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.

The Verona Cattail Festival has announced this year's entertainment line-up. The festival will take place on Aug. 9 and 10 at the Verona Lions Centre, Verona. The festival, which began 19 years ago, will feature 14 outstanding bands from Kingston and the Frontenacs.

" It is important that the festival provide a platform for local talent to play," stresses Linda Bates, entertainment coordinator. "Kingston and the Frontenacs have a lot of awesome musicians. It was very difficult to narrow the list of incredible talent down to 14 bands. The line-up includes Juno nominated musician Gary Rasberry, the KingsTown Tenors, the Limestone City Voices, the Monarchs, Rockabilly Allstars, and much more." Linda adds, "The energetic lineup offers a mix of different genres that should keep everyone enthused and tapping their toes for both festival days. The wide range of music includes Country, Celtic, Blues, Folk to Rock and Roll. The Verona Cattail Festival is a wonderful venue for the community. It provides a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere to sit back and enjoy all the local talent. " Linda concludes

The Verona Cattail Festival is a Verona Community Association event, with proceeds going back into the community. Since its inception, the festival has helped create The Music in the Park Concerts, the Family Fishing Day, Christmas in the Village, the Christmas Day dinner and the Flower Barrel Contest, all free events. Admission to the Verona Cattail Festival is $5 for each day, children 12 and under are free. For more information visit veronafestival.com

Jamboree goers of all ages visited the 63rd annual annual Verona Lions Jamboree at the Verona Lions grounds on July 4, 5 and 6. The event, which is one of Verona Lions' major fundraisers of the year, usually begins on a Thursday but this year it was moved ahead one day and commenced on the Friday due to Canada Day falling on Tuesday and midway staff not being able to set up in time for a Thursday opening. That being said, the three-day event included everything regular jamboree goers have come to expect, including the midway rides that this year included a new Surfs Up ride, games of chance, bingo under the pavilion and of course the Lions famous Jamboree burgers.

The next big summer fundraiser for the Verona Lions will be their annual garlic festival, which will take place at the Lions hall on Sat. August 30.

$35,000 for pulmonary pacemaker, Drew Cumpson soldiers on.

The 23-year-old, whose story is familiar to News readers, has been living in St. Mary's Hospital in Kingston and attending Guelph University through correspondence.

However, now he has a chance to move back home. That's where we come in.

A little over three years ago, on the last day of a 12-day voluntary labour trip to Peru with 11 other Guelph students, he was swimming in the ocean when a massive undertow sent him crashing to the ocean floor, breaking his neck and leaving him a quadriplegic.

Community support kicked in from Godfrey, where the Cumpson family lived, as well as from the Sydenham High School and Guelph University communities. For the next year, medical complication after medical complication added further stress to Drew and his family, who were also preparing to sell their house on Bobs Lake and build a fully accessible house close to Kingston because of the medical care that Drew requires.

Through all of this, Drew’s parents Jim and Heather worked tirelessly on his behalf, with Heather acting as a bulwark against a sometimes-intractable medical system, and Jim building the new house. Drew's health stabilized, he stopped having infections, and his body healed.

The house was completed in May of 2013, but by then Heather was herself very sick with cancer. She died a year ago this week at the same hospital where Drew is living.

“I would be dead now without the things she did in the first year after my accident. I learned from her that you need to take control over your situation, that you need to be clear about what you need and you need to be informed, and you need to turn a no into a yes sometimes,” he said.

It is in that spirit that Drew has carried on in his struggle for independence, and the next goal in front of him is to breathe on his own.

“Right now I am not eligible for enough home nursing care to leave the hospital so I have to stay here,” he said from his room at St. Mary's early this week.

However there is a solution. A diaphragmatic pacemaker has been successfully used on patients in Drew's condition. It works on the lungs the way a pacemaker works on the heart, sending an electrical signal to stimulate breathing. It can cut down or eliminate the need for a ventilator entirely. The procedure to implant the device has been approved in Canada, and with the help of his doctor at St. Mary's, Drew has a surgical team lined up to do the operation in Toronto. The only problem is that, while the surgery will be covered by OHIP, the device will not be paid for. It costs $35,000.

A few weeks ago Drew started up a fundraising campaign on the website Indiegogo to raise that money. He has raised $7,000 since June 27, and he called the News this week to help get the word out about it. A benefit concert at the Grand Theatre in Kingston is being contemplated for the fall, but the Indiegogo campaign runs until August 27. The Indiegogo posting includes a 6-minute documentary about Drew and some further information. It can be accessed by going to Indiegogo.com and searching "Help Drew Breathe" or by pasting the following in: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-drew-breathe

In the meantime Drew is not waiting. He is initiating the surgery regardless; trusting that he can find the money for the device by the time the surgery is scheduled. At the same time, he continues to take courses at Guelph though correspondence. He expects to obtain his degree in the Tourism and Hospitality Program in 2016 and hopes to start working after that, likely specializing in the accessibility aspects of the industry.

“Eventually I want to open a bar and restaurant in Kingston some day, a southern, Cajun-themed place.”

You can almost taste the Filé Gumbo already.

It is the generosity of the sponsors coupled with great fishing on the back lakes surrounding Hartington that attract bass fishers year after year from far and wide to the annual Portland and District Firefighters' Bass Derby. The derby this year attracted close to 100 participants, a little fewer than last year but making for a greater chance for fishers to win big.

Over 50 sponsors from local businesses and individuals donated items and the biggest sponsors of this year's derby included Percy Snider and L.D. Powersports, who donated a 13 foot Smoker Craft bass boat, and Leonard Fuels, who donated a trailer. The second prize was a Mark 4 HDI fish finder and third prize was a Shakespeare electric 38 pound trolling motor. The first place prize for youngsters was a CCM Mountain bike and every child received a prize; many left with brand new fishing rods.

The event included a 50/50 draw. Funds raised from the derby are used to help the firefighters purchase necessary equipment for the hall. Volunteer firefighter Ron Neil announced the winners after the 5pm weigh in and many happy fishers young and old left the fire hall with prizes under their arms. Congratulations to Stan Babcock, whose 4.38 pound catch landed him the boat and trailer and congratulations to all of the winners of the day.

by Jim Kelly

Two days of heavy rain didn’t stop the expert groundskeepers at the Rivendell Golf Club from having the course in playable shape when the Lions Clubs of Region 11 held their 8th Annual Charity Golf Tournament there on June 13.

One hundred and seven golfers teed just as the rain was letting up and by 2 pm the tournament ended with the sun shining on everyone and the Lions smiling at the success of the event.

In spite of the wet terrain there were still a number of fine displays of golf put on by the participants. First place in the Men’s division went to the team of Joe Bowes, Steve Bowes, Ryan Bowes and Chris Bowes. The top team in the Mixed division was composed of Jim Smith, Carolyn Smith, Ken Johnston and Irene Johnston.

Other winners were Karen Fargo, (Closest to the Pin – Women), Cecil Vrieswyk, (Closest to the Pin – Men), Lynda Derue, (Most Accurate Drive – Women) and Wayne French, (Most Accurate Drive – Men).

The winner of the $500 VIA Rail Travel voucher was John Sauve, who put on a terrific display of putting.

Approximately $9,000 was raised, which means the Lions will be able to purchase new equipment for their Vision and Hearing Screening programs. These programs, which have been in place for over 10 years at some schools, are offered in all the elementary schools of the Limestone District and the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Boards. Students enrolled in Senior Kindergarten and Grade One are screened each and every year and if a difficulty is detected parents are notified by letter with the suggestion that their child be examined by a professional from the appropriate field (vision or hearing).

This tournament was co-ordinated by the Sydenham & District Lions Club with tremendous support from the Lions Clubs of Bath, Kingston, Newburgh – Camden, Sharbot Lake, Storrington and Verona. Lions from all the Clubs across Region 11 wish to extend their sincere thanks to the many businesses that sponsored holes and donated prizes as well as to the golfers whose presence and good humour in trying conditions made the day such a success.

Exerpts from the citations for South Frontenac Volunteer of the Year awards

Lory Dark

Lory Dark has been a dedicated member of the volunteer staff of the Portland Township Community Caring, an organization located in the Princess Anne Building in Hartington, for many years.

Community Caring receives donations of used clothing, household items, toys and books from the community. Lory and her volunteers sort and price the articles which are then sold for a very modest amount. Their mission is Reuse, Recycle and Reduce. Lory helps to distribute the funds that are taken in and in turn the funds are donated to community associations such as the Township Firefighter’s Association or Southern Frontenac Community Services.

Although Lory would be the first to admit that it takes a team of dedicated volunteers to manage the never-ending administration of the Centre, Lory is being recognized for her years of dedication leadership, including the successful application in 2011, when she was the Chairperson, to become a Committee of the Township of South Frontenac.

Norm Irwin

Lifelong South Frontenac resident Norm Irwin’s first love was baseball. He started coaching at the age of 16 and has been actively involved in minor baseball ever since. He coached Central Frontenac Cyclones Rep. Fastball Teams from 2000 to 2013 from Mite to Junior Division. If you wanted to find Norm between April and October just go to one of the local baseball diamonds. This schedule requires a very supportive family. His wife Sheryl, his sons Doug and Brett, and his daughter Jacklyn are actively involved in Norm’s coaching activities. Over his career Norm has won 4 Ontario Championships (Squirt, PeeWee, Bantam, and Junior).

In addition to his coaching, Norm also has provided countless hours of property maintenance on behalf of the Township.

In addition to his baseball exploits, he has been a member of the Loughborough Parks and Recreation Committee since 2008. He has been leader in the Friday Night Lights Committee which was instrumental in acquiring lights on McLellan Field in Sydenham for the past seven years. This committee through fundraising donated over $30,000 to this project. He has also coached Bantam Rep. Hockey and he has refereed the Wednesday Night Basketball League for 5 years. Norm’s contribution to the school community was recognized this year by Sydenham High School when he was awarded the Hilliard Watson Memorial Trophy for Community Involvement.

Norm’s passion for sports and commitment to the community makes him a worthy recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2014.

Jim Kelly

Jim has been a Lion since 2005 and has held the offices of President, Vice President, Membership Chair of the Sydenham and District Lion’s Club, but most importantly he was the leader starting Vision Screening in Loughborough and Harrowsmith Schools. A program by District A3 Lions to assess Kindergarten school age children for their ability to see and starting in the new school year also to assess their ability to hear.

Secondly, as part of the Medical Alert bracelet program with Lions Clubs in Canada Jim started and organized the Sydenham District Lions Golf Tournament with goal of funding local schools. This program provides the Medical Alert bracelets as needed to school children upon request through the School Administration.

Finally, it’s important to highlight Jim’s involvement with the Loughborough Christmas & Emergency Relief Committee. Jim for years has volunteered with this committee and its efforts to provide community relief in the form of food and / or financial assistance as needed.

We wish to thank Jim for his many contributions to this community by recognizing him as Volunteer of the Year.

Roberta Smith

If anything is happening in Battersea, Roberta Smith, a lifelong resident, is there, willing to lend a helping hand. Roberta has volunteered at Battersea United Church for many years, cooking, cleaning and serving delicious church suppers and luncheons and much more.

Since her retirement she has joined the Storrington Retirees Association, where she was elected to the Retirees Executive and volunteered to look after the Entertainment Committee. She does a wonderful job keeping everyone entertained at the luncheon meetings every month. Roberta volunteered to be the representative of the retirees Association on the Storrington Recreation Committee. The committee put her to work: she volunteered to arrange to have the Storrington Centre painted, the floors stripped and cleaned, and more. Roberta has been a great help at the Canada Day Celebrations at the Gerald Ball Memorial Park on July 1^st an excellent celebration for the community. Andof course, she has been a strong presence at the Pumpkin Festival. We wish to thank Roberta for her many contributions to this community by recognizing her as Volunteer of the Year

submitted by the Cadet Corps

640 Hastings & Prince Edward Army Cadet Corps, Cloyne has completed another training year with its annual ceremonial review. Mr. Carl Rushlow of the Hastings & Prince Edward Regimental Association was this year’s reviewing officer over the preceding. Several trophies were handed out during the review.

Along with the review, the Cadets of 640, with the assistance of Napanee District Community Foundation, purchased four canoes for training one day and had them in the water the next day. They hosted 661 Royal Canadian Air Cadets Prescott by doing a portion of the Big Gull canoe route from Shabomeeka Lake, Cloyne, to Boat Launch on Delyea Rd on Myers Cave Road, completing over 24 kilometers of the beautiful back lakes in the Land O’ Lakes Area.

The Cadets’ year-end trip was to Canada’s Wonderland, with a quick stop at the Bass Pro Shop just for good measure.

There are several cadets who will be making the trip to CFB Borden Blackdown Park; some of them going to camp for their first time. Unlike other camping experiences, these cadets are paid to attend camp training.

Commanding Officer Captain Tim Trickey stated that even though the training season is winding down, there is room to increase the size of the Cadet Corps. He pointed out that there is no cost for youth between the ages of 12 & 19 to join Cadets. If cadets and parents are interested in the program, you can either call Captain Trickey directly at 613-336-2885, or go on the web site at Cadets.gc.ca or Army Cadet League.ca for more information about the organization and opportunities as either a cadet or an officer within the cadet organization.

Trickey also pointed out that there is room for both parent volunteers and other adults who are looking for a rewarding career as officers within the Cadet Unit. Captain Trickey himself has over 10 years as an officer with the Primary Reserve and noted that the opportunities for adults within the Cadet Instructor Cadre are phenomenal with opportunity for summer employment with the Cadet Camps. Trickey also pointed out that his primary goal is to keep a viable Cadet Unit within the Land O’ Lakes area. The opportunities for youth to participate in any form of structured activities such as Cadets & Scouts are becoming non-existent in Central and North Frontenac communities.  

Parents with children in the community of South Frontenac might not know it but they are lucky to have one of the province’s best kept paddling secrets right in their own backyard.

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, located on the scenic shores of Sydenham Lake right in downtown Sydenham, has a growing reputation as one of the premiere paddling clubs in the province. The not-for-profit club is located just behind Trousdale's grocery store on land that was donated by the Trousdales. It was established in 1997 by Olympic paddler George Jones, who is the club’s acting commodore. The club is run by a dedicated volunteer board who are committed to “providing recreational and competitive paddling experience to youth in the South Frontenac Community.”

The club held its first open house and registration on May 30 and this year organizers are offering up a wide range of summer programming designed for kids of all ages and skill levels, including a more casual day camp as well as paddling lessons. This year kids aged 6-13 can participate in the Canoe Kids Outdoor Skills Camp, a new multi-sports centered day camp designed to introduce youngsters to the sport of sprint canoe and kayak. The camp’s emphasis is on skills development, safety, fun and fitness. Each camper receives 2-3 hours of daily one on one paddling instruction on the water with the goal of receiving a Canoe Kids Award certificate. Older children aged 8-17 can participate in the Kids Canoe lessons where qualified staff teach the basics of sprint paddling.

New this year is a masters paddling program for adults wishing to paddle for both fun and/or fitness and for those wishing to compete in the CKC Masters events, which are held in Ontario throughout the summer season. Also new is a masters war canoe class for 18 years and older, which will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Participants in the war canoe classes will be given the opportunity to participate in three regional regattas and one provincial regatta, and will potentially have a chance to compete at the national level.

Rhiannon Murphy, 14, has been a member of the club for five years now and competes in the K1 (single person kayak) and C1 (single person canoe). She started paddling when she was 11 years old by participating first at the club’s day camp, where she learned the basic skills before moving into the sprint training program. She began racing boats four years ago and has done very well, winning medals at the local and provincial level. Rhiannon lives close by and her mother Eliza said that the club is a great resource for families with kids in the area. “The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, though small, is well known in the paddling community both provincially and nationally due to the small ratio of coaches to racers, which allows participants a lot of individual attention,” Eliza Murphy said.

That fact has been proven true as many members of the club have won medals at the provincial and national levels, and two past members of the club are currently trying out for the provincial and national paddling teams. Cia Myles-Gonzales, who attended the club for years and will be coaching youngsters and adults this year, is currently trying out for the Ontario provincial team. Similarly long-time club member Genevieve L'Abbe is competing this weekend at the national team trials with the hopes of becoming a member of the national junior paddling team.

The club's vice commodore, Helen Parfitt, said the small club is envied by larger clubs since its home base has deep, clean water, a sheltered bay that makes for less windy conditions, and great visibility. Parfitt said that last year the club received a Frontenac Community Futures Development grant that will enable the club to install brand new certified racing lanes. This will make the course a viable location for future provincial and national races.

There will be a second open house and registration this Sat. June 7 from 10am – 1pm. Programming begins on July 7. The club is located just behind the beer store in Sydenham. For more information visit sydenhamlakecanoeclub.com, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 613-376-6613.

Two years ago the Kaladar Community Club celebrated their 45th Santa Claus parade, but in 2010 there were not enough floats entering the parade for the club to carry on, and it was cancelled.

Earlier this fall, one of the members of the Land O'Lakes Lions Club, which has organized a parade in Northbrook for the past 5 years, suggested that the Kaladar Community Club be contacted to consider combining forces on the 2011 Santa Claus Parade. An arrangement was worked out to combine the parades and rotate their location each year.

“We were happy to be approached,” said Penny Hinchey of the Kaladar Community Club earlier this week when she met with Alex Chisholm of the Lions Club. “It would be shame to have the parade just disappear completely after all this time.”

“We decided that since the parade was cancelled in Kaladar last year, we should bring it back there this year,” said Alex Chisholm. “We plan to hold it in Northbrook in 2012 and back in Kaladar in 2013. Working together on the Santa Claus Parade might lead to more co-operation between our groups in other ways. Our communities are located just down Highway 41 from each other. ”

The two groups do have more in common than Santa Claus parades. They both run community halls on a shoestring budget, the Kaladar Community Centre and the Northbrook Lions Hall. Unlike municipally owned centres, such as the Flinton and Denbigh halls, the Kaladar and Northbrook halls receive no funding support from the municipality and along with all the overhead they face a substantial municipal tax burden.

“The hall uses up a lot of our fundraising and volunteer efforts,” said Chisholm.

Penny Hinchey agreed.

“It takes a lot of effort to keep the hall going, but at least we are lucky enough to have a renter, the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association, who have their offices in our building,” she said.

As far as organizing the Santa Claus parade, the groups have been able to book the Sea Cadet Corps out of Belleville for the parade, which is scheduled for Saturday November 26.

“We will be starting at 10 am instead of 2 pm, when the parade had been running, and I for one think it is a better time,” said Penny Hinchey.

Right now, the groups want to get the word out that floats of all kinds are needed to make this combined effort parade a success. Anyone who is interested in entering a float, and being eligible for three prizes of $100, as well as other prizes, is encouraged to contact Alex at 613-336-1573 or Tammy Gaylord at Bence Motors 613-336-2626.

And people should mark their calendars, blackberries or smart phones for November 26 at 10 am when the 46th Kaladar parade (or the 1st KalNor or NorKal parade) will start up. Afterwards in the Kaladar Community Centre, Santa will visit with treats for the kids, and there will be free hot chocolate, coffee and donuts available for all.