On November 14, dignitaries and staff from the County of Frontenac and the Township of Central Frontenac, along with representatives from the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance, gathered with local supporters and sponsors of the K&P Trail for an official ribbon cutting ceremony in the hamlet of Tichborne. The ceremony celebrated the completion of phases three and four of the trail, which brought it to Tichborne.

Deputy Warden of the County of Frontenac, Dennis Doyle, thanked the members of the previous county council, specifically Janet Gutowski, Gary Davison, Jim Vanden Hoek and Ron Maguire, who Doyle said “had the vision to form a trails committee back in 2007; [the committee's] members then formed the Trails Master Plan that developed and opened the K&P Trail, which now travels from Lake Ontario to Tichborne.”

Doyle also thanked Ann Prichard of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, who over a number of years has assisted by securing over $250,000 in funding for the project.

Cindy Cassidy, general manager of the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance, has been working on the trails master plan since its earliest days. She estimates that over 25,000 people are using the trails, which has created over 70 jobs, and that trails users are spending upwards of $6 million while en route. She anticipates those numbers to grow.

Local business people, Wayne Robinson and Marcel Giroux from W.A. Robinson Asset Management Ltd., made a cheque presentation to Doyle at the ceremony. The company has generously supported the trail project and has donated $25,000 over five years.

Also present was Wilburt Crain of Crains' Construction, who worked on the trail.

Mayor of Central Frontenac, Frances Smith, also spoke and promised that this term council will get the trail to Sharbot Lake.

Ann Marie Young, manager of economic development with the county, said she was thrilled to be part of “such a tangible, exciting project that so many people will benefit from and enjoy”. She said the trail would encourage economic development by bringing walkers, runners, skiers, ATVers, snowmobilers, and cyclists to the area.

Also present and thanked at the event were members of the Lennox and Addington Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club, who assist with regular grooming and signage; and trail maintenance volunteer, Wayne Bush, who reminded drivers not to drive cars on the trail.

Future phases of the plan will bring the trail to Sharbot Lake and beyond, and the planners are hoping that the 20 private property owners between Tichborne and Sharbot Lake will cooperate by allowing the trail to make its way sooner rather than later to Sharbot Lake.

When Stephen Francis heard that there was an ice rink project being considered in Central Frontenac, he immediately wanted to help. Stephen (better known as Franny), is the front man for a musical group called BCR. He is also part of a duo that brings local musicians into the limelight through social media and You Tube. Together with musician, Steve Beebee, they form "Franny & Beebz In the Breezeway" which is a weekly musical video show that allows area musicians to play a few tunes and talk to the guys about their love of music, and theinterview is broadcast via YouTube to Facebook and beyond. Not long ago, Central Frontenac's own Riley Merrigan was asked to visit the Breezeway after a performance at the Hollyrood Jamboree. The interview was recorded and has been shared multiple times on Facebook and email. And that's how Franny & Beebz made it to Central Frontenac!

Now Stephen and Steve and a collection of the talented musicians that they have interviewed and or performed with on the Breezeway, are loading a bus starting in Port Hope and heading to the Oso Hall to play a dance in support of the Rink Project. These guys and their talented friends play everything from Hank Williams to Travis Tritt to Rolling Stones and just the right mix for a wonderful evening of dancing. Saturday November 21 at 8 pm the fun will begin. This is a licensed event so you must be 19 years old to attend. District #3 Rec Committee want to extend our thanks to all the musicians coming to the hall on Saturday as well as to all the fantastic support we have received from our community. Looking forward to seeing many two steppers out on Saturday night. Also a reminder of the Open Mic in support of the rink project on the same day at the Legion from 1 to 4pm.

While most gardeners are satisfied if they grow at least one pumpkin big enough to make into a Jack O'Lantern for Halloween, Ashley Hickey is more ambitious .

The 13-year-old farm girl, who lives in the Cole Lake area between Parham and Godfrey and attends St. Patrick's School in Harrowsmith, is a member of the GVGO (Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario), whose members have grown 100 plus pound cabbages and 1400 plus pound Hubbard squashes.

Giant pumpkins are Ashley's specialty, and the weigh-in at the Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest in Wellington is the moment of truth for her every year.

Last year her pumpkin came in 4th place at 877 pounds, and it was larger than any of the pumpkins grown in Prince Edward County and vicinity. The three larger pumpkins in the competition were grown in Eganville, Shawville and Pembroke.

“This year I wanted to get over the 1,000 pound mark,” said Ashley who grew her pumpkin from a seed from her 2014 pumpkin.

When it came time to bring her pumpkin to the festival this year, the family tractor was not big enough to lift it onto a pickup, and a special harness had to be used to ease it onto the truck.

The result – 1,011 pounds. The competition has grown so fierce at the Wellington Pumpkinfest however, that Ashley only received a 7th place ribbon this year, but again all the pumpkins that were larger had traveled a long way. The winner, at 1654 pounds, came from Ormstown, Quebec and used seeds that came from a 1,873 pound pumpkin.

To put Ashley's pumpkin into local context, the largest pumpkin from Prince Edward County came in at 784 pounds.

Incredibly, the Hickey pumpkin patch is a small plot of land, maybe 30 feet by 10 feet, with black, rich soil from all the manure and compost that they use to enrich it. Ashley starts her large pumpkins indoors in late April and puts out only the strongest plant, but she does not cull off all the other pumpkins aside from the one that establishes itself as the largest one.

“I like to bring 300 pound pumpkins to the Perth Fair with my friend,” she said, “that's also a lot of fun.”

She was pretty nervous when it came time for the weigh-in in Wellington because, “Although I knew it was close, or I hoped it was close to 1,000 pounds, I did not know for sure it was going to make it. I was pretty happy that it was that heavy,” she said.

Ashley started growing large pumpkins about three years ago, with encouragement from her parents, learning about what seeds to use, how much water to add, how much to fertilize, all of the ins and outs of growing giant pumpkins.

“The people I have met at Pumpkinfest have all been nice about sharing ideas about how to grow,” she said.

The giant pumpkins do not have a massive amount of seed, and Ashley said that she gives 100 seeds to the GVGO for their archive, and saves enough for herself. Although she was willing to share the growing techniques she used, that did not necessary mean she was prepared to hand over any of her spare seeds.

“It's not just the seed, anyway; it's also about how much water and how much fertilizer and what the weather is like during the summer. Also there is the problem of frost in the spring and the fall. I noticed, when we went to Wellington on October 17, that closer to Lake Ontario, they have had no frost at all.”

Her goal next year?

“1,500 pounds.”

For those looking for a real fright on Halloween night, Sydenham was one place to be. For the last five years, members of the McNeill family, along with the help of numerous relatives and friends, have been scaring the wits out of Halloween revelers in an old barn located just behind their historic home on Rutledge Road.

The barn is where the close to 25 volunteers spend all year planning and preparing for the well known, free, annual Sydenham event, which the family have been offering simply because they “love Halloween”. On Saturday night hundreds of costumed trick or treaters lined up just outside the barn’s front door, where Cathy mcNeill Richmond, dressed as a witch doctor, greeted the patiently waiting visitors with shrunken skull in hand. Cathy grew up in the house and her mother still lives there. Mom is also a member of the haunted barn cast.

Cathy warned them of the strobe lights and fog machine inside but gave no other clues about what lay ahead, though multiple shrieks and bumps could be heard from within.

The theme this year was an “old-fashioned Gothic haunt” and the first scene to greet visitors was a family of four vampires, one lying in a coffin, seemingly dead and with a large bloody knife protruding from her chest. As the scary, dramatic organ music played and when the unsuspecting visitors were near, the dead person suddenly rose from her coffin and hissed.

Asked what in her opinion was the scariest scene inside, Cathy said, “For me it is the shadow in the maze”. Cathy said she her sister take the hobby of Halloween haunting seriously and both are members of the Canadian Haunters Association, a group that shares ideas about what works and what doesn't when if comes to getting the biggest scream. She said that she and her team spend a whole year designing and creating the horrors. “When we first started doing this five years ago, it was kind of hodge-podge and make-shift but since then we've started building solid walls and creating permanent structures, which is why it takes us a whole year to get ready”. She said the crew would begin redesigning the barn the very next day for Halloween 2016.

Themes in years past have included a zombie wedding, an asylum and a Heaven and Hell theme and judging by the hundreds who attended the Haunted Barn this year, it seems as though Cathy and her team know exactly what it takes to frighten folks. While the goal is to scare people, she said that she and her cast would tone it down when younger guests come through. She added that while no visitor has experienced a serious health issue resulting from a scare, she did admit that one visitor one year did pee their pants.

The event attracted Halloween revelers from as far away as Kingston and Amherstview. I spoke with Saskia Richardson from Kingston, who brought her mother Theresa along, who was visiting her from Slovakia. “We don't really celebrate Halloween in Slovakia and I wanted my mother to see this kind of thing first hand.”

Sydenham's Haunted Barn is on Facebook and if you missed it this year you can visit there to see what you missed.

The worst part of the claustrophobic, dark, scream filled, zombified trip through the transformed motel rooms at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn on the evenings of Octoerb 30 and 31st was the fact that every one looked so familiar.

It's one thing being scared by a bunch of strangers, but having about 20 people from your own community transformed by costume, moving stiffly with a far away look in their eyes creates more than a bit of unease. Then there were the teddy bears that came to life, the white rabbits, the haunted kids asking for help, the woman in a cage, the life sized puppet in a mask come to life, and the woman tied to a table while a man in a gas mask stood over her with the intention of cutting her into pieces.

All in all, it was not really an event to bring the kids to, or squeamish adults for that matter.

As a piece of active theatre, put together by a large group to bring Halloween to life by creating an event to remember, it was rather brilliant.

This was the third year that the White family (and they were all involved) along with hotel staff, friends an neighbours, have put on a haunted house. 80 people went through on the first night and many more on Halloween.

Who knows what will happen in year 4?

They are going to be at it again next Saturday night.

Inveterate rocker Tom Revell is bringing his own '60s/'70s band Bauder Road, and will share the stage with Dark Horse, Still Standing, Ten Cent Hat, The Fonzies and other friends in the dance party to end all dance parties, all for a cause that only gains in importance each year.

Proceeds from the dance and silent auction will be shared between the Loughborough Christmas & Emergency Relief Committee and Verona’s Christmas for Kids for their yearly campaigns.

This year's dance marks the start of 16th annual Rock 'n Roll Toy Drive, a Christmas tradition in South Frontenac that provides Christmas presents for families who would not otherwise be able to give them out to their children.

“Everybody works hard to give the best for their children, but sometimes there is no money left over for extras, such as presents, and we raise money for these groups who do such a good job matching presents to families who need them,” said Revell, who works as a youth counselor in his day job.

The group putting on the dance, which is headed by Jamie Deline and Rebecca Wagar, is also seeking donations from area businesses to help in this fundraising event. Contributions will be greatly appreciated in helping give area children a present on Christmas morning. They can be reached through the “16th annual Rockn'roll Toy Drive” Facebook page.

The dance starts at 8 pm and tickets are $20 per person, which includes raffles, silent auctions and an 11pm buffet. They are available at the Legion, E-Clips Hair Salon in Sydenham, Sydenham Pet & Food Supply or by contacting one the organizers directly. They will also be available at the door on the night of the dance.

Over 100 youngsters turned up in full costume and force for the Olden Rec Committee's annual Halloween party, which took place at the community hall in Mountain Grove on October 25. The event included numerous kids' games and crafts, a pumpkin carving contest, a parade, plus numerous snacks and sweet treats. When I visited, many young revelers were lining up in anticipation of making a trip to the haunted house that was set up in the basement of the hall by Rec Committee chair, Corey Thompson. The haunted house included one very scary and one less scary section to suit the ages of the groups passing through.

Two GREC students, Sadie Clarke and Clare Willis, had the difficult task of judging the winners in the kids' costume contests based on various criteria that included home made-ness, originality, overall flair, and cuteness. Some of the memorable costumes included two youngsters dressed as the stars of the film Dumb and Dumber, one very cute Goldilocks and many more.

Lori Sproule, who is the vice chair of the rec committee, said that the event is all about giving the kids in the local community a chance to get together to celebrate the holiday and enjoy some special Halloween-themed festivities.

The Olden Rec Committee is holding an adult fundraising dance on Friday, October 30 at the Olden hall with DJ Derrick Hole, and costume judging. The cost is $15pp or $25/couple, which includes a light luncheon, and proceeds will go to supporting the many special events for kids and their families in the local community. 

B.J. Calver, who heads up the local and international missions program at the Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church, was thrilled with the turn out at the church's annual Fall Fair on October 17. The event attracted hundreds of shoppers and included close to 50 local vendors, who were offering up everything from hand made crafts, comestibles and a wide range of gift ware. Organizers also offered visitors a huge bake sale table, fresh funnel cakes, and a Chili Plus Cafe, with all the food proceeds funding the HFMC's Community Assistance Program (CAP).

The CAP program offers financial assistance to members of the local community in need of food, heat, and emergency relief due to fire. CAP also funds the church's Christmas Hamper Program and through its partnership with Southern Frontenac Community Services also provides emergency food vouchers and other financial relief to local families in need. Calver and her husband Ray, who have been doing voluntary mission work in the Dominican Republic for close to 20 years, have through their partnership with the HFMC been able to build a church and school in Barrio Tona, a town just outside of Porta Plata in the Dominican Republic.

Shoppers who attended this year's sale were intrigued with the plethora of unique items for sale and new and notable this year were Miche purses and Birkenstock foot ware. Other first time vendors included Orna-Metal metal art, and Boutique Originals, who sell a wide array of primitive recycled Christmas crafts. Calver said that she was hoping to exceed the $2600 in donations raised at last year's event and judging by the turn out, it looked as though that hope could easily become a reality.

It was a chilly day for the hundreds of wannabee wolves at Land O'Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove on October 1. Students from five northern area schools in grades one through eight gathered there to participate in the annual Timber Wolf Run, an event that was founded close to a decade and a half ago by former LOLPS teacher, Brian Robertson. For the last five years LOLPS grade one teacher, Jen Meulenaar, has been heading up the event with the help of staff at the school. The run is aimed at getting students from northern area schools together for a fun day of outdoor racing and is a great way for students to kick off the cross-country running season.

Participants included students from Land O'Lakes, Granite Ridge, North Addington, Prince Charles and Clarendon Central. The races included competitive runs of 1km, 1.8km and 2.5 km as well as a non-competitive one kilometre walk/run for students not wishing to compete. The competitive race winners took home medals and ribbons. Though the race is not an official qualifier for other upcoming regional racing events, it is a good practice event for those students who were hoping to qualify at the Region 3 qualifier race, which took place at Fort Henry in Kingston on October 6 in advance of the district finals.

Prior to the run at LOLPS, the students warmed up in the school gym before heading out to the starting line and running on the nearby trails, which took them through the woods surrounding the school. School principal, Emily Yanch, said the event is an annual tradition and a great opportunity for northern area students to get together. The participants not only got loads of exercise and fresh air but also enjoyed the opportunity to cheer one another on. Congratulations to all of the runners who took part.

Close to 300 hockey players aged three to eighteen years of age are currently playing hockey with the Frontenac Minor Hockey Association on their home turf located at the Frontenac Community Arena in Piccadilly. New this year and for the first time in six years the association has birthed a new novice rep team made up of 13 players aged seven and eight years of age, who will be playing their very first game on Friday, October 9 in Piccadilly, where they will face off against the Stirling Blues.

The association’s president, Al Pixley, attended the fundraiser bottle drive in support the new rep team, which took place on October 3 at the Foodland in Verona. He said he hopes to see fans at the team’s first game.

For those who missed the bottle drive or who would like another opportunity to support Frontenac minor hockey, the association is holding a Hallowe'en dance at the S & A Club in Harrowsmith on Friday, October 30.The fun starts at 8:00PM and live music will be provided the band The Stairs. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased in advance by contacting Al Pixley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.