Photo: Ralph and Vera Steele with Zone Commander Dan Bush and Legion President David Moore at the Arden Legion Branch 334's awards ceremony on September 22

In a special awards ceremony, numerous members of the Arden Legion Branch 334 were honoured and presented with pins and awards by branch president David Moore. Zone Commander Dan Bush was the guest speaker of the evening and he spoke about the history of the Legion in the community, first as a meeting place for service personnel, then later also for their spouses, other family members and for members of the community at large.

“Being a Legionnaire is an honour because of the work that the Legion does”, Bush said. “We assist veterans and their families and also play an important role in the community. At this branch, for example, members have set up a convenience store and also regularly hold various events to support the community. These awards are a small token of our appreciation for the long hours of volunteer work that members have done. These awards should be considered an honour and they should be worn with pride.”

Following Dan’s speech, presentations were made to members who received their 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 35-year pins. Joan Moore and Ken Scobie also received their past sport executive and past first president bars respectively. The final presentation of the evening was made to Ralph Steele, who received his 40-year pin two weeks earlier at the annual Arden Legion pig roast dinner where he and his wife Vera were celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary. The event was enjoyed by the Legion’s many members, their families and friends.

Photo: Captain Jeff Matson and volunteer fire fighter Leigh Baese with Jennifer Matson and Mena Scott at the Arden firefighters open house and BBQ in Arden on September 8

On Sept. 1, Captain Jeff Matson, who has been a volunteer fire fighter for 30 plus years, flipped the burgers at Arden's Station #1, where members of the community braved the rain and winds to enjoy a free lunch and to get to know the local volunteer fire fighters in their community.

The fire fighters set up a number of displays to acquaint the public with their gear, which included their bunker gear, tools for auto extrication, ice and water rescue gear, medical bags and defibrillators. They opened up the rescue unit #15 truck, a vehicle that houses living quarters for volunteers when they are out on a call and require relief when fighting fires. Also on view was their class A pumper, which can hold 1000 gallons of water. Mixed with foam it can be transformed into 4000 gallons.

The fire fighters also answered questions from the public regarding burn bans and general safety. Fire fighter Leigh Baese said that the fire fighting team is like a second family and said that the event is a great way for the public to get to know their local fire fighters. The fire fighters will be continuing their Alarm for Life campaign, where they visit homes door to door to ensure the dwellings are equipped with working fire alarms for the upcoming winter season.

Judith Versavel of Gallery on the Bay in Arden has been the target of what seems to be senseless acts of vandalism this summer. Her gallery is located at the end of Willet Lane, and in the interest of saving potential customers from driving down her lane when she is not open for business, she has placed small open and closed signs on the signs she already has on the Arden Road. These open and closed signs have been vandalised and stolen on a number of occasions. On August 1, permanent "closed/open" signs were made and attached to the gallery signs on Arden Road. At the end of the day, one of them was missing.

Judith Versavel has contacted the OPP and they are investigating the vandalism. “Running a business in these times is hard enough without having someone causing extra cost and frustration,” said Versavel about the crimes, which have marred an otherwise excellent relationship with the local community.

“We have are wonderful community, and this is one of those stupid things that keep happening,” she said “and I really have no idea why I am being targeted. It is adding stress to my summer for sure.

Anyone with information regarding this theft is urged to contact the Lanark County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 613-279-2195. You are reminded that you can call Lanark County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You do not have to provide your name or testify in court and if your information leads to an arrest you can qualify for a cash reward.

Editorial by Jeff Green

I was interviewed last week for the Lost Highway documentary, which is about, among other things, the loss of businesses on the stretch of Highway 7 between Sharbot Lake and Kaladar, as well as the efforts of the Friends of Arden to revitalize the hamlet of Arden.

I did not have much earth-shattering insight to offer the film-makers I’m afraid, but after the interview I thought of some better answers to some of the questions they asked.

One of the questions they asked was about the "Why does everything go to Sharbot Lake?" question, which they said was something they heard from a number of people while making their film.

I’m not sure what I mumbled to the camera, but in retrospect I should have pointed out that whenever I have talked to an outsider, say someone from Kingston, Perth, Verona, or anywhere else, they find the idea that anyone would be jealous of Sharbot Lake pretty funny.

To them, Sharbot Lake is a backwater; and in fact, Sharbot Lake is a backwater. It has a few stores and some restaurants and two gas stations, and a couple of offices, including the township office, but that’s about it.

There is a constituency, and it has always been represented on Central Frontenac Council in one form or another, that believes there has been a grand conspiracy to build up Sharbot Lake at the expense of everyone else, particularly the long-ignored citizenry of Arden and Mountain Grove.

Whether there is now, or has been in the past, any truth to these perceived slights, is really beside the point. Arden, and for that matter a number of other hamlets in North and Central Frontenac, have lost virtually all their retail establishments over the years. But they did not lose out to Sharbot Lake. They lost out to Belleville, to Napanee, to Kingston and to Perth. They lost out to Walmart and Best Buy and No Frills. Retail has changed all over the world, and small rural retailers have been hit particularly hard.

Businesses in Sharbot Lake struggle to survive as the retail strips 35 km down the road in Perth and 65 km down the road in Kingston continue to increase in size. Does it help the Sharbot Lake businesses to have politicians and residents from Mountain Grove, Arden or Parham calling Sharbot Lake a fat cat? Probably not.

For the Friends of Arden, and for any organized or ad hoc group of people in hamlets anywhere in rural Eastern Ontario, the challenge is to build a community around something other than a commercial hub. That is what the Friends of Arden have found as they have moved forward. The support they have garnered has come from working with the Legion and the Rec. Committee and the churches. Communities build themselves up by looking at their resources and building on them. They do it by working together, and by working with neighbouring communities to strengthen the region.

There is always resentment towards the postal code where tax dollars are sent. I thought they were paving the streets of Mountain Grove in gold when I paid my municipal taxes to Olden Township, so I guess I can understand how some people in Arden feel.

Eventually, I realized that the gold was really only tar and chip, and I got over my resentment towards Mountain Grove, which I now think of as a picturesque hamlet with a good hall and an excellent school.

It might be time for those people in Arden who are still harbouring old grudges towards Sharbot Lake to move on as well.

Council does Arden – or vice versa

A conjunction of groups, led by the Friends of Arden and including the Kennebec Recreation Committee, the Arden Seniors, and the Big Clear and Kennebec Lake Associations, arrived in force for the annual Central Frontenac Council meeting in Arden on Tuesday, July 10.

As an added incentive, the Arden groups prepared a meal for the council members. But first they had them sit through a varied 30-minute presentation that included updates on the work of the Friends of Arden over the last year; a proposal for a new entrance to the Arden Recreation Park; a report on the Kennebec Lake Association’s activities; and a thank you to the fire and emergency services by the Blue Heron Ridge Lake Association.

Terry Kennedy from the Friends of Arden began the presentation. He said that the ‘Friends’ developed as a group in late 2010 and began to take action on a list of 29 priorities in May of 2011.

“As you can see,” he said, referring to a list of projects and their state of completion, “we have initiated action or completed 25 of those 29, as well as other projects that were not on the original list, but which came to our attention afterwards,” said Kennedy.

The township completed a number of the initiatives, such as work on the sidewalks and on the bridge in the middle of the hamlet. Others, such as doing a cleanup, establishing some branding initiatives and setting up a website, were done by the Friends of Arden themselves, sometimes in conjunction with the township or other community partners.

Looking forward, the Friends have a number of long- term projects in mind. One that involves the township is a proposal for a land swap with a landowner who lives next to the Arden park. In order to vastly improve the entrance to the park, a direct driveway through the landowner’s property is proposed, and according to David Daski of the Friends, the landowner would be interested in a land swap in favour of a piece of township land that has little actual or potential value to the township but would expand the landowner's holdings.

Council decided to instruct staff to investigate the possible land swap.

The Friends of Arden are also planning to apply to Frontenac County, under the small scale community initiatives program that the county has established, for financial help in improving signage in Arden. Council voted to support the application.

The Friends also sought and received a commitment from the township to help with this fall’s Arden clean-up.

Road 38 closure leads to hand wringing

The month of July is probably not the optimal time to divert traffic on a major artery to cottage country, but in a couple of weeks that is exactly what will be happening on Road 38 in Central Frontenac. CP Rail will be repairing the railway crossing at Tichborne, and the road will be closed in both directions between Tuesday July 24, and Thursday, July 26.

There are major implications for traffic, because the only viable alternative may be to divert northbound traffic in Parham to the Long Lake Road or to the Fish Creek Road in Tichborne, and southbound to the Bradshaw, Bobs Lake and Fish Creek roads, which are relatively narrow gravel roads.

There was a lot of hand wringing over the closure when it was brought to Central Frontenac Council this week, but in the end the decision was made to go ahead with the closure.

The township had pushed hard for the CP to fix the crossing, which is in dire need of improvement. Councilors wondered, however, why CP has decided to do the project in the middle of the summer tourist season, when Road 38 is at its busiest, as are the roads that will be used as detours.

Complete details about detours and timing will be available on the township website and in the Frontenac News next week.

Sharbot Lake Community Improvement Plan

The timing may not have been perfect for the township to receive the draft Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for Sharbot Lake on the day they were meeting in Arden, as there is lingering resentment among Arden residents over the interest the township has historically expressed in economic development within Sharbot Lake, which has the bulk of the commercial and institutional infrastructure within Central Frontenac, in addition to housing the township office.

The draft plan will be the subject of a public meeting at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake tonight, July 12, at 6:30 pm.

The draft identifies a number of goals, including the improvement of five businesses and the establishment of two new businesses within five years; improvements to the commercial areas on Hwy. 7 and on Elizabeth street in the core of the village; better signage, etc.

Under the plan, $70,000 will be available from Frontenac County each year and $10,000 from Central Frontenac for matching grants for local businesses looking to improve their physical look and entranceway or make them more accessible.

Council was asked to receive the document for information at this meeting, on the expectation that the plan will receive final approval at next month's meeting, once the public meeting has been held and recommendations are incorporated.

The Community Improvement Plan area was defined in the draft plan as a long and narrow strip running from Brewer Road to the south, to Highway 7 in the north, roughly

Councilor Norm Guntensperger pointed out that there is no requirement that the CIP be limited to such a small region within the commercial core of Sharbot Lake.

“We are entirely within our power and jurisdiction to delineate the entire township as the project area. I see no reason why certain businesses should be excluded,” said Guntensperger

“I think the CIP is an important first step,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski. “Including the entire township would be difficult; it would be like putting gravel on every road every year. It is spread too thin and does no good. We have had experts look at the entire county, and they advised we need to focus on certain areas. We have an enthusiastic group in Arden, and we made some investments in Arden a couple of years ago, which acted as a catalyst to some of the things that are happening in Arden today. Targeted investments can be effective and that’s what this is about.”

Gutowski then invited Guntensperger to attend the public meeting on the CIP, pointing out that he had never done so before.

Guntensperger ignored Gutowski’s final comment, sticking instead to his main point

“I think in building a community, you don’t divide it,” he said.

In a vote to receive the draft CIP for information, Councilor Guntensperger was the only no vote.

Later in the meeting Guntensperger proposed a motion to extend the CIP to the entire township, making particular note of what it could do to enhance the Arden revitalisation efforts that had been the subject of much of the meeting.

Mayor Gutowski said that opening up the CIP to the entire township would slow its implementation.

In a recorded vote, eight members of the nine-member Council supported Gutowski’s view and Guntensperger’s motion was defeated.

OPP reports costing models to council

Members of the Sharbot Lake and Lanark OPP detachments made a presentation at council's request regarding costs and models of service. Attending the presentation were Sgts. Paul Ross and Paul Legault, Inspector Gerry Salsbury and Provincial Constable David Blair. Sgt. Paul Legault began the presentation by outlining the two different models available to municipalities and how their costs differ; the first being a contract model and the second a non-contract model. The differences between the two are that in the first, OPP staff costs are fixed for the full term of the contract, whereas in the second the costs are adjusted at year's end to reflect the actual staffed hours. Other differences are that in the first, OPP staff are authorized to enforce area by-laws where as in the second, non-contract model they are not. Similarly in the first model staff are eligible for grants to run special programs like the RIDE program where in the second they are not eligible for additional programs. Sgt. Legault also outlined the current new costing formula which was undated in 2012. Following his presentation Sgt. Paul Ross outlined the OPP report for the township from January 2012 to May 31, 2012 and highlighted major incidents involving the OPP, which included numerous statistics regarding the types of crimes reported in that time period, including assaults, break and enters, thefts, and mischief. The report showed that the number of incidents in total increased steadily from January 2012 from 110 incidents to 156 in May 2012. Following the presentation council received the report for information.

Photo: Central Frontenac's Chief Building Officer Jeremy Neven leads a public meeting re property standards at Arden's Kennebec hall on Jan. 18 standards in CF

On Jan. 18, Kennebec hall in Arden was the location of the first of two public meetings to be held by the Township of Central Frontenac on a proposed new property standards bylaw.

Chief Building Officer Jeremy Neven outlined what amounts to be the three possible options for council to consider regarding property standards.

The first option is to leave things just as the way they are. This option would leave in place the township’s current Safe Properties By-Law # 2000-81, which addresses issues of public safety and health through regulations that address primarily exterior property issues including, but not limited to: garbage, excessive grass and weed growth, timber and building materials, scrap metal including wrecked cars, appliances, trailers, as well as combustible, caustic, flammable and explosive materials.

The bylaw also addresses dangerous pits, precipices and excavations found on properties, along with dilapidated buildings, fences, retaining walls and/or potions thereof. This current bylaw is enforced by the municipality’s bylaw enforcement officer Ken Gilpin and it remains outside the jurisdiction of the authority of the Ontario Building Code.

Neven said that the township is in no way inundated with complaints regarding property standards at this time.

Neven then listed issues such as “roofing, siding”, and other “general maintenance issues”, as well as a plethora of issues pertaining to the interiors of buildings, which the current Safe Properties By-Law does not address.

One alternative that Neven said the township could consider would be to pass a Property Standards Bylaw that would be more comprehensive than the Safe Properties bylaw.

One slide in Neven's presentation highlighted a major difference that a Property Standards bylaw would bring. The current Safe Properties By-Law is established under the Municipal Act and allows for provisions relating primarily to exteriors of property and safety, whereas a Property Standards By-Law allows for provisions relating to maintenance and occupancy.

Neven explained that property standards by-laws provide standards for “the maintenance and occupancy of property within the municipality or within any defined area or areas” and have the power to “prohibit the occupancy or use of such a property that does not conform with the standards”.

In addition to this, they are enforced specifically under the Ontario Building Code Act 15.1 (3)(1). Neven described how the process of enforcement of a Property Standards By-Law would work.

“It would be a complaint-driven process, meaning that a complaint would come into the municipal office and be assessed by a specially appointed board or committee set up specifically for this purpose. The committee would then talk to the property owner and if an order needed to be issued it would be ordered from the building department of the township. The property owner could then either chose to comply with the order or could appeal it.”

Because a Property Standards By-Law would be building code related, Neven said that an appeal could effectively make its way all the way up to the Ontario Municipal Board.

One member of the audience then asked Neven, “If the owner refused to comply with an issued order, what are the municipality’s powers?”

Neven responded, “We would have the authority then to correct the situation ourselves...and charge the expense to the owner in back taxes.”

Neven brought with him two examples of how two different area municipalities have dealt with property standards.

One, from of the municipality of Bancroft, is a full-fledged Property Standards By Law, and the other, from Gananoque, is in essence an updated Safe Properties By-Law.

Some audience members at the meeting thought that a new property standards by-law could end up being a highly restrictive document, which could also prove to be both too difficult and too expensive for the township to enforce, and they felt this middle way might be the best way to go.

Arden resident Sarah Hale spoke in favor of the more moderate approach.

“It's not a good idea to have a lot of laws that you don't intend to enforce,” she said, “but on the other hand a lot of us are hoping and wanting to do what we want on our own property.

“That being said, there is that old familiar statement that says 'Your right to do what you want with your fist ends where my nose begins’. Often our noses are literally affected by what happens on the property next door to us. So for that reason, I'm in favor of looking at what we have now, looking at what other standards we really need and can enforce, and adding some new regulations to what we already have if we need them. The struggle here is finding the amount of enforcement we need and the amount of freedom that we would all like.”

A second meeting took place at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake last night (Wednesday January 25th – after this issue had gone to print)

At the Arden meeting Neven distributed a survey regarding the issue, which is also posted on the township’s website (Centralfrontenac.com). Interested parties can fill it out online. The site also contains detailed information about the current bylaw. (#2000-81)

Bancroft's Property Standards by-law can be found at www.town.bancroft.on.ca and Gananoque's Safe Buildings By-Law can be found at www.gananoque.ca

The Salmon River Bridge plan and study, which included an assessment of the intersection of the Arden and Henderson roads at Highway 7, left many Arden area residents with concerns. An information session was presented by project managers from the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and the design firm Morrison Hershfield Ltd. on October 18 at the Kennebec Hall, and many residents said they felt that the study failed to satisfactorily address their long-time concerns about the intersection.

While the proposed plan for the bridge replacement was overwhelmingly met with support, the fact that the Arden/Henderson Road intersection at Highway 7 is not going to be reconfigured was very disappointing to some residents. For a number of years many residents have deemed the intersection to be dangerous; they say that numerous serious accidents and fatalities have occurred there over the years.

Gord Brown, who resides on Kennebec Lake just north of the project area, said that he and other residents have been pushing the MTO for improvements to the intersection for years - specifically for the installation of left turn lanes. "They [the MTO] told us that the traffic and accident data at the intersection does not warrant the installation of left turn lanes but my position is - if they are going to spend time and money building the new bridge just west of the intersection, they should also take the time and spend the extra money that it will take to widen the highway and add left turn lanes to make it safer,” he said.

Brown said that the intersection is dangerous for drivers traveling west on Highway 7 who want to turn left onto the Arden Road but have nowhere to go when traffic is bearing down on them from behind. “The situation is extremely dangerous and it encourages drivers to rush what is already a very sharp left turn.” Brown said he and other residents put their improvement suggestions to the MTO in writing one year ago and a number of times since, which resulted in the MTO including a formal assessment of the intersection in the Salmon River Bridge replacement plan and study. The assessment included additional traffic counts that were made in the summer of 2012.

In the plan/study that was presented in Arden on October 18, it was stated that the intersection will remain as is and no changes are proposed for the intersection. The study states that “intersection modifications such as turning lanes or traffic signals are not warranted based on current and forecasted traffic volumes” but that the alignment shift of the proposed new bridge will “improve geometrics and sight lines on Highway 7.”

Right now the intersection has right hand turn lanes and a yellow flashing overhead light. Another resident I spoke to was similarly dissatisfied with the decision and said that traffic is heavy on Highway 7 on Fridays and Sundays and that is when the danger is most prevalent. “That's when 30 or 40 cars are all rushing along behind you when you are wanting to turn left onto the Arden Road. Ideally all of the cars behind you should come to a stop but instead they continue speeding along and instead of stopping, cross into the opposing right turn lane to get around you which makes things really bad.” He added that traffic will only increase as a result of the new development slated to take place on Kennebec Lake this year.

Thirty-year Arden resident Sarah Hale, though impressed with the new Salmon River bridge plan, also expressed concern that no changes will be made at the intersection. “I understand that there has been a very thorough assessment regarding the bridge replacement and I think that they have come up with a very good plan that seems very logical. My only concern is about them not making improvements to the intersection to make it safer.”

Hale said she did not know if the topography at the intersection could allow for anything different regarding the hair-pin turn from Highway 7 onto the Arden Road. “Nobody likes it (the intersection) but I would like to see something that does not require drivers to have to make sudden choices that can be quite uncomfortable and unsafe.” Hale said she knows at least two people from the area who were killed at the intersection and has heard of “several others who have either been killed or badly injured there.” She said that although highway improvements are always “a hassle no matter what you do; still, they have to be done.”

I questioned MTO project manager Chris Kardassis about why no changes are proposed for the intersection. He replied that the intersection is out of range of the study area, which he said lies west of the intersection and which concerns primarily the bridge site. He added, “We know there is concern about the intersection but the volumes [of traffic] don't warrant improvements at this time.”

The second of three planned public input sessions on the replacement of the Salmon River bridge was held by the Ministry of Transportation and the Morrison Hershfield design firm on October 18 at the Kennebec Hall. Arden area residents had a chance to review the preliminary design and environmental assessment study of the bridge, which is located west of the intersection of Highway 7 and the Arden/Henderson roads.

The existing bridge was originally built in 1932 and was rehabilitated in 1977 and in 2004, but it has since been deemed “at the end of its service life” due to cracking in its concrete, concrete abutments, retaining walls and pavement, and corrosion in its reinforcing steel. At the information session residents perused numerous display boards and also heard a presentation by Chris Kardassis, project manager with the Ministry of Transportation for Eastern Ontario, and representatives from Morrison Hershfield Ltd., who designed the plan.

The plan highlighted three replacement options for a new bridge: A) replacing it where it currently stands; B) shifting it to the north of its current location; or C) shifting it south of its existing location. The study opted for the northern shift, option B, and cited numerous reasons for their choice. The criteria included road alignment and profile; impacts on traffic/abutting properties and the Arden/Henderson Road intersection; environmental concerns; hydrology; navigable waters; constructabilty; construction staging; and foundation concerns. Option B will see “a new concrete girder bridge on a new alignment shifted to the north as the technically preferred option”. The plan reasons that Option B will: improve foundation conditions of the bridge since the northern shift will enable more of the foundation to be built on bedrock rather than on clay silt; improve roadway geometrics and sight lines at the Arden/Henderson Road intersection on Highway 7; reduce construction time by one less stage; minimize impacts on the floodplain and existing surrounding wetlands; and minimize impacts to existing entrances and other area properties.

Construction is projected to take place over two construction seasons (two years) and is projected to start in 2015. The construction will take place in three stages. The first will include the partial removal of the existing bridge; the second is construction of the new bridge and the new highway alignment; and the final stage will involve the demolition of the remainder of the old bridge. During construction traffic will be reduced to a single lane and will be managed by temporary traffic lights. Accesses to nearby entrances will be maintained, although access to the Salmon River boat launch and picnic area will be closed. The study also included the environmental impacts and mitigation and this section forbids any in water work from taking place between March 15 and June 30. It also calls for the installation and maintenance of specific erosion control measures and the protection, maintenance and regeneration of any affected land and wetlands. Measures will be put in place to protect all affected vegetative and wildlife ecosystems, specifically nesting birds and turtles, by excluding them from the project site during their nesting seasons. Lastly, measures will also be taken to minimize the impact of the construction on the community and local emergency services.

The next steps in the planning process will be a final review and assessment of the plan, with the planning team and MTO addressing all comments received by the public. After that, the recommended plan and the Environmental Assessment Study will be finalized. A Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) will be completed and will be posted at three locations for the public to review. The three locations are the township offices of Central Frontenac in Sharbot Lake, and the public libraries in Arden and Mountain Grove. The TESR will be posted for one month.

wo local farmers are jumping on the band wagon and are following the latest trend of bringing urban foodies from the big cities of Ottawa and Toronto to enjoy a unique culinary experience right in their own rural farm yards.

Allaine Nordin and Tom Waller, owners of Elm Tree Farm near Arden, have been farming since 1995. They grow market vegetables, cover crops and sell CSA (Community-Shared Agriculture) shares to members in Ottawa and Sharbot Lake. The couple recently premiered their first "Double Dig It" event at the farm on August 10, where they hosted a dinner and farm tour for 45 diners under a semi-covered hoop-style greenhouse.

Asked how the idea for such an event came about, Nordin said that she heard about an American man who holds similar events in California, called Outstanding in the Field, where guests are bussed to farms and local chefs in the area are invited to cook for the guests. She recalled “We thought it was a great idea and I thought let's bring a bus load of people to our farm here and use the food that we produce to create the meal.”

Nordin invited six prominent chefs from Ottawa and under the leadership of head chef Mike Frank of Melos in Ottawa, they all came together to create a lavish three-course meal based on the farm fresh ingredients grown at Elm Tree.

When I visited the event just prior to dinner time, the chefs were gathered at the far end of the dining area, grilling eggplant, with head chef Mike putting the finishing touches on his gravy. As dinner time got close the diners, many of whom were from Ottawa and Toronto, began to be seated at one long, white-clothed table that was decorated with hundreds of fresh cut flowers and looked like something from a European film set. The roof of the hoop garden setting was open on one side, offering diners gorgeous views of the lush and gently rolling hills of the vegetable gardens. Allaine informed me that the site was created especially for the event and will be used in the future to hold other similar events.

The menu included a number of appetizers matched with various Ontario wine pairings. The appetizers included a turnip soup and turnip salsa, zucchini buttered toasts, a beet salad with lime arugula, pumpkin seeds and pistachios and polenta crisps, Bonnechere gouda cheese, a family-style chicken main course featuring a number of vegetable sides including a garden green salad, braised kale and tomatoes, smoke-roasted potatoes, maple-glazed shallots, and grilled zucchini, eggplant and red peppers. Dessert was strawberry ice cream served with lemon short bread, hemp granola and cocoa dusted almonds. Sous-chef David Cloutier was thrilled to be part of the event and said, “Everything is so amazing here, the views, the smells, the food. This is definitely something I could do everyday.”

One guest at the event was Central Frontenac mayor, Janet Gutowski, who spoke to me about how local food and farming is fast becoming a main tourist attraction in the area. “We have such a pristine environment to protect and it's important that we guide economic development instead of just letting it happen haphazardly. Why not build culture in our economy around good food? It is creative events of this kind that help to greatly enrich the quality of life here.”

For those who missed the event, Tom Waller is a regular vendor at the Shabot Lake Farmers Market, which takes place at Oso beach every Saturday until Thanksgiving from 9am-1pm. For more information about Elm Tree farm visit www.elmtreefarm.ca

The original Royal Canadian Legion was formed in 1945 by returning veterans from World War 2 and was called the North Frontenac Legion. Between 1945 and 1983 Legion meetings were held at available homes, halls and the Kennebec Community Centre, just down the road from the present location.

The first president of the Legion in Arden was Harry Alexander, followed by Claude Parks,
Charlie Parker and Bert Brown. Fred Hugh, was president from 1948 to 1955, and Howard Jackson served as treasurer for numerous years. Another active participant back then was Edward Wilkes

The current Legion was developed in 1981 and 1982, with the official opening taking place in May 1983. At that time it was still known as the North Frontenac Legion but in 1985 the name was changed to Branch #334, Gordon Gaylord Branch. It was thought at that time it was the only Legion branch named after a living veteran.

As times change, so do the functions, uses and commitments of both the Legion and all its members. The membership has fluctuated through the years from a high of 427 to a low of 123. Current membership stands at 155, which is hoped to be a stepping stone to a goal of 200 by 2015. Members are definitely wanted!

A sign of responding to local needs was the decision by the Legion to open a small grocery store on the premises. The idea of a store was started by the "Friends of Arden". It is open to all; you do not have to be a member to purchase grocery items, and although the Legion is no "Wal-Mart" or "Target", it is unique. Where else can a person have a relaxing beverage while shopping? No big city store can offer that! Store hours are noon to close Tuesday through Sunday.

Our Legion hosts numerous events, all open to the public, all reasonably priced, and all held in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere, such as a New Year’s Levy; Fishing Contest & Fish Fry; ATV Rally, Chili Cook-off; Bass Derby & Fish Fry; Chicken BBQ, Duck Race; Pig & Corn Roast; Car Rally; Remembrance Day; Deer Contest & Hunter’s Ball; Children's Christmas Party and New Year’s Eve Party. Throughout the year there are also various dart tournaments, breakfasts, bake sales, cake auctions, raffles, meat draws and steak suppers.

Since January 2011 the fundraising committee has raised $8,000 for roof repairs; $2500 for kitchen renovations, purchased a new television set, vacuum cleaner, replaced the ceiling in the central dart room, and purchased an awning for outdoor BBQ events.

The latest venture is to raise $4,950 by issuing redeemable shares at $50 each to repair water damage to both ceilings and floors. Shares earn interest at 6% per annum, repayment to start in mid-September 2013 and the target is 4 shares per month being repaid. The same idea was used on the roof and repayment took only 10 months instead of the scheduled 40. All participants should feel very proud to have helped. At this time, over 50 ceiling shares have either been paid for or committed to, so don't be shy; you can still join the club! Call the Legion at 335-2737.

The Ladies' Auxiliary is active as well and all monies raised by the auxiliary are used for local community activities, covering various sporting events and donations to worthy causes.

Other programs supported by Branch #334 consist of helping administer the Legion Villa in Kingston. This is a home for all seniors, not just veterans, and contributions to help cover costs come from all Legion branches within the area.

Our local C.A.R.E. program, started in 2006, is another source of funds for local families in time of need. Branch #334, along with the C.A.R.E. Committee and Ladies Auxiliary raise funds by holding the annual Duck Race, a summer sewer tournament, Christmas tree Angel donations and raffles throughout the year. Other funds are raised by generous donations from community members.

All Legions are very involved in the November Remembrance Day Services and Poppy Campaigns. Branch #334 is no exception. We host up to 60 serving military each November 11th and without a doubt, the hospitality given them, plus the food all donated by local ladies is second to none.

Within Arden, our Legion is one of the few remaining hubs of activity and would be sorely missed if not there. All help within the Legion is strictly volunteer. Our current members can all feel a sense of accomplishment at what has been built so far and we can all hope for bigger and better things for the future. If anyone is thinking of being a member or has a suggestion for improvements, please call 613-335-3664