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Lanark County

2014 Sundance Artisans' Festival

Written by  |  Wednesday, 03 September 2014 22:07  |  Published in Lanark County
Ompah wood worker and furniture designer Peter Bunnett with some of his live edge furniture at the Sundance Artisan Festival in Maberly
Every year the Sundance walking tour offers up great scenery thanks to the Fall River, great grub courtesy of the Fall River Restaurant and great eye candy for those who like to keep their finger on the pulse of the local art and crafts scene. This year's 40 plus vendors covered a wide array of items in various mediums and styles and I visited with two artisans whose works could not be at more opposing ends of the art/craft spectrum. Choleena DiTullio of Perth creates paper mosaics from hand-made paper, which she makes from recycled sources. Her pieces have the look of ceramic tile mosiacs/stained glass work but without the fragility and weight. Each work is comprised of a number of colored paper tiles that…
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New director for Tay Valley Choir

Written by  |  Thursday, 28 August 2014 07:54  |  Published in Lanark County
by Marily Seitz If you love to sing and make beautiful music with others, then the Tay Valley Community Choir may be for you. An eclectic repertoire, lovely four part harmonies, and cozy country concerts distinguish the Tay Valley Choir. No audition is required, only a love of music. The choir practices Mondays from 6 to 7:30pm, alternating between Glen Tay Public School and the Maberly Hall. The choir is delighted to welcome Rebecca Worden, local musician, music therapist and former co-director of The Oddities Choir, as the new choir director this year. Rebecca loves the sense of unity that comes when people sing together and she is looking forward to bringing to life some of her favourite arrangements. To join, register at the Tay…
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20th annual Silver Lake Pow Wow

Written by  |  Thursday, 28 August 2014 00:00  |  Published in Lanark County
Four traditional dancers at the Silver Lake Pow Wow, l-r, Donna Mitchell, Kim Lanoue, Buffie John and Janice Knapp
Although organizers of the traditional Silver Lake Pow Wow did not mark this year’s event with any special 20-year anniversary tributes, they were pleased with the turnout. Organizer Trudy Knapp said the ongoing aim of the Pow Wow is to honour the native identity of off-reserve Aboriginals in the community and it is an opportunity for them to embrace their roots. The event continues to attract natives from all over Ontario and Quebec from as far away as Manawaki, Curve Lake near Peterborough, Toronto, North Bay, and Ottawa. Over 400 people arrived early on the first day of the Pow Wow and Knapp said organizers were expecting roughly 2500 over the entire weekend. One major attraction is the grand entry that occurs at noon on…
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MERA presents the Celtic Rathskallions

Written by  |  Thursday, 14 August 2014 12:01  |  Published in Lanark County
The Celtic Rathsckallions
If you're a lover of all types of Celtic music, a concert on Sunday August 24, 2pm at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners is the place to be. Performing will be the Celtic Rathskallions, an Ottawa-based duo who have entertained and impressed Celtic music lovers across Ontario and around the world during their more than 1,200 performances. Wendy Moore is the founder, manager and one of the lead performers of The Celtic Rathskallions, which she created in 1998. Before that, she performed as oboist and English horn player with the Kingston Symphony for 10 years and with numerous chamber music groups. During the concert, she will play oboe, English horn, tin whistle, Celtic harp, bodhran, shuttle bagpipes, and sing and stepdance. The other half…
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Elphin Public School reunion

Written by  |  Thursday, 17 July 2014 14:01  |  Published in Lanark County
Class of Elphin Public School 1920
A reunion of the Elphin Public School will be held on Saturday July 26, 11:30am at the Elphin Presbyterian Church hall. Everyone is welcome and there will be a potluck lunch. The cost is $5 and music will be provided by former students. This circa 1910 photo of a class in front of the school is part of the Izatt photo collection, which was found in the landfill at the McDonalds Corners municipal dump. The photos are now in the Lanark County Archives. The two girls sitting in front of the teacher are Emma and Christina (Tina) Balfour; tallest girl in back row is possibly Laura McIntyre; fourth boy from left in the back row is George Gordon, who was born in 1899. The first…
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McDonalds Corners Farmers’ Market has laid back country charm

Written by  |  Thursday, 26 June 2014 08:57  |  Published in Lanark County
four of the 20 regular vendors at the McDonalds Corners Farmers’ Market, l-r Alanna Riff, Lynne Parks, George Fisher and Melany Blake
The farmers’ market that takes place every Saturday during the summer in McDonalds Corners is well worth the trip. The market started up in 2007 and takes place on the grounds surrounding the MERA Schoolhouse, which offers visitors a peaceful and quaint country setting where they can lounge under two huge, shady poplar trees and enjoy everything that the market has to offer. Over 20 regular vendors fill the old fashioned steel-roofed log stalls and many also set up their own covered outdoor booths. Goodies for sale include a wide variety of fresh grown market veggies, herbs, garlic, and also prepared salads and salad dressings plus plants and fresh cut flowers, all made available from local farmers. There is organic meat, home made breads, cookies,…
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New installations inspire at Fieldwork

Written by  |  Thursday, 12 June 2014 09:03  |  Published in Lanark County
“The Knot” by Geoff Wonnacott at Fieldwork
For those who love art and the great outdoors Fieldwork, the outdoor art gallery located at 2501 Old Brooke Road near Maberly, is the place to be. On May 24 over 75 art lovers gathered for the project’s biggest opening since it got underway in 2007. Fieldwork is an art collective that receives funding from the Ontario Council for the Arts, and which presents “thought-provoking, site-responsive art installations” to be enjoyed by the public free of charge. The collective this year includes three of its founding members Susie Osler, Chris Osler, and Chris Gossett and new member for 2014 Sheila Macdonald. The collective invites visitors to stroll the freshly mowed paths and venture into the surrounding woods to experience top notch art in a gorgeous…
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Kingston author at Silver Lake Pow Wow fundraiser

Written by  |  Thursday, 08 May 2014 10:18  |  Published in Lanark County
Robert W. Wells, author of “Wawhate”, was selling audio recordings and copies of his book at the Silver Lake Pow Wow fundraiser held at St. James Major Catholic church in Sharbot Lake on May 3
This year’s Silver Lake Pow Wow, a traditional, non-competitive pow wow that will take place on Sat. & Sun. August 23 & 24 at Silver Lake Provincial Park, will mark the 20-year anniversary of the event. Trudi Knapp, one of the organizers, said that this year’s event will include as usual the grand entries at noon on both days, plus traditional dancing, drumming and singing that celebrate native rituals of the past and present. The event attracts Aboriginal dancers from all over the province and last year Aztec dancers from Mexico also attended and performed at the event. Non-Aboriginals are welcome and many tourists have attended the event, which in the past has attracted over 1200 visitors. The gorgeous lakeside site includes a traditional cedar…
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The Boxcar Boys And Jaffe Sullivan Light Up MERA

Written by  |  Wednesday, 09 April 2014 20:00  |  Published in Lanark County
The Boxcar Boys l-r, Karl Silveira, John Williams, Nicolas Buligan, Justin Ruppel, Ronen Segall, and Laura C. Bates at their sold out show at the MERA Schoolhouse
At the MERA Sunday Schoolhouse Concert in McDonalds Corners on March 30, ticket holders said to heck with the snow and filled the schoolhouse for a sold out show. Local fiddler/singer Jaffe Sullivan took to the stage first and played three ballads, accompanying his exquisite voice with an accomplished bow. His first tune, “Geordie”, was a suspenseful ballad that instantly captured the ears (and eyes) of his listeners. In his second, a Scottish ballad called “Tam Lin”, Jaffe played a bowless accompaniment and gave his very theatrical voice a chance to shine. His third and final tune, “O' Shaughnessy's Lament” was the most challenging of his choices and demanded his very close attention to its tuning and time. The five-piece band, the Boxcar Boys, comprised…
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A Sweet Guinness World Record Achieved!

Written by  |  Thursday, 27 March 2014 15:40  |  Published in Lanark County
Vernon Wheeler with his vast collection of maple sugar moulds, photo courtesy of the Wheelers.
Lanark County, the Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario, has even more sweetness to celebrate: a maple-related Guinness World Record holder can be found here! One of the largest maple farms in the county, Wheelers Pancake House and Maple Sugar Camp, has also gained worldwide recognition for achieving the Guinness World Record for “largest collection of maple syrup production artefacts.” “Wheelers already achieved recognition from the Government of Canada in 2009 with a National Historic Plaque for paying homage to our nation’s maple history through its museum and display,” said Marie White, Lanark County Tourism manager. “Now we extend our congratulations to the Wheelers again on this new achievement, which is another way the family continues to spread word of this culturally significant industry to everyone.”…
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Another very MERA Christmas

Written by  |  Thursday, 29 November 2012 10:19  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: painter Greta McDonald of Perth Holiday shoppers got an early start at the MERA school house in McDonalds Corners for MERA's annual Christmas Fair on November 24. Local artisans filled the main hall and had on display and for sale a number of locally made items that make for perfect holiday gift giving. The MERA weavers had a large booth displaying a number of knitted and woven items including place mats, scarves tote bags, wall hangings, table runners, floor rugs, all made by MERA weavers Ellen Good, Lise Loader, Florence McGuire, Mary Donnelly, Annette Hewitt and Ankaret Dean. Margaret Sullivan was selling her unique “Second Wind” Christmas ornaments and jewelry made from recycled preserve jar lids and bottle caps, which she paints in a wide…
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ABC Hall

Written by  |  Thursday, 15 November 2012 10:18  |  Published in Lanark County
  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…
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Hay East comes to Lanark County

Written by  |  Thursday, 01 November 2012 11:18  |  Published in Lanark County
Maberly farmer and Lanark Cattlemen’s Association member Gordon Patterson is not shy about approaching governments for support. When it comes to supporting local farmers in covering cost of transporting hay from western Canada to cover the shortfall caused by a drought this past summer, he has been downright aggressive, and creative. He has approached all of the eight municipalities in Lanark County to support a fundraising event in Almonte this weekend. Knowing that township councils never want to part with taxpayers' dollars (he sat on council for 16 years himself), Patterson and his cohorts from the Lanark Federation of Agriculture and the Lanark Cattlemen’s Association have asked each council to provide a cake for auction instead. “I know that at least one of them, Drummond…
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Eh?! Concert & Workshop Oct 19 & 20 at MERA

Written by  |  Thursday, 11 October 2012 11:16  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Emilyn Stam, Anne Lederman and James Stephens form the trio Eh?!, who will perform at MERA in McDonalds Corners. Two master Canadian fiddlers/multi-instrumentalists with eclectic tastes team up with a brilliant young musician (piano/5-string violinFour and five-string fiddles, voices, piano, accordion, mandolins, guitars, percussion and feet all weave their way through an Eh?! experience. Eh?! is dedicated to exploring the myriad pathways between tradition, innovation, collaboration and improvisation. Drawing from many great Canadian fiddle traditions - Québécois, Metis, Irish, Cape Breton, Newfoundland and Old Time, Eh?! is never content to let old tunes lie. Alongside their own compositions, the tunes of several generations of Canadian composers rub shoulders. Emilyn Stam is a young pianist and fiddler who worked closely with Oliver Schroer as a founding member of Twisted…
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Sundance Tour thrives at new location

Written by  |  Thursday, 06 September 2012 11:13  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: John Schweighardt of Livingstones with a few of his stone sculptures and a view of the old grist mill ruins at the Sundance Studio Tour in Maberly Artists and organizers alike welcomed the change in venue location for this year's 5th Annual Sundance Studio Tour. The one-stop tour, which was taken over this year by Paul and Michelle Zammit, owners of the Fall River Restaurant, moved its location to the banks of the Fall River in Maberly at the corner of Highway 7 and the Bolingbroke Road, and the increased visibility made an impact. Paul Zammit said when he was approached to take over the tour that he jumped at the chance, wanting to “preserve what we thought was a good thing for the community.…
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