Finding handmade heaven in Haliburton

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August 1, 2024

Highlanders now have another prime space to showcase their home-crafted goods, with Handmade Heaven the latest addition to Haliburton’s downtown business community.

The new store fills the space left by Halco’s The Source, which closed in the spring. After launching Handmade Heaven in early 2023, Sam Milne said he’s excited to set up shop in Haliburton. It will be his sixth location, joining stores in Peterborough, Barrie, Oakville, Markham, and Toronto.

“I really like the vibe of the community – it’s still got that small town feel. I love that there are still old-school family stores like Glecoff’s. It’s a busy, diverse downtown” Milne said.

A “modern” take on the community marketplace model, Handmade Heaven provides hobbyists and up-and-coming entrepreneurs space to promote and sell their goods. Milne said there will be items from approximately 100 makers at the new store, with half of those local.

Some of the County-based offerings include: Lynx 87, which specializes in woodworking, custom cabinets and home décor; Rowan and Oak natural soaps and candles; Encapsulated Love roses and forever bears; and Wee Lamb Collection.

Milne has spent weeks renovating the space – a mural representing “the rolling hills of Haliburton” greets people as they enter, while the walls are jam-packed with shelving featuring an array of products.

There are three price points for partners, Milne said, ranging from $130 to $260 per month. A five-tier “entry” unit that will be located in the centre of the store, an eightfoot by two-foot wall unit, and eight-foot by three-foot wall unit. Rent is due monthly, with makers retaining 100 per cent of sales. Vendors are responsible for managing inventory and setting up their space.

Products that prove popular will have the chance to be featured at other Handmade Heaven locations, Milne said.

Now living full-time at his family cottage on Catchacoma Lake, about 60 kilometres south of Haliburton, Milne said he’s embraced rural living. Setting up in Haliburton has taken him back to his childhood – he visited the community frequently as a kid and loved getting ice cream downtown before walking around Head Lake Park.

He stumbled upon the town again last spring while taking his son to Algonquin Park.

“The memories all came flooding back. But Haliburton has changed, this is a really busy place now in the summer. It’s hard even crossing the road some days, but that’s exciting as a small business owner – there are thousands of visitors during the summer, often from far away. It felt like the perfect opportunity, having this space where people can shop for cool things made locally that they won’t be able to find anywhere else,” Milne said.

He hopes to become a hub for the arts scene and encourages any small business owner wanting to reach a wider audience to connect.

“This is about building community – in some of my other locations, owners come together, share ideals, collaborate sometimes. It provides unique opportunities,” he said. “My aim is for people to do so well that they keep increasing their space, growing, and see where that takes them. Down the road, maybe it leads to them going out on their own – that’s what Handmade Heaven is all about.”

A grand opening was held July 27, with Milne saying the store was abuzz for much of the day.

For more information, visit handmadeheaven.ca/haliburton.

Minden Collision passes to next generation

By

Mike Baker

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August 1, 2024

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Instead of turning into the parking lot on the corner of Bobcaygeon and Deep Bay roads in Minden each weekday morning, Jim Carrell will have to get used to simply driving by, albeit with a smile on his face.

Carrell retired from Minden Collision July 26 after spending more than 40 years working at the community’s longest-tenured body shop – the past 24 as owner.

He’s passing the business onto his son, Jeff, who will be the third generation of Carrells to run the business. Jim’s dad, Bill, first opened Minden Collision in 1976.

“He worked there and owned the shop for 24 years before he retired – it felt kind of fitting that I’d do the same,” Jim told The Highlander while surrounded by friends and family at a surprise retirement party last week.

When his parents decided to up sticks from Brooklin, ON and head north, Jim admits he was a little apprehensive. Leaving behind friends and potential career opportunities in the GTA, Jim completed his Grade 12 at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School before joining his dad at the family business. Reflecting years later, he said it was the best decision they ever made.

“This is a great community – it’s home. There’s no other place we’d rather be,” Jim said.

For years, Minden Collision was the only place to get your car fixed after a fender bender. Looking back, Jim said there have been some memorable stories.

“There was the day a lady phoned my dad and said a tree had hit her Bronco – we laughed at that one,” he said.

On another occasion, a friend called one morning to say his wife had been in an accident and totalled one side of her vehicle. He needed Jim to perform a quick fix.

“I just remember him being so mad, ‘I don’t know what she did, I think she swerved for a bird or something’. One whole side of the car was destroyed from colliding with a guardrail, but we got it fixed,” Jim said. “He comes in the next day to pick it up and had to clarify his story – his wife was driving down the highway with her windows down and a great big crow flew into the car and was flapping its wings trying to get out. She couldn’t see where she was going, so put it against the guardrail and slammed the breaks to avoid swerving into traffic.”

Jim’s mom, Elizabeth, told how her son always made sure to eat lunch at the shop – whether with his dad when he was younger, with his many employees over the years, and, more recently, with Jeff.

“He has always been big on community, on getting to know the people he worked with. You always knew where to find Jim at noon on workdays,” she said.

Rob Randles, a mechanic and windshield specialist at Precision Auto, said he’s worked with Jim a lot over the past 10 years. “He’d call me up to come and cut glass out of a car after a wreck, I’d usually see him at east once a week. We’ve always had a great relationship,” said Randles. “In 10 years, I never caught Jim on a bad day. He’s always so positive and has time for anyone.”

Now he’s retired, Jim plans to spend lots of time fishing on his new boat during the summer and ripping up the track at the Minden Ice Races in the winter.

Jeff, who has worked with his dad since 2018, said he isn’t planning any major changes at the shop. He thinks it’s “pretty neat” to be the third generation of Carrells to run the business.

“I’m just excited and proud to carry on their legacy,” Jeff said.

A toe-tappin’, roof-raisin’ salute

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Lillie Qiu

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August 1, 2024

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If you can’t make it to Nashville to see the Grand Ole Opry, Leisa Way is bringing the Opry to Haliburton County.

The Canadian concert producer and songstress is presenting Opry Gold as part of the Highlands Summer Festival Aug. 4 to 8. The show features the Wayward Wind Band, which consists of award-winning Canadian musicians, including Bruce Ley, a pianist and the musical arranger, who has played piano for The Tommy Hunter Show and The Ronnie Prophet Show. There will be five performances.

Brant Garratt, a lead vocalist and guitarist with a passion for acoustic guitar, said he’s excited to come to the Highlands to play Opry Gold because of the proximity to nature.

“My family used to own a cottage on Miskwabi Lake. I spent a lot of time there during the summers, and it fostered my love of nature, and of canoeing, camping,” Garratt said.

He added, “I love the theatre there, the festival theatre, and it’s just a great meeting of two things that I love. It’s kind of a dream, like getting to go up to Haliburton to play music for a week, like come on. I’m probably bringing my canoe, that’s for sure.”

He can’t wait for audiences to hear the ripping guitar solos, not by him, but by the other guitar player, Jack Gaughan. “I know there’s just a lot of cool musical showcases of all different performers in the show, like our fiddle player, Alex George, incredible fiddle player. Just everybody gets their own feature, and it’s always a lot of fun.”

Garratt grew up listening to country music and credits his mom, who grew up in Newfoundland, for that. “I was exposed to people like Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, that kind of stuff. My parents are listening to that, I’m just saying they’re really into Gordon Lightfoot. I grew up listening to those genres,” said Garratt.

On being part of the group, Garratt said, “it’s been a great opportunity for me. And really, it’s been a dream come true to be part of a group like this, it’s an actual professional working band, and especially under somebody like Leisa.”

Opry Gold is a toe-tappin’, roofraisin’ salute to the greatest music in the history of country music. It’s a vibrant celebration featuring a rich mixture of classic Grand Ole Opry masters and the next generation of breakthrough country artists. The show highlights all the amazing artists that have played the Opry stage over the years and tells the stories about their connections.

Garratt will be singing in a four-part harmony, detailing he’ll be doing a lot of singing. Garratt says he’s done other shows where it’s been a three-part harmony, but never a four-part harmony.

“It’s really nice to be able to blend voices like that, because it’s not really something that happens a lot in normal bands. You have a nice two-part, two voices, but have four harmonies, it’s pretty cool.”

Great nights of live music ahead

By

Lillie Qiu

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August 1, 2024

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The Haliburton County Folk Society recently announced its 2024-25 lineup of artists during a concert series reveal party.

The event was held at the Dominion Hotel in Minden for members, musicians and folk enthusiasts. A limited number of passes will be sold for the series, which consists of five live shows.

“This is the first time in five years we have programmed a full series, and we are really excited about our line-up, which includes Juno and Canadian Folk Music Award winners and Polaris Music Prize and Maple Blues Award nominees,” said artistic director Sue Shikaze. “We pride ourselves in bringing top Canadian talent to the Haliburton Highlands. I think people know that Folk Society shows are a great night of live music, representing a broad range of genres.”

The event introduced attendees to the artists that are booked for the concert series through YouTube video performances of their works.

The series opens Sept.14 with Garnetta Cromwell and DaGroovmasters, a blues band that delivers high-energy shows to “bring joy to all,” according to a press release from the Folk Society.

Aleksi Campagne, a bilingual singer, songwriter and fiddle player, will be performing on Oct. 18. Campagne was named Penguin Eggs and Roots Music Canada’s New Discovery of the Year. He combines his voice, violin and loopingeffect pedals to wow audiences. Campagne received a Canadian Folk Music Award this year for French Songwriter of the Year.

On Feb. 1, 2025, Terra Lightfoot will return to the Haliburton Highlands with her trio. “Their energy and charisma on-stage creates musical magic”, the press release said. Lightfoot’s latest album, Healing Power, was recently long-listed for the prestigious 2024 Polaris Music Prize.

From Northern Alberta, Celeigh Cardinal, a soul-folk singer, will be taking the stage with her band on April 19, 2025. Celeigh has a confident voice, owns the stage and captivates audiences. She can also blend humour and vulnerability into her performances and her songwriting has been described as both impactful and sublime.

Barbra Lica is a Juno-nominated vocalist and singer-songwriter whose music blends jazz, country, and folk influences. Lica and her band will be performing on May 31, 2025 to wrap up the series. She is described as sunny, upbeat and refreshing.

Eagle Lake Women’s Society gets its just dessert

By

Lillie Qiu

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August 1, 2024

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The community of Eagle Lake and residents of Haliburton County gathered for the unveiling of a new historical display at Eagle Lake beach July 27.

The Eagle Lake Women’s Society (EOWS), a group that’s been around since 1937, created the panels. They contain information about how Eagle Lake became the rhubarb capital of Ontario, the founding of the society and its charitable efforts, and the history of the hamlet and the International Cooperage Company, which played a leading role in the “new” settlement of Eagle Lake.

Society president Nancy McLuskey said, “what we have here is people putting aside their differences and coming together. We’d like to see the village continue that way.

“There are two panels that touch on the society itself, which has been fundraising in this village since 1937. Our major fundraiser is quilts. We also make pies, and do other things, to raise funds,” McLuskey said.

The panels tell the story of the rhubarb festival, and how Eagle Lake became the rhubarb capital of Ontario. Early British settlers introduced rhubarb to the hamlet as it could survive the harsh winters and thrive in the acidic soil of Eagle Lake.

The ELWS was always looking for engaging ways to raise community funds, and so one of the members, Ruth Still, proposed the idea of making Eagle Lake the Rhubarb Capital of Ontario. A Rhubarb committee was formed, and the founding members, Doris Pierson, Joyce Tait, Lillian Henry, Ellenor Bagg, Still, Yvonne Gazelle and Carol Ann Stamp, held their first meeting on May 21, 1992.

In 1993, the council of Dysart et al officially declared Eagle Lake “Rhubarb Capital of Ontario”.

Pierson said, “All of the good deeds the Eagle Lake Women’s Society have done in the community, it means a lot to me that it’s recognized. They work hard.”

Pierson added, “it’s all their history, all our accomplishments. They can pat themselves on the back for all their hard work.”

Fran Vickerman, a member of the ELWS, said, “seeing all the members that are here, I think they’re quite proud of the panels that have been set up for today.”

Marion Grant, another member of the ELWS, added, “seeing all the people that were here, I’m hoping everyone will appreciate the work that’s gone into it, and that they’ll stand for many years.”

The beach was chosen for the panels because of the efforts the ELWS put into building the beach for the rhubarb festival.

The ELWS is grateful for the funding support from Dysart et al, the Haliburton County Development Corporation, and Eagle Lake Community Church. It supports many local charities and national organizations, such as the Eagle Lake Church and Community Centre, school scholarships, Youth Unlimited, Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre, and CADS (Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers) among many others.

The motto of the society is, “one can do a lot of good in this world, if one does not care who gets the credit for it.”

Kennisis Lake hosts children’s water festival

By

Lisa Gervais

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August 1, 2024

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The Kennisis Lake Cottage Owners’ Association (KLCOA) hosted a children’s water festival July 13, attended by lake residents and community members.

It was run in partnership with the Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival, which has, for more than 15 years, been an outdoor fall event that informs and inspires regional elementary school students to become water stewards in their homes, classrooms and communities.

Dysart et al lake associations were invited to have families from their communities join KLCOA members to explore lake health.

Children attending the event had some fun visiting a variety of hands-on activity stations where they learned about all things water, while making ecological connections to the natural world around them. For this festival, some of the stations included ‘bugs in mud’, ‘stream savers’ and ‘stow-away guardians.’ While completing the activities, children learned about how invertebrate (benthic) critters in lakes signal lake health, how natural shorelines keep lakes and rivers clean, and why it is important to clean, drain and dry boats to avoid transporting invasive species to lakes.

Kara Mitchell, coordinator of the festival, said, “it was rejuvenating to share these learning activities with lake association families, thanks to dedicated KLCOA volunteers. There were plenty of connections grown between folk who care about the health of local lakes and shoreline ecosystems and ways we can give back to the waters that sustain us. We look forward to more of such partnerships in the future.”

Representatives from the U-Links Centre for Community Based Research and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association (FOCA) supported two of the activity stations with equipment and expertise about water quality monitoring with hands-on activities for the kids and information for the parents and caregivers.

Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival programs have been offered to the local school boards and now with community organizations, thanks to the generosity of volunteers, partner programs and sponsors. Contact Mitchell at info@waterheroes.ca for more information or to get involved.

Dance troupe excited for outdoor shows

By

Mike Baker

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August 1, 2024

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Montreal-based contemporary dancer and choreographer Mairéad Filgate said she can’t wait to return to Haliburton County as she prepares to bring her independent production Note the Weather to life in the Highlands.

Filgate has partnered with Dance Happens Here Haliburton for four shows – three short vignettes and one feature production, running Aug. 5 to 10.

It’s the latest in a long line of local offerings from Filgate, who said she has a special relationship with the Haliburton community dating back 15 years.

“It’s one of my favourite places to visit and perform – Haliburton is an incredible community that really supports the arts, no matter what your thing is,” Filgate said.

These performances will all take place outdoors, taking advantage of the Highlands’ “serene beauty” and giving performers an opportunity to adapt to changing surroundings. The weather will play an important role too, Filgate notes, hence the name.

The troupe will debut their piece Aug. 6 at Haliburton Rotary Summerfest in Head Lake Park, running a 45-minute set from 4:15 to 5 p.m. They’ll be at the Haliburton School of Art + Design Aug. 7 from 12:15 to 12:50 p.m., performing in front of the college’s iconic red doors. They’ll round out the shorts with a 30-minute routine starting at the Haliburton Village Barn and proceeding down Highland Street Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. A full production will be performed at the Village Green in Minden Aug. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Buzzing over the birds and the bees

By

Lillie Qiu

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August 1, 2024

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The Birds and the Bees is wrapping up its run in the Highlands, with a final show Aug. 2. Written by Mark Crawford, a Canadian theatre actor and playwright, the play is a comedy that has audiences laughing at each set. It first premiered at the Blyth Festival in 2016 and is both charming and offers belly laughs.

Director Heather Davies says Crawford writes from the heart and creates “rich, generous, complex” characters, which are a joy for actors to portray and audiences to enjoy.

The Birds and the Bees is set in a small-town location on a Canadian farm. Sarah, played by Alison Dowling, is a turkey farmer who has come home to live with her elderly mother after going through a divorce. The duo gets into arguments about sex, relationships, and being a mature woman and still living with mom, topics any mother-daughter duo can relate to.

The show also tackles topics such as love, science, family, and the artificial insemination of turkeys.

Davies said, “it’s been a joy to work on this play. We hope you enjoy the play, including all the nuances and foibles of these wonderful characters, as much as we’ve enjoyed creating this production for you.”

See more at highlandssummerfestival. on.ca.

Her M(y)otherwork is painting

By

Lillie Qiu

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August 1, 2024

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Corynn Kokolakis, a Toronto-based artist exhibiting in Haliburton from now until Sept. 7, likes to paint with oil because it gives her time away from her other responsibilities, such as caregiving.

“It [oil painting] forces you to engage with it consistently until something is finished, which allows me to remove myself from other responsibilities. So it was like a break,” Kokolakis said..

The exhibit is called ‘M(y)otherwork’, and is a series of paintings that aim to show the maintenance and emotional labour involved in motherhood. Kokolakis’ composition and vigorous brushwork allow the viewer to see from the perspective of the mother, or “Mama Bear”, as it’s looking down from that viewpoint that the nuances of caregiving and identity are revealed.

Kokolakis describes herself as a figurative artist at heart, meaning that she paints people and figures. “There’s a bit of influence from the female impressionists as well, who dealt with private space and sort of domestic themes,” Kokolakis said. She referenced Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, the female impressionist painters of the 19th and early 20th century.

Laurie Jones, curator of Rails End, decided to do an exhibition on Kokolakis because she liked her brushwork. “What she’s looking at is really important to feminism, into how we look at the family,” Jones said.

Kokolakis recently gave an artist’s talk and answered questions. Kokolakis mentioned how she tried to capture moments that were part of development. She touched on the relationship between caregiver and caregiving.

“They’re part of a negotiation that the relationship between caregiving and caregiver is. You may not have children, but you were a child, and somebody was providing care for you. I try to capture the relationships more than the people themselves,” Kokolakis said.

She’s asked how her adult children respond to her work. “They actually kind of don’t care,” she replied.

The artist’s connection to Haliburton County runs deep; a cottager, camper and paddler. Kokolakis recently completed her Master’s degree in Fine Arts at the Ontario College of Art University last year. She is recently back from a threeweek residency in Vermont, to further hone her craft and vision.

“There are unspoken aspects of being a ‘good mom’ and M(y)otherwork explores that.”

Another provincial failure

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Lisa Gervais

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July 31, 2024

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The Children’s Aid Society is in trouble.

In Ottawa, members are currently on strike. The union cites deficits and burnout as just two reasons for the labour unrest.

On July 24, we learned how the situation is impacting the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society.

They’ve been running a deficit for two years and counting. And now the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is reeling them in, demanding a plan to get back in the black.

Seems somewhat strange to me, since the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care appears to be fine with Haliburton Highlands Health Services and other hospital services running a perennial deficit.

We’ve since learned KHCAS is not alone in facing financial challenges in delivering mandated services. Over half of child welfare agencies in the province were projecting deficits at the end of last fiscal year.

No one is denying they are in deficit, but let’s look at the reasons why.

In the past, when children had to be taken away from their biological parents for safety reasons, they were placed with extended family or in foster care. In the past, there were enough foster families to take them in. The numbers have dwindled, however, down about half in the KHCAS catchment area. With remuneration of just $50-a-day from the ministry, that does not cover enough of the expenses when faced with cost-of-living.

It’s forcing agencies such as KHCAS to use outside paid resources to house children, that are largely for-profit, and licensed by the ministry. They can cost between $400 and $2,600 a day. Not hard to figure out why CASs are running a deficit.

Why would the province allow for-profit residential care, rather than pay foster parents more?

But is it really about money?

A June report from the Financial Accountability Office laid bare that the Ford government is underspending on their own commitments to social services by a shocking $3.7 billion.

So, it’s not the Children’s Aid Society that is in trouble – it’s the provincial government.

Thanks to them, Haliburton is poised to lose CAS physical office space as of April 1, 2025. The agency will go cap-in-hand to other social service agencies – equally strapped – in the hopes of finding some shared space. They’ll also have to do the same – if not more work – with one fewer staff member.

I can only imagine how CAS workers must feel. Across the province, we’ve heard from OPSEU of workers crying in their cars, on stress leave, or terrified that a lack of resources will lead to a child’s death. They are the last line of defence for children and are dealing with chronic stress and not enough resources to do their jobs.

They are being forced to keep children in unsafe situations not because it’s what’s best for them but because they don’t have the resources to do anything else.

Haliburton County will figure it out. An agency will step forward to offer space. But, really, that’s just a Band-Aid. The government has the money, but just doesn’t seem to care.