Fort Frances Times Online Edition - April 18, 2018

Indigenous knowledge of pre-natal, delivery, and post-natal care is being shared with a new generation in order to reconnect women and families with the ways once practised before colonization.

Some two dozen area women now are certified indigenous doulas after attending two separate sessions of workshops last week and the week before at La Place Rendez-Vous here.

“Tour de Fort" wrapped up its 2017-18 entertainment series in style last Wednesday night with "Dirty Dishes,” at which time the exciting lineup for its new season starting this October was unveiled.

And passport sales already are off to a brisk start.

In conjunction with Earth Day (April 22), La Place Rendez-Vous here will kick off its “Go Strawless” initiative in an effort to reduce plastic waste.

Rendez-Vous staff no longer will serve drinks with straws in them unless customers ask for them, owner Sarah Noonan told the Times.

A story in last Wednesday's Times, headlined “Public board salutes staff, students,” contained two errors.

Greg McKat was listed as among the board's teachers and employees recognized for 25 years of service.

In fact, his name should have read Greg McKay.

As well, Josie McLeod was listed among those recognized for 25 years of service.

Believe it or not, planting season is coming up sooner than later.

And for “green thumbs” without a garden of their own, that means it's time to register for a plot at the Fort Frances Community Garden.

The Emo Arena was transformed into a 1890s saloon Saturday night for the Rainy River Valley “Gold Rush Gala.”

More than 400 people turned out for a roast beef dinner, accompanied by live music and entertainment.

The La Verendrye Hospital Auxiliary executive held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 3 in the hospital boardroom.

Dixie Badiuk is gearing up for this year's “Rock'n for a Reason,” which takes place April 27-28 at the local curling club in conjunction with the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce's trade show.

The two Catholic schools here in Fort Frances recently made a direct impact on the lives of people in Liberia.

St. Michael's and St. Francis competed against each other in the “Change for Change Challenge” fundrasier and hosted a variety of other events throughout Lent.

Emo is hosting its annual “Spring Fever Days” event tomorrow through Saturday (April 19-21).

Come out and enjoy great sales while entering all the free draws.

As always, the Emo Legion will host its soup-and-bun luncheon.

This always proves to be a fun-filled weekend, with lots of socializing and reconnecting with this dynamic little community.

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Brendan Maunula of Thunder Bay won the $500 up for grabs on Easter Sunday in the Rainy River District Mutual Aid Association's weekly cash calendar draw.

Betty Herman won the $100 for April 1.

Fort Frances resident Matt Soprovich was denied the opportunity to run as a candidate for our party because he failed the party's vetting process.

The nomination sub-committee of the party executive, which is made up of party vice-presidents, reviewed Soprovich's social media posts.

Derksen Professional Corp. and Allan Cain of Fort Frances were among the $40 winners in the Alzheimer Society of Kenora/Rainy River District's cash calendar draw for April.

Students at Fort Frances High School, Mine Centre School, and McCrosson Tovell School all have been able to speak with experts, and see new places from the comfort of their classroom, thanks to the Rainy River District School Board's “Connected North” program.

The first cattle sale of 2018 is set for Saturday, April 28 at the Stratton sales barn.

About 1,000 cattle are expected to be auctioned off at the sale, bringing a long awaited payday to many of the district's farmers.

“As a farmer, you don't get a paycheque every two weeks,” noted Kim Jo Bliss, a member of the Rainy River Cattlemen's Association and a sales barn volunteer.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Don Rusnak spent last week in Washington, D.C. meeting with congressional representatives as well as several indigenous councils and organizations.

A group of farmers turned out to the Emo Legion on Friday to learn about agricultural plastics, mental health for farmers, riverbank restoration, tile drainage, and Agricorp Insurance.

The event was called “Ag Days” and was hosted by the Rainy River Federation of Agriculture.

Co-organizer Trish Neilson said she found the event to be a great success.

A local man has helped improve the lives of many during his nearly half-century of work as a health-care aide with Rainycrest Long Term Care Home here.

Larry Hands has provided exemplary care to long-term home patients for close to half-a-century and recently set the record for being the first employee to receive the 45 years of service achievement with Rainycrest.

Karen Kejick announced yesterday she is seeking the Ontario Liberal nomination for the riding of Kenora-Rainy River.

Born and raised on the beautiful shores of Iskatewizaagegan (Shoal Lake 39 First Nation), she is a proud member of the Treaty #3 Nation.

She is a knowledge keeper of the Ojibwe language and a published author.

Both Hudson Mann and Teagan Green were a force to be reckoned with for the Mighty Mustang youth wrestling program over the weekend at the Jaycees' state tournament in Grand Rapids, Mn.

Mann, who was born in Fort Frances but now lives in International Falls, claimed first place in the 120- to 130-pound division while Green, of the Falls, did the same in the 60- to 65-pound one.

With spring in the air, Ontario homeowners are eager to start seasonal landscaping and outdoor renovation projects.

As such, Ontario One Call is urging homeowners to call or click before you dig as part of “Dig Safe” month this April.

Safe digging is serious business. In fact, it's the law.

Ontario is providing $74 million in 2018 to support the construction and maintenance of community access and forestry roads.

In 2005, the government established the Provincial Forest Access Roads Funding Program as a way to contribute its share of costs to build and maintain these important public access roads in Crown forests.

Much like their male counterparts, the Muskie girls' soccer team has had a slower start in preparing for the upcoming season due to Old Man Winter lingering a little longer than wanted.

But that's done little to quash the excitement for the black-and-gold.

“I want everyone to have fun out there,” Muskie head coach Sara Roach said about her expectations for the campaign.

A Dryden man has been fined $1,500 for trespassing.

Shawn Gartner pleaded guilty and was fined $1,500 for entering private property without permission for the purpose of hunting.

Court heard that on Nov. 25, Gartner was hunting in the Dryden area and shot a white-tailed deer.

As soon as Mother Nature shows some mercy and brings about nicer weather, you can bet local youths will be racing onto the soccer pitch to work on their skills.

The Fort Frances Youth Soccer program is here for those enthusiastic youngsters, and is expecting a joyous time for all those who will participate this season.

Senior athletes (aged 55+) should start gearing up for the District 1A Senior Games being held in Fort Frances this year.

The games, to be held June 5-6 at various venues in town, are held every two years and are comprised of a variety of recreational events.

Many consumers, without herb gardens of their own, will choose to purchase dried herbs more frequently than fresh ones due to cost and convenience.

Dried herbs are suitable for certain recipe applications, however, there are just as many recipes that would benefit from fresh ones.

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has engaged an expert panel to examine, report on, and make recommendations about the relationships, structures, and policies that exist between the school and indigenous peoples.

The Northern Storm 14U regional girls' hockey team went 2-1-1 en route to the championship at the “Battle by the Bay” tournament in Duluth, Mn. over the weekend.

Facing Machine Orange in Sunday's final, the Storm used a pair of second-period goals to eke out a 2-1 victory.

Autumn Cooper bulged the twine while the other Storm goal scorer was not identified.

A Fort Frances man has been fined $2,500 for trapping violations.

Ralph Boettcher pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with the conditions of his trapping licences and was fined a total of $2,500.

Court heard that in 2015 and 2016, conservation officers investigated Boettcher's trapping activities for his registered trapline north of Fort Frances.

Ethan Carlson-Jourdain will represent Northern Ontario at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships slated for May 5-12 in Membertou, N.S.

The Fort Frances native, a forward for the Kenora 'AAA' Thistles and who will be representing Couchiching First Nation, earned his spot on the Team Ontario North roster via tryouts over the course of the winter and spring.

The Fort Frances 15U Vipers girls' volleyball team continues to impress while participating in the Manitoba Volleyball Association.

Comprised of athletes from around the region, including seven from Fort Frances, two from Kenora, four from Atikokan, and one from Rainy River, the squad started practising after the NorWOSSA season had wrapped up.

Nancy Daley-Fulton was one of the many speakers at the Emo Legion for the Rainy River “Ag Days” event held Friday. She spoke about destigmatizing mental health in the field of agriculture and explained how people are just as susceptible to have mental health issues as they are to having any other illness.

Neen Martin placed a bid on one of the many silent auction items up for bid during the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society's “Gold Rush Gala" on Saturday night at the Emo Arena. The proceeds raised from the silent auction, and event as a whole, will go towards the "River Valley Events & Education Centre Project.”

Darrell Friesen, of Precision Land Solutions, gave a presentation about tile drainage during the “Rainy River Ag Days” event held Friday at the Emo Legion. A multitude of presentations were given covering agricultural plastics, destigmatizing mental health, bioengineering riverbank restoration, the Rainy River Future Development Corp., and Agricorp Insurance.

Gale Hyatt was one of the many people who got into their 1890 era costume for the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society's “Gold Rush Gala” at the Emo Arena on Saturday night.

Organizers were impressed by the number of people who got into costume for the event. In fact, it seemed more like a Western saloon throughout the event with 1890-themed decorations spread across the venue.

Cathy Richard, left, and Christine Denby (above) had the audience howling during Fort Frances Little Theatre's production of “Calendar Girls” at Knox United Church while Cynthia Donald, at right, posed in her outfit for the photo shoot.

The Fort Frances Choraliers performed the Easter cantata, “Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb,” on Sunday afternoon at the New Beginnings Fellowship here. This year's cantata, featuring 36 singers, once again was directed by Diane Maxey. It also featured a duet by Tania Cox and Pam Guild, solos by Mike Andrusco, Shawn Holditch, and David Miller, and narration by Michael Brady.

Larry Hands pictured attending the 50th-anniversary celebration of Confederation College here last month. He took the Health Care Aide Program and graduated in 1981, leading to his current employment at Rainycrest.

Suzy Wilde of “Dirty Dishes” broke out the washboard for a couple of numbers last Wednesday evening at the Townshend Theatre during a concert to close out Tour de Fort's 2017-18 season. The trio of talented musicians played guitars, rhythm sticks, fiddle, and even kazoos.

Diane Gibson, right, and Marie Saunders greeted “Gold Rush Gala” guests into the Emo Arena throughout Saturday evening. Many attendees, volunteers, and organizers dressed up in costumes fitting into the 1890 gold rush era.

Wanda Barker, left, and Joyce McCormick of Fort Frances Little Theatre starred in “Calendar Girls” staged April 12-15 at Knox United Church here. The play, based on a true story, is about a group of older ladies from the Women's Institute who are trying to raise funds for their local hospital with a suggestive calendar that features all of them almost nude.

A flock of geese took flight over a section of the Rainy River along downtown Emo earlier this month. With warmer weather on the horizon, multiple flocks of geese are passing through on their annual migration north.

Live music entertained hundreds of “Gold Rush Gala” attendees on Saturday night. There was no shortage of singers and guitar players on the lineup, with music playing non-stop until late in the night.

Money raised from this event will support the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society's efforts to install a new building at the Emo fairgrounds.

Auctioneer Telford Advent looked to solicit bids during the “Gold Rush Gala” held Saturday night. The live auction helped raise money that will be used to carry out upgrades at the Emo Arena, with the RRVAS planning to put a shovel in the ground for the upgrades later this spring.

The Town of Fort Frances joined other communities across the country which flew its flags at half-mast over the past week in honour of the 16 lives lost as a result of the horrific crash involving the Humboldt Broncos' hockey team bus on April 6 near Tisdale, Sask. The flags were back at full mast before noon yesterday.

Muskie Ellie Petsnick leaped over the bar during high-jump practice Monday afternoon in the Fort High gym. Poor weather has played a huge factor in the track-and-field season so far, forcing the black-and-gold to practice indoors as well as cancelling the first two meets of the season that were scheduled for International Falls and Baudette. The next meet is set for April 24 in the Falls.

Members of the Muskie boys' soccer team were engaged in various footwork and ball-handling drills during practice Monday afternoon in the Fort High gym. The black-and-gold are hard at work getting ready for their upcoming season, which kicks off with the annual St. John's Ravencourt tournament April 27-29 in Winnipeg.

Aspen and Kip Avis had a chance to meet the Easter Bunny during the Kiwanis Club's fifth-annual “Egg-stravaganza” that took place Saturday in downtown Fort Frances. Many other children had a chance to meet the Easter Bunny as they travelled from business to business in search of chocolate and other Easter treats.