Several government officials in the South/Central Frontenac area are rumoured to have been spotted recently talking with none other than moviemaker Grant Heslov.

Friend of actor George Clooney and director of the 2009 film “The Men Who Stare at Goats”, Heslov has big plans for the area. “We’ve been looking for a real 'home-town of long ago' where we can film our sequel on location,” said Heslov; “a place where internet connections aren’t always available and cell phones may not get signals. Somewhere that can be reached by neither bus nor train, a place where taxis seldom venture.”

The director won’t reveal the exact location yet, due to sensitive negotiations in process: ”We’re in the process of leasing a large area of farmland near the village we’ve chosen, as a place to locate our mobile housing units, food services, mess and staff recreation halls, sanitary services, network antenna towers, vehicle lots, etc. That all has to be done ‘in camera’, so to speak.”

When asked about benefits to the local communities, Heslov promised “This will put them on the map!” Area residents may also be called upon to provide local colour and act as assistant goat wranglers.

Every couple of years, Elphin’s Jenny Whiteley seemed to put out a record. They were all different, all expressions of the things she was thinking about, the music she was making at the time. Then, after her fifth solo record, she stopped releasing records. She did not stop making music or even recording some music, but did not release a record for several years.

“I never planned to stop putting out records just as I never really planned any part of my musical carreer,” she said this week over the phone as she was preparing to enter a clothing store in an outlet mall in Kanata in search of suitable clothes to wear to the Juno Gala this weekend. After shopping she was headed to the CBC studios to be interviewed by Alan Neil of the CBC Ottawa afternoon show.

The Original Jenny Whiteley is both a departure and a re-visiting of the songs Jenny learned when she was a kid, performing with her brother Dan in the Junior Jug Band,  and with her father Chris and Uncle Ken of the Original Sloth Band.
It features Old timey classics; In the Pines, Oxford Town, Groundhog, modern classics such as Chris Coole’s $100 and Banjo Girl, which she wrote with her husband Joey Wright, and a French tune of her own called ‘Malade’.

It is also the first album that she has recorded “off the floor” after working on the songs with her friends Sam Allison and Teillhard Frost of the band ‘Sheesham and Lotus’. Sam Allison, who has an old timey bent to his own music, produced the record.

It was recorded within a strict time constraint in 2015, because she was off to live in France with her family for nine months and wanted to get the record done before leaving.

“I contacted Chris Brown to see if he could find time for us in his studio, and he did, which turned out well because he became key to the sound of the record because he was mixing it live as we were playing the songs. For me it was more like the way I always make music, playing with friends and family, than how I have recorded in the past,” she said.

Teillard Frost lives on Wolfe Island, which is where Chris Brown has his home and studio, so the record is a Lanark-Frontenac hybrid, with a Kawartha influence via Sam Allison, who lives in Peterborough.

The record sat and waited until Jenny came back from France, and ended up being released in September of last year.

“I was really pleased with the response. Critics liked it and people bought it and are enjoying it, and when they called to ask me to come to Toronto for the announcement of Juno nominees I was pretty happy about it.

If the record wins this weekend, it will tie Jenny with David Francey as the Juno award winningest resident of Elphin.

Francey has won 3 Junos, and Jenny has 2 so far, and all five of them have been in the same category, Traditional roots (aka the Elphin category).

The category has been split this time around, into traditional folk and contemporary folk, and the Original Jenny Whitely is nominated in the traditional folk category.

The awards will be given out at the Juno Gala on Saturday Night in Ottawa.

About 30 people gathered in Oso Hall last week to put together a video celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary in Frontenac County with a song aptly titled the Frontenac County 150th Anniversary Song (lyrics by Rudy Hollywood, tune-traditional).

The video, by Doug Steele, is scheduled to be up on the cfcanada150.ca website in the near future, said 150 committee chair Bill Bowick.

“We also hope to play it at the Canada Day celebration,” Bowick said. “And we’ll attach to it on Facebook in the hopes it’ll get picked up and inspire other communities with their 150 celebrations.”

Bowick said that with the video shoot now in the can, the committee will be focusing on planning for Canada Day “for the next short while.”

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be activities going on before July 1.

“We will have a presence at Day of the Pig at Oso Beach on the Victoria Day weekend and there’s the Arden Festival June 16-18,” he said. “And author Michael Goodspeed (Three to a Loaf) is scheduled for a book signing for the release of his latest work in June.

“And on May 6, Doug Steele and Phillip Bender are planning a bike ride on the K & P Trail. They’re expecting 15 riders each covering 10 kilometres for 150 Kilometres of Social Biking.”

There’s also the Easter egg hunt in Arden April 15 and an old-fashioned hymn sing May 15 at Parham United Church.

And Bowick said they’re planning to make a calendar a priority for the website as soon as they can find somebody who knows how to do that.

The Sharbot Lake branch was puppet central last week as part of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library’s Puppet Show Extravaganza Tour Imagine.

Strega Nona (Grandmother Witch), the story of the endless Pasta pot that almost destroys the village when handled carelessly, was the first show that was performed for children who were off from school for spring break and the second play was The Monkey and the Crocodile. The show was performed at the Sydenham branch on Tuesday March 14, and in Sharbot Lake on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day.

Both shows were well received by area children and their caregivers, a treat for the March break.

“Later on, you can say to yourself, ‘Me and my grade 4 class wrote this play.’ Acting in the play makes me feel great. It makes me turn on my brain and makes me think that maybe I wanna be an actor when I’m older.” (student’s journal)

Teacher Jerri Jerreat’s Elginburg Public School class, whatever grade she happens to be teaching, has an annual tradition of producing a play. Most years Jerreat has written the play, or adapted an existing one, usually based on a classic story such as King Arthur or even Romeo and Juliet.

This year was different. Through a series of workshops and discussions, her 9-year-old grade 4 students wrote their own play on a topic familiar to all: their anxieties. Real worries, chosen by the students, based on their own experience, were tackled. Some examples: strife at home; fear that parents might divorce; hassles with siblings; bullies; feeling different, clumsy, not ‘fitting in’, not having any friends. Wondering how it would feel to be from another country and unfamiliar with customs in Elginburg, unable to speak much English. Dreading the daily bus ride.

Everyone was costumed as an animal: a clumsy turtle, a bossy bunny and a shy one, a leopard who’s being hassled by a pride of lions. Costumes were all home-made, and intriguing for their simplicity and inventiveness. Who would have thought of using a belt-full of stuffed socks to create an octopus? But it worked!

In the brief course of the evening, the characters in the drama look at both ineffective and effective ways of dealing with the things that worry them, act out some of the positive scenarios, and discover some of the ways daily social interactions might become a whole lot more comfortable.They also conclude that bullies may even be anxious and unhappy sometimes, too.

The finale is a happy dance that invites audience members to join in.

In the creation and performance of Animal Academy, Jerreat and her class pulled off a nearly impossible feat. Together, twenty-three nine-year-olds with no previous experience in live theatre wrote a multi-scene play that was both funny and full of relevant, useful information. Then they produced it as an entertaining, fast-paced performance, using the most basic of theatres: a stage in a gym with no lighting, sound system or sets, and only one bench as a prop. They projected their voices well, managed the timing of numerous quick scene changes, all with stage blackouts (using the one light switch available at the side of the stage), and seldom missed a cue. They had command of their lines, covering the rare line-fluffs by prompting each other.

It was a treat for the proud enthusiastic audience to witness such a fine example of creativity, learning, and excellent, interactive teaching skills.

Rehearsals are underway for our North Frontenac Little Theatre spring production under the direction of John Pariselli. The chosen play is is a comedy, Here On The Flight Path by Canadian playwright Norm Foster. This small cast adult comedy is hilariously funny and will keep you entertained from start to finish.

We are pleased to have back  on stage four actors that have acted previously with NFLT.  Marc Veno (previously seen in Beyond Reasonable Doubt) will play John Cummings; Carol Belanger (directed Miracle Worker) will  play Angel Plunkett, an unemployed actress and singer; Barb Matson (acted in The Miracle Worker) plays Gwen, who is recently separated from her husband; Ellie Steele plays Fay Davidson, a  “consultant” of sorts.  

There will be three performances Friday April 28,  7:30,  Saturday, April 29, 7:30 and Sunday, April 30 at 2:00. So Mark these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.  Watch this paper for further information.

Sometimes the world of make-believe can bring-out the best in a person. Just ask Dalia Gesser, a theatre arts teacher from Battersea.

“I used to perform my own clown, mime and mask shows and toured all over Ontario for 20 years, performing for schools, libraries, festivals and theatre series,” says the petite 58-year-old with a smile in early March 2017.

“In the late 1990s, I began to shift my theatre arts focus to arts/education and received a bunch of grants from the Ontario Arts Council which allowed me to bring theatre arts workshops to many elementary schools in the Greater Kingston region. In the last two years, I've been focusing on programs for seniors.”

Majoring in dance in university in New York State then later attending the Canadian Mime School in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Dalia is bringing theatre arts to the area. She's doing this through songs, theatre games, mime, movement, original use of props and story sharing.

“In all classes and workshops, students are challenged to use their bodies, minds and imaginations in a fun and positive setting, building self-confidence and body awareness,” says Dalia. “Music is an integral part of every workshop experience, with an eclectic selection to enhance different exercises, set moods and inspire ideas.”

A resident of South Frontenac since 1992, Dalia wants the community to know the benefits of theatre arts.

“Being self-employed, I'm always for hire,” she says with a laugh about her teaching services. “Now I'm available to do seniors' programs.”

Dalia recently received her second grant from the Ontario Arts Council which will fund two senior programs in two different locations. This grant program is called Theatre Arts for the Young at Heart.

From mid-March to the end of June, she will lead a seniors’ group at the Hildegarde Centre, a day program located in Providence Manor in Kingston. From September to mid-December, she will work with seniors at Carveth Care Centre in Gananoque.

“Both programs will involve theatre games, mime & movement, songs as well as story sharing culminating in an informal presentation by the participants in both centres,” she confirms.

Creative and fun, Dalia has spent years working with youth. Now, she’s enjoying her time working with seniors.

“I’ve been working with kids for so many years, it’s nice to have a change and work with seniors,” she explains kindly. “The seniors who take part in my workshops tend to have a great sense of humour, enjoy participating and love to share their life stories. It's heartwarming to watch them interact with their peers. A few things I like to do with them is to use everyday objects in original ways, act out various activities in mime and listen to their stories. Everyone has endless stories. It’s nice to help seniors remember their stories and give them an opportunity to share their past.”

Dalia sees the arts as a component of a healthy society.

“My theatre arts programs help with cognitive ability and memory loss,” she notes. “Exercises help people physically, psychologically and emotionally. It’s great stimulation for any age, but especially for seniors.”

Speaking on behalf of Carveth Care Centre, Activity Director Shannon Buell is looking forward to the workshop for seniors.

“We know this is going to spark interesting conversations by the residents about their past,” she says wisely. “The classes will be well-received by the residents and appreciated by their families who will enjoy a presentation at the end. It’s great to see how much is accomplished by theatre arts.”

To learn more about theatre arts in South Frontenac, contact Dalia Gesser at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit her website at compacttheatre.jimdo.com

Jon Allison, the lead designer for the new County of Frontenac brand, has won the 2017 Applied Arts Community Award for Logo and Brand Identity Design. The announcement was published in the March issue of the Applied Arts Magazine, one of Canada’s premier publications on visual communication.

The Applied Arts Magazine’s Community Awards recognize work in advertising, design, photography, illustration and interactive communications. This is the second major national marketing award for the #inFrontenac brand. Last year, the County of Frontenac earned the 2016 Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) National Marketing Award for Best Brand Identity.

"To see the talent involved in creating this brand now being recognized on a national stage is great," said County of Frontenac Warden Ron Vandewal. "There’s a growing sense of pride around being part of life in Frontenac, and this new brand is certainly contributing to that," Vandewal said.

Allison worked for branding agency RedTrain and collaborated with Kathleen Vollebregt of Avenue Strategy during the brand design. For an overview of previous news and related portfolio examples visit: http://www.frontenaccounty.ca/en/corporate/frontenac-brand.asp

Since the brand was launched in the summer of 2016, it has been gaining popularity across Frontenac and beyond and Frontenac swag has already been shared at tradeshows in Toronto, Ottawa and Pennsylvania. One of the most successful initiatives associated with the new Frontenac identity is the brand ambassador program where local businesses sign on and commit to working together to grow Frontenac’s reputation as a great place to do business, live, and visit. More than 60 businesses have already signed on.

On Feb. 22, students at the Granite Ridge Education Centre celebrated Pink Shirt Day, a tradition that began in Canada to help combat bullying in all its forms.

This year, they had help in the person of Abby Stewart, a Holy Cross student who’s making waves in country/country rock circles.

Stewart, whose stage presence and performance savvy goes way beyond her teenage years, seemed right in her element as her 40-minute set just flew by, to the delight of her (mostly younger) audience.

From her opening cover of Maddie & Tae’s Fly and the crowd favourite Burning House, Stewart had her audience’s attention, and that was a good thing, because along with top-tier music, she also had a message — put an end to bullying.

“I haven’t done this in . . . forever,” she said before launching into Taylor Swift’s Mean. “But it fits the day.

“Today is a day we need to stand up against exclusion — any form of cruelty.”

In an interview, Stewart said the message of Pink Shirt Day is “close to my heart” as she’s had experiences in the form of exclusion.

Indeed, her own You Don’t Know That is about those experiences, a song she co-wrote with a friend on Skype.

“And I love the tag line (‘Be Kind’),” she said. “There’s way too much cruelty in this world.”

Even at her young age, Stewart sees the power of music, in a couple of different ways. As such, she has no problems when it comes to music with a message.

“Rock music should be expressed with what you’re feeling,” she said. “And, music can help you through things.

“You put in the ear buds and it can make you feel a lot better . . . I know it does for me.”

And it would seem the same was true for GREC students as well on this day, as Stewart stuck around after the gig, high-fiving and talking with a throng of young fans and admirers.

Stewart was ably backed by Chris Murphy on acoustic guitar and harmony vocals, Lee Casement on bass, Jeff Babcock on drums, and Matt Baetz on electric guitar

Gwen Tobin insists she’s “lost interest in possessions” but admits to still having “boxes and trucks of Star Wars stuff” in her North Crosby home that used to serve as an antique shop she ran with her husband of 56 years, Vince.

“We’re trying to clear out a lot of it,” she said at the Bedford Historical Society’s Open House last Saturday in Glendower Hall. “We have boxes we haven’t opened in 10 years.”

The Tobins have definitely done the circuit, getting up at 4 a.m. for a trip to Kanata or Ottawa or Gananoque to sell at shows.

“I like to buy, my husband did most of the selling,” she joked. “When we first started selling, at the flea market in Smiths Falls, I only had Depression Glass and didn’t do very well.

“But one lady came over and said ‘you have to have more than just Depression Glass because you never know when somebody will come in wanting it and you have to have things for the other people to buy.’”

That’s when she learned to diversify.

And she certainly did learn.

But these days, the shop is officially closed and she only does a few shows here and there. But she still has a lot of items and is prepared to tailor shows to what the organizers request.

“Last year at the show in North Crosby, they asked us to bring tools and kitchen items,” she said. “For this one, Joe Stinson asked for toys and dolls.”

So, along with a couple of boxes of tools and decoys (including one carved by her grandfather), she brought lots of toys and dolls including a large assortment of metal tractors.

But the dolls seemed to get a disproportionate amount of attention, particularly the Barbies.

“I’ve always liked the ‘character’ Barbies,” she said, pointing out the Sonny and Cher, Donnie and Marie, and Brooke Shields editions.

But there were also several others, including the ultra-rare Barbie pregnant with twins, as well as the regular Barbie, Elvis, Wayne Gretzky and G.I. Joes.

“I don’t know if I have favourites,” she said. “And I’m too old to remember when I started collecting dolls.”

How about when she started collecting in general.

“That’s easy,” she said. “When I was born.

“My mother did family trees and the collecting just evolved from that.”