In order to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lanark Village settlement, the Lanark Highlands Basketry Museum is planning a very special exhibition and workshops for the 2020 season.

A couple of years ago the museum was given a basket found hanging in a barn in McDonalds Corners. It was obviously used for farm work, and made with  rough split ash splints and the top strengthened with a willow rod.  

This combination of materials interested me. Split black ash splints woven in plain weave  is typical of the indigenous basketry of this area. However, the use of willow is typical of baskets made by the settlers from Scotland and Ireland. 

My interpretation of this mystery basket is that at sometime the two different basketry materials were put together to make a strong agricultural basket. I wonder who made this  basket and when?

I am hoping to do further research, but until then I shall be using the basket as a symbol of the settlement in1820. This summer at the museum I shall  be teaching a gathering basket as a momento of the settlement

We shall hold workshops every month to make black ash splints, weave the basket and use willow for the rim. 

In order to be able to accomplish this, I am looking for an intern to work with me this summer and help with the workshops. If anyone is interested my website will have the details... https://www.lanarkhighlandsbasketrymuseum.ca/

On Saturday, February 8th from noon to 3 pm MERA is proud to welcome back to Dean Hall the Lanark Life Learners. The exhibition will run all of February, please see www.meraschoolhouse.org for when the building is open.

The Lanark Life Learners is a group of home learners from all over Lanark county who love learning through every day experiences.  We also love art!  We encompass a wide age range, and our art represents an eclectic collection of mediums and styles. Our artists will display pieces including sculpture, drawing, painting, and mixed medium.   The pieces include both the abstract and the literal, many are based in nature and most are full of fantasy and imagination. 

Our group believes that art is a form of individual expression.  Art is a universal language that people of all ages, interests and backgrounds can understand.  It is a way of story telling without using words.  It can be therapeutic or just plain fun! 

Because we believe that learning happens in all moments in life, art is an amazing way to explore a wide variety of subjects and topics. 

Each artist in the group has a different personal inspiration and has had different artistic training, but they find common ground in their love for expressing themselves and experiencing life through art. 

MERA is located at 974 Conc 9A Dalhousie in McDonalds Corners, ON.

North Frontenac Township officially opened its Re-Use Centre at the 506 Waste Disposal site (3444 Road 506) last week.

The site has been open since May but Public Works Manager Darwyn Sproule said they needed some time to “put together inventory and organize volunteers” before ‘officially’ opening.

The site is open from May 15 to October 1 annually, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

They will accept a variety of items including small furniture, garden equipment, sporting goods, tools, toys, hardware, books, windows and doors, housewares, clean wood, craft materials and paint (not spray).

They do not accept hazardous materials such as propane tanks, batteries, bulky items (ie furniture), food waste, tires, liquids, unsanitary items (toilets, sinks, etc), textiles or clothing.

They do encourage people to use their bulky items posting board for such things (appliances, electrical devices, furniture) but bulky items for repurposing will not be delivered to, unloaded or stored at the Centre or Waste Disposal Site.

Sproule said they are pleased with the way things have been going so far and excited about the future of the site.

“This is the highest order of recycling,” Sproule said. “Items are dropped off and usable right away.

“This is opposed to all the steps in ordinary recycling including washing by residents, collection by the Township, transport to a recycling depot and then transport to a place where the materials can be repurposed — all of which requires energy output of some sort.”

Sproule said the operation was well underway when he took over from former Public Works Manager Jim Phillips.

“The building was purchased and the foundation in when I came in,” he said. “Jim and waste/recycling lead hand Gary Thompson were the ones who toured similar operations like the one at McDonalds Corners and others and got things moving.”

OnSunday, December 3rd at 2:00 PM, the fine local band, The Tritones, will be presenting a concert at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners.

The Tritones is an original Jazz, Funk Jam Band. Playing the compositions of guitarist Franc van Oort, as well as standards from many different genres, their sound takes a refreshing new direction, celebrating the roots of American music while venturing into uncharted territory. It is sensitive, yet with an edge — adding elements of Latin, Blues and Rock.

The Tritones are made up of three very talented local musicians, who got together a number of years ago, and play at a range of local venues.

Frank van Oort plays lead guitar and contributes his own compositions. He moved to the Perth area from his native Holland in 1987, and has since been playing in local groups such as Powersnooze, The Usual Suspects and Tell Mama. A growing interest in Jazz led him to join forces with Cam and Dave.

On drums is Dave Colter who has been a mainstay of the Canadian music scene for 40 years. He has played with Grammy Award winners Bo Diddley and Pinetop Perkins, Juno Award winner Jack de Keyzer (with whom he toured for two and a half years and recorded the Juno-nominated album “Blues Thing”), and many others. He now lives near Perth.

Rounding out the group is Cam Gray on bass guitar. Cam’s love of music started with listening to his dad play the piano and the ukulele. After 8 years of dutiful piano lessons he picked up the guitar. Something to do with Hendrix and Johnny Winter. He, Franc and their friend Tim Wynne-Jones started a band in the late 1980s. Cam jumped from guitar to bass when they became a five piece with keys and drums. He’s still lovin’ music.

Tickets for the concert are $20, children under 16 are free, and are available only at the door.

Trina Conboy

MERA Administrator

The 15th Annual MERA Christmas Fair is the perfect place to shop locally, support local artists and artisans and to support Community Arts at MERA (McDonalds Corners/Elphin Recreation and Arts) which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This event is a major fundraiser for MERA. Vendors give MERA 20% of their gross sales, which for some of the larger vendors means they pay more to be in the MERA Christmas Fair than they do in larger fairs in Perth or Almonte. Come and support the vendors who support MERA!

This popular juried show features original one-of-a-kind creations: Hand Weaving (MERA Heritage Weavers & Heather Sherratt Handwoven clothing), woodcraft items, organic Chocolate by Ludwig, Strawberry Cottage beeswax candles & natural soaps, Beth Girdler’s natural honey, paintings, felted creations, soup kits, hand sewn items and preserves, Gift Bag Raffle, Bake Table, the Wizard’s Café, and hand-painted Christmas cards and much more!

Don't miss MERA's Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 18th from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For details about MERA, vendors and directions to MERA in McDonalds Corners go to www.meraschoolhouse.org.

Sunday, September 10, sees the return of the Blue Jeans Classical series at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonald’s Corners with the first of three concerts before Christmas. Concerts are held once a month and are at 2:00 PM.
Performing first on September 10th will be the world-renowned cellist, Paul Marleyn. He will be accompanied by the outstanding pianist, Frédéric Lacroix.

Mr. Marleyn has performed as a soloist with such symphony orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, European Chamber and the Belgrade Philharmonic, among others. As well, Paul has been a member of a number of outstanding quartets including the famed Tokyo Quartet, along with several other international groups. He has appeared at music festivals around the world as a featured performer, and has made several compact discs.

Accompanying Mr. Marleyn will be Frédéric Lacroix, who is one of the busiest and most popular pianist based in the Ottawa area. He has performed in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist, and has performed with many of Canada’s most important musicians. As well, he performs regularly with the National Arts Centre orchestra.
The next concert will feature the Harmonious Pigs, on Sunday, October 15th,

A chamber ensemble made up of three principal musicians from the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra: Shauna McDonald, clarinet; Susan Morris, oboe; and Benjamin Glossop, bassoon. These three friends and fine musicians love playing together and are thrilled to share their programme of woodwind music with you. You will hear a wide range of musical delights from Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras, including some favourite light classics and jazzy tunes. You will also discover the reason for our intriguing name!

The final concert of the series will feature Frédéric Lacroix on Sunday, November 12th. As mentioned in his bio above, Frédéric is an outstanding solo performer who is in constant demand, with rave reviews and a loyal following.
For more information, please check out the MERA website at meraschoolhouse.org

Tickets for each performance are $25, plus convenience fee, and are available at Ticketsplease.ca or (613) 485-6434. They can be picked up at the door.

The McDonalds Cornere Agricultural Society has cancelled its spring poultry auction, which was set for this Saturday, due to an advisory issued through OMAFRA and the Feather Board Command Centre concerning poultry Infectious Laryngotraceitism ILT.

ILT is an acute herpes viral respiratory tract infection of chickens and pheasants that may result in severe production losses. Losses occur due to excessive mortality, decreased growth rates and decreased egg production.

The Ag Society says it will hold the auction after the advisory is lifted.

From October 15 to 17, Lene Rasmussen, a master basketmaker from Wainfleet, Ont., gave two workshops on weaving with natural, unprocessed willow at the MERA (McDonalds Corners/Elphin Recreation and Arts) schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners. Rasmussen taught a two-day workshop on making a willow purse/handbag on Saturday and Sunday, and a one-day workshop to make garden globes on Monday. She grew all the willow that was used in the workshops and the participants were especially excited by the range of colors that were available for them to incorporate into their baskets. No dyes were used; the colors are all natural and come from the different varieties of willow.

For many of the students it was their first ever attempt at making a willow basket and it was a testament to Rasmussen’s ability as a teacher that they all left with finished baskets, complete with leather straps.

Rasmussen is dedicated to “re-introducing a very old craft”, the craft of willow basketry, which she finds both exciting and satisfying. She has established a business named Lakeshore Willows, where she grows about 30 different varieties of the plant and gives workshops, not only in making baskets but also in making structures such as living willow fences, huts, play tunnels etc.

For more information visit www.lakeshorewillows.com

Jim Bryson is an acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter who has toured and recorded with many other top-drawer Canadian artists such as Kathleen Edwards, Oh Susanna, the Weakerthans, and even the now legendary Tragically Hip.

He has recorded five albums of his own and has traveled around the country and beyond playing music for years.

So, you would think a Festival of Small Halls show at the Agricultural Hall in McDonalds Corners on Sept. 30 would be a minor event on his calendar.

That was not the case, however, for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, Jim Bryson, like all performers, draws on the energy of the crowd, and the audience last Friday was drawn into the groove he created from the songs on his latest album, Somewhere We Will Find Our Place, as performed by his crack four-piece band, featuring guitarist Blair Hogan.

With the small dance floor next to the stage filled by the time he was halfway through his third song, and the rest of the crowd listening intently and bopping in their chairs, Bryson seemed genuinely moved by the response.

Perhaps it was because things had not gone as well for him a few nights earlier in Owen Sound, where he said the crowd sat as far back as possible and seemed to be more interested in anything but the music.

Bryson's music does not fit neatly into categories, although Alt-Pop seems to be as good a fit as any. There is wry Canadian-style self-deprecating insecurity to his lyrics and his persona on stage.

However as was demonstrated by the audience reaction, it is as easy to sit back and listen to the songs and absorb the lyrics as it is to shimmy, sway or jump on the dance floor. The lyrics were sharp and unpredictable; the guitar work by Bryson and Hogan was melodic and rocking in turn; and the drums and bass provided the necessary driving force.

Melwood Cutlery, who lives in nearby Gen Tay, was the opening act for Bryson.

It was a rare opportunity to see Melwood Cutlery perform locally, and he sang a number of the perfect songs that he has written over the years, including There's a Loon on the Lake, Big City, Jimmy's Room, 2 Lane Highway. Accompanying himself on guitar and sometimes harmonica, he alternated between the gravelly low and sweet high ranges in his vocals, with the odd yodel thrown in for good measure.

Thanks to Melwood Cutlery, the crowd at the 'Corners was primed and ready for Jim Bryson and his band and the Ag Hall rocked that night.

Before any of the music, the Agricultural Society served a beef dinner followed by a selection of the best pies of the season: lemon meringue, coconut cream, butterscotch, cherry, blueberry, and more.

In its second season this year, the Festival of Small Halls has continued to be a success, filling venues in small and tuny communities alike. By providing the funding to bring top-notch acts to the halls, and putting together a good marketing campaign thanks to a very enthusiastic team under the auspices of Bluesfest productions, the result has been memorable evenings that demonstrate the vibrancy of the local communities and the halls that have been at their center, sometimes for 100 years or more.

Cape Breton fiddler Anita MacDonald and piper Ben Miller make a musically explosive combination which might just be the next big thing from that storied island. Their four-piece band, which includes Tyson Chen on piano and Zakk Cormier on guitar, will be coming to MERA in McDonalds Corners on Sunday October 30 for an evening concert and afternoon workshops for musicians interested in learning Cape Breton styles.

MERA is fortunate to be able to present this up-and-coming group who are bringing Scottish Gaelic musical tradition into the twenty-first century with respect, energy and a delightful stage presence. The Sunday, Oct 30 program at MERA is as follows:

2 - 4 pm: Workshops for interested musicians (cost: $30/person)

- Fiddle and pipe tune playing, Cape Breton style (combined group), intermediate to advanced level

-Accompaniment styles from strong beginner to advanced player on keyboard, guitar or other stringed instrument (bring your own)

7 pm: Ben Miller and Anita MacDonald concert, with Tyson Chen and Zakk Cormier MERA hall (cost: $20 advance/25 door/$15 for registered workshop participants)

For more information on this program, contact Bill Cameron at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.benandanita.com. Tickets for the concert and workshops can be purchased online at www.ticketsplease.ca. MERA Schoolhouse is at 974 Concession 9A, McDonalds Corners and full info about this busy community arts centre is at www.meraschoolhouse.org.