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Wednesday, 05 February 2020 13:31

Breakfast sandwiches of Frontenac - The Cookery

Pam Raby of Lavalee's Cookery in Inverary with the artisanal baguette breakfast sandwich that greets travelers along Perth Road every morning of the week.

One of the secrets to this sandwich is the bagel, which is fashioned out of light, crispy French bread. Inside the sandwich has peameal bacon, egg, crispy lettuce and tomato, Canadian cheddar, and a thin layer of spicy mayo. Served with hot coffee in front of a tempting pastry display that includes cream filled eclairs. The Cookery is open from 6:30am to 7:30 weekdays, and features store-made grab and go options, made with seasonal local ingredients, all served in a bright, sunny atmosphere.

At lunch time, the burger board offers every burger option going, from Canadian burgers with bacon to a black bean burger, all serve with home-made potato chips.

There are perennial favourites for dinner, including mac and cheese and meatloaf, and a special dinner menu every night. The soups are rich and the salads are fresh, It is takeout without compromise at Lavalee's Cookery

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 27 November 2019 11:06

Mrs. Garrett’s Bakery

Is there really a Mr. Christie? Does the sun shine everyday at Pepperidge Farm? You can’t really trust a wholesome brand these days, can you.

Sometimes you can.

There is a real Mrs. Garrett. Her name is Joyce and she still works in the family bakery that she started 30 years ago, in part of the butcher shop that her husband had opened a few years earlier.

She no longer owns the bakery, which is now a stand-alone business. Her daughter Dawn (Lake) has been with her from the start and owns the business now, and it is as much a family business as it ever was.

“My mother, my aunt, my son and my son-in-law all work here, we like to keep it in the family,” said Dawn Lake on a frosty November morning last week, from the bakery, which is off of the Perth Road (between Inverary and the Loughborough Lake boat launch).

It was warm and bright in the bake shop, however. The pie dough, which had been put up early in the morning, was ready. Fay Legrow was forming circles of dough into butter tart trays, the dough for pies was still on the counter. Joyce Garrett was wrapping some goods that had cooled, and Dillon Lake and Christopher Green were consulting about the rest of the day’s baking list.

A lot of people know about Mrs. Garretts mainly because of the butter tarts, which are sold throughout South Frontenac. They are the most popular item the bakery makes, and they make a lot of them, 300 dozen a week on average, more in the summer and in the holiday seasons like pre-Christmas. That comes pretty close to 200,000 butter tarts a year, each made by hand using home-made dough and filling. The recipe, you guessed it, is a closely guarded family secret.

Mrs. Garrett’s has undergone changes over the last few years. Not only are they making a wider variety of items, but the bakery itself has changed.

“When the butcher shop closed a couple of years ago, we thought about closing up the retail store and moving the bakery somewhere else to just do wholesale. But people kept knocking on the door wanting to come in and buy our baking,” said Dawn Lake.

Early last summer (2018) Dawn decided to listen to the customers and rejuvenate the retail business. Instead of moving, she purchased the property and slowly began to open up more and more of a bakery storefront, and add some new oven capacity.

“We are not done yet, but we are getting more and more traffic into the store as time goes on, and every time we let people know about something new that we are baking, they come here from all over,” she said.

There is also a growing corner in the store with sauces and crafts from local producers. All part of Mrs. Garrett’s becoming a destination store for lovers of local baked goods.

Mrs. Garrett’s butter tarts, and some other items, are available at Ormsbees Mercantile, Trousdale’s Foodland, Leonard’s, Northway Home Hardware and locations in Kingston. A larger selection is available at Glenburnie Grocery, but only at the bakery itself are the full range of goods on display.

Holiday seasons are always busy, of course and each of them is different.

“At Thanksgiving it’s pies, apple pie and pumpkin pie, mostly,” said Dawn.

But the volume can be daunting, especially because pies need to be fresh. That was where the strong staff and capacity of the bake shop kitchen comes in. They made about 700 pies this year, fresh for eating, in two days.

“We’ve done that many for a few years, but now we don’t have to work 16-hour days as much because we have the oven space we need,” she said.

With more capacity comes the opportunity to put out more baked goods, and sales have been increasing continuously.

“We do a lot of different things when it comes around to Christmas, including our own Christmas cake and plum pudding. We also do a lot of trays for customers. There is always a lot for Christmas and as we add new products it is only getting busier and busier. It’s exciting.”

And that’s not a bad situation for a business that is over 30 years old.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Monday, 18 November 2019 11:49

South Frontenac Committee of the Whole

Problems at Devil Lake Culvert
Several local residents spoke of the continuing problem with nighttime commercial fishing at the culvert on Perth Road a couple of kilometres north of the Devil Lake boat launch site. They listed trespassing, dangerous and illegal roadside parking, large quantities of fish being taken, sometimes out of season, lights and noise all night, garbage, excrement and often defiance and rudeness. “I can’t rent one of my cottages because of the noise and lights all night, so it’s available to any member of Council who’d like a free weekend next summer on Devil Lake, just to see what we’re talking about” offered Roger Brice. Roger Jones said he has watched a steady decline in fish in recent years. They cited similar problems in Port Hope, Peterborough, and Westport. Mark Segsworth, Director of Public Works, said there was a plan to add more ‘No Parking’ signs to the area, and after some discussion, Mayor Vandewal indicated that Council would reach out to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the OPP to see how enforcement of trespassing and overfishing could be increased, particularly at night.

CRCA Draft Budget
Katrina Furlanetto, incoming General Manager, Cataraqui Conservation Authority, began with a brief outline of the agency and its roles.

The CRCA is responsible for management of 11 watersheds over 11 municipalities, an area stretching along the St Lawrence from Napanee to Brockville, and north through much of South Frontenac. The agency protects drinking water sources, manages flooding and erosion hazards, provides education and outdoor recreation areas for all ages, and has planted over 1.5 million trees over the past ten years. It’s a reliable source of information and technical advice.

In the face of two Provincial government directives in late August, which forbade any increases to fees or levies “while legislation and regulations are put in place, unless they are supported by your partner municipalities for 2020 and beyond,” the CRCA has been forced to make some major adjustments. They have cut back on programs (eg, they will no longer rent canoes and kayaks at the Outer Division Street property), reduced staff by five, and hope to soon move their headquarter offices to leased space at Fairmount, Frontenac County. It is anticipated that sharing some office resources would provide savings for both agencies.

The current draft budget would result in 0.9% increase in the levy for South Frontenac, or $1.215.35 over last year, for a total of $144,823.

RFP for Garbage and Recycling
Mark Segsworth said the initial RFP for collection of household garbage and recycling was issued in 2010, and has been renewed since then, pending anticipated provincial changes in how the Blue Box would be funded. However “based on recent provincial announcements about the timelines of that rollout, staff feels the Township can move ahead with a new tender now.”

The last renewal of the current contract will end on August 31, so Segsworth is bringing proposed changes and additions to specifications for discussion by the Committee of the Whole. These include: pickup for the whole township, except for what is collected by township staff; four day a week pickup, with same day garbage and recycling for all; payment to be based on number of households, rather than weight; a five-year contract plus a two-year renewal option; no more private lane collection; collection on both sides of road; recyclables in recycle bins only.

Councillor Sutherland addressed the concern that putting the whole township out as a unit might be more likely to attract an outside provider from a big company. Segsworth replied that the sprawling, rural nature of South Frontenac was unlikely to attract outsiders, who are looking for the best return on their time. Mayor Vandewal added that a local contractor would have the advantage of knowing the area and its requirements better than anyone else. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor Sutherland, all expressed concern about ending private lane pickup.

When asked for his opinion, the current contractor Snider said he recommended the township be divided into three pickup areas, rather than four, in order to provide enough work hours for the contractor’s employees.

Segsworth thanked Council for its comments, and said he would return in the New Year with an outline of various RFP options.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

The new(/old/refurbished) organ at St. Paul’s in Sydenham got its second workout in a concert setting Sunday at Jeffrey Moellman, director of music at St. Mary’s Cathedral, brought his five musical children (Jonathan, Clara, Paul, Gabriel and Catherine)to town at the request of colleague, St. Paul’s Music Director Damien Macedo.

The organ has had a rather storied journey to get to Sydenham and is in the process of breaking new ground with an electronics/pipes technology to restore former glory.

Moellman’s performance featured pieces by Craig Sellar Lang and George Thalben-Ball and while the organ performed well in the higher scales, the bottom end still needs some work. No fault of the performer though.

“We’re about 80 per completed on the organ project,” said Hans Berriman, one of the driving forces behind the restoration project.

Berriman, himself a trumpet player, hails originally from Perth Road and has connections with the old church. While working as an OPP officer in the Kenora area, he undertook a similar project there.

“That one took about four years,” he said. “This particular organ was rescued from St. Mark’s in Deseronto.

“It was in another church before that. We’re quite pleased that it fit in the architecture of this church.”

They’re using a Hauptwerk virtual organ system augmented by air (pipes) and electric.

Restoration of the organ has spurred a musical renaissance of sorts with concerts scheduled for 2 p.m. Sundays throughout the summer.

On July 21, Luba Cargill, Fran Harkness and friends are scheduled for an eclectic mix of violin, piano and chamber ensemble. (See Northern happenings for further concert details)

Merriman said they’d very much like to hear from anyone interested in playing at the church (particularly the organ once it’s finished) but “we’d like to make this available as a venue form anyone who needs one.”

It should be an attractive one as the acoustics of the old church (original thick lathe and plaster) make it particularly effective for music.

Most of the Moellman kids (Clara, Paul and Gabriel) played factory-built (two of them ¾ size) fiddles, the sound was incredible. Much of this was no doubt enhanced by their impeccable fingering techniques but the youngest son sounded particularly good during his solo section.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 26 June 2019 10:51

15th Buck Lake Boatilla set for Saturday

By the time all the money is collected, counted and donated after the 15th Buck Lake Boatilla, Camp Merrywood will have received over $250,000 in donations over the history of the event.

Not bad for something that only came about because of vandalism on Buck Lake back about 20 years. According to a history of the boatilla that was written by Buck Lake resident Duncan Sinclair, a neighbourhood watch program was instituted after a rash of break-ins and fuel thefts from boats, etc.

The crimes stopped when some people moved away from the lake, but instead of disbanding, the group decided to look around for something else to do. They decided to start a ‘send a kid to camp’ with the goal of raising the $2,000 that it costs for one child with physical disabilities to attend Camp Merrywood.

The camp is located on Big Rideau Lake near Perth. It was opened in 1948 as a camp for children with polio, and has been providing traditional summer camp programming, tailored to physically disabled campers, ever since.

It was a bit of a precarious first year, highlighted by the fact the one of the organisers, Ross Trudel, spent much of the day trying to collect $5 per person from each of the boats, while they were on the water on a pretty windy day. He survived, and $3750 was raised, almost enough to send two kids to camp. Soon after the money collection issues were ironed out, and the focus of the Boatilla has shifted somewhat over the years, with one of the the focal points now being a BBQ at the Hidden Valley Road Campground (off Perth Road).

Over the years the scale of the event, and its fundraising success, has grown. For the last few years over $25,000 has been raised each year, and the participation of some of the Camp Merrywood campers has also added a new focus to the Boatilla.

This year’s event once again provides kids an opportunity to spend a day on the water experiencing camp and boating fun. The afternoon will begin at 1pm. and feature boat tours of the Lake, including over 30 boats participating from the community. Boatilla attendees will then enjoy a complimentary community BBQ, followed by the grand finale, a cheque presentation announcing the total raised for 2019. And again this year there will also be live entertainment by The Kasaboski Family Trio.

Easter Seals Ontario, the organisation that runs Camp Merrywood, has been an enthusiastic and grateful supporter of the Boatilla over the years. They also help to promote the event.

For further information about the Boatilla or to donate, go to easterseals.org/buck-lake-boatilla

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 13:46

Busy weekend for Frontenac OPP detachment

On Saturday May 25, 2019 shortly before 12:00pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 15 near Washburn Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 54 kilometers over the speed limit.

The driver, a 21-year-old from Amherstview Ontario, was charged with stunt driving which resulted in the licence and vehicle being seized for seven days and the driver was given a summons to appear in Provincial Offences Court in Kingston at a future date to answer to the charge.

On Sunday, May 26, 2019 shortly after 7:00pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Perth Road near Davidson Side Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 30 kilometers over the speed limit.

As a result of the investigation, the 20-year-old driver, was charged with speeding, no insurance, cannabis accessible to the driver and a three-day licence suspension after registering a warning on the roadside alcohol screening device. The driver was given a summons to appear in Provincial Offences Court in Kingston at a future date to answer to the charges.

On Saturday May 25, 2019 just after 4:30pm, a Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting speed enforcement on Highway 401 near Sydenham Road. The officer stopped a vehicle travelling at 38 kilometers over the speed limit.

As a result of the investigation, the 34-year-old driver from Glenburnie was charged with speeding and driving with a suspended licence.

On Sunday May 26, 2019 shortly after 3:00pm, the same officer was near the area of Highway 401 and Montreal Street and observed the same driver, operating the same vehicle as the day before.

As a result of the investigation, Lawrence Mc Ewen was charged with breach of probation, breach of a weapons prohibition, fail to comply with probation order, possession of a prohibited device and suspended driving. The accused was held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston.

Arrest results in weapons charges

On Saturday, May 25, 2019 shortly after 9:00pm, Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were patrolling the Kingston and Pembroke trail. The officers saw an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and spoke to the driver.
As a result of the investigation, the 21-year-old driver, John Badour of Central Frontenac Township, was arrested on warrants that had been issued by the Ontario Court of Justice. The accused was held for a bail hearing and was charged with possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and carrying a concealed weapon.

Published in FRONTENAC COUNTY

Brenda Crawford and Pam Redden came to Council on behalf of the Harrowsmith Beautification Committee with a proposal for improving the landscape of the new village traffic light section, along with other community upgrades. Crawford assured Council that none of the additions, and the list is impressive, would cost the Township money. The Public Works and Building departments will, however, have to review and approve the projects, which include a (fully accessible) gazebo with a cement base, placement of stones and possibly a fence, several benches, installation of recently-commissioned metal poppies and removal of dead tree and brush. She also listed a bench for the children's play area at Centennial park, and a flagpole on Road 38 near Alton Road, in memory of Roy Leonard. All the work and materials for the items and improvements have been donated by individuals and businesses in the community. All donations will be recognized by (locally designed and also donated) plaques.

Mayor Vandewal asked that the flagpole be located where a local resident could take responsibility for raising and lowering it as appropriate, and complimented Crawford for her energy and considerable skill at fundraising. Council unanimously agreed. Crawford noted that the Beautification Committee and Harrowsmith S&A were looking toward working in cooperation to continue making Harrowsmith an attractive and comfortable community in which to live.

Staff Changes and Additions
Council formalized Christopher Beeg’s appointment as Building Inspector: Beeg is an experienced carpenter, has worked in the building supply area, and as a site supervisor for Guildcrest Homes overseeing construction of new factory built homes.

Interviews for the position of Township CAO are slated to take place within a week.

Strategic Planning
Faced with competing demands to: enhance services, reduce costs and protect the environment, Council plans to seek public input to help with choosing priorities. CAO Orr brought the chosen timeline and a proposal for an online survey to be used as a framework for discussion at open houses in each of the districts later this summer. Councillor Ruttan expressed concern that there needed to be more focus on values, rather than a list of concrete actions. Mayor Vandewal noted that this was not meant to replace the updating of the Official Plan, which would be a major part of Council’s task in the coming year, and would include an in-depth review of the Township’s goals and values, again with public input. This StratPlan is to more to guide the Township’s current day-to-day work, within the budget that has been set out for 2019.

Dates for the district Open Houses (at which the new CAO will be introduced to the public) are: Thursday August 01 Bedford; Wednesday Aug 7 - Storrington; Tuesday Aug 13 - Portland, and Tuesday Aug 20 - Loughborough.

Women’s Institute Week Proclaimed
Council proclaimed the week of June 17 to June 22 to be Women’s Institute Week in South Frontenac. This year is the Sydenham Women’s Institute’s centennial: there will be a special celebration on Saturday June 22, at Grace Hall. Over the past hundred years, this group has made important and lasting contributions to Sydenham and its surrounding community. More info on this later!

Regional Roads
Council reviewed proposals by the County for finding a way to access funding through the County for regional Roads, particularly the former Provincial Highway 38, which was downloaded to the individual Townships at the time of amalgamation. At that time, the County had dissolved into a management committee, so there was no way, once the County re-formed, for it to access any funding support for the shared highway, now known as Road 38. Currently, South Frontenac’s road system is in good condition, but the other three Townships have smaller populations, and need more money than they have been able to raise for road maintenance and repair.

Of the five proposed options, South Frontenac Council cautiously preferred the third: to take a regional approach, with contracted engineering, and limited County involvement. They voted to endorse it, on the condition that any business plan for this option would require unanimous consent from all four Townships.

Waste Management in Frontenac County: Options
In response to a county report of waste management, Councilor Sutherland noted that while recycling depends heavily on provincial policy, diversion of organic waste from our landfill sites lies well within South Frontenac’s reach. Because half of the current Township waste stream is composed of organics, diversion could considerably extend the life of our landfill sites. As well as composting, either locally or centrally, Sutherland listed other creative approaches: the upcoming Repair Cafes (May 26 in Bellrock, June in Perth Road); roadside or landfill swaps, etc.)

The report was referred to the Public Services Committee for recommendations.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

Repair Cafe Frontenac is organized and plans initial cafe for Sunday, May 26 from 2-4:40pm at St. James Major Catholic Church in Sharbot Lake.

Subsequent cafes are planned for June 23 at the Bellrock Community Hall and July 28 at Perth Road United Church.

One of the organizers, Peter de Bassecourt, said: “we’ll be putting out the call for volunteers shortly.”

He said they’ll always be looking for fixers but also welcomers and guides, who will greet visitors and direct them to the proper table. They are also looking for someone to do some publicity and someone to maintain their new Facebook page www.facebook.com/RepairCafeFrontenac. If you’re interested, contact the organization via Facebook or the new email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Repair Cafe concept was begun in the Netherlands by Martine Postma in 2009. Currently, there are 1,822 Repair Cafes worldwide.

“Repair Cafes are essentially free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things together,” the parent website (repaircafe.org) says. “Visitors bring broken items from home (and) together with the experts, they start making repairs in the cafe.

“It’s an ongoing learning process.

“If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee or lend a hand with someone else’s repair job.”

Example items to be repaired include clothing, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, toys. The cafe doesn’t stock a lot of spare parts but volunteers can usually assist in finding out what part is needed and how to go about getting one. Anything you can manage to get there on your own has a good chance of getting properly repaired. If you want to find out if someone will be available to help you mend your broken item, contact them via Facebook or email.

There is no charge but there is a tip jar or piggybank for donations to cover costs.

Repair Cafes do not take donations of broken items. Tools and/or repair products (such as glue) are sometimes accepted.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 13 December 2017 12:11

The Cookery coming to Inverary early in 2018

Christine Lavallee opened Lavallee’s Inverary store last January 1. The store is located in the centre of Inverary in the location of the former Inverary store. It carries what you would expect to find in a convenience store, but over the last year it has also brought in dozens of local products, and has become an enthusiastic supporter of the Infrontenac branding initiative.

“We have found that there is a market for excellent local products, such as the salsa that T&A Condiments make, Hanna meat pies, and other products both from Frontenac County and nearby,” Christine Lavallee said, when interviewed the store last week.

While running the store, she has also noticed there is a market for fresh baking as well as quality take home food. And that is where the idea for a new, complementary business came in.

“We can’t keep up with the demand for baked goods, and I thought if we could have a kitchen to work out of it would be good for us and the community.”

Not one to wait too long for the dust to settle, Lavallee, who ran a restaurant in Kingston between 2003 and 2008, jumped at the opportunity to be an anchor tenant in a new commercial building that has been completed just south of the hamlet, on the Campbell property, which is located next door to the Northway Home Hardware/LCBO store and includes the 24 hour gas pumps. The building is also set to house a pharmacy in the new year.

The Cookery includes a retail space of about 1,000 square feet as well as two commercial kitchens, one for the cookery and a second for other commercial food businesses in the area who need to use shared, approved facilities to make their products.

“This new building is a tremendous space. There is lots of parking, lots of light,” she said, showing off the still to be renovated space (a building permit from SF township is pending) on a sunny day last week.

The Cookery will be open early in the morning with coffee, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches and take out lunch items for large commuter traffic on Perth Road/Division street as they head into Kingston for work. It will also be open when those same commuters head home.

“These are busy people that work full time. Everybody that I talk to, seems to be in the same boat. The are driving home, wanting to cook a good meal for their family. We will be offering good quality, well prepared meals for people to bring home and serve,” she said. “and we won’t stand still. The Cookery will change what it offers to keep things fresh, and to bring new products on the market.”

Look for the Cookery to open early in 2018.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 06 December 2017 12:14

Pick a pie, any pie

Perth Road Village Crafters draw a crowd for annual show and lunch

No one at the annual craft sale and lunch was too sure how long the Perth Road Village Crafters have been in operation but it’s been quite awhile now.

“My mom was in the Crafters in the late ’70s but I’m not sure how long it was going before she joined,” said Faye Barr at last Saturday’s annual craft show and lunch.

The Crafters are a combination social and activity group, Barr said. They’re always open to new members and pretty much open to any craft someone wants to try.

“You name a craft and somebody will probably do it, including knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, sewing . . .,” she said.

Often, for the craft show, they’ll do a group project such as the ‘fascinators’ wacky headwear featured a few years ago. This year’s project is a large quilt worked on by many of the members.

“We probably have 40 or so members but we have some snowbirds so there’s about 20 people on a regular basis,” she said. “We’d be glad to welcome new members, especially if you’re new to the community.

“We’re a welcoming and warm group.”

She said the best way for somebody to join is simply to show up at the Harris Memorial Park Hall on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 a.m. til noon.

They’re not a fund raising group per se, but they do some fund raising and this year were recognized by the Buck Lake Flotilla in support of Camp Merriwood for their contribution.

“We’re essentially a combination social and activity group,” she said. “But when we do make money, it’s very much used in the community.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
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