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Lanark County

Observing the 2012 Transit of Venus in Maberly

Written by  |  Friday, 01 June 2012 11:06  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Amateur astronomers in Maberly, Fred Barrett, Bob Hillier and Tom Ray offer passers-by an up close look at the 2012 Transit of Venus. Given that two local amateur astronomers have set up their own personal observatories in Maberly, it was not surprising to find three of them gathered by the side of Road 36 just south of Maberly on Tuesday June 5. And because amateur astronomers tend to be of a generous nature and like to share their discoveries with curious passers-by, the three came well equipped with multiple ways to view the transit of Venus. Armed with safety eclipse glasses, of the astronomers' own making as well as the store-bought variety, a welder's mask, and two high-powered telescopes, they offered those who joined them a…
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“Memories” mavin Mary Cook charms listeners in Maberly

Written by  |  Thursday, 24 May 2012 11:05  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Mary Cook at the Maberly hall Many readers are familiar with “Memories” columnist, author and speaker Mary Cook. For many years Mary has been writing and speaking about her life as a youngster growing up on a farm in Northcote in days long gone by. Cook, who now resides in Carleton Place, wetted the eyes of numerous listeners at the Maberly hall on May 19, at a special engagement courtesy of the Maberly Agricultural Society. For those who have only read her column or her books, seeing this polished professional speak in person is a special delight. Cook is a classic and top notch story teller, one who has that special gift you don't often see these days - that special combination of matter-of-fact…
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Local food the subject of University Women’s event in Perth

Written by  |  Thursday, 19 April 2012 11:01  |  Published in Lanark County
Each year the Canadian Federation of University Women sponsors an information evening in Perth. Last year the difficult topic of prescription drug abuse was explored. This year, the information evening was called “The Power of Local Food”, and was held on April 16. Janet Duncan, the co-owner of Dunbrae Farms in Almonte, hosted the event, which was structured around short presentations by a range of presenters, from farm-based businesses, to restaurants with a commitment to local produce and meat, Foodsmiths food store in Perth, and the upstart farmers market in Sharbot Lake. Duncan did not mince words in describing the general state of agriculture and food production in the region, however. "Sixty years ago Canada’s agricultural policy was focused on feeding ourselves, but that has…
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Fiddle–A–Thon at Maberly Hall

Written by  |  Thursday, 19 April 2012 11:01  |  Published in Lanark County
The Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra will be joined by a number of musical groups and other friends as they host the first ever community fiddle-a-thon at the Maberly Hall on Sunday afternoon. The entire community is invited to join what promises to be a large community jam from 1-7 pm. Orchestra members have gathered sponsors for the event, which is a free event, complete with music and refreshments. Orchestra Director Cindy McCall said that she came up with the germ of the idea for the event when the orchestra was brainstorming earlier this year to come up with a new fundraising event. “Over the years I’ve been involved in a lot of fundraising for community groups,” she said, “there were walkathons, bike-a-thons, even a…
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Westport's sand and story man

Written by  |  Thursday, 12 April 2012 10:57  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: a sand tiger by The Sandman, Ken Rose On March 31, Ken Rose, a.k.a. “The Sandman”, entertained a group of interested listeners at the Wordsmith in Westport as part of an artists' talk series, "Breakfast with the Arts", presented by Artemisia Gallery and Wordsmith. Ken, who for years created and sold one of a kind original art works made with colored sand, spoke about his life, both as an art maker and a story teller. “Art and creativity were really my saviors,” he began, “and were what I turned to when times got difficult for me at certain points in my life.” It was after working as a respiratory therapist for children in Ohio and after seeing some very traumatic cases that Ken felt…
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Riding the high way home for the holidays

Written by  |  Thursday, 12 April 2012 10:57  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo:  Unicylcist Philip Schleihauf on Road 38 just north of Verona on Good Friday The highways and byways were busy this past weekend with many folks traveling long distances to be with family and friends. Few, though, were pedaling atop the single 36-inch diameter wheel of a unicycle. I came across Philip Schleihauf, a computer engineering student at Queens University in Kingston, on a very windy Good Friday on Road 38 just north of Verona's Rivendell Golf Course, and that's what he was doing. He dismounted when I stopped the car and flagged him down. He had departed from Kingston in the morning and was headed to Maberly, to his aunt's and uncle's home to meet up with family for the long weekend, a trip he…
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Mera_12-12

Written by  |  Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:52  |  Published in Lanark County
Back to HomeFeature Article - March 29, 2012 Authentic Polish cuisine served up at MERA by Julie Druker Photo: Michael and Marilyn Barnett and Tomek and Alexandra Karpinski served up authentic Polish cuisine at MERA's final Around the World on a Dinner Plate Dinner Plate series in McDonald's Corners The final installation of MERA's "Around the World on a Dinner Plate" series took place on March 23 where close to 50 diners enjoyed an authentic multi-course Polish meal prepared by a very passionate Polish chef. McDonalds Corners resident and Poland native Tomek Karpinski who came to Canada in 1982 and who grew up in the city of Wroclaw in southwestern Poland, prepared the meal, which was based on authentic recipes he had learned in his…
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Authentic Polish cuisine served up at MERA

Written by  |  Thursday, 29 March 2012 10:52  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Michael and Marilyn Barnett and Tomek and Alexandra Karpinski served up authentic Polish cuisine at MERA's final Around the World on a Dinner Plate Dinner Plate series in McDonald's Corners The final installation of MERA's "Around the World on a Dinner Plate" series took place on March 23 where close to 50 diners enjoyed an authentic multi-course Polish meal prepared by a very passionate Polish chef. McDonalds Corners resident and Poland native Tomek Karpinski who came to Canada in 1982 and who grew up in the city of Wroclaw in southwestern Poland, prepared the meal, which was based on authentic recipes he had learned in his mother's kitchen. “In Poland at home when I was a kid, the best place to be was in the…
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Local growers swap seeds at MERA

Written by  |  Thursday, 23 February 2012 05:11  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Seed swappers at MERA Sulyn Cedar, Lori Beckstead and Karen Rodgers A steady stream of local gardeners and growers, their green thumbs twitching with the approaching spring, shared some of their wealth and know-how at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners. This, the first ever free Seed Swap event at the school house was the brainchild of two growers, both regular vendors at the seasonal McDonalds Corners Farmers Market, Kristine Swaren of Blue Chicory Gardens and Karen Rodgers of Windblest Farm in Ferguson. The two collect their own seeds and have been swapping seeds between friends. They decided to hold the free swap to give other local gardeners and growers an opportunity to do the same. “Sharing Shelves” were designated for growers to offer up…
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Meeting the community at a contra dance

Written by  |  Thursday, 16 February 2012 05:10  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Contra Dance Caller Emily Addison of Ottawa with Sheesham and Lotus at the Maberly Hall on Feb. 11 Emily Addison of Ottawa tested out her calling for calling at the first Quarterly Contra dance of 2012, which was held at the Maberly hall on Feb. 11. The Maberly Contra's house band, Sheesham and Lotus, played their usual magic as dancers twirled across the wooden floor boards, heating up the hall to the point where one could see billowing condensation escaping through the hall's open front doors. As usual a beginner's lesson started off the evening and newbies were taught all of the necessary moves for each dance prior to the dance's formal start at 8 pm. There's no better way to introduce yourself into the…
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Top Lanark County Award to Gord Patterson

Written by  |  Thursday, 01 December 2011 07:06  |  Published in Lanark County
“People in Lanark County have a way of doing things behind your back,” said Gordon Patterson about the fact that no one had told him he was nominated for the 2011 Lanark County Award of Excellence. He found out about a week and a half ago that he was going to receive the award in recognition of a lifetime of volunteer work with farm groups and a 16-year stint as a municipal politician. Gord Patterson has lived on the farm his whole life. He bought a farm next to the family farm where he was raised when he was still a young man, and he took over the family farm as well when his parents couldn’t run it any more. His property is located on…
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Stab-bound bookmaking workshop at MERA

Written by  |  Thursday, 24 November 2011 07:06  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Niki Mulder (right) assists Margaret Bruce of Richmond at MERA Despite the murderous name of the workshop, no violence was done on November 19, except to sheets of paper, when artist, teacher and soon to be second-time mom, Niki Mulder of Pine Hill, Quėbec, presented a workshop on stab book binding at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners. In the workshop Mulder demonstrated how to create three different functional stab-bound sketch books. The first used a two-holed stab pattern; the second, a five-holed pattern and the last, a more complex hemp leaf stab binding. To start, each student was given 10 sheets of 18 x 24 sketch paper, which were each then cut into four equal sheets to create the pages for each of the…
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Beryl Stott’s incredible journey

Written by  |  Thursday, 17 November 2011 07:06  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo left: Beryl Stott in Maberly. Below: Beryl on the road in 1983. Unknown to many is the incredible story of long- time Elphin resident Beryl Stott, who in 1983 at the age of 37 made it into the Guinness Book of World Records when she completed a 6867.6 km, seven-month long run across Canada. On November 8 at the Maberly Hall, Beryl spoke to members of the Bethel Women’s Institute and guests about her record-breaking achievement, which she said she undertook simply “to set a world record”. At the time Beryl was a follower of Sri Chinmoy, an Indian spiritual teacher, who taught her the practice of transcendental meditation, a philosophy based on meditation and transcendence of the self and world. Beryl was given…
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Beryl Stott: Guinness record holding runner

Written by  |  Thursday, 03 November 2011 08:05  |  Published in Lanark County
Ever since Beryl Stott moved to the Elphin/McDonalds Corners area in the mid-1990s she has been involved in local historical and other activities, and from time to time she has participated in public events. Most recently she made presentations to local councils about ATV trails. All the while she has kept rather quiet about some history she made for herself in the early 1980s, a time in her life when she was a runner. In 1983 Beryl, who was a follower of Sri Chinmoy and was running as Kanchan Stott, completed a 6867.6 km run across Canada. “This was only three years after Terry Fox's run,” Beryl recalls, “and I was the first woman to make such a run.” She averaged 33 kilometres a day…
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Fieldwork: New Canadians work with local artists

Written by  |  Thursday, 15 September 2011 08:03  |  Published in Lanark County
Photo: Artist Karina Bergmans' new installation at feildwork An assortment of local and new immigrant artists to Canada originating from four of the five continents gathered in the fall fields just east of Maberly at the site of fieldwork, the outdoor art installation art site begun by a four-member collective, Chris Osler, Chris Grosset, Erin Robertson, and Susie Osler in 2008. Two back to back special events took place simultaneously on September 11. The first was a workshop titled “Rooting Through Creation” where the fieldwork collective in partnership with the Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture (CNCAC) worked on a sculpture making project whose aim was to encourage creativity, networking and to facilitate a dialogue for new artists adapting to a new life…
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