If one had to pinpoint one singular theme at the 2014 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, which took place at the Parham fairgrounds on June 20, it would have to be hope. Relay chair Lesley Merrigan highlighted that idea after the Friday night opening ceremony, saying, “This community really needs to feel a sense of hope at this time; there have been so many close to home cancer diagnoses in this community recently that hope is really what we need now.”

It was with hope in mind that Merrigan invited cancer survivor Tammy Horvath to speak at the opening ceremony about her own personal battle with cancer. “I invited Tammy to speak because nobody gives hope like she does”, Merrigan said.

Tammy was diagnosed in 2004 at the age of 34 with a stage four uterine sarcoma and doctors gave her just two weeks to live. She was then a young wife and mother of two, and she told the doctors to do “whatever they could”. After undergoing an aggressive new treatment, she much more than beat the odds and now, 10 years later, she is happy to tell her emotional story to others, especially to those who have been recently diagnosed.

“Cancer is a roller coaster ride with many highs and lows and you really need a boat load of determination to get through it,” Horvath said in addressing this year’s Relay participants. She spoke of the term “survivorship” saying, “People become survivors the very day they are diagnosed.” She also spoke of how the funds raised from Relay are so important. “I would not be here if it were not for the research dollars made possible through the Relay for Life.”

Heather Gray, director of the Canadian Cancer Society in Eastern Ontario, also spoke at the opening ceremony, citing how the Relay for Life especially helps rural communities by securing funds for transportation services that enable those diagnosed to travel to larger centers for treatment. She spoke about the CCS's peer support program and their cancer information service, both of which can be accessed by rural residents by phone. She also spoke of the importance of cancer research. “If you happen to be standing beside someone who was diagnosed with cancer, the fact that they are still with us today is because of research. We have gone from a 25% survival rate in the 1940s to a 63% survival rate today and for children, the survival rate is even greater, where youngsters now have an 81% survival rate.” Gray said the goal of Relay is to continue to increase those percentages.

Cancer survivor Marcel Giroux also spoke, highlighting how the Parham relay event, which began in 2006, not only helps by providing funds for important research and services but how it also brings the community together. “This event represents how we started together in fear and eight years later we have ended in glory,” Giroux said.

After the speeches the survivors’ walk began, with close to 50 local cancer survivors lapping the track while troubadour Shawn McCullough’s original tune “Fight”, which was inspired by his father’s battle with cancer, was played. McCullough penned the song especially for the Relay and copies of it were available for sale with all proceeds going to the cause.

Following the lap the survivors gathered at the main stage where they released colored balloons into the air.

Each team was then introduced and invited to walk the track, beginning their 12-hour long journey, which represents the personal journey faced by every individual battling a cancer diagnosis.

Emcees Jim MacPherson and Lindsay Fox manned the mikes for the entire event, which included a wealth of musical entertainment and numerous games, contests and activities until the following morning when the sun came up. By the end of the event participants had raised over $45,000 (and still counting) for the cause, demonstrating that this small rural community is doing more than its fair share of bringing hope to those battling a cancer diagnosis.

Photos:

2039-

2047- Team Hannah at the 2014 Relay for Life event in Parham

2016-Cancer survivor Tammy Horvath inspired hope with her personal story at the 2014 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life event in Parham on June 20

North and Central Frontenac's Relay for Life team, June's Angels, offered up a wide array of family fun under perfect sunny skies on June 7 at the Parham fairgrounds. Visitors enjoyed getting up close and personal with several reptiles courtesy of Recycled Reptiles; played numerous games with Dave White of Meego games; rode and petted farm animals from West Winds Ranch of Westport; and were entertained by juggler/balloon twister Caleb Gazley of Mr. Twister. Youngsters had their faces painted courtesy of Ena Drakich and members of June's Angels also offered up a canteen lunch.

The event is one of many fundraisers held by the long-time Relay for Life team, which will again be participating in this year's Relay at the Parham fairgrounds on Friday June 20.

The 2014 North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life in Parham June 20

Lesley Merrigan, the chair of the annual North and Central Frontenac Relay for Life, which will be taking place at the Parham fairgrounds on Friday, June 20, has been busy with her team of volunteers getting all of their ducks in a row for what will be seventh installment in Parham of the Canadian Cancer Society's (CCS) biggest annual fundraiser.

The Relay starts with a special survivors' dinner at 5:30pm. Merrigan defines a survivor as “anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis, no matter where they happen to be on their personal journey through it.” She is encouraging all survivors to either register the day of the event, or simply show up, and whether they choose to walk the track later or not, they are more than welcome to enjoy the delicious dinner.

The opening ceremonies will take place at 6:45 pm, and numerous dignitaries and representatives from the CCS will be speaking. Merrigan will be speaking at that time on behalf of her 13-member leadership team, who have been working hard for months leading up to the event. In her opinion one of the most moving parts of the Relay takes place at its start with a speech by a local cancer survivor (yet to be named), followed by the Survivor Victory Lap where members of the local community who have survived a cancer diagnosis will lap the track.

Equally memorable will be the luminary ceremony, a time for quiet, meditative reflection that will begin at 9:30pm with the lighting of hundreds of luminaries, each purchased in memory of loved ones who have succumbed to the disease. At 10pm luminary chair Lyann Smith will be speaking about why the Relay for Life runs through the night, and how it is a metaphor for the personal journey each individual takes after experiencing a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

While the event can bring forth many strong emotions, the relay's long-time motto of “Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back” leaves loads of room for community fun, friendship and celebration. In that vein Merrigan and her team have enlisted an impressive line up of local musical talent all generously donating their time and talent to perform throughout the relay. Popular local country/rocker Shawn McCullough will open the entertainment at 7pm. He will be performing a song titled “Fight”, which he penned and recently recorded specially for this year’s relay. The song tells of his own father’s battle with cancer and Shawn will be joined by his brother David on stage. Singles of the song will be for sale with proceeds going to the CCS. Other entertainers will include Bauder Road, the Mike Lush Band, Feral 5, One Busted Ego, and local young rockers HD Supply. Brothers Jim and Pete MacPherson will be leading an open mike event with their All Night All Star Stag Band & Friends. Other activities will include karaoke, bingo, a Zumba class, a sunrise yodel, a pudding toss, and an early morning breakfast served up by members of the Central Frontenac Fire Department.

So far 18 teams totaling 150 participants are registered and Merrigan said she is hoping to see more participants sign up before the June 19 deadline. Individuals still wanting to take part must have a minimum of $100 in sponsorship and can join by contacting Christine Teal at 613-375-6525.

Whether they participate or not, Merrigan is also inviting everyone from the community to just come and have fun at the relay since it is a great opportunity to “enjoy the entertainment while supporting those members of the community who are participating.” She paid special thanks to “the amazing group of people, the teams, the leadership chairs, the business sponsors and all of the volunteers who are so dedicated to making the event such a memorable and successful one for the entire community.”

 

by Bob Brooks

If you look closely, you can see them everywhere. At work, sitting in a park, wandering the aisles in the corner store. They are superheroes in disguise, no capes, no flashy costumes. They look just like you and I do. These are the people who are touched by cancer, fighters, loved ones and supporters. The are you and I, and we are all superheroes.

Everyone has a story about how this awful disease has touched our lives. For some of us, the news has hit us directly at home and instantly, our lives are changed forever. From now on, everything we do will revolve around this disease and what we can do to help our loved one through it. Anger, fear and uncertainty become huge emotions to you now, but what can you do? Who can you talk to? Who would ever understand what you are going through?

Unfortunately, you are not the only one whose life has just turned upside down. Every day thousands of people find themselves in the same situation and feel that they are all alone. Thankfully, there are agencies out there like the Canadian Cancer Society, who provide the help that you need at this time in your life.

As well as being the largest national funder of cancer research, the Canadian Cancer Society also provides cancer fighters, survivors and their caregivers with valuable tools that they can use to help them in their battle against this disease. They provide services like the Cancer Information Service, which allows you to ask questions about all types of cancers, their testing and treatment and any other questions you may have about the disease and what it means. As well, there is the Peer Support Service, which allows you to speak to someone, one on one, who has been where you are now and can offer you personal support and some strategies for coping that have worked for them and may help you.

They also offer the cancerconnection.ca where you can read about other people's struggles with cancer and talk to them online, building supportive relationships and helping each other through this scary time through sharing their experiences.

And possibly, the most essential service the Canadian Cancer Society offers to people touched by cancer is the Community Services Locator. This service allows you to get in touch with the various funded programs in the area that will help you the most in your time of need. Programs such as a driver that can take you to doctor and therapeutic appointments, personal support groups and in some cases, financial and travel help to ease your mind during your battle.

All of these programs and the millions of dollars spent on cancer research every year all come from one place, from you. Through fundraisers like the Relay for Life – North and Central Frontenac, the Canadian Cancer Society raises the money that it needs to provide these services free of charge to the people who require them and without the funds raised by you, none of this would be possible.

On Friday, June 20, join other superheroes like yourself at the Parham Fairgrounds to Celebrate, Remember and Fight Back at the 2014 Relay for Life, and together, we can make cancer history. To register, please contact Christine Teal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

by Bob Brooks

In less than a month the Parham fairgrounds will be lit up by hundreds of candles to celebrate the lives and strength of the people in this community who have battled cancer. This disease has touched virtually everyone of us in some way, and now we have a chance to do something about it. FIGHT BACK. You can register a team, join a team that already exists, volunteer your time to help the event be the success it is or buy luminaries to help light the way for our walkers, all of these are ways that you can personally fight back against the disease that never sleeps.

To register a team, it couldn't be easier. Contact Christine Teal at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and she will ensure that you are registered as a new team or she can place you on an existing team.

With the purchase of luminaries, the candles that light the track through the night, you can personalize the luminary to honour a loved one. The purchase of 5 luminaries, will enter you in a draw for a Friday night dinner for two at the Sharbot Lake Legion. To purchase luminaries, or to volunteer for the event contact Lyann Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and she will supply you with the information you need.

Feature artcle, February 24, 2005

Feature article February 24, 2005

LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb Home

Contact Us

Paramedics unimpressed with County request to amend provincial regulation

by Jeff Green

County of Frontenac Officials were surprised when the Ministry of Labour ruled they must provide a hour break for paramedics after every five hours of continuous work. Although the County has complied with the ruling, it has also petitioned the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Labour, to amend the pertinent regulation to include an exemption for paramedics in the employment of municipalities across the Province of Ontario.

This decision has not gone over well with the Kingston paramedics working for the County.

Paramedic Spero Betas told the News that the meal break is a matter of heath and safety.

Were so busy in Kingston that we can go from call to call for our entire 12-hour shift with no chance to eat at all. At a certain point it becomes unsafe to be operating a vehicle or dealing with patient emergencies, he said.

The County responded to the Ministry of Labour ruling by putting extra ambulances on to cover for breaks.

At least now, we know that no matter how busy we are, and how stressed we become, we will have a meal break after five hours. It makes a big difference, Betas added.

Terry Baker, who was a union representative for the Paramedics with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) before the ambulance service was taken over by the County last year, and who will be involved in negotiating towards a first contract between OPSEU and the County this Spring, said that meal breaks were mentioned every time we met with the Hotel Dieu [the previous operator] and also every time weve met with the County. Finally one of he paramedics complained to the Labour Board. This should not have been a surprise for the County.

Both Begas and Baker said that the issue came to a head in Kingston because it is an extremely busy ambulance service, which has been under-funded for many years.

I also work part time for both the Lennox and Addington ambulance and the Leeds and Grenville ambulance and neither of them are as over extended as Kingston is. We cant handle the call volume, said Begas. If the County is worried about meal breaks, they should put more ambulances on the road. Its as simple as that. The County shouldnt be wasting their money on lawyers, and should realise they have to provide meal breaks. The morale of the paramedics in Kingston is really low.

Terry Baker said the biggest problem we have right now is we dont have enough vehicles on nights, and we definitely dont have enough vehicles on weekends. Baker also said that the general public is not aware of the work paramedics do.

In the rural reaches of Frontenac County, paramedics with the Parham Ambulance Service are not facing increasing call volumes as their urban counterparts are, but the meal break ruling applies to them as well.

As reported in The News last week, service to all of the County is provided from Justus Drive in Kingston during Parham meal breaks.

That wont change any time soon, although Terry Baker did say other arrangements could be made as part of contract negotiations.

Dave Gemmill, the former owner of the Parham ambulance and now an ambulance manager with the County, said the only way around the problem at Parham is to put more rigs on the road. Im confident thats what County Council will do.

Feature Article - August 25

Home | Local Weather | Editorial Policy

Feature Article

August 25, 2005

. | Navigate | .

ArchiveImage GalleryAlgonquin Land Claims

Gray MerriamLegaleseGeneral information and opinion on legal topics by Rural Legal ServicesNature Reflectionsby Jean GriffinNight Skiesby Leo Enright

Parham Fair keeps up the momentum

by Jeff Green

A few years ago things looked pretty rough at the Parham Fair. Attendance was on the wane; midway companies saw no profit in bringing rides to Parham, even though the Fair Board was offering as good a deal as they could. It was looking as if a tradition that had lasted 110 years might be on its last legs.

Horse shows, Antique Tractor Pulls, Horse Pulls, animal shows, displays of vegetables, preserves and pies: the representations of the agricultural heritage of the region seemed to have lost their appeal.

All of that changed last year. The Fair Board was able to attract a Midway company, and they instituted new events, including hiring popular Country bands and running a demolition derby on Sunday.

For the Parham Agricultural Society, these new attractions did not represent an abandonment of the traditional agricultural focus of the Fair. “We are still primarily an Agricultural Fair,” said Fair Board President Philip Smith at the time, “but we decided we needed to also have the kinds of events that would attract more people.”

The plan worked last year, and it worked even better this year. Attendance went up this year again, and even the threat of rain did not dampen the enthusiastic crowds. While the Midway, the Demolition Derby, a new ATV Pull Event, and the country-rock band Ambush were all popular, there was also an increase in the number of exhibitors in the horse and bird shows, the pet show and other traditional events. The stands were full for the Light and Heavy Horse Pull on Saturday afternoon as the rain abated despite threatening skies.

Eight hundred single day tickets and 78 three-day passes were sold on Friday Night, 1014 tickets on Saturday, and 1080 on Sunday. These numbers don’t include the 250 members of the Agricultural Society who attend for free.

“Attendance was down at a lot of fairs this summer because of the hot weather, according to the Midway company, so the threat of rain last weekend might not have been a bad thing after all,” said Philip Smith.

The weather was fine and clear on Sunday for a performance by John Reid and Eagle Band and the Demolition Derby in the afternoon. Among the winners were locals Spencer Robinson, who placed first among the big cars, and Jason Ducharme, who placed second in the mini car division.

The Fair was also helped out this year by a larger group of volunteers than in previous years - “But we are always looking for new Board members and new volunteers to help share the load,” says Phillip Smith.

If attracting young volunteers is to be taken as a sign of the Fair’s long-term prospects, things are looking good on that front as well. Lindsay Comb, Adam Smith, Tiffany Smith, Lucas Howes, Darcy Clow, Sam Morey, and Josh Vallier are Junior Board members who put in long hours during this year’s Fair.

“Whatever needed doing - parking cars, hauling equipment, cleaning garbage - they were all there to do it,” said Philip Smith.

Feature Article - December 8, 2005

Home | Local Weather | Editorial Policy

Feature Article

December 8, 2005

. | Navigate | .

ArchiveImage GalleryAlgonquin Land Claims

Gray MerriamLegaleseGeneral information and opinion on legal topics by Rural Legal ServicesNature Reflectionsby Jean GriffinNight Skiesby Leo Enright

Quaker roots in the Parham, Wagarville, and Tichborne areas

by Sylvia Powers

When the first exhausted band of Loyalist refugees arrived by bateau at Adolphustown in June of 1784, some members of the Religious Society of Friends, known as Quakers, accompanied them. These families had also had land and goods confiscated and many were in danger of losing their lives had they remained in the new United States of America. Their crime was refusing to join the rebel army and giving aid to their Loyalist neighbours. At least one, Thomas Dorland, had joined the British as a soldier despite the pacifist position of Friends. Consequently, when land was being granted to the Loyalists, he received a large enough grant to assist the other Quakers.

Sharing each other’s sufferings in the long journey to their new home meant that a close bond developed between the Loyalists and the Quakers. Some Loyalists such as Abraham Cronk must have been influenced by the Friends since a descendant, Jacob Cronk, donated land in Moscow for a Quaker Meeting Place in the 1800’s.

Descendants of the early Quakers spread to Prince Edward County, Colestream, Wooler, Camden, Athens, and other parts of Ontario and Quebec. Many Friends whose surnames are found in Central Frontenac today are listed in the Quaker census of 1828, the Camden censuses of 1861, 1891, and the Hinchinbrook(e) census of 1911. The names of Barker, Babcock, Hawley, Cronk, Card, Peters, Brown, Pero, Meeks, Craig, Palmer, Viely, Hartin, Vanvalkenburg, Asselstine, and Whan appeared as Friends more than a century ago.

In 1992, I started to discover my own Quaker ancestors. Jarvis Macomber and his wife Christina Sherman were married under the care of Friends in Dartmouth, Massachusetts before they moved to Canada in 1805. Both the Shermans and Macombers had been weighty Friends for over a century. In Canada, the name changed to McCumber. Their son, Edward, married Sally Card, whose family may have been among the many Cards who had joined the Quakers.

The biggest surprise turned up with the 1911 census of Hinchinbrooke. Several families in Parham, Tichborne and Wagarville listed themselves as Quakers. The Families of Titus Wagar, Robert McCullough, Cecilia Cronk, Allen Wagar, John Switzer, Terense Switzer, Charles Cox, Henry Hicks, Daniel McCoud, Harrie Babcock, and my great-great grandparents, Philip and Aurora Wagar listed themselves as Friends.

Prior to 1967 my own knowledge of Quakers was limited to high school history books that spoke of the Religious Society of Friends in England in the 1600’s and the settlement of Pennsylvania by William Penn, a Quaker. Images of men with hats and women in long black and grey gowns would spring to mind. I had the impression that this was an historical sect that had faded away with the passage of time.

In 1967 I met some Canadian Quakers for the first time and learned that Quakerism is very much alive in Canada. Friends had shed their long grey clothes and plain speech (saying “Thee” instead of “you”). They now enjoyed art and music and looked like ordinary people. While there are many evangelical Friends in the world whose services seem indistinguishable from other churches, in Canada and England the majority of Friends follow the unprogrammed tradition. Meeting is begun in silence. From the gathered stillness, some Friends may be led to speak or sing.

Friends of all traditions believe that there is a part of God in all persons. Therefore, they abhor all war and other forms of violence. Even creeds are divisive. Therefore there is no creed that all Friends accept. Friends accept that each person has his/her own relationship with God. During the wars, Friends served in humanitarian ways. Through the ambulance unit they rescued the wounded on both sides of the conflict. Relief packages were delivered to both sides of a conflict.

I think that the reason there were so many Quakers in this area in 1911 was because people could sense the impending war and wanted to prevent it in some small way. But why did it fade away even from our collective memory? I could speculate on the reasons but would appreciate hearing from some of the descendants of the people calling themselves Friends. Did you know that your great-grandparents were Friends? Do you recall any Meeting House in this area? If you have any comments, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 613-225-6377 or 484-6377. Better yet, join us once a month at the Land O’ Lakes Worship group and experience why your ancestors chose this form of worship. Time is at 3 p.m. on Sunday to allow you an opportunity to attend your regular church service first. Phone 375-8256 for details. All will be welcome.

Feature Article - January 26, 2006

Feature Article

January 26, 2006

Would you like to be notified bye-mailwhen new articles appear on the NewsWeb?

Please send a note to The Frontenac News and your e-mail address will be added to our notification list.

Sharbot Lake mural comes alive

The first in a series of murals planned for the Central Frontenac Heritage Mural Project is almost completed.

Artists Rodger MacMunn and Donna Larocque have been working steadily on the huge project for the last three weeks in the library building in Mountain Grove. They expect to comfortably finish it by next week.

The mural depicts Sir John A MacDonald’s funeral train as it passed through Sharbot Lake, and six of the people in the painting are actually portraits of grandparents of local residents.

Approximately $11,400 for the project was raised by a special mural committee, which is within $300 of the cost so far. As funding milestones were reached, materials were ordered and various parts of the work began. Rodger MacMunn says that the mural has come in slightly under the original budget, and the work has gone more quickly than anticipated. The mural will be installed at Stedman’s in the spring.

The next mural will be of the Parham Fair around the year 1950 and the committee hopes that a large number of portraits will be sponsored to help the costs. Their goal is to fundraise between $4 to $6,000 by the end of February so the muralists can start working in March. Some paints and materials will be left over from the Sharbot Lake mural, so the costs of the Parham one will be slightly lower than was originally projected.

Councillor Janet Gutowski says, “With council and the community supporting this project the Central Frontenac Heritage Project is quickly becoming a reality.”

Feature Article - March 23, 2006

Back toHome

Feature Article - March 23, 2006

Mauveen "Moe"Bush

by JeffGreen

For 12 years in the late 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s Moe Bush was the force behind The North Frontenac News. She started with the News as a volunteer in the 1970s, eventually taking on a technical role. She left the paper in the early 1980s and worked at Oconto Propane before returning to the News in 1986. She was named Managing Editor in 1987, a post she held until 1998.

Moe was also the long time president of the Parham Happy Travelers, and in recent years she organised many large events, including zone rallies for seniors and anniversary celebrations/reunions for the Frontenac News and, most recently, Northern Frontenac Community Services. Moe was also the first female councillor to be elected in the former Township of Hinchinbrooke .

Moe was raised in Kingston , but moved to the Parham area with her husband John Bush, a Parham native. The Bushes lived in Parham for over 40 years, where they raised their son Wayne.

Moe was an avid volunteer and a loyal friend to many. She died early on Tuesday morning at Kingston General Hospital after a short illness. She was 68 years old.

A memorial service will be held at Goodfellow’s Funeral Home on Saturday March 25 at 3 pm.

Other Stories this Week View RSS feed