Food, fun and fellowship with the Sharbot Lake 39ers

Oct 18, 2012

Photo: Sharbot Lake 39ers- front row, Donna Reid, Virgil and Beryl Garrett, back row, Dorothy (Dot) Fraser, Norm Riddell, Ken Hollywood and Doreen Kirkham

It doesn't take long to see that this group of elders likes nothing more than a chance to catch up on news and to visit - though playing games, listening to a guest speaker and of course enjoying a home-made lunch are some of the other reasons why members of the Sharbot Lake 39ers continue to meet regularly.

The 39ers meet on the first Tuesday of every month at noon at the meeting room of the North Frontenac Telephone Company building in Sharbot Lake. When I visited the group earlier this month I was invited to tuck in as members spoke to me of what the group means to them. President of the club, Virgil Garrett, likes to chair the meetings with gavel in hand. He spoke to me of his love for antique cars and told me of the 1916 Model T he has restored and of the bees he keeps. Ken Hollywood, who at 95 is not only the club’s oldest member but the oldest member of the entire Zone 36, which stretches from Ottawa and Smiths Falls, north to Pakenham and south to Kingston. Ken I am told is the joker in the bunch and he keeps everyone entertained with his stories. Norm Riddell is the club’s newest member. He joined a year ago when he moved to Sharbot Lake from Belleville, where he was president of the Belleville seniors’ groups, which boasted 175 members. That being said, he still finds the Sharbot Lake group welcoming and very worthwhile. Dot Fraser is the group’s “hostess with the mostest” and she welcomes new members to “come out, enjoy a meal and make some friends.” She says the group also loves to play regular games, which include cribbage, euchre, sling ball or washer ringing on Fridays. Donna Reid of Crow Lake was visiting the group for the first time and said that if she had known they were meeting throughout the summer she definitely would have come sooner. On the day I attended, Janet Barr of Community Living - North Frontenac and the Treasure Trunk was speaking to the group about Good Food Boxes of Kingston, which offers for a very reasonable price boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables. The group welcomes new members and will be meeting during the months of December through March at the Maples Restaurant on the third Wednesdays of every month along with the Sharbot Lake Diners.

For more information about joining the group contact Shirley at 613-279-2990 or email Dorothy Fraser at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.