Ottawa Valley-based singer songwriter Craig Cardiff not is only a gifted performer but he also has a unique ability to encourage and inspire youngsters. The singer/songwriter was invited to perform and hold workshops at Land O'Lakes Public School on June 23 by Kathy Bateman, the student support teacher at the school. The event was made possible thanks in part to a grant the school received from Blue Skies in the Community, whose mandate is to bring music appreciation and opportunities to students in North and Central Frontenac.

Cardiff, who performs regularly across Canada and the United States, engaged the students by showing them how they too can write their own songs. “I remember as a youngster being inspired by musicians who visited my school and my goal with this workshop and performance is to help inspire students; to get them to write a song so they can realize that it's not hard and to hopefully spark a musical interest in them”, he said when I interviewed him as he was setting up his gear in the school gym. Cardiff, who has been playing since he was very young, began by performing a number of his own original songs, tunes like “Safe Here” and “Love is Louder”.

At just 38 years old he has 20 albums under his belt and he easily captured the attention of the appreciative audience. First he spoke about what inspires his own lyrics and next he taught them the choruses of his tunes, inviting them to raise their hands and sway in time to the music as they sang.

Next he invited a student, five-year-old Keegan to the stage, who helped Cardiff write a song about the latter's love for trucks and cars, which included lyrics like, “I love jacking up trucks and taking the tires off, installing roll bars”, and another that told of how “monster truck drivers are safely strapped in under six seat belts”.

Cardiff invited a second student, five-year-old Keeley to the stage and together they composed a song on a topic close to her heart - princesses. The song included lyrics offered up by Keeley, one line about Bambi, the prince of the forest, and another about Cinderella's two very rude sisters.

Between the songs the students had a chance to question Cardiff and he answered a wide range of questions with “Yes, I like cheese and no, I am not rich,” though he did mention that his craft does pay the bills and feed his family.

He answered many more questions on the topic of music, including what inspires him, who his favorite singer is (Paul Simon), and his thoughts about fame and when and how he got started. To wrap up the performance and prior to working one on one with the students, Cardiff sang a medley of some of his favorite tunes from Paul Simon's Graceland.

The students were no doubt inspired by Cardiff's performance and you can bet that many family members were treated to a few original compositions before the day was out. For more information and to sample some of Craig's music visit his website at www.craigcardiff.com.

Over 100 local kindergarten students along with youngsters from the local community took part in the eighth annual Strawberry Moon festival at St. James Major Catholic School on June 17.

The event was in celebration of National Aboriginal Day (on June 21) and it also marked the wrap up of “First You Plant the Seed”, an Aboriginal educational program for kindergarten students based on the Algonquin full moons, which is run through Northern Frontenac Community Services and aims to bring First Nations culture to youngsters in local schools.

Marcie Asselstine, who headed up the festival, also ran the program this school year, and throughout the year she visited various junior and senior kindergarten classrooms at four local area schools, including Clarendon Central in Plevna, Land O'Lakes in Mountain Grove, and St. James Major and Granite Ridge in Sharbot Lake.

Those students attended the festival, as did other youngsters involved in other early learning programs that are offered at the Child Centre in Sharbot Lake. At the event, the children visited four areas, including a craft table where Lily Davis showed students how to make their own totem poles using recycled materials.

Just outside in a traditional tee pee typically used by First Nations people from the plains, Grandmother Danka Brewer, local member of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, told the children the story of the race between the fox and the frog, as a way to teach them about peer support and cooperation.

Also outside, a men's drumming circle headed up by Josh St. Pierre, Leslie St. Pierre and Joe Wilson with the help of the Kokumis Women's Drum group, taught the children numerous songs, and traditional dancers Alesha Mercier and Madison and Logan St. Pierre wore their traditional regalia and demonstrated traditional dancing.

Lastly, Bonnie Murphy assisted the children at a traditional foods section where the youngsters made their own edible strawberry treat and enjoyed traditional bannock.

The Strawberry Moon Festival is based on the Algonquin peoples naming the June full moon as the strawberry moon and the festival is funded through the Limestone School Board, the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB).

Shawn McDonald, assignment teacher for Aboriginal education with the ALCDSB, was present at the event and explained that it signifies a coming together and celebration of all the traditional knowledge and learning that has been taking place at the schools throughout the year. “This is a perfect time to celebrate the traditional learning that has been taking place in the classrooms with these younger students and it is also a wonderful learning experience for their teachers as well. By bringing in a number of local Aboriginal people who know first hand about traditional Aboriginal culture, everyone here today is learning and sharing and that is what makes this event so exciting and worthwhile.”

A total of 13 locations opened their doors to curious history buffs at the special Doors Open event, which took place on June 13 to celebrate 150 years in Frontenac County.

At the Railway Heritage Park in Sharbot Lake, members of the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society greeted visitors to the caboose, which offers visual and written information about the area’s unique railway history. They served guests lunch and refreshments and want to get the word out that they are looking for new members and volunteers to assist them with their many ongoing projects. For information please call 613-279-2777

At the Bradshaw Schoolhouse near Tichborne, guests had a chance to meet former teachers and their relatives at the quaint and lovingly preserved one-room schoolhouse where Richard Webster greeted guests. Visitors included Marilyn Meeks, who supply taught at the school for one year in the late 1960s, filling in for a teacher taking maternity leave. She remembers the school with fondness and recalled how the older students assisted the teachers by minding the younger students while the teacher did her best to cover school curriculum for all ages. Also visiting was Daniel Hayes, whose grandmother Daisy (Margaret) Hayes taught at the school between 1916 and 1919, prior to marrying Edward Hayes, who at the time was a telegraph operator at the CP Station in Tichborne. Daisy trained as a teacher at Sharbot Lake's Normal School (teachers’ college) prior to taking the post at Bradshaw.

Other locations included in the Doors Open event included sites in and around North, Central, and South Frontenac and the Islands.

Organizers of an Olde Tyme Canadian Dinner fundraiser that took place at Trinity United Church in Verona on June 12 covered all the bases in celebrating 150 years in Frontenac County, as well as the church’s own 129th anniversary and the upcoming Canada Day celebrations.

Over 100 diners turned out for a sumptuous dinner that included an extensive menu put together by Diane Buchanan and Jane Mackay with the help of members of the congregation. They used recipes taken from classic United Church cookbooks, two in particular titled “Let Us Break Bread Together” and “Lunches and Suppers on the Go”.

The lavish meal included a fish chowder from Nova Scotia; cheese buns from Newfoundland; a cranberry raspberry molded salad from British Colombia; beef bourguignon from Cornwall, Ont.; and a wild rice casserole from Cut Knife, Saskatchewan. Desserts were rhubarb delight from Peace River, Alberta, and French Canadian sugar and maple syrup pie.

To get diners into the mood, bagpiper Ian Mackay piped the diners into the community hall, and again following the meal as they made their way to the church’s sanctuary for an evening of olde-tyme entertainment with a definite Canadian flavour.

Hope Andrews and Megan Peters played a scene from Anne of Green Gables and various choral ensembles from the church’s choir and congregation performed a number of rousing and highly comedic pieces, which included the Trinity ladies singing a rousing version of “I'se the B'ye” and the men of Trinity in appropriate bug attire, wielding flyswatters and singing a very funny rendition of “Black Flies of Ontario”.

Linda Brown read from famed Canadian novelist W.O. Mitchell's “Jake and the Kid” and Denny Buchanan read from Robert Service's famed poem “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”. Connie Shibley also performed a gorgeous version of the French Canadian song “The Wandering Canadian”. The evening ended with a sing along to “Something to Sing About”.

Without a doubt the diners left with fuller bellies and hearts and a better appreciation for Canada's rich history in the arts. For those not in the know, the members of the Trinity United sure know how to party Canadian-style and the evening proved that this lively and talented congregation definitely know how to put a Canadian stamp on anniversary celebrations.

A capacity crowd filled the Bellrock hall on June 6 for the official release of “After the News”, the self-titled album and latest musical offering from Lee Casement and the band, many of whom are long time collaborators who have written and performed together in the past on the In the Guestroom series of recordings. The group, comprised of Casement on bass/guitar, Lisa Menard on vocals, Shaun Weima on vocals/lead guitar, Jamie Young on vocals/guitar, and drummer Matt Piper were joined on stage by Kelli Caravan on trumpet and Josh Lyon on keyboards. They performed the complete song list from the album, which was released to the public the same day that the event took place.

Casement said the project represents something brand-new for him. “My cousin Lisa and I were always talking about writing songs together and Shaun, whom I had formed a partnership with during the In the Guestroom series of albums, just started writing songs together and wanted to record and perform them.”

The band is stacked with talented vocalists and the trio of singers - Shaun, Lisa and Jamie took turns centre stage, with each adding their own individual style and flavour to the diverse repertoire that makes this collaboration work. Each singer’s voice is distinct. Lisa is the group’s diva. She offers a strong, solid and silky smooth vibe, and proved she can funk it up at the drop of a hat. Jamie by contrast sings in a breathy lament and took the lead in tunes like “I'm Drawing You” to great effect. Shaun's delivery is wildly dramatic and energetic - his precise and pointed delivery so masterfully other worldly at times it had me doing double takes.

The songs also invite the three to come together as they did in their opener “Stand”, the only tune from the album that has been made into a video, which was recorded at local metal artist Stefan Duerst's studio near Godfrey and features Duerst and some of his work.

The other band members each offered solid performances, with Piper keeping the beat, Casement holding down the bottom end and Caravan and Lyon bringing a distinct density to the show. Casement said he wanted to hold the party in Bellrock since it was close to home and he wanted to promote the band in his own backyard. He paid respect to the musicians who inspired this album and invited the Evening Hymns (Jonas Bonnetta with Jon Hynes) who inspired the band’s tune “Morning Hymn (Wake Up)”, which was a highlight. The Evening Hymns, who do not often play locally, performed a generous set that showcased Bonnetta's work and also Hynes' talents as a recent member as well as his own solo efforts. Bonnetta is an amazing singer and poet and he performed a number of older tunes including “Arrows”, plus a number of brand new songs like “Evil Forces”, which will appear on a new release. From his acclaimed CD titled “Spectral Dust” Bonnetta invited Casement to play bass for the tune “You and Jake”, a song that was featured in the 2015 Cameron Crowe film starring Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper and Rachel McAdams, which wowed the crowd.

For his closer Bonnetta performed “Mountain Song”, a fascinating and demanding looping number that defined this unique artist’s seemingly limitless talents. Hynes sang a few of his own originals from his album titled “Watchful Creatures”. His tunes “Sea Diver” and “One More California” show him to be a talented singer and energetic performer.

Well known and loved local troubadour, Jon McLurg, had opened the evening with a number of his own mesmerizing solo numbers including “True Blue” and “Big Band Theory”, which warmed up the crowd, demonstrating his virtuosity as a writer, singer and player. His version of “CC Rider” was a delight as was his stream of consciousness number inspired by North Carolina legend Etta Baker.

The evening demonstrated that original top-notch music is alive and well in these rural parts. After The News will be performing a house concert in Kingston on Friday, July 17 and will be taking to the stage at the Westport Music Festival on Saturday, August 15 and in Harrowsmith at the County of Frontenac's 150th Anniversary celebrations on Sunday, August 30. They will also be appearing on Saturday, November 7 at the Daily Grind Art Cafe in Ottawa. For more information visit www.tinyracket.com/bands/afterthenews

Rev. Karen Hincke led the 130th Anniversary service of the Snow Road Presbyterian Church on June 7 and spoke to a capacity crowd. The service included special musical guests, the Abrams Family, with Wayne, Mary and their son Brian Abrams performing their top notch brand of musical ministry, which delighted the congregation.

Rev. Hincke made many references to family histories in the service, first in her conversation with the children where she spoke of her own personal history with the church and specifically of her great grandfather, a Methodist circuit rider who rode a horse in South-western Ontario, preaching to a number of different communities there. Regarding the Snow Road church's 130th anniversary, Hincke said, “As a church we are born and are identified by our history... and the meaning of that history will be determined by the future, and by where our history is leading us.” In her sermon, the theme of genealogy continued and Hincke said that the purpose of the anniversary “is to look back at the130 years of this congregation’s life, which will give us courage and hope for the decades to come.”

She chose to read the opening 17 verses from the Gospel of Matthew, which are seldom read at a worship service. They speak of the genealogy of Jesus Christ and the 42 generations that led to his birth. She cited the reading as “a genealogy that is the proper beginning of the story of Jesus for two main purposes, since first, it tells the reader who Jesus was and how he fits both into the history of the Jews and the Christian church” and secondly she said that it “shows Matthew's readers at that time, the beginning of their own history.”

The history of the Snow Road church has been celebrated and chronicled in a publication titled “The First Hundred Years - Snow Road Presbyterian Church”, which was put together by Max Millar, Hilda Geddes and Don St. Pierre in celebration of the church's 100-year anniversary in 1985.

I have included here some highlights from that publication here.

The church was built in 1885 at the cost of $1600 by Mr. Snowden, a contractor and builder, on a lot donated by Mrs. James (“Granny”) Millar. The church was opened and dedicated on November 28, 1885. Prior to its construction services were held in a no longer existing schoolhouse in the village. John Allan, who moved to Snow Road from the Perth area, is the individual credited with instigating the building of the church and was its first elder. He also organized its first Sunday school. A year after its construction, the churches of McDonalds Corners and Elphin were transferred to the Kingston Presbytery since the new church was a member and the three remained in the Kingston Presbytery until 1927, when they became a part of the Presbytery of Lanark and Renfrew.

Rev. Alexander McAuley was the church's first minister. The church organ that was played at Sunday's service by organist Lynda Russell was purchased in 1936, replacing an older hand pump organ and in 1968 it was electrified. The church was originally heated by a single box stove, and a second stove was later added. They were replaced first by one and then a second wood-burning furnace, which were installed in the church’s basement. Because the heating system proved insufficient, in 1968 the family of John A. and Blanche Geddes (Hilda, Ralph, Katharine, Eileen and Jim) paid to install electric heating, which was dedicated in memory of their parents. The church was originally lit with kerosene lamps, which were replaced in 1934 by gas lamps. These in turn were replaced by electric lights in 1938.

Many additions occurred at the church over the years. In 1952 an entrance over the basement door was built and in 1956 a vestry was built at the front of the building. New windows were installed in 1962 and in 1967 a privy was built outside at the rear of the church. It has just recently been updated. In 1975 new front windows were acquired and a green steel roof was purchased and installed. In 1980 a sound system was installed.

Over the years numerous gifts were donated to the church, allowing for the purchase of building and other materials. When the church congregation celebrated their 100-year anniversary in 1985, the building was repainted inside and out for the celebrations, which were led by Reverend Linda Bell and took place there on August 4, 1985.

Rev. Hincke concluded the service by saying that this anniversary was an important opportunity for congregants to look both to the past and to the future. “During this anniversary celebration we look to our history...remembering who we are and where we have been as we look to the future remembering what we have been put here to do and where we are going.”

Upcoming will be the 169th anniversary celebration and service at the Elphin Presbyterian Church on Sunday, June 28 at 11 a.m. and on Sunday July 19 the Knox Presbyterian Church in McDonalds Corners will be holding a special 170th celebration and service at 11 a.m.

Ginny Trousdale of Sydenham began making art as a photographer 20 years ago and recalls one particular painterly photograph that first inspired her to pick up a paint brush 12 years ago. “I never felt I could draw realistically,” she said, “ though I always knew that I was creative.”

Years later and after much learning and practice, she has come to realize that she is, at heart, an abstract painter. After completing an intensive three-month course at the Haliburton School of Fine Arts in July, 2014 where she had the time and space to explore the roots of what inspires that abstractionist bent, she finally took up Kim Ondaatje's offer to have a show of her work at Blueroof Farm in Bellrock.

The show titled “So Far” showcases Trousdale's work in a variety of mediums that demonstrates both her love of line and her impressive and intuitive sense of colour. The photographic works in the show hearken back to her first love, photography and she uses her pictures of real things and places, like the pictures she took of a mural at the Children's Library in Oaxaca, Mexico to use as a spring board to create abstract compositions that demonstrate her fascination with line. She has cropped the photos, making their origins unrecognizable and she layers them to create abstract and highly graphic compositions - in effect using known worlds to create her own new imagined ones.

Her “War Series” works, inspired by old letters and maps from World War 2, continue her fascination with line, but with the addition of abstract symbols inspired by cartography of that time, as well as “hobo symbols”, a kind of symbol language used by street travelers in the Depression era to communicate to one another.

This work and these ideas inspired Trousdale's most recent abstract paintings, large colourful works that have a Paul Klee-ish and Wassily Kandinsky-ish kind of feel to them, where graphic lines and broad swaths of colour together with abstract symbols large and small create worlds that can be sometimes calm and soothing, and at other times jarring and complex. Her term “creative cartography” can be aptly applied to these works, large paintings on paper and one titled "Backroads", which by name and appearances looks like a map but you can bet that no such place exists. In this work, coloured lines of all shapes and sizes curl, twist and turn back and forth through the expanse of the paper space, with large and small unknown symbols popping out and hinting at other worlds, places and meanings, perhaps forever unknown or maybe long forgotten.

These works capture and hold one’s attention and invite the viewer’s eye to move freely through a space unknown, yet somehow familiar in an inexplicable way. In her own words, Trousdale describes her fascination with these unknown worlds. “Painting pushes me to find ways to visually express and explore my world and I am fascinated by what I don't see. Searching for meaning involves digging and looking because the surface rarely reveals what is actually beneath.”

In her personal journey to artistic expression, Trousdale shows that she has dug hard and deep and the results are an impressive show in abstraction that demonstrates exactly how far she has come on that long and hard-earned road. The final viewing of “So Far” will take place Sunday, June 14 from 2 – 6 p.m. at Blueroof Farm, 6313 First Lake Road in Bellrock, just west of Verona.

This Saturday June 13, at 14 locations throughout Frontenac County, community and historical groups will be participating in a Doors Open event to showcase their communities' history and mark the 150th Anniversary of the county.

Among those locations is the community of Arden, where the Kennebec Hall will be the focal point of events. The Kennebec Historical Society will be spreading their materials out in the hall. There are artifacts, documents, and an interesting display of historic photos.

One new item that has come the historical society's way by virtue of the growing co-operation between groups in Central Frontenac is a binder that was given to them by the Railway Heritage Committee in Sharbot Lake, which will have its caboose open for Open Doors as well. The binder contains photos and documents about the closing of the Ardendale station.

Among the features of the day, which runs from 10-4, will be a performance by Adrian O'Connell from 1 to 1:30pm. He will be singing historical ballads to entertain the audience. The Frontenac Trappers Federation as well as The Friends of Arden will also have a display and the canteen will be open.

Just across from the community hall, the Arden Legion has put together a historical display as well. Also the Arden Artisans: Arden Batik, Arden Pottery and Gallery on the Bay will all be open.

As mentioned, Arden is but one of 14 communities from the top to bottom of the vast County who will be hosting Doors Open events. From the Pioneer Museum in Cloyne to the historic Vanluven House (now a fishing lodge) in Battersea, there will be a lot to see in Frontenac County this Saturday. Look to the ad on page 3 of this paper or to the complete list and descriptions at Frontenaccounty.ca (click on June 13: Discover Frontenac's history during Doors Open)

McDonalds Corners/Elphin Recreation and Arts (MERA) will host its first multi-disciplinary arts festival on Sat. June 13, 10am-dusk at the MERA Schoolhouse. Except for a build-your-own-ukulele workshop that requires a fee & registration, the festival is completely free. The activities will include a number of workshops and demonstrations by various arts groups, including the MERA Heritage Weavers, the MERA Pottery group, the fine arts “Arts Circle”
and many others. plus activities for children. There will be a puppet-making workshop given by Montreal’s Flying Box Theatre. They make a variety of styles of puppets, tailoring their workshops to each audience, and are looking forward to teaching puppetmaking to young and old alike. They will also present a free performance of “Hans Dudeldee and Other Forgotten Fairy Tales” at the evening gala concert. Flying Box Theatre will also be giving two other performances at other locations: on Sunday, June 14, at 10am in the band shell at Sharbot Lake beach, and 1:30pm at Perth and District Public Library (admission by donation).
An evening gala concert will include Eve Goldberg, accordianist Chantale Urbain performing French gypsy tunes, and Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter David Ross MacDonald. www.meraschoolhouse.org

This painting is of Gene Brown and her grandmother, Christina Irvine, feeding chickens on the Pettifer Farm in Denbigh. In the background is the old log and stone milk house. Christina was a McGregor from Scotland. Her granddaughter, Gene, married Irv Brown. Gene Brown is a founding member of the Pioneer Club, which evolved into the Cloyne and District Historical Society, and co-author with Nadine Brumell of the popular book, The Oxen and the Axe.

The painting was done by Carol Brown, talented local artist and niece of Gene Brown. Carol painted this from a small photograph and captured every detail as noticeable in each log and stone in the milk house. The museum is the lucky recipient of this work. As well as donating the original, Carol created a series of numbered prints for sale as a fundraiser for the museum. This work is on display for all to enjoy. The museum will be part of Frontenac County’s “Open Doors” celebration this Sat. June 13 from 10am-4pm, and will be celebrating its season opening on Sat. June 20 from 11am to 4pm.