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Vol. 5
No. 1
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER - LANARK, NORTH LEEDS & GRENVILLE
JANUARY 2018
Sleepout inspires housing for homeless youth Carleton Place - Matthew Behrens editorial@pd gmedia.ca When Ink & Iron tattoo parlour owner Lea Maurice decided last November to host a Carleton Place Friday night sleepout to raise awareness of Lanark County youth homelessness, she had no idea that within 24 hours, a local developer would be inspired to take concrete action with plans to construct 13 units of much-needed affordable housing. As approximately 40 people braved the sub-zero temperatures during the Nov. 17 One Cold Night event, developer Volundur Wally Thorbjornsson drove by at 2:30 a.m. and asked himself what he could do to help. "I was very impressed that people showed up to show their support," he recalled. As he sat in his office the next morning, he decided that one of his properties – the former Barry's Pet Food at 31 Townline Road, which he had originally slated for a condo project – would be a perfect location for the new housing. Within three days, Thorbjornsson had a demolition permit and building plans ready to go, and is
now hoping the town of Carleton Place will consider waiving application and building fees given the socially beneficial purpose of the new housing. He is also putting together zoning change and building permit applications. As a property manager, Thorbjornsson says he and his staff have personally witnessed the issue up close. They've discovered people trying to find shelter in storage units or stairwells of buildings he owns. While Thorbjornsson has connected those individuals to social services, he believes his new housing project, with the promise of longer-term, affordable units, will provide the second chance so many require to get back on their feet. While One Cold Night raised $1,780 to help local charity Cornerstone Landing support young people at risk of homelessness, it also increased the profile of a social issue that tends to be hidden in rural areas. “It was a good opportunity for me to talk individually with people from the local community about the extent of the problem in Lanark County,” said Cornerstone chair Terrilee Kelford, who was part
A cool jump into 2018
The 2018 Perth Polar Bear Plunge, sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion Perth-Upon-Tay Branch 244, was a huge success. There were 84 people who signed up to ring in their new year on Jan.1 with a freezing plunge into the Tay River. Plungers raised more than $30,000, a new record for this 25-year old annual event. This year The Table Community Food Centre will be the recipient of the money raised. Want to see more photos? Check out our Facebook Page, facebook.com/HometownNewsPerth. Photo by Terry O’Hearn.
of the group of people aged 16 to 60 who bundled up in parkas and sleeping bags on Bridge Street that night. Kelford said her organization’s housing case workers have supported over 110 young people since the beginning of 2016. Some of them
One Cold Night co-organizer Courtney Hartwick (far left), Carleton Place Mayor Louis Antonakos, Cornerstone Landing Chair Terrilee Kelford, and Cornerstone board member Kelsey Smith took part in a sleepout that inspired local developer Volundur Thorbjornsson to create a new affordable housing project in Carleton Place. Photo submitted by Terrilee Kelford.
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were experiencing homelessness, others had only temporary shelter and required assistance finding longer-term housing, while certain individuals needed a trustee to receive social assistance. Kelford said that early intervention has prevented many of these young people from becoming homeless. For many at the sleepout, a 3 a.m. visitor brought the issue very close to home. A young man who had been homeless for two years and never had a sleeping bag shared his story, which Kelford said was a good reminder that the sleepout was “simply a gesture, and in no way could we truly understand what it is like for a young person having to sleep outside in the winter because they have nowhere else to go.” Participants at the sleepout – which took place the night before the first significant winter storm of 2017 – got a sense of how cold can accumulate in the body. While Kelford said it is easy for individuals to intellectually conclude that such living conditions are unacceptable, the sleepout participants “could never mimic the sense of fear, the loneliness and hopelessness these young people must feel. We were all able to go home, grab some coffee and a warm shower in the morning
and hopefully reflect on the experience. These kids don't have that luxury. They don't know when they will have a home. That young man walking by was a sobering reminder of that.” In the Townline Road project, Kelford envisions young people being able to rent a room, with shared kitchen space and bike storage, helpfully within walking distance of schools, recreation, the food bank, and potential jobs. Cornerstone’s housing case workers could provide support for several youth at a time in one location, while life skills programming and recreation opportunities could also be offered. “This won't end youth homelessness in the town but it could be a step in the right direction, and one option for young people requiring a safe place to live,” Kelford enthused. “It could be a win-win for all involved.” Thorbjornsson is confident that in working with Cornerstone and Lanark County Housing Corporation, his project will be not only be a beautiful building that enhances the neighbourhood, b a life-saver that goes beyond the rhetoric and photo-ops that often paper over the political inaction that perpetuates the problem.
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January 2017
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Page Two
Letter from our Editor
I don’t normally make New Year’s Resolutions but this year I am — to be more disciplined and stick to a schedule. I have personal and business goals I want to achieve and I think a lot of being successful in doing so is to have a more routined life. Over the last two years I’ve basically operated on a day-to-day fluctuating schedule built around the lives of my kids and spouse. It has worked in terms of meeting family and work commitments, but it has left me with little time for my own personal interests. I fit in things like going to the gym, running, kayaking, fishing and hunting when I can but in 2017 none of these things were really priorities. I only hunted a couple of days, my kayak barely got wet and my running was sporadic. So this year, I’m going to schedule in my personal time along side my other commitments. I got myself a new day planner. I’ve actually moved back to a paper planner instead of relying on just my digital Google calendar because I think having the constant visual reminder in front of me will help, and I’m making great use of it so far. It’s a fun planner with weekly goal setting and jazz like that so I’m pumped to use it (I also have a thing for new stationary.) It’s proven that if you have big goals, breaking them down into smaller attainable ones that build towards achieving the big goal helps keep you on track. I’m going to use this method with the hopes that achieving the small things will keep me motivated to get to the big things. One of my big goals for 2018 is to compete in at least one triathlon and better my swim time. I did a triathlon at the end of the season last year and absolutely loved it. I know that if I want to bet-
ter myself, I need to train a little harder — which means getting in the pool or open water more often. To do that, I have to plan for it. With two young kids (one in primary school and one in daycare), a husband who works shift work and the closest public pool 20 minutes away, I don’t have the luxury of just going whenever the mood strikes. If any readers are triathlon people, I would LOVE to hear any advice you have for a newbie like me. Shoot me an email at april@pdgmedia.ca or come by and see me. As part of my new scheduled life, I’ve booked myself to work at Meraki Collective in Smiths Falls (18 William St W) every Monday from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If I know people might come see me, it will keep me
accountable to the plan! What are you resolutions for 2018? Or better yet — what are your goals for the end of the year? We talked to several members of the community, and even some of the Hometown News team to find out what their resolutions are. Check out Word on the Street below to see if you recognize anyone or just to see what people are setting out to do in the upcoming year. Maybe it will be enough to motivate you to declare some resolutions of your own — if you haven’t already. As always, if you have something to say — good or bad — we want to hear from you. Cheers, April Scott-Clarke, Editor, Hometown News
WORD ON THE STREET The days and weeks leading up to New Year's Eve is often a time of reflection for people. We remenice of the good times we’ve had over the past 12 months, and think about all we want to do in the year to come. For those that still make New Year’s resolutions they most commonly end up being to lose weight, stop smoking, be healthier or save more money. We asked people across Lanark County (including some of our own Hometown News team) what they are resolving for 2018. What about you — what’s your resolution? Share it with us by emailing editorial@pdgmedia.ca or commenting on our Facebook page (@HometownNewsLanark) Elizabeth Cox - 10 - Perth (Image to the right) “I want to get stronger legs and ankles to be able to go on pointe shoes in ballet.”
Tamarra Nantel-MacCraken - Co-owner, Likkuid Sole “To learn how to achieve balance in my life.”
Bridget Sarazin - Carleton Place
Bill King - Owner, Blackwood Originals
“I plan on making more one-on-one time with each of my children, be more active and “To be a better husband to my wife, and a better dad for model a healthier lifestyle. Also, to wash my face before bed every night!” my kids.”
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January 2017
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community A Beatles Tribute show Feb. 3 highlights opinion: by Carrie Wynne preview of RCA history exhibit Am I the only one?
From left to right: Chris Must, Ian Jones, Michel Cloutier, Mitch Gallant of A Beatles Tribute band. Photo submitted.
Smiths Falls - CHRIS MUST editorial@pdgmedia.ca In the mid-1960s the RCA Victor record pressing plant in Smiths Falls was humming like a finely-tuned machine. The plant ran around the clock in those days, pumping out records to keep up with the demand for new music by a band from England – four long-haired young men in matching suits who were on their way to becoming the most successful act in the history of show business. The history of the RCA plant will be the focus of an upcoming exhibit at Heritage House Museum. The museum will present a preview of that exhibit the evening of Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95 Hall, 7 Main St. East in Smiths Falls, featuring a live music performance by A Beatles Tribute. The band will be joined by special guests the Giocoso Strings. The local string quintet, under the direction of professional violinist Polly McCombe, with back up singer Ian Jones and guitarist Mitch Gallant on special performances of Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby. A Beatles Tribute also features Chris Must, bass and backing vocals, and Michel
Cloutier on drums. A Beatles Tribute was launched in 2017 by long-time musical partners Jones and Gallant. In a two-year labour of love, the duo recorded their own versions of 108 favourite Beatles songs, in what they called the “Fab 50 per cent” recording project. In a home studio, they recorded more than half of the complete Beatles catalogue. With 2017 being the 50th anniversary of the legendary Summer of Love, as well the anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, Jones and Gallant
decided to assemble a full band to present many of the songs to live audiences. The Beatles were together just 10 years – roughly 1960 to 1970. During that short period of time, a revolution took place; not just in music, but at all levels of society. It was a time that those who experienced it can never forget. Society evolved, and the Beatles evolved along with it – the fact that most pictures of the band are in black and white before 1967 and in colour afterwards somehow says it all. Although the Beatles’
North American record label was Capitol, the Smiths Falls RCA plant, which operated from 1954 to 1979, pressed records under licence from Capitol. During the height of Beatlemania, the plant ran 24 hours a day to keep up with the demand. Tickets for the Feb. 3 show, which gets under way at 8 p.m. at the Legion hall in Smiths Falls are $20 each. Proceeds of the show will be donated to the Smiths Falls Community Hospital Foundation and Heritage House Museum. Tickets can be purchased at Rideau Candy Shoppe, 20 Russell St. East, at Four Degrees Brewing at Settlers Ridge Centre, and from the Smiths Falls Community Hospital Foundation office (613-283-9743). The ticket price includes special Beatle-themed hors d’oeuvres prepared by students in the hospitality class at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute. The show is sponsored by Pankow Financial Solutions Ltd. and the Town of Smiths Falls, as part of the On the Roll music series.
Although all the staff members in this photo are male, the workforce at the RCA Victor plant in Smiths Falls was 80 per cent female. The plant operated from 1954 to 1979, pressing records from such world-renowned artists as Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Photo submitted.
Bully proof your kid
I was raised in a household in 70s where nurturing a child’s self-esteem would be considered laughable. I remember hearing, “good kids should be seen and not heard” and my father would get a few laughs saying that “the joys of raising kids are grossly exaggerated.” I know that my father loved me, but I did feel small and insignificant. Parents don’t purposely try to lower their child’s self-esteem. It happens by accident. We must remember our own baggage and not be a bully or worse, overcompensate by treating them like a victim. There’s no power in being a victim. I remember notes being passed around in class. Hats were getting rip off people’s heads, people were being followed home from school and tripped. It’s not much different now but kids have lost their ability to cope. Social media has amplified this, and many can’t deal with the stress of not being accepted or good enough. To make matters worse parents aren’t the go-to people. We don’t have a right to know what’s going on and it’s a privilege denied to any parent that tries to interfere too much. We must respect their privacy and independence. The question shouldn’t be, "how do we stop the bully?" The question should be, "how do we get rid of the victim?" Adversity, including the bully in the playground, hits everyone throughout their life.
We must show up and be the people we want our children to be. Kind, not perfect but good enough and certainly worthy of love and belonging. I also think kids benefit when they hear where you’ve messed up. Where you aren’t as confident as you’d like to be or what struggles you’re dealing with right now. It’s always good to know that you’re not alone. Resiliency is a muscle that you build one dilemma at a time. I watch the Grammy’s and the Oscars every year. The winner’s that come up to give their acceptance speeches always name a parent or a teacher or someone in their community who impacted their life. Someone who helped them believe in themselves before they did. That’s what we need to do to bully proof our kids. Give them the voice inside their head that says, “I believe in you. You’ll figure something out.”
January 2017
4
community
Fundraising walk to help the homeless youth a first for Lanark County
Photo credit: Chris Must.
Regional - Chris Must editorial@pdgmedia.ca A first-time fundraising event to help homeless youth in Lanark County has already attracted some high-level support. Three mayors – John Fenik of Perth, Louis Antonakos of Carleton Place and Shawn Pankow of Smiths Falls – have already signed up to participate in The Coldest Night of the Year, a fundraising walk taking place in Smiths Falls on the night of Feb. 24, 2018.
The event is being organized by Cornerstone Landing, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping homeless young people in the county aged 16 to 24. Similar walks will be held in 110 communities across the country on the same date. February 24 is traditionally one of the coldest nights of the year, Cornerstone Landing board chair Terrilee Kelford told Smiths Falls town councillors at a meeting Dec. 11.
The choice of date helps to bring home the plight of those forced to sleep outdoors in the dead of winter. “But we’re not asking you to sleep outside,” Kelford assured members of council. “We’re asking you to walk.” Although the exact route of the walk is still being determined, the schedule for the evening is in place. Registration will open at 4 p.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. Walkers, having chosen a 2km, 5km or 10 km route, depart at 5:15 p.m. A meal for walkers will be served at starting at 6 p.m. Participation is free for children 10 and under. Youth aged 11-17 are asked to pay a $25 registration fee or raise a minimum of $75 in pledges. Adults 18 and over will pay $25 to walk or raise a minimum of $150. Registration will increase to $40 as of Monday, Feb. 19. The fundraising goal for the walk is $20,000. Kelford said proceeds “will go toward our partnership with Algonquin College to build safe, affordable housing for youth.” Cornerstone Landing has been working with the college’s Perth campus on a plan for building trades students to construct small, affordable housing units for homeless youth in Lanark County. To register, donate or get more information visit cnoy.org.
Perth Inside Out: by Terry O'Hearn Memories of a System Operator
They squealed and wheezed, burped and hiccupped, did a double doowaah, and finally answered the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) analog/voice line. They were 300 and then 1200 modems, before the Internet became popular and dial-up lines became widely used. The sounds coming from the modem speaker were called handshaking: two communications devices testing each other like dogs doing the walk-around sniff. Perth and area Sysops (System Operators) and BBS (Bulletin Board System) users were a strong and busy group for a community of the size. The eccentric group sprang up when Jim Carter moved to Perth from Toronto to live with his aunt in the late 1980s. Carter soon had a local band of techies organized into a formidable band of Sysops who found an eager group of BBS users in the waiting. Very few small communities would have had local access to BBSes, and long distance telephone costs at the time were prohibitive, so timing proved to be the good fortune for Perth and area. To explain, BBSes allowed users to login to a system running special frontend software, where they could play games, transfer files, read messages and news, and perhaps drop into text chat
Carleton Place Heritage Museum uncovers intimate “unmentionables” for next exhibit
Photo credit: Submitted.
Carleton Place - Brian Turner editorial@pdgmedia.ca Small town and rural museums are a great place to learn about your community. Not just history, but the stories and tales of how people and events helped to create the place you call home. They’re usually staffed with helpful, knowledgeable and cheery volunteers who never seem to mind going out of their way to assist visitors with questions and to add a very personal touch to a trip to yesteryear via some very imaginative
and informative displays and exhibits. The Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum is no exception. Located in the former town hall/jail (and former Victoria School) at 267 Edmund Street in Carleton Place, this museum has been bringing history to life since 1983. The newest exhibit, scheduled to open on Jan. 9 (running until May 4) is entitled ‘Underwear and Unmentionables’. According to museum curator Jennifer Irwin, some of the items may raise an eyebrow or two.
The idea spawned from a donation of goods and artifacts from a local pharmacy that was closing. When going through the treasure trove of items and related advertising materials, the museum team was struck with the unique packaging and advertising for prophylactics (condoms) and after a lively discussion the idea of an exhibit dedicated to underwear and unmentionables was born. Irwin promises a wide array of period pieces providing an insight to what lengths some people went to for the sake of a preconceived notion of the ideal human body form. Of course she mentioned that it was easier to find viable historic examples of women’s garments as men tend to wear their underwear to threads and dust. Did you know that a former Carleton Place clothing manufacturer Bates and Innes once made men’s long-johns labeled Ottawa Valley brand? Irwin and her team would love to find a set. Visitors can help mu-
seum staff find answer to such historical puzzlers as ‘how did anyone answer the call of nature wearing all the under-get-up of the day?’ Along with clothing, the exhibit will include an interesting look at how sex education, feminine products, birth control, and childbirth have changed through the years. If you have unearthed something historic in your attic or basement and think it has some historic significance, the Carleton Place and Beckwith Museum would love to hear from you. They’re always on the hunt for old photographs for example that can shed a light on how our early residents coped with day-to-day events. They can promise to provide a safe and climate controlled home for donated items giving them a chance to come to life once more in the minds of curious patrons. The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is by donation.
with the Sysop. On top of running a local BBS, most Sysops were part of FidoNet, a worldwide computer network used for communicating between BBSes. To manage that, additional frontend software had to be installed and integrated with the BBS software. FidoNet uses a complex forwarding system to exchange email and public messages between network BBSes, in addition to other files. This worldwide network of personal computer systems allowed users to do that which we take for granted over the Internet today, in a rather primitive way. The ingenious relay system effectively allowed modem-based communications over telephone links without incurring high long-distance telephone charges. The rapid improvement in modem speed and technology, combined with a similar decrease in price of computer equipment, made BBSes increasingly popular. By the mid-1990s there were almost 40,000 FidoNet systems in operation, and it was possible to communicate with millions of users around the world. BBS users at the time vastly outnumbered those of large online services such as CompuServe. BBS usage reached its acme in the late nineties. We did not know it at the time, but the Sysop group were leading a charge of the masses towards the full-blown internet experience we have today. Many of the text message abbreviations and other Internet slang in common use today, such as OMG or LOL, were already being used back in those days of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The death knell came sooner than expected, when the wide availability of low-cost Internet connections lessened the need for FidoNet's relay system. Suddenly any system in the world could be reached for equal cost. Although internet availability is by no means yet universal, it was estimated in June 2017 that 51 per cent of the world’s population is online. Recently I was able to sit down with Maureen Pegg, former newspaper editor and host/reporter for our local Lake 88 radio station. Pegg was an avid BBS user, and recalled the common complaint from other family members about phone lines being tied up when used for BBS logins. A Sysop almost always had a dedicated line or multiple lines for data communications.
In addition to using text shortcuts, as mentioned previously, flaming was rampant in user groups, much like social media today where insults are traded and online bullying occurs; netmail distributed worldwide through Fidonet was the forerunner of email as we know it today; and that era was the beginning of the emoji, although at first those cute little displays used text symbols like 8-). To log into a BBS today is like visiting a ghost town on Route 66 in the USA, or on the shores of Newfoundland. Usually there are a series of broken links and out-of-date files. A land of broken dreams – the occupants having moved on long ago to the Internet and social media. An online version of The Atlantic magazine recently had an apt description of the current BBS community with a story under this headline: “The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems: A former systems operator logs back in to the original computer-based social network.” An excerpt from that story: “Then the internet came along in the mid1990s. Like a comet to the dinosaurs, it upended the natural order of things and wiped BBSes out. My system was one of the casualties, a victim of the desire to devote all my online time to the internet. The same scenario repeated itself on thousands of computers across the country until, one by one, the brightest lights of the BBS world blinked out of existence.” So hats off to Certa Cito, Reptile Ranch, Fred’s Place, and Sysops of other BBSes in Perth and area. Whether you fell by the wayside, or made the transition seamlessly to the Internet, you were a leader at an important time and place in history. Hope you enjoyed this bit of information about the bygone BBS era, and please email me any comments. My best wishes for the coming year to all our readers.
January 2017
6
lifestyle Health Matters
By Dr. Robert Rodine
New Years Resolutions – working backwards to move forwards
On Jan. 1 every year, gym memberships rise and sales at the health food store increase as people embark on a ‘new year-new you’ adventure. But not all resolutions are the syndicated weight loss or smoking cessation target. Sometimes, a resolution can be an experience rather than a destination. While some people will set a three-month target bench press weight, or eight-week weight loss goal, others are simply starting at a different physical baseline. For this cohort, their goals surround being able to walk the beach or dance on their Caribbean vacation in March, or cycle from vineyard to vineyard in July, keep up with their grandchildren at the family picnic or walk the Camino de Santiago. While these goals are about experiences and memories, they come with physical
challenges for some. One of the best methods of achieving any goal, is to apply the principles of reverse engineering; meaning to break the end goal down into its basic components and then see how to put it all back together. Simply picture any child that was curious as to how a toy worked and decided to take it apart to find out how. For those with experiential goals, start by evaluating the goal you want to achieve and where you currently are. If your goal is to walk five kilometers in three months and are currently overweight and inactive due to arthritis, your goal is challenging but attainable. Like the child taking apart a toy, you need to see your target and work backwards. What do you need to accomplish on a weekly basis to achieve your goal? If your goal is to cycle,
lets get you on a stationary bike. If your goal is hiking, lets get you on a treadmill and working on your balance. If your goal is to waltz at your daughter’s wedding, let’s get you to a dance class! To keep you motivated, be sure to put pictures and symbols that reflect your goal everywhere you can. Running shoes near the door and a packed suitcase out in the open to see each day. Beach photos on your phone, or posters of wine country at your treadmill. Anything you can find to help remind you of why you’re putting in the hard work each day. Tracking your progress in small increments will also keep you motivated. No one goes from the couch to five kilometers right away. Start by measuring telephone poles, or mailboxes to track your walking distance and celebrate the small victories.
Routine physical activity, with a progressive strategy supporting it is one thing, but you will also need to consider rest, recovery time and nutrition to help support you in your goal. After all, you are only the sum of all your parts. For many in this group however, there may be physical and mobility limitations that are most concerning. This means joint pain, poor flexibility, balance and strength. This is where you need a care team to assess your limitations, review your goals, and help you bridge the gap in between. Chiropractors, physical therapists, personal trainers and massage therapists can all play major roles in helping you achieve your goals timely, and safely. So, do some local research and expand your care team to take advantage of this direction.
As an example, if walking to the grocery store without the support of a cart is difficult, walking five kilometers is going to be a challenge. Do you have limitations to your hip and knee mobility that can be improved upon? Do you have tight muscles from years of sitting at a desk, driving your delivery route or repetitive manufacturing jobs that need to be addressed? Do you have reminders of a tight back every time you get out of a chair? These are all things that will prevent you from being the optimal version of yourself and getting the most out of your evenings, weekends and summer vacations. In the end, these limitations can rob you of opportunities and memories. This is where working with your care team before you start can help you avoid sabotaging your target goal.
bum entitled Country, Music. The event also showcased performances by local artists Amanda Jordan and Tom Watson, as well as Bruce Enloe, Andy Mason, Ali McCormick and Freddy Dixon. The evening opened with an open mic segment featuring Alan and Susan Brown. The jamboree was the final event in 2017 of the On the Roll music series. This series of Canada 150 events was funded by a federal grant with financial support from the Town of Smiths Falls. Town staff urged audience members to share their impressions of the evening to help ensure more musical events in the future.
Bruce Enloe, manager of the Two Rivers Food Hub, is also an avid songwriter. Photo credit: Chris Must.
So, once you have established your goal, work backwards to determine what you need to do in order to achieve that goal and then establish all the things standing in your way. The sooner you reduce your barriers to increased activity, the closer you are to dancing on the beach. Dr. Robert Rodine is a chiropractor, practicing at Restorative Health in Smiths Falls.
Final Canada 150 party rocked Smiths Falls Legion Dec. 29
All the performers at the Dec. 29 Jamboree took to the stage for a final song: May the Circle be Unbroken. Photo credit: Chris Must.
Smiths Falls - Chris Must editorial@pdgmedia.ca
Amanda Jordan, who has travelled to Nashville to record her original songs, has been singing all her life. Photo credit: Chris Must.
Canada 150 celebrations in Smiths Falls wrapped up on Friday, Dec. 29 with a dazzling display of musical talent. Multiple award winner Jenny Whiteley closed off an afternoon and evening of entertainment at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 95 hall along with her husband Joey Wright and a stellar backing band. Winner of Juno awards for both her first and second albums in 2000 and 2003, Whiteley is a Toronto native who now lives in Elgin. She was also nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award this year for traditional album of the year. Wright, a multi-instrumentalist who has contributed to recordings by many artists including Sarah Harmer, played a selection of songs from his new al-
January 2017
7
lifestyle
Let's Eat
Food & Drink By Brian Turner
The Good Food Company
In 2017 The Good Food Company in Carleton Place celebrated a major milestone turning 20 years young. Anyone who follows the restaurant business knows that this is rare for an independent eatery, especially in small-town Eastern Ontario. But owner/chef Petra Graber has been luring in local regulars and travelling visitors since the beginning and knows the secret to running a great brunch/lunch retreat. According to Graber, on top of crafting and offering great house-made locally-sourced food, it’s a matter of constantly evolving to meet new consumer tastes and trends. From my view-point (as well as Graber’s) it’s also important to apply your resources wisely, hence, The Good Food Company went from being a three-meal-a-day facility to simply concentrating on what they do best; brunch and lunch. When it comes to adjusting menu items, Graber’s imagination and skill in the kitchen means finding new seasonal items to match every taste, appetite, and budget while offering those unheralded extras that can mean the difference between simply recharging the body and enjoying a true taste (among other senses) ex-
perience; their fair-trade Clayton-roasted coffee is a great example. The Good Food Company is located at 31 Bridge St in Carleton Place’s downtown heritage sector. This historical building was once a popular pharmacy and the tall tin ceilings and antique wainscoting transport diners to another era where service really mattered. Business is so good that in the summer a few iron café tables and chairs are put into service on the sidewalk and almost all year long, reservations are recommended. In Graber’s opinion (which is shared by many) a great deal of the Good Food Company’s success is directly linked to a superb staff; many who have been keeping diners happy with her for years. I stopped in recently for brunch and had the breakfast burrito while my partner enjoyed a frittata of the day (spinach and feta). They both came with a choice of two sides from a long and tantalizing list. Even what some may consider lowly breakfast potatoes, were done and presented with fashion being thick cut and roasted to perfection. The eggs in both dishes were light, fluffy and had just the right amount of moisture; topped and seasoned to perfection.
Of course the Good Food Company offers eggs Benedict, and with their talented hands this dish quickly became the go-to favourite from day one. And for traditionalists The Good Food Company does offer the classic eggs (any style) platter with bacon or Italian sausage, toast and potatoes. For lunch, diners can choose from fresh (seasonally varied) hearty soups served with Baker Bob’s bread, fresh salads with house-made dressings, crepes, sampler plates, along with some of the best sandwiches you’ll ever taste; think harvest grilled cheese with caramelized onions or Italian tuna. And yes, due to a threatened front table riot, Graber has kept her prized BLT on the menu. Gluten-free choices abound on The Good Food Company’s bill of fare. The Good Food Company is open Tuesday through Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Brunch dish prices range from $6 to $14 and lunch fare runs in the $4.50 to $13.50 area; quite reasonable. They offer small-function catering for intimate gatherings and celebrations, and are licensed to serve alcohol (although their food is intoxicating enough). They are also available for private parties on site. Parking is on-street and front-door access is via two steps. They can be reached at 613-257-7284 or by email to goodfoodco@bellnet.ca. Their website is goodfoodco.restaurantengine.com. If you’re looking for an escape from hum-drum brunch or lunch, the Good Food Company has to be on your New Year’s Resolution list.
For all your holiday baking needs visit Modern Thymes in Smiths Falls
Celebrating 20 years of Serving Our Community
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Brian Preston - The Travelling Sommelier brianpreston@hotmail.com How often do we prefer to have a cool beer instead of wine to accompany certain foods, which frankly, go better with beer? These include many cheeses and very spicy foods where the wines would be blown away and the tannin and acid levels conflict rather than complement the food. We all know that craft beer production and producers have increased steadily in Canada over the past couple of decades. Many of us believe that this has to do with increasing prices of mass produced beers which, if you blind taste them, you would be hard pressed to identify them because of their lack of distinct taste. The LCBO recently reported that craft brewers have seen a 45 per cent growth with a 400 per cent increase in sales since 20062007. I believe one of the main reasons has to do with the great taste and variety of beers that you can get for about the same price of premium mass produced beer. Ontario has over 180 microbreweries at last count in 2017 and Eastern Ontario is a hive of craft breweries. I was over at a friends' and he served me a Mocha Stout from a 330ml can that was labeled Perth Brewery in Perth. A family business run by founder Terry Steeves, his partner Cathy Brown and his son Jeremy Steeves. The Perth Brewing “u-brew” operation began producing beer and wine in 1993, and it is one of the largest facilities of its kind in Ontario. Inspired by the growing demand for local craft beer, the company recently doubled the brewing fermentation tank production capacity still allowing them to produce their all-natural beer in small batches including seasonal beers such as the current
Citrus Wheat and Pistachio Dark Lager. Regularly produced beers on a rotating basis include: Last Duel Lager: Easy drinking, crisp and clean Honey Lager: Crisp flavour with a hint of local honey Euro: Clean, refreshing European style pilsner Bonfire Black Lager: Light bodied, easy drinking dark lager Easy Amber: Well-balanced red ale. Smooth, rich and toasty Hopside IPA: Dry hopped with whole leaf Amarillo hops for lots o' hoppy aromas Mocha Stout: Intense with lots of coffee, chocolate and vanilla flavour The beers are available at Perth Brewery (121 Dufferin St., Hwy 7, Perth), where they are available in 473ml cans. They have opened the Tap Room where you can have a pint, a tasting flight and take a tour. Jeremy was kind enough to take me on a tour of the premises and I was able to see some batches of beer in various stages of production. One was in the wort stage with that lovely aroma of fermenting grains wafting into the air. Another was being racked ready for canning, which was a surprise to me as I had only ever seen bottling lines. I tasted the Last Duel Lager, Easy Amber and my favourite, Mocha Stout. The Last Duel Lager was the first bottom fermented brew I tasted and while light and crisp, it had good flavour too, unlike some lagers you try that have little or no taste. Next was the Euro, which was less sweet than our North American-style Pilsners, and it left a clean and refreshing feeling in the mouth. It had a bit of that characteristic European bite, a pleasing
package on its own or with some semi-soft German cheese and some medium Dutch Gouda. The Easy Amber was the first top fermented beer I tried and it lived up to its billing and was far better than the mass produced 'reds' I've tried. This ale had a nice fine head and smooth texture that went down with a bit of caramel on the taste, but with a cleansing finish. Lastly, I had the Mocha Stout, my personal favourite only because of its unique chocolate and roasted coffee nose, its creamy light brown head, rich and smooth texture which was full of flavour. It pairs well with rich beef stews, chili, and even with a dark chocolate dessert! I will be back to try some of the other brews and I encourage you to take that short drive to discover this gem of a microbrewery. The prices range from $15 to $19 for six cans to $54 to $56 for 24 cans (tallboys) depending upon the beer you select. Give them a call at 613-264-1087 before you head out to see if the beers you want are available. To arrange for a visit or for more information, go to www.perthbrewing.ca.
January 2017
8
business Spotlight on business
It’s how you wear your size, not what size you wear
Smiths Falls - Sally Smith editorial@pdgmedia.ca For all the full-figured women out there, your wish has come true. A new shop opened on Nov. 2 in Smiths Falls that’s just for you. Sherri Axford and Kelly Ilan, both 45 and longtime best friends, have put their creativity, their work ethic and their delight in shopping and clothes to work in a small clothing shop — Beautiful Full Figure Boutique, or BFF Boutique, located at 7 Russell St. E. The two kid around about the length of time they’ve known each other. “A life sentence is 25 years,” Axford deadpans; Ilan counters with “We haven’t killed each other yet,” and they laugh. The women like to shop, they describe themselves as full-figured and have heard for a long time from residents in Smiths Falls that there’s very little shopping for plus-size women in town; so they set out to fix that. What is a full figure? They carry sizes 14+ to 6X. Having been through their own struggles to find clothes that fit well and look good, Axford and Ilan believe with this shop women can be “comfortable, confident and beautiful,” no matter their size. “There’s no reason they can’t look great,” Axford says. While their Russell
Street store opened in November, the two started dabbling with a store model in the summer. They shopped at outlet sales, on Kijiji, Facebook and other places where they found quality clothes for good prices and had their first sale in August at Axford’s house. Her husband built shelves and racks, and the spare bedroom was made into the ‘boutique.’ The cash counter was in the kitchen. They moved to their present location in October and opened in November. Axford says she’s glad to have her house back now that BFF Boutique is in a public retail space. The shop is not a consignment shop. The two are quite adamant about that. Consignment “is a lot of work,” the two agree, “and we wanted to avoid that.” So they buy clothing lots on Kijiji and/or Facebook, and sometimes outright from individuals. A recent Facebook post states “just to let people know…we do not consign. If you have items you wish to sell, please message first with pics and sizes, and brands. Then we will make arrangements to meet.” Axford and Ilan are careful in their choices and the feedback, so far, has been enthusiastic. They buy/sell Pennington, Jones New York, Love and Legend, and Laura Plus, among others.
The store has a Facebook presence and Axford says there are lots of examples of their stock on the store page. “People like to see a picture,” she says. Tuesday is a special day at the store — Toonie Tuesday — with everything on sale on a specific standalone rack for $2. All the money from these sales goes to a different charity at the end of the month. Seven vendors also display wares in the small, colourful shop. They rent space, set up their products, and take home 100 per cent of their sales. “They don’t even have to be here,” Axford explains, adding the shop also helps promote their products online. The vendors are: Signature Home Style, Park Lane Jewellery, My Natural Living, Swanky Legs, Cindy’s Rusty Roost Auction and Sales, and Found and Fancied-Up. So, what do best friends do when they have some time on their hands and love to shop? They start a business together. Check out Beautiful Full Figure Boutique, 7 Russell St. East in Smiths Falls, www.facebook.com/ BeautifulFullFigure, bffboutique@outlook.com. Hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., closed Wednesday, Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sherri Axford and Kelly Ilan have opened Beautiful Full Figure Boutique in Smiths Falls. Photo credit: Sally Smith.
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