News

Something’s cooking at the Upper Canada Playhouse and artistic director Donnie Bowes and director Walter Learning are keeping a lid on the ‘brewing’ excitement.

At a press conference for the Playhouse’s upcoming production of Caroline Smith’s The Kitchen Witches, Bowes and Learning and the cast, which includes Linda Goranson, Jocelyne Zucco and Parris Greaves, were a tight-lipped about what’s on the menu for the Playhouse’s final run of the summer season.

“It’s a different show. It’s going to be fun for the audience,” said Bowes.

“It is a different show,” agreed Learning chuckling as he added,“It’s not one of your farces where doors are slamming everywhere…but there are doors that do slam.”

“It’s about two ladies and a cooking show…it’s a love story, it’s about friendships and there are a lot of laughs. There are also some very touching and insightful moments,” said Learning.

The Kitchen Witches stars two talented veterans of the Canadian stage, Linda Goranson and Jocelyne Zucco, who performed in the play twice before and once together.

Goranson is playing Dolly Biddle whose gimmick in her television show is playing an eccentric Ukranian cook with a love of vodka.

Her final show (it’s been cancelled) is interrupted by long-time friend and rival Isobel Lomax, played by Zucco. Upon her arrival, the cooking show begins to heat up as the two cooking divas go at each other.

The cooking show’s director is Dolly’s son Stephen, played by Greaves, who attempts to referee the on-camera battle.

“My character (Dolly) lives to be on a cooking show,” says Goranson. “Her whole world has been Stephen and the cooking show. Dolly loves life but her heart gets hurt by other people.”

“My character (Isobel) returns to stir things up in the stable Biddle world,” says Zucco.

Both Goranson and Zucco are delighted to be back on the Playhouse stage. They are enjoying the opportunity to perform in The Kitchen Witches again and enjoying the new discoveries they are making.

“We have a new Stephen, a new actor who is going to create different reactions, a new set and a director with new and wonderful ideas,” says Zucco. “All of that allows you to discover new things.”

“It’s like a long rehearsal period,” says Goranson. “You get to go deeper and deeper. It just gets richer and richer and richer every time you get to do a play again.”

Although not a problem, stage manager Jackie McCormick says The Kitchen Witches has been a challenge.

“This is probably the prop heaviest show I have ever done,” says McCormick of the over 24 containers of difference sizes, numerous kitchen utensils, wooden spoons and on and on. “On top of that is all the food. It’s been a challenge, but a good challenge.”

McCormick explains it is all about where everything is, in the right place at the right time.

Bowes admits to becoming somewhat of a shopping guru….He claims that when you are in a local store, filling your shopping cart with 90 containers of whip cream, 90 tart shells, 60 taco shells and more, people tend to take notice.

And how that food is used in the play remains a mystery that Upper Canada Playhouse audiences are going to enjoy.

“Tomorrow we get the actual whip cream and yogurt,” said Goranson as Thursday’s press conference wrapped up.

“And we won’t be wearing costumes the first time,” said Learning with a chuckle.

The Kitchen Witches runs September 8 through October 2 with shows on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be booked at uppercanadaplayhouse.com or by calling the box office at 613-543-3713.

[…]

Last Thursday, September 1, the 108-year-old lychgate roof was re-laid to rest, where it belongs, at the entry to Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Riverside Heights.

The historical lychgate provides entry onto the Holy Trinity church grounds where the grave site memorials to Sir James Pliny Whitney, (the sixth premier of the Province of Ontario),  the Whitney and Sarah Crysler-Pliny families and Colonel J. Munro (a famous officer of the 1st Royal Yorkers) are located.

In February 2009, its roof was removed from its two supporting pillars due to safety reasons.

The lychgate, a surrounding fence and Holy Trinity Church were relocated to their present location at the time of the Seaway project. It was one of only two area churches that were deemed historically significant enough to be spared demolition.

The current church land is very low, and water and frost upheaval over the past 52 years had damaged both the lychgate and a fence that surrounds the property.

The two columns that support the lychgate roof had shifted to the point where the roof was being damaged and had become unsafe.

Estimates for repairs to the lychgate and fence, prior to the roof’s removal were as high as $250,000, a figure that was way beyond the means of the small church congregation.

“We cannot lose such an important piece of Ontario’s history,” said MPP Jim Brownell at the time. “There aren’t too many lychgates left in Ontario, if there are any. It’s a tragedy and we have to find some way of getting it back.”

Two years later the call was answered, not by the province or any of its ministries, but by local resident, Les Cruickshank.

“I was starting to worry it wasn’t going to happen,” said Isobel Tuttle who is the People’s Warden at Holy Trinity. “A big thank you goes to Les (Cruickshank) for taking this on all by himself. It looks wonderful having it back up.”

“When I got the news from Les that he thought the lychgate needed to be put back in place, it was one of those things that truly is a gift from God,” said Rev. Sue McCullough. “It was cost prohibitive for the congregation, but it was part of the church that needed to be put back. Les recognized that.”

“Thanks just don’t cover what we feel about what he has done.”

“Basically, what we did was put reinforcement between the two posts,” said Cruickshank of the work carried out by his company’s (Cruickshank Construction)employees. “We poured concrete with a rebar, so the two posts are now like one. When you come back here in 50 years, they’ll still be up.”

“We excavated down to the footings and hydraulically jacked everything back into place,” explained Cruickshank employee Ron Dingwall when interviewed during the work that took place in July. “We poured concrete to stabilize them, and Polywrap(ed) and insulated both columns coming up from the footings.”

Dingwall said the east pillar footing was originally poured in two parts and that had shifted apart.  “The pillar had shifted to the north and was leaning about six inches towards the church. It had also moved in a counter clockwise direction and was off the footings by three inches. The west pillar had a 10 inch shift from top to bottom and it was leaning to the south.”

“We dug between and around the two pillars, laid insulation and then poured a reinforced concrete pad below the surface to tie the two columns together.”

“There is lots of water in the ground here. It is possible this area is below the water level of the St. Lawrence. Hopefully, what we have done will last another 100 years. We don’t want to come back in 10 years times and see the roof leaning again.”

Once the pillars were levelled, the completion of the project awaited the availability of Cruickshank manpower and heavy equipment needed to lift the estimated 3,500 pound lychgate roof back onto the support pillars.

That all came about last week under the direction of Stan Keyes and two very skilled Cruickshank heavy equipment operators.

A support base was built from steel beams salvaged from the 401 overpass rebuild at Iroquois (a job currently being done by Cruickshank Construction). The lychgate roof was lifted by crane onto the base and moved to the lychgate area early last week. Then Thursday, two front end loaders worked in unison to lift, position and lower it onto the awaiting pillars.

The positioning took a lot of jockeying, an inch at a time, until the roof was perfectly lined up and dropped into place.

To complete the project, the Lychgate roof is now in need of some repair and paint, to restore it to its former beauty.

But that is not the last of it says Cruickshank who is now prepared to lobby the provincial government for money to repair the fence, landscape the Whitney Memorial area, and provide long-term maintenance to the area.

“A premier is buried here, the province should be doing something,” says Cruickshank. “We should make this an election issue, get something done here.”

From a tourism point of view Cruickshank suggests signage on the 401, signage at strategic locations on Cty. Rd. #2 and signage at the site.

“If we could get a one shot deal (to repair the fence and landscape the memorial areas) and some annual maintenance money that would be good.”

Sir James Pliny Whitney was the Premier of Ontario from 1905 to 1914, a remarkable era in Ontario politics, which saw significant legislation  in regards to workmen’s compensations, temperance, hydroelectric development and urban transit.

It was under the Whitney government in 1906, that legislation was passed to create the permanent Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario that would later, during the St. Lawrence Seaway/Power Project, expropriate the land where Sir Whitney was buried.

At the time of the Seaway, Holy Trinity was dismantled stone by stone and moved to Riverside Heights. At the same time, the memorials were deemed an integral part of the original memorial and moved to their location behind the church. Sir Whitney’s remains were not moved.
 

[…]

A recent announcement by Cornwall and Seaway Valley Toursim has South Dundas looking to hire a new economic development officer.

Last week, C&SVT announced that Linda Wilson has replaced Barb Matthews as executive director of the organization that works with tourism businesses to promote Corwnwall and the Seaway Valley as a visitor and convention destination.

Wilson had been South Dundas' Economic Development officer since February 2009.

"What attracted me to Cornwall & Seaway Valley Tourism was the opportunity to grow and market the tourism sector regionally," Wilson said. "Cornwall & Seaway Valley Tourism offers a unique mix of marketing tools that play a large role in promoting the region not only to the outside world but within."

"My new role with Cornwall & Seaway Valley Tourism will continue to give me the opportunity to work in partnership with the people I have worked with within the region for the past six years and this is very important to me."

"I am also excited by the organization's growth opportunities," added Wilson. "Cornwall & Seaway Valley Tourism continues to grow through new memberships and its ability to identify and successfully apply for funding opportunities in order to reinvest in its marketing strategies."

Lesley O'Gorman, President of CSVT commented, "This is a very exciting time for our organization. With increasing competitive and economic challenges, our region is under more pressure than ever to develop results-driven strategic marketing programs. Linda's experience compliments our approach to a grass roots implementation of marketing campaigns that are geared to meet our partners and members needs. We are delighted to welcome this talented new member to our organization."

Cornwall and Seaway Valley Tourism is an independent non-for-profit corporation supported by the City of Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

[…]

It seems a little like magic, but after only about seven weeks of concentrated fund raising efforts, the South Dundas Community Playground Committee is approaching their $100,000 fund raising goal.

The thermometer measuring their fund raising progress is at nearly $98,000 of cash and in kind donations to the project that will see a new playground built Sept. 24 in Morrisburg’s Earl Baker Park.

The contributions the community is making to the project keep rolling in. Area businesses and individuals are coming forward with donations from as small as pennies to as large as cheques for thousands of dollars.

Last week, Michael Burton and Ron Currie of Manor Bistro in Morrisburg presented Steve Morrow of the committee with the proceeds from a fund raising event they hosted for the project.

The event, Mardi Gras at the Manor, which was described by Burton and many of those who attended, as “magical”, raised $3,256 for the South Dundas Community Playground.

“The event was really well attended,” said Burton. “It was a sold out event,” added Currie.

In addition to the attendance, the fund raising efforts continued throughout the evening, and beyond.

At the Bistro, beads were sold and traded to raise funds for the playground.

At the end of the evening, the person with the most beads, Cindy Veinotte, took home the top prize of a 32” flat screen television, a package from Beau’s Brewery in Vankleek Hill. Other prizes were donated by Canadian Tire and Manor Bistro.

Once the event wrapped up, the revellers from High Street made their way to the Tubie dance, where they in turn sold the beads they had accumulated to raise even more funds for the playground.

“They raised another $300,” said Burton.

“Everyone had a great time,” said Currie.

“I think this event reached a demographic not reached by the Tubie dance,” said Burton.

“We had a lot of grandparents of the children who will be using the park, so this event gave them a fun opportunity to contribute,” aded Currie.

Another way that people helped contribute to this fund raising total was by volunteering to work at the event to keep staffing costs to a minimum, explained Burton and Currie who acknowledged the contributions of Mae Pedersen, Dave Shaver, Jennifer Warner, Rosemary Laurin, Brenda Castleman and Michel Proulx.

[…]

Cholly Boland has been selected as the new Chief Executive Officer of Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH).

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce our new Chief Executive Officer. His appointment is effective September 6, 2011,” noted John Polak, Board Chair. “Cholly brings a wealth of expertise to this position and will play an integral role in advancing WDMH’s vision to create a Centre of Excellence for Rural Health and Education.”

Cholly has been a dedicated and talented leader in the health care field for close to 20 years. Most recently, he was CEO of Headwaters Health Care Centre, and prior to that, he was CEO of Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital where he was instrumental in helping Arnprior achieve one of the top patient satisfaction results for Ontario. Cholly has demonstrated leadership in the strategic and operational administration of health care organizations, including experience with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. He has held a number of health care management roles during his career, serving as CEO at Kitimat and Area Health Council/Kitimat General Hospital in British Columbia, the Community Care Access Centre Timiskaming and Health Services Administrator for the Northern Health Authority.

Cholly is a Fellow of the American College of Health Executives and earned his Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Service Executives in 2002. He received a Master of Business Administration in 2000 and a Master of Health Administration in 1992 from the University of Ottawa. He graduated from Queen’s University in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and Engineering. He is married with two children. They will be relocating from the Orangeville area.

[…]

On Saturday, August 27, at approximately 12:15 a.m. SD&G OPP officers responded to a report of a robbery at the Mac’s Convenience Store in Iroquois.

The investigation revealed that a male armed with a weapon entered the store and demanded that the clerk hand over all the money in the cash.

The employee complied and an undisclosed amount of money was handed over to the male.

The employee was not injured and the male fled on foot.

An extensive search of the area was conducted with negative results.

The male whose face was covered is described as approximately 6’2 inches tall, with a slim build (white). He was wearing black pants, a black coat and his face was covered.

SD&G OPP officers, assisted by the OPP Crime Unit investigators continue the investigation.

Anyone having information on the above or any crime is asked to call SD&G Opp at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The Iroquois convenience store was also the victim of an armed robbery on June 12. Two youth were later apprehended and charged for this incident.

[…]

On the platform of Aultsville Station, where no doubt a British Home Child at one time sat with all their earthly belongings waiting for the stranger who was going to take them in, the British Home Child Day Committee of SD&G, announced plans for an event that will take place on the first ever British Home Child Day September 28.

The new organization, which has about 15 members mostly with ties to British Home Children, has been working at the planning the event which will take place at Upper Canada Village.

“Over 100,000 British Home Children came to our country to work in the homes and on the farms of Canadians. Overcoming incredible hardships, these children became contributing members of society,” said Carolyn Goddard, chairperson of the committee. “On September 28th, British Home Child Day in Ontario, we will have an opportunity to hear their stories and recognized the contributions they have made.”

This committee was inspired to organize this event after the British Home Child Day Act, a Private Members Bill brought forward in the Ontario Legislature by SDSG MPP Jim Brownell.

Brownell’s grandmother was a British Home Child.

“I am pleased that a group of locals have done the leg work to take this day and make is something special,” said Brownell at the Aug. 19 announcement. “I hope this day at Upper Canada Village will give Ontarians a sense of who these Home Children were and how they contributed to life in Ontario.”

“I foresee many people coming here to talk about their families’ stories, which were often stories not told,” said Brownell, adding that he hopes this will become an annual event.

Brownell will himself be donating a plaque and a tree that will be planted as part of the Sept. 28 event at Aultsville Station.

“This is a story that is just starting to be talked about,” said Judy Neville, a committee member descended from a British Home Child.

“Canada’s British Home Children are a part of our county’s history. They are part of our heritage. They represent a part of our past and their descendents represent a part of our future. Their stories need to be taught in our schools,” said Brownell.

Gabriele Thomas of Upper Canada Village said that they are pleased to have the collaboration with this committee for the upcoming event, hoping that in future it will expand.

Plans for the Sept. 28 event include the dedication of a maple tree at the Aultsville Station, displays from various Home Children organizations, an opportunity for friends and descendents to tell the story of their home child, and a specially planned British Home Child tour of Upper Canada Village. A theatre group from Metcalfe will perform a sampling of their upcoming production based on a Home Child story, and throughout the day, musicians will entertain. The day ends with a catered dinner at Willard’s Hotel.

[…]

Margaret Webb attended her first Brister Group amphitheatre performance on Saturday afternoon in the Waterfront Park. She went away the winner of the grand prize after a well attended per-formance by Easy Pickins’, a local folk style group noted for per-forming their own titles and select covers.

Lead guitarist (acoustic) Claude Plumondon touched the hearts of many in the audience with several of his original compositions, then tugged the heartstrings of all of the mothers inroducing a more personal story about his ailing when he penned the words to “Song For Mom”.It is indeed a beautiful musical story of a family’s love and appreciation for one another.

“In My Heart”,  a song written by band member Jeanne Ward about knowing the love of one’s life is on his way, and “Misery Express”,  another song by Plumondon with bass player Claude Clement singing…about a bus ride on which two people who have been hurt then ponder if they will try another shot at love were just a few of the many tunes this talented foursome delivered.

“We’ve had a good summer,” said amphitheatre marketing volunteer Bill Laurin. “Over the four performances we’ve managed to brighten the Saturday afternoons of about 750 people.”  Laurin said the enormous contribution of The Brister Group and the many businesses (see www.cruickshankamphitheatre.com) that came forward to take part in the promotion is what really worked for the attendance boost this year.“That and the quality of music talent available so close to home make the task relatively easy.”

“South Dundas has to be one of the most positive communities when it comes to working together to get something done!” Laurin said.

“And frankly, I believe this rarely identified, hard working group of committed South Dundas volunteers is going to make a real difference especially in the Waterfront Park area.” Continuing, he explained he was referring to the emerging Let Them Be Kids project which, on September 24th, will construct a huge play-ground here. Everyone in the community is invited to take part. He mentioned the beautiful new Park Pals Dog Park, the popular dock area, the Park Street gardens, Old home Week and the Lions many endeavors held in the park.

“We hope to make improvements in the amphitheatre produc-tion in 2012,” he said, adding “with more strategically selected dates, bands and additions to both the promotional package, the web site and our advertising campaigns.”The amphitheatre committee plans to initiate a full 2011 opera-tional report for the municipality, including a plan for 2012 calen-dar as soon as possible at their next meeting.“

”Now that we have the momentum moving it’s time to kick’er up a notch!” he said, “And we’re going to attempt to keep the web site interesting through our off time, make it a place for people to go and see what’s going on in South Dundas and the area.” At www.cruickshankamphitheatre.com.

The committee hopes to receive feedback from everyone concerning the 2011 production, the web site, the individual bands, suggestions to be presented for 2012, etc. Contact is by email, billsonja@gmail.com.

[…]

The Upper Canada Playhouse has shown it has the recipe for making people laugh, and the last show of the summer season will treat audiences to more of the same rib-tickling hilarity with The Kitchen Witches by Caroline Smith running September 8 through October 2.

The play stars two talented veterans of the Canadian stage, Linda Goranson and Jocelyne Zucco, so the Playhouse folks are getting ready to serve up a fabulous show filled with food, fun and funny, funny entertainment.

The show is directed by Canadian theatre veteran, Walter Learning, who has directed several plays for The Playhouse and most recently appeared with Goranson as Mr. & Mrs. Frencham in this season’s hit comedy, Not Now, Darling.

Rounding out the cast is Parris Greaves who also appeared in Not Now, Darling.       

For The Kitchen Witches, the Playhouse stage will be transformed into a television studio and the audience will become the studio audience of a cable TV cooking show.

It’s chef Dolly Biddle’s final episode before her show is cancelled. Her gimmick is playing an eccentric Ukrainian cook with a love of vodka that she likes to add to her recipes. When Dolly’s program is interrupted by the appearance of her long-time friend and rival, Isobel Lomax, the TV kitchen soon explodes with laughter as Isobel accuses Dolly of stealing her recipes and the cooking divas go at each other.

Recipe foul-ups and wild costumes create chaos for Dolly’s son, Stephen, the show’s producer, who tries to referee the on-camera battle as the ladies duke it out.

But viewers love the ladies’ antics, a new TV show is born and trouble really starts to brew!

As Dolly, Goranson brings a wealth of experience to the show. In addition to several shows at The Playhouse (Christmas Express, Female Odd Couple) she has appeared in over 80 productions in major theatres across the country.

She has been nominated for an ACTRA Best Supporting Actress Award and even appeared on Coronation Street.

Zucco, who plays Isobel, has also had extensive experience at such theatres as Blythe Festival, Theatre Lac Brome, Drayton Festival to name just a few.

She also appeared for two seasons on the TV series Urban Angel and recently shot an episode of the hit CBC series InSecurity.

The Kitchen Witches wraps up a crowd-pleasing summer of comedy at The Playhouse.

Audiences will have plenty more entertainment coming their way October 12-16 when Marshall Button’s Lucien’s Labour Lost hits the stage.

Following that, from November 24-December 18, The Playhouse will stage Norm Foster’s Dear Santa.

The Kitchen Witches runs September 8 – October 2 with shows Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m..

Call 613-543-3713 or uppercanadaplayhouse.com

[…]

Upper Canada Playhouse continued its decade-long tradition of assisting local charitable organizations with their valuable community work by do-nating an entire performance of one of their shows.

On Saturday, August 27th, some 18 organizations were giv-en tickets to the matinee perfor-mance of Not Now, Darling. The organizations included: Prescott Anglican Church of Canada, Galop Canal Revitaliza-tion Project, South Dundas Park Pals, South Dundas Chamber of Commerce, Friendly Circle Seniors Club, St. Mary’s/St. Ce-cilia’s CWL, Dalhousie Mills United Church, First Student Canada, SDG Cornwall Shriners Club, Community Living Dundas County, Avonmore Fair, Lake-shore Dr. United Church, Morrisburg Lutheran Church, Happy Face  Nursery School, La Leche League Canada, Dundas County Food Bank, Centretown United Church and MS Society.

Over the past 10 years The Playhouse has been pleased to contribute over $60,000 in tickets in support of the many different charitable organizations who in turn offer a wide variety of ser-vices to the local community.

[…]