Playhouse crowd pleaser, kids take to the stage

 I first learned of Pastor John Noordhof’s  bike journey on behalf of those trapped in the cycle of poverty from Joe Groeneveld, Dixon’s youth leader. Pastor John, from the Williamsburg Christian Reformed Church, is involved in an extraordinary nine week  biking adventure, crossing North America with Sea to Sea.

Pastor John Noordhof is part of a group of nearly 200 people of all ages who are biking in order to raise funds for the national struggle to end poverty. Sea to Sea is sponsored by World Renew, Partners Worldwide and the Reformed Church of America. When he left on his bike journey Pastor John had been pledged well over $10,000 by members of the Williamsburg Christian Reformed Church, and other community supporters.

On June 22, Pastor John dipped the wheel of his bike into the Pacific Ocean at Los Angeles. By August 24, he and fellow bikers hope to be in New York City to dip their wheels into the Atlantic.

Friday, August 16, around 7 a.m., following the night in Brockville, Pastor John Noordhof and other riders should be passing through Morrisburg, stopping at Upper Canada Playhouse for a brief reception. Members of his Williamsburg Church family and other interested people in the community are very welcome to come out and greet John and the Sea to Sea riders.  

Sea to Sea recognizes that there are, of course, no quick fixes for poverty. The non-profit Bike Tour, whose motto is “cycling to end poverty”, is part of a multi-pronged approach to the issue.  The 2008 Bike tour brought in $1.5 million for the cause. Organizers of the 2013 tour are hopeful that this year the donations may reach $3 million. The funds go toward organizations combatting poverty world wide.

Pastor John has had a full, and often exciting journey, peddling at least 70 miles every day. Mac Vandemaheen, of the Williamsburg Church, said that he spent part of the winter practicing for the trip on a stationary bike, but “he was ready to be out on the road.” On a blog, which he updates regularly, he has kept his supporters informed about the journey across North America.

Camping out in tents, staying in auditoriums, gyms in schools and community halls, the bikers have made new friends in the communities they passed through.  In Colorado, Pastor John wrote that he stayed in a dorm, in a “real bed, the first since Vanguard nearly three weeks ago.” In Iowa, contending with rainy weather and two flat tires, he was thrilled by an unexpected visit from church members Ralph and Marge Norg, very much a “bright spot” on the journey. He describes beautiful scenery, the wonder of experiencing mountains, valleys and desert terrain. 

There have been challenges. Temperatures along the way sometimes climbed to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cyclists had to travel by truck: it was too risky to bike. Outside Colorado Springs, one cyclist fell and broke her leg. Crossing the Continental Divide, Pastor John wrote “There was one short, steep climb that I had to stop three times because I was totally out of breath. The elevation got me.”

However, all along the route, the bikers have met with hundreds of supportive and welcoming officials and ordinary people. Following their crossing back into Canada, the group was able to relax at Redeemer College, and attend a celebration service, where nearly 1,000 people filled the hall. They recently crossed over Toronto, detours, construction and all, a experience Pastor John recalls as “remarkable.” He also celebrated a birthday on the road.

Cyclists with Sea to Sea have described the tour as a “life-changing experience where they got to depend on God for his protection and had the opportunity to join others in collectively seeking to glorify God by raising money to aid those who are caught in the cycle of poverty.”

Donations to Pastor John’s cause can still be made by going to the Sea to Sea website.

[…]

MORRISBURG– Upper Canada Village’s new fall event Pumpkinferno, poised to open on Friday, October 4, has been nominated as one of three finalists in the ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ category by TIAO (Tourism Industry Association of Ontario) in preparation for the annual Ontario Tourism Summit, where winners will be announced at the Gala Evening Event in Toronto, on November 14, 2013.

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario is the umbrella organization for leading associations, destination marketing organizations and regional tourism organizations serving Ontario’s diverse tourism industry.  

TIAO collectively represents 147,000 businesses and the 608,000 employees that are dedicated to promoting and operating the Province’s tourism infrastructure.  

The Ontario Tourism Summit is an annual event that brings together hundreds of tourism professionals from across Ontario to learn the latest in industry trends and forecasts, share best practices, network with colleagues, and recognize industry leaders at the Tourism Awards.

“Receiving Provincial recognition from our industry peers for this inaugural, out-of-the-box event is like receiving an Emmy nomination!” said Darren Dalgleish, GM and CEO of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.  “Having set an attendance record for any new first year event; gaining the wide-spread media notoriety last year and already capturing the “Best New Event” award from Festivals and Events Ontario, strongly indicates that we’re bang on track with aligning event programming with our visiting guests.”  

“We are honoured and humbled to be in such great competitive company in this category.”

“What a proud moment for Upper Canada Village – being named a finalist in the ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ category at the Tourism Summit,” says Upper Canada Village Manger, Geoff Waycik.  “Their creative energies have translated into endless accolades and position it as Ontario’s most unique and largest event of its kind!” 

“We are diligent in changing the face of this event each year to keep our guests interested and returning,” says Waycik. “Pumpkinferno is a very unique type of event and we look forward to launching our redesigned, second season with the new ‘House of Horoscopes’ display on October 4.”

Earlier this year, Pumpkinferno was honoured by Festivals & Events Ontario when it was named 2012 Best New Event in Ontario.  

It was also a finalist in the 2012 Ottawa Tourism Awards for Tourism Event of the Year.

Pumpkinferno will be open on select nights from October 4 through November 2.  

Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended.  

[…]

 The SD&G County Library Board held a public information meeting in Williamsburg May 9, at the Williamsburg Oddfellows Hall.

Over 75 people attended the meeting where Library Staff provided a power point presentation concerning the upcoming consolidation of the Williamsburg and Morrisburg library branches.

Staff and the library board members were focussed on showing the public the plans for the new branch location in Morrisburg. 

They spoke about the need for rural libraries, like rural communities, to find creative ways to sustain themselves.

With the opportunity to consolidate at a new high traffic location, the board made the decision to consolidate the two branches.

With the prospect of a new location that will see much higher foot traffic past the door of the library, which will include everyone using the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic or visiting the South Dundas Municipal Centre, the board seized the opportunity.

Using the Kemptville library as a model for a difficult changes that have had a positive outcome, the SD&G Library Board initiated similarly difficult changes. 

Eric Duncan, who is a member of the library board, explained that the expansion of the Kemptville library included the closure of small branches in South Gower and Oxford Mills.

“There was a huge outcry from the public and disaster was predicted. People were furious when it happened,” explained Duncan.

But through the change, they moved to a higher profile, higher traffic location and were able to get more usage and increase membership to 62 per cent.

“If we are one fifth as successful as Kemptville that would be huge for South Dundas and County-wide for the library system.”

That one branch in a place with one-quarter the population of the Counties now has more visits than all 18 branches in SD&G combined. That speaks volumes,” said Duncan. “This is not negative. Give it a chance to show it can work.”

“We need to make the library system better,” said board chair Bill McGimpsey.

Presently about 12 percent of the population of South Dundas uses the library. The board aims to double that usage by attracting some of the large majority of the local population who does not presently use the library.

They plan to offer a new, comfortable and inviting space, longer hours, more staff and more programming including children’s programming and one-on-one technical programming aimed at seniors.

While the board sees this decision as a positive one, those on hand at the meeting felt quite the opposite.

“Our library money is going to Morrisburg,” shouted someone from the crowd.

“You live in South Dundas,” said McGimpsey. “South Dundas is getting a better library.” 

That was definitely not what the crowd of Williamsburg library supporters wanted to hear. 

They expressed their frustration, anger and disappointment with their small town losing yet another service and with having no opportunity to have a say in the decision until after it was already made.

They repeatedly stressed the importance of the Williamsburg branch of the library in their every day lives and its importance for their children.

One of the most important questions asked at the meeting was whether the board would reconsider their decision.

No one would directly answer that question, but most left the meeting with the impression that the decision has been made. “This decision has been made, and our opinions don’t matter,” shouted someone from the crowd.

The library board is hosting a public information session Thursday, May 16, 7 p.m., at the Morrisburg library to show the community what they have planned for the upcoming consolidation.

[…]