Movie Man about to Doc(k)

April 11, 2024

Spoiler alert. Keith Stata, the “curmudgeonly and eccentric” owner of Highlands Cinema in Kinmount, admits he is a bit of a “potty mouth” in The Movie Man, which will feature at the April 13 Doc(k) Day in Haliburton.

Matt Finlin’s documentary will cap the film festival at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion with an 8 p.m. screening on Saturday night.

“It’s interesting to note this thing seems to be all over the place,” Stata said of Finlin’s tribute to the house that Keith built.

Director Finlin said after a sleepy start, the reception is now “beyond my expectations.” It made its film festival debut in Santa Barbara. It’s at the Roxy Theatre in Uxbridge this weekend. In addition to Ontario screenings, Finlin said he just found out the doco has been accepted to prestigious festivals in British Columbia and Alberta. He added it’s been acquired in the U.S. by Cargo Films, based in New York City. He’s hoping for a “good theatrical run” in the States, and hopefully streaming.

“I feel very lucky to have this happen, and get Keith’s story out there.” He said at a Kingston screening, the film, and Stata, received a standing ovation.

“I’m so happy that we made this movie. People seem to like it. It’s being seen and the support from the community in Haliburton and the Kawartha area has been so nice,” the director added.

Stata said he is pleased for Finlin, who spent five years working on the documentary.

The Kinmount cat aficionada added, “I think the Roxy Theatre is listing it as ‘language may offend’ and somebody called me ‘an old curmudgeon’ on one of the critic reviews. The ‘eccentric’ part wasn’t so bad, really. It’s kind of fun. So, I’m glad that it’s getting exposure.”

Stata will attend the film screening in Haliburton and join in the question-and-answer session. Finlin will also be there. Stata said he had only agreed to do so in three places (Haliburton, Kingston, and Toronto) even though, “I know an awful lot of theatre owners and they are pressuring me to go, but I don’t have the time.”

Finlin commented, “every screening I go to, someone knows Keith, which is pretty amazing.”

As for the language warning, Stata said, “the problem was he followed me around for five years and after a while I just forgot he was there. There’s a lot of laughter involved in some of the stupid things I said. Like, I’m fighting with the projector. There’s a board that’s worth $10,000 and there’s like 120 connections, so trying to shove the thing in is ridiculous. So, I was a little potty-mouthed at times. Normally if I’m around people, I try to keep my act together.”

Stata said from what he has seen, and heard, the film elicits emotion. “People are crying and laughing. I think he did a good job.”

He added he believes the documentary works because it was filmed during COVID.

“I think if COVID had not happened, I would not have been an interesting enough character to carry the movie. Because of the pandemic, it made it a whole different movie.”

Finlin added, “it’s hard making movies and it’s hard to get it seen. I don’t want to sound like I’m launching the space shuttle. I’m not doing anything really important. But, it’s a lot of grassroots effort, it’s a lot of luck, and, of course, the film has to be good as well. And, all of these things have kind of aligned and I’m just grateful for it.”

For more, go to ThoseOtherMovies.com, ThoseOtherMoviesHaliburton@gmail.com or call 705-4570428.

Trades partnership a win

April 10, 2024

I’ve lived in Haliburton County for eight years, and for as long as I have been a Highlander, talk of a shortage of skilled tradespeople, as well as a lack of housing for them, has been a hot topic.

I’ve heard two terms of County councillors lament ‘why can’t we do more with the high school or Haliburton School of Art + Design (HSAD)’?
So, it was heartening to see County director of economic development, Scott Ovell, bring a report to a recent council meeting about a budding partnership between the County and the Haliburton County Homebuilders Association (HCHBA) – which is in turn working with Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS).

The County has basically committed to giving the HCHBA about $8,000 so it can purchase tools and materials from local businesses to put into the high school.

Last May, the County and HCHBA, in conjunction with Jason Morissette at the high school, organized for 30 students to spend a day visiting skilled trades worksites in the County. They went to Sunbelt Rentals, Holden Truss, a construction site at 75 per cent completion, a finished timber frame home, and a large landscaping site.

It was experiential learning at its best. The students got to hear from people in the trades, ask questions, and see exactly what future jobs, such as carpentry, electrician and plumber, might look like.

It was deemed a huge success by the County, HCHBA and the school.

In addition to the inaugural bus tour, members of the HCHBA have been volunteering to go into the school to share their practical and theoretical knowledge, in shop as well as math and science classes.

I don’t know about you, but calculating which speeding train was going to make it to the station first did not set me on fire. However, had someone come to my class to explain that math equations could one day help to calculate how to build a wall, and make a very good wage off of doing that, I might have sat up a little straighter in my seat.

When I was in school a thousand years ago, it was deemed the smart kids went to university and the not-so-clever went to college. I wish I had been given more exposure to the prospect of entering the trades. Even today, as a keyboard warrior, I wonder what it would be like to be on a roof somewhere in Haliburton County with a spectacular view of a nearby lake?

Getting kids interested in high school is fundamental to our skilled trades shortage. Drawing from a pool of people who already live in the County is a no-brainer. With changed housing rules that allow secondary dwelling units, these kids could easily have their own future homes on large properties owned by their parents.

The best news is the County, HCHBA and high school are planning a second bus tour this spring and it’s hoped HCHBA members can visit the high school at least once a month. They’re volunteering their time and materials, so having the support of the County makes tremendous sense.

It’s an idea that is most welcome and one we can all get behind.

Good ol’ hockey game

Mike Baker

April 10, 2024

Spring is always an exciting time for hockey fans.

After months of regular season play, whether it be rep or local league, our Highland Storm youth teams are engaged in playoffs. So, too, the Haliburton County Jr. A Huskies. It’s regularly said, whether in interviews with players and coaches, or conversations with fans in the stands, that the game feels a little different come playoffs.

The stakes are higher in a limited game series. You can see on the ice how the players give that little bit more – they’ll chase every loose puck, go that extra mile on the forecheck, and usually aren’t afraid to get in their opponents’ faces.

While the Huskies and Storm have wrapped up for the season, many local hockey fans’ attention will be turning back to the big leagues. The NHL regular season ends next week, with playoffs likely starting the weekend of April 20.

Having grown up in Europe – where most major sports leagues play out a regular season, with the first-place team at the end winning the championship, so no playoffs – it took me a while to understand the clamour for the post-season. To me, it seemed less about proving who the best team is, and a lot more about who can handle the gruelling schedule, the hard-hitting games, and all the luck and randomness, better. It’s more a battle of will, than skill.

But the thing I was overlooking is that battle of will component is such a key part of the sport. In speaking with Huskies head coach Ryan Ramsay following his team’s first-round playoff exit to the Cobourg Cougars last month, he, I, and I’m sure many others, felt the Huskies were a more well-rounded, talented team. The Cougars just wanted it more.

With NHL playoffs set to hit our screens next week, I’ll be making a point to tune into all Toronto Maple Leafs games. This is the first year I’d consider myself a real fan – where I’ve watched games, read reports and opinion pieces analyzing the team’s trials and tribulations, listened to podcasts. I’m already mentally preparing myself for the inevitable first round exit!

This year has been different, too, as I’ve been engaged in a competitive fantasy hockey league. After years of playing, but not really playing, I started to get a little more serious about it last season. So much so that I launched my own league, with a group of friends. I’d highly recommend it.

For those unaware of what fantasy hockey is – you get a group of people together and organize a draft, where you’ll take it in turns selecting real life players to represent your team. This is done online through sites like Yahoo, ESPN, and Fantrax. Throughout the season, your players then earn points based on their real-life performance. It’s a cool concept, and pretty addictive once you get into it.

My goal for my team was to select a Maple Leaf to give me more incentive to watch games. I picked third overall and took Auston Matthews. You know, the guy who just scored his 66th goal of the season the other night.

For some added fun, I also drafted Haliburton’s Matt Duchene. That worked out incredibly well – his performances secured wins in three pivotal weeks in the regular season. He also scored the final goal of my season, a tally against the Colorado Avalanche April 7, to secure me my very first fantasy championship. I thought that was pretty poetic.

I didn’t think any other sport would come close to rivalling soccer for me in terms of enjoyment, and the emotions it makes you feel. But hockey is getting there. Really, I have the Huskies and the Storm to thank for that. Covering local games has helped to unlock a love I didn’t know was there.

Stompin’ Tom knew what he was talking about all those years ago… hockey is a good ol’ game.

U18 rep Storm strike provincial gold

Mike Baker

April 4, 2024

The Highland Storm U18 rep Tom Prentice and Sons team swept aside the competition at the 2024 OMHA championships in Halton Hills March 29 to 31, earning a provincial gold medal.

It was a tough road for the local team, who competed against some of the best hockey programs in Ontario.

The team faced some adversity in the opening game on Friday, where they found themselves in a hole, down 3-1 to the Wallaceburg Lakers late in the second period. The team fought back valiantly, scoring five unanswered goals to win the game 6-3.

Coach Brandon Hendry said the performance showcased the team’s depth, with all players contributing a point. Goals were tallied by Brechin Johnston, Alex Hendry, Cooper Coles, Ethan Megrah Poppe, and Nathan Morrison.

On Saturday, the Storm faced off against the Belle River Jr. Canadiens. Down by a goal heading into the second, the local team were hot on the powerplay, capitalizing on multiple opportunities, to head into the locker room up 3-2 after the second buzzer.

With just under seven minutes left in the third, Aiden Perrott scored his second of the game, increasing the lead to 4-2. Coles added another late in the period, which completed his hat-trick, before a late goal by Hendry added some gloss to the score line. The Storm came away with a 6-2 win, securing their spot in the semi-finals.

They still had one final round robin game to play on Saturday evening, against the Norwood Hornets. After a close battle in the early goings, the Hornets took control and ran away with a 4-1 win – the Storm’s only blemish of the weekend.

The semi-final saw the Storm lock horns with Port Colborne, which coach Hendry said is a well-respected team that finished first in their group. Port Colborne took an early lead, but the Storm responded well – Beckham Reynolds tying the game before the first buzzer.

The back-and-forth game ended with the Storm securing a 5-4 win, thanks to a fourgoal explosion from Johnston.

The Storm came face-to-face with their rivals from Norwood in the championship game, which coach Hendry said was, “evenly-matched, fast-paced and close to the very end.”

Perrott opened the scoring in the first period, with Johnston following with a shorthanded marker to give the Storm a twogoal lead heading into the second frame. Norwood hit back with a powerplay goal early in the second, cutting the lead to one. The Storm defence dug in, with goaltender Ethan Dobson making several smart saves.

With five minutes left on the clock, Reynolds popped up with the eventual game-winner, securing the gold medal. Norwood fired in a late consolation, bringing the score to 3-2.

“Building team chemistry was one of the main goals for us this season,” said Hendry. “That’s generally something all championship teams have in common – knowing we can trust each other really made the difference, especially in the big games. It was a great season all around, and it feels great being OMHA champions.”

A storm front is moving into Kingston

Lisa Gervais

April 4, 2024

The Walker’s Heating and Cooling Highland Storm U13 rep team continued their epic ‘march’ toward the OMHA championships March 29 with a stunning win in game three against the Lindsay Muskies.

The victory was even sweeter, considering that the leading point scorer, Travis Rowe, was unavailable.

The Storm began their series against Lindsay, with captain Henry Neilson punching home two goals in the first two periods to keep the locals within reach in game one. Lucas Vale stepped up with a 270-degree spinning backhand in the third to level the game at three before Linus Gervais took a pass from Brycen Harrison to net the winner.

Game two saw an outstanding defensive battle, with goalie Blake Hutchinson turning away all of Lindsay’s efforts after the Muskies took a 1-0 lead. A tying goal from Tyler Hughes pushed the game into overtime, where the Storm hit the post and crossbar multiple times but couldn’t put the game away. After two overtime periods, the Muskies defeated the Storm 2-1 in a shootout, setting the stage for game three.

The Muskies came to Minden ready to play in the final decisive game and were all over the Storm in the first period.

The seesaw battle again saw some fantastic play, with Levi Rowe, Hudson Meyer and Hawksley Dobbins standing firm on defence and Jaxon Hurd and Chase Kerr providing continuous pressure on the Muskie’s goalie.

Cruize Neave and Lyla Degeer continued with solid efforts, consistently forcing the play back into the Lindsay zone.

The Storm entered the third tied 2-2 with both goals by Harrison. He picked up the hat-trick in the third to put the Storm ahead once and for all and to secure a berth in the tier one OMHA championships in Kingston, April 5-8.

Marshall Heasman, who collected two playoff shutouts in the previous round, was ready if needed.

“The Storm coaches and manager – Scott Neilson, Cynthia Hutchinson, Marcus Rowe, Shawn Walker and James Rielly – thank the community for their incredible support this year. The air horns and cheering were likely heard for miles as the parents and fans rocked the house. Look out, Kingston, a Storm is rolling in.”

U15 Haliburton TimberMart Rep team

Lisa Gervais

April 4, 2024

It was a great season for the U15 Haliburton TimberMart Rep team.

We started strong, leading the division, and playing well as a team. Showing great chemistry, we endured a number of injuries, being down some strong players.

We went into the Wasaga Beach Silver Stick regional tournament with high hopes, and won to secure a spot at the International Silver Stick in Forest, Ontario.

The boys made it to the semi-finals, losing a close game to end our run there.

Up next was the Millbrook Winter Classic tournament. Another strong weekend of play from the boys found them in the finals against the host Millbrook Stars. It was an extremely close game but we came up just short, losing 1-0 to end the tourney.

We finished second in the division heading into the preliminary round of the playoffs against the Kawartha Coyotes.

We went to Kawartha’s rink for game one, coming back from being down most of the game to win 5-4. For game two, back in our rink, we were positioned well to finish off the series, however Kawartha came into town on a mission and battled hard to win 6-4.

A hard-fought, rough, game three on the road saw the boys fall 3-1 with the game finishing on an empty net goal to secure the win for Kawartha.

Great job to all the boys this year, and best of luck to the second-year players that will be moving on to U18 next season.

Also, a big thanks to the coaching staff and parents for putting together a great year of hockey

U11 Curry Chevrolet Rep team

Lisa Gervais

April 4, 2024

The U11 Curry Chevrolet Rep team had a remarkable year, finishing third in the regular season with a solid record of 19 wins, 10 losses, and four ties.

Their resilience was further evident in the post-season, where they once again secured a third-place finish, despite facing tough competition. However, it was their unforgettable loss in penalty shots during the second round of the tier 2 championships that truly tested their mettle.

Despite the disappointment, the team displayed admirable determination and character throughout the match, earning respect from opponents and spectators alike.

Head coach Curtis, supported by assistant coaches Jay and Chris, faced significant challenges at the start of the season with a roster of only 12, comprising of seven minors and only five returning majors.

Nevertheless, their strategic guidance and unwavering commitment to player development laid the groundwork for the team’s success.

A standout performer throughout the season was captain Austin Cunningham, not only leading in goals for the team but also for the entire league, with an impressive tally of 48; he proved to be a formidable force and an inspiration to his teammates.

In summary, the U11 Curry Chevrolet Rep team’s journey exemplifies the power of sheer determination, grit, and perseverance.

They have not only made their mark on the ice but have also left a lasting impression on all who have had the privilege of witnessing their journey.”

U7 Gary Burch Construction

Lisa Gervais

April 4, 2024

The U7 Gary Burch Construction team had a successful, fun-filled season.

The team was able to participate in four jamborees and play multiple different leagues.

Our team finished the season with 15 wins and five losses.

All of our 11 players brought their individual strengths to make our team one to beat.

Each player progressed significantly from the beginning of the season, utilizing their newly-learned skillsets and expanding their dedication to the game.

Big thank you to our head coach, Jamie Luck, manager Ally French, trainer Nick Coty, and assistant coach, Ryan Emmerson, for a great season.

We look forward to seeing all of our current players, as well as newly-joined faces, for another competitive season in the fall of 2024.

The Fab Four are coming to Doc(k) Day

Lisa Gervais

April 4, 2024

The Beatles are coming to Doc(k) Day in Haliburton April 13.

While the Fab Four won’t be here in person – and George Harrison and John Lennon are no longer with us – their memory will be brought to life by Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman, who spent time at an Indian ashram with The Beatles in 1968.

His film, made during a return trip 50 years later, is called Meeting The Beatles in India. It will be part of a full-day of documentaries at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion. Saltzman will be speaking about his time in Rishikesh, to reminiscence about the experience with Paul, John, George, Ringo and others, and the photos he took of them there.

The initial trip came after an existential moment in the fall of 1967, Saltzman told The Highlander in a recent interview.

“I woke up one morning in my little rented room and I had the shocking thought that there were parts of myself I didn’t like,” he said. He asked out loud, without thinking, “what do I do about this?” His soul spoke to him for the first time, and said “India.”

He got a job with a film crew in the Asian country to finance the trip. After a time, he went to Delhi and got a fateful letter. It was from his girlfriend and she was breaking up with him. At 24, he was devastated. A friend suggested the ashram and he said he was willing to try anything.

Unbeknownst to him, The Beatles and some other celebrities were at the ashram and he was denied admittance. But he waited. Eight days in a tent near the ashram door before he was allowed in, as he wanted to learn to meditate to help heal his broken heart.

After an initial mind-blowing 30-minute meditation, he emerged to find The Beatles sitting outside at a table and said his body simply “curved” towards them. He asked if he could join them and they said yes. There were others too: The Beatles’ wives and girlfriends, Jane Asher, Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Boyd Harrison, Maureen Starkey, the singer Donovan, actress Mia Farrow, Mike Love of The Beach Boys and Beatles’ roadie Mal Evans.

Magical things

He sat down and said “magical” things happened. Initially, he heard a scream in his head, “it’s The Beatles”. Then his soul assured him they were just ordinary people. That’s when Lennon turned to him and asked him if he was American, and light-hearted banter ensued from there. “And that was it. They just took me into their group. I just sat around with them for the next week,” Saltzman said.

He said the four musicians were as close as brothers and at the ashram there was no ego. He doesn’t recall the name ‘The Beatles’ even coming up. With the world media trying to get through the ashram doors, Saltzman was one of only a few to take photographs.

He recalled a one-on-one conversation with John Lennon, when the musician asked Saltzman why he was at the ashram, and he told him he had come to learn to meditate to deal with a broken heart.

“And he looked off into the distance, then back at me and said, ‘yes, love can be very hard on us sometimes, can’t it?’ And then in the sweetest, most caring way, he said, ‘but you know, Paul, the really great thing about love is you always get a second chance’. He could not have said something kinder to me in that moment.”

The other amazing one-on-one experience was when Harrison invited him back to his room to hear him play the sitar. He didn’t have a camera or take photos, so, in the film, he is able to use graphic novel-type imagery.

“He starts to play and I close my eyes and just drift into an altered state,” Saltzman recalled, emerging in a blissful state.

The two 24-year-olds then talked, and Saltzman recalls a man of “profound humility and with a deep inner core of calm and warmth and love.”

He said in addition to the meditation, he had life-changing conversations, including with George in that moment. He said George told him, “we’re The Beatles after all… we have all the money you could ever dream of. We have all the fame you could ever wish for but it isn’t love, it isn’t health, it isn’t peace inside, is it?’ And that went right to the core of my being and it was life-changing.”

Saltzman returned home, wrote a magazine article about the experience, and then put the pictures away. It wasn’t until his 16-year-old daughter prompted him to do something with the story that he wrote a book, and then did the film.

And, the story came full circle when the woman who sent him to the ashram came to his book launch with her family. Forgiveness and love were there.

“I said ‘I have to thank you because if it wasn’t for you, none of this would exist’ and we had a good laugh.”

Radical rebuild turns heads at Motorama car show

Mike Baker

April 4, 2024

When Burnt River resident Larry Mann brought home a 1949 Ford F-1 pick-up truck in 2015, he figured he’d spend a couple of years upgrading it before gifting it to his wife.

Nine years, and several thousand man hours later, the project, which turned into a full-blown rebuild, is finally over. Rather than giving his new baby to wife, Darlene, Larry has turned it into a show vehicle. The truck placed second in the radical customs category at the prestigious 2024 Toronto Motorama car show. It was one of 28 vehicles featured in the front room at the show, which ran March 8 to 10.

Sitting down with The Highlander at his shop just off County Road 121, Mann opened up about what he described as the rebuild of his life.

“I found the truck through a guy I knew years ago who worked at the snowmobile dealership in Haliburton. He got it as part of a trade deal, but didn’t have the resources to really fix it. It needed a lot of work – it looked good from afar, but it was far from good,” said Mann, who started his career as a mechanic before going on to work for Ontario Power Generation.

The original idea was to fix it up for his wife to use as a leisure vehicle – she had always wanted a vintage truck, and this fit the bill. Once Mann started working on it, though, he quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a simple job.

“I started with the suspension, and it just blossomed from there. The next thing you know, I had the frame completely off. It was a total rebuild. There isn’t one part of that vehicle that isn’t customized,” Mann said.

The finished product boasts a 347 ci engine, four-link rear suspension with coil overs, coil over front suspension with tubular control arms, custom fenders and bumpers, custom fabricated bed, ridler wheels, flush mount glass for windows and windshield, leather interior and keyless entry. It’s painted metallic black – done by Steve’s Coachworks in Bobcaygeon – with the fuel-injected motor hitting up to 535 horsepower.

The rebuild was completed last fall.

“It was an evolution – the more I worked on it, the more my vision came together. Once I did one mod, that sort of fed into another,” Mann said. “The motor was done by Don Palmer Racing, when we tested it for power, it came back way higher than I expected. So, in my joy, I called my wife to tell her and she said ‘well that’s not really what I need’, so the project moved from me building it for her, to building it for myself as a show vehicle.”

As a make good, he bought Darlene a turquoise Ford Thunderbird.

After finishing the truck, Mann reached out to judges from the Toronto Motorama show. They visited his property in October, saying they’d love to feature the vehicle as one of this year’s premiere entries.

“It was nerve racking leading up to it – this is the first time I’ve put the truck out there for people to see… getting the second place was amazing, but my sentiment was, when those fellas came up here to look at the truck and said it was worthy of being in the front room, I had already won. For a guy who does stuff at home like me, I didn’t need anything else,” Mann said.

Further validation came when organizers of the Syracuse Nationals Classic Car Show invited him to attend their July show for consideration for the annual Gene Winfield Award, which recognizes excellence in custom automotive design and build techniques.

Mann hopes to make the show in New York and will be featuring the truck at Back Alley Cruiser events in Lindsay over the summer. He plans to put the car up for auction sometime in the future.

It wasn’t his first rebuild – he remembers transforming a 1969 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Mach One in the late 80s – and it won’t be his last. He has a 1932 Deuce Coupe he plans to work on, and a 1972 Ranchero GT he’s already mostly finished.

“You only want to have one big project at a time, because you only have so much time in the day and you only have so much money,” Mann said. “To be perfectly honest, I’m glad the truck is finished. When a build goes on that long, it does start to wear on you. I went back to work to help fund it, that’s why it took me so long. If I had stayed retired, I would never have had the financial wherewithal to finish the build the way I wanted.

“I’m definitely proud of it – the rebuild was pretty much all me, and it stood out right alongside all the other vehicles [at Toronto Motorama], even ones that had hundreds of thousands of dollars pumped into them,” he added. “It’s been a fun ride.”

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