email: southdundasinbox@gmail.com
South Dundas' U15-B Rep Lions scored the B Pool Championship on Wednesday evening at Morrisburg Arena in one of the best hockey games played on that ice surface this season, bar none! Back and forth action with a very determined North Dundas Demons squad in front of a near- full house crowd that included both Mayors of the respective communities.
Class rivalry, back and forth hockey in one of the top age groups for real fans of the game!
Chris Bolt scored the opening goal of the game for the Demons when Ethan DeJong moved the puck into the open. Bolt caught Lion's net minder Liam Barkley on a fast week for the counter. Barkley retaliated by shutting out the Demons for the remainder of the game.
Reed McCadden scored the Lion's first goal on a great play combining with Emmett Lemire midway through first period. Lemire raced in on the Demon's net less than a minute later, scoring what would be the game winning goal against Demon's backstop Ty Johnston, recording a 2-1 lead. Grayson Casselman picked up the assist on the play.
Through the remainder of this game fans who appreciate full throttle, back and forth action celebrated all they could stand, including a last five-minute surge by the Demons attempting to tie the score.
The Lions Mason Roderick snared the puck in the dying seconds with the Demon's Johnston on the bench in favour of an extra attacker. Roderick moved the puck in Reed McCadden's direction and the lanky forward made short work of sliding it into a gaping, empty net with just 52-seconds remaining in the game.
The Lions took the title and the rivalry for another year on a 3-1 score.
Morrisburg Curling Club's 'Little Rocks' group closed their 2023-24 season with a fun day
of competition and refreshments at the local club. Organizers offered that the interest in curling
has experienced renewed interest and are looking forward to a greater number of
active young members for the coming Fall registrations . . .
Information in these recollections of the ’Sign of the Ship’, #59 Lakeshore Drive, Morrisburg, is via a variety of sources, including long-time friends of a certain age, and a few who might be on the far side of a certain age. Most of the sentences here are composed of memories and experiences enjoyed around this home, and its occupants during our childhood, the St. Lawrence Seaway years. Local historian extraordinaire, James Jordan as always, has provided and verified dates and early history notes. Mr. Jordan too threw in a number of valuable anecdotes concerning the residences mentioned, simply to encourage our recall, we believe.
Recently, after some digital sleuthing, we located Judy Carr Johnson, the eldest of the Carr gang, who has generously provided a lengthy document and some wonderful photographs, reminders of experiences gathered while growing up with her four brothers (Peter, David, Charlie, John) and a sister (the youngest - Laurie) in this Morrisburg family.
The Carr’s home of year’s past, one of Morrisburg’s oldest, located at #59 Lakeshore Drive, has been demolished in the past several weeks. The residence was officially identified as “The Sign of the Ship” by most long time families residing in this village prior to the St. Lawrence Seaway’s geographical re-aligning. It has since that time been, simply, the Carr house.
Judy’s notes appear in italicized text and are followed by her name on each. Those words not italicized are Bill Laurin’s, who authors this web site, and who grew up around the Carr home on Lakeshore and just around the corner at 38 First Street, before and after the St. Lawrence Seaway project was completed.
Originally, this water front Morrisburg home along Canal Street served as a farm house when constructed by a Mr. George Cook in 1810. It was purchased by a Mr. Henry G. Merkley some years later, eventually sold again, this time to Ben and Mabel Carr. The Carrs also owned ‘The Ship’s Mate’ at #22 Lakeshore Drive in Morrisburg. Mr. and Mrs. Carr operated both locations as tourist homes during the time the famed foot doctor, Mahlon Locke, who was drawing thousands of people to the area every day with his miraculous ability to cure a variety of ailments.
“With the war of 1812 looming at the time of construction, instead of installing windows on the second floor so as to take in the the south facing vista over the water, there were gun slits in each of the two rooms on either end of the south facing wall and no openings at all in the middle room. That middle space was where the gun powder was stored. Putting the powder room smack dab in the upper middle of the house on the water side when the conflict was expected to come from that direction doesn’t make much sense, but that was the story that was handed down in our family.”
“It was a post and beam style home with a wide central hallway running straight through the house, from the front door to the back door, with two large parlors on either side. Each of the parlors was fitted with a fireplace. The kitchen, at the front of the house to the east of the front door, was small and dark. There was a large back kitchen in the extension on the east side of the house that contained a walk-in refrigerator. Our mother was convinced the refrigerator would kill one of us, so she had the door removed.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
We knew the home the entirety of our life time, simply as Carr’s house.
Through the past 67-plus years the house stood at the foot of Meikle Street, along the south side of Lakeshore Drive. The structure, lacking its large summer quarters, had been moved to rest on a new foundation during the seaway construction. Raised by Hawthorne Movers for the relocation in 1957 the building that had towered over the bank of the St. Lawrence River for 147-years was transported approximately 65 yards north and some distance east to its the new footing. It is interesting to note the owners of the day had the forethought to consider future land values. In placing the home close to the east side of the current property the opportunity to develop the land between parcels #59 and #63 was created, although to date is not severed.
At the time of the home’s construction there was no canal between the house and the St. Lawrence River. The local portion of the Williamsburg Canal’s series of locks wouldn’t begin construction until 1844 and they were expanded and rebuilt at Morrisburg in 1899, opening with a new Lock 23 at the foot of Lock Street in the downtown area in 1903. This lock not only provided a long and deep, safe navigation route around the river’s boiling rapids, it required the construction of a retaining wall along the canal’s north side. The retaining wall butted up against the base of the porch overlooking the river side at Carr’s house, leaving little to the imagination that should even a minor earth quake occur . . .
The canal retaining wall, constructed of huge stone blocks, ran the length of Morrisburg’s waterfront (near Morrisburg’s current Beach to Cassleman’s Creek) prior to the seaway development. Today the same wall can be viewed, (depending on the fluctuating water level) starting at the west side of Augusta Street on the east to the west property line along Morrisburg’s waterfront at the home of Rodney and René VanAllen. Previous to 1957’s seaway construction of Lake St. Lawrence, the wall stood some 15 to 18-feet above the surface of the water. Unknowingly at the time of design the plan created what would eventually become a frightening descend for youngsters learning to swim from floating docks along the waterway.
“My paternal grandparents, Benjamin and Mable Carr bought the house and ran it as a tourist home during the time of Dr. Mahlon Locke, the famous Williamsburg foot doctor. Perhaps they were the ones who named it “The Sign of the Ship.” The 3-story brick house further down Lakeshore (what was then Main Street) where my grandparents lived was called, “The Ship’s Mate,” so I always wondered if they bought the house on the water side first, but I never asked.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
Ben and Mabel Carr’s son Langton, his wife Elma and their gang took up residence in the home sometime before 1950. It was through our parents’ friendship with the Carrs that we too came to know each of them and their home so well. We developed a familiarity with the building prior to the St. Lawrence Seaway construction. Langton Carr and Art Laurin were avid duck hunters and fishers, and their wives, Lillian Laurin and Elma Carr enjoyed a long-standing friendship. We hung out at Carr’s every day through most of our summers. We played the familiar yard games of our youth, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, tree climbing, throwing rocks at passing ships, running to the north side of then Main Street to sneak into the orchard there and steal apples, stockpiling them as ammunition for upcoming, near daily apple fights among our group of friends.
“ While we were growing up rooms in the main house were rented every summer, often to the same people year after year. That explains why there were four bathrooms for the five bedrooms on the second floor of the house. Two full, and two half baths. Three of the bedrooms at the back were large. The boys’ room held four beds at one time and settled on three beds when the two older boys were awarded their own room. There was always room for friends.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
The entrance to the property previous to 1957 was semi-circular, packed earth and gravel, and stone pillars topped with ornate brass work guardedly overlooked the east and west entrance and exits. Huge maple trees lined the drive, and several more dotted the lawns. A number of the one-time familiar tourist cottages were located along this route.
“Eventually, our growing family gradually squeezed the summer folks out of the main house and consigned them to the long extension added/renovated on the east side. This extension held the back kitchen, a room many of the older houses boasted. These back kitchens were installed so the hours long cooking to provide meals for guests would not over-heat the rest of the house during the summer months.”
“There was a full bathroom, a small, finished kitchen with an icebox, and two rental rooms. Behind those rooms, on the water side, were two long covered porches, one screened, and the other glassed in. Prior to the seaway coming to Morrisburg the house was very grand. On the water side were French doors that led to a glassed-in porch looking out over the canal and the river where my grandmother served meals to local town folks as well as to travellers and guests.”
“Lillian Laurin told me a funny story of those times. She said as a young woman she worked at the ‘Sign of the Ship’ when meals were served to town folks as well as to tourists. She recounted an evening when two of Gracie Meikle’s aunts, people of some importance in our town, were coming to dinner and bringing friends. They were to have chicken, but when they arrived it was discovered that the chickens were still frozen. Lillian said all the help was terrified of my grandmother although she reportedly never raised her voice to any of the staff. Lillian explained the scene in the kitchen was frantic, while the women ran warm water over the chickens until they were thawed enough to cook. Meanwhile hors d’oeuvres were prepared and served while Grandma Mable entertained the guests in the dining room. In time the chicken dinners were served, and the company went home satisfied. Things moved at a slower pace then.
“The largest fireplace in the house was in the glassed-in porch. We had a Frigidaire in our kitchen in the main part of the house. It had a set of double doors and a coil on top, although I recall a smiling man with big arms bringing the blocks of ice, gripped in a pair of ice tongs, into the kitchen used by the summer renters.”
“The Seaway may be remembered fondly by some, the planners perhaps. It was many years in the making and it did at least allow some of the great lakes boats to travel in both directions on the St. Lawrence River. It’s not remembered fondly by me, and it was a traumatic event to the elderly who were forced to leave their homes and villages. Morrisburg was more fortunate than neighbouring Iroquois and some smaller towns that were buried forever by the flood of water levels. It was the original character of the town was destroyed. The new town center appears very well cared for, attractive even, but it is totally different from the town we grew up in. One must drive along the old Highway #2 through Prescott and Brockville, view the buildings that remind me of the way our town appeared in the 1950’s.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
To our age group the actual demolition of Morrisburg’s commercial sector was a fascination authored in the crashing buildings as they collapsed under the wreckers equipment. In the aftermath, giant piles of rubble were burned, then smouldered for days. At the end of the construction worker’s day we climbed onto the parked equipment and imagined ourselves at the controls demolishing structures in a game of unintended havoc. Hide and seek was endless and completely on a new level when we realized the “it” person would never think of where to find you while you were ducked inside the inner wheel of a giant house mover.
“The house was less grand once it was moved. It was still a sturdy and well-built structure, but it stood by the road alone and unadorned. Gone now were two pillars of natural stone between the sidewalk and the road, topped by wrought iron mountings, that now fronted nothing. They once marked the entrance to a circular driveway surrounded by maple trees.”
When the house was finally settled in its new location my mother, Elma, and a local carpenter, Mr. Baker, who lived in Mariatown, undertook a major renovation of the downstairs. The old kitchen became what today would be called a mudroom, or coatroom, and the big parlor on the east side of the house that overlooked the river became a large, sunny kitchen. The French doors remained, and they now led to an open side porch; the south-facing windows let in a lot of light. The slivery floors, were more than 100 years old when we lived there. They’d been painted a few times and were a great source of splinters as we slid and careened around the first floor in our sock feet. Eventually the floors and wainscoting were sanded to show their original knotty pine. Mother had them sealed, not stained, the pale wood lightened the interior of the house.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
As most young people of the day experienced, we were always happily seeking new adventures. It was around the time of the relocation of the Carr home that the BA gas station/auto repair garage located immediately to the east became of interest. Today, the residence in that location is owned by Mick and Yvonne Mabo and is sided by Bob Stewart’s yard. But the garage in our day was operated by Lorne Brown, and then Percy Markell. And in our eyes, Percy Markell was a God-send!
Our gang of boys dwelled on Percy’s every word while he told us an endless variety of jokes. He encouraged us to take part in menial tasks and spent an abundance of time making our very existence a happy, loving and incredibly fun experience. And he sold pop and candy, making sure all, money or not, at least shared some once in a while. Pocket money was rare in those days, and by the time we were getting out of bed the milk man had already made his rounds.
Percy eventually hired Dave Carr to pump gas in the day when station operators took care of their customers. Tourism was brisk following the flooding of the river and area gas stations, motels and camp grounds enjoyed a brisk business of new found money.
West of the Carr house was Merkley’s barn and home. As young people we would stop to watch Craig Merkley putter with his vehicles, one of which was a late 50’s early 60’s Harley Davidson model. The bike was robin’s egg blue with a white leather saddle and fringe trim on the bags, and we thought it was beautiful. Craig was verbally impaired, although he made every effort to show us what he was working with.
"Of the many trees surrounding the property there was a favoured, giant willow standing down by the water. It was old and enormous, and even as adults our arms wrapped only halfway around the trunk. The willow was a famous among our friends. Its wide and sturdy branches started low enough to the ground for children to climb up and sit inside the tree. We gathered the long stringy vines in bunches and swung like Tarzan in our games. After the river flooded and rose to the shoreline the water’s edge was many feet deep and we joined with our friends to swing out over the water on those vines and plopped right into the river.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
We passed Percy’s garage daily, on our way to swim at Carr’s waterfront after the completion of the seaway construction. What had previously been a treacherous pre-seaway climb to the eyes and minds of eight-year-olds was now a simple navigation over a short decline of boulders, and a dive into the most beautiful, slowly meandering, mile-wide waterway on the planet. Our eyes captured it as endless.
We spent every summer for an unknown number of years staring at the half-mile-away floating giant ships traversing the river. Our new world turned over the habits of our past summers, and of spending afternoons swimming in exactly the same location. But now no one was having to exit the water to safely allow a passing ship the right-of-way. Like black and white.
“My mother found that people regularly went out on the water, but many didn’t know how to swim. I don’t know how many children she taught, dozens and dozens for sure. Elma Carr used to joke that people would drop their children off at our house in June and pick them up in September.”
"Elma had a methodology. First, we paddled around in a shallow area called the cribbing (the top of the original canal wall), sternly warned away from the drop off along it’s outer edge that was, as I recall, some 14-feet deep. It was well over our heads so whether it was 12-feet or 100-feet made no difference to a non-swimmer. When one of us became comfortable paddling in the cribbing, my mother tied a rope around our middle and walked around the dock taking us securely out over the deep water.”
"As Elma believed things were going well, she would loosen the rope and announce joyously, “You’re swimming!” At that point the child on the other end of the rope, visibly terrified, would begin to sink, quickly being hauled in by the rope.”
"I don’t know either how many of our friends were included when our Mother drove us to Prescott for our Red Cross certifications, Beginner, Intermediate, Senior, and the final Life Saving badges. I do know there were many! I remember our Life Saving badge test well. The water was very rough that day and the waves were larger than usual. I was towing someone and trying to keep their head from going under.” - Judy Carr Johnson.
We recall Elma Carr introducing us to the art of swimming. It was in the pre-seaway canal. And during the pep talk in preparation of our first solo, while Elma Carr was arranging a rope knot around our middle, our mind flashed on the question of how long it had been since we’d had our last bite to eat.
In those days everyone believed that not waiting a full hour following a last bite of lunch ensured a life-ending experience, involving excruciating muscle spasms, making breathing and muscle use impossible, and drowning.
Elma convinced us to take part in the swimming rope exercise, inside we were dying in fear, while on the outside we simply went through a lot of gut wrenching fear as we slid off the dock into that bottomless, muck coloured flow of death. Elma was a registered nurse and to her that hour was law. She insisted on the full hour, leaving us all sitting on the wall of the canal counting the minutes until we could reenter the water.
In actuality, we went into what surely appeared to be some kind of a hand-paddling seizure, seemingly standing fully erect in the water. Our feet were pumping like we were riding a high speed bicycle. So intense was our effort to remain of this world in keeping afloat, witnessing onlookers rolled in laughter. Then we climbed back up on the dock, all cocky don’t you know. “There’s how you do it boys!” But I remember too carefully mouthing the words under my breath.
Under Elma’s guidance those fears disappeared almost immediately. Within a few afternoons, diving off the dock, and poo-pooing the idea of exiting the water when a large freight boat was approaching were tossed aside forever. A few weeks passed, and more than once, on a dare, we swam into the canal, and during a somersault put our feet against the side of a passing boat, pushing off to return to the safety of the dock. Everyone thought the move to be one’s initiation into the sacred ‘big kid’s’ crowd. However, we’re pretty sure of our recollection, and in correcting that previous statement we might offer that we still believe there was considerable distance between the soles of my feet and the side of any ship during our turn at those somersaults. But we’ve kept those facts to ourself in the many times we’ve shared memories with the old Carr crowd.
“Down the street from our home, our friends, the Barclays, had the first TV in our end of town. The entire neighborhood of children piled into the Barclay home on Saturday mornings to watch Hop Along Cassidy, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and on Sunday evenings to watch the Disney hour. I remember being shushed as I cried and sniveled over Dumbo’s rejection.”
“I spent a lot of time at the Laurin’s on First Street. I was even quarantined out of my own home once when mumps were diagnosed there, and I temporarily moved in with them. Another time the girls had to vacate their large room because I was sick and couldn’t go home. Lillian served me ginger ale, a rare treat.” - Judy Carr Johnson
The Carr home was more than a family home to many more than our circle of friends during those early years. The door seemed forever open. We can’t recall anyone ever suffering an excessive scolding for being out of sorts. Elma had her rules and she had a way of explaining them that most experienced no hard time in understanding. Elma made everyone feel like they were an equal.
It was, quite simply, her way.
“I was in Hawaii when the letter arrived. My mother said she was taking my youngest sister Laurie and whoever else was still at home and moving to Long Sault to be closer to her work at the Cornwall General hospital.”
“How can she leave the willow tree?” was my first thought! “ - Judy Carr Johnson.
The large property changed following the completion of the seaway development. The open space on the west side saw the Meradian family build the home where Bill and Bev Smith reside today, #65 Lakeshore Drive: Steve and Laura Lynn Cassleman constructed the home at #63 Lakeshore Drive where the Broad family currently resides: Dallas (Merkley) and Bob Auckland built the house at #67 Lakeshore Drive where Davie and Susie McIntosh live: and the one time Merkley farm house immediately west of the Carr property back in the day, located at #69 Lakeshore, houses the Serendipity B&B. The one time, roadside barn long gone, was replaced by an architecture from another day .
There remains a river stone created wishing well on Carr property, temporarily somewhat obscured by the remnants of a dock construction currently in the works. And, we’re told a residence is in the planning stages.That wishing well was on the north-east corner of the home prior to its seaway relocation. Its continued presence on the property sings in a sweet melancholy of memories to the many, many children who spent years of afternoons experiencing an always open welcome and an always exciting childhood in and around the Carrs and their home.
It was not uncommon to walk into the Carr house, unannounced. Not only would there forever be a fresh loaf of bread, opened, and on the table in the east side kitchen/eating area of the house. There was too an open jar of peanut butter with a knife sticking straight up, in and out, of the jar, right beside the bread. Just in case one arrived hungry, as the matriarch living here knew children often did. She left them to find such solutions on their own, the slightest bit of encouragement in place.
Elma would have already walked down to the river. She would be relaxing following long hours of work, and getting her mind in order to tend to her own brood.
On more than one occasion, while approaching the river bank quietly, one could witness this swimmer extraordinaire. She would be floating on the surface of the water as only Elma Carr could do. Not a muscle moving other than those required to breathe. This was Elma Carr, Matriarch of the Carr home, perfectly enjoying her element.
She and her home were the Sign of the Ship to so many!
While returning home from the season closing Morrisburg Junior Lions Awards Night
on Saturday we couldn't help but pull over and snap a few of these two locations highlighted
by a long awaited spring evening of a full moon and starlight brightness . . .
North Dundas' Ty Helmer snaps out the right mitt to turn away this scoring attempt
by the Lions at Morrisburg on Sunday evening . . .
Sunday, Mar. 24th - South Dundas’ U13-B House entry took one last run to establish final season positions in Minor Hockey’s new play down system on Sunday evening at Morrisburg Arena. Unfortunately for the North Dundas Demon’s squad, the Lion’s Aaron Campanaro was on his game, hammering the visitors net minder Ty Helmer for 4-goals and setting up team-mate Jackson Dunning another counter on the night.
Goaltender Helmer was constantly tested through this game, called on to hold his team in the running, and in spite of being bombarded throughout the three periods, he never gave in until the final buzzer sounded.
Campanaro opened the game scoring with the only goal of the 1st-period on a play from defence man Jace Cassell. The Demons Nick Cavanaugh then tied the game midway through the middle period when he beat the Lions backstop Sawyer Markell with Ashton Buchanan setting up the counter.
Late in the same frame Dunning notched his first from Will Cummings and Campanaro added his second of the game, unassisted, to put the Lions up 3-1.
South Dundas took over completely in the final period adding four more counters. Campanaro showed great accuracy on a pair of goals, both from Will Cummings. The Lion's Colesen Sadler added a single from Griffin Cassell and Liam C’Connor, and Dunning fired the last goal of the game in the last minute of action on a Campanaro set-up.
The Lions took the outing, closing their 2023-24 season on a 7-1 score.
This gang has caught on the we like to throw a few snaps of the 'ice bunnies' in with the action shots
of the various hockey teams. It seems that as we approach the exit from the arena foyer to the ice they
whip in front and perform a move or two, just in case we're looking for a photo. Ya gotta love it!!!! . . .
Julian Taylor is a Toronto-based, award-winning singer-songwriter, radio host, and label owner. Over the course of his esteemed career, which spans 20-plus years as the leader of Staggered Crossing, Julian Taylor Band, and his solo work, Julian has established himself as one of Canada’s greatest troubadours. His 2020 LP, The Ridge, earned two Juno Award nominations, along with a pair of Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist and English Songwriter of the Year, five Native American Music Award nominations, plus a nomination for Canada’s most prestigious music accolade, the Polaris Music Prize.
Julian's new album, Beyond the Reservoir, released October 14th, 2022 includes the singles “Seeds” , “Wide Awake” and “Opening the Sky”” that builds on the soul-folk sound and autobiographical themes first explored on The Ridge. Julian received a 2023 Juno nomination for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year and most recently he has been nominated by CMA Ontario for Roots Artist of the Year.
Opening this show is Gatineau-based Mia Kelly - she's an alum of our Intimate Acoustics series and is known as a poetic lyricist with a powerful and versatile voice. Mia has been super busy since we last saw her in our (pre-Covid) lineup! She released her first album Garden Through the War in 2022, an album that received recognition from the SOCAN Foundation and was nominated for Album of The Year at the Folk Music Awards 2023. Kelly was also awarded Emerging Artist of the Year by Culture Outaouais, was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards, and represented Canada as a finalist at the 2023 Jeux De La Francophonie in Kinshasa.
Tickets for this show are $25 in advance (+ online fees) or $30 at the door. Advance tickets are available online only through the Eventbrite Link below. Your ticket will be delivered to you via email. If shows are sold out, we will post that information here and on our Facebook page, otherwise you should assume you can also purchase tickets at the door. We accept cash, credit card or debit for day of show sales.
All seating at our shows is general admission - which means you will choose your seat on arrival. There isn't a bad seat in the house, but if you would like to be close to the front we recommend arriving at least half an hour before show time.
The Upper Canada Playhouse is a fully accessible venue - we will reserve seats for those who need access to wheelchair or walker spaces. Please email us at info@st-lawrencestage.com immediately before or after you have purchased your tickets so that we can ensure the space is reserved for you.
Dale Lewis of the Morrisburg Lions' owners group, with assistance from the Lion's mascot and
Top Roaring fan Cass Locke presents Justice Brownlee the Top Defensive Player of the Year
award at the team's closing party at Cedar Glen Golf Course on Saturday evening . . .
Saturday, Mar. 24th - Ben Lapier and Justice Brownlee led the Morrisburg Junior Lions award’s parade on Saturday evening when the South Dundas team celebrated their best season to date in the National Capital Junior Hockey League with a closing party at Cedar Glen Golf Club. Votes were cast for a variety of awards by team members and the Lion’s dynamic duo of Lapier and Brownlee went to the podium a total of 8-times.
Throughout the evening the team was congratulated on their efforts to build a unique winner, particularly when Dale Gilmour stood up and congratulated Kevin Casselman on having the only team in the league with so many home town players on the roster.
“No other team in this league has so many players from their own community,” Gilmour told the packed club house, “And you deserve to be congratulated for that!” The senior Gilmour is the father of graduating Lion Curran Gilmour.
Mr. Casselman, who has iced the Jr. Lions for some 40-years has not lost touch in the importance of including local players, well understanding that to draw local fans, signing local players sells the tickets. The current Lion’s roster included Owen Fetterly, Hudson Fetterly, Josh Broad, Kayne McFadden, Curran Gilmour, Aiden Hutt, Alex Larocque and James Martins.
On this night Ben Lapier was presented trophies for Most Assists, Leading Scorer, Fan Favourite, Best Forward, and Most Valuable Player through the Regular Season. Justice Brownlee accepted Defensive Player of the Year, the Coaches Award, and Most Valuable Player in the Playoffs trophy.
Justin Cry and Alek Larocque shared the Most Improved Player trophy; Larocque and James Martens received the South Dundas Minor Hockey Graduate Player’s trophy; Josh Broad shared the Lady Byng Best Sportsmanship award; Ashton Adams took the Rookie of the Year trophy; Cyr returned to the podium for the Top hustler trophy and Jakob Bennett received the most Valuable Defenceman trophy.
Lion’s President Kevin Cassleman asked the volunteer crew that plays an important role in continuously handling a wide variety of tasks around the organization to take a bow in acknowledging all who keep the team working smoothly, before calling it a night.
Under the leadership of Grade 7 teacher Blair Fitzsimons, St. Mary - St. Cecilia's group of eight
competing inventor-scientists, above, includes (back row), Will Millward, Liam Qusnel, Emily Morris,
Owen Markell, Evelyn McClafferty; (front row) Tessa Laurin, Payshence Sheldrick and Georgia Elliott.
Friday, Mar. 22nd - Eight students at St. Mary St. Cecilia Catholic School in Morrisburg have mastered their way into the final five contestant groups from across Canada who are taking part in Samsung’s ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ contest.
Samsung’s contest encourages the use of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to create solutions around issues that can impact a community. The submissions for the contest are sponsored and submitted by a teacher (Blair Fitzsimons).
From Samsung’s web site describing the various aspects of the ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ competition, “We consider energy efficiency and resource circularity for our products throughout their entire life cycle - sourcing, production, distribution, use and recycling - to strive towards reducing our impact on the environment, including efforts to increase water reuse and advance carbon capture technology.’
The web page further explains the contest rules, including the requirement of a team produced video summarizing their entry that will be used by the panel of judges in selecting the order of finish for the five finalists.
In being selected one of the Top Five entrants in Samsung’s ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ contest, the St. Mary St. Cecilia group of developing solution specialists has already won a $5000 Samsung Cash Voucher intended to purchase new technology for their school. A second or third place finish will garner St. Mary St. Cecilia an additional $10,000. Should the St. Mary St. Cecilia entry continue on the path to 1st Place and win top approval, they are eligible for a $50,000 Cash Prize for their school, and will become owners of ‘The School for Tomorrow’ title for a year.
In addition to the prizes handed out by Samsung’s panel of judges there is too a “People’s Choice” presentation of $5000 available for their favourite Solve for Tomorrow finalist entry.
When asked if there were plans in the making for any monies the student team is awarded Coach Fitzsimons said, "We see an opportunity to enhance our digital equipment so that in future school years the students can create and develop ideas on a leading edge scale. They will be able to deliver presentations in which they created all of the components, such as instructional images and artwork, right here in the class room."
St. Mary-St. Cecilia’s eight student competing team is excitedly awaiting Samsung’s final announcement, expected in the next few days, concerning the overall order of finish.
North Dundas net minder Owen Rice made a split-second stop on this Lion's attempt to score
on Friday night at Morrisburg. Rice was somewhat overworked during the game.
He faced a constant barrage of shots, and in between each he backstopped
his team in numerous goalmouth battles.
Friday, Mar. 22nd - Raleigh Plumondon led the South Dundas U11-B House Lions to a lopsided 8-1 victory over the Demons from North Dundas at Morrisburg Arena on Friday evening. In the team’s final play-off game of the 2023-24 campaign, Plumondon scored the opening goal of the game late in the 1st-period. She added three counters in the middle frame and another single late in the closing period, recording a 6-goal performance on the night, including a natural hat trick in the middle period.
Charlotte Arsenault set up Plumondon’s scoring performance when she corralled the bouncing puck in the final two minutes of the opening period, flipped a pass into the goal mouth and Plumondon banged it home for a 1-0 lead.
Arsenault celebrated her turn in the ‘goals’ column late in the middle period when Jensen Roderick worked the puck into the goal mouth before hading the scoring opportunity over. Arsenault slid the puck past Demon’s net minder Owen Rice for the 2-0 lead.
Raleigh Plumondon followed Arsenault’s performance with her natural hat trick scored over 2-minutes and 12-seconds, quite possibly a record that will be tough to break. Ayden Morrow assisted on Plumondon’s first and last of the short scoring spree and Plumondon's second goal went unassisted.
Duncan DeVries added the Lion’s 6th-goal on an unassisted effort as the final period wound down and Kohlden McDonough notched North Dundas’ lone, unassisted counter 2-minutes later. Plumondon added her final goal on the night when she wired another Arsenault assist over the glove of a well worked Rice.
DeVries closed the game scoring late in the contest, relaying a Noah Caers set-up into the twine at the back of the Demon’s cage for the 8-1 victory.
Seaway student William Nielsen competes in Individual Carpentry . . .
Friday, Mar. 22th – This week, Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) students showed off their carpentry and woodworking skills at the Eastern Ontario SKLZ competition, a continuation of the SKLZ competition held last month in Cornwall.
The event, held March 20 at the Carpenter’s Union 93 in Kanata, was in collaboration with the UCDSB, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario and UBC Built, presented by DeWalt. Approximately 110 participants from both school boards across the region showcased their skills in four different woodworking trades. With representation from 11 out of 22 secondary schools, UCDSB had about 49 students compete at the event.
Aydon Whitman and Andrew Harper, Grade 12 students at Rideau District High School competed in the Team of Two Carpentry event and were tasked with building a picnic bench with a round top. For both students, this was their first time and said their goal for the day was to simply complete the project.
Outside of having a familiarity with power tools, both students said having a positive mindset, patience and confidence were important.
“If you mess up, you mess up. You learn from it,” says Harper. Whitman and Harper both said they would encourage any student considering competing in a similar event to do it. “New experiences are good,” says Whitman. “Take every opportunity you’re given.”
Grade 12 students Eleni Fourkiotis and Erin Libbey from St. Lawrence Secondary also participated in the Team of Two Carpentry. With Fourkiotis wanting to be a carpenter and Libbey planning to pursue a career in civil engineering, the students described the event as “new and improved.” They liked the spacious location and quality materials and tools. The duo won bronze at the SKLZ event last year.
Two students from Glengarry District High School and Almonte District High School will be moving on to the qualifying Skills Ontario competition in Kingston on April 13. One individual from Tagwi Secondary School and two teams from North Grenville District High School and Tagwi SS are moving on to the Skills Ontario competition in Toronto this May.
UCDSB results from the competition are as follows:
Individual Carpentry
Gold – Cohen Williams from Glengarry District High School (Advancing to Provincial Qualifier)
Silver – Craig Villeneuve from Almonte District High School (Advancing to Provincial Qualifier)
Bronze – Cody Devries from St. Lawrence Secondary School
Cabinet making
Gold – Emerson Beckstead from Tagwi Secondary School (Advancing to Skills Ontario)
Silver – Alexis Smith from Glengarry District High School
Bronze – Twyla Lalonde from Rockland District High School
Team of Two Carpentry
Silver – Sam Kirk and Nathan Rogers from North Grenville District High School (Advancing to Skills Ontario)
Home and Team Building
Gold – Tagwi Secondary School – Josh Sauve, Nevan Lalonde, Ian Casselman and Kash Anderson (Advancing to Skills Ontario)
Silver – Rockland District High School - Alex Stocker, Sean Kinney and Michael Luloff.
Fitting that the 1st day of Spring 2024 was overcast, quite cool and just starting to
emerge with so much color. Promises of a beautiful season to come.
Top of Nash Creek earlier this week . . .
Hudson Shaver (just releasing the puck) managed to slip this shot past the outstretched arm
of Lincoln Robinson for the game-winning goal in Wednesday night's South Dundas U15-B House
game at Morrisburg Arena. Shaver's B1 team dumped South Dundas B1 entry on a 5-1 score.
Wednesday, Mar 21st - One of South Dundas Minor Hockey’s ‘Annual Classics’ was staged at Morrisburg Arena on Wednesday evening. The U15-B House 2 Lions hosted the U15-B House 1 Lions in a game that would settle who would advance to the Consolation Round Championship series in the Upper Canada Minor Hockey Leagu.
Referee Sean Boulerice dropped the official starting puck at 7:30 p.m. and fans in attendance were treated to a back and forth shoot-out style of action creating a net-minding duel between Joel Perrault and Lincoln Robinson for the following 90-minutes. March entertainment at its very best!
Goaltender Joel Perrault stops this scoring attempt in the middle period on Wednesday evening . . .
The visiting B1 entry iced a squad of considerable goal scorers and stand-up rushing defence, including affiliates Max Bazinet (wing) and Griffin Cassell (defence). The U15-B2 line-up included affiliates Liam O’Connor and Will Cummings, both offensive threats in any game.
In the end it was Perrault who managed to thwart his teams’ opponents. Backed by a defence that includes Jeremy Barkley and Brenna McCooeye, both of who showed a season-long top performing talent in this division, leading rushes out of their own zone in an all out offensive attack on their opponents. And of the five counters Perrault’s B1 team-mates managed to tangle in the twine behind B2 net minder Lincoln Robinson, most were well screened or the result of goal mouth battles the B1 team captured.
Tanner Hill opened the game scoring midway through the 1st-period when he relayed a three-way play into the B2 net. Hudson Shaver to Leila Cassell to Hill provided the 1-0 lead.
Shaver then surprised everyone in the rink when he cradled a bouncer from Jeremy Barkley and gave the B1 Lions a 2-0 lead just 16-seconds later, a counter that turned out to be the game winner.
To the fan’s delight the B2 Lions cut their opponents lead early in the middle period when Sam Schuler hammered the puck past Joel Perrault on a Harrison Bland opportunity. Unfortunately, it was the last goal the B2 lions would register on this night as Perrault’s play crossed the line separating strong and spectacular. This talented puck stopper, and a couple of goal posts, shut down the opponent’s scoring for the balance of the evening.
James McIlwee and Hudson Shaver handed Joel Onstein a scoring chance he successfully completed putting the B1 Lions up on a 3-1 score early in the middle period and Gavin White completed a 3-way play as the frame closed with Austin Workman and Thomas LePage drawing the assists to add to the lead.
Early in the closing period Max Bazinet corralled a lead pass from Keagan Sadler, showing some skilled hand work before sliding the puck around Robinson for the 5-1 victory and the final counter of the game.
Upcoming opponents for the final round were not available at the time of this post.
When the team needs a pep-talk, a salute or simply a great smile, this is the guy!!!
Sunday afternoon, new sunrise today, and quite probably a new sunset will be on the horizon!
There's a rabbit in a very French dijon mustard sauce braising in the oven, to be served
with balsamic stewed, sweet white onion pieces, steamed early asparagus and
small Hasselbeck white potatoes, with fresh Calabrese rolls for dipping.
A very nice Italian Pinot Grigio will be perfect with this dish, . . .
there is one coming to temperature in the fridge . . .
We're cheering, from afar, for our Junior Lions over in Vankleek Hill.