of the organisation, has been very strong in recent years, the decision was taken to try to bring people together in the summer for a large event.

“Judging from what we see here, it has been quite a success,” said Gazzard.

After working with instructors in small groups, the assembled group, which made full use of the entire gym at Granite Ridge Education Centre, completed the full set of 108 moves that are shared by all members of the Taoist Tai Chi Society.

Then it was time for a tea break, followed by more work in small groups. The entire event ended with a potluck lunch and a chance to share experiences.

“It's not that surprising that Tai Chi is so strong in Sharbot Lake. Rural communities are often successful in building up a strong group. Also, for a community with an active senior population, Tai Chi is a very good way to help seniors continue to be strong and healthy at any age. Our top instructor in Ottawa is 72 and he is as fit or fitter than any 40-year-old,” said Gazzard, who has been practicing Tai Chi for 38 years and is an instructor as well.

After the potluck was over, there was an instructor session in the afternoon.

There are ongoing Tai Chi classes in Sharbot Lake, Sydenham, Westport and in Kingston. For further information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

While the kids played games, adults took the opportunity to visit at events throughout the region on a Canada Day where the rain held off, for the most part. The oddest event this year was certainly the best legs contest for men at Harrowsmith. Top left - waiting to get into the bouncey castle at Centennial Park (Harrowsmith) - top middle - Cooking up a storm at Gerald Ball Park (Sunbury) - top right, riding the Water Slide at the Point Park in Sydenham, and bottom right, the 2017 150th anniversary committee already promoting their plans for next year at the beach in Sharbot Lake

The Crossings Pub kicked off a summer of music programming on June 23 with a rollicking evening of country music by a trio of performers who all write and perform their own songs. Shawn McCullough has been playing locally ever since he attended Sharbot Lake High School years ago. He is well known as a guitar player for hire for top-notch bands, and sings lead and harmony vocals as well. Among the tunes he performed on the 23rd was a version of the Ron Hynes classic “Sonny's Dream”, a song performed by Hynes himself at his first ever show at the Crossings. Other performers at the venue have covered it over the years, and McCullough's version brought down the house.

Brea Lawrenson is based in Carleton Place but she travels across Canada performing her own tunes, including her most recent release, “Daddy's Moonshine”. She is also a big fan of Fleetwod Mac, and with the help of her two bandmates, did versions of three songs from the classic “Rumours” album.

Wade Foster sings, writes songs, and plays guitar, all well, but he is best known as a fiddler. He plays the country and bluegrass repertoire as well as east coast and Ottawa Valley fiddle tunes. Since Canada Day was coming up, he played a fast-paced version of the most popular Canadian fiddle tune of all time, the Maple Sugar Rag.

Other shows are scheduled for the Crossings in July, including Ouroboros on July 9 (tickets $15) and dinner shows by Sean McCann on July 27 and Valdy on August 4 (tickets $60). For information call 613-279-2198

For the 18th time, Central Frontenac Township marked the month of June, seniors' month, by handing out certificates to Seniors of the Year from each of its four districts. With Mayor Frances Smith away in Northumberland County fulfilling some of her responsibilities as Frontenac County Warden, it fell to Deputy Mayor Bill MacDonald to preside over the ceremony.

MacDonald, who was the mayor of the township between 1998 and 2006, said, “It was always my favourite meeting of the year when we took the time to recognise people who contribute in so many ways to the fabric of our community, and it's an honour to step in for Frances this year.”

He then introduced Councilor Tom Dewey, who presented the first award to the winners from Kennebec District.

“It was impossible to acknowledge one person without recognising the other in this instance,” said Dewey in announcing the award winners, Judy and Terry Kennedy.

The Kennedys both were school principals in Toronto. They purchased some waterfront property on Kennebec Lake in the 1970s for $4,000 and eventually bought the adjacent property and house. They moved to Kennebec Lake when they retired in 2003. Terry has been the president of the Kennebec Lake Association for the past 11 years, and Judy hosts the annual Canada Day Flotilla barbeque for association members. They have both been active members in the Friends of Arden, a group founded by Dorothy Proctor, and were instrumental in the Arden sign installation, the development of the Matson Mile trail, and the annual Arden cleanup day. On a township level, Terry has been involved in developing a mandatory septic re-inspection program and a Safe Properties Bylaw. Judy also volunteers at Circle Square Ranch and is a member of the Kennebec Recreation Committee.

In receiving the award, Terry said, “I was tempted to decline when offered the award because I'm not big on awards, but Judy set me straight. It is important to be supportive of the township's efforts to support volunteers.”

Councilor Jamie Riddell then presented the award in Olden District to Arlene Uens. Before presenting the award, Riddell said that nine years ago, when he was out of work and Arlene was working as an employment officer with Northern Connections, “She really helped me get into my current career.

Arlene Uens is responsible for the flower gardens, signs, and murals that grace the Village of Mountain Grove, an effort that continues to develop year after year.

“It's a labour of love, digging in the village, and mostly I transplant flowers from my sister's garden, so she deserves a lot of the credit,” said Arlene. “All the communities in North and Central Frontenac are becoming more and more beautiful because more people are getting involved in this effort.”

Councilor Philip Smith introduced Colleen Steele, this year's winner from Hinchinbrooke ward.

“Everyone knows Colleen, since she worked at Goodfellow's store and the Foodland in Parham for all those years. She is also an elder in the United Church, and a supporter of the recreation committee, always running the canteen and preparing desserts. She does the Earth Day cleanup, runs the children's games at the Parham Fair, and I just found out she has been a member of the Oddfellows and Rebekahs for 46 years,” said Smith.

“ A true volunteer never looks for rewards or credits. They give so that everyone in community can benefit. I thank you for this recognition,” said Colleen.

The award for Oso District was given to Wayne Robinson, who was not available to receive it because he was away. Robinson was the founding director of North Frontenac Community Services, the founder of Pillar Financial, and has been involved in community projects for decades. Recently he has been working with Frontenac County on the completion of the K&P Trail.

“He is a contributor to any and every project going,” said Bill MacDonald.

Finally, a special award was handed out on behalf of the provincial government to Marcel Giroux, whose name had been forwarded by the township and was selected by the Government of Ontario.

Giroux has spent over 60 years in the township and was involved in the founding of the Frontenac Arena and St. James Catholic Church's building project, among numerous other ventures. He was also the chair of the 9-1-1 committee, the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board, and other institutions.

Before the awards were given out, the Arden Glee Club entertained the winners and their families with a 20- minute concert. The ceremony was followed by refreshments prepared by township staff.