Discarded smoking materials are the likely cause of the fire that destroyed this Levere Road hunting camp building in South Dundas. South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services attend the scene to extinguish the blaze around 2 p.m. November 28.
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Upper Canada Playhouse held its 2011 Annual Christmas Auction on November 19 at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre and co-ordinator Geraldine Fitzsimmons reports that it was a tremendous success.
This year’s auction raised $17,000.
The Playhouse Auction is the Playhouse’s one major fund raiser and is always a popular event with the community. It is one of the first Holiday events in the area and those attending enjoy a fine meal, socializing and the fun of bidding on a wide range of products and services donated by businesses, organizations and individuals within the community.
Fitzsimmons stressed that she was amazed at the generosity of these donors and also with the extent the community turns out to play a role in the future of Upper Canada Playhouse as a valued cultural aspect of the area and a significant contributor to the local economy and tourist trade.
The auction funds will be used to create an additional storage area for the theatre’s production department and also new seats in the future.
Fitzsimmons also thanked her team of volunteers for their time and effort, the OETIO for the great space and wonderful meal and all of the supporters who helped to make this year’s Auction one of the most successful in recent years.
The Williamsburg United Church has been conditionally sold.
On March 14th, Reverend Ralph Taylor confirmed that the church’s congregation had indeed accepted an offer made to purchase the building.
With things not quite finalized, Taylor felt it best not to pinpoint anything for certain. What he did say, however, is that the church has been ‘sold’ to a young couple who wish to turn the church into a home.
At the moment, he revealed, that the church officials are working with the township of South Dundas to change the current zoning for the lot to residential.
Taylor also indicated that they are “in the process of negotiating with somebody who bought a former school within the general area” for a possible lease on a temporary worship center. He pointed out that a contract has not yet been signed.
Should things work out, “this is going to be our tabernacle while we work on our future.”
“There might be other churches in the Presbytery looking for some partnerships and rather than tie ourselves down, this (school) will be our interim kind of place.”
Taylor told his congregation: “we’re like the people with Moses; we’ve gone out in the wilderness.”
All decisions involved in the selling of the church went through the congregation for discussion and approval, said Taylor.
“In a way we were surprised, we thought we’d be listed for a long time.”
“There’s a sadness and a joy,” said Taylor, referring to the years of worship and memories attached to the church.
With that said, however, Taylor added, “we made the right decision. We’re on the right road to our future.”
The re-enactment of the Battle of Crysler’s Farm will be the largest War of 1812 event in Eastern Ontario next year with the announcement last week by Heritage Minister James Moore that his department will be supplying a grant of up to $171,400 for the two-day event, to be held July 13 and 14, 2013.
The military heritage weekend has been organized each year since 2000 by the Friends of Crysler’s Farm, chartered in Ontario as a not-for profit, charitable organization and recognized as a charitable body by Canada Revenue Agency, under whose authority the Friends can issue tax receipts. The Friends are a cooperating body with the Parks of the St. Lawrence but they are an independent organization with their own executive and bylaws.
The grant is being provided under Heritage Canada’s Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program and will be used for advertising, increased food costs for the greater than usual number of re-enactors expected in 2013, underwriting travel costs for those coming from great distances and for specialized groups like cavalry units and heavy artillery pieces. Money is also being set aside to pay for floating docks for the small boat flotilla se to take part in the battle demonstrations in 2013.
Organizers are also planning a larger civilian component for the 2013 show. Chief among these will be a larger English country-dance program, both for practiced dancers and first-time visitors.
The Friends are also applying for a grant for a service of remembrance at the site on Mon., Nov. 11, 2013. It will be held during the afternoon of the actual anniversary date so as not to interfere with area Remembrance Day services.
Grades seven and eight students from South Dundas and South Stormont schools are being invited to the service, which we feature a prominent guest speaker.
The Battle of Crysler’s Farm was fought on Nov. 11, 1813 between a 1200-man Anglo-Canadian “corps of observation” commanded by Joseph Wanton Morrison and an 8,000 man American army commanded by General James Wilkinson on their say to attack Montreal. Wilkinson had sent 4,000 of his men down river to occupy Cornwall while he turned with the remainder to rid himself of the nuisance Morrison presented.
But in a pitched battle on the Crysler, Van Allen and Fetterly farms the superior discipline of the outnumbered Anglo-Canada regiments and native allies proved too much for the invaders and after absorbing heavy losses they withdrew to the U.S. side of the St. Lawrence, ending the threat of U.S. invasion in this theatre of the war for the remainder of the conflict.
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