Country Roads Summer 2016

COVERING THE ARTS, OUTDOORS, HISTORY, PEOPLE AND PLACES SUMMER 2016

TWEED VINTNER HONOURS HERITAGE MAYNOOTH MARKET MEET-UPWATERFRONT FARMERS YIELD CROP OF MEMORIES

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Country Roadscelebrating life in hastings county

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celebrating life in hastings county

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COUNTRY ROADS, Celebrating Life in Hastings 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.

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Never give upIn the (some may say classic) movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the more obscure scenes dealt with a father explaining his rise to wealth and prominence to his son. To paraphrase, the father says the family land was originally all swamp, and no one believed he could build a castle on a swamp. But he built one anyway, he points out, and it sank into the swamp. He built another, and it sank into the swamp. He built a third, and it burned down and sank into the swamp. “But the fourth one,” he says proudly, “stayed up, and that’s what you’re going to get son. The strongest castle in these islands.”

The theme of not giving in, of thumbing your nose to the doubters, runs deep through this issue of Country Roads. Tweed heritage wine vintner Sandor Johnson of Potter Settlement sounds a bit like the landowner from the Holy Grail as he describes his early experiments in wine-making on his tradition-rich family property. Yet Johnson refused to be beaten by the land or his skeptics, and the results of his persistence are now proudly shared with a growing number of wine lovers.

What makes Johnson’s story all the more engaging is the honesty and candor with which he reflects on his failures in those early years. He is frank in assessing his trials with his venture, acknowledges his mistakes and is self-effacing in every regard. Despite enjoying fame and celebrity as a model and actor, jet-setting around the world, he possesses a stirring admiration and respect for his ancestors who toiled on the same land before him. Johnson comes across as a hard-working man of the land who has a first-hand appreciation of the hard work that must go in to make any truly worthwhile endeavour a success.

In his Village Idiot column, John Hopkins takes a somewhat more tongue-in-cheek perspective on the same theme. Early settlers to this area were confronted with hardship upon hardship, and must at times have surely questioned the value of persisting in this new country. Yet rather than return home with their tails between their legs, they looked forward, adapted, and eventually flourished. Where would any of us be now if those pioneers had thrown up their hands in despair and given in to the elements.

As with any Monty Python story, the future of ‘Swamp Castle’ was by no means secure. Indeed, there are no guarantees in life for the success of any venture. The true victory is in persisting. The failure is in giving up. •

6 I Country Roads • Summer 2016

C O N T R I B U T O R S

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E D I T O R I A L

L i n d i P i e r c e , o f Prince Edward County United Empire Loyalist s tock , en joyed l i f e in Vancouver, Grand Forks, BC and North Bay before returning to her roots and settling in Hastings County. Lindi is an active volunteer at Glanmore National

Historic Site. She indulges her passion for heritage architecture with her blog at ancestralroofs.blogspot.ca and by writing and photographing for ‘Country Roads’ and other local publications. In her spare time, this nature-nut joins her husband Denis, a vintage motorcycle frame designer/builder, on their camping, hiking and cycling expeditions, always on the lookout for another good house to snap.

M i c h e l l e A n n e t t e Tremblay writes because she ’ s i n t e r e s t ed i n everything. Interviewing fascinating people and sharing their wisdom and ideas is one o f her favorite things and has led her to writing features for newspapers and magazines. After

completing a Creative Writing degree from the University of British Columbia she spent many years teaching and writing on the west coast of Canada and internationally. But, a country girl at heart, she gave up the city life to return to her roots in Paudash, where she freelances for multiple publications and is the Creative Director of WordBird Media. When she’s not picking remarkable brains, writing or photographing the wonders of rural Ontario, she’s usually in her garden, running after her kids or cooking up something yummy with her husband.

Sarah Vance freelances articles for publications such as Bancroft This Week, The Haliburton E c h o , M u n i c i p a l Monitor and Country Roads. Sarah’s interest in cultural and social themes led her to pursue a masters’ degree, under the guidance of British

philosopher Keith Ansell-Pearson. Sarah is always on the lookout for interesting angles and projects that will take her off the beaten path.

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V O L U M E 9 , I S S U E 2 , S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

CONTENTS

F E A T U R E S

8 GRAPE EXPECTATIONS By Michelle Annette Tremblay

16 SUMMER HARVEST MEMORIES

By Lindi Pierce

22 LABOUR OF LOVE By Sarah Vance

D E P A R T M E N T S

6 EDITORIAL6 CONTRIBUTORS28 REMEMBERING A Mountain of Memories

30 JUST SAYING Shopper or Stalker

33 THE VILLAGE IDIOT Persistance Pays

34 ADVERTISER INDEX36 COUNTRY CALENDAR37 MARKETPLACE38 BACK ROADS Loading Reliance

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Grapeexpectations

Potter Settlement sets a new gold standard with heirloom vines

By Michelle Annette Tremblay

Disclaimer: by reading this article you may find yourself sacrificing a tank of gas, a sunny afternoon, and perhaps even an hour or two of sobriety. If you shudder at the thought of fine wine, day-trips, stories of tenacity and toil, overcoming unbeatable odds, family legacies and unwavering passion and commitment, then this story isn’t for you. But who are we kidding? Don’t we all love stories of grit and gusto? Don’t we all enjoy getting a little buzzed on dreamy dreams coming to fruition?

The charming hilltop gazebo at Potter Settlement will remain the temporary wine tasting station until the interior of the large custom winery building at the base of the hill is complete. Johnson says an arbour will be built around the gazebo, complete with hanging grape vines.Photo by Gail Burstyn


I t would be easy to centre this story on the owner of Potter Settlement Artisan Winery, Sandor Johnson, who financed the development of his vineyards with

the money he’s made throughout his uber-successful 28-year modelling career (you might have seen him in a Donna Karan ad or on All My Children, among other places). It’s tempting to focus on Johnson’s good looks, world travels, photo shoots with Beyonce, and his double life as a Tweed grape farmer and a jet-set New Yorker. But that’s not where the heart of this story is. No, we’re going to dig deeper. We’re going to excavate, much like Johnson and his father did when preparing their land for the grape vines that grow today on Hastings County’s very first winery.

The picturesque boutique winery is situated in an especially unique location. Tucked away in the tiny town of Tweed, it sits right on the edge of the stubborn and steadfast mass of precambrian rock we call the Canadian Shield. The land has been in Johnson’s family since 1836, through both World Wars and the Great Depression, and has seen incarnations as a homestead, dairy farm and sand quarry. Drive an hour south through rolling hills and green pastures and you’ll find yourself in pretty Prince Edward County, an appellation celebrated for its many wineries, antique shops and beaches. But drive an hour north through the hardwood forests of cottage country, and the landscape changes dramatically; you’ll find yourself in Bancroft, the mineral capital of Canada, where thousands of geology-loving tourists flock each summer for Canada’s largest gem and mineral show.

Wine experts know that the mineral content in soil is one of the main factors that determines the flavour of wine: the greater the mineral content, the more flavourful the vintage. Keeping that in mind, Tweed might seem like an ideal place

to grow grapes, what with the Canadian Shield underfoot, and the nation’s mineral mecca just to the north. Indeed, the 100-acre property is rich in silver, garnet, tourmaline, pyrite and other minerals including gold. But it’s also very cold in the winter.

“What are you going to make wine out of, maple syrup?” people chided when Johnson first shared his vision of a Tweed winery almost 20 years ago. They’ve been chiding ever since. It’s too cold, they said. Grapes won’t grow in Hastings County, they said. It’s too far north. It’s too rocky. The winters are too long. The elements are too extreme. The grapes will suffer.

They were right. And they were wrong. The winters are long and cold. The grapes did suffer. But they grew. Eventually. And wouldn’t you know, grapes that suffer make fine wine. Damn fine wine. Wine the likes of which you won’t taste anywhere else in the world. And not just because of the rare terroir.

“We started with Riesling,” recalls Johnson. “We spent about $20,000 on Riesling and they all died. That was a kick in the pants.”

Finding the right grapes to grow in Tweed was tricky. But luckily Johnson’s brother, Robin, is a seasoned wine maker who has worked for well-known wineries including Thirty Bench, Colio, Andres and Columbia Valley. He was part of the first program Brock University created to educate and train world-class oenologists and viticulturists in Canada. Together, the Johnson brothers tried varietal after varietal.

“After all the Riesling vines died I thought, ‘Okay, that’s not working. Let’s try Gruner Veltliner,’” Sandor continues. “I figured we’d stick with the cold varietals, so we tried grapes from Austria and Germany. I got smarter the year after the Riesling and only put about $5000 into it. Only three plants lived. I thought, ‘This isn’t working at all.’”

Upon arrival, you can’t miss the hand forged gates of Potter Settlement Artisan Winery in Tweed. Photo by Gail Burstyn

After 17 years of experimenting with heritage-heirloom grapes in Hastings County, trailblazing vintner Sandor Johnson is proud to share Potter Settlement Artisan Wines with the public.Photo by Gail Burstyn


But then one day Johnson was casually flipping through the Canadian Wine Atlas and happened upon the page about Quebec heirloom varietals. “I thought, sure, Quebec. It’s French,” says Johnson. “Wine is a part of the culture, and there are heritage heirloom grapes like Marechal Foch and St. Croix that grew along the St. Lawrence - and they make wonderful, wonderful wine!”

But even with his vast knowledge and experience, Robin didn’t know how to make wine using Quebec heritage grapes. Like so many industries, the wine industry has become increasingly standardized over time. Years ago, unique local varietals were literally pulled up and out of the ground to make space for sure-sellers like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Whereas there used to be countless varieties of wine, peruse any LCBO outlet today and you’ll find wines from all over the world made from the same 50-60 varietals.

“Robin said to me, ‘Look, I can make Merlot blindfolded, but I don’t know how to make this old French Canadian stuff,’” recounts Johnson as he drives me around the winery in his tour cart, a 737 aircraft tug. He keeps talking as I take photos of the stone retaining wall he built by hand and the 100-foot deep pond where mother geese are teaching their babies to swim. It’s the same pond his grandfather used to remind him to be careful around when he was a boy, lest he fall into the chilly depths.

“Robin said, ‘No-one knows how. It’s lost. No-one uses these grapes anymore. I don’t know what kind of barrel to use. I don’t know what yeast to use; there are thousands of different kinds. Some make wine fruity. Some make wine spicy. I don’t know what yeast to use in conjunction with what barrel.’ He said ‘I don’t

know what style of wine to make: is it bitter, sweet, dry? I don’t know. I need time!’” Johnson smiles at the memory. “I said, ‘well how much time do you need?’ He told me he needed about a decade to figure it out.”

That was 17 years ago. For 17 years the brothers experimented. They tried different varietals, different barrels, different yeasts, from all over the world, over and over, in various combinations. Johnson continued to work the land, filling in the old sand quarry with his father to make room for a vineyard, dynamiting right through a huge outcrop to create the ‘cave’ where he ages the wine using thermal mass to maintain the optimal temperature rather than relying on fossil fuels. He learned how to use a back hoe, excavator and bulldozer. He built the gazebo where visitors can sample his wines. He built the winery itself, which is still a work in progress but already impressive, with views of vineyards on all sides. No expense was spared. No rock unturned. And all the while the vintners to the south chuckled.

“Everyone was making fun of us,” Johnson admits with no hint of self-consciousness. “’Oh a winery in Tweed,’ they said. ‘What will it be, Chateau au Pine Needles?’” Johnson says the most cutting insult he received was at a meeting for vintners in Prince Edward County.

“I thought they’d be supportive,” he says, shaking his head. “One of the wine makers there asked where I was from, and when I told him I had a winery in Tweed, he asked what types of grapes we were using. I told him heritage heirloom and Quebec varietals, and he said ‘ah, that’s probably only good enough for the pigs.’ And I thought, you know what, you haven’t even tried our wine, you don’t even know what you’re talking about and you’re putting us down. It made me feel really bad.”

Big dreams just get bigger: Johnson describes future plans for Hastings’ first winery, including more construction, landscaping, and hosting weddings and special events.Photo by Michelle Annette Tremblay

Johnson loves sharing his high-end small-batch artisinal wine with visitors to Potter Settlement.Photo by Gail Burstyn


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But he didn’t give up. Johnson had a vision. The brothers forged on. They met with Alain Breault of A&M Viticulture in Quebec, who supplied them with French Canadian heritage-heirloom varietals as well as newer cold-hardy varietals developed at the University of Minnesota.

“The Marquette varietal, in particular, makes a spectacular wine and has supported a whole northern wine industry in the Americas that was, until recently, nonexistent,” explains the vintner. “Alain worked with Peter Hemstad of the University of Minnesota to develop these grapes. Sommeliers and wine-makers from around the world tasted literally thousands of samples of wines from their grapes before they narrowed it down to the best varietal.

“If it wasn’t for the universities, scientists like Peter, botany experts like Alain, and a community of wine-lovers who wanted to create a northern wine industry of exceptional wines from high yielding grapes, my venture would not have been possible.”

Luckily the local community was also supportive. The Tweed municipal council and chamber of commerce embraced Johnson’s vision, and county and tourism reps cheered him on, as well as his local member of parliament. The brothers continued experimenting, keeping detailed notes, and ignored the jeers from the vintners to the south.

“I kept my mouth shut for 17 years. I knew that as soon as the wines were available to the public I’d be judged, and I was already facing an avalanche of negativity being the only winery in Hastings County and being the little guy,”

says Johnson. “People expected me to fail. They thought it was a big joke.” He shrugged off the negativity but decided not to make anything available to the public until he had perfected it.

Potter Settlement Winery is now open for business with several perfected selections available, including a Frontenac Rouge and a Marquette that is the gold standard at Brock University. Dr. Wendy McFadden, one of the professors of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) program at Brock visited Potter Settlement and purchased some cases of the Marquette. After trying it she had to get in touch with Johnson.

“She sent me a message to tell me she now uses our Marquette as the gold-standard specifically to show her students that yes, you really can make excellent wine out of cold-resistant varietals in Canada,” says a proud Johnson.

Even though Potter Settlement just corked its first 12,000 bottles available to the public last year, it’s already received a positive review from Barack Obama, praise from the CBC and Toronto Star, and has been the top seller at each of the winery exhibitions it’s been featured in. But it’s not just what’s in the wine that makes it so good. It’s what’s not in the wine.

“I don’t use pesticides or herbicides,” reveals Johnson as he leads me into the ground floor of the winery. There, in the corner sits a huge and very expensive mechanical weeder. Potter Settlement is one of the only wineries in the country with such a contraption.

But while he has a high tech weeder on site, you won’t find a combine for harvesting the grapes

During tours, winery owner Sandor Johnson explains the art of wine making and what makes his thermal mass ‘wine cave’ so unique.Photo by Michelle Annette Tremblay


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anywhere on Potter Settlement. That’s because the vines are pruned and the grapes are picked by hand. And that makes a huge difference in the quality of the wine.

“Out here at Potter Settlement we’re hand picking the grapes. I see a bug, I knock it off. I see rot, I cut it off. I wash everything clean, clean, clean. As a little guy I’ve got an advantage over the big guys: I can make a better quality product,” beams Johnson. “By contrast, the big wineries with 1000 acres are out there with combines; you shake that grape vine and all the grapes fall into the hopper, the ripe grapes, the unripe grapes, the bugs, the frogs, the mice, the dirt...

“The first thing the big wineries for the masses do is add bleach to sterilize,” says Johnson, pausing. “People will say they get a headache from drinking wine. It’s because it’s heavily sulphated. Then they add sugar, because it’s cheap, then vitamins, then artificial tannins to make the wine taste good and also to make it taste the same every time. They want you to be brand loyal, so the wine needs to taste the same all the time.”

But wine shouldn’t taste the same all the time. Artisinal wine, without artificial tannins, sulphate and sugar added, tastes different year to year, depending on the length of the growing season, the amount of rain, temperature fluctuations and humidity. Of course relying on the weather for a good harvest doesn’t guarantee a profitable bottom line. But Johnson doesn’t care. For him it’s all about doing something he loves, with great care, and sharing that with friends and family.

“By inviting you to Potter Settlement, I’m inviting you to my home,” Johnson says earnestly. “I’m inviting you to my people. My family. Their history. Their stories, their struggles and their successes. I’m related by blood to many people here in Tweed in some way, shape or form because we’ve been in this valley for so long. It’s comforting to have family, even distant, surrounding you. It’s tight-knit. The kind of community where everyone waves when they drive by you. Where you open the door and look down to see that someone has dropped off a jar of their honey or a carton of fresh eggs. Very different from my life in New York City where you literally don’t know who’s living in the apartment next to you.”

The artisan vintner hopes to open the winery up as a wedding venue in the future. He has already had requests, but says the grounds aren’t quite ready yet. He stretches his arms out and points to the gazebo atop the hill, describing the arbour he’ll build, and the roses he’ll plant. The winery’s tasting area will have a French kitchen and built-in display cases for his private collection of ancient artifacts - everything from dinosaur eggs to Egyptian carvings - that he has built up over the past 30 years. The cave’s huge heavy hemlock door that his cousin Kelsey Moore designed will be completed, and eventually Johnson plans to add another heady beverage to his offerings: mead, also known as honey wine. One might think his ideas are too lofty, except he’s already proven his critics wrong.

“This took perseverance and grit,” admits Johnson, “which were lessons I learned from

No big combines or harmful additives here: Johnson says being ‘the little guy’ in the massive wine market gives him the advantage of being able to offer a superior product.Photo courtesy Potter Settlement Artisan Winery


my father... and patience and optimism, lessons from my mother. I often think about my now deceased grandparents and great-grandparents, who I loved with my whole heart. I want to do them, my forbearers, and my community proud here. It motivates me deeply. I’ll still be doing this when I’m an old man.”

It’s a special thing to see someone truly in their element, thriving as they live in accordance to their values. Potter Settlement isn’t just about wine. It’s about investment, in the least financial sense of the word. Investment in ideals. Investment in history. Investment in quality. And investment in pleasure. If you visit Potter Settlement the first thing you’ll see upon arrival are the huge wrought iron gates that Johnson built with the help of his blacksmith cousin Kelsey, who has been integral to many of the artistic designs around the winery. Johnson refers to him as ‘the art and soul of Potter Settlement.’ The gates were pounded out by hand over the course of a year and a half. The cousins would get together on weekends, fussing over each little detail. They’re beautiful. But, weighing in at about 600 pounds each, many people, including a professional gate designer, didn’t think they’d ever hang. They were just too big. Too heavy.

“The gates, really, are symbolic of this whole project,” Johnson tells me, as the shadows grow longer across the rows of vines. “As much as

people didn’t think the grapes would grow here, they didn’t think these gates would hang. Even my Dad didn’t think they would hang. But Kelsey said, ‘I’ve put more thought into this than anyone,’ and I trusted him. So really, the moral of this story is if you believe you can do something, don’t let other people convince you that you can’t.” •

Potter Settlement wines can be purchased on site at 1445 Potter Settlement Road in Tweed. For information about booking a free tour and wine tasting, visit www.PotterSettlementWines.com.

Blood, sweat and tears: Kelsey Moore bangs out embellishments for the heavy wrought iron gates which greet guests as they arrive at Potter Settlement Artisan Winery.Photo courtesy Potter Settlement Artisan Winery

Top: Potter Settlement currently offers six varieties of artisan wine: Frontenac Rouge, Marquette, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Vidal Blanc, and Frontenac Gris Late Harvest. Bottles are priced affordably at just $20, except for the Pinot Noir which is $30. Photo by Michelle Annette Tremblay

Above: Situated on the edge of the Canadian Shield, Potter Settlement has a unique mineral terroir and beautiful views.Photo by Gail Burstyn


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There was a time, a simpler time, before all-inclusive resorts and luxury spas transformed our expectations of holidays. It was a time when a pristine

lake and the lure of catching the big one, an open-rafter cottage with a screened porch and an outhouse, the waves lapping and the breeze sighing in the pines, and the easy conviviality of annual returnees assembled around a farm-house table or communal bonfire made summer memories.

In the early years of tourism, the 1920s to 1950s, a special breed of tourist destination flourished like the summer harvest. Cottage resorts sprouted up along the lakeshore on family farms, a kind of additional crop on sometimes cash-poor farms. There’s a tradition of tourist homes or guest lodges - farm wives opening their dining room for home cooked meals and the spare bedroom for a guest or two, farmers building small cabins for much-needed summer tourist accommodation. The tourist homes felt comfortable because they were homes, and guests became like family.

As tastes changed, so did the fortunes of these little cottages, and some have evolved into summer homes for the descendants of early lodge operators. The Maloney and Bonter cottages on

Crowe Lake, the Pitts family cottages on Moira Lake, and the Stoco Lake Mulrooney cottages have campfire stories to tell. With time, these cottage operations evolved into family enclaves, preserving and passing on the happy summer memories of generations of relatives and guests.

The Maloney family has been providing hospitality since the 1950s. Around the kitchen table at the farmhouse above Crowe Lake, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Bev (the family historian), their son Kevin and his wife Shelly and Helen, wife of Kevin’s cousin Wayne, tell the story.

It was (great) Grandpa Richard Maloney and Grandma Madeleine who started the camp on the lakeshore of the family farm along Glen Allen road north of Marmora. People came for the fishing and the family-friendly beach. This was a working farm; the open meadow area was crossed by cattle on their way to water. Maloney Road still cuts through deep forest. Early on, Joe recounts, “we had to keep a tractor handy to pull stuck campers out.”

Early on, the family provided tent platforms and visitors brought canvas. It was a simple matter to

cut down a tree or two and create a new home base for extra campers. Later, accommodations evolved to some 20 trailer sites.

Richard built two simple cottages in the 1950s. The men had to hustle to build a third one during a week when someone (Madeleine handled bookings, but never admitted to this one) overbooked. Visitors returned year after year. Mark Thompson of Madoc was a 20-year visitor. Several generations of the Anderson family from Springbrook summered on Crowe Lake. Other families came from Cobourg, Peterborough and Kingston. There were a few Americans. Bev consults the photo album, recalling familiar names: Marineau, Twitty, Danford, Pitt, Brown, Barron, Prindle, Bardy, Ayleswoth, Maxwell. The Maloneys never advertised; all bookings were word of mouth.

“There was always a game of horse-shoes or cards going on,” Helen recalls. There were dress-up nights, sing-songs around the massive fire-pit, high jinks with buckets of water, skunk mishaps. People socialized from trailer to trailer, a moveable reunion.

Amusements were simpler then, as were accommodations. An ice house, cistern with hand

Farm resorts nurtured holiday memoriesStory and photos by Lindi Pierce

Summer HarvestMemories

The pristine waters of Crowe Lake were an attraction for summer tourists from both Ontario and also the United States.

Cabins weren’t fancy in the early years of the cottage tourist industry, and it was a lucky visitor who enjoyed the luxury of indoor plumbing!

The dignified Bonter family farmhouse still stands above Crowe Lake. Although a bachelor farmer, Willie Mulrooney managed to create a family community on the shore of his farm (Farmhouse pictured) on Bethel Road.


pumps for water and an outhouse provided the creature comforts early on. Joe and Bev recall there was no power until the early 1960s, when a post with a single outdoor bulb was installed to light those nocturnal outhouse trips.

After Grandma Madeleine’s retirement, Joe and Bev continued to operate the camp. Family always got together for Madeleine’s birthday, the fourth weekend in July. The family continues the tradition with an annual potluck picnic in the sunny open meadow under towering poplars.

But times change, and summer rentals began to decline because visitors wanted more amenities. In 1970 Madeleine gave each son a lot and kept two cottages. To this day, all but one cottage remains in family hands. Helen and Wayne live year-round in his parents’ cottage with its views of the immense lake to the south, dark pine and spruce forest behind.

Family members share ownership and responsibility for maintenance of Maloney Road. “The only one who doesn’t have legal access is that she-turtle who crosses the road to lay her eggs,” jokes Joe. The folks who made the cottage experience available for others now enjoy it themselves.

In 2010 Kevin and Shelly decided to help others make summer memories. They bought three of the cottages and founded Maloney’s Retreat, a summer camp for adults with special needs. The couple and their staff welcome 72 campers per year, in small groups. The campers enjoy the pontoon boat, outdoor games, the beach and the friendships. Helen recounts they wave to folks on the shore who always wave back. They wave to her as she mows the grounds on her riding mower, the crowd growing with each circuit of the property. Maloney’s is a place where you feel you belong.

Many members of the pioneer Bonter family live year-round on the Crowe Lake shores of the original family farm. Great-grandfather’s hundreds of acres once extended from Booster Park Road to Marble Point Road just west of Marmora. The dignified family farmhouse still stands at the crest of the last hill before the shore, along Bonter Pioneer Drive.

Andy Bonter and brother Jeff carry on the tradition established by their grandfather - catering to sportsmen and fishermen at Bonter Marine. Grandfather Bill Bonter was a Johnson

outboard dealer who built cedar strip boats - “Better Boats by Bonter.” In the late 1920s he constructed eight or nine summer rental cottages, which he and wife Ruth operated until the late 1970s. Grandfather was ideally suited to the life - a multi-tasker who juggled an ice business, insurance business, boat building, boat rentals, propane sales, and the cottages, and yet was “always available for a chat” with the guests.

The cabins weren’t fancy; expectations were different then. Andy recalls “the same old 1930s cabins were there in the Seventies. Two had indoor plumbing, for the women visitors.”

For the boys, play and work blended. “When it rained we bailed boats. We met returning fishermen, tied up the boats, carried the catch and sometimes cleaned fish.” And it was the fishing in Crowe’s pristine waters that brought many American families up for the entire summer, year after year. Andy recalls one family from Painesville, Ohio who still come to visit his grandmother, attending family weddings and funerals. “They had seven or eight kids; we all became friends.”

Willie Mulrooney’s workhorse Nellie features in many memories of visitors to his cottages on Stoco Lake, and Mulrooney himself is remembered as a popular figure.Photo courtesy Judi Libman / The Tweed News

The unspoiled surroundings and Moira Lake’s famous fishing brought affluent tourists from Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State, as well as occasional Ontario guests, to Pitts’ Landing.Photo courtesy Ketcheson Family


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Although Willie Mulrooney was a bachelor farmer, he managed to create a family community on the shore of Sugar Island, Stoco Lake. Families who cottaged on the lake were primarily merchants from Tweed and area: Bush, Vesey, Belch, Barnett, McCallum.

Around 1945 William Peter Mulrooney hired respected local carpenter Paddy Whelan to build 14 cottages on the shore of his farm on Bethel Road, off the Marlbank road. In her cottage reminiscences, Judi (Barnett) Libman recalls 13 happy summers there in one of the small open-rafter frame cottages with tin hip roofs. An outhouse, ice-house (Willie would cut lake ice in the winter for the cottage iceboxes) and communal well pump provided the amenities.

People made their own fun. Each cottage was equipped with a flat bottomed wood boat. Kids played ball in the nearby farm field or gathered armfuls of pea vines from the summer crop. Willie collected camp garbage with a wagon and his work-horse Nellie, who figures in many memories.

Mike Hanley has been summering at Stoco Lake for 51 summers; today he and his siblings use the cottage as “a gathering place” for their widely scattered family. The cottage is still in its original form. Mike’s father and grandfather knew Mulrooney well. “He was a funny little old man; everybody loved him.”

Willie built the first cottage - the Hanley’s cottage - for the priest at St. Edmund’s church, a welcome retreat during hot summers. In the late Sixties, Willie sold the cottages to his long-term renters. “He was more interested in who he sold to than the price he got.”

Libman shared nostalgic 1950s family photos with Evan Morton of the Tweed and District Heritage Centre: kids at dress-up days, proudly holding strings of fish, grinning on homemade docks or cottage steps, happy families gathering for food or campfires.

Mulrooney’s 1973 obituary recalls that “he was engaged in farming all his life, and had lived in the same district his entire lifetime, where he enjoyed a wide circle of friends.” In the Mulrooney cottages, Willie left a legacy. Memories.

Moira Lake is home to an early farm tourist home and camp turned modern family cottage enclave. The story of Pitts’ Landing, now the summer refuge of Gayle (Pitts) Ketcheson and husband Grant and their extended family, was recounted by Gayle’s mother Reta Pitts in her 2010 memoir Roses in December. And Reta would know. The former teacher “with that little writing gene” arrived as James Arthur Pitts’ new bride in the middle of tourist season 1939. Reta’s entry into the tourist home kitchen marked the second generation of farm wives to welcome visitors. Her teaching career abandoned she pitched in, preparing three home-cooked meals a day, cleaning and entertaining, assisting her mother-in-law at Lakeview Inn on the north shore of Moira Lake.

Reta’s children Gayle, Jayne and Gordon grew up in the farmhouse, the fourth generation at Pitts’ Landing. Gayle recounts the story, seated on the deck overlooking Moira Lake, herons gliding by, red squirrels harvesting cones in the white pines high overhead.

Pitts’ Landing was not always so peaceful. It began as a working farm and over the generations evolved into the peaceful haven it is today. Gayle’s great grandparents James and Maria (nee Snyder) Pitts purchased the farm and shoreline in 1876; the property became known as Pitts’ Landing.

In the fullness of time, sons Arthur and Chesley inherited the land - Arthur took over the lakeside farm and house to the west, Chesley inherited the eastern shore now known as Crystal Beach, a

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Mulrooney had 14 cottages built on the shore of his farm on Bethel Road and in the late 1960s he sold them off to longtime visitors.

Each of the Pitts’ Landing cottages had a name and a story. ‘Camp Rochester’ was one of the original eight cabins built on the shores of Moira Lake in 1939.


summer camping resort. That property was later sold out of the family.

In 1900 Arthur built a frame farmhouse and a year later, brought his bride Martha to the lakeside farm. From 1907 until the mid-Forties, the busy

farm wife welcomed summer boarders to Lake View Inn, serving home-cooked meals to 30 guests, white linen tablecloths still ‘de rigeur.’ Housekeeping cottages down by the lake - two, then eight, later 10, expanded her workload.

Fortunately, there was hired help. Arthur, then later his son James, would be called from full-time work on the farm to rent a boat or make a repair. “The Pitts family had only limited time to enjoy the lake,” recalls Gayle.


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The unspoiled surroundings and Moira Lake’s famous fishing brought affluent tourists from Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State, as well as occasional Ontario guests. Grant explains: “Most Canadians didn’t holiday, maybe the merchant and professional classes...”

The cottage colony grew, each tiny house with a name and a story. ‘Bayview’, ‘Le Nid’, ‘Camp Rochester’, the ‘Arthur’, ‘Edgewater’ and ‘Wee Blue Inn’, some of them altered over the years, were among the original eight 1939 cottages on the shoreline. The story of the first, ‘Tuulen Tupa’, named by its Finnish residents, is intriguing. A simple white one and a half-storey frame farmhouse, it was built about 1895 by Arthur Pitts for his sister Alice. Sadly she died, leaving Arthur with the never-used house. After a nearly disastrous attempt to move the house on the shore by ice to a new owner Arthur parked it safely back on shore, where it stands still. Gayle’s brother Gordon, business writer and author of the soon to be released Moira Memories and wife Elaine, who has deep roots in the area, now summer at ‘Tuulen Tupa’.

Many families returned each year - some for 50 seasons! And as they expanded, accommodation

stretched to fit, with tent sites in 1962 and later seasonal trailers.

When James died, Reta sold most of the farm, dividing the waterfront among the children, ensuring at least one cottage on each parcel. The former rental cottages have been absorbed by family. Gayle and Grant fixed up three cottages for their children.

Today ‘Camp Rochester’ is the summer home of Gayle and Grant Ketcheson. The couple spend their summers tending the property, welcoming family and guests and counting their blessings in their little piece of Moira Lake heaven. A “hillbilly Hyannis”, Grant observes wryly, of the active extended family enjoying communal meals and campfires, water-sports and hammock time “with Kennedy flair.”

It seems we may have lost a lot in our modern desire for the perfect vacation. It’s about making memories. A quiet lake, modest accommodation, plenty of nature and the warm conviviality of extended family enjoying the short sweet summer used to be all we needed. And maybe still do. •‘Tuulen Tupa’, a simple white one and a half storey

farmhouse, was built around 1895 by Arthur Pitts for his sister Alice.


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Misty mornings begin before dawn for the many small-enterprise farmers who tend agricultural outposts in and around Hastings County, as

dew lingers on the crops at sunrise. For some, morning arrives with the call of

a rooster as eggs are collected from nesting hutches and rabbits are penned into the hatch of a pick-up truck for the journey to the Maynooth Farmer’s Market.

They are professionals, often arriving to set up their booths before sunrise, in preparation for the Saturday market, which draws more than 50 vendors from across East Central Ontario each week.

“We have people from Palmer Rapids, Combermere, Madoc, Lakefield and Haliburton,” says Christine Hass, who has been organizing the market since its start eight years ago. “There is also a strong network of locals from Carlow-Mayo, Lake St. Peter and in around Bancroft and Maynooth.”

While they are professionals, they are nonetheless often small-enterprise skilled workers, sometimes with just a handful of people responsible for everything from marketing to crop cultivation, as well as harvest and distribution.

It is a labour of love for the many farmers who come together despite the odds, making local produce more accessible in their community.

“Hastings County has a high proportion of employment in agriculture and related activities in contrast to Ontario as a whole,” points out Andrew Redden of the Hastings County Economic Development Office. “While the 2011 census of agriculture reported 49 fewer total farms than in the 2006 census, there are many smaller scale and artisan-type agricultural operations taking root in Hastings County.”

Farming success involves balancing many variables, of which weather is one of the most significant.

Weather is also unique in the Hastings Highlands due the high altitude of many farms like Hillsview Farm and Studios, which is carved

Labour of loveMaynooth market incubator for small-enterprise farmers

Story and photos by Sarah Vance

Violinist Liam Kelly practices during the market in Maynooth. Live music is a feature from sunrise until mid-afternoon.


out of the top of Hillsview Road, at a 1400 ft. altitude.

“Because of our high altitude, we have less frost, and many warm-weather herbs flourish in the temperatures at our farm where we enjoy

more rain than low lying areas like Bancroft,” explains Carol Russell, a speciality farmer, who delivers value-added products from the farm with her husband Hugh. “There are many naturally occurring wild berries and our farming strategy

has been to go with what the land is already producing.”

And for many it comes down to good time-management and production trouble-shooting, which can make or break these seasonal businesses.

“I made more than 30 pies last night,” says Christine on the eve of the summer market opening day in May. “But I will still be up before dawn on Saturday, tending to everything that will need to be done.”

For some vendors it is an intergenerational affair, like for Joyce Dale, who delivers a full breakfast each Saturday, with children and grandchildren, inside the Old Community Centre where the market booths are set-up in the parking lot outside.

It is a network that continues to grow each year, embedding itself deeper into the fabric of local life, while providing greater choice for consumers as services grow.

“This year there will also be five or more vendors across the street in the parking lot at the rink,” says Hass, whose biggest problem as a market facilitator is not finding vendors, but obtaining space to put them all.

While the comprehensive economic value of markets like the one in Maynooth have yet to be calculated locally, some research exists at the provincial level.

Data collected by Experience Renewal Solutions Inc. has led to estimates that the

Poet Peter Jones is a market regular signing copies of his books and sharing selections with patrons.


economic activity associated with farmers’ markets in Ontario is approximately $792 million each year, with $593 million in labour income, and 21,000 jobs sustained annually.

In fact, $1.27 billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been attributed to an up-cropping of small-scale farmers’ markets in Ontario.

In Maynooth, one measurable gain can be found in the fact that the market has grown from between eight to 12 vendors in its first year, to more than 50 regular vendors this summer.

The market boasts sustainability as it grows, with vendor’s fees covering the annual $800 cost of insurance levied upon occupying the space, which is donated in-kind, by the municipality of Hastings Highlands.

The social impact of the market is undeniable as it continues to emerge as a meeting space for people who simply want to get-together and enjoy themselves in common.

Known by the Greeks as “agora” and translated as an ‘open place of assembly’, thinkers like Socrates once considered market gatherings to be largely philosophical in nature, providing citizens with opportunities to consider their values, through everyday experiences.

“Not everyone who comes to the market is here to buy fresh produce,” says Hass. “We have many customers who attend to meet with their neighbors and talk about things, sitting on the park benches and drinking coffee.”

This social capital is leveraged with an economy of greetings and conversations that are emerging as confectioners and jewelry designers set-up shop alongside farmers’ fresh produce.

“The market is not just about taking products with the hope of selling everything that I can load in my SUV,” says Lea Kitler, who runs Magnificent Hill, a small-enterprise farm staffed by summer interns and woofers, on the international circuit. “It is about connecting with friends and meeting new people.”

There are accompanying benefits to consumers, many of whom are cottagers who venture off the lakes to obtain tax-free produce with the grocery store middle-man cut out.

Markets tighten up the supply-chain by providing a venue for farmers who do not have store-fronts for distributing their goods. This makes local food more accessible, while providing positive outcomes in places like Maynooth, where food insecurities exist.

Money is not always the currency of exchange in the market.

Bartering and product exchanges are common practice, as are service-exchanges like stacking wood, plowing driveways or tilling a garden in exchange for products like a side of lamb.

There is diversity at the market which has led to its becoming an economic multiplier for neighboring businesses, who see more customers on market day.

Hass attributes the success of the market to the fact that approaches are relaxed, with minimal by-laws governing participation.

Market organizer Christine Hass has seen an increase in vendors from eight in the first year to more than 50 this summer.

Left: Lea Kitler, who runs Magnificent Hill Farm, is also author of the book ‘A Magnificent Life.’

Below: For some a trip to the Maynooth Market is nothing more than a social occasion – a chance to catch up with neighbours and fellow community members.

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While some markets place restrictions on what can and cannot be sold, Hass seeks to reduce obstacles for vendors.

“I have one vendor who brought 50 beautiful bundles of asparagus in early May; she didn’t grow it herself, but her brother did in Lindsay,” says Hass. “Some markets would restrict this sale, but the way I look at it is we need these products locally, and we aren’t always able to purchase these in the grocery store anyways.”

There are also artisan products, like those supplied by Hee-Bee-Gee-Bees, a family owned and operated business in Bancroft, which provides apiary and honeybee products.

Beeswax candles, scrubs, lotions and hand-poured soaps, along with natural honey from local hives are in abundance at this booth.

“We really have something for everyone - specialty honey, exotic blue and shiitake mushrooms, wooden furniture, stone-baked

breads and infused vinegars,” says Hass describing some of the available products, which also include custom-made clothing and visual arts.

As vendors from all walks of life continue to gravitate to the market, relationships are developed between farmers and prospective clients who are invested in knowing where their food comes from.

“Over the past few years I’ve witnessed a demand for locally produced, fresh and healthy food,” says Redden. “This pushes interest in farmers’ markets and events providing an opportunity for producers and consumers to connect.”

This comes down to relationships, like those developed by Hillsview’s Carol Russell.

“The market has really allowed us to get to know who our customers are. We have learned that they are people who might equally love or hate cooking,” explains Russell, who is also the provincial government liaison for the Maynooth and Hastings Highlands Business Association in her spare time. “Our customers are often seeking highly specialized products, which can reduce or enhance what they are already having to do in their kitchen.”

The success of the market in Maynooth has something to do with the mindset of its members who give back to the community, who are known for donating funds to events like the annual Maynooth Madness children’s activities that

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Experience Has Its Rewards

Local farmers practice a labour of love as they come together despite the odds, making local produce more accessible in their community.

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Hastings HighlandsShops & Services in

occur at Hastings Highlands Centre over the August long weekend.

“It’s nice to establish a relationship with the person producing the food we eat and we feel better knowing that we’re supporting a local producer as opposed to sending our money off somewhere else,” says Redden, underscoring the ways in which the market supports local business.

There are shared marketing strategies developing as a result of the market community, which describes itself as a family.

But it is the abundance of high quality, innovative products that are driving market successes.

Imagine a living salad -- combined in potted soil -- a collection of garlic scape, baby green onion sprouts, spinach leaves, arugula and sprigs of cilantro all sprouting together in a planter, with their roots intact.

That’s about as natural as it gets. And that, along with slow-BBQ caribbean

pulled-pork sandwich, could be your lunch on any given Saturday in Maynooth, on market day.

Live music plays from sunrise until the mid-afternoon and dogs on-leash are welcomed and encouraged, for vendors and patrons alike.

“We welcome pups who line up for sausage rolls at my booth and where there is fresh-water on site,” says Hass with a smile.

The outdoor market comes to life every Saturday until Thanksgiving at the Old Community Centre,

with winter and spring events happening all year-round, on the second weekend of each month, indoor, at the Hastings Highlands Centre.

It’s worth the trip to Maynooth. •

Carol and Hugh Russell of Hillsview Farm and Studios identify the market as a great place for getting to know their customers.


A mountain of memoriesA trip back in time via old Highway 7

BY BARRY PENHALE

R E M E M B E R I N G

The host on a recent CBC radio broadcast encouraged listeners to submit their favourite

roadside attractions in Ontario. Audience reaction was swift and more than one response singled out the Big Apple, a site familiar to countless motorists travelling Highway 401 in the vicinity of Brighton and Colborne. Having trekked across the trillium province on major highways and countless lesser-known roads, I quickly found that the CBC show prompted my old noggin to be suddenly flooded with past travel experiences. It also led to the realization that though it had never occurred to me before, I can now categorically state publicly that my personal favourite among Ontario’s highways is old Highway 7, officially proclaimed a provincial highway in 1933.

Thanks to my parents, Cliff and Bea Penhale, I was included in their many explorations by car, usually a

Chevy of the time. My introduction to Hwy. 7 took place while a youngster way back in the 1940s. Our destination was Sharbot Lake where Dad was anxious to fish.

The still new-like road surface was a testament to that always potent combination of engineering and bull work. The mind boggles at what the contractors undoubtedly faced to build a major artery linking Actinolite to Kaladar and eastward to Perth. Blasting through Shield country during the 1930s would not have been any picnic.

Rental cottage accommodation at Sharbot Lake filled the bill nicely and we took an immediate liking to our genial host, a retired railway man who rented out wooden fishing boats, sold live bait, and generously shared his considerable knowledge of local waters. Many years later, in a book titled A

Stringerful of Memories, I was to recall some quite unexpected experiences while fishing Sharbot Lake in a chapter labelled “Oddities.”

Over the years Hwy. 7 was to serve as our scenic route leading to a multitude of adventures, one of which involved a stay at Buckshot Lake not too far from Arden. By now I was a testosterone-fuelled fellow — 17 years of age and with a driver’s licence. Fishing quickly took second best when I discovered a dream of a girl in my age bracket at our camp. Using the family car, without chaperones, we made our way along #7 to a well-publicized dance at Sharbot Lake. It was a wonderful evening that added further to a burgeoning summer romance. Truly a memory linked to Sharbot Lake that has survived to this day.

For years, an imposing store at Kaladar on Hwy. 7 was a favourite stopping spot for travellers. The

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A familiar sight on Highway 7 at Kaladar, this store was operated by Arnold York and his wife from 1934 to the late 60s. The previous owner of the site was Jack Pringle of Arden, who went on to become the local MP.Photo courtesy The Barry Penhale Collection

Buster and Bandy arrived at Prices’ in 1950 and immediately shared the spotlight with the older Teddy.Photo courtesy Tweed Heritage Centre/Tweed News

The Log Cabin was a busy spot at the time this photo was taken around 1950. With Highway 7 established as a major route connecting Toronto and Ottawa, cars and buses would often pull in for food and gas.Photo courtesy Tweed Heritage Centre/Tweed News


R E M E M B E R I N G

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E S T . 1 9 3 7

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emporium, owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Arnold York, carried just about everything and was a magnet for many motorists. A pit-stop here usually resulted in gasoline purchases, groceries, and snacks, not always in that order. The Yorks operated the store and a snack bar from 1934 to the late 1960s. In the delightful published account of pioneer life within the Land O’ Lakes region, The Oxen and the Axe, published by The Pioneers of Cloyne, Ont., Mrs. York recalled that in 1934 she and her husband believed if they cleared $1.00 a day they could make a living.

Simply put, a mention of old Hwy. 7 to anyone up in years leads to a mountain of memories involving mind-staggering sections of Precambrian Shield, colourful jerry-built blueberry stands, simply awesome sunsets, and moons bigger than any in Texas. However, the real avalanche of nostalgia for many is prompted by the foremost attraction Hwy. 7 has ever boasted along its storied route — bigger by far than the well-known Sharbot Lake Hotel or the successful York operation. Nothing in its time could generate public interest quite like The Log Cabin Service Station and Restaurant near Actinolite, owned and operated by brothers Bruce and Lloyd H. “Bud” Price. The Supertest gas (an All-Canadian company) probably wasn’t superior to any other petrol, but thousands of travellers in their own vehicles or travelling by bus simply would not pass up the establishment.

Ask anyone with a lengthy acquaintance with Hwy. 7 and you will instantly be inundated with Canadian bear stories. Undoubtedly the major attraction for visitors to the area, beginning in the summer of 1933, was a bulky brown bear known as Teddy who became famous and was greatly mourned when he died in the fall of 1964 at just over 31 years of age. Though the original bear tenant at The Log Cabin, Teddy had company during his later years when joined by Buster and Bandy in 1950. That the trio attracted record-breaking throngs has been well-documented over time. Though all would be viewed with justifiable horror in today’s world, their pulling power at the time was phenomenal!

A brief history of the Price Brothers’ Log Cabin can be gleaned from handwritten but undated recollections of Bud Price. The original property was purchased in 1932 by his father, the Reverend Major Merritt Price, a major in the machine gun corps in the First World War, who had returned to Canada with his English war bride, Dorothy. At the time Reverend Price preached in Actinolite at the massive marble church that has long figured prominently in the history of the Tweed district. The original Log Cabin was built in 1933, constructed from logs that previously served the Lutheran church on the “old Flinton Road” and others came from a pioneer home in the nearby Potter Settlement. Additional timber and a sizeable amount of new lumber was required for a 44 x 30 foot building and the added kitchen area (24 x16). Completing the initial layout were four 12 x 8 overnight cabins, each equipped with a double bed, sink, and coat hooks. Primitive as this may now seem, such modest accommodation was acceptable prior to the Second World War.

Bud Price remembered those early days when a Delco generator (before local hydroelectric power) met the lighting needs, and water was pumped into a reservoir by a one-cylinder gas engine that, coupled with gravity, allowed a modest flow to sinks and toilets. Custom-built well-insulated ice boxes contained blocks of ice to “refrigerate” food, beverages, and ice cream. A “yummy made-on-the-spot” ice cream was a daily treat, thanks to a Delco-powered mixer. Ingredients, among others, consisted of 50% separated cream and 50% milk.

A notice in The Tweed News, dated August 14, 1985, announced a change of ownership with the sale of the establishment to Norman and Violet Shorey. For many people this represented the end of an era whose kind was not likely to come around again. During their 40 years at the helm Bruce and Bud Price had both witnessed and participated in a unique period of remarkable economic growth. Tourism expanded significantly as travellers now journeyed further and faster, craved new comforts, and it would appear in some cases also lost the ability to linger and experience simple, often everyday things — such things as a stop at Prices’, savouring their homemade ice cream, and having one’s picture taken by an old box camera with Teddy, Buster, and Bandy in the background. Such memories are priceless.

My friend, Cindy Dymond recently shared her memories from the 1970s when, while studying law at the University of Ottawa, she would either by car or bus travel Hwy. 7 en route to Toronto where her family lived. Like so many others, she always stopped at Price Brothers. In her memory, the place was so surrounded by bush that the weather during such pit stops always seemed to be either extremely hot or bitterly cold! She further recalled just how many people she knew in Ottawa that would speak of their own Hwy. 7 experience and the unusual phenomenon of bear cages in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed to city-slickers. There was, as Cindy so neatly summed up, “a kind of Appalachian feel to it!”

Perhaps the sultry French actress of the recent past, Simone Signoret, said it best when she titled her own exceptional life story Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.* There is a time in one’s own existence when we should all wax nostalgic over the past — wistfully bringing to mind landmarks and bears long gone and a familiar highway that fortunately is still with us. •Acknowledgements: Research support provided by Evan Morton at the Tweed Heritage Centre.Simone Signoret. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1978.


Making Your Dream Kitchen A Reality!

159 Y Road, Bancroft

613.332.4766www.designerkitchensontario.ca

JUST SAYINGBY SHELLEY WILDGEN

A ttention Recreational Shoppers: If the art of the deal is what floats your boat, stay right where you are with your ribbons of credit cards. If knowing who you’re dealing with is your top

priority, line up over here with me.I’m not sure who introduced the phrase

‘relationship sales’, but I do know how much I like it. To my way of thinking, sales should involve a relationship -- something with an introduction, a depth of knowledge, and a two-way understanding. In a world of transactional selling, which promotes short term, single sale solutions, this changing face of customer service is befuddling. It’s hard to adapt to online shopping carts, disembodied voices, clothes that don’t fit and products that don’t ship. I guess the good news is that it forces some of us out of our houses in search of the real deal that can only be found in a real building. Storefront-inhabiting store owners may be in shorter supply , but so long as I have breath in my body and car keys in my hand I’ll continue to find and fund them best I can. I buy my cars from Cooney’s, my menswear from Red Shark and, when possible, my produce from the Belleville Farmers’ Market because I simply cannot resist a shop owner who is passionate about their product.

There’s an art store in Cobourg I used to frequent as much to chat with the colourful storeowner as to buy her many art pieces – from a painted window to a canvas of a beach using real sand to a bronze bust of a bust. Loved and bought it all! Would I have done the same if I saw those wares on Amazon? Not likely. The nuances of real life-person-chat sell me every time…and they don’t always have to be cheerful.

Another favourite haunt was a church owned by a guy who sold all kinds of quirky things. I always stopped in and I always bought something. Once I spied an arched mirror in the shape of a church window. Oh, I had to have it. Where did it come from? How did he find it? He looked dubiously at me then went into a story I devoured with every gesture. “Well, it comes from very far away. I had it shipped from the temple of a wee Asian village in…CHINA!”

Gulp. I still pulled out my wallet and said mirror still hangs in my living room. Even with mocking sarcasm, church guy provided me with the kind of story I would never get from hitting ‘add to cart’. An equally memorable, but nicer storeowner is a woman named ‘Snow’, in PEI. Her vintage displays are irresistible: white wicker, patchwork quilts, coloured glass, ancient wooden tables. You get the picture. She readily engages in conversation as I linger about, and she always throws in a little something extra. A tea towel or a book. Just a little sumpin’ for stopping by. One time she dashed out to my car as I was leaving just to give me a bouquet of freshly cut Black Eyed Susans in a china vase. I found myself shopping at her store every week.

When I was on the hunt for used furniture, a friend encouraged me to branch out to Kijiji, so I did. And when I did, surprisingly, I found a favourite shopowner online. I wanted dressers. One for each bedroom. I came upon this young mom who bought old dressers and then custom painted them. She did her painting while her baby slept, and kept her inventory moving out the door at the rate of one $80 dresser a day. Her story, her ambition and

Shopper or Stalker?

her creativity kept me going back until I ran out of bedrooms.

I think a lot my appreciation for storeowners developed when I was raising my kids in Stirling. I regularly frequented a small, family-run grocery store, a family-owned shoe store with a real puppy to pet, and a couple of restaurants with the local owners’ names right out front. My favourite was an antique shop where the owner talked the price down instead of up. You grow to expect and appreciate real personalities selling real things.

The only possible down side for some smaller stores is they have to make sure to maintain every customer relationship. One bout of a customer being taken for granted can lead to hurt feelings and, occasionally, back to the big box snits can follow.

Big box stores have customer service departments that easily refund money on bad purchases but they lack the friendly expertise of a store owner which, in turn, prevents those bad purchases from happening in the first place. I find they’re just fine if you know exactly what you’re after, though. A skilled audio friend recommended I go to Best Buy to buy my fancy schmancy microphone, so I did, without incident. It’s fine. It’s good.

Now I want to buy something for listening to music. Being from the whoofer and tweeter era, I don’t want to take my ignorance to a plucky young thing from a big box store, and luckily I don’t have to. It turns out, Red Ball Radio will be my next stop. Locally owned by a local audio expert, I’m counting on Red Ball Radio to understand my story, then sell me exactly what I need.

And he will.•

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• Furniture• Cottage Décor• Local Artisan Work• Gifts & More

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Coe Hill & OrmsbyS M A L L T O W N C H A R M A W A I T S

August 26 & 27Coe Hill Agricultural Fair...

The Show Place of North Hastings...

July 1 CANADA DAY Parade, Family Events, Fireworks

Fireworks on Wollaston Lake - Watch from the Public Beach,

Bear Ridge Cottages or from the Lake.

Now’s the time to discover the stunning forests and crystal clear lakes

of Wollaston Township in the beautiful hills of North Hastings.

FOR EVENTS, SHOPS, AND MUCH MORE VISIT WWW.WOLLASTONTOWNSHIP.CA Topguns in Foodplots

in association with Toms Place Outdoor Store2294 Highway 620

[email protected]

www.topgunsinfoodplots.com

Topguns in Foodplots is a program created by outdoor enthusiast Tom Spatafore.He has learned from the best - the animals themselves. Tom has developed hisown highly diversified food plots only available from his outdoor store located inCoe Hill, or his authorized dealers. Tom has set out to give landowners andhunting clubs a complete foodplot program to help them understand the power offood plots to draw in wildlife, like the whitetail deer, and keep them coming back.

Topguns in Foodplotsin association with Toms Place Outdoor Store

2294 Highway 620613-337-5058

[email protected]


VISITORINFORMATION

CENTRE

Located in the Bancroft Train Station

8 Hastings Heritage Way, Bancroft, Ontario

1.888.443.9999

VISITOR

INFORMATION CENTRE

Located in the Bancroft Train Station

8 Hasting Heritage Way, Bancroft, Ontario

1-888-443-9999

y o u r l e t t e r s

Dear County RoadsI want to send a message to Robert Ferguson regarding swans. This morning at 9:30 am I had the pleasure of seeing a pair of swans from my kitchen window. I live on Cooper Rd in Madoc 2kms North of 7. They were so low and so close I could see their feet and faces quite clearly. It was amazing. Thanks for the article. Jane McCullochMadoc, ON

Dear Country RoadsRobert Ferguson, your photos are awesome, and your article about the swans was very interesting and so well written!! I’m telling all our neighbours!Jane MartinMarmora, ON

APPARENTLY READERS CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF “THE SIMPLE LIFE”.

WE RECENTLY SHARED ON FACEBOOK MICHELLE ANNETTE TREMBLAY’S ARTICLE ‘REBEL WITH A CAUSE’ FROM OUR FALL 2015 ISSUE. IT QUICKLY HAD A REACH OF NEARLY 3,000. PRINT ARTICLES OFTEN LIVE AGAIN ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. BE SURE TO CHECK IN REGULARLY TO SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING ONLINE.

HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR‘THE COMPASS’

Country Roads’ exciting new newsletter?

Visit www.countryroadshastings.ca and sign up today!

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT

#MyCountryRoadsHastings

Use this hashtag to share your best summer in Hastings County photos. Your shot may wind up on our website or in a future issue of the magazine.

The feature article Back From The Brink by Robert Ferguson, in our Spring issue really resonated with readers. After reading many shared their thoughts and experiences with us. Here’s a sample.

ON THE COVER Summer Morn Cover Photo: Gail Burstyn

Regular contributor Gail Burstyn took this photo of her dog Tia enjoying the early morning view on Paudash Lake. Situated just south of Bancroft Paudash Lake features natural shorelines of impressive pink granite and towering pines alongside quiet bays and inlets.

g l a n m o r e . c a

Open Year-Round Tuesday to Sunday

September to May: 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm June to August: 10 am - 4:30 pm

Closed Holidays

Glanmore National Historic Site of Canada

257 Bridge Street East, Belleville, ON 613-962-2329

Township of Tyendinaga Special Events 2016

Saturday June 11th- 5km Fun Run and Grand Opening of Walking Trail. All proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Friday July 1st- Canada day Celebrations August 26th, 27th and 28th- Shannonville Worlds Fair

Home of the South Hastings Baseball League. 859 Melrose Rd, R.R#1, Shannonville, On K0K3A0

Tel: 613.396.1944 Web: www.tyendinagatownship.com

Township of Tyendinaga Special Events 2016

Saturday June 11th- 5km Fun Run and Grand Opening of Walking Trail. All proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Friday July 1st- Canada day Celebrations August 26th, 27th and 28th- Shannonville Worlds Fair

Home of the South Hastings Baseball League. 859 Melrose Rd, R.R#1, Shannonville, On K0K3A0

Tel: 613.396.1944 Web: www.tyendinagatownship.com


We are a persistent and stubborn species, especially those of us who live in Canada. We will tolerate almost any sort of discomfort to take pleasure from our

environment and we will see the positive in any season, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Bitter cold and eternal darkness in winter? No problem, we invented sports like hockey and curling and ice fishing to help while away the days. We hold winter carnivals and snowfests to give the impression that we actually look forward to the months of January and February.

In fall, as the days grow shorter and cooler and the cottage gets closed up, we delight in the spectacular fall colours and even manage to entice logical, clear-thinking tourists from other countries to come and “enjoy” them with us.

When it comes to living in Canada, it definitely pays to have a “water bottle half full” outlook on life.

This positive view comes through very clearly in the months of May and June. On those first warm and sunny days when cottages are opening up, barbecues are fired up and lawnmowers are gassed up, the blackflies also make their first appearance. And they don’t come in just ones or twos, they arrive in swarms that envelope your head and pester you incessantly.

If mosquitoes are the overt bullies of the Canadian summer playground, blackflies are the surreptitious silent assassins. Mosquitoes will buzz noisily and sting when they make their attack. But with blackflies, even though you know they are there, you don’t actually feel their wrath until you are safely ensconced back indoors and suddenly detect the itchy bumps on your neck,

head and other exposed areas, evidence of their assault.

There is a kind of sick, creepy intelligence to blackflies. I swear one day after I had finished mowing the lawn I heard a swarm of them snickering behind me. It turns out they had tattooed the words “Bite Me” on the back of my neck.

But as much as we complain about blackflies, as much discomfort as they bring us, we refuse to give in and go back inside. We will stubbornly lounge outside, cook our meat on an open fire and cut our grass while we are tormented by these tiny black pests.

As with our other seasons, we will put a happy face on anything to derive some enjoyment out of it. And we are certainly not going to let swarms of annoying black biters spoil our short summer. We will endure all manner of discomfort if it is accompanied by sunshine and warmth.

Indeed, we carry those itchy, red welts that blackflies leave behind as a kind of trophy from our early summer weekends. Walk into any workplace on the Tuesday following the Victoria Day long weekend and you may see co-workers comparing the bumps on the back of their necks.

“Hey, you sure got eaten up, you must have had quite the weekend.”

“Yeah, I was outside the whole time, it was fabulous. You think my neck’s bad, you should see what the little buggers did to my back. It was awesome.”

One can imagine the reaction of our pioneer predecessors when confronted with the joy of blackflies in their first year of settlement in their new home. After finding out that the fabulous acreage the British government had given them

for an unbelievably good deal consisted mostly of rocks, after surviving a bitterly cold and dark winter, they must have found the arrival of blackfly season a cruel and unusual joke.

Imagine the poor pioneer farmer in his first May in Hastings County, enjoying some sun and warmth and finally finding some redeeming qualities to his new home. Suddenly the first swarm of blackflies attacks him. “Really?” he asks as he looks heavenward in desperation. “I left England for this?”

But to his credit, our noble settler did not give up. He didn’t pack up his family and meager possessions and trek back to Kingston or Montreal and try to find passage back across the Atlantic. No, he stuck it out, and he created things like burgers and barbecues and screened-in porches to help alleviate the discomfort brought on by his newfound antagonists. And he learned that the experience of dealing with the blackflies prepared him well for the mosquitoes that would follow.

And that resilience spread to other aspects of his life. He gradually dug the rocks out of his farmland so that he could finally grow something in the summer; he discovered that the leaves turned pretty neat colours in the fall and that helped him forget about the shorter days and cooler weather; and in the winter he and his friends found they could actually have some fun outside on the frozen lakes or rivers whacking a piece of galvanized rubber with wooden sticks, or sliding rocks from one end of a playing area to the other.

That posi t ive spir i t has carr ied on to each succeeding generation, and it is worth remembering as we deal with life’s little irritations each season. •

Persistence paysTHE VILLAGE IDIOTBY JOHN HOPKINS

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Things to see and do in and around Hastings County.To submit your event listing email [email protected] or call us at 613 968-0499.

C O U N T R Y C A L E N D A R

ART GALLERIES/EXHIBITIONS

Art Gallery of Bancroft, 10 Flint Avenue, Bancroft, 613-332-1542 [email protected] www.artgallerybancroft.ca June (June 1 – July 2) – Nancy

McKinnon - “Seasons of My Jour-ney” Opening reception Fri, June 3 at 7:30 pm. Sponsors: Cope Barrett Certi-fied General Accounting, and Bancroft Eatery and Brew Pub

July 6 – 30 – Tracey Lee Green – “Portraits of Nature: A Journey from Anvil to Easel” Opening reception Fri, July 8 at 7:30 pm. Sponsors : Barbara Reid, and Micheline J. Leveque, Barris-ter and Solicitor

August (August 3 – September 3) – “Finding Critical Mass”: A col-lection from Algonquin artists Curated by: Robin Tinney Also: Bancroft & Area Studio Tour sampler in the Gallery Shop Opening reception Fri, August 5 at 7:30 pm. Sponsor: Marla Allison

Wildewood Gallery, 33012 Hwy.62, Maynooth, ON. 613-338-3134 [email protected] July 1 - September 05 – summer

long show of Anita Murphy & Rocky Green: Two Originals

THEATRE/LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Stirling Festival Theatre, West Front St., Stirling 613-395-2100 1-877-312-1162 www.stirlingfestivaltheatre.com

August 5 - 21 – Willy Wonka: A Young Company Show. This family musical play combines elements of both Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and of the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Tickets: Youth $15, Member $24, Senior $26, Non-Member $28 Family 4 Pack ( 2 Adults/2 Kids) $75

EVENTS:

June 18 – South-Central/Eastern On-tario Postage Stamp, Coin & Postcard Event Over one million Worldwide Stamps, Post-cards & Coins in stock. Stamps, Postcard & Coin Supplies available, many at discount-ed prices. King Edward Community Centre / Hockey Rink Complex, 75 Elizabeth St. / Hwy # 2, Brighton, Ontario. Free Admis-sion, Free Parking 10:30 am – 3:30 pm

June 18 - Summerlicious- Downtown Belleville - Downtown restaurants com-pete in this delicious competition by using seasonal ingredients to create their dishes. Enjoy samples and vote for your favourites. www.downtownbelleville.ca

June 26 & August 26 - Blood Donor Clinic. Stirling Public School 107 St. James St 5- 8pm. Book your appointment to GIVE LIFE 1 888 2 DONATE or www.blood.ca

June 26 - Farmtown Park Strawberry Social. Enjoy locally grown strawberries and ice cream, beef on a bun, music in the courtyard by “The Reasons” while you

tour the eight amazing buildings. Hastings County Museum of Agricultural Heritage, 437 West Front Street, Stirling, ON.(613) 395-0015 [email protected] www.farmtownpark.ca

June 28 - Brighton Horticultural So-ciety Monthly Meeting - 81 Elizabeth Street, King Edward Community Centre, Brighton Topic will be “Dividing Perennials” with Dawn Gollogher of Gardens PlusVisitors Welcome

July 1 – Crowe Lake Waterway Assoc. World Famous Lighted Boat Parade (approx. 7:30pm) and Fireworks on Crowe Lake, www.clwa.ca [email protected]

July 3 - Gem Shower – hosted by the Kingston Lapidary and Mineral Club. 4th Annual show and sale showcasing gem and mineral, lapidary and jewellery vendors from across Ontario & Quebec in the historic Crystal Palace – PEC Fairgrounds, 375 Main Street, Picton, ON. Admission: $3.00 per per-son, 12 and under free 10am – 5pm

July 5 – 28 - Children’s Summer Drop-In Programme - Tues & Thurs, at Queensbor-ough Community Centre from 1-3 pm 812 Bosley Rd., Queensborough. Info: Joanie Sims 613 473-1087

July 8- 10 - Bancroft Wheels, Water & Wings. Vintage Car show, soap box derby, airplane rides, York River Paddle Challenge, York River Amazing Race, and much more. www.beautifulbancroft.ca

July 9 - 17th Annual Town and Country Garden Tour. Rain or shine tour 8 beautiful gardens of Bay of Quinte self-guided tour. Box lunch & drink included. Tickets $25 http://cfuwbelleville.com/special-events/garden-tour/ or on the day of the tour from 8:30 am at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Belleville, ON or at participating retailers or

at the Gardens on day of the Tour. – 10am – 4pm.

July 9 10am – 5pm, July 10 10am to 4pm, Prince Edward County Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show Come to the county for the PEC Quilters’ Guild biannual show at the Wellington Community Centre, Essroc Arena, Wellington, ON, Admission is $6. Judged competition, quilt sales, raffle quilt, guest artists, merchant mall, members’ boutique, W.I. café and more. www.pec.on.ca/quiltersguild or FB - Prince Edward County Quilters Guild Quilt Show 2016.

July 9 & 10 - York River Paddle Chal-lenge &York River Amazing Race. York River Paddle Challenge – Beginner 3km, and Recreational 12km on July 11. York River Amazing Race -family paddling scavenger hunt - July 11. Elite 23 km - July 12. Register on-line prior to race at www.bancroftcommunitytransit.com. [email protected] 613-334-2385

July 16th - Crowe Lake Waterway As-sociation Annual General Meeting. Updates on local issues in addition to formative speakers. Door prizes. A 75th an-niversary luncheon to follow. 9:am. Curling Club ( 2 Crawford Drive) in Marmora. [email protected] www.clwa.ca

July 23 - Royal Victorian Garden Party & Tea 1:30-3:30pm. Organized by Madoc Trinity United Church and Heart of Hast-ings Hospice , and held in the gardens of 253 Durham St. in Madoc, ON. Advance tickets are recommended, as this event sells out. Tickets $15.00 and available from Bush Furniture of Madoc; Remax (Madoc); Karen Bailey (613) 473-2427, or Ron Mof-fatt (613) 473-2913. Sponsored by Moffatt Manor Antiques and Art Below.

July 23 & 24 – Madawaska Valley Stu-dio Tour, www.madawaskatour.com 10am – 5pm

July 28- 31 - 53nd Annual Rockhound Gemboree. Bancroft, ON. Canada’s largest gem & mineral show. Mineral specimen dealers, gemstone jewellery and lapidary supplies, mineral identification, and field trips. www.bancroftdistrict.com www.rockhoundgemboree.ca 1 888 443-9999.

July 30 - Tweed Art in The Park presented by Tweed & Area Arts Council. All types of artisan vendors (all arts and crafts) show held in Memorial Park in Tweed. Paintings, photos, craft products, pottery, printed products, calendars, etc - crafts of all types. www.tweedartscouncil.ca or call Bonnie at 613-478-1777.

July 30 & 31 - 35th Annual Bancroft Art and Craft Guild’s Summer Art and Craft Show, Millennium Park , 66 Hastings Street North, Sat 10am - 5pm, Sun10am - 4pm.

July 31 - CO Blitz Family Day. 11 am start. Kids Zone, Live Daly Auctions, Cardboard Duct Tape Boat Races. Combermere & Area Community Centre, 1095 Farmer Road, Combermere. 613 756-9729 or Combermere Recreation FB page.

August 7 – 2nd Annual SixOne3’s Ride 4 Mom Motorcycle Ride to show ap-preciation to our volunteers who take care of our family & friends fighting cancer. Start and end at Stirling Arena, 435 West Front St. 10am registration, 11am ride, 12 – 2pm BBQ. Awards & Music. Tickets $10. Proceeds to Hospice Quinte.

BOOK NOWFall 2016 deadline is

August 5 , 2016

Central [email protected]

North [email protected]

613.968.0499

Country Roadscelebrating life in hastings county

Country Roads


Country Roads


Country Roads


RC

Deliver Your Message In

TO BOOK YOUR MARKETPLACEADVERTISEMENT PLEASE CALL

613-968-0499 m a r k e t p l a c eAUTOMOTIVE

HEALTH

LAWN & GARDEN SPECIALTY SHOPPING

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

SEASONAL

Wells Ford Sales Ltd48 Belleville Rd., P.O. Box 160Stirling, Ontario K0K 3E0

Body Shop: 613-395-3378Wells Ford: 613-395-3375Toll Free: 1-800-637-5944Service: 613-395-3377

North American Customer Excellence Award Winner

Wells

Celebrating Life in Hastings County

Celebrating Family, Friendship & Love613-395-2596

www.stirlingmanor.com218 Edward Street, Stirling

With 35+ years experience, Small but knowledgeable.

GRAVELY-ARIENSTROY-BILT-BOLENS• Lawn & Garden Tractors• Roto-Tillers

(613) 473-5160 • R.R. #5, Madoc, ON K0K 2K0(1 mile N. of Ivanhoe on Hwy. 62 - #11700)

SALES & SERVICE

• Gas Bar• Convenience Store• Laundromat• Movie Rentals• Propane

Min & Julie YooTel: 613-395-5360 Fax: 613-395-1491208 North Street, Stirling ON K0K 3E0

C o u n t r y C a l e n d a r

Soups, Sandwiches, Sweets – in the best smelling café.

Leave with a fragrant reminder:

• Fresh Cut Flowers • Giftware • Cafe

20 Forsyth St., Marmora • 613.472.0330

www.flowersbysueontario.com [email protected]

Mon to Fri 9-5Sat 9-4 Find us on

Facebook

Dawn Ebelt, R.M.T.Registered Massage Therapist

Providing effective treatments since 2003

@PhysioNorth237 Hastings St. N Bancroft

call 613-332-1010

cell [email protected]

Madonna House Gift Shops, Gallery &

Pioneer Museum

Celebrating 50 Years

v Antiques v Collectibles v Craftsv Paintings & Prints

v MUSEUM TOURSExtensive Pioneer Collection

All items in our Madonna House shops are donated and all the proceeds go to the poor.

OPEN: May long weekend to JulyThurs, Fri, Sat - 10-5

July long weekend to Labour DayTuesday to Saturday 10-5

BOOK SHOP: Thurs, Fri, Sat. 2-5pmAll shops are closed on Sunday and Monday

2887 Dafoe Rd., Hwy. 517Combermere, Ontario

613-756-3713

Madonna House Gift Shops, Gallery &

Pioneer Museum


v Antiques v Collectibles v Craftsv Paintings & Prints

v MUSEUM TOURSExtensive Pioneer Collection

All items in our Madonna House shops are donated and all the proceeds go to the poor.

OPEN: May long weekend to JulyThurs, Fri, Sat - 10-5

July long weekend to Labour DayTuesday to Saturday 10-5

BOOK SHOP: Thurs, Fri, Sat. 2-5pmAll shops are closed on Sunday and Monday

2887 Dafoe Rd., Hwy. 517Combermere, Ontario

613-756-3713

Madonna HouseGift Shops, Gallery & Pioneer Museum


OPEN: May long weekend to July - Thurs, Fri, Sat - 10-5

July long weekend to Labour Day - Tuesday to Saturday 10-5

All Shops are closed on Sunday and Monday

All items in our Madonna House shops

are donated and all the proceeds go to the poor.

v Antiques v Collectibles v Crafts v Paintings & Prints

2887 Dafoe Rd., Hwy. 517, Combermere, 613-756-3713

613-813-LOGS (5647) or 613-478-1929

Economical & environmentally sound forestry services:

• Buy Standing Timber• Custom Cutting & Skidding• Lumber

Glen Beatty Logging


Things to see and do in and around Hastings County.To submit your event listing email [email protected] or call us at 613 968-0499.

C O U N T R Y C A L E N D A R

August 11 – 14 – 157th Stirling Agricultural Fair. Stirling Fairgrounds. www.stirlingfair.com

August 13 - Art in the Park. An outdoor art show in beautiful Henry Street Park, Stirling, Ontario. 10 am – 4pm. Check FB page for more info.

August 13 – Brighton Horticultural Society Annual Flower & Vegetable Show 2pm - 81 Elizabeth St, King Edward Community Centre, Brighton Admission Cost: $3.00 which includes Afternoon TeaEveryone is Welcome.

August 19 - 21 - Tweed Tribute to Elvis Festival is pleased to offer its 5th annual Elvis Tribute Artist Competition. Competi-tions, classic car parade & show, rising star youth competitions, and much more. www.tweedelvisfestival.ca

August 20 & 21 – Hastings County Plowing Match and Farm Show - 300 exhibitors of agricultural technology and services, woodlot info, and demos, crafts, family programs, antiques, Queen of the Furrow and entertainment, hosted by For-estell Hay Farms, 809 Salem Road, Stirling Rawdon 9am – 4pm

August 28 – Fibre Fest at Farmtown Park. (Hastings County Museum of Agri-cultural Heritage), 437 West Front Street, Stirling, ON.(613) 395-0015 [email protected] www.farmtownpark.ca

September 11 - Grandparents Day at Farmtown Park. (Hastings County Mu-seum of Agricultural Heritage), 437 West Front Street, Stirling, ON.(613) 395-0015 [email protected] www.farmtownpark.ca

September 11 - Queensborough Community Corn Roast & Hot Dogs – A fun time to be had enjoying fresh cooked buttered corn and BBQ hotdogs outside at the Community Centre at 1853 Queensborough Road. 2-4 pm

September 17 & 18 - Apsley Autumn Studio Tour. 10 am – 5 pm. Download-able map: www.apsleystudiotour.com

September 17, 18, 24 & 25 - Bancroft & Area Autumn Studio Tour. Self guided tour, brochures available at local businesses, Bancroft Chamber of Com-merce and Art Gallery of Bancroft. www.bancroftstudiotour.org

September 24 & 25 - 19th Annual Tweed & Area Studio Tour, 10 am – 5pm. Free Admission, Studio map and artist information www.tweedstudiotour.org [email protected] 613 477-2869, 613 477-2039

Visit our web site at www.countryroadshastings.ca


Loading Reliance

Men and boys loading lumber onto the steam freighter Reliance at the waterfront in Deseronto, Ontario. This vessel was built by the Rathbun Company in 1881. The Rathbun

Company’s sawmill and the town’s water tower are visible in the background of this photograph, which was taken in 1907.

Photo courtesy: Deseronto Archives HMR1-06-7

Back Roads

Like us on Facebook to receive entertainment schedule and special offers!40 St. Lawrence St. W., Madoc, Ontario • 613.473.1800 • [email protected]

Have you conquered the Barley Firehouse Burger?

In Madoc’s Historic Fire Hall on beautiful Deer Creek.

Proud Sponsor of Madoc’s own

Dillon ‘Big Country’ Carman, Boxing Heavyweight Champion of Canada

CALL OR CHECK OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE!

Wed. Wing NightFri. & Sat. Nights -Baby Back Ribs

Good Food - Good Friends - Good Times

Haliburton128 Mallard Rd., off Industrial Park Road

facebook.com/thriftwarehouse facebook.com/bancroftthriftwarehouse

8,000 sq ftof everything!

6,000 sq ft of

NEW DONATIONS DAILY.FURNITURE ELECTRONICS HOUSEWARES

...BOOKS, APPLIANCES AND MUCH MORE!

AS SEEN ON:COLIN & JUSTIN’SCABIN PRESSURE

CELEBRATING1 YEAR!

Bancroft29556 Hwy 28 South by Kawartha Dairy


DREAM HOMES...It’s what we do.

1-866-395-LOGS

L O G T I M B E R F R A M E H Y B R I D

w w w. d i s c ov e r y d re a m h o m e s . c o m

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Documents

Country Roads Summer 2016