The village of Battersea in South Frontenac is preparing to replace outdated playground equipment in its community park. The campaign is an initiative by local residents who want children to have new and improved play structures.

Located behind the Battersea ball diamond, the play structures are approximately 40 years old.

“They’ve been there since I was a kid. They’re well-worn,” said Amanda Pantrey with a smile. Pantrey is a member of the Storrington District Recreation Committee and a St. Lawrence College student who was born and raised in Battersea. She is helping spearhead the campaign, which was proposed by Kyle Gordon of the Creekside Bar and Grill.

Sitting in the restaurant nestled in the heart of the village on a busy Wednesday evening, Gordon said he was compelled to improve the park after regular visits there with his children. “I realized this is very outdated and needs to change,” Gordon, 39, said about the impression the park left on him.

Determined to upgrade the equipment, Gordon approached the Storrington District Recreation Committee in August 2015.

“As a committee, we voted to support the idea,” said Pantrey, who is the secretary.

Grateful for the support, Gordon plans to hold several fundraisers in the village in 2017 to officially launch the campaign. “My goal is to raise $25,000 in our community over a two-year period,” he said.

According to Pantrey, the committee is working to get a quote on the full cost to replace the equipment.

Once the campaign begins in earnest in 2017, they hope to secure grants and township funding to augment the money raised by Gordon and the community.

“I just want to build a new kids’ playground,” said Gordon.

“It’s for fun and stimulation,” added Pantrey. “A big part of being a kid is to play outside. .. This is going to last for years. It won’t just benefit today’s youth; it will also benefit future generations.”

Pantrey said the campaign goal will be attainable because new and improved equipment will contribute to the health and wellness of the village; a benefit for everyone.

“It’s a likeable goal,” she said. “People want to make kids happy. Plus, people from Battersea always rally together to get things done.”

Donations to the Battersea Park Project can be made to South Frontenac Township. Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more.

“It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the spring, who reaps a harvest in the autumn.”

That adage by Bertie Forbes before his death 62 years ago is still as true today as it was then.

Fresh from a harsh summer of hot and dry weather, local farmers are preparing to celebrate this autumn what they faithfully planted in the spring at the Battersea Pumpkin Festival

“The festival is coming together really well,” says Brian Ward, festival coordinator. “It’s our 22nd annual festival and we have a full roster of music and activities.”

Organized by volunteers, the festival on Oct. 1 is the highlight of the year for the small village, which is flanked by Loughborough and Dog Lakes.

“Last year, we had 2,000 people attend our festival,” says Ward. “We’re hoping good weather brings the same number this year.”

Volunteers have started baking cookies and painting signs & decorations. Corn stalks are lining the festival wagon route and pumpkins are appearing around the village.

At the heart of the festival is locally grown and produced food. Women from around the area donate homemade pies to a pie social at Battersea United Church. The Storrington Firefighters’ Association make beef on a bun, and families converge on the farmers’ market to sell homegrown produce and homemade products.

The festival is a celebration of the grassroots talent in South Frontenac Township. It has grown to include family-friendly activities such as a corn maze, haunted barn, train rides and pancake breakfast.

Admission to the festival is a mere $5; the same price when it started in 1994. To reduce financial barriers, the cost for a family is capped at $20. Children under two are admitted free.

The festival starts with a pancake breakfast at the Holiday Country Manor and ends with a pie-eating contest at the Battersea Ball Field at 3:30 pm.

Coordinator for the past three years, Ward says he felt the festival’s magic the first time he attended 14 years ago.

“It was obvious then that this is a wonderful way for the community to come together,” he says from his home. “There are a lot of parts that come together to form one big event… so many things going on for a small place. There truly is something for everyone.”

To view a full line-up of festival activities, go to the Battersea Pumpkin Festival page on Facebook.

Paul Davey and Harold Lake are experienced fishing guides who typically catch fish when they’re on duty. Last Saturday, they also saved a life.

Friends for decades, the men started their day like any other: boats, supplies and customers ready for an 8 am start on Loughborough Lake. The sky was blue and the water was calm. It was a perfect day for fishing.

But as it happened, it was not just another day on the water. By 3 pm that afternoon, a customer was in cardiac arrest at Loughborough Lake Marina in Battersea.

The men quickly scrambled to help the victim, a Rochester man who had collapsed seconds earlier. When they reached him, his vital signs were absent. Taking over almost immediately from the man’s wife, Davey and Lake began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly known as CPR. The men performed chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth for about 10 minutes until help arrived.

The fishing guides credit their life-saving medical attention to the training they received to qualify for a commercial fishing guide license. Both men belong to the Storrington Guides Association.

“We were trained to do what we did and to stay with it until first responders arrived on the scene,” said Lake, 70. “I think we did it well.”

“We just did our job,” said Davey, 75.

Holding the first aid book by Island First Aid Services, Lake advocated for the value of first aid training. “As far as I’m concerned, they taught us pretty good. It doesn’t hurt to know it. If you have the time, take the course,” he said.

Still rattled from their experience two days later, the fishing guides have since spoken with the victim, who was resting comfortably in a nearby medical centre and thanked the fishing guides personally for saving his life.

“He’s already planning on returning next year,” said Davey with a chuckle. “We’ve known this guy for a lot of years.”

“It’s tough when he’s a friend,” Lake agreed. “It was an awful thing looking at a friend who wasn’t coming to. It was tough and I personally thought it was close to not working.”

Reflecting on their experience, the men, who have 87 years of guiding experience between them, agreed it would help in situations like these if businesses on the water have a defibrillator like the one the Storrington District firemen used to revive the victim when they arrived at the scene.

“We could have used it,” confirmed Davey. “His heart quit.”

“I was very scared,” Davey said about the seriousness of the situation. “It looked like he was going to die on us.”

“I definitely thought that,” agreed Lake. “So much happened, just like we were told in our training. That’s why we were just doing our job.”

An historic fishing lodge in Battersea is coming back to life with an infusion of energy from new owners.

Sitting stately in the small village located north of Kingston, the Holiday Country Manor was purchased on June 29 by Jeff Day and Core Lee, partners and community activists.

“We’re excited to be out here,” says Day, who grew up in Chaffey’s Locks and graduated from the hospitality program at St. Lawrence College. “We wanted something that could accommodate functions.”

What the men got was a 175-year-old limestone building with 22 beds and 100 feet of waterfront on a creek accessing Loughborough Lake.

The building is the former home of the founder of Battersea, Henry Van Luven. After his death, Van Luven’s son turned the house into a fishing lodge, which it remains to this day.

“We can create something out of this, a destination venue,” says Lee with quiet determination, gesturing towards the historic building with a working class feel.

Born in South America, Lee moved to Canada in his teens. He is a chef with his own food production company.

The men get excited when they talk about what they hope to accomplish with the property.

Armed with a five-year business plan and vision to make the manor a destination venue, they continue to offer bed & breakfast and fishing packages. They also serve breakfast to the public on designated days and have started to host events and private parties. They plan to keep the manor open all year and will host their first wedding in 2017; the same time they convert the tackle shop into an ice cream parlor.

“We’re very eager people. We will work night and day to make our dreams happen,” says Day.

It a commitment that seems to be paying off.

Walking through the building, the men apologize for the state of rooms recently vacated by guests. It is a Sunday afternoon, the end of a busy week comprised of hosting private parties, public breakfasts and accommodating overnight guests. The new owners appear to have hit the ground running when they assumed ownership less than two months ago.

Undaunted by the work ahead of them and humble about what they have already accomplished, they have started to transform their dream into reality by removing carpet to expose hardwood floors and drywall to feature limestone rock walls. Locks have been added to guest room doors and matching linen is on the beds. The food is homemade and wood fireplaces are ready to be lit on cold days.

Walking through the building, Day acknowledges, “It’s a well-respected house. The house has so much history. A lot of local people used to work here.”

“We want everyone to experience it,” says Lee about the regal manor in the heart of the village. “We want to build up the community. We see the potential here.”

“We all benefit if people come to the town,” says Day. “There is a lot of history here. It’s quite fascinating to hear the stories.”

Grateful for the warm reception they have received from the community, the men are excited about the future of the manor. They recognize the importance of honouring the history of the building while trying to elevate the manor to a higher status.

They consider good customer service a priority and are working to recover the business of previous guests.

“It’s a lot of work,” acknowledges Day with a smile. “We have a huge to-do list.”

Lee agrees quietly and notes with respect and determination, “It’s all about the history. It’s very important.”

For more information, visit www.holidaycountrymanor.com

The community of Battersea has been reaching out to Michael and Ayden Trautrimas.

After tragedy struck the family on July 27 when a motor vehicle collision took the life of Brenda and her son Owen, and sent Ayden to hospital with critical injuries, neighbours were overwhelmed.

A fund raising effort was set up by the Kingston-based charity, Change for FIN (Families in Need). They have offered their web mechanism as a means to send money to the family. At the url changeforfin.com/take-action money can be donated through credit card. 100% of donations at that site will go to Michael Trautrimas.

Megan Hinch lives in Battersea and she has also been driven to raise money for Michael and Ayden.

“I really wanted to find something I could do for Ayden and Michael. So I thought I would raise from money for them by turning over all the profits from the Buddy dolls that I sell.”

In addition to her work as a volunteer firefighter and work as a nanny, Megan sells Scentsy (a line of fragrances, soaps and household products) online. Among the Scentsy products that she sells are Scentsy Buddies, a variety of dolls for children and adults that come with scent packages. The buddies are collectors' items. To find out more, go to Facebook and search “Buddies for Ayden” or go to Megan's site meganhinch.scentsy.ca  

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at approximately 5:27 pm officers of the Frontenac Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) with South Frontenac Township Fire and Rescue and Frontenac Paramedic Services responded to a motor vehicle collision that occurred on Battersea Road approximately 1 kilometer north of Sunbury Road in Inverary, South Frontenac Township.

The collision involved a Ford Windstar van, which was travelling northbound on Battersea Road and a Chevy pick-up truck travelling southbound.

The driver of the Ford Windstar, a 37-year-old female from Battersea, Brenda Trautrimas, along with her 6-year-old son Owen Trautimas were pronounced deceased at the scene. A second young child in the min-van had to be extricated by fire services and was transported to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries. Next of kin have been notified.

The driver of the pick-up truck was also taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

Following a fatal motor vehicle collision on July 27, which claimed the lives of 37-year-old Brenda Trautrimas of Battersea and her six-year-old son Owen, and left her other son, seven-year-old Ayden, in critical condition in hospital, community groups have begun fundraising to support the family. One of the groups is Change for Families in Need (Change for FIN). 100% of all monies raised will be given directly to the family to support them in their time of need. Donations can be made at http://changeforfin.com/take-action/ or by email money transfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Cheques can also be made out to Michael Trautrimas, and sent c/o Gordon F. Tompkins Funeral Home, PO Box 1206, Kingston, ON, K7L 4Y8.

Last weekend the Frontenac Society of Model Engineers (FSME) held a "Golden Spike" ceremony as they drove the last spike to complete the loop of their track in Battersea, just in time for the Battersea Pumpkin Festival, which is coming up on October 4. The dedicated group of model engineers worked numerous hours to complete the mission. The club welcomes new members. For further information contact the club president, Phil Ibbotson at hThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.trainweb.org/fsme/

Keeping the steam engine heritage alive

There is a small, rough dirt road next to the pristine Battersea baseball field that leads to an overflow parking lot for the Battersea Pumpkin Festival. Last Sunday about 15 cars were parked in that field, which opens up to reveal the raised and ground level tracks that have been built by members of the Frontenac Society of Model Engineers (FSME)

Members of the society, along with some of their compatriots from the Ottawa Association, were enjoying their monthly session running their miniature steam trains along the two tracks. The FSME owns a train that runs on the ground tracks and is becoming familiar to Frontenac County residents. It has been brought out to Canada Day in Sydenham and the Verona Festival to run on portable tracks and take children (and their parents) on rides.

On this Sunday the train was running on the track that the FSME has constructed on the site. The track lacks one section to become a complete loop so the train was running to the end of the line and then backwards to the start, taking some visitors on rides in the afternoon, as the sun peeked through the clouds after a long stretch of rainy weather last week. FSME members are hoping to get the track finished by the time the Pumpkin Festival rolls around this fall.

In the centre of the field, three men were working on their smaller trains on side tracks, making sure all the elements were operating as planned before setting off on the loop. When the coal was burning hot, and the steam was ready to push the pistons, the men climbed onto the seats behind the locomotives, let the throttle out and off they went around the track, slowly at first but eventually at a brisk clip around and around the track.

The FSME began building their tracks and using the Battersea location about four years ago. Before that they were affiliated with the Steam Pump museum in Kingston but found they had to move. They approached the Township of South Frontenac and came to an agreement. They have the run of the Battersea site, and in exchange they are an attraction in at least two township events each year. They have followed all township guidelines, even undertaking an assessment for the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority before building their rail bed and track at the site.

The hobby incorporates a love of making things mechanical along with a fascination with steam engines, which were a fundamental technology not that long ago in Frontenac County, and in Canada and the rest of the world - a technology that is gone but not forgotten by model engineers.

One of the priorities of the FSME is to bring new people into the hobby. Members are keen to share what they have learned, and the club owns its own train so it is not necessary to spend money buying a train or building one from a kit before joining the club.

Graham Copley, one of the engineers who came out to Battersea on Sunday from Ottawa, where he is on the executive of his own club, described the appeal of the hobby in an article he wrote for the Ottawa Citizen earlier this year.

“Members have an enormous range of skills and so here’s your chance to build something, for example an engine or an item of rolling stock. The hobby of model engineering can be delightful and fulfilling. There is a very wide scope of opportunity for you to join like-minded souls and maybe it’s time to revive your long unused wood-working or metal-working skills. Or you can take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the diverse membership. If that’s not your bag there are still lots of other non-technical things for you to get involved in. Model engineers are a social bunch both at the track in the summer and at winter meetings in members’ homes, all of which fosters a great sense of camaraderie.

For further information about the FCME contact the club president, Phil Ibbitson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.