Month: October 2013

B. McNairn-Leader Staff

IROQUOIS–For two weeks, Williamsburg-area native Carl Van Allen went about his daily business, unaware that he was a millionaire.

On October 9, Van Allen purchased his regular weekly 6/49 Lottery ticket at Mustard’s Variety in Iroquois. On October 23, after having driven around for two weeks with the ticket in the console of his truck, he had  the numbers checked, and that’s when he got the surprise of his life, the win in the Lotto 6/49 Guaranteed $1 Million prize draw.

Although a cruise may be in the works this winter,  neither Van Allen, 62, nor his wife Ruby have plans to retire nor to make any big purchases. Carl is a longtime employee at Craig Packaging Ltd. in Iroquois, while Ruby works in retail in Morrisburg. Married 42 years, they have two children and five grandchildren.

Jim Mustard, owner of Mustard’s Variety, says “since day one, it’s been my dream to make someone’s dream come true and now it has.” It is also a great way for Jim to complete 24 years in business and to celebrate the upcoming 25th anniversary of Mustard’s Variety on January 3, 2014.

Mustard says he was present when Carl came in to have his tickets validated. “It was the same as usual. Erica [Mustard employee Erica Scott] always says, ‘how are you doing today’ and Carl always answers ‘I’ll know as soon as you check my tickets’.”

The next thing Mustard recalls is looking up and seeing a big printout coming out of the Lottery terminal. A message to Erica indicated she was to tell the customer not to leave the store. So, while they all knew Carl had won something big, at this point they didn’t know just how much. 

“It felt like an hour, but it was probably only four or five minutes later that the phone rang and it was the Ontario Lottery Association,” says Jim.  

After Jim and Carl answered the Lottery official’s questions, the ticket was run again and the $1 million result was officially revealed. 

“I was numb,” says Carl. “Once I talked to the girl in Toronto, it kind of sunk in. That’s when I got exited.”

But not too excited as he headed home to give Ruby the news. “I bought a scratch ticket and gave that to her when I got home. After about 20 minutes, she finally sat down to the scratch ticket and won $12. When she let me know she had won the $12, I said ‘that’s great. $12 is good’. How would you like to win $1 million. She wouldn’t believe me at first.”

“I had goose bumps from it,” says Jim, with Erica adding, “ I was  very excited. It was pure joy to watch his [Carl’s] face. It was amazing.”

Carl and Ruby are well-remembered for their hard work and their commitment to the Volley for Cancer event which they and a committee of volunteers ran for over 10 years on their farm (and eventually in Morrisburg). Over the years, Volley for Cancer raised thousands of dollars for cancer in memory of Carl’s mother.

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WILLIAMSBURG – The rain held off and 10 teams held on here Saturday to raise $5,045 for the Dundas County District Chapter of Easter Seals Ontario. That brings the 12 year total of the Brian and Tracey Shaver organized ball hockey tournament to over $40,000, an amount the Shavers and all of the ball hockey players are very proud of.

This year’s double knock out event attracted 10 teams, down one from last year’s record 11 teams.

For the third consecutive year, it was the James Morrell entry finishing as the champs. Playing for the Morrell team were Kelly Morrell, Laura MacDonnell, Lindsay Waddell, Dave Summers, Greg Millard, James Morrell, Adrian Glauser, Daniel Glauser and Colin Moran (goalie).

For this year’s win, the Morrells knocked off Team Francis which included Andrea Francis, Scott Francis, Jamie Francis, Adam Schofield, Chelsea Seguin, Debby Berwick-Seguin, Will Mclean and Paul Flaro.

Money is raised for Easter Seals through pledges, with each player asked to collect a minimum $25 in pledges. Getting the most pledges this year was Jason Rooney at $475.

The Dundas County Chapter of Easter Seals assists children living in Dundas County with physical disabilities.

The Chapter counts annually on three major fundraisers, the ball hockey tournament, Snowarama and a blooperball tournament along with the annual Easter Seals Paper Egg Campaign.

The Dundas Chapter now consists of just four committee members and it assists 14 children living in Dundas County.

“We need this [successful ball hockey tournament] because we are down in events, and we are a small committee,” said secretary Harriet Clarke. “As always the community has been very generous with our prizes today and Brian and Tracey [Shaver] do a wonderful job. It is a lot of work. Brian and Tracey do this out of the goodness of their heart. They deserve the credit and a huge pat on the back.”

According to Chapter Chair, Ian MacLaughlin, the group is looking for volunteers. “This would allow us to diversify and to take on more activities.”

“We would like to make more people in the Dundas County Community aware of us and what we do. We would also like to reach out to the parents out there who don’t know they can access us.

To find out more about the District Council for Easter Seals, local residents can contact any member of the committee. In addition to MacLaughlin and Clarke, they include Bob Ruddock and Deanna MacKillican.

[…]

MORRISBURG–Local historian John Carruthers, who specializes in the reproduction of black powder muskets, has produced a unique piece to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, and in particular, the Battle of Crysler’s Farm.

In keeping with the time of the battle, Carruthers, in collaboration with good friend Sheldon Beverage, has produced a beautiful black powder horn that would have been used by the soldiers of the day (both the British and American).

Over the 38 years that Carruthers has been reproducing muskets, he has had occasion to make powder horns, but this one to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 has become a work of art. Engraved on its exterior is John’s name, the Crysler Farm battle date, a 1756 replica map of the intended American route from Sacketts Harbor down the St. Lawrence River to Montreal, the Coat of Arms of King George III, a salute to the Mohawk Indians who fought side-by-side with British regulars, and a replica of the 1895 Monument for Crysler’s Farm.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the War, John with his wife Mary have included the powder horn, a replica musket, a cutlass and a documented collection of U.S. musket balls and buckshot and other War of 1812 memorabilia in an exhibit they have displayed at various War of 1812 celebrations over the past year and a half.

“Mary and I put on displays six times last year, and will have done another nine this year which will include  the Iroquois-Matilda Lions Club Commemoration coming up in Iroquois, on November 9.

The production of the powder horn was an intensive labour of love, with Carruthers putting in some 80 hours preparing, sanding, polishing and carving the horn and Beverage, whose engraving career was with the Royal Canadian Mint, adding another 80 hours for the engraving.

Carruthers explains that his work was with rasps and files, “to keep taking it down until it was smooth.” Sand paper and fine steel wool gave it the final sheen. In addition, Carruthers produced the plug (for the butt end) out of cherry wood and used a fiddle key at the small end. He explains that when powder horns were used, the plugs would have been sealed with beeswax to keep the horn watertight, and the small end plug was often a fiddle key.

While Carruthers talks about his work on the powder horn, he can’t say enough about the quality of engraving produced by Beverage. In the Coat of Arms, “Sheldon even included the thistle and the rose. The process involved little scratches, that were then darkened with India ink to accent the engraving details. His work is beautiful. It just amazed me.”

Carruthers says that although the main function of the power horn, “was to carry black power for their muskets, some horns were quite elaborate. They usually had a map, and their names.”

Carruthers has a small collection of powder horns. He has one made from a cow’s horn that came from the Toyes Hill area that would probably have belonged to a working man, and another, older one that “hung in Alex English’s store. We think it belonged to a Weagant, and that it might have been used in the War of 1812.”

Highlighting his collection is a 200 year old horn, complete with a British Stamp. “It was used for priming canons, and it too could have been used in the War of 1812.”

Also popular in Carruthers’ display is his collection of musket balls and buckshot he and his family collected in the water along the St. Lawrence shoreline west of Crysler Marina in the early 1970’s.

Carruthers was first made aware of the balls and buckshot by some duck hunters who had pulled their boats to shore west of the Marina and noticed these round objects in the water. “They told me they had found a couple of balls they thought were ball bearings of some sort. I asked them if they were rusty and when they said no, they were more grey and had a crusty texture, that had me thinking. Lead oxidizes, so over 200 years a grey crust would have formed over them. You could scrape it off down to the lead, but I have left the crust.”

In 1977, the musket balls and buckshot were examined by Lee F. Murray, then Chief Curator of the Canadian War Museum at the National Museum of Man.

In Mr. Murray’s opinion, “what he has found are U.S. musket balls and buckshot. I believe that to be the case because the location where he finds them is what was, at the time of the battle [Crysler’s Farm], the bush on the U.S. right flank from which the main U.S. force on the east side of the gully was attacked by Canadian and Indian skirmishes. The calibre of the balls, which Carruthers tells me varies from 0.64 inches to 0.69 inches suggests that they are of U.S. origin. The buckshot too suggests U.S. origin for they were known to load 2-3 buckshot with each musket ball.”

Carruthers says he has enjoyed sharing his collections and knowledge at the various events held to commemorate the anniversary of the War of 1812, and he is looking forward to the upcoming celebration in Iroquois, on November 9.

[…]

MORRISBURG–Building a dream is what Kevin Casselman has been doing since he purchased his Harley-Davidson in August of 2007. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of work and hundreds upon hundreds of dollars later, he says his dream is now pretty much complete.

“I bought it original in 2007, and then I built it up,” he says of his Pacific blue-denim coloured Heritage Classic 2007 Harley Softail. “I dressed it up, I guess you would say.”

Casselman, who is the Animal Control officer for South Dundas and several other local municipalities, has worked on his bike in his spare time since he first purchased it. 

“It’s been my winter hobby and anytime when the Shelter is slow. I drive it right into the house to work on it. I also have a work shop.”

Casselman says he had bikes years ago, “when I was a kid. It was Hondas and Yamahas back then, but I always wanted a Harley.”

For Casselman, the pleasure he has derived from his Harley has been as much, maybe even more, from the customizing and personalizing he has done on it, as from riding it.

“I just ride it on little light tours. I trailer it to most of the shows I attend, some as far away as Sudbury and Owen Sound.”

His most recent trip was to Biketoberfest 2013, on September 21st, in Fenwick, Ontario (12 miles outside Niagara Falls). He returned home from Biketoberfest with the first place trophy in the Stock Class.

In fact, over the years of entering his Harley in shows, he has collected 43 first place trophies, two seconds and one third. He has participated in shows in Peterborough, Sudbury, Quebec, Petawawa, Carleton Place and a number of other locations across Ontario. One of his challenges is to find time for the shows, as he can get away from the Shelter for no more than a day at a time. “I can’t push it. I have someone who helps care for the animals, but I have to be available for calls.”

At Peterborough, he has won “Best of Show” for the past three years.

Casselman says he enjoys the quiet time spent working on his bike, which he says is “99.9 percent all Harley parts. I made them fit the bike. A lot are custom parts I built myself and had re-chromed.” He proudly displays a Harley eagle which he re-worked and is now mounted on the bike’s rear fender. His millwork is done by Dan at Eastern Ontario Millwrights.

In addition to getting help and advice from good friend Jimmy Smith in Morrisburg, he says “I picked up some of my ideas from other bikers, from magazines and from bikes I have seen at the various shows.”

Although, he is by no means a bike mechanic, he says he is mechanically inclined. “When I first started, I didn’t touch things, but I have learned as I went along. I have counted on Jimmy (Smith) a number of times to talk over different ideas and to ask him for advice on little problems.”

Casselman says that he also enjoys the show and talking to other bike enthusiasts. “There are hours of questions and lots of photos have been taken of the bike. They want to know what this is, or how I did something. People take their bikes very seriously. There are some who will spend $12-$15,000 just for a paint job.”

“I have had some offers to purchase it and a lot of people have asked how much it is worth. I just tell them ‘half a house’.”

No one, other than Casselman himself has actually been allowed to work on the bike. However, “I have allowed a few friends (Carol and Chris Prunner, Kelly Connerty) to help polish it as it takes me two days, off and on, to polish it. That’s not steady polishing mind you, but that is what it takes to get it show ready.”

So with his Heritage Classic Harley, pretty much the way he wants it to be, what now. “This one I’ll probably keep forever,” he says, “but I do have my eye on a Harley Fat Boy.”

[…]

One hundred and fifty free pumpkins are ready and  waiting to be carved.

The Morrisburg Business Improvement area is inviting everyone to come by the Morrisburg Plaza the afternoon of October 26, to carve a pumpkin.

From 2-5:30 pm., pumpkin carving will take place at clock tower in the Morrisburg Plaza.

“Families are welcome to drop by and carve a pumpkin, that they can take home with them,” said Grace McDonough, BIA coordinator. “The pumpkins are free!” 

Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

Some carving tools including stencils and carving kits will be available, but people are can bring their own too.

Once the pumpkins are carved, they can be lit and placed with all of the other creative community efforts in the light the way display at about 6:30 p.m.

The idea is for the community to light the way to Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village for its visitors,

The carved pumpkins then go home with their creators.

The light the way display is the culmination of this year’s second annual Season of the Pumpkin People which runs throughout the South Dundas community during Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village.

This year featured children’s activities and stories, a pumpkin recipe contest, and window display contest.

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