Correction

The weather was perfect. The apple pies and apple desserts were perfect. And the large crowds were perfectly happy to enjoy games, rides, music and lots of good food during the Iroquois Apple Festival held on Saturday, September 17.

Candace Menges, chair of the Iroquois & District Celebration Festival Committee, which organized the event, said that organizers were “extremely pleased with the day.”

“The only complaint we’ve heard thus far is that there was no where to park,” Menges laughed. “I think I kind of like that complaint, as you don’t hear that too often in the Iroquois Plaza.”

The theme of the 2011 festival was tied in to the 200th anniversary of the McIntosh Apple.

Descendents of the McIntosh family and other guests came from Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Cornwall and the United States to visit the community and enjoy the festival.

“We want to offer many thanks to Smyth’s Orchards for providing tours of their orchards and for setting up the McIntosh Apple Visitors’ Centre,” Menges said. “The family was great to work with, and we are very thankful that they have sustained the McIntosh Apple within our community where it originated.”

With members of the McIntosh family assisting, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds and members of council officially opened the Festival by cutting the red ribbon. Mayor Byvelds praised the work of the organizers. With councillor Evonne Delegarde he presented McIntosh descendents with specially created commemorative coins in honour of the 200th anniversary.

An all day farmers’ market, colourful vendors, Tribeck Inflatables, a petting zoo and lots of fun contests for kid and adults alike were popular at the Festival. Children especially enjoyed the music of H&S Express, while the beat of Landmark rocked the plaza in the afternoon.

Members of the South Dundas council were also called upon to judge desserts and pies. (Some had to sample each offering two or three times just to be sure.) The apple pie winner was Lori Link, while Anne Hartle won top apple dessert.

Cutest apple dumpling baby under age one was Addisyn Blanchette while Kacey Claxton took honours in the one to two year old category. Sarah Steward, Mateo Lacroix and Amber Bailey were judged best in the colouring contests in their age categories. Ethel Merkley won the peeling contest with an apple peel measuring 31.5 inches, while Sharron Miller was the winner of the apple trivial challenge. Lynne Jamieson was the 50/50 draw winner. 

[…]

 It took steady hands and an eye for design, but the students in 7.1 and 7.2 at Seaway District High School proved they were up to the challenge of creating their own pumpkin extravaganza. 

Grade seven teacher, Andrew Carson, with the assistance of teachers Mr. Benton and Mme. Driscoll, and LRC teacher Mrs. Fowler, took the 43 students to the art room for some serious pumpkin work on Monday, October 29. 

“We had been preparing for today for about a week,” Carson said. “The students had to choose the individual stencils to create their designs. And of course, they had to clean out the pumpkins themselves. That’s been a little messy, but they are enjoying themselves.”

Choices of pumpkin stencils ranged from bats and ghosts to were-wolves and aliens. 

All the carvers were hard at work when the Leader arrived.

“The students have been really excited about this. Some of them have never used stencils before. Others have never actually carved a pumpkin. So they were ready to dive in this morning: it’s really a new and fun experience for most of them.”

Smyth’s Apple Orchard provided the 45 pumpkins needed for the classes.

“Those pumpkins were a very generous donation by Smyth’s Apple Orchard,” Carson said, “especially since this is their busy season. We are really grateful.”

Tuesday, October 30, all the pumpkins went to the Seaway gym for the grand lighting ceremony, “sort of our own Pumpkin Inferno,” Carson laughed. At the end of the day, each student took home the pumpkin he or she had created.

And nothing was wasted.

All the pumpkin seeds from the activity were collected and taken to the Developmental Room kitchen where they are going to be baked.

“We’ll be eating them as treats at the Hallowe’en dance this Wednesday,” Carson said. 

[…]

Even though tickets sold out for Saturday’s Blok Family benefit fundraising dance , the community’s generosity didn’t stop with ticket sales.

The evening featured a live and silent auction, and by the time those were finished, more than $25,000 was raised to help Jessica (Beckstead) Blok and her family as she battles stage four rhabdomyosarcoma cancer. Jessica recently married Dustin Blok and the young couple have a baby daughter Autumn.

The Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club organized and hosted the event at Matilda Hall, January 10. Eddy and the Stingrays provided the entertainment, free of charge to allow all proceeds to go the family.

“Let’s help make a difference,” was our motto as we approached this event,” said Henry Swank, president of the Iroquois-Matilda Lions. “And, I think we did.”

Swank was ecstatic to announce the fundraising tally Monday morning. “I’m just damn proud of everyone,” he said. “Not just the Lions, but the family and friends and the community who supported this. This was a real unified effort.”

“What made it even more special was the family being there,” said Swank. 

“We’re just really appreciative of everything everyone has done for us,” said Dustin. 

“We need to say thanks to everyone. To everyone who donated, to the Lions and Tony (Hall) and family and friends thanks so much,” said Jessica.

The $25,000 tally only takes into account funds raised at Saturday’s benefit. At a recent regional meeting of area Lions Clubs, Swank made an appeal to all the area clubs to contribute to the Blok family, so even more money will be raised for this family.

Shortly after the print deadline, members of the Lions club updated the fundraising total for the event to over $31,000.

[…]