Country Roads 08-02

FALL 2008

COVERING THE ARTS, OUTDOORS, HISTORY, PEOPLE AND PLACES

Fall ToursMadoc Man Building for the FutureHow Marmora Saved a LandmarkHigh Flying Times

I N D U L G E W I T H

613 395-0002

AVAILABLE AT

30 West Front Street, Stirling, Ontario

The Village ChocolatierHANDCRAFTED CHOCOLATES & TRUFFLES

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Experience the Joy of Winemaking, Wine Created by you (Wine Art since 1959)

Amazing Crafts and Collectibles Melissa & Doug Toys

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Drop into see us You’ll be pleasantly surprised

LOCALLY MADE PRODUCTS

It’s the “u” in unique that makes us #1.NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!

22 West Front StreetStirling, Ontario

613 395-1100VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES

While at infinity be sure to visit

books, home décor, fair trade organic coffee & teas, and much more

BENCH • LUCKY BRANDTWISTED MOUNTY • GUESS

PARASUCO • STEVE MADDEN

14 West Front St. Stirling, ON K0K 3E0 613-395-0990

clothing & accessories

Star Light Christmas House TourThursday, November 27

6-9p.m.Featuring 5 stunning Stirling area homes

and the new Heritage Village at the Hastings County Museum of Agricultural Heritage

all gloriously decorated.

Tickets $20 available at Stirling Dental Centre, Rustic Routes,

McKeown’s Garage (Springbrook) Info: Sandy Donnan 613 395-2976

Village Christmas Festival of Lights, Trees & Wreaths

Friday, November 28 2 – 8p.m.

$5 per personThe over 35 trees and wreaths on display will be

raffled off. Tickets only $2 each

Heritage Village, Hastings County Museum of Agricultural Heritage,

437 West Front Street, Stirling 613 395-0015

Proceeds to the new Family Outdoor Centre at the MuseumWWW.AGMUSEUM.CA

The Stirling 150th

Anniversary Committee

extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed

to the recent celebrations in our “Little Village with the Big Heart.”

It’s this community spirit that makes Stirling a special place.

• Registered Massage Therapy

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613 395-1800www.anandawellness.ca

Y O U R S I N C A R E S I N C E 1 9 9 1

3Fall 2008 • Country Roads I

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2, FALL 2008

Contents

F E A T U R E S

6 - Madoc Builder Keeps it Real!Coming Soon To A Neighbourhood Near You

10 - Saving The Little ChurchCommunity effort preserves memory of Saint Mathilda’s

14 - Autumn DiscoveriesStudio Tours in Hastings • Belleville brick by brick

16 - A Taste Of Hastings CountyOne Size Fits All

18 - High Flying TimesStrange objects sighted over Eastern Ontario

D E P A R T M E N T S

17 - The Great OutdoorsHappy Trails - It’s an Adventure

20 - Country CalendarThings to see and do in Hastings County

21 - Cross RoadsFollowing up: Shier sculpture gains status • Something to crow about

• New logo for Hastings County • An evening with Sir John A

22 - A La CarteL’Auberge de France

23 - Back RoadsThe Ormsby General Store

CO-PUBLISHER & EDITOR

Nancy Hopkins

CO-PUBLISHER & EDITOR

John Hopkins

ART DIRECTOR

Jozef VanVeenen

SALES DEPARTMENT

Mark BruntonJennifer Richardson

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Brandon WestBrandon West Photographywww.westphotography.ca

HOW TO CONTACT US

Telephone: 613 395-0499Facsimile: 613 395-0903

E-mail: [email protected]: www.countryroadshastings.ca

For written enquiries you can reach us at: PenWord Communications Inc.

P.O. Box 423, Stirling, ON K0K 3E0

COUNTRY ROADS, Discovering Hasting County

is published four times a year by PenWord Communications Inc.

Copies are distributed to select locations throughout Hastings County including the communities of Bancroft, Belleville, Madoc,

Marmora, Stirling and Tweed. Copies are also delivered to select homes

within southern Ontario.

Subscription rates: 1 year: $10.50 2 years: $18.90 3 years: $27.30

All prices include G.S.T.

The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. Reproduction of

this publication in whole or in part without prior written permission of

PenWord Communications Inc. is prohibited.

The advertising deadline for the Fall 2008 issue is October 24, 2008.

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Cover photo: Cattails. Tranquil moments along Gallivan Road in the Oak Hills,

Stirling, ON. Photo: Jozef Vanveenen

Country Roadsdiscovering hastings county

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discovering hastings county

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4 I Country Roads • Fall 2008


It Never Rains,It Just Pours

Is it fate that Nancy Hopkins is at the helm of a Hastings area magazine? Forty years ago her father, Barry Penhale travelled countless area roads when he launched The Outdoorsman. The publication went on to North American distribution. Country Roads welcomes hearing from any readers who remember The Outdoorsman.

Mother Nature certainly left

her mark on the summer

of 2008, one that won’t be

forgotten for many years

to come. Always a popular

topic of discussion, talk of the

weather reached new heights

permeating almost every

conversation over the

last few months.

But heat waves and torrential downpours didn’t dampen our spirits as we travelled many townships distributing the premiere issue of COUNTRY ROADS.

It was a joy to meet and chat with a great number of residents and merchants who call Hastings County home and we were truly touched by the response the magazine evoked in people. Thank you to everyone who had a kind word to say about the stories, design and motivation behind our offering. Some folks even took the time to write or call. These encouraging comments only confirmed what we already knew. Hastings County has great stories to tell and people want to hear them. But it also clearly demonstrated the immense pride people feel about this unique part of Ontario.

Now Fall is upon us and like the song says, the hills are alive, as are the valleys and flatlands of this county with activities for all tastes. Studio tours showcasing the renderings of local artists are special enough but combined with the breathtaking Autumn scenery they shouldn’t be missed. Check out our article on some of the tours happening this Fall.

We’ve also brought you a second helping of A Taste of Hastings County with more insights into what makes this place one of a kind.

If you are in the Marmora area take some time to visit the grounds of the remains of Saint Mathilda’s Church. You will walk away feeling you’ve just been to a special place that speaks of the people who came before. Our article tells you how the people of Marmora and area rescued this lovely historic site.

We sat down with Madoc area resident Chris Magwood and listened intently to what he had to say about combining construction with being good to the planet. He has just completed overseeing building of the Madoc Performing Arts Centre. The centre is believed to be Canada’s greenest structure. Green means no toxins.

And if that isn’t exciting enough Magwood is a teacher so his expert knowledge is being paid forward. Following their participation in his Fleming College course 25 men and women now know a lot more about building earth friendly structures. They raised bales, plastered walls and built the centre from the ground up.

The fact that this program always fills up with people eager to learn is exciting. It’s 2008 and we all know the environment is a topic we can’t push aside. We hope the article we have provided leaves an impression on readers.

And if we’re lucky maybe the efforts of people like Magwood and his students will act as a bit of a peace offering to old Mother Nature. Let’s be honest, one can’t help but wonder what she has in store for us this season. •



P.O. Box 423, Stirling, ON K0K 3E0P: 613 395-0499 • F: 613 395-0903 E: [email protected]

www.countryroadshastings.ca


Country Roads


Country Roads


Country Roads


RCA Taste of Hastings Contest! COUNTRY ROADS is excited to share a taste of Hastings County with one lucky reader.

Readers are invited to enter to win a basket full of locally made non-perishable products (approximate value $150).

To enter visit www.countryroadshastings.caand click on Enter to Win. The contest deadline is February 28, 2009.

Christian Books And Gifts

32 Mill Street, Stirling, Ontario K0K 3E0

613-395-6177

• Greeting Cards• Music• Dutch Novelties• Unique Gifts• Special Orders

Welcome

Hours:Monday to Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Christian Books And Gifts

Dear COUNTRY ROADSI was delighted to read the inaugural issue of

COUNTRY ROADS, Discovering Hastings County. It is exciting to see a publication that celebrates this county from the shores of Lake Ontario to the Hastings Highlands.

We live in a vibrant region with a rich and co-lourful history and a future full of potential. We commend COUNTRY ROADS on its efforts to spread the word about the countless discoveries to be experienced in Hastings County.

We look forward to future issues.Warden ron emond, Hastings County, muniCipality of Hastings HigHlands

33011 HWy. 62 nortH, p.o. Box 130maynootH, on

Dear COUNTRY ROADSI picked up the magazine at the Tourism Office

in Campbellford and will be putting it in my Wel-come Wagon Basket for Trent Hills.

Congratulations, it is a great magazine.sHaryn (sam) patsas

WelCome Wagon

Hastings, on

Dear COUNTRY ROADSI just read every single word in your Country

Roads (even the commercial stuff) and just loved every bit of it. I’ve lived here for 30+ years and learned so much interesting history that I didn’t know.

I loved the piece about the Deseronto pilots. Just amazing and I look forward to reading more issues.

Thank you so much.Bonnie Cole

marmora toWnsHip, on

Dear COUNTRY ROADSWe picked up the first issue of your COUNTRY

ROADS magazine today in Tweed. It was the last copy on the shelf actually. We just loved it.

Congratulations on a wonderful job.dan Jaques & Carrie salsBury

stirling, on

Dear COUNTRY ROADSAfter reading your COUNTRY ROADS magazine

I felt I had to put pen to paper to congratulate you on such an appealing edition. Many items interested me keenly as I have lived in Stirling, where I worked on murals at the museum and for the theatre and senior school as well as run-ning a B&B.

I feel very blessed to be living in this beautiful area which was reflected so well in your delight-ful presentation and interviews.

I wish you every success. Brenda Hudson

madoC, on

• Shop Stirling by the Bridge •

IN THE MAILBOX



When Madoc area resident Chris Magwood brought home The Straw Bale House book in 1996 he was trying to be funny. “I actually brought home a copy of the book as a joke,” he recalls, “very tongue in cheek to [his partner] Julie, like, ‘check this out.’”

Yet today Magwood is a world renowned straw bale construction expert and builder, the author of three books on the subject and holds the position of Professor/Co-ordinator, Sustainable Building De-sign and Construction with Fleming College’s Hali-burton Campus. He not only lives in a straw bale home that he built along with family and friends but has also been involved to varying degrees in the construction of nine straw bale buildings in the

Madoc area and over 35 province-wide. Under his direction Fleming College students have recently completed the Madoc Performing Arts Centre build-ing in Centre Hastings Park, Madoc.

All this is a far cry from his sceptical 1996 reac-tion to straw bales as a possible option for his own home. At the time Magwood and partner Julie Bowen wanted a change from big city life and to “build a cost and energy efficient home that was

Madoc Builder Keeps It Real!

C O M I N G S O O N T O A N E I G H B O U R H O O D N E A R Y O U

By Nancy Hopkins

Straw bale walls and timber framing combine to create this stunning custom built Colorado home.

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lighter on the planet,” for themselves and their daughter Emma.

“Of all the things that we started researching, lots of them had things about them that sounded good at the start, and the more you researched it the more it was like, ‘Umm, I don’t know,’” states Magwood. “Whereas straw bale we had this initial, ‘Yeah right,’ reaction, but the more we researched it the more it seemed more and more feasible in-stead of less and less, like lots of the others.”

So armed with the book and no building experi-ence (previous careers in journalism, publishing and public relations had done little to aid with this new venture) Magwood and Bowen got to work.

“I had a lot of mechanical experience with cars and motorcycles, so making things didn’t scare me, but [I had] no building experience whatsoever,” says Magwood.

“That was this house [his current home] and it turned out fine. It certainly worked as well as everything that we had been led to believe in terms of how easy it is to heat and all that kind of stuff.”

Magwood does confess they made, “a lot of the kinds of mistakes you would expect first time build-ers to make.” But this didn’t discourage him.

“Instead of finding that frustrating I actually fell in love with the building process. I didn’t decide

right away, ‘Well, I’m going to be a builder now,’ but I was certainly open to the idea. And then, because this is one of the first [straw bale] houses in the area, people quickly came out of the woodwork to look at the house, asked questions and that kind of led to, ‘Would you teach a workshop?’ ‘Would you help out with my house?’ and it kind of turned into a career, but an unintentional one.”

An excerpt from More Straw Bale Buildings, a book he co-authored, may hold the key to his com-mitment to this form of environmentally friendly building.

“Enough straw is currently produced every year in North America to meet all our residential build-

Madoc Builder Keeps it real

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Constructed by students of Fleming College’s Sus-tainable Building and Design program, The Madoc Performing Arts Centre begins to take shape. Com-pleted August 2008, the centre seats 80 indoors and 300-400 under sheltered outdoor space.

Fleming College Vice President Academic Rachael Donovan, Professor Chris Magwood, and Haliburton Campus Principal Sandra Dupret at the work site.

Round log timbers harvested from the property are complimented by the plastered walls in this Eldorado, ON home. Greg Magwood residence.

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ing needs,” he writes. “This fact alone is enough reason to move toward using this abundant re-newable resource for construction purposes, even if it held no particular advantage over other building materials. The fact that straw bale build-ings can out-perform buildings made from other materials and lighten the load on the planet, as well as our pocketbooks, makes it a triply effec-tive material with which to build.”

Straw has been used in construction since humans started creating shelter for themselves. Grown and harvested annually it needs little processing to be used for building. Its composi-tion is identical to wood and as a fibre it offers the same properties as wood. Good insulating qualities mean it creates a structure with a high level of energy efficiency and straw bale walls are excellent sound barriers. Their adaptability means almost any design shape is possible and homes can be built straight and square to re-semble traditional dry-walled homes. They are highly rated in fire safety tests.

But for many the term “straw house” still con-jures up images of grass huts and there’s the mat-ter of the Three Little Pigs story, a tale Magwood believes has been responsible for a great deal of the resistance to the straw bale building concept. He would like to see people view straw as just another fibre material used in building.

“Our houses are full of fibre materials and we don’t get hung up on what they are,” he says. “When you get a kitchen countertop it’s some sort of fibre and it works, and these walls are some sort of fibre, and it works.”

But he is seeing a change in attitudes within the last few years that he attributes to the boom in environmental awareness.

Ten years ago the straw bale building industry in Ontario was almost non-existent but today a dozen or more companies build full time and hundreds of homes are listed on the Ontario Straw Bale Building Coalition website www.straw-


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Plastering straw bale walls by hand creates a connection between the builder and the finished product. Seth Oldham hand plastering

Curves, arches and other design creations are all possible using straw bale construction.

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Located near Parry Sound, Ontario, this home displays the effects of simple load-bearing straw bale design and passive and active solar energy. Joy Allan, Bert Weir residence, Parry Sound, Ontario

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Roughly plastered straw walls, recycled barn timbers, round logs, and a stained concrete floor welcome the jumble of plants and books. Bowen/Magwood residence, Cooper, Ontario


balebuilding.ca. And that’s just the registered ones in Ontario.

An environmentally friendly building is more than walls. There are many options for mechani-cal systems that lighten the load on the environ-ment and economy. Magwood considers the Ontario Government Standard Offers contract regarding solar energy the best in North America. Participants who contribute their own solar en-ergy to the provincial system are paid four times the cost of purchasing the same electricity.

He’s seeing a rise in Geo-thermal heating sys-tems and “unless something better comes along,” he thinks it should be the standard from here on in.

“It is the only source of heat where when you put one unit of energy into the system you get back four units. It’s clean, renewable - a no brainer,” he says.

He holds the same opinion of solar hot water systems, stating they’re easy to install, efficient and determining financial payback is simple.

As for the future, Magwood believes sustain-able homes will become more and more main-stream.

“There are enough [straw bale] houses that can demonstrate that they use about half the heating and cooling [of conventional houses]

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79 DURHAM ST. S. (REAR) DOWNTOWN, MADOC

P.O. BOX 430, 26A ST. LAWRENCE ST. W., MADOC, ON K0K 2K0

613-473-3052

Step into the Past

Step into the Future

The Annual Fall province-wide Straw House Tour takes place Saturday, Octo-ber 4, from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Attend-ees are able to visit as many houses as travel allows, giving them the opportunity to meet with homeowners and discuss their building project, in addition to see-ing many different designs. Each house is unique. For more information visit www.strawbalebuilding.ca

Madoc Performing Arts Centre Keeping it real!Twenty-five students in the Sustainable Building Design and Construction course from Fleming College worked close to five months building the Madoc Perform-ing Arts Centre under the direction of Pro-fessor Chris Magwood.

The structure was created using the highest percentage of local materials and recycled products available. Designed to be self sustaining and to produce low emissions it could be Canada’s greenest building.

The foundation is built with dirt from the site and hemp from nearby Moorec-roft Hemp Farm. Clay from the site makes up the plaster in the walls. All the lumber used came from small local mills or was FSC. The steel for the roof did travel from Quebec but contains the highest percent-age of recycled content that could be found.

The building’s mechanical systems are equally important. It houses a geo-ther-mal heating and cooling system, solar panels, PV panels that provide its electri-cal power, a wastewater treatment system, passive fresh air ventilation, and the list goes on.

The Madoc Performing Arts Centre of-ficially opened August, 2008.

Additional information on Fleming College’s Sustainable Building Design and Construction program is available at www.flemingc.on.ca.

and that’s going to start to mean something very soon,” he says.

To date most sustainable homes have been custom built for homeowners. But Magwood an-ticipates a time in the near future when builders will construct the most environmentally friendly home they can and offer the finished product for sale. Buyers will benefit from the builder’s expertise when purchasing a ‘spec’ home and avoid the overwhelming decision making pro-cess that the average homeowner experiences when building a non-traditional home.

“You can hand build a house out of these ma-terials; do a custom home for the same price as a huge industry (conventional builders) that has been working for 50 years on cutting costs,” he says. “And after all their time and effort after 10 years we can make a house as cheap as they can

and it works better. The fact that right now we can match the going market price for houses means it is only going to get easier for us and going to get harder for conventional builders as material costs go up.” •



It appears to have started with a newspaper article.

On Sept. 18, 1952 the Marmora Herald ran on its front page a long and detailed piece on Saint Mathilda’s Church, a remnant of

the town’s early history and considered one of the first Catholic churches in the interior of Up-per Canada.

Located on the west bank of the Crowe River, just outside of the village of Marmora, the church had been built in 1825 but abandoned after 1875, when a new church, Sacred Heart was built.

Since that time Saint Mathilda’s had fallen into disrepair and been vandalized. Bits and pieces were stolen, lumberjacks working in the area had scrawled their initials in the stone walls. By the autumn of 1952 only the south and east walls remained.

“If we can change the dry bones of history into a visible embodiment of the relics of the past,” said the article in the Herald, “we have made his-tory doubly interesting and educative and given our children something to cherish.

“A visible heritage such as this little church whose quaint church and beauty are so peace-

ful and inspiring should not be allowed to fall into complete decay.”

If the intention of the story was to galvanize the community, it appeared to succeed. A week later, on Sept. 25 William Watson, whose office was in Belleville but who was an architect for the nearby Bethlehem townsite, sent a letter to

Saving The Little Church

Community effort preserves memory of Saint Mathilda’sBy John Hopkins


An early photograph of Saint Mathilda’s Church; constructed in 1825 on the west bank of the Crowe River, Marmora.

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Three unidentified women pose in front of the church. This undated photograph shows the initial stages of disrepair.

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the editor of the Marmora Herald in which he praised the article.

“It is a charming bit of writing which I trust will result in the preservation of a simple piece of tangible history,” Watson wrote, “lending per-spective depth to the story of our country and province.”

Along with the letter Watson included a dona-tion toward the preservation of the church.

By all accounts the driving force behind the original construction of Saint Mathilda’s was Anthony Monahan. Born in Ireland, Monahan moved from Kingston to Marmora to manage the Marmora Iron Works, which began produc-ing pig iron from ore mined near Blairton in

the summer of 1823. The Hon. Peter McGill, who had a financial interest in the iron works, deeded the property for Saint Mathilda’s to the church authorities. The structure that was built measured 43 x 25 feet, with 20-foot high walls. The entrance faced north, with the altar at the south end. The walls were made of stone quarried nearby, while the interior was plain with white plaster covering the walls. The low pitch of the roof gave the structure a Spanish atmosphere.

The floors were made of pine, and there was a stone chimney at the southwest corner.

Total cost for the construction of the church was put at $200.

Although the location seems somewhat seclud-ed and out of the way today, at the time it was about 200 feet from the west end of the only bridge crossing the Crowe River, meaning it was actually situated on a major thoroughfare. It is also believed that Monahan wanted to make the church easily accessible for residents of Blairton as well as the surrounding area, and not just those in Marmora.

Its location on an elevated piece of ground, with a beautiful view of the river, also seems to have played into Monahan’s decision. Indeed, the writer of the initial article in the Marmora Herald spoke poetically of the setting.

“It is difficult to describe the first impression one receives when coming upon these ruins,” he wrote. “They are concealed from view by a veil of soft evergreens and wrapped in silence…Perhaps it is the surprise in finding something so totally unexpected after leaving the shelter of the cano-pied path, something so entirely different, or it may be the sudden change from one trend of thought to another. Awe, at least, pervades the quiet spot; reverence is paramount.”

Even today, with very little of the structure re-maining, one is still struck by the tranquility of that spot. Monahan may have had very practical reasons for building on that site, but perhaps there was also something spiritual at play.

Today visitors can access the remains of the church by turning off Highway 7 onto Hughes Lane, which leads to the offices of the Conserva-tion Authority. From there one must take a short walk on a footpath that follows the west side of the river, which then opens up into a clearing where the church used to stand.

The spot is marked by a low stone wall on three sides, with gaps where visitors can “enter.” On the east side, facing the river, is a higher stone wall. In its centre is a teal-coloured section with a white cross inset, along with a square plaque that reads, “Sacred Heart Church, 1825-1876, Restored in 1964.”

Saving the Little Church

Saint Mathilda’s Church as it looks today. A plaque commemorates the 50 years it served as a place of worship for the community.

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The lone tombstone of Margret Hughes on the grounds of Marmora’s little historic church.

No longer in use the church is beginning to collapse. Photo undated.

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In the northwest corner of the clearing, at the edge of the woods, sits the lone gravestone in memory of Margret Hughes, a 14-year-old parish-ioner who died in 1828 (see sidebar).

A l t h o u g h Saint Mathil-d a ’ s w a s technically a Roman Cath-olic church, it served as a place of wor-ship for a va-riety of faiths, which wasn’t uncommon for the time. In fact, it was quite normal for the different denominations to work together. In 1874, when the Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists all built new churches, each helped the other in their respective endeavours.

It was following this building spree that Saint Mathilda’s was abandoned and began its slow fall into disrepair.

The article in the Sept. 18, 1952 edition of the Marmora Herald ran without a byline, so it is not clear who wrote the piece that set in motion the preservation of the church. A very likely candidate is W.R. Freeman, who penned a booklet entitled “A Short History of Marmora.” The booklet con-

tains passages about the church identical to those found in the newspaper article.

The article may also have been written by James D. Cumming, a very prominent citizen of the area

who was a min-ing engineer and journalist, but also con-tributed reg-ularly to the newspaper.

Cumming, and Father J. A. O’Neill from t h e S a c r e d Heart parish, became two of the biggest players in the

preservation of the church. In an article in the Herald on Aug. 6, 1964, Cumming credits Father O’Neill with lead-ing a group that drew up plans for saving the remains, and financial records of the time show the majority of donations coming from the Sa-cred Heart parish.

A key part of that initial preservation was cap-ping the remaining two walls with cement in an attempt to prevent further erosion, while the group also relocated the gravestone of Margret Hughes.

“We are both pleased and surprised to note that this pathetic memorial to a long-gone child has thus

In memory of Margret HughesBy John Hopkins

There were apparently 31 burials in the cemetery at Saint Mathilda’s Church, but Margret Hughes was not one of them.

Margret was a direct descendant of Laughlins Hughes, who assisted Anthony Monahan in selecting a site for the new church. She was only 14 years old when she died on Aug. 16, 1828. Her family had emigrated from Ireland and one of her sisters had already died. She, along with Margret, was buried in what was known as the “common cemetery.” The rocky terrain around the church made it difficult to dig plots, which may have been why a number of parishioners were not eventu-ally buried at the site.

Margret’s brother Patrick Hughes lived in Belleville and, at the cost of $30 had a gravestone cut. He planned to place it at Saint Mathilda’s cemetery and have Margret’s body moved there, but he died before his project could be completed.

During the initial preservation phase of the church in 1952 the stone was placed on the grounds at Saint Mathilda’s, but Patrick’s wish of having his sister reburied there was never fulfilled.

The gravestone reads, “Sacred to the memory of Margret Hughes who departed this life on the 16th Aug. 1828 aged 14 years.”

Another relative, John Hughes, a son of Laughlin Hughes, was the first interred at Saint Mathilda’s after he drowned in the river near the church.

I Country Roads • Fall 200812

Saving the Little Church


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far escaped defacement by the brainless,” said a rath-er blunt Cumming in his article of Aug. 6, 1964.

Cumming’s article at that time, however, was also a warning of further threats to the preservation of the structure. Of prime concern were two trees growing through one of the windows on one of the surviving walls.

“Once this final arch goes you have in effect a heap of rubble,” Cumming said, “and the little church enshrining 140 years of quiet local history will only be a memory.

“If that is what Marmora wants – just a memory – they will soon have it, but if there is any reverence for the past…something must be done among the maples and cedars of that at once, and that means during 1964.”

Working with the existing representative of Sa-cred Heart, Reverend W.P. Healey, Cumming helped finalize the plans for the structure that exists today. Included in his recommendations were gaps in the stone on three sides so that people could “enter” easily, and a plaque with a roughened surface, “so the ‘great unwashed’ can’t write on it.”

Compared to the structure that once stood there, the current remains of Saint Mathilda’s Church may not amount to much. But considering the many

years that have passed since it was built, and the degree to which the structure was allowed to de-cay before the likes of Cumming and Father O’Neill

stepped in, even the little bit that has survived is a rare tribute to the past.

Cumming and O’Neill stayed in touch for a num-ber of years since they first collaborated on the saving of Saint Mathilda’s, and the priest’s passion for the church was clearly illustrated in a letter he wrote to Cumming dated July 23, 1953.

“It is not quite a year since you took up the cause for which you should be justly proud,” he wrote. “Without your interest, your knowledge, your un-tiring efforts and your influence it would never be the accomplished fact that it is today.

“I have been looking at this ruins for years, it has always enchanted me. I had longed for the day when I would be proud of it instead of being ashamed of it. For it was a most abandoned spot, sacred yet most neglected.

“Your task has been to preserve the memory of men and the deeds of men. It is well done. May your good deed be cherished and may you be among the greatest of them all whom we wish to remember.” •

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The crumbling remains of Saint Mathilda’s church, blanketed in snow. Community members worked diligently to preserve what was left of the Roman Catholic Church.

Autumn Discoveries

Studio Tours in HastingsBy Nancy Hopkins

It would likely be hard to imagine the Tweed and Area Studio Tour without Anne Buckley, according to fellow artist Shirley Ivison.

Buckley has been a part of the tour, which celebrates its 11th year this fall, almost from the beginning, Ivison says. Through her studio, Myrehall Designs, Buckley does hand spinning and weaving, and traditional rug hooking.

“She does traditional rug hooking with fine strips of pure wool fabric that is cut maybe an eighth of an inch wide,” Ivison explains, “and they are hooked into beautiful designs. She does spinning and weaving and uses only natural fibres.”

Myrehall Designs is one of 18 studios that make up this year’s tour, which takes place Oct. 4-5. As usual, the tour includes a diverse range of artists.

“The most unique in my mind are Peter and Tracy Stevenson, from En-chanted Woods Fine Furniture,” Ivison says. “The marquetry they furnish is very unique in design, hand crafted, and they also do fine boxes.”

Ivison herself is part of the tour. Her studio, Columbine Cottage, features figurative art and “Olde World Santas.”

The tour also includes a number of guest artists, such as Ann Fales of Quilted Images, who does quilting and fibre arts, painter Barbara Bering, and Lindy Powell, who designs what is described as “Crazy Quilt Wearable Art and Home Accessories.”

“This is really very special,” says Ivison of Powell’s work. “Her technique is the old Victorian style of quilting with brilliant duotone colours and a lot of embroidery around the edges of the pieces. She does scarves, jackets and vests using this type of quilting.”

Another artist worth visiting is Paul Shier of P S Sculptures, who was fea-tured in the Summer issue of Country Roads magazine.

The 11th Annual Tweed & Area Studio Tour runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and admission is free. More informa-tion is available by calling 613-477-2039 or 613-478-3989 or going to www.tweedstudiotour.org.

The Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour runs over two weekends this Fall, Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 4-5. Now in its 16th year, this tour features 13 art-ists in nine locations around the Bancroft area.

Visitors can enjoy such unique offerings as the pottery of Liz Douglass, Sarah Brown’s distinctive style of pointillism and graphite art, in which vari-ous sizes of micron pens produce tiny ink dots to create spectacular works of art, the custom wood working of Joe and Barb Furlan, and the stained glass of Karen Istead and Margo Merritt.

The Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour runs from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day, and more information is available at www.bancroftstudiotour.org.

For those wanting to get a slightly earlier start to their Fall Tour agenda, the 15th Annual Apsley and District Studio Tour runs Sept. 20-21. The tour will feature such diverse offerings as collage, fabric arts, glass blowing, jewellery, metal work, paintings and photography.

The tour runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day and more details are available at www.apsleystudiotour.com. •

Comfort Countryfall In love WIth

Welcome to ComfortCountry! We are situated exactly halfway between Toronto and Ottawa.

Our region provides recreation enthusiasts and their families

a paradise of year-round adventure.

The country village communities located in ComfortCountry have that easy

feeling of days gone by. It’s hard to put your finger on

exactly what gives you that special feeling that you get when you really feel like

you’re at home. It has something to

do with small town country charm, people that say hello on the street, quaint shops, smiling faces and the unrushed pace of lifestyles focused around lakefront living and farm values.

In ComfortCountry you have antique and knick knack shops instead of crowded box stores and there are bed & breakfasts accommodations and country inns instead of high rise hotels. If you really need a getaway from the big city life you need a ComfortCountry vacation. Slip back into time where a sense of community has a literal meaning. Come and stay with us in ComfortCountry - your accommodation awaits you.

• Antiques• Artist Studios & Tours• Shops• Sumptuous Dining• Heritage Sites• Live Entertainment• Lakes and Rivers to

Explore• Hiking• Accomodations

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For more information on events, attractions, places to dine, accomodations, shopping and more.

www.comfortcountry.caDownload brochures, maps, business directory,

points of interest, and contact information.

613-477-2039 or 613-478-3989 www.tweedstudiotour.org

WELCOME TO THE

Tweed & Area 11th Annual

Studio Tour

FREE ADMISSION

Saturday & Sunday October 4 & 5, 2008

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Home of North America’s Smallest Jailhouse

Home of North America’s Smallest Jailhouse





Art will remain on display Sept. 12 and 13, during businesses regular hours.

Acrylic on canvas by Katherine O'Mally-Greer

•WHATEVER

YOU’RE LOOKING FOR,

YOU’LL FIND IT IN DOWNTOWN BELLEVILLE.

REDISCOVER YOUR DOWNTOWN!

Downtown businesses and galleries, along with over 25 local artists, have

combined to offer a unique self-guided art walk. Stroll through downtown to visit

the participating merchants and their guest artists.

Pick up your tour map at any of the participating businesses and galleries, or

download at www.rediscoverdowntown.ca.

A VIBRANT WATERFRONT COMMUNITY.

The Third Belleville Doors Open, Sept. 13-14, offers attendees the chance to

tour 33 Belleville area buildings, each with its own story to tell.

According to Doors Open Bel-leville Chairperson Stanley Jones a visit to Greenley’s Bookstore is a must. The lower level of the bookstore holds a doorway that leads to the remains of a mid 1800’s bakery. The basement was originally the ground floor but flooding over the last 100 plus years has placed it underground, making doorways, win-dows and a covered-in alleyway all the more intriguing.

The bakery was operated by Henry Corby. Trained as a baker in London, England he set-tled in Belleville in 1832 and this space held his bakery and food shop. He went on to become Mayor of Belleville and a Member of Parliament with the Liberal Party of Canada. Jones believes this is one of the city’s “better kept secrets.” Most people don’t know it exists but on this weekend the curious can tour the various rooms.

New on the tour this year is Thrasher Feeds Ltd. at 350 Coleman Street. Locally owned by the Thrasher family since 1944 the site still uses some of the original equipment in the manufacture of bird and livestock feed. Stepping inside Thrash-er Feeds is like stepping into the bygone era of

Belleville brick by brick By Nancy Hopkins

a farming community. The mill was built in the early 1900s.

The architecture of the south façade of the Bridge Street Unit-ed Church displays elements of design unique for its time. Originally built in 1865 it was rebuilt in 1887 following a di-sastrous fire. Instead of retaining the original renaissance style it was rebuilt Romanesque, not in keeping with the times. This is evident by the Gothic windows,

Greek altar and other eclectic design compo-nents.

Residents such as Jones are passionate about this area’s architectural heritage and volunteer many hours of their time to organize the Belleville Doors Open event for the public to enjoy.

“I think it is important to preserve our heri-tage. People think that old buildings cost more

Architecture is to mAke us know And remember who we Are.

sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, Architect, 1900-1996

to preserve but when it is done right that’s not true. It’s not going to cost you any more,” states Jones.

Locations on the tour encompass architecture from the early 1800’s to present times including the Belleville Public Library & John M. Parrott Art Gallery, built in 2006.

Doors Open is a free event. Information on each participating location and tour hours are available at www.doorsopenontario.on.ca. Bro-chures can be found at the Belleville Chamber of Commerce at 5 Moira Street. •

Greenley’s Bookstore in downtown Belleville has more than just books. During Doors Open Belleville guests can explore the remains of an early 1800’s bakery, hidden away in the lower level.

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This historic log cabin at 5 Moira Street is home to the Belleville & District Chamber of Commerce.

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A Taste Of Hastings CountyO N E S I Z E F I T S A L L

According to 2001 data 125,915 people make Hastings County their home; 58% are in an urban setting and 42% are rural.

We are south of more than 95% of Canada, and parts or all of a dozen American states lie at a lati-tude north of us. Florida, Cuba and the Panama Canal are almost directly south. Our geographi-cal location makes for a great variety in weather. Southern parts of the county are warmer due to the moderating effect of Lake Ontario while win-ter storms that develop over Georgian Bay can reach across Algonquin Park and dump snow in the highlands of Hastings.

Written In StoneHastings County abounds in minerals, many first discovered here. We can even claim our very own mineral – Hastingsite – first discovered in Dungan-non Township and subsequently found in many other parts of the world. Glass like it varies in colour from black to dark green.

We are home to more than 100 abandoned or existing mines, or sites where exploratory work has been carried out. Ontario’s first gold rush occurred in 1866 at the Richardson Mine at El-dorado north of Madoc.

One of the largest and heaviest meteorites ever found in Canada was discovered near Madoc in 1854. The meteorite’s main home is the Ottawa office of the Geological Survey of Canada however it is periodically put on display at such places as the Planetarium de Montreal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Canadian Museum of Nature.

On The WaterThe first official records of the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club (BQYC) in-dicate it was formed in October, 1876. Full yachting activities com-menced the following season and the club boasted a compliment of 18 to 20 members and 11 yachts. Activity at the BQYC lessened at the turn of the century and ceased altogether with the start of the First World War. Interest in yacht-ing on the Bay of Quinte resumed following World War I and today the BQYC is an active boating, sailing, teaching, cruising and rac-ing club.

Our Architectural Heritage

Built of stone in 1855 the Belleville railway sta-tion is Canada’s oldest continuously operating station.

The exposed framing of posts, beams and studs and the small size of the glass panels suggest that this Stirling-Rawdon Township building known as King’s Mill originated in the first half of the 19th century.

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The information in this article was obtained from the Heritage Atlas of Hastings County, published by The County of Hastings and edited by Orland French. Copies of the book are available through www.hastingscountyatlas.com or from The County of Hastings, 235 Pinnacle Street, PO Bag 4400, Belleville, Ontario K8N 3A9. Written and compiled in an entertaining and informative format the hardcover book is a friendly reference for discovering all things Hastings.

This Durham Street house in Madoc is a beautifully finished and maintained example of the late 19th century Victorian Gothic. The roof over the main entrance, with a lower slope, is the only element not in harmony with the otherwise perfect compo-sition of roof slopes.

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• The Great Outdoors •

Happy TrailsIt’s an adventure!

By Nancy Hopkins

Travelling country roads and highways are one way to experience Hastings County but to truly see na-ture up close and personal, and witness sites not accessible by road you’ll want to travel the Hast-ings Heritage Trail and its numerous connecting trails that stretch for hundreds of kilometres.

The Hastings Heritage Trail follows the former CN rail line from Glen Ross to Lake St. Peter in the north. The recreational trail is jointly owned by the County of Hastings and the Province of Ontario and is managed and maintained by the Eastern Ontario Trail Alliance (EOTA).

The EOTA wants to share this wonderful trail experience with as many people as possible and offers All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) vacation packages in-cluding the “Exploring Comfort Country Getaway” and “Discover Bancroft, Ontario’s Hidden Gem.” The Comfort Country Getaway package includes two nights accommodation for two at the Holiday House Bed & Breakfast in Tweed with full break-fast, two packed lunches, two full course meals, two trail passes, maps and pamphlets of Tweed. The package price is $199 plus $12 daily trail pass fee. Full information on packages can be found at www.thetrail.ca and are available year-round.

Belleville resident and passionate mountain bike rider Mark Brunton often shares the trail with rec-

reational vehicles. Brunton estimates he’s clocked about 800 kilometres on area trails but to his sur-prise he rarely crosses paths with other mountain bikers.

His regular jaunt is a morning return trip from Cannifton to Stirling. When time permits he drives to different starting points to explore new parts of the trail system. He’s peddled his way to Stirling, Campbellford, Peterborough, Bancroft and Tweed just to name a few. The 65km excursion to Tweed is his longest to date but he’s determined to hit 100km. According to Brunton, “you do work harder when off-roading, but area trails are in good shape; just the occasional pothole to avoid.”

You are almost guaranteed to see nature in one form or another when you cycle Hastings County trails.

“You never know what you’re going to see,” says Brunton. “I’ve seen osprey, beavers, turtles; which I’ve often moved off the trail for safety. On one occasion I saw a deer ahead. When I slowed down there was a baby deer at the side of the trail.”

According to Brunton experiencing the trails by bike is not an expensive proposition. A simple mono frame bike with good tires and a good seat and good helmet is all it takes. He’s still riding his

15-year-old Specialized Hardrock. He does how-ever caution riders to be prepared. A five-mile walk when his bike broke down has taught him to travel with ample water, spare tubes, power bars, a rain suit, and a cell phone is always a good idea.

Brunton hopes to see more riders, especially younger ones using the trails. He’s keen to see today’s generation “getting back to the basics – what we did growing up, riding our bikes,” he says.

And even more important than “experiencing what it’s like riding for fun,” he hopes to spread the word about the health benefits the sport can provide. He’s in the initial planning stages of a bike ride fundraiser to increase awareness of diabetes and heart disease in young people.

“Bike riding is another form of hiking for me,” claims Brunton. “Every time I ride it’s an adven-ture.”

EOTA trails are free for those hiking and walk-ing and passes are required for horseback riding, dogsledding, cycling and skiing. This information and other details can be found at www.thetrail.ca. The Eastern Ontario Recreational Trails Map can also be found at various tourism and chamber of commerce offices in Hastings County. •

The Hastings Heritage Trail offers a wide variety of scenery A guest at Holiday House Bed & Breakfast near Tweed, Mario Magri gets ready to explore the Hastings Heritage Trail on his ATV. The trail system is so enticing this is Mario’s second visit from Quebec.


By C.W. Hunt

In the Spring of 1917, farmers and towns-people saw something peculiar droning loudly in the skies overhead. It took a while before they realized what it was. Hardly any-

one in Eastern Ontario had ever seen an airplane, much less spotted one in the air. Because of the war raging in Europe, most people had heard of aircraft but few had actually seen one.

Several years earlier, a plane had been on dis-play in Belleville City Hall and a few of the more prosperous had paid a quarter to see it. “Don’t look like it can fly to me,” said many, and it never did.

Now, suddenly, airplanes were everywhere, cruising low over farmers’ fields, landing in the fairgrounds at Belleville and buzzing pleasure craft along Lake Ontario. Tempers flared when pilots started chasing farmers’ cows. Many farm-ers complained their milk production dropped dramatically and demanded compensation from the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Deseronto.

The Wing Adjutant, Captain Barnstable, heard a few of these complaints and summarily dismissed them, reminding them of the war the country was embroiled in. That ended the matter and the most a farmer could hope for was that the flyer would be ordered to leave the cows alone. And, for a while, they did.

However, there is considerable evidence that the flyers didn’t leave the farmers’ daughters alone and that the daughters didn’t mind. After all, most eligible young men were off somewhere in Eu-rope, fighting the Hun. And besides, flyers were

daring and glamorous. They wore dashing uni-forms and, although it was strictly forbidden by Headquarters, a few even took the prettiest girls up for a thrilling flight.

The headquarters of the Deseronto Wing were housed in the former Rathbun Corporate build-ings on the waterfront in Deseronto. The Wing had the distinction of employing more women

High Flying Times


Strange objects sighted over Eastern Ontario

In May of 1913, the Pollay Brothers displayed their airplane in the top floor of Belleville’s City Hall. Not many were willingly to pay the 25 cents to view it. Perhaps it was the depression of that year; money was scarce. After all, a quarter could get you a room in a hotel and a new suit could be had for five dollars. Hastings County Historical Society Photo.

This JN-4 (Canuck) came from Camp Mohawk west of Deseronto. From their dress, it appears the teacher let the children out to pose for the photo. The pilot and teacher are not in the picture. This was almost certainly delib-erate as the flyer’s superiors, had they known, would certainly have disciplined him. Weekend passes would be cancelled and hearts broken - if only temporarily. The photo was taken somewhere in the Quinte area. If you think you recognize the location, please call the author at 613-962-4611.


than any other group in the force, including the North Toronto and Borden Wings as well as the camp at Beamsville.

At that time, women were paid about half the wages of men but the RAF, being desperate for workers, offered women equal wages. Moreover it was an exciting place to work. In the spring of 1918, Captain Barnstable approached the On-tario Business College looking for seven gradu-ates from the stenographer’s course. Clara Gay of Foxboro was one of those chosen. In a letter written six decades later, she recounted her ex-perience. Here is her story:

I was employed as a stenographer and worked in the Supply Section which was located on the top floor of the Wing headquarters building. Along with six other young women, I was recruited from the Ontario Business College in Belleville and on 15

May, 1918, I arrived in Deseronto for duty. There was never a dull moment as we were busy most of the time, typing up orders and cutting stencils. There were seven airmen working with us in the Section and, from time to time, other women from Napanee, Belleville and Trenton were added. Our boss was a Sergeant Newman who was English and had a strong accent. It was very difficult to take dictation from him as we had trouble un-derstanding everything he was saying.

On our way to work, we [the clerks] would be fascinated by the flying machines as they swept over the town. At times, we were almost deafened by the noise from the engine repair shed. One day we had the thrill of a lifetime when a daring pilot flew his machine level with our top floor windows which undoubtedly created a stir with the Wing Commander in his office below.

When coming down to work in the morning we could see the planes out at Mohawk going through all kinds of stunts such as falling leaf, spiral dive, loop the loop, etc., often thought they would crash but the engine would kick in and all was well.

The Engine Repair Shop was on our right on our way to Rathbun [this camp was located a little north of Deseronto on Boundary Road] and what a noisy spot - deafening!

Yes, there was a dance hall for entertainment so many nights a week... the place would be crowded but all very proper and well behaved as far as I knew. [Prohibition was in effect and dances were chaperoned.] A theatre was also in town. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was playing for awhile. [Naylor’s Theatre is still standing.]

Sometimes we made our own social life. One Sunday one of the staff rented a Pleasure Boat for the day, inviting the girls to go along with lunch, taking off from Deseronto around 9 am ... down the Bay. It was a perfect day for boating, sunny and hot. We stopped at a little resort where there was dancing and on down to Glenora, climbed all the steps to see the Lake on the Mountain, all very worthwhile - and so on up to Trenton where we spent the afternoon, arriving back to Dese-ronto around dusk, after a wonderful day, long to be remembered.

I don’t know much about Mohawk Camp oth-er than the girls went out from Deseronto in the morning and back in the evening. [They were picked up by an RAF vehicle as Camp Mohawk was in a rural area west of town.]

When the war ended, Clara Gay took an office job with Ontario Hydro in Deseronto, later mar-rying and moving to Wellington where she had three children. One son, Charles Jandrew, still lives in Wellington. He joined the RCAF in 1941 and served overseas until war’s end. •C.W. Hunt is the author of several books on rum run-ning. His latest book, “DANCING IN THE SKY” will be released across Canada this fall. It tells the story of the first air training plan in Canada with special emphasis on eastern Ontario.

High Flying Times

A typical class of O.B.C. graduates in 1919. Clara Gay would have dressed much as these young ladies did. Hastings County Historical Society Photo.

A sports day was held in August of 1918. The three-story Wing HQ can be seen in the background. The airmen are barrel racing. Hastings County Historical Society Archives Photo.

Camp Rathbun. Ladies were welcomed to the camps for dances and special events. The officers and men were glad to see the fair sex and the feeling was clearly reciprocated. Although the cadets spent only a few months learning flying before being trans-ferred some marriages resulted. Deseronto Archives Photo.


• country calendar •

THEATRE/ LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Bancroft Village Playhouse, Bancroft 613-332-5918 www.bancroftvillageplayhouse.caSeptember 20 - Where the Words Are, The York River Festival with author Robert J. Sawyer.October 4 – Annual Playhouse Gala featuring Freddy Vette & the Flames

Belleville Theatre Guild, 256 Pinnacle Street, Belleville, 613-967 1442 www.bellevilletheatreguild.caOctober 1-18 - Ten Times Table by Alan Ayck-bourn, Tickets $18November 26 - December 13 - Fallen Angels by Noel Coward, Tickets $18

The Empire Theatre, 321 Front Street, Belleville 613-969-0099 www.theempiretheatre.comSeptember 11 - Peter Frampton September 12- Randy Travis September 13- Photograph & Friends September 26 & 27 - The WilkinsonsOctober 17 - Ron SexsmithOctober 25 - Daniel LanoisNovember 16 - 5th Annual Home for the HolidaysNovember 22 - Christmas with the von Trapp Children

Stirling Festival Theatre, West Front St., Stirling 1-877-312-1162 www.stirlingfestivaltheatre.comSeptember 24 & 25 - A Third Helping Of Old Mixed Bags, including Charlie Farquharson and 88-year old Charleston dancer Marion Green. September 27 - The Bebop Cowboys Western SwingOctober 3 - Sinatra - All of Me featuring The Swing Shift Big Band October 17 - Jimmy The JanitorOctober 18 - I Pick Therefore I Jam starring Wendell Ferguson & his band The Smoking Section October 22 - Fiddle ‘N’ Show starring Darren WaltersNovember 21 - December 31 Family Panto Show Robin Hood November 26 - December 31 Naughty Panto Show Robin Hood

ART GALLERIES

Art Gallery of Bancroft, 10 Flint Avenue, Ban-croft, 613.332.1542, www.bancroftontario.com September 3-28 (Opening Reception Sept. 5 at 7:30 pm) - “The Luncheon Palette”, Margaret Forde – paintings sOctober 1 to Nov. 2 (Opening Reception Oct. 3 at 7:30 pm) - “John Richmond – A Retrospec-tive” Works by John Richmond

November 5-30 (Opening Reception Friday Nov. 7 at 7:30 pm) - “The Human Story,” Pho-tography juried exhibition; black & white, colour, & manipulated

EVENTS & TOURS

September 11 - Belleville Art Walk, self guid-ed art walk downtown Belleville, 25 local artists www.rediscoverdowntown.ca

September 11 - Drumming Circle Night, Faraday Community Centre, 613-332-3638

September 11-14 - 1st International Scott Fir-efit Championship, Centennial Park, Trenton, 613-392-2841

September 12-14 -Trenton Scottish Irish Festival, Centennial Park, Trenton, 613-392-2841

September 13 - Hastings Highlands Hilly Hun-dred billed as “Ontario’s Toughest Century Ride.” 4 distances; 60km, 80km, 160km and 200+km, Bancroft Millenium Park, 800-481-2925 www.hillyhundred.ca www.tripsandtrails.ca

September 13 & 14 – Belleville Doors Open, 33 Belleville area locations, www.doorsopenontario.on.ca

September 13 & 14 - Ontario Icelandic Horse Association Annual Horse Show, Grandview Ranch. Free to the general public, all day Saturday, 1/2 day Sunday 613-332-4845

September 20 - Trenton Military Family Re-source Centre’s “Invisible Ribbon Rally,” 11:00 a.m. parade from Centennial Park. Quinte West City Hall games, barbecue, entertainment and other events. Info Ena Newman, Invisible Ribbon Parade & Rally Coordinator (613) 394-1635.

September 20 & 21 - Festival of Quilts, Bancroft Curling Club, $5.00 per day, Sat-9am to 5pm Sun-10am to 4pm, www.quiltclub.ca 613-332-1823

September 20 & 21 - Apsley Autumn Studio Tour, 10 am - 5 pm, Apsley Arena www.apsleystudiotour.com

September 25 - Country Jammin’ Time, Faraday Community Centre, 7-11pm613-332-3638

September 27 & 28, October 4 & 5, Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour - 10am to 6pm 613-332-4111 www.bancroftstudiotour.org

September 28 - Lower Trent Trail Walk Ontario Hiking Day, Frankford, Mill St and Wellington, 10 am

Things to see and do in Hastings CountyTo submit your event listing email [email protected] or call us at 613 395-0499.

October 4 & 5 – Tweed & Area Studio Tour, 613-477-2039 or 613-478-3989 www.tweedstudiotour.org

October 4 & 5 - Madawaska Valley Studio Tour, Madawaska Valley, east of Algonquin Park, 613-756-1329, www.madawaskastudiotour.com

October 4 & 5, 11 &12 - Haliburton Studio Tour, Haliburton County 705-286-1556 [email protected], www.haliburtonstudiotour.on.ca,

October 9 - Drumming Circle Night, Faraday Community Centre, 7-9pm 613-332-3638

October 10, November 14, December 12 Tweed Jamboree/The Young Family perform, Tweed Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. 613-478-3356 www.theyoungfamilyband.com

October 11 - Thanksgiving Dinner, Lloyd Wat-son Centre, Wilberforce 705-448-2683

October 17-18 - Arts Quinte West Autumn Art Show and Sale, Knights of Columbus, 613-392-7635 quintewesttourism.ca

October 23 - Country Jammin’ Time, Faraday Community Centre, 7-11pm 613-332-3638

October 25 - Trenton Memorial Hospital Foun-dation Masquerade Ball, Knights of Columbus Hall, Trenton, Champagne Reception & Hors’ d’oeuvres – 6:00 to 6:30 P.M, Dinner – 7:00 P.M Masquerade Ball – Masks only/No costumes. Black-Tie Optional, $125.00 per person www.tmhfoundation.com

October 31 - Boofest Halloween Party, Centennial Park, Trenton,613-392-2841

November 13 - Drumming Circle Night, Faraday Community Centre, 7-9pm, 613-332-3638

November 15 - Bancroft Art & Craft Guild Christmas Show & Sale, St Johns Anglican Church, Bancroft, 10am to 4pm, 613 338 5431

November 21, Community Cupboard Fun Night, Bancroft Curling Club, 613-332-3767

November 21 & 22 - Mackenzie Lane Craft Sale, Faraday Community Centre, 613-332-1782

November 22 - Rally of the Tall Pines, Bancroft, Dungannon Recreation Centre www.tallpinesrally.com

November 22 - Frankford Santa Claus Parade, Downtown Frankford, 613-398-7991




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November 23 - Trenton Santa Claus Parade, Downtown Trenton,613-392-7635

November 27 - Star Light Christmas House Tour, Stirling & area, 6-9 pm, Tickets $20 Sandy Donnan 613 395-2976

November 28 – Village Christmas Festival of Lights, Trees & Wreaths, Stirling 2-8 pm, $5 per person, Heritage Village, Hastings Coun-ty Museum of Agricultural Heritage, 437 West Front Street, Stirling 613 395-0015 www.agmuseum.ca

December 4-7 - 5th Annual Tweed Festival of Trees, 7-9 pm, www.twp.tweed.on.ca

Following up: Shier sculpture gains status

In an update from the Summer issue of Country Roads, Paul Shier’s sculpture “The Guardian” has now been recognized as a Canadian Memorial, another step on the way to enshrining it as an official Canadian monument, according to his partner Sheila-Marie Youmansdonatella.

A depiction of a howing wolf, “The Guardian” was crafted by Shier in 2007 as a tribute to Ca-nadian troops serving in Afghanistan. It resides in Tweed Memorial Park.

Something to crow about

Visitors to the High Spring Trading Post & Sad-dlery, just west of Marmora on Highway 7, could get a strange welcome from an unusual greeter – a 28-year-old talking crow named Peter.

Peter has a rather impressive vocabulary, which includes words and phrases like “hello,” “bad fellow,” “Scottie,” “so what,” “whoa” and “put that pail up,” according to his own-ers Richard and Madeleine Mocon. He has also been known to laugh.

The Mocons acquired Peter in 1991, when he was 11 years old. They got him from a zoo in Frankford that was disbanding. He is the second crow they have had, although Peter’s predecessor Sammy was not a talker.

“Some do and some don’t,” Madeleine Mo-con said.

Peter has cataracts in both eyes and a feather deficiency that prevents him from flying. He lives in a cage in the back of the store, and he will hop to the front when there’s activity.

On a particular summer Saturday afternoon Peter seemed to be in a surly mood, calling most visitors “bad fellow.” That is not uncom-mon, Madeleine said, although he is apparently quite fond of a woman’s voice.

“A nice, woman’s voice can usually get a sexy ‘hello’ out of him,” she said.

Richard Mocon built the High Spring Trading Post & Saddlery in 1988. The outside is distin-guished by its old frontier town that includes a Tee Pee Village, Boot Hill Graveyard, Saloon, Jail, Mercantile and Undertaker.

Inside, the giftshop features an extensive ar-ray of handmade native crafts.

Additionally, Richard Mocon has over 40 years experience as a saddle and harness maker and produces or repairs a wide range of leather, nylon, vinyl or canvas products.

More information on Peter and the High Spring Trading Post & Saddlery is available at www.highspringtradingpost.com.

New logo for Hastings County

After receiving over 50 submissions in a contest to design a new logo for Hastings County, the winning artwork was unveiled on July 21.

The logo will be used for marketing, promo-tional, and recruitment purposes.

“We still have the County crest to be used for official and ceremonial purposes,” said Warden Ron Emond in a press release, “but we want-ed something new and exciting, that we could use to promote Hastings County on a broader scale.”

The contest was introduced at the beginning of the year and was open to all residents of Hast-ings County. The winner was selected in March and was created by John Nicholas, according to an article in the Belleville Intelligencer.

“We were looking for a logo that captured the uniqueness, and unity of Hastings County as a whole, and we feel that this logo reflects that,” said County CAO Jim Pine.

P: 613 395-0499 • F: 613 [email protected]

COUNTRY ROADS Publishers John and Nancy Hopkins in Tweed Memorial Park beside Paul Shier’s sculpture “The Guardian.”

With a storefront resembling an old frontier town High Spring Trading Post & Saddlery near Marmora is home to a large selection of fine gifts and crafts’ and Peter, the talking crow.

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toCountry Roadsdiscovering hastings county

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L’Auberge de FranceA taste of ProvenceIf you want to experience a taste of Provence, you have a couple of options. You could buy a plane ticket and fly to France, at a great cost in time and money. Or you could visit L’Auberge de France in downtown Belleville, and spend a great deal less.

Located at 304 Front Street, almost across the street from the Empire Theatre, L’Auberge de France is very much a little piece of Provence

in the heart of Belleville.Chef Jean-Marc Salvagno is from Avignon, has

over 25 years experience in the kitchen and owned a critically acclaimed restaurant in Provence before relocating with his wife and business partner, Valerie Niles, who is originally from Trenton.

L’Auberge de France is really two businesses in one. Niles and Salvagno started with the bakery and gourmet shop in February and opened the bistro a month later.

The shop sells baked goods, desserts, cheeses, etc. and also offers take out items, what Niles describes as “gourmet fast food.” The restaurant has an extensive dinner menu, with appetizers starting at $10 and entrees at $20.

The emphasis at L’Auberge de France is on organi-cally grown products and local suppliers. Running a restaurant in the purest French tradition is also of critical importance to Salvagno and Niles.

“The term ‘bistro’ gets misused a lot,” Niles ex-plains. “It’s a very specific concept. It means a res-taurant is family owned and run, everything is home-made and it serves comfort food. It’s meant to be very casual, and that was the most important factor for us, having a casual and familiar atmosphere.”

Niles and Salvagno met in France. Valerie’s par-ents ate at Jean-Marc’s restaurant and struck up a friendship. At the time Valerie was studying French Linguistics at the University of Toronto and work-ing in restaurants to make ends meet. Her folks suggested she get a job at Salvagno’s Provence res-taurant.

What started as a professional relationship be-tween the two soon became personal, and in 2000 Salvagno sold his restaurant and moved to Toronto.

“So far so good,” says Niles. “From five months to now we’ve had a lot of great customers through the door.”

L’Auberge de France is open for lunch from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 5:00 p.m. on for dinner Monday to Saturday. For res-

ervations call (613) 966-CHEF.

• A La CArte •An evening with Sir John ASir John A. and Lady Agnes Macdonald will be in Belleville for one night only Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Ramada Inn – in spirit that is. Reen-actors Mr. & Mrs. Brian Porte from Brockville will portray the first Canadian Prime Minister and Lady as part of the Hastings Historical Society annual fundraising dinner.

Guest speaker Richard Gwyn, author of “John A, The Man Who Made Us” will share more about this definitive figure in Cana-dian history. Gwyn’s book was the winner of the 2008 Charles Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction.

An award-winning author and political col-umnist, Gwyn’s other titles include “The Un-likely Revolution” on Newfoundland Premier Joey Smallwood, and “The Northern Magus” on Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

The Hastings Historical Society is a vol-unteer organization and the Nov. 1 event is its primary fundraiser for the year. Money raised will assist with expenses and building its archives fund.

Tickets are $45 per person and should be ordered in advance by calling 613-966-4859.

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Food prepared with traditional French methods brings a taste of Provence to the table.

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Valerie Niles and Chef husband Jean-Marc Salvagno inside their newly opened L’Auberge de France Bistro in downtown Belleville.

Crazy for croissants

Jean-Marc Salvagno laughs as he recalls the story of the crazy customer who in-sisted on getting her croissant before L’Auberge de France opened at its tra-ditional 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

“Croissant-mania,” he chuckles.Indeed, the bakery has quickly become

famous for its croissants, which have been known to sell out in as little as an hour. That’s ironic given how much time Salv-agno dedicates to making them.

The process begins on Thursday, when he prepares the dough. It takes 24 hours to rise just the right amount, meaning that on Friday night Salvagno can roll the croissants. He will roll about 120 by hand, usually finishing by 3:00 in the morning. He puts the croissants in the fridge and catches a couple of hours sleep before re-turning to work at 5:00, all to ensure they are ready for the shop’s 9:30 opening.

Salvagno prepares his own yeast, using pure organic flour purchased from Madoc. The role of a chef is part artist, but also part scientist as the chemical reactions going on within the yeast play a role in the quality of the breads that come out the other side.

The layering of the croissants is also important, but Salvagno says the key is the ratio of flour to butter – 2kg of flour to 1kg of butter.

The croissants sell for $1.85 each.Salvagno is looking at doubling his pro-

duction in the future, but for now people will just have to take their chances on Sat-urday morning, or try to convince him to open the shop early.

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Wednesday, Oct.15, 2008 Tweed Lions Hungerford Hall

65 Victoria Street N., Tweed, ON8:45 am - 4:00 pm

$25 per person Register early to reserve your seat. (includes conference and lunch)

Enterprise QuinteQuinte Business Development Centre

284B Wallbridge-Loyalist Rd., P.O.Box 610, Belleville, ON K8N 5B3T.613.961.0590 • F.613.961.7998

[email protected] • www.enterprisequinte.com

ARTISTS AND ARTISANS CONFERENCE

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS• Successful Marketing/Advertising/Selling

Strategies for Artists and Artisans• Insurance Responsibilities for Your Business• The Art of Selling Online

HOSTED BY FUNDED BY



The Ormsby General Store

Hanging out on the porch of the Ormsby General Store circa 1920’s or 30’s are (from left to right) George Park, Jean Park, and their father Billy Park. The Park family operated the shop from 1915 to 1975. The gentleman next to them is

believed to be James Campbell, the previous owner of the store.

Located at the corner of Old Hastings Road and Hwy. 620 between Madoc and Bancroft the building has been a general store for close to 100 years. Records date back to 1896.

Today it is known as The Old Hastings Gallery Store and is operated by Lillian Oakley and Gary Pattison. The store is one of five century buildings that remain in the village of Ormsby. The schoolhouse has been given new life as The

Old Schoolhouse Tea Room, the Catholic Church continues weekly mass and the Presbyterian Church has also been restored and renamed The Old Ormsby Heritage Church.

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