December 2011 – Page 5 – Morrisburg Leader

Docksyde will return in 2012

December 14, 2011 Editor

Many residents of South Dundas and many visitors from outside the township have all had the chance to enjoy a yummy snack while visiting Morrisburg’s waterfront.

The Docksyde, a canteen offering both hot and cold items, will once again be in operation for visitors to the waterfront in the summer of 2012.

The Morrisburg and District Lions Club have been leasing the land space for their canteen since 2004. At the time, South Dundas council approved the request provided the Lions Club take responsibility for all costs associated with the request, including water and sewer.

The lease was extended for a second three-year period in 2007. On November 3rd of this year, Lions Club President Bob Bechard sent council a letter requesting permission to extend the lease to include the 2012 season. In addition, he requested permission to lay brickwork under the tent where the picnic tables are located.

Council members, at the December 6th council meeting, debated the issue of laying bricks, but in the end decided in favour of the request.

It looks like residents and visitors can, once again, enjoy the flavours of the Docksyde for another summer.

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Hall will rise from the ashes

December 14, 2011 Editor

It was a sad day on October 7th when the Dunbar Recreation Hall was devastated by fire.

With sighs of relief and several shout-outs of “thank you,” the South Dundas council decided on December 6th that the hall will be rebuilt.

Until that meeting, local residents had been very concerned about the fate of the former hall. So much so, in fact, that they came out in droves to the December 6th council meeting to hear the council’s verdict.

Clerk Brenda Brunt recommended to council that they choose one of four options to determine the fate of the former hall. The first option was also the only one that allowed for the hall to be rebuilt on the same spot.

Deputy-Mayor Jim Locke quickly chose option one saying, “prior to the fire the building was not slated to close. We have full replacement cost insurance. We have a committed community group. I believe it’s an asset in that part of the township.”

Councillor Evonne Delegarde suggested council consider option two, “use the depreciated value of the building and put towards an existing building.”

Delegarde pointed out that while the building hadn’t been slated to close, it was also not being used very much. She suggested that the township building in Williamsburg would be available in the near future and could possibly become a replacement for the lost hall.

Councillor Archie Mellan, choosing option one, said, “these little communities make South Dundas great. They rally around their communities. They rally around South Dundas, and I think we should rally around them.”

Mayor Steven Byvelds also chose option one, pointing out that “it gives us our asset back and it is covered by insurance.”

He also pointed out that the well and the sewer on the site would need to be investigated. Should either require a lot of work and financing to bring to code, then “we’d have to come back to this because that could change things.”

However, at this time, Byvelds wanted to make it clear to the inhabitants of the hall’s community that “they are part of South Dundas, not part of Chesterville, and we want them to know they’re part of South Dundas.”

He concluded: “let’s take the opportunity and rebuild it.”

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The Skaters Edge

December 14, 2011 Editor

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry skating, and oh yeah Merry Christmas too!

As you can tell it’s Christmas month at M.D.S.C and to get in the mood we’re playing Christmas songs all month. This may seem odd since Christmas still seems very far away, but there are only 12 days until the big guy comes!

However, Santa wants to check up on our Canskaters, so he’ll be at the rink in just five days, on the 19th, for all our Monday and Saturday Canskaters! If you really want to get in the Christmas spirit remember to wear red and green to the rink on the 17th.

Christmas may be all that’s on your mind right now, but for many of our Starskaters, competitions and test days all they are worrying about. There is a competition on the 21st and 22nd of January in Prescott and one on the 28th in Arnprior.

In Morrisburg, on the 27th of January, we have a low test day, and on the 20th of January in Athens, we have a high test day.

Finally, just a reminder for our skaters that skating is cancelled form the 24 of December to the 2nd of January. Canskaters don’t come back until the 9th of January, but the Starskaters are back on the 4th.

Be sure to stop by the arena to find out when public skating is available during the holidays so you can keep your skates active. Happy New Year! Remember Skate Great and have fun.

Kate

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Blanket insurance for festivals in South Dundas

December 14, 2011 Editor

Volunteers with several South Dundas festival groups were alarmed when the township’s council agreed, in 2010, to change their insurance policy to exclude coverage for festival events on township property.

At a recent council meeting, Clerk Brenda Brunt recommended “that council provide a blanket insurance policy for South Dundas Festival Groups for events on township property.”

The impetus for the recommendation came out of a September 2011 meeting between several festival volunteers and South Dundas staff.

Brunt took on the challenge of working with the township’s insurance broker to find a blanket coverage that would work for these groups.

“I commend Brenda for coming up with a solution,” said Mayor Steven Byvelds, at the December 6th council meeting.

Brunt explained that, “all groups have not decided whether they will host their event in 2012 therefore there is no firm amount for coverage.”

“Our insurance broker has indicated the price range for this policy would be around $2,000,” she continued. “During the 2012 budget deliberations, council will have to decide if they will fund the groups or divide amongst them.”

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Luke Whitteker ends an exciting year in Florida

December 14, 2011 Editor

Craig Revelle – Finish Line Web Design

While most racers from the Northeast put the 2011 season to rest long ago, and are waiting out a long cold winter, Luke Whitteker has stretched his season right through to the end of the 2011 calendar year.

The 18-year-old Iroquois youth’s involvement in the Race 101 program has opened plenty of doors of opportunity this year. Whitteker has made several trips to North Carolina to attend classes, plus weekly online seminars that were also part of the curriculum for Race 101. One of the program was the opportunity to run laps at the famous Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.

Aside from the on track portion of the Race 101 program, and the wealth of knowledge that he learned over the course of the year, Whitteker has also enjoyed meeting new people, and making several connections that will last a lifetime with prominent people in the racing community.

As a group, some of the Race 101 staff, and several of this year students attended the annual P.R.I. (Performance Racing Industry) Trade Show that was held in Orlando, Florida recently. The objective of attending this show was to learn, and also to interact with other people from the racing community,

The P.R.I. Trade show hosts over 1000 racing related vendors, and takes in sellers from all over the United States, Canada and many other countries. The opportunity to interact with people from other forms of racing at a large trade show such as this is phenomenal.

“The PRI show was well worth the time,” says Whitteker. “I would recommend any racer that is looking to get a jump start for the upcoming season or learn more about new and up and coming products to check out similar expos. I made a lot of great new connections and learned a lot about products available to the dirt racing market”.

Whitteker also had other exciting events in November, as he was able to take to the track in the Race 101 house car at the famed Hickory Motor Speedway.

This was the first time Luke ever raced a car on pavement, and posted very consistent lap times that were comparable to other students with pavement experience. The Race 101 premiere driver will be chosen in January when the class returns to North Carolina for their graduation.

“We had an awesome practice session with Tony Blanchard from Race 101,” says Whitteker. “Asphalt racing is a lot of fun. It is very comparable to the go-kart racing that we did earlier in my career, and we enjoyed a lot of success with that.”

Whitteker also attended the annual Parts Peddler trade show in Syracuse during the month of November. The show is similar in nature to the P.R.I. Trade Show, only more scaled down, and typically more specific to the Northeast region.

Also the Whitteker Motorsports team participated in the annual Christmas Parade along the streets of Morrisburg. The Whitteker team prepared a float that included the race car, as well as a Christmas tree, and several Christmas decorations.

“I’d like to thank everyone that helped put the float together and represent Whitteker Motorsports in Morrisburg’s annual Christmas parade,” says Whitteker. “I hope every one appreciates the hard work that was put into the float as much as I do.”

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Teachers at St. Mary’s – St. Cecilia’s get creamed

December 14, 2011 Editor

Students at St. Mary’s – St. Cecilia’s Catholic School in Morrisburg were given a rare opportunity on Monday, December 5th when students and teachers came together in the gymnasium to celebrate their successful Movember fundraising venture.

Organized by Chris Veltkamp, physical education teacher, the school took on the challenge of raising money for prostate cancer.

The four male teachers grew mustaches for the month of November, in tribute to the Movember cause. In addition to Veltkamp, there were: Marcel Booyink, Core French teacher; James McIntyre, grade 1-2 teacher; and, Jeff Vynckier, the grade 3-4 teacher.

Veltkamp, in an attempt to make things interesting, gave the students incentives to raise the money.

If they reached $300, they would earn 20 minutes of free time. If they reached $600, all the female teachers would wear mustaches of some kind. And, if they reached $1,000, they were given the opportunity to shave the mustaches from the four male teachers in addition to throwing “pies” (paper plates filled with whipped cream and chocolate sauce) at the teachers.

As of December 5th, Veltkamp estimated that the students had raised about $850, which meant they were just shy of their ultimate goal.

Being good sports, the teachers called it “close enough” and took the hits. Student council members were given the privilege of shaving off the mustaches.

Eight students were chosen to throw “pies” at the teachers. Each teacher was “hit” twice by two different students.

The cherry on top? That would be kindergartner, Mickaela Macdonald, being given the chance to throw a pie in the face of principal Joy Martel.

All in all, it was messy, but oh so much fun.

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Curling Chatter

December 14, 2011 Editor

The ladies took over the Morrisburg Curling Club last Tuesday for the annual Women’s Invitational Bonspiel. The early draw saw the Russell squad, led by Sharon Courneyea, victorious, with Candy Alexander’s Prescott foursome second. In the late draw Alexandria, skipped by Andrea Lauzon, took both of their games, to win out by a single point over a Morrisburg team, who filled in on short notice. Greta McGann, Betty Locke, Sonja and Rosemary Laurin, played well and won both matches, against Lancaster and Cornwall.

The winners will have their names inscribed on the champions’ plaque.

Organizer Alice Thompson thanked the many volunteers who helped make the day a success, as well as the ladies who provided a delicious lunch.

The club and the bonspiel earned appreciative words from the curlers, who hope to be invited to next year’s bonspiel. Special thanks to Wally Baker, who made sure the ice was at its best for the visitors.

Sid Morrell, Raymond Benoit, Jack Barkley and Bill Magee were in Metcalfe for a senior men’s bonspiel. They lost their first match to a very strong team from Rideau, but won their second against a Metcalfe foursome.

A senior mixed team travelled to Carleton Place for a 2-2-2 bonspiel on Thursday. Jack Barkley, Ruth Kelly, Fred “Boomer” Langlotz and Sharon Van Allen had a good day. They defeated Smiths Falls in the morning, but lost a tight match in the afternoon to Arnprior, who finished second overall, just behind the champs from Renfrew. In spite of the long drive, they enjoyed the outing, and finished third overall in the bonspiel.

Friday saw three Cornwall teams were in town, to pay a return visit to the senior men at our club.

Our first squad consisted of Neil Williams, Raymond Benoit, Wayne Pulford and Jim Millard/Bud Perry. The second was Don O’Brien, Martin Schneckenburger, Eric Johnson and Ken Wilson. Third were Sid Morrell, Peter Zeran, Earl Jeacle and Al Gowanlock.

Halfway though the match the local fellows moved one sheet to the right to take on a fresh challenge from a new Cornwall foursome. Meanwhile, the kitchen and the lounge were humming with activity as a fine luncheon was being prepared.

When the dust settled, the local fellows were victorious on sheets B and C, while the visitors prevailed on sheet A. Another busy day for the club.

Saturday, Mahlon Locke and his committee ran our friendly bonspiel, while Greta McGann and her committee prepared a fine lunch. Ten teams took part, playing two games each. While the matches were friendly, the competition was keen.

Sid Morrell, Betty Locke and Len Bellamy won the day with 18.5 points, while Wally McDonald, Raymond Benoit and Greta McGann finished second with 18 and Susan McIntosh, Carolyn Beckstead and Claire and Paula Locke finished third, a point behind.

Representatives from most of the leagues competed, and $500 was raised towards a new carpet. Thanks, Mahlon, Greta, and all of the others who made this happen.

It’s the season for parties, with the Thursday morning folks having a catered lunch from Subway again. Still a few openings there. Many of the other leagues are also arranging for various wind-up events before Christmas. Curling really wears on you, doesn’t it?

Arrangements are being made for a New Year’s Eve bonspiel and party. There’s a sign-up sheet at the club. Should be fun! Good curling to all.

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Nesbitt Family Overwhelmed with Support

December 14, 2011 Editor

Surrounded by their hockey family last Monday night, December 5, Nash Nesbitt and his mom and dad were at the arena where they were presented with the proceeds of a dance organized by the players and parents of the South Dundas Bantam B Rep team.

The benefit dance, held Saturday, November 12 at the Iroquois Legion for youth in grades seven to 12, in addition to some added donations, allowed the Lions to present the Iroquois family a whopping $3,500.

For Nash, his mom Tammy and his dad Earl, the support from the community has been overwhelming since Nash was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (a cancer of the lymphoid tissue) early this past summer.

That support has seen them through a tough time, as Nash received treatment in Ottawa.

Nash has now rejoined his grade 9 classmates at Seaway High School and says that although he tired easily for the first week, he was extremely happy to be back.

Nash was able to attend the dance and in thanking the organizers and everyone who attended, he says, “the hockey team has been amazing.”

Although he had hoped to return to the Bantam B lineup, his doctor has indicated that while he can skate and practice, it is not likely he will be able to suit up for a game this season. Over the next weeks and months he will continue to be monitored and the port used to deliver his chemotherapy will remain in place until he gets an all clear.

“The support we have received from our friends, family, work and people we don’t even know has been amazing,” said Earl as he and Tammy accepted the donation that will help them to offset the travel, parking and food expenses they experienced during Nash’s treatments. “We have had people from everywhere offering to help us in any way they can. What can you say, but ‘thank you’.”

The Nesbitts thanked the Bantam B Lions team and team parents, the local youth who attended the dance, organizers Rondalyn Jarvis, Cassandra Barry and Heather Black and everyone who made donations.

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Ghosts of Turkeys Past

December 14, 2011 Editor

The Ghosts of Turkeys Past

You know who you are.

The people who create homemade dressing from homemade bread you have carefully aged and spices you have lovingly preserved.

The people whose Christmas turkeys seem to leap from the oven golden brown, beautifully basted, tender and juicy.

The people who make dozens of scrumptious cookies, and do them all from scratch and two weeks in advance.

The people whose homes are tastefully and brightly decorated inside and out with lights, mistletoe and holly. Whose Christmas trees don’t fall over. Whose cards are all sent, whose stockings are joyfully hung and whose presents are all bought or made and already wrapped.

Bah. Humbug.

I wish to point out that the rest of us real people are currently shifting into Christmas panic mode with only 11 days to go.

We’re the ones trampling seniors and small children in the Walmart aisles in an effort to snag the last Holiday Barbie or Remote Control Flying Shark (really!?). We’re the ones who didn’t pick up the Michel Bublé Christmas CD until it was sold out, and are now wondering if Uncle Louis will actually enjoy Burl Ives Sings Kiddie Pops. We’re the ones whose last minute cookie purchases say “best before War of 1812.”

We’re the ones whose on-the-run Christmas tree purchase falls off the car roof. Twice. Who discover on December 24 that all last year’s festive tree ornaments were accidentally inserted into the trash compactor along with last year’s festive tree.

We are the ones currently haunted in our dreams by large, blackened turkeys exclaiming “Why did you put me in an oven at 550 degrees an hour before dinner?” (And dressing is something you do before you go out.)

But, truth be told, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The real joy of the Christmas season lies in laughter, and in adventures and misadventures shared. It lies in family and friends and in helping neighbours.

Perfection is way over rated.

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Novice B Lions move into first

December 14, 2011 Editor

The South Dundas “Signature Homestyles” Novice B Lions continued their hot streak last week racking up two more wins to move into first place in the East Division.

The Lions, who jumped over Brockville #2 and South Grenville in standings, won both their games with a 4-3 win over Kemptville #2 and 7-0 win over Athens.

On Sunday afternoon in Athens, the Lions jumped on the Aeros and controlled the play and game earning Brendan Shaver his first shut-out of the season. Although he wasn’t busy in the Lions pipes, Shaver made a couple of big saves to preserve the shut-out.

Ben Lapier led the Lions offensively with four goals.

He started things off in the first period when he picked up a pass from Spencer Barclay and broke in on the Aeros goalie who made the save on his first shot. Lapier then tapped home the rebound.

Kayne McCadden scored on a Kolby Latulippe rebound as the right winger moved the puck up the side boards and got a shot on net. McCadden was there to shoot the rebound home and Nolan Henry picked up the secondary assist.

Lapier scored again in the second when Trent Rae was able to keep the puck alive at the blue line, where Owen Fetterly set in up by burying his backhand shot.

Joshua Broad gave the Lions a 4-0 late in the second scoring into a wide open when Lapier’s shot was stopped. Broad, wide open in the crease, to scored his seventh of the year.

In the third, Latulippe scored and Ben Lapier netted another two for a the 7-0 Lions win.

Cassidy Bilmer and McCadden picked up assists on Latulippe’s goals, while Owen Fetterly and Joshua Broad picked up two assists each on Lapier’s goals.

Wednesday night in Kemptville, the Lions held on to a 4-3 lead as the Panthers pressed for a tie late in the game.

The Lion’s built a 4-1 lead heading into the third period but two third period goals by the Panthers turned it into a nail bitter.

Shaver was sharp in the Lion’s net as he stopped several Panther break aways, while Emytt Fetterly, on defense, kept the Panthers on the outside to eliminate scoring chances.

Ben Lapier opened the scoring on a broken play when Trent Rae iced the puck and the Panther goalie stopped it near the crease but did not get the whistle. When he went to play it away, Ben Lapier was standing right there to knock it in.

Kayne McCadden gave the Lions a 2-0 advantage, when he took the puck off a face-off at the blue line and weaved around two Panther defenders before scoring.

The Panthers made it 2-, but Ben Lapier restored the two goal lead in the second during a Panther line change. Lapier took advantage of the line change to burst through the middle of the ice, earn a breakaway and score on a shot to the glove side.

Owen Fetterly rounded out the Lions scoring from Broad and Lapier who dug the puck out from along the left wing boards and found a wide open Fetterly in the slot.

The South Dundas “Signature Homestyles” Novice B Lions next home game is Sunday, December 18th at 1 p.m. against the Kemptville #1 Panthers.

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