Vol.23 No.04

Pleven & The Two Plevna's – A Celebration Of Connection

By Jeff Green

It was fitting that Bethany Armstrong was one of the presenters at a joyful gathering at the Clarendon-Miller Hall in Plevna last Saturday.

The arrival of diplomats Velislava Panova (Consul General of Bulgaria in Toronto) and her colleague Oana Gherghe (Consul General of Romania in Toronto) accompanied by an entourage of singers dancers, assistants, and a supply of authentic food and wine from their countries, was not example typical for a January afternoon in Plevna.

The event, which was called “A Day of Bulgaria and Romania” was organised by Panova. When she arrived last year at the Bulgarian Consulate in Toronto, one of the ways she sought to raise the profile of Bulgaria in Ontario was to seek out connections with the province. Part of this was to look into the names of towns and villages in Ontario with Bulgarian connections.

That led to a visit to the village of Varna in Huron County last summer, and also to Plevna last week.

That's where Bethany Armstrong comes in. Her book, Away Back in Clarendon and Miller, was the spark behind the establishment of a small archive in Plevna as well as the founding of the Clarendon and Miller Archives, which has since expanded and been renamed, the North Frontenac Historical Society and Archives.

The specific story in Away Back in Clarendon and Miller that she talked about last week, was the one about how Plevna got its name, and it connects not only to Bulgaria but to the hall as well.

The Miller family was one of two families who wanted their family name to become the name of the Village back in 1877. It was known as Buckshot at the time, but Canadian Postal Service was not willing to use that name for the local post office.

The villagers could not agree, and the stand-off put one local, who followed inter-

national politics, likened the disagreement over a new name to the standoff at Pleven, a major event in the Russo-Ottoman war that was raging at the time.

Ottoman forces had established a defensive fortress at Pleven (Plevna) and managed to repel three attacks, in the summer and fall of 1877. The Russian army, along with their Romanian allies, eventually decided to starve the Ottoman's out, and on December 9, the Ottoman's attempted to break free of Plevna.

A deadly battle ensued, and, outnumbered 5-1, the Ottaman's retreated back into the City. The next day they surrendered. The death toll from the siege of Plevna is estimated to have been about 30,000 soldiers, over 20,000 from the Russian-Romanian side alone.

Back in Buckshot, the name Plevna was accepted without blood shed, and the community has been peaceful ever since.

After approaching North Frontenac about putting on an even to mark the name of the village, Velislava Panova contacted her Romanian Colleague Oana Gherghes about co-sponsoring the celebration. Pleven is located close to the Romanian border in the northern part of Bulgaria, and not only was the battle an important even in Romanian history, there is also a village called Plevna, not far from the Romanain Capital, Bucharest.

Pleven, which is about the size of Kingston, is located halfway between Bucharest and the Bulgarian Capital, Sofia.

A modern war is on the minds of both Panova and Gherghes these days. Romania shares a lot of history and a border with Ukraine, and they talk about how both of their countries have taken in large numbers of refugees fleeing the year old Russian invasion of the Ukraine

But the Bulgarian's and Romanian's did not come to Plevna to give a history les-

son, they brought culture and food. After the presentations were over, the food and wine was next.

A large contingent of North Frontenac residents enjoyed dry and sweet red and white wine, Bulgarian cheese, savoury filo bundles and olives, and Romanian honey soaked desserts were served.

Singers entertained with sad and sweet folk songs from both countries.

But the highlight of the afternoon came when the dancers took over the hall, dressed in colourful local clothes from their countries.

A series of intricate, joyful folk dances followed, including a few that were simple enough for the Canadian audience to join in. The consular officials eventually jumped in with the dancers, energizing the Clar-Mil Hall in celebration of an almost accidental connection between cultures located halfway across the world from each other.

North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty invited both delegations to come again to North Frontenac, and they said they would be back. ■

by Craig Bakay “Today is just a budget day, nothing is carved in stone,” Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith told Council at the special budget meeting Jan. 30.

Coming into the Jan. 19 budget meeting, staff had presented Council with a 7.8 per cent (levy) tax increase or $727,567 more dollars than in 2022.

However, after some pencil sharpening, etc, the numbers had come down

for the Jan. 30 meeting to 2.6 per cent or $243,836 more than 2022.

(Editor’s Note: Council was meeting again at press time to discuss potential changes with the final budget to be passed at a future meeting.)

If the Jan. 30 draft budget is accepted as is, the overall tax rate is increasing by 0.9 per cent (the increase was 4.7 per

The Bulgarian dancers invite members of the public to join them in dance at the Day of Bulgaria and Romania event in North Frontenac.

Author Bethany Armstrong, Bulgarian Consul General Velislava Panova, North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty, Romanian Consul General Oana Gherghe.

A year later, it can't be about vaccine mandates any more

By Jeff Green

Ayear later, it can't be about vaccine mandates any more

A year ago the freedom convoy had become a full blown occupation of the City of Ottawa.

It was already clear at that time that the reason so many people were protesting, and the support that they were receiving from across the country, went way beyond anger over covid restrictions.

By the time the protesters arrived in Ottawa, the restrictions were already in the process of being dismantled.

Although the timing may have been influenced by the protests, the mandates were also proving the be an outdated response to the new variants. When it became clear that vaccines, and even masks, were able to dull the impact of COVID, but not stop it from progressing through the population at a high rate, the mandates days were clearly numbered.

A year later, and COVID is still with us, but mandates are not coming back. Masking is recommended, but relatively few are using them, and the vaccine campaign has stalled, not because of the protest but because of vaccine fatigue and the fact that so many people have had COVID over the last 6 months and vaccines are not recommended for six months after an infection.

But while the protest scheduled for this weekend on the anniversary of the convoy fizzled, many of those who shared some or many of the views that the convoy protest got its strength from, still feel the same way as they

cent back on Jan. 19)

Combined with the County and Educational rates, this equals an increase of $13 (was $62) for every $100,000 of assessment dollars. The average property value in Central Frontenac is $164,447, the median property assessed value is $148,000.

A 1 per cent levy increase equals $95,000 or an additional $10 for every $100,000 assessment.

However, part of the savings to the taxpayers in 2023 is the result of a draw down from the townships overall reserve funds.

For the 2023 draft budget there would be a net transfer

did then.

Some of it is a visceral hatred of the Prime Minister.

It is not unusual for a Prime Minister to outlive their popularity in this country. It happened to Harper, it happened to Mulroney, and to the first Trudeau and to Lester B. Pearson before him.

The hatred for Trudeau is different, however, maybe because of the impact of social media, but also because of some of his own actions, I would argue.

In particular his assertion that people who did not choose to be vaccinated were selfish people. His decision to assign a moral value to a personal decision about whether to get vaccinated or not, was characteristic of the worst aspects of his political style, the moral crusader.

But there is something beyond that, there is a deeply held feeling that the people in power are trying to change not only the way we behave, but the way we think.

This plays out in opposition to climate change policies, opposition to what people call “woke” culture, and a tendency to see a grand conspiracy controlling the international agenda.

From my point of view, the attempt to respect the differences between people while clinging to those things that we all share, is a long term social project. It is sometimes uncomfortable, and sometimes it comes across the way Justin Trudeau does, self-righteous in the extreme, but social justice issues have been with us for a long time and progress is generational.

I know nothing about international conspiracies and

from reserves of $2,727,115 or a net estimated ending balance of $3,464,746, which is 34 per cent of 2022 operating expenses.

“We’re pulling a lot of money from reserves which does not include unfinished projects,” said Treasurer Michael McGovern. “We’re mostly pulling from reserves to do everything in the budget (and) it’s more than I’m comfortable with.”

There are also revenue increases coming in to the township from the federal and provincial governments. A modest increase, $6,000, will be coming in the Canada Community Building Fund (formally the Gas Tax fund) to $275,000 total.

There is a $43,000 increase from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, for a $2,236,200 total, and a $106,000 increase in Ontario Community Infrastructure Funding,

back-room deals aimed at removing our freedoms, so I cannot comment on them.

I have no doubt, however, based on the data, that climate change is a real thing, that it is accelerating, and that everyone one of us needs to look at how we act individually and collectively if we hope to keep from shrinking the livable portion of our planet at a reasonable level.

It is fine to oppose any specific climate change mitigation measure, and it is fine to question the claims of governments and corporations about the impact of measures they are proposing and enacting, but only within the context of an understanding of the need to control net emissions quickly and measurably.

To oppose a tax on carbon as the Conservative Party does, is fine, but it is incumbent on the Conservatives to come up with an alternative that is binding on the individuals, companies and industries who are all responsible for the trajectory we are on right now.

That is my main fear about the remnants of the conspiratorial 'convoy energy', that in its opposition to some real and some apparent flaws in the way COVID was handled, and the way the way governments act in general, progress on climate change, and social justice issues, will end up being compromised.

The COVID pandemic is not over, scientists tell us, but it will be. We knew that all along.

Other threats to our collective well-being, will still be raging long after the concern over masks and vaccines and self isolation has faded away.. ■

for a total of $811,000.

On the other side of the leger, there are over $900,000 in increased costs that can be directly attributed to inflationary pressures. These include increased fixed costs: $173,000 for fuel, $8,500 more for heat/hydro, $38,000 more for insurance, $3,500 more for vehicle repair, $262,000 more for sand/salt, for a total extra cost of $485,000.

Other increased costs in the budget include $169,000 more on contracts, $86,000 for a floodplain mapping study application for Salmon River upper lakes and $170,000 on various other studies, for a total of $425,000.

Salaries and benefits costs also rose but were somewhat mitigated by the elimination of a proposed junior planner position.

McGovern said that spending in each of the four districts is “about the same.”

“We’re trying to find a way to spread it out so that everybody gets a little something,” said Smith. While there are various and sundry projects proposed, such as a new well at Oso Beach, renovations to the Kennebec rink shack, work on the electrical and water systems at the Olden Rink, and mobile bleachers for the Parham Fairgrounds, as well as the acquisition/replacement of public works and fire vehicles and equipment, two

New Clerk for South Frontenac Township

James Thompson, former Deputy Clerk is the new Clerk for the Township of South Frontenac. Mr. Thompson has 15 years of municipal experience in public administration and public policy, parliamentary procedures, legislative and regulatory matters,

and bylaw enforcement. He worked for the City of Kingston in the Clerk’s Department, as well as Planning, and Building and Enforcement Services before joining South Frontenac Township as Deputy Clerk in 2022.

“We are very excited to have James step into this

Henderson Road

I implore the Central Frontenac Council to do the Henderson Rd. Re-surfacing project in this year 2023, since it has been shifted and deferred for far too long. Our rate of taxation is 40% higher than that of our neighbours in North Frontenac with whom we have an affinity. We are frustrated with excessive amounts of taxation money being funnelled into the Sharbot Lake area and also add that it’s just a matter of time until Sharbot Lake will need a municipal septic and water system that will no doubt cancel out our road needs once again. We are not receiving value for our excessive taxes. Is there a solution? I wonder if the entire number of employees in Central Frontenac might donate back some of their salaries to help us poor folks out. I love to buy groceries in Sharbot Lake and shop there, and mean no malice with this letter- but we’ve reached our breaking point and so have our cars as they bounce over the pot holes. We do love the road crews and they are doing fantastically but they can’t re-build the roads. Councillors Kelsey and Klagges are super duper but their hands are tied. This is a terrible situation- please act. At the very least put a

role,” says Chief Administrative Officer Louise Fragnito. “His experience and fresh perspective will help us continue to move forward with key priorities and managing growing demands for South Frontenac.”

“Council was very pleased with James’ ap -

pointment as Clerk,” says Mayor Ron Vandewal. “He has been a huge asset to the Township and has developed strong working relationships with Council. We look forward to continuing to work with him on Township business.”

“I’m very grateful for

lE tt E rs

moratorium on any further developments in Sharbot Lake area.

- Jean Brown.

Climate Solutions Begin At Home

The December 21, 2022 edition of the Frontenac News reported on a plan by Councillors John Inglis and Roy Huetl for the creation of a Climate Change Task Force. Unfortunately, the plan “didn’t get much traction” said the Frontenac News at the time. They were “instructed to meet with interested individuals and bring back information.”

Inglis followed up with his January 25 editorial where he repeated the need for the municipality to explore options to tackle climate change at the local level. Hundreds of municipalities across Canada have declared a climate emergency and some, including Ottawa (where I now live) and Gatineau, have also adopted the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

CF Budget

Cont. from p2

areas seemed to eat up much of the discussion time.

The first was the proposal for a $30,000 recreational needs study. While Coun. Nicki Gowdy and Public Works Manager Tyson Myers didn’t seem too keen on the idea, the Mayor seemed to think there was some need.

• North

Please call Bill at 613-279-3341

this opportunity,” says Mr. Thompson. “South Frontenac is well-positioned to continue to grow and I look forward to working alongside Township Council and staff as Township Clerk.” ■

As a former resident of Plevna (until August 2022) I recall the heavy opposition mounted by some against the installation of clean energy wind turbines back in 2015. But times are different now. We can no longer look the other way.

During 2023 the Canadian government will be adopting climate policies for the capping of emissions, increasing the number of Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) manufacturers must sell, Clean Electricity and improvements to Carbon Pricing.

As Inglis points out in his op-ed, doing nothing is not an option. The impacts of a worsening climate are upon us. All of us remember the violent windstorm (a derecho) that hit North Frontenac at the end of May and of course the extreme weather British Columbians have had to endure in the last few years – heat dome, flooding, atmospheric rivers, wildfires.

I commend the North Frontenac council for taking a progressive approach on climate. All municipalities, both large and small, have a role to play. As Inglis writes, “A multitude of tiny actions creates a large

“That study might tell us if we really need four little rinks in each district or if we could combine them into two,” she said.

“We need the central rec committee up and running before we need that,” said Gowdy.

“The history of central rec has not been that successful,” said Smith.

The other area that came in for a sizeable discussion was the roads preservation program, of which $890,000 is slated for a portion of Road 38.

Smith suggested that it could be possible to do 5 kilometres of Road 38 and have about $400,000 to do something with parts of smaller roads such as Arden or Henderson Roads.

“What would the odds be of taking a

action.”

And also, a special thanks to Frontenac News for reporting the beginnings of climate action in North Frontenac.

Nobody can sit this one out. All of us alive today will be dealing with climate change for the rest of our lives. And we have the solutions but we just don’t have time to wait.

- Rolly Montpellier

It's Like I Was There

I have just finished reading the story in January 26/23 Frontenac News entitled Snow Social.

I wanted to let Kelly McRobert know that l really enjoyed the writing of the article. The descriptions of events made me feel that l had been present and was flying down the tubing hill and re-living the thrill l remember flying down with my son in my lap.

Thank you for that and your fun account of the Snow Social.

- Wendy Hinch

complete year off from 38 and using the full $890,000 on the ball-joint popping, tire-blowing roads that we all drive every day instead of 38 that we cruise down on bicycles or rollerblades?” said Coun. Craig Middleton.

Myers said: “that would go against our pavement preservation strategy.

“It would fit our roads needs study but it’s going to cost $38 million to fix 38 if we don’t get some help.

“We can take a year off from pavement preservation if we need to but it will set us back.

“Road 38 is still good enough to preserve but the risk is that it goes too far and you end up with sections like around Harrowsmith.” ■

(Formerly Matson Insurance Brokers)

Although we are closed to the public, we are still working remotely and ready to serve you for all your insurance needs.

Photo: James Thompson

COMMUNITY REPORTERS (613)

Arden Wanda Harrison 335-3186

Battersea / Storrington Amanda Pantrey 353-6653

Cloyne / Northbrook Stepanie Regent

Denbigh Gail Fritsch

Godfrey Kelli McRobert

Harrowsmith Gregg Hamelin

Henderson Jean Brown

Inverary Judy Borovskis

Maberly-Bolingbroke Karen Prytula

Mississippi Pearl Killingbeck

Ompah Linda Rush

Marily Seitz

Parham-Tichborne ........Colleen Steele

Christine Teal

Perth Road Peter Bird

Plevna Rhonda Watkins

613-333-2224

613-376-6665

through Plevna. They were the Consuls of Bulgaria and Romania and they were headed to the Clar-Mill Hall to celebrate Diversity day. Did you know that both these Countries also have a Plevna? There was dancing, food, wine and a whole lot of fun for everybody there to enjoy! The Archives society presented both Consuls with a copy of "Away Back" ; a book about the history of our area by Charles Armstrong. If you are interested in reading this book or others about the history of our Community, you are welcome to visit our local Plevna Library and check them out.

613-264-5325

Sydenham Karen Brawley 376-9848

Verona Debbie Lingen

P E r TH rOAD

Peter Bird

613-353-7303

p.bird@xplornet.ca

PERTH RD. SUNDAY SCHOOL HALL: Tuesday Lunches

• have resumed. Charge is $8 per person. Great value for home-made soup, sandwiches and desert.

LELAND HELPING HAND, Four Handed Euchre has been • cancelled.

•

PERTH ROAD VILLAGE CRAFTERS continue to meet ev-

ery Wednesday: 9:30 am – 11:30 am at Harris Park Hall, 5612 Perth Road Cres. If you’re a first timer? Check us out for free, please contact Cheryl Bird 613-353-7303

SHS 150 REUNION COMMITTEE is hosting their second euchre tourney in Sydenham at the Legion Br. # 460 on Feb 11th starting at 6:30 pm. No need to bring a partner! Cost is $20/player. Light snacks and desserts will be served and cash prices and small donations up for grabs! For more info please contact Jeremy Snider at: jer.snider@gmail.com or the SHS 150 co-chairs on any of their social media sites! Proceeds go to help raise funds and awareness for the upcoming reunion on Aug. 25th-27th, 2023

PLEVNA

rhonda Watkins

613-264-5325

rhonda139@gmail.com

You were not seeing things last Saturday, if you noticed • the two vehicles with the red diplomat license plates driving

The Lions Club of Land O'Lakes in Northbrook is super excited to announce that they are looking for young leaders in the community to sponsor into a Leo Club. Leos around the world form the future leaders, young people who learn the skills of serving the community, building networks, and running their own clubs. Additionally, hours spent at Leo also count into High School Community Service. If you are interested in learning more about that opportunity, or know of some young leaders in your community ages 16-22, then contact Nawar (778) 384-3381 or send an email to lionscluboflandolakes@ gmail.com

Don't forget to circle Sat Feb 25 on your calendar! The • Township of North Frontenac presents the 2023 Winterfest for us all to enjoy! It will be at the Clar-Mill Hall in Plevna at 6598 Buckshot Lake Road and will run from noon to 4:30pm. There will be so many fun things to do in and outside; including a magician, a delicious lunch, a skating party, dancing , a euchre tournament and kids activities, local vendors and so much more! Free entry for everybody and all are welcome!!

Sy DENHA m

Karen Brawley 613-376-9848

Football your thing? Super Bowl Party at the Legion on • February 12. Doors open at 4pm. Fun and games for all ages. All are welcome.

In case you aren’t aware. The Sydenham Legion has de- • cided to cancel their pike derby this year, lakes have been so so. So please exercise caution when venturing out on them, hopefully some good cold temperatures will make it safer, but when in doubt, just don’t..

Are you passionate about planning social and recreational • activities and helping seniors increase their health and wellness? We are looking to hire a full-time Activities Coordinator. For more details about the position and how to apply, visit our website at https://www.sfcsc.ca/career-opportunities

Jenevive of Jenevive's Hairstyling stopped into the food • bank last week with a generous donation--$5 from every cut at her home salon, or travelling salon services. She is located in the Sydenham area with a home salon just off Campbell Road, but also provides salon services in your own home! Call 613-888-5574 to support a local business that is also supporting our community! Thank you, Jenevive! Such an amazing idea, providing service as well as helping our community.

What are you all doing to help with the rising food costs?

• Any tips or frugal ways to stretch a nutritious meal shoot me an email. I can highlight in in my column. Karenofsyd@bell. net

We made it. January is behind us, February is upon us,

• wishing all the February babies a Happy Birthday

Okay Mother Nature, what happened to normal snow, like • seriously, we know it’s winter, but snow thunder and lighting,

but interesting little tidbit. Thundersnow, also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thunders nowstorm, is a kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain. It is considered a rare and unusual phenomenon.

VE r ONA

Debbie Lingen debbie@lingens.com

Linda Bates, president of the Verona Community Asso-

• ciation sent us this message. "After 3 years of no January Winter Warm-Up Breakfast in Verona, a very successful four Saturdays in January, 2023 occurred. With the support of our friends, neighbours and neighbouring communities. Trinity United Church and Verona Community Association hosted and served approximately 600 guests for breakfast. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you in January 2024. A huge thank you to the following weekly sponsors; Findlay Foods Kingston, Burnbrae Farms Lyn and Reids Foodland Verona. Without their generous donations this would not be possible. Thank you to our weekly volunteers who were and are very much appreciated."

Join Senior's Diner Lunch on Thursday, February 2nd, for • a hearty beef stew lunch with dessert and beverages at the Verona Free Methodist Church . After lunch, Wilma Kenny will be sharing some rarely heard stories about South Frontenac and the people who settled here. 55+ $10 per meal. To register, please call 613-376-6477 ext 303 or email joanne. silver@sfcsc.ca.

The Verona Free Methodist Church is hosting an inside • family movie night on Friday, February 3 at 6:30 pm. This is a PA Day. They will be showing The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The canteen will be open until 7 pm. There is no charge for admission but donations are always welcome.

Bring the whole family to enjoy "Family Day" on Monday, • February 20 from 11 am to 3 pm at the Frontenac Community Arena, 4299 Arena Boundary Road, Godfrey. This is a FREE event that includes skating, snowtubing and other snow activities. Volunteers needed. E-mail recsupport@southfrontenac. net

Don't forget your doggie dog tags. Bowser must be tagged • by the end of February to get the special rate of $15. After that, the bite on the wallet will be $30. Scamper down to Verona Hardware or Asselstine Hardware to purchase your dog tags.

ArDEN

Wanda Harrison

613-335-3186

wmharrison070@gmail.com

Please mark Sunday February 5 on your calendar because • the Arden United Church will be holding a Pot Luck luncheon at 1100 am after the service at 10:00 am. Attend the service or not, you are still welcome to the pot luck lunch. Bring a dish everyone can share!

The Church will have a trustee meeting Wednesday Febru- • ary 8, at 2:00 pm.

The Sharbot Lake Country Inn is hosting a live show featur- • ing Turpin’s Trail & Jess Wedden Saturday February 11. Book your tickets on line at thecrossingpub@gmail.com or call 613279-2198.

Family weekend is just around the corner and the Kennebec •

Lake Association will be hosting their 11th Annual Winter Fun Day Saturday February 18 with a “bad weather day” Monday February 20. See posters or the Lakes’ Facebook page, for all of the details.

On Sunday February 19, I’m told, that the Matson Family • will host a winter event at their farm. More details will follow.

Cervical Cancer is one of the most preventable and treat- • able types of cancer and with that said the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team is inviting all to a “Pap Party” Saturday March 11, 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Coffee, refreshments and snacks will be in the waiting room for you. You can register to attend the party at www.surveymonkey.com/r/PapClinic -March 11-2023 or call 613-279-2100.

bATTE r SEA /S TO rr INGTON

amanda Pantrey

613-353-6653

amandapantrey@outlook.com

This Friday (Feb 3rd), the Storrington Lions Club is collect- • ing food and items for a Community Food Drive from 1 to 5 pm at the Lions Club Hall in Sunbury. Donations will support the food bank at Battersea United Church. In addition to food items, the club is asking for personal hygiene products for men and women. Thanks for your support!

Sydenham High School 150 Reunion Committee is host- • ing their second euchre tourney in Sydenham at the Legion Br. # 460 on Feb 11th starting at 6:30 pm. No need to bring a partner! Cost is $20/player. Light snacks and desserts will be served and cash prices and small donations up for grabs! For more info please contact Jeremy Snider at: jer.snider@gmail. com or the SHS 150 co-chairs on any of their social media sites! Proceeds go to help raise funds and awareness for the upcoming reunion on Aug. 25th-27th, 2023.

Join South Frontenac at the Frontenac Community Arena on Monday, February 20 from 11 am – 3 pm for the Family Day in South Frontenac community event. There will snowtubing and other snow activities, free skating and more. Volunteers needed. For more information email recsupport@ southfrontenac.net.

Battersea’s own Patchworks Gardens are now accepting • pre-orders for your summer garden needs. Order now and pick up on the May long weekend. Check out www.patchworkgardens.ca for more information and to place your order.

•

What is the best outfit for February 2nd? A tu-tu.

CLOyNE - N O r TH br OO k

stephanie regent stephanieregent@gmail.com

Flinton Recreation Hall will be hosting a Pancake Dinner on

• February 21st from 4-6 pm. Money raised will go to the 150th Anniversary of St. John’s Church in Flinton happening in August. It’s a great way to get out and socialize and help the oldest church in our area organize a special celebration.

Milligan’s Meats on 41 highway is open 7 days per week,

• 10-4pm. If you haven’t been to Milligan’s you must check it out.

It was a busy weekend in our area with lots of local and • visiting Snowmobilers using the trails and supporting local businesses.

Land O’ Lakes Community Services Denbigh Diners will • be on Monday February 6, 2023 at the Denbigh Hall. RSVP Betty 613-333-2366.

The Denbigh Griffith Lions are having BINGO on Valentine’s • Day February 14th at 6:30 p.m. And on Wednesday February 15th at 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. there will be Food and Fellowship at the Lions Hall.

The next meeting of the Denbigh Recreation Committee is Monday February 13th at 7:00 p.m. at the Denbigh Community Hall.

Please let me know if you have any news or events you • would like to share.

GODFrEy

Kelli Mcrobert kattgrrrl@gmail.com

SHS 150 Reunion Committee is hosting their second euchre tourney in Sydenham at the Legion Br. # 460 on Feb 11th starting at 6:30 pm. No need to bring a partner! Cost is $20/player. Light snacks and desserts will be served and cash prizes and small donations will be up for grabs! For more info please contact Jeremy Snider at: jer.snider@gmail.com or the SHS 150 co-chairs on any of their social media sites! Proceeds go to help raise funds and awareness for the upcoming reunion on Aug. 25th-27th, 2023

Spend Family Day at Furnace Falls Farm and enjoy a fun • outdoor family scavenger hunt; build a natural bird feeder to take home. Create a pizza with a cup of hot chocolate or mulled cider. The cost is $10 + tax per person. Children must be accompanied by an adult—on February 20th from 10 am to 2 pm. Call 613-561-2177 or email admin@furnacefallsfarm. com to register.

The Sharbot Lake Family Health Team is throw- • ing a 'PAP party' for you on Saturday, March 11th from 1:00 PM to 4:30 pm. They will be providing coffee, refreshments, and snacks in the waiting room. Be their guest of honour - it's 5 minutes that could save your life! A Pap test is recommended every 3 years...*for women 21 years old and older who are or have been sexually active and *for transgender men who have a cervix who are 21 years and older and who are or have been sexually active. Please complete the following registration form to book an appointment: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PapClinic-March11-2023 or, call us at 613-279-2100. For more information, contact us at programs.slfht@gmail.com

Thanks to the Central Frontenac Road Crew for clearing • our roadways after the large snowfall last week! We appreciate the effort you are putting into getting the roads cleared and sanded after the storms roll through.

H A rr OWS m ITH

Gregg Hamelin

613-376-6665 ghamelin3585@gmail.com

ware in Verona. For info call 613-372-2410

HENDErSON

Jean Brown

613-336-2516

This past week our Pine Meadow people created more fab- • ulous memories with some snow art- painting bright and vivid colours in the mounds of snow, and we’ve got tons of snow here! They said it was a hoot and a holler!!

We’re all excited about attending an indoor yard sale this • coming Sat. Feb. 4 hosted by the Lions Club of Land O’Lakes in Northbrook from 9:00 AM to noon. Wow- this is something to look forward to as we continue to face storms, school closures, and extreme cold. There’s going to lots of treasures and even some hot coffee.

Henderson United Church has suspended worship for Jan- • uary and February. However for this coming Sunday folks are invited to worship with our sister church in Arden at 10:00 followed by a pot-luck lunch at 11:00. If you are able please bring some sandwiches and or dessert to share.

INVErAry

Judy Borovskis borovskis@kingston.net

Happy Ground Hog Day! Shadow – Yes/No? Not sure if • Mother Nature and the Ground Hog converse but according to Alexa my morning runs are going to be quite chilly!

Food Bank Drive February 3rd. Drop off at the Storrington • Lions Hall between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. Wish list includes hygiene products for men & women, cereal, crackers, bread, milk, cheese, eggs, butter, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and peanut free school snacks. Also welcomed are frozen & fresh vegetables, frozen meat, canned & fresh fruit. Whatever you can give is needed and appreciated! Eyeglasses & hearing aides can be dropped at the same time! Thank You.

Euchre Tourney in support of the Sydenham High |School • 150th Reunion! The Tournament is February 11th at 6:30 pm at the Sydenham Legion hosted by the Reunion Committee. $20 a person. No need to bring a partner. Light snacks and desserts will be served and cash prices and small donations up for grabs! For more info contact Jeremy Snider jer.snider@ gmail.com or the SHS 150 co-chairs on any of their social media sites! Proceeds to raise funds and awareness for the upcoming reunion on Aug. 25th-27th, 2023

Pull Tabs are continually being collected by the Storrington • Lions Club. Presently they have 36 lbs. collected. Drop off at the Food Bank Drive or leave your bagged tabs anytime at the Lions’ hall in Sunbury and they will be picked up.

Rotary Calendars offering 312 chances to win $15,000 in • prizes are available at Inverary Pharmasave, Mrs Garrett's Bake Shop, Neil's Flowers, & Limestone Creamery. For info call Darlene at 613-353-1142. Help Rotary to help others!

Hall Rentals: Inverary Church Hall – contact Judy Borovs- • kis 353-1768 or cell: 613-545-5017. Battersea Church hall – contact Roberta Smith 353-2846.

Finnegan’s General Store & Greco Pizza Express on 41

• highway is NOW open 7 days per week. Monday to Saturday, 9-6 pm. Sunday’s, 12-6 pm.

If you haven’t had a chance to ever attend a Winter Event

• in North Frontenac, the wait is over ! Clar Mill Hall is hosting a Winter Event on Saturday February 25th. Please go to the North Frontenac township website for details.

Our beautiful Bon Echo Provincial Park is hiring! Please go • to the Career Edge website before the postings expire.

LOL Lions “Indoor” Yard Sale Saturday February 4th

• 9-noon

LOL Lions Valentine’s Dinner February 18th 6-8 pm. Reser- • vations are are required so please call 613-217-8710 by Feb. 11th. Details on our Facebook page.

LOL Valentine’s Dance February 18th 8:15-1 a.m. come • join the fun and enjoy the chill, macaroni & cheese, desserts and of course the wonderful music.

Bingo at the Lions the whole month of February....bring your • sweet tooth because everyone will be given a free chocolate bar!

Weekly walking club at North Addington is every Monday & • Wednesday from 7-9 pm. Please note if the school is closed for the day, the walking club will be cancelled for that day. Admission is free , please go into the school through the side door on the north side of the school to sign in and use the hand sanitizer. All are welcome.

DENbIGH & VENNACHAr

Gail Fritsch 613-333-2224

tonygailfritsch@sympatico.ca

Finally we have had enough winter conditions to get some ice on our rink. The Denbigh Rink at Heritage Park is open for skating as long as the weather continues to cooperate. Take time to go out and enjoy our community rink. And for sure, it was also a great weekend to go out tobogganing or snowshoeing with family or friends.

You know at Christmas we were hoping for more snow, but • now we've had enough!!

Thank you to Joanne and Elaine for donating more yarn so

• the BC Knitters can continue to make scarves, tocques, etc and sell them to make money for the local food bank. Very much appreciated

Save the Date – May 13th! Support the Storrington Lions • Club. Mark your calendar for the 3rd Annual High Tea! Plan this outing for Mothers’ Day Weekend.

mA b E r Ly- bOLING br O k E

Karen Prytula

613-325-1354 karenprytula33@gmail.com

Friday, February 3, 2023 there will be a Youth Dance at

• the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith 19:00 - 21:30 for public school children. The cost is $6.00. For information please call 613-372-2410

Sunday, February 12, 2023 the Ole Tyme Fiddlers with Open • Mike will be hosted at the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith 13:00 - 17:00, followed by dinner. The cost is $12.00 and please bring a dessert to share. For info call 613-372-2410

Sunday, February 19, 2023 there will be a TAKE OUT tur- • key dinner at the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith. Advance tickets only with a cut off date of Wednesday, February 15. The cost is $20.00 and tickets are available at the gas station in Sydenham, Harrowsmith, Hartington and Asselstine Hard-

Lanark County Genealogical Society presents – “The 50% -

• The Women in Your Tree”, February 4, 2023, 1:30 pm. You do not have to be a member to attend this on-line event. Present-

Continued to page 8

Sharbot Lake Chiropractic & Wellness

Dr. Gian Kaillon Sharbot Lake 613.279.2100 www.sharbotlakechiropractic.ca

tips to avoid Back Pain While travelling Vacations (especially during the winter months) can be a great opportunity to relax and recharge. Whether you’re flying to a tropical destination or simply heading up to the cabin, holidays are always a welcome event. The following 5 tips may assist in keeping your back safe from injury during your holiday and beyond:

Tip 1: Pack it Light - Heavy luggage can wreak havoc on your spine. Choose a lightweight suitcase that is easy to maneuver (4 wheels are the best!) and an ergonomic backpack as your carry on. Ever noticed that you didn’t use at least 30% of what you packed? Be considerate of what you put in your luggage as you will be hauling it around for the duration of your trip.

Tip 2: Watch Those Lifts - One of the most common causes of back and spine injury is lifting. This includes picking up those bags and placing them in and out of the trunk of your car. Lifts over the head put you at an increased risk of injury, so be extra careful when lifting your luggage in and out of the overhead storage bins on airplanes.

Tip 3: Move & Stretch - If you are travelling by car, take advantage of the rest stops along the way to allow yourself to stretch. When on a plane, get up every so often to stretch and walk the aisles. Movement is key to keeping a healthy back.

Tip 4: Stay Hydrated - Up to 60% of the human adult body is water, so it makes sense that we need to drink plenty of it.

Tip 5: Keep Calm - Travelling can be stressful, so do your best to keep calm and try to relax.

Sydenham’s Mysterious Painting

By Wilma Kenny

In Grace Hall in Sydenham, there’s a large unsigned picture painted directly on the wall, above the front entrance. It shows a road curving toward a small town far in the distance.

Those who notice such things with curiosity have wondered who painted it, and why. Lacking answers, some have tried to fill the gap with speculation that soon became accepted as fact. The road has been identified as local, in spite of the small cactus by the rock pile on the left and the dome-roofed all-white buildings in the background. A glaring red “exit’ sign has been cut into the bottom of the picture, and the paint on the lower part of the picture is beginning to flake off .

Here’s what I remember: some time in the early 50’s, the Jonassens arrived from Denmark to join our small farming community just east of Sydenham.

Desperate for somewhere to live, Ole worked hard to persuade one of our neighbours to let him move into an old derelict frame house on their property which was so run-down that it was being used as a hay barn. It didn’t have insulation, electricity or running water: there were two small rooms and a woodshed on the ground floor, probably two small bedrooms upstairs, a big wood stove that took up a quarter of the kitchen and an outhouse. None of the other houses and farms had running water either, and we used outhouses, but we at least grew most of our own food, had electricity, and all the men had secondary jobs in area plants, mills or factories. Ole was an artist. How could an artist ever support a wife and four children?

He began by painting every inside surface of the house with soft, warm colours: peach, pink, mauve, blue, green, yellow. He hung paintings of the home they had left, and the countryside around it. Even as a child, I had trouble reconciling the small, irritable, homesick man with the beautiful oasis he had created.

It wasn’t long before Ole became well known in Kingston for his large wall murals which usually depicted local historical scenes (Fort Henry and the Kingston skyline were favourites). Most of them have vanished over the years, as properties were sold and renovated. He painted in restaurants, stores and fraternal hallsMorrison’s, Steacy’s, Oddfellows, Masons, etc. The stone hall at the corner of Johnson & Wellington may still have some of his work. He taught oil painting at SHS night school. He under-painted in light purple, a quality that made his work immediately identifiable.

Ole was hired to renovate the interior of Grace United Church (now Grace Hall), when the basement was being dug out and a kitchen added downstairs.

He was given pretty much carte blanche by the congregation, and he transformed an austere meeting-hall: built a raised dais at the front with choir spaces on each side, and two pulpits rich with carving. The walls were pale pastels, but the wainscotting and pews (which had all been ugly brown false-grain) were khaki: “So people will

Tichborne Rink Good To Go For This Season On ‘Temporary’ Basis

By Craig Bakay

Central Frontenac Council gave Mayor Frances Smith and CAO/Clerk Cathy MacMunn the authority to sign an agreement with the owners of the property the Tichborne Rink stands on in order get it up and running for the rest of this winter at its regular meeting Jan. 24 in Sharbot Lake.

This agreement represents a ‘temporary’ use situation and dates and hours of operation should be determined soon.

In 1988, the Township entered into a 100-year lease for the use of the flooded/wetland area with the Goodfellow family to allow the continued use of the skating rink. The

Bellecon Renovations

lease payment was a nominal $1 per year. However, the lease was not registered on title and therefore expired upon the sale/transfer of the property to the current owners, Rhonda Petty and Douglas Starling.

The rink has been used for more than 50 years in this location and the Recreation Committee would like to continue the rink there. The facility is in need of significant repair (according to a staff report).

“Prior to the Township allocating funding and using fundraised money to improve the site, it needs to decide whether it would be best to purchase the rink property and keep it in its current location or move the rink to a different location,” MacMunn said in her report.

Given that the rink is located within a wetland, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority was consulted and has indicated a permit would be required and a hydrogeology study or soil sample/test hoses may be required for any work to upgrade and/or improve the facility.

“In the meantime, the conservation authority indicated it would not have any objection to continuing with the current structure for this year.

“We have some numbers in the budget,” said Smith.

be encouraged to look up,” he explained.

At the front, where there remains an arch with a cross on top, hung a huge painting of Christ praying in Gethsemane, derived from Heinrich Hoffman’s work, but in much lighter colours than the original.

And on the back wall of the church, Ole painted a picture of the road to Bethlehem. Neither painting was signed. ■

current location until such time as a development proposal determines it either can be permanently incorporated into the design proposal (for seniors housing) for the school site, or needs to be relocated to accommodate the preferred development for said site.

“This commitment does not include a specific five-year horizon due to the uncertainty of the timing for redevelopment of the school site,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Further, any grant application requests from either the pickleball ad hoc committee or the pickleball sub committee of the Oso Rec Committee will be made through a recommendation from that committee to Council as per the Township’s standard procedure for such things.

Staff has yet to hear back on a lawyer’s opinion of making a five-year commitment to allowing the pickleball court in its current location.

Doctor Recruitment

Frontenac County has four medical clinics covering a large geographical area (Sharbot Lake, Sydenham, Verona and under development in Inverary), Jeanette Dietrich, Lead Physician of the rural Kingston Family Health Organization and Deborah Krause, Executive Director of the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team told Council.

“If we lose even one physician, the others can’t absorb the patients,” Dietrich said. “The situation is dire regarding physician recruitment and we run the risk of having no rural family physician offices.”

Doing Renovations for your Future! 613-268-2389

“This lease agreement will give them the authority to use the rink for this season,” said MacMunn.

To that end, they said, while we have many of the professional and lifestyle attributes that new physicians are looking for, to be competitive, they need help with:

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• professional recruiters

• advertising, networking, job fairs

• assistance with partner employment, settling physicians’ families

• assistance with physical infrastructure.

Vehicle purchase put over to budget

Council held off giving final approval of a 2020 ¾ ton diesel pickup truck for the fire department in the amount of $72,900 plus $20,000 for emergency equipment until budget numbers are complete.

“We’ve only had half a day on the budget,” said Coun. Nicki Gowdy.

The Township has put a deposit on the vehicle but that is refundable,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Heritage Festival

Council declared the Feb.17 Heritage Festival Talent Show Feb.17 as being of municipal importance in order to obtain a liquor licence.

This will allow The Local Brewery Inc. (Jen and Steve Trussell) to apply for a special occasion permit for said event. ■

Ole Jonassen painted this mural on the wall of Grace United Church, now known as Grace Hall.

Godfrey General Store -New Year, New Owners

aged by Laurie Love and will continue to provide postal services to residents.

Dipenkumar and Krushap are the main business owners who have had previous experience in purchasing and managing businesses within the Ontario region. Their hope is to continue to provide service to the local community while they get to know Frontenac and the surrounding area. And we have heard rumours that the chip truck is negotiating it’s return for those that loved the easy access from the

KP Trail. Mihir and Krushap would like to thank everyone that has stopped in to say hello, and they look forward to meeting their neighbours far and wide as they provide a convenient, one-stop-shop for fuel, food, beer, and snacks.

We are thankful for it’s location at the end of Westport Road (#8) at Hwy #38 during our ATV/Cycling/Snowmobile adventures.

Welcome to Godfrey! ■

By Kelli McRobert

Curiosity abounds as locals slowly

drive past the recently sold Godfrey General Store. The store had been owned for 46 years by Les and Shirley McGowan and it was then handed over to Scott and Laurie Love who managed it until November 2022. It has come a long way from the past days of fur trading beaver, otter, and various pelts, with the Hudson Bay Company, to a modernized convenience store with gas, groceries, and other sundries.

Since the purchase handover, Krushap Patel and Mihir Panchal have been running and living at the store as they learn the ins and outs of small-town retail. When I popped in to see how things were going, they were in the process of training a new employee, Parth Patel, who

had moved here from North York, and was diligently learning the ropes. As customers came and went, Parth was mastering the cash register and multi-tasking as supplies were being received, customers were coming and going, and orders were being placed for goods and services.

It was also nice to note, that while I waited for Mihir to finish with a customer outside, small town charm was apparent, as someone forgot their wallet and was provided the courtesy to return and pay, without hesitation. This is one of the appeals of a smaller rural town where most people know each other and one that has not been jaded by big city crime and skepticism. People are treated with honesty and fairness unless they prove otherwise.

The post office itself, is still being man-

Springwood Cottage Resort (“Springwood”) is entering its third year under new ownership and is looking to expand its team with summer staff and an onsite Assistant General Manager. Springwood is a yearround, family-owned resort with 17 cottages, a bunkie, marina and general store on Kennebec Lake in Arden, Ontario, that tailors its programming to families and small to medium sized groups.

The Onsite Assistant General Manager is a newly developed role and will work in tandem with the Maintenance Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations and staff at the resort and continue the journey of developing and operationalizing the resort. The successful candidate will be responsible for Housekeeping, Guest Experiences/ Relations & Administrative functions at Springwood. This role can be performed either by one individual or possibly job shared between a couple with complementary skills. The successful candidate will live onsite and be provided with housing, while not ideal, consideration may be given to those who meet the qualifications but live nearby, rather than onsite.

The ideal candidate is a natural people person, highly organized, an effective communicator, business minded with strong management and problem-solving skills, is detailed oriented, highly computer literate and trustworthy. They must also be able to pass a basic police check, have a valid drivers license and an appreciation of what it takes to operate a rural property. Experience within the Hospitality Industry is considered an asset, but not required.

Our Part time Summer Staff assist with Housekeeping, Groundskeeping, Maintenance, Marina, Guest Relations & Store Sales, Kids Activities and Events. Depending on interest, suitability and availability, summer staff will be trained and assigned to work a variety of tasks. Summer staff will have the opportunity to start working weekends in April and will be required to work on Saturdays throughout the months of July and August. For those who live nearby, opportunities to continue on a casual basis throughout the off season may be available.

Ideal candidates are reliable, hard-working individuals who are customer centric, friendly and treat others with respect. You must be able to lift a minimum of 20-50 lbs, be able to walk on uneven terrain and climb stairs. These are physical jobs that require you to work both inside and outside. Previous customer service, hospitality, cleaning, camp councillor, maintenance/general labourer, mechanical or landscaping experience is an asset.

For consideration, please send your resume indicating which position you are applying to: info@springwoodcottageresort.ca. Candidates who are applying to the Onsite Assistant General Manager are also asked to provide a letter outlining why they believe they are the most suitable candidate.

Krushap Patel and Mihir Panchal

Little Theatre Will Produce Play from Local Playwright

After three years' delay courtesy of Covid 19, Ciara is finally on her way home! This time, to Oso Hall, Sharbot Lake, where North Frontenac Little Theatre recently announced that their Spring Production of "Ciara's Coming Home", written by Arden author and playwright, Glenys O'Connell will hit the stage in late April.

Auditions are being held at 6:30 p.m. in Oso Hall on Wednesday, February 15, and Thursday, February 16. Actors needed as follows: 1 female in her 50s; one male in his 50s; 3 females 20 to 30, but high school age also eligible; 2 males 20 to 30, but high school students also suitable, and lastly 1 male age 9 to14.

Actors need have no previous experience and behind the scenes personnel were needed as well, said O'Connell.

er Diane Duncan has spent much of the past ten years finding information about her several-times-Great grandmothers, their siblings, daughters, mothers, and ancestors. As a result, she has doubled the number of Lanark County families that she has researched and linked in her records. By researching the maternal lines, not just the paternal lines; she has discovered nuggets that make for a much richer family history. This has been especially important in Lanark County, a community with so much endogamy [inter-marriages] in the early years. Many of the settler families continued to intermarry among themselves well into the 1900s. How many times have you heard a new DNA researcher throw up their hands and say, "I 1don't recognize any of these names?!" Every time a female enters the relationship lineage, the name changes. Diane's research on female lineage has enabled her to track cousin-matches with a high-level of success. “In The 50% - The Women in Your Tree”, Diane will give an overview of information she has gathered

"We will offer guidance and training and we anticipate everyone will have a great time and make new friends during upcoming rehearsals which start on February 21."

"We're really delighted to present this play. It's a real gem. I read the script and I just loved it," said NFLT official, Pamela Giroux.

The award winning one act play, codirected by Adrian O'Connell and Brian Robertson, is set on a farm in rural Ireland where the O'Brien family is thrown into chaos when New York based daughter, Ciara, suddenly announces she's returning to visit. Her imminent arrival triggers hilarious uproar and awakens unsettling memories which shake up the whole household. ■

on two Janet Millers in her tree, one an aunt of the other, both born in Scotland. Janet, daughter of William Miller and Elizabeth Gilmour, arrived in Canada at the age of 20, married Robert Boyle and emigrated for a second time when the Boyle family moved to Queensland Australia in 1865 when Janet was 64 years of age.

The second Janet, daughter of William Miller and Margaret Burns, a niece of the older Janet, was 8 years of age when she arrived in Canada in 1820. She married John Callander, a neighbour in Dalhousie Township and soon after their marriage, moved with her husband's family to North Gower. Until a couple of years ago, this Janet had been lost to the family story. Assistance from cousins in Queensland has extended the family story beyond what can be found in public records. Diane Miller’s childhood was spent in the village of Glen Tay near Perth, Canada. After her marriage she moved to ‘the other end’ of the county of Lanark. Diane graduated from Perth and District Collegiate Institute and later from Carleton University, with an Honours B.A., in Canadian Studies. She taught in Carleton Place and Almonte schools and served as Museum Project Coordinator during the years preceding the opening of for the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte. Diane has been a regular contributor to recent books published by the Lanark County Genealogical Society. Diane is a member of the Alberta Family Histories Society and leads a Special Interest Group (SIG) of people using the program Legacy Family Tree to record their research. Diane is the author of Tayside Memories: The Story of a Lanark County Lad, based on her father’s memoirs and the Miller family photograph collection. This event is online only. Please register in advance by

Lions Roar: Bingo Night Improves

by Gary Short

The Lions Club of Land O'Lakes is pleased to announce that their new Bingo systems are up and running for Bingo Nights on Thursday evenings at the Lions Club Community Centre in Northbrook, Ontario.

A new Bingo Console for the Lions Club volunteer Bingo Callers is proving to be reliable and user friendly. New flat screen tv’s provide a much larger and clearer view of the Bingo Balls being called. The new sound system allows Lions Club volunteers to announce winning numbers through wireless microphones for the Bingo Caller. The new equipment is a major improvement for the Lions Club volunteers and customers who are seniors and those who may have difficulty with hearing and vision.

The new equipment was made possible through a grant from the Government of

sending an email to communication@lanarkgenealogy.com At a date closer to the time of the event you will receive an email on how to access the meeting, and so you will be able to watch it from the comfort of your own home! No winter travelling!

OmPAH

linda rush lindarush@yahoo.com

613-479-2570

Marily seitz seitz@xplornet.ca

613-479-2855

The Clar-Mill Hall parking lot was full • on Saturday for the Day of Romania and Bulgaria. Many local folks attended along with many Romanian and Bulgarian visitors. We were introduced to local connections and Rumanian and Bulgarian history, songs, dance, wine and fancy desserts. The highlight for me was a chance to join in a folk dance led by beautifully costumed dancers. What a delightful afternoon. Well looks like winter has truly arrived. • Snow piles have created canyons along my lane and pathwayss. Thank you to the road crew who clear the roads starting early in the morning.

PArHAm-TICHbOrNE

Colleen Steele 613-375-6219

Christine Teal mrsteal2u@hotmail.com

For those who want a bit of exercise or • something to do as a family....how about lacing up your skates as there is free skating at the Frontenac Area on Sunday 12 to 130 and Wednesday 9 to 1030 all season long. Did you also know that you can rent snowshoes or kick sleds at the arena also in case you want to buy some it is always

Canada New Horizons for Seniors Program. The new Bingo Console was supplied and installed through Arrow Games Inc. They also provided training on the new software systems to the Lions Club volunteers. The TV and sound systems were designed and installed specifically for the Lions Club Community Centre by Red Ball Radio Ltd. The Lions Club of Land O'Lakes gratefully acknowledge the support from the New Horizons for Seniors Program and the support and work by the suppliers and the numerous Lions Club volunteers involved in the project.

Come out on a Thursday evening to the Lions Club Community Centre in Northbrook to socialize and enjoy the games, sights, and sounds of the new Bingo Systems. ■

nice to try them to see if this is your thing before you spend the money!

Euchres at the Legion starting at 1 pm every Wednesday. Come out and enjoy an afternoon of fun, friendship and often there are some delicious morsels to nibble on!

Friday Feb 3 is a Roast Beef Dinner at • the Legion Hall in Sharbot Lake at 530 at a cost of $17 each

Happy Birthday to Philip Fox who turned • 50 on Jan. 30. Hope you had a wonderful day!

Thinking of John Whan originally from • O'Reilly Lake with some health issues now in Peterborough.

We have received some great news!!!

• The Tichborne rink will soon be operational!!! Thank you to owners Bob & Rhonda for being so supportive through this all!

Special wishes to our February Birth - • days: Sheri Cox, Ben Steele, Aleris Cronk, Lesley Smith-Merrigan, Mary Wisteard, Sandra Raymond, Jen Meulenaar, Savannah McCelland, Will Cooke, Richard Webster, Tammy Hartwick, Sylvia Cota, Angie Teal, Helene Riddell, Kenna Brown, Nathan Lowery, Sheena Price, Shawn Kehoe, Tammy Parks, Betty Babcock, Tyler MacPherson, Kaden Dupuis, Debbie Pond, Carson Hamilton, Keegan Bertrim, Harmonie Ruttan, Geraldine Badour, Crystal Ferdinand, Danny Meeks, Hunter Cooke, Skylar Lee, Judy Huffman, Ed Goodfellow, Troy Wookcock, Kelly Kehoe, Bentley Schonauer, Saylor Cota, Liz Steele-Drew, Julie Teal, Cheryl Gordon, and Janice Conway.

Official Plan back on the table in South Frontenac

The updated South Frontenac Official Plan was first presented to the now former South Frontenac Council in May of last year.

At the time, the township’s Director of Development Services, Claire Dodds, was hoping to have the plan completed and in place before the end of the year.

But early last summer, Council and Dodds agreed it would be prudent not to try and rush the plan through, and the approval process was deferred.

This week, under a new Director of Development Services, Brad Wright, the draft Official Plan (OP) is back before Council

The newest draft of the OP contains a few amendments but is very similar to the previous draft.

The new draft reiterates the projection that 50% of growth over the next 30 years will occur in either the primary settlement areas (Inverary, Sydenham, and Verona) or secondary settlement areas (Battersea Sunbury, Harrowsmith, and Hartington).

One of the goals of the new Official Plan is to support communal servicing initiative that is being development in Frontenac County. Combined with sufficient promotion of locations within settlement areas, and the plan of subdivision process, communal servicing is expected to be a key factor in attaining the 50% goal.

Since the adoption of the previous plan, in 2003, the bulk of residential development in the township has taken place through

by Jeff Green

severances on rural lots, and not in the settlement areas.

While some members of council have been hoping that the new official plan will be a mechanism to further that pattern of development, which has provided steady growth in South Frontenac for 20 years, provincial officials have made it clear that at least one means of doing that, allowing for more than three lots to be created out of an existing lot of record as of 2003, is not likely to happen.

“The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the County of Frontenac will not allow unlimited severances. We are working with them and their policies to find a suitable middle ground,” said Brad Wright in his presentation.

When the first draft of the Official Plan was presented to Council last May, Claire Dodds indicated that the province will not permit any change to the 3 severence rule.

With three new members on council, Wright told the News, in a phone interview, that he will take the necessary time to go over the plan for their benefit, but hopes that the public process will be able to be initiated soon, and the plan will be ready for approval by July.

Changes to the plan that are necessitated by the passage of Ontario Bill 23 and its impact on the role of Conservation Authorities and on-site plan agreements, will be incorporated in the Official Plan later this spring. ■

T HE C LASSIFIEDS

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2009 CHEVY AVEO, certified, sun-roof, auto, PS, PB, AC, 1.4 litre, winter tires, 136,000 km, gas miser, clean, senior lady driven, asking $5,800 call 613-374-1774, cell 613-876-4044

CENTRAL BOILER Classic OUTDOOR FURNACES can eliminate your high heating bill. Buy NOW and save up to $550! Call today 613539-9073. www.thefurnacebroker.com

CENTRAL BOILER OUTDOOR FURNACES offer the Classic, the Maxim and the New Edge. Your local Dealer, Wood Heat Solutions, Frankford, ON, 613-398-1611; Bancroft, ON 613-332-1613. www.chesher.ca

ENGAGEMENT RING, 9 diamonds, 1.21 total carat weight. Appraised $3450, asking $1600. Sharbot Lake. Call Dennis 613-449-8997

LIGHTLY USED SNOWMOBILE, $3,500 value or best offer, or will trade for pontoon boat or bandsaw that cuts logs. 613-374-1892

SHIPPING CONTAINERS: Seacans Storage Containers, 7ft 10ft 20ft 40ft 45ft Steel garden sheds call 613-354-8744 or online http://IngeniousStorage.com

Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Advocates for Priorities at ROMA 2023 Conference

Submitted by Frontenac County

The Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) advocated for regional priorities at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) 2023 Conference held in the City of Toronto from January 22 to 24, 2023.

From across Ontario, the EOWC joined over 1,400 rural municipal colleagues at the conference to participate in meetings with provincial Ministers, Members of Provincial Parliament, and the New Democratic and Liberal opposition parties to discuss priorities including Affordable and attainable housing: The '7 in 7' regional housing plan, health care human resources, Ontario Health Teams' governance and structure, Long-term care funding and support

"The EOWC was eager and ready to represent our region at the ROMA 2023 Conference and meet with provincial representatives. We were able to gain awareness and traction on our '7 in 7' regional housing plan that proposes to build 7,000 affordable community rental housing units in seven years. The conference presented an opportunity for the EOWC to continue to make progress for our municipalities and residents," said EOWC Chair Peter Emon.

The EOWC met with Ontario Liberal and NDP Caucus members as well, to present and gain valuable feedback on the Regional Housing Plan. The plan was well-received and the EOWC looks forward to working with both parties as the plan moves forward.

HuNTING

FIREARMS & HUNTER EDUCATION COURSES – Call 613-335-2786

PErSONAL

MAY THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS be adored, glorified, loved and preserved through the world now and for ever. Sacred heart of Jesus pray for us. St. Jude worker of miracles pray for us. Say this prayer nine times per day for nine days. By the ninth day your prayer will be answered. It has never been known to fail. Publication must be promised. Thank you, St. Jude.

SErVICES

ADVANCED FOOTCARE – RN. “Let me take care of your feet” – in home foot-care. Diabetic care, fungus treatments, corns, callous, ingrown nails. Call 613-929-8956

HANDYMAN SERVICE 40 years experience. Repairs, home construction/ renovation including window installation, tile, siding, plumbing etc. No job too small. Call Lloyd Hartwick 613 -539-2544.

PAINTING - Drywall & Plaster Repair, Interior/ Exterior Painting. Call Eric at Men In White 613-200-1127. WSIB compliant, fully insured.

PHOTOCOPY SERVICES available at The Frontenac News, 1095 Garrett St., rear building, Sharbot Lake. Competitive prices! 8½” x 11” - Black & White 25¢ ea; Colour copies 60¢ ea. 613-279-3150.

PUMP REPAIR: Licenced well technician on staff with 15 years experience. Call Mark, Verona Hardware, 6723 Main St., Verona. Ph. 613-374-2851

RENOVATIONS, Framing, Drywall, painting, laminate & vinyl flooring, brush and tree removal, and more. Contact Todd Gursby for estimates, 613-278-1300

TOWING

B’S RADICAL RIDES Towing & Recovery. James Mills owner/operator. 613-335-5050; website: bsradicalrides.ca

WANTED TO buy

.410 GAUGE SHOTGUN SHELLS, Older 12 gauge shotgun shells. Please call Mike at 613483-4887

Doing our part to increase housing supply: EOWC's '7 in 7' regional hous-

ing plan

The EOWC wants to do our part to meet the Ontario Government's target of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. Rural communities must not get left behind and rental housing needs to be considered in the solution.

The EOWC has the expertise of leading large-scale public-private regional projects. This bold solution would bring the private, non-profit and public sectors together to build affordable community housing to address the municipal housing wait lists. The investment could also incent up to three times the number of attainable market rate units across the region.

The EOWC will be working with a consultant over the coming months to develop a strong business case for the plan.

The EOWC looks forward to bringing more information forward as the plan moves ahead.

The Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) in a non-profit organization comprised of the Heads of Council of 13 upper and single-tier municipalities across rural eastern Ontario. The Caucus advocates on behalf of 103 municipalities and nearly 800,000 residents. The EOWC covers an area of almost 50,000 square kilometres from the County of Northumberland to the Québec border.

For more information, visit EOWC's website at www.eowc.org or Twitter account at @EOWC_ON. ■

ReadeR Supported News

We are committed to delivering community news free of charge, each week through Canada Post. In this way, we ensure 12,500 households receive a copy of the Frontenac News each week.

We do not have a paywall on either of our two websites, Frontenacnews.ca (which we load with the stories from the paper and update throughout the week as well) and Frontenac-live.ca (where comprehensive event listings and a complete business directory are located).

We remain committed to providing information for free thanks to the revenue generated by our advertisers.

However, mailing and websites incur costs. Therefore we are asking for support from those of our readers who can afford it. Delivery of The Frontenac News each week costs $30.00 per year to each home, if a small portion of our readers are able to pay $30, $50 or $100, it would be a big help to us.

We have enlisted online help for this by registering with Patreon.com, which is a service that was set up for makers of cultural products based on small, monthly payments (USD), or we can accept payment at our office by credit card, Interac, email payments, cheque or cash.

For your support, we are offering a thank you in the form of a free 20 word classified ad for any contribution over $12

To become a patron contact

The Frontenac News, PO Box 229, 1095 Garrett St. Sharbot Lake ON K0H 2P0 613-279-3150

info@frontenacnews.ca

www.frontenacnews.ca

be published for two weeks. Donations to offset the costs of publication would be appreciated. Other listings are paid or are taken from paid ads elsewhere in the paper. The News makes every effort to be accurate but events should be independently verified by readers.

Thursday February 2

ARDEN - POT LUCK LUNCHEON 11am. Arden United Church. Worship at 10am or just attend luncheon. Bring what you can!

VERONA - 55+ DINERS’ LUNCH 12pm.

Verona Free Methodist Church. Join SFCS for beef stew with dessert and drinks. $10 / meal. Register 613-376-6477 x 303 or joanne.silver@ sfcs.ca

Friday February 3

INVERARY - COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE 1-5pm. Storrington Lions Hall. Needed: food items, M/F personal hygiene products.

SHARBOT LAKE - LEGION SUPPER 3pm. Sharbot Lake Legion. Roast Beef. $17 Supper at 5:30.

VERONA - FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT 6:30pm. Verona Free Methodist Church. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Canteen open until 7pm. Free event, donations welcome.

HARROWSMITH - YOUTH DANCE 7-9:30pm. Harrowsmith Golden Links Hall. For public school children, $6, info 613-372-2410

Saturday February 4

NORTHBROOK - WINTER RAIL RIP-FIRST OFFICIAL SHARBOT LAKE SNOWSHOE

by Fred Barrett

RACE 108 Addington Rd #2.

SNOW ROAD - SNOW ROAD SNOWMOBILE

CLUB BREAKFAST 8-11am. Snow Road

Snowmobile Clubhouse. Everybody welcome.

NORTHBROOK - “INDOOR” YARD SALE

9am-12pm. Northbrook Lions Hall. Drop offs accepted Jan 27 or Feb 3 between 2-4pm.

Sunday February 5

PARHAM - 2023 PARHAM FAIR AGM 2pm. 1858 Wagarville Rd. Info parhamfair@gmail. com

MOUNTAIN GROVE - RECREATION

MEETING 6:30pm. Olden Community Hall.

Monday February 6

ARDEN - UNION SERVICE FOR THE ARDEN

PASTORAL CHARGE 10am. Arden United Church. Potluck lunch following at 11 am. All welcome.

DENBIGH - DENBIGH DINERS 12pm. Denbigh Community Hall. RSVP Betty 613-333-2366

RAILTON - MONTHLY BINGO 7pm First Monday of every month. St. Patrick’s Church. All benefits go to local charities

Wednesday February 8

GODFREY - COMMUNITY CAFÉ 11am. Piccadilly Hall. Topic: Wills and Power of Attorney. Soup and social to follow. Info Juana 613-279-3151 ext 106 or e-mail juanag@rfcs.

ca

Saturday February 11

SYDENHAM - EUCHRE NIGHT 6pm. Sydenham Legion. In support of SHS Alumni. $20/player. Light snacks served, cash prizes & small donations up for grabs! Info contact Jeremy Snider jer.snider@gmail.com

SHARBOT LAKE - TURPIN’S TRAIL & JESS

WEDDEN LIVE 8pm. Sharbot Lake Country Inn. Book tickets on line. Info thecrossingpub@ gmail.com or call 613-279-2198.

Sunday February 12

HARROWSMITH - OLD TYME FIDDLERS & OPEN MIKE 1-5pm. Harrowsmith Social & Athletic Club. $12, followed by dinner, bring dessert to share. Info 613-372-2410

SYDENHAM - SUPER BOWL SUNDAY 4pm. Sydenham Legion. Free event Chili and a Bun $5. Licensed

Monday February 13

DENBIGH - DENBIGH RECREATION

COMMITTEE MEETING 7pm. Denbigh Community Hall.

Tuesday February 14

DENBIGH - VALENTINE’S DAY BINGO 6:30pm. Denbigh/Griffith Lions Club.

Wednesday February 15

DENBIGH - FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP 123pm. Denbigh/Griffith Lions Club.

Regular Happenings

BOLINGBROKE - CPHC SENIORS

ARDEN - TRUSTEE’S MEETING 2pm. Arden United Church.

SNOW ROAD - VALENTINE’S SOCIAL

DINNER 6pm. Snow Road Community Centre. See FB page for details.

Snow, snow snow! It sure would be nice to have lots of starry light falling from a clear sky instead. There are no meteor showers to speak of this month except for the unexpected and random streaks of sporadic background meteors. We do have the Zodiacal light making its spring equinox appearance about the 11th as a bit of eye magic to enjoy.

To review for you, the Zodiacal light is a diffuse cone or triangle of light that rises up from the western horizon as spring approaches. It is a radiant light reflecting off particles in the thin disk of debris that ranges through the inner solar system and extends out to the orbit of Jupiter. The debris originates from tiny materials boiling off comets and material thrown off by asteroid collisions. The small particles can range in size from about a few micrometers to a centimeter

EXERCISE CLASS 9:30-10:30am Mondays & Wednesdays. ABC Hall. FREE aerobics & strength training for active seniors.

DENBIGH - WELLNESS GROUP Tuesdays. Denbigh Community Hall. Drop-in any Tuesday! Info Gail 613-333-2224 to learn more.

or 2. This ring orbits in the ecliptic plane – the plane in which the planets travel around the solar system. Thus, the best time to observe its glow is when the axis of the Earth’s rotation is at a maximum to the ecliptic plane - perpendicular to the horizon. This occurs around the time of the spring and autumnal equinoxes. At the spring equinox (FebruaryMarch), it will appear about an hour after sunset on the western horizon. During the time of the autumnal equinox, it shows itself on the eastern horizon before dawn.

Start looking for it soon after sunset on the 11th. It will last for about 2 hours before it sinks below the horizon. Go to the darkest place you can find, which shouldn’t be hard out here, dark adapt your eyes and scan the west slowly. I find binoculars help spot the transition between normal dark space and the glow of the cone rising from the horizon. You can try again each night for the roughly 2 weeks that it lasts.

While you are viewing west, look for the 3 planets that will share the sky there every evening in February. They are Mars, Venus and Jupiter. Make sure to look early in the evening because Venus and Jupiter will set pretty quickly. Mars will hang around until after midnight. They can be seen by eye but binoculars are a help. A telescope is the gold standard to bring out details on Jupiter and Mars. I needn’t have to remind you that the easily viewable Galilean moons are always fascinating in their dance around Jupiter.

Uranus, pronounced URAH -NUS (and not the other tiresome and rude way), is an easy binocular sight in the relatively starless south part of the constellation Aries. Towards the end of the month, it is down near the western horizon below the Pleiades. A star map from the internet is a great help.

The James Webb Space Telescope has more than lived up to its expectations. The incredibly complicated

GODFREY - PUBLIC SKATING 9-10:30am

Wednesdays. Frontenac Community Arena. FREE all season long! — 12-1:30pm Sundays. Frontenac Community Arena. FREE all season long!

INVERARY - MARTIAL ARTS 6:30pm

Thursdays. Inverary United Church. Kids classes 6:30-7:30 Adults 7:30-8:45. For more info contact Hamid Nam 613-328-6742 or hamidnam24@gmail.com

INVERARY - PILATES 6:15pm Mondays. Inverary United Church.

INVERARY - YOGA 6pm Wednesdays. Inverary United Church LINE DANCING BOLINGBROKE 10am

Fridays. ABC Hall. Beginners welcome, $5 toward hall maintenance. ◾ SHARBOT LAKE 9-10am Thursdays. Sharbot Lake United Church. Sharbot Lake Line Dancing is back! Thursdays $2. Beginners welcome. Proof of Covid vaccination required. Contact 613-2791268 - Heather Gowdan ◾ VERONA 9am Tuesdays. Verona Lions Hall. All welcome For more information call 613 372 5431

SHARBOT LAKE - AA MEETING 8pm Mondays. Soldiers Memorial Hall (OSO Hall). SHARBOT LAKE - INTRODUCTION TO TAI CHI 10-11:30am Wednesdays. Soldiers Memorial Hall (OSO Hall). For info John Pariselli 613-279-2662.

SNOW ROAD - SNOW ROAD FITNESS 9:3010:30am Wednesdays. Snow Road Community Centre. Regular Fitness — 9:30-10:30am Tuesdays. Snow Road Community Centre. Free Fun & Fitness classes. Gentle Fit

opening up and placement in its orbital position, was a complete success. Everything works better than was thought possible! Just check the internet for pictures and discussion of the new discoveries that are occurring daily. There’s enough fuel to last more than 10 years and that’s twice its design life of 5 years.

Here’s a head’s up for viewing a comet. Check Mars through your binoculars on the 10th and 11th. You might possibly be able to see Comet C/2022 E3 [ZTF] near Mars. It would appear as a faint furry ball 1.5 degrees northeast of the red planet on the 10th and 2 degrees south of it on the 11th. Good hunting!

February is a bit of a slow month for exciting events but there’s so much up in the night sky that you’re bound to stumble on something eye catching with your binoculars. Start with the Orion nebula in the majestic constellation Orion up in the south. Look above it to Auriga with its many DSO’s. Auriga has the shape of a house with the bright star Capella at its upper right near the open cluster NGC 1664. Make side trips to other areas of the sky while you’re up there, and investigate!

Here’s a brief summary for February:

Feb. 4: the Moon is at apogee – 404,117 Kms. Feb. 5: Full Moon at 1:29 EST. This full moon is called the Snow Moon for obvious reasons. It’s also named the Full Storm Moon and the Full Hunger Moon – the time of year when food starts to run short in the depth of winter. Of course, in our modern society, we might call it the Full Runaway Inflation Moon which also causes hunger among other things! Feb. 13: Last quarter moon. Feb.14: Valentine’s day –better not forget!! Feb. 15: Venus passes 0.01 degrees south of Neptune at 7 am. It’s a tough one to catch. Feb. 19: The moon is at perigee – 356,187 Kms. Feb. 20: New moon. Feb.21: At dusk, the thin crescent moon is 6 degrees below Venus. Feb. 22: The crescent moon is 2 degrees south of Venus at 3 am EST and 1.2 degrees left of Jupiter at 5 pm EST. Feb. 27: First quarter moon. Moon passes 1.1 degrees north of Mars at midnight. Feb. 28: Jupiter and Venus are 1.5 degrees apart at dusk.

Useful books, star charts and related items for beginners and through to advanced amateurs can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www. rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website.

Fill me in on your observations and send me your questions. I welcome emails and all feedback. You can contact me through this paper or email me at fred.barrett2@ sympatico.ca . Clear Skies! ■

It’s Soup Season, No Doubt

By Jeff Green

There are times when people would make a soup, a salad, a main course and side courses, perhaps even dessert, all for the same meal.

But unless it is some sort of event, a birthday or major holiday, or a dinner party, soup is more often than not a meal. Especially if it is a hearty soup with beans, vegetables, and meat for those who eat meat. When the weather is cold, and the kettle on our old cook stove is humming away, it is hard to think about anything to cook other than a 3 day soup.

It is good on the first night, best on day 2, and still good on day 3. And the ingredients for the finest soup happen to be some of the cheapest and easiest to find.

One of the soups that I make is cabbage soup. It is a soup that my grandmother made when I was a kid, and she made it two differ-

ent ways, with or without meat. Because we are Jewish, the meat version was served as a main course or when we were also having chicken, and the meatless version when we were having a “dairy meal” with a fish or cheese based main course.

My grandmother made the dish for my grandfather, whose family was from Romania, and when I did some research recently I saw that the version of Cabbage Soup that Romanians make is very similar to the one my grandmother made.

She never gave me her recipe, but I remember some of her methods and the taste of the soup, and have adapted it over the years. It might not be authentically a Jewish or Romanian version, but it satisfies all the criteria for a winter soup – delicious, hearty, keeps for a few days, freezes well, and is cheap to make. Oh, and it also only takes 1520 minutes to put together.

I use any kind of stewing meat in my cabbage soup, but the traditional meat my grandmother used was what we called flanken (beef ribs) with some of the fat trimmed off.

I use stewing beef, a rump roast cut into cubes, or stewing lamb, whatever is available, about 1 pound.

Ingredients

1 pound beef, in cubes (see above)

1 small or 1/2 of a large cabbage.

1 can tomatoes

1 tbsp paprika

2 onions

8 cloves garlic

2 cans (28 oz) tomato juice or 1 can of tomato juice and 1 bottle of V8 or ED Smith Garden Cocktail

1 tablespoon tomato paste or 1/4 cup Pomodoro (optional)

olive oil

2 Hot Italian Sausages (optional)

Method

In a soup pot or Dutch oven. lightly brown the meat in oil over a medium-hot fire. Mean-

while, peel and chop the onions, peel the garlic, leaving cloves whole or chopping large ones in half. Remove the stem from cabbage. Cut it into about ½ inch thick slices, then cut the slices to about 4 inch pieces.

Add the onions to the meat and clear the onions. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft and sweaty. Add the paprika and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

Slice in the tomatoes and the juice from the can, add in the tomato paste, or Pomodoro, and cans of tomato juice/garden cocktail. Drop the whole sausages in. Add some more paprika, black pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil, and then simmer partly covered, for 1 hour. If you used sausages, remove them and cut them into slices and return the slices to the pot. You can serve the soup at this point but it will improve if you simmer over low heat for two to 4 hours.

If the soup gets too thick, add water. Serve with a slice of crusty bread, or better yet, garlic bread.

TOWNSHIP OF SO u TH F r ONTENAC

New S & Publ I c N OTI ce S

Rural Transit Survey

The City of Kingston, in partnership with the Township of South Frontenac, Town of Gananoque, and Loyalist Township is undertaking a Rural Commuter Transit Study to examine possible public transit solutions for area residents, workers, students, and visitors. To help with the study, we are asking all South Frontenac residents to take a short survey by February 15, 2023, whether you would use any kind of transit service or not. Look for the survey link on the news post on our website or scan the QR code below to take the survey.

Budget Survey Results

Thanks to everyone who took our budget survey. 589 people took the survey. 77.9% preferred a reasonable increase to property taxes to maintain or enhance services. You can find a summary of the results on our public engagement site, engagefrontenac.ca/2023-south-frontenac-budget.

Apply for a 2023 Community Grant

Applications for the Community Project Grant Program are now being accepted. Not for profit community organizations including charitable organizations and unincorporated groups who meet the project guidelines can apply until March 31, 2023. For more information see www.southfrontenac.net/grants/.

Roads Study In 2022, the Township hired WSP/Golder, an engineering firm to do a comprehensive roads needs study. The study assessed the state of the municipal-owned roads in the Township. Overall, the Township’s network average ratings for hard surfaced roads were “Good” due to our ongoing pavement preservation and maintenance programs, and “Fair” for gravel roads. You can find a summary of the key findings, an A-Z list of roads and their conditions and the full report at engagefrontenac.ca/roads-study. The study provides accurate data to help Council make informed decisions when deciding which roads to prioritize for road work in the short-term and long-term.

TOwN HAll

Snowshoe & Kicksled Rental

THINGS TO DO

Winter weather is finally here! Get out and enjoy it by renting snowshoes and kicksleds at the Frontenac Community Arena

• Snowshoes – Daily rental rate: $12 plus HST and $30 refundable security deposit per pair.

• Kicksleds – Daily rental rate: $25 plus HST and $100 refundable security deposit per kicksled.

Adult and Kid’s sizes available. Visit www.frontenacarena.com for more information.

Family Day in South Frontenac

Join us at the Frontenac Community Arena on Monday, February 20 from 11 am – 3 pm for our Family Day in South Frontenac community event. There will snowtubing and other snow activities, free skating and more. Volunteers needed. For more information email recsupport@southfrontenac.net.

Community Recreation & Leisure Services Fair

South Frontenac service clubs, sport leagues, teams, and community associations are invited to participate in the upcoming Community Recreation & Leisure Services Fair on March 25 at the Storrington Centre in Sunbury. The fair is free and will be from 10 am – 2 pm. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP by March 1. For more information and to save your spot, email recsupport@southfrontenac.net or call 613-453-6846.

lIVING HeRe

Job Opportunities

• Deputy Clerk: Competition #23-05-CS. Closing date is February 3

Facilities Technologist: Competition #23-07-PS. Closing date is February 20.

• Operations Technologist: Competition #23-06-PS. Closing date is February 20. For details on all current open positions including salary and job descriptions, see www.southfrontenac.net/careers/.

Bids and Tenders

PS-PO3-2022 – Consulting Services – Recreation Service Fee & Facility Allocation Project

Proposal documents must be received by 1:00 pm local time on February 8, 2023. Official forms can be downloaded from www.biddingo.com/southfrontenac.

Planning Applications & Public Meetings

Council and the Committee of Adjustment hold regular public meetings to review planning applications and to invite public input. Please see our website under Open for Business/Current Planning Applications for a list of applications that are scheduled for a public meeting or in the public review period.

Upcoming Meetings

Here is a list of upcoming Council and Committee of the Whole meetings:

• February 7, 2023 – Council Meeting – 7 pm

• February 14, 2023 – Committee of the Whole – 7 pm

• February 16, 2023 – Committee of the Whole – 9 am

• February 21, 2023

Council

7 pm

Public meetings take place on Zoom (computer and telephone) and are streamed live on our Facebook page @SouthFrontenacTwp. Go to the Events Calendar on our website for the link to register. If you want to attend the meeting in person, please email jthompson@southfrontenac.net before noon on the day of the meeting to confirm if space is available.

2023 Dog Tags

2023 Dog Tags are now available for purchase. Buy yours before February 28, 2023 and pay just $15 per tag. After that date, the fee increases to $30. You can find the form and a list of local retailers selling dog tags until the end of February on our website under Living Here/Animal Control. Kennel Licenses cost $125 until February 28 increasing to $150 for the rest of the year and must be purchased at our office at 4432 George Street.

Garbage Bag Tags

If you are running low on garbage bag tags, you can buy extra tags for $2 each at several local retailers or our municipal office. See the list of retailers on the Solid Waste section of our website. We’ll include a new supply for 2023 in the March tax mailing. Please remember to tag your bags and have them to the curb by 7 am.

Household Hazardous Waste Depot

The Household Hazardous Waste Depot located at 2491 Keeley Rd in Sydenham is open the second and fourth Thursdays during the winter months between 3-7 pm (next dates are Feb 9 and 23).

Winter Road Restrictions in Effect December 1

Just a reminder, there is no parking on Township roads and village streets from 12 midnight to 7 am until March 31, 2023. Sand and salt mix available

Residents can pick up sand/salt mix any time of the day, 24/7 from our public works yards. We ask residents to be mindful and just take two 5-gallon buckets at a time.

A Canadian made stove that’s built to last and keep you warm.

Drolet eco-45 Pellet Stove

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• 60 lb hopper capacity(27 Kg)

• Electronic igniter

• Thermostatic or manual mode

• Mobile Home Approved

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Asselstine Hardware

6826 Road 38, verona On 613-374-3400

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Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm

Sat: 8am-5pm. Sun: 9am-4pm

Scarlett & Rosie Floral Company

By Jeff Green

Last year, Nicole Potter was at a bit of a crossroads. Her three daughters are in their 20’s, “are all grown up and moved away, doing their own thing,”

She said that this meant it “was time for me to do my own thing, but what was my thing?”

She has a background in business, having a successful home business, SkaterGirl, a figure skating business, in Harrowsmith between 2007 and 2012, is an avid gardener, and has worked in nurseries, in landscaping and in the flower industry.

“This is my passion, everything to do with growing flowers and house plants, gardening, and floral arrangements as well,” she said.

She decided to open a florist business that is capable of serving the traditional floral market, “weddings, funerals, school formals, Valentine’s Day” sourcing imported and greenhouse grown flowers from a number of suppliers in Toronto, while at the same time supporting local flower farms in the Sydenham/Harrowsmith area.

Her vision for Scarlett and Rosie is to take full advantage of the southern exposure out of her storefront window to grow plants and herbs on site, to support local businesses, both garden related and other ancillary businesses such as soap mak-

ers and chocolatiers, and be part of the growth of retail in Sydenham.

“This community has seen a lot of change, younger people are moving in, a lot of them are like I was when I moved here over 20 years ago,” she said, “they want to get out of Kingston for affordability and to have some space for their families, and they want to support their new community.”

When she decided to open Scarlet and Rose, Nicole looked at all of the small communities near Harrowsmith, from Selby to Verona, because she knew she wanted to be based in a village, not in Kingston, but she wanted to be close enough to Kingston to serve that market as well.

Then she heard that the Fox Plumbing and Heating office space was available, and talked to the Fox’s about using the space for her new business.

The space is a lot larger than she needs as a florist, but since she is also selling house plants that she grows herself or are supplied locally, as well as her other products, and is able to make use of the large space at the back of the building for workshops, she jumped at the opportunity, and started up Scarlet and Rose on December 1.

She has already hosted two workshops in the space, one of which was about growing Luffa’s, and it is ideal for groups

of up to ten people.

Even though she is in the flower and garden business, she did not choose to use her last name in the title of her business.

Instead, she looked to her four-legged friends,

As followers of Scarlett and Rosie on social media know well, Scarlet is the name of one of Nicole’s pet dogs, and Scarlett is also a fixture in the store, coming to work every day with Nicole.

“She’s my co-worker.”

Rosie is the name of Nicole’s daughter’s dog, hence the name of the business, which refers to flowers and colours as well as the two animals.

For now, Nicole is running the Scarlett and Rosie herself, and she is also working with SHS and other local high schools, providing placements for students and raising funds for the prom committee as well.

As with any new business, she is looking at many different ways to thrive, while maintaining a focus on both on the traditional florist business as well as the flower/ garden business.

And two months in, even in the midst of winter, her enthusiasm is only growing.

“I’m excited about the business. I look forward to coming to work every day. This is what I want to do,” she said. ■

The winter that never came is finally here

Photo: Martina Field

Nicole Potter has opened Scarlett & Rosie, a floral shop in Sydenham.