In The Hills Summer 2009

VOLUME 16 NUMBER 2 20 09

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Mental health breakdown Local services fail to make the grade

Soaring skyward Hawks reclaim their kingdom in the clouds

Made of Wood Preview of an extraordinary exhibition

My ďŹ rst time Three novices tell their tales

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

We usually take a summer-lite approach to the editorial strategy for our June issue. After all, we’ve survived the dark days, our world is lushly abloom, our rivers run full and the air is gloriously fresh. Who could be gloomy? Hmm, we can it seems – at least a little.

As we were preparing this issue, people were donning face masks by the millions as the fear of a swine-flu pandemic went, well, viral. That was when Ken Weber’s Historic Hills column, “Suffer the Little Children,” arrived on my desk.

Ken describes the horrific and sadly routine deaths of early settlers’ children to contagious disease – in the days before vaccines and antibiotics, when large families lived in small cabins, children shared beds, and the link between health and sanitation was not fully understood.

This spring, fear, if not the pandemic, spread like wildfire.

Perhaps that was because it found fertile ground in our collective consciousness. It has not been so very long since death capriciously stalked our children, and that deep memory even now can make our elaborate medical defences feel all too frail.

Indeed, Jeff Rollings recounts one such failure of modern medicine in “Shadowland,” his damning review of regional mental health services. Here is an affliction that is all too real. A conservatively estimated 2,000 to 3,000 adults in our hills suffer from serious mental health issues. Yet, in Dufferin County in particular, treatment for the condition is woefully under-funded. In fact, Dufferin has the lowest per capita funding in the province for mental health services.

Although the problem was well documented in a report last year, no one is holding out hope for a quick fi x. The estimated cost of bringing Dufferin’s services up to standard is $1.5 million annually – and the same economic downturn that is almost certainly contributing to the stress of many sufferers will also almost certainly delay the help they need.

And if all that weren’t enough – we’re not even going to give you a break to bask worry-free under summer skies.

With her retrospective on the great tornado of 1985, Michele Green reminds us that even those blue skies can turn black and dangerous – and that they are doing just that with more frequency as the world warms up.

Okay, it’s not all bad news. You will fi nd some sunny moments in this issue, especially in the lighthearted accounts by three of our writers about their fi rst attempts at trying something new.

Remember to wash your hands.

EDITORIAL

Sandra Cranston-Corradini Michele Green | Alison Hird Douglas G. Pearce Jeff Rollings | Nicola Ross Don Scallen | Tim Shuff Lynette Wallace | Ken Weber PHOTOGRAPHY

Pete Herlihy | Robert McCaw Pete Paterson | Philip Pearce Arjen and Jerrine Verkaik I L L U S T R AT I O N

Shelagh Armstrong Linda McLaren | Jim Stewart DESIGN | ART DIRECTION

Kim van Oosterom Wallflower Design ADVERTISING SALES

Kirsten Ball | Roberta Fracassi ADVERTISING PRODUCTION

Marion Hodgson Type & Images PROOFREADING

Susan Robb COVER

Storm clouds by Arjen and Jerrine Verkaik — In the Hills is published four times a year by MonoLog Communications Inc. It is distributed through controlled circulation to households in the towns of Caledon, Erin, Orangeville, Shelburne and Creemore, and Dufferin County.

Subscriptions outside the distribution area are $21.oo per year (including gst).

Letters to the editor are welcome.

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We acknowledge the assistance of the OMDC Magazine Fund, an initiative of Ontario Media Development Corporation

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T H I S

I S S U E F E A T U R E S 14

BIG WEATHER

44 LORDS OF THE SKY

Wind storms and twisters

by Michele Green 26 SHADOWLAND

Our broken mental health services

by Jeff Rollings 32 22

D E P A R T M E N T S 6

36 MY FIRST TIME

Three novices share their stories

by Jeff Rollings, Tim Shuff, Lynette Wallace

Millcroft Chef Roberto Fracchioni

by Nicola Ross 22 THE COUNTRY COOK

The summer barbeque

by Sandra Cranston-Corradini

LETTERS

Our readers write

MAKERS IN WOOD

Artists and artisans at museum show

by Signe Ball

20 HOMEGROWN IN THE HILLS

Hawks soar above the hills

by Don Scallen

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THE DIGEST

35

Countryside news

by Douglas G. Pearce 13

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

SKETCHBOOK

Water lilies

by Linda McLaren 42 HISTORIC HILLS

S. J. Pringle

Suffer the little children

by Ken Weber 56

WHAT’S ON IN THE HILLS

A calendar of summer happenings

by Alison Hird 32

66 A PUZZLING CONCLUSION

by Ken Weber

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Arrow pierced hearts

Your recent story by Jeff Rollings on the Avro Arrow (“The Day the Arrow Died,” spring/09) gave me the opportunity to wrap myself in warm memories of my deceased father, Fred Doherty.

Like so many others, my father continued to farm as well as work on the Arvo Arrow. He never sat still. There was always something he needed to do. So we knew something was wrong when he drove up the driveway and just sat in the car, staring, on “Black Friday.” He could not believe the Arrow had been cancelled.

Months before he had been working in the field when he heard a sonic “boom” and knew they had just broken the sound barrier on a test flight.

What a contrast for him. He was working with horses on the farm as his father and grandfather had done, but in his other job he was building the most advanced aircraft in the world. He was so proud of the work he was doing.

Another time he showed me drawings of a new design for a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. It was to be the next project. New designs on the drawing board meant job security in the future, or so everyone thought.

After the cancellation of the Arrow, my father returned to Malton and worked there for many years building a variety of aircraft. He also continued to farm, always moving at “haven’t-got-time” pace.

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Home child tribute

October 4, 1957, Malton : A day of unparallelled pride and optimism for the 12,ooo people gathered to witness the first Arrow roll out of its production bay.

My son and I enjoyed Jeff Rollings’ “The Day the Arrow Died.” As newcomers to Canada this certainly explained the story thoroughly for us. I have talked with a few people who were touched by the closing of A. V. Roe in Brampton and each person tells their story with a special kind of passion. Jeff’s story helped us understand the magnitude of the effects on this area and why there are “strong emotional vibes” as people talk about the project.

I was surprised, however, that Jeff’s conclusion didn’t mention the scale replica of the Avro CF-05 Arrow, built by volunteers at the Toronto Aerospace Museum, just down the road at Downsview Park. I happened by there for a museum meeting last fall. It is worthy of a visit: www.casmuseum.org.

Alison Hird Collections Manager, Dufferin County Museum and Archives and What’s On Ontario

In your autumn 2005 issue, you featured an article entitled “Home Child,” by Bernadette Hardaker. She discussed the plight of the young British emigrants and further described the making of the new musical, Homechild, which I had written as a memorial to the home children.

Thank you for your part in making the show a success. I would also like to express my gratitude to the many people from Erin and surrounding communities who brought this musical tribute to life on stage in October, 2005.

This year has been declared “The Year of the Home Child” in many parts of the world. In honour of this Homechild – The Musical will once more be presented on stage by West End Studio Theatre in Oakville, in July. (Tickets can be obtained online at www.oakvillecentre.ca or by phone at 1-888-489-7784).

More information is available at www. homechildmusical.com which has a link to www.britishhomechildren.org where the planned worldwide candle-lighting ceremonies are described as “a unified, global celebration of our love and respect for the home children.”

Barb Perkins Erin

Rockfort reckoning Your article “Day of Reckoning” (spring/09) on the encroachment of another gravel pit into Caledon failed to mention a small paragraph in the Provincial Policy Statement.

The PPS says that all gravel pits must be rehabilitated to restore the original beauty and function of the land. The next paragraph excludes gravel pits that penetrate the water table. As the owner of the potential pit is on record as planning to penetrate the water table, rehabilitation need not be conducted.

That should please the neighbours.

Charles Hooker, Orangeville In spite of all its solid reporting and evident research, the editorial-cumarticle about the people opposing the Rockfort quarry proposal (“Day of Reckoning”) in your spring issue left me feeling hurt and disappointed. It seems safe to say that well over 85 per cent of the volunteers fighting against this proposal are not WOOFs (WellOff Old Folks), as the article claims, by any stretch of the term.

It is true that I am old, but I have been pensioned for some time, my wife has been unemployed for some time, and our savings are modest indeed. Very many of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens’ volunteers work full time, for modest incomes, and still they donate many hours a year to this environmental work. These volunteers do not enjoy the financial comfort, ease or business and government contacts implied in your editorial. We are blessed that a few of

our members do, however.

I feel differently than the writer Nicola Ross does about NIMBYism.

What appears to be NIMBYism is actually a deep and justifiable sense of injustice, a sense that industry and government can and will expropriate our aquifers, our peace and quiet, our health and safety, our green environment (the environment of the same society that aggregate claims to facilitate), all with no recompense, no trustworthy guarantees, and no reasonable alternatives seriously considered.

I plead guilty to NIMBYism because I believe that justice is deserved by all. I believe that the Rockfort quarry proposal is fair neither to the residents of Wellington and Caledon, nor to our environment. Gravel can be green.

But the green alternative didn’t seem to count for much in your editorial.

Barney Gilmore Caledon

Re “Day of Reckoning” in your spring issue: This article presents itself as an objective look at the James Dick pit proposal. Right from the start Nicola Ross gives her prejudices away. What right has she to say that the coalition is made up of well-heeled, front-end baby boomers? Further on, she refers to coalition members as WOOFs, Well-Off Old Folks, a group of affluent, influential and motivated folk with time on their hands. What does she know about the incomes of the members? There are many, many members of the coalition who are on a pension or a very modest income.

My own daughter, who has worked with the coalition for many years, lives in a tiny house on a very modest income. By the way, she works for a living and has little spare time. I know [coalition chair] Penny Richardson and she certainly does not have time on her hands. My own experience with any volunteer group is that it is those very people who don’t have time on their hands who do the work.

Heather Duff, Caledon After reading Nicola Ross’s article about the Rockfort quarry in the spring issue, I breathed a sigh of relief. As impressive as the Coalition of Concerned Citizens’ efforts are, and despite my admiration for those members who I know personally, I had some misgivings about the campaign against James Dick’s application.

Like Ross, I couldn’t help but ask myself: we all need aggregate, so if not from Caledon, where should we take it? I respect the fact that Ross investigated what lay behind the project, confronting her own questions – and mine – as she proceeded. It helped me a great deal to read her conclusion that “there is damning environmental evidence against the application.”

The coalition has effectively used the tools at their disposal and the arsenal has been considerable. Regardless of the OMB’s decision, we owe these citizens a big vote of thanks for their long battle. I join Ross in admiring their work and hope that our efforts to protect the Oak Ridges Moraine can attract the same passion and dedication.

Debbe Crandall continued on next page Save the Oak Ridges Moraine (STORM) IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

continued

Mysteries of the Dordogne If many of your readers enjoyed Liz Beatty’s article “Caledon and the Dordogne” (spring/09) as much as I did, they may wish to read a series of books by Michelle Wan. While the author was born in China, raised in the United States, lived also in England, France and Brazil, she now resides in Guelph with her husband who is a horticulturalist of tropical plants. They annually visit the Dordogne to photograph and chart wild orchids.

Wan uses the local colour of that unique French province with its splendid hiking trails, patchwork villages and amusing inhabitants to weave murder mysteries that include a search for a rare wild orchid.

The reader is entertained by great stories and a better appreciation of wild orchids, including those in our Canadian woodlands, as the main character is a young Canadian woman.

Look for the colourful orchid plates on the hard cover copies of Deadly Slipper, Orchid Shroud and A Twist of Orchids.

Elizabeth Harris, Etobicoke

Bungled bank job You can’t imagine my surprise to read Ken Weber’s story on the Shelburne bank robbery (“How not to Rob a Bank,” spring/09), because, you see, I witnessed this clumsy attempt going down. I tried to tell some people in the local pool hall where I worked at the time, but nobody would believe me, saying that as long as their money was left alone they didn’t care.

This is my version of the Shelburne bank robbery on that November day back in 1967. I was in the pool hall stocking shelves when I noticed a guy acting kind of strange across the street, trying to position a nylon stocking over his head and signalling to his partner on the opposite corner.

After giving each other a signal, they both entered a bank, one was the TD and I think the other was the Royal. The one that entered the Royal came out a very short time later, crossed the street, got into a car and proceeded to drive off. It seems to me that he went around the block, I assume to try to pick up his buddy, who was either not out yet or had already walked down to the restaurant.

That was when I and a best friend ran out and got my car, after getting someone to mind the store, and followed the getaway car as it headed out of town. He continued east to the Blind Line, then turned north toward a dead end, where we thought we’d have him boxed in. However, he had found a spot to turn and was coming back toward us.

As he passed us we noticed he had a gun in one hand, which kind of gave us a new outlook on things. He continued south toward Orangeville and we continued to follow at a distance. I guess he noticed we were trailing him because he stopped on the left side of the road.

Now I was pretty sure I knew who he was when I saw him enter the bank, and I didn’t think he was dangerous.

We pulled up beside him and right away he started talking to us. We asked him what he was up to. He asked if we could take the gun off his hands because, he said, he was going home as fast as he could to find himself a good lawyer. We declined the gun offer, though he said it wasn’t loaded, but we agreed he could probably use a good lawyer.

I tend to agree with you and your editor that it would serve no purpose to disclose the names of the robbers now forty-two years later. I have seven grandchildren of my own now and maybe he does too, and they probably don’t need to know what their grandfather was up to all those years ago with a belly full of beer. I enjoyed reading your story.

Name withheld on request

We welcome letters to the editor. Please send them by e-mail to sball@inthehills.ca, and include your name, address and contact information.

In the Hills reserves the right to edit letters for publication.

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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C O U N T R Y S I D E

D I G E S T

by Douglas G. Pearce

Mitigation, termination and osculation Dandelion delight “Much has been written about the value of the dandelion, but I am not going to talk about the endless possibilities of diuretic teas, the chance to eat some bitter leaves, or brew a semi-alcoholic beverage that some may call wine.”

Dandelions are a good pollen source for honeybees. “While dandelions may not lead to increased honey harvest directly [during spring], they build the strength of the hive to allow the bees to succeed in summer when honey will be made.”

“Both lab and field experiments showed that when dandelion and alfalfa were growing together, the number of lady beetles was higher and the numbers of pea aphids on the alfalfa was lower (compared to alfalfa grown alone). They found that the lady beetles were using the dandelion pollen to supplement their aphid diet.”

“The goldfinches that brighten up the landscape in spring feed their young extensively on dandelion seeds.

Many songbirds eat dandelion seeds and leaves throughout the season. All grazing animals will eat dandelion leaves, though there are conflicting opinions on the forage value of them.”

From “In Need of Weeds?” by Stuart McMillan, in Canadian Organic Grower, Spring/09.

Too late “Quietly in public, loudly in private, climate scientists everywhere are saying the same thing: it’s over. The years in which more than 2ºC of global warming could have been prevented have passed, the opportunities squandered by denial and delay. On current trajectories, we’ll be lucky to get away with 4ºC. Mitigation (limiting greenhouse gas pollution) has failed; now we must adapt to what nature sends our way. If we can.”

“Yes, it might already be too late … but we cannot behave as if it is, for in doing so we make the prediction come true. Tough as this fight may be, improbable as success might seem, we cannot afford to surrender.” From “Lets Not Behave as if it’s Too Late,” by George Monbiot, CCPA Monitor, May/09.

Tickety-boo “If you look through history, there has always been a pattern of warm periods and cool ones. We are just experiencing a pattern. Mankind does not have the 10

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

ability to change the temperature of the weather any more than he has the ability to do a rain dance and make rain come. The global warming thing is used purely for political purposes. By the way, I had a record -33ºF at my home this winter.” From a letter to Organic Gardening, May/09, from Christine Gavitt of Thorndike, Maine.

Sea change “About 250 million years ago, during the time known as the Great Dying at the end of the Permian period – the biggest mass extinction the world has yet known – the ocean’s oxygen ran out. There are a couple of theories about why this happened, but a leading candidate is that the surface layer warmed up enough and became salty enough to disturb the currents.

Currents feed oxygen from the atmosphere into the ocean and move nutrients around. When the oxygen vanished, most life on land and in the sea – more than 90 per cent of the species then alive – died. …it is clear that the ocean contains the switch of life. Not land, nor the atmosphere.

The ocean. And that switch can be flipped off.” From Sea Sick: the Global Ocean in Crisis, by Alanna Mitchell, McClelland and Stewart, 2009.

with cousins or elders.” From “Deep Doo-Doo,” by Christopher Hamlin, in American Scientist, Mar-Apr/09.

Porcupettes “After seven months in the womb, porcupettes (yup, that’s the scientific name) emerge in the spring with eyes open, teeth ready for solid food, and soft quills that harden within the hour. They reach adult size – 12 to 35 pounds and up to three feet in length – within a year.” From “The Porcupine,” by Sharon Tregaskis, in Organic Gardening, May/09.

Seeds of conformity “The last 25 years have seen radical changes in Canada’s seed production and supply system. And for the most part, they haven’t been good ones.

Some would say that the groundwork is being laid for the total corporate control of Canadian agriculture. Plant breeding has almost entirely moved from the public to the private sector; and along with that shift has come the imposition of harsher legislation and regulation governing seed ownership and use.” From “The Right to Farm Saved Seeds,” by Gwynne Basen, in Seeds of Diversity, Spring/08.

Wake-up calls Catching the buss “Kissing is catching. Almost two decades ago, anthropologist Helen Fisher estimated that 10 per cent of humanity did not kiss. Globalization has shrunk that figure, so that osculation now rules in most societies that are touched by the modern world. Why? One suggestion is that it’s a vestige of our ancestors’ love of ripe fruit…but the role of kissing remains mysterious.” From New Scientist, Feb 14/09.

Poop deck “Grannie used to say she was going out to the euphemism to euphemize.

She meant the 1915-era summerhouse privy built on a granite ledge in Maine. To a child raised with water closets, as I had been, the span of the hole seemed dangerously wide and the pit below dark and bottomless.

But the smell was bad only by association, and it was light enough inside the privy to peruse the old New Yorker covers that papered its walls. Yet why had it been built as a two-holer?

Closeness in our extended family did not extend to companionable excretion

“The males of the bird kingdom mainly produce the break-of-dawn racket.

The refrain may start at different times depending on the light, but the species enter the chorus in the same order every morning. A bird’s voice box is a double-membraned organ called a syrinx. He can alternate exhaling between the two lungs and harmonize with himself. Now that’s an impressive feat bound to attract attention from the opposite sex, which is in fact one of his aims. Males sing more elaborate melodies in the presence of females, and a strong, rich song equals robust health, an attractive quality in a potential mate. From Organic Gardening, May/09.

Chip tasting “...the alluring aroma of chips [fries] contains aromatic notes of butterscotch, flowers and ironing boards.”

From New Scientist, Feb 14/09.

Wine wise “One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts.” Samuel Johnson ≈

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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CHALLENGING TRADITIONS

“I think that innovation has to come out of tradition, it cannot come from nothing.”

– Dempsey Bob, Tahltan-Tlingit artist

Organized by the McMichael, this extraordinary exhibition showcases over seventy works by 21st-century contemporary First Nations artists who have taken traditional Northwest Coast artistic practices and infused them with modern cultural influences.

Don’t miss this exclusive exhibition, on at the McMichael from June 27 to September 20.

Bill Henderson (Kwakwaka’wakw, b.1950), Sun Mask, 2007-2008, yellow cedar, cedar bark rope, acrylic, 147.3 x 147.3 x 9.1 cm, Private Collection, Courtesy of Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Ltd, Photograph by Kenji Nagai Artist Quote: Ian M.Thom, Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast (Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 2009), 3.

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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from top to bottom : Mr Albert Phoenix 8.5" x 7" (pencil); Commission of Buzz Grant 22" x 17" (chalk pastel); Cast Me Gently 21" x 15" (acrylic); A Song of Spirits, Country Children series, 18" x 26" (chalk pastel); Sepia Baby 5" x 5" (chalk pastel)

S.J. Pringle S. J. Pringleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Children series, inspired by her childhood on the farm, her own two children and the countryside around her home in Grand Valley, was recently accepted by a large publishing house for distribution across Canada and the U.S. A self-taught artist, she has drawn portraits of people and animals in pencil and chalk pastel for more than 18 years and is now devoting herself full time to her art. She has a public studio in DragonďŹ&#x201A;y Arts on Broadway in Orangeville. www.sjpringle.net IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT S! THE WE ATHER , SHE- IS - A - CHANGING . GLOBAL WA R M I N G I S E X A C ER B AT I N G C A N A D A’ S G LO R I O U S LY VA R I A B L E W E AT H ER , A D D IN G A GR OW IN G C U RREN T O F CO N C ERN TO O U R FAVO U RI T E TO PI C O F CO N V ER S AT I O N . I T ’ S B EEN M O RE T H A N T WO D EC A D E S SIN C E T HE “ B I G TORNADO” HIT THESE HILL S IN 1985, BUT IN RECENT YE ARS THE INCIDENCE OF SMALLER TORNAD OE S , HIGH WINDS AND VIOLENT S TORMS HA S E SC AL ATED.

BY MI C HEL E GREEN | P H OTO S BY A RJEN A ND JER R INE V ER K A IK

O

n December 28, 2008, I lounged in bed, keenly aware of the empty silence that comes on the heels of Christmas celebrations. A howling wind pulled me from my reverie.

Through the window, I could see the trees whirling like giant tops. Then there was a

thump. A sixty-foot poplar had broken at the base, karate chopping into the corner of our roof.

My husband and I ventured outside to assess the damage, but the roar of the wind made speaking impossible.

Trees cracked on the escarpment ridge and we knew it was no time to be climbing a ladder for a look-see.

Although the house sustained minor structural damage, the interior was mercifully unscathed. The tree was removed and the house tarped off until spring weather permitted repairs. For us, it was the worst in what seemed like an escalating series of 100-kilometre windstorms.

That winter day was windy, for sure, but we’ve seen windier ones. Take May 31, 1985, for example, when a deep low-pressure area from the midwestern United States collided with a strong cold front, turning loose a slew of as many as eleven tornadoes throughout Southern Ontario and whirling a whopping twenty-six through Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.

Twelve people died in Ontario that day, and seventy-six in the U.S. Although it was difficult to define the exact path of each twister, the effects were felt in more than a dozen communities. A large swath was cut through the City of Barrie, and closer to home, Corbetton, Hopeville, Lisle, Terra Nova and Hillsburgh all experienced damage. One tornado travelled on ground for approximately 110 kilometres – the longest recorded track in Canadian history – touching down north of Arthur, sweeping through Grand Valley and Mono, then spinning on through Tottenham and rural York Region before dissipating near Mount Albert.

Les Canivet, Grand Valley’s first full-time village clerk, was working that afternoon in the municipal office beneath Grand Valley Public Library. “The sky was getting very dark and I knew something bad was going to happen,” Les, now 88, recalls.

He ran toward the staircase to shout up to librarian Shann Leighton to get downstairs, but by the time he had travelled the eight strides to the stairwell he found it blocked by bricks from the walls. The sound of the wind was overpowering and Les returned to the safety of his office. “After a few minutes I looked outside and all I could see was water and wires.”

In those few minutes, an F4 tornado had shot down Grand Valley’s Amaranth Street with a circular wind speed of approximately 400 kilometres

per hour and a ground speed of 100 kilometres per hour. Two people, Barry Wood and Matilda McIntyre were dead and more than a hundred required medical treatment.

“It took a long time to get it through my thick skull that this had been a life-threatening moment,” Les says. A piece of sheet metal had torn through a boarded-up window, shearing across Les’s desk at what would have been his throat level. “I could have been decapitated.”

Les’s first thought was for the safety of his baby granddaughter who was with a sitter nearby. He got his bearings and left the office, carefully closing and locking the solid glass door. An OPP officer (one of fifty dispatched to Grand Valley during the emergency) was outside and asked why Les was locking the door. “I told him it was a business office and it had to be locked,” Les says. The officer pointed out that the glass was shattered and anyone could walk right through the door. “After that, every time an OPP officer saw me he’d say ‘lock the door’.”

After determining his granddaughter was safe, Les returned to assist those trapped in the library rubble. Only the southwest corner remained of the sturdy brick building constructed in 1913 with a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Corporation.

Despite the devastating wreckage, librarian Shann Leighton, Alan and Joan Cromack, Wilfred McLean, and children Kathryn and Ricky Moore survived. Their injuries ranged from mere scrapes and bruises to a broken leg, cracked vertebrae and a punctured lung. Seven-year-old Kathryn was buried under crumbled library walls for over an hour before being pulled to safety, unhurt except for some scrapes and a black eye. continued on next page IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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big weather continued from page 15

Volunteers salvaged approximately 500 of the library’s 7,000 books and, with the help of libraries in Elora, Acton and Georgetown, library service returned three weeks later in a “bookmobile” loaned by the Kitchener library. Files in the municipal offices were undamaged and a new public library and municipal office opened in June 1988.

Minutes after the tornado whirled down Amaranth Street destroying buildings, damaging five churches and the medical-dental centre, and leaving as much as $10 million in damages, Wayne and Barb Molto’s ten-acre property on the MonoAmaranth town line also became fodder for the tornado.

Barb had finished work at 3:30 p.m. that day and was in Orangeville picking up her eleven-year-old son, Greg, from his friend’s house. “There were huge hailstones about two inches in diameter and the sky was black,” Barb recalls. She waited out the short storm and, when the weather cleared, bought groceries and headed home with her son.

Concerned by the escalating tree damage along the road, Barb was shocked to see the roof of neighbours Bernadine and Casey Kooman’s house was gone.

“We drove a little further and I saw my house – the roof and walls were gone and the dining-room wall had completely collapsed,” Barb remembers. “It was like a doll’s house where you could look right into all the rooms.” In the kitchen, the roof and back wall had vanished but one cupboard remained, the cups hanging eerily undisturbed on their cup hooks.

Unknown to Barb, her eighteen-yearold daughter, Debbie, had returned home from work early that day and was in the house when the tornado struck. Debbie saw the dark green sky moving toward her. Hearing a wind that sounded like a freight train, she wondered if there had been a bomb, an explosion or an invasion. When the front door blew open, she grabbed the door, but it blew off, sucking her out of the house. She held onto the railing on the porch steps until the wind subsided, then ran to her neighbours’ house without looking back.

Loretta and Nick Antonacci told Barb that an unknown man had given Debbie a ride to the Orangeville hospital. With that news, Barb’s fear escalated. Antonaccis took her inside, steadying her nerves with a stiff drink chilled with one of the two-inch hailstones they had saved from the storm.

“So I drank the hailstone drink and tried to phone the hospital, but of course the lines were all crossed and confused,” Barb says. Miraculously, 16

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

protecting yourself Opening windows in an attempt to equalize a tornado’s low pressure does not protect your house from structural damage, which is most often caused by violent winds and debris. Keep windows closed and move to an interior room away from windows and exterior walls.

— — If caught outside, go to a low-lying area, ravine or cave and cover Do not sit in a car or trailer.

your face and neck.

—

The most important safety precaution, regardless of where you are, is to cover your body, neck and head.

Flying debris is the cause of most deaths and injuries.

—

Environment Canada’s Ontario Storm Prediction Centre issues Special Weather Statements, Severe Weather Watches and Severe Weather Warnings on local and regional radio and television stations.

Watches and warnings are also broadcast on Weatheradio (VHF at 162.475 MHz from Collingwood and 162.400 MHz from Toronto), or check their web site at www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca.

—

on one attempt to call the hospital, she picked up the phone and heard a voice – it was Debbie, calling from a friend’s home in Orangeville. She was unhurt.

In the days and weeks following the tornadoes, groups of Amish and Mennonite men from Listowel aided in the clean-up, picking up debris and even assisting with a barn-raising in East Luther. Volunteers set up a food and clothing distribution centre in Grand Valley, serving an average of 300 people at each meal.

“There were about 1,000 residents in Grand Valley at the time,” Les Canivet says, “and, with sixty-six commercial and residential buildings completely destroyed, we lost a full third of our tax assessment.” Even so, Les recalls that not one person came into his office with a complaint about the clean-up and rescue operations.

With apparent calm, farmers near Arthur watch as a tornado passes them by on April 20, 1996. The F3 tornado touched down in Violet Hill on Hwy 89 in Dufferin, uprooting trees, damaging homes, and sending diners at Mrs. Mitchell’s scurrying to safety in the restaurant’s basement.

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tornado facts Tornadoes are spawned by warm humid weather and thunderstorms that develop when cool northern air masses collide with hot air.

Amish and Mennonites also assisted the Molto family in a clean-up that recovered some of their odds and ends, as well as some unknown homeowner’s toilet seat, dumped by the tornado in the far reaches of their property. For two weeks, the Moltos lived in two rooms in Orangeville’s Panorama Inn – one room for the family and one room for their few retrieved belongings.

“We rebuilt on the same spot,” Barb says. “The four of us lived in a sixtyfoot mobile home on the property from May until November. I’ve said many times, that if you ever want to test your marriage…”

That wild May day in 1985 has left its mark. Each person, whether directly or indirectly affected, retains a sense of awe at nature’s clout and those few surreal minutes before the continued on next page

Contrary to popular belief, you won’t always see a tornado approaching in time to take cover. Often the tornado is masked by heavy rain or hail and is not visible until imminent. Some tornadoes do not have a visible column and are noticed only when the debris-laden surface winds are close.

May through September are the prime tornado months, with peak season in June and early July. Most tornadoes occur in the afternoon and early evening and approach from the west or southwest.

Canada is the second most tornadoprone country in the world, behind the U.S., and typically experiences 80 tornadoes per year. Southern Ontario – in particular “tornado alley” which extends from Windsor to Barrie – is a hot spot. Windsor experiences more tornadoes than any other Canadian city.

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A typical tornado first appears as a rotation in a thundercloud. The sky usually turns green, yellow or black and the tornado descends as a funnel cloud with a deafening roar, like a freight train or a jet taking off.

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There are three ways a tornado can form: from a particular pattern of complex updrafts and downdrafts in the lower atmosphere (supercell tornadoes); by overrunning a vortex that already exists in the atmosphere (a landspout); or by making a vortex from a strong wind downburst (a gust tornado or gustnado). The supercell tornado is the biggest and strongest, but the landspout is one of the most common. The gust tornado frequently occurs at night, so is hard to see.

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P H O T O S CO U R T E S Y L E S C A N I V E T A N D B A R B M O LT O

The 1985 tornado destroyed 66 buildings in Grand Valley, including the library shown here. The seven people in the library at the time survived.

winds of history In what was dubbed “The Great Storm” of 1887, the massive spire on St. Mark’s Episcopalian Church in Orangeville blew down, never to be replaced.

—

big weather continued from page 17

winds calmed and the sun returned.

The rows of maple trees lining Grand Valley’s Amaranth Street will never rival their former glory, but homes, buildings and churches have been rebuilt, lives have returned to normal.

Since 1985, smaller twisters have given area residents their fair share of memories. In 1989, only months after moving to Erin, lawyer Ken Torrens and his guests watched a tornado bounce towards his Main Street house. The tornado, which likely blew in from Belwood where more serious damage was sustained that day, brought the typical deep green sky and skipped over his house, shearing off maple trees across the street.

In July, 1993 a mini-tornado added a memorable twist to the wedding celebration of the daughter of Cecile and Ken Weber of Caledon East. As guests gathered for dinner under a tent, the wind suddenly roared, seeming to suck the tent poles from the ground. The Webers and their guests grabbed the poles and hung on for dear life. The tent held, but the violent couple of minutes left the door of the tent blocked by a downed tree. A few stalwart men climbed out, found a 18

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

chainsaw and freed the guests. Worse, a power failure had inexplicably locked the oven door, imprisoning the reception meal inside. That problem was solved by the inventive caterers who whipped back to Bolton and cooked up pasta on a gas stove.

“For a long while after the tornado, material things meant nothing to me and I now have a different perspective on life,” Barb Molto says. “I realized that it doesn’t matter what you have, everything can be taken away from you except your belief in God or your faith in yourself. Even your family can be taken away – the only thing you have is what is in you, and the only way anything can touch that is if you allow it.” ≈ Michele Green will finish repairing the damage to her roof, once the raccoon family who moved into the hole in the attic has grown up and moved on.

Photographers and authors Arjen and Jerrine Verkaik are “sky chasers.”

Based near Elmwood in Grey County, they travel across North America documenting tornadoes and other weather phenomena. See their work at www.skyartstock.com

—

In October 1954, Hurricane Hazel’s impact caused flood damage in a newly constructed south wing of Orangeville’s Lord Dufferin Hospital. The water rose two metres in the basement, ruining chemicals, bandages, blankets and other equipment. Grand Valley residents were marooned when cut off from the town by the Grand River, which rose 25 centimetres in 20 minutes, flooding the area. The Holland Marsh was flooded when up to six metres of water backed up from Lake Simcoe into the marsh. A reported six to eight billion gallons of water were pumped from Holland Marsh’s 2,000-hectare eastern section over 24 days.

—

On August 30, 1970, a massive 18,000-metre thunderhead built up steam over Toronto, gathered momentum and headed toward Orangeville, unleashing heavy rain and winds up to 129 km/hr over Caledon Village. The electrical storm tore off roofs, felled trees and power lines. On the corner of highways 10 and 24, the roof of Mary L. Adams Antique Shop was lifted off its foundations and tossed into the next yard. Homes and farms in Alton and the Orangeville area also sustained damage, uprooted trees and electrical disruptions.

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P H O T O CO U R T E S Y D U F F E R I N CO U N T Y M U S E U M A N D A R C H I V E S

Debbie Molto, 18, was at home when the tornado struck on May 31, 1985.

The house (above) was destroyed, but Debbie managed to escape unhurt.

On April 14, 1909 a windstorm swept over the Orangeville area causing damage to barns, windmills and a few churches, including Mono’s Ebenezer Church in Relessey (shown below) which lost its roof and spire.

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According to the Integrated Regional Information Networks (part of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs) “the factors most often blamed for the increase in natural disasters are environmental degradation, climate change, population growth (in particular, unplanned urban growth), and the negative results of economic globalization.”

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which publishes a World Disasters Report annually, reports that “from 1994 to 1998, reported disasters averaged 428 per year. From 1999 to 2003, this figure shot up by two-thirds to an average of 707 natural disasters each year.”

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In the summer of 2006, 23 tornadoes struck Ontario during three separate storms. On August 2, the season’s second major storm triggered 14 tornadoes, including two F2 touchdowns – the highest number of tornadoes for a single event in the province and the number normally recorded for the entire year.

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—

Above-normal winter temperatures throughout Canada produced three times the average number of tornadoes in March 2007.

—

The strongest twister in Canadian history struck the community of Elie, Manitoba on June 22, 2007. Packing winds of over 420 km/h, it qualified as Canada’s first F-5 tornado on the international Fujita Scale.

—

Unprecedented damage from windstorms throughout the spring and summer of 2007 left Toronto residents waiting for up to 18 months for tree services. The department logged more than 7,700 storm-related service requests (compared to a total of 1,355 in 2004 and 5,764 in 2006).

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Gales reaching as high as 100 km/h swept unseasonably warm weather into southern Ontario on January 9, 2008, creating fog and dumping 30 to 35 ml of rain. The sudden snow melt caused widespread flooding of the Grand River watershed. Temperatures hit record highs of up to 15°C. Several rare winter tornadoes touched down along the Illinois-Wisconsin border.

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A storm trough of deadly tornadoes rampaged through five states on February 6, 2008, killing at least 54 people, making it the deadliest barrage of twisters since May 31, 1985. The system brought driving snow and strong winds to the GTA, also creating thundersnow, a rare occurrence caused by winds that separate snow crystals vertically by weight. Fine crystals higher in the air are positively charged, while heavier flakes at the bottom are negatively charged. Lightening jumps across the resulting charge gap.

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December 28, 2008, gale force winds pummelled southern Ontario with gusts up to 100 km/h. Trees were uprooted, hydro lines downed and trailers flipped onto their sides. As many as 230,000 hydro customers were without power in parts of rural Ontario. Flooding of the Nith River in New Hamburg (west of Kitchener) saw waters flowing at 425 cubic metres per second. The average summer flow is two cubic metres per second.

— April 25, 2009, Pearson International Airport clocked winds with gusts up to 115 km/hr, the fastest recorded in more than 30 years.

—

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H O M E G R O W N

I N

T H E

Caledon

318 Broadway, Unit 7, Orangeville

H I L L S

by Nicola Ross

flinternational avour flair P H O T O S P E T E PAT ER S O N

Chef Roberto Fracchione puts a local spin on haute cuisine at The Millcroft Inn

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THE MILLCROFT INN & SPA 55 JOHN STREET ALTON

519-941-5460 www.noahbrown.701.com

519-941-8111

The Perfect Butter Tart

The Pantry Shelf BAKE SHOP and TEA ROOM

Memorable lunches & afternoon tea Patio Dining 90 Trafalgar Rd (in the village of Hillsburgh)

Open Daily 10-5 | 519.855.6378

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

W W W.MILLCROFT.COM

W

hen he was in Grade 10, Roberto Fracchioni recalls being invited to a friend’s place for a spaghetti dinner. “I knew it wouldn’t be like my mum’s,” he says, but nothing prepared him for the overcooked pasta flooded with canned tomato sauce. He chuckles as he recalls having no idea what the yellow powder was that his friend sprinkled onto his spaghetti from a blue cardboard cylinder.

Frachionni, who is now executive chef at The Millcroft Inn & Spa in Alton, grew up in Beamsville on the Niagara Peninsula, one of four kids born to Italian parents. Despite his small-town Canadian upbringing, he says, “I thought it was normal to pick your dinner from the garden. I thought it was normal to have truffles in the freezer. I thought it was normal to have five-course meals every night.”

Our local version of renowned chef and local food advocate Jamie Kennedy, Fracchioni is making quite a splash for himself. The executive chef at the Millcroft since 2005, he also writes a regular column for a local newspaper, has a show on Rogers Cable called Country Cooking and his monthly culinary classes at the

Chef Roberto cooks with “flare” in the Millcroft kitchen, and gathers fresh herbs from the inn’s own kitchen garden.

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Millcroft are sold-out affairs. He’s a high energy, charismatic thirtysomething with a silver-palate resumé that includes stints with some of the province’s finest restaurants, among them Scaramouche, Canoe, Auberge de Pommier and Jump in Toronto and Niagara’s Inn on the Twenty.

Twice voted Toronto’s best restaurant by Gourmet magazine, Scaramouche was Fracchioni’s first culinary job. He had given up his career as a design engineer to study cooking at George Brown College and was still a student when he tapped on the kitchen door at Scaramouche. A fellow who was chopping bones to make “jus” answered his knock, says Fracchioni.

“I explained to him that I wanted to speak with chef Keith Froggett about a job.” The fellow asked Fracchioni a few questions before introducing himself as none other than Froggett, and indicating that he could use help that very night. “So I went home, got my knives, put on my whites and came back,” recalls Fracchioni,

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adding, “I think he hired me because of my moxie.”

If it were a nyone ot her t ha n Fracchioni telling me this story, I wouldn’t have believed it. But his infectious smile and good nature totally engage me as we sit at one of the Millcroft dining room’s whitelinen-clad tables. The spring sun reflects off the surface of the millpond outside the foot-thick window sills that hint at the age of Caledon’s most exclusive inn. Recently purchased by Vintage Hotels, the Millcroft is the newest member of the group’s stable, which includes three Niagara-onthe- Lake inns: Pillar and Post, Prince of Wales and Queen’s Landing.

We sip strong coffee from pure white cups as I ask Fracchioni about his signature dish. “It would be my Easter pasta,” he responds with little hesitation. Called tortéi, the pasta is folded in a manner typical of Casa Dei Fracchioni, his parents’ small hometown about an hour south of Milan.

Casa Dei Fracchioni has a population of about eight in winter, according to Fracchioni, but in summer it grows to about eighty. “I think of it as the Muskoka of Milan,” he explains.

Fracchioni fills the pasta with ricotta cheese, a little Parmigiano and stinging nettles that he gathers from out behind the Millcroft. “In the early spring the nettles are tender and easy to pick,” he says. But it isn’t the nutritious nettles that pose the challenge, it’s the folding. “I’ve only been able to teach one other cook to make them,” admits Fracchioni. About a finger long, the little bundles come together with a series of twists. “If you don’t get it right, they fall open when cooked.” Because he has to make them himself from sprouting nettles, tortéi has a very short season.

Easter pasta may be his signature dish, but it isn’t his most memorable meal. That distinction goes to the meal that inaugurated his polenta pot. Polenta is just cornmeal, but in the Fracchionis’ part of Italy, it’s epic.

Problem is, you must have a good polenta pot, and they are hard to come by.

The centuries-old copper pots were expropriated by the metal-scavenging Italian government during WWII. But a few years ago Fracchioni managed to find one and have it shipped to Canada. He welded together a special oven, called a fogón, in his backyard, then cooked organic polenta and rabbit on a slow heat, with the pot nestled among the hardwood coals in the oven. He invited his extended family to share the feast. “It was honestly one of the best meals of my life,” he tells me.

But polenta aside, it’s Fracchioni’s use of fresh local ingredients that is attracting attention. He picks wild leeks and puff balls from the countryside nearby, but has yet to stumble upon morels. He uses fiddleheads and was delighted to find such a healthy supply of stinging nettles. He gets his greens from John Sutherland at Deerfields Nursery near Hillsburgh, and his “proteins” come from Rising Star Elk Farm near Hillsburgh and Jackson Foods in Orangeville. He uses Orangeville’s Woolwich Dairy cheese and potatoes from Gerry Reid’s farm in Mono.

Still, he saves his highest praise for the produce he sources from the Whole Village CSA on Shaw’s Creek Road in Caledon. (The CSA, or Community Shared Agriculture, produces fruits, herbs and vegetables without use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides.)

Using these fresh local ingredients, he says, “guarantees that I will have a better product.” Moreover, he adds, “I sleep really well knowing that I’m supporting Whole Village. They can have a better quality of life.”

And at the end of the night when the last plate has been washed and the Millcroft’s contented guests have wandered off to bed, where does Fracchioni turn for his own sustenance? “I love Seven Stars in Orangeville,” he tells me. And at least half a dozen times a year he chows down on a burger and fries from Superburger near Shelburne. “I adore a nice greasy breakfast,” he adds. Orangeville’s Nifty Nook is also good but often too busy, so he usually heads over to The Pines in Garafraxa Woods for bacon and eggs. “But,” he says, “the eggs have to be fresh and the bacon can’t be reheated.”

Young, energetic, talented: why is this man still single? As he dons his signature homemade red chef’s hat, Fracchioni says it’s hard to have a relationship given the hours he works.

“I’m a great boyfriend though – but only on Mondays and Tuesdays when I’m not working!” ≈ Belfountain writer Nicola Ross is the executive editor of Alternatives Journal.

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C O U N T R Y

REDISCOVER MILLCROFT

And rediscover yourself this summer. Serenity and historic charm provide the perfect escape.

Savour award-winning cuisine by Chef Roberto Fracchioni with a variety of Culinary Getaways.

Treats from the summer

grill

There is nothing quite so tantalizing as the aroma from the summer barbeque. But if you’re still just using the barbeque for burgers and beef, you’re missing out. The barbeque also adds delicious distinction to fish and vegetables. Fish is easy to prepare, and, cooked properly, remains succulent and moist. Vegetables can be brushed with oil and cooked right on the grill, or dressed with butter and wrapped in foil. Even firm fruits, such as pineapple, take on another dimension when grilled.

Preheating the grill and wiping it with oildipped paper towels is the best method to prevent the fish from sticking. Scoring the skin will prevent the fish from buckling if cooked at too high a temperature. We prefer to use a welloiled fish basket which allows the fish to be flipped easily. Grilled asparagus or zucchini along with a green salad would be our choice to accompany the main course.

To begin our summer feast, we feature gnocchi with tomato sauce. There is nothing to compare with a sun-ripened summer tomato. However, if you prepare this dish in the winter, we recommend using canned plum tomatoes.

Gnocchi is a very affordable appetizer and can be prepared with the addition of finely chopped spinach. The gnocchi may be made hours in advance and kept refrigerated and covered on a tray prior to boiling.

A light main course should allow your guests the opportunity to enjoy the citrus cheesecake which can be prepared days in advance.

SOY AND ORANGE MARINATED BARBEQUED TROUT 2 pan-dressed trout, each 1 1/2 – 2 lb | 0.7 – 1kg

Reserve one of our Culinary Getaway Packages at www.millcroft.com or call 519-941-8111.

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55 John St., Village of Alton www.millcroft.com

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

by Sandra Cranston-Corradini

MARINADE 1 1/2 c | 375 ml cups freshly squeezed orange juice 1/2 c | 125 ml rice vinegar 6 tbsp | 90 ml soy sauce 1 1/2 tbsp | 22 ml sesame oil 4 garlic cloves 2 tbsp | 30 ml freshly chopped ginger Mix the marinade ingredients together. Place the fish into a casserole pan and cover with the marinade 30 minutes prior to grilling. Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal and burn until the coals are partially covered with ash (about 20-25 minutes). Arrange the coals over the bottom of the grill and insert rack. Cover and heat until the rack is hot, then coat with oil. As a general rule, the coals are ready for fish when you can comfortably hold your hand a little above the grill for no more than 3 to 4 seconds.

Remove the fish from the marinade and place on the grill or in a basket skin side up and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning only once. Serves 8.

GNOCCHI WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE SAUCE 6 fresh beefsteak tomatoes 1/4 c | 60 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 Spanish onion 1 celery stick 1 carrot 1 tbsp | 15 ml fresh basil 1 tsp | 5 ml fresh thyme 4 garlic cloves 1 tsp | 5 ml sugar salt and pepper GNOCCHI 2 1/2 lbs | 1.25 kg potatoes 2/3 c | 150 ml all-purpose flour 2 egg yolks 2 tsp | 10 ml salt 1/4 tsp | 1 ml pepper 3 tbsp | 45 ml grated Parmesan cheese Heat the olive oil in a large pan.

Chop the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Chop the celery finely, shred the carrot and add to the pan. Add the basil and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes. Dice the tomatoes and add to the pan. Simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add sugar if necessary.

I L L U S T R AT I O N S H EL A G H A R M S T R O N G

R

C O O K

Peel the potatoes and boil in a large pot of water for 45 minutes or until tender. Drain and put through a ricer or a food grinder. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt. Place the potato mixture in a large bowl and add the flour, egg yolks, cheese and salt and pepper. Mix to a dough.

Add more flour if required.

Lightly flour a cutting board.

Divide the dough into four pieces and roll out each portion to a sausage shape about 3/4" thick. Cut the rolls into 1" slices and shape each one into an oval. Press each oval against a floured fork to indent one side with a pattern. Place the gnocchi onto a floured tray in a single layer and keep covered until ready to use.

When the water has come to the boil, drop in a few gnocchi at a time. When they are done, they will float to the top. This will take 2-3 minutes. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place in a layer into a buttered baking dish. Cover the gnocchi with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes.

Serves 8.

LEMON CHEESECAKE 3 large eggs 1 c | 250 ml sugar 5 packages cream cheese (8 oz | 225 g each) 1 tbsp | 15 ml grated lemon rind 1/2 c | 125 ml lemon juice CRUST 2 1/2 c | 625 ml graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c | 125 ml melted unsalted butter 2 tbsp | 30 ml sugar Mix the crackers, butter and sugar together and press into an 8" springform pan. In a food processor, mix the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, rind and cream cheese until smooth. Pour over the cracker crust. Place the springform pan into a larger baking dish and pour hot water around the pan (to about 1" deep). Place immediately into a preheated 350°F oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the centre is set. When ready to serve, if desired, decorate with a dollop of whipped cream and a raspberry on top of each portion. Serves 8.

Sandra Cranston-Corradini is the proprietor of the CranstonCorradini School of Cooking.

There’s more to see

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A.M. Korsten Jewellers

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Websites worth visiting: marketonbroadway.ca • theatreorangeville.ca IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

24

Winexpert

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and do Downtown Orangeville • Market on Broadway farmers market – Orangeville Town Hall, Saturdays 8am - 1pm • Orangeville’s Annual Founders’ Fair – July 10th & 11th • Music in the Park Series – Alexandra Park, Saturdays in August from 10am - 12pm • Doors Open in the Hills of Headwaters – August 15th Cabelo The Art of Hair At Cabelo – The Art of Hair, our commitment to our clients is a priority. We believe that the ability to create a suitable and customized style for our clients is an art.

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Greystones Inn & Spirits Pub Open 7 days a week, 11am to close.

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discoverbroadway.ca IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

25

Mental illness is a lonely, often hidden disease – all the more so in Dufferin County where services are fractured and funding is, abysmally, the lowest in the province.

BY JEFF RO L L INGS | IL LUS T R AT I O N BY SHEL AGH A R MS T R O N G

A

round here, they call it “medicine’s poor cousin.”

We’re very proud of our medical system in Headwaters. Yes, there are a few problems, such as the shortage of family doctors, but by and large, if you’ve had an accident, your kid’s got a fever, you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or your heart is a few beats away from taking a permanent vacation, we’ve got specialists, we’ve got equipment, we’ve got paramedics, we’ve got fundraising. In short, we’ve got you covered.

If, however, you find yourself with health-care needs of a different sort – if depression has seized your life, let’s say, or your kid is anorexic, if you’re dealing with substance abuse or trauma, if you’re hearing voices or have any one of a myriad other psychiatric disorders, well, that’s different.

For many in that position, the word starts with “S” and is followed by “out of luck.”

It’s easy to sweep mental health under the carpet, and as it turns out, in this region we’re exceptionally good at doing just that. It’s a disease that tends to stay hidden behind closed doors. Even those affected may deny or conceal their problems, and the community is generally content to look the other way.

26

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

In reality, however, mental health problems are a very pervasive issue.

Based upon national prevalency rates, the 2008 Dufferin Mental Health and Addictions Plan by Jenny Carver and Associates estimates that in Dufferin County alone there are between 1,050 and 1,740 residents with serious mental health issues – those expected to require intensive levels of service over a long period of time. Health Canada estimates that one in five Canadian adults will experience a mental illness within a one-year period. Locally, that translates to more than 8,600 Dufferin adults, a similar number in Caledon, every year.

Then there are kids. The province of Ontario estimates that one in five struggles with their mental health. In Dufferin, that equates to 2,400 to 3,400 children and youths.

Seniors, including those with dementia, are a whole other group. Estimates are that at least one in three of us will experience some form of dementia, if we live to be older than eighty-five. Eighty to ninety per cent of nursing home residents experience depression.

All told, that’s a lot of illness – thousands upon thousands of us, any given day.

Of course, these rates are common across the province, and it’s not news that mental health is a long-neglected issue. In Headwaters, however, the situation is grim even by that standard.

T

he smallest county in the province, Dufferin has very little mental health infrastructure of its own. Instead, the bulk of adult services have traditionally been delivered by organizations based in other centres. If you arrive in crisis at Headwaters Health Care Centre, you might be transferred to Guelph or Brampton or Penetanguishene.

The majority of patients are in a less critical state, however, and they access the system through community-based services. These have largely been delivered by organizations operating in the Waterloo-Wellington system, as a service stretch, usually with dedicated Dufferin funding and service targets.

While Dufferin has been part of the WaterlooWellington system, Caledon has been aligned with the rest of Peel Region, even though, in practice, many north-Caledon residents use services in Orangeville.

In 2006, the province realigned health-care catchment areas. Rather than being tied to WaterlooWellington, Dufferin became part of what is known as the Central West Local Health Integration Network, or LHIN, along with the rest of Peel, Malton, Rexdale and Woodbridge. However, while a few Central West LHIN services have now begun to stretch into Dufferin, most are still provided by operations with head offices in Guelph.

Confused yet? The jurisdictional tangle alone is enough to make you, well, crazy.

Possibly because Dufferin has always been the little brother, tagged on to someone else’s system, the county has the lowest per capita mental health spending rate in Ontario. Beyond that, among the services that are available, many providers contribute many tiny parts. Significant service gaps exist.

Such a complicated patchwork is difficult for users to access, and once they manage that, they’re likely to encounter lengthy waiting lists, and may have to travel long distances for treatment. So even those services that are technically available often go underutilized. Problems are left to fester until they become a crisis.

It’s little wonder then that the Carver research

found, “There was a disproportionately high number of crisis calls from Dufferin (compared to Guelph-Wellington by population).”

According to Dr. Jeff McKinnon, an overwhelmed system combined with the stigma of mental illness means “it’s hard to get people into care and hard to get them to continue. As a result, many end up in crisis.”

O

nce things do reach a crisis, a good number of people end up entering the system through the back seat of a police cruiser. A recent Canadian study found that one in four police calls involves a person with mental illness.

Scott Davis, community service and media relations officer for the Orangeville Police Service, says that the police view of mental health issues in Orangeville is “concerned.” He explains, “Though we don’t maintain specific statistics, I can say with

confidence that we’re seeing an increasing number of calls for service that involve mental health issues.

Other times it’s an issue that’s recognized as the officers are dealing with a call for something else.”

Though Davis describes police training in mental health as “very limited,” he says, “We rely on experience. Officers try to identify what the issue is.

Some are easy, but a lot are not.”

While the root causes are varied, there are some common themes: “We see depression resulting from the economy,” Davis says. Considering recent statistics showing a significant increase in Dufferin poverty rates, and the poor economic outlook in general, he adds, “With what’s going on there, mental health issues are only going to rise.” He continues: “We also see people with social challenges, like failed relationships. Our most frequent type of call involves a situation where there’s a risk for self harm, and family or friends or sometimes even the individuals themselves call us.”

Unless arrest is required because an offence has been committed, Davis says “We rely heavily on Headwaters Health Care Centre.” Officers accompany individuals while they are assessed by the continued on next page IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

27

shadowland continued from page 27

emergency doctor on duty. Headwaters Health Care Centre has no mental health facilities of its own – not even a separate secure assessment area – so serious patients are transferred to better-equipped centres. Though the hospital now maintains its own security personnel, Davis says, “In years past it was not uncommon for officers to ride in the ambulance to Guelph or Penetanguishene.”

The revolving-door nature of mental health care is a frustration for the police. “We’ll bring someone in for assessment and they’re back on the street right away,” Davis says. “We have several folks who are habitual callers. That’s where the system fails.

It’s like these people are told ‘Yes, you have a problem. See you later.’ ” Davis is also quick to articulate a better solution: “We need a situation where we have both the resources and a clear direction about what to do.

Mobile outreach crisis capacity would be a great resource, especially if it was twenty-four-hour. A more streamlined process overall would free up officers for other duties.”

The emergency department at Headwaters Health Care Centre sees

over 800 cases a year for which a psychiatric problem is the main diagnosis. Ask Dr. Jeff McKinnon, chief of staff, if there’s a word or term he would use to describe the state of mental health care locally, and he fires off a selection: “Absent. Vacuum.

Black hole. Take your pick.”

McKinnon does see some bright spots. For example, the Dufferin Family Health Team has recently funded five mental health counsellors. That funding, he says, has perhaps been “the biggest benefit of the family health team system. So if you’re a rostered patient, you might be okay. But that’s only about half the population. The community mental health clinic [Trellis Mental Health and Development Service] is barely hanging on, which means they can only see the sickest of the sick.”

According to McKinnon, an overwhelmed system combined with the stigma of mental illness means “it’s hard to get people into care and hard to get them to continue. As a result, many end up in crisis.”

About 105 cases a year are what are known as “Form 1” patients. These are people deemed to be a potential risk to harm themselves or others. Cases of this sort are usually transferred to Brampton Civic Hospital.

“So let’s say someone is suicidal,” McKinnon says. “We can hold them for seventy-two hours, and then they’re back out. But as soon as they leave, they’re in a vacuum. Their problem isn’t fi xed. There’s a sixmonth wait to see an

[OHIP-funded] psychiatrist. Of course they get in trouble again. Three days later they’re back in the emergency department. We end up dealing with more suicidal patients, because they’re likely to bounce back.”

Quite apart from the pain and suffering going on, there are huge costs associated with the revolving door of mental illness emergencies.

By way of comparison, studies estimate that each visit to an emergency room made by someone suffering schizophrenia costs the system between $8,000 and $12,000.

“We wouldn’t expect to see an increase in antidepressant prescriptions because of an economic downturn. Anti-depressants tend to be expensive, and of course, if you lose your job, you likely also lose your drug plan. We may see an increase in sleeping aids, which are less expensive, as a quick fix.”

A massive shortage of psychiatrists across the province further exacerbates the problem. The Carver research estimates that a suitable complement for Dufferin would be six full-time psychiatrists. In fact only 0.6 of one full-time equivalent exists, and even that is divided between two different agencies.

Though efforts to recruit psychiatrists have been underway for some time, Cholly Boland, president and

Imaginary voices stole my friend’s smile

W

e all have voices in our heads. Most of us, most of the time, recognize the chatter as internal dialogue with ourselves which is either praising our latest triumph or, more commonly, chastising us for some persistent shortcoming.

There are an unfortunate few, however, for whom this internal chatter takes on a much more sinister characteristic. In such cases the “imaginary” voices can induce the listener to undertake bizarre behaviour that is alien to the cultural norms by which the majority of us live.

My neighbour, I’ll call her Norma, is one of those unfortunates. For twenty years, beginning in the mid-seventies, she and I shared a close and supportive relationship. Sensitive, humorous and often wise, she was much more comfortable with the predictable rhythms of country life than the hectic and arbitrary conditions she had experienced in her brief attempt at city living.

About fifteen years ago, she began to exhibit minor quirks of behaviour: a kettle left to boil dry on the stove; uncharacteristic accusations aimed at family members; and once accusing me of tampering with her hydro bill.

Never married, Norma lived with her widowed mother and younger, single sister.

28

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

CEO at Headwaters Health Care Centre, doesn’t hold out much hope for a quick fi x. “Psychiatrists are hard to attract here because there are limited professional advantages. There’s no teaching school, no psychiatric hospital nearby,” he says. As Dr. McKinnon points out, however, at least the situation is better than it was. A recent agreement with William Osler Health Centre in Brampton provides Dufferin patients with access. “Osler has in-patient beds,” McKinnon says. “And they’ve been able to hire a psychiatrist.”

Tim Smith is supervisor of the Orangeville office of Trellis Mental Health and Development Services.

With head offices in Guelph, Trellis provides the bulk of communitybased mental health services for adults in Dufferin.

Describing the county as “hugely underserviced,” Smith says funding issues are related to population growth.

“There is a significant mental health system operating in Dufferin,” he says, but “per capita we’re the lowest funded … We built a new hospital, but we’re not keeping up with funding for mental health.”

Trellis’s operating statistics show how that underfunding plays out: the average wait time for an adult to receive service in 2008 was 175 days – nearly six months. The Canadian Medical Association’s benchmark, meanwhile, is one to two weeks for an urgent situation, and in no case longer than four weeks. Dr. McKinnon says the six-month wait would be even longer, but “people give up and fall off the waiting list – particularly for psychiatry, but also for addiction services. They just feel there’s no access to treatment.”

BY EL IN O R N A ISMI T H

As much as mother and sister wanted to help they were ill-equipped to understand or empathize with the increasingly challenging conduct they were witnessing.

At their request my spouse and I took Norma to her family doctor who quickly prescribed medication. This did help for a few months and she seemed to be returning to her old self until two traumatic events apparently derailed the progress: a close friend hurt her deeply by ending their relationship and she lost her job. She stopped taking her medications.

Shortly thereafter the symptoms returned along with even more troubling behaviour, culminating in a nasty car accident. To those of us who knew her, it seemed like she had made a conscious attempt to end what had become an intolerably painful existence.

She survived the accident and during her brief hospital stay we asked the doctor assigned to her care that she be given a full psychological assessment. For reasons never explained to us he did not feel that was necessary and discharged her a few days later, back to the care of her family.

With the death of their mother a few years later, the relationship between the sisters deteriorated. Norma moved out. With her departure, this bright, gentle woman left behind everyone who knew and loved her just as surely as if she’d embarked on a far-flung journey.

Think you’re the only one?

Hardly.

The Dufferin Mental Health and Addictions Plan provides the following estimate of individuals with a range of mental disorders in Dufferin County, based upon national prevalency rates and 2oo6 census data. Dufferin’s total 2oo6 population was 54,435.

Mood Disorders

O

f course, for many of us in less dire straits, or with fatter wallets, there are some other options. Those with milder depression may turn to their family doctor, who can prescribe anti-depressants. If that depression is brought on by stress from a bad economic climate, however, there’s a catch 22.

Ajay Gandhi, manager of Fifth Avenue Pharmacy in Orangeville, points out, “We wouldn’t expect to see an increase in anti-depressant prescriptions because of an economic downturn. Anti-depressants tend to be expensive and, of course, if you lose your job, you likely also lose your drug plan. We may see an increase in sleeping aids, which are less expensive, as a quick fi x.”

Private therapy is another possibility, but with rates running at $60 to $100 per hour or more, you’ll need either a generous extended health insurance plan from work or deep continued on next page pockets.

4,9oo Schizophrenia

55o Anxiety Disorders

6,6oo Personality Disorders

3,3oo–4,9oo Eating Disorders

825 Organic Brain Disorders (including Dementia)

55o Addiction/ Substance Abuse

1,65o Dual Diagnosis*

58o

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*

Dual diagnosis refers to individuals with both a developmental disability and a mental health need.

Subsisting on employment insurance and what was left of her meagre savings she lived a spartan life. As time passed we’d come across each other occasionally on the street or in the grocery store. She appeared unkempt and furtive and I’m afraid I found our exchanges unpredictable and unsettling. So unwelcome did they become, I began to take pains to avoid them.

Three years later the conditions of Norma’s life had deteriorated so much that a concerned neighbour, who hadn’t seen her for several days, called the police.

They found her in such critical condition that she was hospitalized immediately.

This time the severity of the damage required acute attention and she wound up in the mental health facility in Penetanguishene.

She is back home now, and once more on medication with regular monitoring by a local social service agency, but her life is a solitary one (she and her sister communicate only when necessary). She can’t drive and as far as I know she no longer reads. Now she and I have only brief and strained exchanges when we meet on the street. Evidently she doesn’t hear voices anymore. But neither does she smile.

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Elinor Naismith is a freelance writer who lives in the hills.

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

29

shadowland continued from page 29

You’ll ęnd us in beĴer homes everywhere!

O

verall, though the situation is indeed gloomy, it is not totally without hope.

The Central West LHIN has identified mental health as one of its top five priorities for action. And in 2007 Trellis funded a consultant to research and develop the Dufferin Mental Health and Addictions Plan to “address the recognized concerns regarding service capacity and the circumstance in which the Dufferin community fi nds itself, now being part of the Central West LHIN.” The plan outlines in detail what it calls an “Integrated Dufferin Solution.” This includes development of a more Dufferin-centred partnership among providers, a stronger delivery model, and significant capacity enhancements across the board, including assessment, counselling, psychiatry, case management and crisis response. The plan would also establish more in the way of self-help initiatives and create a sustainable family-support and education program. A county-wide wellness strategy

519.941.7208 800.668.2087 Showroom located 76 Centennial Rd. #4 Orangeville (By Appointment)

would also be part of the mix.

So far, Dufferin service providers, attempting to do what they can in the absence of new funding, have taken action to form a network called “Dufferin Connects.” The group published its first newsletter in the spring of 2009.

The estimated cost to implement the Dufferin Mental Health and Addictions Plan is a little over $1.5 million a year. Sadly, Dr. McKinnon says, “We were very positive when the LHIN got behind mental health, but they can’t print money, and they’re at the beck and call of the ministry. I don’t see it moving fast.”

If thousands of people in our community needed a new hip and couldn’t get one, there would be an uprising.

And yet, somehow, those with mental illness – perhaps the most vulnerable among us – can be left to suffer. Dr. McKinnon feels he can explain why: “The poorest people have the weakest voice, and they’re the ones who have problems accessing ser vices.” ≈ Jeff Rollings is a writer in Orangeville.

Per Capita Mental Health Spending New home construction or replacement

www.cedarport.ca $ 119.36

Dufferin County has the lowest per capita spending rate of any county in Ontario.

Ontario, meanwhile, has the lowest rate in Canada, and Canada has one of the lowest rates in the industrialized world.

Source of local data: Dufferin Mental Health and Addictions Plan, Jenny Carver, 2008

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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How are the kids?

Ask Gloria Campbell, program manager for children’s mental health at Dufferin Child and Family Services (DCAFS), if things are as bleak for children’s mental health as they appear to be for adults, and she says, “With kids, there’s always more hope. They’re young and have time. Of course, they also have a family support structure, even if they’re in foster care. That’s missing for many mentally ill adults who often also deal with terrible loneliness, or even homelessness.”

Still, while they may have an advantage or two over adults, children and youth are hardly home free. Recent estimates are that only one in six children with a mental illness in Ontario receives any treatment at all. Trish Grabb, DCAFS crisis response worker and senior clinician, says that it’s more complex than simply a funding issue. “It can be a challenge to identify the kids who have problems.” Beyond that, she says, “Lots of parents don’t recognize they could get help.”

The signs of a developing mental illness may appear differently in young people. “With kids you see more of what we call ‘conduct disorders’,” Grabb says. “Things like theft, aggression, or fire setting.”

Those behaviours, in turn, can mean that it’s easy for young people to be labelled “criminal” rather than “mentally ill.”

“Kids with conduct disorders often end up with charges, and then they may never get the support they need,” says Grabb. Campbell adds, “Spend a day over at the court house and you’ll see a lot of young people. We’ve been working to try and get them streamlined out of the criminal justice system and into the mental health system.”

The 2008 Dufferin Mental Health and Addictions Plan identified “considerable youth addictions concerns,” pointing out that there is limited access to withdrawal/detox services. Not only does Grabb agree, but she goes on to illustrate the connection between mental health and addictions in youth by quoting a remarkable statistic: “Thirty-three per cent of kids with a mental health issue also have an addiction, while 99 per cent of kids with addictions also have a mental illness.”

The second leading cause of death for Canadian youth, behind accidents, is suicide. Campbell sees that play out locally too: “There are a couple in this community every year.”

Not surprisingly, money is one of the big stumbling blocks to better care. “Like so many other children’s mental health services, we’re underfunded,” Campbell says. “In addition to more treatment services, we need additional funding for specialized assessments – psychiatric, psychological, and occupational therapy.”

DCAFS currently has fifty-two clients on its waiting list for mental health assessment and treatment, and some non-emergency clients have been waiting up to four months. In the hope of relieving some of the pressure, the agency opened its Talk In Clinic in April 2009. It provides families with single-session, walk-in access to counselling and children’s mental health services. While attendance by the whole family at the session is encouraged, parents or youths over age twelve can also attend alone. The clinic operates on Tuesdays from DCAFS’ offices at 655 Riddell Road in Orangeville, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. A second Talk In Clinic is planned for Shelburne this fall.

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Makers in Wood T

here are few arts in which the spirit of the artisan merges so intimately with the spirit of the material as it does between

woodworker and wood. And, perhaps along with clay and cloth, there are few crafts where utility and beauty are so inseparably united.

The fruit of those connections will be on display this fall in an extraordinary two-week exhibition at Dufferin County Museum and Archives.

above : Wendy Durfey; Arnold Veen; Larry Cluchey. below : Bows and arrows by Brian Oates; Desk and chair by Sandra and

Brian Oates began making bows about 20 years ago as a natural evolution in his interest in traditional longbow hunting. A carpenter by trade, Oates also has a commercial pilot’s licence and acts as hunting guide in northern Ontario for a few weeks each summer.

Unlike some factory-made bows, traditional bows are hand-carved from a single piece of wood. Oates notes that he makes his bows in the same manner as indigenous peoples would have made them centuries ago.

The Erin native does not usually sell the bows he makes, though he does enjoy teaching others how to make them. Although Oates has made his bows from a variety of wood, including Osage, hickory, ironwood and ash, among others, he adds that understanding the raw material is important: “The wood does tell you where the bow is; if not, it will break.”

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

Paul Szewc; Bottle stops by Tom Hurst;

P H O T O S P E T E H ER L I H Y W O O D W O R K ER P O R T R A I T S P E T E PAT ER S O N

The Made of Wood Show will showcase a juried exhibition and sale of one-of-a-kind creations by some two dozen carvers, cabinetmakers, wood turners and whittlers. Many of the featured artists and artisans live in the hills, but others will be visiting from across Canada.

Billed as “a celebration of all things wood,” the exhibition will also include a wide selection of rare wood artifacts from the museum’s collection, including furnishings made by region’s earliest settlers, as well as some twentieth-century pieces, including a restored cedar-strip made by Ontario’s Lakefield Canoe Company around 1930.

Each of the exhibition’s three weekends will feature a host of demonstrations and hands-on workshops for adults and kids, presented by local hardware stores, home builders and furniture makers. The topics they’ll cover include wood construction advice, trimming techniques, furniture making, tool selection, and even heating with wood.

There will also be ongoing lathe demonstrations by representatives of Ontario’s wood-turning guilds.

The festivities kick off on the evening of September 12 with music by blues band Trouble & Strife.

Band lead man, Larry Kurtz, is widely known as the founder of the Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival,

but that is a diversion from his day job as a carpenter and owner of Kurtz Millworks in Orangeville.

In keeping with the show’s theme, proceeds from the opening night raffle – for wood art and antiques – will go the preservation of the red oak tree in the Dufferin County Forest. The county’s official tree, the red oak has growth characteristics that make it difficult to sustain with normal forest management practices. As a result, its health depends on specialized, more costly measures.

The exhibition at the museum marks a turning point for the Made of Wood Show. The first show continued on next page

Stick bowl by Jim Lorriman. this page : Folding screen by Mavis Wade; Chest by John Nephew; Woodcock by A.W. Mackie; Bowl and pedestal by Barry Young.

From his Bits and Pieces Studio in Mulmur, Jim Lorriman uses the concentric-ring lamination technique to fashion his distinctive decorative and functional “stick bowls.” The technique allows him to create bowls from relatively small branches of such woods as lilac, sumac and even grape vines, as well as from scraps of recycled wood, often with a sentimental value, such as spindles, floorboards, piers and barns.

Lorriman’s work is available locally at Dragonfly Arts on Broadway and the Burdette Gallery. His work is also at The Guild Shop in Toronto, where a couple of years ago, one of his bowls was purchased by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. This year, one of his bowls, A Touch of Elegance (at left), was selected for exhibition at the Canadian pavilion at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2009 in Korea. It will travel from there for exhibition at the Cultural Olympiad during the Vancouver Olympics.

After John Nephew retired from a 31-year teaching career at Orangeville District Secondary School, a friend asked him to observe his nightschool class in cabinetmaking. The friend had never taught his craft before and was hoping Nephew could offer some advice. Nephew did observe the class – and it was he who was transformed.

In the ten years since, Nephew has studied with a variety of master cabinetmakers. And in the garageturned-workshop of his Orangeville home, he has produced dozens of pieces ranging from small boxes to occasional tables to large cabinets, many of them with hand-carved and inlay details. He has also experimented with a variety of traditional styles from Queen Anne to American Federal, as well as developing some of his own designs, like the walnut and ebony chest shown above.

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

33

makers continued from page 33

was held in 2002, the brainchild of wood turner Jim Lorriman and cabinetmaker Carl Borgstrom. It was held in the latter’s studio in the Alton Mill as part of the Headwaters Arts Festival and represented an informal collection of local woodworkers. The show has been held annually since then, evolving into a popular, more formally curated, spring show at The Burdette Gallery in Orton – and it will return there next spring (April 17 – May 10, 2010).

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

F

The Made of Wood Show runs from September 12 to 27 at Dufferin County Museum and Archives, at Airport Road and Highway 89.

For program details, or to order tickets to the opening night party, visit www.madeofwood.com

Heritage iin Woodd

or the pioneers who settled these hills, the forest was a blessing that came with a curse. The forests provided the raw materials essential to their survival.

They used the trees to construct their houses, their barns and their fences.

They used them to make their furniture, to fuel their cook stoves and to heat their homes through the long winter. But the trees were also their enemies: clearing the primeval forest so they could grow their food and pasture their animals was almost unimaginably back-breaking labour.

That intense and intimate historical link between the settlers and the forests of Dufferin County made The Made of Wood Show a natural fit with the museum, says show spokesperson Ruby Qureshi. As part of the two-week exhibition this fall, the museum will showcase some of the most impressive wood artifacts from its collection.

Among them is a chest of drawers (above) believed to have been made in East Garafraxa by either Carver Simpson or his older brother, Hextall Simpson, in about 1879.

Hextall was known to have made several items of furniture, notably a dressing table, sideboard and cherry table among other pieces, for his sister Minnie on the occasion of her marriage in 1879. However, the Simpson family referred to the cherry chest for decades as “Uncle Carver’s chest,” because it occupied pride of place in his bedroom throughout his life. After Carver died in 1949, the chest went to his niece and remained in the family in dailyy use until it was donated to the museum in 2008.

Among the museum’s more recent artifacts facts on display at the show will be a painted carving of a Canada nada goose (right) by Reg Loucks. He lived on thee MonoAmaranth town line and sold carvings ngs through a number of gift shops during thee 1960s. The goose was one of a pair created

by Loucks as an award presentation to Jack McAdam, president of the Prospec tors and Developers Association.

P H O T O S CO U R T E S Y D U F F E R I N CO U T N Y M U S E U M A N D A R C H I V E S

Lisa May

The show at the museum will be the first fully juried Made of Wood Show, with jurying sponsored by the Ontario Crafts Council. It will also be the first time the show has offered a full program of related events. ≈

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

35

— first time — There’s a first time for everything. Sometimes those firsts just happen, whether we’re prepared for them or not. Sometimes they happen in a moment of exuberant spontaneity. Sometimes they’re thrust upon us.

And sometimes it takes years of dreaming before we muster the courage to act.

P H O T O P E T E PAT ER S O N

On these pages, three first-time adventurers describe their novice experiences.

With a few instructions from Mike Warrian, Tim Shuff had the gist of the cast. “It turns out the more difficult part of fly fishing is not how you cast, but what you cast.”

My first time fly fishing

T

o explain why I wanted to try fly fishing, I will tell you a story that Jim Wilson told me. Jim is the owner of Wilson’s Fly Shop at the Forks of the Credit in Caledon, which is where I decided to make my first foray.

Jim told me about a university student he knew who worked sum36

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

mers as a fishing guide. One time this student met a girl in a bar; when he told the girl that he was a fishing guide, she lost interest and walked away. So the next time the student met a girl, he carefully specified that he was a fly fishing guide, and she was enthralled. The mere mention of fly fishing was all it took. The student

BY T IM S H U FF

told Jim, “She immediately saw me as a tweed-wearing, scotch-sipping gentleman.”

I tell you this story not as an admission that I wanted to learn f ly fishing to impress women, but for the same reason that Jim told it to me: to illustrate the difference in perception between fly fishing and, what I will

call for lack of a better term, “regular fishing.”

Because I love the outdoors, I always thought fishing would be the perfect sport for me. But I had tried regular fishing plenty of times, and it had failed to stick. With its reputation as the haute version of angling, as the preference of fishing’s poets, aristocrats and ardent conservationists, fly fishing seemed much more promising.

Probably the real explanation for why I was not a fisherman, I reasoned, was that I had never tried fly fishing.

Surely I was a fly fisherman waiting to happen.

At the end of April, a few days after the opening of trout season, I donned my tweeds and headed out to the banks of the Credit River, where Jim set me up with one of his guides, Mike Warrian, to learn how to cast.

Mike demonstrated how to cock back my forearm, wait a few instants for the slack in the line to play out behind me and load the rod, then throw my arm forward to project the line across the river.

I was disappointed to learn that fly casting is not difficult at all. I had expected a long afternoon of misfires and tangles, followed by the selfsatisfaction that comes with mastering a physical challenge. But it turns out that anyone can learn to fly cast. The hardest part is the timing, which is why, as Jim had earlier explained, women generally learn fly fishing faster than men and now make up the sport’s fastest-growing segment.

My maleness notwithstanding, I had the basic cast down in little time, and also learned a variation called the roll cast. I learned how to mend my line – fl ipping it upstream to keep the sinking lure from drifting too quickly – and within a couple hours had mastered fly fishing’s fundamental skills. I stood on the riverbank thinking, “Great, now what?”

It turns out the more difficult part of fly fishing is not how you cast but what you cast. Mike explained to me that rods and line come in a range of weights, and that we were using a 5-weight for both. He showed me how the reel is spooled with a backing line, which attaches to the f lyline, which attaches to a leader, which tapers down to a tippet, which is nearly invisible, like hair, or a single strand of silk.

He showed me the special knot that connects the tippet to the fly. He showed me a box of flies, some of which had bodies the size of pinheads and hooks the size of mustard seeds, which made me wonder what kind of fish they could possibly catch. I

realized it requires a vast biological knowledge to figure out which flies a fish might be interested in at a given time.

As the afternoon passed, I fished some and Mike fished some, but we had no bites. Mike surmised that the weather was too cold, and that maybe it was too early in the season.

It was during this fishless melancholy that I realized f ly fishing’s most fundamental and disappointing truth: that it is still just fishing.

I’d been hoping for a revelation. Or at very least, a fish.

Fly fishing was too much like all the other fishing I’d done and possessed all the same flaws – notably a general lack of fish.

It was then that I understood that my dislike of fishing was not the fault of fishing itself, but of something in me. My expectation of fishing was that it would be like fishing appears on television – all action without the waiting around. I hadn’t ever been patient enough or attentive enough to be a fisherman. Nor had I been willing to put in the time without a guaranteed return.

“We should go just another ten minutes,” Mike said. “You never know. There might be one crazy fish.”

As I stood on the riverbank and watched Mike wade farther out into the river, I thought about how fishing is like bingo or slots – outwardly boring yet also strangely addictive.

Mike felt for steady footing, water f lowing around his legs, watching every riffle and eddy. He waded the river like a heron stalking a fish: all intense concentration and slow, methodical prowling. It seemed as if he’d forgotten that I was there, forgotten that even he was there, and that if I didn’t remind him, he would just keep going until dark, waiting for that one crazy fish.

Watching Mike reminded me of the first time I’d looked out at the Pacific Ocean and seen neoprene-clad surfers bobbing in the waves, and how I’d envied their intensity and belonging.

In that moment I saw the gap between angler and river dissolve, and I wanted to step into those waders and dissolve myself. ≈

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Since writing this piece, Tim Shuff has become a first-time father, and hasn’t yet been back to the river. continued on next page IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

37

— first time — P H O T O S P E T E PAT ER S O N

From L.A. to Orangeville!

BookLore Presents Screenwriter & Author

Lori Lansens Select Canadian Tour for her new blockbuster

THE WIFE’S TALE (more about Leaford, home of The Girls & Rush Home Road)

Tuesday, September 1, 7:30pm The Millcroft Inn, Alton Get your ticket early at BookLore!

Proceeds to The Stephen Lewis Foundation

121 First Street, Orangeville 519-942-3830 Jeff Rollings, astride Johnny, listens to advice from Carole Kuhlberg. “How could the experience of riding on the back of another living creature not feel weird.”

My first time horseback riding

T

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38

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

here was no good reason why, at age 44 and a former farm boy, I had never ridden a horse. Somehow, the opportunity had just never presented itself.

The truth is there weren’t a lot of horses on west Dufferin farms in the sixties and seventies. Apart from “them rich city folk who had nothing better to throw their money away on,” people kept large animals for eating, not riding – for how they looked in a roasting pan, not under a saddle.

So my childhood riding experience was limited to one memorable occasion. My father, imbued with the sort of confidence only a farmer with a fresh batch of homemade potato wine can possess, took it upon himself to demonstrate hog riding.

The tour across the barnyard, while dramatic, wasn’t pretty. Hat in one hand, pig neck in the other, he and the unwitting sow developed a remarkable velocity. Until they reached the stone foundation of the barn – when the pig, squealing in apparent delight, stopped dead, firing dear old

dad like a missile off its back, head first into the wall.

If I remember right, the swineequine adventure resulted in stitches, and likely the mother of all hangovers.

But I digress.

It came as something of a surprise when, for Christmas, my wife Brandy gave me riding lessons. Species appropriate ones, that is.

I had mentioned once in passing that I’d like to be able to ride, but it was one of those flippant remarks that you – okay, I – sometimes make, comfortable in the knowledge I’d never have to go through with it. For months after receiving the gift, I stalled. I had this idea that somehow it would slide off the agenda. No such luck. Eventually, Brandy, claiming she wanted to learn too, went ahead and booked our first lesson. I think she just wanted to make sure I actually went.

Way back in my late teens, when I tried downhill skiing for the fi rst time, I had ended up splayed ungracefully horizontal at mid-hill. A girl of perhaps seven or eight swooped

BY JEFF R O L L IN GS

up, expertly pulling to a stop, snow crystals spraying. “Are you all right, mister?” she asked. Whatever wounds I’d incurred as a result of my apparently spectacular fall were replaced instantly by a mortal blow to my teenaged ego. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

With that memory still stinging, I imagined myself being dragged around a riding arena by my stirruptrapped foot, getting kicked in the head repeatedly while angelically evil little girls giggled on their perfectlycontrolled mounts.

We paid extra for private lessons.

Greyden Farms is tucked away in a pretty little spot south of Hillsburgh.

As we pulled up outside the barn, a paddock full of horses gathered to look us over. It reminded me of recess in the schoolyard. “Ha, ha. Look at the new kid,” they seemed to be saying.

“You throw him off, I’ll kick him.”

Krista Breen had been at Greyden Farms for ten years. An Equine Canada certified instructor, Krista is also the author of four children’s books about horses. After gearing us

up with helmets (thankfully, mine didn’t have a nerdy little black peak), Krista took us through the barn and into the riding arena. Along the way, she asked if we were on a “riding date.” I was seeing it more as a middleaged couple doing something foolish, but I suppose in fact we were.

In the arena, another couple was gliding around on their mounts, looking all peaceful and relaxed. This was good. Riding up, they told us they’d been at it for a few months and, passing us the reins, mentioned that soon they’d be trying their first jump. This was bad. Images of these huge animals spontaneously leaping over things, with us as unwilling participants, fi lled both our minds with dread.

Surprising how big horses are when you get up close. Brandy’s was named Perky, causing momentary anxiety until Krista explained that she was given the name because, in fact, she wasn’t. Mine was named Johnny. A five-year-old gelding, he looked me up and down, and gave a bemused little snort.

There was a box to step up on, so even old fogies like us could successfully navigate their way onto the horse’s back.

I confess the first few seconds felt very foreign. How could the experience of riding on another living creature’s back not feel weird? It passed with remarkable speed, however. Within a minute or two, things felt fine.

Clockwise circles around the arena, walking. This is the gas. These are the brakes. Hold the reins like this. Steer like that. The slow, undulating movement became familiar, easy.

While Johnny and I were off and away, Perky lived up to her contrary name. Her preference was to move slowly, or not at all, and Brandy learned an early lesson to be firm when applying the gas.

Strange how actually seeing your wife in leather boots with a whip in her hand is just not the same as you might (or might not) have imagined.

In this particular case, the fantasy was shattered by the way Brandy’s face turned blue from forgetting to breathe, she was so focussed on re-

continued on next page

working

for you.

0 75 E $8 BAT

As Orangeville writer Jeff Rollings tacked up confidently for his seventh lesson, he felt a familiar drop in the pit of his stomach as a 12-year-old girl looked at him gravely and said, “Your saddle’s on backwards. Blanket too.”

Get the land

RE

maining astride the horse.

The hour-long lesson was over in the blink of an eye. After riding, we led the horses back to the barn, and began to learn how to remove their gear and brush them. In some ways, this was the best part. As Johnny nuzzled and pestered for treats, I soon discovered horses aren’t so different from the love-sponge golden retrievers I had at home.

The much-anticipated calamity never came. Lulled into a (likely false) sense of security, we were inspired to continue our lessons. Krista, clearly experienced in the art of teaching old-fools-who-think-they-can-learnto-ride, introduced us to new skills at a mercifully slow pace.

At this point, I would like to reflect on a new disease: arseitis. Yes, arseitis, sister disease to arthritis, but affecting only a very specific portion of the body. It’s caused by sitting on the back of a trotting horse when you don’t know how.

I learned about this ailment, unforgettably, during lesson two. The symptoms include extreme pain that radiates from the deepest recesses of bone to the tiniest nerve endings of skin. It lasts for days. It produces fervent vows about horseback riding of the sort you make about drinking when you have a hangover: “Please, God, I’ll never do it again. Just make it go away.”

It’s been more than a year now since our first lesson. Krista has moved on to other things and Carole Kuhlberg has ably taken over the teaching reins.

Riding lessons have become the highlight of my week. My improvement is slow, but measurable. I can put on a saddle, bridle and halter. I can trot up a storm, arseitis free. And Johnny, having long-since figured out that I’m an easy mark, starts looking for treats the minute he lays eyes on me.

Part of growing older seems to be an increasing need for control. We take fewer chances, leave less and less to fate. But I understand why horses are being used for psychotherapy these days. There is something exhilarating about being forced to surrender control – of going, ultimately, on nothing more than faith and trust in a creature many times your size.

When that trust is rewarded (i.e., you survive), it restores some small part of the wonder of the world.

Besides, now that I can sit down again, it also makes a great date. ≈

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P H O T O P E T E PAT ER S O N

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

My first time on a solo motorbike tour

I

n the early morning of Saturday, August 2 last year, after carefully packing two bathing suits, a beach cover-up, and summer shorts and tops, I set off on my motorcycle, a 750 cc Honda Shadow, to visit some friends in Tabunsintac, New Brunswick.

I had obtained my motorcycle licence the year before, when I turned 50, and I was so confident I was ready for the solo adventure I decided to take the scenic route through the U.S. The day couldn’t have started any better. I crossed the American border at Ogdensburg. The customs agent asked me if I had any drugs with me and when I replied “no,” he told me I should be on drugs to do this trip by myself.

I followed Route 3 then 9N through the Lake Placid area. Many roads were wet (a hint that I should have picked up on), but rain gear was not required. In the ferry parking lot at Port Kent I pulled up behind two men on motorcycles who were removing their very wet clothes after being

caught in heavy rain coming down from Ottawa. I felt very smug that I was still dry.

An hour or so later, as the ferry approached Burlington, Vermont, the clouds started to form a swirling black mass. As I rode off the ferry, the sky suddenly opened up and the torrential downpour sent me scurrying in search of a motel room. I was unaware of the “chocolate festival” that made motel rooms in town few and far between. However, just as my boots were starting to make squishy sounds I lucked out, found a room, turned off the air conditioning, put on the heat, had a hot shower, and tried to remind myself it was August.

The second day started out wet, but I dressed in full rain gear and put plastic bags on my feet to keep them dry. I’d learned my lesson, or so I thought. Route 2 to Bangor, Maine winds through the White Mountains (so named, in my opinion, because of the thick white clouds that cover them). I was assured by the locals that

BY LY NE T T E WA L L AC E

the mountains are very beautiful, but due to the low clouds, fog and intermittent heavy rain, I saw very little of them.

I stopped at Walmart to purchase a bottle of wine for my friends (and when the sales clerk asked me to produce identification, I chuckled and kindly suggested that she get herself a “seeing-eye dog.” As ridiculous as her question was, it sort of made my day!)

From Bangor to St. Stephen at the New Brunswick border, there was no shelter from the weather – no towns, no gas stations, not even any bridges to stop under. It poured continually the whole way. By the time I found a room at St. Stephen, my hands were black from the dye seeping out of my wet leather gloves, and my feet were schlopping in water. In my room, I turned off the air conditioner, put on the heat, had a hot shower, opened the wine that was supposed to be a gift, and tried to remind myself it was August.

SPITS & GIGGLES The third day dawned with no improvement in the weather – in fact it was worse. I still hadn’t dried off completely from the two previous days, so this time I double-bagged my feet and started off toward Tabunsintac into the worst rain imaginable.

I found that I had to drive on the centre hump of the road because there was so much water flowing down either side that I was afraid I would hydroplane. The pace was very slow, the winds were monsoon-like, the scenery was a blur through the slashing rain, and I was sure at any moment hypothermia was going to set in.

At one pit stop I purchased a pair of lined, green rubber gloves. Size XL was my only choice – but fashion was no longer a consideration. At 2 p.m. I finally arrived at the cottage on the Tabunsintac River. The woodstove was lit, I peeled off the drenched clothes (note to self: double bagging doesn’t work), had a hot shower, and tried to remind myself it was August.

I had driven 1,744 kilometres in two-and-a-half days in the wettest and coolest week ever recorded (I made that up, but just try to challenge me).

At last, on Wednesday afternoon, the sun appeared, and we went out in search of fresh fish, lobster and scallops to satisfy the craving that had kept me going through the whole trip down.

Normally you can just buy everything fresh as it comes in off the fishing boats; however, due to the adverse weather conditions, all the fishing boats had been tightly secured in the harbour for over a week. There wasn’t a single fishy thing to be found. It didn’t even smell fishy! We settled for ribs that night.

Thursday morning it was time to head out. Once again I decided to take a scenic tour up through Maine and stay at a friend’s condo at Greenville on Moosehead Lake. Shortly after heading out it started to, yes, rain again!

I arrived at 6 p.m. in the pouring rain, lit the woodstove, peeled off my wet clothes, was positive I saw webbing starting to form between my toes, had a hot shower, and tried to remind myself it was August.

It rained so hard I stayed an extra day there, poking around the trendy little town. Moosehead Lake is a large lake surrounded by mountains, an excellent place for fishing and hunting. I saw postcards of what it looks like on a clear day, so I can tell you, it’s a very beautiful place.

Saturday morning I headed north to Quebec, with extra caution due to the abundance of moose in the area

(though I didn’t see one). I crossed the border and took Highway 138 which followed the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. It was the first day that it didn’t rain!

That night I stayed in Saint-Jérôme after driving around in circles for an hour and a half, looking for someone who could speak English and direct me to a motel.

Sunday, I meandered my way back home through on and off rain showers. I met many, many, really great, kind and friendly people, most of whom went out of their way to help me out. The bathing suits, beach cover-up, shorts and summer tops never ventured out of my bag. The temperature never rose above twenty degrees. I am still trying to remind myself that it was August!

The round trip clocked in at 3,606 kilometres and cost me a mere $167 for fuel. Ask me if I will ever go on a motorcycle road trip again and my answer will be: “Absolutely. I loved it! But next time I’ll do it in the summer!” ≈

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

41

H I S T O R I C

H I L L S

by Ken Weber

Suffer the little children

F

or Thomas and Mary Ann Wolfe, the winter from hell began at Christmas in 1876.

Sadly, it started with their spirited young daughter, Agnes Jane.

Though she was just ten years old, no one in Mount Wolfe School could recite poetry with more f lair than Aggie Wolfe. Her presentation this year was a much anticipated feature at the annual Christmas concert.

The concert was scheduled for December 21, a Friday, and so devoted was Aggie to her task that, on the Sunday before, she’d slogged through the snow to practise in the freezing school building near their farm atop “The Ridges” on the 10th Line of Albion Township.

The very next day her parents noticed something was wrong. The runny nose was nothing to be alarmed

about, nor was the sore throat at first.

It was her malaise that got attention.

Aggie was not one to sit still, but that morning she could barely finish milking the old brindle cow. By midafternoon the sore throat was worse and she had a fever.

By the following day, when Thomas went to fetch Dr. Sripley from Tottenham, Aggie could hardly breathe. The weary doctor needed only one look at her throat to make a diagnosis: diphtheria. He’d seen it so often and he felt helpless every time.

The concert went ahead at Mount Wolfe school on Friday evening, but there was no recitation by little Aggie Wolfe. She had died that afternoon.

Her parents grieved with the quiet stoicism that came with the life of the pioneers. Of their nine children, Aggie had been the brightest light,

immunization of children in ontario At present, the Ontario Ministry of Health mandates immunization of all school children for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. Immunization for whooping cough and flu are recommended. The ministry receives objections to mandatory immunization, particularly regarding diphtheria which is now almost non-existent. Yet it is worth noting that from 1880, when accurate record-keeping began, and 1929, more than 36,000 Ontario children died from the disease.

but they were familia familiarr h with the shadow of death ed themselves to o and braced carry on.

Still, what hat happened to o the Wolfes es over the next onths was too three months much to ask of even the most stalwart. wart. Two days into 1877, 7, Dr. Sripley attended yet again and stood by powerless as ly’s oldest son, the family’s William, 22, also died. William had been poorrly; he coughed a lot, often bringing up blood. “Phthisis” (tuberculosis) Dr. Srigley called it, a pronouncement that chilled Thomas and Mary Ann to the bone because their next eldest son, James, who was working in Bolton, had a similar cough.

There wasn’t much time to fret, however, for three weeks after William died, the shadow came a third time and the diphtheria that killed Aggie now took her sister, twelve-year-old Ann Eliza. That was on January 23 and four days after that, little Elspeth Wolfe died of scarlet fever. She was barely three.

By now, the Wolfes were numb beyond grief, but the shadow was still not finished. It hung back through

t month of February, the b then sstruck twice but m On th more. the first day of M Lou Wolfe, age March, Louisa o scarlet fever, five, died of th very next and on the c day, TB claimed nineteen-yearteen-year-old James. In w just ten weeks, Thomas and Mar Mary Ann Wolfe had lost six of their nine child children.

No family could escape

Although the Wolfe fam family’s story is terrifying and painful, it is far from unique. While they were struggling through their grief, the Rowleys, a concession to the east, mourned young Rueben, just five. He died of scarlet fever that year on January 9.

That same day over on the Fourth Line, the Carberrys lost their William to diphtheria. He too was five. And on the Fifth Line, seven-year-old James Stewart succumbed to scarlet fever. That fall, William and Eliza Elliott, just two farms north of the Wolfes, lost four children to diphtheria in a single month. In that single grim year, it seemed as though the shadow had chosen Albion Township for some

These gravestones at Mount Wolfe on Mt. Pleasant Road, north of Old Church Road, in Caledon, are a sorrowful memorial to the Wolfe (also spelled Woulfe), Elliott and other local families who lost so many children to contagious disease. Inset photos show the memorial stones for young Agnes Jane Wolfe and her older brother James.

42

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

PHOTOS PHILIP PE ARCE

The settlers of these hills had fled wars and tyranny and repressive class ass system to seek a new life in a new world, but they were unable to escape pe the dreaded shadow of contagious disease, especially its grip on their children. dren.

dr. algie cleans up When Ontario required municipalities to form boards of health in 1884, Caledon Township appointed Dr. James Algie as its first local chair. Dr. Algie, who practised in Alton for twenty-nine years (he was also a published novelist and an acknowledged authority on prisons) was instrumental in developing much improved sanitation practices in the township. By using statistics and artful persuasion to demonstrate the connection between lack of hygiene and communicable diseases, particularly typhus and cholera, he was successful in a campaign to get Caledon residents to clean out their cellars, privies and their hog pens at least once a year, and to move manure piles away from drinking-water sources.

kind of emotional endurance test.

How the parents of that time managed to cope, we can only surmise.

The persistent pos sibility of fatal disease is one explanation for the large number of children typical of pioneer fami lies, likely even more significant than the absence of effective birth control methods. Because the death of a child was not uncommon, there may have been some comfort in shared grief, still the loss of so many children must have been immeasurable.

As a memorial to a lost child, it was a fairly common practice to christen a new baby with the name of a dead sibling. The Elliotts, for example, had lost James, age twelve, in 1862 and three years later gave that name to a newborn son. But this time, fate would not be undone – that second James was one of the four who died of diphtheria in the fall of 1877.

The four horsemen

If there is an apocalyptic metaphor to apply here, the candidates would surely be diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhus and cholera. Smallpox would be a contender too, although vaccination was available, albeit sporadically, by the time these hills were settled.

Of the four horsemen, typhus and cholera seemed to threaten populated areas more than farms. Scarlet fever, however, and diphtheria were universal and completely indiscriminate when it came to geography. The latter disease was a special curse as it was so virulently contagious and seemed to aim directly at children. The symptoms of diphtheria are insidious, appearing initially as a simple sore throat but quickly escalating into high fever and eventually closing the throat with a leather-like secretion.

Victims expire from simply being unable to breathe.

Before the days of vaccinations and antibiotics, diphtheria remedies included gargling with kerosene. Desperate parents were known to try sucking out the secretion through a tube thrust down the patient’s throat – guaranteeing that they would be-

come the next victims.

Like diphtheria, scarlet fever seems to zero in on young children. The principal symptoms are a red body rash and a severe sore throat. Usually, if the disease becomes fatal, it is because of a complication like pneumonia or meningitis.

In 1877, to treat scarlet fever the Wolfes had to resort to whatever homemade nostrums they believed in. Today, antibiotics are so effective against it that a vaccine developed in 1924 is not often used. Immunization against diphtheria, however, continues.

(The diphtheria vaccine, developed in France in 1914, owes proof of its value to Connaught Laboratories in Toronto. In the 1920s, Connaught was fi rst in the world to produce and disseminate it in significant quantities, an action which has led to a near eradication – in the developed world – of this dreadful killer.)

Antibiotics and vaccines came too late for the Wolfes and the Elliotts and other settlers of these hills who suffered so many painful losses.

William and Eliza Elliott outlived most of their children and grew into old age. So did Thomas and Mary Ann Wolfe (who lost yet another child, Rebecca, in 1883). For them, to be a pioneer in these hills was to soldier on in defiance of the grim shadow of contagion. In the times they lived, they had little other choice, but their courage in carrying on speaks to an extraordinary strength of will. ≈

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

43

Soaring skyward

Juvenile red-tailed hawk 44

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

Northern goshawk

Once gleefully slaughtered as “bloodthirsty villains,” hawks have reclaimed their status as lords of the sky.

BY D O N S C A L L EN | P H OTO GR A P H Y BY R O B ER T M c C AW *

A

century ago hawks flew skies that were often peppered with lead shot. Like aircraft over enemy territory the hawks’ migratory journeys were subject to withering fusillades from the ground. Once settled in their breeding territories they were blasted as they sat on their nests or as they described their classic soaring spirals overhead. It was a time when animals were judged in moral terms: some were good, others bad. Because some hawks included poultry in their diets, they were cast as “bloodthirsty villains” and “audacious murderers.”

Three hawk species that make their home here in the hills – the sharp-shinned, the Cooper’s hawk and the northern goshawk – were largely responsible for the infamy that tarnished all their kind. These hawks are known to science as accipiters, or commonly as “bird hawks.” With short wings and long tails they are designed for the quick twists and turns necessary to outmanoeuvre and catch other birds.

Their scimitar-shaped talons are needle sharp – ideal for holding fast to struggling prey.

In 1925, author William Atherton Dupuy captured the prevailing sentiment about the birds in Our Bird Friends and Foes : “The three villain hawks that deserve death are the Cooper [sic] hawk, the goshawk and the sharp-shinned hawk. These the farmer should shoot on sight.” * E XC EP T G O S H AW K A ND CO O P ER ’ S H AW K

Shoot on sight the farmers did. One in southwestern Ontario reportedly sat in his front yard during a particularly strong migratory event and shot fifty-six sharp-shinned hawks without rising from his chair. But farmers were not the only ones engaged in the slaughter. Anyone with a gun and an urge to pull the trigger cheerfully participated.

Nor was hawks’ appetite for fresh chicken the only reason the shooters used to justify their actions.

Jack Miner, celebrated as one of the world’s foremost conservationists in the early decades of the twentieth century, condemned Cooper’s hawks and sharpshinned hawks because they ate the songbirds at his Kingsville, Ontario bird sanctuary. In The Story of Wild Goose Jack by James M. Linton and Calvin W. Moore, Miner is quoted in reference to his beloved cardinals falling prey to hawks: “I didn’t feed these cardinals all winter to feed a bunch of bird murderers. We kill murderers of [the] human family, why not shoot the murderers of the valuable weed- and insect-eating bird family?”

Miner distinguished between the “cannibal hawks,” as he called the accipiters, and raptors, such as the red-tailed hawks that prefers a diet of rodents.

Although Miner had no desire to punish the latter, many of his contemporaries, unable or unwilling to distinguish between species, targetted all of them. continued on next page IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

45

Adult osprey

Sharp-shinned hawk

Attitudes have changed over the years and hawks are more likely hawks continued from page 45

So many red-tailed hawks were being shot that Arthur Cleveland Bent, in his Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (1937), seemed resigned to their extermination: “It will be a sad day indeed when we shall no longer see the great red-tail sailing over the treetops on its broad expanse of wing and ruddy tail, or soaring upward in majestic circles until lost to sight in the ethereal blue, or a mere speck against the clouds.”

Mercifully, that “sad day” has not arrived. Hawks of several species still grace the skies of Headwaters, and throughout Ontario they are generally doing well. The second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, undertaken from 2001 to 2005, documents dramatic increases in the numbers of some hawks since the first atlas project in the 1980s. Other species have maintained stable numbers. Only one species, the American kestrel, registered a significant decline.

Today, with bad news about wildlife seemingly the norm, the relatively good health of our hawk populations offers hope. Attitudes have changed over the years and hawks are more likely to be admired than loathed. Most people realize that a healthy predator population is reflective of a healthy environment.

If attitudinal change has helped hawks, so too has legislation based on good science. The banning of DDT by Canadian and American governments, in 1969 and 1972 respectively, arrested the descent into oblivion of a number of raptor species. DDT had had a particularly dire effect on osprey and peregrine falcons. Its notorious alchemy weakened the shells 46

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

to be admired than loathed.

Most people realize that a healthy predator population is reflective of a healthy environment. of their eggs, causing them to collapse when sat on.

After DDT was banned, conservation science also stepped in to lend a hand. Peregrine young were “hacked,” a term used to describe the rearing of peregrine young by biologists who then release them into the wild. As for ospreys, artificial nesting platforms beside lakes and coastlines were erected to support their immense nests. These the ospreys use readily. A pair has nested successfully at Island Lake Conservation Area since 2004 on a platform placed on a hydro pole. According to Bill Lidster, a senior superintendent for Credit Valley Conservation, the fish-eating ospreys feast on Island Lake’s bounty of pike, perch and crappie.

The reforestation of marginal farmland and the maturing of forests have also helped hawks. However, the hawks themselves deserve considerable credit for their own recovery, because, as it turns out, they possess some of the finest of bird brains.

Hawks were perched at the top of the avian bell curve in a study conducted by McGill University Professor Louis Lefebvre that ranked the intelligence of various birds by their ability to solve problems and to adapt to new situations.

Hawks’ intelligence has also been documented in their hunting behaviour. In 2007, John T. Neville of Newfoundland’s department of environment watched as his beagle chased a snowshoe hare. A goshawk watched as well, and strategically positioned itself to launch attacks on the hare when it was flushed by the beagle. Eventually the goshawk carried off the prize (no doubt to the chagrin of the dog). Harriers, open-country hawks found throughout this area, have been observed hunting along the margins of grass fires, picking off small mammals fleeing the blaze.

Hawks have even been known to defer gratification in anticipation of richer rewards. Lyle Friessan, a songbird biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, discovered the goshawks’ ability to plan ahead when he monitored wood thrush nests near Waterloo. Friessan placed cameras at the thrush nests to record predation of eggs and young. In 2007, goshawks raided all six wood thrush nests at one study site. This was not particularly surprising – goshawks are consummate bird predators. What did surprise Friessan was the strategy the goshawks employed: “The goshawks appeared to wait until the wood thrush fledglings reached a certain size before snatching them. A goshawk visited one nest that contained only eggs, left without taking any of them, returned when the fledglings were about two days old and again left without taking anything, and returned when the young were nine days old and hauled all of them away.”

The goshawks, like livestock managers, were pre-

SUNSHINE TREES sumably waiting for the young thrush to “fatten” up before the slaughter.

Incidentally, Friessan had no inkling before setting up the cameras that goshawks were even in the neighbourhood. For such large hawks (about the size of red-tails) goshawks can be very secretive. I wasn’t able to find them in my breeding bird atlas territory in Caledon until I played a tape of a goshawk call. Almost instantly, a pair of goshawks responded with their aggressive kek! kek! kek!

Further testimony to hawk intelligence is the extraordinary adaptability of some species. Just twenty-five years ago, Cooper’s hawks were a species of concern. Human activity had reduced their numbers drastically, and a population rebound was deemed highly unlikely because the forested habitat they require was largely gone.

What researchers didn’t consider was the Cooper’s hawks’ ability to assess their options and change their behaviour. The hawks decided to move to the city. Towns and cities provide ample food for hungry hawks and mature urban neighbourhoods offer large trees for nesting. Other avian urbanites introduced from Europe – starlings, house sparrows and pigeons – now have new world

predators to worry about.

Bob Curry, who has the enviable job of searching for birds for Credit Valley Conservation’s natural areas inventory, also thinks the Cooper’s hawks have benefitted from the growth in mourning dove populations over the last few decades.

Cooper’s hawks and several other raptors once feasted on the formerly abundant passenger pigeons. Mass killing and habitat destruction drove the pigeons to extinction a hundred years ago, an ecological catastrophe that deprived a host of predators, including hawks, of their meal tickets.

Mourning doves may now be making up for some of the loss. Local residents who maintain their own winter birdfeeding stations may have witnessed evidence of hawk kills when they’ve found dove feathers littering the snow near their feeders.

Small falcons called merlins have also experienced a population explosion over the last two decades as they sweep into more urban southern Ontario from their boreal forest stronghold. Cities have proven no impediment for these swift aerial predators. Ottawa now hosts several pairs of merlins. Only a few were continued on next page

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IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

found in the Headwaters during the second breeding bird atlas project (they probably nested at Luther Lake), but if trends continue we may soon have the opportunity to get to know these sleek little falcons better.

Peregrines have also adapted to city life. To peregrine eyes, tall buildings differ little from the cliffs where they nest in the wild, and pigeons and gulls offer an abundant source of food. Toronto, Hamilton and London now boast nesting peregrines. No peregrines are currently known to nest in Headwaters country, but if the peregrines’ population continues to grow perhaps some blessed future spring will find these magnificent birds nesting on the Niagara Escarpment at Mono Cliffs – near the ravens that have recently reclaimed their ancestral real estate there.

The typical hawks of expansive wing and tail, usually observed wheeling high overhead on invisible thermals of rising warm air, are known as buteos. Four species of buteos are found in our area; of them, the redtailed hawk is the most familiar.

Despite unholy efforts to eradicate them in years past, red-tails are our most abundant hawks. The large hawks seen roosting by summer roadsides are most often red-tails.

(Even those without the characteristic

ruddy tails are likely juvenile redtails; the red colouring comes with maturity.) In the winter, red-tailed hawks share fence posts and telephone poles with rough-legged hawks, also members of the buteo clan. These lovely black and white raptors migrate from the Arctic into southern Ontario in the fall and stay until early spring.

Before forests were cleared in southern Ontario the red-tailed hawk was eclipsed in numbers by its slightly smaller relative, the red-shouldered hawk. Lovers of the forest primeval, the red-shoulders had plenty of living space at that time. Today in our hills, they are found only in areas of continuous forest cover, such as the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. In such haunts these lovely hawks, with breasts barred robin-orange, feed on a wide variety of prey, often plucking frogs and toads from woodland pools.

Another local buteo is the broadwinged hawk. It also has an affinity for forests and its range in southern Ontario, illustrated in the breeding bird atlas, clearly delineates the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. Broad-winged hawks have the same form as red-tailed hawks but are noticeably smaller.

Their voice is also less impressive.

Decidedly un-hawk like, it has the shrill quality of a tea kettle coming

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Juvenile peregrine falcons Adult Cooper’s hawk

to boil. Think of the call of a cedar waxwing amplified.

However, if the call of the broadwinged hawks is not impressive, their habit of travelling in flocks of hundreds, even thousands, during their fall migration certainly is. These aggregations of hawks, called “kettles,” swirl high overhead on thermals, leisurely moving towards the south.

Birders very much anticipate the spectacle of these mass migrations. In years past, the hawk shooters did as well. Like buffalo hunters they gloried in an orgy of easy slaughter. Arthur Cleveland Bent related mass killings of broad-winged hawks that occurred in two Minnesota towns in 1925. An estimated 4,000 were killed by the townspeople in a single day.

Though spectacular in migration, broad-winged hawks can be difficult to see during the breeding season, when they usually conduct their affairs among the shelter of trees.

However, at times they do soar like red-tailed hawks. On sunny days I’ve watched broad-winged hawks circle high above the trees at Forks of the Credit Provincial Park Harriers, formerly known as marsh hawks, are drawn to the extensive old fields in our area, especially those that have wetlands nearby. Richard Procter recounts watching a harrier hunting over the fields of his farm near

Mansfield. “It glides low on breezy days,” he says, “just skimming a few feet above the tops of the tall grass, occasionally wheeling about to pounce on something. Quite impressive as it cruises along like a dragonfly.”

I like Richard’s description. There is nothing direct about harrier flight, nor do they soar in neat circles. Rather they “bob” about in the wind and are prone to sudden changes in direction – like a dragonfly.

My most memorable experience with a harrier was at Cataract during the first breeding bird atlas project.

Harriers are ground nesters and as I hiked through a meadow I must have come uncomfortably close to a nest.

A male harrier (the males sport a slategrey topside to the females’ brown) launched itself towards me uttering a scolding kekekeke! As he hovered overhead I could see that he held something in his talons. Then, like a bombardier, he released his payload.

A plump meadow vole fell to the ground at my feet.

The only hawk species in Ontario known to have experienced a significant decrease in recent years is the American kestrel. However, these robin-sized falcons are still common in t he Headwaters region and throughout southern Ontario. As an open-country species, their decline continued on next page

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Female American kestrel and young

hawks continued from page 49

may simply be due to the conversion of their favoured old-field habitats to woodland.

Kestrel numbers may be limited as well by nest site availability. Kestrels are our only cavity-nesting hawks, relying on holes excavated by flickers and pileated woodpeckers. Kestrels frequently perch on telephone wires or hover facing into the wind as they scan the ground for grasshoppers and other large insects. They also feed on meadow voles and it has been suggested that they use their ability to see ultraviolet light to locate the urine trails of these small rodents. (Meadow vole urine glows purple in the ultraviolet!) Because they live along our roads and highways, kestrels make great subjects for close observation.

They are truly beautiful. The males in particular are gorgeous, with bluegrey wings and rufous backs and tails.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Open Sky Raptor Foundation Centre in Grimsby where sick and injured hawks are treated and rehabilitated. The hawks arrive at the foundation suffering from a variety of complaints – some ill from natural causes, but others the victims of poisoning, electrocution, collisions with 50

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

vehicles and impacts with windows.

A few arrive as gun-shot victims, echoing the calamity of yesteryear.

I stood with Carol Riccinto, the foundation’s director, in a spacious shelter housing fourteen red-tailed hawks among the 120 or so raptors she currently cares for. These redtails, nearing release, flew strongly about the enclosure, demonstrating their readiness to resume life in the wild. When that day comes, Riccinto will once again bask in the glow that comes from a job well done. “I respect them so much” she says “and I love to see them go. When the hawks make a bee-line away from me without so much as a glance back, I know I’ve done something good.”

Today, most would agree with Carol Riccinto that hawks are worthy of respect and admiration. A remarkable sea change in attitude has occurred.

One hundred years ago the flight path of our hawks dipped perilously low.

In recent decades it has soared skyward, thanks to caring people and to the adaptability and intelligence of the hawks themselves. ≈ Don Scallen is a naturalist who teaches elementary school science in Brampton.

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Independently Owned & Operated

**Broker of Record *Sales Representative 122 Main Street, Erin

A FEW OF OUR SOLDS THIS YEAR CALEDON CENTURY HOME, 12 ACS Rolling treed privacy. Long tranquil riding trails. Amazing ‘great room’, 6 bedrooms, pool, tennis court, 3-car garage, loft, barn, paddock. Well loved and maintained. $970,000

86 ACRES ON GRAND RIVER Spectacular riverfront property features 25 acres of hardwoods, 10 acres of evergreens, tiled pastures, second stream, Amish design horse barn, several paddocks and 2,500 sq ft home overlooking river. $1,300,000

ACROSS FROM DEVIL’S PULPIT Spectacular stone estate with amazing views! Marble and cherry floors, 30’ cathedral ceilings. Gourmet kitchen, finished basement with games area, gym. $1,595,000 Victoria Phillips*

5.87 ACRES OF EXCELLENCE! Caledon, stunning executive style 4,200 sq ft renovated bungaloft. 3/4 acre stocked pond, pool with hot tub, flagstone patio and fire pit. $1,350,000 Jim Wallace*

WELCOME TO SUNRIDGE! This sun-drenched 4-bedroom custom-built house is on 10 acres near Forks of the Credit. House is oriented to take in the stunning views of the escarpment. Salt-water pool. $885,000 Jim Wallace*

QUIET COUNTRY LIVING! Located on 14 acres, 7 minutes to Erin, 4-bedroom brick and stone bungaloft with huge fieldstone fireplace, concrete inground pool, gorgeous landscaping. $679,000 Jamie Gairdner**

GREAT FAMILY HOME! Sunny 1,800 sq ft bungalow is in immaculate condition. Features open-concept kitchen & dining area, walkout to 2-tier deck and huge .88 acre lot with mature trees, garden shed. $439,900 Victoria Phillips*

TOTAL PRIVACY 3-bdrm contemporary home in Hockley Village on 4.63 treed acres with pond. Open concept design, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking natural surroundings, gourmet kitchen. $432,000 Thomas Wilson*

WELCOME TO HORSESHOE HILL Build your dream home & horse farm/equine facility on 50.09 acres. Building lot on hill at south end of property. Access to large pond and stunning summer views. $415,000 Jim Wallace*

GREAT LOCATION 3 bdrm quality home with many upgrades.

Finished basement, master bedroom with walk-in closet, 4-pce ensuite. Professionally landscaped, close to schools, trails, highways. $352,000 Thomas Wilson*

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21 ACRES Attractive 4-bdrm Century home, good bank barn, drive shed/garage, small storage barn, inground pool, stream, mature pine forest, paddock. Easy access to Glen Haffy Conservation. Well maintained. $660,000

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905-874-3040 / 519-833-9714

kathy ellis

kellis@xplornet.com www.kathyellis.ca

INGLEWOOD - SUPERB HOME Amazing & spacious home, workshop & apartment. Wonderfully landscaped, large patio & gazebo. New Geothermal System.

Stunning kitchen, detailed woodwork, extra large garage. This one has it all! $647,500

EXQUISITE 6 ACRE HORSE FARM Horse’s paradise. Pond, 2 paddocks, oak board fencing. 8-10 stall barn, hydro & water.

Sand ring 65’ x 115’. Adorable bungalow w/ garage, new windows, kitchen & bath. Close to 401, Mohawk & Woodbine! $569,000

CATARACT VALLEY VIEWS! Hike, fish, bike, ski, garden, relax in your backyard. Full of character & charm, spacious century home, beautifully cared for & updated. Fireplace, family room, double lot. Even has usable attic! $647,000

STUNNING, PRIVATE GARDENS! Beautifully decorated & maintained home with incredible landscaping. Stunning, newer eat-in kitchen, heated floors. Lovely family room & sunroom. Hardwood. Fin basement.

Truly an incredible family home! $599,000

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10.7 ACRES NEAR PALGRAVE 1880’s, 3 bedrooms, amazing log living room, stone fireplace, large beams, south views over meadow, swimming pond and trees. Enjoyed by current owner over 36 years as retreat. $749,000

making a move? i offer peace of mind!

A local and trusted professional with proven results

Sales Representative

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**Broker of Record *Sales Representative 122 Main Street, Erin

WELCOME TO HAWKRIDGE FARM! 150 acres of private rolling Caledon countryside, amazing views. 2,800 sq ft main house, indoor marbleite pool complex, 3 springfed ponds, tennis court, 4 other residences. $24 Million Jamie Gairdner**

THE PERFECT COUNTRY RETREAT! Caledon - 10.4 acres, 2 stocked ponds, total privacy, mature trees, ravine, gorgeous perennial gardens. Renovated Richard Wengel house, inground pool. Separate 2-bdrm apt above garage. $2,490,000 Jamie Gairdner**

TERRA COTTA BEAUTY! Custom-built bungalow on 1.69 acres with commanding views of the escarpment and Credit River. Cathedral ceilings, large eat-in Luxor kitchen and amazing Brazilian Tigerwood floors. $1,295,000 Victoria Phillips*

GREAT CALEDON LOCATION! 25 acres with spring-fed pond, trails, 4-stall barn. Immaculate open concept 4-bedroom bungalow, gorgeous eat-in kitchen, huge rec room with wet bar, separate games room, sauna. $899,000 Victoria Phillips*

COUNTRY LIVING AT ITS BEST! This spectacular Caledon home has pine plank flooring and trim, incredible stone fireplace in music room. Great street appeal, amazing landscaping - 2.6 acres of perfection. $897,500 Jim Wallace*

WELCOME TO CEDAR DRIVE! Brick/stucco 3,300 sq ft executive-style home on 4.5 acres of natural space, mature birch trees. Rich plank wood floors, bright skylights, large studio. Inground pool, hot tub. $799,000 Jim Wallace*

TOTAL PRIVACY! 7 acres across from Devil’s Pulpit. Lovely log/board & batten home, great weekend retreat or full-time residence. Beautifully upgraded and maintained, outstanding fieldstone fireplace. $699,000 Jamie Gairdner**

OUTSTANDING PROPERTY! Totally renovated brick-stone bungalow on nearly 47 acres of rolling hills, 8 acres hardwood bush, lovely spring-fed pond, bank barn. Gorgeous new kitchen, sunken living room. $679,000 Victoria Phillips*

WELCOME TO HOVEL STUDIO! Well-established property is perfect for home-based business. Great highway exposure. Lovely 3-bedroom board & batten house with views. Separate 1,000 sq ft gas heated workshop. $599,999 Victoria Phillips*

CALEDON MOUNTAIN ESTATES Charming 3-bedroom bungalow is in move-in condition or could be great renovation project.

Set amongst 2.6 private acres of 90 ft tall beech and maple trees. It really is adorable! $575,000 Jamie Gairdner**

LAFONTAINE EQUESTRIAN CENTRE 48 acres. Upgraded bank barn, 70’ x 130’ Megadome indoor arena. Separate workshop and extra large hayloft. 3 oak-board and electric paddocks, run-in shed. Delightful 3-bedroom log home. $534,900 Victoria Phillips*

WELCOME TO BELFOUNTAIN! Gorgeous 3.83 acres with spring-fed ponds, bungalow set well back from road, very private. Perfect for starter home or retiree.

Close to skiing, golf, conservation area. $429,000 Jim Wallace*

DELIGHTFUL BUNGALOW 3 bedroom on the Forks of the Credit Road.

You can hear the river all year-round. Everything upgraded 10 years ago. New kitchen, appliances, bathrooms & well. One-car doubleended garage. $419,900 Jamie Gairdner**

CHARM AND CHARACTER! Amazing 1877 Victorian house minutes to Erin.

Gorgeous 4-season passive solar sunroom, flagstone floor and woodstove. Lovely eat-in kitchen. Period wood floors, trim, wainscotting. $379,900 Victoria Phillips*

BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME 49.58 acres of rolling hills with wonderful views of surrounding area. Potential for horse farm or other agricultural uses. Many great building sites with views. Minutes to Erin/Hillsburgh. $375,000 Jim Wallace*

WELCOME TO STANDING STONE POND! 2.5 acre building lot, pond and incredible views of conservation lands and rolling hills. Minutes to Erin. Driveway in construction, ready for your dream home. $275,000 Jim Wallace*

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The Chris Richie Team Conveniently located in downtown Caledon East 905-584-0234 1-888-667-8299 www.remax-inthehills-on.com

SEAN ANDERSON Broker

DALE POREMBA Sales Representative

PRETTY COUNTRY SETTING! Spacious custom home with large principal rooms. Handsome kitchen with oak cabinets and generous breakfast area. French doors divide the living from the family room with double-sided fireplace. 9’ ceilings. $599,900

OVER 13 ACRES OF TRAILS! Handsome bungalow in Terra Cotta! Pine, bamboo and hardwood flooring, Vermont woodstove, spacious rooms and oversized family country kitchen. Walkout basement with rec room plus 2 bedrooms. $579,900

11 ACRES WITH 2 ACRE POND! A handsome raised bungalow set well back from the road. Wonderfully renovated with hardwood and slate floors, remodeled baths, most windows, roof (2005), 4 bedrooms, 2 fireplaces and finished basement. $645,000

19 ACRES OF UTMOST PRIVACY! Long paved driveway winding thru the trees and gardens. Conservation on 2 sides of the property. Plank pine floors with large main rooms. Combined kitchen and family room with fireplace. $685,000

30+ ACRES, 2 HOMES! Picturesque and private! Paddocks and bank barn foundation are ideal to have your horses at home. House 1 is a modern 3-bedroom bungalow. 2nd house is the original 5-bdrm, 2 storey. Plank floors. $749,000

EXEC OVERLOOKING INNIS LAKE! Cathedral ceilings & open hardwood staircase, huge kitchen is open to family room with fireplace. Walkout basement with 2-double door entry’s, master with 7-piece ensuite bath with skylight and ‘sky’ mural ceiling! $820,000

ENTERTAINERS DREAM, TAMARACK Stunning home with saline pool, hot tub, change house, storage building and Tiki bar.

Gourmet kitchen with centre island and slate floors. A great room with soaring ceilings.

4 fireplaces, nanny suite with bath. $998,500

30 MINUTES TO THE AIRPORT! 25-acre estate in a magical setting. Ponds and forest, granite kitchen, rich hardwood floors, 4-car garage, salt water pool, 2nd road frontage leading to 72’ x 36’ barn, sand ring and paddocks. $1,295,000

Janna Imrie

Jacqueline Guagliardi

Sales Representative

1-866-506-1116 www.ownontario.com jimrie@trebnet.com

Serving Dufferin, Peel, Wellington & Simcoe

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CHRIS P. RICHIE Broker of Record/Owner

Sales Representative

Sutton Group Professional Realty Inc., Brokerage Independently Owned and Operated

Your Local HouseSold Name!

RCR Realty, Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated

jguagliardi@royallepage.ca

www.jacquelineguagliardi.com (519) 941-5151 • (905) 450-3355

CALEDON Magnificent stone home surrounded by 100 acres of conservation lands and privacy.

Outstanding views from all directions. This spacious, open concept home is finished topto-bottom with the finest quality. $2,199,000

AMARANTH 100 acres north-west of Orangeville with 3 + 3 bedroom home. Approx 70 acres of tile drained farmland. Great horse set-up includes box stalls, numerous grass paddocks and a beautiful stone dust race track. $529,000

TASTEFUL TEMPTATION! Nearly new 4-bedroom, 3,500+ sq ft open concept Charleston home w/ huge gourmet kitchen w/ granite counters & hrdwd on main level & hallways. 1.2 acre south Erin location w/ hot tub and cedar deck! $799,900

EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY! Grand 2-storey entrance with skylights leads to 3,700 sq ft of luxury on 2 park-like acres in Erin. If you’re looking for something unique with privacy and wildlife at your doorstep then don’t miss this opportunity. $589,000

SOUTH MULMUR Open concept 4-bedroom home with views from all directions. Loads of updates done including wrap-around deck to enjoy the fabulous 5 acres. $519,000

BOLTON Great 4-bedroom home with legal basement apartment. Located on a quiet North Hill cul-de-sac with a mature landscaped lot. $447,000

BRAND NEW! Enjoy sweeping views of the countryside from this 3 bedroom, 2,500 sq ft bungalow in Hillsburgh. Features include an upgraded kitchen, hardwood floors, granite counters & 9’ ceilings w/ a walk-out lower level. $599,000

AFFORDABLE HOBBY FARM! This move-in ready newer bungalow with geo-thermal heat and fin lower level is 15 mins northwest of Hillsburgh on 10 acres w/ springfed pond and a barn/workshop combination w/ 2 stalls and 2 fenced paddocks. $425,000

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

COUNTRY COMFORT Unique log home situated on 20 acres in The Heart of Mono. Features large foyer, spacious country kitchen w/ antique cookstove, wood flrs & multiple w/o’s. 6 bdrms on upper level w/ balcony off mstr, inground pool & bank barn. $584,900

LISTEN TO THE QUIET This cute country property offers 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. This home has been exceptionally well maintained and updated with new roof and carpet in bedrooms, detached drive shed with loft for storage. $239,900

FARMERS PARADISE Opportunity! 297 acres for large farming parcel.

Features 2 storey immaculate home, main bath w/ whirlpool tub & separate shower. 1,100 sq ft pole barn, original bank barn, drive shed, heated workshop & multiple out buildings. $2,150,000

OUT BUT NOT “FAR OUT” Great opportunity for 10 acre property on paved road, just minutes from Orangeville.

This brick bungalow features 3 bedrooms, master has 2 piece ensuite bath, dining room with walkout to rear patio. $294,900

CHARMING DORMERED CAPE Classic Cape Cod on 2 acres. Featuring a charming front porch & private loft above the dbl garage. Birch flrs, sep dining rm, beautiful kit with built-in pantry, desk & centre island.

Small pond, pool, fenced perimeter. $534,900

SCHOOLHOUSE & WORKSHOP Reno’d home located at Hwy 10 & 20 Sdrd, ideal for home based business. 3 bdrms, eat-in kitchen w/ custom cabinets, hrdwd flrs. Upper level skylights, mstr bdrm w/ full bath. 2,500 sq ft + workshop w/ 9’ & 12’ ceilings. $549,900

PRIVATE, PEACEFUL & PERFECT Mature court location in Shelburne, this home boasts unique design, spacious multi-level, cathedral ceilings, walkout to hot tub off master bedroom, heated garage and very private yard. $419,900

RECIPE FOR COMFORT Tucked away on quiet cul-de-sac, this property is approx 1.6 acres & features 4 bdrms, eat-in kit w/ gas stove & side entrance to yard. Bsmt partially finished w/ large recreation rm, family rm w/ walk up to mudroom & double car garage. $329,900

WANT A CHALLENGE, BUILD YOUR OWN Opportunity to build on this 5 acre lot with two road frontages and located on paved road.

The lot is bordered with mature evergreens providing a beautiful setting. $160,000 READY, SET, BUILD An outstanding 46.44 acre parcel of land in south Mulmur offering great views, open meadow, small bush & pond site. Property located in jurisdiction of Niagara Escarpment Commission with building approval. $389,900

YOUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY This 9,500 sq ft clear span steel building located in Orangeville’s Industrial Sector has 1,800 sq ft of office space, 7,800 sq ft of open industrial area. Building is fully insulated. $979,000

LISTEN TO THE QUIET 50 acres on the edge of the Pine River Valley.

Privacy & stunning panoramic views. Solid 2 bdrm bungalow, large kit & open concept living area. Close to downhill skiing, hiking & bike trails. Bruce Trail crosses property. $449,900

CATTLE COUNTRY 200 acre farm in Amaranth. Property features a classic 2 storey farmhouse with 4 bedrooms and attached double garage, cattle barn 75’ x 104’, steel drive shed 40’ x 80’, two 70’ silos and steel grain storage bins. $1,250,000

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CALEDON VILLAGE Bring your building plans and check out this 1.7 acre lot located on the south edge of Caledon Village. $219,900

CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY 3,000 sq ft multi use building in Shelburne, visible from County Rd 124. 250 sq ft reception area, 210 sq ft office area, 3 bay garage.

Approx 300 sq ft of loft storage, small lunch room/kitchenette & 2 bathrooms. $10 per sq ft

NOTHING COULD BE FINER 6.8 acres w/ mature evergreens & great views.

Beautiful new 3 bdrm bungalow w/ walkout bsmt.

Main floor features spacious kitchen/great rm w/ walkout to large rear deck, main flr den & laundry rm w/ garage access & much more. $499,900

GREAT BEGINNINGS - BUILD HERE Beautiful & private 29 acre parcel in Mono, west of the hamlet of Camilla. Well treed with a high clearing near the rear. Great views to the south and west. Great location for commuting. $349,900

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arts+crafts NOW – JUL 5 : 3 + 3 Stone sculptures by Mary Ellen Farrow, Eileen Millen and Michael Young, plus three painters.

Wed-Sun, noon-5pm. Williams Mill Gallery, 515 Main St, Glen Williams.

905-873-8203; www.williamsmill.com.

NOW – AUG 23 : DOG DAYS New

The Globe Restaurant Fine dining in 19th century surroundings

*****

Lunches • Teas • Dinners (Closed Tuesdays)

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Reservations (705) 435-6981 In Rosemont, Hwy. 89, east of Airport Rd. www.thegloberestaurant.ca

works by 30 Headwaters artists celebrating a lush and lazy summer.

Headwaters Arts Gallery, Historic Alton Mill, 1402 Queen St W, Alton. 519-9431149; www.headwatersartsfestival.com.

NOW – SEP 9 : INSIGHTS ART EXHIBITION Elora Arts Council and

Wellington County Museum & Archives present the 29th annual juried art exhibition. Museum hours & admission.

Wellington County Museum & Archives, 0536 Wellington Cty Rd 18, between Fergus & Elora. 519-846-0916; www.wcm.on.ca.

NOW – SEP 27 : THE GOLDEN AGE OF BARN BUILDING Photographs by Jon

Radojkovic, author & photographer.

Museum hours & admission. Wellington County Museum & Archives, Cty Rd 18, between Fergus & Elora. 519-846-0916; www.wcm.on.ca.

JUN 27 – AUG 9 : PAUL MORIN SOLO SHOW A spectacular new body

of work from this award-winning artist & illustrator. Thur-Sun, 10am-5pm.

Burdette Gallery, 111212 11th Line, Orton.

519-928-5547; www.burdettegallery.com.

JUN 28 – AUG 23 : OAG SUMMER IN THE SILO Show and sale of 50 works by

Orangeville Art Group members. Opening Jun 28, 2pm. Museum admission & hours.

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Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 1-877-941-7787; www.dufferinmuseum.com.

JUL 1 – DEC 31 : GLITZ, KITSCH, FUNKY AND FUN 15 years of donations that

make up the museum’s collection. Explore the history of Dufferin. Museum hours & admission. Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 1-877941-7787; www.dufferinmuseum.com.

JUL 4 – 31 : SILICAMORPHOUS GLASS VARIATIONS Steve Collier, Eleanor

Brownridge & Beth Grant work in cold, warm and hot glass. Opening Jul 4, 2-5pm.

Mad & Noisy Gallery, 154 Mill St, Creemore.

705-466-5555; www.madandnoisy.com.

workshops. Museum admission & hours.

Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 1-877-941-7787; www.madeofwoodshow.com.

SEP 25 – OCT 12 : HEADWATERS ARTS FESTIVAL 17-day artistic extravaganza

that celebrates the best of local art, music, film, literature, theatre & art for kids. 1-877-262-0545; www.headwaters artsfestival.com.

SEP 26 & 27 : HIDDEN TREASURES BUS TOUR Travel by luxury coach to four

locations in Mono, show and sale of more than 20 artists’ work. Sample local cuisine.

9:30am-5pm. $45/day. Reserve. 519-9418509; www.hiddentreasuresbustour.com.

AUG 15 & 16 : TOUCHED BY LIGHT

Photography exhibition. Sacred sites of Peru and Guatemala. Partial proceeds to CHOICES Youth Shelter. Sat, noon-4pm & 6-9pm reception; Sun, 1-4pm. Home Gallery, Glamorum, 633206 Hwy 10, just N of Orangeville. Ila Sisson, 519-216-3115; ila@circleofchange.ca.

AUG 30 – NOV 1 : CHRIS ROGERS – TIME & PLACE PROJECT Experience an

artist’s observation of one particular spot in the woods over a year. Opening Aug 30, 2pm. Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 1-877941-7787; www.dufferinmuseum.com.

SEP 9 – OCT 12 : A WALK IN THE GLEN

Paintings and sketches by Simon Fraser MacDonald from his wanderings.

Noon-5pm. Williams Mill Gallery, 515 Main St, Glen Williams. 905-873-8203; www.williamsmill.com.

SEP 26 & 27 : HILLS OF ERIN STUDIO TOUR One stop includes fine arts &

crafts, pottery, textiles, glass, painting & jewellery by the tour’s artisans.

10am-5pm. Burdette Gallery, 111212 11th Line, Orton. 519-928-5547; www.hillsoferinstudiotour.com.

community YEAR-ROUND (THURSDAYS) : ADJUSTMENTS AFTER BIRTH Support

group for mothers re childbirth or adoption. 1:30-3:30pm; childcare provided.

Free. Register. Caledon Parent-Child Centre/Ontario Early Years, 150 Queen St S, Bolton Community Centre.

905-857-0090.earlyyears@cpc-cc.org.

SEP 12 – 27 : MADE OF WOOD SHOW

NOW – OCT 24 (SATURDAYS) : ARTS & CULTURE AT THE MARKET ON BROADWAY Fresh market goods weekly,

Show and sale of wood creations, demonstrations, seminars & hands-on

kids’ activities. May 30: Get growing workshops, Parsons Flowers, Orange Peel

I L L U S T R AT I O N S J I M S T E WA R T

Dancers. Jun 6: Blues & Jazz Festival.

Jun 13: Wood arts & crafts, seniors day. Jun 20: Smile – It’s photo time!

Jun 27: Le Woof! Pet culture. Jul 4-25: Kids’ story time. Downtown Orangeville, Broadway & Second St. 519-942-0087; www.marketonbroadway.ca.

JUN 20 : HOCKLEY VILLAGE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL Strawberries

with breakfast, silent auction, BBQ, local teenage talent, carnival games & vendors.

8am-4pm. Bike parade 10am outside Hockley General Store. Hockley Village.

519-941-6439.

JUN 24 : STRAWBERRY SUPPER Annual

event to celebrate the strawberry season.

Church fundraiser. 5-7pm. $12; children 6-12, $6; pre-school free; at door. St Andrews United Church, Hwy 10 & 15 Siderd Mono, Camilla. 519-941-3676; bbpb@rogers.com.

JUN 25 (THURSDAYS) : CPL BOOK CLUB, MARGARET DUNN VALLEYWOOD BRANCH Meet 4th

Thurs monthly. New members welcome.

7:30pm. Valleywood Branch of Caledon Library, 20 Snelcrest Dr. 905-843-0457.

JUN 27 : GEOTHERMAL SEMINAR Learn

about geothermal systems & see working geothermal showroom. Hosted by Yanch Geothermal & Rosemont Construction.

10am. Free. Viceroy Show Home, 935689 Airport Rd at Hwy 89. 705-728-5406; 1-888-499-2624; www.yanchgeo.com.

JUN 27, JUL 25, AUG 22 : CLOTHING DEPOT SALES Sponsored by women &

friends of Westminster United Church, proceeds to outreach programs. 9amnoon. Westminster United Church, 247 Broadway, Orangeville. 519-941-0381; www.westminsterorangeville.ca.

JUL 1 : COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE

Great stuff/great prices & bake sale.

Presented by Headwaters Shelburne Auxiliary. Donations accepted. 8am-1pm.

Headwaters Health Care Centre, 301 First Ave, Shelburne. 519-925-3055; www.headwatershealth.ca.

JUL 1 : CANADA DAY STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL A vast array of things to see

and do for the entire family. Presented

by Caledon Agricultural Society. 10am-

4pm. Free. Caledon Fairgrounds, Hwy 10, Caledon Village. 519-925-3461; www.caledonfairgrounds.ca.

Rose Theatre Brampton

JUL 1 : CELEBRATE CANADA DAY, ORTON Live music, BBQ at St. Johns

Community Church, 4:45, 5:30 & 6:30pm ($6-$12). Family fun & activities 7:30pm; euchre 8pm; fireworks Orton Community Park, dusk. Admission age 12 and up, $3; 4-11, $2; 3 & under, free. Orton Community Park, East Garafraxa & Erin Townline.

519-855-4243.

JUL 1 : CALEDON CANADA DAY

Celebration, live entertainment, family fun. 4-11pm; fireworks 10pm. Albion Hills Conservation Area, 16500 Hwy 50.

905-880-0227; jmoravek@trca.on.ca.

JUL 4, AUG 8 : ORANGEVILLE INDOOR GARAGE SALE & COLLECTIBLES SHOW

• Flower City Theatre Festival – July - August • Brampton Art Fair Summerfest – July 25

Gage Park • Inspirational Music in the Park – Every Tuesday • Investors Group Thursday Night Concert Series – Every Thursday • Classic Cars & Legendary Stars – July 16 - 18

Toys, art, militaria, CD/DVDs & more.

9am-2pm. Rent space/tables: $10-$15.

Orangeville Curling Club, 76 Fifth Ave & Third St, Orangeville. 519-942-4145.

DMG Chinguacousy Park • Canada Day – July 1 • Brampton Summer Festival – August 1 - 3 • Communities in Bloom Community Showcase – August 13 • Blazin’ Summer Weekend – August 22 - 23

JUL 4 & 5 : WE SHOOT, WE SCORE A CURE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Brampton/Caledon Chapter. Play ball or ice hockey. Sat 7am; Sun 10am. $500/ team; single $25; gate fee $2. South Fletchers Arena, 500 Ray Lawson Blvd.

905-799-6248; netmindersolutions@ rogers.com.

JUL 10 : BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT 18 holes,

lunch, prime rib dinner, power cart, prizes. 11am. $145/golfer. Shelburne Golf & Country Club, 516423 Cty Rd 124, N of Hwy 89. 519-941-6431; bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/dufferin.

Festival & Event Information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.tourismbrampton.ca or by phone 905-874-3601

JUL 10 & 11 : DOWNTOWN ORANGEVILLE FOUNDERS’ FAIR A gala

weekend with music, street performances and Saturday night street dance.

Broadway, Mill St, Second St, Orangeville.

519-942-0087; www.discoverbroadway.ca

Downtown Brampton

JUL 11 : BARN RAISING DANCE Live music.

• Farmers’ Market – Every Saturday June 20 - October 10

Proceeds towards a facility for OAS to host events. 8pm-2am. $15/advance; $20/ door, cash bar. Orangeville Fairgrounds, 5 Siderd Mono, off Hockley Rd. 519-9429597; www.orangevillefairgrounds.ca.

• Communities in Bloom Street Festival – July 23

JUL 23 (TUESDAYS) : CPL BOOK CLUB – INGLEWOOD BRANCH Meet 4th Tues

monthly. New members welcome. 7:30pm.

Inglewood Branch of Caledon Library, 15825 McLaughlin Rd. 905-838-3324.

JUL 25 : HONEYWOOD BEEF BBQ & JAMBOREE Local food. Bring lawn chair.

Zero garbage! Proceeds to North Dufferin Arena & Community Centre. Parade 4pm; BBQ 5-8pm; jamboree to 11pm. $15; kids 5-12, $5; under 5, free. Honeywood Arena, 706114 Dufferin Cty Rd 21, 2km E of Cty Rd 124, Mulmur. 705-466-3341 x223; mulmurtownship.ca.

AUG 1 & 2 : DODGE RODEO Bronco

riding, bull riding, steer wrestling & barrel racing. Orangeville Fairgrounds, 5 Siderd Mono, off Hockley Rd. 416-587-0003; www.orangevillefairgrounds.ca.

Celebrate The Flower City Downtown • Flower City Parade – June 20 • Brampton Blooms – June 20

Carabram – Brampton’s Multicultural Festival • Various Locations Across Brampton – July 10 -12

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continued from page 57 AUG 7 – 9 : STEPPING IN Workshop on

art, nature & stillness. Ayrlie MacEachern, arts therapist & Shelley Hannah, life coach. $90-$180, meals extra. Register.

Unicamp, Prince of Wales Rd, Mulmur.

519-925-5469; mayrlie@hotmail.com.

AUG 15 : BEEF BBQ AT ST ANDREWS

planning an OUTDOOR EVENT? www.mcleansherwood.com

McLEAN-SHERWOOD

SU PPL IES PAR TY REN TAL S &

Free On-Site Consultations IN BRAMPTON 190 Bovaird Dr West, #24 905-459-5781 . 888-253-0811 IN ORANGEVILLE 400 Townline, Unit 11 (beside Wimpy’s) 519-307-5781

Ample portions, homemade pies, corn-on-the-cob & silent auction. Church fundraiser. 5-7pm. $12; children 6-12, $6; pre-school free; at door. St Andrews United Church, 15 Siderd Mono, Camilla.

519-941-2291.

AUG 15 : SPIRIT OF THE HILLS FAMILY FUN DAY Sponsored by Hillsburgh Lions

Club & Let’s Get Hillsburgh Growing.

Classic cars, silent auction, entertainment, vendors. Storytelling 11am at library, walking tours. 10am-2pm.

Main St, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4010; hillsburghlib@wellington.ca.

AUG 21 – 23 : 24-HOURS HOT AUGUST NIGHTS Trail bike race & camping.

8:30am-10pm. $5-$8; camping $27$32.50; trailer rentals from $140. Albion Hills Conservation Area & Campground, 16500 Hwy 50. 905-880-0227; ahills@ trca.on.ca.

AUG 21 – 23 : STEPPING OUT Sandra Cranston-Corradini www.sandrasellshomes.ca scranstoncorradini@trebnet.ca 705-440-7098 416-635-1232 Sales Representative

Homelife/Romano Realty Ltd., Brokerage

Workshop of movement, sound & play.

Ayrlie MacEachern, arts therapist, & Shelley Hannah, life coach. $90-$180, meals extra. Register. Unicamp, Prince of Wales Rd, Mulmur. 519-925-5469; mayrlie@hotmail.com.

AUG 23 : LIVE AUCTION Antiques, collectibles, etc. donated by members & friends. Preview 9am, auction 10am.

(Bidders register on-site). Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 1-877-941-7787; dufferinmuseum.com.

SEP 12 : BELWOOD COUNTRY TOUR

Homes, sheep farm, dairy milking parlour, tour of the village & displays of quilts, bird carvings. 9:30am-4:30pm. $15 from Belwood Country Market.

519-843-3267; or belwoodct@gmail.ca.

Come Visit Our “Award Winning” Boarding Kennel At

58

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

SEP 14 : FORE THE ANIMALS GOLF TOURNAMENT 18 holes scramble golf.

Meals & silent auction. Support Ontario SPCA Orangeville & District Branch & Upper Credit Humane Society. 10am9pm. $170. Caledon Country Club,

2121 Olde Baseline Rd. 519-942-3140; lirvine@ospca.on.ca.

SEP 18 : COALITION GOLF & DINNER

18 holes, meals & silent auction.

Proceeds to Coalition of Concerned Citizens. Sign-in 11am; shotgun start 12:25pm; dinner 6:30pm. $250; dinner only $125. Caledon Country Club, 2121 Olde Base Line Rd, Caledon. 905-8383042; cseagram@sympatico.ca.

SEP 19 : ANNUAL HOUSE TOUR

Early bird raffle, silent auction & lunch.

Proceeds to Headwaters Health Centre.

9am-4pm. Self-guided $35; VIP coach $70. Tickets after Sep 9 from BookLore, Berney’s Pro Hardware, Jelly Craft Bakery, Forster’s Book Store, and Renaissance.

519-941-2410.

SEPT 19 & 20 : GEOTHERMAL SEMINAR

Learn about geothermal systems and how they can save you money. Hosted

by Yanch Geothermal & Rosemont Construction. Time tba. Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 705-728-5406, 1-888-499-2624; www. yanchgeo.com, www.madeofwood.com.

SEP 19 & 26 : RUMMAGE SALE Need

a change in your wardrobe? Retro/ rummage sale.Church fundraiser.

9am-noon. St Andrews United Church, 15 Siderd Mono, Camilla. 519-941-6397.

SEP 20 : SHELBURNE FALL FAIR CLASSIC CAR SHOW 10am-noon (vehicle

by 11am). Prizes 2pm. Free for car & driver. $6; secondary students $4; elementary students $1; preschool free.

Shelburne Fairgrounds. 519-925-0980; www.shelburnefair.com.

SEP 25 – 27 : 151ST BOLTON FALL FAIR

Fri: ATV pull, bike rally. Sat: dairy & sheep shows, kiddie pedal pull, classic cars, demolition derby. Sun: pancake breakfast, church service, baby/pet/goat/beef shows. Entertainment & midway 6pm.

Fri, 6pm-10pm; Sat, 8am-10pm; Sun, 8am-4:30pm. Fri & Sat, $10; children under 12, $5; preschoolers free. Sun: $5; children under 12, $2; preschoolers free.

Albion & Bolton Fairgrounds, 150 Queen St S, Bolton. 905-843-8793; boltonfair.ca.

SEP 26 : 2ND ANNUAL MARKET MORNING Home-baked goods,

preserves, produce, plants & more.

Music & café. Proceeds to Caledon

Community Services’ Heating Fund.

8-11am. Caledon East United Church, 6046 Old Church Rd. 905-584-6576; cpley@rogers.com.

outdoors+ environment NOW – SEP 7 : HEART LAKE WILD WETLAND SPLASH Hiking, picnics,

fishing & water-play facility. $6; seniors $5; children under 15, free. Wild Wetland Splash, adults free; children 2-15, $2.50.

Heart Lake Conservation Area, 10818 Heart Lake Rd. 905-846-2494; www.trca.on.ca.

NOW – OCT 31 : GLEN HAFFY FISHING AND FLY FISHING $5; seniors $4;

Conservation Area, 16500 Hwy 50.

905-880-0227; www.trcaparks.ca.

JUN 21, JUL 12, SEP 27 : LILAC TREE FARM GARDEN OPEN DAYS Wander a

carefully designed garden overlooking Boyne Valley. 10am-4pm. Free. 547231 8th Siderd, E off First Line E, Mulmur.

Brian Bixley 519-925-5577; lilactree@ sympatico.ca.

JUN 24 – SEP 30 (WEDNESDAYS) : INGLEWOOD FARMERS’ MARKET

Weekly market organized through Eat Local Caledon. 3:30-7pm. Inglewood General Store, 15596 McLaughlin Rd. 905-584-6221; www.eatlocalcaledon.org.

JUN 26 : BOLTON TRUCK & TRACTOR PULL All kinds of trucks and tractors,

children 15 & under, free. Angling fees adult $5.30; children $2.65. Glen Haffy Conservation Area, 19245 Airport Rd. 905-584-2922; www.trca.on.ca.

family activities, displays and vendors. $16,000 in prizes. Free shuttle bus.

6-11pm. $12; children under 12, $2.

Bolton Fairgrounds, 150 Queen St S. 905880-0369; bolton_fair@hotmail.com.

JUN 19 – 21 : STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION WORSKHOP Theory & practical

JUN 27 : SOLAR HOT WATER WORKSHOP Learn about solar energy,

experience. 1-5pm. Everdale Environmental Learning Centre, 5812 6th Line, Hillsburgh.

519-855-4859; www.everdale.org.

JUN 20 : ORANGEVILLE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY GARDEN TOUR

Gardens in & around Shelburne, from cottage to formal. 11am-4pm. $10 from BookLore, Dufferin Garden Centre or around Shelburne. 519-940-0261; sharon.ann.rees@live.com.

JUN 20 : SUMMER THYME HERB & GARDEN FAIR Local herb & plant

producers, products, perennials. 9am4pm. Free. Wellington County Museum & Archives, 0536 Wellington Cty Rd 18, between Elora & Fergus. 519-846-0916; www.wcm.on.ca.

JUN 20 & 21 : HIGH COUNTRY ANTIQUE POWER CLUB SHOW

Tractors & equipment, demonstrations, entertainment, food, vendors & camping.

Sat, 8am-5pm; Sun, 9am-4pm. $5; students $3; children under 12, free.

Orangeville Fairgrounds, 247090 5 Siderd Mono, off Hockley Rd. 905-880-9976; www.antiquefarmpower.com.

JUN 21 & 22 : 24-HOURS OF SUMMER SOLSTICE MOUNTAIN BIKE RELAY RACE “Double F” formula. Riders all ages

& skill levels. 9am. $6; seniors $5; children 15 & under, free. Albion Hills

thermal applications. Tour working systems. Hands-on. 10am-4pm. Everdale Environmental Learning Centre, 5812 6th line, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4859; www.everdale.org.

JUN 28, JUL 12, JUL 26, AUG 23 OCT 3 : HUNTER/JUMPER HORSE SHOW SERIES Professional schooling series,

divisions for every level horse & rider.

9am-6pm. Teen Ranch, 20682 Hurontario St, Caledon. 519-941-4501; www.teenranch.on.ca JUL 4 : GRAND VALLEY OPEN GARDENS DAY Self-guided tour presented by Grand

Valley & District Horticultural Society.

Maps at local garden centres, Grand Valley Home Hardware. 10am-3pm.

Rain or shine. 519-928-2949; windyfieldfarms@hsfx.ca.

Show and sale of one-of-a-kind creations in wood

by artisans from across Canada Exhibit of rare artifacts and furniture from the Museum’s collection Demonstrations and hands-on workshops for adults and kids Opening Night Party featuring Trouble & Strife…contact DCMA for tickets Made of Wood Show gratefully acknowledge the support of: Turner Lorriman Wealth Management Group | Ontario Crafts Council Jim Lorriman, Wood Turner | Dufferin County Museum and Archives

Headwaters Health Care Auxiliary

15 TH A NNUAL H OUSE T OUR

Saturday, September 19th, 9am to 4pm

JUL 4 : WHAT TREE IS THAT ANYWAY?

Hike Dufferin County Forest and learn to identify trees & plants. 9am. $5; children free. Little Tract, W side Airport Rd, 15km N of Hwy 89. Caroline Mach, 705-4351881; www.dufferinmuseum.com.

JUL 4 : DELPHINIUM DAY Music, lunch,

author Paul LaMarche speaks on organic bug control. 11am-3pm. $20. Plant Paradise Country Gardens, 16258 Humber Station Rd, Caledon. 905-880-9090; www.plantparadise.ca.

JUL 4 : BOLTON & DISTRICT HORTICULTURE SOCIETY GARDEN TOUR Rural & urban gardens. Proceeds

to community gardens & environmental projects. 10am-4pm. $10. Forster’s Book Garden, Glen Echo Nursery. 905-8570321; bolton@gardenontario.org.

JUL 9 : GARDENING SEMINARS Jul 9: Gardening 101 tips & tricks, 7pm. Jul 23: perennial showcase, 9am-6pm. Aug 6: autumn splendour, 7pm. Free. Register.

Plant Paradise Country Gardens, 16258 Humber Station Rd. Caledon. 905-8809090; www.plantparadise.ca.

An Invitation to Inspiration Treat yourself and friends to a spectacular fall day in the country, while supporting your local hospital.

NEW THIS YEAR, CONSIDER TOURING IN OUR LUXURY VIP HOUSE TOUR COACH GIVING PREFERENTIAL ACCESS AND A GIFT BAG OF FAVOURS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES. Venues include beautifully decorated, majestic homes with vast vistas, cozy nooks and unique gourmet kitchens. Enjoy a complimentary lunch with friends at the Orangeville Agricultural Centre.

Participate in the Early Bird Draw, Door Prizes, Fantastic Raffle and Silent Auction.

Tickets: Self-guided Tour $35, VIP Tour Coach $70.

Tickets can be purchased at the following locations after August 5th.

ORANGEVILLE - BookLore, F-Stop Camera, Pear Home, The Home Shop on Riddell, Scotiabank on First St. or Centennial Rd., The Headwaters Hospital Gift Shop, Orangeville Furniture CALEDON EAST - Berney’s Pro Hardware BOLTON - Forster’s Book Garden SHELBURNE - Jelly Craft Bakery ERIN - Renaissance The Early Bird Draw and the deadline for booking the VIP bus is September 9th. To purchase prior to September 9th, mail a stamped self-addressed, business-sized envelope and a cheque payable to H.H.C.A. House Tour, to Ann Davidson, 18932 Centreville Creek Rd., Caledon, ON L7K 2M9 All proceeds to the Headwaters Hospitals.

For further info, call 519-941-2410 after July 20th or visit www.headwatershealth.ca.

continued on next page IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

59

A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR!

At Erskine’s, our team of highly trained technicians and service advisors use the most up-to-date diagnostic tools, for all makes and models. We welcome your questions!

Authorized new vehicle maintenance • Shuttle service

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm 15 Robb Blvd., Orangeville

519-941-3440

YOUR BEST STOP TO KEEP GOING!

An independent, family business trusted by our customers in the Orangeville area since 1962

OIL CHANGES • TUNE-UPS DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE TIRE SALES & SERVICE WHEEL ALIGNMENTS EXHAUST SYSTEMS • COOLING & HEATING • SHOCKS & STRUTS BRAKE SERVICE • ENGINES TRANSMISSIONS SAFETY INSPECTIONS • DRIVE CLEAN REPAIR • AND MORE!

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continued from page 59 JUL 19, SEP 27 : EQUUS 3D HORSE TRIALS Dressage, cross-country & show

jumping. Sep 27: Farm Horse Trials.

7:30am. Equus 3D Equestrian Centre, 434136 4th line Amaranth. 519-940-0048; www.equus3dfarm.com.

AUG 8 : LUXURY BUS TRIP TO STRATFORD Tour prop and costume

warehouse; visit the Festival & gardens.

Pavilion picnic lunch (bring your own).

Hillsburgh & Erin Garden Clubs. Tickets $30. 519-855-6627.

AUG 15 : ORANGEVILLE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY FLOWER SHOW

Designs, houseplants, flowers, vegetables & youth section. 2:30-5pm. Orangeville Seniors Centre, 26 Bythia St. 519-9400261; sharon.ann.rees@live.com.

AUG 15 : FAMILY PICNIC AND FLOWER SHOW Join Hillsburgh Garden Club for

great food & friendly competition.

Memorial bench dedication. 2pm. Lions Club Parkette, Trafalgar Rd, Hillsburgh.

519-855-6101.

AUG 18 : FLOWER SHOW Donna Zarudny of Dufferin Garden Centre talks on shade gardens. Presented by Shelburne & District Horticultural Society. 7pm. Royal Canadian Legion, William St, Shelburne. 519-925-2182; shelburne@gardenontario.org.

H A P P E N I N G S

7:30-9:30pm. Orangeville Seniors Centre, 26 Bythia St. j-cutter@sympatico.ca.

SEP 9 : HILLSBURGH GARDEN CLUB

Cathy Nesbitt, Cathy’s Crawly Composter.

7:30pm. $2. St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 81 Main St, Hillsburgh.

519-855-6101.

SEP 12 : EVERDALE CARROT FEST

Fall carrot harvest, animals, games, farm tour, straw bale house. 10am-4pm.

Everdale Environmental Learning Centre, 5812 6th line, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4859; www.everdale.org.

SEP 17 : GREEN ‘T’ ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS SERIES Sheilagh, Sarah &

Debbe Crandall & Nicola Ross. Opening with Michelle Woodhouse, 2008 Caledon Idol. Bring your own mug. 6:30pm. $4; students & seniors, free. Reserve. Caledon Community Complex, Caledon East.

905-951-0625; www.greentcaledon.ca.

SEP 19 : FIND MUSHROOMS FASCINATING? Walk with naturalist Bob Bowles

and learn to identify mushrooms. 10am1pm. $10. Venue t.b.c., Alliston. 705-4351881; www.dufferinmuseum.com/forest.

SEP 28 : PEONIES Reiner Jakobowski talks about peonies. Presented by Shelburne & District Horticultural Society. 7:30pm. Mel Lloyd Centre, Centre St, Shelburne. 519-925-2182; shelburne@gardenontario.org.

AUG 27 : THE HORSEMAN’S CHALLENGE Fundraiser for new Centre

Using only human grade ingredients our meatloaf is prepared fresh daily.

Come see why hundreds of customers across Southern Ontario trust us to feed their companions.

Visit our website for complete information.

328 Broadway, Orangeville 519-940-3598 www.dogswelove.com

• Old-fashioned quality craftsmanship & design • Custom Decks • Victorian Verandas • Screened Porches • Finished Basements • Renovations • Permits

Trevor Haws

519-941-1428

for Equine Sports Medicine & Reproduction, Ontario Veterinary College.

Participants ride in teams, switch disciplines. 6-10pm. $175. Iron Horse Farm, Creditview Rd, Caledon.

Liz Shaughnessy, 905-880-8053; liz@lizshaughnessy.com.

SEP 2 : CANADIAN YOUNG EVENT HORSE SERIES FINALS Up & coming

Canadian event horses compete in dressage, show jumping & cross-country.

8am. Equus 3D Equestrian Centre, 434136 4th Line Amaranth. 519-9400048; www.equus3dfarm.com.

SEP 2 : FLOWER SHOW Nina Aprile from Wild Things Nursery talks on native plants.

Plant sale & Lunar Love flower show.

7:30-9pm. Bolton & District Horticultural Society. $3. Albion Bolton Community Centre, 150 Queen St S, Bolton. 905857-0321; bolton@gardenontario.org.

SEP 4 – 7 : ORANGEVILLE FALL FAIR

Midway, livestock, entertainment, talent show, motorcycle stunts, tractor pull & more. Homecraft competition. Presented

by Orangeville Agricultural Society. Fri, 5pm; Sat-Mon, 9am. Fri: $5; ages 13-18, $3; 12 & under, free. Sat-Mon: $8; ages 13-18, $5; 12 & under, $2; preschool free; seniors, $5. Orangeville Fairgrounds, 5 Siderd Mono, off Hockley Rd. 519-9429597; www.orangevillefairgrounds.ca.

SEP 8 : LOCAL EXPERT PANEL

Orangeville Horticultural Society members share gardening ideas.

60

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

kids JUL 13-17, 27-31, AUG 10-14, 17-21 : ONTARIO SPCA BARC SUMMER CAMP

Basic Animal Responsibility Camp (BARC) for children 7-12. Animal games, crafts & guest speakers (some with fur). $185. Monora Park Pavilion, 733220 Hwy 10. Ontario SPCA Orangeville 519-942-3140; Lirvine@ospca.on.ca.

JUL 13-17, 20-24 : SUMMER MUSICAL THEATRE Two intensive one-week

programs to develop singing, dancing & performing skills. 9:30-4pm. $200.

Performance Jul 25, 7:30pm. Theatre Orangeville, 87 Broadway. 519-942-3423; www.theatreorangeville.ca.

service, BBQ & camping. Proceeds for charitable work of Shelburne Rotary Club & other local service organizations.

Aug 5: campground opens. Aug 6 evg: ďŹ ddle & stepdance sensation April Verch.

Aug 7: contest playdowns. Aug 8: parade and ďŹ ddle championship. Aug 9: church service & BBQ. Event package: $40, children $20. Thurs evg: $20; children $10. Fri: $10; children $3. Sat evg: $20; children $10. Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex, Hwy 10 N, Shelburne. 519-9258620; www.shelburneďŹ ddlecontest.on.ca.

AUG 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14 : VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Activities, songs, sharing. Details & registration, Westminster United Church, 247 Broadway, Orangeville. 519-941-0381; www.westminsterorangeville.ca.

SEP 5 : MUSIC TOGETHER CALEDON

Free sample class for infants to age 4.

Songs & instruments for the whole family to enjoy. 10-10:30am. Albion Bolton Community Centre, 150 Queen St S, Bolton.

416-831-1623; www.musictogether.com.

music

AUG 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29 : SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Musical made up of songs

connected by a theme. Wed-Sat, 7:30pm; matinee Sat & Sun, 2pm. $25. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton.

905-874-2800; www.rosetheatre.ca.

SEP 12 : TROUBLE & STRIFE Opening

night party for the Made of Wood Show with musical guests Trouble & Strife featuring Larry Kurtz. Licensed (19+).

7pm. $25. Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Airport Rd & Hwy 89. 1-877941-7787; www.dufferinmuseum.com.

SEP 18 & 19, 25-27, OCT 2-4 : HMS PINAFORE BY GILBERT AND SULLIVAN

Bring your favourite instrument & enjoy an evening of band music. 7pm. Westside Secondary School, Orangeville. John Wervers 519-925-6149.

Music & merriment as G & S take pot shots at the class system & the British Navy. A joint production of Century Theatre & Orangeville Music Theatre.

8pm. Matinee Sep 27 & Oct 4, 2:30pm. $18. Century Church Theatre, Hillsburgh.

519-855-4586; jophenix@sympatico.ca.

JUL 5, 19, AUG 16 : SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Symphony musicians perform

SEP 25-28 : BLUE SUEDE SHOES, MEMORIES OF THE KING Shake, Rattle

YEAR-ROUND (THURSDAYS) : ORANGEVILLE COMMUNITY BAND

classical & contemporary favourites.

7pm. $8/advance, $10/door. Historic Corbetton Church, Dufferin County Museum and Archives, Hwy 89 and Airport Rd, 1-877-941-7787; www. dufferinmuseum.com.

JUL 30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AUG 8 : BROADWAY GOLD A

compilation of Broadwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most enduring musicals: Les Miserables, Cats, Rent, The Lion King & more. Tues-Sat 7:30pm; matinee Sat, Sun & Aug 5 2pm. $25-$35.

Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton.

905-874-2800; www.rosetheatre.ca.

AUG 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 : 59TH CANADIAN OPEN OLD TIME FIDDLE CHAMPIONSHIP

Exceptional ďŹ ddle playing & more, including parade, market, church

& Roll with Elvis Tribute. Roy LeBlanc.

8pm; matinee Sat & Sun, 2pm. $26-32; students $18. Theatre Orangeville Opera House, 1-800-424-1295.

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Come experience the

s Humber Orangeville Campu ! in the fall 2009

theatre

We offer small class sizes, great facilities, a super collegial environment and FREE parking too!

NOW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 20 : I TAKE THIS MAN

Full-time programs include: â&#x20AC;˘ Business Administration â&#x20AC;˘ Business Management â&#x20AC;˘ ECE - Early Childhood Education â&#x20AC;˘ Police Foundations â&#x20AC;˘ New for 2009: the Home Renovation Technician program

Blackhorse Village Players present a wild, fast-paced comedy, perfect for the entire family. $17. The Blackhorse Theatre, Hwy 9 & Mount Wolfe Rd, Caledon.

905-880-5002; info@blackhorse.ca. continued on next page

orangeville.humber.ca 1-877-675-3111

Transfer to DVD

8mm, Super-8, 16mm Film, Video tape, Slides Audio tape, Restore LP & 78 RPM â&#x2DC;&#x2026; Custom DVD-movies â&#x2DC;&#x2026; www.ADD-duplications.com

519-928-2604

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

61

A

Bed&Breakfast D•I•R•E•C•T•O•R•Y

UNTO THE HILLS The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Award for the Best Accommodation 2007. Rated in the top 5% of places to stay in Ontario by travel writer Janette Higgins.

Quiet in the Hills, where Our Guests send Their Friends. Warm hospitality in a new climate-controlled French country farmhouse. Magnificent escarpment setting on the Bruce Trail, with 50-km views over Hockley Valley. Charming, professionally decorated bedrooms, ensuites with soothing air tubs.

Single $99; Doubles $110-175. Don and Lynne Laverty 519-941-2826 www.untothehills.ca d.laverty@sympatico.ca

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continued from page 61 JUL 6-9, 20-23, AUG 3-6 : COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

(Abridged) 3 guys, 1 dead playwright, 37 plays and 154 sonnets in 90 minutes.

For those who love Shakespeare & those who don’t. Fast, furious and funny.

Pay-what-you-can, bring lawn chair.

7:30pm. Garden Square, Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. 905-874-2800; www.rosetheatre.ca.

JUL 15 – 25 : LOOKING Middle-aged man and a woman advertise in the personals with unexpected and amusing results. By Norm Foster. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; matinee Wed, Thurs, Sat, 2:30pm. $27; matinee $22. Century Church Theatre, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4586; www. centurychurchtheatre.com.

JUL 18 – AUG 1 : HALF LIFE John

ANGEL HOUSE Situated on a mature treed half acre lot, just off Creemore’s main street, this c1890 home offers an eclectic range of accommodations with antique and contemporary furnishings. Extremely comfortable Eurotop beds, spa robes, slippers and amenities are provided. Wireless internet café, cable TV/DVD/VCR available. Relax in the garden, curl up with a good book in the guest parlour, or stroll to the quaint village shops, art gallery, brewery and restaurants of Creemore. We offer the charm of yesterday with the comforts of today.

Single from $70; Doubles from $80-150, private and shared baths.

Kate and Darryl Ceccarelli, Pat Steer 705-466-6505 or 1-877-842-4438 www.angelhouse.ca angelhouse@rogers.com

Mighton offers a meditation on identity, aging and memory as two 80-year-olds find romance in a nursing home.

Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; matinee Sat, Sun & Jul 30, 2pm. $25. Rose Theatre, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. 905-874-2800; www.rosetheatre.ca.

H A P P E N I N G S

lawn chair. Thurs-Sun, 7:30pm. Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park, Central Park Dr & Queen St, Brampton. 905874-2800; www.rosetheatre.ca.

AUG 19 – 29 : TOUCH AND GO A

domestic farce by Derek Benfield. What is Brian up to when his wife thinks he is jogging? Is George really playing darts?

Their wives have secrets too. Thurs-Sat, 8pm; matinee Wed, Thurs, Sat, 2:30pm. $27; matinee $22. Century Church Theatre, Hillsburgh. 519-855-4586; www.centurychurchtheatre.com.

List your community, arts or entertainment event free of charge.

Summer cut-off: May 8, 2009.

Please submit your event online – www.whatson.on.ca. admin@ whatson.on.ca, 519-940-4877.

Event information is supplied by Alison Hird. Visit What’s On Ontario to see up-to-the-minute details of these and other local events.

www.whatson.on.ca – your local resource for events!

JUL 23 – AUG 16 : A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Four young lovers and

a group of actors interact with characters and fairies in a moonlit forest.

Presented by Rose Theatre.

Pay-what-you-can, bring

BLACKSMITH HOUSE This c1895 Victorian home in picturesque Creemore (“one of the 10 prettiest towns in Canada,” Harrowsmith Country Life) in the valley of the Mad and Noisy Rivers is ideally situated for visiting many places of local interest and taking scenic drives with breathtaking views of Georgian Bay and the Niagara Escarpment. We offer quiet relaxation, individual attention, warm hospitality, delightfully furnished guest rooms, and delicious Canadian cooked breakfasts.

P U Z Z L I N G

S O L U T I O N S

from page 66

Member of the Federation of Ontario Bed & Breakfast Accommodation.

Single $70; Double $115. John and Jean Smart 705-466-2885 www.blacksmithhouse.ca enquiries@blacksmithhouse.ca

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62

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

From the Walls of S.S. #15 The numbers are already in the proper order for solving the problem:

72 83 94 48 59 61 15 26 37 In the Luther Marsh If the third thief took out a third and eight coins were then left in the bag, the second thief must have left twelve coins. Since the second thief had taken one third, there must have been eighteen after the first thief took her share. She had taken a third so there were twenty-seven coins in the bag when the thieves entered the marsh.

The Caledon East Field Day Jacobs from Hillsburgh was the foot racer. Sawchuk from Sandhill took part in the high jump. Johnson from Creemore played horseshoes. Ramsay from Mono Mills was the weightlifter.

A “Wonderful Year” a) 1967 minus 1967 = o b) 1977 minus 1974 = 3 c) a) + b) = 3 d) 1997 minus 1996 = 1 e) 1958 minus 1954 = 4 f) d) + e) = 5 Math & Township Challenge Equal: a) + b) = 3 [ x 5 townships ] = fifteen (East Garafraxa, Mulmur, Melancthon, Amaranth, and East Luther Grand Valley; Mono is now the ‘Town of Mono,’ not a township) d) + e) = 5 [ x 3 townships ] = fifteen (former Albion and Caledon townships and part of former Chinguacousy) Silas Moves On to East Garafraxa

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63

MARKETPLACE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

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TO PLACE AN AD, CALL 519-942-8401 OR EMAIL INFO@INTHEHILLS.CA 64

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

MARKETPLACE LAND SURVEYING P.J. Williams Ontario Land Surveyor

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65

a Puzzling Conclusion

by Ken Weber

A “Wonderful Year” Arithmetic Exercise

In the Luther Marsh Dark clouds covered the moon as a dusty car pulled to the side of the road south of Monticello.

Two men and a woman got out, and as the car pulled away, the three crept into the bush toward Luther Lake. Just after dusk that day they had stolen a bag of rare coins and were planning to hide by the lake through the night.

About 1 a.m., there were sounds of deep, regular breathing from the three, suggesting they’d finally fallen asleep. All but one. Very quietly she got up, took a third of the coins out of the bag and slipped back to the road where a pickup truck was waiting. An hour later, still in pitch darkness, a second thief got up, crept over to the bag, took out what he thought was his third of the coins and then he too stole silently away. Not long after, thief number three, completely unaware of what his partners had done, dipped into the bag for his third of the coins and crept away into the darkness.

Eight coins were left in the bag after the thieves had gone. How many coins were in the bag when they first entered the Luther Marsh area hours before?

Another Challenge from the Walls of S.S. #15 The renovations at Alton School continued to produce one challenging number problem after another. This one was found in the rafters.

Listed below are some wonderful years in the history of Ontario and of our hills. Eight of these years provide correct answers to the questions below.

First answer questions a) to f). Then take our “In the Hills Math & Township Challenge.”

1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 a) The year the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup, minus the year the Bruce Trail officially opened.

–

=

b) The year of the first official Toronto Blue Jays game, minus the year the Town of Caledon officially began.

–

=

c) add the answers to a) and b) +

=

d) The year Hwy 407 ETR officially opened, minus the year the Caledon Trailway pavilion opened in Caledon East.

–

=

e) The year of the first official Avro Arrow test flight, minus the year Marilyn Bell first swam Lake Ontario.

–

The Caledon East Field Day By 1887 the new TG&B and H&NW railroads had made it easier for folks in the hills to get to Caledon East. Because the village’s annual fi eld day that year was dedicated to celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Confederation, crowds were larger than ever and the participants in the various sporting events came from all over. R. Byron Johnson, for example came all the way from Creemore to take part. Here is some more information about people who came to Caledon East that day.

— The winner of the weightlifting competition came from Mono Mills.

— Someone, not E.B. Ramsay, came to play horseshoes.

— Sawchuk won second prize in the high jump event.

— The teenager who won a trophy for foot racing came from Hillsburgh.

— Chris Jacobs did not enter weightlifting, nor was he from Sandhill.

— Name the home community for Johnson, Ramsay, Sawchuk and Jacobs.

In what event did each take part?

=

the numbers

72 83 94 48 59 61 15 26 37

f)

the task Enter these two-digit numbers into the grid below, one per square, so that no single digit appears more than once in a row of squares, vertically or horizontally.

add the answers to d) and e) +

=

Silas Moves On to East Garafraxa

In the Hills Math & Township Challenge 1.

Multiply your answer to c ) in the “Wonderful Year” arithmetic exercise above by the number of townships in Dufferin County today.

2.

Multiply your answer to f) in that exercise by the number of former Peel County townships which contributed all or part of their territory to become the Town of Caledon.

3.

Is the answer to number 1 greater than, less than, or equal to the answer to number 2?

As soon as the Erin Fair closed Silas Renarm headed north to The Maples. Here the folks in East Garafraxa were treated to his medicine show and, as always, a special prize for children who solved his puzzle, provided, of course, their parents bought some medicine. At the Maples, the puzzle involved pennies: seven of them scattered randomly on a small table.

The challenge was to arrange the pennies into five straight rows, with three pennies in each row. If a child succeeded, he or she earned one penny (which coincidentally, was exactly the price of the candies Silas offered for sale nearby.)

Would you have earned a penny? solutions on page 62

66

IN THE HILLS SUMMER 2009

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