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In their first ever  celebration of agriculture/farming, students at Seaway District High school literally pitched right in last Wednesday.

Hay Day was organized by Brian Vanmoorsel and Dylan DeJong who are the school’s first graduates of the Specialist High Skills Program in Agriculture which has been offered to students for two years.

“When we made the decision at Seaway to go after a high skills program, we took a long look at our community partners, and we realized that in this area there is a lot of opportunity in agriculture,” Principal Terry Gardiner said in a story which ran in the April 18 issue of the Leader.

Seaway’s Specialist program in Agriculture is coordinated by Co-op teachers Robert Knapp and Tanya Crosbie who assisted their first graduates to set up the day.

Hay Day was a huge undertaking which began with a number of Seaway students travelling to the school in their family farm tractors last Wednesday.

Also a big part of the day were Spooky and Maggie (Jerseys) who travelled from Belsmith Farms with Ashley and Jennifer Smith. Spooky and Maggie were very content as they chewed on some grass while students waited for them to make a “significant contribution” to the day.

Students were invited to participate in a number of activities, all of which were a lot of fun, and many of which gave them a feel for the hard work involved in the operation of a farm.

There was the throwing of hay bales, nail hammering, tug o war, tractor wheel races, and wheel barrel races and sack races to name just a few.

“This is official launch of the Speical High Skills program in Agriculture,” said Crosbie. “We have Brian and Dylan graduating from the program and this is both, the program kick-off and their farewell.”

The two graduates are preparing to some day take over their family farms, Brian the VanGlen family farm and Dylan, Dejo Holsteins. Both farms are located on the Glen Becker Road, north of Morrisburg.

In addition to the activities, each of the students was treated to a hamburg/hotdog all “100 percent Canadian beef,” said Crosbie.

Vanmoorsel was pleased with the results of the day, and proud to be one of the first graduates of the Specialties program.

There are a total of 11 students in the program all with a variety of objectives. Interests vary from careers in carpentry to veterinarian medicine.

[…]

 

“This is our second annual Bluegrass Festival,” said Geraldine Fitzsimmons, “and we’re very excited about building on the success of last year.”

This year’s Bluegrass Festival will be held on the weekend of June 15th, 16th, and 17th at the Iroquois Locks. 

“It’s so thoughtful that the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation allows us to go on their property,” said Fitzsimmons.

This year’s line-up includes: Dave Nichols & Spare Change; Grassland; Northwind; Hard Ryde; The Dusty Drifters; Grassy Fiddle Time; Concession 23; and Darwin & Gilles.

Asked how the idea for the Bluegrass Festival originated, Fitzsimmons said, “I’ve always wanted to do a festival and I thought it would be a good fundraiser for the Galop-Canal project.”

“So, I went to see Mike Anderson to see if he would help me with it.” Given the option between Country and Western versus Bluegrass, Fitzsimmons went with Bluegrass.

“He assured me that this festival will grow, but only if we can bring in bigger name bands.” As an example, she suggested Ricky Skaggs might be a future option.

Mike Anderson is the owner of the Bluegrass Connection in South Dundas.

The weekend event will be emceed by master of ceremonies, Terry Joe Banjo who, as Fitzsimmons pointed out, is “a young man with a lot of energy. He’s funny. He goes along to a lot of the festivals.”

The sound system will be professionally manned by Shawn Markell of MK Music Solutions.

In addition to Bluegrass music, the event also offers instructional workshops on Saturday in the art of playing the guitar, the madolin, the banjo, or the dobro. 

An assortment of vendors, organized by Sharon Piche, will be showcasing their wares while the Iroquois and Matilda Lions Club will provide sustenance in the form of a barbecue.

While camping out for the weekend isn’t necessary, it is an option and Fitzsimmons pointed out that the campers are “bluegrass followers from all over” and “all of them last year had never been to our area before and just loved it.” Barb and Jerry Gurnhill are in charge of the campground detail.

As the committee learns and grows year to year, Fitzsimmons said, “we’re still going through growing pains, but we have an outstanding committee.”

“We’re hoping the weather will be like last year,” she continued. “It’s just bringing lots of people into our community.” 

The Galop-Canal Revitalization project focuses on restoring the history of the area, keeping the shorelines clean, utilizing the beautiful waterfront, and welcoming tourists into the area. 

Located in Iroquois and complete with a marina, the Galop-Canal is a great place for locals and tourists, with or without boats, to enjoy the waterfront along the St. Lawrence River. 

[…]

 

During the May 15th South Dundas council meeting, councillor Evonne Delegarde submitted three requests from the Bluegrass Festival Committee.

The requests included the borrowing or renting of chairs as well as the use of the Iroquois Campsite showers and dumping station.

It was estimated that there would be 70 to 80 campers ‘rough camping’ at the Bluegrass Festival, which takes place June 15th to the 17th at the Iroquois Locks.

 Mayor Steven Byvelds reminded council that the committee had submitted a request at budget time for $10,000 and were granted $3,000 from the township.

He also pointed out that “we had this request last year and denied it.”

Chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald pointed out that there is a grants policy and “I don’t think this group just thought of this request today. I think it was purposefully not given to staff.”

In terms of the shower request, Councillor Jim Graham said, “people pay to camp there. It’s not fair.”

Delegarde suggested there might be a fee for showering.

Deputy-mayor Jim Locke said, “I don’t think we’re supporting our tourism by not allowing dumping. You’re not going to have them lined up.”

Clerk Brenda Brunt pointed out that there is no staff working on Sunday afternoons.

“I do see a line up,” said Byvelds. “I don’t like getting last minute requests. It’s not fair to council and it’s not fair to staff.”

As for the paying campers at the Iroquois Campsite, Byvelds said, “it’s not going to be an enjoyable experience for them.”

In the end, it was decided that there weren’t any chairs sufficient to the task. It was also decided that allowing the showers to be used would be too much of an inconvenience to campers at the Iroquois Campsite. The request to allow dumping, however, was approved.

[…]

 

“Council should recognize that their fire service has achieved significant progress under the guidance of Chief (Chris) McDonough,” wrote program specialist Chad Brown of the Office of the Fire Marshal in the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Service.

Early in May, South Dundas chief administrative officer Stephen McDonald received Brown’s letter confirming “that there are no outstanding items from the 2009 OFM Review and no further follow-up activities required.”

Brown advised that “as the South Dundas Fire Service continues to mature under a single fire department, continued success should include activities such as implementing a Fire Safety Inspection Program, Fire Response Pre-Planning, obtaining a Tanker Shuttle Accreditation, and finalizing Fire Protection Agreements with neighbouring municipalities.”

In reaction to the letter, councillor Jim Graham said, “this demonstrates that not only did we make the right decision to get a fire chief to look after all three stations, but that we chose the right man.”

“As far as I’m concerned,” he continued, “that’s a real feather in our cap.”

McDonough offered that “it’s really been a group effort. I didn’t do it on my own.”

Mayor Steven Byvelds said, “we do appreciate what he does along with the volunteers and everybody that’s connected with the fire service.”

“There is a list here that he still has to work on,” added Byvelds.

[…]

 

Adrian Harewood arrived a little late for his speaking engagement with the Canadian Club of Morrisburg and District on Wednesday, May 16.

However, this was understandable. 

He was still on air when the banquet began, anchoring CBC News Ottawa, before thousands of viewers. 

A renowned journalist, radio host (All in a Day) and respected news commentator, Harewood was the final speaker of the Club’s 2011-2012 series. A large crowd of members and guests was on hand to hear Harewood speak on topic about which he clearly has deep feelings, “Volunteers in the Community.”

Personable, outgoing and a gifted speaker, Harewood quickly won over the audience, with his sense of humour. However, there was a serious point to his address.

Canada, like the rest of the world, has changed, he explained, with traditional communities often lost in the new on-line ‘digital’ societies. This is a world made up of hundreds of “friends” that people have never met, will never meet.

“The digital world is, of course, a great creativity source,” Harwood said, “but one effect of this change is that we are in danger of losing the human touch in our lives. Research has found that more people feel disconnected from society than ever before. People seem to be craving the sense of community life,  of simple conversations,  of recognition. They share a wish that they actually knew their neighbours. Without reminders of what community can be, we may lose parts of our humanity.”

Harewood grew up in Ottawa, a member of a close-knit family where both parents were community activists. They instilled in their son the strong belief that he had a responsibility to people, even to people he would never know. Other people’s lives needed to matter to him. 

“Our home was a place where everyone was welcome. I remember my mother bringing  home a Tunisian woman, a woman struggling to gain an education and to leave behind the desperate circumstances of her old life. She was Tunisian, Arabic, a francophone, a Muslim, and a Canadian. She became part of our lives. She was a member of our community.”

Harewood’s parents emphasized the need to be involved with the people in one’s community, to work for justice and freedom. They always stressed that everyone has a responsibility to the community.

Years later, Harewood was interviewing former United States president Bill Clinton, and asked him what he saw as the biggest problem of the 21st century.

“The problem, Clinton told me, lies in the struggle to overcome the differences that divide us as a global community.”

Volunteering, actively and personally getting involved in the life of a community, is vital, Harewood stressed.

“The act of volunteering is the connective tissue that ties our communities together. Volunteers are the civil engineers who build a healthy community. They weave the webs of solidarity and compassion. We cannot survive without the support of others because we are the products of our communities.”

Harewood illustrated how  the power of volunteering can bring even the most unlikely people together. 

He cited the example, a few months ago, of a drought fund raising concert, arranged by young, educated Somalian activists at the Centre Point Theatre. 

“They asked me to volunteer to work with them. But what utterly surprized me, when I saw the entertainment bill, was the  highly unlikely presence on it of a country and western band made up of middle-aged, conservative, white men.  That’s when I came to understand that those young African men and those middle-aged white men shared in common a profound belief in a cause: they were determined to help their community.”

Volunteering, Harewood said, is a gift to our neighbours, and a gift to ourselves.  Volunteers often get back far more than they give in terms of new possibilities,  of new ways of looking at the world.

Caring about the community, and doing what one can to help and to work with neighbours, makes all of us “more ‘human,’ human beings.”

Adrian Harewood chose words from the reverend Martin Luther King to conclude his address.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

[…]

 

Fundraising for the Galop Canal Revitalization Project is moving full steam ahead this June beginning with a sightseeing cruise aboard the Sea Fox II on June 10th.

The two hour cruise, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. will depart from Morrisburg and cruise along the St. Lawrence River. Passengers will be treated to dinner from the Basket Case Café as well as a live auction, live entertainment, a cash bar and prize draws. 

 Owners of the Basket Case Café, Carl McIntyre and Hanna Rycroft, “try to set an example for the community to get involved,” said McIntyre. “I believe the whole community should benefit.”

Rycroft said she gets involved “because it’s a really good cause. It’s important that we do something to get the tourism.”

“It’s a great way to have two fun-filled hours and to do something good,” she said. “Our goal is to raise at least $4,000.” 

[…]

 

The fourth annual Jumpstart Day held at Morrisburg’s Canadian Tire on Saturday, May 26, has once again helped to ensure that no kids will miss out on organized sports in Canada.

This year the Morrisburg store, owned by Ninon and Michel Proulx, was able to raise $2,068.11 for the cause.

“All of the money we raise with the Jumpstart program comes back into North and South Dundas to help out our local kids,” said Ninon Proulx. “This year again our entire staff got behind the effort.”

The Jumpstart program, which was supported on May 26 by most Canadian Tire stores across Canada, is designed to help kids get involved in organized sports. Research indicates that one in three families cannot afford to enroll their children in organized sports and recreation in this country. 

With its One Million Red Balls  campaign, Canadian Tire asks shoppers to donate $2 for the purchase of a red ball, the national symbol of child’s play.

“This fund raiser really helps our local kids,” Proulx said. “Many sports cost more than many parents can afford on their own. Some kids would not have the opportunity to take part in sports without these funds.”

The store offered a raffle for a patio set valued at $470, and two beautiful planters. The furniture was won by J. Manneck, the planters by ticket holders Thompson and Adrian.

Tribeck Inflatables were set up to amuse small visitors while parents shopped. Fiona Carr of the Ontario Early Years operated a crafts and colouring area where children could make paper bag puppets, and  take part in other activities. The Morrisburg and District Leos club was also on hand to run a barbecue for shoppers. 

[…]

 

Many Rideau St. Lawrence Hydro customers have recently received letters with colourful graphs showcasing the price difference between the “old standard” and the “time-of-use” rates for their household electrical usage during the months of March and April.

According to chief executive officer John Walsh, “the purpose of the letter was just to give them another head’s up” that time-of-use rates will soon be in effect. 

“It was just to explain to people if they had been on time-of-use rates, what the difference would be so they can compare and make changes,” he said.

 He pointed out that the average change for March between the old rate and the time-of-use rate was an increase of $3.86 while the average change for April was an increase of $1.96. 

The difference “may have to do with the amount of electricity that’s used in heating the home,” he said.

Walsh pointed out that while the amount used for heating may not be compatible with time-of-use rates, customers can control when they use things like the dishwasher or clothes dryer.

“Some customers think they’re already on time-of-use rates,” said Walsh, but they first have to “finish the billing in the old method. Once that’s done, the next one is time-of-use rates. It depends on the billing cycle you’re in.” 

According to Walsh, some cycles may not start until July or August, however, customers “should be acting as if they’re on time-of-use rates now.”

[…]