What’s better than a morning buzz?

An evening Buzz. Well known Kingston radio show host Buzz Collins does more than entertain fans of The Morning buzz on CKWS radio. He also has a night job, as a comedy hypnotist.

The Buzz Collins show is billed as the “only form of live entertainment where members of the audience have the opportunity to become the real stars of the show! Taking others to the side of their mind that unleashes the impossible, the outrageous and the amazing is what Buzz does best.”

Buzz Collins was trained as a hypnotist in Las Vegas, and he still performs there and in other locations across North America on occasion, but mostly he stays closer to home these days, performing at casinos and other locations in Eastern Ontario. He got his start as a radio host 25 years ago in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and has been a radio host and stage hypnotist ever since. Six years ago, he relocated to Kingston from Calgary, and quickly became established at CKWS radio.

The Buzz Collins show is based around the participation of up to 10 audience members, who volunteer to share the stage and, ultimately, provide light-hearted entertainment. Will Baird, the event's co-ordinator for Fort Henry, said the show is “absolutely a visitor favourite.”

The Buzz Collins show is being presented as a fund-raiser by Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) Proceeds will support its programs and services. The show takes place on Saturday Night, July 6, starting at 7:30 at St. James Major Catholic Church Hall in Sharbot Lake. Tickets are $20. They are available at the Adult (613-279-3151) - and Children’s (613-279-2244) Services buildings of NFCS during regular business hours or at St. James Church before the show. Doors open at 7pm. Come one, come all, and prepare to be entertained.

The 12th annual Pine Meadow Charity Golf Tournament took place on June 22 at Hunter’s Creek Golf Club on Hwy 506 near Cloyne. This year’s tournament, as in previous years, was generously sponsored by numerous businesses and organizations in the community and raised a record $15,500. The funds are used to support the Pine Meadow Nursing Home and to help purchase items for the home that cannot be included in their regular budget.

Items purchased by funds raised over the tournament’s 12 year history have included a defibrillator, mobile shelving units, towel and blanket warmers, solo electric beds, concrete walkways in the garden area, a picnic shelter, SARA and other overhead lifts, Hi-low beds, and more. This year 70 golfers took part and goodies up for grabs included a Sterling propane barbeque donated by Snider’s Sand and Gravel, valued at $500, and a gorgeous hand-made quilt donated by the local quilting group Treadles, valued at $900. There was also a 50/50 draw, and a game of “ladder golf” in which the lucky winner took home a bar fridge donated by Smitty’s.

This year’s tourney was made even more special by the participation of the Flynn family, 12 members in all, who took part as a way to celebrate their 50 years at Lake Kashwakamak and who donated more than $500 to the cause.

Laury Hitchcock, who is part of the Pine Meadow Special Needs Committee and takes care of sponsorship for the tournament, said that the money raised this year will be used to help with monthly excursions as well as acquiring new overhead tracks and lifts.

Hats off to the Parent Council at Loughborough Public School in Sydenham who entertained hundreds of students and their families on June 14 under sunny skies at their annual fundraiser, which was back this year after a one-year hiatus.

Multiple events took place inside and outside the school and included many games, a presentation by Ray's Reptiles in the school gym, demonstrations by the Frontenac OPP, Fire Department and ambulance services, and a bake sale in the school’s main foyer. In the library a silent auction fundraiser took place with many notable donations from local businesses and individuals. Also up for grabs was an impressive selection of fine art paintings, created by LPS students and representing each of the individual classrooms at the school. Jason Silver played his acoustic guitar and provided the perfect musical back drop to the day.

Christine Marshall, chair of the LPS parent council, was pleased with the turnout. She said that the funds raised by the fun fair will go towards supporting the school’s music department and program, which was brought back this year after a few years’ absence. Funds will also be used to put in a new technology system at the school called Synervoice, which uses an automated messaging service to let parents know of upcoming events at the school.a

The 65 people who came to Glenn Foster’s “Australia Night” at Grace Hall in Sydenham last week were richly rewarded by Foster’s personal, fascinating retelling of the social history of his homeland, from the long-ago dreamtime stories of the creation up until the present.

Foster, a former drama teacher and football coach at Sydenham High, accompanied himself on a variety of stringed instruments, using a combination of song, anecdote and pictures to describe the Aboriginals, the exiled men and women of the penal colonies, the hobos, squatters, swagmen and soldiers. It was a powerful combination, taking the listener into the emotional core of his stories. Most of the songs were ballads, spiced in the final parts of the program by more modern Australian jingles celebrating Marmite and Airplane Jelly (their version of our Jello).

Foster told how his grandfather had been sent at age six from his family in Tasmania, where the family was starving, to work for an uncle up the Australian coast. Three years later, the child ran away and somehow, no one knew how, made his way 350 miles overland to the sea and on to New Zealand. Much of the rest of his life, Foster’s grandfather worked on sailing ships carrying lumber through the stormy Hobart Straits: hair-raising pictures showed enormous waves and tattered sails.

Glenn was accompanied in some of the songs by Jason Pedherney, a self-taught didgeridoo player. The didgeridoo is an ancient Australian Aboriginal wind instrument, made from a long branch which has been hollowed out by termites and rimmed with a beeswax mouthpiece. A skilled player can sustain long deep notes by circular breathing; ie, breathing in through the nose at the same time as he maintains air pressure on the instrument through his mouth. Pedherney admitted it took him almost a year to master the technique.

The evening, which had been arranged by Jill Ferguson and sponsored by the Grace Arts Committee, raised over $500 to help further develop the Grace Hall as a performance site.

On June 14 the Sydenham and District Lions Club hosted their 7th Annual Charity Golf Tournament at the Rivendell Golf Club. Clear skies and pleasant temperatures greeted the 110 golfers who showed up early Friday morning for this event. Golfer registration matched last year's record turn-out and was a source of much satisfaction for tournament co-ordinator, Sydenham Lion Jim Kelly. Given the rather damp spring weather, the golf course was in amazing shape due to the hard work of the Rivendell groundskeeping staff.

Although no one walked away with any of the great Hole-in-One prizes up for grabs on all the Par 3 holes, one big winner was declared. Laurie Newport won a $500 Rail Travel voucher from VIA Rail Canada for coming out on top in the Putting Contest.

The tournament raised over $5000 for the Lions Club to use in their charitable work and once again, the first charitable need to be addressed will be the sponsorship of a local school under the "No Child Without" program. This program is jointly sponsored by the Lions Clubs of Canada and the Medic-Alert Foundation and is designed to ensure that any elementary age child from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 who needs a Medic-Alert bracelet or pendant receives one free of charge.

Previous tournaments have raised funds to cover this program at five local schools (Loughborough Public School, Perth Road Public School, St. Patrick Catholic School, Elginburg Public School and Harrowsmith Public School). This year’s tournament will cover Storrington Public School. Allan McPhail, President of the Sydenham Lions closed the event with a heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers and golfers who had made the tournament such a success.

Back after a one-year hiatus, the Flinton Relay For Life, which took place at the Flinton Rec Centre on June 7 and 8, proved that a blast of cold, wet weather could not dampen the spirits of the many dedicated organizers and participants who took part. The outdoor Flinton rink was the central site for the event and under it, hundreds of relay luminaries were lined up for the special 10 p.m. lighting ceremony. All night long 21 teams of relayers spent the night celebrating, remembering and fighting back as they lapped the rink’s perimeter to honor those who have been diagnosed, are in treatment for, or have succumbed to the disease.

Emceed by Robbie McLuckie and Bethany Lessard, the event opened with speeches by various organizers and dignitaries including Reeve Henry Hogg, North Frontenac Councilor Gerry Martin, Flinton Relay Chair Carolyn Hasler and Craig Faucette, manager with the Canadian Cancer Society of Frontenac Lennox and Addington.

Relay committee member Sue Tobia spoke about why so many relay and said, “Everyone has their own reason to be here and has likely known at least one person who has fought, perhaps lost but hopefully survived this horrible disease.” She stressed the main goal of the event: “We are here to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer; it is their strength that inspires us to continue to fight. We must also remember loved ones lost to the disease... and lastly we fight back against a disease that takes way too much from us.” She also poignantly reflected on how the event mirrors the events that a person with the disease experiences, from their initial diagnosis to their treatments and hopefully their recovery, and all of the emotional highs and lows that go along with such a diagnosis.

Craig Faucette said that it was his first time attending a Relay event in Flinton and he expressed his gratitude to the participants and organizers. “These community Relay events help to bring the entire community together and I am really amazed by how members of this community continue to put on such a great event. It's amazing to witness it in person.”

Seven-year breast cancer survivor Sherry Tebo was the event’s keynote speaker and she spoke at length about her personal experience after being diagnosed. Her speech focused not on the ordeal of treatments and surgeries, but instead on the positivity of those who help all cancer survivors to keep going. “Without the support of family, neighbors and friends, many of us survivors would not have had the success with this fight that we have had. I feel fortunate at having gone through this fight living here in Flinton and having such great encouragement from the folk in this community.” Following the speeches, 82 cancer survivors of all ages were joined by family and friends and walked the first lap. They were joined in the second by members of the 21 teams, many dressed to the nines and carrying flags and banners. Carolyn Hasler, who has been chairing the Flinton Relay since its inception in 2010, said the reason she keeps returning to head up the event is partly due to the fact that she is by nature a community volunteer but also someone who has had loved ones affected by the disease. “There needs to be a cure for cancer and we just need to help to find it and though it might not happen in my lifetime, I think that by holding these events, we are helping to do our part in that.”

In 2011 the Flinton Relay raised over $130,000. This year the goal is $70,000 and Hasler feels confident that that is a realistic goal. Countless talented artists from the community donated their gifts and time in a number of special presentations and performances that happened throughout the night.

The Relay for Life fundraising event returns to Flinton after a one-year absence, and in spite of forecasts of rain, organizers are hoping the event lives up to the standard that was set in previous years.

Twenty-one teams will share in the 2013 relay, which kicks off with opening ceremonies at about 7 pm behind the Flinton Recreation Centre. Sue Tobia will introduce the corporate sponsors (all local businesses); there will be greetings from Addington Highlands and North Frontenac Councils, and Relay Chair Carolyn Hasler will also speak, and then the keynote address will be delivered by Sherry Tebo, a cancer survivor who has a story to tell.

The Survivors lap will start at about 7:30, and the relay will be underway in earnest.

The general public is invited to visit the relay, and there will be a silent auction and raffles as well, so bringing a chequebook is a good idea. The Luminaries will be set out at 9:30 and the Luminary lap will follow.

As the night wears on a number of other events will take place, including a male beauty pageant and pizza at 11:30 courtesy of John Grand. Breakfast is served at 4:45, courtesy of Northbrook Foodland, and relay will wrap up by about 6:00 am.

The fundraising goal for this year’s relay was set at $70,000 and a few days before the event, Carolyn Hasler said she has “no idea; I haven’t a clue how much money is going to be raised. But I know we’ll have a good time, even if we have to bring an umbrella and raincoat along.”

On Thursday, June 20 at 11:15am a closing ceremony will be held at Sharbot Lake Public School. Former students and staff as well as the general public are invited to come out to mark the event, which will include speeches and performances by current students.

“We will also be opening a time capsule that was done in the year 2000” said school principal, David Allison, “and there will be a memory room devoted to displaying artefacts from the school’s history.”

There will be tours of the building available for those who are interested.

David Allison is also putting out an appeal to the community for materials that may be of historical interest. It’s kind of a last chance for show and tell at the school. Anyone who would like to contact the school about the artefacts they are planning to bring can call 279-2103 to let the school know, or they can just bring them on the 20th to share with others.

“The school has been such an integral part of the community” said Allison, “and we would like as many people as possible to come out for its send-off as the students prepare to move just down the road to the new school next year.”

Come out and show your support for Habitat for Humanity’s Tichborne Build this  Saturday (10am to 4pm) & Sunday (1pm to 5pm). “Quilts and Beyond” will be held at 1010 Lawn & Garden Centre, corner of Clement Rd. and Road 38. The greenhouse will also be open to purchase that special plant or shrub for your garden. 

Habitat for Humanity, with the support of the community, builds modest, affordable homes, then sells them to qualifying families, with no financial down payment and no interest on the mortgage. Habitat helps those who are helping themselves; hard working families striving to get ahead in our community.

During the “Quilts & Beyond” show, over 35 local quilts will be on display, along with other fabric arts including dolls, clothing, embroidery, hand hooked floor mats.    

Admission is $10 and includes a raffle ticket and some great homemade refreshments. Musical entertainment is provided throughout the day and will include Debbie Barkley, a well known local singer. 

We’ll also have a number of vendors selling their wares, such as Water’s Edge Pottery offering one of a kind functional pottery, Cecelia Slack with a number of handmade fabric articles, Debbie Emery who makes fabulous denim purses and wooden frames, and Betty Hunter with her handmade woollen products. 

This event is the kick off to the local team’s fundraising efforts in support of the Habitat Tichborne build. The show should be very interesting and a lot of fun; and we know everyone will enjoy the homemade goodies. 

Please come out and support our efforts to bring affordable housing to hard working families in our community! 

Also, if you would like to get involved with Habitat for Humanity in other ways, please contact Sharon Matthews at 613-375-8343, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We are looking for people who can hammer nails, do landscaping or paint during the build; people who like organizing and fundraising; those who can make sandwiches for the workers; suppliers who can donate materials and contractors who can donate some time. We can use your help as we try to get Habitat working for our community.

Former NHL Hockey great, Theo Fleury, passed through Sharbot Lake on his “Victor Walk”, an effort to bring attention to the issues surrounding childhood sexual abuse.

Fleury, 44 years old, wrote about his own experience of childhood sexual abuse in his 2009 autobiography titled Playing with Fire in which he wrote of the sexual abuse he experienced by his former junior hockey coach Graham James, who is currently serving jail time for abusing Fleury and also former junior player Sheldon Kennedy (who also went on to play in the NHL). James recently had his sentence increased from two to five years by an appeals court in February 2013.

Fleury, who since writing his book has become a vocal advocate for childhood sexual abuse survivors, believes that awareness is critical to promoting healing.

Fleury last played in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2002/2003 season and he is best known for his career with the Calgary Flames where he played on and off for 11 seasons. It was with the Flames that Fleury won the Stanley Cup in 1989. He also played with the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers and he was part of the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Fleury's Victor Walk began in Toronto at the Child Abuse Monument there on May 13 and it will end at Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 23 where he said he aims to get the attention of politicians there and in doing so, hopes to see stricter child sexual abuse laws passed in this country. “When it comes to childhood sexual abuse, we have been sweeping it under the carpet for 100,000 years. In this country alone there are eight million survivors of childhood sexual abuse, 63 million in the U.S. and almost one billion world wide,” Fleury said when I spoke to him by the side of Highway 7 on May 20 near Sharbot Lake Provincial Park. “The system in Canada is backwards. It protects the perpetrators and re-victimizes the survivors. The reason we are calling this walk the ‘Victor Movement’ is because it's the opposite of victim. The experience that happened to me occurred when I was young and innocent and I now consider myself a victor over it.”

Upon his arrival in Ottawa Fleury will be reading his Victor Impact Statement along with others. When I came across him on Victoria Day, Fleury was flanked by a large Winnebago, a jeep and by fellow walkers, best friend Zoran Zelic of Calgary and Los Angeles film maker Michael Lynch. Lynch is shooting a documentary film about the walk. Fleury, who has been walking 50-60km a day since the walk began, said that some of the best conversations he has had in his life have happened while walking and that that is what inspired him to hit the highway with his cause.

“I thought, ‘Let's just go for a walk and see what happens', and it's really been life changing. People all along the way are seeking us out and are telling us their own personal stories.” Asked why it is so important to get these stories out, Fleury said, “It's part of the healing process. It gets rid of the shame, shame that we have been carrying around for years and that really is not our shame to bear. The shame belongs to the people that abused us and to the politicians in Ottawa for not doing enough and to the judges who give out lenient sentences.”

Proceeds raised from Fleury's Victor Walk will go to supporting an expansion at Siksika Health Services in the Siksika Nation in Alberta, who have partnered with Fleury on the walk, as well as to Edmonton’s Little Warriors Foundation and the Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte and District in Belleville, Ont. For more information or to donate to the cause visit www.victorwalk.com.