A weekend of song in the gardens: new Abbey Gardens concert series

-

July 30, 2021

When the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated 50 years in the National Hockey League in 2017, Haliburton’s Ron Stackhouse was surprised to be pictured on promotional material with three other Pens: former goalie Les Binkley, Mario Lemieux and Sid Crosby.

To this day, Stackhouse remains puzzled as to why he was featured with the likes of Lemieux and Crosby since he said he was not a fan favourite in Pittsburgh and was occasionally a subject of the boo-birds.

However, it is the first thing he shows on his phone during an interview with The Highlander.

He’s proud.

In the same vein, although he would have been surprised to be excluded from the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame, Stackhouse said he is “honoured” to have been chosen and has the utmost respect for the creators of the hall and their inclusive vision.

Stackhouse credits Roger Neilson for the start of his playing career when the coach asked him to join the Peterborough Petes. That stint with Neilson led to Stackhouse being drafted by the California Golden Seals in the days when there was no televised draft but a letter in the mail to say he’d been picked.

To this day, Stackhouse said Neilson was “unbelievably innovative and creative” and ran the best practices he ever took part in.

After a year in the minors, he made his Seals debut and believes fate played a role since it took another players’ injury and another’s contract dispute to deliver him to the show in his second year.

But after a little over a year in Oakland, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. A little over two years later, he was “shocked and disappointed” by a trade to the Penguins in 1974.

He put up some good numbers in Pittsburgh but was a “scapegoat” when things were not going well for the team. A big guy, he said there was always an expectation that he would drop the gloves. However, he preferred positioning and skill over pugilism.

He recalled one home game being like a scene out of the movie, Slapshot. A fan started chirping him so he raised his stick. Then full sections started in, so he raised his stick at the entire arena. He got tossed from that game.

“I was so unhappy in Pittsburgh. I just wanted out of there.”

Despite asking for a trade, he signed a five-year deal for good money since GM Wren Blair said he couldn’t get enough for him in a trade. He ended up retiring in 1982, which he said was a sad end to what could have been a longer and better career. However, he has no regrets. His career spanned 889 regular season games. One high included playing with Gordie Howe in an all-star game and scoring a breakaway goal.

In some ways that 2017 honouring in Pittsburgh was a healing moment for Stackhouse. “So, it was really good for me to go back there.”

Stackhouse went on to teach at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School where he also coached hockey. He was also a member of the Haliburton Hockey Haven family.

According to the Hall committee, he was a role model for many young hockey players and inspired a generation of athletes to achieve their own dreams.

Stackhouse said, “I think the whole idea behind this is going to be very good for the Haliburton Highlands. It’s going to be very good for things in general in this particular world with all of the stuff that is going on about equality.”

He taught some of the young inductees at Hal High and said “the fact they found their way out of a small town like this and into that environment is remarkable.”

Haliburton Huskies offer free tickets to intrasquad game

By

-

July 30, 2021

The Haliburton County Huskies have held fitness training at the high school in Haliburton as they prepare for the upcoming season.

The junior A hockey team will take to the ice at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena for their inaugural season in 2021-22.

The Huskies have also released their preseason home schedule.

The team said it is offering free admission to fans to watch potential Huskies battle for roster spots during a Blue vs. White game on Saturday, Sept. 11 at noon.

Coach Ryan Ramsay said they have signed 17 of an expected roster of 23 players.

“We are waiting to see what players come to rookie camp on Aug. 28-29” before finalizing the squad, he added.

The team said ticket prices and availability for the other home games, as well as remaining preseason away games, will be announced shortly.

The squad will face the Aurora Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m. and the Collingwood Blues on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m.

All home games are in Minden.

The team has also been finalizing its front office staff to work alongside Ramsay.

David Lang, a Keswick native, joins the organization in the role of director of hockey operations and director of game day operations. He had been director of recruiting of the OHL and WHL for the University of Prince Edward Island men’s ice hockey team. Lang has also served as an assistant general manager and GM in the OJHL, most recently with the Lindsay Muskies in the COVID-shortened 2020- 2021 season.

He joins new assistant GM and director of player relations, Brian MacKenzie. MacKenzie’s most recent role was as assistant GM and coach with the Whitby Fury.

Bradley Townsend is the president of business and hockey operations and the OJHL league governor for the club.

On ice, the Huskies recently announced the signing of winger, Bradley Brunet. He is coming from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Ramsay said the only area the club is struggling is finding billet families. He said those taking in a player get a monthly stipend and free hockey passes. If interested, email huskieshousing@hotmail. Com

Storm to begin registration for hockey season

By

-

July 30, 2021

Registrations open Aug. 1 for this year’s Highland Storm Minor Hockey Association season.

The Storm said it is accepting players for the 2021-22 playing period until Aug. 15.

“We encourage you to register right away to avoid the late fee of $100 that will be added on if you have not registered by Sept. 1,” the association said.

The Storm said they have had some increases to their programming fees which have bumped up registration fees. These include ice rental up three per cent, referee fees going up 10 to 20 per cent, electronic game sheets and a longer season.

Regular season hockey will be playing until March 1 next year and the local league will finish around March 1. Also during March, rep teams will participate in games with MPS and the Georgian Bay Loop to determine who will move forward to the OMHA playoff weekends. OMHA playoff weekends will take place the first two weekends in April and will be tournament-style.

Meanwhile, development skates begin the week of Sept. 7.

The Storm said all teams will get one practice during the week and one practice or game on the weekends.

See the Storm’s website [highlandstorm. org] for more information, or for any registration questions with a new system, reach out to Highland Storm registrar Jessica Lloyd at Jessica.lloyd@tldsb.on.ca

Abbey Retreat centre seeks active fundraisers

By

-

July 30, 2021

After Norma Stannard was diagnosed with cancer, she was invited to the Abbey Retreat Centre (ARC) in 2018 for a weekend of guided workshops and conversations.

For Stannard, it was a chance to “be open” about cancer.

“It was people who had some idea of what I was going through,” she said.

Nestled near a pond and rustling trees at Abbey Gardens, the centre runs free retreats for those living with cancer and the people who support them.

This year, funds raised through the annual Haliburton Highlands Challenge will help ARC get back to in-person programs in the fall, as well as continuing to hone their virtual retreats.

“It’s the backbone, truthfully. The fundraising is the biggest portion of our budget,” said executive director Barb Smith-Morrison.

Until Aug, 31 people can run, bike or do any activity to solicit community pledges. Last year, the event raised $70,000.

That had a huge impact on ARC’s operations: “it’s what allowed us last year to shift everything to online,” Smith-Morrison said.

While Stannard and Smith-Morrison agree in-person retreats allow for more freeflowing communication and sharing, the centre quickly defined its online presence as lockdowns shuttered the County last year.

Participants accessed the centre’s specialized yoga classes, healing circles, art-making and group support sessions through their Zoom screens.

“All these things in part were to help ease the isolation too,” Smith-Morrison said. “Participants are still willing to go deep.”

Going “deep” is what in-person retreats are all about too; helping people process the complicated emotions that accompany a cancer diagnosis and navigating their new realities.

ARC hopes to run two in-person retreats this fall, and a minimum of six in 2022.

Either online or in-person, ARC’s focus is evidence-based practices that promote healing and communication.

“It’s more of the spirit, it’s more of the physical support. It’s not ‘these are the drugs you have to take’,” said Thea Patterson, a member of ARC’s board.

Patterson, whose partner lives with cancer, mentioned how important it can be for the “support people” to feel heard: ARC has sessions for them too.

“The journey of living with someone who has cancer is up and down constantly,” Patterson said. “They have outbreaks and crises and you are on high alert, you lose weight and you lose sleep.”

Smith-Morrison said she is sometimes asked if it’s hard working with people who are “at their worst.”

“I get to see people at their best. I get to see people head-on choosing to come to a place where they not only are seeking rest and seeking to be cared for but they’re seeking to face their fears.”

For Stannard, and many others who’ve attended retreats, ARC’s model of support feels different than the hospitals where they might receive treatment.

“The thing about ARC is that you can tell that the people care. That’s huge,” Stannard said.

Greg Roe and friend, Bob Stiles, put their canoe into the water July 24 for the first leg of their plan to paddle the five lake chain that includes Head, Grass, Soyers, Kash and Canning. Greg said their team is called StRoe Coureurs des Lacs.

“We are fundraising to support the Abbey Retreat Centre for people dealing with cancer,” he said.

To take part in the Highland Challenge or to donate, visit abbeyretreatcentre.ca

Drag and Spruce Lake association wants Dysart’s help

By

-

July 30, 2021

The Drag and Spruce Lake Property Owners’ Association (DSLPOA) has spent more than four years combating Eurasian Water-milfoil (EWM), an invasive aquatic plant that plagues lakes across the province.

Now, with more than half of the lake’s residents reaching into their pockets to fund eradication, DSLPOA wants Dysart et al to do the same.

“We hoped they would accept some responsibility at least on Drag and Spruce Lake,” said Jim Miners, vice-president and member of the EWM working group.

Dysart et al owns three boat launches and two beaches in the area.

Often spread on boats and trailers, EWM decreases water’s oxygen supply, is easily tangled in boat props and often stagnates, becoming a smelly breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The DSLPOA, in a March 23 delegation to council, said that action by the municipality could be key in ensuring the plant does not spread further. The association requested help with grant applications to fund expensive eradication efforts.

Council members then directed staff to investigate possible solutions. So far, reported Dysart et al CAO Tamara Wilbee, council hasn’t made a decision about contributing financially to the project.

“There have been no financial discussions yet, other than offering to pay for some signage and providing mapping at no cost to support the project,” Wilbee said.

Mayor Andrea Roberts said municipal short-staffing and the lack of committee of the whole meetings in July meant it’s been difficult to keep up with the project.

“Dysart cares very much about its shorelines and is a responsible landowner. We are willing to work with the DSLPOA but unfortunately this has been delayed at our end, and we are working to rectify this,” she said.

Miners said the association recognizes how busy Dysart et al is but the window for effective eradication is now; from mid-July to the end of September.

The fight against EWM

Even without municipal funds, DSLPOA has raised more than $40,000. That will pay for scuba diving services necessary to lay the expensive coconut mats which kill the plant.

They’ve registered four blooms of watermilfoil with the MNRF so far, and have identified more to be registered in the coming years. The MNRF must sign off on the use of matting in each bloom location. Lake residents have also started handharvesting the plant.

“There are pluses and minuses to all the techniques you can use,” Miners said.

DSLPOA hosted Veronica Turnbull, a student from Trent University, to study best practices for removing the plant. She argues that a combination of hand-harvesting and bottom barriers is an efficient strategy.

The association has encouraged cottagers to join in the effort to fight the invasive species.

So far, 20 property owners have been trained to identify and help deal with outbreaks.

The annual Mike Podmore Memorial Weed Hunt invites lake-goers to snap photos of weed beds in return for being entered in a draw to win prizes donated by local businesses.

As well, musician Glen Bowker and his rock band will be travelling around the lake’s docks, singing songs in return for donations to the EWM fund on July 31.

Miners said all donations are welcome. Big gifts might be rewarded with a special mention on the lake: “I’ll even name a weed bed after them,” he said with a chuckle.

Principal will miss Archie ‘sense of belonging’

By

-

July 30, 2021

by Kirk Winter

While former Archie Stouffer Elementary School principal Jane Austin is excited about her new posting at Ridgewood Elementary School in Coboconk, she will miss many things about ASES including its students, the sense of community found at the school and the support for the school from the residents of Minden Hills.

Austin, a veteran teacher and administrator who began teaching in 1998 and became an administrator in 2006, has been the principal at Archie Stouffer since 2016.

When asked for some of her fondest memories of ASES, Austin shared that her best recollections are from time spent with students and their families, watching them grow and becoming effective community leaders. She also enjoyed watching their reactions to special trips and extracurricular learning opportunities, and working and supporting the students on their leadership learning journey.

“ASES is a special place,” Austin shared, “because of the sense of belonging that we all have to our school community. The students, their families, the staff and our community partners all have a role to play at Archie Stouffer. The relationships that have been developed over the years contribute exponentially to the overall educational experience of the students. I have never felt that in any other school community in such a meaningful way. This is what I love about Archie, and what I will always remember about my time spent here.”

When asked about community support for the school and its goals, Austin said, “One word can sum it up: Amazing. The Minden Hills community is vibrant. For a small town there are all kinds of community supports … to enrich the lives of our students and families.”

Austin talked about relationships built with Point in Time, the Minden Food Bank and Community Kitchen, the OPP, the municipality, Five Counties Children’s Centre, Kinark, Compass, Food for Kids and Artists in Schools that have enriched the lives of her students.

“I could go on and on and I will invariably miss someone,” Austin said, “because there are just that many organizations here for our kids. Not every school can boast such rich and varied connections.”

For Austin, Ridgewood will be a homecoming of sorts as the Coboconk school was one of the buildings that Austin taught in before moving into administration.

When asked about her replacement, Austin shared, “Ms. Dawn Sudsbury will be the new principal of ASES. She is coming to Archie from Langton Public School in Fenelon Falls. She is not familiar yet with the school community but I know that they will embrace her and welcome her to learn and lead at ASES.”

Support grows for arts centre feasibility study

By

-

July 30, 2021

SG- HHACF cheque -1- — Support from local businesses and organizations such as CanoeFM funded the feasibility study.

Canoe FM has donated $15,000 raised through radio bingo to the Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation’s (HHACF) feasibility study July 22.

The study will focus on possible locations and zoning of a large theatre space, as well as what funding models might be available and how it might be used by the County.

“It’s really going to open up the arts community,” said Canoe FM chair Tim Hagarty.

“I think this is the next step that will allow us to get bigger and better.” Canoe FM has also entered into a sponsorship agreement with the foundation, providing radio announcements over the next 12 months to promote fundraising efforts.

The HHACF received letters of support from all four municipalities, and have identified four potential locations so far.

“There’s a tremendous amount of excitement,” said Canoe FM and HHACF board member Drew Allen. “We’ve already got groups that are here that need a proper professional space– a space that has the right amount of stage, the right amount of lighting.”

He estimates the arts centre would sit 350- 500 people and include two auditorium spaces. Currently, the County doesn’t have a space for large performances, or an indoor venue for concerts and productions which is licensed to serve alcohol.

Aside from gathering the support of local arts groups, Allen said foundation members have also been canvassing local lake associations.

“We think there’s going to be a huge groundswell of support.”

The HHACF will submit a request for proposals this fall, with the hopes of selecting a firm to begin work on the study in 2022.

To donate or learn more, visit hhartscentrefoundation.ca/donate

Highlands Summer Festival visits Ed’s Garage

By

-

July 30, 2021

The Highlands Summer Festival took to the airwaves for its 2021 theatre season.

The not-for-profit theatre company presented act one of Ed’s Garage on July 7, broadcast across the Highlands on Cane FM. Act two of the play will be broadcast Aug. 4.

According to the festival’s artistic producer, presenting the play on the radio is more than a great way to adhere to COVID-19 protocols; it’s a nod to radio’s rich history.

“It is a throwback thing,” Scot Denton told The Highlander.

“For decades the radio was where the family gathered. You wouldn’t miss a broadcast of something that you were used to listening to,” he said.

Denton said Ed’s Garage was a perfect fit for the troupe, and for radio. Written by Dan Needles, the play is all about Ed, a small-town mechanic who often meddles in the lives of those around him, doling out wisdom and advice along the way.

“I wanted something that would be fun, would be light for people,” Denton said.

Tim Nicholson, David Zilstra, Amy Leis and Alexander Kocot all play characters wrapped up in a story of psychotherapy, robberies, farming life and romance.

Jack Brezina hosted the performers at Canoe FM’s studio as the intrigue and small-town drama was brought to life.

Denton said it’s been a difficult season for the group – 2020 was postponed and COVID-19 restrictions meant running in-person shows this year was impossible.

He said that performing and producing on stage is an invaluable part of their lives.

“It’s the way we express ourselves,” Denton said. “We miss the team work, we miss the patrons.”

The first act of the play is available now at canoefm.com. To register for a free ticket for the second act, visit highlandssummerfestival.on.ca

Arts market returns to historic school

By

-

July 30, 2021