HAM radio operator George Williams Emergency Coordinator for Frontenac County Amateur Radio Services George Williams (aka call sign VE3SIQ), organized a field day exercise at Snow Road Station and set up a deployment to allow HAM radio operators from all around North America to make as many contacts as they can make in a 24 hour period.

Williams who started off in CB radio received his HAM license in 1989. Joining Williams on Saturday in Snow Road were other HAM operators including David Lawrence aka VA3ORP who has been a HAM operator since 1988. Lawrence set up two 30 foot vertical antennas outside the fire hall for the day’s events and ran some experiments to see “how well short wave propagation could be applied to emergency communications in Frontenac County.”

So far the operators have never had to provide emergency services in the area but both men have spoken to countless of individuals around the world via their radios. Anyone interested in getting their HAM Radio licence or finding out more about HAM Radio can contact George Williams at 613-548-0311.

Wet and wild were the words of the day at the annual Family Fun Day of Harrowsmith Public School. Students and their families participated in a number of events including a water balloon toss, jumping castle, a jello, bubble gum and whip cream eating contest, a stuffed animal and cake walk, and a fish pond.

Tracy Prince, who coordinated the event, said the funds raised will be put towards building a track in the school yard, part of a five-year plan that includes, along with the track, gardens, benches, and possibly a bird sanctuary. “We're in the early developmental and planning stages right now but since we have a lot of students who participate in track and field, we're hoping the community will come together and that we'll be able to raise the funds needed over the next five years.”

A bit of rain prevented a few of the planned outdoor events from taking place but when all was said and done, Tracy was “extremely pleased” with the turnout.

Verona Festival mascot Cameron the bog lemming and his bog buddies at PCPS

Cameron the Bog Lemming, beloved mascot of the newly renamed Verona Cattail Festival, made a special appearance at Prince Charles Public School in Verona in the hopes of searching out a number of bog buddies to join him in this year's parade. The parade will open the festival on the evening of Friday, August 6 and will proceed along Main Street to this year's new festival location at the Verona Lions Club.

Close to 40 students dressed as butterflies, beavers, lemmings, ladybugs, flowers, skunks, turtles, bees, blueberries and cattails joined Cameron on stage in the school gym. The Verona Community Association (VCA) puts on the annual three-day festival and VCA President Debbie Lingen welcomed all the bog buddies and handed out free ice cream vouchers to each. Cameron chose five lucky winners from the pack, who each received two passes for free admission to all of the scheduled events, which include musical entertainment, the ever popular cardboard duct tape boat races, the vendors' market, canteen, games and much more. Congratulations to Max Orser, Jamie McIlroy, Aurora Black, Alyssa Teal and Keisha Murphy.

Cameron's visit to the school was intended to introduce children to Cameron and the festival and to begin generating interest for what has come to be one of Verona’s major summer events and attractions. Debbie Lingen was pleased with the enthusiastic turnout at the school and said, “The new theme, the Verona Cattail Festival, is a really appropriate name and theme and it gives us a lot of opportunity to introduce some new and exciting ideas this year. It will not only be the only cattail festival in Canada, but likely all of the world. The point of today's event was to bring the festival together with the children of Verona and introduce them to this year’s parade theme ... And as you can see, they have done a really terrific job.”

The 15th Annual Verona Cattail Festival takes place the weekend of August 6, 7 and 8. Admission is $5 for the entire weekend. For more information visit www.veronafestival.com

Photo: Enjoying the midway at Parham Fair.

One way or another, all outdoor events are captive to the weather, and summer fairs are no exception.

Torrential downpours did their best to dampen spirits on the Saturday of the Parham Fair last year, which also happened to be the only day of the Maberly Fair. This year not only was the weather spectacular on Maberly Fair Day, it was ideal for the entire three days of the Parham Fair.

Both fairs were heavily attended this year, and with no rain delays all of the events went off without a hitch, although Bessie the cow was a bit slow in doing her business at the Maberly Fair, but more about that later.

In Parham the festivities began on Friday evening with the Town Crier, Paddy O'Connor, Mayor Janet Gutowski and Fair President John Waddingham participating in the opening ceremonies. A good crowd came out for one event with a long history at the fair, the horse draws in the main ring. A newer tradition, but one that has proven to be extremely popular, a performance by the band Ambush, attracted a huge crowd on Friday night.

Saturday was agricultural day once again, and one of the new events this year at the Palace was a silent auction. Participants bid on a number of items including various gift certificates, and garden ornaments, all of which were donated by local area businesses.

The horse and cattle shows also took place on Saturday morning. Congratulations are due to Gary Allen, Megan Farrow, Ashley McCaffery, and Haley Larmon-Code, who along with their horses won the various high point horse show categories at the fair.

The greased pig competition once again attracted a large crowd and participants ages 7-13 all received ribbons. The western games were well attended and the final race of the day, the Dolly Pardon, was the comical highlight as usual.

This year’s new Reptile Show intrigued youngsters and was a successful new addition to the fair. The lawn mower races once again thrilled visitors and though this year a number of rollovers made the competition more exciting, thankfully there were no injuries to report.

On Sunday the demolition derby drew record crowds.

All told, the weekend was another great success, with new events like the reptile show and all-day volleyball ensuring that there was indeed something for everyone.

128th Maberly Fair

Photo: Winner  and still champion of the heavyweight Zuchinni race competition, Max Bumstead.

Visitors at the 128th edition of the Maberly Fair especially enjoyed the horse show, kids’ games and musical entertainment by the Tebworth family, as well as the 2nd Annual Zucchini Races. Nine-year-old Max Bumstead of Maberly successfully defended his title again this year with his car he named Racer.

The sunny, warm weather brought a relaxed feeling to the busy fair day, and the old and new styles of agriculture mixed together in an atmosphere that is unique to this corner of eastern Ontario at the far west of Lanark County.

The day ended with the Maberly Fair’s first ever Cow Pie Madness event, a type of 50/50 draw that saw 100 participants each purchase a $10 square on the Cow Pie Bingo board. Dave Campbell donated Bessie for the event. Bessie was fed straw and grain all afternoon to prepare her for her $1000 pot plop, half of which (the money that is) was to be taken home by a winner and the other half to be donated to the Maberly Agricultural Society. The large crowd had thinned out considerably after waiting for two hours for Bessie to do her business.

At the end of the day two lucky winners were declared, as Bessie's first plop landed on a line between two squares. Congratulations to Anne Thomlison and Barb Wheeler, both of Maberly, who split the $500 prize.

Also congratulations to Whitney Lewis of Perth, who won the Big Ben Memorial Award of $100 that was given by Team Millar Brooke. This award is presented to the person who has the most overall points in the horse show.

With the sunny weather and an effort to offer new events in their lineups, both fairs were events to remember.

The Land O’ Lakes Garden Club is proud to present award-winning horticulturalist and HGTV host, Denis Flanagan (photo left), who will speak about “Fall Gardening and Preparing Your Garden for Winter”. The Garden Club invites you to join them as Denis combines his extensive gardening expertise and sense of humour for what promises to be a lively and entertaining evening. The event takes place on Thursday, October 14, at 6PM in Pineview Free Methodist Church at the north end of the village of Cloyne on Highway 41. Admission is free but we will have a donation box at the door and any monies collected will go to Community Services/Transportation for Seniors.

As HGTV host of One Garden, Two Looks and Indoor Gardener, Canada Blooms speaker and garden designer, teacher and consultant Denis Flanagan combines over 30 years gardening experience with a sense of humour that makes him a popular speaker at events across the country. Denis also appears as an expert guest on many other gardening shows on TV and radio. And as if that isn’t enough for one man, he has taught at several community colleges, been a nurseryman and landscape designer with Sheridan and Weall & Cullen Nurseries and continues to promote the joys and benefits of horticulture through the “Green for Life” program for Landscape Ontario.

Land O’ Lakes Garden Club, Cloyne, was founded in 2004 by a group of people who shared an interest in gardening and a desire to meet others with the same interest to exchange gardening information and techniques. Once established, the club included beautifying the area as one of their objectives and, to date, has established 39 planter boxes in front of local businesses, restored the Cloyne Pioneer Cemetery and designed and planted gardens at the Pine Meadow Nursing Home and Barrie Township Hall. Meetings are held monthly and the cost to join is $10 annually. Fund-raising events for the club include an annual plant sale and local garden tour. You don’t even need to be a gardener and everyone, from novice to expert, is welcome to join the Land O’ Lakes Garden Club.

Contact Mary Kelly for further info at 613-336-6806.

By Fred Barrett

Photo left: Fred Barrett, courtesy Fred Barrett

Normally in the last column of the year I would write about what to expect in January of next year. But January is quite a few days away, so I thought instead to give you a few reminders of the rich events and objects to watch for in the last weeks of December and the first week of January 2011! Watch for the rest of January’s events in the January 6 column next year!

A total lunar eclipse will occur during the night of December 20/21. The eclipse begins at 1:30 AM EST as Earth’s shadow starts to advance across the Moon. Totality happens at 2:41 AM and lasts until 3:53 AM. After that you can watch Earth’s shadow retreat from the Moon’s disk. Don’t miss this one because another won’t happen until April 14/15, 2014.

Jupiter is still around after sunset in the southwest. It is slowly getting smaller but its brightness is still at a respectable magnitude of -2.4 and it is not difficult to find. Pull out your binoculars and have a look. The sight of its most prominent moons (Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede) strung like a line of pearls on either side and changing position from night to night is fascinating and beautiful!

If you’re still up early New Year’s morning about an hour before sunrise, the waning (brightness decreasing) crescent Moon makes a lovely sight below the searchlight brightness of Venus. On the evenings of January 2nd to 5th and using binoculars or modest telescope, you have a rare opportunity to find the planet Uranus without having to use a star chart. You can see it about ½ degree above and right of Jupiter in a binoculars’ field of view (FOV). At magnitude 5.9, it is dim but can be seen. Be careful not to be confused by a similar looking dim star to the lower right!

On the night of January 3rd, the Quadrantid meteor shower occurs. It is a short shower and peaks this year around 8 PM. The point of origin of the shower is off the end of the handle of the Big Dipper close to the northern horizon. Watch for ‘earthgrazers’ skimming across the horizon.

Earth is at its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) at 2 PM EST on January 3rd. Interesting isn’t it, that the Earth is closest to the Sun during the coldest time of year for us in the North? Of course, it’s summer time in the southern hemisphere. Our change in distance from the Sun as we travel in our orbit has little effect on Earth’s average temperature.

Send me a report of your observations via the Frontenac News or my email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will send you a Star Finder (Planisphere) to help you find your way about the sky. See also www.star-finder.ca where you can download and print out your own star finder compliments of the National Research Council. Not quite as fancy as mine but quite functional.

I hope you enjoyed the picture of the Andromeda Galaxy that appeared with my last column. There is one minor correction to make; it was taken through a 300 mm zoom lens.

Well, that’s a wrap for this year! Merry Christmas and a happy holiday to all and may many clear skies come your way!

If you have questions or suggestions, Fred Barrett may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Beginner’s Observer’s Guide by Leo Enright is available at the Sharbot Lake Pharmacy or by contacting the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada www.rasc.ca/publications, subscriptions for our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine, Sky News, are also available from RASC..

Grade 7 and 8 students at Loughborough Public School played a major role in the Anti-Bullying Week events at the school, which culminated in student-led, school-wide assemblies last Friday afternoon.

The multi-media presentation, which included music, several slide shows, video, and dance, dealt with some overt bullying tactics as well as some of the more subtle forms of bullying, such as exclusion and other ways that power is used against others.

Bullying can take physical and psychological forms, and the students were able to demonstrate some clear examples of different kinds of bullying behaviour.

Because of the size of the school, over 500 students, two assemblies were held, one for the primary and one for the junior grades.

One graphic example of how the anti-bullying message was delivered was a skit featuring four students dressed up in Pac-Man costume. One of the four Pac-Men encouraged two others to shun the fourth, who happened to be the pink Pac-Man. The two who were caught in the middle of the struggle sided with the bully at first, before they came around and took responsibility to end the bullying. The skit showed the audience that everyone in a school shoulders some responsibility for bullying.

Mark McGrady teaches one of the Challenge Program classes at LPS, and he played a role in organizing his students to run the assembly. His commitment to ridding the school of bullying behaviour recently led to recognition by the Youth Diversion Program of Kingston-Frontenac and the Limestone District School Board.

Youth Diversion operates a pro-active program in local schools. The program, which is called MEND (Mediating Ends Negative Disagreements), is devoted to finding ways to remove power dynamics from conversations within the school setting, be they conversations between students in or outside of class, or conversations between school staff and students. The testimonial that accompanied the award made reference to some of the ways that Mark McGrady has been effective in establishing a bullying-free atmosphere at Loughborough:

“Mark frequently volunteers time to teach differing grades about the power-bullying dynamic. He frequently offers input from his experience when the staff discussed school climate, and when teachers were having difficulties working through situations within their classrooms. He also frequently seeks out ways to ensure that students are in leadership positions within the school. These student leaders work as fitness leaders, coaches, and organizers. His level of empowerment in students is remarkable, which in turn allows them to have great confidence and pride in the school.”

Another visible aspect of the anti-bullying events at LPS were the blue shirts that just about every student and staff member were wearing on Friday. On the front of the shirts were the words ONE TEAM ONE PRIDE printed in large letters. PRIDE is the school’s motto, and it stands for Positive Thinking, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Empathy.

On the back of the t-shirts it says, Loughborough Public School and We’ve got your back.

The events included all of the usual advice about reporting bullying to teachers and parents, but it also included information about how everyone can address the dynamic of bullying in the day-to-day life of a school and a community.

Photo: regulars at the ABC Hall Open Mic and Potluck l-r, Mel McDougall, Frank Coleman and Glenn Russell

The old adage "If you build it they will come" is proving to be the case at the old ABC Hall in Bolingbroke. In an ongoing effort to revitalize community life in the area, members of the recently formed Althorpe-Bolingbroke Community Association have been breathing new life into the association and their home - the ABC hall.

The hall, which is located near Bolingbroke on Hwy 36, was originally built and founded as the Sherbrooke Community Club by seven members of the community in 1947. It was built with the vision of becoming a central hub where members of the community could meet, work and socialize together in one building for local entertainment, community meetings, parties and other events.

In 1949 the name of the hall was changed to the Althorpe Bolingbroke Community Club and in 1953, after copious fundraising efforts, the building was fully completed.

In 1974 the ABC Club was incorporated under the Community Centres Act of the Township of South Sherbrooke and on April 10, 1980 it was registered as a non-profit organization.

Since its construction, the hall has been managed over the years and operated by the ABC Club members and volunteers, who have performed all the routine maintenance and carried out most of the capital improvements. The hall became the central hub for emergency workers during the 1998 ice storm.

In 2003 the association applied for and received a $25,000 Trillium grant, which enabled numerous upgrades to the hall, including wheelchair accessibility for the entrance and washroom facilities, and updates to the kitchen facilities. The building has since developed into a fully functional community hall, with a well and septic tank, a kitchen, heating and air conditioning, and telephone service. In 2010, fundraising efforts allowed for the floor to be refurbished.

As the only community centre in a 10km radius, the hall has become over the years the home for numerous community organizations and events. President of the Althorpe-Bolingbroke Community Association, Martin Yates, said the recent efforts to rejuvenate the hall were “the kick in the pants in the community needed”. He spoke of the numerous events that are now taking place at the hall thanks in part to association member Freda Russell, who manages the new initiatives at the hall. Numerous members of the community are offering up their know how and talents at a number of regular scheduled events. New regular events at the hall include Yoga classes, a coffee house, the Women's Circle of Friends group, and the “Saturday Seekers”, an inter-faith Saturday Sunday school for youngsters organized and run by Rev. Micheline Montreuil. These, together with other long-time regular gatherings for euchre, the CPHC Seniors exercise class and Diners' Club, and the Seniors Club along with the monthly Saturday Night Potluck Jams/Open Mic, make the hall a very busy place these days.

I visited the hall on November 10 where singer/musician Glenn Russell was hosting the Open Mic and taking down names of participants. It's an event he began with his wife Freda three years ago, which attracts a myriad of players from far and wide. Other efforts undertaken by the association was a recent membership drive, which this September saw the total number of members double from 14 to 30 families (the cost of membership is just $10 per year per family).

For those in the area who have yet to visit the ABC Hall, your chance is coming up on November 24. The association will be holding an Open House at the hall with displays and information by the various groups that hold regular events there. The Open House takes place from 2 - 4pm. The Bolingbroke hall is located at 3166 Bolingbroke Road between Maberly and Westport. For information about membership contact Martin Yates at 613-273-7505. Anyone interested in renting the hall for an event can contact Joyce Fleming at 613-273-4832 .

Photo: A Spooktacular Halloween party at RKY

A great kids’ Halloween party took place at the RKY camp in Parham on Oct. 29. Put on by the District 4 Hinchinbrooke Recreation Committee with the help of staff at RKY camp and student volunteers, the campgrounds were completely transformed into a ghoulishy spooky haunted playground that had the 60 costumed attendees screaming in frightful glee. The arts and crafts building was transformed into a haunted house with strobe-lit cobwebs with every kind of terrifying Halloween bauble hanging from the rafters. It housed a live coffined ghoul, a hook-handed pirate, and a hidden grim reaper who clawed at unsuspecting visitors’ legs as they passed by. Those who dared enter shrieked in delight and many even returned for a second scare. The party included a guided haunted walk through the surrounding forest. Inside the main dining hall snacks and beverages were served and party goers enjoyed various activities including a coloring contest, pumpkin and cup cake decorating and multiple costume contests with prizes for the winners. For a final treat the costumed mob made their into the dark night to five of the camper cabins each inhabited by costumed staff who offered treats to all who came knocking. Bob Teal, who chairs the committee, said the rec. committee and the RKY staff put in numerous hours to treat local kids to a memorable party. Rhonda Vincent, the food services manager at the camp, said the idea of holding a Halloween party at the camp came to her one fall when she was working at the camp all alone and was completely spooked out. “I thought it would be a great place for the rec committee to have their annual Halloween party and they got on board last year when it was held here for the first time.”

Camp Director Christina Bonner, who is new to the camp this year, said she is pleased to offer up the camp for free to the community for this kind of special event. “Local kids often don't have an opportunity to come to the camp, so putting on events like this gives them a chance to come out and enjoy it.” She said the camp would also be hosting events for the upcoming Frontenac Heritage Festival, so those who missed the opportunity to visit this Halloween will be invited back in February. Hats off to all of the volunteers and staff who helped make this Halloween a memorable one for many local youngsters.

Photo: One of many who stepped up to the plate for the Cowdys at Olden Ball Park on Saturday

October 15 was a day to remember for Scott and Angie Cowdy as they greeted supporters at a number of community events that were organized to help support the couple and their two children through Scott's cancer ordeal. Scott and Angie have been making numerous trips to Toronto so that Scott can receive alternative therapy and treatments following his diagnosis on August 6 of a diffused astrocytoma stage 2 brain tumor. Prior to the diagnosis, Scott had suffered numerous seizures and had a series of cat scans, the third of which detected the tumor. On August 12 Scott underwent surgery at Kingston General Hospital and doctors were able to remove a third of the tumor. While they await further tests and possible radiation treatment to see how the tumor reacts to the surgery, the couple has since made five trips to Toronto, where Scott has been receiving treatments from a homeopathic doctor. The funds raised from Saturday’s events will help to pay for those traveling expenses and the treatments, the latter of which alone cost $500 per visit.

Scott’s cousin, Art Cowdy, organized a friendly ball tournament and on Saturday seven teams comprised of close to 100 players gathered under a chilly, grey sky and stepped up to bat for the cause, which raised $1700. The event was followed by a completely sold-out silent auction, organized by Scott’s sister, Brenda Martin and a dance, organized by the Olden Fire Department, at St. James Major in Sharbot Lake where local businesses and individuals in the community donated hundreds of items that went up for auction. The auction and dance were followed by an impromptu buffet with food donated from individuals in the community. The Cowdys, who both work in the Sharbot Lake community - Angie at RBC and Scott as a grader operator for the Township of Central Frontenac - were stunned by the ongoing outpouring of community support. “We're absolutely floored, and every day something else seems to be happening,” Angie said. “Before we were even home from the hospital after the surgery, things would be done at our home and stuff dropped off that still, to this day, I don't even know who did it. It’s been really overwhelming.” The couple just moved into their new home in September.

They are now awaiting the results of a post-op MRI that will give them a better idea of what they will be up against next and how the rest of their journey will unfold. “We were told that surgery will either accelerate the growth of the tumor or slow it down. What they have told Scott is that this type of cancer is very rare and it’s still up in the air as to which avenues we can use to treat it.”

Brenda Martin, who organized the auction, was thrilled to report that the auction raised another $5200. “We were over our target for sure and regarding personal donations, we far exceeded our expectations as well and we're overwhelmed by the huge outpouring of support.”

As the Cowdys wait to hear what the next step will be, they can rest assured that the community is right behind them every step of the way.