by Jeff Green and the Parham Agricultural Society

1883 and 1893.

Those are the years when the Maberly and Parham fairs were held for the first time.

It would be an understatement to say the world has changed over that time. In the early years electricity was still a novelty, and aside from the railroad the only mode of transportation was horsepower.

With all the changes that have taken place over the years, the horse shows at both fairs and the horse pull at the Parham Fair remain as events that harken back to the way of life in both communities in the 19th Century.

Other reminders of the past include the baking, growing, and textile displays and contests that are still hotly contested to this day at the fairs.

While the Parham Fair has modernized to include such popular events as lawn mower races, a demolition derby, and other events, the feel of the small town fair – the food, the smells, the sight of young students reuniting after a summer apart in anticipation of the first day of school, hasn’t changed that much in all that time.

The Parham Fair has its roots in Agriculture and its focus is still on highlighting agriculture. Friday night Aug 24 features the ever popular Horse Pull, with local favorite, Bill Lee, an annual participant. Come see the teams as they pull the stoneboat to become the Champion Team of the Night. Saturday, in the morning, there is a Cattle Show, with local 4-H clubs, and Poultry and Horse Shows all day. Have you seen the Dolly Pardon run yet? Watch for it Saturday afternoon in the games in the horse ring. In the Palace, there are agricultural exhibits along with crafts, children’s exhibits, vegetables and baking. You could spend hours in there. New this year, the best dressed cowboy and cowgirl. Youth between 7-9 and 10-12 may sign up for the contest on Friday at 6:45pm. There is still time to sign up for the Parham Idol Contest on Saturday August 25, open to ages 16 and under. To register, contact Debra Smith at 613-279-2116 ext 212. Come for the entertainment, food and midway. A good time is sure to be had by all for just $5\day; weekend passes $12.

The Maberly Fair is a tiny perfect one-day fair that starts with a parade and ends with a community supper. This year the fair has a scarecrow theme, featuring a great pumpkin garden of scarecrows. The scarecrows will feature in the parade before landing in the garden, where they will be judged and prizes will be awarded. In addition to the horse show and agricultural exhibits (there are 29 competitive categories this year with prizes in each one) the popular zucchini races and cow-pie madness events are back as is the Carleton Place community band and other entertainers as well.

In honour of the 130th Maberly Fair and the 120th Parham Fair let’s all leave our i-pads at home and our cell phones in the glove box of our cars and let the present and past merge as we indulge in the glory that is a community fair in late August.

Aloha Tweed – 2nd annual Elvis Festival by Jeff Green

The Tweed Elvis Festival, which was started as a way for the village of Tweed to turn a corner after the conviction of Russell Williams, has done that and much more, giving the town of Tweed a destination event that captures the imagination of locals and visitors alike.

And all that has happened in about 15 months.

The second annual festival, which celebrates the image of Elvis from the Blue Hawaii era, will feature strong amateur, professional and youth Elvis Tribute contests, as will a string of other events from Friday afternoon, (August 24) through to Sunday afternoon (August 26)

Dallas Arney, the pride of Addington Highlands, will kick things off at the Tweed Fairgrounds at 5 pm on Friday, performing the American and Canadian anthems and more (not in Elvis costume – as far as we know) Round 1 of the Elvis Tribute contest will follow at 6pm.

Other events on Friday night include a meet and greet at the Tweedsmuir tavern and Midnight with Elvis, featuring a performance by last year’s champion Matt Dowsett, fresh from competing in Memphis, for a $10 cover charge.

On Saturday there will be a street sale, Art in the Park, and a pancake breakfast in addition to the events at festival central in the Fairgrounds.

Round 2 of the main competition will take place in the late morning, followed by the youth competition and other events. Later in the afternoon (4:45) the semi-finals will get underway, followed by a showcase at 8 pm, as well as a rock’n roll dance at the Tweed Curling Club.

On Sunday, in addition to another pancake breakfast and a classic car parade with Elvis through the streets of Tweed, there will be a gospel show at 11 am at the fairgrounds. The Grand Finals in the tribute competition will start at 1pm and the award winners will be announced at 3pm, followed by the closing ceremonies.

Tickets are $55 for a weekend pass and $25 per day (HST included). They are available at the gate, in advance at locations in Tweed, at the fruit and vegetable stand in Northbrook and at the Junction restaurant in Sharbot Lake. For information, go to Tweedelvisfestival.ca 

Photo: members of the Parham Happy Travelers held a BBQ to raise funds for their annual upcoming trip

Though they have yet to choose a final destination for this year’s upcoming trip, members of the Parham Happy Travelers, a group that has been meeting monthly for over 40 years now, held a BBQ fundraiser beside the Parham post office to raise funds for their next adventure.

Joan Wyatt, the group’s president, said not only does the group take one trip a year (last year it was to Upper Canada Village), they also make annual donations to local community groups or service clubs, which is their way of giving back to the community. The group has 42 members, 25 of whom are active, and they meet every third Wednesday of the month for a potluck lunch, live entertainment and other activities.

Recently the group celebrated their 40th anniversary and close to 70 guests attended the celebrations. Wyatt, who has been a member of the group for 11 years and its president for the last three, said the group especially encourages its seniors to get out, enjoy a meal and some entertainment, but especially one another’s company.

“It definitely gets members out of the house once a month and committed to something that they enjoy and look forward to. It is also an opportunity for members to meet new people in the community, “ Wyatt said.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to join the group, which meets at noon every third Wednesday of the month (except in July and August) at the Free Methodist Church in Parham.

Photo: Rev. Michael Oulton, Bishop of Ontario was a special guest at the 125th Anniversary celebrations at St. James Anglican church in Parham on July 29

On July 29, worshipers and guests filled the sanctuary of St. James Anglican Church in Parham for a special service that included guests from afar to help celebrate the church's 125th anniversary. Rev. Michael Oulton, Bishop of Ontario, welcomed worshipers, inviting them to continue on with 125 years of Christian witness in the community. The service included the confirmation of two young members of the congregation.

In his sermon Rev. Oulton spoke of the 125th anniversary as a special year for the church. “It's a wonderful time to stop, to take pause and give thanks for the good times and the difficult times as we journey along, and to remember that we never journey alone but rather in the context of Christian community, the wider community, and with our friends, families and with one another.” He also spoke of how this church in particular makes a 125th anniversary especially relevant. “An anniversary is like a crossroads and the best possible church in which to hold an anniversary service is in one that has taken as its patron St. James, since St. James is the apostle of the pilgrim.”

Rev. Oulton spoke next of the original Greek meaning of the word pilgrim as “stranger” and its significance in the gospel. “I see the churches that we have within the life of our dioceses as the way-stations on the way of pilgrimage. They offer people the opportunity to come in and rest, to be refreshed and strengthened in heart and soul and to continue on their journey.”

Following the service Rev. Oulton spoke of his delight in being able to come to Parham to celebrate with the congregation here and he also spoke of the importance of the greater community coming together for the occasion. “This is a real milestone - to look back over 125 years of service and to also prepare for what the future holds. Its also very important for me to stand with my people here and give them the sense that they are a part of something larger; that they are not alone just struggling away on their own; that we are all working in this together.”

Rev. Nancy MacLeod, who served as the incumbent at the service, said she was thrilled to be a part of the 125th Anniversary celebrations. “It was great to bring these celebrations to culmination with our bishop being here and with so many others from this community and wider church community to honor those who have been such a big part of putting these celebrations together. It's is also a great time now to be looking forward.”

Long-time church member Lois Webster was honored for her work in the church, especially in her organization of the celebrations, and was presented with honours from members of the local, regional and provincial Anglican Church Women's groups.

Following the service guests were invited to enjoy a lunch that was held at the Parham United church just up the street.

Editorial by Jeff Green

I resisted the temptation to write an editorial about the hot weather, because I know nothing more about the heat than anyone else. Then again, if knowing more about a topic than others know is a prerequisite for writing about it, I would probably write about one editorial every five years.

Nontheless, I have two short items this week that might be semi-topical if not semi-tropical

Road closing will wreak havoc on commuters, tourists, next week

Central Frontenac Township will be re-routing all northbound and southbound traffic between Parham and Sharbot Lake to Long Lake Road between midnight on Tuesday, July 24 and 2:00 pm on Thursday, July 26.

That will add at least 30 minutes each way for commuters between Sharbot Lake and Kingston - and that is without factoring in slowdowns resulting from increased traffic on Long Lake Road.

The township says the detour “could add up to 20 minutes of travel time”, but it would take some driving to make the trip from Parham to Highway 7 and then east to Sharbot Lake on Hwy. 7 in 20 minutes.

And there is every possibility that construction on Hwy. 7 between Sharbot Lake and Mountain Grove will cause a further delay. The delay caused by Hwy. 7 construction this week has been up to 10 minutes.

While Long Lake Road is the only paved alternative to bypass the train tracks on Road 38 at Tichborne, there are at least three viable alternative routes using gravel roads that involve much less distance and travel time.

We tried to contact the township on Tuesday (July 17) for comment on why only the Long Lake Route is being identified as a detour, but did not get a response before publication of this week’s paper.

Who approved the Fairmount Home auditorium rebuild?

I must have been missing something, but as far as I know, Frontenac County Council has never allocated money towards a rebuilding project for the Fairmount Home auditorium.

A fundraising campaign, which was started up against the objections of former county council member Jim Vanden Hoek, has a target of raising $200,000 for the million dollar plus project, and while the campaign is underway, the project has never been given any formal go-ahead by County Council.

At the June Council meeting, after a presentation about the ongoing fund-raising campaign, which included concept drawings for the new auditorium, Frontenac Islands council representative David Jones asked county staff if tax levy dollars would be needed for the project. He was told that tax levy dollars would not be needed; there are reserve fund monies available.

The County collects tax dollars from Frontenac County and also City of Kingston ratepayers towards the operating budget of Fairmount Home. This year, Frontenac County ratepayers paid $745,000 and City of Kingston ratepayers $1.8 million.

The County is also paying off the $17 million rebuild of the home, which took place in 2003, through a 20-year debenture, which still sits at $7 million after this year’s payment of $335,000 by the County and $712,000 by the City.

The only sizeable reserve fund the home has is a “capital reserve fund” that sits at over $2 million. It was established for the redevelopment of the home.

The idea that the auditorium project can be done without seeking new money from Frontenac County and City of Kingston taxpayers is either specious, or it involves gutting that “capital reserve fund” which will then have to be built up again using tax levy dollars.

The Fairmount Auditorium rebuild is a worthy project. It would improve the quality of life for Fairmount Home residents in a very real way.

But although Fairmount Home is central to the working lives of Frontenac County staff, it is not central to Frontenac County residents. In fact it is as much a Kingston asset as it is Frontenac County asset.

If indeed Frontenac County Council would like to take on the Fairmount auditorium as a project, let them debate it and make the decision to follow through with spending our money on it.

That’s why we elected them, and that’s why we will have the opportunity to re-elect them, or not, in just over two years' time.

Photo: Hinchinbrooke School of Rock(ers) played at the IOOF hall in Parham on June 15

This year’s Hinchinbrooke School of Rock(ers) performed what might be the school’s final show on June 15 at the IOOF hall in Parham - though if it is left up to their fearless leader, teacher Julia Schall, that will hopefully not be the case.

Schall, who will be taking a year off teaching next year, founded the program at the school five years ago with the help of grants from the Limestone Learning Foundation. It has been a huge hit with students ever since it began. The program invites students in grades seven and eight to take up a variety of classic rock band instruments as well as vocals if they choose, and is big on ear training and developing a sense of timing.

Schall teaches the students how to play a number of classic rock/pop tunes, which she says is a great way to get youngsters interested in music. “It's a great opportunity, especially for students who might be a bit shy or hesitant to get up and perform on their own volition. The program is really all about communication and listening to one another, developing a feel for the music and the getting the satisfaction of creating music in a group,” she said at the concert.

HD Supply, a rock band that came together while the students were at Hinchinbrooke Public School, proves that some kids can become very motivated and will indeed go to pursue further music learning.

This year’s group of Hinchinbrooke rockers, a band called District 9, performed a number of rock classics including “I love Rock and Roll”, “Summer of 69”, “Skater Boy”, “My Generation” and many more. HD Supply closed the show with a number of classics and their own originals to the delight of the crowd. Special guest Craig Bakay opened the show with Schall, and they along with Brittany Campbell on drums, played a couple of their own old time favorites to get the show started.

Schall hopes to see the School of Rock continue but admits that things right now are up in the air. With her taking a one-year leave and Hinchinbrooke slated to close in 2013, the student rockers might see their beloved program fold. Schall said, “At this point we just have to wait to see how things unfold.” Schall said that she'd be more than willing to run the program if she finds herself at the new school in Sharbot Lake. And if that ends up being the case, the only thing that would need to change for the School of Rock would be its Hinchinbrooke designation.

Photo: Mel Good holds part of the mail plane’s propeller that crashed into Long Lake in 1930

Fragments of history can often be found by accident. That was the case recently for Hope Stinchcombe of Parham, owner of Hope’s Place, the historic general store in Parham (formerly the J. M. Good Store). “We were redoing the floor in the garage,” Hope told me, “when I found part of a plane wing. At first we didn't know what it was and we were going to throw it out but there was some writing on it and it was then that I recalled a story that Mel Good told me soon after I bought the store from him, about a plane that crashed into Long Lake.”

Melville Good certainly remembers that day. It was March 18, 1930 and Mel and his father were the first people to arrive at the scene of the crash, which had occurred that morning at 11:30 a.m. Mel was just nine years old at the time and was helping his dad Frank in the sugar bush on their property.

“It was a foggy day, desperately foggy, I remember. I was helping my dad make a sleigh that we used for gathering the sap. There was no school that day since Miss Lundy was sick. We heard a plane overhead and heard the motor shut off three times and then a big crash. We ran out there and saw the wreck. There was 22 inches of ice out on the lake and the tail end of the plane was all you could see of the plane; it was standing straight up in the ice. I got a glimpse of the two men inside the plane but their bodies were badly mangled and they were clearly dead. Seeing that really made an impression on me, and it showed me that there are a lot of rough spots in this world. It was a sad day for sure.”

Photo: 1930 headlines of the fatal Long Lake plane crash with photo of deceased pilot Henry (Herve) Simoneau

Mel located clippings for me from a newspaper that reported the crash. The two men killed were pilot Henry (Herve) Simoneau and radio operator Harold Robinson, both of Montreal. The plane they were flying was a mail plane, a Travel air cabin type that was en route from Toronto to Montreal.

The plane had left Toronto that morning at 9 a.m. under sunny skies but met a storm near Kingston. It was thought that the pilot changed course and headed to Ottawa but ran into mechanical trouble over Parham while attempting to land. One article said that Herve Simoneau, the pilot, had survived a crash just a few weeks earlier. It was also reported that Dr. Suddaby of Sharbot Lake went to the accident scene on Long Lake shortly after the crash and pronounced the two men dead.

At a coroner’s inquest that was held two days later in Sharbot Lake, Frank Good was the first witness called to testify. As reported in one article, Frank gave his testimony as follows. “I couldn't see the plane because of the fog but I could tell it was coming from the south. I could judge by the sound that the plane made a wide circle. The engine stopped; a minute or so later it started again and once more stopped. Then a few seconds later it was turned on full blast and a minute later there was a crash.” Frank recalled that it took him about seven minutes to get to the scene, where he found the wrecked plane and the mangled bodies.

Another article speculated that the plane had hit an air pocket and entered into a steep nosedive that caused it to crash into the ice at a very high speed. Whatever the cause, it was a day in Parham that many of the older folks can still recall in vivid detail.

Mel Good later showed me a second remnant from the crash: one half of the plane’s metal propeller that his father retrieved from the icy waters of Long Lake the following spring.

Hope Stinchcombe has the plane wing at her store in Parham as well as copies of the articles from the various papers that carried the story of the fatal crash.

The Grand Parade of the Silver Lake Pow Wow is not an entirely solemn event, but it carries the weight of ceremony. The dancers enter the ring in a prescribed order, the flag bearers hop from one foot to the other to the beat of the drum, which performs a slow song that befits the occasion.

Although the Silver Lake Pow Wow is 19 years old, the gathering of communities at summer's end goes back a lot longer than that. Old friends greet each other with words and hugs, and after the elder has said a few words and the drum sends the assembled dancers through another turn around the ring, the parade breaks up and the greetings continue. Then the ring is opened up to everyone in attendance and it is completely filled. The Pow Wow is under way.

Photo: Kiley Stanley, 2nd from right, was declared Miss Garlic, the princess of the Maberly Fair parade.

At the Maberly Fair, the parade enters the fairgrounds led by two girls dressed as heads of garlic, followed by a marching pipe band, floats carrying entire extended families pulled by newer and older tractors (including one that is over 90 years old) followed by fire trucks. Politicians and heads of agricultural groups, as well as the fair convenor, bring greetings as the parade participants watch from the infield, but the fair is already underway. The Light Horse show is well into its second hour; the poultry are squawking away in the poultry display shed; Marilyn the Psychic is already making predictions in her booth; the zucchini vehicles are set out on a table even though the race is hours away, and old friends are greeting each other throughout the compact fairgrounds. It’s a one-day fair so no one wants to wait for the ceremony to be completed before starting to have fun.

Photo: Light Horse pull at Parham Fair.

The Parham Fair starts on Friday evening. The grandstand is almost full when the fair committee and township politicians proclaim the fair open, but the people aren’t paying much attention. They are waiting for the Light Horse pull to begin. They want to see if Bill Lee will win again (he will – at 7,200 pounds, see photo on page 9). Meanwhile kids and teenagers are gathering at the bandshell for the Cowboy/Cowgirl and Parham Idol contests to start. Ambush is ready to play when the contests end, and the midway is open for business.

These three events and others are all about people gathering in community to mark the end of another summer, before preparations begin for another harsh rural winter’s onset.

Janice Peters, the long time office manager at Hinchinbrooke Public School, couldn't let the final day of classes in the school's history pass without some sort of gesture. The school did have an official closing on June 15, but this was the final day, the final time the buses would come into the parking lot and gather up all the children and take them away for the summer.

Janice had an idea. Helium balloons, (biodegradable helium balloons in fact) one for each child, to be released just before they boarded the buses.

This children and staff gathered in front of the school. Most of them held on to their balloons until the proper moment, and they let go. The balloons floated up into the sky as everyone watched, and then drifted away. There were some hugs; some tears were wiped away. The children got on the buses, and the buses drove off, leaving a quiet, empty building in their wake.

Hinchinbrooke Public School opened in 1966. It served the population of Hinchinbrooke township, and later, Central Frontenac, for 47 years. There is a committee working on a plan to keep the building in public use as a recreational centre.

Youngsters had a chance to mingle with a wide range of exotic reptiles at the Parham Family Fun Day, which took place at the Parham fairgrounds on May 26. Christina Gable is the founder and owner of Recycled Reptiles of Kingston where she, along with three volunteers, runs a home rescue operation for sick, neglected, and mistreated reptiles.

Gable brought a boa constrictor named George to the fun day, which she estimates is about 20 years old and was rescued from a former home where it had suffered injuries, including cuts and burns. The injuries were treated after it was rescued.

Daryl Leonard, who volunteers with Gable, was showing off a large iguana named Iggnatzz, which was rescued from an owner who was sent to jail.

Gable has been rescuing animals for years and after tending to their health needs she aims to find them permanent new homes. She does shows to educate people about reptiles and to let potential owners know exactly what they are getting into before they acquire one. “I want to educate people and let them know that they need to do a lot of research before considering an exotic reptile,” she said. “These creatures often require special equipment to survive which can be expensive and also special everyday care.”

Iguanas, for example, require a basking area, special UVB lighting, plus a heat source to remain healthy. They also must be fed a salad and fruit every day plus special pellets to remain healthy. Boas require an aquarium, a heat source and lights and George will eat 2-3 large frozen and thawed rats per day.

Daryl Leonard reiterated the importance of potential owners knowing exactly what they are getting into before impulsively acquiring one of these exotic creatures. “All animals are a responsibility and not just a way to entertain your own needs. People need to make sure that are able to meet the needs of the animal before they go ahead and acquire one for their own needs.” For more information about Recycled Reptiles or if you know of any reptiles that need help, contact Christina Gable at 613-893-0991or visit her on Facebook at recycledreptiles. You can also donate to her business, which is not for profit.

The Family Fun Day was a fundraiser for the Relay for Life team, June’s Angels.

No one is more pleased with the energy, enthusiasm and efforts of this year’s Central and North Frontenac Relay for Life teams than Lesley Merrigan, chair of this year’s event. “I am in awe of all these people who have made the commitment to raise all kinds of money for the event this year. This year’s teams have taken extra steps and are doing a lot more team fundraisers; they have a lot of new and creative ideas for ways of raising money for the cause,” Merrigan said on May 18 when I spoke to her in Parham, where one event was taking place.

At Hope's General Store, Jessica Quinn, team captain of the 17-member Central Frontenac Station 4 Firefighters team who call themselves “Firefighters Walking For a Cure”, was heading up the BBQ and car wash fundraiser at the parking lot.

Team members washed numerous cars and passed out countless burgers to those in need and wanting to support the cause. Quinn said she has for years been a Relay for Life participant and said that over the years she has lost numerous family members and close friends to the disease.

Photo: Members of team “Firefighters Walking For a Cure” at their 2013 Relay for Life fundraiser event in Parham on May 18

Then the next day, Sunday May 19, members of the team “Timeless Memories” held for the first time a hockey tournament as a fundraiser for their team. The event attracted 25 players from around the community and the all-day event took place at the parking lot at the Frontenac Community Arena. The tournament also included a bake sale and BBQ and the young players went away with a plethora of prizes donated by businesses, organizations and individuals from in and around the community. Janice Conway, the team’s leader, said she was pleased with the turnout. The idea for the event was inspired by a similar fundraiser put on last year by Hinchinbrooke Public School to raise funds for their annual school trip. Lesley Pickard, who is a member of the team said she suggested this kind of fundraiser since it proved to be a popular one at the school.

This year’s 2013 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life will take place at the Parham fairgrounds on June 21 starting at 7pm and will run until 7am the following morning. New teams can still register up until the Thursday, June 20 deadline. For individuals looking for a team, there is a community team that they can join. To sign up or register a team visit www.relayforlife.ca or contact Lesley Merrigan at 613-279-3144 or Christine Teal at 613-375-6525