The
sCOOP Founded in 2005 by Richard Saxe
PUBLISHER & AD SALES Karen Nordrum stonemills.scoop@gmail.com
GUEST EDITORIAL
Mike Paterson mikepaterson.author@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Ron Betchley, Lillian Bufton, Katherine Burrows, Catherine Coles, Mary Jo Field, Glen R. Goodhand, Alyce Gorter, Ruth Graham, Buffi Hewitt, Robin Hutcheon, Bernie Kelly, Kim Kerr, Lena Koch, Robert J. McCaldon, Blair McDonald, Marcella Neely, Mark Oliver, Mike Paterson, Susan Rehner, Barbara Roch, Mickey Sandell, Grace Smith, Terry Sprague, Deborah Twiddy, Ruth Wehlau, Steve Williams
Here’s The SCOOP Mike Paterson
And the brickworks had a cat or two.
amworth — especially in summer — is an exceptionally beautiful place. You’ll hear how close it is to this “attraction” or that. But Tamworth is a place with its own qualities, gentle but compelling.
We recently found a dog’s print on a brick in our front wall: the cats, we can only assume, didn’t enjoy completely free reign.
T
It has all of the essential amenities. Businesses are local — and we’re blessed to have no heavy-elbowed franchises to push home-grown initiative aside. And our little shops are all within easy walking distance of each other, and off busy highways. Tamworth has room enough to stand “apart” from urban centres like Kingston, Napanee, and Belleville, but not so much as to be “remote.” We can work in a city but live in another world. Moreover, Tamworth has character, and it has stories. The walls of The Book Shop, for example, include a number of bricks that carry the paw prints of cats. After many of the community’s original wooden buildings were lost to a fire in the 1890s, they were replaced using locally produced, red, sun-dried bricks.
The Salmon River puts its pulse into the community. If you stand beside it for a time and just listen, you may hear something like music in its flow over the stones; and the varying flows sing different songs. There are still a few farms around. And then there were the mills that gave Tamworth its early economy. But what sings in my spirit is the more intimate, unobtrusive beauty. Most wildflowers bloom, fade, and vanish in a week or less, so taking the time to walk, to look, and to delight delivers fresh experiences of uplift week to week. I’ve enjoyed photographing them, less for the photograph than to more deeply connect with the moment. All of these elements speak of charm: charm in the “old” sense, suggesting captivation and magic. This may account for the number of
All photos contributed, unless otherwise noted.
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20 Celeb 17 r our 2 ating Seas 4th on! World-class musicians perform in the friendly atmosphere of St. Paul’s Church, Amherst Island - Beverley Harris, Artistic Director
Friday June 30, 2:15 p.m.
Fri. June 30th, 2:15pm Elorap.m. Singers Thursday July -6,The 7:15 Thur. July 6th, 7:15pm Charles Richard-Hamelin Saturday, July - 15, 4:15 p.m. Sat. July 15th, 4:15pm Triple p.m. Forte Friday July 28,- 7:15 Fri. July 28th, 7:15pm - Saguenay Quartet Thursday, August 17, 7:15 p.m. Thur. Aug. 17th, 7:15pm - Serouj Kradjian Saturday, August 26, 4:15 p.m. Sat. Aug. 26th, 4:15pm - Cheng 2 Duo (pictured)
artists who have made Tamworth their home. Some are long established; others are recent arrivals. Their most recent impacts are evident, for example, in the revitalization of an old barn as Salmon River Studios, the renovation of the old Tamworth Hotel, and the work that promises to give new life to the recently closed gristmill by Bridge Street. The quiet centrality of art in the character of Tamworth is a gift we could recognize more confidently. At a time of recession and rural decline, Tamworth has a resource in its artists that could secure its future. Arts attract. Arts attract tourists and passers-by. Arts attract other artists. Arts — in the parlance of profit-seekers — generate traffic, business, and opportunity, and do no harm at all to property values. To thrive, though, they are helped by resourcing and appreciation. This means that our county planners should be proactive in ensuring that the community’s artists are recognized and their voices heard. Might it be time to consider locating a County Gallery in Tamworth?
World-class musicians perform in the friendly atmosphere of St. Paul’s Church, Amherst Island Beverley Harris, Artistic Director The Elora Singers Charles Richard-Hamelin Triple Forte Saguenay Quartet Serouj Kradjian Cheng2 Duo (pictured)
www.watersidemusic.ca www.watersidemusic.ca
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Aggie with her calf Alasdair, who was born April 2017. As a newborn, Aggie was rescued by Alyce Gorter and her family. Aggie and Alasdair are now beloved members of Terry Berry & Carole Lebrun’s small herd of Highland cattle, near Enterprise, Ontario. Photo by Terry Berry. 2
The SCOOP • June / July 2017
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