Southern Frontenac Community Services has been serving South Frontenac and rural Kingston for three decades, and in July 2020 the organization will be celebrating thirty years as a charity. The Board of Directors is looking for volunteers who are interested and able to commit to helping plan special events up to and including the big day, July 4, 2020.

“We know that many people have been positively impacted by the services provided through SFCSC over the years,” says Executive Director, David Townsend, “and we’d really like to hear from them as we plan for the year ahead.”

SFCSC is looking not only for folks who have been touched by their programs, but also for those who have skills they are willing to share to enhance the events. “If you have marketing acumen, design skills, or special event expertise, we’d be delighted for your support,” adds Townsend.

Interested volunteers are asked to review a Terms of Reference for the committee that are posted on the organization’s website at sfcsc.ca under the “Get Involved” tab. Directions for submitting an Expression of Interest are also on that page.

Volunteers are asked to submit a maximum 500-word letter as an Expression of Interest to sit on the planning committee, no later than Friday, August 16, 2019. In the letter, applicants are asked to suggest one idea they have to recognize the anniversary, and describe their skills and interest.

Applicants will be notified by the end of August, and will meet in September

There are farms. There are gardens. And then there is Robert and Sue Clinton’s back yard, a ‘garden’ that rather defies description, unless of course that description is “awesome.”

The Clintons’ spread was one of the eight properties featured in this year’s (2nd Annual) South Frontenac Garden Tour, a fundraiser for Seniors Services of Southern Frontenac Community Services consisting of a tour around their service area highlighting notable horticultural pursuits and a lunch provided by Chartwell Conservatory Pond Retirement Residence.

“It’s not a farm, it’s a folly,” says Robert Clinton. “I refuse to spray or water but there’s not a blemish on my (Asian) pears.

“The stuff that works, I plant more . . .”

And there’s a lot working here.

Technically, the Clintons will admit to having adopted the permaculture philosophy, which (according to Wikipedia) is a set of design principles centred around whole systems thinking simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and resilient features observed in natural ecosystems.

To that end, they have an entire field dedicated to a series of earth berms that provide and retain water.

Their garlic plants use a hugelkultur approach, which is the practice of burying large volumes of wood to increase soil water retention. They have about 500 garlic plants that appear to be doing quite well.

But while they do grow things most would associate with farming in this area (beans, flowers for their honey operation, plums, grapes and such), there is also an eclectic mix of things you probably wouldn’t expect to see in a South Frontenac farm/garden.

For example, they have thriving paw paw trees, which are normally associated with the Carolinas and the Southern U.S. They have three kinds of currents (red, white and black), shitake mushrooms, Asian pears, mulberry trees, heartnut trees (just like it sound, the nut is shaped like a heart), spindle trees (which were once used for making spindles on spinning wheels).

“The heart nuts and pine nuts are for the next generation,” Robert said.

They also have haskap berries, which is a sweet/sour berry that looks something like a large blueberry that’s shaped more like a football.

“They’re also called honey berries and they’re the new super berry,” Robert said.

In total, the Clintons have 1.7 acres of main garden/arboretum plus another four acres of woodlot/solar panel farm/berms etc.

“This was all furrowed fields when we bought 26 years ago,” said Sue. “Now, I do berries and vegetables and he’s the tree guy.”

Well, he is. He’s recently begun grafting Asian pears onto Barlett trees and it looks like this too will turn out to be a successful experiment.

But, while Clinton may have “always had the bug” to grow things, he’s getting to an age now where he’s adopted a particular philosophy as to what he’s doing.

“I’m not in the business of growing fruit,” he said. “I’m in the business of building soil.”

And doing it rather well, if the scores of fascinated visitors Sunday were any indication.

When contacted, tour organizer Nona Marriotti said the tour was “very, very busy this year. We sold over 100 tickets, and it was really, really good. People came from the United States, Kingston, over by Yarker and from South Frontenac,” she said.

One surprise bonus this year was that Chartwell Homes provided the lunch for tour participants.

“They provided box lunches, which was a bonus because people could sit and eat their lunch at the Grace Centre or they could take it with them with if they were in a hurry to visit the gardens.”

The tour includes gardens in the Inverary, Latimer and Sydenham areas, and Mariotti is hopeful that it will expand into other parts of the township in future years.

It is a fundraiser for Southern Frontenac Community Services, for which

Chartwell Homes – Conservatory Ponds. They were going to bring some people. Offered to provide the lunch. Could coe, pick it up and go, pr they could sit and eat it.

Chartwell provided boxed lunches for us. Everybody seemed very happy and very pleased with places. Asking for next year. I would like to see it go through and hit the whole county. Same day as the Sydenham Triathlon. Slowed a few people town. One of our gardeners had a sign in. Some people were from the states, Odessa area, kingsotn area. People who didn’t know South Frontenac said “they did not realise how beautiful it is here. “Very pleased with how it all turned out, and somebody really had pull with the weather. Sunday was the cool off day.

“Congratulations on your 9th anniversary,” Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith told the crowd at Railway Park in Sharbot Lake Saturday as the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society opened the Park for the 2019 season. “This has turned into a beautiful little park and such a great add-onto the village as a whole.

“People come from all over to see this, both kids and adults.’

And the park is well on its way to being what the Society members envisioned years ago when they bought a caboose and plunked it down on a stretch of Elizabeth Street without bothering to ask anybody if that was OK in a forgiveness-is-easier-to-get-than-permission moment.

“We just wanted to continue to let the public know we are here,” said vice-chair Gary Giller. “(Chair) Derek Redmond is in Australia right now but he wanted to see this done in an appropriate manner.

“He’s been a fantastic leader, keeping energy up, being instrumental in all that’s happened — working for signage, etc.”

Giller said another key member of the Society is Gene Kirkham, who was also instrumental in pulling together the walkway project.

“I’m just an amateur railroad historian and webmaster,” Kirkham said. “But it is sentimental for me.

“I come from a railroad family and as a kid, that’s all I heard.”

It’s sentimental for a lot of people.

Take John Bigham for example.

Bigham is an avid HO model railroad and has set up his system on a modular basis. One of his favourite modules is the old Sharbot Lake Station, with the Station House, water tower, freight shed, overpass, and rock cut.

He had several of his models on display Saturday.

“In 1972, I had a girlfriend who lived up on that hill right over there,” he said. “The tracks were gone by then but we could sit and watch the process of it being torn down.

“When I retired, I got into model railroading.”

“Our mandate is to preserve and promote the railway heritage of our community,” Giller said. “We rely on the community for support through membership.”

Memberships are available at the Caboose (open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Labour Day) or online at kickandpush.ca.wordpress.com or their Facebook Page.

On Saturday, June 29, 2019, the Buck Lake community held the 15"‘ annual Buck Lake Boatilla in support of Easter Seals’ Send a Kid to Camp campaign raising $26,800, with more funds still coming in! In total over the past 15 years, the Buck Lake Boatilla, has raised $277,000 and sent 111 children to Camp Merrywood, a fully accessible camp for children and youth with physical disabilities!

This year’s event once again provided kids an opportunity to spend a day on the water experiencing camp and boating fun. The fun-filled afternoon featured boat tours of the lake for community members and Easter Seals families, including 15 boats this year participating from the community. The Kasaboski Band provided live entertainment again as the attendees enjoyed their complimentary community BBQ donated by local stores and bought delicious treats from the children's bake sale.

The Buck Lake community donates 100% of all funds raised each year to the Easter Seals Send a Kid to Camp campaign, giving kids with physical disabilities the opportunity to boat, swim and fish and more at the fully-accessible Camp Merrywood on the Big Rideau.

For the past 97 years, Easter Seals has played an important role in providing programs that enable children with physical disabilities to experience greater freedom and focus on what they can do rather than on their limitations. Easter Seals provides funding for essential mobility and accessibility equipment, as well as fully accessible summer camp opportunities at its two properties, Camp Merrywood and Camp Woodeden.

By the time all the money is collected, counted and donated after the 15th Buck Lake Boatilla, Camp Merrywood will have received over $250,000 in donations over the history of the event.

Not bad for something that only came about because of vandalism on Buck Lake back about 20 years. According to a history of the boatilla that was written by Buck Lake resident Duncan Sinclair, a neighbourhood watch program was instituted after a rash of break-ins and fuel thefts from boats, etc.

The crimes stopped when some people moved away from the lake, but instead of disbanding, the group decided to look around for something else to do. They decided to start a ‘send a kid to camp’ with the goal of raising the $2,000 that it costs for one child with physical disabilities to attend Camp Merrywood.

The camp is located on Big Rideau Lake near Perth. It was opened in 1948 as a camp for children with polio, and has been providing traditional summer camp programming, tailored to physically disabled campers, ever since.

It was a bit of a precarious first year, highlighted by the fact the one of the organisers, Ross Trudel, spent much of the day trying to collect $5 per person from each of the boats, while they were on the water on a pretty windy day. He survived, and $3750 was raised, almost enough to send two kids to camp. Soon after the money collection issues were ironed out, and the focus of the Boatilla has shifted somewhat over the years, with one of the the focal points now being a BBQ at the Hidden Valley Road Campground (off Perth Road).

Over the years the scale of the event, and its fundraising success, has grown. For the last few years over $25,000 has been raised each year, and the participation of some of the Camp Merrywood campers has also added a new focus to the Boatilla.

This year’s event once again provides kids an opportunity to spend a day on the water experiencing camp and boating fun. The afternoon will begin at 1pm. and feature boat tours of the Lake, including over 30 boats participating from the community. Boatilla attendees will then enjoy a complimentary community BBQ, followed by the grand finale, a cheque presentation announcing the total raised for 2019. And again this year there will also be live entertainment by The Kasaboski Family Trio.

Easter Seals Ontario, the organisation that runs Camp Merrywood, has been an enthusiastic and grateful supporter of the Boatilla over the years. They also help to promote the event.

For further information about the Boatilla or to donate, go to easterseals.org/buck-lake-boatilla

Many fisherfolk in the area may have thought it was too wet and rainy to go fishing last Saturday, but the weather didn’t faze the 27 blind anglers and their 16 pro guides from venturing out on Kennebec Lake for the 31st annual Blind Anglers International Tournament (B.A.I.T.). This was the second consecutive year it’s been held at Springwood Cottages on Kennebec Lake, and organizers said they plan to return for next year’s tournament.

“This was our second year here, but we’ve still got some wrinkles to work out so we’re going to do it again next year,” said tournament chair Paul Riddell. The tournament is hosted by the Stittsville Lions Club.

This year, the top prize, Catch of the Day, went to Martin Collicott, an “American by birth but from Orleans now,” for a total weight of 12 pounds, including a seven-pound pike.

His guide, Ottawa’s Scott Campbell, representing AIM Marine, said the lunker pike was caught on a No. 3 Mepps.

“It was windy and wet and the best fishing ever,” said Collicott. “Scott was really good at picking spots.

“I’ve only missed three of these tournaments since 2000.”

Collicott said that being a Maritimer, being on the water is second nature to him.

“I grew up catching brook trout,” he said. “But when my eyes went south I kinda missed all that.

“This tournament is a good chance to get all that back.”

He said this was his first Catch of the Day win.

“It’s my second trophy though,” he said. “I did win biggest walleye one year and I had a big pike in the boat but lost it when we tried to get a picture.

“This pike is the biggest fish that never got away.”

Mike Thompson from Eganville shared the boat with Collicott and Campbell.

“I’ve been in about 20 of these, including that one time with Catch of the Day,” he said. “I always have a good time.”

And so do the guides.

“It’s such a fun day,” said pro Bob Boyer. “I’ll do it til the day I die.”

One of the biggest laughs of the day was provided by Coun. Tom Dewey, who brought greetings on behalf of Central Frontenac Township.

With the rain coming down outside, Dewey said in all seriousness: “It’s apparent to me that the anglers participating in this tournament look forward to this very special experience, whether they are catching a fish, or just sitting in the boat with the warm sun rays embracing their face,” at which point his wife Shirley reminded him it had been pouring rain all day, to the delight of the laughing crowd.

The organizers of the first-ever Frontenac Repair Cafe on Sunday in Sharbot Lake only had one complaint.

“We had plenty of fixers — we could have used more breakers,” said Derek Redmond. “A sunny day is not the best; we probably could have used a rainy day.”

But other than that, they did manage to fix nine items for 10 people, including sewing machines, speakers and Karen Burke’s candle holder.

“I’m so pleased,” she said.

“We had seven or eight fixers and four greeter/guides,” said Peter de Bassecourt. “But the day before, we only had three fixers so it worked out well.

“It’s nice, good to start off with less panic.”

He said it was a good turnout, even if there weren’t any bicycles, which he was expecting.

“The whole idea is that things just don’t have to go in the landfill,” he said. “Although, it’s educational too. I learned how to thread a surger.”

Fellow organizer Mary de Bassecourt said that Repair Cafe Frontenac is different from other cafes in that it is a “traveling circus that sets up in different locations around Frontenac County.”

To that end, the next Repair Cafe is scheduled for Bellrock Community Hall, June 23, to be followed by Perth Road United Church on July 28.

“And it’s looking like North Frontenac (Ompah) will come on board soon,” she said. “One visitor today remarked that the logo is the same one she’s seen in her home country of France.”

Another point worthy of note is how quickly this venture came together. The first meeting was March 19, meaning the repair cafe came together in just a little over two months, she said.

Mother Nature wasn’t very cooperative Saturday night as thick clouds covered the Star Gazing Pad on Road 506 in North Frontenac.

The moon was to be the star attraction for this opening event, but it was barely visible and what you could see was hazy at best.

This summer promises to be a busy one for star gazing organizers, as a star gazing course is in the works (tentatively scheduled for July), as are fundraisers for an observatory to house a telescope received as a gift from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

However, there are still six star parties planned for this summer.

On June 1, a trek through the Virgo/Coma galaxy cluster is planned. Jupiter should also be visible.

On July 6, summer and circumpolar constellations are scheduled to be the stars and Ganymede should dip behind Jupiter from 11pm to 11:15.

On Aug. 3 and 4, Jupiter and Saturn, along with their moons, are on tap and our own crescent moon in the evening features earthshine.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, it’s star names and their meanings in conjunction with the Islamic New Year, as many stars have Islamic names. Also, Jupiter’s great red spot should be visible all evening on the 31st.

On Oct. 5, the moons of Saturn, Jupiter and Earth take centre stage.

On Oct. 28, the star clusters Pleiades and Hyades as well as the Crab Nebula are the prime attractions.

The Town Crier and two of his assistants, Caden Stephenson and Johnathan Wisteard, rang in the breakfast and introduced the Mayor of North Frontenac, Ron Higgins, and the Mayor of Central Frontenac, Frances Smith. They both had some kind words to say about CL-NF, and how important it is to have an inclusive community.

Dean Walsh, the Executive Director of CL-NF talked about May being Community Living Month and all the upcoming events. He introduced David Yerxa, who talked about his Swim-a-Thon happening on May 15th, and he will be going around to collect from sponsors. Anyone who wishes to sponsor can also call the office.

Janet Barr of Employment Services talked about businesses’ involvement in the community, and how they empower people in the work place. With the help of workers from each establishment, Janet presented plaques to Cardinal Café, Maples Restaurant, Mom’s Restaurant, North and Central Frontenac Townships, and Woody’s Cycles.

When the owners of the Holiday County Manor, Jeff Day and Cor Lee, were living in Toronto, they enjoyed many of the cultural events, and one of their favourites was Cinco de Mayo.

They loved the food, the music, the cocktails, and the Pinatas. So, when they realised that the 5th of May is going to be on a Sunday this year, they thought that holding an afternoon party on the front porch and the lawn of the Manor would be a great way to kick off the summer season.

They are inviting their neighbours, and friends from around Frontenac County and the City of Kingston to enjoy some tacos, nachos, empanada’s, take a salsa lesson, dance a merengue, or drink a margarita. It runs from 2pm -6pm. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Those who register in advance, which can be done at the Holiday Country Manor Facebook page, will automatically be eligible for door prizes.

“We want people to come out and enjoy themselves and have a party on a Sunday afternoon,” said Jeff Day. “It’s been a long winter.”

“We are also kicking off our season. We have a murder mystery night the following Saturday as part of our Mother’s Day Weekend, and then the Sunday brunch on Mother’s Day, which is always busy and this year will be extended to 3 o’clock, so we are excited about that as well,” said Cor Lee.

For those who have never been to the Holiday Country Manor, these events are a great way to be introduced to the historic building in the centre of Battersea that is enjoying a renaissance as a destination spot to eat and spend the night.

For further information, go to Holiday country Manor on Facebook or call 613-353-2211