Month: June 2012

Love South Dundas is an “endeavour by the churches to let (the residents of South Dundas) know we’re there and that we desire to minister to them in any way we can,” said Reverend Duncan Perry of the Morrisburg Pentecostal Tabernacle.

Love South Dundas is a yearly event where churches of all denominations within South Dundas make an extra effort to become better known to the community at large and to offer the gift of love and kindness to everyone in  South Dundas.

“We’re trying to let the community know that the church is still there,” said Perry, referring to the days long ago when the church was the center around which every community revolved. 

Love South Dundas is a two-week long event, which is now in its fourth year. The event got underway on June 10th with congregation members being encouraged to go out and perform random acts of kindness.

A random act of kindness is defined as a selfless act done at random for a stranger for no other reason than to make that person  smile. A simple example might be paying for a coffee for the person behind you in line at Tim Horton’s. 

In addition to random acts of kindness throughout the two-week period, Love South Dundas has also made a yearly habit of spreading love and smiles through Baked Blessings. 

On Tuesday, June 12th, service organizations in South Dundas were greeted by volunteers bearing baskets of baked goodness.

Also popular in years past, Love South Dundas will once again be holding a free car wash. For those interested, the car wash will take place this  Saturday, June 16th from 9 a.m. until noon at the Iroquois fire hall. Along with the free car wash, guests will be offered a bonus of free barbecued hotdogs.

Capping it all off, on Sunday, June 24th the Love South Dundas event will come to an end with lots of free activities and free munchies for all who attend. 

This final celebration will take place in Morrisburg at the Earl Baker Park beginning at 2 p.m. with bouncy castles and face painting for all the township children.

Then, at 3:30 p.m., juggler Bob Cates will begin entertaining the crowd. 

At 4:30 p.m., a free barbecue will be provided complete with a selection of hotdogs, hamburgers, pop and water.

Finally, at 6 p.m., the ecumenical service will get underway in the big tent. Reverend Chuck Price will lead the service.

While the day’s events are free, organizers are inviting guests to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to the local food bank. A drop-off station will be available and following the day’s events all items collected will be delivered to the Dundas County Food Bank.

The Love South Dundas message, from all of the churches in South Dundas, is simple, said Perry: “If they get to a place where they’d like a church or clergy, we’re there and they can contact any of us.” 

[…]

The second annual Galop-Canal Bluegrass Festival kicks off this Friday, June 15th in Iroquois and will last through until Sunday.

The weekend long event will take place, once again, at the Iroquois Locks, courtesy of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

While camping out for the weekend is an option, it is not a necessity for those who want to enjoy a little bluegrass music this weekend. 

The event provides music lovers with various ticket options including a weekend ticket or daily tickets. When accompanied by adults, children 16 and under are free.

Emceed by master of ceremonies Terry Joe Banjo, the festival’s entertainment will include the talents of popular bluegrass musicians including Dave Nichols & Spare Change, Grassland, Northwind, Hard Ryde, The Dusty Drifters, Grassy Fiddle Time, Concession 23, and Darwin & Gilles.

Sound system for the event will be handled by Shawn Markell of MK Music Solutions.

The weekend-long event will kick-off on Friday night at 5 p.m. when the Dave Nichols & Spare Change band take to the stage. The final set of the night will begin at 9 p.m. and will feature music by the Dusty Drifters.

Saturday is a full day of bluegrass with Grassland, the first band of the day, taking the stage at 10 a.m. 

Also on Saturday, there will be instructional workshops throughout the afternoon featuring guitar lessons beginning at 1 p.m., mandolin lessons at 2 p.m., banjo lessons at 3 p.m. and dobro lessons at 4 p.m.

A universal supper break will be taken from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The final set of the day will begin at 9 p.m. with Hard Ryde.

And then on Sunday morning at 10 a.m., Dave Nichols & Spare Change will get things rolling with the first set of the day. 

Northwind will take the stage at 2 p.m. for the final set of the weekend.

For a complete timetable outlining when each band will take the stage, go to www.bluegrassconnection.ca and click on the 2nd annual Galop-Canal Bluegrass Festival link.

In addition to music, the Bluegrass Festival will also provide opportunities to shop. Sharon Piche of Iroquois has organized an assortment of vendors who will be showcasing their wares throughout the weekend.

There will be barbecued food available, provided by the Iroquois and Matilda Lions Club.

Proceeds from the Galop-Canal Bluegrass Festival will go to the  Galop-Canal Revitalization project.

The project is focused on restoring the history of the area, keeping the shorelines clean, utilizing the beautiful waterfront, and welcoming tourists into the area. 

[…]

With the approval of the South Dundas council, Captain Andrew Neeteson’s Sea Fox II docked at the Morrisburg Wharf for several public sightseeing and dining cruises from June 7th to the 10th. 

At the June 5th council meeting, chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald requested that council approve the use of the wharf for the 1000 Islands and Seaway Cruises’ tour boat at a cost of $1.16 per foot per day.

According to McDonald, the company had requested a waiver or reduction in docking fees. 

“Certainly council has the option to waive the fees,” said McDonald, “my recommendation is that you don’t.”

“I think that we need to set a policy or a precedent for these boats that come in.” 

He pointed out that the fee for the 46 foot boat equated to $53.36 plus HST per day, which is “considerably less than he’d pay at say Brockville.”

McDonald stated that the money earned through docking fees will go back into dock improvements.

Council agreed with McDonald’s recommendations and councillor Evonne Delegarde said, “I’m glad to see it’s still proceeding with the tours.” 

[…]

 It’s the stuff of nightmares in the hotel business.

The Turtle Beach Hotel toilets leak, there’s a gaping hole in the front yard, and the dog next door has been leaving its own unique ‘deposits’ at the front desk.

The staff is down to two individuals: a terribly confused chamber maid who has been ordered to take on reception and room service as well (“I’m not sure I want to service guests in their rooms,” she blurts), and a handyman whose motto is “never fix anything permanently.”

 Owners Terri and Brian Cody are desperate to sell the place. (Brian: “This is a one star hotel.” Hopkins the handyman: “That’s because there’s not a no star rating.”). Their frantic scheme to ‘dump’ the Turtle sets off a conspiracy of comedy.

Audiences will be glad they took out ‘reservations’ at Upper Canada Playhouse’s Hotbed Hotel: it’s riotous fun.

Director Donnie Bowes has put together a first-rate cast and a first-rate production of Michael Parker’s frenetic and funny ‘American farce.’ Staged on a beautiful and versatile John Thompson set, the action and rapid fire lines on-stage never slow down from the moment the hotel owner Brian Cody says prophetically, “Something will go wrong. I just know it!”

The fun of farces rests firmly on their utter improbability.

“There is actually a fine line between farce and a tragedy,” Bowes said during an earlier interview. “The pace is vital. The characters should never have time to stop, think and reason, because that, of course, would destroy the humour.”

This is a cast of highly skilled performers more than able to rise to the challenges of the play.

Timm Hughes and Debra Hale play the hapless Codys. She’s determined to pull off the great ‘con’ when prospective buyer Sam Lewis appears. He’s determined to see the darker side of the whole plan. “Nothing has turned out. We’re no further ahead than we were before.” 

And it won’t help that the couple ropes into their schemes a group for whom the word ‘eccentric’ was invented.

Hopkins the handyman, played by veteran actor, Mo Bock, in a fog of happy alcohol fumes, has love on his mind, not masquerades. Maureen, the maid, (AnnaMarie Lea in the sort of role in which she excels) is desperately trying to keep two completely different thoughts in her head at the same time. She will not be successful. 

Doug Tangney,  delightful as a retired British Major, is sincerely hoping to help the Codys, but is a little unsure if he will be ‘up to the demands of the job’? 

Or, as Hopkins puts it, “All I get to do is talk about sin. Ponsenby gets to do it!” 

In the frantic role of the “Barracuda,” a hotel guest with an all-male shopping list, Susan Greenfield needs to be wildly energetic and wildly outrageous. She is.

“I have this thing for clergymen, reverend,” she remarks salaciously to what she thinks is a preacher. “You and I should have an organ recital together.”

Richard Bauer brings just the right mixture of bombast and hypocrisy to his role as Sam Lewis, possible purchaser of the Turtle Beach. For a man piously telling others to control their “animal impulses”, Lewis has some comic secrets of his own.

Erin MacKinnon, in the role of the rather sweet young thing Ashley, is as close to a ‘straight man’ as this play ever gets. After all, it’s not really her fault that her clothes keep vanishing!

Brenda Quesnel is Dorothy, the umbrella-wielding mystery woman, whose appearance will set off a chain reaction of mayhem in Act II. As another guest, prey to her temper, bluntly remarks, “If that woman lived in India, she’d be sacred.”

The back stage crew is in top form for Hotbed Hotel. Headed by stage manager Liz Campbell,  they have dozens of cues to meet, props hand offs, elaborate costume and set changes and  several tricky physical gags to manage. As director Bowes put it, “Backstage can sometimes be as exciting as on stage in a farce.”

The bends, twists and turns of character and plot are delivered at a breathless pace in this production. The play flips 180 degrees so often it’s like being in a spin cycle at times. 

Outrageous, brilliantly paced and howlingly funny, Hotbed Hotel runs until July 1 at the Upper Canada Playhouse.

For ticket information on evening and matinee shows, contact  613-543-3713. 

[…]

The decision to retain the South Dundas parcel of land known as the ‘400’ will cost the township $8,898.75.

At the June 5th council meeting, clerk Brenda Brunt requested that council authorize payment of the sum to MinCom Real Estate Brokerage for the commission on the “almost” sale of the property.

Council received three offers on the 397 acre property on County Road 8 opposite the Williamsburg landfill site, one of which was above asking price. 

On April 17th, in response to the large outcry from the South Dundas community, council passed a resolution to decline all offers on the land.

“The commission,” Brunt pointed out, “is payable when an acceptable offer is submitted and rejected by the vendor.”

Council, recognizing their legal responsibility, unanimously agreed the commission should be paid.

Councillor Evonne Delegarde provided “food for thought: we have to research the history of the property before we put them up for sale.” 

[…]