Close to 50 trail users and numerous members of staff from the County of Frontenac and Township of South Frontenac, along with other dignitaries attended the festive official opening of Phase ll of the Frontenac K&P Trail, which took place at the bridge at Hardwood Creek in Verona on August 9.

The K& P trail is part of the Trans-Canada Trail in Ontario, which extends over 2000 kilometres and connects numerous communities across the province from Windsor to Ottawa. This phase completes one of the last gaps of the trail in Ontario. South Frontenac Councilor Allan McPhail, who has chaired the County of Frontenac Advisory Committee for Trails, has seen the trail expand from Orser Road in Kingston up to Verona in his four years as chair. Phase ll of the project extended the trail from Harrowsmith in an 11 kilometre stretch to Verona and included the rebuilding of the Hardwood Creek bridge, which had been removed by the trail's former owner, Bell Telephone.

According to McPhail, the replacement of bridges has been one of the major obstacles along the way as they are by far the most expensive part of the rebuilding project. Phase ll was funded significantly through Trans-Canada Trails and the Government of Ontario through the Pan Am/Parapan Am Trails initiative.

MPP for Kingston and the Islands, Sophie Kiwala, congratulated all the parties involved and said that the Frontenac County section of the trail is a great investment. It will not only link up sections of the Trans-Canada Trail but will also connect the trail to four major game venues and will incorporate trail markers at points of historical and cultural significance. "This trails investment is part of the broader $42 million Pan Am/Parapan Am Games promotion celebrations and legacy strategy, which will ensure a lasting legacy and will benefit Ontarians all across the province,” Kiwala said.

Al MacPherson is president of the Kawartha Trans-Canada Trail Association and chair of the board of the Trans-Canada Trail Association. He is a professor and author and is passionate about Ontario trails. He spoke of the inception of the idea to build a Trans-Canada Trail, which came about in the year 1992 at a meeting he was at in Banff, Alberta. “Everyone in the room said yes, but everyone outside that room didn't agree. But now here we are, over 20 years later with the trail 75% complete.” He also spoke of the beauty of this particular section of the trail. He is committed to developing trails because, “They are gateways to nature, to active living and they also help preserve and showcase the natural beauty of this beautiful country of ours.” He credited the communities of Frontenac county that have enabled the Phase ll project to happen.

The next phase of the extension, Phase III, will take place this fall and will include reconditioning the trail up to Cole Hill church located at White Lake Road north of Godfrey. After that the trail will be extended through Tichborne where it passes across private property before finally reaching Sharbot Lake.

Regarding negotiations with the private property owners in that section, McPhail said that the county has been in contact with them through letters and other communications yearly in the hopes of beginning official negotiations in the near future. McPhail hopes that the county will be able to reach an agreement with those property owners so that the trail can proceed with as few obstacles as possible. His message to those property owners, "If the trail is not right beside your home, and you have a large property, please consider allowing the trail to pass through.”

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony guests enjoyed cake and free wagon rides courtesy of Wayne Garrison and his able horse team of Prince and Skittles.

If the number of cars parked on the lawn in front of the Land O' Lakes Petting Farm on Road 506, near Cloyne was any indication, the farm's Family Day fundraiser on August 10, was a resounding success. The event attracted residents and tourists from all over the area, who enjoyed a leisurely day exploring the outdoor pens, the barn and ponds that are home to the farm's over 50 rescued animals. Animal lovers of all ages petted and fed the horses, donkeys, mules, llamas, sheep, lambs and pigs, all of whom seemed as pleased to receive the attention as the visitors were to give it.

Owner Barry Smith gave tours of the large barn, which is home to numerous ducks, geese, peacocks, rabbits and a gosling with a broken wing named Skeeter, the newest member of the bunch.

One of the day's special draws was Zanzar the Magical Genie, who put on a show that included numerous tricky escapes, fire breathing and his showstopper - turning a dove into a rabbit. Another draw was the five piece band, the Original Slam Grass Orchestra, formerly known as the Tweed Twangers, who played a fabulous line up of what they call “poly-ethnic Cajun country slam grass”. The music was very danceable. The band also provided instruments for fellow twangers.

The Smiths were some of the busiest people there, with Barry on tour duty while Donna had her hands full manning the main gate and the main kitchen area, where guests could enjoy a BBQ lunch, fresh corn on the cob and other sweet treats. Donna was thrilled with the turnout, which she estimated at over 400 visitors. Funds raised from the fun day will help the Smiths keep the animals well fed and looked after throughout the year, which is especially hard to do in the winters months, when they do not get many visitors. Donna said guests not only help the animals to heal by allowing them the chance to trust humans again, but also are therapeutic for people, especially those with developmental disabilities and other medical issues. Animals are known to bring a sense of joy and calm and well being to all who are fortunate enough to visit them. Donna said that the farm is constantly being inundated with sick, injured or unwanted animals and that she and Barry strongly believe that “These animals deserve to live a humane life and to be free from suffering.”

The educational farm is run solely by volunteers, with many local students doing their community hours there. The farm is also visited regularly by school children at the North Addington Education Centre and is part of their grade 2 curriculum. Special needs students at NAEC are also regular visitors.

The fun day was the farm's second fundraiser in its five-year history and Donna Smith is hoping to make the event an annual one.

For those who would like to donate, call 613-336-0330 or visit the farm at 1200 Road 506 near Cloyne.

Nestled in a forgotten corner of the back parking lot at Sydenham High School a few temporary lines have been drawn on the pavement at either end of a pavement. For mostg of the week that is the only outward sign that a forgotten Austrian tradition from Kingston's past has been reborn. On Thursday evenings, the space comes to life.

Members of the Austrian community from Kingston and Frontenac County, and others who have become hooked on Eisstock, arrive at 6:00. They pull their Eisstock's from their cars and head over to the makeshift rink.

The sport of Eisstock was popular in Kingston in the 1960's and 70's, around the time when the cities' Austrian club was in its heyday. The club has faded as has the sport, but it is making a comeback.

Eisstock is the name of the sport, and of the apparatus that is at its core. Eisstocks are similar to curling stones, but they are manufactured. They have a heavfy metal base, on which both a handle and a surface pad can be affixed. There are different pads available, and because they have a smoother or rougher finish they are switched to react either to whatever shot is requited or to the conditions.

While in curling the point is to get the stones as close to the button as possible, in Eisstock there is a Daube, a small rubber disk that is set in the middle of the house at the start but can be pushed further back by a well aimed Eisstock.

In that way Eisstock is a cross between curling and bocce or lawn bowling.

Each player on a team throws one Eisstock in each end, and the team with an Eisstock closest to the daube wins the points.

Eisstock can be played on ashphalt and ice as well. Although there are references to Eisstock as far backa s the 13th century, in a 1565 painting by Peiter Breghel the Elder called Hunters in the Snow there are people on the ice in the background playing Eisstock.

All of this has been brought back to life int he SHS parking lot, with the addition of some good natured trash talking, very occsaional profanity, in English or a number of other languages, and even the throw to the Daube or a spectacular takeout o change the character of an end entirely.

The game can be played by all ages and skill levels. The pick game in Sydenham was first organized by Karl Hammer. His father Karl and a number his friends from the Austrian Club days are among the most enthusiastic participants, along with some younger men, women, and children who are learning the ins and outs of the sport.

This weekend, however, there is a more serious game afoot. On Sunday, August 17, at Centennial Park in Harrowsmith, an Eisstock tournament is being staged. A number of four member teams from the Sydenham weekly game have been established and they will compete against teams from far flung communities, including Woodstock and Cambridge. The tournament is the revival of a tournament that was held annually by the Kingston Austrian Club for many years until it fizzled in the 1980's.

For Karl Hammer, it is an opportunity to bring a sport that is dear to his father back to his own son's generation.

“You hate to see something that was so vital and so much fun be lost forever,” he said.

“It's also a lot of fun to see my father get excited, and even more fun to beat him at his own game.”

For more information about the Thursday Eisstock games, email Karl at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Over 130 youngsters aged 3-15 participated in this year's Kids of Steel (KOS) Triathlon event, which took place on July 27 in Sharbot Lake. The race was hosted by the Bytown Storm Triathlon Club and attracted racers and their families from all over Ontario some from as far away as Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, Milton, Peterborough, Windsor, Cornwall, Pembroke and Petawawa.

The KOS is one of the five qualifying races for Triathlon Ontario's Youth Cup point series. The event included numerous races, all triathlon events and each with swim, bike and running portions of varying lengths depending on the age group. The shortest event, for participants aged 6 and 7, included a 100 metre swim, 5 km bike ride and 1 km run, and the longest event, which was for racers aged 14 and 15, included a 400 metre swim, 10 km ride, and a 4 km run.

New this year was a draft legal event, one of just three events offered in Ontario for participants aged 14 and 15. Greg Kealey of Bytown Storm Triathlon and the event's race director said Sharbot Lake offers up the “perfect” venue. “Not only is there clean water and a great beach-front park and plenty of parking but it's a very condensed course allowing racers to loop around numerous times, which gives parents and onlookers a great chance to watch the kids race. A lot of the kids come to this event from far away places just because they love this particular venue and the unique course that we have here.”

Historically, the event is one of the oldest races for kids in Canada. It was originally founded over 30 years ago by Sharbot Lake residents Rudy and Joan Hollywood and Joan was the head official at the race again this year. The event and venue is also a historic one for triathletes of all ages for another reason - famed Canadian triathlete Simon Whitfield, who won Olympic gold in the inaugural Olympic triathlon event in 2000, raced and won some of the earliest races here. Whitfield has been immortalized with a bronze plaque in his honor at Oso Beach Park.

Fifteen-year-old Liam Donnelly of Campbellville, Ontario who placed first in his event, said he enjoyed the course and he recalled the exact moment in the race where he was able to move into the first place position. “I was in second place out of the first transition and caught Kyle (who placed second) and attacked at that point not wanting Kyle to draft off me.” Donnelly paid homage to Whitfield, who he said is one of his heroes. He had a chance to meet the famed triathlete when Whitfield was racing in Toronto a few years ago. “I ran right beside him for the last 600 metres of his race and we talked afterwards... He is such a nice guy and definitely is the inspiration for the majority of Canadian triathletes. He even gave me a shout out on Twitter,” Donnelly recalled. Donnelly will be taking part in the third provincial race in the series in August and said he feels “totally ready for it.”

In the female ages 14 - 15 event, Erika Rankin, who also won here last year, surprised herself by taking first place again. Rankin also plays soccer and was not able to train much prior to the KOS due to numerous injuries. She said she was thrilled with her win. Unfortunately she will not be able to qualify for the cup since she missed the earlier races in the series. Racers looking to win the Triathlon Ontario Provincial Youth Cup have to compete in at least four of the five qualifying provincial races and their top four scores will determine the winner.

Liam Donnelly said he dreams “every day” of competing in the 2020 Olympics. Asked if he received any pointers from Whitfield, he recalled Whitfield's advice to him: “Follow your dreams, work hard and the rest will come.” Liam took the time out after his medal presentation to get a picture of himself beside the plaque of Whitfield before he departed for home.

Submitted by Carolyn Johnston

In 2015 the Land O’ Lakes Curling Club will mark the 50th anniversary of the club in Tweed.

On February 4, 1965, not long after the ice plant was built in the community centre (now Memorial Arena), 32 enthusiastic Tweed residents unanimously voted at the Chamber of Commerce to organize a curling club in Tweed, renting ice time at the community centre. The first president of the club in 1965 was Ev English. Other members included Mrs. J. J. Paquette, vice-president; Mrs. V. Dunn, secretary; Mrs. W. H. Porch, treasurer, and Mrs. F. J. McCue, W. Raniowski, Harry McLean and Tom Hunter.

Curling began on February 20. Over 90 members joined the club and a single membership cost only $5! The club initially rented curling rocks from the Marmora Curling Club, which had to be picked up and returned every week! A year later, 32 pairs of curling stones were purchased from the Scottish Curling Stone Co. in Glasgow, Scotland.

By 1968, it became clear that the club should consider constructing its own building. A steering committee was formed in April 1968, consisting of Keith Baldwin, Sandford Wilson, David Morton, Harry Martin, Joe Chisholm and Clyde Bell, with Harold Cantelon as consultant. Club members voted 103-32 in favour of a new building and rink at an estimated cost of $75,000. The curling rink was built during 1969 and formally opened on Jan. 10, 1970 with Clarke Rollins, M.P.P. cutting the ribbon. The president at this time was Ken Thompson; secretary Mrs. Helen Price and treasurer Mrs. Myrtle Gunning. The club was now on its way to becoming an important venue in Tweed, not only for curling leagues and bonspiels, but also for weddings, concerts, dances, Kiwanis meetings, shuffleboard, festivals, exercise classes etc., which the community has enjoyed for so many years.

Ev English, the first president, is still actively curling and the club is fortunate that he has generously agreed to work on the 50th Anniversary Committee. The committee is planning several events to mark this milestone and it is hoped that the entire Tweed and area community will participate in the celebrations. Here is a sample of what is planned; the club will provide more details as information becomes available:

• October 18 - “Swing and Sweep”. Enjoy a game of golf, followed by lunch and an afternoon of curling to kick off the 50th season.

• Feb. 27 - March 1, 2015: “50th Anniversary Bonspiel”; a chance for all current and former members of the club to enjoy some fun curling, reconnect with old friends and reflect on the great history of the club.

• August 8, 2015 - “50 Years of Memories: A Tribute to August Fest”. A banquet and dance with a live auction.

If any former members have any historical memorabilia or photos that would be suitable to include for display during one of these events, please contact Muriel Dunford, who is working on a commemorative souvenir book and is eager to include items of historical significance throughout the years of the club. She can be reached at 613-478-3575 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You may also check our website (www.curltweed.ca) for updates.

Fishers in a competitive derby are never apt to give away too much information about where they landed their catches. That was the case for two fishers who weighed in at the Sydenham Legion's Bass Derby, which took place on July 26 and attracted over 150 participants.

Legion members Garnett Van Luven and Bob Stinson weighed the catches of fishers Tik Ostopovitch and Scott Bowes, whose fish each weighed in just a smidge under four pounds. Both men, not surprisingly, refused to name the lakes where their fish were hooked but Tik did offer up the fact that his fish were caught “with a worm”.

The Sydenham Legion Fishing Derby was organized by Legion members Scott Morrison and Brent VanLuven and was brought back again this year after running on and off for many years previously. Kate Lett, the newly elected Sydenham Legion Branch 496 president, said the stops and starts of the derby were because it takes a substantial number of volunteers to organize it, and that it was possible to bring it back this year because “a number of eager members were willing to take on the responsibility of gathering the prizes, doing the advertising, selling the tickets and finding all of the other necessary volunteers to perform all of the other jobs that it takes to run a derby.” Participants could fish on any of the area back lakes and the winners were based on the weight of their single largest catch. Prizes were donated by local area businesses and individuals and the first place prize was a Glider 55 pound thrust Shakespeare trolling motor. Other prizes included a number of coolers, life jackets, fishing gear, sport clothing and numerous gift certificates from area businesses.

The Sydenham Ladies Auxiliary put on the lunch at the derby. Lett said she was pleased with the turn out and hopes that the event will become an annual one again, which is good news for bass fishers everywhere.

Funds raised from the derby will help pay for the upkeep of the Legion hall as well as help support a number of programs in the community including the lunch program at Loughborough Public School and Southern Frontenac Community Services.

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The Somersault Events race series continues to draw a wide range of athletes of all ages and skill levels to its annual Sydenham Triathlon/Duathlon event, which took place this year on July 13. For many, it is the calm waters and the scenic trail around the shores of Sydenham Lake, but also the friendly atmosphere of the small Kingston bedroom community that keep participants coming back year after year.

Over 400 participants took part in the Tri/Du, which began at 8:30 am. Sunday was rainy and windy, which made for slippery and more difficult than normal conditions, especially during the bike portions of some of the events. However the mild rain also offered respite for runners, making for cooler and less taxing runs.

Todd Morin manned the microphone at the finish line, announcing the names of the racers as they crossed it. One of the day’s highlights was when he announced the male and female first place finishers of the Olympic Triathlon event.

This year 31-year-old Jeff McCue of Kingston crossed the finish line first with a time of 2.20.48. The Olympic Tri event is comprised of a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run. McCue, who works as nurse in Kingston, is currently training for the Subaru Half Ironman race in Muskoka, a longer race comprised of a 2km swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21 km run. He will also be entering the K-Town Triathlon in Kingston in August. McCue, who has participated in 15 triathlon events to date, said it was his first time participating in the Sydenham Tri. He said he enjoyed the course, particularly the running portion, which takes place in a forest-covered trail lining the lake. He said, “The location is awesome. The course is well laid out, well organized with great transition points and is a very scenic venue.”

This year’s first place female finisher of the Olympic Triathlon was 20-year-old Brittany McEachern of Kingston, who crossed the line with a time of 2.30.59. It was her first time finishing first in an Olympic triathlon event. Brittany has been training for tri events for just two years and this was her third Olympic Tri race to date and her best time ever. She was pleased with her race and said that her mother and other participants cheered her on throughout the race. “I love triathlons and I'm definitely going to stick with it.” She will be running in the K-Town Triathlon at the beginning of August. She said that the bike portion was the most difficult for her. “There was a hard downpour during the first loop of the bike portion, which made for a very cold and windy ride.”

Christine McKinty, the event’s race director, said that events like the Try-a-Tri and other relay events are especially fun for family groups, and that this year she saw many family groups of all ages take part. Leslie Reade of Sydenham and her 10-year-old son Eli both took part in the races; Leslie in the Olympic Tri and Eli as a member of a sprint tri relay team. It was Leslie's fourth time participating and Eli's first and both were pleased with their performances.

The Sydenham Tri/Du relies on over 50 volunteers and this year’s “club of the event” was the Sydenham Legion.

Marianne Takala of Sydenham was the assistant race director. I caught up with her son, former triathlete Scott Takala, who was instrumental in designing the Sydenham race along with its founder Richard Cadman. Takala did not participate this year after having placed first in the Olympic Tri for a number of consecutive years. He said he is focusing his sights solely on running events and currently is training for a half marathon this fall. Organizers were pleased with the turnout this year and Christine McKinty is hoping to see more families come out next year. For more information visit somersault.ca

It started out as an idea for an outdoor concert back in the winter of 2005 but has turned into a major festival and a labour of love for Duane and Donna Thibault for the past ten years.

For the 10th anniversary of the Flinton Jamboree, some of the perennial favorite acts are returning, such as White Pine, Steve Pitico and South Mountain, the Tebworth Brothers, and Dallas Daisy. Among the newcomers are the Ducharme family, a father and sons band who come from one of the best-named towns for a Bluegrass band, River Valley, which is located north of Highway 17 halfway between North Bay and Sudbury. The Ducharme family is the featured band on the Friday night (August 1) of the three-day festival. They appear at 7:30 pm.

The festival headliner, who will be performing on Saturday night (August 2) at 7:30 pm, is David Church.

Church, who hails from Lancaster, Ohio, has an affinity for traditional country music, and is renowned in North America as a singer “who sounds like Hank”. He performs his own songs as well as a number Hank Williams tunes, but as long-time U.S. based music promoter Joe Sullivan has said, “He is not a Hank imitator; he is someone who performs Hank's songs.” David Church will be backed up by Steve Pitico and South Mountain.

Weekend passes for the festival cost $35 ($55 with camping). Day passes are $20 for the all day and evening Saturday show, which kicks off at 11am, and $10 for the Friday evening or the Sunday 11 am to 4 pm show. For advance tickets, call 613-336-0995. Day passes will be available at the gate. (Note – a full schedule will be published in the Frontenac News on July 24)

James (Jim) Webster, who died earlier this winter, left instructions that anyone who wanted to donate money in his memory should put it towards new uniforms for the children in the Central Frontenac Minor Softball League.

The uniforms were on display this week at a game in Sharbot Lake, worn by the team coached by Leslie Merrigan, who happens to be Jim Webster's niece.

Donating uniforms to teams, and gloves and balls to players is something that Webster did for 15 years or more. He was also a constant presence at games, especially when one of his grandchildren were playing, and, because he brought bubblegum for the kids most of the time, he became known as the gum man.

Webster was tireless in his fundraising efforts for the children. One year he raised over $7000 and had Tim Horton’s donate 5 sets of TimBit uniforms given by Ron and Donna Lemke of Plevna, who continue to donate medallions for all five teams year after year.

Jim Webster's efforts to promote ball extended to working to keep up the ball field in Sharbot Lake, which made him a friend to ball players of all ages in the region but not always of the Central Frontenac Council.

About 12 years ago, Jim lined up contractors and donations to do some major work on the field. They were going to build shelters over the player’s benches, build new bleachers and work on the field itself. It was all set to go when Jim and Brett Harvey, who was then the franchise owner of the Sharbot Lake Valumart, went to get the township’s blessing.

It did not go well. The township was concerned about liability, and balked at the building plans not having an engineer’s stamp and the prospect of volunteers from the men's league doing the work. They said no, and the project was stymied.

A few years after the township purchased and installed new bleachers, but the benches at the park remain uncovered. Unknown parties have mysteriously done some work on the park since then, when the township wasn't looking that closely.

Jim Webster never gave up on baseball in Sharbot Lake, and on the Sharbot Lake ball park.

According to his daughter Marcie, when his family was going through his things this past spring, they found records of all the donations he collected, where all the money went, and a number of brand new baseball gloves, waiting to be given to a young ballplayer in need of a glove.

Members of the Verona Community Association held their fifth annual Family Fishing Day at the beach in McMullen Park on July 12. The free event, which coincided with the last free family fishing weekend this summer, attracted 67 children and 64 adults to Rock Lake in Verona where fishers of all ages cast their lines into the lake from the two floating docks there. A plethora of prizes were given out to every child and included fishing rods, reels, tackle boxes , sweat shirts, toys and more. The event included a free lunch of blue jay ball park hot dogs, popcorn, watermelon and drinks.

Linda Bates, who is the vice president of the VCA, said that the aim of the event is to attract members of the community to enjoy being together, having a meal and having a bit of fishing fun in the sun. The VCA wishes to thanks the 16 volunteers who helped out and all of the sponsors who made the event possible as well as all of the participants who took part in the event.