Best viewed as webpage? disclaimer December 2023

by Stephen Macdonell

This edition of the newsletter is dedicated to all of the bright lights around us who give us joy, help us to see the wonder in the world and in each other, and help us to work toward a brighter future.

We all have a light to share. If you are looking for a way to share your light, send me an email and I can connect you with an organization or event that would love to have your help.

You are the light of the world!
You are the light of the world!
But if that light is under a bushel,
It's lost something kind of crucial.

You've got to stay bright to be the light of the world!

So let your light so shine before them
Let your light so shine!
So that they might know some kindness again,
We all need help to feel fine!

Stephen Schwartz - GodSpell

Chef To Farmer Connection
by Stephen Macdonell

How did Rob Olsen of Beaver Creek Organic Farm find himself giving a presentation about the value of organic vegetables to the judges of The 2023 Canadian East Pizza Summit in Toronto? Apparently, when you believe in what you do, and you do it well, and are willing to share, people will be eager to listen.

Why did Chef Maurizio of Maurizio's Pizzaria in Parry Sound seek Rob's help with pizza creations? It turns out that the passionate farmer has a deep knowledge of his produce and you cannot make award winning pizzas without the best ingredients. Maurizio's passion for excellent taste and nutritional value lead him to Rob Olsen's Organic Farm and they have been collaborating ever since. Maurizio has participated at the Canadian Pizza Summit for years - this year he earned a fourth place finish.

The collaboration between the farmer and the chef results in optimal menu offerings throughout the year. Maurizio tells Rob what he needs and Rob tells Maurizio what he can grow. Sometimes the chef is surprised to find out what can be grown organically in the Parry Sound area. Arugula, spinach, herbs, and garlic from the farm are staples in Maurizio's kitchen. This partnership between these passionate culinary and agricultural artists makes for magical meals. Maurizio's garlic scape pesto is just one of the fabulous outcomes of their teamwork.

In late November, my wife and I enjoyed a lovely evening of shopping at the One of Kind Christmas Market in Parry sound. On the way home, we picked up two pizzas from Maurizio's and we had a lovely evening enjoying a slice of heaven in front of the fire. We will be looking for another opportunity to do this again very soon. I recommend the Shipwreck - as long as Arugula is in season. Don't forget to order several hours ahead.

McKellar Fall Fair
Horse Show Star
by Susan Adamson

It is a somewhat familiar story, a young girl begging and bugging her dad for a pet, usually a puppy or kitten, but this time it was a horse. Twenty years ago at Christmas, wishes became reality. Under the tree, Santa left a wrapped saddle, with a letter saying to follow the footprints outside. In the barn was a sign that said “Hello, my name is Jody” and there was Laura and Katelyn Moffat’s first horse, an all white Shetland pony! For Laura, this was the start of her love of all things equine! In the past 25 years Laura has had 4 ponies and 5 horses, you can see Levi and Denim in the fields at the farm with two other horses, a boarder horse and her Dad’s Belgian.

Over the years, Laura and her sister Kaitlyn, have had many riding teachers: their dad Tony, Gregg and Jean, Lori Sherwood, Jayne Whitehall and Christa, who is still her coach. Christa helped Laura to buy Denim, the first horse she purchased all by herself. Laura has always been an animal lover, “horses are her friends and they can fix every bad day. They are always happy to see you, the best listeners in the world and the best support you could ever have. Riding clears your mind even when it’s challenging”. Horses have taught Laura the benefits of hard work, it doesn’t matter what else is happening, the barn has to be cleaned daily, in all kinds of weather, the horses must be fed and participating in shows means much practice. Chores have to be done.

Levi, now 25 years of age, (the same age as Laura) is most definitely Laura’s heart horse. She got Levi when she was 12, and he is the one she has ridden in many competitions and fairs, from Coldwater to North Bay, doing western speed events, and English riding and jumping. Two years ago Levi was retiring, Denim was just learning, and Laura was no longer showing. So she had the time to embrace something new, a leadership role in the McKellar Fall Fair.

In 2021 Laura took charge of the Fair's Horse Show and has worked hard at keeping it viable and growing. According to Leigh Weeks, the secretary/treasurer of the Agricultural Society, the Horse Show would have been cancelled in 2021 without Laura's involvement. Now, with the help of her family and friends, Laura looks after everything: classes, recruitment, marking the field, setting events, judging, prizes, sponsorships, set up and teardown of the arena. Her effort this year was especially incredible as the show took place a week after the birth of her beautiful daughter, Sophie. As Leigh says, “if this doesn’t show commitment I’m not sure what does. Laura is an excellent board member of the McKellar Agricultural Society. It is so nice to see a young member of the McKellar community involved in part of our heritage”.

Laura is not sure if she will ever get back into shows, but she wants to keep the McKellar Fall Fair going, mostly for the kids, and so that Sophie will be able to ride there when the time comes. It is a huge satisfaction, pulling it off at the end of the day and watching the smiles on the faces of those who participate. And it is also a huge success!

Thanks Laura for all you do for the McKellar community. We’re so glad to hear you will continue to run the McKellar Fall Fair Horse show.

MLCA Annual Tree Sale

With our annual Tree Sale beginning in January 2024, we will be trying something new this spring. In order to minimize the out of stock problems with our nursery, we placed our order in September. We selected species and quantities based upon orders placed over the past few years. Therefore, you can browse and shop with us over the winter at your leisure. If you have a desire to order a substantial number of items that are not on our list, send us an email and we can see what we can do - but do it soon. Our Store is open for browsing, but purchases must wait until January. The delivery date for the trees is May 18.

A big thanks goes out to our organizing team for this sale: Sue Poff, Susan Adamson, Sheila Hardie, Christopher Clayton, and Steve Macdonell.

The new Canadore Course below could be helpful for anyone planning a new garden or making changes to existing gardens.

Are you planning a new garden but don't know where to start? Do you want to expand your existing garden? Would you like to work less on your garden and enjoy it more? I'm Christopher Clayton, a local landscape architect. And if your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you need to sign up for my four-evening course on January 11, 18, 25 and February 1, 2024 at Canadore College.

Over these four Thursday sessions, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, you’ll learn how to plan and then manage your garden in this part of northern Ontario, taking into account our soil, rock and climate. You’ll also gain important suggestions on what you can do to help ameliorate climate change and enhance biodiversity on your property.

We'll have lots of conversations based on your concerns. Plus, you’ll leave with plenty of notes and sources for your further development.

The whole four-evening course costs $75.00 with a 15% discount for Seniors 65+.

For further information, you can email Chris at claytoninthegarden@gmail.com.

What The Heck Is That?
by Sue Poff

One gorgeous sunny July day I was out weeding a garden bed when I heard some buzzing close by my ear. Thinking it was a bumble bee I looked up and was shocked to see an approximately 2-inch scary looking wasp hovering close to me.

Over the next few days this same insect kept coming around my deck, pond, and front gardens but it didn’t seem overly interested in me; however, I kept a healthy distance from it. Now curious as to what it was, I thought I’d try to get a picture to correctly ID it, however it never stopped moving so my pictures turned out blurry. So, I jotted down the description of it and then messaged a biologist friend to see if she could help me out.

About 2-inches long with a yellow and mostly black abdomen, and an orangish head, legs and wings was all the information I gave her. She listed off a few wasps and told me to search them and see if it matched my new friend. Some people suggested it was a Murder Hornet but here’s what I learned about my new insect friend…

It was an Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp. It’s a solitary wasp that is native to Eastern North America and non-aggressive. In fact, even if you were to track close by its nest, they wouldn’t bother with you. They are a very important insect as they help control the Cicada population. They need our help, especially since the hype of the Murder Hornets they have been wrongly persecuted.

Eastern Cicada Killers emerge from underground burrows in early July after overwintering as a cocooned pupa. They are most visible around this time as they fly around to defend territory and fine mates. Once mated the female wasp will dig nests in sandy sun exposed soil. The nests can be up to half a meter deep and will be visible due to the pile of sand around the entrance hole.

Once the nest has been dug the female will go on the hunt for a Cicada which she will paralyze with her stinger. Cicadas are heavier than the wasps therefore they cannot fly them back to the nest. Instead, they will drag the Cicada up trees then launch off in the direction of their nests repeatedly until they get to their destination. Once at the nest she drags it down the hole to the bottom then lays eggs on it. She will lay an average of 15 eggs per burrow with 1-3 cicadas to feed the larva until they emerge the following year.

In 2019 the first Northern Giant Hornet aka Murder Hornet was confirmed in British Columbia and the state of Washington. It is native to Eurasia and northern Africa, but unfortunately other species of wasps are often mistaken for them, such as the European hornet, Bald-faced Hornet, Yellow Jackets, Eastern Cicada killer wasp and an insect called the Pigeon Horntail.

I learned so much from my experience with this amazing insect, especially to not judge a book by its cover. At this time there has been no evidence of any Murder Hornets in Ontario and it is unlikely, yet unknown, if they would even survive our harsh winters as they prefer temperate and sub-tropic climates. Wasps are very beneficial insects, so I encourage you to just let them do their thing, they are no threat to you.

Lions Club
Christmas Basket Collection
by Joyce Campbell

The Whitestone McKellar Lions Club collected non-perishable food items and toys for 10 families for the 2022 Christmas season. It was a huge success as we had both communities supporting our project. This year the club is campaigning for 30 families in the Whitestone McKellar area with 50 children needing toys.

The Lions Club are hoping that they are able to fulfil our dream of filling Christmas Baskets for every "family in need" and that each child has something under the Christmas tree from Santa. We hope the community will help us this 2023 Christmas season.

We Serve
Where We Live

Christmas Market Round-up
by Jan Gibson

The Merry & Bright Indoor/Outdoor Christmas Market was held November 18th at the community centre with over forty-five vendors showcasing their wares. Our festive bonfire was manned by McKellar Firefighters and S’mores were enjoyed by everyone. It was great to see so many people from far and wide come out and enjoy the day with us.

A big thank you goes out to Nick Ryeland for providing the Solo Stove and Muskoka chairs for our festive bonfire, and; a HUGE thank you to our dedicated volunteers!!

A special thank you also to the Moose on the Loose family for dishing up delicious food and a humongous thank you to our friends at the McKellar Library for co-hosting and welcoming us into their space. Thank you for shopping locally.

Happy Holidays.

WPS Recreational & Cultural Centre

Q & A Session

Meet project leads, who will be available to review the design, floor plans, programming options and answer questions about the facility’s design, progress to date and future milestones.

Dec 12 4-7 pm
Stockey Centre

150th Finale

McKellar's Sesquicentennial Committee has worked hundreds of hours and has expended countless brain cells over the past two years.

Their passion and creativity has resulted in an incredible number of well attended and well enjoyed events.

Congratulations should be extended to these people.

Joyce Hopkins

Lynne Aylsworth

Ann Bradley

Elyse Graf

Sheila Hardie

Morley Haskim

Marianne Henskens

Stephen Macdonell

Cheryl Saunders

Mary Smith

Kathy Spence

Thank You is also extended to the countless volunteers and organizations who work on the events.

Finally, Thank You to the Councillors of McKellar for supporting the events and offering words of supprt at the events.

New Years Eve

Family Party

December 31

6 to 9 pm

For details, go to

McKellar150.com

Carolling at Minerva Park

Music, song, hot chocolate and marshmallows - fun.

Historical Society Old Time Christmas

The quilt below was made by local artisans for this event.

Sound Septic Services

Do you find yourself “baffled” about why your toilet won’t flush? At Sound Septic Service, we encourage preventative maintenance but understand septic system emergencies of all kinds happen occasionally and often at the most inconvenient time.

Call us at 705-346-2428. We won’t leave you stranded up creek without a paddle.