A dinner and K-12 talent show will be held at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Thursday, May 5. The chicken dinner will start at 5:30pm and a vegetarian entrée is also available. There will be a pie/cake dessert auction at 6:30, and the talent show starts at 7pm. Dinner is $10 for adults, $5 for kids; five years & under free, and reservations must be made for the dinner. The talent show only is $3 and you can pay at the door. The show will feature musicians, vocalists, songwriters, storytellers, dancers and others. Proceeds from the event will support the grade 8 grad trip and the parent council. Call GREC at 613-279-2131 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve for dinner or for more details.

What better way to welcome spring than with a colorful, musical, classic fairy tale, adapted with a few modern twists that make it the perfect family-friendly theatre experience right here in our own back yard. Tonight the North Frontenac Little Theatre will be presenting “Pinocchio” at 7pm at the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake for a four-show run that wraps up on Sunday April 24. Shows are Thursday through Saturday at 7pm, with a Sunday matinee at 1:30pm. This classic tale is sure to put a spring in your step no matter your age. The Granite Ridge gym will be transformed into a fairy tale wonderland, and this production will be remembered for its stellar costumes, sets, lighting, and the talented cast and crew, which includes NFLT veterans plus many newcomers, who will make this a show not be missed. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for students under 18; and $8 for children four & under, available at the Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, the Dollar Store, the Parham General and at the door if the show is not sold out. Why not start off your spring season like Pinocchio, a puppet made alive through a wish and looking for some adventure with no strings attached.

On April 16, music lovers were treated to a concert celebrating 200 years of history in Tay Valley. The concert, titled “Tay Valley 200th: A Song Celebration”, was performed by the Tay Valley Community Choir at the Maberly Hall. It blended a chronological historical narrative read by individual members of the choir, and each section was accented by a musical number suited to the particular period.

In her opening remarks to the capacity crowd, choir director, Rebecca Worden, thanked those who contributed to the narratives, including Maureen Bostock, the Irish Times, Diary of Rev. William Bell, Bud Van Alstine, Emily Weaver, and Kay Rogers. Rogers spoke about the book she put together to mark the historic 200th anniversary event.

The narrative began with the area's pre-colonial history, describing the over 5,000 years that Algonquin people inhabited the land. At the time of European contact in 1603, the Algonquins numbered approximately 6000. Today, they number 11,000 and are spread across multiple First Nations in Quebec and Ontario. The choir's first song, “Colours of the Wind”, honoured the Algonquin people, past and present, and showcased the choir's impeccable four-part harmonies under the confident direction of Worden.

Mary Lou Carroll proved she is a more than capable piano accompanist, and her impressive intros helped set the bar in many of the songs the choir performed.

The narrative moved through various time periods and places, including across the Atlantic, to Scotland in the early 1800s. The choir honoured those first settlers with their sing-along tune, “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.” The Scottish Insurrection that occurred in Scotland at the end of the Napoleonic War of 1815 due to a depressed economy was recognized with the tune “A Wee Deoch and Doris.”

Ireland also experienced hardships during the same time period. Irish Catholic emigration to Canada attracted farmers, many of whom settled in the area and brought songs like the still popular “Molly Malone”, another festive sing-along tune at the show.

Settlement in Lanark County began in 1815, and the tune “Flying Free” paid homage to the Scottish highlanders, who accepted the free passage and 100 acres of land offered to them. The perilous crossing was highlighted with the modern tune, “Skyfall”, aimed to demonstrate the difficulty of the passage across the ocean as experienced by many immigrants.

The concert continued with Natalie Reynolds on piano and Lukas Reynolds on fiddle, opening up the second half with their highly polished medleys. The sets included many popular Scottish, Irish and English favorites like High Road to Linton, The Fairies of Montecello, and St. Anne's Reel. The duo showed how traditional music from the area's first European settlers continues to inspire musicians of all ages in the township today.

The choir's songs and narrative continued with tunes like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Land of the Silver Birch”, the latter relating to the help the first settlers received from the Algonquins as they tried to survive their first winter.

“The Log Driver's Waltz” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” were also woven into the historical narrative, and the effect of words and song together made a great impact on the listeners.

Audience members not only left with a better understanding of the history of Tay Valley, but also with a greater appreciation for the choir, who did a marvelous job relating the wide range of emotions that the 200-year history of Tay Valley can evoke.

This Saturday, April 23, is the annual Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra Jam-a-thon at the Maberly Hall from 1pm to 6pm. The Jam-a-thon supports the orchestra and will also celebrate Tay Valley Township's 200th anniversary of the Perth Military Settlement. The 50-member fiddle orchestra will play all afternoon and is inviting any local musicians to play with them. It’s not just for fiddlers; guitars, cello, viola, mandolin, penny whistles, dancers, listeners and anyone who appreciates home-made acoustic music is welcome to drop in and join the jam circle anytime during the day. The public can sponsor a musician to participate. Admission is by donation and refreshments will be available throughout the day. The pie auction starts at 4:30 and promises to be a highlight. Bring your friends and family and join the fun! For more information, contact Cindy McCall at 613-278-2448 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Land O'Lakes Public School Grade 2/3 teacher, Danielle Harding, understands that one of the best ways to get students interested in ancient history is to present it in the form of a play, and as it often goes with youngsters, sometimes the more hysterical things get the better.

On April 7 and 8, Ms. Harding and her ϋber-talented cast and crew performed the D.M. Larson play, “The Hysterical History of the Trojan War” for students at the school as well as students from North Addington Education Centre, Granite Ridge Education Centre, and Clarendon Central Public School.

The play involves a large cast of characters, mostly Greek gods, whose interactions and relationships bring about the conflict known as the Trojan War. The play is the perfect vehicle for getting youngsters interested in ancient history, since it offers up lots of intricate sword fighting, a slew of Trojan guards and Spartan soldiers, numerous guffaws, and best of all, a number of anachronistic add-ins like cell phones, clever sound and lighting effects, songs, and one awe-inspiring foot stomp/rap tune, which fully engaged the audience much more than any straight history play could.

The plot and the action unfolded at a mighty clip. The audience was kept on the edge of their seats since they were asked by Athena, who directed the Spartan half of the audience, to cheer on the Spartans while Helen encouraged the other half to “Go, Troy!”

The moveable props in this production were also exceptional and included a chain-drawn stage door and a looming Trojan wall as the two main focuses on the stage. A spectacular ship sailed through the gym at one point and, yes, there was a Trojan horse too. The costumes were equally dazzling with the lead actors sporting wrap-up-the-leg sandals, leafy laurels and more.

Hats off to the entire cast and crew in bringing the play so aptly to life and enticing youngsters to learn about the ancient history of Rome and Greece, and all the gods and goddesses who wreaked so much havoc there.

“Memories of General Stores” presented by the Clarendon Miller Community Archives.

Clarendon Miller Community Archives will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on May 14 at the Clar-Mill Hall from noon to 4 pm by bringing back memories of local general stores. Guest speaker, Mary Cook, will provide a historical perspective; a panel of local store owners/operators/employees will describe their experiences; and displays will bring back memories of the local stores in North Frontenac Township. As an introduction for that event, the story of James General Store in Plevna, when Don and Jesse Lavery were owners, was published in the March 31 Frontenac News. The next store to be highlighted is:

Ardoch General Store

Ernest R. Jacobi opened the first store in Ardoch around 1865. He also took over as the postmaster. Up until this time there were Ardoch postmasters but not in the store setting. The store was a social setting, especially on Saturdays, when the men would gather and find their favourite spot on the bench to hear the gossip. Women would often go to the store and get their supplies at this time or visit nearby. In later years, the most popular time was when the mail was due in from Clarendon Station. Many hunting and fishing stories were yarned as they waited. Jacobi operated the store until 1879 when he sold it to Alex Munro.

Some items that were available at the country store in the 1880s were: 6 pair cotton towels ($.50); 27 yards of print ($2.57); 3 dozen soap ($.75); 25 pounds of rice ($.98); 50 pounds yellow sugar ($4.99); 6 shirts and 6 drawers ($2.13).

In 1903 Munro added a franchise to sell farm machinery through his business. Robert Munro took over after his father died in 1911 but sold out to Wallace Clement in 1914. Jim Derue bought the store as well as other businesses in 1918 and had a long ownership. Derue was noted as a strong community supporter, providing work for many, accepting items for barter, and donating to numerous causes. With the use of automobiles there came a need to sell gas as well, so pumps were added.

In 1945 Don R. York purchased the store. He was actively involved in the community and assisted with many activities, such as skating and hockey. It was noted that he purchased a pump for flooding the ice in the bay so children could skate for hours after school and weekends. His daughter, Audrey York, has provided CMCA with photos showing her Dad inside of the store. Such photos are very helpful to CMCA as we attempt to reconstruct the setting in our displays.

On the death of Don York, his widow Margaret carried on alone until 1957. At that time, she remarried, to John McDonald. The store continued for many years with items such as fishing and hunting gear. People travelled many miles to buy footwear from the upstairs department.

In 1977 the store was passed to Margaret's son-in-law Robert Orchard. His brother, Douglas joined him in the business and it operated as a Lucky Dollar Store only for a few years before it closed.  

When there was little or no frost in the ground and maple syrup weather in January, it was hard to tell what was going to happen when the real season would arrive in early March. But since there was plenty of water last summer and fall, and the frost set in during February, even a frost free week in early March did not seem to deter the trees from producing sap over the past three weeks.

Gary Gorr, who runs a syrup operation near Harrowsmith, reported this week that he expects to equal or better his production from last year, which was a very good run.

“I have had some darker sap, making for more amber syrup this year,” Gorr said “but the flavour is very good. The quantity is excellent. I think the season could end within a week or so, unless we get some cold weather.”

On Tuesday of this week, Gorr had enough sap in this holding tank to boil all day and beyond.

“I’m expecting a short sleep tonight,” he said.

Further north, the sap has been clearer and the syrup lighter, and reports are that the quantity is high again this year, perhaps higher than last year as well.

“We made syrup for 11 days straight from March 9 all the way to the 20th,” said Darlene Conboy of Bell Line Road, north of Sharbot Lake. “And the sap is running again, maybe even faster than we can boil it into syrup in a day.”

Syrup producers are getting used to a new grading system that will be fully in place next year. The old system, which includes extra light, light, medium, amber, and dark is being replaced by a less refined, international system; golden, amber, dark, very dark.

The new system is coming in so Ontario syrup is graded the same way that syrup from Quebec and Vermont are, and partly as a reflection of market forces. Whereas ten years ago, producers and syrup lovers alike prized subtle extra light syrup, consumers now more commonly seek after stronger flavoured amber syrup.

What used to called Extra Light will now be called Golden, and the old light and medium are lumped together in the new amber category. What used to be labeled amber syrup is now likely to be labeled as dark, and the old dark is now extra dark.

For long time syrup producers, such as the Conboy's and Gorr's, the change will be confusing at first. But as long as they can get sap runs like 2015 and 2016, they can live with the new labels.

When friends and family get together to celebrate the Easter long weekend, food is always a going concern. For that reason, vendors at the Frontenac Farmers Market have been putting on an annual Easter weekend event, which was held at Prince Charles Public School in Verona on March 26.

Debbie Harris, long-time manager of the market, was pleased with the turn out and said the idea behind the Easter market is to give buyers a chance to purchase food locally grown and raised for their Easter celebrations. “This event is also a great outing for local people who may be entertaining guests for the weekend; it gives them something to do and a chance to get out and purchase a few things that might come in handy for their Easter meal and celebrations” Harris said.

Sixteen vendors took part this year and up for grabs were fabulous meats like Easter hams, lamb, plus locally grown veggies, and a wide assortment of home made comestibles like jams, pickles, and candies. Home baked good like pies, hot cross buns, and monkey bread were also bountiful, and not to be missed were home-made perogies, organic soaps, spring seeds for growers, a wide assortment off art and craft items including home-spun yarns and more.

Together with the long-time regular vendors, the Easter market introduced some new and notable sellers to the market’s loyal clientele. David Bates and Lucinda Thum, owners and operators of Bramble Heights Farm near Parham, are two first time vendors to the FFM. Their booth attracted much attention due to their unique products that include their pastured heritage pork, Muscovy ducks, geese, chicken meat and egg products and much more. The couple’s motto of “Happy Animals, Heritage Lifestyle” is as unique as their off-grid farm and hand built 176 square foot cabin located on their 30-acre farm property near Parham, where they have a single solar panel, and still pump their water by hand.

Old-style farm practices are first and foremost at Bramble Heights, where Bates and Thum raise a wide range of heritage breeds of pigs, ducks, geese and chickens both for meat, eggs and breeding stock. “We have a really old traditional style of raising our animals, who are all free range and ecologically raised”, Bates said. “We have a unique approach to raising our animals and as a result the products we sell, for example our pork, is especially tender, flavorful and juicy and our bacon is really something special”.

The two have been farming for the last four years and they offer up a unique range of items including their “flock in a box” selection of fertile hatching duck and chicken eggs. They decided to join the farmers’ market not only to bring their goods to market but also to meet people in the community, to make contact with other farmers in the area, and to build up their animal stock, which they will be selling during the market’s upcoming regular season.

“ We are hoping to introduce people to the idea of local food and the unique “happy” animals that we are raising”.

The two also sell birch syrup, a wide selection of plants and local trees like beaked Hazelnut as well as locally grown produce, seeds and more. Judging by how fast their ducks and geese flew off the shelf on Saturday, these two farmers, new on the scene with the FFM, will no doubt be attracting many more shoppers when the regular market season opens in May.

For more information about Bramble Heights visit www.brambleheights.com and for more information about the FFM visit

www.frontenacfarmersmarket.ca and follow them on facebook.

There is likely no individual better able to inspire those interested in Canada's far north, and in particular the Northwest Passage, as singer/song writer David Newland. Newland has traveled extensively to both as a Zodiac driver and presenter with Adventure Canada, a travel company that offers travelers a chance to cruise to Canada's far north and experience the magic of its unique landscape and inhabitants.

Newland gave a special presentation titled “The Northwest Passage in Story and Song” at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonald's Corners on March 13. In the first section of his show he spoke of the history of Canada's far north and how many British explorers who traveled there in an effort to find the Northwest Passage, the quickest way to the Far East, met their demise.

His knowledge and understanding of the place's controversial history is apparent and he peppered his factual presentation with maps and photos of the land and the people who were living there long before British explorers began making expeditions there. “This show places my journeys in context and helps to share some of what we as Canadians draw on when we think about the Northwest Passage and what it means to us,” Newland said when interviewed at the show.

Being a guy who can drive a Zodiac, sing and write songs and who is also comfortable making presentations is what landed him this truly unique line of work. “Someone said he just needed a folk singer who could travel easily, drive boats, perform songs and make presentations - and that is how I ended up here.”

Newland, who currently lives in Cobourg, saved the musical portion of the show for its second half. He played guitar ukelele and harmonica and was joined by a three-piece band who backed him up beautifully, with Saskia Tomkins playing strings, Oisin Hannigan on various percussive instruments, and Steafan Hannigan on flutes, whistles and other instruments. They performed a number of original songs inspired fby Newland’s northern travels, songs like “Musk Ox Stew”, and “Under Forever Skies”. The latter tells of the “ghosts of men who came to plunder".

The foursome played one upbeat and cheeky tune called “What Ho! The Arctic!” and they showed their musical diversity with a calypso-inspired tune titled “Beechy Island”, for which Newland displayed a slide of the beach where three sailors from Franklin's famed expedition are buried. They died during their first winter there.

Newland is a seasoned and passionate performer and his passion for the north and its people comes through strongly in this show.

Newland's in between banter further opened listeners’ eyes to the magic that only Canada's far north can inspire. “If I had to use one word only to describe the place, I would say it would have to be 'scale' ...when you get to the Arctic, words begin to fail, words like sublime and awesome, often used these days to describe a brand of hot chocolate or a certain skate board move. In the Arctic these words aspire once again to their old ancient meanings.” For more information visit “The Northwest Passage in Story and Song” on Facebook.

Newland's show at MERA may very well have inspired a few listeners to consider adding an adventure in Canada's far north to their bucket list.

Two Centuries of Life in Tay Valley to be Musically Celebrated

Party on! From Aboriginal heritage to the struggles of immigrant settlers to the building of community, life in Tay Valley Township over the past 200 years will be commemorated on Saturday April 16th by the Tay Valley Community Choir and special guests. Tay Valley 200th: A Song Celebration is the 40-member choir’s spring concert, to be held at Maberly Hall at 7:30pm.

Choir director Rebecca Worden says there is music for everyone, touching on the rich history of Tay Valley Township over two centuries. “Drumming, Scottish and Irish ballads, Canadian waltzes, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and even a hint of music associated with James Bond—we will present a lyrical evocation of life in Tay Valley going back to 1816.”

“And bring your noisemakers and streamers!” says Worden. “Help us celebrate the joy of living here in beautiful Tay Valley!”

Special guests for the concert are Jane Cunningham on flute and talented Sharbot Lake teenagers Natalie and Lukas Reynolds, on fiddle and piano. The Choir’s new accompanist on piano is Mary Lou Carroll. As is usual at Tay Valley Choir concerts, there will be plenty of opportunity for the audience to sing along.

Tay Valley 200th: A Song Celebration is sponsored by the Tay Valley Township and Blue Skies in the Community. Admission is $10 at the door. There will be time to chat with neighbours and musicians over refreshments at the end of the concert. Please bring a food item for The Table Community Food Centre.