King Mosaic Summer 2015 by Arts Society King

Enriching King Township through arts and culture for all

King

summer 2015

MOSAiC Ansnorveldt Kettleby King City Laskay Lloydtown Nobleton Pottageville Schomberg Snowball Strange and surrounding area

ASK Summer Festival information inside

coNTeNTS

MOSAiC Volume IV Issue 3

King MOSAiC is published by Arts Society King www.ArtsSocietyKing.ca

EDITOR editors@kingmosaic.ca Sue Iaboni

ADVERTISING sales@kingmosaic.ca Teri Hastings

DESIGN PRODUCTION Penny Gilbertson

WEBMASTER Robert Pointer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & ARTISTS Marie Bartholomew

Helen Lucas

Sharon Bentley

Kelly Mathews

Robert Brown Photography

Amy McNeill

Alexandra K. Conrad

Michelle Papp

Louise Di’Iorio

Dorita Peer

Simone Estrin

Jim Scott

Penny Gilbertson

Denny Starritt

Teri Hastings

Michele Tomlinson

Sue Iaboni

Cheryl Uhrig

Peggy Johnston

Phyllis Vernon

Walter Lolli

Barry Wallace

Ann and David Love

Dr. Arthur Weis

The mission of Arts Society King is “to establish and maintain an organization in King Township that fosters inspiration, understanding and appreciation for the arts, heritage and nature.” Our primary objective is “to provide support services to the arts, heritage and nature communities in King Township for the purpose of enhancing communication, education and the promotion of their respective activities.”

Distributed four times a year (December, March, June, September) to all households in King and some in Aurora. Other Distribution Sites in King Township: Kettleby – Dorios Kettleby Italian Bakery; King City – Arts Society King Office, Country Day School, Engels & Volkers York, King City Dental, Kingcrafts, Locale Restaurant, Oak Ridges Trail Association - All Saints Anglican Church, Seneca College, Villanova College; King Township – U of T's Koffler Scientific Reserve, Libraries, Municipal Offices, Museum; Nobleton – Cold Creek Gate House, Dreamwood Furniture, Nobleton Physiotherapy, Specialty Meats; Pottageville - Intentions Yoga, Pathways to Perennials; Schomberg – Anchiques, Artista Custom Framing, Richvale Saddlery, Sheena’s Kitchen, The Grackle. Distribution Sites Outside of King Township: Alliston - Gibson Centre, South Simcoe Arts Council; Alton - Alton Mill; Aurora - Caruso & Company, Library, St. Andrew's College, The Aurora Cultural Centre, York Region Arts Council; Bolton - Forster’s Book Garden, Library, Naked Vine; Newmarket - Covernotes tea & coffee house, Ici Arte! Gallery, Library; Richmond Hill - Burr House Craft Gallery, Covernotes tea & coffee house, Library, Mill Pond Gallery; Rosemont - Dufferin County Museum, Simcoe Arts Web Design; Toronto - Toronto & Region Conservation; Tottenham - A Taste of Freedom Restaurant, Century 21 Gallery; Vaughan - Library; Woodbridge - Traditional Door Design & Millwork.

Story in Stone Joe Melo

Biologist at the Table Turning the Evolutionary Tables

John Ebata: King’s Impressario

Richard Serra’s SHIFT

F11 The

PAN AM Games

Events …just ASK!

Arts Society King 2015 Summer Festival

Everyone Invited, None too Old and None too Young!

In Decision

The Story of

Editorial content is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use or reproduction of the contents of this publication without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher is responsible for errors in advertising only to the extent of the cost of that portion of the advertising space occupied by the error.

y app

Signs of Spring; Ann and David Love

Printed on recycled paper using vegetable based inks in an FSC certified plant.

ArtsSocietyKing.ca

F 8

Grand

F 17

Old King Lady F 16

Canada D ay!

Battle of the Bobolinks

101 Reasons to Celebrate Peggy Johnston

Arts Society King What’s Happening cover

Inuksuk by Jose Melo Photograph by Robert Brown on-line version at

KingMosaic.ca

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MOSAiC

STORY IN STONE by Sue Iaboni

“Anything with stone is appealing; stone tells us a story.” This is the mantra of artist Jose Melo, owner of Allstone Quarry in Schomberg, and creator of the largest free-standing inuksuk * in the world. Jose arrived in the Toronto area from Portugal in 1965 and began his career as many immigrants do; in construction. Outdoor construction projects led him into landscaping where he felt grounded. in 1972 he was able to buy his own landscape business - 50 acres on the outskirts of Schomberg. he began with a tree farm, hired some staff and did landscape work. Jose was always drawn to stone and used it to enhance his landscape projects. he especially loved granite with a glacial surface; he says the ice grinding on the rock surfaces gives them a different finish, good to carve on. But this glacial stone is hard to come by and he spent many weekends in the 1980’s travelling in Northern Ontario with his wife and 3 young sons, and searching. The parents made these weekends into an adventure with hikes in the woods and Bar B Q’s and the kids loved it. eventually Jose found the rocks he was looking for – in the French River area. in 1988 he started a quarry there.Then he faced the challenges of moving large granite slabs to his Schomberg property. Jose and his staff studied the rocks and the equipment, and devised the best way to extract the rocks; manually with wooden wedges called “splitters.” Jose also studied the flexibility of granite and found that for every 30 feet there was a give of 8 inches. This information is very useful when the slabs, some of them weighing 30 or 40 tons, are being transported by very strong cranes onto huge flat-bed trucks for the long ride south. For several years the Schomberg business grew and so did the 3 sons. Soon they joined the firm. Jose’s projects expanded to include: stone pergolas, outdoor sculptures, corporate signage, and water features. Jose understands a lot about water features and the sounds they make. he talks knowledgably about water banging, or washing or trickling, creating different effects depending on the water’s path. he says that sound is just as important as looks in a water feature. One day early in the new millennium Jose decided to build something new - a large inuksuk, based on a shape he had seen and admired from the culture of the inuktitut people. he called the King Township planning department and discovered that the height restriction for such a sculpture would be 36 feet. And so he decided to build one exactly that height. The process was long and detailed. Jose says this kind of project is the place where art and architecture come together. First a six-foot concrete pad had to be built.The granite stones at each level had to be studied and balanced carefully. There were no adhesives or nails or shims allowed. Jose said he had a vision of each piece as it fit carefully into place, all the 4

MOSAiC summer 2015

PhOTO By MicheLe TOMLiNSON

way up to 36 feet. Then someone from the Guiness Book of Records called and asked him if he knew that he had completed the world’s tallest inuksuk. On September 13, 2007, he accepted the certificate of authenticity with pride. While the inuksuk on hwy 27 is an outstanding art installation, Jose Melo has lots of other similar installations around Ontario. At the University of Guelph he erected the tallest monolith successfully extracted and installed from a quarry. it measures 28 feet tall, by 5 feet wide and 21 inches thick. The butterfly con-

servatory in Niagara Falls was totally landscaped and includes a granite formation which was extracted and recreated with a waterfall. Locally we need only look as far as the Schomberg village sign, the Jo Bear rock in the Pottgeville park which kids love to ride on, and the soon-to-be-unveiled monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of St. Patrick’s church in Schomberg. The baby inuksuk at the 2015 canada Blooms show in April which captured a lot of attention now sits on the property of Allstone Quarry waiting for a devoted owner.

Anything with stone is appealing; stone tells us a story. Jose Melo

lighted when he gives them a sparkly rock to take home. The business also supports local service organizations, and sports teams such as hockey and soccer teams. A visit to Allstone Quarry is not only a trip to a sculpture garden. There is the “family” to meet: Ken the auto cad guy, Michele the administrative assistant, and others in this small but dedicated group. Jose proudly shows off the environmental aspects of the building too – trees planted to give shade, recycled stone pieces in the walls, rocks holding up the family clothes line. As i am leaving, Jose calls me back to proclaim one last thing: “Be sure to tell everyone that we need more (outdoor) art in canada.” how right he is! M *inuksuk: from the inuktitut language meaning “something in the shape of a man,” used to show directions. Often spelled “inukshuk” in english.

Editors’ Note: Find an article about another outdoor art sculpture in King on page 10 of this magazine.

canada Blooms inuksuk

When asked what project gave him the most satisfaction, Jose takes us back to 1988: downtown Toronto for the G7 economic Summit. his task: transform 14 hectares, 4 square blocks of concrete and lamp posts at Front and Simcoe Streets into an oasis, and do it in two weeks. Jose beams as he shows photos of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Regan, Brian Mulroney and other world leaders standing amid a garden of rock formations and trees imported from Northern Ontario. Jose is also a believer in giving back to the greater community. he hosted a school for landscape students during the winter for 12 years and eagerly shared his expertise with the budding landscapers. he has travelled as far as iran, china, Brazil and Turkey giving talks on finding and extracting rocks. he talks to little kids too, sharing his love of rocks with them. he says that children are “attracted” to stone by the magnetic field.They especially love the sparkling golden flecks and are de-

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MOSAiC

BIologISt At the tABle

by Dr. Arthur Weis

The life your food leads before it reaches your table

Turning the Evolutionary Tables

When i got my dog Fritz, i was new to the pet thing. So, i read a few books with titles like How to Train Your Puppy, Obedience from the Beginning, and my personal favorite Doggy Do! Applying their wisdom, i swelled with pride when within a week Fritz would come smartly when i called him to the kitchen counter, then sit, look me dutifully in the eye, and wait as i got his treat from the drawer. But i soon noticed a shift in the routine. Whenever i walked into the kitchen, Fritz would scurry to the counter, give me his puppy-eyes look, and no matter how busy, i stopped to give him a treat. Did i train Fritz, or did Fritz train me? This raises an interesting question about our domestication of wild species. humans have selectively bred plants and animals into better food, but in an evolutionary turn of the tables, have these species “bred” us to be better eaters? Probably so. Let’s take milk…the prefect accompaniment to cookies and the key ingredient for cheese. you probably know someone forced by lactose intolerance to take their cookies with tea. in the evolutionary scheme of things, these people are normal. it’s folks like me, who can’t go a day without cheese, who are the mutants! Like all mammals,

MOSAiC summer 2015

Art Weis is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto, and former director of the Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill.

humans start life on mother’s milk, which contains lactose, a sugar that provides quick energy. infants, like all baby mammals, produce an enzyme to digest lactose—lactase. Normally, lactase production switches off after weaning. Around 12,000 years ago, however, a mutation arose in some of our ancestors for a gene called MCM6. This mutation freezes the switch in the “on” position; people who inherit it produce lactase as adults. Although MCM6 mutations surely popped up in thousands of mammals over millions of years, they never spread. But once we humans started herding cattle and goats, and consuming their milk, the mutation was beneficial to us. The prevalence of the MCM6 mutation within a cultural group depends on its milk consumption. Among the peoples of northern europe, western Africa, the Middle east and the indian subcontinent —cultures that love their cheese and yogurt— up to 90% of individuals are mutants. in southern Africa, Southeast Asia and china, where milk is for kids, over 90% are normal. The story doesn’t end there, because we all carry several other genetic adaptations to diet. Some of these make us better at eating tubers like yams and potatoes, topics of my last

Fromage F or

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two columns (making this edition of Biologist at the Table the finale of a tuber trilogy). Tubers are full of starch, and modern humans have six or more copies of the amylase gene, the enzyme to break down that starch into digestible sugars. chimpanzees have only two copies. So did Neanderthals, as revealed by sequencing DNA from their fossil bones. Sometimes the gene replication machinery “stutters” and multiple copies of a gene get passed to the offspring. With multiple copies of the amylase gene, more enzyme gets produced, and yams get fully digested. Without this mutation, who knows if we would have bothered to domesticate starchy grains like wheat and rice.

What’s even more interesting is that we, and our Neanderthal cousins, lost two genes essential for several of the taste buds perceiving “bitter”. What does this have to do with yams? Well, wild yam species are full of bitter tasting chemicals, a defense against many of their enemies. chimps, who still have all of their bitter buds, avoid such tubers. But we eat them with pleasure because we are all mutants, bereft of faculties to detect the bitter flavors that others detest. So yes, we humans have evolved to better use our agricultural diet. To tweak an old saying, rather than “you are what you eat”, it’s “you’re adapted to what you eat”. M

These are some of the ideas on the wind. “On the east coast, kitchen concerts are a part of life,” says John. This township has some pretty big kitchens, which John and Phyllis have already targeted. Any number of King’s expansive private homes could host audiences from an intimate twenty to a couple of hundred. Seed funds for the music project came initially from ASK and sponsors like the Oak Ridges Retirement community, but it is hoped and expected that the music project will be self-sustaining, as well as supportive to the profession and to non-profit causes that might arise from time to time. Moderate ticket prices are aimed at encouraging families to attend. John is reluctant to limit the list of his inspirers, but when pressed he names herbie hancock, who at eleven performed Mozart with the chicago Symphony and went on to become a

jazz icon, and who exemplifies a passion for learning that John shares. John is all about synergy. Of mediums. Of genres. Of people. Although his own expression is currently jazz, R & B, rock and world music, listeners can be expected to get the whole chromatic scale of musical experiences in every named and future genre because their impresario himself is exploring beyond his traditional acoustic piano roots and into esoteric synthesized music. computers are speeding John’s exploration into a universe of technological possibilities. “even a home studio can produce a million dollar sound,” he says, brightening like a kid in a candy shop. And then there are tantalizing new instruments emerging, such as the haunting hang drum tuned to any mode. Wherever music has been hiding, John and Phyllis think it is high time it came out to play in the halls and fields of King. M

John can be reached at his website www.johnebata.com Tickets for the July 9 concert are available through ASK at:

artssocietyKing.ca

John ebata:

PhOTO By DORiTA PeeR

KiNG’S iMPReSARiO by Dorita Peer

John ebata on stage is all attention, transported and serene, even when his fingers are ablur blazing across his keyboard. his is the professional force propelling ASK’s musical vision for King Township on a new committee spearheaded by equally enthusiastic Phyllis Vernon, piano aficionado and audiophile. The formidable team is gearing up to present its second concert on July 9th at the classy country Day School Performing Arts centre. “canadian Songbook” will celebrate the spirit of the great musical ambassadors of our home and native land, the likes of Neil young, Joni Mitchell, Avril Lavigne, Jackie Richardson, Rush and company. Featured is playwright/songstress Siobhan Duffy, singer/songwriters the Smith and Dragoman Band from Guelph, and the rousing Sudanese-canadian multiinstrumentalist Waleed Abdulhamid, backed by a stellar house band of

canada’s elite musicians. What luck that such an engaging and progressive musician as John ebata is willing to fill a niche left surprisingly vacant for so long in a community that otherwise embosoms the arts. it is high time for music, emphasis on high. John’s performance career and thirty years with cosmo Music has set him cheek by jowl with talented artists from whom to draw top performers. And, what does King have if not spaces for the filling with the language that needs no interpreter? it is as if venues, formal and informal, are calling like sirens. For example, the new King museum space begs for an interesting alignment of arts in mixed visual and sound scapes where a painter or sculptor would create live with a musician (as Lorraine Pritchard, Montreal artist, and John expanded on Dizzy Gillespie’s message), and perhaps could include dance.

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summer 2015

MOSAiC

iving in King Township for so many years, we recognize the seasonal rhythms of Nature and anticipate them. We know that the redwing blackbird will return within seven days of March 7, the salamanders will emerge from under forest logs to mate in nearby ponds as soon as the frogs start peeping, that the orioles will be back calling in the meadows about May 4 …. We look forward to these moments as the seasons turn.

We also know that, every year, the global conservation organization, WWF, publishes The Living Planet Report. The report makes for depressing reading.

by Ann and David Love

The report confirms that Nature in under siege right round the world. And the spectre of climate change has added a whole new threat to the world's natural systems. Because, in the end, we know that Nature sustains people – restoring natural systems in a great challenge. But where to begin? Well, we begin at home! As residents of King Township, Nature is all around us. happy Valley Forest is just one of the places Nature is on display in the township. And getting to know Nature’s rhythms is a good start to understanding how to protect it. Accompanying this article is a fun checklist of natural things to look for as the seasons change in King Township. Needless to say, we keep a similar, if a bit longer, list. Going for a walk not only feeds our souls, it is actually good for us. Good for the heart, good for the legs, good for the lungs, good for everything. Some doctors in the GTA now have prescription pads that say "Take a hike." So you can place the list on your refrigerator. And then, when you go outside, keep track of what you see.

White Baneberry or Doll's eyes painting by Ann Love

Editor's note: Ann and David Love have lived in King Township most of their lives. More specifically, they live in Happy Valley Forest and explore its secrets every day. David first saw the forest about 70 years ago when, as an infant, he visited his grandparents who moved there in 1930. Shortly after this visit, David's parents moved to the forest edge as well, and with his three brothers, David spent the spring, summer and fall hours rambling through the countryside. In the winters, they spent every day they could playing 8

MOSAiC summer 2015

We often say to friends that people don't really care about things they don't understand. We do not have the option of not caring for Nature - for Mother earth. Our lives, and those of our children and grandchildren, rely on healthy natural systems. The first step we can all take to restore those systems is spend some time exploring Nature. M

hockey on the local ponds. Ann moved into the heart of the forest with her family in 1959, first into a small weekend cabin and then full time. Like David, Ann spent many happy hours exploring Happy Valley with her siblings. Ann's father is a passionate birdwatcher, an obsession he passed on to this daughter and future son-in-law, who lived a kilometre down the road. Ann and David first met as teenagers at a skating party at David's parents' house and have spent most of their married life in the forest too.

Both are committed environmentalists. David raises awareness and money for non-profits, mostly for environmental causes and Ann, with her sister Jane, continues to write non-fiction books for kids, which have an environmental focus. Ann also likes to paint the local wildflowers. Most of their family property in King is now owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada as part of the nearly 1000 acres which make up the Happy Valley Protected Area. For information on a family hike in Happy Valley during our Summer Festival, go to page 13.

King nature observations 2015

Spring

First robin/worm combo seen Frogs peep

2016

March 14 April 4

Trillium in bloom

May 1

Trees reach full leaf

April 22

First mosquito bite

Autumn

2015

2016

2017

Morning dew on spider webs Last hummingbird buzzes off Height of autumn colour Blackbirds flock

May 14

First warm, back patio day

2017

May 24

First hard frost

Juncos return on a north wind

Summer

Winter

Swallows line hydro wires

Owl hoots

First all-nighter snowfall

Monarch butterflies return

Pond ice thick enough for hockeyÂ

Craziest summer thunderstorm Fireflies blink at night

Busiest birdfeeder day

Daylilies bloom on roadsides

Does the groundhog cast his shadow February 2?

Hottest night of the year

Woodpeckers drum for mates

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Feb. 15 No Feb. 24

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CANADIAN SONGBOOK a live concert featuring artists Smith & Dragoman Band, Siobhan Duffy, Waleed Abdulhamid with the King Studio House Band and arranged by Musical Director John Ebata

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summer 2015

MOSAiC

About SHIFT: Documentary film-maker Simone

Estrin reflects on her interview with Richard Serra

or more than forty years, a monumental sculpture by American artist Richard Serra has resiliently zigzaged across a potato field in King City, Ontario. Its presence has always been controversial, but today its very existence is under threat. in the fall of 2012, i started working on a documentary about the battle to protect this sculpture, Shift (19701972), from encroaching housing development. i soon realized that i was missing the most important element – the voice of the artist.The problem was that Richard Serra is one of the most celebrated living artists in the world, and not an easy guy to reach. But, after working on my film for over a year, i was finally able to set up an interview with Serra in Manhattan, his home when he’s not spending his summers in cape Breton. it had always fascinated me why an American artist ever made such a large piece in a rural canadian field. i also wanted to explore why Shift remained so inaccessible after so many years, especially since during that same period Serra had become a superstar of the art world. But, as the story unfolded, Shift’s looming fate became the crux of the story. The field had belonged to art collector Roger Davidson, who invited Serra to canada to create a work on his land. Serra arrived in King city, which was then a small town surrounded by dirt roads and fields, with video artist Joan Jonas, his partner at the time. They spent days walking the land together. in retrospect, the concept of Shift is quite romantic; the boundaries of the work are demar-

cated by where Serra and Jonas could no longer see each other over the contours of the hill. What makes Shift so significant, apart from its beauty, is that this work represents an artistic breakthrough for Serra. he was decidedly anti-establishment when he created this masterpiece and unlike today, his work was not being featured in prestigious museums like the Guggenheim in Bilbao, nor was it being erected in the Qatari desert. Shift remains unmatched in contemporary sculpture because it is still located in the field where it has always been, and will always be, until it is destroyed. When i entered the conference room to set up my interview with Serra, he had already taped an enlarged

Editor’s note: Simone Estrin’s documentary film, A Shift in the Landscape, will be shown as part of a gala evening at Kingbridge Conference Centre on Saturday, June 27th.The evening will begin at 6 pm with wine & hors d’oeuvres, followed by the film and a panel of experts: James Adams (Globe and Mail),Victoria Dickenson (McMichael Canadian Art Collection), Rebecca Duclos (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), and Andrew Hunter (Art Gallery of Ontario). Hosted by Shelley Falconer (Hamilton Art Gallery), they will discuss: Issues of Site: the Role of Sculpture in Public and Private Spaces. To register for this exciting evening, please go to the ASK website: ArtsSocietyKing.ca Or call Amy at 905-939-9357

MOSAiC summer 2015

blueprint of Shift on to the wall. he brought a notebook and pen, which he constantly used to illustrate how he calculated the positions of the six concrete walls that make up Shift. For me, this was the high point of the interview – watching Richard Serra draw. he invited me into his creative process, and even better, i was able to get it on camera. The challenge of making a documentary about a work like Shift is that, as art historian Rosalind Krauss explained to me, the impact of the sculpture is predicated on the fact that it will be appreciated through direct experience. She boldly said, “even if there was a film made of Shift, that would simply turn Shift into a pictorial experience and would completely remove what

Serra wanted from Shift which was embodied vision.” i know that documentaries about art play a very important role in making art more accessible to a larger audience. While my film cannot provide the embodied experience achieved from actually being in the field with Shift, it can bring viewers closer to the artwork and the artistry behind it. i believe it can even make them care more about its future. M This article was originally published in Carbon Paper, Fall 2014

Musicians and painters support the PAN AM Equestrian Events

reins of Glory is an equestrian-themed song that was performed at the PAN AM One year To Go celebration in 2014. The lyrics were written by Michelle Papp, a writer and regular contributor to our local Write Now @ King group, and Walter Lolli, an accomplished classical guitarist and composer who also wrote the music.The arrangement was by Lou Raggiunti. The lyrics are about going against the odds and rising above doubts to achieve goals. This high spirited music will be sung again by Julia Gentile and Nina Bugera, two 14 year-old girls from Palgrave. They will be performing on caledon Day, June 13, before the torch arrives in caledon between 5:00 and 5:30 pm. you can also listen to it by visiting reinsofmusic.com

Reins of Glory By: Walter Lolli and Michelle Papp © Copyright. 2014

Verse 1 We’re in the big leagues now Climbing the ladder of big dreams Beat of Americas unite We take the centre stage and Spotlights are shining down on us And it feels so right Chorus Our turn to take the reins of glory

Artist Marie Bartholomew painting her horse, Follow Your Dreams, with her model on top.

Parade of horses What better way to advertise the equestrian events of the PAN AM games than with some painted horses? And that’s what the headwaters Parade of horses aims to do. interested artists were invited to submit their creative designs, and more than 20 successful designs were chosen. The winning artists had less than two weeks to complete the paint job on their fibreglass models standing at 15 hands, (that’s about 5 feet tall), and weighing 250 pounds. The finished horses were to be placed around

the area and eventually sold to interested buyers for $3500. King Township has purchased 6 horses to be displayed at: Brownsville Junction in Schomberg, hickstead Memorial Park in Schomberg, Priestly Demolition in Kettleby, the Trisan centre, Winsong Farms, and The heritage and cultural centre in King city. One of the six horses will be waiting at King city Public School when the PAN AM torch arrives on June 25th at 5:00 pm.

Our turn to reach out for the prize Our turn to ride a page of history Our turn to reach up to the skies Verse 2 We’re in the big leagues now We’re in the stirrups of our dreams And never ending extremes One chance to make it happen One ride into reality ‘Cause it feels so right Bridge Self doubt and dream crushers We’ve proved them all wrong Hooves thundering with heartbeats Of all believers We say if you want it You want it bad enough You’ll find the right way To make all your dreams come true

Artists Judy Sherman and eva Folks are doing a co-operative design of organic and mechanical parts for their horse, Cyborg. summer 2015

MOSAiC

events summer 2015 Now until August 16 – The Photographs of Frank (Franz) Johnston at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, and Holiday Mondays 10am-4pm. While Frank Johnston is widely regarded as a painter, his interest in photography has largely been overlooked. Featuring photographs sourced from both public and private collections, this exhibition will be the first major display of Johnston’s photographic images. Selected images will be paired with paintings to demonstrate how Johnston used photographs as inspirations for, and to inform, his paintings. Contact 905-893-1121 or info@mcmichael.com. www.mcmichael.com. EVERY Thursday and Saturday in June, July and August – Aurora Historical Society’s Discover Day for Kids. 1pm-3pm at the Hillary House NHS, 15372 Yonge Street, Aurora. Children are invited to Hillary House for a tour of the house and grounds, followed by an activity or craft. This summer the rotating themes are: Little Gardeners, Junior Athletes, Dig It!, and Junior Archeologists – complete schedule available on the website. Non-Members, $4 per person. Members and their Children: $2 per person. Contact Erika Manassis at 905-727-8991 or erika.manassis@aurorahs.com. www.aurorahs.com. June 6 to October 10 – Schomberg Farmer’s Market courtesy of Schomberg Agricultural Society. 9am-1pm every other Saturday at the Schomberg Fair Grounds. A great place to buy your fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, baking and much more. 905-715-0800, email danycanyo@gmail.com www.schombergfair.com June 13 – The Moraine for Life, Adventure Relay. Nonstop 160km team challenge from Gores Landing to north of King City. Run, hike, bike, paddle. Up to 15 people per team. www.moraineadventure.com June 13 - King City Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival, King City Memorial Park. 9 fine craft breweries, 10 awesome food trucks and nonstop music. 12-9:30 p.m. Contact Jon at jbell@king.ca or www.kingcraftbeerandfood.com June 15 to August 15 – Summer Bloom Art Gallery presented by Arts Society King. Monday – Saturday 10am-4pm at the King Township Museum, 2920 King Road. Enjoy local artists’ interpretation of the summer months in beautiful florals, landscapes, sculpture and abstracts. Admission is free. Contact 905-939-9357 or info@artssocietyking.ca for more details. www.ArtsSocietyKing.ca June 16 to September 12 - Yoga Hikes with Gwendolyn Elliot from Best Self Health and Fitness. Enjoy a hike through the woods with yoga at various stops: a fun time and a great stretch. Suggested $10 per person, with a portion going towards endangered elephant protection. Contact 416-433-4120 or best-self.ca@outlook.com to RSVP. www.best-self.ca. June 16 & 20 - 9:30-11:30am at Goldie Feldman Nature Reserve, 4093 17th Sideroad, King Twp. July 21 & 25 - 8:30-10:30am at Centennial Park, 14855 Jane Street, King Township.

MOSAiC summer 2015

August 18 & 22 - 9:30-11:30am at Bond Lake Park, 250 Old Colony Road, Richmond Hill. September 8 & 12 - 9:30-11:30am at Fox Trail Park, 298 Roselena Drive, Schomberg. June 18 - EVERY Thursday to September 10 – Sunrise Yoga with Gwendolyn Elliot from Best Self Health and Fitness. Session options for 8-9am or 10:30-11:30am at the King Township Museum. The secluded back lawn of the Museum is perfect for summer yoga rain, shine, beginner, or advanced. Pay what you can. Contact 416-433-4120 or best-self.ca@outlook.com for more details. www.best-self.ca June 19 – “Looking” by the Drayton Festival Theatre with the King City Seniors Travel Group. A comedy about finding love by Norm Foster, directed by Marti Maraden. 33 Wellington St. S., Drayton, ON. $95 per person includes bus. Contact Jane at 905-833-5870. June 19 to 21 – Polo for Heart at the Polo for Heart Grounds, 13401 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill. 11:30am-4pm. Witness the power and the passion of polo at this 3-day event featuring two international polo matches each day! Your day in the country will be equally exciting for what takes place off the polo field – boutiques, silent auction; half time entertainment, the traditional champagne divot stomp; children’s village and the perfect polo picnic and best hat contests. Ticket Prices vary. www.poloforheart.org June 19 to 21 - 32nd Annual Tottenham Bluegrass Festival. This year's lineup draws popular and award winning bands from the United States and across Canada. Held at the Tottenham Conservation Area, ticket prices vary but a weekend ticket provides the camping and campfire are free. Contact 647-209-2593 or 1-888886-4566 for more info. www.tottenhambluegrass.com. June 20 – Battle of the Brushes courtesy of the South Simcoe Arts Council. 2pm at Victoria and Mill Street, Alliston. An exciting live battle of painting. Open to all artists, with live jazz by Barbra Lica. $5 Artist fee. 705-435-2378, info@southsimcoeartscouncil.com, www.southsimcoeartscouncil.com June 21 to October 11 - King City Farmers' Market. Alternate Sundays at King City's All Saints Anglican Church, 12935 Keele St, King City. 8am-1pm. Organic vegetables & Fruit, baking, honey, crafts, cured meats and more! Contact 905-833-5432, KingCityFarmersMarket.ca June 23 – “Spotlight on the Arts” courtesy of South Simcoe Arts Council. 7pm at the Gibson Centre, Alliston. Awards and Performances from SSAC Music Festival, emerging artists and juried shows. Free admission. 705435-2378, info@southsimcoeartscouncil.com, www.southsimcoeartscouncil.com July 9 to 24 - Shakespeare in the Park: The Merry Wives of Windsor courtesy of the Humber River Shakespeare Company. Bring your friends, family, a picnic, a blanket or chair, and join us for a magical evening of Shakespeare under the stars, as we present the hilarious farce, The Merry Wives of Windsor. Price by

donation, suggested $20 per person. 416-209-2026, info@humberrivershakespeare.ca, www.humberrivershakespeare.ca July 9 – 7pm at Schomberg Fair Grounds. July 10 to 12 – 7pm at the Aurora Town Park. July 14 to 17 – 7pm at Fairy Lake Park, Newmarket. July 18 & 19 – 7pm at De La Salle Park, Georgina. July 24 – 7pm at The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg.

July 25 to 27 – Bizaare Bazaar, (BizBaz) courtesy of Headwaters Arts. Osprey Links Golf Course, 207 Osprey Crescent, Callander, Ontario. A unique experience in the country where you can stroll, eat, drink, experience and shop for great art. Come learn about drones, flour made from crickets or just relax with some gourmet food and apple cider. Free admission, dog friendly. Contact info@headwatersarts.com or 519-943-1149 for more info. www.headwatersarts.ca.

July 9 – “In the Miller Mood” presented by the King City Seniors Travel Club. Lunch at the Walters Family Dinner Theatre in Bright, Ontario. Enjoy the music of the 20-piece Big Band, and a 5-piece vocal group. $110 per person. Contact 905-833-2824 or 905-833-5870 for more details. www.kingcityseniors.ca

July 29 – Travel Diaries: Rwanda & Gorillas presented by Arts Society King at the King Township Library, 7pm. Visit Rwanda with Janette Mills and meet the Kwitanda Family – a group of 24 endangered Mountain Gorillas who live in Volcanoes National Park. www.artssocietyking.ca/travel-diaries.html

July 11 to 19 – Markham Globalfest presented by the City of Markham. Main Street, Unionville, south of Enterprise Drive. A 9-day festival held during the Pan Am Games, includes theme days, vendors, entertainment and more. Free Admission. Contact 905-477-7000 or globalfest@markham.ca for more details. www.markham.ca

July 31 to August 3 – Newmarket Jazz Festival 2015 sponsored by TD Bank. Enjoy great music, entertainers, visual artists, food, beer/wine garden and festival fun. For more info or volunteer information, call 905-841-6489 or visit www.newmarketjazzfestival.com

July 13-17 and 20-24 – Grief Busters Children’s Bereavement Summer Camp by Hospice King-Aurora. 5-day summer camp 9am-4pm. For children 7-12 who have had a parent or sibling die or who is terminally-ill. Includes outings to Cold Creek, and Canada’s Wonderland. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, there is No Charge. Contact Heidi at h.bonner@hospicekingaurora.com July 15 – King Township Mayor’s Annual Golf Tournament - Disco Inferno. 12:30pm at the Cardinal Golf Club. Proceeds go towards the development of Parks and Recreation initiatives in the Township. $200 early registration, or $75 for a dinner ticket. Contact tbaressi@king.ca. July 18-19, 25, August 8 – Pan Am Community Celebration presented by the Aurora Historical Society. 10am-4pm at the Hillary House NHS, 15372 Yonge Street, Aurora. All are invited to attend local celebrations of the Pan Am Games, featuring the Tennis in Canada exhibit, demonstrations, croquet games and lawn bowling. $3 Adult Tickets, $2 Child and Senior. Contact 905-727-8991 or community@aurorahs.com. www.aurorahs.com July 19 – Tim and Brenda’s 5th Annual Cruise for the Cure. 9am-6pm at 13200 Weston Road. Supporting the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Hundreds of fabulous, exotic, classic, custom and performance cars, live music, food, kids’ activities, raffles and door prizes. Contact info@timandbrendasplace.com, or www.timandbrendasplace.com. July 20 - King City Seniors present the Summer BBQ, time and location to be announced. Bring for lawn chairs, sunglasses, sunhat, and enjoy the outdoors. $10 Adult, $5 Child. Contact 905-833-2824 or 905-833-9841 for more details. www.kingcityseniors.ca

August 4 to 9 – Best of Quebec with King Seniors Travel Club. Highlights include a whalewatching cruise, Ile de Coudres, Isle d’Orleans, and historical Quebec City. Prices vary for number of persons and type of room. Contact 905833-2824 or 905-833-5870 for more details. www.kingcityseniors.ca August 15 – Doors Open Aurora presented by the Aurora Historical Society. 10am-4pm at the Hillary House NHS, 15372 Yonge Street, Aurora. Wander the Tennis in Canada exhibit, play croquet and lawn bowling with family and friends, enjoy crafts for kids, and check out the new tennis court! Free admission all day. Contact 905-727-8991 or community@aurorahs.com. www.aurorahs.com September 5 – Blossom Breakfast Club courtesy of Pathways to Perennials. 9am at the Kettleby location, 4681 Lloydtown-Aurora Rd. Personalized Workshop with Lorraine Mennen on shrubs and trees for Autumn Blaze, a design workshop, followed by a delicious brunch in the Blossom Café. $25 + HST. 905-939-8680, or contact angie@pathwaystoperennials.com. www.pathwaystoperennials.com September 13 – Schomberg Street Gallery presented by Schomberg Village Association in partnership with Arts Society King. 10am-5pm Main Street, in the charming, historic village of Schomberg. Artisans and crafters line the street displaying original fine art and skilled craftsmanship for public purchase and enjoyment. www.ArtsSocietyKing.ca, www.schombergstreetgallery.ca

artssocietyKing.ca

2015

SUMMER FESTIVAL June 27 – Kite-making for Kids ages 5 to 11 10 a.m.-12 noon, King Museum. A free morning of building, decorating, and flying kites. Free Pre-register* June 27 – Richard Serra’s SHIFT; An Evening of Film and Conversation. Kingbridge centre, 6 p.m. cash bar and appetizers followed by King Township premier of Simone estrin’s documentary film; A Shift in the Landscape. Panel discussion with some of canada’s leading art professionals: James Adams (Globe and Mail), Rebecca Duclos (School of the Art institute of chicago),Victoria Dickenson (The McMichael), Andrew hunter (AGO), with moderator Shelley Falconer (Art Gallery of hamilton). Ticket prices: $20 + hST for adults, $10 + hST students* June 28 – Schomberg Horticultural Society’s Annual garden Tour 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. A self-guided driving tour of many fabulous gardens in King Township. $10 per person. contact Barb Niemeyer at 905-939-2216 www.gardenontario.org June 28 – Sushi-making at Paper crane restaurant, 12975 Keele St., King city 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Learn this Asian art, sample your creations and take home leftovers! $25 *

Karola Steinbrecher, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at her studio, 5625 16th Sideroad, Schomberg, $80 plus $10 materials fee plus hST* June 30 – Furniture Refinishing Techniques with Chalk Paint 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Anchique, 2790 Main St, Schomberg. Learn four new refinishing techniques. Take home a small finished project $80*anchique.com July 1 – Photographing Horses and Ponies, ages 12 and up, Cantercall Stables, 14760 Dufferin St. Workshop on photographing live animals with professional photographer Tom Wray. Bring your camera. $25 plus hST* July 2 – Drawing Horses with Helen Hermanns at her private studio, using live models. 8080 18th Sideroad, Schomberg. 1 – 4 p.m. $40 plus hST* July 3 – Norval Morrisseau; the Picasso of the North. Tour of paintings, film and lunch. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. McMichael canadian Art collection, Kleinberg. includes parking, and 3-course lunch. $40 plus hST.*

July 4 – open House at the King Township Museum 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 2920 King Road, King city. come out and celebrate King’s heritage with old time music, local artists, and a chance to see the museum’s brand new collections storage and some of our many artifacts! Free admission. contact 905-8332331 or visit kingmuseum.ca July 5 – Nature conservancy Family Hike in Happy valley, 10 a.m. Meet at 4093 17th Sideroad, (a dead-end road accessibly by turning west off Weston Road. The property entrance is the first driveway on the left and has a green gate). Free. July 6 – exploring european-style Flower Arranging, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Seasons Floral Studio, 17250 hwy 27, Schomberg. Take home your floral creation! $75 * July 7 – Butterflies In Your Garden, ages 12 and up. 11 a.m. Pathways To Perennials, Pottageville. Join artist and butterfly expert Grazyna Tonkiel who will tell you all about butterflies and how to attract them to your garden. $10 plus hST *

*Pre-registration and fee payment information at artssocietyking.ca or call Amy at 905-939-9357 NB registration closes 3 days in advance of each event.

June 29 – Abstract collage Painting with artist

Richard Serra’s ShIFt:

July 7 – The Age of Wooden Boats. 7 p.m. Museum. Listen to elsa Ann Pickard`s interesting family history of boat-building, including her grandfather`s involvement with wooden boats during the Second World War. Free Pre-register* July 8 – King: The Kentucky of canada, 11 a.m. Museum. Join unofficial horse historian John Rumble as he reminisces about the history of King horse country. Watch movie clips. Dress up in your Kentucky Derby finest. Light refreshments. Free Pre-register* July 9 – The World of Bees, with local beeman, Andre Flys. 2 p.m. Museum. Learn about honey bees and their role in our food supply and economy. Free Preregister* July 9 – canadian Songbook: 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30. country Day School Auditorium, 13415 Dufferin St. King city. Songs of great canadian bands and composers (Joni Mitchell, Leonard cohen, Rush, Joan Baez and more), featuring Smith and Dragonman Band, Siobhan Duffy, Waleed Abdulhamid with the King Studio house Band and musical director John ebata. enjoy a pre-concert glass of wine, and refreshments at intermission. Adults $30 + hST, students $20 + hST. Or $35/$25 at the door.*

An Evening of Film and Conversation

Saturday, June 27 6:00 p.m. KINgBRIDgE CONFERENCE CENTRE Adults $20 + hST

Students $10 + hST

includes refreshments FOR INFORmATION AND REgISTRATION:

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ArtsSocietyKing.ca or call Amy at 905-939-9357

summer 2015

MOSAiC

Everyone Invited, None too Old and None too Young

by Louise Di’Iorio

he little frame Kinghorn schoolhouse, SS#23, looked its very best on that happy June day in 1937. Freshly painted, surrounded by cheerful flowering shrubs, festooned with a profusion of Union Jacks, it welcomed more than 2000 former students and friends who had gathered together to celebrate the retirement of Walter Rolling, principal and mentor to over three generations of young people in King Township.There was a Grand Parade, a marching band, a variety of sporting events, speeches and entertainment, and dancing long into the evening. The one-room schoolhouse was the heart of its community; built in 1861 to replace the original log-house known as the “squatters’ school,” the Kinghorn schoolhouse would be renovated and enlarged over the years, adapting and enduring until it was finally closed in 1978. A year later the schoolhouse was purchased by the Township of King and placed under the care of the King Township historical Society to serve as a museum. The King Township Museum was officially opened in 1982 and was run by the dedicated volunteers and local residents of the Society until it was transferred directly to the Township in 2001.The Society continues to use the site for their monthly meetings and popular educational presentations.

Over the last 14 years the Museum has been developed and expanded by the Township, adding exhibit space, accessible washrooms, and hiring permanent staff. Programming has grown to include heritage programs, historical displays, curriculumbased programming and summer camps for schoolaged children. The Museum has new friends as well. Arts Society King, publisher of this magazine, is now located in the Museum and promotes the arts there with exhibits, workshops and programs. The King Township Archives will soon join them, having outgrown its little room in the King city Library. in 2011 a pragmatic partnership with a land developer has led to many important physical repairs and enhancements to the Museum, including a bright new exhibition space. The Museum and its entire site will soon be renamed the King Heritage and cultural centre where King’s unique and vibrant heritage and culture will be celebrated. Still adapting and enduring, the little schoolhouse will remain the heart of its community, and continue to proclaim: “everyone invited, None too Old and None too young” as it did on that joyful June day nearly eighty years ago. “First we shape our buildings, then they shape us, then we shape them again.” Stewart Brand, How Buildings Learn. M

Kinghorn schoolhouse in 1937

The new heritage and cultural centre Editors’ Note: Many of our ASK Summer Festival events will be held at the Museum. Join us and have a look around. For a detailed list of programs see page 13.

“My art speaks and will continue to speak transcending barriers of nationality, of language and of — NORVAL MORRISSEAU other forces...” 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. The other group of seven artists who broke down barriers in the art world. See stunning works by Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Jackson Beardy, Eddy Cobiness, Alex Janvier, Carl Ray, and Joseph Sanchez. Now until September 7

Norval Morrisseau, Artist’s Wife and Daughter, 1975, acrylic on hardboard, 101.6 x 81.3 cm, Purchase 1975, McMichael Canadian Art Collection

MOSAiC summer 2015

Media Partners Organized by

mcmichael.com Funded by

An Agency of the Government of Ontario

For further information about the ASK tour of Norval Morisseau’s work followed by lunch at McMichael, see page 13.

In Decision by Jim Scott

Out in the bay a moon beam glides Over the swells that so gently are flowing, Bearing to me where my sailboat rides Dreams of the lands where my heard would be going. Silently beckoning, calling my name, Urging me on with their mystical voices, Singing of islands I’m longing to claim, Asking me then to consider my choices.

Whether to stay in this city that seems So relentless with all of its noise and its crowding, Or sail on the breeze of these fanciful dreams That twirl through my mind like a warm mist enshrouding, Drawing me on with their siren-like songs, Seducing my reason with romance and wonder. Making me doubt where my life now belongs. Tearing my corporate future asunder.

Red Boat oil on gallery canvas, size 20" x 20" by Alexandra K conrad www.akconradart.com

Grow your creative side

For everything now has been brought into doubt; This life I’ve achieved by so steadfastly working; All of these years I’ve spent going without Those distant adventures I knew to be lurking Somewhere beyond this horizon I see, From where come these waves gently rolling and breaking. There where the oceans are calling to me

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To come find those dreams that my life’s been forsaking.

Daily Delivery Local and GTA Corporate Floral Accounts - team building workshops Floral design Classes- for Adults Lil Sprouts Club- horticulture classes for ages 6-12

Should I then load up and cast off my lines?

Birthday Parties and private group classes

Exterior / seasonal planter decor

Should I then leave now this life I’ve created? Should I then sail where the sun gently shines

Learn Floral Design Come and experience an inspiring floral class at Seasons New studio/ school located

17250 Hwy 27 Unit 9 Schomberg Classes for ages 6-Adult

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On palm bedecked isles for which so long I’ve waited. In Decision is from Jim Scott's recent poetry anthology, On Tropical Islands and Sparkling Seas, copyright 2014, Friesen Press. This is Book 2 in Jim's Wanderings and Sojourns series.

Or should I just stay here to gaze on the sea? Safe with my dear friends and hard earned position; Though ever to yearn for a life that is free Of the pains of a city bound soul’s indecision. summer 2015

MOSAiC

The Story of a by Sharon Bentley

Grand Old King Lady

“It was a cold February day, below zero, when we first looked at Eaton Hall. Our neighbour in Toronto, Sir Henry Pellat of Casa Loma came over to Ardwold one evening to tell us that next to his farm in King, on Lake Marie there was another farm with a lake for sale. Although the lake was frozen over and snow covered the ground as far as we could see and in spite of the biting cold, we fell in love with the farm” writes Lady eaton on their adventure into King Township. (This personal account is recorded in the King city Tweedsmuir history found on the library website: kinglibrary.ca). Some years after their arrival in 1920 the eatons built a spectacular Norman-style chateau on their farm and named it eaton hall. Seventy five years later Kelly Mathews fell in love with the same property and has written a book about it. Kelly, the manager of community recreation, summer camps, and the outdoor education centre at Seneca college, has had ample opportunity to admire the stately home standing across the lake from where she works. her new book weaves together the story of eaton hall from the building of the once bustling home filled with parties and dignitaries, to its use during the Second World War as a Royal Navy convalescent facility, to its function as a hotel and teaching facility for the hospitality program at Seneca, and finally to today, where it patiently sits, waiting to find out what its next life and purpose will be. Eaton Hall; the Pride of King Township takes the reader through several stages in the life of this great building and is filled with interesting facts and supportive documents. The

book includes a heritage map of concession iii, Lots 11-15, excerpts from accounting registers, blueprints of the original home, and wonderful anecdotes from the mouths of residents and guests.There are many enlightening photographs too which Kelly recovered after searching for hours in local, provincial and national archives. here’s just a taste of some of the unknown facts revealed in the book:The eaton 700-acre property was cobbled together through purchases from five different farm owners. The lake on the property had at least six different names. Three members of the British Royal Family have visited at one time or another. A major mystery is solved: the origin of the first eaton home on the property, Villa Fiori, built in 1924. Or was it? And a promise kept – the promise that the Seneca college Board of Directors made to the eaton family upon purchase. Kelly’s passion for her book and her subject knows no bounds. Listening to her talk about it, her hearty laughter accompanied by comments like “i Love This!” and “This is So interesting!” which no audience member would dare to question, is a treat. her credentials for writing about local canadian history are authentic: her Nana (Ollie Gudz) worked for the eaton family for 30 years, and her great uncle was well-known canadian writer Farley Mowat. The much-anticipated launch of Kelly Mathews’ book, Eaton Hall; the Pride of King Township, is scheduled for early summer. check the ASK website, Arts SocietyKing.ca for further details. M

villa Fiori Then (Archives of ontario: Fonds 229)

villa Fiori Now (Photo by the author)

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eaton Hall Then (Archives of ontario: Fonds 229)

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MOSAiC summer 2015

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13785 Highway 27, Nobleton

eaton Hall Now (Photo by Melanie Bell, photographer)

The Battle of the Bobolinks

ou cannot tell them apart from cowbirds when they mass for the fall migration, but in May, bobolinks are dressed for the essential business of life. Jet black tuxedos with white shirtfronts on backwards, a jaunty golden cap on their crowns, the little tenors are all a-twitter, hearts on their wings for the plain brown females busy looking them over and building nests in the grass. The five-acre bobolink meadow fronts the Parker estate and remains one of the few sanctuaries in a shrinking world that threatens their very existence. hay-croppers want two cuts. King Township has outdated bylaws against wild weeds. in a neighbourhood of pristine lawns, when i drive past the scruffy face of the Parker estate, i smile. it was once the site of an important battle… The sociable “bubbly rice eaters” flutter about in melodically boisterous colonies where aunts, uncles and cousins pitch in to help parents feed the young, mainly on insects. cut your hay before mid-July, and the chicks will die. if later, they will fledge, and by August, the birds will be making for the Louisiana delta to rest and refuel. in Jamaica, the chubby “butterbirds” are most welcome – as yummy morsels. The survivors make it as far as Peru, where they are aves non grata on the rice fields, to be exterminated like locusts. Mrs. Parker supported my passionate conservation efforts, so it was a shock when farmer Dan showed up one day in spring on his monster tractor and began ploughing the bobolink meadow to death.The outdoor ring, where i was giving a dressage lesson, gave me a clear view of the enormous blades gashing metres of furrow every second. i abandoned my student and galloped on foot, stove-pipe

by Dorita Peer

boots and all, to stop them. Dan stared at me as if i were crazy. My explanation was lost on a farmer’s heart bent on making every acre a profitable one. he insisted that Mrs. Parker had agreed to rent him this field. he was already cultivating most of the hundred acres on the farm. My answer was to make like David Suzuki and wax scientific about the preservation of species. For all my polite and informative pleading, Dan stood his farmer’s ground.

PhOTOS By BARRy WALLAce

My trump card was Mrs. Parker. i sprinted for the house, hoping that she was at home. her snow-white Lincoln was in the garage. Roland’s old green car was nearby. i knocked and called out through the screen door and waited forever. elderly legs seem to move slower in a crisis. Finally she appeared in her trademark pull-on slacks and daintily embroidered sweater, as well as the earnest, concerned look on her face. She heard out my

blithered story and sheepishly admitted having completely forgotten about the bobolinks. Of course she did not want Dan to plough the next generation into oblivion, and that was the message i was to carry back to him. Back at the tractor, i gasped out the edict, only to hear Dan say he needed to have it from the horse’s mouth. he sat high up inside his monster’s cab, arms folded, a little wounded in pride and befuddled about such a to-do over a bunch of stupid birds. his engine dieseled.The blades quivered menacingly. My mind was dieseling, too. Kay could not possibly hike out this far, nor climb aboard my truck. Roland was the go-to guy in a pinch, plus he took all us crazies in stride. he had left the world behind, preferring gardening and odd jobs to academia, frequently sharing tea and lunch with his employer and friend. i found him among the raspberries. With some reticence, he agreed, though it was not like him to be part of a conspiracy, nor me to enlist him in one. it was a close-knit neighbourhood. it would not do to upset farmer Dan and his big, helpful brothers; but, hundreds of lives, even generations, were at risk. The two of us practically hoisted Mrs. Parker into the old green car and delivered her to Dan where she practiced the diplomacy mastered as a military wife. Roland just stared at his shoes as i turned my back to watch the dashing cocks wage aerial battles above their turf. After the victory, i willingly shouldered the burden of Dan’s perennial disdain. The bobolinks were saved. Now, twenty years later, with Mrs. Parker a century alive and well, i drive by that meadow almost daily. it is wilder than ever, with some fair-sized white pine and hawthorn dotted here and there to show it never, ever sees a blade of any kind. M

summer 2015

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101

PhOTOS OF PeGGyS PAiNTiNGS TAKeN By PeTeR BOyD

reASoNS to celebrate

Peggy Johnston by Denny Starritt

o reminisce with Peggy Johnston when she is perky and eager to engage in conversation is more entertaining than a best-selling historical novel. Peggy loves to tell a tale and still smiles when recounting some of her stories about growing up – and there are many. Peggy, an accomplished artist, is 100 years old and has been a resident of King for 63 years. She celebrated her 100th birthday at home in her garden last summer at a beautiful party arranged by her daughter Deborah Geaghan

with whom she lives. This year Arts Society King hopes to mark her 101st birthday with a reception on August 21st and a retrospective show of her paintings at the heritage and cultural centre from August 20th until August 22nd. Peggy was born in Bristol england on August 21, 1914. For lack of any preferred name, her grandmother decreed she would be called iris after a beautiful flower. Somehow she was always called Peggy and never knew her official name until she was 14 and applied for a passport. She was the oldest of 3 girls and

KEYS -

Unlocking the joy of music:

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the only one who loved to draw. She would draw all over the walls of her sisters’ bedrooms, as high as her arms could reach. When they were full, the walls would be washed down and she would draw on them again. if she were ever given a ha’penny or even tuppence as a treat, she would buy herself a drawing pad. Peggy had little interest in, or respect for, school and she achieved very little academically. She was expelled, temporarily, from a finishing school for drawing a moustache on the Queen Mother’s picture. even when implored to return, she refused. She wanted desperately to go to an art school in London but the same grandmother who named her said “no” because she disliked artists’ dirty fingernails. When the war broke out, Peggy enlisted with the army and was deployed as an ambulance driver, which provided many amusing stories and some harrowing experiences. it was during this time she met and married Jake Johnston, a Major in the canadian army. Peggy was 28 and wore a bright red pant suit for the occasion, which she had bought

with war coupons. Two years later she emigrated to canada with her infant son John, 300 other war brides, and their children, spending 10 harrowing days all in one room on a ship, and then travelling by train for 7 more days. husband Jake had sailed earlier with his company under much more desirable circumstances! After a brief stay with Jake’s family in Mildmay, near Walkerton Ontario, Peggy lived and raised 2 other children, James and Deborah, in three different homes, while Jake studied law in Toronto. in 1952 the family moved to King, to a 10-acre farm on the 7th concession with stables and horses. Peggy was inspired by her surroundings and she began to paint with a vengeance. A studio was built for her where she painted wonderful landscapes, and beautiful horses, and where she even gave painting lessons to anyone who showed an interest. By this time Jake had become a successful real estate agent and Qc lawyer, and was able to fulfill his passion to own and ride horses. he introduced his children to the Toronto North york Pony club,

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ART LESSONS AND ADVENTURES 18

MOSAiC summer 2015

which Peggy presided over for several years, although she never rode. Jake and his daughter Deborah rode with the hunt club, and for many years the Johnstons became well-known for serving sumptuous hunt breakfasts, often featuring Peggy’s famous steak and kidney pie. When Peggy`s sons left for boarding school, Peggy began to take her art more seriously. She travelled abroad with artist friends, she took art classes at the Sorbonne in Paris for 3 months, she spent time in Mexico where her art sold very well, and she had many shows in Brampton, Toronto and Snowball corners. She was a member of the Watercolour Society and president of the Society for canadian Artists. Blair Day, Ask Board member who helped Peggy in her gardens after she and Jake had moved to the 8th concession, is one of the few people lucky enough to have seen her impressive collection of stored art. helen Lucas, well-known canadian artist and Peggy’s dear friend, recognizes Peggy’s talent and wants these incredible paintings to be shown so everyone can appreciate another one of King’s best-kept secrets. Peggy was certainly an eccentric and courageous woman who was ahead of her time and never gave up on her art. M Editors Note: For further information about the reception and retrospective show planned for late August at the Museum please check the ASK website: ArtsSocietyKing.ca

Neighbourhood Network Joins King township by erin cerenzia; coordinator – Neighbourhood Network

On Monday, April 13th King Township officially welcomed its newest partner – Neighbourhood Network! The not-for-profit initiative funded by Magna international inc. is a unique organization, with a mission and vision that can be summed up quite simply as supporting our neighbourhoods, and building better communities together. And Neighbourhood Network does this by engaging the community through volunteering! With over 285 registered partners – local charities, non-profits, and community groups – Neighbourhood Network acts as a resource to promote each group’s volunteer opportunities and special events, to provide volunteers, and to offer measurable statistics to identify each partners’ niche volunteer group. For close to 7,500 registered volunteers – made up of students, adults, families, seniors, and businesses – Neighbourhood Network personalizes their experience by matching each volunteer’s skills and interests with organizations in need, and helping volunteers to find meaningful opportunities that they will enjoy doing.

Additionally, Neighbourhood Network organizes annual programs, aimed to address specific community needs: the Fall Food Drive, the holiday Gift Drive, the Winter Snow Removal program for seniors, the Spring Tree Planting, and the Give Back Awards scholarship program for graduating grade 12 students. Neighbourhood Network is very excited to announce the appointment of Teri hastings, executive Director of Arts Society King and avid community volunteer, as the King Township Ambassador.Teri represents Neighbourhood Network in King, and is responsible for promoting volunteer opportunities and events, and supporting partners within your community. Getting involved with Neighbourhood Network is simple – and free! To sign up as a volunteer, or to register your organization, visit their website, www.nnetwork.org, call 1855-870-4586, or connect with King Township Ambassador, Teri hastings of ASK. On behalf of Neighbourhood Network, we hope you will join the network and help to continue building better communities together, in King Township!

Profiling GBA Winner from King City Damian Di Biase The Give Back Awards are a cash prize donated by Magna international inc. and Neighbourhood Network to graduating students from high schools in Aurora, Georgina, and Newmarket. The outstanding recipients of the 2015 Give Back Awards were selected based on the exceptional contributions they have made to fellow students and citizens, and their ongoing dedication to community involvement. Damian Di Biase, a student at cardinal carter catholic high School, is King Township’s first recipient of the prestigious Give Back Awards! For the past 5 years, Damian has accumulated over 650 community service hours acting as a referee for the King United Soccer club.Through this opportunity, Damian has become a strong leader, which he carries into his school community. he is President of the Student council, and while holding this role, Damian formed a new committee called the “identity Squad,” a group that seeks to help individuals who are experiencing difficulty within the school. Damian also volunteers in the community with the Terry Fox Run, King Day, annual Town parades, e-Waste Day, and helping at sport events in york Region. congratulations to Damian, and thank you for all that you do to step up and give back to our communities!

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It’s easy.

All we need is U summer 2015

MOSAiC

Website

The ASK w ebsite is u Please che pdated alm ck back fo ost daily! r new pro AND enjo gramming y original a informatio rt (of an n on the hom ASK artist member) e page. ww

Celebrating 10 years!

What's Happening

w.ArtsSo c

ietyKing.

Did You Know?

The vision statement that will carry ASK into the future is enriching King Township through arts and culture for all. We are excited to accomplish this vision and will promote, support and advocate for arts and culture through effective partnerships and innovative events and programs. Many of the founding partners of ASK will gather at the Music In King concert event happening on Thursday, July 9, 2015 (8:00 pm at country Day School Auditorium, registration is open). We are excited to reflect on the great work of 'The Arts Group', who in 2005 recognized the need for an organization to share arts and culture programming with King Township. original mission accomplished!

rts Society King has updated our vision and mission statements. What are those, you ASK?

A vision statement describes the clear and inspirational long term desired change resulting from an organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work. The mission describes the core purpose of an organization and how it conducts business. For ten years, ASK has worked hard to fulfil the original mandate to establish and maintain an organization in King Township that fosters inspiration, understanding and appreciation for the arts, heritage and nature. Through the hard work of many dedicated volunteers, ASK is firmly established and so are the signature events and unique programs that have been shared with the King community.

SUMMeR Pop-Up Art galleries An original collection of art will be displayed at the King heritage and cultural centre (formerly the King Township Museum).

Summer Bloom is now re-scheduled for June 15 - August 15.

Thank you to the continued support of oak ridges retirement community as we look forward to the next Music In King concert event on July 9 featuring the canadian Songbook. Thank you to new corporate sponsor Magna whose recent support will enable ASK to carry forward on many initiatives that will serve the entire community.

Thank You A very special thank you to Judy craig, one of the founding members of Arts Society King and co-editor of MOSAic magazine. After many years of tireless efforts on behalf of ASK, Judy is stepping down as co-editor. We will miss her creative thinking, her leadership, her boundless energy, and most of all, her passion for the arts. We wish her well and hope to see her around at some upcoming ASK events.

surveyÂgraphic

Outdoor Show & Sale

Call for Artists 20

MOSAiC summer 2015

YoUR oPINIoN ReAllY MAtteRS We invite you to complete a short survey requesting your feedback on MOSAic magazine. Please visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/QFJl5MK To thank you for completing the survey, your name will be entered in our draw for two tickets to canadian Songbook happening July 9 in King city.

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