Mosaicwinter2014web layout 1

winter 2014

MOSAiC King a r t s

h e r i t a g e n a t u r e

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

ConTenTS

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Essence of Horse: a Triptych of Artists Helen Hermanns,Tom Wray, Phyllis Vernon

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Biologist at the Table I Yam whats I yam

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A Ride Through History - In Bert Powell's Carriages

10 Eyes on Quebec Celebrates the Story of Two Passionate Collectors

11 Winter Notes Hugh Barnett and Marie-Lynn Hammond 12 Events in and around King…just ASK! Local community events: December to March 13 Bolton Camp Redevelopment

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14 Just a Few of Us Left 15 Connections and Collections: Hockey in King 16 Cozy Up By the Fire King Township Public Library Staff Favourites 17 Pollinators in Peril Cold Creek Stewardship Report

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18 King Travel Diaries - I always wanted to go there!

19 On The Road To Success Teri Hastings, ASK’s new Executive Director Shelley Falconer, Art Gallery of Hamilton’s new President & CEO 20 Home-Grown Cures for Almost Every Malady

4 TroTTing in Blue by Phyllis Vernon

MOSAiC Volume IV Issue I

King MOSAiC is published

by Arts Society King

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & ARTISTS

www.ArtsSocietyKing.ca

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, King City Dental, Kingcrafts, Locale Restaurant, Oak Ridges Trail Association - All Saints Anglican Church, Seneca College; King Township – U of T's Koffler Scientific Reserve, Libraries, Municipal Offices, Museum, Royal LePage; Nobleton – Cold Creek Gate House, Crupi's Interiors, Dreamwood Furniture, Nobleton Physiotherapy, Specialty Meats; Pottageville - Pathways to Perennials; Schomberg – A Main Street Christmas, 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; Etobicoke - Humber River Shakespeare Co. @ Montgomery's Inn; Markham - Helena Jaczek's Constituency Office; Newmarket - Covernotes tea & coffee house, 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

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

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.

Virginia Atkins

Stephen Leacock Museum

Hugh Barnett

Andrea Loeppky

Susan Beharriell

McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Sharon Bentley

Kate Morgan Photography

Jane Binions

Ontario Historical Society Bulletin

Wendy-Sue Bishop

Dorita Peer

Robert Brown Photography

Susanne Prince

Ada Cervello

Bill Pusztal Photography

Gordon Craig

Adele Reid

Judy Craig

Dave Rheaume

Sonia Dhir

T.O. Robinson Archives

Dorothy Duncan

Paige Sillcox

C. Erichsen-Brown

Denny Starritt

Andrée Rheaume Fitzhenry &

Peggy Tighe

Robert Fitzhenry Collection

Toronto and Region Conservation

Kathleen Fry

Cheryl Uhrig

Penny Gilbertson

Phyllis Vernon

Helen Hermanns

Rachel Weiner

Sue Iaboni

Dr. Arthur Weis

Marc Joseph

Mara Wray

on-line version at

CoVer Tom Wray ‘Hairy Horse in the Snow’

EDITORS editors@kingmosaic.ca Judy Craig Sue Iaboni DESIGN PRODUCTION Penny Gilbertson ADVERTISING sales@kingmosaic.ca Judy Craig Nancy Stenhouse WEBMASTER Robert Pointer

ArtsSocietyKing.ca

Tom Wray

KingMosaic.ca winter 2014

MOSAiC

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Essence of Horse: a Triptych of Artists

by Dorita Peer

My living, my sanity and my circumspect ways I owe to the horse. In a horse-rich township, horses are easy to find, but the depth of our relationship with them seems harder to express.

What could, if not an artist’s eye – or three - get to the heart of the matter. i Not three paces toward her studio, helen hermanns wheels. “Would you like to see the horses first?” No answer required. That is where it begins for her. And for me. We go way back, but neither of us is much into dressage anymore. Her paddocks are filled, not with the svelte and sleek, but with robust and feathery drafts that tower over us. Nineteen hands of nuz-

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zling black Percheron, his roached mane elevating him, looms over us like a Grecian frieze, in paddock and in studio. Size and light is what Helen sees in horses - a surprisingly out-of-the box impression of them. Dressage horses to her are unpaintable. “Too perfect. No drama,” she complains. “I don’t do realism.” Paradoxically, she insists her horses must pass an anatomical vetting; nevertheless, there is not a cliché in sight. Her horses often appear in fragments.

A horizon of ears and forelocks.

Eyes without the shine, all the more arresting. A file of muscular rumps.

You can hear their impatient snorts.

The jingle of tangled harness. With-

go For gold, Phyllis Vernon

out seeing their hooves, you can feel the boisterous thunder of their strides. Six abreast confront you with their unruliness. Entitled Heads up! The warning cry of horsemen. In Still Life, the mood shifts to a group basking in the welcome warmth of sunrise. The mysterious retreat of a span toward a mountain sunset seems ominous. All are very real to me. “I only paint what is important.” She means the brushstrokes. “You can’t look at my art up close,” Helen adds. A lifetime of knowing horses inside and out has not jaded the artist’s eye. Artistically and commercially successful, Helen seeks to improve her art by experimenting bravely, studying texts and visiting the McMichael, where the courage of Lawren Harris infuses her

FirST Chukker,Tom Wray

vision. When I probe for metaphors, Helen peels back the layers of her compositions more in technical terms but explains that every painting is her story. Indeed. Behind the heroic proportions and luminosity is a rare sensibility of eye to hand melding two creatures into an alchemical oneness. ii For Tom Wray’s lens, horses are news. Someone born in the Year of the Horse was destined to depart from the botanicals on which his reputation is founded. He admits the King milieu may have rubbed off on him. The kicker is the allergy.

Luckily, a long lens can get up close and personal.

“Running around is nice,” he says about the hunt for the animals which have surprised him with their individuality. “They want the attention, too,” he laughs as he tells of the one that tried to steal his tripod. His horsey stories seem fresh to me.

His innocent wonder is his strength. It is too early for him to wax eloquent about his discoveries, but his lens speaks for him. The majority of his expanding collection are close encounters with horse faces. Studies rather than portraits, they are an intimate and tender inspection into the mind of his new pals. He has caught them studying him back with equal rapture. He delights in a comical extravagance of mane, a ferny eyelash, a velveteen muzzle with the same fascination with form and colour for that kingdom as for flora.

The simply entitled Horse in the Snow assumes nothing.The bay thoroughbred mare Tom met at one of King’s many race barns directs her disarming gaze at us. Head jauntily cocked, one foreleg off the page, she has pranced out to meet us.

Two dimensions become three. In an era where everyone shoots photos, Tom’s art lies in the heightening of our perceptions through postprocessing. “A lot goes on after the fact.” He describes how he has enriched her red coat, its tawny and black points against an expanse of snow. She practically strobes with life. Printed on watercolour paper, her silkiness begs to be touched. Content with commissions of portraiture as well,Tom senses that equine mystique includes action. He is drawn to the rough-housing of polo, and to the wild ones of Sable Island, or the Camargue. Wind. Water. Tossing manes. The

Tony Stromberg influence. Tom has caught the symbolism. There’s that starry-eyed look I know so well.

You are invited to a Christmas Open House on Sunday, Dec. 7th. imagesPhotoart.com iii Phyllis Vernon is still clad in breeches from her ride. Her arms gallop across her paintings, reliving each moment of creation for my benefit. It is hard to believe that Phyllis only painted her first horse a year ago. When asked why, she is not sure. She was otherwise engaged, with life, with riding first hunter, now dressage. Her relationship is as physical on canvas as on horseback. Every word and gesture of exploration is kinetic, her evolution from realism to abstract swift. Horses to Phyllis represent an opportunity to interact with another being. Her clear aim is oneness. She aligns with Tom in seeing that horses also want to know us. An early portrait of a foal, entitled Just Curious, shows him leaving his wary dam to inspect the artist. She cites Helen’s work as having impressed her with its animation. But, in almost her next foray, the even spacing of a grazing trio already has a different rhythm, a musical beat.

Phyllis is getting to know horses in a new way, wanting to depict them in what she calls “abstract realism.” Her next generation of acrylics composes collages. Shards of colour. Angular forms. Layers of intense hues with translucent dilutions – the hallmark of a passionate water colourist, the challenging medium that honed her basics. In Go for Gold, equines appear mere silhouettes that capture the gentled mannerisms idealized by dressage. Rhythm reappears in Carousel where our eye has to hunt for horses hidden in a forest of textile patterns. At last, in Feeling Good, the horse comes to life, gathers himself in all his dynamic potency and is allowed to burst through “the dark wallpaper of the mind” in self-revelation. Just behind him, lies a triumphant, happy accident of brushstroke: a small, maroon heart-like shape. The artist is getting at the story. M

STUDIO TOUR KING April 25 & 26, 2015 CALL TO ARTISTS Application deadline January 6, 2015

Breaking The yearlingS, helen hermanns

Three ClydeS running, helen hermanns

TO PARTICIPATE CONTACT

905.939.9357 info@artssocietyking.ca

ArtsSocietyKing.ca

winter 2014

MOSAiC

5

BiologiST aT The TaBle The life your food leads before it reaches your table

P

by Dr. Arthur Weis

Perhaps the biggest event of my early life came on my eleventh Christmas. As with my previous ten, the entire Weis clan converged on grandma’s house for dinner. But that year my oldest cousin, Nancy, spent the holiday with her fiancé’s family, opening a coveted seat at the ‘grown-up table’. By birthright I beat out my younger cousin Gayle for the slot by 7 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, and 5 hours. Approximately.

I took a place next to Uncle George, a jovial man of hefty appetite and emphatic opinion. Platters of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry compote whizzed past, and we piled our plates high.Then, Uncle George’s eyes widened with delight as grandma’s familiar blue earthenware casserole arrived. “Now Arthur, this year we have REAL yams!

You can tell…they’re deep purple.” I nodded uncomfortably. Anointed as a grown-up only minutes before, I was keen to hang on to my new status.

Should I tell my dear uncle? I did not.

The fact was that for at least the past 5 years his sweet, beloved wife, Aunt Marina, had carried that same casserole to the kid table, and every year she announced, “Now children, this year we have REAL yams! You can tell…they’re

s t a h w m a Iy I yam pure white.”

With 50 years of hindsight, approximately, I can say that in all probability, Uncle George, Aunt Marina, Nancy, Gayle, myself—or most of you readers—have never eaten a real yam.

Sweet potatoes? Yes. Yams? Probably not.

Yams are the starchy, tuberous roots of several species grouped into the genus Dioscorea. These are found in the tropics, where their viny stems wrap around and up tree trunks. Some yam species spiral clockwise around the tree. Others do it counter clockwise.

They belong to the evolutionary branch of the plant kingdom that includes palms, orchids, onions and wheat. Most yam species produce three to five tubers per plant, each up

to two metres long. Typically the flesh is very pale (score one for Aunt Marina), but tubers of the ‘water yam’ are flecked with purple (a nod to Uncle George). Most plant species are hermaphrodites, but in yams half the plants are male and half are female; boy flowers make only pollen while girl flowers make seed. All yams grow in the tropics and the number exported to North America is miniscule. The few arriving on our shores are funneled into ethnic and specialty markets.

What was in that casserole? They were the tuberous roots of a special morning glory species. Yes, that’s what sweet potatoes are. Natives to South America, their smaller, more numerous tubers run the same gamut of colors as yams, from white to purple. They grow quite

productively in the Carolinas, the major supplier to North America. Next time you buy something marked as ‘yam’ look closely at the packing crate label.

Somewhere in the small print it will read “sweet potato”.

So how did the two get confused? The answer lies in slavery. Africans, forcibly translocated to North America, were given sweet potatoes to cultivate.

What with the similar flavor and texture of the new-world tubers to those of their homeland, they simply transferred the name.

After that Christmas dinner, as was his wont, Uncle George rose to quote his favorite cartoon character, Popeye, “I yam whats I yam!” Now you know he could have said of the leftovers, “A yam’s whats’ you ain’t!” M

John Fitzgerald’s Sweet

Potato nirvana

I loved my grandma’s sweet potatoes, but my university roommate, Fitz, made this for our all-hippie autumnal bacchanalian feast. And yes, it was Nirvana.

Canadian Made

ingredients: you need ten to twelve smallish sweet potatoes (~5 cm by 20 cm); 1c. brown sugar; 1c. butter; 1tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. of fresh grated nutmeg; 1c. shelled walnuts. directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil the sweet potatoes in their skins for about 10 minutes, until they start to get tender.

Drain, peel, and cut them lengthwise once and crosswise once. Arrange them in a single layer in a baking dish. In a saucepan, combine the salt, nutmeg and half the brown sugar and butter. Heat till they all blend together, and then pour over the sweet potatoes. Then sprinkle the walnuts and remaining sugar over the top, then dot with the remaining butter. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until tender.

Custom made for you in reclaimed, rustic, ironworks, pine ,oak, maple, walnut, cherry

www.dreamwood.ca 6

MOSAiC winter 2014

905.859.7033

13785 Highway 27, Nobleton

They’re really groovy, man.

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.

SATURDAY, DEC

EMBER 6 TH 2

014 4pm Santa C la us Parade SP

)DUPHUV¡ 3DUDG H RI /LJKWV 3pm ² 8pm Craft Show with 30 ven dors � FUN ALON G MAIN STREE T�

The Ben Sh ow - Juggle r, Unicyclis Tim Holland t - Puppet Ta mer The Stylam anders ² Chr istmas Show Pictures with Santa and his Live Rei ´5RFNV DQG ndeer 5LQJV¾ Four tesy of King The Amazin Curling Clu g Corbin ² M b agician Ext The Village raordinaire Blacksmith will demonst rate Darren Mar riott - Singer Dan the Mu sic Man Guitarists Ja son Vincent and Steve R ,FH &DUYLQJ uppert 'HPRQVWUD WLRQ E\ œ,FH& Strolling Car XOWXUH¡ ollers and To wns Crier Bird Feeder Workshop

$5 Admission (C ´$ MAIN STR

hildren 12 and un

der ² FREE)

CHRISTMASÂľ is presented Schomberg by Village Asso ciation EET

winter 2014

MOSAiC

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A Ride Through History - In Bert Powell's Carriages

by Kathleen Fry, curator; King Township Museum

C

ollections can be as individual as the person who collects them.

For some it could be Canadian landscapes; for others ceramic frogs. Each collection has value to the one who gathered it together, but some have a value to the greater community in which they reside. Lambert Clay Powell of Toronto and later Kettleby amassed one of the most impressive private collections as Canada’s foremost collector of vintage carriages. “Some twenty-five years ago I became fascinated with a Gig, which was on display in front of a garage in Cooksville, Ontario. Shortly afterwards, a friend told me of other carriages stored in a brick stable on St Clair Avenue in Toronto, and my curiosity led to this larger purchase. It is a matter of finding historical vehicles, research, and proper restoring.”

LC Powell 1986 Lambert or Bert began life in Cabbagetown, a neighbourhood in Toronto and attended Jesse Ketchum School.To help with family finances he became a performer at a young age. He took to the stage in a kind of vaudeville act, singing

and dancing with his partner and travelling to various theatres across the city to perform.

Times have changed very little since then, as a boy who enjoyed dancing often had to defend these pursuits with force – Bert began boxing as a way to protect himself from the non-music lovers in his neighbourhood.

He loved sports and was an athlete and outdoorsman all his life. He worked in promotion and supported causes important to him. He helped revive the Lake Ontario swim that in 1954 made Marilyn Bell so famous. In his work at the CNE as General Manager, he made First Nations and Hall of Fame displays a part of the annual exhibition. He is quoted as saying that he was “anxious to help others… quietly” His collection, which spent a time in the Casa Loma stables, is vast and inclusive of many types of carriages. Luckily, the collection has survived mostly intact with family members still living in King Township. A storage barn was built specifically for some of the vehicles and they reside there to this day, a testament to one man’s special interest and desire to preserve history.

The majority of the carriages in this collection were originally used in the late half of the 19th century into the early 1900s. During the Victorian era, progress was moving forward with the power of the steam engine, and the carriage was eventually fated to be supplanted by automobile.

Even so, the horse-drawn carriage enjoyed a last hurrah in the 1890s, just when automobiles began to hit the streets. Coaching became a popular and trendy sport, with gentlemen trying their hands at the large carriages usually driven by coachmen.

Many of the more extravagant carriages in the collection are the type we usually see in museums and were used in an era of extreme wealth for some and poverty for others. For members of the upper class this was an era of conspicuous consumption. Ladies made sure their carriages were as lavishly appointed as their wardrobes. They often ensured that their carriage lining matched their coachmen and driver's livery, and foot pillows, rugs and hot water bottles ensured that passengers were snug during cold and inclement weather.

There was no shortage of carriage accessories on the market, from mirrors for checking your appearance to leather bound carriage cases with room for necessities such as the social register and visiting list, a clock and two cut glass bottles in case the travellers became thirsty. M

kay and Bert with grandchildren.

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Square landau c 1880. a landau, drawn by a pair or four-in-hand, is one of several kinds of ‘social carriage’ with facing seats over a dropped footwell.The soft folding top is divided into two sections, front and rear, latched at the centre.These usually lie perfectly flat, but the back section can be let down or thrown back while the front section can be removed or left stationary. The top can be raised from the front and back making this perhaps the first true convertible. also called a Shelburne landau because the earl of Shelburne was the first person to have one built.

like the station wagons of today - set of seats fold down to give more room.

2-seater gig /cart with folding top c. early 1900s. gig carts are constructed with the driver's seat sitting higher than the level of the shafts.Traditionally, a gig is more formal than a village cart and used as an everyday vehicle for those in the middle-income bracket.

Brougham Carriage (pronounced "broom" or "brohm") was a light, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used in 19th century.This was the Cadillac of the day, the best of the best but at a cost few could afford.

Sticker price on this model was $1000 in 1890. ($1,000 of 1890 dollars would be worth: $25,642 in 2013. however, 1890 average salary was $500). The price, combined with the need of a hired coachman to drive it meant only wealthy families could afford it. it had an enclosed body with two doors, like the rear section of a coach; it sat two comfortably, and had a box seat in front for the driver and a footman or passenger. unlike a coach, the carriage had a glazed front window, so that the occupants could see forward. The front wheels were capable of turning sharply making it good at manoeuvring in traffic.

Governess Basket Cart is a small two-wheeled horse-drawn cart popular with families, as small children could sit safely inside the basket, while it was driven by nurse or older member of the family giving rise to the cart's name. it was built quite small with high wicker sides and small cushioned seats - the driver sat sideways on one of these seats. The centre rear of the body was lowered, or else had a small hinged door, and there was a step beneath. The purpose of the cart was to be light enough to be drawn by a well-tempered pony or cob, which would be gentle enough, according to the mores of the time, to be handled by a lady.

Hand-crafted leather products made at

The Launch of The King Music Collective... an intersection of music, food and circus

Kick-off the season with a holiday themed event Sat., december 13th 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. estate of Michele Mele 15785 8th Conc., king Township

Jazz trio, John SherWood on piano, Paul noVoTny on bass and Terry Clarke on drums.

7195 Hwy 9, Schomberg ON L0G 1T0

905-939-1076

www.richvalesaddlery.com

SHOP LOCAL

Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets www.brownpapertickets.com Ticket Price: $30.00 (includes beverage and snack) For FurTher inForMaTion, or To BeCoMe a MeMBer oF The king MuSiC ColleCTiVe, PleaSe ConTaCT leSley MiTChell-Clarke oF lMC Media By Phone aT 416-486-6742, or By e-Mail aT amanda@lmcmedia.ca winter 2014

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Eyes on Quebec celebrates the story of two passionate collectors

by Rachel Weiner, McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Jean Paul Lemieux (1904-1990) Les mi-carêmes 1962, oil on canvas, 91.4 x 137.2 cm The Andrée Rhéaume Fitzhenry and Robert Fitzhenry Collection

W

When robert and Signe McMichael donated their extraordinary collection of art, as well as their home and land, to the Province of ontario in 1965, a unique Canadian treasure began to take shape.

The McMichael Canadian art Collection, which originally comprised of 194 works by members of the group of Seven and their contemporaries, First nation and inuit artists, has since grown to include almost 6,000 works of art. over the course of almost fifty years, the McMichaels’ legacy has been supported and enriched through the ongoing addition of Canadian masterworks to the founders’ original gift. owing to its unique history, the McMichael nurtures a strong interest in capturing and celebrating the stories of private collectors.This winter, the gallery is displaying an exhibition entitled Eyes on Quebec: Treasures from Andrée Rhéaume Fitzhenry and Robert Fitzhenry Collection,

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which highlights the vision of two collectors whose passion for Canadian art resonates with the history of the McMichael and its founders.

Eyes on Quebec was conceived as a loving tribute to the memory of andrée rhéaume Fitzhenry, whose discerning eye and interest in Quebec art were at the heart of this exceptional collection.

Eyes on Quebec includes significant works

by Cornelius kreighoff, Marc-aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, Clarence gagnon, Marcaurèle Fortin, Jean Paul lemieux, PaulÉmile Borduas, and Jean Paul riopelle, and considers the significance of key artists and movements both within the history of art in Quebec and Canada as a whole.

This is not the first time that robert Fitzhenry has honoured his late wife’s commitment to art in Canada. in 2013, he made a donation in her memory to the Fine arts program at McMaster uni-

versity in hamilton, ontario. it was the largest gift in McMaster’s history and was used to establish the dr. robert and andrée rhéaume Fitzhenry Studios and atrium.

With the exhibition Eyes on Quebec and its accompanying publication, dr.

Fitzhenry has made his remarkable private collection accessible to McMichael visitors. enhanced by works from the McMichael’s permanent holdings, the Fitzhenry Collection will be displayed over three rooms, each one highlighting a different aspect of the history and development of art in Quebec.

Go Figure The notion of the figure is explored through the work of Jean Paul lemieux, one of the foremost Quebec painters of the twentieth century, to whom an entire room in the exhibition is dedicated.

Created during the height of his career,

the works in the show are indicative of lemieux’s signature style—a simple and somewhat flat form of representation.

They are divided between sombre meditations on the fleeting quality of human life, and nostalgic depictions of budding friendship, rebirth, and youthful beauty.

Shaping Nature The tradition of landscape painting in Quebec is represented through works

by Clarence gagnon, Cornelius kreighoff, robert Wakeham Pilot, Marcaurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, and others.

This section considers the connection between the experiences of early settlers in Quebec and the artists’ depictions of cultivated landscapes inhabited by their ancestors.These pastoral scenes offer an alternative vision of Canada that differs greatly from the rugged, unpeopled landscapes of the group of Seven.

Clarence Gagnon (1881-1942) Quebec Village,Winter oil on canvas, 55.2 x 72.4 cm The Andrée Rhéaume Fitzhenry and Robert Fitzhenry Collection

Modernism and Abstraction The exhibition’s last gallery space focusses on the rise of non-representational art following the Second World War, with particular attention to two artistic movements that distinguished themselves in Quebec: the automatistes and Prisme d’yeux. Both based on a re-

jection of mainstream culture in the midtwentieth century, they embodied the creative fervour of their time.The artists featured in this section include PaulÉmile Bourduas,alfred Pellan, léon Bellefleur, rita letendre, and Jean Paul riopelle, among others.

Eyes on Quebec: Treasures from the An-

Paul-Émile Borduas (1905 - 1960) Overtures imprévues 1956, oil on canvas, 33 x 40.6 cm The Andrée Rhéaume Fitzhenry and Robert Fitzhenry Collection

drée Rhéaume Fitzhenry and Robert Fitzhenry Collection will be on display at the McMichael from november 8, 2014 to February 1, 2015. until January 4, 2015, the special exhibition Morrice and Lyman in the Company of Matisse will also be on view at the gallery. M

Visit mcmichael.com to learn more about the gallery and its special exhibitions.

Winter Notes The Carrying Place band (or simply “Carrying Place”) is a roots-folk band performing an inspired blend of Canadiana, Americana, and other traditional folk styles, consisting of three core members, including Hugh Barnett on guitar, banjo, and vocals, Daniel Longmire on bass guitar and accordion, and percussionist Rocco Castrucci on drums and guitar. “Daniel and I have been playing in various bands together since we met at high school up in Collingwood,” says Barnett. “We met Rocco in our early twenties, when the three of us were all teaching together at Arcadia Academy of Music in Nobleton.

That's when we first started playing as a band, picking up gigs along the way at downtown venues like the Silver Dollar Room and Clinton's Tavern. The music we played back then, though,” jokes Barnett, “was a lot louder than what we tend to play now.”

Over the past few years, Carrying Place has performed at a number of local King venues, including Laskay Hall, The Schomberg Fair, and the 2014 municipal inaugural council hosted at Country Day School. Touring alongside Humber River Shakespeare at their December shows, Carrying Place has also featured at venues including the Aurora Cultural Centre and

the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

But why the name Carrying Place?

“Because that's what brings this all together, in my mind,” says Barnett. “The Carrying Place Trail has been bringing diverse groups of people together in this region for several hundred years. King Township still serves as our band's spiritual home. Whether we're playing at Laskay Hall, or Schomberg Fair, we're still connected to the Carrying Place, even when we visit another venue in York Region or Toronto, the trail connects everybody's story into one longer narrative. And it keeps bringing us back to where we started, which is right here in King Township.”

Marie-Lynn Hammond is one lucky person. With three passions in life; horses, writing and singing, she has managed to craft a lifelong career blending all of them.

And often, all of them come together right here in King Township.

Hammond has spent the last twenty years as a writer and editor. She has written everything from ad copy to plays, short stories, a blog for Yorkscene, and articles for Chatelaine magazine. Editing other people’s work has been her bread and but-

ter. And she is very good at it; when she gave a presentation at a Write Now @ King meeting a couple of years ago, her “students” were delighted with her suggestions!

But before she got into the publishing business she was a professional singersongwriter, both solo and in a folk group called Stringband. She became a fixture on the Toronto scene, especially when she hosted a couple of radio shows on CBC featuring guest singers and musicians. She has several CDs, two of them released in the past couple of years. Although one recent CD, HoofBeats, is all songs about horses, her other new CD features two songs that deal with historical landmarks in York Region and Durham, and a third about the Oak Ridges Moraine.

But how did Hammond get connected to King when her home was originally in Toronto? Well, two of her riding coaches were located in the township. Through colleagues in the horse business she got to know her way around. She has performed many times in King Township: at several fundraiser events at Winsong Farms on the 15th Sideroad, twice at the Kettleby Fair, and at an ASK Soirée in 2012. She has entertained many audiences with her humorous and poignant horse songs.

editors' note: Plans are in the works for Hugh Barnett and Marie-Lynn Hammond to perform again in King Township this winter at the newly renovated Museum.

Check our ASK website for further details and be prepared to spend an evening cozying up to some world-class entertainment very close to home. winter 2014

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...just

events in and around King township tasty! Bring the family out to build your very own gingerbread house! All Supplies will be provided. $40/family. King.ca December 4 - King Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Luncheon & Toy Drive. Noon at Cardinal Golf Club, 2740 Davis Drive. Members $40, Non-Members $50.Call 905 717 7199 or info@kingchamber.ca. Please bring an unwrapped toy or gift card. The King Township Fire Department will distribute to children in need in King. KingChamber.ca Continues to January 4 - Morrice and Lyman in the Company of Matisse at McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Monday to Friday 10 4, Saturday & Sunday 10 - 5.

McMichael.com Continues to February 1 - Eyes on Quebec: Treasures from the Andrée Rhéaume Fitzhenry and Robert Fitzhenry Collection at McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

See article on page 10.

December 4 - Make a Ginger Bread House, 6 to 8 p.m. at Nobleton Arena. Artwork can be tasty! Bring the family out to build your very own gingerbread house! All Supplies will be provided. $40/family. King.ca December 4 - King City Secondary School Music Night at 7 p.m. in the main gym. $5 at the door. Come out and see the Concert Bands, Jazz Bands, small ensembles and Choir. Bake Sale provided. All are welcome.

November 29 - Cookies with Santa & Creating Snowman Socks! 2 to 4 p.m., King Township Museum. Children can have pictures taken with Santa. FREE event from K.T. Museum and ASK. Call 905 833 2331 or KingMuseum@king.ca. Also ASK Kids ART Sat. Jan. 17 (Crayon/Watercolour Winter Scenes) & Sat. Feb. 14 (Creating Yarn Hearts) from 10 to noon. Register 905 939 9357.

ArtsSocietyKing.ca November 29 - Christmas in King City. 5 to 8 p.m. Keele St. and King Road. King City Business & Community Association in partnership with King Township welcome all. Photos with Santa, horse drawn wagon rides, late night shopping, live music & entertainment, tree lighting ceremony and food by local businesses and food trucks. KingCityBusiness.ca November 29 - Good Yule Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at All Saints Anglican Church, King City.

Help ring in the festive season. Peruse the handy work of our wonderful crafters and awesome bakers! Make us your lunch destination. Cost $10 - main course (Chef Ian's crustless quiche and open faced sandwiches, all with green salad), dessert and coffee.

Call Janet 905 830 9403 November 29, 30 - Kingcrafts Studio Sale.

Open 29, 30 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This 64th annual sale of unique one-of-a-kind items includes: pottery, stained glass, silver, fine art and other fine handcrafted works including enamelled items, hooked hangings and rugs, weaving, jewellery and more. kinginfo@kingcrafts.ca or 905 833 1897. Kingcrafts.ca November 29, 30, December 6, 13, 14, 20, 21 - Ride The Santa Claus Express - Enjoy the rolling hills of South Simcoe in the restored 1920's train from Tottenham to Beeton. Reservations: bookings@southsimcoerailway.ca or online at SteamTrain.ca November 30 – Tree Lighting Ceremony in Schomberg, 5 - 6 p.m. on Main Street. The Schomberg Village Association invites you to join them in some holiday music with hot drinks & cookies to start the festive season. The official tree lighting ceremony will be at 5:15 p.m.

Schomberg.ca November 30 - Make a Ginger Bread House, 2 to 4 p.m. at Trisan Centre. Artwork can be

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December 4 to 21 - “A Christmas Carol” – annual original production of the Dickens holiday classic by Humber River Shakespeare Co. in York Region. Gather with friends and family and see the timeless tale of greed, ghosts and salvation to life. For full schedule see

HumberRiverShakespeare.ca

Meeting December 5th @ 7 p.m. Quaker

House, 17030 Yonge St., Newmarket December 7th @ 2 p.m. Alton Mill Arts Cen

tre, 1402 Queen St. W., Alton December Presbyte 9th @ 7 p.m. Emmanuel

rian Church, 313 Main St., Schomberg December 13th @ 1 p.m. The Aurora Cultural Centre, 22 Church St., Aurora December 14th @ 1:30 p.m. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Ave., Kleinburg. Performance included with Gallery admission.

December 18th @ 7 p.m. Christ Church Parish Hall, 292 Kettleby Rd., Kettleby

December 5 - 1914 Christmas Truce 100th Anniversary Concert. 7:30 p.m. at the Marylake Shrine. The King Township Historical Society presents a celebration of the Christmas Truce 1914 in song and with readings from several letters sent home from the front describing the Truce. Tickets $15. Children 12 and under free.

Call Elaine 905 841 4041 or Diana 905 859 3965. KingTownshipHistoricalSociety.com December 6 – Breakfast with Santa, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Nobleton United Church, 6076 King Rd. (west of Hwy 27) Santa gives a little gift to each child. Admission is free. Please bring a donation for the Food Bank.

Call Linda 905 859 0442.

December 6 – “A MAIN STREET CHRISTMAS”.

Along Schomberg’s Main Street, 3 to 9 p.m.

Admission $5, children 12 and under free. At 4 p.m. a Santa Claus parade along historic Main Street kicks off the festivities at this family event.

Costumed strolling carollers, a town crier and Ebenezer Scrooge evoke a bygone era and musical entertainers and jugglers will fascinate.Visit with Santa and his live reindeer! Craft Show, in the Community Hall, with 30 plus crafters from 3 to 8 p.m. Watch ice sculpting and sample local Christmas fare, including baked goods, roasted chestnuts and hot apple cider. At 8 p.m. the dazzling Farmers’ Parade of Lights brings the day to a close.

905 939 4024 or AMainStreetChristmas.com December 7 – “Christmas in Nobleton” at the Nobleton Gazebo ( corner of Hwy 27 & Sheardown Rd.) from 6 to 9 p.m. The Nobleton Village Association with No Frills, Nobleton Lions & Tim Horton's and Councillor David Boyd invite you to come and see Santa and enjoy hot apple cider, hot chocolate and cookies while listening to Christmas carols. Please bring an unwrapped gift or gift card for the less fortunate in Nobleton.

All donations will be given to the Nobleton Christmas Drive, an organization working in our community for 20 years. Please give from your heart.

NobletonInfo@gmail.com or call 905 859 0999.

December 10 – King Travel Diary Series – I always wanted to go there at 7 p.m. at the Nobleton Library. Join Phyllis and Len Vernon Syria - 4 months before the Civil War. ArtsSocietyKing.ca and King-Library.on.ca December 13 - Launch of the King Music Collective...intersection of music, food and circus. 2 to 5 p.m. at Michele Mele's home, 15785 8th Concession, near Nobleton. First event features -Terry Clarke, Order of Canada Recipient, on the drums; Paul Novotny, producer, composer and multiple Juno award winning bassist; and John Sherwood one of Canada's great Jazz pianist's playing the music of Peter Appleyard and Oscar Peterson as well as other familiar gems. Also a special and unique performance during intermission. Tickets $30 include a beverage & tasty snack. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/browse.html. More information contact Michele at 416 878 7922.

December 14 – Nobleton Lions Kids Christmas Skating Party with Santa at 12 p.m. noon at the Dr. William Laceby Nobleton Arena in Nobleton. Skating, hot dogs & drinks, including coffee for the adults. Visit with Santa and receive a bag of candies - all free. NobletonLions.com December 14– Schomberg Lions Family Free Skate for all the family from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Trisan Centre.

December 20 – King City Lions free “Skate with Santa” including hot dogs and hot chocolate. 4 to 6 p.m. at the King City Arena. Donations for the King Township Food Bank gratefully accepted.

January 10, February 7, March 14 - Astronomy Moonlight Snowshoe at 7 p.m. at Cold Creek.

Join this family friendly workshop to observe and learn "What's in the night sky this month!" Binoculars and snowshoes provided. Snowshoes are limited; reserve a pair by email coldcreek@king.ca

January 13 – King Travel Diary Series – I always wanted to go there, 7 p.m. at the King City Library. Join Sheila and Jim Middleton - The Alps - Bavaria's King Ludwig II - Stone Age Life (the 5000 year old Iceman).

ArtsSocietyKing.ca and King-Library.on.ca January 17, February 21, March 21 - Guided Hikes/Snowshoeing, 10 a.m. at Cold Creek Conservation Area. Get a New Year's kickstart and get outdoors for a guided hike and enjoy the beautiful sights. If there is enough snow, try snowshoeing! Snowshoes are limited; reserve a pair by email coldcreek@king.ca Free. King.ca January 17 - King Township's Annual Pancake Breakfast, 9 to 11 a.m. at the Dr. William Laceby Nobleton Arena and Community Centre.

Following the breakfast there will be a one hour free skate with Mayor Pellegrini from 11 a.m. to noon. King.ca January 22 – Write Now @ King. 7 to 9 p.m. at the KTPL, King City Branch.

Call Sue 905 833 0490.

January 28 – King Community Groups Meeting, 7 p.m. at the King Township Museum. Arts Society King invites all the community groups in King that have any connection to the arts, heritage & nature, to share dates & information about their 2015 activities. Call 905 939 9357.

ArtsSocietyKing.ca January 28 to April 19 - Three Forests: A Photographic Exploration - Southern Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Costa Rica. Nature Photographer Garry Conway will photographically explore the unique features of each of these different forests and present the effects of their locations on a micro and macro forest level.

Opening Reception - Saturday January 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. King Township Museum, 2920 King Road, King city. 905 833 2331.

KingMuseum@king.ca January 31 to April 26 - Vanishing Ice, Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art, 1775 - 2012.

McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

McMichael.com

plaster and paints. These workshops will give participants the skills they need to build a three-dimensional installation piece on the museum property in April and May. This is a FREE workshop but please register 905 833 2331. KingMuseum@king.ca February 7 – King City Lions Oyster & Pasta Supper, 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the King City Arena in the Gord Orr Community Hall. Great night for friends to come out for dinner - oyster stew, spaghetti with homemade sauce, salad and dessert. Tickets $20 for adults. Call 905 833 6691.

February 5, 12 & 19 OR 26 - Three-Dimensional Construction Workshop at the King Township Museum, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the 5th, 12th &19th OR noon to 4 p.m. on the 26th. Create a small sculpture of your own to take home using wire, papier-mâché,

February 14 - Community Skate and Bonfire Dufferin Marsh, 3 to 6 p.m. DufferinMarsh.ca

artssocietyKing.ca

February 16 – “Family Day Winterfest” at Cold Creek Conservation, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy delicious soup with fresh bread; and take part in a variety of fun activities - broomball, tobogganing, pond skating, horse & sleigh rides and crafts. Free snowshoe & cross country ski rental. $10/car.

Contact sgirot@king.ca ColdCreek.ca February 26 - Mayor's Luncheon presented by the King Chamber of Commerce, noon to 2 p.m. at Cardinal Golf Club. The Mayor will present the future of King's business community - plans to retain existing businesses and to recruit new businesses.

Tickets $30.

Call 905 717 7199 or info@kingchamber.ca February 26 – Write Now @ King. 7 to 9 p.m. at the KTPL, King City Branch. Call Sue 905 833 0490.

winter 2014 March 7 - Maple Syrup Festival at Cold Creek Conservation Area, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Start your day right with a delicious Pancake Breakfast and learn about syrup tapping, evaporating, filtering and the rich history that brought us this sweet treat. $10/ Car (includes breakfast & all activities). ColdCreek.ca March 14 – Annual Schomberg Agricultural Society’s Farm Tour "Past, Present & Future; 165 and Still We Thrive" Ticket information; call Janet 905 859 0834 or SchombergFair.com

2014 High school summer students helping to redevelop Bolton Camp.

editors' note: For more information on this exciting project, contact lucia Piccinni: lpiccinni@trca.on.ca or 647.537.4184

Bolton Camp Redevelopment

B

olton Camp, located in the Town of Caledon in the Humber River watershed, is undergoing some exciting changes. For more than 75 years, the site operated as a camp for lower-income families throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Due to lack of funding, Bolton Camp closed its doors in 1999 and most of the site remained vacant. Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) purchased the property in 2011 and is transforming the site into a place that encourages entrepreneurship and innovative programming while preserving its natural and historical features.

This past year, TRCA has been finalizing plans for the redevelopment of Bolton Camp. This 254 acre property will be transformed into a regional outdoor recreation and community learning centre. As part of this process, TRCA is proposing to repurpose Bolton Camp from its previous use as an overnight

summer camp to a space that provides programming to participants of all ages. Proposed programming at the new Bolton Camp could include adventure sports and fitness activities, community art and culture programs, outdoor education and training, leadership development and social entrepreneurship opportunities. TRCA's vision for this new facility is that of a place where people come together to learn, live, play and share experiences.Think of a community centre turned inside out.

For the proposed Bolton Camp to be successful, programming should be responsive to the needs of all members of our community. With this in mind, the intention is to open Bolton Camp up to a range of potential partners and contributors, including social enterprises, youth entrepreneurs and others, to take a shared stake in the success of this community venture and asset.

This past summer, TRCA, with support from the Region of Peel, hired 70 high school and post-secondary school students to assist with the first phase of redevelopment for Bolton Camp. The students spent the summer transforming the abandoned camp site by restoring 2 kilometres of trail, clearing overgrown vegetation, repairing and painting select cabins, refurbishing furniture, and designing a website. "This has been an amazing opportunity for me and the best summer job" says Matt Pavusa, who is attending grade 11 at Humberview Public Secondary School this fall. "We've received mentorship opportunities, learned how to use tools, build things to standard code, overcome obstacles and work on a team to get things done." The results of the students’ hard work were showcased at an Open House event on October 4th 2014. trca.on.ca/boltoncamp or facebook.com/BoltonCampProject.

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Just a few of us left by lCol(ret’d) Susan Beharriell

T.o. in his Jenny

Thomas oscar robinson

“Surprising tactics of the enemy, once so effective, are now impossible so long as our aviators rule the air. Clear-headed, keen young men, 18-30 years – those possessing fair education and sturdy physique - will be accepted as cadets and receive $1.00 a day while qualifying for their commissions.

Write for the booklet “Air Heroes in the Making” and apply directly to Imperial Flying Corps, 93 King St E,Toronto.”

P

Perhaps inspired by such a WWi recruiting poster, my grandfather, Thomas oscar robinson, born in 1898 in Campbell’s Cross west of Bolton on king road, signed up to join the First Canadian expeditionary Force. underaged, he was hauled home by his father the next day to finish school. obediently T.o., as he came to be known, signed up for the royal Flying Corps soon after graduation. according to the Toronto newspaper The Mail and Empire, “The type of fellow wanted as a pilot is a clean bred chap with lots of the devil in him, a fellow who has ridden

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horses hard cross country or nearly broken his neck motoring or on the ice playing hockey. There is plenty of sport in aviation.”

T.o’s medical exam consisted of picking out strands of coloured wool to test for colour blindness, a motion test in which he was spun around on a typing chair to see if his eyes would stabilize in 30 seconds and a 15minute interview to “sort out the dim and the lame”. during the 21 months that the rFC recruited in Canada some 35,000 men applied to join the service and just over 9,000 were accepted.

While the family has no logbook, diary or written records, we do have T.o’s scrapbook of photos, cartoons and postcards. From these, a bit of oral family history and research into early aviation in Canada, i was able to piece together his time in the service from Basic Training and different phases of flight training to earning his wings and, finally, serving as an instructor.

My grandfather began with Basic Training at long Branch, located south of lakeshore Blvd, west of dixie in Toronto. Six weeks of drill, military etiquette and law, engines, artillery observation, rigging and reading Morse code, were followed by the course at the university of Toronto School of Military aeronautics, for instruction in engines, (care and maintenance), map reading, cross country flying and aeronautical theory. Finally he was sent for flight training at Borden, deseronto, Camp rathburn, Beamsville and Camp Mohawk – all in southern ontario. The average cadet took two to three hours of dual control with an instructor before he was able to fly solo.

T.o. flew the Jn-4, fondly known as the Jenny, constructed of ash and spruce covered with irish cotton and held together with piano wire. it was the first aircraft in north america to have a joystick rather than a wheel and was built sturdier than the american version in order to withstand rough handling by the unskilled cadets. in most accidents the aircraft simply collapsed around the pilot. it was commonplace for a pilot to

walk away uninjured from a totally wrecked plane. upon completion of 30 landings and five hours of solo flight, cadets moved on to lessons in formation flying, aerial photography and gunnery, bomb dropping and air tactics.The early aircraft could carry an observer or some very small bombs, but not both. The pilot dropped the bombs aiming only with the naked eye. By the end of the war, bombsights had been developed. one day T.o’s Commanding officer announced that he would give a weekend pass to the first two cadets to test a brand new piece of equipment. T.o. and his buddy each jumped out of a balloon with an early version of the parachute. his buddy landed in a tree, while T.o. landed in lake ontario. not able to swim he nearly drowned before being pulled out of the water by his hair. angered by all the fuss, the Co denied the passes. undaunted, the pair went aWol and returned to serve time in the brig where my grandfather played poker through the bars with the guards until he cleaned them all out, so the story goes.

My grandfather never went overseas… his superior officers decided instead that he would remain as an instructor. Fortunate perhaps for the family as life expectancy for pilots overseas was less than two months.

Very soon after the war ended in nov. 1918, the airfields were shut down, the pilots demobilized and the aircraft sold. T.o. purchased a Jenny and became a barnstormer (stunt flyer). i can just see him as one of those “dashing young men in their flying machines”. one day, however, when he was performing with a wing walker, her equipment failed and she fell to her death.

My grandfather never flew again. M .

References: C.W. Hunt. Dancing in the Sky: The Royal Flying Corps in Canada. Toronto, Dundern Press, 2009.

William E. Chajkowsky. Royal Flying Corps: Borden to Texas to Beamsville. Cheltenham. Boston Mills Press, 1979

Maple leaf collector, ada Cervello with artist, helen lucas.

PhoToS By roBerT BroWn

Connections and Collections: HoCkey in king

by Sue iaboni

Rick Hampton feels there is something in the King drinking water. How else can anyone explain the unusually high number of professional hockey players who have grown up and played hockey in this Township?

Hampton, currently Manager of Facilities for King, was one of these. He moved to King City at age 12, went to local schools, and played minor hockey in Aurora and on the junior team, the Aurora Tigers, only because there was no rink in King City at the time. He then moved to the OHL where he played for the St. Catharines Blackhawks and finished high school there.

Next he went to the NHL where he played for the California Seals, the Cleveland Barons and the Los Angeles Kings. After a knee injury he retired from hockey and took a job where he felt at home – managing a King arena.

When asked about other professional hockey players in King, Hampton opens up. He begins with Mike Kitchen who grew up in Schomberg and played for the Colorado Rockies. Kitchen is currently assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks and was with them when they won the Stanley Cup in 2013. His brother, Bill Kitchen, also played professional hockey – for the Montreal Canadians. Then there is Nick Boynton from Nobleton who played with Boston, Phoenix and Philadelphia and won his first Stanley Cup while with Chicago in 2010.

but have since made their homes here are Wendel Clark and Curtis Joseph.

They likely met while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the late 1990s.

Curtis Joseph can sometimes be seen watching his son play hockey for the Schomberg Cougars. A third import, Jason Allison, who now lives near Schomberg played for Washington, Boston, LA, and finally the Leafs. And the list includes the current Maple rick hampton with o'neill, Pietrangelo, Carcillo and Boynton Leaf Coach, Randy Carlyle. He has a hockey sweaters from the first teams they played on.

King connection too – his daughter rides horses regularly at Wingberry Farms.

Finally we come to Jeff O’Neill: Hampton has known beer caps, lighters, bobble-heads, Christmas decoraO’Neill since he was 12 and spent a summer working tions, dolls, and pins. She sports Maple Leaf attire: hats, for Hampton’s father carrying shingles around con- jewellery, sweat shirts, even pyjamas. And she has Maple struction sites. O’Neill grew up in King City, played leaf home decor: lamps, rugs, pillows and slipcovers. She triple A hockey in Vaughan and then went on to a career calls it her own personal “Maple Leaf Garden.”

Ada began her love of the Maple Leafs back when as a professional with the Hartford Whalers, the Carolina Hurricanes and finally the Maple Leafs. O’Neill has there were only six teams. She had babies to look after recently begun a new career as a hockey commentator and hockey on TV was a pleasant diversion. Her collecand can be seen these days on TSN during hockey tion started with gifts from players. Then she started going to flea markets. Now she calls the Bradford Exbroadcasts.

Jeff O’Neill is famous in another, more folksy way. change’s toll-free number – she claims she is their best He is part of the inspiration for a collection of Maple customer. And things just arrive – everyone who knows Leaf memorabilia unlike no other. And this collection her sends Ada more collectables to add.

From her home “office” she is totally involved with life and hockey in King. Ada does have another life; as a highly accomplished seamstress. She has been doing alterations for local dry-cleaning establishments for the past 30 years. She also creates curtains, blinds, and forexists in the home of a local resident, one Ada Cervello. mal wear, including wedding dresses, and she makes cosWhile Ada’s hockey hero is Doug Gilmore, she has tumes for King City Secondary School theatre known Jeff personally since he was a young boy and productions. She also designs and sews for local residents such as Jeff O’Neill’s brother Ryan, and well-know played hockey with her son.

Ada’s collection is beyond belief. Every inch of her artist Helen Lucas.

But her big dream is to go out - to a hockey game tiny home on Jane Street is jam-packed full of blue and white. She has the predictable pictures and posters of at the Air Canada Centre. Maybe get an autograph from players and teams, all of them autographed, on her walls. one of the new players. Whomever she might meet, he She collects Maple Leaf souvenirs: spoons, coins, plates, will likely have a King connection! M

every inch of ada’s tiny home on Jane Street is jam-packed full of blue and white.

Current NHLers include two “boys” from King City, Dan Carcillo and Alex Pietrangelo. Carcillo plays with Chicago and was with them, along with Mike Kitchen, in 2013 when the Stanley Cup came to King for the second time. Alex Pietrangelo plays professionally for the St. Louis Blues. He skyrocketed to fame last year while playing defence for the gold medal Canadian hockey team during the Sochi winter Olympics.

Two hockey players who did not grow up in King

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Peggy suggests: Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

Cozy up by the fire

My favourite children's book goes back to my childhood and we have a copy of it in our library system. Called Put Me in the Zoo by robert lopshire, it is about an animal who can move his spots and change their size and colour. he thinks he wants to live in the zoo but actually finds out he belongs

Sharon suggests: Silkworm by Robert Galbraith a.k.a J.K. Rowling

Featuring King Township Public Library Staff Favourites! S

tAFF by kelley england, Manager PiCK king Township Public library S! www.kinglibrary.ca

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days--as he has done before--and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home. But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes.

The novelist has just completed a manuscript featur-

It’s

that time of year again! as we approach the winter months, we find ourselves inside more and more, seeking solace under a warm blanket with a great book, in front of a toasty fire. let your local librarians help you to stock up on some great reads! at the library, we are no strangers to helping you connect with your chosen reading and will offer suggestions to those who are looking for something new. our library staff is in the perfect position to hear reviews and opinions on a variety of topics and genres.We really do have something for everyone.

For this holiday season we decided to ask the staff to submit some of their favourite books.Whether their choices hold sentimental value or are just for pure entertainment, the library staff have selected and reviewed their favourites! all can be found at your library.

Happy Holidays to you and your family from the Staff at the King Township Public Library!

This Young Adult book proffers the message that “love is the most powerful army.” The last sentence explains: “Whether love of friend, love of country, love of god, or even love of enemy - love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.” lina, the protagonist, and her family are arrested in 1941 by Soviet officers and deported to Siberia. in fact, the entire Baltic nations of lithuania, latvia and estonia were eliminated by Stalin and the citizens

are you like me and bored with the “same-old, sameold” offerings from hollywood? you have got to check out the library’s Foreign Film DVD collection. Many of the dVds have won international film festival awards. While they are subtitled in most cases, you will quickly adapt to reading them. one movie that i highly recommend is “les intouchables”.

Filmed in French – it is the story of an unlikely relationship between two men from very different lives. everyone who has watched this movie has raved about it, including my husband, who is usually not one

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were either deported to Siberia or murdered in Stalin’s cleansing of the Baltic region. This torturous yet poignantly beautiful story represents the resilience of the human spirit, much like the story of anne Frank, with a better outcome for our protagonist.This is a young adult Book that delivers a powerful message for everyone, and will be enjoyed by all ages.

Adele suggests: Les intouchables – DVD - Foreign Film

Individual & small group art instruction in your home or mine.

Spring, summer, and fall en plein air painting events.

RICHVALE SADDLERY

ing poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives--meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced. When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

Wendy-Sue suggests: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Robert Pointer B.A., B. Ed., O.C.T. Fine Artist & Art Educator 705.434.9907 robertgpointer@gmail.com whitehatgroup.info

16

somewhere else. as it is a dr. Seuss style rhyming book, it’s fun, colourful and easy to read. i don't have my original copy, but when i found Put Me in the Zoo at a bookstore a couple of years ago, i just had to purchase it and read it again.

to enjoy subtitled movies that don’t include car chases or explosions. The film is funny, poignant and delivers a powerful statement about making assumptions. another amazing movie in this collection is “The deep”, an icelandic movie that recounts the incredible true story of a fisherman who unexplainably survives a shipwreck in the northern atlantic. The filmmaker has recreated the story in a way that can compete with any hollywood thriller. So, if you are looking for some quality movie time – check out the Foreign Films!

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Pollinators in Peril The Cold Creek report by gordon Craig

Throughout the spring, summer and fall, the pollinators dart from flower to flower transferring pollen from anther to stamen in the fertilization of fruits, vegetables, grains and a host of native plants that flower in one season or another.

Some plants self-pollinate but 90% of angiosperms (fruiting plants) benefit from biotic (insects, bats, birds and some mammals) pollination. Insects are the major pollinators and the best known are bees.

Pollination improves the quality and abundance of fruits and seeds in 70% of tropical crops and 85% of temperate zone crops worldwide, making the role of pollinators essential to important for present agricultural productivity. Interestingly, while cross-pollination is important to biological hybrid vigour, only 10% of commercial fruit and seed crops are wholly dependent on pollinators and they account for only 2% of global agricultural production. However, while global impacts of pollinator loss might be minimal, local impacts could be major. Reductions of coffee or blueberry plant-specific pollinators are good examples – little global impact; catastrophic local impact. Aizen et al. (2009), examining the effects of pollinator loss on agricultural productivity, claim that the compensatory effect of increasing agricultural land at the expense of natural habitat might be the greater threat to biodiversity and the remaining pollinators.

What about the most important pollinators, the bees?

There are some 730 bee species indigenous to Canada.

Bees are actually digger wasps that have changed their diets from animal prey (other insects and larvae) to pollen and nectar. They evolved with flowering plants during the Cretaceous period 146 to 74 million years ago. Most bee species are mass provisioners providing the egg/larvae with sufficient pollen and nectar to complete pupation and emergence without parental intervention. Bumble bees are the JOIN US AT A MAIN STREET CHRISTMAS!

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Open daily 10-5:30 pm

We have delicious homemade Christmas puddings, mincemeat tarts and pies, Christmas shortbreads and casseroles for entertaining.

only Canadian species that provide larvae with food throughout their development. Some bee species collect pollen from only specific plants while other species will visit a variety of pollen and nectar sources. Most bees nest inground, depositing brood cells along the side of tunnels. Aggregates of nests and brood cells can be dense or diffuse in different topographies of hard soil to dense grasses. Other species deposit eggs in the woody stems of berry canes or the pithy hollow of a tree or shrub. Most bees are solitary with the females using leaf litter, mud, plant hairs, or tree resin to build nests.

The commercial honey bee, Apis mellifera, was introduced to North America from Europe in 1622 originating from eastern tropical Africa. The honey bee was transported across the Rocky Mountains in the 1850s by Mormon pioneers. It is a highly socialized bee cultivated for its honey and wax.

Challenges for native bee survival and insect pollinators in general include loss of habitat, infestation of mites, predators, bacteria, viruses, and the use of insecticides. A recent controversy has been the development of neonicotinoids, a group of systemic crop insecticides, that represents a considerable improvement over historic insecticides like persistent chlorinated organics (DDT) or broad-spectrum neural toxicants like organophosphates and carbamates.

These new insecticides, applied as a folar spray, soil drench or seed coating can result in contact toxicity as well as be present in pollen and nectar of commercial crops. Exposure through flowers and droplet excretion along plant leaf edges can have lethal or sublethal effects on visiting pollinators. The impact is dependent on the frequency of visits to treated crops, the potency of the neonicotinoid and the sensitivity of the pollinator. Honey bees, the sentinel for insect pollinators, have experienced a significant decrease in colonies and product when hives are close to neonicotinoid-treated crops. Solutions for the competing demands of increased crop production with insecticides and protection of pollinators will require difficult decisions. M

Located in the Old Schomberg Feed Mill at 357 Main Street, Downtown Schomberg 905-939-4640

Cold Creek Conservation area is a natural preserve that protects native species and provides a range of habitats for our indigenous pollinators.

Visit ColdCreek.ca/cool-stuff for more information on the perils of present day pollinators.

References

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905-859-5959

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Voted #1 Meat Shop!

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Order your fresh Mennonite Turkeys, Hams & Roasts

“No-one can Beat our Amazing Meat!”

Aizen, M. A. , L.A. Garibaldi, S.A. Cunningham and A.M. Klein.

2009. How much does agriculture depend on pollinators?

Lessons from long-term trends in crop production.

Annals of Botany 103: 1579–1588 Packer, L. , J.A. Genaro and C.S. Sheffield. 2007.

The Bee Genera of Eastern Canada.

Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification No.3 :1-32.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2010.

UNEP Emerging Issues: Global Honey Bee Colony Disorder and Other Threats to Insect Pollinators. winter 2014

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SYRIA

December 10, 2014 7 pm Nobleton Library

THE ALPS

Phyllis & Len Vernon

Sheila & Jim Middleton

Just in time - Syria a mere four months before the start of the civil war. Explore historical sites and modern cities, now forever changed.

NAMIBIA & CAPE TOWN

March 26, 2015 7 pm Schomberg Library Silvia & Steve Phillips

RWANDA & GORILLAS

A five week, 4000 km camping trip of Namibia through coastal landscapes, mountains, sand dunes & desert to the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

July 29, 2015 7 pm King City Library Janette Mills

Visit Rwanda and meet the Kwitonda family - a group of 24 endangered Mountain Gorillas who live in the Volcanoes National Park.

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MOSAiC winter 2014

January 13, 2015 7 pm King City Library

BRAZIL COASTLINE

Bus Tour through spectacular mountain passes of Europe; Bavaria’s King Ludwig II; and Stone Age life - the 5000 year old Iceman.

May 20, 2015 2 pm (N.B. time) Pine Farms Orchard Pam & Elliott Romeril

Downwind kite safari and jotting in and out of fishing villages, sand dunes, coconut groves and farmland where cows, pigs & donkeys roam free.

VIKING CRUISE TO RUSSIA

September 23, 2015 7 pm King City Library Valerie & Christopher Rowley

Waterways of the Tsars Moscow to St. Petersburg.Visit the many treasures and meet the warm-hearted, passionate people intensely proud of their country.

On the Road to Success Teri Hastings

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at a time when Board members at arts Society king have been wrestling with concerns about how to build a sustainable future for our organization, a guiding light, disguised as executive director, has begun to radiate among us.

Teri hastings arrived at the king Township Museum, not by emitting rays, but in an SuV filled with her portable office files. She was bursting with energy throughout the hour-long interview and charmed us all. her resume, full of experience in the non-profit sector and with the aurora Chamber of Commerce, glowed with possibility. Comments from her referees; “she’s a real go-getter,” “she challenges the status quo,” “everyone loves Teri,” only strengthened our resolve to make her one of us.

Teri’s initiation into aSk was a family affair. She and husband ken Tanner, along with daughter haley, hopped in their car and followed the route of our fundraiser adventure Car rally. although they were not the winning team, they were the most tenacious, visiting every single stop and answering every single question.

They arrived at the final destination breathless, having learned all about our beautiful township in just one afternoon. arts Society king’s contract with Teri is part-time. She needs some hours for

her other professional obligations as well as her outside interests; helping with son Mathew’s minor hockey team, scrapbooking with haley, and cooking for the whole family. She says she loves being in her kitchen, something aSk volunteers will keep in mind as we plan future events. if you would like to say hello to Teri, you might find her chairing a meeting, figuring out a more efficient way to do things, responding positively to e-mails, or sitting at her desk beaming with promise for aSk’s future.

To reach Teri, email her at executivedirector@artsSocietyking.ca

Shelley Falconer

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sk Shelley Falconer about king Township and she almost gushes with happiness. having moved to Toronto from hilly Quebec she was saddened to discover the flat landscape in the big city. her job as director of exhibitions, Programs and Senior Curator at the McMichael Canadian art Collection took her to the country village of kleinburg during the day, and it was good. But one day a docent invited her to lunch in king and it was even better. She says she fell in love with the hills.

Shelley had already heard about king from colleague Patrick gossage. he had spoken to her often about the beautiful countryside and the artistic gem hidden in a farmer’s field, ShiFT, by internationally acclaimed sculptor richard Serra. Shelley was intrigued. She even wrote one of the initial assessments. She felt honoured to be involved with this “signature work here in our back yard.”

She and her family soon moved to king where life was peaceful and the drive to MCaC was a little shorter. She joined the heritage advisory Committee in 2010 and became vice-chair. She works with other committee members to promote the protection of king's cultural heritage, by identifying properties with heritage value, and assisting owners of designated properties.

But recently Shelley has felt pulled in another direction. She has accepted a position as President and Ceo of the art gallery of

hamilton. She is excited about both the collection and the place. She says that “hamilton is dear to my heart” because her mother and grandmother, survivors of the holocaust, came to Canada with the help of cousins who lived in hamilton and this was her first home. Today family is still living there.

Believing that a community leader should live in the community, Shelley plans to spend half of her time in hamilton. She has discovered that the once-depressed Steeltown is now booming with change and energy, and a vibrant and growing cultural scene. There is rich opportunity for the agh. however, Shelley is abandoning neither king nor ShiFT. She will continue to live in king for the other half of her time. She also plans to give a presentation and moderate a panel on the future of ShiFT at the beginning of aSk Festival king early next summer. We wish her the best as she makes her journeys between king Township and hamilton.

Your 2014 Dental Benefits are Expiring Dental benefits are provided to you yearly and have a certain dollar amount. If you do not use those benefits you lose them. (Unused benefits do not carry over to the next year.) While treatment is never dictated by insurance, we can help maintain your oral health and reduce out of pocket expenses. We encourage you to call and reserve your time with us as soon as possible in order for us to reach your dental needs prior to the end of the year.

KING CITY DENTAL 2115 King Road Unit 2, King City, ON L7B 1K2 905-833-1133 www.kingcitydental.ca info@kingcitydental.ca

New Patients Welcome. Call us today to make your next appointment winter 2014

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Home-Grown Cures for Almost Every Malady

by Virginia Atkin

dorothy duncan, ohS Bulletin

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f a settler owned a garden or lived near a woodland, she also had a ‘pharmacy’ and if she could memorize nature’s prescriptions and recipes, winter 1812 was no threat.

Mind you, it took foresight in spring or summer to hunt and gather all the ingredients such as bark, stems, leaves, berries and roots. Without a doctor nearby (and what did he know anyway?) the remedy for the croupy January chest cold or dressing for the nasty axe wound depended on her skill in blending the raw materials and applying plantain leaves as a bandage or the mustard to the poultice.

Pioneering Canadian settlers fared well if they listened to the advice gleaned from friendly First Nations neighbours whose knowledge derived from ancestors’ experience centuries ago. Some cures are as old as time, preserved by memories and incantations, Chinese scripts, African tribal traditions and Hindu verse. Contemporary prescriptions contain minute remnants of indigenous potions that healed injuries by sword or spear, relieved the heat of tropical fevers in jungle huts or soothed the frostbitten snow-bound hunter.The earliest reference found is of the Sumerians of Mesopotamia who used a healing prescription of caraway and thyme.

Most early people used ancient cures derived from their local habitat’s biomass. Literate cultures compiled records of medicinal know-how such as the Chinese 5000 year-old PEN TSAO, describing 300 botanical species; among those was ephedra, now developed into ephedrine, a current pharmaceutical. The Greek Hippocrates (460-377 BC) achieved fame as herbalist and teacher becoming the “Father of Modern Medicine,” by his belief in treatment of illness as cause and effect, not supernatural intervention.

Tracing the historical records of plant usage leads to seekers Dioscorides, Galen, and Dodoens, forerunner to John Gerard’s herBall (1597) - the influential “medical wisdom of Europe.” Add countless apothecaries, monks, shamans, collectors and explorers who contributed to the accumulating wisdom world-wide 20

MOSAiC winter 2014

CharloTTe eriChSen-BroWn

as trade expanded and boundaries shifted to form empires where knowledge had value. Many more contributors over the next centuries advanced scientific understanding of the substances found within botanical materials. Although chemistry, rather than botany, is now employed to formulate relief from common human ailments, it is claimed that 25% of all pharmaceutical drugs can be traced to plant origins.

Closer to home in Upper Canada was the establishment of Dr. John C. Gunn’s neW doMeSTiC PhySiCian (1864) and even closer was a remarkable Ontario woman, “...a noted and inspired student of the ethnobotany of eastern North America,” King Township’s Charlotte ErichsenBrown, compiled and published a source book, USE OF PLANTS FOR THE PAST 500 YEARS (1979) using reports of First Nations practices and observations by settlers and academics to guide further study in the use of native flora for food and medicine. Her detailed studies are prefaced by a warning

that self-diagnosis or treatment with plant materials can be dangerous; anecdotal verification is not dependable, but the vivid stories are indeed entertaining!

Ontario’s Dorothy Duncan, honoured for her books* on culinary history, recently spoke to the King Township Historical Society, where she shared with the audience a batch of lavender cookies baked using a traditional “receipt.” It seems that the same plants harvested in the garden for a succulent pie to cure hunger at the table can be turned into remedies for illness. She cites old recipes for potions, such as one using willow, sarsaparilla, boneset, and hemlock needles intended to reduce the discomfort of colds and flu.

In Dorothy's most recent book (with co-author Colin Agnew) MariPoSa aT TaBle, references to food and drink from Stephen Leacock’s 1912 satire Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (called Mariposa) are matched with authentic recipes such as with this

one: “Liberal Pudding with Conservative Sauce or Conservative Pudding with Liberal Sauce” meant to characterize the essence of “uniquely Canadian institutions.”

Regarding the popular potato, she writes, “...it was believed to have some medicinal properties such as preventing hardening of the arteries and as an elixir for burns, asthma and arthritis. Potato remedies were also used to cure fever in children, frostbite, heartburn, haemorrhoids, inflamed eyes, sciatica, insect stings and bites, and warts! Who in Mariposa would dare to be without potatoes?”

Despite jokes about curative alcohol, Dorothy verifies that Pre-Confederation Canadians believed pro-active breakfast whisky prevented colds and enhanced energy. She further cites “...a popular remedy for cholera” was a patent medicine, “Huxhams Tincture, (containing)...Peruvian bark... Virginia snake root... plus 3-1/2 pints of whisky.”

According to Dorothy, “Leacock’s own life recipe may be extrapolated as: 1 tsp. Recreation, 1 cup of Restoration, and 1 dash of High Spirits; add family and friends to taste.” Now that’s appealing medicine! M

*dorothy duncan: CanadianS aT TaBle: Food, Fellowship and Folklore: a Culinary history; noThing More CoMForTing: Canada's Heritage Food; FeaSTing and FaSTing: Canada's Heritage Celebrations; hoPing For The BeST, PreParing For The WorST: Everyday Life in Upper Canada 1812-1814.

FOUND: The will to restart.

A place to grow roots.

Eric CHILD CARE ADVOCATE. STUDENT. See more stories at becauseitmatters.ca

Because it matters.

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MOSAiC winter 2014

Open House • Monday, January 19 • 6:30 - 8:30pm Experience SAC Day • Wednesday, February 18 • 9:30am - 12:30pm

When he opens the door to St. Andrew’s College, he opens his mind to a world of possibilities. Since 1899 we have provided enriched academics, unparalleled athletics, and dynamic arts programs resulting in strong, independent and intelligent young men.

Five minutes could change his next 50 years. Check out our 5 minute video at www.sac.on.ca/video.

Your son. Our mission.

Currently offering an enrolment incentive of $5,000 for grades 5 & 6 and $2.3 million annually in scholarship and bursary assistance.

winter 2014

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EXPERIENCE THE OUTDOORS AT THE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

Imagine running through rolling hills and wetlands, locating fossils, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Reading poetry under an oak tree. Launching a rocket into the big blue sky. Now imagine teachers aren’t ringing the bell to get you to come back in, they are out there with you, doing all the same things. It’s a hands-on way for our students to learn about the environment, in the environment.

Is the sky the limit? Not around here it isn’t. It simply gives our students a massive playing field to seek out their own magical answers to the question,

JOIN US AT A N OPEN HO U SE January 31 10 am – 1 pm February 19 9 am – 12 pm 7 – 9 pm

WHO WILL YOU BE? cds.on.ca/whowillyoube

ASK US ABOUT OUR $10,000 ENTRANCE SCHOLARSHIP FOR GRADES 9 AND 10. DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 27, 2015.

The Country Day School offers JK-12 in a co-ed, non-denominational environment located on 100 beautiful acres in King.

13415 Dufferin St., King, ON L7B 1K5 T: 905 833 1220

www.cds.on.ca