Music as a powerful healer

Selling whiskey to Al Capone By Adam Gray

The Signal Brewing Company, known locally as Signal, is one of the hippest places to have a local craft beer, a good meal and enjoy some of the best live music in the area. Though Signal only opened its doors in 2017 it’s become a staple of the local music scene. Richard Courneyea, a lifelong entrepreneur and community leader, had wanted to buy the picturesque property located along the shores of the Moira river for years, and finally in 2014 the James family, who owned the property, agreed to sell. Originally, Courneyea and wife Shawna thought they might build condominiums on the Corbyville property until one night Richard had an epiphany: they would go into the alcohol business. Beer would be the path. Shawna gave him the green light, and considering the rich history of the property, the decision made perfect sense. Henry Corby bought a gristmill on the property in the 1850s, and as a sideline started distilling whiskey for local consumption. By 1859 the distillery operation was incorporated and quickly flourished. When Henry moved on to a career in politics his son Henry Jr. took over the business and built an international whiskey empire. During the prohibition era of the United States they ran whiskey across Lake Ontario directly to Al Capone. “There are many stories of Corbyville prospering greatly during that period with that American friend,” says Courneyea with a smile. By the time Corby’s moved to Walkerville in 1991, it had employed generations of local workers, and held an 80% share in the Canadian whiskey market with its long time partner J.P Wiser’s. “Something exceptional happened on this property and it’s our aspiration to make something exceptional happen again.” Signal Brewery

The Corby’s site sat abandoned for 23 years; by the time construction began on Signal, there were only a few near derelict buildings remaining. The delicate process took three years but the end results were indeed exceptional, winning the Courneyeas a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award

Andy Forgie - The Long & Short of it...

for Excellence in Conservation. Signal’s rustic chic design reuses historical elements of the original Corby’s Distillery, giving it the modern hipster feel of Toronto’s distillery district.

Since its opening day, live music has been a key component to Signal’s strategy. “While making beer is the primary business, getting the community together to celebrate music and art is equally important to us. Quinte is rich with talent and creative expression, we just needed a place to amplify that,” says Courneyea. “Signal is about emerging artists that are not going to fill a large soft seat theatre like The Empire… We are part of the small hall movement that brings big talent to smaller venues.”

The list of touring bands that have graced the stage of Signal while on their way to Toronto or Montreal is impressive: The Abrams, Emily Burgess, The Webber Brothers, John Prine, Freddie Dixon to name only a handful.

“It’s pretty amazing to have these entertainers moving through Corbyville,” says Courneyea. “Art is part of the canvas that holds our community together and that’s what we are all about here.”

www.signal.beer

Corby Distillery. Photo Hastings County Historical Society

Later Life Learning Lecture Series LIFESTYLE MEDICINE:

A series of 5 lectures

Lifestyle Medicine is a unique approach to the whole person, focusing on lifestyle changes to enhance life and to prevent disease. The SIX pillars of Lifestyle Medicine will be addressed: Whole-Food Plant-Based Lifestyle, Physical Activity, Stress Reduction, Sleep, Reduction of Harmful Substances, Positive Relationships and Gene Therapy. The information presented will be general in nature and based on scientific evidence.

All five lectures will be given by Roman Moretti, a pharmacist, who is currently a member of the Medication De-escalation Subcommittee of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, assisted by Kathleen Pratt, a Social Worker and Yoga Teacher.

April 15: Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine April 22: Whole-Food Plant-Based Lifestyle April 29: Physical Activity and Stress Reduction, presented by Mr.Moretti & Ms. Pratt May 6: The Importance of Restorative Rest May 13: Reduction of Harmful Substances, Positive Relationships and Gene Therapy (lectures are 1 hour long, followed by a coffee break and a question & answer session)