On June 3, 2019 shortly after 7:00pm, Frontenac Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a traffic complaint from a concerned motorist about a person who was driving and was unlicensed.

The vehicle was located in Verona and as a result of the investigation, Frank Teal, a 27-year-old from Tichborne, Ontario, was charged with prohibited driving.

The motor vehicle was towed and impounded for 45 days. The accused was released on a promise to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston at a late date to answer to the charge.

With the closing of St. Paul’s United Church a couple of years ago, the Free Methodist Church became the only remaining church in Harrowsmith.

That would likely be a surprise to the founder of the Harrowsmith Free Methodist, C.V. Fairbairn. In a book called “the Battle was the Lord’s: a history of the Free Methodist Church in Canada”, written by John Wilson Sigsworth and published in 2016. Sigsworth describes how the church came to be established in Verona in the late 19th century and spread to Petworth, Holleford, Deyo’s Corners, Desert Lake, Cole Lake, and Wagarville, and other nearby locations in Lennox and Addington.

But Fairbairn, who had been instrumental in establishing the church in some of the other communities, but when he organised what Sigsworth calls a ‘siege’ of Harrowsmith in November of 2018, he was met with “the greatest organised resistance we have ever encountered”.

Fairbairn needed to bring a petition, signed by 250 people, just to be able to rent a town hall in order to hold a meeting in November of 1918.

Fairbairn’s second ‘siege of Harrowsmith’ in the spring of 1919, resulted in ‘a class of 18 people’ being established. The former Presbyterian Church on Harrowsmith Road was purchased and the congregation gained strength steadily over the years, remaining in that location until the late 1980’s.

In preparation for the church celebrating its 100th anniversary at a special event this Sunday (June 9) and at concerts throughout the summer and fall, one of the parishioners, Maureen Adams, undertook the task of combing through the minutes of church meetings, going back to 1919. She has pulled the highlights of the minutes for display boards that will be set up on Sunday, with roughly one for each decade.

The boards illustrate the change in the value of money over 100 years. For example, in 1923, a motion was passed “give the Budget System a trial and endeavour to raise $16.00/week for the pastor”. Prices have risen steadily over the years. In 1954, an oil furnace was purchased for the parsonage at a cost of $350, including installation. In 1971, the parson’s salary was raised to $95 a week.

The boards, from the very beginning and through to the present day, also show that the founding families of the church are still very much active in its progress. Of the 6 transferees from Verona and the 12 “probationary members who formed the church on April 6, 1919, names such as Snider, Sigsworth, Orser, Babcock, Knox and Keech are prominent. Those names are still common, both locally and regionally.

In the 1950’s there was a heated debate about whether to purchase a musical instrument for the church. In June, 1954 a vote was taken and 17 voted for and 13 against a purchase. In August, 1957, another vote was taken: “32 votes were counted, 26 against and 6 in favour of the motion. One couple resigned their positions in the church,” is how the display board describes that vote. In 1959, there was a reversal, 17 voted for and 13 were against, but this time it was decided that an organ should be purchased. However, the church needed a new furnace and the organ would have to wait. One year later an organ was purchased for the church, at a cost of $1095, and a $25 piano was also purchased for the Sunday School room.

By the 1980’s the old church was too small. At a meeting to decided how to proceed, a number of options for renovations or other changes were considered, and this time everyone in attendance, 21 people, all agreed that a new build was the best option. Over time the current site, not far to the east of the old church, came to house the modern church and gymnasium that serves the church community and the community at large to this day.

As Sunday approaches, preparations are being made for the commemoration events, and Maureen Adams is busily preparing the final boards.

“What I hope you will see in our history, is the rock solid faith in God, perseverance and commitment of the people to values they hold dear, has sustained the ministry of Harrowsmith Free Methodist Church through its 100 years in the community,” she said of her efforts.

The events this Sunday will provide an opportunity to reminisce and look forward.

C.V. Fairbairn would be happy to see that, after the initial resistance to the siege of Harrowsmith, the local Free Methodist Church continues to thrive and grow.

There were “a few changes over the winter” to the Frontenac Farmers Market and as such, interim manager Mark Revelle didn’t have many plans to reveal concerning any special events this summer.

“We’re having a meeting after the market to elect a president, treasurer and manager,” he said. “We’re still planning on going through Thanksgiving.

“Hopefully, we’ll all have fun and make things grow.”

The market runs Saturdays from 9am to 2pm through Thanksgiving and features local produce, meats, baked goods and crafts.

“It’s been surprisingly busy,” Revelle said of the opening day. “That’s mainly because of the sun.”

One new vendor this year was enjoying meeting people on a sunny Saturday.

Bailey Gurr said she and her husband have been operating a sugar bush on Buck Lake near Westport for some time now and things have been growing.

“We started out as a hobby, my husband has been tapping trees since he was 12 and in 2018, we had our first year producing more than 400 litres of syrup,” she said. “We don’t have enough friends and family to give it all away to.

“So, we’re just getting started in business.

“We have syrup and candy and we’ll have maple butter when I make some.”

The Land O’Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame has revised some of its categories this year, and will be holding its first stand alone induction ceremony at the Lion’s Hall in Verona on October 6.

Everyone who is a member of the organisation has the opportunity to vote for new inductees each year, from a list of nominees that is developed by the jury.

This year 171 ballots were turned in, and the winners were announced last week.

This year the entertainer category has been expanded to include three winners, one each from Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and Hastings Counties.

The Frontenac inductee is Wayne Eves from Battersea. Wayne is well known as the house bass player at the weekly Sunbury Jam and at the twice monthly Bedford Jam. The voting in the Frontenac category, which had six nominees, was tight. Both Joey Saunders (Sydenham) and Don Cochrane (Kingston) were only three votes behind.

In Lennox and Addington, Yarker’s Barry Calthorpe was selected. Barry was the dobro player in Echo Mountain for many years and now plays with Bill White and White Pine. He will also join his wife Sheila, who joined the hall in 2017 as a songwriter.

From Hastings County, the new member will be Sid Prescott from Foxboro, in another close vote. Sid plays pedal steel in the band Heartland, and is also fiddle player and vocalist.

In the posthumous category, Tamworth’s colourful fiddler Don Johnson has been elected.

In the songwriter category. Bob Mcquaid from Trenton, who penned the Highway of Heroes song among many others, is the 2019 inductee. The other nominee in the category was Clarendon Station’s own Dave Dawson, who finished a close second.

In the promotors category, Ellis Wolfreys from Verona was elected. Ellis is a performer as well as the host of a radio program on CJAI FM from Amherst Island that spreads the word about the music scene in Eastern Ontario.

Two other people are being inducted this year. Odie Snider from Cloyne will receive the lifetime achievement award, and from Bancroft John Forman is a Directors pick.

Tickets have not been printed yet for the induction ceremony and gala performance on October 6, but about one third of them are already spoken for and the Hall of Fame President Bob Taylor said he is certain it will be a sell out. Music lovers are encouraged to get them early, by visiting the hall of fame website or contacting him directly at 613-336-9633. They are only $10.

For more information, go to lolmusichof.ca

The Grade 5-8 students from Granite Ridge Education Centre visited Prince Charles Public School in Verona Tuesday where Teilhard Frost performed a concert in the morning.

Frost also did a body percussion workshop in the afternoon for the PCPS Grade K-4 students.

During the day, the Grade 5-8 students from both schools rotated through music workshops including The History of Instruments, Bucket Drumming and Vocal Harmonies.

PCPS Grade 5-8 students will be visiting GREC in a few weeks for more workshops including using their wood shops.

The Annual “Dump Report”
Stephanie Reeder, of Cambium Consulting and Engineering presented the annual update on the township’s waste disposal sites. Currently, South Frontenac has five active sites: Portland, Loughborough, Bradshaw, Salem and Green Bay. All were found to be operating in compliance with the Province’s environmental requirements. Due to operational improvements over the past five years, the overall estimated life (capacity) of the municipality’s active landfill sites has increased by six years over the estimate last year. It now sits at 26 years.. Four of the five closed sites are still being monitored for groundwater and surface water quality, erosion, seeps, litter and vermin, but none have shown problems.

Reeder indicated that although diversion of organics would certainly reduce waste volume, it would not make much difference to the problem of contaminants, for organics produce virtually no contaminants.

Mayor Vandewal asked whether a pollinator-friendly seed mix was being used when reseeding capped-over sections of the landfills.

Verona Cenotaph Improvements Proposed
Wayne Conway, Chair of the Verona Community Association, outlined community plans to make the Cenotaph more accessible and attractive by adding concrete walkways, more benches, a flowerbed and a 30’ flagpole - possibly a small roofed shelter or gazebo in the future. The cenotaph is located in McMullen Park beside road 38. McMullen Park belongs to the Township. The Verona community is supporting the project by fundraising; Council relaxed visibly when Conway said they were not asking for money - only permission to proceed with the work on Township property. Led by Councillors Morey and Leonard, full approval was granted for the project; “Keep up the good work,” said Vandewal.

Development Charges Presentation
The Township’s current Development Charges by-law expires this September, and as part of the by-law updating process, Claire Dodds, Director of Development Services, presented an overview of the issues and timeline. Development charges are levied to recover the capital costs associated with both residential and non-residential growth within a municipality, and are in addition to the costs that would normally be incurred by the developer as part of a subdivision/condominium, etc.

(However, some services cannot be included under this act, including arts, culture, museums and entertainment facilities, tourism facilities, hospitals, and parkland acquisition.) A consulting firm, Wilson and Associates, has been engaged to draft an updated by-law: their background study will be released by the end of May, an Information Open House is planned for June 19, and the public meeting for the revised Development Charges By-law will be held July 2.

“You’ve asked for detailed information reports,” Vandewal said to Council, “and now you’re getting them.”

Six-unit Rental Building Planned for Sydenham
Council agreed to pass a by-law to enter into a site plan agreement with RKR Landholdings Corp. (Rob Morgan) for his proposed six-unit residential building in the Valleyview Subdivision, which lies south of Rutledge Road in Sydenham. The property’s zoning permits a residential multiple dwelling unit, but requires a site plan control agreement which specifies the location of all buildings and structures, septic system, lighting, garbage areas, landscaped buffers, parking and entrances. Council’s only concern was the location of the garbage enclosure; it was agreed that if at all possible the garbage bin should be moved to the back of the building, not installed at the front. Vandewal questioned the need for a separate garbage bin for six units. Sutherland and Ruttan asked for the motion to be deferred to give the current residents time to comment on the site plan, but their amendment to defer was rejected.

Quarterly Report: Fire and Rescue
As requested by Council, Chief Darcy Knott presented a seven-page first-quarter 2019 Operational Review. In the first three months of 2019, the medical response level has remained high, and there has been a rise in the number of fires: nine in total, five of which have resulted in major property damage. Knott outlined a number of organizational accomplishments, chief of which has been a very successful media drive to recruit volunteer firefighters. From the initial 100 attendees at the information sessions, there were 78 applicants: the final 25 will be selected and begin their in-depth training on May 8, which will continue until the end of October.

Council complimented Knott on the breadth and quality of his report, and on his management of the department.

“Touch a Truck”
Watch for more information on this Public Education Event which will be held at Keeley Road on May 9, in the evening, from 5:00-8:00.

Pink Shirt Day is quickly becoming country rocker Abby Stewart’s personal cause in the Frontenacs as she showed up at Prince Charles Public School in Verona last week to help the school spread the word. Last year, she did a similar gig at GREC in Sharbot Lake.

Pink Shirt Day seeks to raise awareness about cyberbullying and hopefully end the practise.

“I’ve been bullied and I really support the Boys and Girls Clubs for all they do,” Stewart said before taking the stage at Prince Charles. “Bullying is something that has to end — 100 per cent!

“And, I really like the slogan this year, ‘Be Kinder,’ it’s beautiful.”

Stewart said she received good feedback on her Sharbot Lake show last year and that’s part of the reason she wanted to do another one this year.

“Not face-to-face feedback but on social media,” she said. “Some people confided in me and told me my songs have helped them.

“That felt good.”

Songs like No More Falling Down and Stewart’s own You Don’t Know That, which the Boys and Girls Clubs have adopted as their anti-bullying theme song.

“It’s an anthem for anyone who’s been bullied,” she said. “I wrote it with a guy in B.C. via Skype.

Surprisingly, a number of kids in the audience were singing along with her on that one.

As a Grade 11 student at Holy Cross in Kingston, Stewart said school work has “kinda taken time from music” lately but she’s managed to keep up with songwriting.

“I find songwriting a release,” she said. “You know, sometimes coming up with a line or a little riff on the guitar can make a difference.”

But her mood shifts and her voice gains excitement when she talks about performing.

“I like being on stage,” she said. “Especially if it’s an emotional song and you look at people in the eyes.

“You know they’ll remember.”

Stewart plans to get back on stage in May with a show at the Embassy in Kingston.

In the meantime, you can find her on YouTube with songs like her latest — What If They’re Wrong.

Frontenac County representatives and farmers came together Thursday February 15 at the Verona Lions' Hall for a potluck and brainstorming session.

The brainstorm centred around developing the local food economy with the perennial questions coming to the fore: How do we address the lack of connectedness between producers and consumers? How can we develop better road signage and online directories to get the message out? How do the idea of buying local food and an awareness of opportunities to do so become ingrained in consumers' minds so that local food can grow?

Fifteen years ago, egg signs at the ends of laneways were virtually the only evidence that farm goods were available direct to consumers.

Around this time, a campaign was created under the logo, “Eat from Kingston's Countryside.” “Feast of Fields,” a series of events where guests were treated to fine dining with food from local farms, prepared by local chefs, were organized and well received; people were meeting farmers and having experiences on farms. They began signing up for beef and chicken orders, and visiting farm gates as a means of connecting further with these newly discovered farms and their quality goods.

Among the vanguards of this push for local food awareness and increased economic viability were Andrea Cumpson of Sonset Farms, Kim Perry of Perry Farm and Food Less Traveled, and Sharon Freeman of Freeman Farms, who attended Thursday's meeting. Thanks to their efforts, local food made great leaps in the last decade. The downside has been that such initiatives take time and energy, and risk wearing out already-overworked farmers.

The county is looking at ways to bolster the work of the farming community so that the local food economy can gain momentum and farmers can focus more on production. As Richard Allen, Manager of Economic Development, explained, a committee is set to be struck, that would see people involved in the local food economy first identify what the main issues are around supply, ease of access and branding. The next step would be to decide how the committee's findings could fit into the county's workplan.

From there it is a question of how much the producer does to further its market access and how much a larger body such as a county government is needed to ensure businesses can thrive.

The meeting, with an attendance nearing 20, came on the heels of Smith's Falls' Three Rivers' Food Hub announcing that it is discontinuing the distribution component of its operations. This had been a much-celebrated step forward in local food infrastructure in the region, and its loss is a reminder that local food distribution is still in its infancy.

A few possibilities for the coming year were floated late in the meeting: a re-emergence of Feast of Fields and Open Farm Days (a series of organized farm visits) which the County could help promote.

Attendees also pondered looking into web-based programs along the lines of Good Eggs, a San Francisco-based site that acts as a grocery service for local producers and eaters.

For me, a highlight of the Christmas season is taking part in a few of the Christmas Bird Counts held in our area. This year I participated in 3 “CBCs”, as they are known by many – Westport, Frontenac Provincial Park and Sharbot Lake. So how did it go this year? In three words – cold, cold and colder! More on this in a moment.

Christmas Bird Counts go back to 1900, when American ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed a new holiday tradition of having people count living birds in their home towns. Coined the "Christmas Bird Census”, people believed that it could be a fun activity that also contributed to conservation. It caught on, and CBCs are now conducted in over 2000 localities across the Americas.

Christmas Bird Counts are conducted on any one day between December 14 and January 5. They are carried out annually within a 24-km diameter circle that stays the same from year to year. CBCs are usually group events organized at the local level, often by a birding club, naturalists’ organization or simply an enthusiastic group of volunteers. People participate in one of two ways: field observers cover a portion of the count circle on their own or with a small group, counting all birds they find. Feeder watchers count birds at their feeders for a portion of the day.

On the chosen day, field observation teams have 24 hours to identify and count every bird they see or hear in their assigned sector of the circle. At the end of the day, the numbers are compiled, and this information is reviewed and coordinated by Bird Studies Canada, the sponsoring organization in Canada. This data has proven to be very valuable in helping scientists better understand important things like bird distribution and movements and population trends over time.

The big day for the Westport CBC was Friday December 14th. It was cold and windy but sunny, with the thermometer reading about minus 20 when I set out. The mercury rose a little during the day, but the wind became more biting as the day went on. My tally was below normal, with 113 birds representing 12 species, but with several interesting highlights, including a group of 5 Eastern Bluebirds and 2 small flocks of Cedar Waxwings. Overall some 23 intrepid birders and feeder watchers tallied 5,030 birds of 54 different species. Among the most unusual birds were a White-crowned Sparrow at a feeder and a trio of Yellow-rumped Warblers – both very rare sightings during the winter in this area. Blue Jays were back in large numbers this year (at 501), in contrast to last year when they were virtually absent.

Next up was the Frontenac CBC. Coordinated by The Friends of Frontenac Park, the count takes place in a circle that encompasses Frontenac Provincial Park and includes the towns of Sydenham and Verona. Now in its third season, this year’s December 16 count drew 50 participants, many of whom met at the Sydenham Branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library for coffee and a great “Winter Birds 101” workshop. The weather was not unpleasant, with temperatures in the minus 7 to minus 10 range all day under sunny skies and moderate winds – a nice winter day. Participants tallied 3,502 individual birds of 48 different species. Highlights included a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Common Redpoll, both spotted at Loughborough Lake feeders, and 3 Rough-legged Hawks – all new species for the Frontenac CBC. Birders finished the day with a hearty and well-deserved meal at The Point restaurant in Sydenham. The day’s events also included a CBC for Kids afternoon workshop at Frontenac Park attended by several families. Plus, the Frontenac CBC had its first youth survey team, with seven participants aged 11-16.

Several years ago the Sharbot Lake bird count was revived by the keen and itinerant birder (and expert “pisher”) Andrew Keaveney, making this year’s count, held on January 5, the third consecutive recent count for this circle. The weather was likely the most memorable feature of the Sharbot Lake count day. There’s no way around it, it was brutally cold. Our small but hardy birding party headed out at 9:00 am with the thermometer reading minus 25 with a wind chill of minus 36. Man it was cold! We tallied 13 species and 83 birds, a bit higher than last year but still quite low. The cold weather handicapped us a little – I rely a great deal on my hearing to help me find birds, but the layers of hats and hoods I was wearing (to stay alive) muffled most sounds. Another teammate found the cold weather left his glasses fogged up all morning, so he was operating at less than 100%. And for the first time in my birding career, the exceptional cold made the focus wheel on my binoculars stiff and uncooperative.

At sundown, survivors converged on the Maples Restaurant in Sharbot Lake to thaw out and compare notes. In total 9 field observers and several feeder watchers tallied 1,347 birds of 32 species, including a Northern Goshawk, 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Several Pine Grosbeaks and Red Crossbills were tallied as well, a pair of species that are not easily found in Frontenac most years. Perhaps the most interesting find was a Brown Thrasher being treated like royalty at a local feeder. Neither the thrasher nor the Red-bellied Woodpecker had ever been recorded on the count before. Bird numbers were down a bit over the long-term average, with the weather (did I say it was cold that day?) having an impact on bird numbers. For example, open water usually yields waterfowl like ducks and geese, but this year open water was very scare.

All of the above CBCs are looking for more volunteers. Anyone who is interested in birds and in spending a winter day looking for them either in the field or from the comfort of their own homes as feeder watchers are invited to join the fun. Those interested in participating in the Sharbot Lake CBC can contact Andrew Keaveney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more info on the Westport CBC, please contact Wendy Briggs-Jude at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and to join the Frontenac CBC please contact Carolyn Bonta at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Participating in Christmas Bird Counts for me is a bit like a treasure hunt – it’s exciting to seek out new species to add to the daily tally or come across a group of interesting birds like this year’s bluebirds or the 110 Snow Buntings we spotted north of Westport during last year’s CBC. I also get a good deal of satisfaction knowing that our effort and the data we collect is helping to paint a continent-wide picture of the status of our winter birds. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without looking for birds.

And as usual for this event, singers are added from neighbouring communities, as well as a children’s choir, and the flute trio, ‘Toute Ensemble’.

The choir entered singing from the back of the church, led by Johnathan Davies’ clear, achingly beautiful solo at the beginning of “O Come, Oh Come Emmanuel”. Full credit to the choir members, who had left their coats in the church hall to trot around the building to the main door on such a chill, windy night.

The evening’s program was a lovely combination of familiar and lesser-known Christmas carols, with some sing-alongs for the audience.It was followed by a lively get-together in the hall, sharing snacks and treats provided by the choir members. 

Choir director is Stan Stinchcombe, who shared conducting and musical accompaniment with John and Ann McDougall, and Margaret Smith.