The Aviva Community Fund is a pool of money that is available for community projects across the country. The Oso Recreation Committee has registered the Sharbot Lake Rink Project on Aviva under Community Health. The catch is that projects are judged based on community "votes". People are encouraged to go to the Aviva website and register an account (you can also sign in with your facebook account) and then vote every day from October 6 to October 23. The projects with the most votes will move on to the next round. The next round will be judged, with those projects being announced on November 3. Judging will be completed and the winner announced on December 2. So please support the Sharbot Lake Rink Project by voting often at https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf32272

Bring a picnic lunch, bring your family and enjoy the sense of renewal that comes from the Annual Fall Colours Nature Walk to the top of Blueberry Mountain, hosted by the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT). Nature seems to respond to our deep need for beauty. It’s as if the outer layer of green, relaxing, healing colours has been dropped to reveal what has always been there, but hidden from the naked eye. Take this opportunity to rejoice in the explosion of riotous colours that splendidly displays the beauty that no artist can match.

During this Annual Nature Walk, owner Howard Clifford will draw on his rich professional background in mental health and child development. He will provide researched evidence and stories from his own personal experiences that have convinced him that exposure to nature is by far the best means to enhance our well-being, as well as the best gift that parents can give to their children.

This event is a fundraiser to help the MMLT fulfil its responsibilities to care for its protected properties forever. Admission is a $10 donation.

The Annual Fall Colours Nature Walk takes place on Sunday, October 4. Registration starts at 10am and the hike starts at 10:30 sharp. It takes about 45 minutes to climb Blueberry Mountain, but it’s a fairly easy walk with only a brief climb near the top. You can enjoy the spectacular view while you eat your lunch, and dessert will be served following the hike. Special certificates will be given to hikers under 12 or over 80 years of age.

CliffLAND is located at 502 Hills of Peace Road near Flower Station in Lanark Highlands. Drive north of Lanark on Highway 511 to Brightside; turn left onto the French Line Road; drive towards Flower Station and watch for the right turn when you get to Joe’s Lake; just before you reach Flower Station, turn right onto Hills of Peace Rd. For more information, please contact Howard or Jean Clifford at 613-259-3412.

Volunteers are urgently needed or there may not be a 2016 soccer season for the enthusiastic group of young soccer players across Central Frontenac. The core group of four organizers of the association are no longer able to assume all of the multiple roles involved in coordinating the soccer season and are hopeful that they can attract six to eight new volunteers to help run the 2016 soccer season. Their last appeal for committee volunteers resulted in only one new person stepping up, so they are worried about the association’s future.

This past season, which ran from July 27 to Sept. 13, saw nearly 100 children ages 3 to 16 years enjoy the many health and social benefits that the sport of soccer brings. The season was a great success. Children learned new soccer skills, stayed active, and met new friends.

The coordinators of the association fear that they may be forced to dissolve the association unless a new group of volunteers are found by November 1. No experience is necessary for volunteering and the committee only meets a few times each year to assign tasks and goals. The meetings are fun, social and productive and the current coordinators are happy to assist and support any newcomers. Some of the tasks volunteers complete are preparing schedules, coordinating registration, arranging teams, and equipment organizing. So if you want to keep the sport of soccer alive for your children, please contact Lynette Whan now to offer your assistance at 613-279-2366 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Without new volunteers there will not be a 2016 season!

There was a definite Charlotte's Web-ian feel at this year's fall fair in McDonalds Corners, which took place on a picture-perfect day on September 26.

The old traditional-style fair, now in its 162nd year, continues to draw those looking for an agricultural based fall fair experience. This year's theme was pigs, and youngsters were thrilled to offer Piggy May, a very friendly five-year-old Vietnamese pot-bellied pig from Westwinds Ranch of Westport, a marshmallow treat.

New at the fair this year were four newborn guinea pigs that arrived just that morning, plus pony rides, donkeys and various achievement categories for members of the the local 4H club. Also new in the main display hall were the added scarecrow and doll category entries.

There were an amazing 250 plus poultry entries this year, including Lady Amhersts, silver and ring neck pheasants, Egyptian and white Chinese geese, various quails, an extensive showing of pigeons and one very pretty golden yellow pheasant. Poultry judge, Jeff Draper of Jasper Ont., who has been breeding and showing poultry for over 40 years, definitely had his work cut out for him as he perused the hundreds of cages, awarding first, second and third place ribbons as well as the overall and reserve champions of the day.

Other highlights this year included the hundreds of creative and impressive entries in the main hall, the light and heavy horse show, the kids' teddy bear contest and pet show and the many old-style games that the children had a chance to enjoy.

Sally Andrews, secretary with the McDonalds Corners Agricultural Society, who together with more than 40 other committee members and volunteers helps to put on the event, said that the fair not only promotes the local agricultural community but also puts people in touch with the community's agricultural roots.

“These days we tend to be losing touch with our agricultural roots and these truly agricultural-based fairs allow the public to get in touch with those things - the animals, the working horses and all the different types of farm animals, and all of the various kinds of chickens and other poultry that you see on a farm. And in the display hall, all of the various arts and crafts, things like canning and baking, quilting, knitting, sewing and the many other creations, some of which are unfortunately becoming lost arts.”

Andrews, who grew up on a mixed dairy/chicken farm in southern Ontario, now raises goats, rabbits, chickens, guineas hens and ducks on a local farm and she is obviously passionate about farming. She was kept very busy answering questions and handing out boxes of ribbons to the various judges but said she was looking forward to leaving her post later and taking photos of the day's events.

For animal lovers who missed the fair, coming up on Sunday, Oct. 18 at the McDonalds Corners Agricultural hall is the bird and small animal auction with entries being received from 7am-10am. Please note that all entries must be boxed with wire fronts. The bidding starts at 10am and both breakfast and lunch will be available. Sales are cash only with a 20% commission. For more information about the auction please call 613-259-3480.

As the more leaves fall from the trees, the night of Halloween quickly approaches, and soon the dead will again be free to return to the earth for that creepy night of the year. For many this means inventive costumes, spooky decorations, buckets and bags filled to brim with candy and a night of trick-or-treating door to door. But for those craving a more fitting experience, a scare through a haunted house or barn can be just the thrill they need.

Located in Sydenham at 2932 on Rutledge Road, just down from the high school. Is the fifth year for a Haunted Barn that has been providing a fright for haunters on the eerie night with a new theme each season. Held Halloween night from 6-9:30 - Previous displays have included a Zombie Wedding, Gates of Hell, and Sloats Landing Asylum. With a cast of up to twenty, and an attendance of around three-hundred, this holidays fright is yet to be witnessed. While not recommended for children under the age of six, monetary or food donations will go to Southern Frontenac SFCSC. You can check it out on facebook @ Haunted Barn Sydenham. Beware of the chainsaw clutching clowns as you try to ignore the screams of the helpless victims.

Regrettably, the Haunted Walk hosted by Peter Hollywood and Hazel Lee on Halloween night will not be held in Verona this coming season, but will rather have a grander location in Kingston. Starting small fixed up in a house, creating most of the decorations themselves. The Haunting hosts spent nearly every spare moment investing in their production this fall. Looking for a more ambitious project as they mark the 9th year for the conjoined passion, they invite all those who have braved the feat in the past to seek out their new venue. Titled Peter's Creepers Halloween Scream for those 14 and up, and any of those under the age accompanied by a guardian. An admission of 5 dollars will go to Corus Entertainment's Clothes for Kids, and what's more is an offer to get photographed during the experience. As for the younger crowd, a more imaginative scene titled Witch Hazel's Little Shop of Horrors will rate at 2 dollars whose proceeds will likewise go to Corus Entertainment's Clothes for Kids. With months of preparation, and a stimulus of fears, it is surely a terror to be explored.

The haunted hours for the Frontenac Mall are: Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 5pm. Sunday October 25th 11am to 4pm. Wednesday October 28th 4pm to 9pm. Thursday October 29th 4pm to 9pm. Friday October 30th 4pm to 9pm. Saturday October 31st 10am to 5pm

Check your social calendars to make sure you are free to participate in what promises to be a highlight of the fall season. Community Living-North Frontenac (CL-NF) is sponsoring a Masquerade Ball at St. James Major Church Hall in Sharbot Lake on Saturday night, October 24, starting at 8:00 pm.

“We want to share more with the community,” said Dean Walsh, CL-NF Executive Director. “This is a community that is very inclusive. People here love to support each other, and when one of our managers, Marcel Quenneville, said we should try putting on a ball, we thought, why not.”

The theme of the evening is late 19th, early 20th century dress, the Edwardian era of ball gowns and formal attire for men. CL-NF will have masks that people can purchase as well.

Anne Archer will set the evening with some classical flute music, and Community Living's own Brian Roche will perform as a well, followed by DJ Dave Barr spinning the tunes. It will be a licensed event with Perth Brewing Company supplying beer and wine.

The ball will also include a silent auction, which will include boat cruises, art by local artists, and other items, and there will be door prizes and draws throughout the evening. At 11 p.m. a light lunch, supplied by Primitive Catering, will be served and the dance will wind up at midnight. All proceeds from the dance will go to Community Living Programs, including the Treasure Trunk. Tickets are $25 and they are limited in number. They are available at the Community Living office, Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, Gray's Grocery, the Parham General Store, and Burns Jewellers in Perth. For further information, call 613-279-3731.

No less than 20 steaming pots of chili were the main attraction for hungry guests who attended the second annual Sydenham Chili Fest fundraiser for St. Paul's Anglican Church on September 19.

With names like Melt Your face Off, Walk the Dog, Fire in the Hole, Cocoa Loco, Spine Tingler, Chili Chili Bang Bang and El Scorcho, chili connoisseurs had a field day sampling the various tasty concoctions, each donated either by members of the church congregation or the local community.

Each entry strove to win over the taste buds of the five brave people who had volunteered to judge the chilis, including St. Paul's Rev. Guiseppe Gagliano, South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, South Frontenac school trustee Suzanne Ruttan, Deputy Fire Chief Tom Veldman and special guest judge Bill Welychka from CKWS-TV in Kingston.

The colourful and lively fundraiser attracted chili lovers of all ages to the outdoor street event, which also offered up free pony rides from Deline Ponies; live music courtesy of the bands Floored and the church's own The Crossing band; face painting and balloon animals courtesy of the Not So Amateur Amateurs; and cotton candy and popcorn. A whole host of local sponsors contributed to help make the event an enjoyable one for all ages.

The judges rated the three categories of mild, medium and hot chilis based on criteria that included colour, aroma, consistency, taste and after-taste, and the winners took home Chili Fest aprons donated by Hendrick's and adorned with the official Sydenham Chili Fest logo, which was designed and donated by Paula MacDonald of Just A Tees.

Katt Bulch, a member of the St .Paul's congregation, who along with her family regularly attend the church's lively Saturday night service called The Crossing, founded and organized the event. Bulch said she was inspired by the Kingston Chili Fest and wanted to create a similar event in Sydenham that would “ pull the church and Sydenham community together”. New this year was a fan favorite category where attendees had a chance to vote for their favorite batch. The event attracted 150 chili lovers last year, and is steadily growing in popularity. Bulch said she was hoping to surpass that number this year.

On October 7 in Arden, the Friends of the Salmon River host a special presentation on Puzzle Lake Provincial Park, a completely unique place, resplendent with rare plant and animal life.

Puzzle Lake Provincial Park is located in the Salmon River watershed between Tamworth and Arden. This area is an ANSI (Area of Natural & Scientific Interest) due to its diversity of upland and wetland habitats, and its abundance of provincially rare species and plant communities. This park is simply a fascinating place.

The Puzzle Lake area supports 16 provincially rare species: the highest known number of rarities found in an ANSI in eastern and central Ontario.

On a park outing, keep your eyes open for a five-lined skink, a Blanding’s turtle or a bald eagle.

The rugged, diverse terrain has created many unusual habitats that support this abundance of rare communities and species, including some found nowhere else in Canada.

The presentation by Corina Brdar, park ecologist, and Clark Richards, park superintendent, will highlight why it became a park, special features (such as scenic cliffs, bear oak communities and wetlands), species at risk (skinks, turtles, birds and more), and recreational activities, all accompanied by slides of the park.

Corina Brdar is the Southeast Zone Ecologist for Ontario Parks, including Puzzle Lake Park. She participated in the initial park planning work, the life science inventory, species at risk data for the park, and she continues the quest for new data. For personal recreation, she heads out on camping and canoe trips to – you guessed it - Puzzle Lake Park.

On October 7, the doors open at 6:30pm for coffee/refreshments, the show begins at 7pm, and it’s followed by the Friends of the Salmon River AGM & elections to the board. The location is the Arden Community Centre at 5998 Arden Road (County Rd. 15). All are welcome at no charge; donations are encouraged.

For more information, contact Gray Merriam at 613-335-3589 or Susan Moore at 613-379-5958, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Also visit: friendsofsalmonriver.ca.

Over 350 riders took part in the Fall ATV Run in Ompah, a popular ride for ATVers that was founded by Denis Bedard and Rose Boivin of the Palmerston Lake Marina (formerly the Double S) in Ompah.

The event is a fundraiser run by and supporting the Ompah Community Volunteer Association, and the efforts of the group of over 30 dedicated volunteers has put Ompah on the map as a popular destination for riders. The ride has a impressive reputation that keeps riders new and old coming back year after year. With the renovations at the Ompah fire hall and community hall now complete, organizers are hoping to see the proceeds from this year's event go towards purchasing an $8,000 "snowbulance", a heated rescue buggy that can either be pulled by a snow machine or an ATV and would be used for emergency winter bush rescues by local fire fighters in the winter months. The unit can transport one injured person and one emergency responder.

Lindy Hay, one of the event organizers, was pleased with the 350 plus riders who took part this year and she said that the new law allowing for two-ups and side by side ATVs was part of the reason why. Another reason is the ride's good reputation. “We are always amazed to see new people attending year after year, which proves that the word is getting out about the ride.” Hay told me that two riders who met at a conference in Vancouver were amazed to find out that both had been at one of the Ompah Fall ATV runs. The route this year was a 105 km loop with riders starting out from the marina and stopping mid-day for a trail lunch put on by a dedicated group of Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Lifers, who directed this year's lunch proceeds to the North Frontenac Food Bank.

This year's ride attracted riders from as far afield as Quebec, Sudbury, Windsor, Welland and Lindsay as well as many local riders from across Frontenac and Lanark Counties.

The after ride dinner is usually prepared by the Snow Road Volunteer ladies, but this year it was a brisket dinner with all the fixings prepared by Tim and Penny Cota.

Kanata Honda donated the big ticket raffle item that was up for grabs by the close to 2000 ticket holders- a 2015 Honda Pioneer 500 side by side ATV with a retail value $11,000. Other prizes included a Sony go cam with a wrist playback, a Garmin GPS unit and six CKX helmets along with 50 other door prizes. Every rider had a chance to win. Also riding and showing off their "indestructible" machines were Braydon Oakley and Kevin Clark of Perth Power Sports.

Hay stressed that the annual ride is a great event for the local community since riders will often stay in the area and shop at local businesses. Over the years the run has brought over $350,000 of tourist dollars into the local area.

Saturday, October 3, will mark the dedication of the renewed walking trails of the Palmerston Canonto Conservation Area. These seven trails ranging from 300 meters to one kilometre in length have been well trodden by area residents and visitors over several generations. As the trees, bushes and grasses grew, the trails became more difficult to pass and the disappearance of earlier signage made some people nervous about finding their way. In response, community volunteers and the Township of North Frontenac formed a partnership to not only restore the trails but maintain and monitor the close to five kilometres of paths.

Originally established by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, the township has undertaken a responsibility for the trails, a responsibility that is considered to have become more do-able through this partnership with community volunteers. According to John Inglis, Councillor for Ward 3, “In an area with the natural beauty of North Frontenac, trails not only enhance the outdoor life of residents, but make the area attractive to visitors as a weekend and vacation destination. As such, trails offer a potential contribution to the local economy”.

The trails are colour coded with line of sight markings making it easy to reach either of the two summits - the Lakeview and Vista Lookouts. Maps along the way make navigation very convenient. The trails start from the dam between Palmerston and Canonto Lakes being approximately 4.5 kilometers down the Canonto Road from Hwy 509.

“When the community and the municipality work together, sharing in not only deciding what needs to be done, but also in the actual doing of the work, it is amazing how we can together make the community better” according to Bruce Moore, who coordinated the volunteer effort. Moore reported that “Twenty-four volunteers contributed 194 hours toward putting the trails back into good walking and snowshoeing condition. If this had to be paid for, the cost may have made this project prohibitive”.

Calling this a partnership cannot be understated. The Township of North Frontenac invested significant effort in this project: coordination; developing and installing GPS-based coloured maps located at the starting points and along each of the trails; ensuring the amenities, and also outhouses were restored.

According to Corey Klatt, manager of community development, “The re-opening of the Palmerston-Canonto Trails network is an example of the spirit of cooperation that makes it possible for a township, known to have limited resources, to do so much more for itself, its residents and visitors, when we all work together”.

Come walk the trails on Saturday, October 3. Walks will begin at the Palmerston-Canonto dam. Drop by between 10am and noon and one of the volunteers will happily introduce the trails network and set you off for a walk or accompany you if you would like them to join with you, your friends and family. Trail walks will be continuous through this time, so when you get there you will not need to wait – just get walking.

For more information, contact Bruce Moore This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Corey Klatt This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.