Revelers young and old put on their greens in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day at a party held at the Legion in Sharbot Lake on March 16. Legion President Dave Whalen said it was the first St. Paddy's Day celebration held there and he wanted to hold the event as a way for locals to celebrate their Irish heritage. Guests were invited to graze on a free buffet as the bar tender served up green beer and revelers listened and danced to their favorite Irish recordings. Kudos to Legion volunteer Melissa Johnson, who decorated the hall with a slew of shamrocks in celebration of the day.

In the ’90s they were just about everywhere. They called themselves Country Church at that time and hardly a week went by without the smiling band of bluegrass gospel musicians taking the stage at a church gathering, a community picnic or a seniors home.

It all started innocently enough, recalls Gilbert Whan, a founder and still stalwart member of the Country Church Band to this day. “It was in February of 1992, after a men’s fellowship breakfast at the [Pentecostal] church here in Sharbot Lake. Ron Clark, who was the pastor at that time, had his guitar and Jim Heney [a member of the church], had his fiddle on hand and they started to play, and they asked me to get my guitar and join them. I asked Ron to get his banjo, and we started to play guitar, banjo and fiddle and it sounded pretty good. So we said, why don’t we play a song on Sunday morning. And it went on from there.”

Country Church played their first concert in Plevna at the Clar-Mill Hall in the fall of 1992, and shortly after that Janice Wilson (vocals, piano) and Bruce Walker (harmony fiddle) and Jim Smith (bass) joined the band.

Over the next six years Country Church released four cassette tapes, and sold enough of them to donate over $17,000 to the church’s renovation fund. They also performed over 300 concerts across Eastern Ontario, travelling as far east as Prescott, as far west as Brantford, south to Amherst Island, and as far north as Shawville, Quebec. The largest audiences they played over that time were at the fairs in Shawville and Perth (3 years in a row) where as many as 1,500 jammed the grandstands to see the show.

In the late 90s the original band broke up when Ron Clark left Sharbot Lake to take on a ministry in Frankford, ON, and Jim Heney moved from Maberly to Kingston to work in a brake plant.

Country Church, now known as Country Church band, continued on, with Gilbert, Janice and Bruce being joined by the Chatson family from Denbigh. Another former pastor at Sharbot Lake Pentecostal, Ed Beattie, played with them until his death in August of 2008. In addition to playing several hundred more concerts over the years, the Country Church Band has released a CD. In all its incarnations the band has performed traditional gospel and bluegrass in the style of the White and Cox family bands of the southern United States. Earlier this year Francis Chatson died as well, and Bruce Walker does not perform as often, leaving just Gilbert Whan and Janice Wilson to perform as a duet.

This Sunday, March 24, the original band will be getting together for a one day reunion, culminating in a concert at Sharbot Lake Pentecostal Church at 6:30 pm.

“Ron Clark is visiting from Swift Current, where he lives now, and Jim Heney is coming as well; also Bruce Walker along with Janice and myself,” said Gilbert Whan, “it should be quite a bit of fun.”

The band won’t exactly have a lot of rehearsal time, but they are playing at Sharbot Lake Seniors Home from 3 until 4 pm.

“That’ll be our rehearsal,” said Gilbert.

Both concerts are open to the public and everyone is welcome. There is no admission fee; a freewill offering will be taken.

The Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF) is pleased to announce a new project, supported by the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC), entitled “Growing Forest Certification in Frontenac County and Beyond”.

The focus of this project is to expand the EOMF’s established Forest Certification Program further into Frontenac County so as to increase the amount of privately-owned forested area managed under the Forest Stewardship Council®, or FSC®, certification system.

The EOMF forest certification is the gold standard of forest certification. It encompasses a forest management plan (something that woodlot owners under the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program are familiar with) to ensure the sustainability of the forest, but includes additional measures as well. It requires the identification of cultural heritage features in the forest, a harvest prescription that is approved by a registered professional, certified tree markers, contracts in place with all forest workers, and more.

There is a distinct marketing advantage to certification of forest products, ranging from lumber to maple syrup, as they will carry certification labelling that adds value to the product.

This project's activities will result in increasing the supply of Ontario certified wood products, and in particular Frontenac County's contribution to the certified wood basket, to further satisfy growing domestic and export markets for these products.

Although the focus is Frontenac County, some of the online tools and processes developed will also benefit other counties in eastern and southern Ontario by laying the technological foundations to enable other CFDCs to engage the EOMF, at a later date, in growing the Forest Certification Program into their areas by following the same model. This leadership role by FCFDC is gratefully acknowledged by the EOMF and is evidence of the commitment and leadership that the FCFDC has shown in the area of forest certification.

As part of this initiative, those owning private woodlots within Frontenac County may qualify to take advantage of a Frontenac County Private Woodlot Certification Funding Program. This Funding Program subsidizes 20 free on-site visits from a local forest management consultant for those interested in joining the EOMF's Forest Certification Program.

Two landowner information sessions entitled the “Who, What, Why and How of Private Woodlot Certification” will be held in Frontenac this spring. The first is in Sharbot Lake on May 9 and the second in Verona on June 13. For details please visit: www.eomfcert.ca. This dedicated website has been developed to administer the project efficiently through an online stepped process, by taking event registrations, and by offering a broad range of free printed materials, engaging videos, as well as an informative Forest Management E-Learning Course.

About the EOMF: The Eastern Ontario Model Forest is a not-for-profit, charitable organization devoted to the people and the forests of eastern Ontario. Its flagship  Forest Certification Program has been instrumental in establishing and growing third-party Forest Management (FM) and Chain of Custody (CoC) certification in the region resulting in more sustainable forest management practices and new market opportunities for primary and secondary wood manufacturing industries.

For more information please contact Melanie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-258-8365.

A special performance of the Saint Mark Passion by a community choir consisting of members of the Trinity United Choir in Verona, St. Paul's United in Harrowsmith, plus singers from the community and Kingston, will be performed at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham on Good Friday, March 29 at 3:30pm. The concert, which is sure to be a memorable and moving one, will see the 30 plus member choir perform the notably difficult oratorio, which was written by Charles Wood in the 1920s and tells the moving and mesmerizing story of the Crucifixion. The work includes numerous solos, chorus and organ sections. It will be directed by Brad Barbeau of St. Paul's in Sydenham with organist Ian Bevell of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Kingston.

Annabelle Twiddy, musical director at Trinity United Church in Verona, has rehearsed the piece for over 80 hours with the Trinity United Choir in preparation for the concert. She will also be singing alto at the concert and says that the work has “numerous special effects, is incredibly moving and is sure to send chills up your spine.” She added that the calibre of the piece attracts singers who want to sing something musically significant and she explained that the piece “moves along very smoothly, with the music fitting the words of the story incredibly well.” The work was commissioned by an English archbishop in the UK who wanted to hear something other than the typical popular pieces written for this central event in the Christian faith. Unlike Sir John Stainer's work, “The Crucifixion”, which was performed last year at St. Paul's, the Saint Mark Passion includes ever changing music with very little repetition. This one time performance by local singers is definitely not to be missed. There is no admission charge but all donations will go to the Grace Centre. For information call 613-376-3003.

Dawn Dietrich is a doctoral student at Guelph University who has spent the last six months in Addington Highlands working on a social and environmental history of the region. She has been looking in depth at the history and current state of logging on Crown land, and much of her work has centred on logging. She has done some extensive interviews with local loggers who hold Crown land logging licenses. She also has an interest in the role of women in local communities.

“Women’s voices are largely missing from both historical literature and present day rural studies,” she said, and that is one of the reasons she will be hosting a Rural Women's Gathering at the Blue Bench Bakery & Café in Denbigh on Wednesday, March 27 from 10am - 1pm.

“I am interested in the roles that women played in the past as well as the present, in women's thoughts/perspectives on community well-being, and in the stories that women have to tell” Dietrich said.

All women are welcome to this free event. Plenty of homemade food and delicious treats will be served. The café is located in the new Addington Highlands Community Centre (Denbigh). Space is limited, so please call Dawn Dietrich at (519) 496-4688 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday, March 25.

“Even if some women can only make it for a short time, it would be great to see them, and to hear what they have to say.”

As many are aware, Hinchinbrooke Public School will be closing its doors as an elementary school at the end of June. We would like to mark this occasion by remembering and celebrating the history of this wonderful school that has educated so many in our community. Please join us on Saturday June 1 from 10 am to 4 pm to honour this facility.

Committees are being established in Food, Entertainment, Games, and Memoriabilia. If you have any thoughts or ideas, we are interested in hearing from you. If you are willing to assist in making this event something we will all be proud of, please express your interest to Janice at Hinch 613-375-6230 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you have items that could be put on display, Lisa Hamilton or I would be interested in talking to you about that as well as any pictures you may have. They can be scanned to my email address as well (or copies will be accepted - we don't want to be responsible for originals if at all possible!!), call me at 613-375-6525 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Penny Cota is looking after food so if this is of interest to you, let her know. Games are being handled by Tammy Dupuis, so she is your contact in that area. Entertainment is still open. Thank you for any help that you can provide in honouring the Hinchinbrooke Huskies!

A small group of theatre members are very busy these days learning lines and rehearsing for the spring show under the direction of Kelli Bell. The show chosen is God of Carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton. It has been performed in many countries around the world, and won The Laurence Olivier Award in 2009 for the London production and Best Play Award on Broadway the same year. It was the longest running play on Broadway in the 2000's with 24 previews and 452 regular performances with mostly positive reviews. As well, in 2011, it was made into a film entitled Carnage directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jodi Foster, John C. Reilly, Christopher Waltz and Kate Winslet.

The play takes place in Cobble Hill, a neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Two sets of parents meet after the child of one set is hurt by the child of the other parents. They plan to discuss the situation in a “civilized manner”. Alan Raleigh, father of Benjamin, is a lawyer, constantly pre-occupied by his work and never off his mobile phone. His wife, Annette, is involved in “wealth management” (perhaps mostly her husband's wealth). Michael Novak, Henry's father, is a self-made plumbing wholesaler and Veronica is writing a book about Darfur.

The evening begins with tense politeness and civil discussion as the four adults enjoy coffee and clafouti in the Novak's living room but as the evening progresses and Michael brings out a bottle of rum, the gloves come off and the situation degenerates into childishly bad behaviour. All four begin to behave like rude children and their underlying characters begin to show. The play is funny at times but at the same time very serious with some intense scenes. How will it all end? Will they resolve “the problem” between their sons?

WARNING : This play has coarse language and is not recommended for children.

God of Carnage will be performed at Sharbot Lake High School Auditorium on May 2, 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale in early April. Watch for posters in area businesses and articles and ads in The Frontenac News.

Close to one hundred female diners had no trouble imagining a night out in the quaint Italian city of Verona thanks to organizers of the latest Sisters By Heart event titled "That's Amore!" Sisters By Heart events take place regularly at The Verona Free Methodist Church and organizers hold the events as a way of providing female fellowship in Verona and the surrounding local community. Organizers and volunteers transformed the sanctuary of the church on the evening of March 4 into an exclusive Italian style restaurant and for a $5 ticket, guests dined at tables decorated with Italian themed centrepieces. They were served a dinner of insalata alla Cesare, spaghetti con sugo di carne and gelato alla vaniglia. There was ample entertainment interspersed throughout the dinner, including the polished vocal stylings of golden-voiced Kathy Rice of Westport who was accompanied by Kathy Casement on guitar/vocals, Darlene Snider on keyboards/accordion/vocals and Erica Forbes on bass.

One musical highlight of the evening was the two Kathys' duet of the Italian/English aria “The Prayer “ made famous by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion, which received a thunderous standing ovation. Kathy Johnson generated ample laughter from the crowd performing “Ditzy's Travelogue”, a comedic slide show tour of Italy's most famed historic sights in which she shared numerous historical facts about Italy and its ancient architecture. Evelyn Snider, one of the event's organizers, rewarded the diners’ knowledge of Italian cuisine in her “Italian Food Challenge” which engaged diners in a multiple choice quiz on terms like gnocchi, biscotti, tartufo, fazzolitti, zuppa Inglese and more.

The guest speaker of the evening was Ann Foster, one of several pastors at the Smiths Falls Free Methodist Church. Ann works full time at the Brockville Mental Health Centre as an administrative/clinical secretary. She spoke candidly (and with humour) about her difficult upbringing, the challenges she has faced, and how her faith in Jesus Christ helps her live a purposeful and joyous life of excellence. For those who missed the latest installment of Sisters By Heart, their next event will take place on Monday May 6 and the theme will be “A Teddy Bear Picnic”.

The atmosphere may have been less raucous last Saturday night at the Crossing Pub in Sharbot Lake than it was during the Heritage Festival when Sherman Downey rocked the house. But another sold out house enjoyed an evening of new sounds from Birds of Chicago, a collaboration between Montreal born Allison Russell (Po’ Girl) and JT Nero (JT Nero and the Clouds) and the more familiar songs of Oh Susanna, who played a benefit concert in Sharbot Lake last October,

Because of their very individual backgrounds, Birds of Chicago presented a lot of variety for a two piece band featuring only vocals, Nero’s guitar, and Russell's occasional clarinet. They are both strong songwriters on their own, and Russell's singing in particular lifted the material to a higher level.

After the break, Oh Susanna played an excellent set that included some of the songs from the upcoming album Namedropper. It is a departure for her because she did not write the songs on it; they were each written by different songwriting friends of hers. She performed the songs by Royal Wood, Joel Plaskett and Ron Sexsmith.

The evening ended with Friends of Chicago joining Oh Susanna for a final number, followed by two encores, Pretty Penny and Soon the Birds, the title track to her most recent concert.

The next show at the Country Inn features Laura Bird and Emory Lester on March 30.

Other upcoming shows include Madison Violet on April 6, Ruth Moody on April 13, and the Claytones on May 4. Call 279-2198 for details.

The Center Stage Café house band sparked off a lively second installment of the Centre Stage Café on February 21. The house band has made the Sharbot Legion a popular draw for their new music series, whose aim is to showcase local musical talent. Interspersed throughout the evening was an eclectic choice of classic rock and pop tunes by the polished band, Garry Giller, Terry Reynolds, Dave Limber and Jim MacPherson.

Thursday night’s event started with an inspired set by singer song-writer Brian Robertson, who sang solo while accompanying himself on guitar. He began with an original tune titled “Man, It's Good to be Alive”. He harkened back to the '60s/'70s folk days of good old Americana music with his very pretty, James Taylor-esque finger-picked version of “Oh Susanna”. He let the crowd in on his musical meanderings to Cuba and played that country's popular Che Guevara revolutionary song, demonstrating his ease in the Spanish language and Cuban guitar stylings. His French version of “La Mer” also hit the mark, as did his version of Peter, Paul and Mary's “Kisses are Sweeter Than Wine”. Brian is a natural on stage and his ease and friendly banter made for a very memorable set that ended on a high note with the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah”, which delighted the crowd.

Craig Bakay, whom many know as the other reporter in town, played next and his set also harkened back to the good old days of flat out heavy rock and blues. Backed by the Center Stage Band, Craig opened his fiery set with the boppy Downchild Blues Band classic “Flip, Flop and Fly”, which set the tone for a very inspired heavy rock/blues second half of the evening that got a few couples out onto the dance floor. His set list included numerous old classic heavy rock/blues favorites tunes like “Can't Ya See” by the Allman Brothers, Neil Young's “Down By the River”, Johnson’s “Crossroads” and “Who Do You Love”. Craig's low down, biting and guttural vocals did not miss a beat and the members of the house band seemed grateful for a chance to cut loose along with Craig, as Reynolds did in a number of inspired guitar solos that met Craig's own, lick for lick.

The series is fast becoming a highlight for music lovers in the area. The next café, which is coming up on March 21, will no doubt prove to be a more mellow, though no less entertaining evening, with special guests Rob and Nancy Moore and well known country crooner Mitch Barker, who made a name for himself at the Bedford/Piccadilly Sunday jams. I should note that the venue was greatly improved by added stage lighting.