After a lively show at The Mansion in Kingston, HD Supply’s next entertainment stop is the Parham Fair on Sat. August 20. The band will be performing from 7 to 9pm following Texas Tuxedo and Open Mic. HD Supply is a local band from Parham that started out in the walls of the former Hinchinbrooke Public School in 2010. HD Supply has been busy as of late, releasing their seven-track debut album “Hellbent”. The band consists of Jordan Lowery (lead guitar and vocals), Jake Thompson (bass), Jay Mills (drums and backup vocals), and Collin Hamilton (rhythm guitar and backup vocals). “We are hoping to throw in a new original or two this Saturday, and Jay and I have started some new material. Hopefully within the next year we will hit the studio again to record our second album,” says HD Supply’s frontman, Jordan Lowery. “It’s been an amazing run over the years and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.” Look out for more upcoming shows this winter!  

The Parham Fair Board and volunteers are all set and raring to go for the 124th edition of the fair this weekend, August 19 & 20.

The fair, which starts up on Friday evening with the ever-popular horse pull, a midway, and a performance by the Old Habits on the main stage, is as much a celebration of family ties as it is a festival of rural life.

This year the fair will feature some new events that will appeal to children and youth, while maintaining the traditions of past years.

New events on Saturday include a children’s pedal tractor pull. At any time during the day children can step into a specially made pedal-powered tractor and pull weight on a sled, increasing the weight until they can no longer pull it. The pull will culminate with the finals, starting at 4:30pm.

Before that, at 4pm the first ever Power Wheels Derby will take place in the main ring. Carts fitted with balloons will be driven around, and into, one another. The last balloon that remains inflated is the winner.

This year's fair also brings back the greased pig contest, but this time the kids will be greased instead of the pig, and a few other rules have been changed as well.

The fair will welcome back Sasha Bergeron's Critter Corral, Lynn Cronk's oxens, sheep shearing by Joel Osler, spinning by Tracy Asselstine, Ferrier Jeff Atkinson and wagon rides, and that is all in the morning.

The afternoon features country fair games and a performance by Texas Tuxedo from 1 to 3 pm. In the early evening Parham's own rock stars, HD Supply will be playing the main stage from 7 until 9pm.

Fair goers will notice that the Sunday Demolition Derby is not happening this year. Fair Past President Wendy Parliament explained that the board decided to cancel the derby because there were not enough volunteers available to run it this year. Not only does the derby require an extra number of volunteers, it also meant that the fair went an extra day, pushing cleanup over to Monday.

“We have some new, younger volunteers working with us,” said Parliament, “which is a very good thing, but they are not available on Mondays because they are working.”

Parliament added that the board is considering holding a demolition derby in late July next year as a stand-alone event, in addition to the fair in late August. This would be a way of providing the event for the community without overtaxing its volunteers.

Tickets to the fair are $7 for 13 years & older; children under 12 are free. For further information, see the poster on page 12 or go to Parhamfair.ca

On July 18, Owen and Cari Tryon opened their family farm to the public as a fundraiser for the Parham Fair.

The 200-acre farm, located on Wagarville Road, has been in the Tryon family for three generations. “My grandfather bought the farm in 1943 and my father grew up here. Cari and I took it over in 2004,” Owen Tryon told us.

The Tryon family sells produce, pork, chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, beef and lamb, which are all government inspected. Owen and Cari, along with their four children, gave guests a look into their daily lives and routines.

Owen acts as the 2nd vice-president for the fair and said they decided a few weeks ago to put this Family Farm Day together. “We have done a baseball tournament in the past, but it became less and less popular, so we thought we would give this a try. Hopefully it becomes an annual event.”

Kids had their faces painted by Ashley Hickey and ran around with big smiles on their faces after jumping in the bouncy castle or taking a trip down the giant waterslide put up by the District 4 Rec Committee.

They also enjoyed a trailer-ride around the farm behind an ATV and some tried out the pedal tractors that will be used in a new event at the Parham Fair this year; the Pedal Tractor Pull.

Bob Teal of the District 4 Recreation Committee manned the grill at the canteen, where there were barbequed hot dogs and sausages, cold drinks, Black Kettle Popcorn and other treats for everyone to enjoy.

The barns and paddocks were busy with grown-ups and kids taking tours, meeting the animals and learning how a family-run farm works. Pepper the goat was a favourite, as well as the baby bunnies and the border collie puppy, which greeted everyone with a soft, wagging tail and a lick.

Hanny the donkey foal seemed to be the most photogenic of the farm animals and took a shine to the kids looking to give her some attention. With her soft fur, big eyes and big ears, she was a crowd pleaser. “She loves to have her neck rubbed” said Wendy Parliament, the president of the Parham Agricultural Society.

The Parham Fair will be held on Friday & Saturday, August 19 & 20 this year. The schedule includes the cattle show; sheep shearing; hay wagon rides; the popular horse draw; and the Best-Dressed Cowboy & Cowgirl event. There will be baked goods, local crafts and artisans and much more. The midway will be in full swing, and live music will be performed on Friday night by the Old Habits and on Saturday night by One Busted Ego and HD Supply.

There will not be a demolition derby this year, however. “We tried really hard to have it again this year since it is always so popular,” explained Parliament. “We had the sponsors lined up, but it takes a lot of manpower to set up and clean up the derby, especially the clean-up! We need volunteers out patrolling during the event too because we don't want drinking to be a problem.”

The agricultural society is considering having the derby as a separate event from the fair in the future. “We really want it for the community and are always looking for volunteers!” Parliament added with a bright smile.

The Tryon Family will be bringing some of their family farm friends to the Parham Fair. Everyone can meet their sheep, goats, poultry and more from 10am – 4pm on Saturday in the Critter Corral.

Forty-nine years ago, in Centennial year 1967, the three pastoral charges of Maberly, Sharbot Lake and Parham joined together to form one unit, named the Centenary Pastoral Charge, to serve God by sharing prayers, resources, clergy, committees, sacred spaces, and sharing their joys and sorrows together.

This year, on June 26 we celebrated the 49th anniversary of the charge (including the churches of Long Lake, Maberly, Oconto, Oso, Parham, Sharbot Lake, Tichborne, Wagarville, Zealand); the 142nd anniversary of our host church, Parham United Church; and the 91st anniversary of the United Church of Canada. We gathered together to thank God for our past and put the future into God's hands. The service was led by our minister Rev. Jean Brown, with special guest speaker Sarah Magie (and Emma) and special guest Rev. Eric Barr. Thank you, Parham, for hosting the service. Everything was fabulous!!!

The 2016 North & Central Frontenac Relay for Life took place on June 18 at the Parham fairgrounds. Ten teams, with 64 participants in all, walked many laps around the dusty track under a blistering sun, and although the extremely hot weather undoubtedly kept some from attending, spirits stayed high as the walkers focused on their goal – raising money to fight cancer.

The Relay organizing committee had six members this year. Vicki Babcock has been the chair of the Survivors’ committee for a few years, and this is her first year as Relay chair. She has a very personal reason for all her work with the Relay. Her eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, battled cancer as a toddler and has been cancer-free for seven years now, so the family has experienced first-hand the benefits of the funds raised through Relay. Tragically, the family has also lost four members to cancer in the last two years.

Doug Kane, unit manager at the Kingston Lennox and Addington Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), spoke at the opening ceremonies. He thanked the participants and especially the Survivors for attending, saying they are “walking, talking billboards” for what the funds raised through the Relay do. He said that the CCS is the only cancer charity that funds research into all the 200 plus types of cancer and that because of research, the survival rates for many cancers have improved dramatically. For example, the cure rate for breast cancer now hovers around 90% - a dramatic increase over the years. Relay dollars also help fund the CCS’s Wheels of Hope program, which provided 9,000 rides for cancer patients in the last 12 months.

Doug Kane encouraged attendees to call the CCS office if they or anyone they know is battling cancer and has questions, saying, “If we can’t help you, we’ll find someone who has the answers for you.”

He told the audience that the epicenter in Canada for clinical trials is actually based in Kingston, not in a larger city, and introduced its head, Dr. Chris O'Callaghan, who spoke about his group’s work. The core of funding for clinical trials comes from the CCS and they have resulted in many advances in treatments. O’Callaghan gave one local example: Gord Bowie of the rock band, the Tragically Hip, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Fifteen years ago, the only treatment for this type of cancer was radiation, but now a new drug, which clinical trials have proven to be beneficial, has been added to treatment options.

Central Frontenac Councilor Brent Cameron told the story of how his father-in-law battled cancer for a year and a half. He emphasized to the audience that though his father-in-law “did not prevail, he did not lose the battle.” Cameron said, “You only lose when you give up, when you accept things as they are.”

Tracy Vallier, who later led zumba for relay participants, also spoke at the opening ceremonies. She told the story of her eight-year-old daughter, Alison, who was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2015. Alison was severely ill and fought for her life for several months, but is doing really well now. The survival rate today for the type of leukemia she has is 90%, another dramatic improvement thanks to research. Because of one of the drugs Alison is taking, Tracy regretfully had to tell her daughter that she could not do gymnastics, to which Alison replied, “When I’m done cancer, I’ll do gymnastics again.”

“She said ‘When’, not ‘If’,” Tracy emphasized in speaking of her daughter’s spirit.

After the speeches the relay started in earnest, with music and many fun activities to encourage the walkers, including water balloon tosses at committee members. On average, participants did anywhere from 30 to 50 laps each.

Among those walking was David Yerxa of Sharbot Lake. David has cerebral palsy and was an inspiration to his fellow participants as he completed 22 laps around the track. The sandy soil made one part of the track difficult for him to negotiate with his walker, but with his usual cheerful perseverance, he simply turned it around and went backwards on that stretch.

When all was wrapped up, this year’s relay raised $20,955 and organizers are already planning for next year.

The Canadian Power and Sail Squadron (CPSS) is a 75-year-old organization devoted to boating in Canada. The local affiliate, Kingston Power and Sail (KPS) is offering a free program to promote safety and help boaters comply with boating regulations.

Stephen Duggan, who lives on Eagle Lake, is a member of KPS and he has organized a Recreational Vehicle Courtesy Checks (RVCC) program for local lakes. Two free safety check rallies will be held in the near future.

The first will be at Eagle Lake on Sunday, June 26 at Parham Landing. From Road 38, take Eagle Lake Road to the end.

The second will be held at Sharbot Lake on Sun. July 3 at the government dock, adjacent to the K&P Railway Park, near the Central Frontenac Township office on Elizabeth Street.

Both rallies are from 10am to 3pm.

A local marina, Sharbot Lake Marina, is offering a 10% discount on safety equipment needed to pass the check.

The safety requirements and criteria for the check are published by Transport Canada’s Office of Boating Safety in their Safe Boating Guide, which can be found by searching the keywords “safe boating guide Canada” on Google.

The check takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on the size of the boat. Boaters who have on board the equipment as outlined in the Safe Boating Guide will receive a 2016 decal that can be displayed on their boat. Authorities will be able to see that the check has been done and give that boat a pass. The check is anonymous; only generic information (boat size and type, complete or uncompleted) is provided to Transport Canada for review.

The foremost purpose of the program is to ensure the safety of everyone in or on the water, but as well, law enforcement levies hefty fines ($200 per offence) for each piece of missing safety equipment, which can add up to thousands of dollars.

The KPS points out in their communications that drinking and boating is not only unsafe, it is illegal and jeopardizes the safety and enjoyment of all those on the water.

Finally, KPS reminds boaters to wear their personal floatation device (PFD) or lifejacket on the water; 80% of boating fatalities involve boaters not wearing them.

Similar events are scheduled for this summer at Charleston Lake, and in Portland, Westport and Rockport.

Stephen Duggan is also approaching the Sharbot Lake Property Owners Association to help publicize the July 3 safety check rally to its members and the KPS is open to setting up similar programs on other lakes with large boating populations.

For further information, contact Steve Duggan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More politicians and library board members than you can shake a stick at were present at the official opening of the Parham branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library last Saturday morning, May 28.

Not only was County Warden (and Central Frontenac mayor) Frances Smith on hand, South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal and County Council rep John McDougall were on hand as well. They joined library board chair, Claudette Richardson and chief librarian, Patricia Enright, along with Parham residents and local librarian Glenda Young, and the small, clean, well-appointed and stocked space was packed to the rafters for the event.

The opening of the new branch reflects a compromise between the Township of Central Frontenac and the library board. The board was inclined to close the branch, which had been housed in a portable that was attached to the now closed Hinchinbrooke Public School. Central Frontenac wanted to keep the branch open and invested in an addition for the library when they approved the construction of a new Parham fire hall last year. A compromise was reached whereby the library board agreed to stock and staff the branch; but there is a catch.

For Parham residents it is a use it or lose it proposition. There is no hard and fast time frame, but the library will be tracking the use of the branch over the next year or so to see if the number of users and the materials taken out increase to a level where the branch remains viable. Library supporters in Parham are urging their neighbors to consider all that the branch offers.

(see article below by Nancy Benn)

The Parham library needs you

By Nancy Benn

(and when you read this you will know why you need the Parham Library)

Residents of Parham and the surrounding area are delighted that the library is back up and running, attached to the new fire hall on the Wagarville Road.

Regular library users are well aware of the services that a library provides. Book loans are obvious but many people do not realize that a library delivers far more than that.

If you are in the mood for movies, or any of the popular series (Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, Ray Donovan), then you will find thousands of titles to choose from. If you want to read from a list of over 200 popular magazines you can read them for free through Zinio. Hoopla allows you to download movies, television shows, music, audio and ebooks directly to your computer, tablet, or smart phone.

You can spend hours browsing through the extensive catalog while comfortably seated in your favourite chair at home. Order on line and you will be notified when the book or DVD has been delivered to the Parham library branch. You can use the free Internet service provided at the library, or look through the book and movie shelves. Watch anything from the very old to the most recent releases. And it will not cost you a cent.

The Parham Library needs to increase membership and usage and we are encouraging all of you to pop in for a visit. Get a library card from our librarian, Glenda Young, and then start to enjoy an incredible service.

Parham Library hours are 4 until 6pm on Tuesday; 6 until 8pm on Thursday; and 10am until 12 noon on Saturday. The Kingston Frontenac Public Library website address is www.kfpl.ca.

We need all Parham and nearby community members to recognize how lucky we are to have this type of entertainment right here on our doorstep, and we need you to show your support by getting a card and signing out some reading or viewing material. Once you start, we guarantee that you will be hooked.

Members of the Hinchinbrooke District 4 fire crew were joined by Central Frontenac Fire Chief, Bill Young, Deputy Chief Art Cowdy, Scott Hayes from the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office, Sparky, and other dignitaries to mark the official opening of the new Parham Fire Hall on Saturday, May 28. The Parham hall is the third fire hall to be built by Central Frontenac Township in the last 10 years. Photo by Wendy Parliament

Forty-nine years ago, the Centenary Pastoral Charge, which includes the United churches of Parham, Maberly and Sharbot Lake, was founded in Centennial year 1967. On Sun. June 26, they will celebrate their anniversary at a shared service at Parham United Church with guest leader, soon-to-be-Rev. Sarah Magie, at 11am, and all are welcome. The sister church at Sharbot Lake will be closed for that one Sunday so that both churches can celebrate their anniversary together and welcome back Sarah, who served there some years ago.

Sarah, who completed her Master of Divinity at Queen's University in December of 2014, is a chaplaincy student in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and her spouse, James Rodgers, is an artillery officer in the CAF. They live in Oromocto, New Brunswick and have a daughter, Emma, who is one and a half years old.

Everyone is welcome to the special anniversary service Sun. June 26 at Parham United Church at 11am. There will be a pot-luck lunch following, with meat provided so please, if you are able, bring salads, pickles, fruit and cheese trays, desserts. Come and renew acquaintance with Sarah, worship God and visit friends and neighbours.

The way Canadians consume health information has evolved over the years. Twenty years ago, when the Canadian Cancer Society launched its Cancer Information Service, inquires came via phone call, with their staff answering questions and mailing out brochures to patients and their families. Nowadays, the service also fields more emails and people access the society’s website, cancer.ca which is jam-packed with anything you ever wanted to know about cancer.

“Facing cancer is hard. People have many worries and questions during what may be the most stressful time in their lives or the lives of a loved one,” says Doug Kane, Manager, Canadian Cancer Society F.L.A. & The Waterways Community office. “It’s easy to become overwhelmed. Don’t face cancer alone. Instead, we urge people to contact our free Cancer Information Service.”

No matter where they live in the country, the Cancer Information Service can help people with their questions about more than 200 different types of cancer, treatment, diagnosis, care, services and much more. In addition, the service can connect patients and family caregivers to local community support programs and services if needed.

On June 18 folks in North & Central Frontenac and surrounding area are raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. When you make a donation to Relay For Life, you are helping people in your community living with cancer. Your donation also funds life-saving research and other important work so that fewer Canadians are touched by the disease. To contact the Cancer Information Service, call 1 888-939-3333 or visit cancer.ca