Rachel Garber

Sláinte

The Irish are an amazing lot. Samuel O’Reilly invented the tattoo machine. Earnest Walton was the first to split an atom. Dr. Vincent Berry developed a cure for leprosy. The submarine, steam turbine, flavoured potato chips, the White House, and modern economics were all Irish brainchilds.
Not to mention their gifted with words: Oliver Goldsmith, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, and James Joyce, to name a few.
So this St. Patrick’s Day, may the leprechauns dance over your bed and bring you sweet dreams. May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live. And of course, bottoms up with the green beer, and “Sláinte”! Health!
WHO READS?
It’s the 20th Anniversary Edition of the “Canada Reads and so does Lennoxville” event organized by the Lennoxville Library. Five local luminaries will present the five Canada Reads books: Bruce Gilbert will present Mexican Gothic by Ivia Moreno-Garcia. Brandon Moores will defend Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Isabelle Menard will advocate for Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. Curran Jacobs will promote Greenwood by Michael Christie. And Judith Munger will speak on behalf of Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah.
The quest this year is for one book to shift your perspective.
The debate is to be on Wednesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. Guests are invited to attend either in person at the Hope Community Church, 102 Queen St., Lennoxville, or via a YouTube livestream (the link is at BiblioLennoxvilleLibrary.ca). Info: 819-562-4949 or bibliolen@gmail.com.
ST. PAT’S IRISH FESTIVAL
Richmond is the place to be on St. Patrick’s Day! The Parade is on Sunday, March 19, at 2 p.m., but a series of activities extend throughout the month: Concerts, a St. Pat’s Party, a Celtic Celebration with Solstice, a St. Patrick’s Day Mass, an art show, an outdoor bandstand show, and more. The activities end on Sunday, March 26, with a second showing of the Irish Embassy’s Irish diaspora exhibition from 12 to 3 p.m. and music by Isabelle Gosselin from 1 to 3 p.m. The exhibition highlights the history and contributions of 20 Irish immigrants to Canada, and is at the Richmond County Historical Society Museum, 1161 Route 243, Melbourne. Admission is free. For details about the Richmond Irish Heritage Festival, visit richmondstpats.org. It is organized by the Richmond St. Patrick’s Society.
STORYMAKERS
Literacy in Action is offering a creative and fascinating workshop series in Eaton Corner. “Together, we’ll use wood burners, button makers, old photographs, and so much more to create all kinds of stories,” says LIA’s poster. “Easy and fun activities for all ages. Come solo, with your kids, or with a friend!” Accomplished storyteller, author, and Sawyerville Library coordinator Ann Rothfels will share a story with participants at the start of the first four workshops.
The first workshop is Tuesday, April 4, at 5-7 p.m., with five more to follow on April 11, 18, 25, May 2, and 9. “Ideally folks sign up for all six workshops, but drop-ins are welcome,” wrote Yolanda Weeks, LIA’s organizer of this series. “For our archive collage workshop, we have lots of local pictures for folks to make collages with, and we have a copier and printer this year, if folks want to bring their own family photos to get creative with.”
The workshops are free of charge. Dinner and gas money are provided. The workshops will be at the Academy building of the Eaton Corner Museum, 375 Route 253, Eaton Corner. Yolanda invites participants to reserve their spot by calling Literacy in Action at 819-346-7009, or emailing info@lia-estrie.org. “Drop-ins are welcome too!”
VIACTIVE
Bilingual sessions of Viactive, those lively and regenerative exercises, have returned to the Newport Municipal Hall, 1452 Route 212. Anyone age 50+ are welcome to participate on Wednesdays at 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Prefer mornings? Join the Sawyerville group Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in the basement of the former Sawyerville Catholic Church, 4 Randboro Road, Sawyerville. Info: 819-889-1340.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
It’s interesting how many people got bit with the bug during the pandemic. The bug being creative writing, of course. Coming up are more free online workshops with the Write Here, Write Now! team of the Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy (BULLA).
On Friday, March 24, 10 a.m. to noon, Rachel Garber (shameless self-promotion happening!) leads a workshop on Writing Nonfiction for Magazines, especially different forms of personal essays. On Monday, March 27, at 7 to 8:30 p.m., Etienne Domingue offers a “V is for Vengence” storywriting workshop. To register and get your Zoom link, email bulla@ubishops.ca.
CAREGIVERS TALKING
Here is an opportunity to hear two articulate caregivers talk about what they do. “Life Lessons from Two Accidental Caregivers: Self-Care” is their series of three presentations on Zoom, with “The Caregiver’s Journey” by Lizanne Ryan, and “Proud and Out Loud” by Marie Moliner.
The three sessions will permit lots of time for reflection, discussion, and questions. The first workshop, Wednesday, March 29, will focus on Self-care. The second, April 26, is on Advocacy, and the third, May 31, is on Rituals. All three are from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Organized by BULLA, you can attend it at no cost by registering through bulla@ubishops.ca.
CHURCHES
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire, and at 11 a.m. at the Sawyerville United Church. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by March 20 for publication March 29.

Rachel Garber

SPRING?

Sure sign of spring? Snow fleas.
They’ve been spotted in Milby, Sharon Moore tells me.
Have you seen any? They’re dark blue. Tiny things, one or two millimetres long. No wings. They have six feet with tiny claws, and two antennae. They jump around on top of the snow on warmish days, sometimes in clusters near a tree or rocks, up to 100,000 of them in a square meter. When it gets cold again, they go back under the snow.
That’s according to Marjolaine Giroux, an entomological-information person at the Montreal Insectarium. Despite her credentials, the little critters are neither fleas nor insects. They are springtails, little arthropods in the species Hypogastrura nivicola, with segmented bodies and jointed legs.
They don’t bite.
And they are marvellous. They enrich the soil. They also have antifreeze proteins in their blood, which researchers at Queen’s University have synthesized. They hope to use it to transplant organs at lower temperatures, thus keeping them viable longer. They also think they can use the snow fleas’ antifreeze to produce better ice cream.
Now that would be a marvel!
ST. PAT’S IRISH FESTIVAL
The Irish Embassy in Ottawa celebrates the Irish diaspora with an exhibition of panels coming to the county just northwest of us, Richmond. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on Sunday, March 19, at 2 p.m., but a series of activities extend throughout the month, starting Saturday, March 4th. That’s when the exhibition is open 1 to 4 p.m. at the Richmond County Historical Society Museum, 1161 Route 243, Melbourne. Admission is free.
The panels highlight the history and contributions of 20 Irish immigrants to Canada. From 2 to 4 p.m., violinist Isabelle Gosselin will play traditional Irish music while visitors peruse the exhibit. That same day, a woodworking demonstration is at 1 p.m. in the St. Andrews Hall, and a corned beef supper at 6 p.m. at the Grand Central Hotel.
Over the following weeks will be concerts, a St. Pat’s Party, a Celtic Celebration with Solstice, a St. Patrick’s Day Mass, an art show, an outdoor bandstand show, and more. The activities culminate on Sunday, March 26, with another showing of the Irish diaspora exhibition from 12 to 3 p.m. and music by Isabelle Gosselin from 1 to 3 p.m. For details about the Richmond Irish Heritage Festival, visit richmondstpats.org. It is organized by the Richmond St. Patrick’s Society.
BILINGUAL TAX SERVICE
A free bilingual income tax assistance program in Sawyerville permits trained volunteers to prepare both Canada and Quebec returns for persons with limited income. Here’s who is eligible: (1) a single person with a maximum annual revenue of $35,000; (2) a couple with a maximum revenue of $45,000, plus $2,500 for each dependant; or (3) a single parent with a child with a maximum revenue of $45,000 plus $2,500 for each additional dependant. Income from interest should not exceed $1,000. Persons with income from self-employment, bankruptcy, or deceased persons are not eligible.
You will need: (1) any papers you received from the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec in the past months, and your last Notices of Assessment; (2) your T4 and Relevé slips from your employer, or any other forms you received regarding income or tuition; (3) the RL-31 form from your landlord, if you are a renter. House owners will need their property tax number, which is on the municipal property tax bill. Bring receipts for any payments you made for pills, dentist visits, glasses, or other health expenses.
Persons above age 70 should inquire about a refundable tax credit for expenses incurred to continue living independently. Bring your home maintenance expenses, including purchasing, leasing or installing eligible equipment or fixtures, or staying in a functional rehabilitation transition unit. This year the credit is up to $2,000, depending on your total income.
When? Wednesday afternoons, March 8 and 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., and March 15 and 22, from 1 to 6 p.m. Where? At the Catholic church in Sawyerville, Église Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire, 4 Randboro Road. Use the back door to enter the basement. If you need any information, call Danielle at 819-889-2614.
ESTATE PLANNING
“Estate Planning: What you need to know in advance” is the topic of a free online webinar offered by Seniors Action Quebec on Tuesday, March 14, at 10 a.m. to noon. The registration deadline is March 7.
The session will include three topics. First, planning ahead: How to prepare your finances and plan your taxes so as to reduce the tax burden on your estate. Second, having a will, and reviewing it: The different kinds of wills, what documentation you need to put together in advance to help with the liquidation of your estate, and what information to share – or not – with your heirs. And finally, the role of the liquidator: The duties and obligations, and how to carry out a will search.
The presenters are Maitres Linda Hammerschmid and Samy Staltari, and Financial Advisor Danny Sirgnano. To register, send your contact information to Ruth Pelletier at ruthkathleenpelletier@gmail.com by March 7. For more information, visit www.seniorsactionquebec.ca.
WRITE HERE, RIGHT NOW!
For information about the free online workshops in March with Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy (BULLA), email bulla@ubishops.ca.
CHURCHES
United. Beginning March 5, Sunday services are at 9:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire, and at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville United Church. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by March 6 for publication March 15.

Rachel Garber

DEATH & TAXES

“The Only Two Certainties In Life Are Death And Taxes,” Ben Franklin wrote in 1789.
Will Rogers nuanced that: “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”
Then there’s taxes on death. In Canada, after someone dies, their estate pays taxes on income or on capital gains earned during the last year of life, and on taxes on interest or capital gains made on money in the estate (legalline.ca). But up to $10,000 of death benefits are not taxable, other than the CPP or QPP death benefits. Small mercies from the taxman.
TAX SEASON
A bilingual income tax assistance program in Sawyerville assists persons with limited income, free of charge. This service is part of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program organized by the Canada Revenue Agency. Trained volunteers prepare both Canada and Quebec returns for persons with limited income.
ELIGIBLE?
To use the Community Volunteer Income Tax Service, you must be: (1) a single person with a maximum annual revenue of $35,000; (2) a couple with a maximum revenue of $45,000, plus $2,500 for each dependant; or (3) a single parent with a child with a maximum revenue of $45,000 plus $2,500 for each additional dependant. Income from interest should not exceed $1,000. Persons with income from self-employment, bankruptcy, or deceased persons are not eligible.
PAPERS?
You will need: (1) any papers you received from the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec in the past months, and your last Notices of Assessment; (2) your T4 and Relevé slips from your employer, or any other forms you received regarding income or tuition; (3) the RL-31 form from your landlord, if you are a renter. House owners will need their property tax number, which is on the municipal property tax bill.
Bring receipts for any payments you made for pills, dentist visits, glasses, or other health expenses. (Tip: Your pharmacy can give you a printout listing your pharmaceutical costs for the year.) These expenses may give you a tax credit.)
Persons above age 70 should inquire about a refundable tax credit for expenses incurred to continue living independently. Bring your home maintenance expenses, including purchasing, leasing or installing eligible equipment or fixtures, or staying in a functional rehabilitation transition unit. This year the credit is up to $2,000, depending on your total income.
SAWYERVILLE SERVICE
The Sawyerville income tax assistance program features the same team of volunteers as in the past – Danielle, Francine, and Suzanne. The service is sponsored by Loisirs Sawyerville.
When? Wednesday afternoons, March 8 and 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., and March 15 and 22, from 1 to 6 p.m.
Where? At the Catholic church in Sawyerville, Église Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire, 4 Randboro Road. Use the back door to enter the basement.
If you need any information, call Danielle at 819-889-2614.
ESTATE PLANNING
“Estate Planning: What you need to know in advance” is the topic of a free online webinar offered by Seniors Action Quebec on Tuesday, March 14, at 10 a.m. to noon. The registration deadline is March 7.
The session will include three topics. First, planning ahead: How to prepare your finances and plan your taxes so as to reduce the tax burden on your estate. Second, having a will, and reviewing it: The different kinds of wills, what documentation you need to put together in advance to help with the liquidation of your estate, and what information to share―or not―with your heirs. And finally, the role of the liquidator: The duties and obligations, and how to carry out a will search.
The presenters are notaries Linda Hammerschmid and Samy Staltari, and financial advisor Danny Sirgnano.
To register, send your contact information to Ruth Pelletier at ruthkathleenpelletier@gmail.com by March 7. For more information, visit www.seniorsactionquebec.ca.
MENTAL ILLNESS? LEAP!
You still have time to catch Mental Health Estrie’s workshop via Zoom on Wednesday, February 22, at 6 p.m. Dr. Xavier Amador will be speaking about “I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment.” That, by the way, is one of the most popular books in the library of Mental Health Estrie.
You can hear Dr. Amador at Youtube.com/@LEAPInstituteOrg, or by joining the February 22nd Zoom. For information, contact Emily McBurney at outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com or 819-565-2388.
WRITE HERE, RIGHT NOW!
Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy offers these free, fun workshops and events on Zoom for lifelong learners: (1) Nonfiction Writing for Magazines, with Rachel Garber, on Friday, February 24, at 10 a.m., about personal essays. (2) Overseas Adventures, by Arthur Shears: A book launch on Saturday, February 25, at 1:30 p.m., from Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between. Finally, (3) Fugue Forum: U is for Unreal, with Etienne Domingue, on Monday, February 27, at 7 p.m., on magical realism. For information or to sign up for any of these free workshops, please email bulla@ubishops.ca.
TEENS & TWENTIES!
If you’re at this stage of life, don’t live to regret not trying for a Townships Young Voices Award from the Townships Sun. Your creative writing, art or photo can be great fun, and could just win! Deadline: February 28. Details: TownshipsSun.ca/Townships-Young-Voices/. If you’re looking for inspiration or tips, check out the video clips at YouTube.com/@TYVoices. Seriously.
CHURCHES
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m., at the Sawyerville United Church, 42 Principale N., Sawyerville (before Bédard Road). Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by February 20 for publication March 1.

Rachel Garber

FLAT EARTHERS

Honestly, my teeth almost flew out of my mouth, and they’re not even false.
It’s surely not one of Facebook’s finest hours, welcoming Trump back into the fold. But that’s not what shocked me. It’s the Science & Astronomy group, boasting 1.2 million members. It’s been taken over by Flat Earthers.
A poll they’ve posted asks people to vote on the shape of the earth: round, cube, flat, or donut. Encouraging: 92% of respondents voted “round.” Discouraging, a plethora of comments such as this one: “NASA brainwashed 92% of the people who voted on this pool (sic).”
Meaning that they believe the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the U.S. faked the moon landing in 1969, whose photos clearly show the earth is round.
At first I thought such comments were satirical, but no. They’re dead serious. The Flat Earthers’ responses to science-based reasoning are harsh and mean.
It’s scary: A similarly named Facebook group, Astronomy and Science, whose content really reflects its name, has less than one-third of the Flat Earthers’ group’s.
This topic leaves me speechless. How can you respond to someone yelling insults, denying reason and physical reality?
It’s reminiscent of facing someone in a state of psychosis, who is clinging to an intractable belief in a desperate attempt to defend their ego, their personhood. Let’s leap ahead here to suggest LEAP, the approach Dr. Xavier Amador advocates.
First: Listen. Listen closely. Truly try to understand what the person is saying and how they are feeling. Then: Empathize. Try to reflect the person’s emotions or fears. Next: Agree. This is the hardest! I prefer to use the word “Accept” here. I tell my friend I accept their belief, and will not argue with them. (In return, I ask they accept my beliefs too, and we still love each other.) That brings us to P for Partner. We are in this together.
It dismays me that we are on this earth together with truth-denying Flat Earthers. But I accept this reality, and try somehow to engage with them. A LEAP of friendship. The alternative is scary.
MENTAL ILLNESS? LEAP!
Dr. Xavier Amador wrote one of the most popular books in the library of Mental Health Estrie. It’s entitled I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment. He will be speaking via Zoom on Wednesday, February 22, at 6 p.m. Mental Health Estrie offers this 1.5-hour workshop.
His book is a resource for family and friends of loved ones experiencing psychosis, a symptom that may be part of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder illness. Helping his brother undertake treatment for schizophrenia, plus his work as a therapist, have inspired him to write this book as well as to found The LEAP Institute. LEAP stands for Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner, with a goal of building relationships with someone who lives with a serious mental illness.
You can hear Dr. Amador at Youtube.com/@LEAPInstituteOrg, or by joining the February 22nd Zoom. For information, contact Emily McBurney at outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com or 819-565-2388.
BRRR
It’s still on, this year’s HUGS for the Homeless campaign by Mental Health Estrie. Spring is not here yet! For the rest of February, Mental Health Estrie accepts donations of “NEW Hats, Underwear, Gloves, Socks, Scarves, and other warm articles of clothing.” Drop off your items at Mental Health Estrie, 3355 College, Lennoxville. Deposit them in the beige bins next to Door #2. To make a cash donation for the HUGS campaign, please email info@mentalhealthestrie.ca, or call 819-565-3777. Receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
THE SUN’S UP
Right now. Your February Townships Sun is shining brightly beside the crossword books on the magazine stand just before the cash registers at the Cookshire IGA. New! Now you can also pick it up at the Dépanneur C.P.L. in Sawyerville, 2 Cookshire Street.
Can you recognize the 22-year-old on the front cover, tending to his well-drilling rig? Hint: His last name begins with S.
The youngest contributor in this issue was 13 years old. See if you know her! And let anyone in their teens or twenties know: If you enjoy writing, photography or art, you can win a cash award and get published in the Townships Sun. Visit townshipssun.ca/Townships-Young-Voices for details. Deadline: February 28.
WRITE HERE, RIGHT NOW!
Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy offers these free, fun workshops and events on Zoom for lifelong learners like you:
Theme and Structure in Fiction Writing, with Rebecca Welton, on Wednesday, February 8, 1:30 p.m.
How to be a Goldfish, by Jane Baird Warren: A virtual book launch of this novel for students in middle grades, on Saturday, February 11, at 1:30 p.m.
Flash: Writing Short Prose, with Jane Draper, on Thursday, February 16, at 1:30 p.m., featuring turning an event from life into a memoir.
Nonfiction Writing for Magazines, with Rachel Garber, on Friday, February 24, at 10 a.m., about personal essays.
Overseas Adventures, by Arthur Shears: A book launch on Saturday, February 25, at 1:30 p.m., from Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between.
Fugue Forum: U is for Unreal, with Etienne Domingue, on Monday, February 27, at 7 p.m., on Discord, on magical realism.
For information or to sign up for any of these free workshops, please email bulla@ubishops.ca.
CHURCHES
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m., at the Sawyerville United Church, 42 Principale N., Sawyerville (before Bédard Road). Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by February 6 for publication February 15 or by February 20 for March 1.

Rachel Garber

GO FOR GOLD!

Are you young? Here’s a chance for you to flex your creative muscles and win awards. Anyone age 29 or younger can submit a short story, non-fiction, poetry, photography or artwork for cash prizes and publication in the Townships Sun. It’s the Townships Young Voices Awards.
Up for grabs is $750 in awards. The deadline is February 28.
Seeking inspiration? YouTube/TYVoices has more than 20 short videos telling how to find ideas, and tips for developing them. These video clips are really short. They’ll put gas in your tank.
For example, poets Steve Luxton and Angela Leuck explain how they get ideas for poems. Rebecca Welton give a series of “top tips” for writing short stories, and Rachel Garber interviews Rachel McCrum, the editor of Fontmag.org, about working with a magazine editor.
Next, swing over to the TownshipsSun.ca/Townships-Young-Voices webpage. There you will find an E-Guide that explains how to create, write, win awards, and have your work published in magazines, especially in the Townships Sun. That is, if you want to try your hand at art, photos, or writing poetry or short fiction or non-fiction.
(And, wink, wink: See Write Here, Write Now! below.)
Submissions should relate to some aspect of life in the Eastern Townships, past, present or future. Do you live in the Townships? The key is just to write about, or create images of, something that interests you. Written work is to be in English.
What’s the point? The Townships Sun is the only community magazine in English serving our region. It’s a community volunteer effort. All the board and editorial staff are volunteers, including yours truly, the editor. But we do offer honoraria to our contributors, and we’d love to have more contributions from the younger generation. We’re all in this community together; the Townships Sun is for all ages.
So, here we are, Boomers reaching across the ages to Zoomers!
Who are these people? I turn to beresfordresearch.com/age-range-by-generation for clarification. They’ve researched this question. These days, Boomers are divided into two groups; Boomers 1 are age 69-77, and Boomers 2, age 59-68. In other words, younglings, these oldsters are your grandparents.
Then we have Gen X, roughly aged 43-58, and Millennials, aged 27-42.
And finally, Gen Z, ages 11-26. Boomers, meet your grandchildren, the Zoomers!
Members of Generation Z, it is said, spend more time on electronic devices and less time reading books than preceding gens. Well, I don’t know. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Here I sit, writing on an electronic device, and I read some of my books that way, too.
So here’s the challenge to Gen Zers, and Millennials too: Show off your creativity! We’d love to see your voices in our community magazine!
Get the scoop at TownshipsSun.ca/Townships-Young-Voices. Questions? Marie Moliner would love to hear from you at townshipsyoungvoices@gmail.com or Instagram/@TYVoices.
VIACTIVE IS HERE
During renovations of the Newport Municipal Hall, participants in the Newport Viactive group are invited to join the Sawyerville group, starting Wednesday, January 11, at 10 a.m., in the basement of the former Sawyerville Catholic Church, 4 Randboro Road, Sawyerville. Info: 819-889-1340.
YOGA IS COMING
Yoga classes begin in Sawyerville on Tuesday, January 31, at 10 a.m. in the Sawyerville Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road. Info: Myrna MacDonald Lowry, myrnamac44@gmail.com, or 819-875-5393.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Seniors Action Quebec offers a free online webinar on Understanding Your Consumer Rights. The speaker is Richard Goldman, a lawyer and plain language specialist with Éducaloi. He will talk about refunds and exchanges, pricing errors, warranties, online shopping, and what you can do when problems occur.
When? Tuesday, February 7, at 10 a.m. to noon. The registration deadline is Tuesday, January 31. To register, send an email with your contact information to Ruth Pelletier at ruthkathleenpelletier@gmail.com. More information is at www.seniorsactionquebec.ca.
WRITE HERE, RIGHT NOW!
Are you alive? Are you learning? If you’re a lifelong learner of any age, here are a few opportunities for you offered by the Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy. They are free. Online. Fun. And in the company of other interesting learners, who also enjoy trying their hand at writing here and now.
First up is “Flash: Writing Short Prose” with Jan Draper. Learn to use brevity for maximum impact. Learn how to write a short, short story, in the form of flash fiction or memoir. It’s Thursday, January 19, at 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., the first of six monthly workshops exploring this topic.
Next is “Writing Every Day: A Conversation,” also with Jan Draper. In this special discussion session, writers talk about participating in a writing-every-day-group. This one-time workshop is on Saturday, January 21, at 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
The last one this month is “Nonfiction Writing for Magazines” with Rachel Garber. This is the first in a series of six monthly workshops exploring journalistic and creative nonfiction writing for publication in a magazine… especially the Townships Sun. We’ll explore a variety of approaches: historical, memoir, travel writing, essays, and reviews. The first workshop, Friday, January 27, from 10 a.m. to noon., offers an introduction to the world of magazines.
More are coming in February! For information or to sign up for any of these free workshops, please email bulla@ubishops.ca.
CHURCHES
United. Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m., at the Sawyerville United Church, 42 Principale N., Sawyerville (before Bédard Road). Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by January 23 for publication February 1 or by February 6 for February 15.

ACTU-Rachel

DIANE = KIM!

“The thing is, we’re just going to take it easy.”
Those are the famous last words of someone who is trading in one whirlwind of activity, known as a job, for another, called retirement.
Truth is, Diane Grenier will be busy. She talks about cleaning out her attic. Putting a new roof on the house. Travelling to visit her kids in Prince Edward Island and Michigan. Doing volunteer work.
The job she is leaving? Coordinator for services in English for the Centre d’action bénévole du Haut-Saint-François, often simply known as the CAB. As its name suggests, its role is to support voluntary action in the community.
Diane has been in that role for the past seven years, she reminds me, before, during and after the pandemic. She’s been involved in the Bulwer Community Centre and the Golden Agers. She has promoted the “Hero in 30” program, offering simplified CPR training in 30 minutes. (That’s the kind of volunteer you want around if you go into cardiac arrest!)
She’s been leading two groups for caregivers, in Bury and in Sawyerville. Among other activities, she’s accompanied them on field trips to enjoy an Uplands English tea. Chinese food in Magog. Italian food in Sherbrooke.
Conferences in English for seniors? She’s organized them. A police officer to explain the etiquette of traffic circles, for example. She has been active with Health Link. She’s offered help making appointments for COVID vaccinations and flu shots. She’s distributed frozen meals and organized Meals on Wheels. She’s led bingo games in seniors’ residences. She’s played cards with seniors, she’s played the role of Mrs. Claus.
“It’s been a beautiful run,” Diane wrote in an email. Her enthusiastic tone leads you to believe she has thoroughly enjoyed her job, and will probably enjoy her retirement, too, in equal measure. Only difference: whereas she’s been coordinating Stand Up, a falls-prevention program, now she will be participating in it. Don’t worry, we haven’t seen the last of Diane!
KIMBERLY FLETCHER
So who will be stepping into her shoes at the CAB? Introducing Kimberly Fletcher of Spring Road in Cookshire-Eaton. Kim is an experienced nursing assistant with a bunch of other skills, too.
In fact, one of her first projects is to organize a beginner’s computer course. The course, Pause numérique, is free for persons aged 65 or older, and covers the ins and outs of cell phones, tablets or laptops. The weekly sessions will go four or five weeks, and will be offered in both French and English. Kim herself will be teaching the sessions in English.
She will be working out of the CAB’s East Angus office. To reach her, call the CAB at 819-560-8540 and dial 9 for English. Email her at coordo@cabhsf.org. Or just drop in for a visit. She’ll be working Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Cultural Centre, 288 Maple Street, in the CAB office located just inside the front door, on the right.
WERE YOU SCAMMED?
Marie Moliner says yes, she was.
In case you don’t know Marie, she is a lawyer. She even used to be Vice Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board. If scammers can nab her, anyone is fair game.
Marie has written an easy-on-your-eyes article about being scammed. About various kinds of fraud―investment, email, phone and internet, and most insidious of all, the grandparents scam. Her article is a free read offered on the Townships Sun website, townshipssun.ca/Recent-Issues.
Just in case fraudsters have turned your holiday cheer into a lump of coal, here is Marie’s suggestion: Take these six steps recommended by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Step 1: Gather all the information you have about the fraud.
Step 2: Write out a chronological statement of events. For example, when were you first contacted, and how? Then what happened?
Step 3: Report the incident to your local police. For example, in Cookshire-Eaton, phone 819-875-3331, or visit the station at 440 Craig North. (In emergencies, call 310-4141 or 911).
Step 4: Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre via the Fraud Reporting System (find out more at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca), or toll-free at 1-888-495-8501.
Step 5: Report the incident to the financial institution (bank) or payment provider used to send money to the fraudster.
Step 6: If the fraud took place online, report the incident directly to the website involved.
TOWNSHIPS SUN
In the current Townships Sun are “Homeless in the Townships,” “In Praise of Humble Houses,” and “My Old Square Log House,” written by our very own Haut-Saint-Françiscans Jackie Hyman, Denis Palmer, and Scott Stevenson. The Townships Sun is on the Cookshire IGA’s magazine rack, just before the check-out counters. Or subscribe at townshipssun.ca/subscribe.
HUGS
Winter is still before us! Help the HUGS for the Homeless campaign. Mental Health Estrie accepts donations of “NEW Hats, Underwear, Gloves, Socks, Scarves, and other warm articles of clothing,” from now until March. Drop off items at Mental Health Estrie, 3355 College, Lennoxville. Deposit them in the beige bins next to Door #2. To make a cash donation for the HUGS campaign, please email info@mentalhealthestrie.ca, or call 819-565-3777. Receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
CHURCHES
Baptist. In-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services resume on January 15, at 10:30 a.m., at the Sawyerville United Church, 42 Principale N., Sawyerville (before Bédard Road). (No service on January 8.) Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by January 9 publication for January 18, or by January 23 for February 1.

ACTU-Rachel

HAPPY STENCILLING!

For Charlotte in Calgary, I asked about stencilling lessons. Stellar detective work by Janet Angrave pointed me to stencilling teacher Naisi LeBaron in North Hatley. Thanks, Janet!
Then I received an email from Naisi herself. She wrote:
“In our stencilling world, things have come full circle. My aunt Emily LeBaron taught stencilling in the 50s and one of her students was Janet Gale who took the craft to a whole new level of skill and creativity. Janet became a member of the American guild, Historical Society of Early American Decoration (HSEAD).
“A group of women, including Dot Newton, met once a week for years. In the late 70s, Janet expanded the group to include myself and other younger women. We were the Wednesday class. We were much louder than the well behaved Thursday class, but Janet carried on with us until her health made it impossible for her to continue.
“By that time, I had also become a guild member and Janet passed the class torch to me. I have been teaching the group now for 13-ish years. Some of us have now been in the group for 43 years! Two days a week in late fall and winter, we meet in a studio space from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to paint, stencil, and most importantly laugh and share our lives.
“We owe Janet a huge debt,” she concluded, “for bringing us together and for passing on all her equipment, which includes hundreds of carefully cut stencils and patterns.”
TOWNSHIPS SUN
New location: To get your new December-January Townships Sun, check the Cookshire IGA’s magazine racks, lower left, just before (not after!) the check-out counters. Or you can subscribe at townshipssun.ca/subscribe.
CHRISTMAS MARKETS, 10th
On Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11, a Christmas Market is in Bury, at the Armoury, 563 Main, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
But Bury offers more. Enjoy inflatables and music on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and sleigh rides from noon to 2 p.m. Donate cash and nonperishable goods to Moisson HSF. Buy Beaver Tails from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Make Christmas cards and ornaments at the United Cultural Centre, 560 Main, and buy child-made ornaments from 1 to 4 p.m.; profits go to Moisson HSF. Visit the used book sale at the Bury Library, 569 Main, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Another Christmas Market is in La Patrie on Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 10th
Pierre Heault, tenor; Catherine St-Arnaud, soprano; Julien LeBlanc, piano; Marilène Provencher-Leduc, flute: These are the four musicians offering a Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the St-Camille Catholic Church, 170 Principale E., Cookshire. Admission is by voluntary contribution at the door.
FRAUD, SCAMS
Beware. Fraudsters thrive in the shadows of holiday activity.
Do not despair. Read a free bonus article on the Townships Sun website. “I Was Scammed,” writes Marie Moliner. “If it happened to me, it can happen to you.” (She’s a lawyer, by the way.) Her article tells about investment fraud, email fraud, phone and internet fraud, and grandparents scams. Forewarned is forearmed. See six steps to take if you are being defrauded. Read the article here: townshipssun.ca/recent-issues.
SMALL ART, BIG GIFTS
Small, diverse artworks – just right for gift-giving – are at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery until December 24. In the Gallery’s upper level are paintings, prints, collages, and sculptures by 24 different artists. Among them are John Ward, Yong Sook Kim Lambert, Denis Palmer, and Jo Cooper. Downstairs is a photography exhibit, Treasures of the Countryside. The Gallery, 125 Prinicipale West, Cookshire, is open Saturdays and Sundays, as well as December 23 and 24, from noon to 4 p.m.
SMALL GIFTS, BIG NEEDS
This year’s HUGS for the Homeless campaign by Mental Health Estrie accepts donations of “NEW Hats, Underwear, Gloves, Socks, Scarves, and other warm articles of clothing,” from now until March. Donations received before mid-December are prepared in holiday gift bags gifted to people in local shelters, but HUGS continue to be needed throughout the winter.
Until March, drop off items at Mental Health Estrie, 3355 College, Lennoxville. Deposit them in the beige bins next to Door #2. To make a cash donation for the HUGS campaign, please email info@mentalhealthestrie.ca, or call 819-565-3777. Receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
PEACE, JOY, LOVE
To our world.
CHURCHES
Anglican. No Anglican services are planned in Cookshire until the spring of 2023. For the schedule of services at the St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. On Wednesday, December 22, at 7 p.m., is a Blue Christmas Service, with a quiet time of readings, hymns, and reflections on the struggles, griefs, and pains that come with the holiday season when it’s hard to see light and joy.
On Saturday, December 24, at 2 p.m., is a Christmas Eve Service, celebrating communion. Persons attending the service are asked to please bring their own communion elements.
Weekly Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m., but there will be no services on December 25, January 1st, or January 8. Until further notice, all services are at the Sawyerville United Church, 42 Principale N., Sawyerville (before Bédard Road). Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. On Saturday, December 24, at 7 to 8 p.m., is a Christmas Eve service, and on Sunday, December 25 is a Christmas Day service, from 10 to 11 a.m. On Sunday, January 1st, is a New Year’s service from 10 to 11 a.m.
Otherwise, weekly in-person Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. All services are at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by December 12 for publication January 4 or by January 9 for January 18.

Rachel

STENCILLING

Received: An email from Charlotte in Calgary, asking if I know someone “who used to teach the art of stencilling” in the Eastern Townships.
“My Aunt Dorothy Newton was a long-term resident of Sherbrooke, and between 1980 and 2000 she participated in stencilling classes, at a location that is likely within 20 kms of Sherbrooke. I am fortunate to have some of her stencilled art on recycled tin trays and am very interested in taking stencilling classes if they are still offered in your area.”
Help! I’ve seen stencilled art. But who teaches, or has taught it? Do you have any idea? Please, for Charlotte in Calgary, let me know at 819-640-1340 or rawrites@gmail.com.
HERITAGE TALKS, 24th
The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) is hosting a series of free, online public lectures, starting Thursday, November 24. Participants will get to explore Canada’s past in the company of scholars, historians and fellow lifelong learners. The series features historic events and figures in a range of subjects and periods, from origins of Indigenous mission settlements to the rise of modern art.
On November 24, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the pioneering life of Harriet Brooks is featured in a presentation by Marelene and Geoff Rayner-Canham. Brooks’ colleague, Ernest Rutherford, won a Nobel Prize in 1908 for their breakthrough discoveries about radioactivity. She, however, did not receive this recognition.
To register or to learn more about the series, visit QAHN.org, or email Dwane@qahn.org.
CHRISTMAS MARKET, 27th
Back by popular demand: The Christmas Market with 24 artisans and their local products, on Saturday, November 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Victoria Hall, 125 Principale W., Cookshire. Organized by the John-Henry-Pope Cultural Centre.
AROUND THE WORLD, 27th
Au tour de la terre is the title of an exhibit at the Galérie Métissage in Lac-Mégantic featuring Nihonga, an ancient painting technique from Japan. The artist, Yolande Bernier, offers 20 large works and some 200 in mini-format. The gallery is at 6361 Salaberry Street, Lac-Mégantic, and is open Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It closes Sunday, November 27, when the artist will be present.
DEPRESSION & BURNOUT, 30th
At the End of My Rope, Understanding Depression and Burnout. That’s the topic of a free Zoom workshop in English with Dr. Camillo Zacchia, psychologist, on Wednesday, November 30, at 7 to 9 p.m. Organized by Mental Health Estrie. Info: 819-565-2388, outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com.
THE GIFT OF ART, 3rd
An exhibit of small and diverse artworks – just right for gift-giving – is at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery from December 3 to 24. In the Gallery’s upper level will be paintings, prints, collages, and sculptures by 24 different artists. Among them are John Ward, Yong Sook Kim Lambert, Denis Palmer, and Jo Cooper. In the lower level will be Treasures of the Countryside, an exhibit of photos.
The Gallery at 125 Prinicipale West, Cookshire, is open Saturdays and Sundays, as well as December 23 and 24, from noon to 4 p.m.
DARK SIDE OF HOLIDAYS, 6th
Fraud and scams. Beware: Fraudsters thrive in the shadows of holiday activity.
Just in time, Seniors Action Quebec offers an online webinar in English, Protecting Yourself from Frauds and Scams. Tactics are constantly changing. The two-hour session will inform us about the many types of fraud today, what we can do to protect ourselves, who can help us, and how to report fraud and scams. Information is power.
Ken De Melo, senior branch manager at BMO, will talk about the different types of fraud and scams seen at the bank, credit and debit card protection, and spotting financial abuse. Stephanie Senecal, a senior support unit coordinator, will talk about fraud that targets seniors, the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre, and what they can do for us.
Finally, Brad Russell, a senior competition law officer in the deceptive marketing practices directorate of the competition bureau, will explain what the Competition Bureau is, how it protects people from deceptive marketing, and what resources are available to protect us from deceptive marketing.
The webinar is Tuesday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. For details and to register, visit SeniorsActionQuebec.ca, or email ruthkathleenpelletier@gmail.com.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 10th
Pierre Heault, tenor; Catherine St-Arnaud, soprano; Julien LeBlanc, piano; Marilène Provencher-Leduc, flute: These are the four musicians offering a Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the St-Camille Catholic Church, 170 Principale E., Cookshire. Admission is by voluntary contribution at the door.
“HUGS” FOR THE HOMELESS
Launched: This year’s HUGS for the Homeless campaign spearheaded by Mental Health Estrie. From November to March, this non-profit group accepts donations of “NEW Hats, Underwear, Gloves, Socks, Scarves, and other warm articles of clothing,” which they donate to local shelters for people experiencing homelessness.
Items can be dropped off at the Mental Health Estrie office, 3355 College Street in Lennoxville. Deposit them in the beige bins next to Door #2. To make a cash donation for the HUGS campaign, please email info@mentalhealthestrie.ca, or call 819-565-3777. Receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
Donations received before mid-December are prepared into gift bags for the holiday season. But cold weather does not stop at Christmas; the HUGS campaign runs until the end of March.
CHURCHES
United. Because of construction work at Trinity United Church in Cookshire, weekly Sunday services will be at 10:30 a.m., at Sawyerville United Church until further notice. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. No local service is planned, but on December 4 at 11 a.m. will be a service at St. George’s Anglican Church, 84 Queen St., Lennoxville. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by November 28 for publication December 7 and by December 12 for January 4.

Rachel Garber

LISTICLE

Take the word “list” and the word “article.” Smoosh them together and you have created a new word, “listicle.”
Listicles are bosom buddies of writers whose muse is napping as their deadline looms.
So I offer you a few gems, in the form of a listicle, of some neologisms – that is, new words – created by combining, blending or shortening existing words. Granted, neologisms may be entirely new words freshly invented from thin air, but somehow they aren’t as much fun as words that smoosh together two tired conceptions to reflect a new aspect of modern life.

  1. Take a familiar neologism: bingewatch. Nothing quite captures, like it does, the hours spent with your nose glued to the little blue screen in times of stress or obsession. Like, I know someone who bingewatches Dr. Strange and the Multiverses, again and again. Within my earshot. Ok, the music IS good.
  2. We all know the newish word, smartphone. But have you sometimes wondered about their intelligence? Have you encountered the even newer word, dumbphone?
  3. Are there days when you just want to stay home and chillax? That’s fairly easy to figure out; a combination of chill and relax.
  4. You know, of course, that a blog is short for a written “weblog,” but what about a vlog? Aha! A video log.
  5. A yarn-bomb is a form of street art; needle-art creations that cover selected objects, a telephone pole, maybe. Move over, Christo!
    That’s it. A really giant example of a listicle is a dictionary. Credit for these few neo words goes to mentalfloss.com, where you can find a longer listicle giving 53 modern words recently added to the dictionary. Enjoy!
    FOOD, MOOD, MEDS
    What’s the relationship between food and mood? Nutrition and mental health? See how these three fit together in a free online workshop in English, entitled Nutrition, Mental Health, and Medication, led by Megan Jenkins, registered dietitian. When? Wednesday, November 9, at 7 to 8:15 p.m. To register, contact Emily at Outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com or 819-565-2388.
    REMEMBRANCE DAY
    On Friday, November 11, will take place the following Remembrance Day ceremonies: at 11 a.m., in Sawyerville at the cenotaph on Principale Street North. At 11:45 a.m., at the Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton cenotaph in front of the East Clifton United Church on Route 253. At 2 p.m., in Cookshire, at the cenotaph in front of the Cookshire Elementary School. And finally, at 2:45 p.m. in Newport, at the cenotaph in front of the Municipal Hall in Island Brook. The ceremonies in Scotstown and Bury took place on November 5.
    DEPTHS & BREADTHS
    At the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery is Profondeurs, a stunning immersive experience created by the collective Osh’n and L’inconnu dans le noir. Osh’n is a sound-performance collective that creates immersive installations inspired by music. L’inconnu dans le noir is a film and video production company. They are the folks who created Murmures du Canton, that after-dark light and video show that was projected onto the exterior walls of the Victoria Hall all summer.
    This show is indoors, offering both image and sound. The images are projected on the inside walls of the gallery, a floor-to-ceiling digital surround that brings four seasons of a natural landscape to life. “Through sound spatialization as well as nuanced compositions, where the sounds of nature intersect with those of the composers, two parallel universes overlap,” says the artists’ description in French.
    Aha! Our very own multiverses! My eyes and ears are pricked; I plan to go see and hear.
    The exhibition graces the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery in Victoria Hall, 125 Principale West, Cookshire, on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. It ends on Sunday, November 20. At 2 p.m. that afternoon, the art/sound collective will offer a closing performance that promises to “allow you to dive into their creative process.”
    Save me a seat, Gilles.
    AROUND THE WORLD
    Au tour de la terre is the title of an exhibit at the Galérie Métissage in Lac-Mégantic, and it shows us an intriguing art form that literally comes from the other side of the world, Japan.
    Galérie Métissage is a personable little gallery whose space offers both hands-on workshops and exhibitions that marry traditional arts with contemporary approaches. On its Facebook page, Jo Cooper describes it as “A space of creativity allowing us to appreciate and honour the products of the Earth. In short, simplicity in all its beauty.”
    This exhibit showcases the work of Yolande Bernier, who has practised the traditional Japanese Nihonga technique for some 40 years, including stays in Japan. This ancient painting technique uses pigments from minerals, earth, and metals. Bernier’s artworks are fluid, subtle, and luminous. In the exhibit are 20 relatively large works and close to 200 works in mini-format.
    The gallery is at 6361 Salaberry Street, Lac-Mégantic, and is open Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It closes Sunday, November 27, when the artist will be present.
    Oh yes, I will be there too, if our car doesn’t lose its flowers before then.
    DEPRESSION & BURNOUT
    At the End of My Rope, Understanding Depression and Burnout. That’s the topic of a free Zoom workshop in English with Dr. Camillo Zacchia, psychologist, on Wednesday, November 30, at 7 to 9 p.m. Organized by Mental Health Estrie. Info: 819-565-2388, outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com.
    CHURCHES
    Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
    Anglican. In-person service is November 20 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
    United. Because of construction work at Trinity United Church in Cookshire, weekly Sunday services will be at 10:30 a.m., at Sawyerville United Church until further notice. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
    Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by November 14 for publication November 23 and by November 28 for December 7.
Rachel Garber

LOST

You and your Significant Other are on your way to town. Going down the 108, you look out the car window and suddenly you notice something very strange the horses in the field are on fire! As flames leap from their backs, they keep on calmly grazing.
“Stop! Look at that!”
Your Other slows down and looks at the field, then at you.
“Don’t you see? The horses are on fire!”
“I don’t see any fire.”
It dawns on both of you that you are actors in two different films.
In your Other’s world, happenings are predictable, governed by causes and effects that―right or not―most people agree on. Yours is populated by the inexplicable and dangerous, where the laws of physics no longer apply. No one else will even listen to your perceptions of how things work. Your connection with others is profoundly broken.
It is like being hurled onto an alien planet, alone.
For your Other, it’s like that a bit, too. It feels like they’ve lost a very important person in their life.
Maybe you’ve guessed I’m talking about mental illness. The scary kind, where you feel you don’t recognize someone, or you can’t talk with them the way you used to. It’s scary for your Other, but it’s even scarier if it’s happening to you.
We go through life depending on our social ties. Certain kinds of illness threaten to break those ties, because we can’t guess what the other person is thinking or feeling. We can’t understand the little gestures or expressions we usually depend on. We don’t seem to share the same reality.
This is psychosis, and various illnesses can bring it on. Your illness could be certain medical conditions or substance abuse, or here’s the biggie schizophrenia.
What does losing touch with reality mean? You may have hallucinations. For example, seeing flaming horses calmly grazing, or hearing a voice speaking to you.
Or you have delusions thoughts that grip your mind and just won’t let go, although to those around you, they are patently untrue. Like the idea that Putin is out to poison you. (Mind you, for certain persons on the planet, this has turned out not to be delusional.)
Schizophrenia is such a biggie because there’s no cure, and there’s not even a really great way to treat the symptoms of hallucinations and delusions. Anti-psychotic medications are not always effective for all the symptoms, and can come with other problems that impede your life in other ways. For example, you might sleep 14 hours a day, have bizarre muscle spasms, or be unable to speak without saliva pouring out of your mouth.
That makes you look even crazier. So there you have it. In one fell swoop, you’ve lost all your friends and your family. You have nobody who can understand what’s going on with you, and you can’t figure it out either.
But the losses don’t end there. You notice, when you go out, that people look at you funny. Or their eyes just slide past you as if you are invisible. So mostly you stay at home in your room, or stay on the outskirts of any group. You are intensely lonely. Those voices that no one else can hear become even more important to you.
But that’s not all. You find you can’t focus on your work anymore. Your attention is on dealing with all the stuff going in that alien planet that has become your life. You’ve achieved so much―maybe you’re in a PhD program, headed for a brilliant career. But now that future is lost to you too.
That adds to the pain of being around others. “What do you do?” they keep on asking.
It’s years later. You and your Significant Other are driving down the 108. You don’t see any horses on fire, but you are lost in your thoughts, thoughts that no one else can understand. You are intensely lonely, and your only hope is a delusion that if you drive past a church every Sunday, and do certain exercises everyday, you will suddenly stop hearing voices on Halloween.
You have lost so much, but you have not lost the capacity to love. I salute your courage.
FEELING LOST?
Feeling Lost: Understanding and Coping with the Stress and Stigma of a Psychotic Illness is the topic of a free virtual workshop in English, presented by Mental Health Estrie on Wednesday, October 26, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The presentation by psychologist Camillo Zacchia, PhD, will focus on understanding the nature of mental illness, especially psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. Zacchia will examine treatment principles and roles family members can play and discuss the stigma faced by those living with these illnesses, as well as their loved ones. This will include some simple but effective de-stigmatizing techniques.
For information or to register, contact Mental Health Estrie at 819-565-2388 or outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com.
VIACTIVE
Weekly bilingual sessions of Viactive, those gentle yet peppy exercises for persons age 50 and over, are in Sawyerville on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., in the Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road, Sawyerville. Info: Gérard Nault, 819-889-2630.
And in Island Brook, Viactive sessions are Wednesdays from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Newport Municipal Hall, 1452 Route 212. Info: 819-889-1340.
CHURCHES
Anglican. In-person service is November 6 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Because of construction work at Trinity United Church in Cookshire, weekly Sunday services will be at 10:30 a.m., at Sawyerville United Church until further notice. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by October 31 for publication November 9 and by November 14 for November 23.

Rachel Garber

YOUNG VOICES

Shout it out!
I struggle with Google sometimes. One tiny misclick and the document I’m working on suddenly soars somewhere to outer space. But now I’m working on something that I really do want to send out there. I’ve been told by an under-20 expert that Google Forms is the kind of sign-up form the younger generations are accustomed to.
Ok. Here we go.
The occasion is Townships Young Voices. It’s a brand new project by the Townships Sun that offers cash awards and magazine publication to young creative people (or as they tell me to say, “creatives”).
So if you know someone age 29 or younger who enjoys art, photography, or writing, give them a shout! Full details are at TownshipsSun.ca/Townships-Young-Voices.
You’ve heard of the community magazine for the English-speaking communities in the Eastern Townships? Its logo displays a drawing of our very own Megantic mountains. (The Megantic Observatory is missing in the drawing. Fun fact: The Observatory was built in 1977, just two years after artist Stephanie Wells of Scotstown made the drawing.)
Ok, 1975. That places the Townships Sun in Generation X (born 1965–1980). It is mostly read, it is said, by Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation (born 1928–1945), and maybe a few hangers on in the Silent Generation (born 1901–1927).
Wow. Of what possible interest could a magazine going-on-50 be to youthful Generation Z (born 1996–2010)?
Well, it’s time for a revolution. I’ve had the opportunity to introduce a few 20-somethings to the new Townships Sun, and they’ve been enthralled. That makes me, the volunteer editor, very happy.
Now we are actively reaching out to writers, photographers and artists in the Townships. We’re publishing articles and themes that are relevant to all ages. We’re working hard to fulfill our mission as a magazine.
That means we’re looking for quality work. For feature articles that go into more depth and are well researched. We’re printing more variety of content – stories, poetry, art and photography. And we’re looking for submissions from younger generations, too, both Millennials and Generation Z-ers.
Here’s how the Townships Sun is reaching out.
Awards: We’re offering $750 in awards, plus publication in the Townships Sun, for short fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art and photography, submitted by December 1st.
Workshops: For youth, an array of free creative workshops by zoom to help participants create/write new works and win awards. The topics are fiction, non-fiction, poetry and visual arts – art and photography. For magazines. For each topic, a series of three workshops will be led by an expert, Townshippers all.
Writer Scott Stevenson (maybe a Millennial) of Island Brook will lead the workshops on writing non-fiction, starting October 18. Cécilia Alain (definitely Generation Z) of Sherbrooke and recent Bishop’s graduate is leading the workshops on art and photography, beginning October 25.
That same week, Rebecca Welton (probably Generation X) of Brompton begins leading the workshops on fiction writing. And Jan Draper (I think she might be a young Boomer) of North Hatley leads the workshops on poetry. That leaves me, an older Boomer, to wind things up with a single workshop on Working with an Editor. In other words, how to get your work published!
To participate and get the Zoom link, just sign up on the Google Form on the Young Voices page of the website, TownshipsSun.ca.
Your favourite young creative says they’d like to check it out? Well, the school library in every English school in the historical Eastern Townships now has a complimentary subscription to the Townships Sun.
The new YouTube channel, TYVoices, is being populated with introductions to the workshop leaders, hot tips about getting published, and guest interviews.
The new Instagram account, @TYVoices, gives running details of all this.
A new e-Guide explores the ins and outs of getting your art, photos and writing published in magazines.
That leads up to the award submissions deadline, December 1st. So check out the Google Form at TownshipsSun.ca/Townships-Young-Voices.
Townships Young Voices has some strong partners. Write Here, Write Now! of the Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy is organizing the workshops. Townshippers’ Association is organizing the awards competition, and also giving financial support, as are the Townshippers’ Research & Cultural Foundation and the Rotary Club of the Boundary in Stanstead. Léa Côté of Bishop’s University’s Experiential Learning Program is videographer.
ZOOM ON HEALTH LAW
The Basics on How to Plan when making health care decisions is the topic of a Zoom workshop presented in English by Educaloi on Thursday, October 20, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The workshop offers information about the rules on consent to health care, and the various legal tools for planning health care in advance, including protection mandates, advance medical directives, and living wills. Info or registration: Vanessa at va@townshippers.org.
AGEISM UNVEILED
The Observatory on Aging Society is offering a Zoom workshop in English, discussing how ageism has been observed in many areas of our society, including family, education, work, health, media, and politics. The speaker is Daphne Nahmiash, PhD, and the date is Tuesday, October 25, from noon to 1 p.m. Info or to register: Vanessa, va@townshippers.org.
CHURCHES
United. Because of construction work at Trinity United Church in Cookshire, weekly Sunday services will be at 10:30 a.m., at Sawyerville United Church until further notice. The Thanksgiving service on October 9 will include Communion. Participants are invited to bring their own communion elements; some will be available for persons who don’t bring their own. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. In-person service is October 16 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by October 17 for publication October 26, and by October 31 for November 9.

Rachel Garber

MIGRATION

It is the migratory season for many animals, humans included. This year Literacy in Action is celebrating the theme of migration with a creative cultural literary festival in English. Community art, emerging artists, storytellers, live music and food are part of the three-pronged event.
And the festival is migrating to Bury on October 15, after a day in Richmond, and before one in Stanstead.
Leading up to the event is a series of Arts & Scraps workshops that LIA organized in collaboration with local community organizations such as the Bury Historical and Heritage Society and the Community Learning Centre at the Pope Memorial school. Meghan Dove, new Bury resident, is the Bury-Community-Artist-in-Residence for this project.
“Art has such an amazing way of exploring and expressing pieces of our journeys, especially when words don’t easily come to us,” wrote Yolanda Weeks of LIA. She is organizing the workshops and festival.
“So, what does this have to do with literacy?” you may ask.
Joanna Bateman, executive director of LIA replies. “We often say literacy skills help us navigate the world around us, but it is also that literacy skills help us communicate with each other, to imagine and create the world we want to be part of.”
She distinguishes between two types of literacy: cultural and core. Core literacy has to do with the three Rs – “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic.” But these skills are intertwined with cultural literacy, understanding the world in which we live and communicating with others. Cultural literacy is what makes the three Rs so important, and so rewarding.
During the festival, Roy MacLaren and Marie Marceau will be making music. Art will be on exhibit, exploring the theme of migration, especially as it relates to the English-speaking community in the Townships. Yummy treats, with dairy- and gluten-free options will be on the menu. And the event will be in English, with French translation available for festival goers.
LIA’s Migratory Community Arts Festival in Bury will be on Saturday, October 15. It begins at the Bury Municipal Library, 569 Main Street, from 1 to 2 p.m., and migrates to the Bury Armoury, 563 Main Street, from 2 to 4 p.m.
TOWNSHIPS YOUNG VOICES
Keep your antennae up for news about the Townships Sun’s new project offering $750 in awards to under-30 creatives who enjoy art, photography, or writing, whether poetry, fiction or non-fiction. A series of online workshops will be offered in October and November, leading up to the awards deadline, December 1st. For more information, visit the Young Voices page on the townshipssun.ca website!
TRANS OR NON-BINARY LOVED ONE
Mental Health Estrie is offering a free workshop in English on Zoom on how to accompany a trans or non-binary loved one on their journey. The workshop will offer information about gender identity and transness, understanding what a transition entails, and practical tools to become a better ally to trans and non-binary people. The presenter is Séré Beauchesne Lévesque, intervener and educator at TransEstrie, and the date is Wednesday, September 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Info or registration: 819-565-2388, or outreach@mentalhealthestrie.com.
BULLYING: HELP FOR CHILDREN
A two-part series of workshops in English is planned for parents and caregivers, offering tools to help children when faced with bullying, via Zoom. The presenters are Rebecca and Jade from Bulle & Balluchon, and the dates are Wednesday and Thursday, September 28 and 20, from noon to 1 p.m. Info or registration: Vanessa at va@townshippers.org.
HEALTH DECISIONS
The Basics on How to Plan when making health care decisions is the topic of a Zoom workshop presented in English by Educaloi on Thursday, October 20, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The workshop offers information about the rules on consent to health care, and the various legal tools for planning health care in advance, including protection mandates, advance medical directives, and living wills. Info or registration: Vanessa at va@townshippers.org.
AGEISM AT A GLANCE
The Observatory on Aging Society is offering a Zoom workshop in English, discussing how ageism has been observed in many areas of our society, including family, education, work, health, media, and politics. The speaker is Daphne Nahmiash, PhD, and the date is Tuesday, October 25, from noon to 1 p.m. Info or to register: Vanessa, va@townshippers.org.
FREE LEGAL INFO
Townshippers’ Association offers free, confidential access to legal information in English, in partnership with the Université de Sherbrooke. The Legal Info Clinic is staffed by a student from the Law Faculty one day a week, who can answer legal questions by phone, email, or in person by appointment. Although students are not permitted to give advice or opinions, they can give information, refer you to practising lawyers, or services such as Educaloi. The Clinic is open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until April 2023. Info: 819-566-2182 or legalinfo@townshippers.org.
ART, CULTURE, MUSEUM
Visit the art exhibit at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery in Victoria Hall, 125 Principale West, Cookshire, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Info: galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com.
See the John-Henry-Pope exhibit at the Maison de la Culture John-Henry-Pope, 25 Principale West, Cookshire, open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Thanksgiving weekend.
Stop by the Eaton Corner Museum at 374 Route 253, Eaton Corner, on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., until the end of September. Info: 819-875-5256.
CHURCHES
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca. Note that October 3 is the 200th anniversary of St. George’s Anglican Church in Lennoxville, with a service at 11 a.m.
United. Regular services are at Trinity United, Cookshire, at 9:30 a.m., and Sawyerville United, 11 a.m. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by October 3 for publication October 12 and by October 17 for October 26.

ACTU-Rachel

BOOTS OR NO

We’re on a school bus on the back roads of Eaton Corner, and Sharron Rothney is regaling us with tales from the past. The tour is part of the Sawyerville Baptist Church’s 200th anniversary celebrations. This story may have happened in the Congregationalist church, or the Methodist church, or the Baptist church, she warns, depending on the storyteller. They all shared the same pastor.
“Sam Laberee was a religious man, and he liked to shop around for his religion. He’d walk from Sand Hill to church in Eaton Corner. He had a habit of leaping to his feet during the sermon, and shouting ‘Praise the Lord!’
“So one day after church, the pastor said, ‘Sam, we have a special preacher next week. I want you to stay in your seat, and not talk at all. And if you do this, I’ll give you a new pair of boots.’
“Now, with all the walking Sam did, his were worn out and he needed those boots. So they struck a bargain. It wasn’t long until everyone in the village knew about it.
“So that Sunday, Sam had eyes only for the preacher. The congregation had eyes only for Sam. The sermon was drawing to a close, and they thought, ‘Oh, Sam has won.’
“Then all of a sudden, Sam leaped to his feet and cried out, ‘Boots or no boots, Praise the Lord!’
“Anyway, the minister thought he’d done very well, so he got his boots.”
Now that’s integrity, boots or no boots.
SEX ED
Do you talk about sexuality with your young children? Do you know how to do so? Would you like to participate in a study that will give you some tools and tricks to help talk about sexuality with them?
Elisa Philibert, an elementary education student at Bishop’s University and an employee of the Lennoxville & District Women’s Centre, has a project for you. She aims to learn from parents what resources and information would be useful in order to address the topic of sexuality with less apprehension.
Elisa is looking for English-speaking parents of children aged 3 to 8 years old to participate in a 30- to 60-minute interview; a 3-hour session and receive a box of resources and information on the topic of sexuality education; and then be invited to a 30- to 60-minute group session with other parents.
For information, contact Elisa at ephilibert20@ubishops.ca or 819-919-5107. Now.
VICTORIA CENTRE OPEN HOUSE
Following the Bury Town Hall’s move to the former Desjardins building down the street at 528 Main, the old Town Hall building at 569 Main, Bury, has a new name and a new vocation. It’s the Centre Multifonctionnel Victoria/ Victoria Multipurpose Centre.
Its many purposes? It’s already the home of the Bury Municipal Library, and a selection of other community groups have also moved into the building. There’s the Bury Historical and Heritage Society, Bury’s IMAGE de Bury Community Newspaper, and The Bury Athletic Association.
Now these groups have joined forces to invite the public to visit during a joint Open House on Saturday, September 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This coincides with the final public market of the season in the park right behind the new Victoria Centre. Town Hall representatives will be present to help inaugurate the new Centre.
The groups invite everyone to stop in, have some refreshments, and see some interesting displays. It’s a chance to meet the members of your local organizations and learn about their community projects.
YOGA IS NOW
Last reminder: Yoga classes began in Sawyerville on Tuesday, September 13, at 10 a.m. in the Sawyerville Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road. Info: Myrna MacDonald Lowry, myrnamac44@gmail.com, or 819-875-5393.
MUSIC IS NOW TOO
Visit the art exhibit at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, and you’ll be intrigued by this concert: The Musical Universe of Louis-Pierre Bougie. Musicians: the Quatuor Molinari with the flutist Myriam Genest-Denis, and with the participation of René Lussier. It’s this Saturday, September 17, at 3 p.m., at the Trinity United Church, 190 Principale West, Cookshire. Tickets: $25. Reserve at galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com.
VIACTIVE BEGINS ANEW
Weekly bilingual sessions of Viactive, those gentle yet peppy exercises for persons age 50 and over, are in Sawyerville on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Where: In the Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road, Sawyerville. Info: Gérard Nault, 819-889-2630.
And in Island Brook, Viactive sessions begin Wednesday, September 21, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and continue weekly at the Newport Municipal Hall, 1452 Route 212. Info: 819-889-1340.
MURMURS, MUSEUM & TOURISM
The multimedia show in the Parc des Braves in Cookshire ends on September 17. Until then, you can see the 30-minute wordless image and sound show on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, twice each evening just after dark.
During the month of September, The Eaton Corner Museum at 374 Route 253, Eaton Corner, is open Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information during the week, please leave a message at 819-875-5256.
The tourist information bureau at the Maison de la Culture John-Henry-Pope, 25 Principale West, Cookshire, is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Thanksgiving weekend.
CHURCHES
Anglican. An in-person Sunday service is planned for September 18 at 11 a.m. at St Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. No service on September 18: Rev. Spires is away on vacation. For pastoral urgencies before September 18, call Robert Halsall (819-875-3601). After September 18, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685. Regular services resume Sunday, September 25, at Trinity United, Cookshire, at 9:30 a.m., and Sawyerville United, 11 a.m. For information, check the message at 819-889-2838 for information.
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by September 19 for publication September 28, and by October 3 for October 12.

ACTU-Rachel

DID YOU KNOW?

Working on the September issue of the Townships Sun these past few weeks, I’ve learned a lot.
For example, what’s been going on at Bishop’s University after that message on the bridge last fall: “He raped me, I reported, he’s still in my class, BU take action”?
Did you know Black Cats Book could be closing? A community meeting has been called on Wednesday, September 14, at 5:30 p.m., at the Amédée Beaudoin Hall, 10 Samuel-Grantham, Lennoxville, to discuss how we can save it.
What does our resident philosopher, Don Atkinson, recommend for our school system?
Oh, did you know homeschooling is IN among English speakers in the Townships? About 2.5 percent of our students were homeschooling in 2021-2022; more than twice as in Quebec as a whole. Scott Stevenson tells us more in the September Townships Sun, available now at the Cookshire IGA.
DENIS PALMER & FRIENDS
A new exhibit of recent works by artists Denis Palmer and Réjean Côtes is at the Uplands Cultural and Heritage Centre. Palmer’s new works include woodcut prints developed from sketches, old and new, created during his wanderings in the woods and waterways surrounding his home. “Carving a woodblock for an hour or so on a late winter afternoon, for me, seems an ideal way to embrace the season,” he commented.
If it’s Réjean Côtes, it’s ceramics, including pottery and murals: In 1982, he and Palmer collaborated on an award-winning mural in Sherbrooke. His “current approach is more oriented towards the research, diversity, and uniqueness of each piece,” in his words. Other artists, Anne Letendre and Marianne Cusson for example, collaborate by decorating his pieces.
Uplands, 9 Speid Street, Lennoxville, is open Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Recent Works exhibit continues to October 30.
VIACTIVE BEGINS AGAIN
Weekly bilingual sessions of Viactive, those gentle yet peppy exercises for persons age 50+, begin in Sawyerville on Wednesday, September 7 at 10 a.m. Where: In the Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road, Sawyerville. Info: Gérard Nault, 819-889-2630.
The Viactive sessions in Island Brook are to begin during the second half of September. Stay tuned.
QUILT SHOW
The Lennoxville Quilters Guild’s annual Quilt Exhibition is on Friday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and September 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Grace Village, 1515 Pleasant View, Huntingville. The show offers many large and small quilt displays, quilting demonstrations, and more. Admission is $5.
YOGA IS BACK
Yoga classes begin in Sawyerville on Tuesday, September 13, at 10 a.m. in the Sawyerville Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road. Info: Myrna MacDonald Lowry, myrnamac44@gmail.com, or 819-875-5393.
MUSICAL UNIVERSE
Visit the art exhibit at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, and you’ll be intrigued by this concert: The Musical Universe of Louis-Pierre Bougie. On the program are works by Mozart, Ravel, Hétu, Shostakovitch, and Debussy. Musicians: the Quatuor Molinari with the flutist Myriam Genest-Denis, and the participation of René Lussier, a good friend of Louis-Pierre Bougie.
It’s Saturday, September 17, at 3 p.m., at the Saint-Camille Church, 170 Principale East, Cookshire. Tickets: $25. Reserve at galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com.
OPEN HOUSE AT VICTORIA CENTRE
The Victoria Centre in Bury has been reborn, and is having an open house to prove it. Earlier this year, the Bury municipal offices moved into the former Caisse Desjardins building down the street, and the “Old Town Hall” building was christened the “Victoria Multipurpose Centre (Centre multifonctionnel Victoria).”
The Bury Municipal Library has been joined in the Victoria building by several local community organizations: the Bury’s IMAGE de Bury Community Newspaper, the Bury Athletic Association, and the Bury Heritage and Heritage Society are now headquartered there. (The Society’s first project after its founding in 2002 was to restore this very same building.)
On Saturday, September 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., these organizations are opening their doors to the public. The Open House coincides with the final Public Market of the season, in the park just behind the new Victoria Multipurpose Centre. All are invited to stop by and meet the members of these local groups and learn about how they support the community.
MURMURS, MUSEUM
The multimedia show in the Parc des Braves in Cookshire is still showing on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The 30-minute wordless image and sound show can be viewed twice each evening just after dark, until September 17. Sunset is at 6:54 p.m. on September 17. That’s your last chance.
The Eaton Corner Museum at 374 Route 253, Eaton Corner, is open on weekends only during the month of September.
DRAWINGS IN SAWYERVILLE
Congratulations to Logan Sidaway, winner of the drawing contest at the Sawyerville Library, and “many thanks to the children who submitted drawings…. They certainly livened up the space!” said Librarian Ann Rothfels. Drawings were submitted between June 15 and August 15, and posted in the library.
CHURCHES
United. In-person Sunday services on September 4 are in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and Sawyerville at 11 a.m. “At both services, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. It is also a Food Bank Sunday, and we ask anyone coming to workship to bring a non-perishable food item,” said Rev. Tami Spires. To make a financial donation, call her at 819-452-3685. No services September 11 or 18: Rev. Spires is away on vacation. For pastoral urgencies September 5-14, call Rev. Samuel V. Dansokho (873-200-2011); September 15-18, call Robert Halsall (819-875-3601).
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. The Sawyerville Baptist Church plans to celebrate its 200th birthday on September 3 and 4. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. An in-person Sunday service is planned for August 21 at 11 a.m. at St Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by September 5 for publication September 14 and by September 19 for September 28.

ACTU-Rachel

LUCID BLUE

Shortly after the first electric car was invented, my son began pestering us to get one. Well, time flies.
Energy.gov says that invention was in the 1830s, in Hungary, the Netherlands and the US. After that, the electric idea kept popping up, getting whacked down by the gas car industry, and popping up again. In times of gas shortages, the idea gained strength.
Who Killed the Electric Car is a fascinating documentary about a General Motors experiment in California, when furturistic EV-1 cars were leased to hundreds of happy users. But the honeymoon ended a decade later, in 2006, when GM refused to renew the leases and crushed the fleet of electric vehicles.
But now we face the mother of all shortages. We’ve squandered oil supplies and we’ve undermined the earth’s environment, our life-support system itself.
Vegan for the past 20 years, my son has ever been ahead of the curve. He’s had the electric car in his sights forever. Back then, he even invested in a lithium mining enterprise; that’s the metal needed for electric car batteries. (Sadly, that investment in Texas was not a good one. But now, times have changed.)
In 2010, the Nissan Leaf hit the road. My son took note. But we’d just bought a Honda Fit; another new car was beyond our means. Besides, our mechanic said it was a bad idea, living out in the boonies as we do. Electric cars have a limited range.
But as the climate kept changing and pollutants kept growing, more car manufacturers began creating and upgrading electric vehicles. Their range kept growing. Electric charging stations kept proliferating. And with government subsidies, their prices kept shrinking.
So last January, as our exhausted Fit suffered the winter blues, we whipped into action. Extensive online research narrowed our search to two models that had the longest range, best recharging options, and the most manageable prices.
The Chevy Bolt and the Hyundai Ionic 5: The next day, we visited the dealers in Sherbrooke. The Chevy Bolt was priced better, but had less leg room and promised a longer wait – until November. The delay was because of the exploding-battery recall; supplying new batteries for the existing cars took precedence over building new cars.
The Hyundai Ionic 5 excited us: Its instant power. Silent ride. Sleek shape. Spacious inside. Super display. The longest range we could find.
Estimated date of arrival: August. But maybe sooner, if someone else ordered the same model, but changed their mind after it came off the assembly line.
Did I mention we were excited? We opted to pay an extra $200 for Lucid Blue paint. My son approved.
Oh, the waiting! When gas prices skyrocketed, the wait became excruciating. We checked with the Sherbrooke Hyundai dealer several times over the months. Once he said, “Sorry, there’s a backlog of orders. You won’t get it until 2023.”
The next month, “Good news. Headquarters asked us for the first nine orders in January 2022. Everyone else will have to wait until 2023. YOU were among the first nine, so you will get yours, maybe, before Christmas. We’ll know six weeks in advance.”
Another month, he said, “Probably in October or November; maybe in September!”
We’d love to install the Level 2 Rapid Charger in our carport this summer, but cannot do so until we get our Vehicle Identification Number. That happens when our Lucid Blue Baby rolls off the assembly line to journey from South Korea across the ocean by ship, across Canada by truck (or train?), and six weeks later, into our eager hands.
Today, we call Hyundai Sherbrooke again. No sign of our car yet.
We console ourselves. People who order today have to wait two or three years. We’re still hoping for this year!
MUSICAL UNIVERSE
Visit the art exhibit at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, and you’ll be intrigued by this concert: The Musical Universe of Louis-Pierre Bougie. Musicians: the Quatuor Molinari with the flutist Myriam Genest-Denis, and the participation of René Lussier. It’s Saturday, September 17, at 3 p.m., at the Trinity United Church, 190 Principale West, Cookshire. Tickets: $25. Reserve at galeriecookshireeaton@gmail.com.
YOGA IS BACK
Yoga classes begin in Sawyerville on Tuesday, September 13, at 10 a.m. in the Sawyerville Catholic Church basement, 4 Randboro Road. Info: Myrna MacDonald Lowry, myrnamac44@gmail.com, or 819-875-5393.
NOT IN CANTERBURY
The Saturday market in Canterbury (Canterbury Centre, 1095 Victoria Road) has been cancelled until further notice.
MURMURS, MUSEUM & TOURISM
The multimedia show in the Parc des Braves in Cookshire is still showing on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The 30-minute wordless image and sound show can be viewed twice each evening just after dark, until September 17.
The Eaton Corner Museum at 374 Route 253, Eaton Corner, is still open Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of August.
The tourist information bureau at the Maison de la Culture John-Henry-Pope, 25 Principale West, Cookshire, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CHURCHES
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. The Sawyerville Baptist Church plans to celebrate its 200th birthday on September 3 and 4. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. An in-person Sunday service is planned for August 21 at 11 a.m. at St Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. An in-person Sunday service is August 21 at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity United in Cookshire, and August 28 at 9:30 a.m. at the Trinity United in Cookshire, and 11 a.m. at Sawyerville United. All the services are at 10:30 a.m. Check the answering machine message at 819-889-2838 for information.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by August 22 for publication August 31, and by September 5 for September 14.

Rachel Garber

WE’VE BEEN HAD

It was Canada Day in Bury. There I was at the bright orange-clothed Townships Sun table, facing the entrance of the Armoury. Hungry hordes came in waves to get strawberry shortcakes served up by stalwart volunteers of the Bury Historical & Heritage Society. A fair number stopped and chatted with me.
For which I was grateful. Some even leaned over me to speak confidentially. I confess we were mostly mask free. I confess it was fun. I confess a good time was had by all.
The latest mutant of the novel coronavirus stopped by and apparently had a great time too.
We came down with something about 48 hours later, feeling woozy and a little feverish. We picked up a Rapid Response home testing kit at the pharmacy. I was never very good at chemistry (which is why I chose journalism over nursing in those faraway days when girls’ career choices were rather more limited). But it was kind of fun, setting up the tiny test tube and employing my huge magnifying glass to follow the minuscule instructions. Swabbing, swirling, squeezing out three drops, and timing the whole procedure.
My test was negative, but John’s was definitely positive. The fever stayed three days, the fatigue and coughing stayed longer. After two weeks, he tested negative (which is a good thing), but he still feels relatively weak.
In our household, we are all in the high-risk category. I hear about the rising rate of Covid hospitalizations. I learn that multiple reinfections can exacerbate the severity of the illness. I observe that carelessness has its price.
We feel fortunate to have had all four vaccinations. But I learned the hard way that the virus is not finished with us. Fact is, in following the zeitgeist and letting down our guard, we’ve been had.
RAGTIME IN CONCERT
In the Parc aux Braves in Cookshire, on Sunday, August 14, at 5 p.m. is planned a concert, Ragtime et compagnie with Catherine Meunier, percussionist, and Steve Normandin, accordionist. In case of rain, the concert will move to the St-Camille Catholic Church, 170 Principale East.
This is the final concert this season in the Concerts Apéro series organized by the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery.
BINOCULARS TO WIN
Children age 13 and younger: It’s not too late to join in the drawing contest at the Sawyerville Library, 11A, Clifton Road, sponsored by the Toronto Dominion Bank. The prize will be a pair of binoculars and the draw will take place on Wednesday, August 17. Library hours for delivering the drawings: Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The drawings will be placed on display at the library, although it is not necessary to be a member of the library to participate. For more information, please contact Ann Rothfels at 819-875-5438.
COOKSHIRE FAIR
The Cookshire Fair is back, August 18-21. What’s planned? Arts and culture exhibitions on the ground floor of the main building. A wrestling match and bingo on Thursday evening. Arm wrestling competition on Saturday afternoon. Tractor and truck pulls on Friday and Saturday night. A horse pull on Sunday night. Animal judging classes Friday through Sunday. Latino dancing Sunday afternoon. Winslow dancers Friday and Saturday night. A family zone with more than 25 rides and games for youngsters and teenagers.
Entrance for ages 7 and under is free; for others, $10 for Thursday, $20 for Friday and Saturday, $15 for Sunday, or the whole weekend for $45. Questions? Contact Barb Ward at 819-640-7367 or Myrna MacDonald at 819-875-5393. For information in French, visit expocookshire.com.
FARMERS’ MARKETS
August is the high season for farmers’ markets, with their fresh veggies, baked goods, crafts, jams and jellies, music and outdoor friendly visits. The market in Canterbury (Canterbury Centre, 1095 Victoria Road) is on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; in Dudswell, on Saturdays at 9 a.m. to noon; in Bury (in Memorial Park, or if it rains, the Armoury), on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and in East Angus, on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
MURMURS ON THE MURS
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at the Parc des Braves in Cookshire is the multimedia show about the history of Eaton Township. Murmurs of the Township, or Les Murmures du Canton. It begins at nightfall on the murs (walls) of Victoria Hall, Cookshire Elementary School, and St. Peter’s Church. The 30-minute wordless image and sound show can be viewed twice each evening.
EATON CORNER MUSEUM
The Eaton Corner Museum at 374 Route 253, Eaton Corner, is open Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance is free for members; non-members pay a fee. Info: 819-875-5256 or eatoncorner59@gmail.com.
JOHN-HENRY-POPE
The tourist information bureau at the Maison de la Culture John-Henry-Pope, 25 Principale West, Cookshire, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CHURCHES
Anglican. An in-person Sunday service is planned for August 7 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire, August 14 at 11 a.m. at the Brookbury Church, and August 21 at 11 a.m. at St Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. An in-person Sunday service is August 7 at Sawyerville United; August 14 at the East Clifton United; and August 21 at the Trinity United in Cookshire. All the services are at 10:30 a.m. Check the answering machine message at 819-889-2838 for information; the regular worship schedule will resume at the end of August.
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. The Sawyerville Baptist Church plans to celebrate its 200th birthday on September 3 and 4. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by August 8 for publication August 17, and by August 22 for August 31.

ACTU-Rachel

200 YEARS & COUNTING

The Sawyerville Baptist Church at 33 Cookshire Street in Sawyerville celebrates its 200th birthday on Friday and Saturday, September 3 and 4. Imagine: the church was founded in 1822!
Two days of activities are to feature guest speakers, music, photo displays, a chalk art presentation, a bus tour of historical points of interest, and a buffet supper. Persons wishing to participate in either the supper or the bus tour are asked to reserve their seats before August 1st by phoning Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
CANTERBURY FLEA MARKET
July 15 is the deadline to donate good-quality items to the Canterbury Center fund-raising campaign. Please call Tony De Melo at 819-872-3400 (leave a message); pick-up of items can be provided. All proceeds go to help restore the former Christchurch Canterbury, now Canterbury Center, at 1095 Victoria Road.
The items will be on sale at the Canterbury Flea Market, July 30-31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vegetables, coffee and hotdogs will also be for sale. Re-use, Re-cycle, Reduce!
QUINTET CONCERT
In the Parc aux Braves in Cookshire, a concert is on Sunday, July 17, at 5 p.m., by the Quintette DeVito, with Robin Doyon and Stéphane Beaulac playing trumpet, Gabriel Gauthier Beaudoin on horn, Martin Ringuette on trombone, and Jean-Philippe Dutil playing tuba. In case of rain, the concert will move to the St-Camille Catholic Church, 170 Principale East.
This concert is part of the Concerts Apéro series organized by the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery. On August 14 is planned Ragtime et compagnie with Catherine Meunier, percussionist, and Steve Normandin, accordionist.
GHOSTS & OTHER DOOHICKEYS
The Townships Trail’s mystery drama in English comes to the Parc des Braves, 125 Principale West, Cookshire, on Sunday, July 24, at 4 p.m. Ghosts & Other Doohickeys is to be performed outdoors, but will move into the adjacent Victoria Hall if it rains. Attendance is free of charge. Bring your own chair.
DRAWING CONTEST
A drawing contest for children age 13 and younger is now on at the Sawyerville Library, 11A, Clifton Road, sponsored by the Toronto Dominion Bank. It is not necessary to be a member of the library to participate, but the drawings will be placed on display there. The prize will be a pair of binoculars and the draw will take place on Wednesday, August 17. Library hours for delivering the drawings: Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information, please contact Ann Rothfels at 819-875-5438.
COOKSHIRE FAIR
Heads up: The Cookshire Fair is back! August 18-21 is the big weekend. Entrance for ages 7 and under are free; for others it costs $10 for Thursday, $20 for Friday and Saturday, $15 for Sunday, or the whole weekend for $45.
What’s planned? Arts and culture exhibitions on the ground floor of the main building. A wrestling match and bingo on Thursday evening. Arm wrestling competition on Saturday afternoon. Tractor and truck pulls on Friday and Saturday night. A horse pull on Sunday night. Animal judging classes Friday through Sunday. Latino dancing Sunday afternoon. Winslow dancers Friday and Saturday night. A family zone with more than 25 rides and games for youngsters and teenagers.
Questions? Contact Barb Ward at 819-640-7367 or Myrna MacDonald at 819-875-5393. For information in French, visit expocookshire.com.
MURMURS ON THE MURS
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at the Parc des Braves in Cookshire is the multimedia video show about the history of Eaton Township. Murmurs of the Township, or Les Murmures du Canton, will begin at nightfall on the murs (walls) of Victoria Hall, Cookshire Elementary School, and St. Peter’s Church. The 30-minute show is about the history of the Eaton Township, with two showings each evening.
BLACK TOWNSHIPS
Black Histories in the Eastern Townships is an outdoor exhibit in front of the Richmond County Historical Society’s Museum, 1161 Route 243, Canton de Melbourne. It’s on Wednesday to Sunday until October 9, in collaboration with the Eastern Townships Research Centre. For those who missed it a few months ago at Bishop’s University, here is another chance.
COOKSHIRE ART GALLERY
Still on: Iridescent Thought, or Pensée irisée, the Raven Collective’s exhibition, showing the work of Ann Bilodeau, Yong Sook Kim-Lambert, Laurence Bacon, and Norman Gladu. When? Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where? At the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery in Victoria Hall, 125 Principale West, Cookshire.
EATON CORNER MUSEUM
The Eaton Corner Museum at 374 Route 253, Eaton Corner, is open Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance is free for members; non-members pay a fee. Info: 819-875-5256 or eatoncorner59@gmail.com.
JOHN-HENRY-POPE
The tourist information bureau at the Maison de la Culture John-Henry-Pope, 25 Principale West, Cookshire, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CHURCHES
United. An in-person Sunday service is July 10 at Trinity United in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and at Sawyerville United at 11 a.m. On July 17, instead of a local service, Revs. Tami Spires and Mead Baldwin will preside at the Celtic Festival Sunday Service in Kinnear’s Mills. On July 24 and July 31, services are planned at 10:30 a.m. in Brookbury, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Brookbury United Church. Note the schedule may be changed to 2 or 2:30 p.m.; please check the United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge (UEVPC) answering machine, 819-889-2838.
Baptist. In-person services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m. Info: Please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. An in-person Sunday service is July 17, at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. For a schedule of services, visit deaneryofstfrancis.com and click on the “Calendar” link. Please note that Home Prayers videos on Sundays via Facebook and website have ended, at least for the summer. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by July 11 for publication August 3 and by August 8 for August 17.

ACTU-Rachel

GHOSTS & OTHER DOOHICKEYS

The Townships Trail is launching the English version of the mystery drama created in French in 2019. “For several weeks now, something has been amiss on the Townships Trail. Objects have been disappearing or turning up in unexpected places,” reads the synopsis. “Ghost hunter Glenn Stevens has been tapped to investigate. Thanks to his paranormal detection doohickeys, he discovers…”
Ghosts & Other Doohickeys is on tour across the region along the Townships Trail, and stops at the Parc des Braves, 125 Principale West, Cookshire, on Sunday, July 24, at 4 p.m. The performance is outdoors, but if it rains, actors and audience will move into the adjacent Victoria Hall. Attendance is free of charge. Bring your own chair.
The three actors are directed by Mary Harvey; the play was written by William S. Messier.
MURMURS ON THE MURS
Look for Murmurs of the Township, or Les Murmures du Canton on the murs (walls) of three historic buildings, Victoria Hall, Cookshire Elementary School, and St. Peter’s Church, starting Thursday, June 23, at nightfall. The wordless multimedia light and video projections continue all summer on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at the Parc des Braves in downtown Cookshire.
Each show is about 30 minutes long, with two showings every evening. On average, about 15 images per second scroll across the walls, showing some 50,000 drawings. Three videos are projected simultaneously.
The show is about the history of the Eaton Township, but is also reminiscent of the Eastern Townships in general: original Abenaki residents, American soldiers, American and British settlers, and flora and fauna.
Les Murmures du Canton was launched last summer, a collaborative effort by the Productions de l’Inconnu dans le noir, the Maison de la culture John-Henry-Pope, the Town of Cookshire-Eaton, Tourism Eastern Townships, and the Quebec Ministry of Tourism.
EATON CORNER MUSEUM
At 11 a.m., the Eaton Corner Museum will open to the public, and stay open until 4 p.m. This happens June 25 and 26, and then every Thursday to Sunday during July and August. Find out about membership; it includes the Museum’s entrance fee. Where? At 374 Route 253, in Eaton Corner. Info: 819-875-5256 or eatoncorner59@gmail.com.
CANTERBURY CONCERT
On June 25 at 8 p.m., at the Canterbury Center, musicians Christian Nolet, Kevvin Hinse, and P.O. Boudreault will perform traditional Quebec music on guitar, mandolin, violin, Irish bouzouki and voice. To be among the audience of 50 persons, reserve your $15 seat by phoning Gilles Gaulin at 819-872-3273, or Ed Pedersen at 819-872-3400. Masks are suggested. Proceeds will help support the restoration of the Center’s small windows. Where? At 1095 Route 214, Canterbury.
COOKSHIRE CONCERTS
Afternoon concerts in the Parc aux Braves in Cookshire, Concerts Apéro, are back again, organized by the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery. On Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m., two guitarists will play Jean-François Desrosby and Tommy Dupuis in a concert entitled Place à la relève : le maître et l’élève (Make Way for the Next Generation: the Master and the Student). In case of rain, the concert will move to the St-Camille Catholic Church, 170 Principale East.
We can look forward to a July 17th concert by the Quintette DeVito, with Robin Doyon and Stéphane Beaulac playing trumpet, Gabriel Gauthier Beaudoin on horn, Martin Ringuette on trombone, and Jean-Philippe Dutil playing tuba.
And then on August 14 is planned Ragtime et compagnie with Catherine Meunier, percussionist, and Steve Normandin, accordionist.
CANADA DAY
At the Canada Day parade in Bury on Saturday, July 2, the Bury Historical & Heritage Society will be serving strawberry shortcake. Homemade shortcake, fresh strawberries, $8 a plate, between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Armoury. Yours truly will be near the Armoury entrance, at a sunny yellow table showing off the new July-August issue of the Townships Sun magazine, and our new Young Voices project.
JOHN-HENRY-POPE
The tourist information bureau at the Maison de la Culture John-Henry-Pope is now open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where? At 25 Principale West, Cookshire.
COOKSHIRE ART GALLERY
Iridescent Thought, or Pensée irisée, the Raven Collective’s exhibition is still on, showing the work of Ann Bilodeau, Yong Sook Kim-Lambert, Laurence Bacon, and Norman Gladu. As of June 25, the gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where? At the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery in Victoria Hall, 125 Principale West, Cookshire.
CANTERBURY FLEA MARKET
To donate good quality items to the Canterbury Center fund-raising campaign, please call Tony De Melo at 819-872-3400 (leave a message) before July 15. Pick-up of items can be provided. All proceeds go to help restore the former Christchurch Canterbury, now Canterbury Center. The items will be on sale at the Canterbury Flea Market, July 30-31. Re-use, Re-cycle, Reduce!
TOWNSHIPPER WARNHOLTZ
Townshippers’ Association has a new president, Donald Warnholtz of Sherbrooke. Warnholtz is also Director General of the Dixville Foundation, and has had a 36-year career as clinical program manager in health and social services. Gerry Cutting has stepped down after 12 years as president of Townshippers’ Association. Townshippers’ has been around since 1979. Info: www.townshippers.org.
CHURCHES
Baptist. Regular in-persons services are in French at 9 a.m., in English at 11 a.m., respecting Covid protocols, including masks and hand sanitizing. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-239-8818.
Anglican. An in-person Sunday service is July 3, at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. Also, Bishop Bruce Myers offers Home Prayers at 4 p.m. on Sundays via Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. In-person Sunday services are June 26, July 3, and July 10 at Trinity United in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and at Sawyerville United at 11 a.m. In case of any changes, please check the United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge answering machine after Friday at 819-889-2838.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by June 27 for publication July 6, and by July 11 for August 3.

ACTU-Rachel

CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS

I hope you are not ornithophobic.
If you do have a fear of birds, you could be freaked out by the new show at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery. It’s put on by a conspiracy of ravens.
Just kidding, but only partly. Yes, ravens usually hang out in pairs; not in murders, as crows do. But when they do group together, they’re an “unkindness” or a “conspiracy.” And they definitely are unkind, mostly a rowdy bunch of young males fighting for dominance and females seeking mates. Researcher Bernd Heinrich at the University of Vermont (livescience.com) called such a group a “mobile discotheque” and said the sight of them could induce Hitchcockian flashbacks to The Birds, that famous horror movie. It’s enough to stress out the ravens themselves, he said.
But no, the Raven Collective of artists is not unkind, although their conspiracy is a touch boisterous.
They are, in fact, a group of five Townships artists who come from away and have spread their wings abroad, but have returned to the nest, so to speak; the group first exhibited in Cookshire in 2015.
That was when Robert Peloquin joined forces with Ann Bilodeau and Yong Sook Kim-Lambert. Today, the group has grown to five, with Laurence Bacon and Normand Gladu of Saint-Isidore-de-Clifton joining the conspiracy. Their approaches are varied: Peloquin sculpts in glass, metal and stone. Bilodeau draws and collages. Kim-Lambert paints in acrylic. Bacon weaves and uses vegetation-based inks. Gladu sculpts high reliefs in found objects and mixed media.
What is their affinity? You might say Nature, or in the words of their press release, “the expressive power of matter (materials and subject) and the act of storytelling.”
They explore “the realms of interaction between humans, other living beings and the social, intimate and physical spaces that they occupy.”
Another interaction in their work is between the abstract and the actual; the suggestion of a story stimulates the mind of the beholder to put flesh on its bones. That brings us to the topic of this exhibit: Iridescent Thought, or Pensée irisée. That’s what art is about, isn’t it? Materials shaped to express thought; matter divulging spirit.
The Raven Collective presents a crunchy combination. The works are varied and rich, colourful and intriguing. You can sink your teeth into this exhibit.
The exhibit is at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, 125 Principale West, until July 17. The spacious gallery is open weekends, 12 to 4 p.m., until June 24; after that it is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 to 4 p.m.
PIONEER WOMEN
Is – or was – she her own woman? Does – or did – she live in the Townships? How has she helped shape Townships history?
Think of a woman you could describe in those terms. Adèle Blais would like to hear from you. She’s a Sherbrooke artist whose 22 portraits of such women as Ella Fitzgerald populate a book, Fortes. Blais’s current project is to create an exhibit of pioneer women in the Eastern Townships for a 2023 exhibit at the Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke. She’s inviting all of us to nominate just such a person by sending her several photos of a woman pioneer, and a 500-word text about her. The world of business, art, volunteerism, ideas – the list of domains women have helped build could go on and on.
Blais’s deadline is July 1st; she asks that suggestions be sent by email to info@adeleblais.com. To see Blais’s striking portraits in paint and collage, visit adeleblais.com.
EATON CORNER MUSEUM
The Eaton Corner Museum will open to the public on June 24 to 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance fees are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for youth. Membership includes entry to the Museum. During July and August, the Museum will be open Thursday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at 374 Route 253, in Eaton Corner. Info: 819-875-5256 or eatoncorner59@gmail.com.
JUNE 24th CONCERT
Canterbury Center is hosting a concert in celebration of the Fête Nationale du Québec on Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Musicians Christian Nolet, Kevvin Hinse, and P.O. Boudreault will perform traditional music of Quebec on guitar, mandolin, violin, Irish bouzouki and voice.
Only 50 tickets will be sold. To be among the 50 lucky people in the audience, reserve your $15 seat by phoning Gilles Gaulin at 819-872-3273, or Ed Pedersen at 819-872-3400. Masks are suggested. Proceeds will help support the restoration of the Center’s small windows. The Canterbury Center is located at 1095 Route 214, Cantberbury.
SUNRISE
Discover what would have made Charles Bury go berserk. With Scott Stevenson and Brenda Hartwell, explore how Townships musicians and thespians weathered the pandemic. Read a story by Marc Boucher about a family in crisis, dealing with raw questions. Learn how NOT to herd porcupines. Find out how to plog and plalk.
Yes, the June issue of the Townships Sun has hit the newsstand at the Cookshire IGA. Better yet, subscribe at thetownshipssun.org, or 819-566-7424.
CHURCHES
Anglican. In-person Sunday services are June 12, at 10:30 a.m., at St. John’s Church in Brookbury, and June 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. Also, Bishop Bruce Myers offers Home Prayers at 4 p.m. on Sundays via Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. In-person Sunday services are at Trinity United in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and at Sawyerville United at 11 a.m. In case of any changes, please check the United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge answering machine after Friday at 819-889-2838.
Baptist. Regular in-persons services are in French at 9 a.m., in English at 11 a.m., respecting Covid protocols, including masks and hand sanitizing. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-239-8818.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by June 13 for publication June 22, and by June 27 for July 6.

Rachel Garber

WHY I DON’T SEW

“Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do. Never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. Good results are difficult when indifference dominates. Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade.”
That’s from the Singer Sewing Machine Manual. It was published in 1949, not long before I was launched into my youthful indoctrination on how to grow up to be a woman. The manual’s instructions continue:
“When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so that your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Put on a clean dress. Keep a little bag of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on. If you are constantly fearful that a visitor might drop in or your husband will come home, and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing.”
I retch. I’m hearing these words in the voice of Aunt Lydia of Handmaid’s Tale fame as she explains the rules that dominate women in the Republic of Gilead. I do not miss the overt suggestion that I should be “constantly fearful … [my] husband will come home” when I am not dressed up. What are the consequences? I will leave this to the gentle reader’s imagination.
Who reminded me of this advice – and yes, it is genuine, per fact-checker Snopes.com – was Margaret Atwood in an interview I recently watched via zoom. The topic was Burning Questions, her new book of essays.
The interviewer asked her to comment about the current abortion controversy in the United States. She had some telling comments. One was the common-sense observation that if society requires women to bear children, it is in fact engaging their services. Women conscripted for these services should have the same benefits and salaries as military recruits. Think about it: military personnel put their physical bodies at the service of the state; so do child-bearing women. Aren’t child-bearing and child-rearing a battle, in many ways?
Yes, of course, the circumstances surrounding childbirth are much more complex than simply remuneration. For most parents, having children is enormously rewarding and joyous, maybe the best experience in life. That has been my experience, too.
At the same time, as a single parent, I can tell you that balancing the hands-on care of a child with the need to make a living is overwhelming. Rigid workplace demands oppose essential child-rearing demands, and the scale on which one balances priorities simply breaks down.
The shortage of baby formula revealed to the world that only a quarter of babies in the United States are breastfed. In Canada, it’s about 34 percent by the age of six months, reported a study in the International Journal for Equity in Health, and many of the mothers who don’t nurse are economically disadvantaged. While the reasons for choosing not to nurse can vary, the necessity to work at a job that precludes nursing is a big one.
Then a shortage of baby formula happens, and the whole system breaks down. Who suffers the most? It’s a toss-up between the hungry baby and the mother desperately seeking to save her child.
Take away a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body and life, trap her in an impossible predicament, and you have the stuff that revolutions are made of: a hefty proportion of the population with nothing to lose.
I see the focus on regulating a woman’s body as a throw-back to the era of woman-as-chattel who must fearfully please her master, à la Singer Sewing Machine instructions.
Why is it hard for me to believe anti-abortion sentiment has anything to do with the life of the child? Because society arranges itself to care so little for that life after the child is born. As a village, we have failed our children and their mothers, in so many ways.
Well, that pretty much sums up why I don’t sew.
JUNE 24th CONCERT
Canterbury Center is to host a concert celebrating the Fête Nationale du Québec on Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Musicians Christian Nolet, Kevvin Hinse, and P.O. Boudreault will perform traditional music of Quebec on guitar, mandolin, violin, Irish bouzouki and voice.
Only 50 tickets will be sold. To be among the 50 lucky people in the audience, reserve your $15 seat by phoning Gilles Gaulin at 819-872-3273, or Ed Pedersen at 819-872-3400. Masks are suggested. Proceeds will help support the restoration of the Center’s small windows. The Canterbury Center is located at 1095 Route 214, Cantberbury.
“THREE R’S” FOR CANTERBURY
If you have good quality items that you would like to donate to the Canterbury Center fund-raising campaign, please call Tony De Melo at 819-872-3400 (leave a message) before July 15. Pick-up of items can be provided. All proceeds go to help restore the former Christchurch Canterbury, now Canterbury Center. The items will be on sale at the Canterbury Flea Market, July 30-31. Re-use, Re-cycle, Reduce!
CHURCHES
United. In-person Sunday services are in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and Sawyerville, 11 a.m., with Rev. Tami Spires. For service information, please check the United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge answering machine at 819-889-2838.
Baptist. Regular in-persons services are in French at 9 a.m., in English at 11 a.m., respecting Covid protocols, including masks and hand sanitizing. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-239-8818.
Anglican. In-person service on Sunday, June 5, at 11 a.m., at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. Also, Bishop Bruce Myers offers Home Prayers at 4 p.m. on Sundays via Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by May 30 for publication June 8 and by June 13 for June 22.

ACTU-Rachel

GROWING PAINS

It’s been a challenging winter. Yes, yes, I know, the weather.
But that wasn’t the half of it. The editor of The Townships Sun suddenly passed away, and I had the chutzpah to step in. It’s been a wild ride, fun all the way. I get to work with lots of creative types, all across the Townships.
For the May issue – now on the newsstand at the Cookshire IGA – I visited a slew of ceramic artists who create a kind of alchemical transformation using clay, fire and water. John Mackley writes about his experience as a “Back to the Lander,” and a new generation of them in the Townships today. Scott Stevenson writes about the growing pains of organic farming, stymied by a policy that requires “healthy farming” to “pay to certify its status, while farms using toxic chemicals don’t shoulder that extra cost.”
There’s a story by Janice LaDuke nestled in among the articles, poetry, art and photos by other Townshippers. (Notice all my mentions are of Haut-Saint-Franciscans.) And there’s a description of Young Voices, a new project that aims to involve a new generation of creative types – writers, artists and photographers – in our community and our community magazine, The Townships Sun.
This issue is the last one in Volume 49, on the cusp of the magazine’s 50th anniversary. It was started by a small group of young people – many from around here: Russell Pocock, Roderick Macdonnel, Brian Olding, Susan Mastine, Robert Winter, Bernard Epps. The logo was designed by Stephanie Wells of Scotstown, and shows the sun peeking over the Megantic mountains.
That was then; now we need more readers and contributors from our neck of the woods. Visit TheTownshipsSun.org to get three recent issues in pdf for free, and also to subscribe. A year is only $15 (e-subscription – a pdf version in full-colour), or $25 for the print version. Join us in the Sun!
HAIKU ZOOM
An evening of Haiku readings and conversations is Friday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m., an online launch party for three nifty little poetry books. They are Last Summer Pear, by Angela Leuck, Spring to Lips by Phyllis Sise, and Ditch Walker, by Bernice Angeline Sorge. The poetry is short, the books are little, but all are mighty in humour, beauty, and the joys of nature. Get the link for this free session by contacting bulla@ubishops.ca. The event is organized by the Bishop’s University Lifelong Learning Academy, Write Here Write Now, and Yarrow Press, an imprint of Shoreline Press, right here in the Townships, and the publisher of all three books.
YOU CAN TOO
Write Here Write Now (WHWN) continues to offer free Zoom workshops for new and other writers. For the past year or so, I’ve been participating as both a learner and a leader in these varied workshops. They’ve given me inspiration, ideas, and encouragement, and also an opportunity make new friends among creative persons in the Townships.
Here is what’s coming up: Rebecca Welton offers an introductory workshop on writing Short Fiction on May 11 and June 11, and Short Fiction Readings are planned for June 12. She leads another workshop, Beginner Blogging for Authors, on May 12. For writers of children’s literature, Rebecca Facilitates a Estrie Kidlit Meeting on May 15. All of Rebecca’s workshops are at 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
On Tuesdays, May 17 and June 17, I myself lead a workshop on Editing and Giving Feedback, and on Tuesday, May 31, a special workshop on the Ins & Outs of Magazine Writing – you guessed it, I’m looking for new writers for The Townships Sun! My workshops are at 10 a.m. to noon.
On Thursday, May 26, Jan Draper leads a workshop on Poetry; then on June 3, a Poetry Reading Practice Session. Both are from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Viewers and readers are invited to a Poetry Reading on June 17, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Etienne Domingue leads a Fantasy Fugue Forum – on fantasy writing – on May 30 and June 27, at 7 to 9 p.m. Two last workshops are one on Art and Writing led by Christopher Brandon, May 21, and Local Journalism offered by Gordon Lambie, May 28. Both are at 2 to 4 p.m.
For the link for any of these workshops, contact bulla@ubishops.ca.
TREE GIVEAWAY
For families of Pope Memorial School students and residents of Bury, the Eaton Valley Community Learning Centre is giving away trees on Friday, May 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the school, 523 Stokes, Bury. Trees are free, two per person, while quantities last. For details, see the Eaton Valley CLC Facebook page, says Jenny Ménard of the CLC at the Pope Memorial and Sawyerville elementary schools. The trees are offered by the Quebec ministry of forests, fauna and parks, in celebration of May, the month of trees and forests.
IMAGINARY WORLDS
An art exhibit at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery presents three imaginary worlds by three contemporary artists: François Haguier, Guy-Anne Massicotte, and Manon Potvin. The show is open Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to 4 p.m., until May 22, at the gallery, 125 Principale West, Cookshire-Eaton.
CHURCHES
Baptist. Regular in-persons services are in French at 9 a.m., in English at 11 a.m., respecting Covid protocols, including masks and hand sanitizing. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-239-8818.
Anglican. In-person service on Sunday, May 15, at 11 a.m., at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. Also, Bishop Bruce Myers offers Home Prayers at 4 p.m. on Sundays via Facebook, and at quebec.anglican.ca (Worship Videos). Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. For service information, please check the United Eaton Valley Pastoral Charge answering machine at 819-889-2838. For pastoral emergencies, contact Rev. Mead Baldwin at 819-837-1112.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by May 16 for publication May 25 and by May 30 for June 8.

©2023 Journal Le Haut-Saint-François