Members of the Sharbot Lake 39ers seniors group, who meet monthly in the downstairs room at the North Frontenac Phone Company, were joined by a special guest at their most recent lunch time gathering on October 6. Famed local young fiddler and step dancer, Jessica Wedden, who has become well known not only for her fiddling and playing but also her trick playing and step dancing, has been fiddling for just over three years and has performed on many stages across the province. She has won numerous awards. She was accompanied by her mother Valerie on bass and Norm Herns on guitar and the three entertained the small but very appreciative group with a selection of tunes from her brand new CD. Wedden's grandmother Dolly Wedden, now deceased, had been a long-time member of the seniors group and was remembered fondly by those present. One member of the group commented that Jessica's playing would definitely have made her grandmother proud. Jessica will be playing with the Larry Mercey Trio at a Christmas Concert in Owen Sound on November 15. For more information about this talented young fiddler visit her website at www.JessicaWedden.ca and to see videos of her playing, visit her facebook page.

Granite Ridge students in Mr. McVety's grade 12 history class headed up a meeting of the federal candidates on October 5 in preparation for the school’s participation in the 2015 Student Vote program.

The program, which began in 2003, offers parallel election events for students under the voting age, and this year it coincides with the federal election. The program gives students an opportunity to experience the voting process and encourages the habits of informed and engaged citizenship in young students across the country. The student vote will take place on October 14, and it is interesting to note that during the last federal election, the student vote results closely mirrored the final election results.

In preparation for the Monday meeting at GREC, McVety's grade 12 history students prepared a school survey asking students to rank various issues from most to least important and the surveyed students were also invited to put forth questions to the candidates.

The main issues resulting from the survey were: health care, which ranked first, followed by education and employment, and last on the list were issues of security and safety.

All four federal candidates in the riding of Lanark Frontenac Kingston: Scott Reid, Conservative; Anita Payne, Green Party; John Fenik NDP; and Phil Archambault, Liberal, took part in the meeting and a total of seven questions, including ones on affordable post-secondary education; improving health care and unemployment; the protection of the environment; terrorism; as well as the use of recreational and medicinal marijuana, were covered.

I spoke to grade 12 students, Sadie Clarke and Emily Brooks, who helped organize the event and asked them following the meeting if the candidates’ responses had swayed their initial leanings. Clarke who said she, like her parents, was leaning towards Fenik and the NDP party said that she felt that Fenik answered the questions to her satisfaction and she will be voting for him. “I think John Fenik spoke really well and really managed to connect well with the students. Instead of just focusing on a lot of facts, he tried to focus more on our futures and what we as student are facing.”

Both Brooks and Clarke said that they came away confused by Conservative candidate Scott Reid's response to the question, put forth by grade 12 student Taylor Meeks concerning the candidate’s position on the use of recreational and medicinal marijuana. “The Conservative (Scott Reid) seemed to be disagreeing with his own party and I found that kind of confusing,” Clarke said, and Brooks agreed. At the meeting Reid stated that while he personally agrees with legalizing marijuana, his party does not. Brooks said that while she doesn't tend to pay much attention to politics prior to the Student Vote program, she does like a chance to meet the candidates in person and to hear their responses to the questions posed. She said she liked Fenik’s response to the question put forth by grade 11 student Corri-Lyn, who asked, “What is your party doing to make post-secondary education more affordable for students?” Fenik said that his party will be making more grants as well as interest-free loans available to those wanting to attend post-secondary schooling. Brooks said that that issue is important to her because “post-secondary education is the next step for me in my life.”

Regarding their predictions for the outcome of the student vote, Brooks said though she is personally leaning towards the NDP, she thinks that the Liberal and Conservative candidates seemed to be ahead at the school prior to the meeting. Clarke said she feels confident that either the Liberal or NDP candidates would come out on top. “Both the Liberal and NDP candidates seemed more friendly and interactive with the audience whereas the Conservative and Green Party candidates just stated a lot of facts and the audience seemed more quiet when they were speaking”, she said.

The results of the 2015 Student Vote will be tallied up and announced on the CBC News on Election Day.

The Aviva Community Fund is a pool of money that is available for community projects across the country. The Oso Recreation Committee has registered the Sharbot Lake Rink Project on Aviva under Community Health. The catch is that projects are judged based on community "votes". People are encouraged to go to the Aviva website and register an account (you can also sign in with your facebook account) and then vote every day from October 6 to October 23. The projects with the most votes will move on to the next round. The next round will be judged, with those projects being announced on November 3. Judging will be completed and the winner announced on December 2. So please support the Sharbot Lake Rink Project by voting often at https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf32272

Regular visitors to various branches of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library recently had a chance to strike a pose to help celebrate October as Canadian Library Month.

At the Sharbot Lake branch on September 22, Debbie Whan of Mountain Grove, who is a regular visitor to the Sharbot Lake, Parham and Mountain Grove branches, was approached by Meredith Westcott of programming and outreach services with the KFPL. Westcott invited Whan to add her face to the MY KFPL promotional campaign, which aims to celebrate the faces of real people who love to spend time at their local libraries.

The photos along with a personal quotation stating why the library user loves to visit their local library, were taken at numerous branches of the KFPL including the Sharbot Lake and Sydenham branches and they will be used for various advertising and promotional publications for the KFPL in the upcoming months. “With stock photography you are not able to get realistic people who best represent your local community. The whole idea with this project is to find the real people who use the libraries and share their reasons why. Our aim is to show that we are a community organization and that we are open to all types of people of all ages and all backgrounds”.

Whan said that she visits her local branches regularly not only to quench her love for DVDs, especially those on the topic of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, but also because it is “a quiet and peaceful place to visit”.

Westcott said that she has photographed various local patrons who each have their own personal reasons for visiting their local branch. “It is the richness of the materials available that attract people. Not only do we have books on all topics, as well as a wide selection of DVDs and CDs but we also have download-able movies and magazines and our online resources are also phenomenal. For people who love music, they can get free music every week and it is all totally free.”

Westcott also mentioned the numerous free family programs that are also popular, including story times, P.A. Day and March break programs, and various live musical and theatrical performances by professional artists, which are available through funding by Friends of the Library.

This is the second time the KFPL has run the many local faces promotional campaign, the first having taken place in 2013. Westcott said that not only will this new promotion help library staff to update their photos but that the participants and local residents can look forward to seeing a few familiar faces in print and on view at their local branches in the coming weeks.

Northern Frontenac Community Services took a look backwards at their Annual General Meeting (AGM) last week.

Since the agency, which provides services for children, youth, families, and the elderly, is 40 years old, former staff and board members came out to mark the occasion. Marcel Giroux, who was involved in the founding of the agency in the early 1970s, talked about the early days in the basement of the manse of the Anglican Church, pumping out a newsletter on a Gestetner, and holding public meeting after public meeting in order to get some services established. Susan Ablack, who worked for and with NFCS from 1986 until she retired as the rural worker for Providence Care early this year, spoke about the way NFCS developed and maintained a caring service model, and survived attempts by the government of the day to shut it down.

Frances Smith talked about the early 1980s, when she was the welfare officer for Oso township and decided it was unwise to continue doing that job out of her own home when a client made a not so veiled threat to her one day.

“They found a corner of the basement for me at NFCS, and its was great to have people around who were working with the community, just as we were at the township,” she said

Marcie Webster, who has worked as a playgroup leader and Aboriginal programs co-ordinator since the early 1990s, spoke about some of the changes that have come about in Children's Services.

“I remember a pickup truck carrying two or three families coming to playgroup one time. There were kids and parents in the front, in the cab, and in the back of the truck there were more. That shows how things have changed,” she said.

Aside from the reminiscences, the AGM business was conducted, but before that the annual Life Membership Awards were given out, this year to Vern and June Crawford. The Crawfords are long time volunteers with NFCS, delivering Meals on Wheels to the most remote households in the region.

“Vern had a knee replacement last year,” said Community Support Services Co-ordinator Catherine Tysick, “and I had to deliver meals for a few weeks. I kept calling back to the office to say I was lost and they said to keep driving. When the Crawfords were coming back I told the clients not to worry; they would start getting hot meals again the following week.”

This was the first AGM for the new NFCS Executive Director Louise Moody. She said she was honoured to be working in an agency with such a history and thanked the staff and board for their support in her first few months on the job.

Volunteers are urgently needed or there may not be a 2016 soccer season for the enthusiastic group of young soccer players across Central Frontenac. The core group of four organizers of the association are no longer able to assume all of the multiple roles involved in coordinating the soccer season and are hopeful that they can attract six to eight new volunteers to help run the 2016 soccer season. Their last appeal for committee volunteers resulted in only one new person stepping up, so they are worried about the association’s future.

This past season, which ran from July 27 to Sept. 13, saw nearly 100 children ages 3 to 16 years enjoy the many health and social benefits that the sport of soccer brings. The season was a great success. Children learned new soccer skills, stayed active, and met new friends.

The coordinators of the association fear that they may be forced to dissolve the association unless a new group of volunteers are found by November 1. No experience is necessary for volunteering and the committee only meets a few times each year to assign tasks and goals. The meetings are fun, social and productive and the current coordinators are happy to assist and support any newcomers. Some of the tasks volunteers complete are preparing schedules, coordinating registration, arranging teams, and equipment organizing. So if you want to keep the sport of soccer alive for your children, please contact Lynette Whan now to offer your assistance at 613-279-2366 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Without new volunteers there will not be a 2016 season!

Check your social calendars to make sure you are free to participate in what promises to be a highlight of the fall season. Community Living-North Frontenac (CL-NF) is sponsoring a Masquerade Ball at St. James Major Church Hall in Sharbot Lake on Saturday night, October 24, starting at 8:00 pm.

“We want to share more with the community,” said Dean Walsh, CL-NF Executive Director. “This is a community that is very inclusive. People here love to support each other, and when one of our managers, Marcel Quenneville, said we should try putting on a ball, we thought, why not.”

The theme of the evening is late 19th, early 20th century dress, the Edwardian era of ball gowns and formal attire for men. CL-NF will have masks that people can purchase as well.

Anne Archer will set the evening with some classical flute music, and Community Living's own Brian Roche will perform as a well, followed by DJ Dave Barr spinning the tunes. It will be a licensed event with Perth Brewing Company supplying beer and wine.

The ball will also include a silent auction, which will include boat cruises, art by local artists, and other items, and there will be door prizes and draws throughout the evening. At 11 p.m. a light lunch, supplied by Primitive Catering, will be served and the dance will wind up at midnight. All proceeds from the dance will go to Community Living Programs, including the Treasure Trunk. Tickets are $25 and they are limited in number. They are available at the Community Living office, Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, Gray's Grocery, the Parham General Store, and Burns Jewellers in Perth. For further information, call 613-279-3731.

Close to 60 maple syrup producers from across eastern Ontario attended the Fall Maple Field Day event organized by the Lanark and District Maple Syrup Producers Association, which took place at three different locations in and around Sharbot Lake and McDonalds Corners on September 19.

Hosted by Mel and Joyce Conboy, and George and Darlene Conboy and their families, as well as the owners of Wheeler's Pancake House near McDonalds Corners, the event attracted producers from as far away as Cornwall, and Bancroft, with the majority of participants attending from the Lanark area. Participants visited both the Conboy family facilities and later in the day met at Wheeler's in McDonalds Corners for a tour of their state of the art facility and lunch.

The event offered producers tips on how to improve their production and the quality of their product, and included tours and talks at both of the Conboy family facilities, which are on the cutting edge of maple syrup production techniques.

At Mel and Joyce Conboy's, Bev Campbell of Lapierre Equipment spoke in depth on the topic of maple syrup density and the international grading system, and his power point presentation included looking at the latest methods and tools available to producers to improve grading reliability.

Just down the road at George and Darlene's, Bruce Gillilan of Leader Evaporator of Vermont spoke on the topic of the off flavours that can occur during the production process and the ways producers can avoid flavour contamination, which can occur as a result of chlorine, detergents, paints, metallics, plastics, filters and more.

Also in attendance at the field day was Terry Hoover, the new president of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association (OMSPA), who himself owns and runs a certified organic, forced air wood-fired maple syrup facility in Atwood, near Listowel, Ontario, where his 1900 taps produce close to 600 gallons per year. Hoover said the event is unique in that it gives producers an opportunity to share information and to network with other producers across the province. “When it comes down to sales, the maple syrup industry like every other industry is competitive, but when it comes to the sharing of information, unlike other industries we like to open our doors to one another”. Hoover jokingly called the event “a legalized form of snooping” and said that the industry is unique in that way.

With 500 members in OMSPA and a tag line that reads, “Tap into the Knowledge”, Hoover's advice to people interested in getting involved in the industry is to become a member of the organization and to attend the OMSPA's annual information day, which will take place on Saturday, January 30 in McDonalds Corners. “Whether you have just two taps in your backyard or you are thinking about setting up a 20,000 tap operation, we at OMSPA have the resources people need.”

Hoover likes to make a personal guarantee that people who attend the Field Day events will come away having learned something new. For more information about OMSPA, visit their consumer website at www.ontariomaple.com. The association will be launching a new site for producers in the next few weeks and you can visit it at www.omspa.ca

New public works manager appointed

Council passed a motion officially appointing a new public works manager. John Badgley will be taking on the role that was left vacant back on June 16, 2015 following the township’s decision to sever its contract with former works manager/CAO James Zimmerman.

Since that time council has been working without a CAO. In the interim Kyle Labbett took on the role of public works coordinator along with his regular post of waste management supervisor and Steve Reynolds has been working as the public works supervisor. The only background information that came forth at Tuesday’s meeting is that Badgley will be soon be arriving from outside of Ontario.

Request for assistance to repairs of Big Gull Lake boat ramp denied

Last month, Central Frontenac made a request of North Frontenac to help with repairs to the boat ramp at Big Gull Lake. When the matter was brought up in North Frontenac the request was denied. In a subsequent letter explaining the denial, the reasons given were budget pressures from a number of other boat launches in North Frontenac that also require repairs. Councilor Bill MacDonald proposed sending a letter to North Frontenac staff requesting that they provide assistance in the future. Councilor Cindy Kelsey agreed and suggested sending a letter requesting North Frontenac’s financial support in their 2017 budget, since it is mostly North Frontenac residents who use the boat launch. She also pointed out the fact that as it is now, the boat launch poses a safety threat to snowmobilers.

Councilor Brent Cameron then said that “In fairness we need to revisit this at a point in time where their financial pressures are not as great as they are right now.”

Council agreed and Mayor Smith said that she would write the letter requesting that the Township of North Frontenac agree to pay their fair share in the future.

Swim Program Recommendations discussed

After reading the 2015 summer swim program report, Councilor Tom Dewey suggested providing the instructors with a second floating dock at Long Lake. In the report the swim instructors said that they were frustrated by having to daily move the existing dock there from deep to shallow waters in order to accommodate their young swimmers. Council passed a motion that included staff looking into the costs of meeting the recommendations suggested in the report. One hundred and nineteen young swimmers participated in the program

Three road allowances to be further investigated by staff

Council passed a motion regarding three separate requests for road allowance closures, requesting that staff look at the viability of those closures and the value of the cost of the lands prior to holding any formal public meetings. The closures include applications by Miller, Burbridge and Thompson.

Friends of Arden propose a memorial garden in Arden

Terry Kennedy, on behalf of the Friends of Arden, and Sarah Hale, on behalf of the Kennebec and District Historical Society, with the additional support of the Kennebec Recreation Committee, asked for township support to create a memorial garden to commemorate residents who have significantly contributed to the Arden community.

The proposed 0.12 acre site would be located on a small piece of township property across from the Arden mill pond. The proponents requested that the township approach Quinte Conservation; that staff provide an estimated 30 loads of fill for the project (at a cost of $4700); and that the proposed site receive routine township maintenance. Lastly, they asked that in recognition of work undertaken by residents, the township issue tax receipts to residents for their contributions to the project. Council passed the motion in support of the project but pointed out that legally they are not able to issue the requested tax receipts. Kennedy said that the initial phase of the project would involve the leveling and filling of the site and that this phase required the most support from council. After that Kennedy said that much of the work and expenses would be donated by members of the local community. The next step will be for the Arden residents to seek approval from Quinte Conservation.

Upcoming 40 year anniversary for the Frontenac Community Arena

Councilor Brent Cameron brought to council’s attention the upcoming planned celebrations in 2016 for the 40th anniversary of the Frontenac Community Arena.

The first annual Sharbot Lake Farmers Market Butter Tart Challenge was held

on Sept. 5. It was a sweet farewell to summer and a taste of the cooler baking season ahead.

Out of a total of 15 entries the winner of the Tastiest Butter Tart In Town medallion and $50 grand prize was Jocelyn Harpell of Jossy’s Chill and Grill. Jocelyn credits her mother Annabell Hill (pictured) for the family recipe and shares the 2015 title with her. Jossy’s used to sell Rising Bun butter tarts but since they are no longer available, Annabell and Jocelyn have been making their own while they prepare their vegetable-based gravy for other dishes. “And they’ve just gone viral” said Jocelyn Tuesday morning.

The certificate and crown are already posted above the delicious morsels that you can try for yourself at Jossy’s on Highway 7. The crown will be passed on to next year’s winner.

Second place was awarded to Molly Ducharme and third place went to Glenys Bender. They each received a litre and a half-litre of Conboy’s maple syrup respectively.

Each tart was quartered, and given to the judges. The Butter Tart boys and Butter tart girl served the remainders to the audience members and market-goers.

The panel of butter tart experts included Ludwig Ratzinger, professional pastry chef and chocolatier. He acted as head judge in the event of any disputes. Alongside him was Megan McKenzie of Seed to Sausage, which sells artisanal cured meats and specialty foods.

Cerridwyn-Cox Henderson, intern gardener and market vendor with Good Golly Gardens brought a youthful appetite as well as vast experience of pie eating to the judges’ table. Victor Heese was pleased to be asked to be a judge for the event. The councilor for Central Frontenac said, “It’s my duty to over-indulge.” Rounding out the judges' table was local beekeeper Virgil Garett with over 78 years of sweetness under his belt.

“I understand that the judges' gastronomic enthusiasm waned somewhere between the 8th and 10th tarts, but they soldiered on through the 15th”, said co-organizer and Sharbot Lake Market manager, Mary de Bassecourt.

De Bassecourt and fellow organizer, local chef and food enthusiast Andrea Duggan would like to thank everyone who submitted their entries, as well as Hazuki Heese who tallied the scores; Donna Laroque for her poster design; the Butter Tart Boys James and Ryan Howlett, sons of vendor Rustic Roots Farm; and the Butter Tart Girl Izabella Giroux.

The Sharbot Lake Farmers Market will continue to run every Saturday 9am to 1pm until Thanksgiving.