August 11, 2022 Vol. 22, No. 32
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Caboosefest, Fun in the End By Jeff Green he Sharbot Lake Caboosefest was back in full force this year, featuring a kids area, tours of Railway Heritage Park, the return of Town Crier Paddy O'Conner and his railway sidekick Jonathan Wisteard, as well as a visit from newly minted Lanark Frontenac Kingston MPP John Jordan, and more. Youth events and caboose tours kicked off the festivities, along with a kids show by Gary Giller, Jim MacPherson and Dave Limber (three members of the now disbanded Feral Five) At high noon, in the sweltering heat no less, Paddy O'Conner, in full Town Crier costume, and Jonathan Wisteard in railway overalls and hat, greeted the crowd. O'Conner talked about the history of the K&P and its role in the local economy when it was established in 1870. Railway Heritage Society President Derek Redmond took the opportunity to introduce MPP John Jordan and Mayor Frances Smith, and announce the Trillium award of a Resilient Communities grant of $21,000, which the Society will use to
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upgrade the grounds, paint the caboose and install a video display, and improve the viewing potential of the museum's collection of railway artifacts. Frances Smith said that after two years of COVID, “this community has shown it is indeed a resilient one, and it is great to be able to gather together like this in an outdoor space.” MPP John Jordan said he was “happy to visit such a vibrant and beautiful community. I am from Smiths Falls, so the role of the railway in our past is something I am familiar with. The Trillium Foundation Grant is well deserved.” Once the politicians finished their brief remarks, the shaded area in front of the small stage filled up, as did the beer area, which was supplied and staffed by Daniel and Laina Lees of the aptly named Kick and Push Brewery in Sharbot Lake Dennis Larocque joined Giller, MacPherson and Limber to perform a set by the aptly named Kick and Push-Nicks. The set featured a number of train songs, in folk, rock and blues, kicking things off with Fred Eaglesmith's Freight
Town Crier Paddy O'Connor welcomes one & all to Caboosefest 2022 in Sharbot Lake, August 7
Train, followed by Arlo Guthrie’s The City of New Orleans, Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues, Midnight Special by Leadbelly, and more. It was a good return for Caboosefest
and money raised through admission fees and a silent auction will go towards improvements not covered by the Trillium grant. ■
Sleepy Election No More: The Verona Car Show Lichty To Challenge Higgins For Mayor Of North Frontenac By Jeff Green
North Frontenac Mayoral Candidate Gerry Lichty.
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fter considering the matter for several weeks, Gerry Lichty submitted his nomination papers for mayor of North Frontenac last week. That will result in the first mayoralty election in North Frontenac since 2014. At that time, two candidates who had never served in municipal council, Ron Higgins and Claudio Valentini, jumped into the
political vacuum that resulted from the sudden death of the sitting mayor, Bud Clayton, earlier in the summer of 2014. Higgins won that election and then ran unopposed in 2018. Gerry Lichty has lived in North Frontenac on a full-time basis, in the Snow Road area, since 2014, and has been involved in public life as President of the Snow Road Community Centre Association, and as a member of the Committee of Adjustment for the township. He said that one of the reasons that he decided to run is Ron Higgins. “I voted for him in 2014. I think his performance has gradually declined. I watch him in action to see how he handles other councillors and I’m not sure about the way he does things,” Lichty said, of Higgins. He said that the final straw, for him, was Mayor Higgin’s response to a report from the Frontenac County Integrity Commissioner which sanctioned him for an email he wrote to the County Director of Planning, Joe Gallivan. “Instead of apologising, he explained why he wrote the email in the first place once again. It was unprofessional and if I am elected, repairing North Frontenac’s relationship with Frontenac County will be one of my goals.”
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Event Beats The Heat
Photo: Paul Wash
By Jeff Green he sweat that was beading up on John Nizman's face at about 6:30 on Sunday morning (August 7) was not only coming from the heat that was already enveloping Lion's Park in Verona. It was also coming from what that heat was threatening to do to the Verona Car Show Event, which was only 90 minutes from starting. The first vintage car had just arrived, which was a concern because he had expected some of the early birds to arrive almost an hour earlier, a typical arrive time for keeners looking to get a prime location for the show. A few minutes earlier he had received a phone call to let him know that the 44
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cars that were scheduled to leave Ottawa in tandem at 6am, were not coming. The forecast called for a 40% chance of thunderstorms all day, and the group decided at the last minute to garage their cars and go back to bed instead of driving to Verona. And the volunteers, so crucial to the success of the Car Show and Festival that has become a major event in the summer calendar and the largest annual fundraising event in South Frontenac, were dropping as well. It was partially about the threat of rain, but also about the heat, and at 6:30am it
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