Lanark, North Leeds & Grenville Hometown News August 2017

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AUGUST 2017

Hawthorne Mill to become condos, development plan gets revealed Aug. 26

Carleton Place developer Wally Thorbjornsson stands outside Hawthorne Mill. He has plans to turn the old mill into a residential building.

Photo credit: Jane Hobson

Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pd gmedia.ca Carleton Place residents will be treated to a brand new seven-anda-half-acre condo and apartment development in the next few years.

“Nothing is finalized yet but we’re very excited as we’re still working on the plans,” said Wally Thorbjornsson, the developer who has plans to turn the Hawthorne Mill property into high-end condos and apartments. “It’s an extensive, multi-year project for sure.”

Located at the end of Hawthorne Street on the south bank of the Mississippi River, Hawthorne Mill was built in the late 1870s and operated as a woolen mill until the mid-1900s.

Thorbjornsson, who began developing many local properties about five years ago, says the exterior of the mill will be restored to its original state as much as it can be.

Many of the original interior posts and beams will be left untouched to honour the history of the building that once employed hundreds

of Carleton Place residents. “There are very positive and warm vibes around the building.”

There will be three main buildings, two of which are the old mill and the red brick building beside it. Hawthorne Mill itself will likely be turned into 32 apartments units and the brick building will be 36 apartment units, some of which will be loft-style.

“We are planning on building a multi-storey tower as well,” Thorbjornsson said “We are not looking to change the footprint of anything

too, too much — it’s just about repurposing.”

The goal is to offer something that is currently not on the market in Carleton Place. The buildings will boast unique features like living rooftop terraces and private docks along the river for residents.

The rental units will be a mixture of affordable senior housing and market value rent, explaines Thorbjornsson. “The first obvious benefit is that we will have some affordable rental units for seniors,” he said. “And secondly we will bring more life into this part of town, which is just a two-minute walk from the downtown core.”

The units will have spectacular views of the Mississippi River and some will be as little as 12 feet from the water. The condos and apartments will be a short walk away from the canoe club, the swimming area, the splash pad at Riverside Park, Carleton Place High School and main street, making it a great place to live for everyone.

“Not everybody wants to live in a house, so this will be great for people who want to be close to the downtown and still enjoy the breathtaking views of the river,” Thorbjornsson said.

Along with condos and apartments, the development will encompass some commercial space.

“We’re looking at one restaurant

with a beach-facing patio and then a couple of smaller boutique shops as well,” Thorbjornsson said.

Thorbjornsson and his team are documenting the history of Hawthorne Mill throughout its rejuvenation. “We are on the hunt for the bell from the original tower,” he said. “We want to honour the legacy that is here.”

Thorbjornsson is hosting an open house at Hawthorne Mill on Saturday, Aug. 26 where the plans for the development will be revealed. Members from the design staff and engineers will be present to answer questions.

“We will reveal our concept plan for the entire development, we will open up more of the old buildings than we did before, we will invite people on tours through them and [The Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum] will be working with us.” The goal is for people to bring artifacts, photographs, memories and any information to help document the history of the mill.

“This, in my opinion, is going to be the crown jewel of Carleton Place development,” Thorbjornsson said. “I believe I can turn this into a venture that will financially carry itself and be the pride and joy of Carleton Place. I really think I can do something that the town can be proud of.”

Juno award winners lined up for Tweed Shindig Aug. 12 Up and coming talent from both the east and west coasts of Canada are coming to Smiths Falls Aug. 12 for the second annual Front Yard Shindig hosted by Tweed.

The outdoor concert, to be held on the front lawn of the Tweed site at 1 Hershey Dr., will be headlined

by Mother Mother, an indie rock quartet from Vancouver, and Halifax-based hip hop artist Classified. Organizers say other surprise musical guests are expected to join in on the fun. The event gets under way at 2 p.m.

West Coast indie rockers Mother Mother have long been one of Canada’s most celebrated live and studio acts. The band has earned a host of acclamations and three Juno nominations for its powerful shows and quirky yet poignant lyrics. A five-member outfit headed by siblings Ryan and Molly Guldemond, the group traces its roots to Quadra Island on the British Columbia coast. Since forming over jam sessions by the Pacific Ocean over a decade ago, Mother Mother has released six studio albums.

Based in Enfield, Nova Scotia, Classified has won two Juno awards, 10 East Coast Music

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Smiths Falls - Chris Must editorial@pd gmedia.ca

Awards and five MuchMusic Video Awards over the course of a 25-year career as a rapper and producer. He recently released his 15th studio album, entitled Grateful. Born Luke Boyd, Classified comes from a maritime town of fewer than 5,000 residents.

Tweed Inc. is in operation by Canopy Growth Corp., one of Canada’s largest licensed medical cannabis producers.

The shindig is being promoted as an alcohol and tobacco-free event, but those with a medical cannabis license will have access to an on-site vaping lounge.

The site is wheelchair accessible, with paved entry points, and the Facebook/DiscoverCarletonPlace

Photo credit: Chris Must.

concert is being held on a lawn with level entry points. Accessible washrooms will also be available.

Tickets to the event are $30 each, which covers the costs of the two headlining artists and a number of other acts and attractions.

Special discounted tickets are be-

ing offered to residents of Smiths Falls. Email shindig@tweedmainstreet.com for information.

Camping for out-of-town guests is available at Lower Reach Park, and may be arranged by emailing heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca.

Facebook/DiscoverSmithsFalls www.HometownNews.ca

August 2017

2

Page Two

Letter from our Editor I eat pork

There’s been a lot of commotion in the news lately over the treatment of farm animals — pigs in particular. Last month the Lombardy Fair (among many others across the country) was pressured by a farm animal advocacy group to cancel its pig scramble.

I wrote a news piece about it on our website (hometownnews.ca/pigscramble if you want to read the article), talked to both sides involved, laid out the facts, let our readers weigh in on the topic and kept my opinions out of it.

Now, the same organizer of that petition has contacted me to inform me of another initiative she is undertaking: an attempt to get a pig roast in Carleton Place cancelled.

Her argument for cancelling the event are that it is being billed as a family-friendly event and “roasting the full body of a pig (an intelligent and sentient being) is not suitable for children to see.”

In her letter to me she also indicated that the Carleton Place Canoe Club receives funding from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and says, “as taxpayers, we do not support our tax dollars supporting such a violent use of a farmed animal.”

Som in light of that, I’m laying out my own opinion this time.

To start: the event is $60.75 a person and starts at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m.

It’s a licensed event so only

those 19 or older are permitted. There will be no small children at this event.

That said, as a parent of two young girls, I would feel justified in saying that a pig roast is indeed a family-friendly event. Having a pig roasting on a spit may seem scary or violent to some but I see it as an opportunity to explain the circle of life to my kids. We eat meat in our house and what goes into getting the meat to our plates isn’t always pretty.

I think educating my children on where their food comes from is important.

Making that connection makes them realize that this food was once alive. This animal died so we could eat.

My goal is to teach them to not to be wasteful and to respect the animals that feed us by treating them well in life, and eating what is on their plates.

I know that the people behind this petition, for the most part, are likely vegans.

So, of course they see this being an unfathomable event.

But being a vegan is not a lifestyle I have chosen, and it is not the lifestyle that has been chosen by the organizers.

My motto is: to each their own. Eat what you want to eat, love who you want to love, raise your children how you see fit but don’t chastise other people for their decisions.

But for the record, through a simple phone call with one of the organizers to make sure I had my facts correct I found out that the pig being roasted is from a local farm, one that his restaurant has been shipping organic compost to since this pig was a piglet. As well, there will be non-meat options for those in attendance should pork not be what they crave.

So it seems, that maybe this event isn't as “violent” as the petition makes it seem.

On the argument of

tax-payer dollars going towards this, it is down right false.

The Canoe Club is the venue the event is being held at and not the organizer of it.

Tax dollars are not directly being spent on this pig roast.

(I’m sure the money from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada goes toward the programming, coaching, staffing and other elements of the Canoe Club itself.)

However, you can be sure that tax dollars are funding the pork industry. The Canadian government thinks very highly of the pork produced in this country. In fact, the Agriculture Canada website states “Canada is the world's third-largest pork exporter, sending more than $2.6 billion worth of pork products to more than 100 countries around the globe every year.”

For those who are worried about their tax dollars being spent on the processing of farm animals, take your concerns to Ottawa — not a community event in Carleton Place.

On the surface, it may seem like the petition is gaining lots of traction with its 2,500 or so signatures, but the majority of those people supporting this initiative are not local — or even Canadian.

There is a fine line we seem to be walking here. What’s next — no more charity BBQs because cows had to die to make the hamburgers and hotdogs? What about the wheat that was harvested to make the bread? Where does it stop?

I could go on, as there is a much more controversial issue at heart here but I won’t. I’ll just say this: go to the Carlton Place Canoe Club on Sept. 3 and enjoy some roasted pork along with some other great food and help build a community wood-fired oven in Carleton Place. For more information about the event, search it on eventbrite.ca April Scott-Clarke, Editor, Hometown News

Letter to the Editor I am writing to clarify something about the article that was about me and the PDCI Indigenous curriculum [in the July issue of Hometown News]. The article implies that I left school in grade 10 because I did not see myself represented in the curriculum.

That is not quite true.

While I was not happy with the curriculum, what actually happened is I left a placement where the owner of the business where I had the placement was making derogatory comments when he found out about my Indigenous heritage.

Everything had been fine there up until then. This

is one of the reasons why, when I was asked by the reporter whether there is discrimination, I replied, "Without a doubt."

Also, while my sister Tasha will be returning to PDCI in the fall, I have graduated and am going to Algonquin College.

Mary Buckle

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August 2017

3

community Shout Sister! choir is coming to Smiths Falls, newbies encouraged to join Smiths Falls - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca With 23 already underway and another planned for Smiths Falls this September, Georgette Fry and the Shout Sister! choirs are making a loud, joyous name for themselves across Ontario. Fry started the first in Kingston in 2002, with another two in Brockville and Picton

in 2006, and she hasn’t looked back from there.

Nancy Grieg, manager of the choirs, quotes Fry as saying “We all want to let the inner diva out,” and the 1,400 women who now make up the Shout Sister! choirs can attest to that.

Shout Sister! choirs are aimed at women who have been told all their lives they can’t sing (plus

all the others who love to sing). They are aimed at women who don’t have an education in music, who don’t read music, who don’t want to audition, but who love to sing.

The choirs are also for women whose “musical limitations may have robbed them of opportunities to sing in a group setting” all their lives.

The choirs are open to ev-

eryone — all ethnicities, all persuasions, all disabilities, all orientations.

There are just two rules: no criticism and be nice.

Already 15 to 20 women have shown interest in the Smiths Falls choir with seven turning up at an information evening in June. Grieg says they’ve never had a choir start and not continue, so while about a dozen-

Austin’s Army supports Perth teenager in battle against cancer

Perth teenager Austin Ritz, shown picking out a tune at the courtyard of Matheson House Museum, hopes to return to his regular activities following a year-long battle with leukemia which. He is now in remission but will still require ongoing treatment until 2020. Two benefits in August will help raise funds to support his family. Photo credit: Matthew Behrens.

Perth - Matthew Behrens editorial@pdgmedia.ca During the past two summers, Austin Ritz, a confident young singer and guitar player, had the honour of being the first performer on stage at the fabled Stewart Park Festival. But the Perth teenager’s voice was sadly missing from this year’s musical gathering because he has been fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

A growing group of community members collectively known as #AustinsArmy is rallying around Austin and his mother, Jackie, who have not only dealt with the challenges of cancer, but also the complicating side effects of his treatment, including high fevers, headaches, blood clot, pneumonia, anaphylactic reaction, collapsed lung, mucusitis, meningitis, SVTs (abnormally high heart rhythms) and repeated low blood counts.

“The last year has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least,” says Jackie, who notes Austin was diagnosed on July 26, 2016.

“No parent ever expects their child to get cancer.

Austin is a well-rounded young man with interests in sports, music and drama. He plays football, baseball, volleyball and track and field. He's a pretty good snowboarder too.”

In May, Austin entered a state of unconsciousness caused by a fungal infection in his brain. After many weeks, multiple surgeries and application of anti-fungal medications, he has resumed chemotherapy treatments and is on the road to recovery again, with the leukemia in remission.

While antifungal treatment is likely to continue for up to a year, Austin is also scheduled to continue treatments – mainly oral chemotherapy– until 2020.

Meanwhile, as any family who has dealt with cancer well knows, treating the disease is costly not only

emotionally and spiritually, but also financially, including lost income for those taking care of their loved ones. Recognizing that tough reality, Chelsea Fowler, who owns Peter’s Restaurant in Perth and employs Jackie as her bookkeeper has assumed leadership in #AustinsArmy. Fowler is organizing a series of fundraising initiatives that includes t-shirt sales with the slogan “No One Fights Alone” as well as two major events in August.

“Austin and our kids grew up together in school over the past 12 years,” Fowler says, adding that when Austin was first diagnosed, his fellow students at Perth and District Collegiate Institute immediately jumped into a supportive role, conducting bake sales, an open mike performance hosted by the drama class, and other fundraising initiatives. Fowler saw a role for other community members to join in support as well, and went on to create a Facebook group

that now hosts more than 1,300 members, with dozens of volunteers helping out. “We’re hoping we can take some of the pressure off of Austin and Jackie,” she says.

On Saturday, Aug. 19, the Perth Legion has been booked for a benefit dance, BBQ, and silent auction. A week later, the Classic Theatre Festival will be hosting a benefit performance of the mystery thriller I’ll Be Back Before Midnight on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m.

With all the challenges facing them, Jackie says the community support makes a huge difference.

In addition to being grateful for the dedicated team of healthcare professionals working with Austin, Jackie also points to the assistance of a series of organizations that help families who are fighting cancer, including the Ronald McDonald House, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, and Candlelighters, which runs a childhood cancer support program.

“Our hometown and friends have been there for us providing encouragement and love,” Jackie says.

“Although no words of thanks can ever be enough, I look forward to personally thanking the hundreds of friends and family who have reached out to embrace us. Our goals over the next year are to resume as many of Austin’s previous activities as possible.

I am so proud of Austin's strength.”

Tickets to the benefit dance and Classic Theatre Festival show are available at Peter’s Restaurant in Perth (84 Gore Street East) and by calling 613-4642486.

and-a-half are enthusiastic now, it’s better to aim closer to 30 for a beginning. An average size runs between 50 and 60, with a few smaller, and Grieg fields requests daily from all over Ontario to open new choirs. She is confident Smiths Falls will attract more singers.

The problem is finding directors. There are 12 choir directors for the current 23 choirs, but Smiths Falls has found its own - Sandy Bradley.

Bradley’s life has been filled with music. She sang in church choirs from the time she was eight, but even before that she sang and harmonized with her mother “who sang and sang and sang,” remembers Bradley. All five of her brothers and sisters sang, too. “I thought that was what everyone did. It was just a natural thing to do,” she says.

And music and singing augment her creative life as a designer and artist.

“Music feeds you — it’s like breathing.”

Bradley’s name was suggested to Fry via the ever present musical grapevine; she was invited to the Shout Sister! event in Smiths Falls at the Station Theatre in January this year. The fit was good, Bradley was intrigued, and she was asked if she’d like to direct the Shout Sisters! newest choir.

For her, one of the best things about a community choir is that when women get together, they share and talk to each other.

If there are other women in Smiths Falls and area who want to join a group of singing women, keep your eyes peeled for the start date in early September.

Choirs start with a repertoire of 15 ballads

in the first year. All the parts are arranged by Fry. She chooses the music, records it and it’s sent out to choir members.

Choir members choose which part they want to sing - high, low (soprano, alto), or in-between, and rehearsals go from there.

Members don’t have to read music, just listen and learn. At the end of the year, the choir gives a concert, which is a benefit or a fundraiser in their community. Members get six more songs for a total of 21 at the end of the first year. At the end of five years, choirs should have a stock of close to 100 songs.

Grieg says that just as important as the singing is the giving back.

She’s discovered that choirs get requests from their towns or cities to come out and sing; the choirs raise money for local initiatives to help women and children in need. This is Fry’s impetus as a feminist and peacenik.

Going back to the ‘inner diva’ analogy, singing is not only fun and joyful, it also enhances health, says Grieg. According to her, brain scans show that while singing, more parts of the brain light up than during any other activity. And as well, lifelong friendships are made amongst the singers and the choirs.

For those interested in joining, all rehearsals are scheduled for Wednesday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Trinity United Church in Smiths Falls, 41 Market St. N. For more information about the Shout Sister! choirs, go to https:// shoutsisterchoir.ca/, or for general information, contact manager@shoutsisterchoir.ca

August 2017

4

community

Notes column: Carleton PlacebySocial Sarah Cavanagh

Perth Inside Out:

by Terry O'Hearn

How to forge ahead with wild edibles in Lanark County

The world is your oyster!

Well maybe not your oyster in Eastern Ontario but quite possibly your leek, your berry, your apple or your fiddlehead. We are blessed in our region to have a plentiful bounty of wild edibles right outside our door.

If you have ever considered trying your hand at the 100 mile challenge, from May to October in Lanark County is the time to do it. The 100 mile challenge refers to consuming only foods grown, raised and produced within a 100 mile radius of your home.

The idea was first described

by J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith in the book The 100-Mile Diet. The book spurned a Canadian TV series based in Mission, British Columbia that followed six families who agreed to consume only foods grown, raised and produced within a 100 mile radius of their home for 100 days.

You might be saying to yourself – I live in town, it’s not like I have access to a 100 acre farm! Alas, there is no need. This afternoon, I had a delightful bowl of wild berry crumble foraged from my backyard right in the heart of Carleton Place.

You don’t need to go into the depths of the wild to find wild edibles (although it certainly offers more variety). Many can be found in backyards, parks and along public trails.

Now a word of caution to the novices in our midst.

Never eat anything you aren’t 100 per cent sure is edible. Ask a local, sign up for a foraging seminar or grab a copy of the Peterson Field Guide. Many poisonous plants are mistaken for edibles and some are only edible in certain stages of growth or have certain parts of the plant that can be eaten. All wild mushrooms are a bit of a

forager’s Russian roulette so study up. The reward is some delicious (and free) meals for the summer.

There are some great local resources for the foragers among you. The Valley Wild Edibles Facebook page as over 900 members, all discussing wild edibles and sharing tips and tricks.

In the past few years there have been a variety of “wild food” walks in our area hosted by groups such as the Lanark Wild Food Club. Bodywork for Women, a local company that hosts workshops and offers therapies for myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, Chinese therapeutic massage and reflexology, hosted two talks this spring at the Carleton Place arena. You can find their page on Facebook at: facebook. com/getherfixednow/if you’d like to keep an eye out for their 2018 offerings.

These are great opportunities to learn from experts and hone your food hunting skills. The Wild Garden (www.thewildgarden.ca) hosts learning walks and online resources for the new forager. The company also offers monthly herb boxes that the website describes as an “opportunity to connect with and learn about the wild edible and healing plants of the Ottawa bioregion.” There is a theme each month and edibles are delivered to your door. Typically the boxes contain a loose tea blend, an infused honey/syrup or vinegar, a seasoning blend, a preserve, salve, incense etc.

Another great online resource is www.ediblewildfood.com, which provides recipes and blog posts on how to survive on wild edibles at various times of the year.

You may find you are not such a novice once you get reading up on the prac-

tice. There are some classic spring favourites like dandelions (which can be used in salads, as a coffee substitute or to make syrup), wild leeks, asparagus and fiddleheads that many of us local Lanark kids have harvested, eaten or at the very least heard about.

Once you hit the sweet spot between mid-June and late July the berries are plentiful – we have classics like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, but also some lesser known treasures like the gooseberry. These are commonly foraged items and most of you, like me, probably spent many childhood afternoons filling your faces with every sweet thing we could find growing in the fence line.

Once mid-September hits, we’ll be filling our baskets with apples that are ripe for the picking down most backroads.

There are some less common but equally delectable options – alfalfa, bull thistle, cattails, sunflowers and milkweed are all wild edibles. In fact nothing is quite as astonishing as the versatility of a cattail.

Something to remember if harvesting wild food, specifically in spring, is to never over harvest. If you want the crop to return next year you have to leave some behind and be weary of the roots. Only take what you can use. Also it’s a good to pay attention to where you are foraging to make sure there are no obvious area pollutants or bad water sources that could make the food unsafe for you to consume. Basically avoid chemical spray zones, factories or right along a big highway.

Sarah’s column reflects her own opinions and not necessarily those of Hometown News

Vimy boots on display at Perth’s Hall of Remembrance Four rows of modern-day combat boots seemed to stretch forever across the idyllic green expanse of Vimy Ridge in France this past April 9, lovingly placed there by the hands of French and Canadian students. Each row represented one of the four divisions of the Canadian Corps that fought at Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. A pair of those boots is now on display at Perth Legion’s Hall of Remembrance museum, on loan from Veterans Affairs Canada.

The rows of combat boots were placed as a symbol of remembrance during a ceremony that marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge held at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. The memorial is situated on land granted to Canada forever by France atop a rise named Hill 145.

A few sentences about the battle are justified, in order to show the meaning of the boots within the context of this particular battle. It was a pivotal event in Canadian history, and many articles and books are available on the subject.

Vimy Ridge is located in

northern France, and is a long, high hill that dominates the surrounding landscape.

Germany had control of Vimy Ridge early in the war and maintained it as a strong defensive position, with tunnels and trenches defended by soldiers with machine guns and artillery. Previous Allied assaults on the position in 1914 and 1915 had resulted in many thousands of casualties, but the ridge remained in German hands.

There was nothing simple about the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and several attempts had been made by other allied forces before the Canadians were finally selected to do the job, based in part on their already hard-won reputation as fearsome fighters.

The battle began at 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, when the first wave of 15,000 to 20,000 Canadian soldiers went over the top into a driving storm of machine gun fire. Many were immediately cut to ribbons, and fell not far from where they started.

This was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together as one formation; together mostly

Hall of Remembrance Curator John Gemmell with the combat boots display outside the museum entrance. Photo credit: Terry O'Hearn.

because of the insistence of General Sir Arthur Currie, a Canadian. Although at the time it was commanded by Sir Julian Byng, General Currie would be named to head the Corps after the success of the Vimy battle.

Success came at a heavy price, and of the approximately 100,000 Canadians who served, there were more than 10,600 casualties, nearly 3,600 of which were fatal. The legacy of those who fought lives on, and many Canadians feel that our country came of age during those terrible April days in 1917.

The Town of Perth lost one of its own brave men at Vimy, when Lieutenant William John McLean was wounded during the battle, and died soon after. The last letter home to his father David McLean was published in the May 18, 1917 edition of the Perth Courier: “My Dear Dad: I haven’t much time to write, Dad, but must write a line anyway. I will come to the point. Tomorrow morning I go over the top with my men. I am quite confident that all will be well, but should anything happen, I just want to tell you that I am going with the first, which, by the way, isn’t the worst place by any means. This is something worth while (sic) and worthy of our greatest effort, for it will surely have a bearing on the outcome, and our country is at stake. I will cable you should all be well. In any case you will know before this reaches you. With love to all, William.”

McLean is thought to have been attached to the 130th (Lanark and Renfrew) Battalion, which was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, based in Perth. He was born on Febr. 25, 1890, and graduated from the Department of Dentistry at McGill University in 1914. terry@pdgmedia.ca

North Lanark Seniors Expo to be held Sept. 7 in Almonte Regional - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Head to the Almonte Community Center on Sept. 7 for the ever-popular Seniors Expo. Photo credit: Submitted.

The North Lanark Seniors Expo returns Sept.

7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for its seventh consecutive year, so mark your calendars. This popular showcase of information, services and products for people 50 years and older, as well as their families and caregivers, attracted a crowd of more than 600 people last year and 78 exhibitors.

The expo is held at the Almonte Community Center at 182 Bridge Street, which offers plenty of parking and full accessibility.

There is no charge to attend

the expo.

Visitors will encounter a variety of supports, products and services at the expo from exhibitors such as the Canadian National Institute of the Blind, the Canadian Hearing Society, Almonte General Hospital, Hub Hospice, CAA North & East, the Civitan Club, The Older Adult Centres' Association of Ontario (OACAO), as well as travel agencies, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and seniors’ residences such as Waterside, Carleton Place Terrace, and Orchard View by the Mississippi. And this is just to name a few of the many different exhibitors who will be on hand.

Plan to make a day of your visit to the expo.

Doors open at 10 a.m. for the singing of O Canada, and the expo continues until 3 p.m.

Lunch is available to purchase on site, and complimentary coffee, tea, water and snacks—sponsored by Carleton Place Terrace— are available throughout the day.

Mills Community Support staff and a small army of Seniors Expo volunteers will be on hand to guide you. You may even be a lucky winner of one of the fabulous door prizes.

The North Lanark Seniors Expo is hosted by Mills Community Support

as part of its commitment to creating age-friendly communities in North Lanark. Financial support from OACAO (The Older Adult Centres' Association of Ontario) and Presenting Sponsorship from Orchard View by the Mississippi help make the expo possible.

Organizing committee members include these organizations plus Ravines Seniors’ Suites and Retirement Residence and the Alzheimer Society Lanark Leeds Grenville. Event sponsors include Carleton Place Terrace, Waterside, Capital Home Medical Equipment, and Bayshore Home Health.

August 2017

5

community

Carleton Place native wins national pharmacy award

Carleton Place native Allison Tario received the New Practitioner Award at the Canadian Pharmacists Conference in June. Photo credit: Submitted.

Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca Carleton Place native Allison Tario received the New Practitioner Award at the Canadian Pharmacists Conference in Quebec City in June.

The New Practitioner Award recognizes a pharmacist who has been in practice not more than five years, has demonstrated a commitment to pharmacy at the undergraduate level and has continued to promote the profession.

“I am honoured to be recognized with this award. As a relatively new pharmacist it is exciting to be able to shape my career into what I want it to be,” said Tario, who received a Bachelor of

Science in Pharmacy from the University of Waterloo in 2014 and is a Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at University of Waterloo as well.

“This award recognizes that I have created a space for myself in my profession that is contributing to the forward movement of pharmacists as a whole.” Tario is the first Waterloo Pharmacy alumni to receive this national award from the Canadian Pharmacists Association.

The University of Waterloo’s pharmacy program is quite young. Tario graduated in the fourth graduating class and currently instructs some classes at the university. “The program has built itself a very strong

reputation in the pharmacy community and it helped prepare me well to be a great pharmacist,” she said.

Tario grew up in Carleton Place and moved to Southern Ontario for school. She now works at Roulston’s Pharmacy in Simcoe, the largest community of Norfolk County with a population of about 14,000 people.

Located near Lake Erie, Tario said Simcoe reminds her of home.

“Simcoe and Carleton Place are so similar, which is definitely what drew me here when the opportunity came to move here for work,” Tario explained. “I love the personal feeling of a smaller community wherever you go.”

As a pharmacist, Tario said she can help patients who may not always have access to resources the way they would if they lived in a big city.

Pharmacists are often responsible for narrowing the gap between access and care that people in small towns might experience. “Rare diseases and complex conditions still exist in small towns, but the resources available for them don't always, so pharmacists help in many ways,” Tario said.

“This award also emphasizes the difference each new pharmacist can make for their colleagues and the profession on a bigger

THE 2ND ANNUAL URBAN JUNGLE OBSTACLE AND FITNESS CHALLENGE FUNDRAISER. Funds raised go to Lower Reach Park and other local charities

Sunday August 13th 2017

www.theurbanjungleocr.com

71 Cornelia Street, Smiths Falls

scale.”

The health care field is constantly changing and requires pharmacists to evolve as it does. “It’s exciting to be in a profession that is constantly growing to meet the health care needs of our patients…

I learn something new almost every day, which keeps it challenging and interesting.”

The rapid evolution of pharmacy during the last decade in Canada is largely due to the aging population, Tario said.

As the Canadian population ages, there are fewer young people to take care of the baby-boomer

generation meaning the pharmacy industry must change to keep up with and continue meeting the demand of patients. “It’s important to help others manage their health to feel better and live happier and healthier lives,” she said. “I am passionate about what I do and truly love my role as a pharmacist.”

Tario said her inspiration to be a pharmacist is thanks to her mother, Jane, who is also a pharmacist. “I grew up seeing what a great pharmacist does every day.” Just like her mother, Tario said she loves the areas of science

that deal with health and the human body. “I realized pharmacy would be a great fit for me - I didn’t want to work in a lab or [do] research; I wanted to find a career that let me work with people and help people.”

Along with developing long-term relationships with patients, Tario said she loves helping patients take control of their medications by educating them about health and the role a pharmacist can play in supporting them. “Pharmacists are such a resource for health care and we do so much more than just give out medications.”

Seccaspina's heart attacks bring reflection to her life

Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca When tragedy strikes, it’s a good time to ref lect on the things so often taken for granted.

Tragedy paid an uninvited visit to the Seccaspina household at the end of June when wellknown Carleton Place volunteer and blogger Linda Seccaspina suffered a series of heart attacks in just a few days.

After mistaking the first heart attack as severe indigestion, Seccaspina suffered another agonizing heart attack a few days later and could not deny that something was seriously wrong.

She was rushed to the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital and then transferred to the Ottawa Heart Institute. “I was told if I don’t get rid of the stress it is going to end up killing me,” Seccaspina said. “I have to sit down and realize I can do anything, but not everything.”

This is a challenge for a woman who has spent the past 12 years sifting through personal memories and newspaper archives creating content for her blog called Linda Seccaspina Remembers the Invention of the Wheel. The blog focuses on the history of Lanark County and Eastern Townships in Quebec where Seccaspina was born. “They are my past, and I am their future.”

“Blogging was initially used as a unique platform for my thoughts, feelings, opinions and experiences,” said Seccaspina who writes posts every single day. Her blog now has a loyal following with thousands of readers from Carleton Place and scattered throughout the world.

When Seccaspina announced she would be taking a few days off to recover after the heart attacks, her readers im-

Carleton Place blogger Linda Seccaspina suffered multiple heart attacks in the span of just a few days in June. Photo credit: Submitted

mediately expressed sympathy and well wishes on her Facebook page (where she has over 1,300 “friends”.)

She posted on July 3 saying it was through “sheer luck” that the heart attacks did not kill her.

Seccaspina finished the blog post by thanking the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital and the Ottawa Heart Institute.

Now back home in Carleton Place, Seccaspina is back to blogging – and ref lecting on her impact on the community.

“I am just but a small cog in the wheel here but I try to make a difference in my own way,” she said.

Seccaspina highlights the important historical characters that weaved the tapestry of Lanark County to show people how important community is – past and present.

Seccaspina believes history shows that communities do better when working together. “The woman that carried a f lour bag to Mill Street to get it ground, the community that tried to save the town from burning to the ground in 1910,” she gave examples. “The people that ran the hotels

and the customers that frequented them, the doctors, the store keepers; they are what keeps the wheels of our town going.”

Seccaspina said this sense of community is sometimes lost in today’s individualist world. She fears future generations will not access local museums to learn the history of Lanark County either due to external causes like funding cuts or just lack of interest.

By documenting as much as she can online, access to stories about Lanark County communities is immediate and will be there forever.

“Everything the citizens of Carleton Place have done through the years is for success of the town and the search for happiness,” said Seccaspina. “Yes our differences matter and everyone is cut from a different cloth, but together we can achieve more.”

Seccaspina also writes the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page called The Tales of Carleton Place. She is a columnist for Hometown News, Screamin’ Mamas magazine and has published six books.

August 2017

6

lifestyle Let's Eat

By Brian Turner

At long last Carleton Place can now boast an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant much to the delight of those with a taste for the exotic.

But Sagar Indian Cuisine at 156 Bridge Street isn’t just any run-of-the-mill diner.

One taste is all it takes to let you know.

A soft opening for Sagar happened in June month and judging by the steady line of clients, a full grand opening with all the associated promotion and advertising won’t be needed.

Sagar is a family run restaurant operated by Ummed Singh, his wife, Lakshmi Devi, son Vikas and daughter Monika.

Singh brings a world of experience to Sagar’s, having worked as a chef in several five-star hotels in India before coming to Canada in 2007. He has created many of his own recipes and has fine-tuned traditional dishes to suit the tastes of his customers over the years.

Because of this hands-on approach he is able and very willing to adjust any dish to

Food & Drink

Life on the Farm

Shannon Miller

Millers Bay Farm The wait for authentic Indian Cuisine in Carleton Place is over Summer is truly here when corn hits our plates

individual preferences and he’s constantly conversing with his customers to get their feedback.

My wife and I dropped in late one evening, just a few days after the opening and were very impressed with the wide selection on the menu and the end product on our plates. We both shared some samosas and chicken pakoda. The samosa pastry was light and flaky with just enough strength to hold the savory potato and pea filling. They were perfectly spiced and just the right temperature. The chicken pakoda, small strips of filleted chicken dipped in gram flour (made from ground chickpeas) were deep fried and beautifully matched with a delightful mint sauce. Singh doesn’t use eggs or peanuts in any of his dishes, which will please anyone with an allergy to either.

Of course you’ll have to try his take on buttered chicken and chicken tikka masala. Clients we met that night who were already

back for a second visit raved about those dishes.

One very unique thing about Sagar is their pricing. If you do a little online comparison shopping with established facilities in Ottawa, you’ll find that just about everything on Singh’s menu is considerably less expensive without any sacrifice to quality or quantity.

Singh states he is less interested in material wealth but instead focuses his efforts on pleasing his customers and the joy of cooking.

For those new to Indian cuisine the lunch menu at Sagar’s has an abundance of combination dishes giving everyone the opportunity to discover a world of rich tastes and textures.

Sagar Indian Cuisine is open six days a week for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and for dinner from 4:30 to 9:00 pm. They are closed on Tuesdays. Appetizers range from $6 to $14 and the average lunch combo and entrees cost $12. The restaurant is fully licensed as well.

In addition to a spacious and comfortable dining area, Sagar also offers a full take-out service. You can reach them at 613 492 1333 or 613 492 1444 and can check out their enticing menu at sagarindiancuisin. ca.

If you’ve been longing for a true taste of some great Indian cuisine, the wait is over.

It seems that this year, with this crazy summer-that-isn’t we are searching extra hard for any signs that will make it truly feel like summer, as the calendar is claiming.

What else says, “Summer’s here!” more clearly than the first feast of sweet corn?

Typically, we expect to begin the sweet corn harvest during the last week of July.

There will be Ontario corn in the stores prior to that, but those early cobs you see will be from much farther southwest of here.

July 25 is generally a good date to expect your first taste of really local corn, except of course this year! Corn needs heat to grow and mature, so things were a little delayed.

Now please don’t be anxious. Unlike strawberries, which are here and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye, sweet corn season lasts a little longer. Growers plant a number of different varieties, in several different stages over the spring and early summer.

This often allows us to stretch out the season right through until Thanksgiving – as long as the first killing frost holds off until then.

And no, the later harvested corn is not tough and over-mature as the old-timers may tell you. It’s also now ‘cow corn.’ It’s often every bit as nice, even more tasty sometimes, as the corn you’ll enjoy in August.

Once you finally get your hands on some, how do you

like to cook your corn?

There are dozens of different ways: BBQ with husks on, grill with husks off, microwave, wrapped in foil over the campfire, or the traditional pot on the stove.

For the stove-top method, which is the way we most often do it, did you know there is no need to “drown" your corn? It takes too long to get all that water up to a boil anyway!

Just start with two to three inches of water in the pot.

Bring it to a boil and add the corn. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Continue cooking for seven minutes.

Remove from pot and enjoy!

This method is more like steaming the corn than boiling it, because some of the cobs may not even be in the water.

By the way, never add salt to the water. It will just toughen the corn.

Are you cooking corn for a

crowd? Fire up the propane turkey cooker. It works like a charm to prepare 20 to 30 cobs at a time, depending on the size of your pot.

Todays corn varieties are so flavourful, we often enjoy ours with no toppings at all. If that seems too drastic, there’s always the traditional butter and salt. Maybe you’re looking for something a little different. How about grated parmesan, fresh herbs & olive oil, a sprinkle of southwest seasoning with lime, or perhaps some pesto, or guacamole? The sky’s the limit really. One website even suggests cinnamon sugar, fruit chutney or peanut butter.

Whatever your preferences for cooking style and dressing your corn, be sure to enjoy it while the season is here.

There is no comparison to the flavour of a cob (or two or three) picked within hours of making its way to your dinner plate. Bon Appetit!

Brian Preston - The Travelling Sommelier brianpreston@hotmail.com

KIN Vineyards makes Carp a wine tasting destination Ominous clouds filled the skies on Saturday, July 8 but ever the optimist I set off from Portland, Ont. with the top down for an hour's road trip up to the Grand Opening of KIN Vineyards near Carp, Ont. There I was met by a couple of smiling young ladies serving white wines. First I tried the 2015 Chardonnay Lincoln Lakeshore VQA, a dry version coming in at 13.5 per cent alcohol by volume (abv) that had a pale golden colour with a nose of fresh apple and a touch of melon. While light, it had some body due to the aging sur lie and battonage process used in the making.

Grapes for this wine are sourced from the Niagara Peninsula but the wine is made by KIN winemaker,

Brian Hamilton. It is not uncommon for a new vineyard to source grapes from elsewhere when the local vines are young and not yet producing the volume needed for full commercial operation.

Next I tried the 2016 Understory Vidal Blanc (VQA), which is a blend of KIN Vineyards’ own Kinburn Block and Niagara grapes. This wine is off-dry, fermented and aged for three months in stainless steel tanks coming in at 10.2 per cent abv.

Once inside their new building, I also tried the 2016 Pinot Noir Rose (VQA) made from their Kinburn Block vineyard grapes, as was the 2016 Light Horse Frontenac Blanc (VQA).

The 2015 Pinot Noir (VQA)

is made from Beamsville Bench grapes. The wines range from $16.95 to $34.95 with most being in the $20 range.

Co-owner of KIN Vineyards, Chris van Barr, transformed 16 acres of his 50 acre property into a vineyard. The six-acre Kinburn Block includes the hardy French hybrid varieties Marechal Foch, Frontenac, and Vidal Blanc, and 10 acres of the Carp vineyard, where the winery is located, harvested for the first time their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in 2016.

The property strategically sits on the Carp Ridge offering protection to the vineyard from the harsh winter winds and the killing spring frosts like the Niagara Escarpment does for

Niagara wineries. The site is south facing affording the most sunny days possible for grape growing and ripening. The vineyard slopes south and west immediately off the Carp Ridge, and includes different soil types, the upper slope characterized by loamy sandy soil good for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Hamilton was previously a winemaker at Malivoire, Southbrook Vineyard and Tawse Winery, all in Niagara Peninsula, and he brings their same focus on organic and biodynamic winemaking practices to KIN Vineyards. Hamilton also worked at wineries in California and New Zealand where he further developed experience and expertise in the creation of cool-climate

wines.

The wines were delightful and while everyone's palate is different, I was particularly impressed with the Chardonnay and the Dark Horse Red made from Frontenac Noir.

This makes for a great day trip from Ottawa, Arnprior, Smiths Falls and Portland and this

part of the Rideau Canal system. Take a drive out there to sample the variety of white and red wines. They even have a dry cider, Cider House Fools, 500ml, $5.95 at 8.5 per cent abv made from MacIntosh, Honey Crisp and Winesap apple varieties from nearby Harvest Moon Orchard.

August 2017

Tastes

7

of the

eat, drink, write...

Region

lifestyle

By Brian Preston

Hummingbird Chocolate’s bean-to-bar production offers unique flavours

We have a gem in Eastern Ontario, a rare and unusual enterprise that you must visit - Hummingbird Chocolate in Almonte. It is one of only a few places in the country that produces quality chocolate from bean to bar. They make Hershey bars taste like coarse sugar candy.

Using only the finest sourced cacao (or cocoa if you like), Drew and Erica Gilmour opened their production facility in 2012 at 9 Houston Drive, Almonte.

The two met as foreign aid workers helping farmers in developing countries like Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

Their mutual love of chocolate combined with the contacts they made in countries that grow cacao allows them to operate on a direct trade basis, cutting out the middleman, unlike fair trade where buyers deal with a middleman or wholesaler to purchase beans. Drew travels to the countries to maintain relationships with the farmers and seek out new, high quality products so they can provide chocolate with different flavours that are unique to Eastern

Ontario.

Hummingbird Chocolate gives public tours on Saturdays at 10 a.m., and Emmy, their very knowledgeable and informative production manager showed us their equipment and the stages of the entire process behind closed doors.

“There's so much to learn in chocolate [making]. Get the right beans, do the right thing, and the flavours unlocked are incredible. Rush it, and it can be a disaster," explains Erica.

Sort beans, roast beans, crack beans, sort beans again, winnow, grind, temper, wrap — these are just some of the steps in the art and science of producing quality chocolate. You can read more about the process on their website, www.hummingbirdchocolate.com.

When you go for a tour, be sure to look at the homemade roaster and machine to winnow the chaff from the nibs!

Ivory Coast in west Africa produces about 70 per cent of the world's chocolate, which is used commercially by the big four international

companies. Most of this is the forastero cacao variety which gives a high yield, is disease resistant but is of lower quality.

Hummingbird Chocolate uses trinitario and criollo varieties that are lower yield and take more care in growing. Criollo is the premium quality cacao and it represents about 5 per cent of world production. It is native to Central and South America as well as the Caribbean islands and Sri Lanka.

After the tour, Ashley and Emmy let us go at the self-sampling table. Here’s the rundown:  Hispaniola using Dominican Republic cacao that is fruit forward with hints of raisin and cherry;  PB & Joy - roasted peanuts and fruity chocolate;  Oh Mama! - using Nicaraguan cacao has notes of brown sugar and butter;  Copan - using Honduran cacao gives creamy goodness with lovely bread notes and hints of caramelized sugar and toasted almonds;  Fleur de Sel - using single origin cacao with Vancouver Island Salt Company gives a burst of fruit flavour with the tang of BC Fleur de Sel; and  Mayan - uses organic cacao with a complex balance of traditional Mayan spices and a little heat.

Hummingbird is experimenting with new bars and combinations like toffee and nib, strawberries and toasted hazelnuts and maple made with Lanark County maple sugar. Plans are in the making for milk chocolate too.

Urban Jungle back for another run Smiths Falls - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca Trails to blaze, hills to climb, obstacles to conquer and of course, lots of mud.

This is how Maria and John Maloney describe the Urban Jungle Obstacle and Fitness Challenge coming up on Aug. 13.

“The idea is that it’s challenging and fun,” said Maria.

“Why would you go somewhere that isn’t challenging or fun – it’s that simple.”

On top of being a town councillor, John with his wife own Rideau Winery in Smiths Falls and are the organizers of the Urban Jungle.

Now in its second year, the Urban Jungle challenge is an obstacle course that leads runners through the streets and parks of Smiths Falls requiring them to defeat numerous barriers on the track before them – including cars, trains, walls, stairs, trails, hills and tons of mud. There is a 5 km and 10 km race.

“People feel so inspired after the challenge – like they can do anything,” said Maria.

“It starts at the arena, loops through town, through the train museum property and through Victoria Park,” John explained, adding that the course avoids main roads.

The Urban Jungle challenge promotes the scenic sights of Smiths Falls and encourages physical activity. Play is good

Smiths Falls - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

551 Highway 15, RR#1 Lombardy

for you, whether you a kid or an adult,” said John.

Youth ages 17 and younger run for free in the morning on a less-challenging course and adults run in the afternoon with all the obstacles intact. Running adults must register online. All funds raised by the challenge go to local parks, like Lower Reach Park, and local charities.

“It really showcases the town and it encourages people to be active and prepare for the challenge – even though you don’t have to,” Maria said.

“But a lot of people do training programs before.”

The Maloney’s expect at least 450 racers at this year’s Urban Jungle challenge, with some coming from London,

Ont., Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec.

“When you see these little kids, covered in mud, finish the race and grab their medal – they’re smiling. What more reward do you want?” said John, remembering last year’s race which had about 370 runners.

“We have a lot of really great sponsors again this year and we want to thank them.

It’s these guys that make it happen,” said John. “We’re excited, people are really excited, it should be a good race.”

All participants receive a free t-shirt and medal. To find more details, see the list of sponsors or to register visit www.theurbanjungleocr.com.

New chiropractor says treatment is more than just manipulations

Dr. Jennifer Brazeau is a new chiropractor at Restorative Health in Smiths Falls. Photo credit: Submitted.

For more informaaon visit www.lombardglen.com or call the Club House at 613-283-5318

Maria and John Maloney are organizing the second Urban Jungle Obstacle and Fitness Challenge in Smiths Falls in August. Photo credit: Jane Hobson.

“A big part of well being is to be able to function properly and do the activities you want to do,” says Dr. Jennifer Brazeau, who joined Restorative Health chiropractic clinic in Smiths Falls in January. “To me, having the option to move is at the base of general well-being.”

Brazeau also treats patients at Cordick Chiropractic and Optimum Health Clinic in Perth.

Both clinics serve Smiths Falls, Perth, Lanark County Lombardy and Merrickville.

Brazeau says there are many misconceptions

about chiropractic. Many people tend to think chiropractors are only good for manipulating the spine but chiropractic is actually good for a whole lot more.

“It’s a team effort in terms of providing what I can for the patient and figuring out what the patient can carry out on their own in the future to make their function, motion and life that much better,” says Brazeau, who received her Doctor of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 2015.

Chiropractic treatment involves many manual therapies that go beyond just spinal manipulation.

Chiropractors often use soft tissue therapy, assisted stretching, mobilization, lifestyle education, exercise rehabilitation and more to treat their patients. Both clinics offer a variety of services, like massage therapy, acupuncture, dry needling, active release technique, orthotic and ergonomics consulting.

“We are on team patient.

We’re here to help you and there are many different techniques we can use,” she says. Often times, Brazeau says chiropractors will bring a registered massage therapist or family medical doctor on board the process to make sure the patient is getting all the care they need. This is called pa-

tient-centered care. “Our goals are your goals – we want to find the best way to get you back to you.”

Brazeau says working in a small town is important to her because it allows her to connect with people on a more personal level than working in a big city does.

“The longer you work with someone, the more you develop that connection and help them meet their goals.

It makes it really worth it.”

“A small town is where I’m happiest, I know how to live in a small town,” says Brazeau, who grew up around the Merrickville area. “I was always travelling to Perth and Smiths Fall so they are both very familiar to me.”

Brazeau says she was drawn to pursue chiropractic because she has always been an active person. She was on the varsity fencing team and was the co-captain for the women’s épée team while taking her health and ageing undergrad at McMaster University.

Whether it’s being able to build a bonfire, pick up a grandchild or skate on the canal, Brazeau says everyone should have the ability to live an active, functional lifestyle. “There shouldn’t be a barrier between someone and the movements they’re able to make.”

August 2017

8

Home and Garden

Garden Matters: Late summer style in the garden In many of gardens June is usually the most spectacular show for shrubs and perennials but in my opinion the late summer garden can be equally as fabulous if you choose the right plants. This year with all of the rain many gardeners are rediscovering how fabulous and low maintenance perennials can be. The range of plants that bloom in August through September can be bold and bright and really punch up a tired looking garden. Here are my top picks (in no particular order) for late summer glory in your garden.

Perennial Hibiscus ‘Luna Series’ Hibiscus moscheutos If you have ever seen this perennial in bloom in August you probably were stopped dead in your tracks because the blooms on this baby can be 12 inches across. Huge paper flowers come in deep red, light pink with a red eye and white with a red eye. They love full sun and can grow up to four feet tall!

A great choice for those who love drama in plants.

Coneflower Echinacea purpurea This tough, drought tolerant, full sun loving perennial is a must have for all gardeners. The colours are always bright and spectacular in every colour of the rainbow from bright pink, white, yellow, orange to red. They come in long-lasting single or double blooms and are followed by interesting seed heads.

Echinacea attracts bees, birds and butterflies to your garden.

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ Crocosmia Abundant eye-catching, brilliant flame red, tubular flowers appear in mid- to late-summer atop arching stems. Sword like green leaves add drama to any perennial garden. They are outstanding as cut flowers. I will be honest, they are Zone 5 but worth the chance for brave gardeners every time!

Grows in full sun, 2x3 feet by 2x3 feet.

Windflower Japanese Anenome True fairy flowers with large cupped blossoms of pure white or pink above stems that sway gracefully in the wind. Blooming in

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September, these perennials are a lovely late summer addition to any garden. They grow best in partial shade but can tolerate full sun, growing three feet tall in mature clumps.

Black Eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida This classic late summer blooming cannot be left off the list.

Easy to grow, it truly is one of the most asked for perennials in the fall. Bright yellow blooms with a chocolate brown centre is the best known variety but also look for the Rudbeckia hirta ‘Autumn Colours’ that is bicoloured ranging from gold to orange to bronzy red. Full sun loving and grows two to three feet tall.

Ornamental Grasses There are so many amazing ornamental grasses available now that it is hard to list just one. Any ornamental grass adds movement, height and interesting seed heads to the garden in the fall. They look most interesting when mixed with other tall fall perennials like False

Sunflower Helianthus or Helenium as well as Coneflowers and even Asters. I often mix them with shrubs as they have the height and power to stand alongside many shrubs in a mixed border.

Perennials are like the philanthropists of the garden; once planted they give back to us for years. The ability of perennials to produce striking foliage and flowers repeatedly is what makes them so popular amongst gardeners.

Unlike annuals, these plants will endure winter weather and return every season without much help from us (aside from a bit of pruning and deadheading).

When selecting perennial plants for your garden, it is important to think not only about how they fit into the overall design but also when they flower to keep your garden blooming right through until fall.

Kelly Heath Manager & Garden Designer Gemmell’s Garden Centre

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August 2017

10

culture Arnprior-raised author promotes latest novel in Carleton Place

Valley-raised author David Mulholland signs a copy of his new novel Chaudière Falls at the Carleton Place Public Library on July 14, 2017.

Photo credit: Jane Hobson

Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca “I wake up every morning and get to do what I love,” says valley-raised author David Mulholland who is promoting his third novel called Chaudière Falls.

Chaudière Falls is a dramatized historical account of how Ottawa became Canada’s capital. In perfect timing to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial birthday, the novel recounts the self-serving politics, religious bigotry and barbaric violence that resulted in Ottawa being named the nation’s capital.

Mulholland calls the novel dramatized history because it has a fictional component, like the story of character Jed Jansen, but it also follows the historical record of Ottawa’s creation. Characters like Philemon Wright, Colonel By and Thomas McKay are as accurate as they can be based on research, Mulhol-

land explains.

Mulholland, who was born in Kingston and raised in Arnprior, says he became a writer by mistake.

“It was a talent I didn’t know I had,” he said. His flair for writing was discovered in 1963 when he got a position as an advertising copywriter with CKOY Radio in Ottawa. “I could not wait to get to work in the morning, I loved it,” says Mulholland.

Mulholland spent the next few years as a freelance journalist and reporter for various news outlets in Ottawa, including a four-year gig with CBC Ottawa and a five-year run with the Ottawa Citizen. Mulholland also spent just less than a decade writing a country music column that multiple media outlets have picked up.

“I’m the kind of person who is either really interested in something or not at all,” he explaines.

Flash-forward to 1982.

Bored of reporting but still in love with writing, Mulholland accepted a job as a contract speech writer with the federal government.

“I loved the freedom of being a freelance writer,” Mulholland says, reflecting on that part of his career.

“Which is good because I don’t like cluttering up my life with material belongings just to keep the consumer market happy. Material things are not important.”

In 2001, Mulholland decided he wanted to a write a novel. He began extensive research and published his first novel of dramatized history, titled McNab, in 2006.

“Writing a novel was just an extension of being a writer,” Mulholland says. After McNab, he started to do research for his novel, DUEL, which was published in 2009.

“It was while writing DUEL that the idea for Chaudière Falls came to me,” he says.

Chaudière Falls was published in November 2016.

Now living in Ottawa and working on his next novel, Mulholland says he is happy. “I’m in excellent health, I’m financially independent and like I said, I get up every morning and do what I love to do. I’m 77 years old but I really feel like I’m between 38 and 42,” he laughs. “I’m happy with my life – the whole package.”

A copy of each of Mulholland’s novels are available at the Carleton Place Public Library.

Summer walking plays in Perth until August 27

Perth - Submitted editorial@pdgmedia.ca

Every summer the Classic Theatre Festival in Perth hosts a series of family-friendly, hour-long historic theatrical walking plays that bring to life the characters and stories of Perth's history.

The morning walking play, A Nation Lost and Found, held Wednesdays to Sundays at 11 a.m. until Aug. 27, visits Perth residents as they go about their daily lives at the time of Confederation.

What are they thinking and talking about with respect to the birth of a new country, the forced dispossession of Indigenous peoples' traditional territories, the dynamics of the 1837 rebellion and the debates over the Fenian Raids? How do they handle the always tender terrain of courtship, love, and marriage?

On Thursday and Friday evenings from 7 p.m. to 8

p.m. until Aug. 25, the The Lonely Ghosts Walk takes place with a new show, The Beat Goes On. This is a story of two battling female store owners from 1867 who come back to haunt two young men on both ends of the counter-cultural divide during the summer of Expo67.

The comic, musical romp

explores the terrain of friendship and reconciliation during challenging times.

Both plays are written by Laurel Smith, directed by Joanna McAuley Treffers, and feature Keegan Carr, Emma Houlahan, Brooks Knapton, Garrett Pipher and Connor Williamson. Tickets are available at www.classictheatre.ca or 1-877-283-1283.

Smiths

ON

Falls

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August 20- 27 “Fort Hemlock” at Station Theatre

The world premiere of an original play written by local playwright, Emily

August

Summer Events at Heritage House Museum Ghost Walks, escape room, Sunday Tea, paint nights, murder mysteries, children’s program, exhibits and more! www.smithsfalls.ca/culture-recreation/ events/

Duberville.

Adults $20, students $10.

August 24-26 at 7:30 p.m.

August 20 & 27 at 2 p.m.

Station Theatre, 53 Victoria Ave. www.smithsfallstheatre.com

August 24 and 31

(613)283-6311

Movies Under the Stars At Centennial Park under the Water

August 11

Music in the Park

Annual BBQ at Victoria Park Campground. Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Featuring Fiddle Earth.

Free admission, cash barbecue.

5-7:30 p.m. www.smithsfallschamber.com

Tower. Preshow activities at 7, movies start at dusk. Free admission. www.TogetherSmithsFalls.com

August 26-27 Trainfest

Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario Train rides, workshops, vendors and exhibitors.

August 12

Tweed Front Yard Shindig Featuring:

Trainfest After Dark, August 26 at 7 p.m. Featuring: • Jared Lutes

• Mother Mother

• Jimmy Tri-Tones Band

• Classified Family friendly: music, food, giveaways and more.

at the Parks Canada Visitor’s Centre Theatre.

(613) 283-5696, www.rmeo.org

3pm, 1 Hershey Drive Camping available at Lower Reach Park. To book a campsite, call (613) 283-6211 or email heritagehouse@smithsfalls.ca For $10 tickets email: shindig@tweedmainstreet.com

Saturday, Sept. 9 Light Up the Night

Hosted by the Downtown Business Association. A fundraiser for festive lighting for the downtown core. Live music. Gerry Lowe Memorial Rink

August 12

Race the Runway

September 21

Russ Beach Smiths Falls Airport.

In downtown Smiths Falls.

100+ cars racing the runway. www.racetherunway.com

Girls Night Out

www.downtownsmithsfalls.com

August 13

October 28 to 29

5km, 10km obstacle mud races.

Live music. Free admission. Smiths

Urban Jungle Obstacle and Fitness Challenge Memorial Community Centre. Register at www.theurbanjungleocr.com

Art Journey Show and Sale

Falls Memorial Community Centre

www.smithsfalls.ca Canada150SmithsFalls Photo credit: Matthew Behrens

August 2017

11

business CP toastmasters new chapter Carleton Place - Jane Hobson editorial@pdgmedia.ca

“When a person understands who they are — and they understand their own potential — they can create their own destiny,” says Roy van der Mull, the vice -president of education for MasterMind Toastmasters in Carleton Place. “Communication is everything.”

MasterMind Toastmasters is a new chapter of Toastmasters International, a membership based organization that teaches communication and leadership skills. MasterMind Toastmasters, located at Riverview Seniors Residence at 204 Lake Avenue West, will start its bi-monthly meetings in September.

“I think this is a wonderful thing for Carleton Place because this is a town of entrepreneurs and business people,” explains Jennifer Hoy, the public relations manager for

MasterMind Toastmasters. “[Toastmasters] improves professional abilities in a fun environment. It’s not like going to school, it really doesn’t have a seminar feel to it.”

Toastmasters is designed to help members develop and improve oral communication and leadership skills through thoughtfully planned programs with particular objectives.

For example, the first project is called The Ice Breaker. The toastmaster working on the assignment presents their speech to the club and then receives feedback from peers.

“Everybody participates in the meetings,” says Hoy, adding that about eight people attend any given meeting on average. “There are different roles and each role gets to speak, since of course, effective speaking comes from practicing.”

Some of the roles include the host, also referred to as the toastmaster, the gram-

opinion:

marian who checks grammar, evaluators and more.

The club teaches a variety of skills, like encouraging people to embrace the natural momentary silences that come up in speech instead of filling them with crutch words like ‘um’.

“We see people move from anxiety moments of silence to purposeful moments of silence,” Hoy says. “They learn to control their fear and their thoughts in order to compose sentences that make sense.”

Everyone is welcome to join Toastmasters regardless of their skills. This means members do not have to work on the same project at the same time.

“There are many different levels at one meeting but we still support each other,” says Hoy. “It’s totally accessible for everyone.”

Members are also taught how to give useful, positive feedback, which van der Mull and Hoy say is an important skill in all aspects

Am I the only one?

by Carrie Wynne

Don’t sweat the sales stuff Sales is really quite simple and not nearly as frightening as some people think. If you’re a new business owner or just starting out in sales you may be feeling a little intimidated by the sales activities involved in promoting your product or service, but don’t sweat the sales stuff.

You just have to get a list together of why your service or product is of value to your prospect and be willing to promote it. Always be will-

ing to answer this question: what’s in it for them?

You need a straightforward and honest approach when prospecting. You have to be naturally confident.

Pull it off something like this: “Here’s what we offer.

This is what we do really well. Here’s what’s excellent about our products. Here’s the value for you and this is how much it costs.” Everyone can relax when there are no games being played.

Roy van der Mull and Jennifer Hoy are part of the new Carleton Place Toastmasters chapter.

Photo credit: Jane Hobson.

of life, whether it’s parenting, with a colleague or with a boss.

The programs become more advanced as the Toastmaster progresses, with some specializing in storytelling or public speaking.

Toastmasters also learn how to communicate calmly and confidently through their body language, with time constraints and when they are

called upon unexpectedly.

“It really is what can take you from pushing the mail cart at your job to signing the company checks,” says Hoy. “My passion is to help people reach their goals, both professionally and personally,” says van der Mull, who is a retired business coach. “We want people to know that we’re here.”

MasterMind Toastmas-

ters is part of Toastmasters International District 61, which has been serving toastmasters between Kingston and Rimouski, Quebec in both official languages since 1958.

The club will meet every second and fourth Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. starting in September. Visit www. mastermindtoasters.com to check out memberships and other benefits.

Here are three tips that Iike to teach salespeople.

Establish key players If you don’t talk to the decision maker you’ll waste a lot of time and be stepping on toes. Start at the top and work your way down.

Determine the potential You must qualify your prospect and decide if it’s the right business opportunity for both parties. This may take a few calls to decide.

They won’t share too much information with you initially. That’s your job to figure it out. This is a very important step and it’s tricky. People have an inclination to say no quicker then yes. I like open-ended questions that are conversational as they

land easier on people.

Build the relationship Once you’ve established a good fit with your prospect you must develop a rapport and build the relationship.

Be persistent and cultivate it.

It’s like planting seeds. You’re watering them, fertilizing the soil, nurturing the seeds so that the plant becomes healthy and strong. It’s the same with an account. Experience has taught me that no means maybe or not today.

If you continue to make follow up calls and stay in touch you will see results eventually. Don’t waste time with, “H,i how are you calls.”

Social calls are not business calls. Always leave them with something, even if it’s just

a tidbit of information. Remind them about your products and services and go the extra mile in any sort of way to earn their business.

One final thing that many salespeople forget to do is ask for the business. “Will you call me when you’re ready to move forward? Will you give me an opportunity to quote next year? Will you come in and see me when you’re ready to sit down and discuss going ahead?” That alone will make you more money than any other thing you do.

Signed, Am I the Only One? Carrie's column reflects her own opinions and not necessarily those of Hometown News.

Dr. Brazeau has an educational background in health and aging, and experience as a varsity athlete. Dr. Brazeau enjoys working with young athletes, weekend warriors, children, grandparents and everyone in between trying to stay mobile and healthy.

August 2017

12

business

the

VALUE

of advice Shawn Pankow CFP.CLU

Preserve financial security in spite of a critical illness The recent announcement by the Canadian Cancer Society indicating that nearly one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime stands as a stark reminder of the risks each and every one of us faces.

The recent study conducted by the Canadian Cancer Society, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada is alarming. It indicates 49 per cent of men and 45 per cent of women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Overall, cancer will claim the lives of one in four people.

Furthermore, the study concludes that 90 per cent of people diagnosed will be aged 50 or older. As disturbing as these statistics are, I don’t think too many people find the numbers shocking as all of us know far too many people who have battled, or are cur-

rently battling, this dreaded disease.

Thanks to medical research, great advances have been made in the fight against cancer and because of investments in cancer control including prevention, early detection and treatment, the overall cancer survival rate has increased from about 25 per cent in the 1940s to 60 per cent today.

Yet, considering the probabilities of being diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness, and the concerns this brings, most people don’t often contemplate the financial impact that follows as income reduces or dries up just as expenses are rising.

It is encouraging to know that the majority of people today do recover from cancer and in many cases, are able to resume the lives they enjoyed before becoming ill. Howev-

er, the financial impact of treatment and recovery can be very damaging to one’s financial security and longterm financial plan.

While some people may enjoy a great benefits package at work and may have both short and long-term disability plans that can help replace lost wages, the majority of the population does not. Regardless, there are expenses that are not covered and in many cases, cancer treatment may not result in total disability, but may still lead to a significant loss of wages. The loss of income can extend to close family members who take on the role of primary caregiver, leading them to take a reduction income as they take time off work to help.

Although most people recognize the need to own life insurance to protect their families should they die, too few people fail to

understand the difference critical illness insurance can make in preserving their financial security should they be diagnosed with cancer or another serious illness.

Critical illness insurance is designed to pay the insured a lump sum, tax-free payment if they are diagnosed with a covered critical illness, and make it through the 30day survival period. This money enables a sick person to pay off a mortgage or other debts, replace his or her lost wages or those of a loved one taking time off work and provides the money needed to deal with the healthcare-related expenses.

I have had numerous clients diagnosed with cancer and other serious illnesses

– many of whom decided years earlier to invest in critical illness insurance – just in case. The payments from critical illness insurance has paid off mortgages, replaced lost wages, and kept businesses going while the owner recovered.

In all cases, these people were able to preserve their financial security through the most difficult time in their lives. They were able to focus on getting better and were not burdened with worrying how they were going to pay the bills.

Critical illness insurance plays a very important role in your overall financial plan. Those who have accumulated some wealth and are preparing for retirement can better ensure their plans for retirement remain intact if critical ill-

ness insurance is there to preserve those assets for their golden years.

In a day and age when most people live paycheque to paycheque and many would have a very difficult time going even a month or two with no income, imagine what would happen to your retirement savings, your home and other valued assets if you could no longer work due to a serious illness.

Speak with an insurance-licensed financial advisor and learn how affordable this critical piece of your financial plan can be.

Shawn Pankow is a Certified Financial Planner, Certified Health Specialist and licensed insurance advisor with Pankow Financial Solutions in Smiths Falls.

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