Five Alarm Chili, Anyone

It’s a chance every musician hopes for: a nomination at the prestigious Los Angeles Music Awards, scheduled for September 25, 2014.

However, well-known and very talented independent artist Cory Coons has learned that he has two reasons to be pretty excited about this year’s Music Awards.

Coons has just been notified of his nomination in two categories at the ceremony: Male singer/songwriter and Record of the Year for his Share a Little Time. He will be flying out to L.A., to take the stage on Nomination Night at the Whiskey A Go-Go September 25, during the gala 2014 Los Angeles Music Awards. This will be followed by the actual Awards night on November 12.

It’s a pivotal moment in the hard-working young artist’s career.

“I know that in the end, it’s where the road takes us,” Coons said, “and I’m trying to stay grounded. But I’m pretty excited. The nominations are a big step for me. These awards are a kind of spring board into the professional industry and the Grammies. I would really love the support of my community in this endeavour. Fan support really does keep artists doing what they do.” 

Joining Cory on the L.A. journey will be his long time friend and associate, a noted musician himself, Kevin Eamon, owner/operator of Rock My House. Eamon will be Coons’ official sponsor at the first of two red carpet events. 

The road to L.A. is the latest result of years of hard work and dedication on the part of Cory Coons. He has honed his talent, his voice and his writing skills through effort and persistence.

This year, he flew out to Los Angeles in January for two intensive weeks working directly with famed producer Ron Nevison. 

Nevison is one of the top producers in North America. He has worked with mainstream rock groups like Heart, Meat Loaf, Chicago, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Bad Company, Night Rangers and many others. “I submitted music to Ron over the last two years, and when I reached out to him about producing some material, he readily agreed to it. This was hugely significant to me because Ron can work with any artist he wants to in the music business.” 

Ron oversaw Cory’s time in Los Angeles, setting him up in the studio with back up artists Jeff Bova and Tim Pierce. 

Bova is a producer/arranger who’s already won a Grammy. Pierce was the original session guitar player on Bon Jovi’s Runaway, and Rick Springfield’s guitar player. Cory described it as “an honour” to work with these artists. In fact, Bova created a beautiful string arrangement  for Cory’s Remember Me, a cherished song that he wrote as a tribute to his late parents. 

In the L.A. studio, the musicians laid down tracks for a new EP Cory is releasing to jibe with the September trip stateside. Coons felt that “Ron helped me a lot, especially on vocals. He took the time to get the best out of my voice. And he’s an advisory panel member (with other producers like Eddie Kramer) with the L.A. Music Awards. He was both a connection and a help to me.”

There is a voting ballot system in place on the L.A. Music Awards website. Cory needs the support of voters in this community to help him score well in his two categories. By going on line, and voting (more than once is acceptable!), local fans could really help Cory make his dreams come true.

“If things go well on nomination night, I will need the support of voters and fans all over Canada and world wide. Should I win in one or both of the categories, then the sky’s the limit. Things could go in many directions.”

Again, the young South Dundas musician remains grounded. “Even if I don’t win, the experience of taking part, the media exposure, the publicity is immense. It’s all going to be really exciting to me.”

People can vote for Cory Coons right now, with the polls closing on November 12, just before the Music Awards broadcast. Fan support can make a big difference. The link is http://www.lamusicawards.net/nominees.html.

[…]

 

The huge success and popularity of the South Dundas Dog Park in Morrisburg has not come without a few glitches, says Park Pals committee co-chairs Tracey Veinotte and Janeen Wagemans.

Even during the coldest days of the past winter, Wagemans estimates a minimum of 20 dogs and their owners visited the park each day and on summer evenings last year it was common to see upwards of 20 dogs, at one time, enjoying the park. 

“It is good that we have the traffic,” says Veinotte. “But it’s chewing the land up, so our agenda right now is ‘how do we keep it nice?”.

Earlier this spring volunteers roped off the heavy traffic entry area in the park for large dogs, planted grass seed and added fertilizer to assist the grassed area to recover.

Although the original park design called for more bricking in the entry area, there was not enough money available.

“Wendy (Montreal landscape architect Wendy Graham who designed the park) also pointed out that in the first year or two we would see what needed to be done, so that is what we are now seeing,” said Wagemans.

The current plan to alleviate the ‘wear’ problem is to dig down and add crushed stone in a semi-circular pattern out from the gate entry and around the landscaping rocks where the dogs and their owners tend to gather. An additional set of three rocks will be added farther away from the entry in a effort to move some of the congestion from the affected area.

The Park Pals committee has also identified the need for drainage, a watering system and lighting. 

To put these needs in place they have launched a Mother’s Day Draw which they expect will be their final ‘major’ fund raiser.

“Our donation box had been broken into twice so we are hoping the light will deter that,” says Veinotte, with Wagemans pointing out, “The money is  removed from the box every day, and although we are generally only talking a couple of dollars here and there, it is a nice contribution.”

In addition, park users who work have expressed the need for lighting in the fall and early winter, when darkness falls early before they are able to get home from work and get their pooches to the park.

Veinotte and Wagemans and several of the original Park Pals committee members (Willie Harper, Barb O’Neill and Sandra Van Allen) are delighted with the use the park is getting from local dog owners and especially people from Iroquois, Williamsburg, Winchester, Ingleside and Long Sault on a regular basis. In addition, there is the travelling public that searches out the park.

“I didn’t really believe a dog park would draw people in, even though all the literature said it would,” said Wagemans. “I thought, oh yeah right, but there are actually quite a lot of people coming in.”

The Park Pals committee is once again looking for the support of the community, especially dog lovers and dog owners, for their upcoming Mother’s Day raffle.

Tickets are $5 each and there are six prizes up for grabs. The top three prizes include a new IPAD 3, a $200 Canadian Tire Gift Certificate and a $100 Riley’s Valu-mart Gift Card. The draw will be made Sunday, May 13 at the South Dundas Dog Park and the Park Pals will have the tickets for sale this coming weekend at Valu-Mart and on the Mother’s Day weekend at Canadian Tire.

Any park users who could help with ticket sales over the next couple of weeks, or ticket sales or projects (maintenance) in the future are invited to contact either Veinotte or Wagemans.

The Park Pals are estimating that they need approximately $7,000 to complete their work plan which includes about $1,900 for irrigation, $1,800 for gravel and $3,300 for electrical. They are hoping to raise $2,000 towards the final project from the draw.

“If we can get it set up correctly, our goal is to have it a maintenance free park,” said Wagemans.

Once maintenance free, the Park Pals committee will continue to hold their annual Duck Draw to raise money for minor expenses, such as the cost of the waste collection bags and water.

“If we don’t do all the crazy things we do to keep the dog park the way it is, then I’m afraid it is not going be as nice in the future,” says Veinotte. “We absolutely appreciate that the area is very special to a lot of people and we want to keep it looking the way people are proud of it.”

[…]

 

A place to play and more is what’s offered by Ontario Early Years, when it holds play and learn time at St. James Anglican Church basement in Morrisburg every Tuesday from 9 a.m. until noon.

Just before the program took a break over the holidays, play and learn was moved to Tuesdays. 

With this small change, they were able to bring the Eastern Ontario Health Unit nurse back every week for the Watch Me Grow program which weighs babies, gives health advice for young children and can even do immunizations, if you call ahead first.

It has been two years since Watch me Grow has been available, in Morrisburg, and Fiona Carr, program coordinator of OEY is happy to welcome the EOHU back and is pleased with the success of the recent changes.

“Our first day after the move, we had 21 kids here representing 14 families. That’s wonderful for any drop in program,” she said.

OEY, which offers programming in both Iroquois and Morrisburg, is a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone with children 0-6 years of age.

The play and learn time in Morrisburg features some great toys, and a fleet of ride on toys, with ample space for the kids to enjoy them. 

This time to play and socialize with each other is an invaluable resource for young minds, and Carr said that she can see the positive affect it has on kids as they return again and again.

“Social skills are learned like crazy, just by playing with the other kids,” said Carr. “They learn how to share and to sit and listen, all in a friendly environment.”

“This is great,” said one of the caregivers who brought two young boys to Play and Learn just before Christmas. “There’s a lot of different toys here and the kids love that, especially the ride on toys. They really love the crafts too.”

While the kids are playing, learning and having fun, the time also provides their caregivers with the opportunity to talk to other parents and the child care professionals on site.

“Everyday I see new people come to the centre with their kids and leave with friends,” said Carr explaining that it’s a great place for both the parents and the kids to meet new people.

Carr encourages anyone with children aged 0-6 to drop by one of the play and learn sessions to learn about the OEY and all it has to offer. Play and Learn is offered from 9 a.m until noon, Mondays and Thursdays at Iroquois Public School and Tuesdays at St. James Anglican Church in Morrisburg.

[…]