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Fall 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ Country Roads
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Good Food-Good Friends-Good Times
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5 YEARS OF COVERS
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
Coun Roa
celebrating life in
Coun Roa
celebrating life in
CR Coun
Roa
celebrating life in
C E L E B R AT I N G L I F E I N H A S T I N G S C O U N T Y
Country Roads
celebrating life in hastings county
Country Roads
celebrating life in hastings county
CR Country
CO-PUBLISHER & EDITOR Nancy Hopkins 613 395-0499 CO-PUBLISHER & EDITOR John Hopkins 613 395-0499
Roads
SALES DEPARTMENT Jennifer Richardson jennifer@countryroadshastings.ca 613 922-2135
celebrating life in hastings county
ART DIRECTOR Jozef VanVeenen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Orland French Angela Hawn Sharon Henderson Lindi Pierce Sheena Rowney Michelle Annette Tremblay Sarah Vance Shelley Wildgen CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Sharon Henderson Jozef VanVeenen
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COUNTRY ROADS, Celebrating Life in Hastings County is published four times a year by PenWord Communications Inc. Copies are distributed to select locations throughout Hastings County including the communities of Bancroft, Belleville, Madoc, Marmora, Stirling and Tweed. Copies are also delivered to select homes within southern Ontario. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 year: $14.69 2 years: $27.13 3 years: $35.03 All prices include H.S.T. The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without prior written permission of PenWord Communications Inc. is prohibited. The advertising deadline for the Winter 2013 issue is October 26, 2013. COVER PHOTO: Photo by Anna Sherlock Made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation
HOW TO CONTACT US Telephone: 613 395-0499 Facsimile: 613 395-0903 E-mail: info@countryroadshastings.ca Website: www.countryroadshastings.ca For written enquiries you can reach us at: PenWord Communications Inc. P.O. Box 423, Stirling, ON K0K 3E0
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Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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e d i t o r i a l
correction
Welcome to the first issue of COUNTRY ROADS, year six!
Photo: Haley Ashford
It’s gratifying (and a bit shocking) when we think of how far we’ve travelled, literally and figuratively, over the past five years. We’re thrilled to have developed a great stable of freelance writers and photographers. These artists know Hastings County and bring great story ideas to light. The design and print side of things has always been something we can count on. Key partners in COUNTRY ROADS are the many businesses and groups that have selected the magazine as their marketing choice. Their advertising messages are for you - the reader. We encourage you to explore the products and services they provide and to support them. Quite simply, without these clients the magazine would not be available free of charge to readers such as yourself. Over the past five years it has been our goal to make COUNTRY ROADS your coffee table magazine and one that you keep in your collection to read, re-read and refer to, pass on to friends or family, and talk about. Readers have told us we’ve achieved these goals and that’s very motivating. We also know a good percentage of readers have a sense of our seasonal publishing schedule and start searching for the new issue at just about the time our staff hits the ground running and driving many ‘country roads’ delivering to hundreds of selected outlets. With that in mind we have an exciting announcement to make! COUNTRY ROADS magazine is growing from four to five issues per year. February in Hastings County will be brightened by the launch of our first ever Mid-Winter online only issue. There will be great new stories, photography, information from participating advertisers and you don’t have to trudge through slush or snow or traverse winter roads to receive your copy. Simply visit www.countryroadshastings.ca in early February for this online issue. We will still, of course, publish our Winter issue print version and copies will be available late November and remain in circulation throughout the area until the middle of March, 2014. But we all know how very long winter around these parts can be so we thought a little offering of more stories might help us all get over the hump! But enough about Winter (no need to rush things; it will be here before we know it). Now is the time to enjoy Fall and an Indian Summer would be just fine with us!
•
Nancy & John Hopkins
In the Worth its Weight in Gold story in the summer issue all photos should have been credited to Michelle Annette Tremblay. We apologize for the error. In the summer issue the first verse of the poem Springtime in Paudash by Kathy Figueroa should have read: Spring hath graced the land With a golden hue Winter’s ice and snow hath given way To gentle dew Bright flowers unfurl and bees do hum As I roam about in delirium We apologize for the error.
MEMBERS OF
BANCROFT & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
contributors Angela Hawn thanks her lucky stars for landing in Hastings County after years of an ‘on the road’ lifestyle teaching ESL in Asia, Europe and the Canadian Arctic. Although she loves to travel, some chance meetings here with a few people in the publishing business finally allowed her to put to use a few things learned long ago at Carleton University’s journalism school. When not writing or travelling, Angela enjoys the inspiration and humour consistently delivered by the nineand 10-year-olds seen in her day job as an elementary school teacher. Her dream job? Why, travel writer, of course. Interested parties take note: for the right assignment, she’d work cheap. Closer to home, Angela seeks editorial advice and often, just plain old validation, from fellow travelling companions, husband, Mike, and their two incredible daughters, Maddie and Isobel.
Michelle Annette Tremblay writes because she’s interested in everything. Interviewing fascinating people and sharing their wisdom and ideas is one of her favorite things and has led her to writing features for newspapers and magazines. After completing a Creative Writing degree from the University of British Columbia she spent many years teaching and writing on the west coast of Canada and internationally. But, a country girl at heart, she gave up the city life to return to her roots in Paudash, ON, where she freelances for multiple publications and is the Creative Director of WordBird Media. When she’s not picking remarkable brains, writing or photographing the wonders of rural Ontario, she’s usually in her garden, running after her kids or cooking up something yummy with her husband.
Lindi Pierce, of Prince Edward County UEL stock, enjoyed life in Vancouver, Grand Forks, BC and North Bay before settling on Hastings County as her adoptive home. Lindi compensates for her deficits in local history by volunteer work at Glanmore National Historic Site and at the Community Archives of Hastings County. She indulges her passion for heritage architecture with her blog at ancestralroofs.blogspot.ca and by writing and photographing for ‘Country Roads’, Hastings County Historical Society’s ‘Outlook’ and other local publications. In her spare time, this nature-nut joins her husband Denis, a vintage motorcycle frame designer/builder, on their camping, hiking and cycling expeditions, always on the lookout for another good house to snap.
Sarah Vance is a member of the Board of Directors for the Art Gallery of Bancroft and an active supporter of the Bancroft & Hastings Highlands Blues and Jazz Festival. She is an elementary teacher with the Hastings Prince Edward School Board and a member of the York River Public School Council, in Bancroft, where she works and where her children study. Sarah and her husband live in L’Amable, with their three children.
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V O LU M E 6 , I S S U E 3 , FA L L 2 0 1 3
letters to the editor
Contents
Dear Country Roads I would like to commend everyone for this magazine. All the articles are well written, very informative and are greatly enjoyed by me and the photography is superb. The article “Where The Whistle No Longer Blows” by Orland French in the Spring issue sure brought ghost towns to life. “The Memories Live On” by John Hopkins was also a great article. It made me reminisce about the 1970 Mustang that I bought new and enjoyed driving. Today’s vehicles are too complicated, expensive and are all the same. The summer issue also had some great articles worth reading. “Local Flavour” by Angela Hawn, “Worth its Weight in Gold” and “Bee Fever” by Michelle Tremblay were three that I enjoyed. May your magazine go on to even greater success in the future.
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Winston E. Ralph Bancroft, ON Dear Country Roads Congratulations upon reaching your five-year milestone! That is a most laudable accomplishment in what has become a very tough game today. Clearly, turning out a quality product with interesting and eclectic articles has played a major role in that. As Janet and John Foster, plus Susan Chan are good friends, your magazine is always a treat for us to read. Your change of title (from ‘Discovering Hastings County’ to ‘Celebrating Life In Hastings County’) is most appropriate. We have long felt that not enough of us, in this magnificent place called Hastings County, truly appreciate how blessed we are to be living here. There are other great places in Canada and the world, but it doesn’t get any better than around here. The folks in Prince Edward County have done a great job promoting their little space to the south, but folks such as you are helping us to catch up fast. Bravo! We met some years back at a Harvest Hastings event, when you were just getting started, and we (The Hastings Stewardship Council) were just getting Harvest Hastings off the ground. Both ventures continue successfully apace, and I am delighted you are flourishing. Please keep up the great work. Best regards, and we wish you many more anniversaries. Heather and Cliff Maclean Moira Ridge Farms (A little corner of Paradise on the Moira River) Roslin, ON
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
8 MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
6 EDITORIAL 6 CONTRIBUTORS 19 JUST SAYING
By Angela Hawn
14 SEEDS OF WISDOM; SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY
By Michelle Annette Tremblay
24 HASTINGS BY LAMPLIGHT
By Lindi Pierce
32 THE TIGER’S ROAR
By Sarah Vance
The New Fall Season...unplugged
20 ADVERTISER INDEX 22 ARTISANS AT HAND
Classic style reborn
28 30 36 37 38
TELLING TALES CROSSROADS COUNTRY CALENDAR MARKETPLACE BACK ROADS
Barn Raising in Thurlow
You’ve got a copy of COUNTRY ROADS in your hands and that tells us you’re interested in Hastings County.
WANT MORE? Join the COUNTRY ROADS Facebook page. You’ll be the first to get a sneak peak at upcoming issues, new things on our website, and a whole lot more. C O V E R I N G T H E A R T S , O U T D O O R S , H I S T O R Y, P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S We are ALL Hastings County, ALL the time! Come join us!
Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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Magical Mystery Tour Beatles influence sets duo on musical path By Angela Hawn
All You Need Is Love brings all the psychedelic excesses of The Beatles to life, including Andy Forgie’s performance in the distinctive ‘Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite’ from the seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Photo by Ed Mcpherson
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
As part of Photograph in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Rashotte and Forgie enjoyed their greatest commercial success, due in part to crossing paths with Tom Cochrane. The line-up consisted of (from l to r) Rashotte, John Paul Murphy, Chris Dunwell, Forgie and Wayne McFaul. Photo Courtesy Andy Forgie & Mark Rashotte
P
icture a chilly Sunday evening, February 9, 1964. Families across North America vie for best spot in front of the television set. The show? Ed Sullivan. Tonight’s guests? The Beatles. An audience seemingly composed entirely of teenaged girls begins to scream, effectively drowning out Ed’s hoarse introduction and Paul McCartney starts the countin for ‘All My Lovin.’ The British Invasion is well underway. If you’re over 50, chances are you’ve got some memory of the Fab Four’s American television debut. In fact, no matter how old you are, you’ve probably heard of the Beatles. No doubt you can hum a few bars from at least a couple of their hits. And if you’re Andy Forgie or Mark Rashotte, you might recall how that long ago TV premiere sparked a very personal journey through the world of rock and roll. Both count the show as a major source of inspiration. Although neither knew each other at the time, both nine-year-olds saw it. “I was at my end of town watching and Andy was at his end,” muses Mark. “My sister, who was 17 or 18 years old at the time, had her face pinned within an inch of the TV. About five or six feet behind her my 14-year-old brother and I were watching. Behind us, my parents were in big lazyboys with my dad saying things like “Get a haircut.” I realized: hey, something’s going on here and it’s kinda cool. I’d like to be one of these guys.” Andy credits his parents for making sure both he and his brother stayed up late on a school night to see the Beatles’ first North American broadcast. His mom and dad had been following the unprecedented media hype swirling about the band ever since their plane touched down in New York and
figured that night’s Sullivan show was a phenomenon not to be missed. Andy still remembers Ed’s long, stony face as being a little scary. “And then the Beatles started to play and the world was forever changed,” he declares. “Before I saw the show, I wanted to play for the Maple Leafs. Afterwards, I wanted to become a rock and roll star.” It’s been a long and winding road since then, so to speak, with plenty of ups and downs along the way: two bands, a half dozen name changes, an album, a couple of different record labels (including Capitol - the Beatles’ label) and a number of hit singles. Countless gigs during 10 years on the road meant constantly crisscrossing both Canada and parts of the United States. Andy and Mark played a myriad of clubs and theatres, a few of them good, most of them less than cozy, evoking plenty of late night conversations about what the perfect venue might resemble if only musicians were in charge. Quite a trip, when you think about it. The best part? It’s not over. The musical journey continues, though the grinding aspect of touring in a travelling band ended almost 30 years ago. In fact, life on the road came full circle, thus bringing two best friends back to their musical roots in Hastings County. But that doesn’t mean the music stopped. And even the road trips carry on, though these days the band can afford to pick and choose their gigs. And the affinity for Beatles’ music? Still going strong. When this musical twosome gets together with a few other well-chosen musician friends to perform in their latest band, All You Need Is Love, it feels like the 1960’s all over again. The celebration of Beatles’ era music continues, pleasing appreciative fans from Louisville, Kentucky to Liverpool, England, coincidentally sites of the biggest
Mark Rashotte and Andy Forgie outside the Empire Theatre, Belleville. Photo by Angela Hawn Although they no longer eke out a living playing on the road, the thrill of performing has never left Forgie (l) or Rashotte (r). Photo by Bob House
Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
Mark Rashotte and Andy Forgie have never lost their connection to the music of The Beatles, and along with Steve Smith, Al Haring, Vitas Slapkauskas, Paul Lockyer and sound technician Wayne McFaul, their band All You Need Is Love has appeared at Beatles festivals around the world. Photo by Bob House
Beatles music festivals in North America and the world, respectively. How did all of this start? Soon after that famous Sullivan broadcast, Mark traded in the accordion favoured by his Laurence Welk-loving parents for a guitar and Andy worked on perfecting his vocal style. When the two met in grade seven, it didn’t take long for friendship to morph into a band called The Electric Circuit, though the name didn’t stick. Over the years the group would take on a series of different identities, including The Fog, Creed, The Elevators and Photograph. But Mark claims his mom can take credit for dreaming up that very first moniker. “We were banging out music in each other’s basements or my dad’s lumbermill, with all of the sawdust around,” he recalls. “Our parents probably thought we were crazy, but they were very supportive.”
And even though there might have a been just a tiny bit of parental concern when the duo decided to make music their chosen career path, the decision to head out on the road came easily enough. While some kids filled out college application forms and others considered the traditional job market, Forgie and Rashotte sought something just a little more exotic. Drummer John Paul Murphy and bass player Tom Ward agreed and the local foursome hit the road. And for 250 or so nights a year, that’s exactly where the band stayed, touring from 1974 to the mid Eighties. “We were straight out of high school when we started and 30 when we stopped,” remembers Andy. “We had a bit of a revolving door with bass players, but three out of the four members in the group stayed the same.” “We took it very seriously,” adds Mark. “That was our job. That was how we made a living. When you went into a bank or something to ask for a loan, they’d ask what do you do? We’d tell them and they’d say, ‘What’s your real job?’ But we were as determined as could be that we would make a go of this.” And that’s exactly what happened, though life on the road could be an endurance test at times. Forgie recalls chuckling at the irony of hauling their own equipment to every gig. If a musician’s livelihood depends largely on his hands, heaven help the gui-
Andy Forgie poses with John Lennon’s sister, Julia Baird, during a visit by All You Need Is Love to Liverpool. “For someone who dreamed of being a Beatle since I was nine years of age, it was very emotional for me,” he says. Photo Courtesy Andy Forgie
Getting a pay cheque for playing the guitar seemed almost too good to be true. Beyond the music, Andy recalls...
Their adventures with All You Need Is Love have taken Andy Forgie and Mark Rashotte to such storied venues as the Cavern Club in Liverpool, an integral piece in the Fab Four legend. Photo by Bob House
tarist who jams his fingers carrying his own amp on stage. When the group signed with Capitol, they enjoyed a brief stint with hired roadies. Otherwise, you just had to remember to lift with your legs. The upside? Rashotte jokes musicians say they don’t get paid for the few hours they spend on stage, but for the 20 or so when they’re not making music. Getting a pay cheque for playing the guitar seemed almost too good to be true. Beyond the music, Andy recalls the majestic backdrop for their nomadic lifestyle: beautiful Canadian views from Newfoundland to the Rockies left a lasting impression on the group.
Rashotte has forged many friendships in the rock business and some big names come through Belleville’s Empire Theatre, including Slash from Guns N’ Roses. Photo courtesy Mark Rashotte
And they certainly met a few notable people along the way, too. Both musicians drop enough well-known names to impress any fan of rock and roll. April Wine, Edward Bear, The Stampeders, Blue Rodeo, the list goes on and on. Neither seeks to impress with tales of famous acquaintances or friends. Rather, they seem humbled by the fact their own ventures into such rarified air brought them so close to rock star royalty. Not everyone plays showcases with some of their favourite Canadian artists. When asked, both men try to define some of the most memorable events from an era when life revolved full-time around music. Mark recalls the
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
Rashotte (second from left) and Forgie (right) started playing together in grade seven in a band called The Electric Company, which evolved into The Fog, shown here in 1969. Tom Ward (l) and John Paul Murphy (second from right) filled out the line-up. Photo Courtesy Andy Forgie & Mark Rashotte
thrill of hearing the band’s songs on the radio. With pride, he points out the group started out playing covers and quickly progressed to writing and performing their own music. Three of Photograph’s tunes got major airplay and their debut single ‘The Last Dance’ rocketed up the Canadian charts. For Andy, the cherry on top came when the band signed a contract with Capitol Records. At last they had hooked up with a record label, and it just happened to be the same one used by his beloved Beatles. Both acknowledge Tom Cochrane’s role in helping the group find its recording legs. Rashotte tells the tale of encountering the Canadian rocker for the first time at the WikiWak Club in Shediac, N.B. Soon all the musicians were talking and Cochrane invited the young men from Hastings County to stay at the ‘Band House’ with his band Red Ryder. Forgie played a few demo tapes for Cochrane and Cochrane returned the favour. Before parting ways, the groups checked their respective calendars and confirmed both were booked to play Toronto gigs in the near future. Flash ahead three weeks to the Nickelodeon in the Big Smoke, right across from the Eaton Centre. Halfway through their first set, Andy and Mark noticed Cochrane striding through the club. And he wasn’t alone. Some Capitol Records scouts had decided to take in the show and they liked what they heard. Switching gears, the group broke into some original material usually saved for much later in the evening. When Cochrane introduced the band to Capitol’s Dean Cameron, conversation quickly turned to plans for booking studio time. Next stop: Hamilton, Ont. Why go to a city known mostly for its steel industry to make a record album? Well, it just happened to be home to the not yet world-famous record producer Daniel Lanois.
Within a few years, Lanois would move on to work with music heavy-hitters like Peter Gabriel and Bob Dylan. Listen to almost any U2 album and you’ll hear his talents at play. Lanois partnered with wellknown producer Brian Eno when the legendary Irish group was at its peak. “We knew him when he was just ‘Dan’”, laughs Mark, noting the famous producer also works as a performer and once played a show at Belleville’s Empire Theatre, an enterprise opened by Mark in 2003. He adds Lanois got his biggest laugh from the local audience when he poked a little fun at his musical hosts, joking their album was the only one he’d recorded that didn’t make it big. Would performers of this calibre consider playing such a small city if they didn’t share some history with the theatre’s owner? Possibly. Rashotte acknowledges Belleville’s prime location along the Highway 401 corridor certainly plays a pivotal role. But he also notes many booking agents he encounters now once worked as performers “back in the day.” Their paths often crossed with Mark’s and Andy’s when all made their living playing on stage. And both men proudly point out the theatre’s “performer-friendly” attributes. According to the musical duo, the Empire’s welcoming atmosphere deserves much of the credit for attracting stars. “Artists like our easy load-ins, our crew, our dressing rooms,” Mark declares, calling big names from musician Randy Bachman to comedian Ron James “friends of the theatre.” In charge of the Empire’s promotions department, Andy agrees wholeheartedly with this sentiment. He points out the focus for many venues often tilts almost lopsidedly towards the patrons. And while he acknowledges the ticket-buyers’ importance, Andy stresses the Empire tries to find a balance. They want
DISTANCE STUDIES &
CONTINUING
EDUCATION CERTIFICATES
& DIPLOMAS
2013-2014
•
The Empire Beatles Weekend is scheduled for Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19. More info is available at www. theempiretheatre.com.
Mark Rashotte playing his grandson Isaac’s guitar; although Isaac (aged 4) is a little too young for the guitar just yet, Rashotte plans to give it to him one day. Rashotte purchased it in San Francisco the day Isaac was born. Photo by Angela Hawn
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So the magical mystery tour continues, sometimes here, sometimes in venues far away. Anyone who caught the act last autumn as part of the Empire Beatles Weekend will be happy to know the group intends to do it all over again this October. These hometown musicians play whenever and wherever they can because they love their music. Fortunately for their local fans, they love home, too.
Meeting you where you are.
R0011294653
Andy and Mark sitting in empty Empire Theatre, Belleville. Photo by Angela Hawn
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the audience to be happy, but they also want to make everything for the artist as perfect as possible. “Performers at the Empire enjoy the backstage hospitality, staging, lighting, the professionalism of our technicians,” Forgie cheerfully ticks off a list of perks he and Rashotte only dreamed about when they were young musicians. “Word spreads because performers talk to each other. Serena Ryder talks to Blue Rodeo who talk to Great Big Sea. It’s like a brotherhood.” Perhaps an opportunity to play around on some of Mark’s famous guitars helps draw a few noteworthy artists, too. Encouraged by fellow guitar aficionado Bachman to acquire the instruments because, among other things, “unlike a Rembrandt, you can pick them up and play them,” Mark’s collection now numbers 70 plus. Visiting musicians often enjoy free access to the guitar room, a part of the Empire he jokingly refers to as “Fort Knox.” With that kind of philosophy in place, the 700seat theatre in this smallish Eastern Ontario centre often plays host to some pretty big names. And when real estate businessman Mark moved his “day-job” (Royal Lepage ProAlliance) to the building beside the Empire in Belleville’s downtown core, the entertainment venue evolved to accommodate even bigger shows with larger audiences. “Most people would have looked at the parking lot between the theatre and the real estate office as just a nice parking lot,” laughs Rashotte. But the Belleville entrepreneur envisioned something with entertainment potential and Empire Square Live was born. With capacity to hold almost 4,000 people, the outdoor staging area meant tickets for internationally known acts could be reasonably priced and suddenly Belleville was playing host to a veritable Who’s Who of Rock and Roll. Boston, Peter Frampton, Steve Winwood: these are just a few of the famous names known to grace the Empire venue. “These guys don’t have to play Belleville for their careers, but they do it,” says Mark. “We’re on their list. They want to play here and that makes us smile.” These days Mark and Andy don’t have to hit the road for the sake of their careers either. When Photograph disbanded, the two pursued other interests. Mark studied real estate, eventually going on to run both a mortgage lending business and an extremely successful real estate operation, employing nearly 400 people in offices from Brockville to Port Hope. In addition to the Empire Theatre, he also owns Belleville’s popular Cafe E, which serves meals to hungry visiting artists as well as the general public. Sticking with music, Andy’s interests swung in a radically different direction when he decided to focus on a much younger audience. Returning to the recording studio, he produced two of his own children’s CDs, one of which featured Canadian icon Bob Homme (a.k.a. The Friendly Giant.) But the duo’s rock and roll roots go pretty deep. The two still find time to perform, occasionally getting together as Photograph for special events. More frequently, they hit the stage with fellow All You Need is Love musicians Steve Smith, Al Haring, Vitas Slapkauskas, Paul Lockyer and sound technician Wayne McFaul. Even road trips still happen. Tentative dates for some gigs in sunny Florida have already been pencilled into next year’s calendar.
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Fall 2013 • Country Roads
I 13
By Michelle Annette Tremblay Photos by Sean Buk
Seeds of wisdom; seeds of sustainability Madawaska House resident shares her seed saving savvy
W
ith each bronzy autumn comes the harvest we’ve all been waiting for. Eagerly we dig through the rich dark earth, uncovering beautiful red and white potatoes. We gather zucchinis, fantasizing about how we’ll slice or stuff them. If we’re lucky, the growing season has been long enough to grace us with ripe melons, and fat tomatoes. But wait – don’t gobble up all the fruits of your labours just yet. Take a moment to think of next spring. If you’re like many people, you’ve been steadily becoming more dedicated to sustainable agriculture, using natural fertilizers such as manure and compost, and perhaps learning about companion planting to encourage better growth and ward off pests naturally. If you haven’t started yet, this is the ideal time to begin harvesting and saving your own seeds. It’s not too hard, there are a ton of reasons to do it, and if you’ve grown heirloom organic plants, you now, at harvest time, have everything you need for a 2014 summer of bounty. “Above ground peas and beans are the easiest,” says Laurie Ann Storring, of Madawaska House Retreat and Organic Gardens, in Maple Leaf. She has invited me to come out and see her little piece of paradise first hand. And I am impressed. Her well-mulched gardens overflow with sweet berries, multitudes of vegetables and a whole separate bed full of medicinal plants, most of which I’ve never even heard of.
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
This, she explains, is why it’s so important to choose heirloom seeds. They’ve had decades to acclimatize to their specific environment, becoming more resistant to regional pests and diseases, and tolerant of the local weather. When she’s not busy teaching seed saving techniques and tending to the gardens, Laurie Ann Storring can be found selling the fruits of her labours at various venues around North Hastings, such as York River Meats in Bancroft.
Although this is only my second time meeting Storring – my first was last week when I stopped by York River Meats in Bancroft where she was selling some of her fresh produce - I am nonetheless well acquainted with what she does. It would be hard for me not to be. I’ve heard her name mentioned over and over in conversations about sustainable living; I’ve seen photos on Facebook of her workshops (some of the members have given themselves the moniker the Green Goddesses) all about planning plots, preparing soil for growing, canning and preserving, and many more topics. She runs 10 workshops a year, and they are wildly popular. She and her husband Richard Baynes, an ubercool artist who also works in their gardens, are well known throughout North Hastings as the go-to people when it comes to learning about organic gardening. You’re not likely to run into them in the supermarket - the unofficial social hub of a small town – because aside from things like cheese and butter, they grow and raise all the food they need for the whole year. Their pantry and root cellar are, by any measure, an inspiration. “A seed is a living thing. It has memory,” says Storring, after giving me a full tour of the gardens, which wind and weave throughout the rugged property. Heat loving plants are on the south slope; medicinal ones are down a little path from the chicken coop. As we sit for a cool drink of fresh well water at her picnic table, joined by Baynes and Whiskey (the retreat’s very charming ca-
nine), Storring says, “Seeds adjust to the area where they’re grown.” This, she explains, is why it’s so important to choose heirloom seeds. They’ve had decades to acclimatize to their specific environment, becoming more resistant to regional pests and diseases, and tolerant of the local weather. And in this day and age, where we are bombarded daily by strong arguments for avoiding genetically modified organisms (GMOs), buying organic seeds is a no-brainer. Most GMOs won’t produce viable seeds at all, forcing gardeners to buy new seeds year after year. So heirloom organic seeds are definitely the way to go, but they can be expensive to buy; certainly more expensive than their non-heirloom non-organic counterparts. I’m not a great gardener, but I try, and this was the first year I used only heirloom organic seeds. After scurraging through seed catalogues, checking out different varieties of my favourite vegetables, with special attention to the ‘days to maturity’ information, I picked out enough seeds to fill my 10’x20’ garden. As I forked out well over a hundred dollars, I reminded myself it was a good investment for the future. I knew I wanted to grow food I could feel proud feeding to my kids, and I knew I wanted to join the Green Goddesses and learn all about harvesting and saving my own seeds. As I write this article, Storring’s seed workshop is still a month and a half away, but she says she’s happy to give me the inside scoop early so I can write about it. Sharing this information is paramount to her beliefs. As she begins to share
Keeping an organic garden pest and weed free is a time consuming hands-on job. In addition to using companion planting practices to keep pests away naturally, Richard Baynes says he weeds constantly
Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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“It all starts with the seeds you purchase in the first place,” says Storring. “It really is an investment.” That’s because, if you buy seeds once, you can regrow your favourite crops year after year, never needing to buy seeds again unless you want to try something different.
Once seeds have been cleaned and dried, they are stored in moisture absorbing paper envelopes, in a cool dry place. Recording the year they were harvested is important, since seeds lose their viability exponentially over time.
her process, I immediately feel more confident in my investment. “It all starts with the seeds you purchase in the first place,” says Storring. “It really is an investment.” That’s because, if you buy seeds once, you can regrow your favourite crops year after year, never needing to buy seeds again unless you want to try something different. Moreover, once you start saving your own seeds, you’ll likely end up with more than you need - seeds need to be used within a year or two, since their viability decreases exponentially over time - in which case you can trade your extra seeds with other growers for variation. Seed swapping gath-
The stone basement from an original homestead, just a few feet from the Madawaska House, has been lovingly converted into a conversation pit, complete with a campfire area, original works of art and decorative gardens.
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erings, like Seedy Saturday, are popping up in communities big and small all across the country. I am a tomato lover, so that’s the first crop I ask about. Storring smiles, and says tomatoes are one of the more tricky fruits to harvest seeds from, but she gives me the rundown. “Choose a good specimen, and let it fully ripen. Pick it, slice it in half, as if you were going to eat it, and then scoop the seeds out,” explains the veteran gardener. She has a proven method for scooping out the seeds, which she demonstrates in her seed saving workshop, but basically as long as you can get the seeds out, you’re in business. “Next, put the seeds in a jar of water, swish them around, and rinse.” She rhymes off the next steps quickly, as though she’s done it a hundred times. “Put them in a jar of clear water, with cheese cloth on the top and let it mould - let it get good and mouldy! Over time the less mature seeds will rise, and the viable seeds will go to bottom. Then skim the top, rinse the seeds thoroughly, and drain them really well in a sieve.” She recommends dumping the drained seeds on a plate and letting them sit overnight and then gently separating them the next day, as tomato seeds can be quite sticky. If you’re not quite ready for the tomato seed saving process just yet, maybe start with beans or peas. They basically just need to be dried and shelled. Cucumbers and zucchinis should stay on the vine as long as possible, so the seeds inside can fully mature; they should stay on the vine until they get mushy. Carrots and parsnips can just stay in the ground, as they don’t go to seed until the second year of growing. Regardless of what plant you’re dealing with, the final stage of harvesting seeds is the same: once the seeds are thoroughly rinsed and their coating is off, you let them dry out completely, put them in a paper
Bancroft Theatre District
Fall
WEAR JOSEPH RIBKOFF, RED CORAL, LINEA, TRIBAL AND MUCH MORE.
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3 BRIDGE ST. W. BANCROFT, ON 613.332.5645
• View the spectacular fall colours on one of thirteen ‘Scenic Routes’ in North Hastings • Ideal conditions for mineral collecting • Unique shops & great dining • Explore the many trails on foot, ATV or by paddle • Arts Route and Studio Tours • Self-Guided Antique Tour
THANKS for visiting us at the 50th Annual Rockhound Gemboree! Save the date for 2014: July 31, August 1-3
• *NEW* Nature Discovery Tours
FOR DAY TRIP IDEAS, PERMITS, MAPS AND MUCH MORE, PLEASE VISIT: 8 Hastings Heritage Way, Box 539 Bancroft, ON K0L 1C0 Tel: (613) 332-1513 Fax: (613) 332-2119 chamber@bancroftdistrict.com www.bancroftdistrict.com
Alive with entertainment, first class shopping, and dining. Fall 2013 • Country Roads
I 17
Harvesting your own seeds ensures you can continue to grow healthful organic heirloom fruits and vegetables, year after year.
Storring, Baynes and their charming canine companion, Whiskey, are happy to give visitors tours of the Madawaska House Retreat and Organic Gardens, in Maple Leaf, and share their knowledge of organic gardening.
Storring and Baynes both began learning about organic gardening as children, and report watching it become less and less common over the years, but are reassured by the recent resurgence.
envelope, and store them somewhere cool, dark, and dry. If they get too warm and damp they will start to germinate early and die. “When big agriculture came into being, most people stopped saving their seeds,” recounts Storring wistfully, as we sit around the picnic table. She and Baynes both recount growing up with gardens and learning techniques at a young age from their parents, but say they witnessed the ubiquity of the practice dwindle over time. They are both encouraged by the recent gradual resurgence. “Today it’s a pretty radical step that people are taking that provides them with their own food. Of course some companies don’t want that,” Storring says, adding that it’s important to continue the old traditions, if nothing else to protect seed variation. She speaks longingly of a variety of pepper she used to enjoy that is no longer available because people stopped growing it. “I can’t buy the seeds
anywhere; it was a beautiful purple pepper. There are wonderful species that are just being lost.” At the end of the day, that’s why she and Baynes do what they do. They made the lifestyle choice 10 years ago to live off the land, relearn the techniques they had been introduced to as children, and expand on them. For a while they focused on selling their produce, but over time they realized what they really wanted to do was feed people good knowledge. I can’t wait to take her workshops. “This is our path; helping other people learn,” she says.
To book a tour of Madawaska House Retreat and Organic Gardens, at 30 New Carlow Rd., in Maple Leaf, or for more information on Laurie Ann Storring’s workshops, contact her at MadawaskaHouse@ live.com or (613) 332-9282
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MAYNOOTH Experience Maynooth
and come see for yourself these stores featured in the COUNTRY ROADS Spring 2012 issue. Let us help you plan your next visit to the area.
Visit www.maynooth.on.ca
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
JUST SAYING
BY SHELLEY WILDGEN
The New Fall Season …unplugged Traditionally, fall is a little bit two faced. There’s the slowing down -- leaves and bears disappear, cottages close; and there’s the opening up -schools, businesses, fashion stores and weight loss centres move into high gear. Our internal mechanisms seem to respond to this tousled season, sometimes producing a newness of sorts in our spirits. I find that fall, rather than January, is more apt to bring about fresh resolutions. Maybe the change of pace provides reinforcement. Not sure. For whatever reason, this fall I am attempting to quit my longest enduring habit of television watching. I love TV. It is my oldest and dearest friend. I am entranced and impressed by its unending capacity to communicate and entertain. In classic break up terms: It’s not the television, it’s me. I could sit here and tell you I won’t miss it a bit, but that would not be true. I am already pining for my HGTV home reno shows and hourly ‘Breaking News’ from CNN, but what I’m not missing is the time lost as I devoured my beloved television programs. This year began like any other new fall season -- looking for the line-up, starting with the cancellations to make sure my favourites hadn’t made the cut. With the exception of ‘CSI – New York’ I discovered I didn’t know any of the cancelled shows; strangers, all of them – ‘Body of Proof,’ ‘Happy Endings,’ ‘How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life,’ ‘Red Widow,’ ‘Vegas’ (WITHOUT Robert Urich), ‘Emily Owens, M.D.’ What happened? I love TV! Don’t I? How could I be spending hordes of time and money on something I don’t even recognize? Am I leaving TV or is it actually leaving me? I proceeded to the next phase - acknowledging my addiction. What was I watching and for how many hours a week? It turns out that my consumption was less about variety of channels watched and more about zoning out on a lot of similar programs offered on only three or four channels. Interesting yet useless information. Once tallied, there was no denying that television consumption was my mightiest addiction; one that has provided mindless comfort since my days of watching Fred Flintstone, H.R. Pufnstuf and ‘Truth or Consequences.’ Next came a most
awkward epiphany. What of all the books I’ve missed reading, music I’ve never heard, walks I didn’t take, friends I didn’t make, all due to network numbness. A wicked realization. Now the money. Much like a smoker figures out their annual cash outlay as they contemplate quitting, I was appalled at the monthly cost. By the time I added up all the channel packages, recording devices, picture enhancing black boxes, hiss-filtering speakers and monthly usage fees, a small mortgage payment could be made in its place, and that got my attention more than any Sham Wow ad.
I find that fall, rather than January, is more apt to bring about fresh resolutions. Maybe the change of pace provides reinforcement. Not sure.
The facts were inarguable. Fresh off three weeks of Maritime holiday sightseeing, sans television, I forged ahead. Like dipping a toe in the frigid Atlantic, television withdrawal had to be a gradual submersion. The functioning machine and all of its tentacles remained in place, services intact, but I extracted my person from the Shelley-sized dent in the sofa, with my mettle tested regularly. Once, as I sailed past my old friend, book in hand, ready to read
on the patio – I froze. The television was ON. My husband was watching it. “I thought we agreed…?” I stammered. Wait, this isn’t his problem. It’s mine. So I looked Anderson Cooper straight in the azure blues, took a step back and retreated without incident. Another setback occurred following a session of non-viewing time. I stopped in at my brother’s apartment for a glass of water after a walk through Old East Hill in Belleville. The soothing, siren call of television static was detected immediately. Drawn by its melodious lure I entered the lair where the unmistakable banter of a panel show greeted me. ‘The View?’ ‘The Talk?’ Wendy Williams? I love them all. Engrossed, I sat and nestled into my old, familiar comfy coma until my brother walked in the room and commented on my weakness. Brothers do that. It’s been a while now. I’ve enjoyed many bonfires, read books, gone for walks, kayaked up the Trent, joined the library, become reacquainted with The Moody Blues and learned to dine at a table again. It’s been good. Admittedly, there is a certain feeling of being disconnected. I can get news from my laptop and I read plenty of magazines but how about those Breaking News bulletins and my celebrities and all those Househunters? How are they faring? Oh, and what of Bill Maher and the whole HBO crowd? I think I miss them most. But do I miss them, or are they just like a mole I’m used to seeing on my arm and then it’s gone? Throughout this entire process I have talked about, but not acted upon, removing television services from our home. Problem. Cancelling everything means no one can watch and as I said - this is my addiction and no one else’s. The decision remains, what to cancel and what to keep? Deconstructing the program packages, returning receivers... Exhausting. And Christmas is coming so there’ll be all those tear-jerking Linda Hamilton movies to watch and watch some more, and I can’t remember which channel they’ll be on so best leave all undisturbed. Rationalizing? Perhaps. Not quite over the relationship. Definitely.
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Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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20 I Wilson’s of Madco .................................. 52 Wilton Cheese Factory ........................... 53 Zihua Clothing Boutique ........................ 54
CleanRite ................................................ 8
Cooney Auto Sales ................................. 9
Craftsman Restaurant ............................. 10
Miss Priss Boutique................................. 29
McKeown Motor Sales ........................... 28
McDougall Insurance .............................. 27
Maynooth General Store ........................ 26
Maxine Bell Pet Carpentry ...................... 25
Madawaska Art Shop.............................. 24
Lullidaza .................................................. 23
Loyalist College ..................................... 22
at Tompkins by the Bay .......................... 21
John Mc’Neills Place
Hearts to God ......................................... 20
Hastings Highlands................................. 19
Glanmore Historic Site............................ 18
Gilmour Meat Shop and Deli.................. 17
Exclusive Invites ...................................... 16
Empire Cheese ....................................... 15
Elizabeth Crombie, Royal LePage .......... 14
Dr. Douglas Smith & Associates ............. 13
Don Koppin General Contractor ............ 12
31
36
37
44 54
Joe VanVeenen Map
Wells Ford .............................................. 51
Boutique Inspiration BMR Drummond ... 7
10
Welcome Wagon .................................... 50
Blue Roof Bistro ...................................... 6
22 32 34 38
Warren & Co.Contracting ....................... 49
Black River Trading Company................. 5
6 12
Village Shoppe ....................................... 48
Barley Pub & Eatery ................................ 4
3
Town of Deseronto ................................. 47
Chamber of Commerce .......................... 3
2
Tikit-Visuals ............................................. 46
Bancroft & District
19 24 26
Table-Craft .............................................. 45
Ashlie’s Books ......................................... 2
Dancing Moon Gallery ........................... 11
Stone Kitchen ........................................ 44
Advertiser Index
Country Roads - Celebrating Life in Hastings County wallmap
Apple Store - Cooney Farms .................. 1
Country Roads • Fall 2013
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25 27
SERVICES
BRIGHTON
15
CAMPBELLFORD
7
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28
49
17
PICTON
23 43 51
1 13 20
4 41 52 42
5
9 13 16 18 46 48
22 29 35 39 40
8
33 42 47
11 21 30
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ODESSA
53
hastings county
P.O. Box 423, Stirling, ON K0K 3E0 P: 613 395-0499 • F: 613 395-0903 E: info@countryroadshastings.ca www.countryroadshastings.ca
celebrating life in hastings county
Roads
CR Country
celebrating life in hastings county
Stirling Rawdon ...................................... 43
Steinberg Dental Centres ....................... 42
Skootamattariverhouse.com ................... 41
Country Roads
Conference Centre/Café/Catering ......... 40
celebrating life in hastings county
Sans Souci Banquet,
Ruttle Bros. Furniture .............................. 39
Rural Roots Café ..................................... 38
Country Roads
Revival Store ........................................... 37
Red Steer Butcher Shop ......................... 36
Pretsell Cavanaugh Davies Lawers ......... 35
Peytan’s Place ......................................... 33 celebrating life in hastings county HASTINGS COUNTY Posies Flowers & Gifts ........................... 34
Old Tin Shed .......................................... 32
Old Hastings Mercantile & Gallery ......... 31
Country Roads
O’Connor House English Tea Room ....... 30
Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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ARTISANS AT HAND
Classic style reborn Potter brings back traditional technique STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHARON HENDERSON
Stirling-area potter Alecia Bye specializes in a decorating technique known as ‘Mocha’, which has its origins in England and Scotland in the 18th century but seemed to have fallen out of practice in the early 20th century. She has operated her Whispered Secret Pottery Studio out of an old farmhouse since 2004, and she specializes in custom pet dishes with names and birthdates.
Would you describe your art for those unacquainted with your work? I make twice-fired stoneware in functional forms which I decorate with an Old English slip decorating technique called ‘mocha’ and I also use some solid colour glazes. I make commissioned works with names and dates. I love creating pet bowls. If it can be thrown on a wheel or slab-rolled I can make it. I don’t work with moulds except to extrude the handles through a handmade die.
How do you create the mocha designs? It is applied to leather-hard pottery in a slip decoration process. You take your piece of pottery, which is still very soft, and completely submerge it into alkaline slip (liquefied clay) and on a paintbrush you have the acidic mocha tea. When the two come into contact there is a surface tension that produces a reaction. In that second when the acid and the alkaline meet, the treelike pattern appears. We think of coffee or colour today, but in the 1700s it was named mocha because it resembles mocha stone which has those dendritic patterns.
Did you always know that you would be an artist? No. I’m not sure that I even consider myself an artist now. I’m a potter. I’ve always been very
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crafty, good with my hands, and I have always had an eye for form. I think those things help me to be a good potter. It is important to me that the piece function as well as it looks. Durability is really important. It really matters to me that my product will stand up, that people can use it. The original mocha was used on functional ware. It was considered art for the poor.
What made you want to be a potter? I think it kind of found me. I decided I needed new mugs. That’s really what started it! I have two older sisters who were potters. They had retired from pottery by the time I started. I mentioned to my sister Shirley that I was taking pottery classes and she told me she would give me her mocha recipe.
What gave you the push to leave your office job lifestyle? Being committed to my work and a paycheque was no longer what I needed to be able to focus on my life. I knew that I needed a change. It was time for my soul to find something. Financially there was a lot of uncertainty, but I have never once regretted it. As I look back I know I’ve made the right decision.
How did you learn your craft? I took some pottery classes at Loyalist College. I loved it immediately, but I was frustrated that it was harder than I thought it would be. I thought I was going to come out of there with six beautiful mugs. Within a few months I had gone from taking classes to hunting down equipment and taking over a whole wing of our house. My life changed dramatically from that point. Eventually I became good enough that I felt I could sell it. That, of course, took several years of making mud and having fun while I figured out what I was going to do next. Even at that point I didn’t know that this is what I was going to do. I was just enjoying it. Then it got hold of me.
What gives you inspiration for your art? The things that I hear from people, such as ‘I like my mugs to have a big round belly’, inspire my shapes and my forms. The trees, they are their own magic. I don’t really feel I have any control over them. They appear for me in the sense that the landscape is what it wants to be.
Do you find that you go to your pottery when you need to unwind? Absolutely. It is my stress reliever. There’s something about your hands in the clay. It is like gar-
dening; hands in the earth. It has a profound effect somehow. It is grounding.
How has your pottery evolved over the years? I like to believe it has improved dramatically. When you start it is clunky and heavy in the bottoms and hard to get things that actually match. Like anything, no matter what it is, the more you do it the better you get. It becomes instinctive and almost effortless. Whether it is throwing a football or sewing a dress, when it becomes where you are not really focusing on what you are doing, that is when you step to the next level. You can focus your attention on the other aspects.
What do you enjoy most about what you do? I like all parts of it. I enjoy tooling. I really enjoy the mocha process when it is working well. Of all the parts I think my favourite part is the throwing, taking a clump of clay on the wheel and turning it into something.
Can you explain your relationship with your stoneware? I feel connected to every piece as I’m making it. I handle each piece many times. If I throw mugs today, tomorrow I will tool and mocha them, and later that day I will put handles on them. A few days later as they are drying up I will finish decorating them by adding birds and sky colour, then put them in the kiln to bisque fire. I will take them out and put them in glaze, clean the bottoms off and sign them, then put them back in the kiln.
What wisdom do you possess that might be useful for those interested in pursuing a vocation in quality craftsmanship? It is challenging to make a living. You really need a good support network, especially in the early years, because you are going to have a lot more expenses than income as you learn your craft. Just do it. Figure it out and make it happen. If you can conceive it, it can happen. If it is what you want, just make it happen.
How do you market your products? I do craft shows. Several stores carry my pottery (Studio 737 in Tweed, Explorer’s Market in Napanee, Fusion in Belleville, Dancing Moon Gallery in Deseronto, Polarwear in Eganville, The Old Hastings Gallery in Coe Hill). I have my shop near Stirling and I have a website (http://www.whisperedsecretpottery.com).
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Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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Hastings by Lamplight
The Mantle Lamp Supply Company Story and photos by Lindi Pierce
Tom Logan shows his first oil lamp, a clear glass flat lamp in bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye pattern, given to him by his mother.
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Country Roads â&#x20AC;˘ Fall 2013
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ome readers may still recall the happy day when they jettisoned their oil lamps to welcome that new-fangled electricity into their homes. Those times may be in the distant past, but a visit to a cozy creek-side home in Hastings County will bring back a flood of memories, and likely teach you a few new things. For you are about to enter The Mantle Supply Company, on Sagers Corners Road, the home of Tom and Geraldine Logan, their vast personal collection of historic lighting, and their shop offering antique and reproduction oil lamps and any lighting accessory the mind can imagine. The Mantle Supply Company grew out of Tom’s interest in historic lighting, and has been evolving since the early 1980’s, when the retired Loyalist instructor was Canada’s distributor for Aladdin Lamps, selling the oil lamps at cottage life and energy trade shows. Later he moved the business home, taking over the front room recently vacated by Geri’s needle-craft shop. From their location, Tom has shipped merchandise as far away as Japan, packing the delicate lamp and its chimney with spray foam insulation; he’s never received word of any breakage. Tom was a boy during World War II. He recollects oil lamps being used on the family farm near today’s Haig Road. Electricity was coming to Thurlow Township but work stalled at Herchimer Street (“the copper was needed for the war effort”), so he remembers living by lamplight. “We were lucky to have one of the expensive mantle lamps,” Tom recounts. “It was carried from the supper table to the living room for reading, then upstairs to bed. Of course I was not allowed to touch.” Tom recalls when their Sagers Corners Road neighbours became aware of the shop. “In those days power outages were more common,” he explains. “Folks would notice we still had lights and I’d explain we had oil lamps, a LOT of oil lamps.” Many area cottagers and folks living off the grid still use oil lamps, and others keep them handy in case of blackouts. Tom recalls how he demonstrated the safety of kerosene to a skeptical Geri. “I went out to the driveway, poured kerosene in a saucer, struck a match, shoved it into the kerosene, and put out the match. Kerosene’s not explosive.” A quick review of the parts of an oil lamp might be warranted. An oil lamp is composed of a steady base, a font or bowl for holding the liquid fuel, a collar to connect the font to the burner above, and a chimney to cover the flame. Some lamps add a decorative globe or shade over the chimney. Many different materials, colours and styles make collecting endlessly fascinating. Tom’s specialty is the Aladdin or mantle lamp – hence the shop’s name, which in no way relates to that perfect above-the-fireplace spot to place a lamp! Most people are more familiar with the flat-wick type of oil lamp, with its wick raised and lowered by a winder. The mantle lamp burner is not significantly different but for its round wick.
A small part of Tom and Geri Logan’s personal collection of metal lamps.
Its unique feature is the mantle (familiar to people who use Coleman camping lanterns), a gossamerthin gauze ‘sock’ which is suspended on a miniscule frame above the flame, and magically glows in the heat, creating the intense light. The glow results from a harmless amount of radium in the mantle. “When they [Aladdin lamps] first came out in 1885 they were revolutionary,” Tom explains. “The light they gave off is equivalent to today’s 60-watt light bulb, and they produced 3000 BTU, enough to heat a kettle to boiling in 10 minutes.” Quite a change for people accustomed to the light from a single candle. Aladdin lamps have more parts and are more complicated to clean and repair. The mantle will provide 200 hours of operation, with quality fuel and regular cleaning. “I have to take the lamps apart and look at them,” says Tom. “They’re often full of soot or unburned material. You have to be very careful with mantles. The rest of the parts are perfectly happy to soak in warm soapy water, and be cleaned with a natural bristle brush. But a lot of people chicken out.” And that’s where Tom comes in. The shop offers cleaning and repair, as well as a mind-boggling array of replacement parts (wicks, mantles, shades, hardware and rare sizes of chimneys no longer produced) in addition to antique and reproduction lamps. And advice. Tom cautions people about burning today’s brightly coloured lamp oils, which leave deposits on the mantles resulting in mantle failure. Another bit of useful information: if you’re not using the lamp regularly, drain the oil to prevent gummy residue from forming. Tom also cautions about temperature changes. “If people are buying a lamp chimney on a minus 20 degree day, I have them heat their car before they leave,” he says.
Tom and Geri Logan in front of the Mantle Lamp Supply Company, a must-visit destination in Hastings County. ( this photo doesn’t need to be too large) Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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This prized antique brass and copper reservoir lamp once graced the Council Chambers in Baltimore Township, Ontario.
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The couple recalls disaster stories they’ve heard; if glass isn’t warmed naturally for hours, it will shatter, and a priceless lamp font can be lost forever. Don’t handle a cold lamp with warm hands – who would think of that? But as impassioned as Tom is about the mantle mechanism, most people will be drawn to the beauty and variety of the lamp collection. The materials range from glass in many colours, or etched and patterned, including the exquisitely painted vase lamps resembling marble and onyx, to copper and brass. The range of styles is endless, with collectors specializing in student, hanging, or tall elegant piano lamps, lanterns (Tom’s particular interest), gas lamps (he has a sample he lights from a propane cylinder), paraffin and whale oil burning lamps, bicycle, fireman’s and police lamps, delicate miniatures, fairy lamps and nightlights. Some collectors even focus on specific lamp parts, like finials or mantles! “Look how ridiculously specialized we are,” Tom laughs. “You could show an exquisite fairy lamp to a lantern collector and he’d dismiss it with ‘oh, yeah, whatever.’”
Lamps tell us our own history. A prized brass and copper reservoir wall lamp once hung in the Council Chambers in Baltimore, Ont. A recent visitor presented Tom and Geri with a browning photo of the hall with the lamps clearly visible. “So close, so Canadian,” Tom says with a shake of his head. “The history of oil lamps is the history of people and light,” muses Geri. A flurry of lamp and fuel innovations and the resulting patenting and lawsuit wars marked the 19th century. Canadians take pride in the discovery of oil in 1858 at Oil Springs Ontario, and the 1866 oil boom in nearby Petrolia - the beginnings of the oil industry in North America. The lamp story is well told in ephemera; Geri displays original and replica advertisements and catalogues full of images and enthusiastic claims, which collectors treasure. The Logans’ personal collection is vast, representing many styles of lamps and displaying their captivating beauty. “It’s amazing how much you can pack into a little house,” Tom says as he shows off his first lamp, a flat lamp in clear glass, the font decorated in a circular pattern called bull’s-eye. His mother, who once worked as housekeeper at Glanmore in its days as a family home, gave him the treasured lamp and started a passion. Geri cradles a unique handmade lace-maker’s lamp dating from the early 1800’s; a flask-shaped glass container with water sealed inside (“the water’s as old as the lamp!”), designed to be suspended from its wire cage, to refract the light of a candle placed behind it, providing early task lighting. “So many lace-makers went blind,” Geri comments sadly.
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Country Roads • Fall 2013
Two lamps with hand-painted floral shades in the couple’s dining room.
The Mantle Lamp shop – an Aladdin’s cave rich with every possible lamp accessory, and new and reproduction lamps.
Tom Logan built the shelving for this outstanding collection of glass lamps in the couple’s home featuring subtle shades of green and peach in a collection of vase and mantle lamps.
Tom’s special interest is lanterns. “Lanterns are fascinating, not for their artistry and beauty, but as a piece of technology,” he explains. Tom recently presented a paper at a lantern society ‘Lanternvention.’ The couple belong to many historic lighting societies, among them The Aladdin Knights, The Rushlight Club (begun in the 1930’s), and the Historic Lighting Society of Canada (Tom is immediate past president), which take them throughout the United States and as far
The Mantle Lamp Supply Company is a special destination, for lamp collectors and for those who appreciate history and beautiful things. Tom doesn’t have a website (“We’re stuck in the 1800’s,” he laughs) but they advertise in ‘Antiquing in Eastern Ontario’ and ‘The Wayback Times’. The shop is open Saturdays and by appointment. “We love what we do, and love to share it,” Tom says. “Customers sometimes spend hours here.” A trip to 205 Sagers Corners Road in Hastings County will tell you why.
as England to hear papers, tour world-famous collections, and trade lamps and lamp lore at the traditional evening ‘room trades.’ Geri contributes her well-known quilting (she is quilt consultant at Glanmore National Historic Site) and other needlework skills; she recently created quilted panels using stitched historic lamp designs to auction at an upcoming gathering. An exquisite dragonfly wall panel accents Tom’s multicoloured lanterns on an oak library table in their gracious living room.
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Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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TELLING TALES
Steve Whyte: Fly Me Away As the summer comes to an end we find ourselves trying to fit in just a few more memorable evenings full of laughter, bonfires and music. Steve Whyte, another guy from our backyard has answered any questions about what music should accompany those evenings with his debut CD “Fly Me Away”. Like many of the greats this Madoc musician has poured his heart and soul into his music, which is quickly apparent in his song writing abilities. Beyond his superior literary capability, his vocal skills in duets and on the solo front are impressive. The very talented vocal accompaniment and phenomenal musicians that join Steve help to create harmonies that are reminiscent of duets old and new. The songs that are present on this CD pull at your heart strings one moment, and then have you grabbing for another cold one. It’s great classic country mixed with hints of folk, pop and good ol’ rock n’ roll. Whyte covers all spectrums from honkeytonk to heartbreak and everything in between. All the while you’ll be singing along. “Fly Me Away” retails for $10 at Sam The Record Man in Belleville, and more info is available by contacting whytiesmusic@gmail.com. ~Sheena Rowney
SCAN QR CODE TO JOIN US ON FACEBOOK. P.O. Box 423, Stirling, ON K0K 3E0 P: 613 395-0499 • F: 613 395-0903 E: info@countryroadshastings.ca www.countryroadshastings.ca
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Noted historical writer Peter C. Newman has contributed the introduction. Nearly three years in the works, Wind, Water, Barley & Wine was released in late June.
Wind, Water, Barley & Wine
By Orland French $40.00 Wallbridge House Publishing Visit www.wallbridgehouse.com for sales outlets or call (613) 969-8354 There are history books, and then there are HISTORY BOOKS. Wind, Water, Barley & Wine fits into the latter category. Rather than serving simply as a reflection on the settlement and growth of Prince Edward County, this 160-page illustrated offering delves further back into the geological forces that made Prince Edward County what it is today, and how it will change in the future. “There are a lot of history books written about Prince Edward County,” explains the book’s creator, Orland French. “But there is nothing that pulls it together to tell how it was formed as a peninsula. I thought instead of doing a book with a section on geology, let’s do the whole book on the geology basis. This book gets into the formation of the earth and the rocks that were laid down.” For example, a chapter on wineries explores the creation of the soil conditions that have made the county a suitable area for growing grapes. A section on the Sandbanks reveals the origins of the sand beaches that are arguably the most popular tourist feature in the region. “Tourists go for the wine and the sandbanks and here is something explaining how the sandbanks got there and inevitably the wine too,” French says. “It explains why you get different kinds of wine – different kinds of soils.” A solid team of contributors has added to the richness of the book. They include well-known Prince Edward County naturalist Terry Sprague, aerial photographer Darko Zelkovic, renowned geology professor Dugald Carmichael, designer Jozef VanVeenen and historian Lindi Pierce.
1812 The Land Between Flowing Waters
By Ken Leland Published by Fireship Press Available at Ashlie’s Books, Bancroft, Chapters, KOBO ebook This historical novel is set on the Niagara and Detroit River frontiers during the War of 1812. In Upper Canada, the Benjamins found freedom from slavery. With their white neighbours the Lockwoods, they must defend a new homeland from impending American invasion. These families are Loyalists, living near Niagara Falls. The Babcocks are pacifist Quakers, yet they too are threatened by the coming onslaught. For Kshiwe, Kmonokwe and their children, 1812 is just another season of fear among First Nations. This Neshnabek family lives many days travel to the west, in a place settlers call Indiana. In the shadows of Brock and Tecumseh, all join in the struggle to endure. The author’s debut novel has been researched throughout southern Ontario and Indiana, then written over several summers at Bartlett Lake in Hastings County.
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Your Bay of Quinte Experience Awaits Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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C r o s s r o a d s
Remembering Esmond Skidmore Maynooth area musician led extraordinary life BY BARRY PENHALE
M
emorable musical moments punctuated the long and extraordinary A one-man dawn to dusk enterprise, Side 1 n U’RE GONE quy • Blue Moo life of Esmond Skidmore but Esmond’s Tea Room found the genial F2 AFTER YOethoven Andante • B Flat SoliloBe Be er en Happy • Navajo Trail • Jazz • Georgia • Have You Ev Married Dear Old Dad ne Go e u’r there was so much more to a proprietor shifting from kitchen to the Yo ter Af the Girl That ) • Esmond’s Butterfly Hop (E Rains • I Want A Girl Just Like ile Again truly colourful individual, who placed his Sm tea room to the piano bench, a lean It r n he u • I’ll Neve I Get the Blues W I’ll Be Seeing Yo own unique imprint on much of Hastings nut-brown figure almost always clad County. in brownish-yellow Khaki shorts. EsLong known prior to taking up resimond would begin his tanning routine dence in Belleville as Lake St. Peter’s early each spring when he would totally “hermit with a difference,” Esmond, fondremove the bedroom window, allow• My Secret Loveds • Spring Song e M To ly and frequently dubbed “Es” was a rare n ing the sun’s rays to reach his entire ea M • Eyes At Me ng of the Islan Ma, He’s Makingout Me When You’re Gone • So e Night Will This Be Moon Love soul and in media terms always a good body as he lay on top of his bed. Furth Ab ie n the Blues of se Don’t Talk Only You • PleaArms • There Are Smiles • WheSmiling • La Paloma • My Bonn story. Little wonder prominent newspaper ther tanning continued in the winter e ur Take Me In Yo inkle Little Star • When You’r Tw journalists and noted radio and televisions when, wearing only a bikini, he would hosts made their way to Esmond’s modest head outdoors for his daily snow bath, home in the heart of the Madawaska Valley. a sight that frequently greeted local The resulting broadcasts and stories in print travellers, many of whom appeared generated enormous publicity and resulted A sickly period during overdressed in their heavy mackinaw jackets. in a rash of visitors, all eager to meet the his youth had prompted Esmond to embrace a Esmond’s Tea Room, although a modest place man who more than most truly marched to his life of exercise and modest eating habits. His fitalways reflected the owner’s interest in space travel. own drummer. ness hero at the time was the noted Canadian health His naïve art adorning the walls was solely devoted When Skidmore passed away quietly at the Belguru Dr. Robert Jackson of Jackson’s Roman Meal to other planets in the cosmos, flying saucers and leville General Hospital on May 9, 2011 at age 93, fame. A young Esmond had attended Dr. Jackson’s samples of extraterrestrial intelligence, reinforcing it was the coda in ways more than merely musihighly popular lectures on diet and fitness and, for Skidmore’s rock-solid belief in new and better horical. Long prepared for further adventures in the many years, breakfast for Esmond was comprised zons ahead. Sales of his primitive art and driftwood hereinafter, Esmond touched and influenced many, of Roman Meal or his other favourite, Red River creations, dubbed “forest treasures,” contributed to a including the writer, during his long and eventful cereal. Eating this way and a daily morning routine small income bolstered slightly through piano tunexistence on planet earth. We may never quite know with emphasis on a hundred or more sit-ups was to ing and sales of audio cassettes showcasing Esmond his like again and can only marvel at the life he keep Skidmore in remarkable physical shape into at the keyboard. lived so fully from the time well over 50 years ago his nineties. But it was his entry into the world of supply teachwhen he was first introduced to the communities Esmond’s health priorities were matched only by ing, encouraged by Lake St. Peter educator Vi Card, of Bancroft, Lake St. Peter, Maynooth and ultihis love of music. His unique piano stylings over that boosted his income and added a whole new dimately Belleville. the years gave thousands of listeners great pleasure, mension to his already fascinating world. Having It all came about when an older brother recruited from small gatherings around his tea room to percompleted the requisite educational courses, Esmond Esmond’s assistance with the construction of Alformances at the Ontario Science Centre, and many proved a natural fit once installed in small remotely gonquin Lodge, a rustic yet comfortable place of more at numerous Belleville venues. Esmond’s vast located schools. He immediately became a hit with accommodation much needed locally at the time. repertoire of pops, jazz, standards and classics dehis rural students. But popularity came with a price, An entrepreneurial individual, the elder Skidmore lighted all age groups. Though not one for extravaas the new teacher soon discovered. At one espepoured his best ideas and considerable funding into gance generally he could easily overdose when it cially remote school Skidmore’s wholesome lunch the ambitious resort venture. Finally, just when the came to music and his big luxury through the years coupled with his comments that “we are what we lodge was ready for the official opening the unexwas his purchase of many different pianos. The areat” resulted in several students going on a hunger pected occurred and all went up in flames. All that rival of a handsome new instrument always created strike, as they balked at sandwiches from home that remained was the massive stone fireplace and chimtalk in the hamlet of Lake St. Peter. Once uncratconsisted mainly of white “doughy” bread. A sufney that anticipated guests never did get to enjoy. ed and tuned by Esmond himself, each new piano, ficient number of unhappy parents led to Esmond Broken-hearted, Esmond’s brother returned to more expensive than its predecessor responded to being summoned to the office of his superintendent. city life but not before gifting Esmond with a Lake the master’s caressing touch as he offered up a veriBeing hauled up on the carpet of higher education, St. Peter parcel of land of his very own. While the table musical buffet much to the delight of campEsmond, having had his fingers slightly rapped, was one brother grieved, Esmond embarked on an exers at the park nearby — the same campers who encouraged not to further rock the boat. Needless to citing new path and a lifestyle that in time found spread Esmond’s reputation for unmatched western say, neither his lunches or views changed and, to his many hundreds of individuals making their way sandwiches and butter tarts, all “womped” up on his utter delight, some of those early students as adults to that beacon in the bush now known locally as trusty wood stove whatever the weather during his rediscovered their old teacher and became patrons Esmond’s Tea Room. early years of operation. of Esmond’s Tea Room.
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C r o s s r o a d s
CLOSEDS y MONDA Although a man of simple tastes, one of Esmond Skidmore’s few excesses was a fine piano. In later years he serenaded guests at a selection of Belleville venues. Photo courtesy John M. Parrott Art Gallery
In an even partial telling of Skidmore’s story, one absolutely must make mention of his many special friendships with members of the opposite sex. The winning combination of music, food and discussion proved to be an elixir unmatched by any socalled wonder drugs. The annual visits by attractive women never failed to spice up the lives of neighbours and set many a tongue wagging. Little did they know that some of these visitors came from the religious enclave known as Madonna House in Combermere. Whatever one’s gender, time spent in Skidmore’s company was always a rejuvenating experience. My own time with the old maestro spanned several decades. Discovering much in common, we especially delighted in similar musical tastes -- Basie,
Ellington, Carmichael and perhaps our all time favourite, the irascible composer-pianist Fats Waller. Their music filtered through his seemingly endless repertoire -- “One O’ Clock Jump,” “Mood Indigo,” “Stardust,” “Honeysuckle Rose.” It was myself who introduced Esmond to the song made famous by Dinah Washington, “What a Difference a Day Makes,” a number he adored and often played in public. In truth, any day spent in Skidmore’s company led to a positive difference. Somewhere I’m certain that at this very minute, Es is in some cozy venue tickling the ivories, and others are discovering his wit, wisdom and music as so many have before. Though I’m far from ready to leave these parts, that’s one party I’d dearly love to crash.
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Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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Story and photos by
Sarah Vance
The tiger’s
roar
Martial arts group appeals to all ages
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student’s martial arts training may begin in a dojo, but it does not stop there. Translated as the “Place of the Way,” there are many dojos encompassing CFB Trenton, Picton, Belleville, Odessa, Madoc, Tweed, Bancroft, Combermere and Haliburton, which provide instruction in various martial arts systems. These east-central Ontario dojos are affiliated through the Snow Tigers Martial Arts Association, and collaborate to provide high-quality grading standards, seminars, and tournaments for their members during the course of the year.
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“The people in the dojos are very friendly and supportive,” says Elizabeth, a Grade 9 student at North Hastings High School from the Bancroft Dojo, who has trained for four years. “I am always learning something new, every week, which makes the training go by very fast.” This training is comprehensive. And the list of martial arts specializations offered at these various dojos includes Chito-Ryu Karate, Canadian Jiu-Jitsu, My-Jong Kung-Fu, Ying Yee Kung-Fu, Hsing-I Kung-Fu, Yang style Tai-ChiChuan, Muay Thai, Kali, Kenjutsu and Kickboxing taught regionally.
Students participate in a Tamashi Wari (board breaking) workshop at the Kai-Shin North Branch in Haliburton. Sensei Dave Dalley from the Bancroft Dojo oversees their progress. The annual board breaking seminar is popular with students throughout the region and hosted by Sensei Michael Chapman, who runs the Kai-Shin North Branch in Haliburton.
“It is my love for the arts and the students which keeps me training in these systems,” says Sensei Terry Langevin of Langevin Educational Systems, who runs a dojo in Tweed. “There is a mutual respect between everyone in the dojo.” “I think my self esteem would be lower if I did not study karate,” said Elizabeth. “Before I studied karate, I was shy and very quiet at school and I did not have the confidence to answer questions.” Jasper, a Grade 7 student at York River Public School, who holds yellow and green certifications and has been studying karate for four years, has also identified measurable gains in his confidence levels outside of the dojo. “I cannot exactly say why or how, but the discipline in my life has increased and the training has acted upon me,” says Jasper. “Karate gives you more confidence, for example, in asking for a raise in a job, or in trying other things that you may not have done otherwise. “In fact, in several games of tag I have rolled to avoid being touched. My agility level has increased by at least five-fold.” Confidence, agility and mutual respect between training partners, who are known in the dojo as “ukes,” are consistently identified by students as primary reasons for coming back, year-after-year, to further their instruction and progress up the belt levels. “A good uke is someone who knows what they are doing,” says Elizabeth. “They must be willing to tell you what you are doing wrong and to also suggest to you where you must improve.”
Elizabeth, from the Bancroft Dojo, practices kata specific to her belt level. Kata is designed to assist students in developing basic blocks and strikes as well as the transitions between these movements.
The combination of force and time applied against an object develops maximum power. Each joint must go through its complete range of motion, from bent to straight limbs.
And this uke must also be attentive. “If your uke is distracted or not paying attention you could hurt them,” she says. “Attentiveness means that they are willing to provide you with their energy, which you are able to take and use to improve your skills.” Ukes, like the martial arts dojos which they belong to, are intergenerational with children, youth and adults often training together in the same classes. “Karate appeals to everyone, from kids of three years to adults of 85 years,” says Sensei Langevin. “It’s just good fun.” Sifu Robert Walthers, who runs a dojo in Trenton, also identifies the widespread popularity of martial arts training. “Nowadays, martial arts appeals to every demographic and people come from a wide variety of backgrounds, says Sifu Walthers. “I teach children as young as two-and-a-half to hold their heads up and look into people’s eyes and be proud of who they are. “I teach folks in their eighties how to prevent osteoporosis, deal with arthritis, to sleep well and to enhance their overall health and confidence.” The Snow Tigers Martial Arts Association promotes a program called Karate Kids Don’t Do Drugs. This program targets street-proofing and self-confidence strategies. “Programs like this have helped to make me become very aware,” says young Elizabeth. “We call this with-it-ness.”
A Complete Child Safety Program, offered by the Snow Tigers Martial Arts Association, focuses on child safety including “escaping adult attacks either on the ground or in cars, in crowded places, in isolated places to dealing with bullies anywhere singly or during a ‘swarming’.” “With-it-ness is basically being able to walk down the street and know what the surroundings around you are - the newsstands, the coffee shops, the people in front of and behind you,” says Elizabeth. “It is like multi-tasking with your eyes.” “The personal development never stops; the personal development of several generations of students (and their students) are also important,” adds Sifu Walthers. While affiliated through the Snow Tigers Karate Association each dojo brings with it a distinct history of training in martial arts systems. These dojos offer their own areas of expertise, which are shared between the dojos through an
Chito Ryu karate stresses moral character above all other benefits.
Fall 2013 • Country Roads
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Jasper, Grade 7, practices Kata specific to his belt level, at the Millennium Park pedestrian foot-bridge in Bancroft.
active schedule of inter-dojo workshops and seminars. “I broke a board in mid-air with my fist at a seminar with Sensei [Michael] Chapman at the North Kai Shin Dojo in Haliburton,” says Elizabeth. “I have attended this seminar twice and I will return again.” In downtown Madoc, at the Straw Bale Octagon, Sifu Greg Magwood of Magwood Martial Arts offers an annual one-day internal martial arts retreat which focuses on abdominal work and blending and focusing internal powers to respond to stress in defence situations.
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A Kata, which is generally translated as “form,” is a predetermined series of fighting techniques (blocking, punching, striking and kicking) against imaginary opponents.
“Blending and flowing concentrates on moving from one technique to the next in response to your opponent,” says Sifu Magwood. “Knowing the limited variables of the human body prepares you for what to expect in a defense situation; this is often overlooked but it is critical to success.” Elite Martial Arts Centre in Belleville actively hosts workshops throughout the year, which are attended by students throughout the region and taught by multiple instructors. “As someone who has never had any sparring training whatsoever, I was given great feedback and advice, and the gentlemen who joined me in the class were gracious and helpful,” says Leon Pilgrim, a student at the Bancroft Dojo who attended Sifu Walthers’ Continuous Sparring Seminar at Elite Martial Arts. “If there is another seminar held I will definitely be there.” With most dojos resuming their training in the first week September, The Snow Tigers Martial Arts Association provides a great autumn and winter activity that can be pursued by learners of all ages and interests. And it is affordable for students, who often pay less than $15 for classes, which typically run for two hours and which provide opportunities to study in the evenings and on weekends. “In Bancroft, our dojo is located above the North Hastings Community Centre. We meet on Thursday nights and I study in the adult’s class,” says Elizabeth. “They teach us how to fight, but only in a defense situation. We understand power and strength and we respect it.”
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Jasper is practicing an upper block, which is a specific transition in the white belt kata.
Yellow belt student Leon Pilgrim, is a student from the Bancroft Dojo, who studies in the adult’s class.
Sensei Wayne Lord, from the Bancroft Dojo, identifies respect as the most important etiquette in his Bancroft dojo, which includes Sensei Dave Dalley, Sensei Rick Dodd and Sensei Diana Smith. “Respect for those I teach is very important to me, because their time is important too,” says Sensei Lord. “And respect for those who teach you is essential, as this symbolizes centuries of people who have trained before you.” “I try to give everybody as much respect as I can,” says Elizabeth. “I have studied with my
club for four years, and my respect is reciprocal.” “Every parent wants her child to excel,” says Patricia Whitlaw, Elizabeth’s mother. “And martial arts is one of the ways Elizabeth is doing this.”
•
More information about the Snow Tigers Martial Arts Association can be found at their website www.snowtigermartialarts.com.
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Sensei Diana Smith is the 14th black belt to graduate from the Bancroft dojo and the first female student. She is a Sensei at the Bancroft dojo. In this picture she is presenting Madison Woodcox and Mason Pilgrim, from the children’s class, with their yellow belts.
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Things to see and do in and around Hastings County. To submit your event listing email info@countryroadshastings.ca or call us at 613 395-0499.
ART GALLERIES/EXHIBITIONS
THEATRE/LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Art Gallery of Bancroft, 10 Flint Avenue, Bancroft, 613-332-1542 www.agb. weebly.com Sept 4 - 29 – Fresh Paint; Cheryl Ellenberger, Painter 0ct 2 -27 – Fiber Works; Anne Garwood Roney - Member of Canadian Gourd Society Oct 30 - Nov 24 – Early Christmas at the Gallery- plus guest artist.
Bancroft Village Playhouse, www.bancroftvillageplayhouse.ca Oct 5 - Rod the Tribute - Starring Vinnie Green & Mike White. A two man presentation with audio and video accompaniment. 8 pm Tickets available at Harvest Moon, Bancroft Oct 19 – Annual Playhouse Gala featuring SULTANS OF STRING CD RELEASE! One of Canada’s Hottest Roots Music Acts Shake Things Up With Revved Up Riffs 8 pm. Tickets at Harvest Moon and Posies, Bancroft and www.boxofficebancroft.ca
John M. Parrott Art Gallery, Belleville Public Library, 254 Pinnacle Street, Belleville, 613-968-6731, ext. 2240, www.bellevillelibrary.com Sept. 27 & 28 - Arts activities for all ages to celebrate Culture Days, Doors Open Belleville and the BDIA Art Walk. Oct. 4 - Gala Fundraiser “One for All” in support of new Gallery lighting. Sept 5 – 19 - Gallery One -A preview of the One for All artwork donated in support of our gala fundraiser. Sept 26 – Oct 31 – Gallery Two “Shipwreck Dreaming”- the culmination of 20 years of imagining and creating by paper and print artist Wendy Cain. Opening reception for both shows Thurs, Sept 5; 6 – 7:30 p.m. Nov 7 – 28 - The Quinte Fibre Artists return for their biennial exhibition of members new work. Opening reception Thurs, Nov 7; 6 – 7:30 pm.
Brighton Barn Theatre, www.brightonbarntheatre.ca & on facebook Sept. 27 - Oct. 12 - Blithe Spirit – a comedy by Noel Coward, Tickets: 613-475-2144. My Theatre Quinte, Historical Trenton Town Hall - 1861, 55 King Street, Trenton Oct. 17th - Nov. 2 - Out of Order; Written by Ray Cooney. Winner 1991 Olivier Award Winner, Best Comedy. When Richard Willey, a government junior minister, plans to spend the evening with Jane Worthington, one of the opposition’s typists, things go disastrously wrong in this hugely successful sequel to Two into One. Dec 7 & 8 - A Canadian Christmas - Enjoy a toe tapping time with the sounds and tastes of the season.
Ashlie’s Books
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The Stirling Festival Theatre, West Front St., Stirling 613-395-2100 1-877312-1162 www.stirlingfestivaltheatre.com Sept 27, 8pm - YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET An IANA Theatre Company Cabaret - One night only “fun-draising” cabaret featuring some of your favourite IANA stars! They act, they dance and they sing! Sept 28, 8 p.m. – The Elton John Experience - Featuring The Captain and The Captain Fantastic Band, this incredible musical journey will take you from the early days of England through his songbook of hits. Oct 4, 2 pm & 8pm – Everly Brothers Tribute – one of the greatest duos to come out of the 1950s with their unique harmony on hits like Wake Up Little Suzie, All I Have to Do Is Dream, When Will I be Loved, Walk Right Back, and Bye, Bye Love! Oct 6, 2 pm – The Phoenix Ensemble - part of our “Cabaret Concert Series” in Burrell Hall! Enjoy a classical music concert on a Sunday afternoon in the casual comfort upstairs in Burrell Hall where the bar is always open, decadent desserts are available and the stage is just inches away! Oct 9, 2 pm & 8pm – The History of Rock & Roll - Let Pauly & the Greaseballs take you on a nostalgic journey back to the Rockin’ and Rollin’ years! From your classic sock hop favourites to the complex harmonies of the popular “Doo Wop” groups. Oct 18, 8 pm – Grand Old Country - All your favourite old time country singers portrayed in one show and hosted by our Johnny Cash, Bill Cayley, Tributes to Conway Twitty, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Roger Miller, Patsy Cline, Waylon Jenning, Tammy Wynette and more!
O ct 24, 25, 26 and 27 – Howl at the Moon - Trick or Treat! Don’t miss our Young Company’s musical tribute to Halloween! Tra, la, la, la, la…Boo! A Nov 2 – 2 pm - Elvis: A Rockin Christmas starring Stephen Kabakos. Nov 2 – 8 pm - Elvis: From Teen Idol to King starring Stephen Kabakos. Nov 9, 8 pm – Billy Bishop Goes to War - Recreating the role of WWI fighter pilot, William Avery Bishop (and 17 other characters) Dean Hollin returns in one of Canada’s most famous musicals. From humble beginnings in Owen Sound to the fame and glory of being this country’s top-scoring pilot of the First World War, this tour-de-force performance is not to be missed! Dec 15, 8 pm – The Mantini Sisters Christmas - Sandra, Barbara and Ann invite you to celebrate with them the joyous season of Christmas in an evening of popular holiday classics old and new. Nov 23 – Dec 31 - RAPUNZEL: A Hairy Tale (Family Panto) - A holiday treat for the family, and a great way to introduce kids to the wonders of live theatre.(Recommended for ages 5 and up) Nov 22 – Dec 31 - RAPUNZEL: A Hairy Tale (Naughty Panto) - The Floral Kingdom is in trouble! Gothal the Awful wants to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Princess Rapunzel teams up with Bea, The Bumble Fairy and Johnny AppleTree, the Palace Gardener, to save the day. Dec 31 - RAPUNZEL: A Hairy Tale (Naughty New Year) Usher in the New Year with an old tradition: Naughty New Year! The Floral Kingdom is in trouble! Gothal the Awful wants to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Princess Rapunzel teams up with Bea, The Bumble Fairy and Johnny AppleTree, the Palace Gardener, to save the day.
The Regent Theatre, 224 Main St. Picton 613-476-8416 www.theregenttheatre.org Sept 26 – La Boheme (live opera) Sept 28 – Roy Orbison (Tribute) Oct 5 – Stars of Pop (Teen Tribute) Oct 25 – Nov 2 Blood Brothers, County Theatre Group Nov 13 – VALDY (Canadian Folk) Dec 7 – Carlos del Junco (Juno winning Blues)
EVENTS Sept 21, 22, 28, & 29 – 10 am – 5 pm - Bancroft And Area Studio Tour - Visit the artists in their own home/studios, viewing and purchasing the original art creations. Pick up brochure/map at many local businesses and Bancroft Art Gallery www.bancroftstudiotour.org Sept. 23 - Birds and Flora of Belize. Quinte Field Naturalists’ present retired teacher, Donna Fano, for a personal travelogue of this naturalist’s paradise. 7:30 pm, Sills Auditorium, Bridge Street United Church, Belleville. Sept 28 – 1 – 4 pm – Dancing Moon Gallery 1st Anniversary Open House – Music, refreshments and of course great art. Main Street, Deseronto, www.dancingmoongallery.com
C o u n t r y
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Things to see and do in and around Hastings County. To submit your event listing email info@countryroadshastings.ca or call us at 613 395-0499. Sept 28-29, 10 am-5pm - Tweed & Area Studio Tour - Twenty four participating artists welcome you in 14 studios on their self guided tour. You will discover a wide array of talent in the heart of Hastings County. The Queensborough Community Centre, 1853 Queensborough is on the tour this year. Drop by and see great art and enjoy a bowl of chili and homemade treats. www.tweedstudiotour.org Oct 4 - Nov 14 - The Napanee Photo Club’s 29th Annual Exhibition and Sale, Photo Art 2013, daily 9 am - 8 pm at the gallery in the Community Corridor of the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital, 8 Richmond Park Drive, Napanee, ON. Free admission & parking. Members donate 25 % of the price of any work sold to the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital Foundation. For info: Graem Coles at 613-373-8810 or http://napanee_photo_club.tripod.com Oct 15 - Hastings County and the Great War, 1914-1918. To commemorate the centennial of the beginning of WWI in 2014, the Historical Society is
researching the military service of twelve Hastings County men and women who served in that conflict. Society Director Bill Kennedy will recount some of their personal, frontline experiences, as documented in letters, army records, newspapers, family histories and photographs. Quinte Living Centre Auditorium, 370 Front Street, Belleville at 7:30 pm Oct 17 - 7 - 8:30 pm - Mushrooms of Hastings County at Eastminster United Church, Belleville. Admission $3.00. ASL interpreter is available for this event. Explore the little known world under your feet. Visit www.bellevilleassociationofthedeaf.org/ for more details or call (613)966- 2668. Oct 26 – Hastings County Historical Society Annual Banquet and Celebration of History at the Travelodge Hotel, Belleville. Special Guest Speaker, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Minister of Heritage, The Hon. Sheila Copps will bring “We’re Nobody’s Babies: The Changing Scene of Women in Canadian Politics.”Tickets $65 will be available at
Celebrating Life in Hastings County
the Quinte Arts Council, 36 Bridge Street East, Belleville and from Richard Hughes, 613-961-7772 or rmhughes@cogeco.ca Oct. 28 - Gardening with Nature. Find how the careful selection of plants and other strategies enable wildlife and gardening lovers, Elizabeth Churcher and George Thomson, to support nature while living sustainably from the crops they grow. Quinte Field Naturalist meeting, 7:30 pm, Sills Auditorium, Bridge Street United Church, Belleville. Nov 14 - Christmas House Tour sponsored by Madoc Trinity United Church and Heart of Hastings Hospice. Tickets $20 available from the following Madoc businesses: Bush Furniture; Wilson’s; and Remax; or from Ron Moffatt 613-4732913 or Karen Bailey 613-473-2427. 4 - 9pm. A formal Victorian Tea is included in this price.
of his decades-long efforts to locate and recover the compelling artifacts and remains from The Speedy after over 200 years. Quinte Living Centre Auditorium, 370 Front Street, Belleville, at 7:30 pm Nov 22- 24 - County Festival of Trees – Fri. & Sat 10 am- 9 pm, Sun10 am-2 pm Isaiah Tubbs Resort, West Lake, Prince Edward County. Silent auction, bucket draw, boutique, bake and preserves sale. Sponsored by the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary with all proceeds going to support healthcare needs in our community. 613 476-1008 x 4427. www.qhc.on.ca
Dec 8 - 1 – 6 pm - Christmas in Prince Edward County – a self guided tour of wonderful old/new homes all decked out for the holidays, and enjoy cookies & cider. Funds raised help save our historic buildings. Tickets ($20.00 ea) available at Books & Co., 289 Main St. & Royal LePage, 104 Main St., Picton. For info 613-476-7310. Dec 14 - Maynooth 10th Annual Brighten the Night Christmas Parade & Kids Party, plus all day Farmers Market inside the new Hastings Highlands Centre and HART’s Kritter Kringle Sale at the old Community Centre. www.hastingshighlands.com
Nov 19 Ed Burtt of Ocean Scan will speak on Efforts to Recover the Remains of the HMS Speedywhich sank in 1804 off Presqu’ile Point. Hear amazing stories
TO BOOK YOUR MARKETPLACE ADVERTISEMENT PLEASE CALL 613-395-0499
marketplace
AUTOMOTIVE
Nov. 25 - Camouflage, Mimicry and Bio-mimicry. In Nature, life imitates life! Queen’s University professor, inspirational researcher, teacher, and science popularizer, Dr. Barrie Frost, will illustrate the how’s and why’s of this fascinating phenomena. Quinte Field Naturalist meeting, 7:30 pm, Sills Auditorium, Bridge Street United Church, Belleville.
DEVOTIONAL
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Wells Ford Sales Ltd
48 Belleville Rd., P.O. Box 160 Stirling, Ontario K0K 3E0
Wells
Body Shop: 613-395-3378 Wells Ford: 613-395-3375 Toll Free: 1-800-637-5944 Service: 613-395-3377
Commercial Cleaning p: 613.967.9883 c: 613.922.2135 www.cleanrite.ca info@cleanrite.ca
North American Customer Excellence Award Winner
CONTRACTOR
FURNITURE
REAL ESTATE
Renovations, Additions & NewAdditions Construction Renovations, & New Construction Bathroom Specialist Advice through Experience Design • Build Services
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Tel (613) 392•1309 Fax (613) 394•3750 warrenco@bell.net
www.table-craft.com 613.439.9768 cszumilas@gmail.com 15796 County Rd. 2 - (Hwy. #2), Brighton, ON
2012
2012
warren-co.com
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Barn Raising in Thurlow Barn raising has had a long tradition as a means of getting work done while also bringing the community together. This photo shows a barn raising at the farm of Harrison Phillips in Thurlow. The fellow at the top of the structure waving a square is Harry McCreary. Photo courtesy Hastings Country Historical Society
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Valerie Empey
Registered Dental Hygienist
Leanne Breen
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Dr. Kevin Nedamat Doctor Of Dental Surgery
Team Effort. For the past six years, we’ve been striving tirelessly to raise your expectations of what a dental practice should be. The secret? It’s all in our “A”-Team of Dental Professionals. From the enthusiasm of our Office Manager Leanne, to the thoroughness of hygienists like Valerie, and the serious passion of Dr. Kevin Nedamat - our Madoc team will make sure that you and your family are in good hands. After all, you only have one set of teeth.
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613.473.2142 613.396.2974 steinbergdental.com @SDCDentalCentre