Month: June 2012

Every Monday, Molo gets ready for school, but Molo doesn’t get ready for any old dog school…no sir…Molo attends Morrisburg Public School with her best friend Delia Barkley. Together, the two read with the students from Nancy Beavers’ grade 1 class.

Molo, a seven year old mixed breed dog, is a registered therapy dog with Therapeutic Paws of Canada. In addition, she is registered in the Therapeutic Paws READ program; hence, her work with the children at MPS.

Molo got started on the road to therapeutic work after Delia and her son Denzil happened upon a Therapy Dog Evaluation taking place while they were vacationing in Toronto.

“We were watching an evaluation of the dogs and everything the dogs were required to do, my son and I were saying, “Molo can do that and Mola can do that.”

So upon returning home, Delia researched and found the Brockville chapter of Therapeutic Paws.

Delia and Mola (Denzil is also certified) were successful in the evaluation process, and the rest is history. For the past two years, they have been visiting seniors at The Hartford in Morrisburg, “and after we started doing that I wanted her to be part of the Therapy Dog Reading Program.”

“I contacted Nancy Beavers at the school to determine if there would be any interest in the program, and she said that she would be.”

MPS principal Beverley Bethune agreed that Molo could be evaluated in the school setting, “so my team leader came here to do the evaluation. If Mojo had shown any nervousness or agitation, or if she had been aggressive in any way, we wouldn’t have gotten the go ahead.”

The reading consists of one child who sits on a blanket with Delia and Molo in an otherwise empty classroom. While the child reads, Molo lies quietly on the blanket listening. She exudes calmness and is a very good listener.

According to the Therapeutic Paws website, “studies have shown that reading to dogs encourages confidence and builds self esteem in children who struggle to read aloud in class.”

“I’ve notice a huge improvement in the children’s reading over the year,” said Barkley who was with Molo at the school Friday morning. “Nancy’s original idea was to involve the children who were struggling with their reading, but all the children wanted to read to Molo, so now they take turns.”

Molo’s mixed breed includes Golden Retriever, Black Labrador and Burmese Mountain Dog. Her size is slightly larger than the Retriever and the Labrador but slightly smaller than the Burmese.

“I think her temperament is Burmese. She is very loyal, and we didn’t train her to be that way. But it makes her easy to train because she wants to please us.”

Delia explained that therapy dogs must have a very calm temperament and they have to like people. They cannot show any aggression, and must be calm during unexpected noise or movements. They also have to be comfortable around walkers and wheelchairs and not attracted to food.

Both the dog and the handler is evaluated in the process.

In addition to her contribution to the grade 1 reading program, Molo is a popular visitor at The Hartford and well-known at the Barkley family’s apple stand at McHaffie’s Flea Market where she is known as the ‘apple dog’.

“She is very well-received at The Hartford,” says Delia. “Some of the residents there had their own pets, and they enjoy her visits. We just walk around and she has her regular friends.”

“It’s a great thing to do with your dog, if you have the right dog,” says Delia. “If there are other people out there who think they could do this and they think their dog is suitable they can check out the Therapeutic Paws website or call me at 613-543-0162. The process takes a couple of months, and the evaluation is a couple of hours.”

“It’s a fun thing to do. I work a lot of the time, and I wanted to do some volunteering. And I just felt that I should share Molo. I have a wonderful dog who is suited to this sort of thing, so why not use her.”

When Molo is not wearing her Theraputic Paws vest and either visiting with seniors or reading with young students, she is like any other dog…she likes long walks and playing with her family.

[…]

Ready your lawn chairs and your sunshades because there are going to be some great times at the Cruickshank Amphitheatre this summer.

The Amphitheatre board has just announced that River City Junction, local group Ruckus and Ridin’ Shotgun are confirmed at the theatre. These talented musicians will be putting on some memorable concerts this summer for area audiences. 

And there is absolutely no admission price. The performances are all free.

River City Junction kicks off the summer series on Saturday, July 21. This Canadian Blues-Rock band is making a real reputation for itself, especially with the release in 2010 of their album Convergence. Caroline Addison, Jason Fryer and Tom Joanisse are talented and highly accomplished musicians who claim “music is a way of life.” They blend old school Chicago Blues, Funk, Motown and classic rock in a cocktail that is “raw, organic and uplifting.” Look for great songs like “Hold On,” “State of Grace’ and “Better Days.”

Ruckus steps on the stage on Saturday, July 28. Formed by some outstanding local musicians, Ruckus promise a rollicking and entertaining afternoon of Irish and East Coast music. There will be music for every taste.

The concert series winds up on Saturday, August 11, with the return of the popular country group, Ridin’ Shotgun. A hit with previous audiences, the band features Terry McClelland and Danika Ellson, and four back-up artists. With the motto, “not your Grandma’s country,” the band brings audiences some of country’s newest and most exciting sounds, including songs from stars like Carrie Underwood and Sugarland. Ridin’ Shotgun promises a foot-stomping, get up and dance performance. 

Every concert at the Amphitheatre this summer will feature draws for some very generous prizes. All concerts begin at 3 p.m., finishing at 5 p.m.

Bring your chairs, your blankets and your friends and take in some of the best entertainment of the summer at the Cruickshank Amphitheatre, down at the beautiful Morrisburg waterfront.

[…]

“The truth is, if you come to South Dundas you’re going to want to come back every year because it’s such a welcoming place to come to,” said Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry MP Guy Lauzon.

Lauzon was one of several people invited to the official opening of the 2nd annual Galop-Canal Bluegrass Festival on June 15th at the Iroquois Locks.

According to organizing committee member Geraldine Fitzsimmons, this year’s festival, lasting from Friday, June 15th through Sunday, June 17th, saw a definite increase in guests.

“Gate admission was up from last year, which tells me that more people came,” she said.

In addition, there were 93 campers on site to enjoy the sunny weather and bluegrass music, also an increase from last year’s number.

“There were not a lot of local people,” said Fitzsimmons, who is hoping that next year the organizing committee is able to find ways to entice more locals to attend the weekend-long event.

As for those who did show up, “they all just loved it. Everybody really loves our community.”

Fitzsimmons pointed out that several of the campers had taken trips into Iroquois to go shopping. 

Several of these people, she explained, had never been to South Dundas before or had been here during last year’s festival and liked it so much that they decided to return.

This year’s event saw a few changes from last year, including the addition of local vendors on-site. 

The Ottawa Bluegrass Association and the Morrisburg and District Lions Club donated the use of tents to provide guests with a little shade while the Riverside Heights Snowmobile Association donated the use of some chairs for those who needed them.

Like last year, the Iroquois Matilda Lions Club hosted an on-site barbecue.

While this year was filled with “growing pains,” Fitzsimmons and the Bluegrass Festival’s organizing committee are taking note of what worked and what didn’t so that they can make next year’s event even better.

Members of the organizing committee include Fitzsimmons, Mike Anderson, Doris Clary, Dick Cropp, Barb and Jerry Gurnhill, Sharon and Dick Piche, Paul and Ruth Robertson as well as a representative from the Iroquois Matilda Lions Club.

The Bluegrass Festival is a major fundraiser for the Galop Canal Revitalization Project whose goal is to restore the Galop Canal, bringing life back to the Iroquois waterfront. The project is also an attempt to protect and preserve the history of the area.

[…]

“We’re looking at $2.5 million with this transfer,” said South Dundas treasurer Shannon Geraghty at the June 5th council meeting.

South Dundas saw a surplus of $642,503 in 2011, which was transferred to the working capital reserve. 

Geraghty requested council accept the 2011 financial statements as presented by Jamie Pollock of Craig Keen Despatie Markell LLP during the May 15th council meeting.

During his request to council, Geraghty also pointed toward the suggestions Pollock had made concerning some deficiencies.

“We’re currently working on these and over the summer we’ll be providing council with alternatives on how we’re going to deal with this.”

Two of the more recognizable issues noted in Pollock’s presentation are:

• Future landfill closures and lack of funds to cover costs associated with closure

• Water/sewer fund deficit and options to address the deficit, which may include an increase in user rates

Councillor Evonne Delegarde requested an update on where things stand with the water/sewer fund issue to which Geraghty replied, “we’ll be presenting council with plans over the summer,” followed by a public meeting in the fall and implementation in the new year.

Also, during the discussion, mayor Steven Byvelds relayed that the United Counties of SD&G had offered financial assistance with respect to the resolution approved a month prior concerning multi-residential taxes. 

“I don’t think we need any assistance from the counties,” said Byvelds. All agreed.

In terms of the $2.5 million, Geraghty asked, “does council have any desire to earmark any of that money now?”

Deputy-mayor Jim Locke said, “there’s no rush on it as far as I’m concerned.”

Byvelds agreed. He also suggested that “we should keep $2.2 million” in reserve.

[…]