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With the opening of the season this weekend, all of the major sport fish in Ontario, including walleye, trout, muskie, pan fish species, pike, and of course, bass, are available for fishing.

Along with the closing down of schools for the summer and the appearance of red Canadian flags on white hats and t-shirts in anticipation of Canada Day, there can be no more doubt that summer is here - never mind that wood stoves were being fired up across the region earlier this week.

To mark the occasion there are bass derbies taking place at many area lakes this weekend. Fancy bass boats are tuned up and ready to go; tackle boxes are being checked and inventoried to make sure everything is there; parents are checking the SPF value of sunscreen; and some kids are even looking up from their phones and thinking about getting out of doors for a day.

The perennial questions that come up where bass are concerned are: where are they on the lake? How can they be coaxed onto the line? And then how can they be reeled in?

Big Jim McLaughlin, a Canadian fishing icon who publishes the informative free quarterly magazine “Just Fishing”, will be making his annual appearance at the Palmerston Lake Derby in Ompah this Saturday. McLaughlin knows a thing or two about how to catch bass.

One of the techniques he advocates is drop shotting. The hook, generally with a small plastic worm as bait, is set about 18 inches above a line weight. The line is simply dropped from the side of the boat and sunk. The line is left taut in the water and a simple back and forth motion is used to catch the attention of the fish. There are variations and subtleties to the technique, but it is relatively simple nonetheless and has proven to be successful.

There is some interesting science to this, and in the latest issue of “Just Fishing” there is an article by Queen's University Biology Professor and fishing enthusiast, Dr. Bruce Tufts. Extrapolating from scientific studies into other species, Tufts concludes that when it comes to fishing lures, for all species, but for bass in particular, colour might be more of an attraction for the person buying the lure than for the fish they are trying to catch.

Tufts asks the question, why would fish strike at bait that does not resemble anything they would normally eat, and cites studies into various species (birds as well as fish) that demonstrate that there are certain key factors, such as shape and motion, that stimulate the animal to react.

The brain reacts to certain stimuli. It does not wait until it is sure that the stimulus is from what it wants; it makes assumptions. There is a biological advantage to this because for fish in particular the prey moves fast, so the first sign, a flash of light or the appearance of a shape in the periphery, is enough to prompt a strike. Waiting to make sure it is a worm or a fly and not a lure will lead to a hungry fish.

As an angler, Tufts hastens to mention, as does McLaughlin himself whenever he gives a presentation, that in fishing there is nothing that is more relevant than personal experience and a willingness to adapt.

The theme is taken up by the website Bestbassfishinglures.com, which lists the five most popular types of lures. They are, in order, plastic worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs, and topwater lures. The choice of lure relates to the style of fishing being employed, and each also requires a different technique when the hook is hit by a fish.

Going to different locations on a lake; trying drop shotting as well as casting; trying different lures; are all necessary to catch fish on familiar or unfamiliar lakes.

A quick look at the fishing guide on the Land O'Lakes Tourist map shows that both small and largemouth bass are commonly fished on all the lakes in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. Mosque Lake in North Frontenac is the only lake on the list of 75 lakes that does not include at least one of the two types of bass. There are some lakes in the Verona region: Hambly, Rock, and Howe, and North and South Otter Lake near (and in) Frontenac Park that are not small mouth lakes according to the map.

Generally, however, there are bass in all the lakes; but where to find them?

In an article about fishing on new lakes in Probassfishing.ca, Nic DiGravio says that he finds it best to devote more than one day to a new lake.

“Weekends make the best destination trips for me because I find that people who work for a living don’t have the luxury of constant weekly visits,” he wrote. “So, Saturday mornings are spent exploring my new found territory and rigging according to what I find, then fishing it the rest of the weekend to see the outcome. Day trips are then worth it when the lake has been fished many times over because now we have a basic idea where to go. We know, at the very least, we have a starting point for the next trip.”

The best way to learn about a new lake, according to Digravio, is to ask the campsite and resort owners what makes for a successful day on their lake. Since they tend to know the lake and it is in their interest to see people enjoy themselves, they are likely to be helpful.

However, there will be little help this weekend from fellow fishers on Bull Lake in the Elm Tree area of Central Frontenac, on Palmerston Lake in North Frontenac, and on many other lakes in Central Frontenac.

That's because there are a number of fishing derbies taking place to start the season off with a flourish.

The Palmerston Lake Bass Derby, an annual catch and release event that takes place on Sat. and Sun. June 18 & 19, features a $750 first prize for adults and $100 for juniors, as well as gift prizes. For info and to register, contact Rose at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 866-661-4939

A new event this year is being run by Woodland Park on Bull Lake, west of Arden on Saturday. With prizes valued over $2,500, it has proved to be a hot ticket, and only 4 spots are left. Interested parties should call Mary at 613-335-3240.

There is a derby being put on by the Central Frontenac Firefighters on Saturday as well (see the ad below for details). For this derby, fish can be caught on any lake and brought to the Mountain Grove or Arden Fire Halls for weigh-in. There are prizes for largest fish and total weight for four fish. The entrance price is right - $10. For information, contact Art Cowdy at 613-375-8337 or Virgina Gray at 613-335-2730.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 15 June 2016 17:14

Central Frontenac Soccer Is Back!!

The Central Frontenac Soccer Association is gearing up for another season of soccer for kids ages 3 to 18.

New members have joined the hard-working committee to help keep soccer alive for the kids in Central Frontenac.

The 2016 season will begin on Monday, July 25 and continue until the end of August, with a final fun and games day planned for Wednesday August 31. Games will be played on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Granite Ridge Educational Centre and the cost is only $30 per child!!

There will be two sign-up dates to help make it as easy as possible for children to get involved.

The first sign-up date is Saturday, June 18, from 11:30am until 2:30pm at the Relay for Life at The Parham fairgrounds.

The second sign-up date is Saturday, June 25 from 9am - 1pm at the Sharbot Lake Farmers Market at Oso Beach.

Registration forms can also be printed from the website at www.cfsoccer.net and mailed along with a cheque to: Central Frontenac Soccer.

c/o 3158 Bell Line Rd. Sharbot Lake, ON, K0H 2P0. For more information please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Jen Farnum at 613-305-3214.

Come on out and keep the kids active this summer!

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 08 June 2016 19:55

Ribbon cutting at “The Point”

By Wilma Kenny

Last Saturday a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the newly-restored shoreline at the Loughborough Memorial Recreation Centre. Described by Recreation Chair Mike Howe as “a work in progress’, the two swim areas now have pea gravel beaches, and a soon-to-be-paved walkway provides full accessibility. Due to lack of rain, the seeded areas did not germinate well, and will be re-seeded in the fall.

The project was initiated when the Ministry of the Environment insisted that sand must no longer be dumped at the swim areas, as had been done for many years. Storms blowing from the east have combined with the natural current of the lake to continually erode the sand from the swim areas and build up weed beds on the naturally rocky lake-bottom. Now, large stepped stones flank the pebble beaches providing seating, and the rail ties around the tip of the Point have been replaced by limestone.

Three people were invited to cut the ribbon, each for a very special reason. Shirley Fox represented the Sydenham and District Women’s Institute, for without the foresight of this group, there would be no public access to Sydenham Lake today. In 1947, when the traditional village swimming hole came up for sale, members of the WI and the long-defunct Board of Trade put up money from their own pockets to place an option on the property.

Ron Vandewal as mayor represented the township, which accepted ownership from the WI in 1971, of what is officially named Loughborough Memorial and Recreation Centre, as a living memorial, in perpetuity, to local men who died in the wars.

Abby Saunders was eight when she addressed a public meeting about the importance of keeping a sandy children’s play area, and it is because of Abby’s eloquence and courage in bringing this to Council’s attention that the design was altered to include two large sand play areas, well above any likelihood of erosion.

Throughout the ribbon-cutting, one small person continued his enthusiastic excavation of a (for him) waist-deep hole in the nearby sand.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Let the township know what you think

The South Frontenac Recreation Committee is working on a new version of its five-year plan, but this time instead of simply discussing it at a meeting, they are going out to the public in the form of an online survey that can be accessed at the township website, southfrontenac.net.

The survey, which does not take much time to fill out, asks residents where they live and what sports they are interested in. It also asks the blue sky question: “If money were no object, what types of facilities, services or new amenities would you like to see in the township?”

That's where the bowling alley, pickle ball facility and indoor pool come in.

Tim Laprade, the township recreation co-ordinator, set up the survey.

“We want to find out what people are doing, how they get around. There is a lot of opportunity in the survey to produce feedback that will help the committee decide what they want to recommend to Council,” he said.

The survey also asks whether residents would be willing to add a donation towards a recreation fund as part of their tax bill, and whether they think that user fees are adequate or should be decreased.

“It will make for a better discussion at the committee if we know what the residents really want us to look at,” said Laprade.

In addition to ideas about new facilities, the committee wants to know if residents are concerned about the condition of some of the existing parks and other facilities in the township. The survey also asks about transportation issues, to see how many residents are able to access services in nearby villages by bicycle or on foot.

The survey has already been well received. It was launched on May 30 and has been promoted through email to recreation groups in the township and through the Frontenac Arena's social media platforms. As of Tuesday, 321 people had filled it out, and Laprade is now hoping to see at least 500 surveys filled out, or more.

It will remain available on the township website until mid-August and will also be available in paper form at events this summer for people who are not inclined to or able to fill out an online survey. It will also be promoted through an insert in the next tax bill.

Once the results are tabulated, the recreation committee will consider them when they meet in September.

(There are three recreation events set for this Sunday, June 12 in South Frontenac – Cycle Fest at Prince Charles School in Verona from 11-3, and the Third Annual Frontenac Fury Run at the Arena starting at 9am, with “Hockey Day in the Frontenacs” to follow starting at noon. See Northern Happenings for details)

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

The Sydenham High School School to Community class qualified for the provincial school championships, which is put on by Special Olympics Ontario each year at this time.

The team, which is coached by teacher Pietro Cutrona, won a tournament in Kingston two weeks ago and heard last week that they have been invited to compete at the provincial championships, along with 600 other athletes from schools across Ontario. In addition to soccer, competitions in bocce ball, floor hockey, basketball, and track and field will be contested at the three-day event, which takes place in Oshawa this week.

“The students are very excited about going to Oshawa. We are going by train and for some of them it is the first time they have taken the train. Also there are opening ceremonies at the games, which will be exciting, and then there is the competition,” said teacher Karl Hammer, who will be accompanying the students to the games.

After losing out to Regiopolis at the Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association (KASSAA) final in a 5-4 squeaker on May 19, the Sydenham High School senior girls soccer team regrouped, and less than a week later they were crowned champions of the AA Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletics Association (EOSSA) soccer championship.

This week, the team is headed to North Bay for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) finals, which run from today (June 2) until Saturday.

The SHS girls will play at 11 this morning and 3:30 this afternoon, and at 11am and 2:30pm on Friday.

If they survive the round-robin round, they will play in the medal round on Saturday.

EOSSA track and field medalists

A number of SHS athletes finished on the podium at the EOSSA track meet in Kingston last week.

Among the medals there was some gold. Gold medalists included Shirley Hughes in the ambulatory 100 metre dash; Brianna Clow in the I&D 100 metre dash; Simon Cook in the 100 metre men’s midget hurdles event; Jaden Collier in midget men's high jump; and multi-gold medal winner Liam Sands in the Junior men 100 and 300 metre hurdles events.

SHS is sending eight individual athletes and two relay teams to the OFSAA track meet.

SHS EOSSA medalists

Junior women 80 metre hurdles: Brianna Burgess, 3rd 13.09

Junior women 300 metre hurdles: Brianna Burgess, 2nd 49.41

Junior women 4x100 metre relay 3rd 54.48

Ambulatory women 100 metre dash: Shirley Hughes, 1st 17.87

I&D Disabilities women 100 metre dash: Brianna Clow, 1st 16.37

Midget men 100 metre hurdles: Simon Cook, 1st 15.31

Midget men 100 metre hurdles: Nick Vankoughnett, 3rd 15.96

Midget men high jump: Jaden Collier, 1st 1.80 metres

Junior men 100 metre hurdles: Liam Sands, 1st 14.40

Junior men 300 metre hurdles: Liam Sands, 1st 41.65

Junior men 4x100 metre hurdles, 3rd 46.91

Junior men high jump junior: Matt Caird, 2nd 1.65 metres

Senior men 800 metre run: Brady Robertson, 3rd 1:57.50

Senior men 4x100 metre relay: 2nd 44.68

Open men 4x400 metre relay: 3rd 3:31.44

Combined team events: Junior - 3rd place

Combined team scores: Ambulatory - 1st place

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 01 June 2016 16:59

Frontenac Fury 3rd Annual Fun Run

Come out & support girls hockey in your community. On Sunday, June 12, the Frontenac Girls' Hockey Association (Frontenac Fury) will be holding their 3rd annual Fun Run at the Frontenac Arena, 4299 Boundary Rd., starting at 9 a.m. There will be a 1K Kids Walk/Run, as well as a 5K & 10K Walk/Run.

The run is one of the association’s major fundraisers of the year, with all funds going back into the association. This year the run is sponsored in part by KFL&A Healthy Kids. They are looking for more runners. Fury girls will serve as "race marshals" and there will be door prizes. Register at runningroom.com

Also taking place later in the day at the arena is “Hockey Day in Frontenac”. Starting at noon there will be a barbecue, Face Painting, Air Castle and wagon Rides. Funds from the barbecue will support Frontenac Arena improvements

Registration is now open and the association is still seeking some atom and peewee players. They are also hoping to mount a novice team this year. The volunteer-led association is growing. This past season they grew to two peewee and two bantam teams from one each.

One of the peewee teams captured the championship this year and the peewee and bantams teams have also come away with a few tournament wins. They are also excited about being accepted for the First Shift program, which will help equip players aged 6-10 with equipment at a much reduced rate. All of this is great news for the community as the association helps empower young girls to be active as they help build self-confidence, sportsmanship and leadership.

Please contact Julie Lambert if you have any questions This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

On May 22, 2016, Silver Lake Wesleyan Camp formally dedicated their new water-slide. As if summer camp wasn't already fun enough! The dedication event was a great success, with well over 200 people from the community near and far coming to commit this slide to the glory of God. The slide is 120 ft. long and can be seen on the beach-front across the lake from Highway 7. All are invited to come up to the camp this summer to enjoy the slide and the grounds. The slide will be open on a schedule during the summer. Please call the camp before going to confirm when the beach and the slide will be open.

Published in Lanark County
Wednesday, 25 May 2016 20:00

Snow Road Snowmobile Club

On May 1, the Snow Road Snowmobile Club hosted its annual Landowner and Volunteer Appreciation gathering at the Timber Run Golf Course in Lanark. Concerns had been expressed by a number of landowners related to Bill 100 and its potential impact on their properties that have snowmobile trails. A presentation was made by Scott Buckley, Governor of OFSC District 1 and Ruth Wark, President of Snow Road Snowmobile Club who responded to questions and assured landowners that snowmobile clubs do not want easements across their properties but fully intend to maintain their current agreements and relationships. In fact, the land use form has been updated to include a statement to this effect, and many landowners renewed their agreement for continued use of the trails on their properties. There has been mutual co-operation and respect between the landowners and the snowmobile clubs in this area for over 40 years. The club is very appreciative of the trails across private property, which allow for a great network across the scenic landscapes in Lanark and Frontenac Counties.

On April 30 Ruth Wark and her crew of volunteers at the snowmobile club presented a cheque to representatives from the Perth branch of the Canadian Cancer Society to support research, programming and prevention in the fight against melanoma. The club held a fundraising breakfast for the cause and after all the pledges were in, the final total raised was $1466. President Derrick Dixon and fundraising manager Jessica Roback of the Perth CCS received the cheque and conveyed their thanks for the club's support.

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 11 May 2016 19:01

Archery students hit the mark at NAEC

Students at North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) are becoming adept target shooters thanks to a special program that is spreading quickly in schools across the country. The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) teaches archery to intermediate and high school students and has been offered to students at NAEC for the last three years.

NAEC teacher Sarah Sproule, who runs the program, said that her school was one of the first in Ontario to adopt the program. That was due to Sproule's enthusiasm for outdoor learning (she also heads up the NAEC's outdoor program). Sproule is an avid bow hunter and back in 2014 she championed the program and approached the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters for their support. She pretty much single-handedly did the fundraising to acquire the equipment, which costs approximately $8000.

Not surprisingly, it is Sproule who travels to schools across Ontario to train other NASP instructors and also not surprisingly she strongly believes that NASP has a very positive influence on students, especially those at risk. The program shows students how to use a bow and arrow and how to shoot at targets from a number of distances. Participating students also compete in school-to-school tournaments. This year the NAEC 's archery students have competed in two tournaments and the last will be featured in the OFAH magazine. The older students, who were shooting in the gym on May 3 when I visited, are especially keen and together they set up the equipment, which includes bows, arrows and targets in just five minutes flat. The targets have international-style target faces, plus one deer and one bear.

Sproule leads the session using the verbal and whistle commands that meet all of the mandatory safety requirements. Many of the students said that archery has helped their focus and concentration and has opened up a whole new social element for them at the school. Nathan, a grade 12 student, said he loves the dexterity involved; the fact that the sport is practical; and how it helps him get out his frustrations, which otherwise might manifest in more negative ways. ”My confidence has also really improved as a result,” he said.

Brittany likes the fact that the sport attracts similar-minded kids and said she also loves the social element.

Four of the seven students said they asked for a bow for Christmas, which shows how the sport can easily become a part of their everyday lives. Younger students at the school are also taking up the bow and Sproule here reiterated the NASP motto, which is “Changing lives, one arrow at a time".

Of course there are so many fitting analogies associated with learning how to hit a target. Learning how to focus, how to calm both the body and mind to achieve the best results and persevering when things are going a bit off course are a few that come to mind.

Sproule's enthusiasm for the program is spreading and she just recently trained staff at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake and at the Madawaska Valley District High School, who have both just adopted the program. In the short time that I was there I witnessed a few bulls-eyes and you can bet that the deer and the bear have seen much better days.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS

On May 8, the Grandmothers By the Lake held a fundraiser event with well-known gardening expert, Ed Lawrence, at Trinity United Church in Verona. Lawrence’s popular radio broadcast can be heard every Monday at 12:30 on CBC Radio One.

The Grandmothers By the Lake are a group of 23 grandmothers with Adele Colby at the helm. They are all from South and Central Frontenac and work tirelessly for the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, to raise awareness and funds for the grandmothers of Africa, who are struggling to raise the many children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. Some of the grandmothers care for 2 to 20 children with no resources or support.

Grandmothers to Grandmothers was born following an International Women's Conference in 2006. The Stephen Lewis Foundation brought 100 African women to meet 100 Canadian women looking to help with the AIDS pandemic. The women got together for four days to discuss what could be done and decided on raising funds for African grandmothers to help their grandchildren.

There are now 8,000 chapters of Grandmothers across Canada, who have raised approximately $25 million for the campaign. All money raised goes directly to women in Africa.

At Ed Lawrence’s presentation on Saturday, there was an opportunity for all the guests to write out their gardening questions before the talk began.

If you have ever listened to the show, you know it is a half hour of callers looking for help, and the afternoon in Verona was just like that, but live!

One by one, the questions were called out and Lawrence thoughtfully and sometimes with the dry, gentle humour you might expect, answered them all, which took over two hours. Throughout the afternoon, pens were flying as guests frantically took notes.

There was a common theme for many of Lawrence’s answers. We, as gardeners, need to get more accustomed to what we should be growing, as opposed to what we think we may want to grow. With climate change a harsh reality, the need for gardeners to plant native and drought-tolerant plants is more important than ever.

Lawrence answered many questions about unwanted moss, violets or clover and how to get rid of them, but always followed with “Or you can say 'if it is green, then leave it'”. These plants are native; you do not need to cut the lawn as much if you have them and they are generally drought-tolerant. Many audience members were happy to hear this approach being taught to other gardeners.

When questioned about using a chemical spray on Wild Parsnip, Lawrence was quick to discuss how upset this made him. He talked about how Lanark County will be using a herbicide this summer to try to control this weed by spraying in ditches and along the abandoned railways. “Herbicides do not know how to stop killing,” Lawrence said. “They can kill trees in close proximity by wind. They do not break down once in the waterways and can cause dermal toxicity if handled. Using herbicides is a vicious cycle that we should be avoiding.”

Another question, which Lawrence was quick to use as a teaching tool, was about getting rid of Dutchman's Breeches, a native, spring-flowering plant. He explained to the guests that without this plant, as well as violets and trilliums, we cannot sustain our bees, which are our main pollinators.

The afternoon was also full of laughter at some of Lawrence’s advice, such as putting dirty kitty litter in unwanted mole holes, and his repeated advice on pruning: always cut directly after a node and the blade closest to what you want to keep, and please, always stop at 25%.

He also emphasized buying plants from local plant sales because the plants are usually varieties that do well in your area and are generally cheaper.

Ed Lawrence's kindness shone through all afternoon. He began and ended the day talking and taking pictures with guests and signing his book. This was the second event he has done with the Grandmothers By the Lake, and he generously donated his time and his honorarium to the foundation.

Adele Colby saw the positive effects of the foundation’s work over the years when she visited Africa for a second time in 2015. The changes for women there were clear. They are no longer frightened and are fighting for their rights; for health care and pensions. Some women even expressed their interest in running for office, which was a drastic change from Colby’s previous visit in 2010.

The Grandmothers by the Lake will be holding their 8th Annual Plant & Bake Sale on Saturday, June 4 from 10am – 1pm at St. Paul's United Church in Harrowsmith. Proceeds to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. For more information or to donate, please call Adele Colby at 613-375-8845.

To hear Ed Lawrence answer all your gardening questions, listen to CBC 1 at 12:30pm on Mondays.

There was a silent auction with items donated by Lee Valley & Chapters in Kingston, Canadian Tire Perth & Cataraqui, Memory Lane Flowers & Gifts in Sydenham, Silverbrook Garden Centre in Sydenham, Hillside Garden Centre in Perth and Food Less Travelled in Verona.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Page 10 of 26
With the participation of the Government of Canada