Hodgson tells of ‘wild ride’ dream NHL career

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June 30, 2021

Laura Trach and her parents, Jane and Jim Trach, played a few holes of disc golf at Abbey Gardens’ new course last week.

While tossing the discs, and walking from tee to green – which in this case is a metal basket – Jean said their neighbours in Ottawa introduced them to the sport in October. They live on two acres and created their own little course and played all winter long. “For us, it’s a perfect cold weather exercise,” Jane said.

It provided plenty of walking, Jim added, and was easy to social distance during COVID.

Jane added that for her it was also something to do during endless lockdowns and stay-at-home orders when they weren’t socializing with anybody. She said it had also helped her fitness. When she began playing, she couldn’t reach her hands to the ground due to bad hips and arthritis but now she can bend over to pick up a disc.

“It’s fantastic,” added Laura, who is new to the sport.

Abbey Gardens is launching its new Innova Disc Golf course on Canada Day, Thursday, July 1. It’s located in the former gravel pit on the site.

It’s a partnership between Innova Disc Golf course designer and business development for Canada’s Darrel Bankes and the West Guilford establishment.

There’s been a disc golf course in Head Lake Park for years, so this is the second course of its kind in the County.

Bankes said the sport is “absolutely booming” and garnered a recent full-page spread in The Globe and Mail.

He said he was in the Highlands last fall on his way to a course in Huntsville when he ran into Thom Lambert.

“And he instantly dragged me over here to Abbey Gardens to meet the folks. So, then over the winter, we’ve been working on a partnership agreement … to install this course in a way that allows us to take on the responsibility of building, designing and installing the course,” he said.

Because it is a pay-to-play course, it will generate revenue for Abbey Gardens’ programming.

They will be offering day passes and season passes for the course, which functions just like a golf course with different aesthetics and activities. It is a full 18-hole course with a short and long layout. It begins in the former gravel pit and then goes into the forest. The course is 6,000 feet in length.

Board member Brenda Smith said Bankes met with Heather Reid, who brought the idea to the board. They in turn met with Innova Disc Golf and toured a course, “and we thought it would be fantastic to use the pit for something physical.”

Abbey Gardens director of operations, Ashley McAllister, said there’s been a huge interest already, even prior to opening. For the kick-off event, they are partnering with Haliburton Highlands Brewing and the Food Hub so visitors can experience the site.

Adult day passes will be $10 for the day, and children $5 including one disc. It is dog-friendly on-leash. The course can also be used for hiking. It will be a four-season offering. People can book at the hub or online.

“For us, it’s a great fundraising opportunity and it’s a great way to do something at this time [during a pandemic],” McAllister said. She added it’s allowing access to parts of the property they haven’t used before.

“We don’t really have something like this up here, especially the course that Darrell’s designed, so for people to come for a hike, explore the property, get outside, have that safe social distancing and try a new sport.”

See more on the Abbey Gardens website, abbeygardens.ca or at innovadiscs.com

Stellar snowmobile season in Haliburton County

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June 30, 2021

By Kirk Winter

The Haliburton County Snowmobile Association’s (HCSA) 49th annual general meeting turned into a celebration of all things sledding May 29.

It also served as an opportunity for politicians to recognize the considerable economic benefit the activity creates in Haliburton County.

HCSA President Craig Bowker said the 2020-2021 winter “had been a year of exceptional highlights and some association records were broken.”

John Enright, the club’s first vice president, listed many achievements.

He also told The Highlander at the end of the season, that “we killed it. The association saw a 17 per cent increase in membership over the winter of 2019- 2020 and delivered more grooming hours compared to previous years. There were also fewer equipment issues.”

“It was awesome,” Enright said. “The snow came late. We had a very strong finish and no January thaw.”

Enright told the AGM the club’s social media presence grew in leaps and bounds. The HCSA website had close to 75,000 visits this season from people looking for updated trail conditions. Followers on the association’s Facebook page grew by 25 per cent year over year.

Other association presentations touched on higher numbers of volunteers turning out for different projects: everything from brushing trails to posting signs to marking lake trails with more than 800 stakes. The Peter Overington Bridge crossing the Beech River had a $54,000 facelift and a portion of the main trail linking Minden to the HCSA’s 370-kilometre network was rerouted. Currently, the HCSA has a bucket list of over more than a dozen trail projects planned for the future.

The awards portion of the meeting saw second vice president Neil Vanderstoop named volunteer of the year for coordinating trail signage and other roles. Cole Finlay was named groomer operator of the year for his work as groomer coordinator. Tom Nicholson and Liz Jesseman received long service awards. Jim Richert and Enright will be inducted into the wall of fame. Many other volunteers were mentioned for their tireless efforts, including: Scott and Sherri Patterson, Marc Benoit, Carrie Reid, Fred Heinzler, Scott Doan, Elmo Lymburner and Christine Webster and family.

County of Haliburton Warden Liz Danielson told association members she appreciated attending the meeting “because of the tremendous contribution that snowmobiling makes to the Haliburton economy. That fact needs to be recognized more often and County council appreciates the work the association does.”

Dysart et al Mayor Andrea Roberts told the HCSA she valued the economic impact of snowmobiling, but asked the association what they were doing to mitigate the effects of climate change within their sport as winters continue to warm. The HCSA promised to respond in the near future.

Dysart et al Deputy Mayor Patrick Kennedy shared good news with the club saying the Haliburton Visitors’ Centre will be open for the coming season providing washrooms and running water. Kennedy also thanked the HCSA for its help in addressing illegal road usage and speeding issues created by some snowmobilers.

Directors for the coming season are: Bowker, Nicholson, Ted Roberts, Finlay, Noah Black, Enright, Margo Ross, Vanderstoop, and Marc Joanis. The directors elected a president and other members of the executive the week of June 7.

Rail trail advocates say renovations fall short

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June 30, 2021

Leona Carter doesn’t remember the crash: her friend, cycling with her along the Haliburton County Rail Trail in 2019, does. “She said we were just riding along and suddenly she saw me just go flying over the handlebars,” Carter said, standing on the rail trail near where the accident took place. After hitting a large rock protruding the trail’s packed down gravel, Carter hit the ground head-first and lost consciousness. She only remembers waking up in the back of an ambulance.

In late May, the County announced it would use provincial and federal funds to improve safety on the trail, which is used solely by snowmobiles in the winter and a mix of ATVs, pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians in the other seasons.

However, the Friends of the Rail Trail (FoRT) advocacy group say the renovations don’t fully address the safety of cyclists and pedestrians.

“Trail surface has always been a matter of concern. We’d like to think this funding announcement is good news, but there are caveats,” wrote FoRT chairperson Pamela Marsales in an emailed statement.

“A surface treatment over an unstable base is like glossing over old, peeling paint.”

Funds from $196,616 which the County received as part of the Investing in Canada Plan will go towards gravel overlay on 30 kilometres of trail, new benches, 500 metres of barriers and numerous signs outlining the trail’s history and ecological habitats.

But cyclists such as Marsales and Carter say that more needs to be done.

They say loose gravel is a difficult surface to cycle on, and large puddles, washedaway sections of trail and uncovered rocks are causing people to turn away from the trail system.

In an interview on the trail, Marsales said she’s heard from “many, many people who said ‘oh I tried riding my bike on it once and the surface was so bad I’d never go back there again’.”

According to Marsales, FoRT was not contacted by Haliburton County before the County announced the planned renovations – nor were they consulted about what might improve a cycling experience.

“What I’d like to see is open communication about health and safety on this corridor,” Marsales said.

Robert Sutton, director of public works for the County of Haliburton, wrote in an emailed statement that the County “have and continue to have numerous conversations, presentations, etc. from various user groups and concerned stakeholders regarding the rail trail.”

The County is set to host a Haliburton County Rail Trail roundtable discussion this summer at an undecided date.

According to Sutton, the granular overlay and compaction is a proven method for increasing the safety of the trail and rideability for cyclists.

“The existing granular base followed by the placement and compaction of granite screenings,” Sutton wrote. “This treatment method has proven to be very effective for all users of this multi-use trail, including cyclists and pedestrians.”

Marsales said work on the trail so far hasn’t resulted in safer riding conditions.

“The problem has been right from the beginning – I’d say since about 2005,” Marsales said. “The surface hasn’t been safe or adequate for all levels of cycling ability.

Sutton wrote he had a staff member follow up with Marsales and FoRT to hear specific concerns about the planned work on the trail.

In an email, Joel Bocknek of the Haliburton ATV Association said that the gravel overlay and other renovations wouldn’t have “much of an impact” on their riding community.

Local clubs provide recipes for change

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June 30, 2021

A new cookbook fundraiser produced by local community clubs aims to celebrate local cuisine while raising money for a school half-way around the world.

The “From the Heart of Haliburton” cookbook is a collection of recipes gathered from community members and produced by Haliburton Highland Secondary School’s Interact club, the local Rotary branch and Rotaract community club.

All the proceeds of the book’s sales will go directly to buying new school supplies and equipment for a school in southern India.

“It will have a huge impact. It’s a very basic school, in a basic concrete building – the money will go very far,” said Christine Carr, faculty advisor for the club.

“It will really help them have a more conducive learning environment for the students,” Carr said.

Over the years, HHSS has developed a school-to-school relationship with Mahatma Gandhi Sishu Siksha Sadan School near Kolkata. Haliburton’s Rotaract club also has a relationship with the school.

So far, the project has been a roaring success: they’ve doubled the size of their cookbook order due to early interest. Logan

Heaven, head of communications for the HHSS Interact club, said the idea came about after the group was brainstorming fundraisers which might address COVID-19-induced boredom.

“Everyone’s looking for something to do: we thought cooking would be a fun thing to do,” Logan said.

After HHSS Interact club collected recipes from around their community and sold ads to local businesses, Rotaract stepped in to help produce and distribute the cookbooks.

Scott Walling, a local artist and presidentelect of the Rotaract club, illustrated the recipes and designed the cookbook with fellow Rotaract member Vivian Colling.

“It was a really nice collaborative effort, to be able to input my ideas, and have it work with what they were envisioning already, and have it come together quite nicely,” Walling said.

Interact club members went out and about in Haliburton collecting recipes; inside the cookbooks you’ll find everything from soups to scones. Cooks will also get to leave feedback: each recipe is accompanied by a five-star rating system to fill in.

“Some [recipes] in there, I’ve never heard of in my life,” Heaven said, mentioning he’s excited to try out a blueberry scone recipe.

“I’m not really a cooking guy,” Heaven said with a laugh. “It’s hard!”

Walling said that no matter the skill level, the cookbook is all about community and helping out a school in need.

“It’s totally accessible to most people as well – it’s a great way to be involved with the community and be involved in Haliburton,” Walling said.

Each cookbook is $20 – they’re expected to be available in the coming weeks. A link to order can be found on Rotaract’s Facebook page, RotaractHaliburtonHighlands

‘Rock ride’ cancer fundraiser rumbles into Highlands

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June 30, 2021

A popular cancer fundraiser is expanding its annual two-wheeled photo hunt to the Haliburton Highlands.

Riders from around the province will be snapping selfies at notable Haliburton County locations – all while raising funds for cancer research.

The motorcycle-based Ride 4 Our Cancer Kids – called the Alphabet ROCK tour – has raised more than $500,000 for childhood cancer research centres across Canada since it began.

Since 2003, Bob Thomas and his family have been organizing the event since Thomas’ daughter, Samantha, passed away after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in 2002.

Motorcycle riders around Ontario raise funds while taking selfies in front of marked landmarks which correspond to letters. The rider with the most landmarks checked off, and the rider who raises the most, win prizes.

While Thomas lives in Sarnia, he spent much of his life in Wilberforce: this year, he’s expanding the event so that riders can explore the County’s roads while searching for landmark locations.

“The most beautiful roads in the province are up in Haliburton, Bancroft, Gravenhurst,” Thomas said.

There’s a fair number of riders who go up there on weekends and tour around,” Thomas said, “but I’ve never been able to bring that into the Rock Ride.”

Since COVID-19 meant the event is running virtually, all registration and fundraising takes place online: that means it’s easy for riders from anywhere near the landmark locations to take part.

Participants can snap selfies near the tank outside Haliburton’s legion, Cardiff’s dragonfly sculpture and many more local points of interest.

He said since the event is spaced out over multiple weeks, it’s the perfect year for Haliburton riders to get involved.

“This is the year built for them, up in that area,” Thomas said. “There’s so many roads out there to explore.”

He said he’s seen so many riders enthusiastically dive into fundraising – one participant has already raised more than $5,000 this year.

“Some people really get into it, and that’s awesome,” Thomas said. “Our participants really tend to take it to heart, and really get out there and fundraise.”

For 52 days this summer, from June 4 to June 30, and July 1 to 26, riders can tour the province finding the letter locations.

For every $25 raised and every photo at each landmark, participants get an entry into a draw for a $1,000 gas card. In place of the traditional event wrap-up, a virtual event will be held on July 31 to total up the amount raised.

So far this year, almost 50 riders have taken part: the fundraising goal is $30,000.

And no motorcycle is needed: this is the first year that cars can take part too.

“Anyone can do it,” Thomas said.

To learn more and register, visit rockride.com

Last roar – with pride – for Minden Lioness Club

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June 30, 2021

After more than 35 years of community service, the Minden Lioness club is no more.

Lions International, the governing body of all Lions and Lioness clubs, announced they were cancelling Lioness club insurance effective July 1.

“We had no say,” said Lioness Janet Readman, current vice-president of the club. “Our members are sad.”

Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin said he hopes the club members can continue to work in the community – even after the Lioness club disbands.

“[Community groups] add all kinds of services and dimensions to our communities, to lose any of them is a tragic loss,” Devolin said.

Lions International has been gradually encouraging Lioness clubs to integrate into the main Lions club structure since 2018.

But for Readman, a Lioness in Minden since 1988, being a Lioness was a unique experience.

“We liked where we were,” Readman said, mentioning how the Lioness meeting schedule was easier to fit in her weekly schedule. “It worked out perfectly for us.”

Lioness Kelly Moore agreed. She said being a Lioness also meant being part of a tight-knit community.

“We didn’t take ourselves too seriously,” Moore said. “We were always joking around, it was just fun.”

While Lioness clubs began as a way for women, initially barred from becoming Lions, to serve their communities, it flourished into an international collection of clubs focused on small-scale fundraising projects and community initiatives.

Moore and Readman agree their most popular fundraiser was the annual Canada Day rubber ducky race.

“It was kind of the finale for Canada Day,” Moore said. Since 1990, the race drew large crowds who cheered on scores of yellow plastic ducks which floated down the Gull River.

All the money raised went back into Haliburton County services.

“We figured we raised the money in the community so we should keep the money in the community,” Moore said. ‘

Fall through the cracks’ fundraising

On a table in the Minden Lions Hall, Readman and Moore spread out photos and plaques from Lioness history. Smiling Lioness members are shown cooking meals together, posing with Santa and collecting money in nightgowns during the infamous Bedpan Blitz fundraiser.

Readman said the Lioness club worked hard as a team. One time, they spent all day rolling, cutting and baking pies in the local arena. “We were baking pies until we dropped,” Readman said with a smile.

While the club didn’t have the membership to host large fundraisers or lotteries, Readman said they focused on community causes that might otherwise “fall through the cracks.”

One year, the Lioness club donated money to a man who needed $75 for a heated blanket to stay warm in an unheated house.

Another Christmas, Readman remembers that they searched the community for a family who could use “a little extra help” buying gifts.

They often pitched in with delicious food – catering weddings, community functions and Lions meetings.

Both Lioness club members say raising money for a guide dog was one of their club’s biggest achievements.

“That was our big focus,” Readman said. “For years we put money aside.”

They finally hit the target: $6,000. “For this club that was a lot of money,” Readman said.

After the club folds, they’ll be on the hunt for a Haliburton County resident who needs a seeing eye dog: the funds are reserved for the purchase of their canine companion.

The club has been spending the past weeks and months clearing out their bank account. They’ve sent money to the local cadet branch, Haliburton Highlands Health Services, camps around the region and multiple families in need.

No matter what, said Readman, the Lioness legacy will live on.

“We made a pact, we’ll still meet together,” Readman said.

The club’s official history sums it up: “we are proud to be members of the Minden Lioness Club. We are only eight members, but we are mighty.”

Members of the Lioness club during its last year include: Pat Stiver, Moore, Readman, Deloris Bailey, Phyllis Sutherland, Greg Readman, Suzzane Best and Mary Scarr.

Fleming dean recognized for ‘selfless’ leadership

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June 30, 2021

Angela Pind, acting dean for the Haliburton School of Art and Design (HSAD), has won one of Fleming College’s new spotlight awards for promoting a “positive, equitable and supportive workplace culture.”

“I was super shocked,” Pind, who assumed the position last fall, said.

Five staff members are being celebrated for positive contributions to the school’s learning environment.

Pind started her position just as HSAD was entering one of its most precarous school years to date.

“The challenge is the uncertainty,” Pind said, explaining how COVID-19 influenced the faculty’s operations. “We always know and have a clear focus on the students and achieving the goals they have.”

Pind was quick to mention that her team of administrative and teaching staff are key to the school’s success.

“The people that I work with at Fleming, are just the hardest working people focused on our students,” she said.

Shelley Schell, the Haliburton campus operation manager, nominated Pind. She also predicted Pind would be quick to deflect the praise to her educational team members.

“That’s just the type of person she is,” Schell said. “[Pind] is absolutely inspiring in her abilities, in her commitment: she is so deserving of this award.”

Schell said there has been countless moments when Pind’s leadership has made a difference in the lives of her and her colleagues. “She supports everyone, and cares about everyone. She is so selfless in her approach.”

Helping guide the school through the pandemic required, in Schell’s words, Pind’s “extraordinary ability to grasp the big picture.” That involved implementing new safety protocols, helping faculty transition courses to virtual environments and more.

While she splits her time between Peterborough and Haliburton, Pind said she’s appreciated seeing how well staff integrate into the community.

“I think that what I observe in each of the staff there, is that they are Fleming employees: they are Haliburton [County] community members.”

Pind said that an especially gratifying part of the job in Haliburton County is also seeing her students become communityminded while they learn techniques of art and design.

“They’re learning that in the context of being a member of the community,” Pind said.

Pind herself has engaged with the community’s concerns: from gas station conversations about COVID-19 concerns to discussing community events at staff meetings.

Throughout the year, Pind said she developed ways to support staff and students with the waves of emotion surrounding COVID-19.

“It’s acknowledging that anxiety,” Pind said. She said that open communication – and lots of it – is her preferred method of leadership. “I think having an open door lets people bring in whatever they need to talk about.”

Archie Stouffer grads nailed resiliency

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June 30, 2021

By Kirk Winter

Archie Stouffer Elementary School in Minden hosted a virtual ceremony for their Grade 8 graduates June 21, featuring addresses by departing principal Jane Austin and valedictorian Emily Fitzell.

Dozens of deserving students were also recognized for their academic success, hard work, citizenship and willingness to help others.

Austin, who is moving to Ridgewood Elementary School in Coboconk this fall, reminded students that they were “transitioning from one part of their education to another.”

Austin spoke of choices the students will make and the impact those decisions will have on their future.

“Choices you make will lead you in directions you may have never imagined. The trick is to be confident and brave. Embrace opportunity. Look for adventure. Make the best choices with the information that you have and if you need more information take the time to seek it out so that you have what you need to make the best decision for you.”

Fitzell took the graduating class on a trip down memory lane in her address, reminding students of the shared experiences they have had together over the last 10 years. Fitzell spoke fondly of trips to the Yearley Outdoor Education Centre, sports that got a little too competitive, exploding pumpkins and the antics of friends that brought a smile to everyone’s faces.

“Archie (Stouffer) has not only taught us … math and science,” Fitzell continued, “but over these years has also taught us valuable lessons in patience, collaboration, courage, confidence, compromise, perseverance and responsibility. All of these have helped us prepare for the last year or so that no one could have predicted. We have gone from one routine to another, in school to online, over and over again. Just when we got used to one routine we would have to switch to another one. This, my classmates, has taught us resilience and we nailed it.”

The program was capped off by 25 different Archie Stouffer graduates being recognized with awards that included having an average of 75 per cent or greater, 80 per cent or greater and individual subject recognition for excellence in the arts, mathematics, English, French, science, geography and history. Nicole Lee was the only dual-subject winner being recognized for proficiency in French and the arts.

Awards

The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the Grade 8 honours awards with the following students being selected by staff as deserving:

• Academic Excellence Award – Logan Beers, Emily Fitzell, Nicole Lee, Alissa Mantle.

• Alan Walker Memorial Award for demonstrated citizenship – Miles Bascombe.

• Character Education Award – Adam Davis, Quinn Higgins.

• Sarah Bloomfield Award presented to a student who is always a spark in the classroom – Andy Lippolis.

• Principal All-Round Student Award for a student who has demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, citizenship and extra-curricular activities – Emery Bagshaw.

• Arcadia Masonic Lodge Award for students who have worked hard to succeed—Dalton Fairey, Aaron Neave.

J.D. Hodgson graduation a two-day celebration

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June 30, 2021