Craig Beattie, of Edgewater Stonemasons in Kingston, loves working on restoration projects involving heritage buildings. He took the Heritage Masonry course, along with his colleagues at Edgewater, at Algonquin College and has worked on projects on government and other heritage buildings over the years.

These days, Beattie and his crew are at the Grace Centre in Sydenham, restoring the Grace Centre to the condition it was in when it was first constructed in 1861.  He said he is pleased with the condition of the building.

“You can see that the stone work is intact, nothing is really coming apart,” he said, pointing to the building. All we have to do is take out what is there and replace it with something that is as close to the original mortar as we can use nowadays.

He explained that the idea behind the original limestone based mortar was that the mortar would absorb moisture in the wet and cold seasons, and would dry out in the hot summer weather, maintaining the stone cladding in good condition. Later on, the thinking was that the buildings would be better off if they were sealed against moisture completely, so a layer of Portland cement was applied over the original mortar.

“The problem that resulted for these heritage building is that any moisture that got in, even through cracks in the rock, was trapped inside and can do damage over time,” he said.

So in recent times many buildings, including the Parliament buildings in Ottawa and Queen’s Park, are having the Portland cement removed and replaced so the buildings can function the way they were first intended to, and can live on for another 150 or more years in good condition.

The Grace Centre re-pointing project is being supported to the tune of $38,000 from the Ontario150 Community Capital grants program, with the funds being administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Last Wednesday, (June 7), at the Grace Centre, scaffolding was already covering the south wall of the building and a three member crew was hard at work when they took a break to allow for MPP Randy Hillier, Ontario Trillium Foundation Rep John Blake, and Southern Frontenac Community Services Executive Director David Townsend to conduct a ceremony announcing the grant.

Hillier took the opportunity to don a hard hat and chip off the old mortar from the front of the building, under strict supervision from Craig Beattie.

“These kinds of non-partisan projects, and the work of the Trillium Foundation, are what government is really about, beyond all the politics at Queen’s Park,” said Hillier.

“The Centre is delighted to receive the funding to ensure it will continue to be a place where seniors and others in the community can gather to benefit from programs and events that reduce social isolation and contribute to their quality of life,” said David Townsend.

The politicians, officials, SFCS Board members and the public then went into the building for coffee and treats at the Grace cafe. Soon after, all the officials drove off, the SFCS staff returned to work, and the masons climbed back up the scaffolding to continue working.

The project is expected to be completed by the fall.

“If you had any illusions about us being a high-brow choir, that should have dispelled them,” smiled Doug Routledge of Melodia Monday, to a laughing, clapping crowd at the finish of the Arrogant Worms’ “Cow Song”. (You can look up the lyrics if you don’t remember them.)

Rutledge is conductor of this 24-member choir which draws singers from a wide area between Napanee and Brockville. All are passionate about music and love to sing together; their repertoire is broad, running from sacred to profane, classical to folk. The name comes from their always practising on Monday evenings.

Last Friday Grace Hall had a full house to hear Melodia Monday perform a concert of all-Canadian songs. They opened withBreathe on Us, a piece the group had commissioned Mark Sirett to compose for them, using the words of a poem by Archibald Lampman. They also sang Sirett’s arrangement ofUn Canadian Errant.

Farewell Nancy, adapted from a traditional Newfoundland lament and set to music by Stephen Chatman, is full of exquisite, haunting harmonies, as is Frobisher Bay, which was sung by the men of the choir, and tells of a whaling crew whose ship has been caught by freeze-up and is doomed to spend a winter in the ice of Frobisher Bay. Overall, the evening had a distinctively Eastern Canadian flavour, with Song for the Mira, Wood River and Log Driver’s Waltz.

The choir praised Grace Hall’s acoustics, and enjoyed using the new stage risers, recently designed and constructed by Frank York of Verona. The audience showed their appreciation of the evening with a standing ovation.

Something about fibre art is particularly enticing: Phillida Hargreaves, some of whose work is on display at Grace Hall from now until the end of summer, says texture was what first drew her to fabric as an art medium.

Hargreaves spoke Sunday afternoon to a fascinated audience of over thirty people who came to see her work and hear her talk to them about it.

“With fibre art,” she said, “you learn to use a multitude of techniques: stitching, dyeing, knitting, cutting, drawing, printing, felting and painting, to name a few.” She described how the very thing some thought of as daunting — the huge amount of time and stitching required to create some of her pictures — could be soothing and relaxing with its calm repetition that freed up the mind to daydream. “And if you don’t like what you’ve done, fibre art can always be changed. You can pick out a line of stitching and start over with another colour. Or cut it up and use bits in something else!”

Much of Hargreaves’ work is landscape based, inspired by travels in the Arctic, New Zealand and Morocco. It features textures of rocks, buildings, trees and water, and the lure of light shining through narrow spaces. One small narrative piece recalls the daily letters her grandfather wrote to her grandmother when he was on the battlefield in WWI, every letter beginning with the words, “My dear old girl”, seldom mentioning the horrors he was living through.

The pictures can be viewed Monday - Friday, whenever the hall is not in use: either phone SFCSC (613 376-6477) or drop by, using the side door. 4295 Stage Coach Road, Sydenham: just up the hill from the flashing light.

Melodia Monday brings a lively celebration of music by and about Canadians to Sydenham in mid-May.

“Funny, toe-tapping and haunting, this program of Canadian songs is a great way to welcome spring, and celebrate our complicated country,” says the Grace Arts Committee; “ The group’s repertoire ranges from Newfoundland to Leonard Cohen, to The Arrogant Worms.”

Melodia Monday is an a cappella choir of local and area singers, well known for their performances in many communities in the Kingston area.

Concert-goers will also have an opportunity to enjoy the show of fibre art works by Kingston artist Phillida Hargreaves, which will be on display from May 1st at Grace Hall.

Grace Arts, which is bringing the group to Sydenham, is a committee of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCSC), an agency that provides health and social services to seniors and vulnerable families in rural South Frontenac, and which supports the expression of the arts from our region and beyond. Revenue from the tickets will be divided between the choir (to buy music and pay royalties,) and SFCSC, to go toward upgrading the sound and light systems of Grace Hall.

Tickets are $15 each and are available online at: www.sfcsc.ca/gracearts, or at the door. Refreshments will be available.

Valdy indeed filled Grace Hall last Saturday night, with both his music and an enthusiastic audience. Beginning with his classic, ‘Play me a Rock & Roll Song’, he went on to show us just how satisfying an evening of real folk singing can be.

An accomplished musician, Valdy’s guitar playing was rich and complex, with wonderful rhythms. His songs were full of warmth, humour and great stories. He related to his listeners with a comfortable familiarity.

Some came with armloads of well-loved Valdy records for him to sign, which he did as if he had all the time in the world, although some of us knew he had a three-hour drive still ahead of him that night, and a short sleep before an afternoon gig in Halliburton.

More than 8% of households in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area live with food insecurity. That's one in 12 households who do not know if there will be enough food next week or next month (from the 2016 Vital Signs report of the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area).

To address this issue, a “Food matters” event will be held at the Grace Centre, 4295 Stage Coach Road, Sydenham, from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, October 22. People are invited to arrive between 12:30 and 1 pm, to meet and network with others. There is no charge and light refreshments will be served.

"Statistics about personal or family food insecurity in our region show the urgency for us to improve the food security situation here," says Dianne Dowling, a member of the Food Policy Council (FPC) for KFL&A. "That's why the FPC is holding Food Matters -- Connecting the Roots of Food Security in KFL&A, to bring people together to develop ideas for programs and policies to increase food security. Food security includes personal or family food security, as well as community food security -- the ability of the region to grow, process, store and distribute its own food. We want to help create networks of people involved in activities that relate to food and farming in KFL&A. Everyone is welcome to attend -- including community members, staff and volunteers in community organizations, elected officials, municipal staff members."

There will be panel presentations by Ayla Fenton, a young farmer; Toni Pickard from the Kingston Action Group for the Basic Income Guarantee; and David Townsend, executive director of Southern Frontenac Community Services, followed by group discussions on topics chosen by the participants. Recommendations for steps to increase food security will be collected from the groups and shared in the community.

Sponsors for Food Matters include: the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, City of Kingston, County of Frontenac, Kingston Community Health Centres, Loving Spoonful, National Farmers Union Local 316, Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, and Southern Frontenac Community Services.

The Food Policy Council for KFL&A formed in 2012 to work toward the creation of a more secure, accessible and sustainable food system in our region.

For more information about the FPC and about the Food Matters event, and to register for the event, go to foodpolicykfla.ca

From Street to School- photography show at Sydenham's Grace Hall

Anyone wanting a look at what has inspired two Kingstonians to turn their attention and fundraising efforts to the beauty and promise of Africa, specifically Kenya and its street children, should visit the Grace Centre in Sydenham for a show of photography titled “The Kenya Initiative: From Street to School”.

The purpose of the initiative is to assist young Kenyans with the funds they need to attend school and 100% of the proceeds of the show will be going towards that goal.

The Kenya Initiative was born out of a trip to Kenya by Irwin Streight and his family and on February 21, Streight and friend Raymond Vos gave a slide show and talk about the project at the Grace Centre.

In 2009 on their trip to Kenya, Streight and his family befriended two recent high school graduates, Caleb and Isaac Machira, who were working and making $1 /day with the hopes of attending university. They also met another Kenyan, John Nijane, who volunteers his time making monthly deliveries of food to local households in need and supporting a number of children living on the streets, for whom he was hoping to find housing and school funding.

Back in Kingston Streight had a conversation with his good friend Raymond Vos, owner of the Raymond Gallery, and the two dreamed up the The Kenya Initiative: From Street to School.

Vos recalled, “My heart broke when I heard Irwin’s stories and it was then that I realized that I had some resources, art pieces that I have tucked away, and that the money from their sales could be used to help meet the needs of the Kenyans that Irwin had met.”

The project was started out of that conversation and just six and a half years later, $100,000 has been raised to assist young Kenyans to attend school.

Together Vos and Streight traveled to Kenya in June 2013, meeting face to face with the people they are helping, not only to see how their fundraising dollars were being spent but to also to gather artwork made by Kenyan students to raise more funds in Kingston.

Raymond Vos said the main message he wants to get across to those who see the show is “how a small act of kindness can have enormous results and that when you invest in the lives of others, primarily through education, it will not only change one person's life but their entire family and extended family’s lives.”

The show is comprised of many gorgeous photographs that Vos took in Kenya back in 2013 and they include the Kenyan people and a wide variety of the animals they came across while on safari there. There are zebras, birds, hippos, lions, and much more, but most notable are the smiling faces of the youngsters, many of whom are now students thanks to the work of these two gentlemen and many generous donors over the years.

The show is not only an eye opener to life in Kenya but an opportunity for lovers of photography to support young Kenyans through this educational initiative. For more information visit www.galleryraymond.com

For visiting hours at the Grace hall go to www.sfcs.ca

Widely known for his aviation art, 84-year-old Canadian artist Don Connolly demonstrates that he is an artist who has covered a wide range of styles and subject matter during his close to four-decade-long career as a professional painter.

Connolly, who has been drawing and painting since he can remember, served as a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1950s during the Korean Air Lift and later became a squadron leader in the Defense Research Board before resigning from the RCAF in 1966.

Following a second career as a partner in a bookstore/picture framing chain in Ottawa, Don then chose the life of a freelance artist and quickly began to focus on aviation art, a subject close to his heart and mind. These works, totaling over 2000 in his long and illustrious career, have made up 50% of his output; one hundred of them are currently included in museum collections throughout Canada and the United States. Many are also front and center at the Grace Centre show in Sydenham.

One such work titled “Flight: Dream, Myth and Realization” demonstrates Don's fascination with the history of aviation. It is a collage of images highlighting numerous early attempts at aviation through the ages, beginning with the myth of Icarus and his waxed and feathered wings and including a depiction of the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon as well as Sir George Cayley's and Clement Ader's early flying machines.

Other works focus on more modern aircraft, which Don paints in highly realistic detail. One work depicts two Sea Furies of the Royal Canadian Navy, and a second a Norseman flying over the Hood River in Canada's Northwest Territories. Another large work, more autobiographical in nature, shows Connolly as a young man visiting what was then the earliest version of the National Canadian Aviation Museum in Rockcliffe, Ontario. He is shown with his in-laws and Don painted himself looking out at the viewer, camera in hand as the family inspects a Junkers bush plane on display.

Not surprisingly, Connolly has always had a fascination with space travel and the most recent work in the show titled “International Space Station - Approaching Toronto” is a precise depiction of the space station while in orbit on a south-easterly course approaching Toronto.

While aviation art is what Connolly is most celebrated for, his curious mind and hands have led him to explore other styles, many of which are included in this show. As an experienced wood worker who has tackled both home and boat building, plywood became the chosen material for some of his more abstract works. These works, often created from carved and painted plywood, demonstrate Don's interest in abstract ideas, but also show his practical need to make work that would appeal to a wider range of art buyers, especially those less interested in the art of aviation. The results are works like “Abstract in Blue and White”, a work that deals more with formal design concerns and ideas. These works show an artist who has a knack for creating eye-pleasing abstractions where colour and shape taken together create stimulating forms and relationships that allow the mind to wander and the eye to delight, unconsumed by any particular subject.

“Planetary Gothic”, another wooden piece painted in shiny gold, merely suggests planetary forms, and its earthiness makes a nice contrast to his more realistic pieces.

Don has no fear of breaking long-standing traditional molds, specifically the typical rectangular canvas format and he made a number of circular works like “Rock” OCO. This work uses curvilinear pieces of particle board laid out in a pleasing decorative pattern and is painted in iridescent colour.

Connolly possesses a wide-ranging knowledge of his subject matter and loves to share that information with his viewers. The show, at the Grace Centre until December 4, is open every Sunday and Don himself will be present on those days from 2 - 4pm. It is a fascinating show and well worth the trip to Sydenham. The Grace Centre is located at 4295 Stage Coach Road in Sydenham.

May 31st was a bittersweet day for Betty Wagner, the longtime leader of the 28 member Frontenac Women's Chorus (FWC). She was conducting the chorus at a concert titled “Thank You for the Music” her final concert with the group. Over 100 listeners attended the concert a the Grace Centre in Sydenham. It was a lively and heartfelt celebration marking the groups 20 year anniversary.

The FWC was founded by Jennifer Bennett in 1995 and led by her until 2001 when she passed the reins over to Wagner. Wagner recently announced that she will be stepping down after her 14-year run with the group who have performed regularly in and around Frontenac County. Wagner, who has a bachelor's degree in music from Queen's University, has been singing and playing since she was five years old and has taught voice and piano for 35 years in and around Kingston. She has sung with many world renowned conductors and is now stepping down to be able to spend more time with her family.

She said that her role as conductor has been to help the choir to successfully “convey the messages in the songs they perform. I encourage the singers to listen to what the music says because it tells them exactly what the composer and the lyricist had in mind.”

The Grace Centre was a fitting location for the finale because is also where she conducted her first concert with the choir 14 years ago and its high ceilings make it the perfect acoustic venue for the 28 accomplished singers. Wagner praised the hall for its unique acoustics and called it “one of the best in Canada”.

She said prior to the concert that when South Frontenac Community Services took over the building and were considering installing baffles in the hall during renovations, she encouraged them to preserve its acoustic integrity. Sunday's concert proved that their decision to keep it as is was the right one.

The singers performed a lively programme that included classical, pop, jazz and blue grass tunes. They opened with a song titled “To the Goddess”, an original piece composed by Jennifer Bennett with text by local flautist Anne Archer. The group sang a gorgeous rendition of Irving Berlin's “Blue Skies” proving that these ladies can swing with the best of them and choir member Suzanne Regan's impressive scat solo was a highlight. Choir member Patty Smith sang the solo in “Song for the Mira” proving that she has impressive vocal chops. More importantly for the choir, she also possesses musicality, liveliness, and openness, which will stand her in good stead as she takes over the baton from Wagner.

A trained singer and voice teacher, Smith graduated from Humber College's jazz vocal program many years ago and later received her bachelors of music and teaching degree from Queen's University. Currently she is teaching voice at St. Lawrence College in their music and digital media program which she said she loves.

She jumped at the chance to take over the reigns when Wagner offered her the position last year and has been singing with the FWC since January as their new conductor in training.

Smith praised the group of singers and said she has been warmly welcomed. “It's been like landing in a group of ready-made friends,” she said. She said that she has some new ideas for the group and suggested the possibility of performing Simon and Garfunkel's "Baby Driver" and John Denver's "Starry Starry Night". While the group is no doubt sad to see Wagner depart, they are also looking forward to exploring the new musical horizons that Smith has to offer.

Patty Smith will be conducting her first concert with the group at their annual 2015 Christmas concert that will take place at the Bellrock hall on Saturday, November 28.

The gardens and greenhouse at Sydenham's Grace Centre are doing well, with leafy greens covering much of the greenhouse floor, and volunteers in a flurry of planting in the outdoor beds as the summer approaches.

Coordinated by Janette Haase, the project has been supplying produce to food bank users over the past two years, filling a much-needed gap in the Sydenham-area’s nutrition picture. But its effect on the community, and on food security matters, has gone beyond the immediate task of feeding people in need.

One such success is the opportunity that grade 7 and 8 students in Sydenham have had to learn about food production and contribute to better food security.

The students, who attend Loughborough Public School, have been active in a number of ongoing projects, including an inter-generational exchange of knowledge and mentorship with seniors who volunteer, sharing their experience and wisdom.

Haase sees a new generation gaining an understanding of the merits of self-sufficiency, as well as a hobby that is healthy and productive. She notes, “More and more of the kids go home and have a garden with their families.”

With many of the start-up projects out of the way, such as establishing beds, building compost spaces, and setting up irrigation lines, Haase anticipates a greater focus on education going forward.

The north section of the greenhouse, which is less exposed to direct sunlight, and so is suitable as a work area for seedling preparations, and also a potential field classroom setting. A whiteboard is already up and there is floor space for an audience.

Students have already taken in volunteer-led discussions on topics such as beekeeping, seed saving, and gardening knowledge, and, as Haase sees it, these talks could be expanded upon and formalized into a curriculum, giving students further opportunity to learn about the many facets of food.

All of this is a big change from the way thing

Loughborough teacher Alan MacDonald has been introducing concepts around food to the students currently involved in the greenhouse activities. He leads them in a challenge curriculum, designed to foster curiosity on concepts like the complex web of environmental, technological, historical and social factors that create our food system.

MacDonald's interest in these issues has aligned with Haase's vision for the Grace Centre's garden space.

He notes that the learning that happens at the gardens complements core subjects such as the natural sciences and plant physiology, physics and design as they pertain to a greenhouse's structure, and socio-economic forces that create the commercial food system and the inequalities that create a need for food banks.

Students also have opportunities back at school to learn from guests about cooking and budgeting for nutritious, balanced meals, and as well, for site visits to local farms to better understand farming as a livelihood.

MacDonald recognizes the importance of educating students on the realities of their generation: rising obesity; declining food security; and the overall social and environmental impacts of our choices.

There are many daunting challenges ahead, yet MacDonald notes that there is much around food that remains fundamentally positive. “I want to share the simple joy of growing and harvesting and cooking food with my students,” he says.