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Third time, best time for the Riverside Snowmobile show

 

Over the last few years the weather has not been kind to local snowmobilers, but that was not the case on Saturday.

Sunshine and mild temperatures made for a great day for the Riverside Heights Snowmobile Club’s third annual snowmobile show and swap meet.

“We really lucked out with the weather,” said Dave Shaver, club president. “Overnight thunderstorms had us worried, as the success of events like this one are so dependant on the weather, but it ended up being a perfect day.”

Area snowmobile dealers, including Jim’s Performance of Iroquois, Crossings of Prescott and Irwin’s of Cornwall, had displays on site featuring the latest models. “They all had terrific displays,” said Shaver, who was pleased to have such strong support from them.

The vintage and racing sleds made for an impressive display. 

Thirty-nine vintage snowmobiles were on display brought from collectors both locally and from a little farther afield including Brockville, Lanark, Kemptville, North Gower, Toledo and even Shawville, Quebec.

“There were a lot of really rare machines,” said Shaver. “I thought I had seen a lot of different vintage sleds, but there was one there that I had never seen before,”  he said referring to the 1972 Snoblazer.

Twelve trophies were handed out to those judged as the various class winners.

“The organizing committee for the event worked really hard and did a great job,” said Shaver.

“We were able to expand our list of contacts for the future, so we should be able to make it even bigger next year.”

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Record attendance for Pumpkinferno, celebration extended November 1-3

 

Upper Canada Village’s launch of the new Pumpkinferno, billed as ‘Eastern Ontario’s largest, boldest and most unique’ event has surpassed expectations with over 12,000 visitors through the gates in just seven days of operation.

That figure grew dramatically, this past Saturday night when 5,000 people showed  up causing back ups on County Road 2 and a long wait despite the St. Lawrence Park’s Commission’s effort last week to speed up the entry process.

“Once again we will be trouble shooting,” said the Commission’s Corporate Marketing and Development officer, Susan Leclair, on Monday morning. 

Leclair explained that after the big crowds on the weekend of October 11-13, measures were put in place last week that were expected to keep the flow moving. They included overflow parking and improved schematics for check in/ticket sales.

However, says Leclair, it didn’t take into account that there would be 5,000 visitors on a single night.

While the overflow parking and the entry (separate entry for prepaid, and five cashes open for sales) was in fact better for the visiting public,  their success pushed the problem further up the line to a bottleneck which occurred just inside the village. 

As one exits the Visitor Centre, the Pumpkinferno begins with a light show. Visitors then proceed to the first few exhibits along a narrow pathway around the grist mill. It was at the start to the narrow pathway, that the process slowed down Saturday night.

“While our team was prepared to have a robust visitation, the public reaction surged early in this event, resulting in some extended line ups,” said SLPC General Manager & CEO Darren Dalgleish, in a press release that was released late last week, prior to Saturday night’s huge attendance.  

In the press release, Dalgleish added that, “our team has reacted quickly and streamlined the entrance processes which will be able to get visitors into the parking lot and through the gates much quicker this weekend. Other small adjustments inside the attraction will keep our guests moving at a timely pace during their walk through. It looks like Pumpkinferno is here to stay; based on the attendance to date and stellar feedback we are receiving from our guests.”

“We are driving a strategy of “product mix enrichment” and Pumpkinferno embodies this priority,” said Dalgleish.  “The visitor response has been absolutely astonishing, far exceeding expectations.”

The phenomenal early success of Pumpkinferno has led to the addition of three extra days – November 1, 2 and 3 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights) – in order to accommodate the tremendous popularity of the event.

Pumpkinferno, an event to be enjoyed by all ages is a 45 minute walking tour through a mesmerizing installation of thousands of LED-lit pumpkins of all sizes.  It is a unique blend of creative artistry and must be seen to be appreciated. 

To speed entry into Pumpkinferno, advance ticket purchase is recommended and can be bought online at www.Pumpkinferno.com.  

With a ticket in hand, visitors can then proceed directly to the Express Line-up for pre-paid tickets which will ensure quicker entry. 

Combo tickets Fort Fright / Pumpkinferno ($20 general admission) or Pumpkinferno / Alight at Night (Adult $20; Senior/Youth $15) are also available.

Here’s what visitors are saying about their Pumpkinferno experience:

• “You have outdone yourself with this festival event. The level of artistry and imagination is outstanding.”

• “Awesome, fabulous carvings and display, a must see for all family members.”

• From OTTAWA:  “Hundreds of pumpkins stacked into enormous scenes of stunning originality. The displays literally took our breath away. My kids asked if we could come back the very next night. Well worth the drive and affordable!”

• From CORNWALL:  “This is Upper Canada Village’s new event SUPERSTAR! Original, creative and mind-blowing!”

• From KINGSTON:  “So much buzz about this event we had to see for ourselves. It exceeded our expectations by miles!  What a cool idea! Such energy and talent!”

•From WINCHESTER:  “We did not really know what to expect. We found it difficult to move to the next display because the carving detail was overwhelming! Proud to have this event in our own backyard!”

• From MONTREAL:  “Been to Alight at Night for years – had to think this was worth the trip. It sure was and then some. What an incredible creative idea – executed to the max! Nothing like this in Quebec!  Tres Bien!”

Pumpkinferno is open on select nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. throughout October and into November: Thursday to Sunday, October 25, 26, 27, 28; Wednesday to Saturday, October 31 (Hallowe’en), November 1, 2, 3.

The event has affordable family friendly pricing of $10 Adult (13 to 64 years of age), $7 Senior (65+ years of age) / Youth (6 to 12 years of age) and is absolutely free for children five and under. 

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MPP’s family forum, funding cut concerns central issue

 

 Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell hosted more than 50 local residents at a Family Forum meeting Tuesday evening focusing on Special Services at Home for children, teenagers and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The meeting, held at the North Stormont Place Community Centre in Avonmore comes on the heels of the passage of MPP Christine Elliott’s Member’s Resolution to strike a select committee to address a comprehensive developmental services strategy for Ontario.

The local residents’ main concerns centered on the funding formula and the waiting list to ensure continued assistance once the child turns eighteen.

MPP McDonell expressed his disgust with the wait list for group homes being as long as 30 years. “There are 8,000 children and teenagers in the SSAH system and 4,000 of them are on a wait list.”

“Proposed funding cuts will not allow youth with intellectual disabilities to grow up with their families enjoying a better quality of life,” continued McDonell. 

McDonell says many local residents are affected by the proposed cuts and that it is time for recommendations on a comprehensive developmental services strategy to ensure their needs and the needs of their families are met.

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Cornwall & Counties Arts and Culture Council being formed, board named

 

After attending the 2012 Arts and Culture Summit, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds suggested at the Oct. 2 South Dundas council meeting that the municipality take a ‘wait and see’ approach to the newly formed organization.

A regional arts council is being formed, and that council’s board of directors includes one South Dundas resident.

Although there has been no funding request from the organization, Byvelds spoke, in general, about the challenge municipalities may have with supporting arts councils. “Traditionally municipal funds are for things like roads, sewers and bridges. It may be hard to draw from municipal funds for culture. They will really have to demonstrate that there is a benefit,” he said.

Last month, the SDG Community Futures Development Corporation (SDG CFDC) hosted the 2012 Arts & Culture Summit at Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall, Ontario where the arts and culture sector voted on an interim board of directors to help the sector that voted them into existence to collaborate and grow.

The 2012 Arts & Culture Summit was held by the SDG CFDC and in participation with The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG), The City of Cornwall, The Eastern Ontario Training Board, The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport and the Government of Canada (FedDev Ontario) to provide much needed information on what is required to form an arts council for the region. 

The guest speakers included, Esther Bryan, an established artist and Quilt of Belonging founder from South Glengarry, Karen Ennis, Program Manager from WorkInCulture, Loree Lawrence, Community and Multidisciplinary Arts Officer for the Ontario Arts Council, Carol Feeney, Executive Director of Quinte Arts Council and Clayton Windatt Co-Founder of Nippissing Arts Council. 

The guest speakers each spoke about the importance of the role of an arts council from their community and how that role is unique and individual to the community it serves. They also spoke about the importance of collaboration and communication.

The SDG CFDC based on its research and development of how arts councils have been formed in other regions in Ontario decided that it was important to create a grass roots movement and have the arts and culture sector vote on and interim Board of Directors. 

“This grass roots movement is community economic development 101,” said SDG CFDC’s Executive Director François Désormeaux. 

“We saw the art and culture sector in our region in need and we provided them with the tools required to grow and expand their sector. The Arts Council is that tool.” The SDG CFDC graciously paid for the not for profit articles of incorporation for the Cornwall & the Counties Arts and Culture Council and will continue to support their efforts to make sure they get off on the right foot. “There are legal expenses and various processes to make sure the Board is established and running smoothly and we are there to ensure they do things correctly. Those first steps can be daunting, confusing and overwhelming to young arts councils and we want them to focus on serving their community,” Désormeaux said. 

When asked how the CFDC will continue to support the Art Council in other ways, Désormeaux stated, “We will allow our Cultural Development Coordinator, Bruce Davis to continue to work with them as long as they need it. He will ensure the correct steps are made and that they set off in the right direction to serve the needs of the entire region.” 

When asked how he may set this council off in the right direction Davis stated, “I have been doing a lot of research on arts councils – what’s successful and what is failing so I will be providing that information to this council so they can begin building direction. I will also ensure the communication remains constant and flowing from the regional stakeholders as well as community partners so that the council knows best how to serve the community.”

The Cornwall & The Counties Arts and Culture Council Board of Directors are: Stephen Davies, from South Dundas who has worked in finance for almost 30 years, Jason Setnyk, a teacher in Cornwall, Ann Brady from North Dundas who is a screenwriter, Amanda Marini Rohde, a teacher, dancer and host of a cable show on the arts, Sandra Van der Veer, a Cornwall belly dancer and policy writer, Marie Morrell, founder of the Parade of Nations and a local museum, Charlotte King, a painter from Akwesasne, Carolyn Davis Waldryn, a published author from Cornwall, Richard Salem lives in Long Sault and is a graphic designer, Betty Healy, an author and strategic coach with business experience, Noella Cotnam, an artist and owner of Sign It Signs and Design in Williamstown, Dan Archambault, an internationally renown artist, promoter and consultant and Chuck Leclair an event promoter from Cornwall.

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Bantam girls collect one win

 

Three games in just over a week and the Dundas Bantam House girls put up a one win-two loss record.

Dundas opened their week’s action on the road where they gave up a 6-1 loss to Carleton Place on Saturday, October 6.

Then on Saturday, October 13, they were on the road to Smiths Falls where they righted themselves with a big 7-0 victory.

For game three, on Sunday, October 14, Dundas recorded their second loss, when they hosted Clarence Rockland and came out on the wrong side of a 3-0 count.

Kalleigh Young, with help from Cassandra Young and Brynn Gilmour, counted the lone goal against Carleton Place late in the first period.

The Dundas lead held until well into the second frame when Carleton Place turned it up a notch for three unanswered counters. They added another three in the third for the 6-1 victory.

Then in Smith Falls on Saturday, it was a totally different story.

Taylor Casselman pointed the girls towards the 7-0 victory with the loan goal of the first period.

In the second period, Dundas went up 4-0. Brynn Gilmour kicked it off with help from Emma Barkley and Anna Gruich.

Barkley and Gruich then put it together to assist Emily Byers for goal number three. Barkley finished off the period scoring with help from Byers and Gilmour.

Early in the third period, Ally Weegar pushed it to 5-0 with help from Cassandra Young and Kalleigh Young.

The line struck again with 3:53 left on the clock this time with Kalleigh Young scoring and Cassandra Young and Weegar providing the help.

Weegar gave Dundas the 7-0 win with an unassisted counter in the last minute of the game.

Dundas was unable to get much of anything going against Clarence Rockland on Sunday, as the latter counted three unanswered first period goals for the 3-0 win.

 

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It’s Ladies’ Night Out

 

The ladies of Dundas County love a good “Night Out”.

They proved it by once again filling the Matilda Hall at Dixon’s Corners for the fourth annual Community Living Dundas County Ladies’ Night Out fund raiser.

Event organizer Marlene Lewis was ecstatic to see the hall filled with over 200 people Thursday night.

Lewis who came up with the idea for this “Ladies Night Out” event four years ago, reports that every year they have managed to fill the building. The only difference now is that with four years of experience, it is getting easier to attract the large crowd. That bodes well for the event continuing annually.

“It’s tremendous to see such a great crowd. It is great to have the support of the community, after all, that’s what we’re all about,” said Lewis.

Debbie Boardman, executive director of Community Living Dundas County said, “It’s great to have a community that is so supportive. That’s what Community Living is all about. All of us supporting each other. Community Living Dundas County is more than just a service.”

The event featured shopping, snacks and plenty of socializing.

Twenty-two vendors displaying fashions, cosmetics, home decor, culinary products and more provided ample opportunity shop, especially when combined with the silent auction. The fashion show, with its new format was well received.

Proceeds from the evening’s event support the George Davidson Family Resource Fund, which helps families attend important conferences, the Snoezelen Room, which provides sensory stimulation especially helpful to those with autism and transportation costs.

Community Living Dundas County advocates for the inclusion of people with an intellectual disability, providing training and resources for families and self -advocates.  

It provides supports and services to adults with an intellectual disability to promote opportunities for personal growth within their community.

Funding comes from the provincial government as well as from the efforts of fund raisers like this one.

Community Living Dundas County’s Vision: Citizenship is the uniqueness of each person being accepted, supported and acknowledged within an inclusive community.

Their goal: That all persons live in a state of dignity, share in all elements of living in the community, and have the opportunity to participate effectively.

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Novice B Lions drop home opener, 6-4, to the Rangers

 

The South Dundas Novice B Lions dropped their home opener 6-4 against the visiting South Grenville Rangers.  

The Rangers proved to be too much for the Lions again as they also lost to them in exhibition play.  

Holden Hildebrant found the back of the net four times for the Rangers, and Justin Van Luit and Keaton Urquhart each added one in the winning effort.  

Sean Nicolaassen had another offensive outburst for the Lions scoring all four goals for the home team. 

 On his first goal, Dryden Buter dug the puck out of the corner and passed to Spencer Barclay who made a nice touch pass across to Nicolaassen who one timed it into the back of the net.  

On his second goal, Nicolaassen took the draw at centre straight ahead, split the defence, made a quick head fake on the goalie and slid it home. 

 He completed his hat trick on a nice play from Owen Paterson who chipped the puck into the corner. That allowed Nicolaassen to pick it up and get a shot off, from a bad angle, that beat the Rangers goalie on the short side.  

Goal number four came on a backhander from the top of the slot that trickled its way through the goalie’s legs.  

Paterson contributed the assist on the play battling for the puck and getting it across to Nicolaassen.  

Defenceman Nathan Paulino took the Big Stick honours for the game with a couple of nice rushes, strong defensive play and some nice passes to move the puck up the ice.  

The Lions are back at it Sunday at 1 p.m. in Morrisburg.

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Putting the Safety in Bus Safety

 

In recognition of School Bus Safety week, 28 drivers with Whitteker Bus Lines participated in a bus safety workshop last week which included bus evacuations, the use of fire extinguishers and knowing your mirrors.

“We try to do this every year with our drivers,” said Elaine Whitteker. “We get new drivers and we have longtime drivers who get in a routine.  Both can benefit from these workshops.”

This year’s workshop included first-hand bus evacuations and video training on the use of mirrors. It also included instruction on the use of fire extinguishers provided by a South Dundas Fire Prevention Team which included firefighters Trevor Riopelle, Justin Vanhecke and Chris Paulino.

After discussion on fire extinguishers and their proper use,  the drivers were provided the opportunity to extinguish a fire in a Fire Training Module which can be set up to replicate everything from a car fire to a trash can fire.

For the benefit of the Whitteker bus drivers last Wednesday, the module was set up to simulate a “fairly involved dash board fire”. 

Riopelle explained the PASS acronym for the use of fire extinguishers…pull, aim, squeeze, sweep. He discussed how to pull the pin, to aim at the base of a fire, to squeeze the lever and to use a sweeping motion.

“Be ready for the mess and be ready for the kickback,” he warned. He also warned everyone, “to never turn your back on a fire.”

“It (the fire extinguisher) is something you have on your bus that you hope you don’t ever have to use,” said Whitteker. “Think how much worse it would be to have it on your bus and not know how to use it.”

It addition to the annual fall workshop, Whitteker Bus Lines  runs several workshops throughout the driving season. Another, held a little later on, involves safe driving in winter conditions.

Riopelle stressed to the drivers that if there is an incident, “make the call. Let dispatch know what’s going on and to put Emergency Services on alert. You’ll never get in trouble for reporting a problem.”

Bus Safety Week 2012 runs from October 15-19.

 

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Atom B Rep Lions add win and tie

 

The South Dundas “Howitzer” Atom B Rep Lions grabbed three points out of a possible four last week with a 3-3 tie against the Char-lan Rebels and a 3-1 win over the Alexandria Glens.

Sunday morning the Lions travelled to Alexandria to take on the first place Glens who were sitting atop the East division standings. With the Lions opening the season last week with a loss, they were looking to get into the win column and Jaeden Phifer-Shaver made sure of that.

With Brody Fairbairn out of the line-up and Ben Lapier at centre with Duncan Hutt and Phifer-Shaver they struck only 18 seconds into the game. With the opening face-off scrambled and the puck inside the Lions blue line Emytt Fetterly passed the puck up the boards to Phifer-Shaver who made a move on a Glens forechecker. He then broke into the Glens end, faked a pass and shot a low wrister that hit the defensman’s stick for the 1-0 lead.

The Lions continued to press, and Phifer-Shaver struck again on his next shift when centreman Jack Connors moved the puck ahead to Duncan Hutt who in turn fed Phifer-Shaver for the Lions 2-0 lead. The Glens responded on a scramble in front of  Lions goaltender Brendan Shaver when a Glen’s forward picked up a loose puck that wasn’t cleared.

In the second period, the Lions continued to pressure as Nolan Henry and Jack Connors would go post to post on a play that had the Glens goaltender deked badly out of position. 

Nathan Verhey and Kieran Geurkink had a strong game on defence as they continued to push would be attackers off the puck.

They also moved the puck quickly up to the Lions forwards to start their breakout. 

Dana Domanko made several strong defensive plays on Glens forward Mathieu Laugne as he had several breaks.

 In the second period, the Lions extended their lead to 3-1 as Duncan Hutt dug out a loose puck off the left wing boards and centered to Ben Lapier who tipped the puck to Phifer-Shaver who registered his third goal of the game. 

 With the lead at 3-1, the Lions turned to defence and goaltender Brendan Shaver made several key saves down the stretch to seal the victory and improve the Lions record to 1-1-1 on the season.

 On Thursday night, the Lions hosted the Char-lan Rebels. With both teams looking for their first points of the season, the Lions needed a strong third to try and gain that point. 

With under four minutes left on the clock, Joshua Broad picked up a loose puck in the offensive zone and attempted to centre to Ben Lapier standing in the slot. Broad miscued and the defender shot the puck around the back of the net where he chased it down reversed momentum and backhanded a pass out front to Lapier who buried a backhand shot on the ice, into the net for the game tying goal.

 The Lions and Rebels exchanged chances in the last few minutes but the score remained 3-3.

 The Lions fell behind early in the contest 2-0, but they bounced back on a goal by Nolan Henry. 

The line of Brody Fairbairn, Jaeden Rowe and Duncan Hutt continued their strong offensive push but came away empty handed. 

 In the second, Ben Lapier cut the lead back to one again when he chased down a Rebel defenseman, took the puck away from him and shot for his first goal of the game to make the score 3-2. 

The South Dundas “Howitzer” Atom B Rep Lions will face the Cornwall Colts here, Saturday night, at 7 p.m. immediately following public skating.

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Iroquois-Matilda Lions cooks up big contribution for Meals on Wheels

 

While the local Meals on Wheels was packing up lunch on Friday for 41 area clients, Walter Reid, 1st vice-president of the Iroquois/Matilda Lions Club dropped in at the busy kitchen in Morrisburg to hand over a very appreciated cheque for $1,000. 

The Iroquois/Matilda Lions were answering the call to help Meals on Wheels purchase some needed insulated trays/tray liners which are used in the delivery of meals to clients in Morrisburg and Iroquois. 

With a cost of $700 for 10 trays and another $800 for 20 lines, Reid, who is also a volunteer driver with Meal on Wheels, pointed out, “you can see this donation won’t go very far. We (the Lions) heard that Meals on Wheels was in need and we wanted to help out.” 

On hand to accept the donation was Meals on Wheels Executive Director Glenn Beckstead and treasurer Bob Ruddock, along with Ruth Doesburg and Audrey Bruining who were busy packing up Friday’s lunch which consisted of pea soup, salmon loaf, scalloped potatoes, mixed vegetables and apple pie. 

“Our service is available, basically, to anyone who is unable to prepare his/her own meals,” said Ruddock.

For some clients the service is used on a fairly permanent basis, for others it may be short term, while recovering from an illness or hospital stay for example.

Beckstead said the local Meals on Wheels has become very busy of late. “The demand has gone crazy in the last three months. We’ve gone up 10 clients.”

Doesburg, who has been cooking for nine years, said it was the largest number she has seen since she started with the service.

Clients pay $4 for their meals.

The food is packed in the tray liners which are then set inside the covered trays, which in turn are packed in insulated covers. The 60 plus volunteer drivers then deliver to the Morrisburg/Iroquois area clients, leaving the day’s tray liner with the food, and picking up the liners left on previous days.

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