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The Iroquois Matilda Lions Club is hosting Iroquois' 1812 Commemoration event to be held on the 9th of November 2013. 

Four historic plaques will be located on the Point overlooking the Iroquois Lock. 

A dedication ceremony and memorial service will be conducted in the morning. 

The SD&G Highlanders will be represented and participate in the ceremonies as well as re-enactors from New York State, Ontario and Quebec. 

In the afternoon a re-enactment of the 7th of November 1813 skirmish will take place in the same park. 

Displays from various organizations and individuals can be viewed that day in the Iroquois Civic Centre. 

One of the organizers of the event, Howard Kirkby, provided a brief history of the of the armed conflicts that took place 1812-1814.

“Following the US declaration of war against Great Britain on the 18th of June 1812, a number of military engagements were pursued,” said Kirby in a media release. “What is not so widely known is that on two occasions, Point Iroquois and environs witnessed notable armed conflict.”

September 16, 1812 an Ogdensburg force was assembled and captured all but one of the families living on Tousaint Island, in an effort to ambush a British convoy. 

A Mohawk, who was not captured, under fire, canoed to the Canadian riverbank to warn the convoy of the pending ambush, which the Canadian/British force attached to the convoy was able to thwart. 

In this skirmish, one American was killed and six were wounded, while the British/Canadian force had one killed and several wounded.

November 7, 1813, a force of 10,000 Americans received orders to  proceed down the St. Lawrence River, effecting the destruction of all enemy fortifications, and to link up with forces at Lac St. Louis before proceeding to attack an capture Montreal.

While feigning an attack on Kingston, the American commander continued with a flotilla to Ogdensburg. From there, an advance scouting party was engaged in a skirmish by the Dundas Militia that forced the Americans to set up camp at Iroquois Point until November 9. 

The skirmish at Point Iroquois resulted in the death of one American soldier and, perhaps significantly, delayed the enemy’s advance long enough for the Canadian militias to assemble near Captain Crysler’s farm and join Morrison’s forces in effecting a victorious battle plan on the 11th of November. 

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 Four outstanding artists are coming to the St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage. 

On Saturday, October 25, at 7 p.m,  Ana Miura, Annabelle Chvostek, Amanda Rheaume and Graham Greer will take to the St. Lawrence stage to present a one-of-a-kind concert, Babes 4 Breasts. Like-minded Canadian recording artists, who have come together to fight breast cancer through music, these four outstanding singers will dedicate their Morrisburg concert to helping to raise funds for the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, which integrates traditional medicine, alternate therapies, research and development, life style and cancer coaches.

And funds raised from the SLAS show will be specifically earmarked for members of the South Dundas community who use the Centre. 

“There will be some touching moments in the concert,” said Ana Miura, who came up with the Babes 4 Breasts concept back in 2003, “but this is a show that is uplifting, and really a lot of fun. We strive to fight sorrow with joy.”

Since the B4B concerts began appearing across Canada after 2007, featuring a wide range of talented musicians, the program has raised  $100,000 for charity. 

Ana Miura explained that the whole idea of using music to raise funds originally came from the grief she felt when a very close friend lost her mother to cancer.

“I thought, I have to do something. This kind of sorrow has to be combatted.”

She had originally intended to do only one concert, but between 2007 and 2009, the B4B concerts,  featuring artists “who may never have shared a stage before or since,” travelled all across Canada. Many of these artists also came together to create compilation albums, the most recent of which just came out this October. 

What the October 25 concert musicians have in common is an intense care for their communities, and a strong determination to fight breast cancer in every way possible.

“We perform in a song circle on stage,” Miura explained, “where we take turns singing. We musicians are one half of the circle, the audience forms the other half. The audience hears a very unique concert of original songs, and there is always that organic moment when the musicians join in each other’s songs… and we fill up the sound, improvising on stage.” 

The artists coming to Morrisburg are an eclectic and multi-talented group.

Miura  is an international touring star who has shared the stage with the likes of Bruce Cockburn and Joel Plaskett.

Métis singer-songwriter, Amanda Rheaume’s 2013 CD, Keep a Fire, was Juno nominated. 

Annabelle Chvostek, a former member of the Wailin’ Jennys,  saw her CD, Rise, nominated for both a Juno and a Canadian Music Award.

Cornwall’s Graham Greer, one of the original Barstool Prophets,  is also an award winning, hugely popular solo artist.

The talented Steph McAlear of Cornwall will also join the four musicians on percussion October 25.

I asked Graham, Amanda and Annabelle to share some of their personal views of the upcoming concert.

Graham, who is very proud to be an honourary “babe,” said he is “really looking forward to the spontaneous interactions and harmonizing that results from four talented folks together in a wonderful environment in front of a warm and appreciative audience.”

“What makes this concert incredibly special is that it is a one time opportunity,” Amanda said. “There won’t be another show with these exact artists on stage singing songs and contributing to an evening all together.”

“The format of the Babes is always a joy, kind of a metaphor for the working together it takes to make changes,” Annabelle said. “It’s always been such a magical and spontaneous collaboration…filled with humour and good old entertainment.”

The Morrisburg Meeting Centre is waiving its rental fee for the show, the tickets were printed free, the sound tech is contributing part of his fee, the Morrisburg Leader is making a donation to the show, and the artists are all performing at a fraction of the fees they might normally command.

“I’m hoping we get a sold out crowd, and that by the time we get to show night we can direct every penny we make on the tickets, maybe even more, to B4B,” said SLAS board member, Sandra Whitworth.

Don’t miss the chance to see some fabulous Babes present a night of extraordinary music: fight the sorrow of cancer with joy.

Tickets are $18 in advance, or $20 at the door. Contact www.st-lawrencestage.com.

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