News

Saturday, October 5, Allen Hall at Lakeshore  Drive United Church, was a sea of bright embroidery, wood sculptures, knitting, special gifts  and unique art works. On screen photos of the beautiful nation of Madagascar, and particularly of its children, ran during the  festive evening. 

Guests attending the charitable, sold out Nite in Madagascar dinner, sampling traditional foods, enjoyed a real ‘taste’ of that nation’s cuisine, and had the opportunity to help a very worthwhile project.

A Nite in Madagascar was organized to support the Madagascar School Project, founded by Kathy Lucking, which seeks to continue to educate and support some of Madagascar’s neediest young people and their  struggling families.

With funds still coming in, organizers are pleased to report that $5,200 was raised.

The special fund raising event was a joint Outreach effort of the Anglican parishes of St. James, Morrisburg, and St. John’s, Iroquois. “When we decided to help Kathy’s project,” said Gord Lane, one of the organizers, “we had two purposes. We wanted to find a cause we could really believe in, and we wanted to lift people’s spirits, and get them involved with this program.” Many, many volunteers came out to help the organizers, to work on the food, promotion and the educational aspects of the event. Also on hand were a group of teen volunteers from Seaway District High School, who helped serve the authentic Malagasy dinner.

“This Morrisburg fund raiser is just terrific,” said Kathy Lucking, who was the featured speaker at the charitable event. “Our project in Madagascar is growing, and we are grateful to be broadening our support base.”

“All the money we raise goes to where it is really needed,” added Gord Lane.

The Madagascar School Project (MSP) is a SDG-based charity established in 2008. Its mission hopes to provide excellent schooling for the poorest of the poor in the African island nation. The MSP aims to create problem-solving, community-spirited, entrepreneurial-minded students, who will have the skills, and the abilities needed to break the mold of the poverty into which they were born. 

“We now operate two schools,” Lucking said. “Currently there are 415 elementary students registered, 75 secondary students and 30 trades students who are learning carpentry, embroidery, sewing and knitting. We also have 35 teachers and support staff.”

The schools are located in the central highlands of Madagascar near the capital city of Tana. Lucking said the project has grown to include large gardens, new buildings and a full time doctor at the clinic the project also supports. Volunteers from Eastern Ontario have joined the project over the last years.

“The MSP is completely independent,” Lucking explained. “We do not receive government support. All our funds are raised solely by donations. And we are a registered Canadian charitable organization.”

Under Jane Lee, volunteers served up a Malagasy meal which included such staples as lasopy, a pureed soup and Akoko Sy Voanio, chicken in coconut milk.

The need for support is on going. Those interested in helping the Madagascar School Project can learn more about needs, wish lists and activities at www.madagascarschoolproject.com 

[…]

 Hanna Rycroft and Carl MacIntyre were almost overwhelmed by the numbers of people who came out to attend the official opening of their new business venture, Gallery 59, in the Morrisburg Plaza, on Saturday, October 5. 

“There are a gazillion people to thank, really,” Hanna Rycroft laughed. “We have over 600 items on our floor, and we could never have been ready to open without all the help we received. There’s been a big response to our open house today. We are very proud of this store, and we also thank the vendors for their trust.” 

Gallery 59 deals in antiques and collectibles. It is a multi vendor market, with four local vendors and one Montreal vendor showing in the store.

“We would like Morrisburg to become a destination for antiques seekers,” Rycroft said. “Based on the response to Antiquefest, we feel there is a real market out there. Morrisburg is close to Ottawa and Montreal, and on a major route. With the Playhouse, and our other business, the Basket Case Café, drawing visitors to town, we think there are real possibilities.”

Rycroft and MacIntrye had been thinking about an antiques venture, but credit the local and visitors’ response to the Antiquefest held in the Plaza for the first time this summer as the final “push” they needed. With the financial assistance and support of Doug Grenkie, the co-owners began setting up the store in August. 

Beautiful objects of art, furniture, glass ware, china, toys and other collectibles are now all on display at the re-furbished site. Visitors are always welcome at Gallery 59, for “today’s visitor may be tomorrow’s buyer,” Rycroft said.

The reverend Janet Evans of Williamsburg United Church offered a special prayer for the new business. Eric Duncan, representing MP Guy Lauzon brought congratulations to a “dedicated and hard-working couple” as they celebrate “a new milestone, a new business.”

South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, joined by a number of council members, offered the municipality’s best wishes on the “newest addition to our plaza.”

Chuck Barkley, president of the South Dundas Chamber of Commerce, called Gallery 59 a “total asset to our business community. Carl and Hanna offer great customer service and great products. They are an inspiration to us all.”

“We are totally excited about our venture,” the owners said.

[…]

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.  

[…]

New welcome gardens, which have been installed at Iroquois and Morrisburg, will be complete this week.

“The project was ‘grew’ from the feedback that the Municipality collected during last year’s community strategic planning process,” said Nicole Sullivan, South Dundas economic development officer. “Residents identified a desire for greening/gardening at the gateways and centres of activity. Welcome gardens were one of the suggestions made to accomplish this goal.” 

The gardens have been designed to be attractive year round, explained Sullivan and Erin VanGilst, the Master Gardener who designed and planted the gardens. VanGilst runs Create It! Garden Design & Instillation from her home in Williamsburg.

The gardens feature a mixture of perennials that bloom in the spring (Daffodils), summer (Hydrangeas, Daylilies) and fall (‘Autum Joy’ Stonecrop, ‘Karl Foerster’ Grass). There are also shrubs such as a Service Berry  that were chosen specifically because their branches are colourful year round. 

Each garden also has “structural” elements that will give its shape definition throughout the year including rocks and evergreens. 

In Morrisburg, three Serbian spruce trees have been planted, while in Iroquois, the buoys have been integrated into the design. 

The Iroquois design is representative of a seaside garden, where stones are being installed to represent the stream and the plants, the waves, explained VanGilst.

“To add an extra element of interest for the public, we’ve also integrated a number of plants that are historic to the area including Lavender ‘Munstead Old English’ and Bluewood Asters,” said VanGilst. 

“To identify these plants, we used a list of the area’s heritage plants that the Carman House Museum had compiled to help with the gardening of their Heritage Garden,” added Sullivan.

The cost to have the gardens designed and installed as well as purchase all the plants was just over $13,000, less than the $20,000 budgeted for the project. “We used compost and rocks that the Municipality already had which resulted in some of that cost savings,” noted Sullivan. “The gardens were designed to have minimal ongoing cost with all of the plants being perennials.  

[…]

Gallery 59 Antiques and Collectables opened this week in the Morrisburg Plaza.

The 2,400 square foot store represents the development of another retail opportunity owned and operated by Hanna Rycroft and Carl McIntyre. They too own Basket Case Café Gallery and Gift Shop, which is also located in the Morrisburg Plaza.

Rycroft explained that they love the antiques and collectables. Spurred by their enjoyment of the Antique Festival, which was held this year for the first time in the Morrisburg Plaza, they wanted to create some place permanent to set up an antique shop of their own. 

The store is a multi-vendor market, presently stocked with the wares of five antique sellers. Four are local and one is from Montreal. 

Carl and Hanna’s contribution to the stock on display represents 270 items and counting. “Everything in here is for sale,” she said, though admitting there are a few pieces she is a little reluctant to part with.

The Basket Case simply didn’t have room to house all of the retail opportunities that they want to provide for Morrisburg shoppers, so they rented another store.

Hanna hopes it will be so popular that they will need to expand again, into another store. 

“Wouldn’t it be nice to make Morrisburg a destination for antique lovers,” said Rycroft.

The new store will not change anything for patrons of The Basket Case, according to Rycroft. 

The Basket Case will remain a 40 seat café, in its present location. 

“We like it that way. It’s small enough that we can still prepare our food from scratch and personally serve our customers,” she said. 

It will continue to be stocked with newer items than the antique shop, and will continue to provide space for local artists and artisans to sell their work.

Gallery 59 Antiques and Collectables is a store that Hanna hopes people will feel comfortable dropping by just to have a browse. 

“There’s no obligation to buy, and there’s no hurry,” she said.

She plans to host events such as book signings and demonstrations at the store to make it an active place.

The store’s grand opening event will be an open house on Saturday, October 5. Everyone is welcome. The ceremonial ribbon cutting will take place at 11 a.m.

The first book signing event will take place at the store October 12. It will feature the work of two local authors. Lisa Lalonde Bouche will be signing her children’s book Cally and Jennifer Debruin will be signing her book A Walk With Mary.

[…]

The people who bring Early Years programming to communities across Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, have quietly been offering new youth services across Dundas County. 

In late summer, the Dundas Youth Centre opened its doors in Winchester at the new Winchester Community Care Building. And, since September 6, staff from the Dundas Youth Centre have been hosting a drop-in nights at the Iroquois Civic Centre.

While the Dundas Youth Centre in Winchester is gaining in popularity, with 27 area youth participating in last week’s Fear Factor night, the Iroquois site has yet to have anyone drop-in.

“We are hopeful we will see a few out this week,” said Carrie Van Allen, who supervises the programs.

Staffing the Youth Centre are two well-qualified program facilitators, Sean Whelan and Kaitlin Herfkens. The drop-in nights at the Iroquois Civic Centre are for all area youth ages 9-17. They take place every Friday from 2:30-5 p.m. Games, cooking, movies, arts and crafts, sports activities and theme nights will take place.

A Morrisburg drop in site will be added to the program schedule starting October 7. Initially, they will be open from 2:30-5 Mondays and will take place at the South Dundas Municipal Centre. They already hope to expand the hours in Morrisburg from 5- 8 p.m., but are awaiting confirmation of space availability.

The Youth Centres, Early Years Centres, Learning Centres and Youth Programs are all part of the community services provided, free of charge, to residents of SD&G by the GIAG.

GIAG’s youth program mission is to provide safe haven free of judgement and biases for youth.

GIAG aims to provide opportunities for youth to participate in activities, make positive life choices through mentoring, and to develop social and life skills that encourage personal growth. While assisting youth in becoming responsible and productive citizens, building positive relationships between youth and community is encouraged.

[…]

Over 30,000 people visited Upper Canada Village last year for Pumpkinferno, and area business organizations are hoping that their promotion of “A 2013 Season Of Pumpkin People”, will bring some of those visitors outside of Upper Canada Village, into more of South Dundas.

Various “A Season of Pumpkin People” activities took place in late September and will continue throughout the month of October.

The committee is encouraging everyone, including businesses and individuals, to use their creativity to build and display their own pumpkin people in front of their homes and businesses.

The idea is to promote the community, to attract more visitors and to foster community spirit within South Dundas.

Committee members encourage everyone to take up the challenge and to get involved.

Spooky tales for the little ones, along with activities are scheduled to take place Saturday afternoons, October 5, 19 at 26 in the Morrisburg Plaza and Iroquois Shopping Centre.

A Great Pumpkin Recipe challenge is being issued to the community. All recipes submitted to the contest must contain pumpkin, either canned or fresh as an ingredient. Judging will take place October 12, noon, at the tent in the Morrisburg Plaza.

Saturday, October 26 pumpkin carving events will take place in the Iroquois and Morrisburg plazas, for the Light the Way display. The plan is to carve pumpkins and to place the lighted pumpkins along the route to Upper Canada Village from Iroquois, Morrisburg, Williamsburg and Riverside Heights.

[…]

MORRISBURG – One month to the day since she mailed two pairs of baby booties, to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, for the royal baby, Prince George, Madeline Carkner received a thank you card complete with a picture of the young family. 

“I’m so excited. When they brought it I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry,” she says of the special delivery to her room at the Dundas Manor in Winchester. “I sent the booties on August 20th, and they mailed the thank you on Tuesday, September 17. I got it on Friday, September 20th.”

Since the arrival of the thank you picture, Madeline’s room has been a busy spot with friends, family and staff at the manor popping by.

“Once I received it, word soon got around. Just about everybody has stopped in to see it, even the CEO [Cholly Boland] from the Hospital [Winchester District Memorial] came right in to see it when he was here. Everybody and their brother has been in.”

“They say that bad news travels fast; well, good news travels fast too.”

The picture includes William and Kate, with Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, born July 22, in Kate’s arms.

The message on the back reads: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were most touched that you took the trouble to write as you did on the occasion of the birth of their son, Prince George. Their Royal Highnesses have been overwhelmed by all the wonderful messages they have received and send you their warmest thanks and best wishes.”

Madeline explains that she got the idea to knit and send the booties from the director of activities at the Manor. “It turned out the baby was a boy, so I made a white pair and a blue pair. I thought I would likely hear back, but not for a few months.”

Having lived all of her life in the Morrisburg area, Madeline has been at the Dundas Manor for the past 7.5 years. For the last five years, she has been in a wheelchair. She spends much of her time knitting and crocheting, while listening to the radio. She says she keeps up with the news in Morrisburg through visitors, and of course, her weekly Leader.

Her knitted mittens and slippers, made in assorted sizes and colours, are done for the Manor bazaar, which raises money to help offset expenses for various excursions for the residents.

Madeline, who will be 81 in December, has arranged for a two sided picture frame for viewing of both the picture and the message. She invites friends to drop by the manor for a visit and a viewing.  

[…]

A September 16 letter distributed to residents in the vicinity of the Universal dock indicates that changes have been made to the proposal to build an export grain terminal at the UTI site.

The proposal has been modified to locate the proposed 105’ diameter by 90’ tall grain bins, that were met with much disapproval from area residents, on UTI property, north of County Road 4 (Lakeshore Drive), rather than on the south side as originally proposed.

According to the letter, the proposed location is on the east side of the property approximately 120 meters east of the north/south internal access road that exists on the UTI site today.

“The grain bins will be aligned in a south to north configuration so that only lone bin is located close to Lakeshore and the second and possible expansion of bins are located to the north of the first bin,” say project proponents Tom Kaneb and Ben Currelly.

The proposal includes an enclosed conveyor over Lakeshore Drive to move grain from the bins on the north of the road to the south east end of the dock. A portable conveyor and ship loading stacker will be used when ships are loaded or unloaded.

According to Kaneb, “We have proposed locating the grain bins and truck area on the north side of Lakeshore to minimize the impact on the view of the St. Lawrence River from Lakeshore Road, to minimize the impact on the view of the neighbours, and to not have trucks cross Lakeshore.”

“Ontario farmers are expecting another bumper crop of soy beans and corn, emphasizing the need for an export terminal that will enable area farmers to access global markets effectively,” said Kaneb.

“Construction must await the acquisition of the required permits,” he added. “We are in the midst of that process now.”

Asked what these changes mean to the concerned citizens group opposed to this project, Gerben Schaillee, a member of the group says, “It really changes nothing. The zoning is incorrect.”

Lesley Rowntree, who is also part of the concerned citizens group, said the group has discussed the recent changes to the proposal. “The consensus is, it doesn’t change the illegality of putting a grain terminal on land that is zoned for light industrial use.” She said that though the changes would be better, visually for the area, any discussion of the impact is purely hypothetical. 

“Yes, if the proposal was legal, it would be marginally better,” said Rowntree. 

According to Rowntree, this project, if allowed to go ahead, would negatively impact more than just residents in the vicinity of the dock. She mentioned the Lakeshore Drive is part of the Waterfront Trail, which brings those in the booming cycling tourism industry to the area. She also said that the impact of increased truck traffic would be felt much farther out than the immediate area of the UTI property.

“This whole scheme is of little advantage to anyone in South Dundas,” according to Rowntree. “It would only result in a couple of jobs, the Waterfront Trail would be ruined and noisy trucks would be travelling through our rural towns. This transforms the entire nature of the area.”

She concedes that farmers may benefit, but sees expansion of the port at Prescott, as a more appropriate alternative, since the government has already subsidized that port with Canadian tax dollars.

Should South Dundas choose to issue a building permit for the proposed development in its new location, the threat of litigation by the concerned citizens group still stands.

Despite her opposition to the project, Rowntree is thankful that Kaneb has been so open with area residents about the details of this proposed project.

Grain terminal proponents have been in contact with the municipality regarding the new site plan. “They still have to satisfy applicable law to obtain a building permit,” said South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald. He is unsure of the current status of the application for this new location.

[…]