On Family Day, February 17, residents of Bedford Township had a chance to show off both their past and present at an event that was held at the Bedford Historical Research Centre, located at the Glendower Hall on the Westport Road. The event, which was organized by Gerald Stinson, chair of the Bedford District Historical Research Committee, included displays by the Bedford District and Portland District historical groups. Included in these displays were a number of local family histories, books, photos, tools and more. Township resident Wayne Shepherd had on display his personal collection of historical glass and oil lamps and Lois Webster also brought a number of historical artifacts from her own personal collection.

The event included a number of residents in the area who are involved in the arts. Scott White had an assortment of his paintings, many of them based on buildings and landscapes from the area, and Raphael Kerem, of Radiance of the Ordinary Studio in Burridge, displayed his hand-crafted brooms and brushes. Wolfe Erlichman of the Wintergreen Renewable Energy Co-operative had a booth set up advertising that group's interests as did representatives from the Wintergreen Studio, the eco-lodge and educational retreat centre located on Canoe Lake Road. There were also representatives from Eco Tree Care, a business that operates out of Burridge.

Stinson said the event, which also ran last year, is a way for the historical groups in the area to open up their collections to the public and for other organizations and businesses to get exposure as well. Stinson said the turnout this year was not as large as he hoped for and that the numbers were significantly down from last year. That being said, Stinson said it does not mean that the event will not run again next year. Stinson said he got involved with the research centre after looking into his family roots and becoming interested in his own family tree.

“The historical society is a great way for local residents to find out more about their roots and about the local history of the area.

Letters,April 14, 2005

Letters April 14, 2005

LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb Home

Contact Us

Poor Mans Pecan Pie

I enjoy the Food and Friends recipes and wondered if anyone in our area has the recipe for Poor Mans Pecan pie made with oatmeal instead of pecans. I think it may have been in the United Church Cook Book put out by St. Pauls Harrowsmith a few years ago. My copy is lost. Thank you.

Shirley Dirksen

Re: Queens test site for blasting in Godfrey area.

Over the past few years I have had problems with the Queens test site in the Godfrey area. I have spoken to several people at Queens about this, but to no avail. They test dynamite by blasting.

When this happens on an overcast day, the vibrations are much stronger through the ground, causing my house to vibrate. I have a cracked foundation. My house is still being built. Last Saturday was an overcast day (April 2) and two blasts were put off that rocked my house. When I spoke to the guy who was in charge of the blasts, he said it was because it was overcast. Well, if he knew this was a problem, then why did he do it? After I complained, he said he would stop the next blast because it was even stronger. But he would be back next Saturday. Thanks a lot, Queens! If I had been told they were here, I would have found another place to live. I am here now, so what can I do but complain to someone who doesn't listen. I am asking if anyone else has had any problems with this test site? I have heard of windows being blown out in the past. I am sure there is a noise bylaw somewhere. Maybe if we have strength in numbers we can do something about this.

- J. Blondin, Godfrey

PS. In the end, there was no blasting on April 9, but there is always next week.

Feature Article - April 27, 2006

Back toHome

Feature Article - April 27, 2006

High salt levels in water

by JeffGreen

Central Frontenac Township officials confirmed this week that elevated salt readings have been found in water tests at the township garage located on Road 38 between Godfrey and Parham. Elevated salt levels have also been found in the wells on neighbouring properties as well.

The township stores a salt/sand mixture in a large pile at the site.

Bill Nicol, the Public Works manager for Central Frontenac, said that the provincial Ministry of The Environment contacted the township about the salt levels in the groundwater in the vicinity of the garage, and requested that the township investigate the cause of the heightened levels.

Jackie Theoret, the eastern regional communications advisor for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MoE) told the News that a neighbouring resident complained about salty water in August of 2005.

“An environmental officer attended the site and took a water sample. When lab results indicated elevated levels of sodium, the officer returned to collect samples at the township yard and two additional wells. Lab results indicated elevated sodium levels in three of the four samples,” said Theoret.

Theoret also said that “preliminary investigations indicate salt storage practices in township garage to be the most likely source [of the elevated levels],” and the MoE has requested that the township submit a work plan to investigate the off-site impacts of the salt storage.

“In accordance with that request, we have contracted Golder and Associates to do an engineering study,” said Bill Nicol. “They will be reporting back to us in June, and we will have to take appropriate measures at that point.”

In the meantime, the affected residents have been provided with bottled water at the expense of the township.

The township’s work plan, which is under consideration as Central Frontenac Council considers their budget this month, includes the construction of a salt containment dome, with an asphalt ground cover, at the Godfrey garage site.

The township has set aside monies in the past two years to go towards salt containment structures in the township, in accordance with provincial regulations regarding salt containment.

Other Stories this Week View RSS feed

Feature Article - May 25, 2006

Back toHome

Feature Article - May 25, 2006

Councillor makes 11th hour plea to delay building salt dome

by Jeff Green

Central Frontenac Public Works Manager Bill Nicol often expects to face debate when he makes proposals to council, but he must have been surprised when Councilor Bob Harvey spoke out against awarding a tender to Derrick’s Construction for $240,000 to build a salt dome at the township’s Godfrey yard on Road 38, two years after the project was first discussed by Council.

Harvey did not take issue with the price. He is concerned over the location, saying that an engineering study as to the suitability of the site for salt storage should be completed before proceeding any further.

“We have never had an engineer looking at that site to tell us whether it is suitable for a salt storage facility. We are now spending money to put up a storage shed at a location that has already had salt problems. I can see future problems putting a shed on that site,” Harvey said, referring to public complaints that are under investigation concerning salt leaching from the exposed salt/sand pile at the site.

Bill Nicol replied by saying “This issue has been with us for five years, and this site has been talked about for a while … A recommendation by Golder and Associates [an engineering firm], regarding this site was forwarded to me back on December 31st, and it was part of a salt management plan that was submitted to the province last year.”

Bob Harvey was still not satisfied. He said that a shed put up years ago by the provincial Ministry of Transportation at Brooke Valley ended up failing. The province had to purchase a house and property 300 metres away and tear down the shed.

“The site we are talking about here is the worst I’ve seen,” said Harvey . “When you put up a storage shed you don’t eliminate the contamination. I was hoping an engineering study would come forward.”

Several years ago, the provincial government decreed that all municipalities must move towards storing road salt in storage sheds where they will not be exposed to the elements, in order to limit environmental effects from salt leaching into groundwater.

Townships were charged with preparing salt management plans, and were given until the end of 2007 to ensure that all salt they store is contained.

Two years ago, Central Frontenac Council decided to consolidate their four township garages into two, one on Road 38 at Godfrey and one of Hwy. 7 north of Mountain Grove, partly so that they could build two salt storage domes instead of 4. Bill Nicol plans to build the second shed at the Olden Garage next year.

Another councilor, Logan Murray, had problems with Nicols’ plan to hire Derrick’s Construction, but Murray ’s problem was one of process rather than location.

“I think a contract of this size should have gone to tender instead of just seeking a quote, as was done.”

Bill Nicol explained that he has looked at various designs for storage sheds and thinks that the design proposed by Derrick’s Construction is superior to the other designs he has seen.

“There were no other companies available that could build this kind of building for us, so I didn’t really have anything to tender,” he said.

In a recorded vote, seven councillors voted in favour of contracting Derrick Construction to build a storage shed at the Godfrey garage. Councillors Harvey and Murray voted against the motion.

Other Stories this Week View RSS feed

Dec 4/08 - NFLT's Opening Night

Back toHome

Feature Article - December 4, 2008 It was all in the performances on Opening NightBy Jeff Green

Kelli Bell, as Libby Husniak, and Dick Miller was Clayton Fry in Opening Night

The North Frontenac Little Theatre presented Opening Night, by the popular Canadian playwright Norman Foster, in Sharbot Lake last weekend.

Opening Night is about a disastrous performance of a fictional Canadian play, “Whisper in the Wind”, a not so obscure reference to the W.O. Mitchell classic “Who Has Seen The Wind.”

All of the problems with “Whisper in the Wind” are set against the turmoil in the lives of the actors, director, audience members, and stage hands, making “Opening Night” a comedic commentary on the lives of middle-aged, middle-class Canadians in an unnamed mid-sized city.

“Opening Night” was a platform for the Little Theatre to serve up some very disciplined, strong performances by an eight-member cast.

John Pariselli led the cast as Richard Hyde-Finch, the self-important director of “Whisper in the Wind”, whose less than stellar directing career could be entirely derailed by the disastrous production, just as his five-year relationship to Cilla Frazer (Linda Jack) is headed towards a crisis. Hyde-Finch is not a nice man. His humour is bitter, his tone is frosty and superior, and when things go badly for him the audience has little reason to feel sympathy.

Pariselli caught all of nuances, and was quick with Hyde-Finch’s barbs, proving he could be very much at home with satire. The audience on the night I attended seemed to catch every line.

Linda Jack, as the long-suffering Cilla, had to wait a while for her opportunity to get a few lines in against Hyde-Finch, but when she did in the latter parts of the play, she demonstrated excellent comedic timing.

Jack and Ruth Tisdale, (Craig Godfrey and Karen Steele) are a couple attending their first theatrical performance together on the night of their 25th wedding anniversary. She is naive and star-struck in face of theatre people, and he would rather be at a ball game or selling varnish. Karen Steele gave Ruth Tisdale, who is perhaps the most sympathetic character in the play, the right combination of good-heartedness, naivetand humour. When Craig Godfrey hunched onto the stage in Jack Tisdale's plaid jacket, it was immediately obvious this guy didn’t belong in the theatre and that he was bound to cause more than a bit of discomfort for his wife, and Godfrey carried that same attitude right through the play.

John Stephens played Michael Craig, an over the hill actor who is being thrown over by Hyde-Finch, in a sufficiently earnest and needy way, setting up his transformation into a mad man who takes over the second act of “Whisper in the Wind” and begins to deliver a soliloquy from The Tempest. It was a nice touch when he makes his curtain call wearing a straight jacket.

Kelli Bell, as the eager but not so accomplished actress Libby Husniak, did a fine job in playing the object of Hyde-Finch’s sublimated desire, and as the daughter in “Whisper in the Wind” she was very funny, especially on the two occasions when she went catatonic.

Dick Miller was Clayton Fry, a British actor and ladies man hopelessly miscast as a southern farmer in “Whisper in the Wind”. Miller played well with that, stretching out the farmer's drawl only to lose the accent completely every once in a while.

Finally, Dylan McConkey, as Tom Delaney, the waiter/aspiring actor, had a number of opportunities for physical comedy. The best took place when he took the stage to play the farmer's daughter after Libby Husniak fainted opposite Michael Craig, who was by then in the midst of his Shakespearian rant. (I guess you had to be there).

Doug MacIntyre did a good job directing this excellent cast, whose quick wits brought out all the laughs in “Opening Night”.

Photo: Irene Monds and Linda Godfrey

On September 12, 2009, a long-time dream of mine was realized when 80 people gathered for a Godfrey family reunion at the Arden Legion.

I started researching my family’s genealogy to pass the time while awaiting surgery. Through the internet, I connected with others who were also searching and someone sent me an old newspaper clipping of Herbert Godfrey and Herbert Bell beside the grave of my great-great grandfather, John J. Godfrey, on the old Godfrey homestead. 

My brother Robert, his family and I, along with our cousin Marjorie Godfrey Burton, made our first trip to Arden in July 2007 but did not find the stone. However, I did find out that Mr. and Mrs. Monds owned the property that John J. Godfrey and Eliza Boomhower once owned. The farm is on the east side of Arden Road, across from Bill Pringle's home, which is the old homestead of Peter Mosier (1816) and Mary Boomhower (1821). It has been said that wherever the Godfreys went, the Mosiers went too. 

I then decided to organize a reunion, which was held on September 12. We discovered that all the Godfreys could not only cook well, they also like to eat, and we had enough food to feed an army. The matriarch of the family is Isobella Godfrey Tice, 83, who is the daughter of Ashley and Mary Godfrey, and loves music and dancing! The reunion was the most amazing and moving experience in my life.

Some of the group drove to the Monds’ residence and they were so gracious in letting us roam the property. We found the original icehouse, root cellar, and old barn. Mrs. Monds enlightened us about the farm and the people of Arden, and her husband Earl told us where we would find the grave of our great-great grandfather. The next day we returned and found the stone, on which is written: John J. Godfrey, died Nov. 30, 1878, age 57 yrs. A loving friend, a father dear/a tender parent lieth here/Great is the loss we here sustain.

Bill Pringle said he used to play there as a boy and that there was another stone beside it. We didn’t find the second stone, but will return in two years to look for it. I know that Mary Belanger, John Godfrey, Philip Godfrey Sr., James John Godfrey and perhaps Eliza are also buried there and I would like to do something about preserving the cemetery.

In my research I found a memoir written by Ruby Brown of the Heath clan in Arden, which states that Arden is a "little bit of heaven on earth". I call it Mystical Arden, and it truly is "heaven on earth". The stars in the sky glisten and pristine lakes abound. Many family roots come from this tiny town and it seems to have a special place within their hearts as well as mine.

As I gazed out over Kennebec Lake, I thought of how much my family wanted to go back to Arden. They often spoke of Ole Kennebec and their memories. My aunt used to tell of horse-drawn sleigh rides on the cold winter nights. They would be home playing cards and they could hear the sleds racing by and they could tell by the bells who was winning.

Arden isn't big now, nor was it back in the 1800s, so everyone married their neighbours; thus, all of Arden and its families’ histories were celebrated on Sept. 12. I can promise you it will not be the last gathering; I am already working on the next one for 2011.

We would like to thank everyone for attending and for the wonderful food. We would also like to thank Earl and Irene Monds and Bill Pringle for all their help, and the wonderful people from the Legion in Arden who were so gracious to us, especially Angie Deline, who did a great job in assisting me. 

 

Back to HomeFeature Article - July 30, 2009 Old time musicians gather in Godfrey to competeby Julie Druker

Mitch Baker (left) accompanies Ellice Wolfreys in the L2 guitar class of the Frontenac Old time Music Championships in Godfrey

There was standing room only yet again at the Piccadilly Hall in Godfrey for the 2nd annual Frontenac Old Time Music Championships this past weekend. Musicians and singers took their turns center-stage singing and playing in a number of classes that included singing, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar.

Singers competed on Saturday and on Sunday, when I visited, it was the musicians’ turn. Emcee Brother Brian of Queen’s University radio station CFRC controlled the mike and entertained the crowd with jokes in-between the classes.

Judges Bruce Clow, Jan Fox, Mel McDougal and Joe Sanders, all professional musicians in their own right, judged competitors using five different criteria: pitch, rhythm, musicianship, technique and stage presence. During breaks in the completion the judges took turns playing for the crowd. Judge Jan Fox, a songwriter from Kingston, was a first-time judge and said, “It’s been a really great show. The performers have all been really great and we have had competitors at all levels and of all ages which makes things very interesting.”

Joan Shepherd, who organized the event, was pleased with the turnout this year and said that the singing classes, new this year, were well received but could have seen more entries.

That being said she recalled a number of singers who wowed the crowd on Saturday, including eight-year-old twins Alex and Jack Revell of Verona who stole hearts when they sang a pirate song decked out in costumes. Fifteen-year-old professional singer Dallas Daisy Arney was also a memorable entry in her singing class.

Sam Johnston of Perth Road village competed for his first time this year in the K4 mandolin class and did a heart-felt rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Faded Love” that won him first place.

Mitch Barker is a regular participant at the jams and also competed for his second year in the event. For his guitar class he played “Faded Love” and “Geisha Girl” by Hank Locklin, which won him a first place ribbon.

Next year the event will be held at the Bedford hall, the new home location for the bi-weekly jams and Joan informed me that workshops in banjo, mandolin and fiddle and guitar will be added to next year’s event.

Joan explained, “There will be beginner, intermediate and advanced workshops so that musicians who want to improve their skills will have a chance to do so.”

The regular jams sessions will continue every other Sunday from 1:30-4:30PM at the Bedford hall on Westport Road. For more information please visit www.frontenacoldtimemusic.com .

Canada Post spokesman John Caines said last week that home delivery is not on the chopping block in rural Canada.

Although the embattled company will begin phasing out home delivery next month in urban and suburban areas, Caines said that a process of re-evaluating rural addresses was undertaken by the company a couple of years ago and no further changes are envisioned at this time.

He confirmed that changes in the hours at three post offices in Frontenac and western Lanark County - Godfrey, Parham and Maberly - are under consideration but said the specific changes as well as their implementation date are still up in the air.

“We have been looking at our retail outlets, based on foot traffic, and we are looking to tailor our hours to when people use our services most. We have been in consultation with the union, as part of our collective bargaining agreement, about the hours at those locations, but no conclusions have been made, and there is no time frame on it.”

When asked if Saturday closing would form part of the changes to the three offices, Caines said, “Saturday is not a good day for us in terms of customer traffic. No business stays open during times when customers do not use their service.”

Canada Post is making changes to its service delivery model in a effort to reverse a trend, brought on by the widespread changes in communications technology in recent years, which are projected to result in $1 billion yearly losses for the Crown corporation by the year 2020.

The corporation turned a profit for 16 consecutive years until 2010, a year in which it turned a net profit of $314 million. However, in 2011 the company reported a net loss of $188 million.

It returned to profitability in 2012 to the tune of $127 million, but that was done, according to the company’s annual report for the year, “largely due to reductions in the future costs of sick leave and post-retirement health benefits ... a result of reaching new collective agreements with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.” That agreement only came about after a bitter strike in June of 2012 that was ended by back-to-work legislation.

In 2013 Canada Post's financial results plummeted sharply, with losses in excess of $100 million in the third quarter alone.

Wholesale changes in its delivery model, including a sharp increase in stamp prices and an end to home delivery in urban Canada, were announced late in the year.

(Publisher’s note – In all likelihood, this copy of the Frontenac News was delivered to your mailbox, directly to your home, at a community box, or at your local post office box, by Canada Post. We have no plans to alter that method of delivery, which remains the most effective option we have found for delivery in our distribution area. Canada Post has indicated that there will be little if any change in service levels that would affect the timely delivery of the Frontenac News to the 9,219 households that receive our newspaper through the mail.)

Back to HomeFeature Article - June 11, 2009 Dancin’ down the debtBy Julie Druker

Jim Stinson does the 5 hole split at the Frontenac Community Arena fundraiser on Saturday

A number of local hockey fans sacrificed game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday night, choosing instead to support local hockey and its newly expanded arena.

Folks from far and wide gathered for a dance at the Frontenac Community Arena in Godfrey, where they busted their moves to the rockin’ sounds of the local band Still Standin’.

Jim Stinson, chair of the arena renovation and expansion project, was thrilled with the turnout and given his five-year financial projection this will definitely not be the last soiree that will happen at the arena.

By the end of the evening 255 tickets had been sold and $4000 was raised. Congratulations to Cory Thompson of Godfrey, an ex-Frontenac Flyer who won $95 at the "5-hole split" shootout event, which attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

Stinson projects that the $640,000 project, which includes an addition to the building, four new dressing rooms, a referee’s room, and remodeled washroom facilities, will still be owing $200,000 at the end of Year 5, two years hence.

Anyone who missed the dance and would like to contribute to the cause can still buy a brick for $100. Similarly, platinum, gold, silver and bronze donations are still available and those donors' names will be added to the plaque that hangs in the arena’s main foyer.

Fundraising for the arena is entering high gear and Terry Gibson of Verona is in the final planning stages of the Mike Smith Charity Golf Tournament, which will take place at the Rivendell Golf Club in Verona on July 23.

Participants can rub shoulders with many hockey greats on the greens and rumour has it that an Ovechkin hockey sweater will be offered on the auction block.

For more information or to make a donation to the Arena Renovation and Expansion Project please call Jim Stinson at 613-374-2177.

Canada Post is planning to cut 25% of its hours at the Parham, Godfrey and Maberly post offices.

The proposed cuts were announced via letters to township councils on January 8, and communicated directly to the postmasters involved by Glen Baldock, the local area manager for Canada Post in Kingston. The changes include eliminating Saturday hours in all three locations, and cutting overall hours from 36 to 27.

While the hours are somewhat different in all three locations, the changes would result in later openings and earlier closings on weekdays, with the notable exception being Thursday afternoons, when extended hours are being contemplated.

The postmasters at all three locations, who are unionized employees under a collective bargaining agreement with the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA), were reluctant to talk about the proposed changes, but they did say that they were not consulted about the proposals before Glen Baldock came to see them a week or so ago. Without going into detail, they said they did offer alternatives to Baldock, based on their own experience with their customers.

They expressed a concern, as did a number of customers we talked to, that the earlier closings in the afternoons, along with the Saturday closings, will make it difficult for customers who work 9am-5pm jobs to get their mail at the post office.

If the changes go through as contemplated, it will result in the Godfrey and Maberly post offices being open from 11 am – 4 pm Mondays to Wednesdays and on Fridays, and 11 am – 6 pm on Thursdays.

In the case of the Godfrey post office, this will not be possible, because the office is located within LD Powersports, which closes at 5 pm each day. The post office does not have a separate entrance so it must close when LD closes.

In Parham, where the current hours of operation are 9am until 12 noon and 2 - 5:30 pm on weekdays, and 9 am -12:30 pm on Saturdays, it is proposed that the hours will be 9 am until 12 noon and 2:30 to 4:30 on each day except Thursday, when the afternoon opening is to be extended until 6:30 p.m.

According to the letter Glen Badock sent to the local councils, “A careful review has determined that we have a very small number of local customers” during the hours of the day that Canada Post is planning to cut.

This review was based on the time of day when most sales are made at the outlets, which is tracked by the Canada Post computer, but the postal employees at the locations said that the data does not account for the use of the post office by customers to pick up their mail, which is not tracked.

In his letter to the townships, Baldock indicated that a final decision about the changes has not been made yet. “We will be holding discussions with the local representatives of our employees' associations, the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA) and will communicate the results with you once these discussions have occurred. Rest assured that these potential changes will take our customers' and your constituents’ postal needs into consideration. We remain committed to providing postal services in urban and rural communities across the country.”

The News called Glen Baldock for comment but we did not receive a return call before our publication deadline for this week's paper.