Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart celebration

During an earlier interview, St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage board president, Sandra Whitworth, could only speak in superlatives when she described the performers who will kick off the 2012-13 concert year at the Stage on Saturday evening, September 15.

“Jadea Kelly has a pristine voice,” she said, “absolutely clear as a bell. And Catherine MacLellan is an established, versatile performer with a dark, husky voice. The two will be a dynamic singer/songwriter combination on the stage.”

These artists have shared venues before; this concert should be an exhilarating start to the new season at the St. Lawrence Stage.

“Jadea and I met through a mutual friend, David Baxter, and I asked her to come in on my album, Silhouette,” MacClellan said. “She did some background harmonizing for me, and she was just incredible. Since then we’ve branched into concerts together, often singing on the same bill.”

“I did sing backups with Catherine,” Jadea Kelly said. “She’s become a good friend, and we’ve worked together now for about two years. Our styles and voices complement each other. I admire her song writing and her wonderful way with words.”

Catherine MacClellan comes from a very musical family (her father, Gene MacClellan, was a renowned performer,  and composer of many songs, including Anne Murray’s mega hit ‘Snow Bird’). “I grew up hearing a lot of folk music. I remember listening to everything, even,” she laughed, “some really bad 80’s pop music. But what I remember most is how strong an influence my dad was for me. I’d watch him writing and I found it inspirational.”

The love of performance, and the love of writing are dominant forces in this artist’s life. 

“I started writing, I think, to express myself, my feelings and emotions. I was always very shy, and music became an outlet for coping with life’s issues, like when I lost my dad at age 14. It is a challenge to sing full time, and I don’t always like the life on the road, but the playing itself is wonderful. Music is simply part of me.”

MacClellan’s Dark Dream Midnight came out in 2004, Church Bell Blues in 2006-7, and Water in the Ground in 2009. Her current album Silhouette, was launched in 2011, and is garnering a lot of attention from both fans and critics. Nominated for a number of prestigious awards, she was named solo artist of the year in 2009 by the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and number one Roots Artist on iTunes Canada.

Still, MacLellan doesn’t care to be pigeon-holed into a particular musical style. 

“My taste is eclectic. I love 60’s folk, but also old country and blues, and currently Indian music. I pull from all those sounds when I sing and write. I don’t have pre-conceived ideas. I let the emotions and the feelings I am currently experiencing determine my music. There are definitely themes of love and relationships, interactions between people in my music.

I’m not sure I’ve made the record of my dreams just yet. There’s always another hill ahead, something new to accomplish.”

She is looking forward to the St. Lawrence Stage, and performing with Jadea. “It’s going to be fun. It always is.”

Like Catherine, Jadea Kelly was surrounded by music growing up. “I sang before I talked,” she said. “Music is a strong, almost therapeutic, part of my life. I love it. There is no alternative path in this world for me. Singing is what I am meant to do.”

Kelly’s sound has been described as folk/country, but “that is somewhat in the past. People say there’s always been a little bit of ache in my words. However, my style is undergoing change just now, with darker undertones to it. There are some new rock influences, and I think I might describe my emerging style (laughing) as creepy country.”

Also a prolific song-writer, Kelly, who spent time in the country growing up, says her songs often “bridge the divide between working on a farm and being a musician. And I am very much in love right now,” she laughed, “and that is definitely spilling over into my writing and my music. Of course, there are writing dry spells, but ideas and inspirations can come to you at any time. I have post it notes all over my place ready for those ideas.”

She has recently spent two years touring her album Eastbound Platform (2009) in North America and Europe, and is developing Clover. She, too, is looking forward to Morrisburg. “I hope Catherine and I get to sing a little harmony on the stage at some point. Like her, I just love making music.”

Tickets for the Catherine MacClellan, Jadea Kelly concert Saturday, September 15, at the Meeting Centre, are $20 in advance, and $25 at the door. Contact the Basket Case, Strung Out Guitars, or go on line at www.st.lawrencestage.com.

[…]

There were nearly 50,000 participants in the 2014 New York City Marathon, November 2, but only one of them was from South Dundas, Ontario. Seaway District High School principal, Don Lewis, finished the gruelling race, which takes in five boroughs of the Big Apple, in a time of 3.36.09. 

From start to finish, Lewis found the marathon challenging and exhilarating: he has nothing but praise for the race organizers, the police who lined the route and for the ordinary people of New York City who turned out in their thousands to support the international runners, many of whom had travelled thousands of miles to take part. “The crowds were huge; at places like 1st Avenue, five or six people deep,” Lewis said. “I was wearing a red shirt with Canada written across it, and I could often hear people shouting “Go Canada!” when I ran by. It meant a lot.” Lewis dedicated his run to raising awareness about PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) which has affected a member of his family.

Lewis has taken part in six previous marathons, including the run in Ottawa (now a gold standard meet) four times. He has been training six days a week since June to prepare for the world class NYC event. 

On Sunday, November 2, all the runners were bussed to the start point of the race, on Staten Island, around 6 a.m., although the event did not begin until after 9 a.m. “It was a little chilly waiting,” Lewis said, “although later in the day it was ideal running weather (except for the wind which got gusty at times), around 8-9 degrees celsius. The organizers are really efficient. There are four different start times, and within each of the start times there are six different carrals. Wheelchair athletes start first, then the elite women, then the elite men. The elite runners are all in serious contention so they can’t get caught up with the masses. Everyone runs at his own pace. I noticed,” he laughed, “that the guy running next to me was actually in his bare feet.”

Lewis said that he felt really good for the first 30 kilometres of the race. “Then, around the Queensboro Bridge, I thought oh boy, my quads are shot. Gusts of 60 kph wind in some places really slowed the race, and cross breezes on the bridges made it tough. My hat blew off. Everyone’s racing bibs were flapping up and down like sails: you can’t lose your bib, so you end up holding on to it as you run. There are also slight upgrades on 5th Avenue, and I remember thinking are these hills ever going to be done?” 

Then he saw the 800 metre sign in Central Park, “and I got that adrenalin rush. I’m going to finish this race.”

He crossed the finish line a little over three and a half hours after he started. There are medical tents at the end of the race because some runners experience cramping and some distress, but Lewis said that he was alright. He was given a poncho to wear until he could back to where he had left his outer clothes at the start of the race. He was also given his precious medal of participation, which he was able to get engraved the next day. 

Principal Lewis is very encouraging to Seaway students who want to get involved in running. “I try to suggest that kids try a 2, 5, 10 or half marathon, or a full marathon in Ottawa. We have a lot of kids in our local schools who have been attempting the Kids Marathon, a local event, and there is technology for young runners to track their progress. We’ve got some students now who are seriously working on distance running.”

There was a time when the four minute mile was “the Holy Grail of running. But now it’s the two hour marathon.” There was only 7 seconds between the first and second place women marathoners, three seconds between the men. A two hour marathon may one day be reality. 

Would he compete in the New York City Marathon again?

Don Lewis says a resounding yes. “It was my toughest marathon so far. And next time I’ll factor in the hills and wind, and adjust my pace a little slower at the beginning, but yes, I want to go again. This was my fastest marathon since I took up running again last spring.”

[…]

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, six attractive blue signs have been strategically positioned in South Dundas to mark significant locations/events that took place at or nearby their locations. Two of the signs can be found at Mariatown which was located in a key place on the “life-line” of Upper Canada–The St. Lawrence River. It was at Mariatown that the first local volunteers mustered for duty. Two signs are located at Iroquois and two are on Highway 2 east of Morrisburg. The signs at Iroquois commemorate The American Landing and Occupation of the Front of Matilda and the Skirmish at Doran’s Farm. East of Morrisburg the signs mark The Burning of Nash Creek Bridge and the November 10 &11, 1913 Battlefield at the Nine Mile Road to Fetterly’s Farm. “What I am hoping is that people will stop, look and envision what happened 200 years ago,” says Morrisburg resident Bill Shearing who was involved in the South Dundas sign program. Shearing pointed out that the signs were placed where it was felt motorists could stop, pull off the roadway and read them. Brochures explaining the signs are currently available at the South Dundas Economic office in Morrisburg. In addition to the more widely known Battle of Crysler’s Farm, there were several lesser known events and skirmishes that took place in the South Dundas area. The sign pictured above, is located in a very picturesque setting on the westerly limit of Mariatown.

[…]