The Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame will have some new additions next year, with five athletes, two builders, and one team to be inducted in the Class of 2024

Roger Trull, hall of fame chair, said nominations for the next batch of sporting heroes are now open. A committee will be accepting recommendations until the end of October. Trull said a second class will be announced in February, with an induction ceremony to be held May 25, 2024.

“We got started on this because we understood the importance of sport to our community. There are a lot of decorated people deserving of recognition for their commitment to excellence, to their team, and to making other people’s dreams become reality,” Trull told The Highlander.

The inaugural class, inducted in June 2022, features football stars Michael Bradley and Taly Williams, track and field Olympian Lesley Tashlin, university track star Anna Tomlinson, hockey players Cody Hodgson, Ron Stackhouse, Bernie Nicholls, Donald Beverley (Joe) Iles, Glen Dart, and Marla MacNaull, and curler Jake Walker.

Those honoured in the original builders category, recognizing those who have made significant contributions to furthering sport in the Highlands, included Linda J. Brandon, Albert John (Ab) LaRue, and Lenny Salvatori.

The 1934 Haliburton Huskies, 1956-58 Minden Monarchs, and 1971 Haliburton Jr. D Huskies were recognized in the teams section.

“We purposely started with a larger group to help establish the hall of fame. We worked really hard to make sure it wasn’t viewed solely as a hockey hall of fame. We want to recognize people who have made a name for themselves in any sport. There’s lots of great athletes here in the Highlands,” Trull said.

There are criteria each candidate must meet to be eligible for induction, Trull notes. They must have attained significant recognition and/or fame in, or for, the Haliburton Highlands for at least five years in any sport. Athletes must have been retired from active participation for at least three years, or if they’re still active, be at least 40 years old. Nominations for the builders and teams categories are eligible at any time, with no waiting period.

Written nominations and supporting documents, including newspaper clippings, awards and certificates, stats and records, and a photograph, are required.

“Generally, we’re looking for athletes who have had outstanding careers locally and beyond. People who have provincial, national, or international exposure,” Trull said. “For builders, we’re looking for people who have dedicated themselves to making sport better in the Highlands – and that can take many forms… and for teams, we want something that sets them apart and distinguishes themselves from other teams.”

Trull said a seven-person selection committee, of four community members and three people from the hall of fame committee, will have final say on any new addition. A wall mounted display, outlining their accomplishments, will be erected in the hall of fame, located on the second floor of A.J. LaRue arena. The induction ceremony will also be held at the arena.

“We want this to be a special thing for athletes, and a special thing for their families,” Trull said.

For more information, including how to submit a nomination, visit hhshoff.ca.

What better time for the annual Bookapalooza than at the beginning of another school year?

The two-day celebration of reading, writing, and sheer enjoyment of books will be taking place at the Minden Curling Club Sept. 15-16.

The Big Book Club, part of the Arts Council Haliburton Highlands (ACHH) Bookapalooza, kicks off the events Friday night featuring author Lawrence Hill in conversation with Chris Stephenson (CEO/chief librarian of the Haliburton County Public Library) starting at 7 p.m.

Hill is also a journalist, educator, documentary writer and member of the Order of Canada and has won numerous literary awards, including the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for best book. His Book of Negroes was also made into a mini-series for CBC television and he’s recently published a children’s fantasy novel, Beatrice and Croc Harry.

The fun continues, for free, on Saturday when the doors open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, to explore close to 60 exhibitors, presentations, activities, and free books. The Lions Club of Haliburton & District is supporting the Children’s Book Nook, where children’s author Heather O’Connor, co-author of Runs with the Stars, a story about rescued Indigenous horses in Canada, will be leading a storybook stroll outside while reading her book.

The Readers and Writers Expo on Saturday also includes a variety of representatives from the Writers Union of Canada, Crime Writers of Canada and other services and organizations related to writing that will be happy to answer questions or provide helpful information.

Rene Woltz, board member of ACHH and chair of the literary arts roundtable is excited about the range of programming for this year’s expo,

“Besides the exhibits, we’re offering a series of five adult presentations that celebrate words in all forms. Not only in the form of publisher panels, but memoirists and non-fiction authors, also singer-songwriter Sandra Bouza will be there to wrap up the presentations. So, a bit of something for everyone,” she said.

Admission for both days is free, however, advanced copies of Hill’s latest adult novel, as well as children’s novel and a guaranteed seat for Friday night’s conversation with the author, can be ordered through ACHH at haliburtonarts.on.ca

Dry stone artist John Shaw-Rimmington is returning to Haliburton County next month to add to his collection of natural sculptures.

With eight pieces already installed around Haliburton village and in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, Shaw-Rimmington will be working with a handful of students from the Haliburton School of Art + Design to create a new, hand-crafted work that will live outside the Dysart branch of the Haliburton County Public Library.

The week-long program will run Oct. 23 to 27, with Shaw-Rimmington, who lives in Port Hope, telling The Highlander he’s excited to get back to the Highlands after years away.

It was pre-COVID the last time I was up there completing a project… I am quite passionate about this. I think what I teach, more than anything, is the ability to work with what the earth gives you and turn it into something beautiful,” Shaw-Rimmington said.

He has been running courses periodically since 2008. The collaboration with HSAD, he recalls, came about after a fellow artist suggested he’d be a good fit to run his own arts program at the Haliburton-based college. He connected with former dean, Sandra Dupret, who gave the green light.

“There was no stopping me after that,” Shaw-Rimmington said.

The first project, he recalls, was a piece that still lives in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest today – two curved walls creating a pathway for hikers. He has another four pieces in the collection inside Glebe Park, including a stunning stone boat that sits on the shore of Head Lake. There are other pieces on the HSAD grounds, by the log cabin at the Haliburton Highlands Museum, and at Sam Slick Park, across from Haliburton Highlands Secondary School.

Shaw-Rimmington said this latest piece will feature a Yin and Yang pattern with threefoot raised dry stone walls surrounding it. All stone is being donated by Dysart et al.

Erin Lynch, operations manager at HSAD, said there are still spots available to participate in the program.

“People will be working on this on-location, beside the library, and there is an in-class component, which will be held at the library. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn a really unique skill and put something together that will be in place, and enjoyed by people, for a long time,” Lynch said.

The program costs $431, though bursaries are available that Lynch says will cover most, if not all the cost. Anyone interested in participating and making use of the bursary should apply by Oct. 6. Other applications will be considered until Oct. 22.

Shaw-Rimmington said the course teaches the basics of masonry and helps people with their critical thinking skills.

“We usually spend at least a day discussing the general principals of masonry, and working with different techniques. Then we come up with a working idea for the project, which is tough because you never know what you’ll have to work with in advance, so a lot of this is done on the fly. You have to figure out how to work with a variety of shapes and make them fit together,” he said.

“It’s different from the usual painting courses, and other modes of art at HSAD – this is physically demanding, and we have a fixed time in which to finish the work. It’s a challenging course, but extremely rewarding when you’re able to look back and see the contributions you made to a featured piece of art.”

To learn more, visit flemingcollege.ca/ continuing-education/courses/dry-stonestructures.

Dorset resident Kate Trueland is raising the alarm after seeing a dramatic increase in the number of “dangerous” high wake events on narrow channels in the community this summer.

Trueland said she’s had to flag down boaters almost daily to teach them about local etiquette when approaching and navigating the stretch of water behind Trading Bay and Robinson’s General Store, which connects two portions of Lake of Bays.

“People from Dorset, or who have been cottaging in Dorset their whole lives understand there’s this unspoken rule about not creating wake in that channel. For the most part people know when they need to slow down and where they can start to accelerate their boat without causing issues, but this year has been bad. I’ve seen boaters creating huge wakes daily, and it’s worse on weekends,” Trueland said.

She noted wakes are a major safety concern in the area.

“If you’re standing on a dock that’s floating, you can get chucked right into the water if the wake is significant enough. It also impacts people on paddleboards. There are all kinds of risks – you could be hit by a boat and knocked out, you could face dismemberment, or even be killed. It’s a real problem,” she said.

There are environmental concerns, too. Trueland said she’s observed a snapping turtle that lives under a dock in the channel be displaced several times after high wakes have caused the dock to bounce out of the water. She noted wakes also impact fish, birds, otters, and beavers.

Wendy Gibson, president of the Lake of Bays Association, said high wakes have long been an issue in Dorset.

“The narrows on the way into Dorset and the river into Baysville are two areas we consistently hear about… it’s a tough situation, because there’s no law that regulates wake. A swimmer can generate wake, a canoe can generate wake – so it’s a difficult thing to combat,” Gibson said.

The Lake of Bays Association produced a boating brochure a couple of years ago outlining best practices and offering tips to boaters on how to safely navigate the water. That has helped bring down the number of complaints, Gibson said.

Trueland wants to see signage installed in the channel promoting it as a ‘no wake’ zone. She has filed a complaint with Transport Canada, requesting they take action. The federal agency has one sign in the area, promoting a maximum speed of nine kilometres per hour in the channel.

Sau Sau Liu, senior communications advisor with Transport Canada, said there are no provisions within the Canada Shipping Act that prohibits vessel wakes. There is, however, a provision within the federal agency’s Vessel Operation Restriction regulations that allows any level of government to ask the federal government to restrict or limit the use of vessels on any Canadian waterbody for safety or environmental reasons.

“These regulations can be an effective way to resolve a conflict related to the use of a waterway,” Liu told The Highlander.

Trueland said she’d like to see ‘no wake’ buoys like the ones installed on Kushog Lake by the Ox Narrows, strategically placed in areas around Dorset. She plans to lobby councils in Algonquin Highlands and Lake of Bays to help make that happen

Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen said that, while wake issues are outside the municipality’s jurisdiction, she might consider an awareness campaign highlighting the damage wakes can have on shorelines, particularly around erosion, but noted any effort would need to be approved by council.

Trueland is hoping any measure to address wakes can be implemented, or installed, by next spring.

“I think education is the key component here. I don’t believe people are causing wakes intentionally or maliciously, but we need to do something to address the issue because it’s definitely getting out of hand,” she said.

A long vacant building beside the Haliburton Legion is being renovated, with the new owners seeking to turn the rundown spot into an office, gym, and storage facility.

Eleanor Dobbins appeared before Dysart et al council Aug. 22, saying the space would primarily serve as an office for CDH Carpentry. She and partner, Chris, bought the building earlier this year. While they were originally planning to allocate half of the space for storage, they were approached by another local interested in opening a gym at the location.

Dobbins said it would be a fitness gym for adults, with scheduled classes throughout the day. She said classes would take place in the morning, between 6 and 7 a.m., at noon and during the evenings, and can accommodate up to 12 people.

A report compiled by Kris Orsan, Dysart’s manager of planning, states the property doesn’t have the parking spaces required for the proposed use. There are four parking spots in front of the building, facing Mountain Street, and a further three at the rear end of the property. Orsan said he had trouble recognizing the rear spots given they encroach on a neighbouring property.

Orsan said that, to comply with Dysart’s bylaws, the business requires 14 parking spaces.

Dobbins requested the use of spots in the municipal parking lot at A.J. LaRue Arena. Given the property has seven parking spots, the owners would need to lease seven additional spots from the township. The cost to do so is $1,000 per spot, under Dysart’s cash-in-lieu of parking policy.

One additional parking spot could be created at the front of the building, but the space is currently used by the Legion to house a M4A2 Sherman ‘Easy 8’ tank. Dobbins said she has an agreement with the Legion to keep the tank where it is and would like to honour that. She asked if the township would consider waiving the parking fees.

While mayor Murray Fearrey said it would be “tough” for council to waive the fees outright, out of fear of setting a precedent, coun. Barry Boice suggested the township work with Dobbins to come to an agreeable solution.

“These guys shouldn’t be penalized for the spots taken up by the tank. It sounds like they’re trying to accommodate the Legion, so I think we should drop [some of the fees],” Boice said.

Council agreed to waive the fees for three of the spots, leaving Dobbins responsible for leasing four spaces at a cost of $4,000. Jeff Iles, Dysart’s director of planning, said a formalized agreement is needed to allow the Dobbins’ to use the spaces at the arena. Another report will be brought back to council for approval later this year.

Julian Taylor is hoping for wonderful weather as he and his band make their way to Haliburton County for a Sept. 9 gig.

Taylor and his band last performed in the Highlands in 2019, at the Haliburton Legion. The Haliburton County Folk Society will place him at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion this time around.

“We come up there because I do know how pretty Haliburton is, and it’s always nice to take a stroll around town and maybe even into the woods in the fall because of the changing colours. It’s really pretty,” Taylor said Aug. 31. He added he is looking forward to the “tranquility” before getting up on stage.

Taylor has a good working knowledge of the County, having gone to Kilcoo Camp as a boy and playing the Northwood earlier in his musical career. He said they used to do three sets of cover music there. “I’ve always had a good time in Haliburton.”

Since 2019, Taylor has received his fair share of awards and recognition. “I can’t complain,” he said of the accolades.

He attributes the recent success to “perseverance. Maybe Eddie Cantor was right, it takes 20 years to make an overnight success.”

His album, The Ridge, earned him his first two Juno award nominations, along with a Canadian Folk Music Award for solo artist, and nomination for English songwriter of the year. The album was also nominated for Canada’s most prestigious music accolade, the Polaris Music Prize. In 2022, Taylor won best male artist at the International Acoustic Music Awards and scored five Native American Music Award nominations. He has just been nominated for the 2023 Folk Music Ontario awards for performing artist of the year and song of the year (for S.E.E.D.S).

Prefers playing theatres

He is looking forward to playing in a theatre this time around, versus the Legion, or a bar.

“I’ve been trying to perform at theatres ever since I started this. I ended up in bars, and certainly the Legion was the last time I was there. I do remember it was lovely. I really do like performing to people who are really attentive to the show and theatres seem to lend themselves to that a lot more than any other venue that I’ve experienced in my career. And it’s certainly where I’d like to be. So, I’m really pleased and honored that I get a chance to perform at the pavilion.”

Taylor is bringing a five-person band this time around. He said during the pandemic, he put out solo work. Some in his band circa-2019 have pivoted and found other things to do.

“It’s been an interesting couple of years trying to piece the puzzle together in terms of who wants to play, when they want to play, if they want to play, and if it’s worth it for everybody. Because, when we first got back, not everybody was really excited to jump at the opportunity to go out there and be in a crowd. Some others were very into it.”

He added it felt like he had a nucleus pre-COVID “and now I’m sort of searching for it.”

Nevertheless, he is just excited to play with people, and in front of people, again.

As for the concert, Taylor said, “I’m actually diving into my entire catalogue that’s spanned about 25 years. I don’t play too much of the heavy, heavy stuff but some of the funky stuff comes out, some of the rock and roll stuff and R&B stuff comes out, and to me the folk stuff of the latter two records comes out. So, a lot of storytelling, and hopefully some dancing,”

Tickets are available online at haliburtonfolk.com. Youth age 18 years and under can reserve a seat for free.