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MAGAZINE
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Supporting Local Farmers & Businesses In Grey Highlands & Beyond
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DB Trailblazers DESIGN . BUILD . MAINTAIN
Custom trail services bringing your vision to fruition. Whether you hike, bike, ATV, or ski we will create your perfect playground in your backyard.
SHOWCASE THE LAND YOU LOVE
LIVING THE BRUCE COUNTY LIFE Spring / Summer 2022
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TRAIL BUILDING & WILDSCAPING 519-447-4474 www.DBTrailblazers.ca
MASTHEAD EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS HELLO COUNTRY MAGAZINE is the only monthly magazine of its kind focused on life in Grey Highlands and beyond. It’s delivered by Canada Post to homes and farms in Flesherton, Markdale, Priceville, Kimberley, Eugenia, Heathcote, Maxwell, and Singhampton, as well as every business in Grey Highlands. Copies are also available for pickup at selected local businesses. We capture life in Grey Highlands by highlighting the many positive contributions to our community by local farmers, business owners, elected officials, and residents. Hello Country is proudly independent and published from a barn / pick-up truck / stable / home office in beautiful Flesherton, Ontario!
MICHELLE PATEY Administrator at the Grey Highlands Chamber of Commerce. ROBERT IANTORNO Curious fellow, Resident of Singhampton JEFF WILSON Priceville Resident and Accomplished Cartoonist, Blogtoonist & Illustrator LOUELLA MARTIN Markdale resident and co-owner of Azure Highlands Homestead
DAVE MESLIN Community Organizer, Author & From our family to yours, we thank you very much Eugenia Resident for reading!
Single Copy: $1.50. Annual Subscription: $54.00. No part of this publication in any of its forms may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher.
ERIC ROBERTSON Lifelong Resident of Grey Highlands & Broker at Grey County Real Estate Inc. ALEXIS BRENNER Massie Resident and Co-Owner of DB Trailblazers TYSON RIER Sales Representative for Huron Tractor in Chatsworth LORRAINE IRWIN Rocklyn Resident and Owner of Pure Music Garlic Products KEVIN ARTHUR LAND Arts Educator and Owner of Speaking Volumes Books & Audio in Flesherton CHELSEA BULLOCK Events and Marketing Facilitator at Life Directions in Flesherton
New look, same great service!
David Miles | Financial Advisor Miles Insurance and Investments Inc. 43 Main Sreet West, Markdale, ON, N0C 1H0 T: (519)986-3353 F: (519) 986-3518 40 Main Stret East, Dundalk, ON, N0C 1B0 T: (519)923-2313 F: (519)923-3061
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JASON TODOROFF Barrister & Solicitor; and Resident of Holland Centre CINDY MCQUEEN Owner of Wanna Web Design & Grey Highlands Resident HILIARY BREADNER Lifelong Rocklyn Resident and Owner of Hiliary Breadner Graphics
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home that offers both in-tow amenities as well as easy acce nature . For Sale: $589,000
HOUSING UPDATE BY GREY COUNTY REAL ESTATE INC. Ten years ago, we decided to declare our independence from large franchises and start our own real estate brokerage – GREY COUNTY REAL ESTATE INC. was born!
specific target and applying our years 837017 Taylor Dr,markets, Holland Centre of Beautiful experience to ensure home surrounded withall your needs and 10 acres of are forest. The We homewant our reputation expectations met. floor living with an tofeatures be ourmain best advertising.
Selling your home and/or buying is not an easy decision, it requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of, not just the marketplace, but also the product that is being sold. Our experience goes all the way back to 1989. We’ve seen many changes, trends and peaks and valleys in the real estate business. Keeping all this in mind when we started Grey County Real Estate, we decided that our goal would always be to put our clients at the top of our priorities, to provide the best possible service using all the latest technological tools available while ensuring that our personal attention does not get overshadowed by agent-centric marketing ploys; our service is about YOU and YOUR property. To achieve this goal, we never put ourselves before our listings, we focus our efforts on showcasing your property to the largest sectors of buyers using professional resources, paying close attention to the
To our clients,For families, friends and community: Sale: $949,000 a big Thank You for your support!
open concept design.
348085 4th Concession B, Ma
The ROBERTSON raised bungalow sits on a ERIC
rolling 1.18 acre property wit
pond and long pastoral views GREY COUNTY REAL ESTATE INC. of the forest. www.greycountyrealestate.com 519-986-2552For Sale: $959,000
39
MAIN STREET EAST
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This peaceful bungalow rests a hill, concealed by the forest
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TABLE OF CONTENTS MAY 2022 HOUSING UPDATE...p6
Eric Robertson says “Thank You” on behalf of the team at Grey County Real Estate Inc.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE...p8
Papa Country commends the folks at the Grey Highlands Chamber of Commerce.
100 YEARS IN MARKDALE...p10
Join us in celebrating the Markdale Golf & Curling Club’s 100th Anniversary! MADE IN GREY...p16 Featuring West Grey’s Darrin Patey, owner of Protosource Design +.
COVER STORY... p24
Grey County Real Estate Inc. celebrates 10 Years in business. Published By
Christmas! All Rights Reserved
Support you need in the comfort of your own home Companionship Housekeeping Local Errands Meal Preparation Prepared Frozen Meals Local Home Care Aide
647-505-2609
brandi@homehelpandcare.com
esh Local r F & e in h Suns soon... e r e h e b l il Garlic w
. In the meantime..
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Our products are made on our Farm from our Certified Organic Garlic right here in
Grey Highlands
PUBLISHER’S NOTE MAY EDITION Photo: Greg Haug
some faces - something I’ve taken for granted and that which I truly value and have missed for such a while. Thanks to my wife for letting me out of the house for two straight days while she played defence against the boys. It’s a pleasure to feature Grey County Real Estate Inc. on the cover of this month’s edition. You can read their story celebrating their 10th anniversary on page 24.
PAPA COUNTRY
Publisher, Hello Country Magazine hellocountrymagazine@gmail.com Instagram: @hellocountrymagazine www.hellocountry.ca Welcome to our May edition.
I write this after attending a wonderfully planned and executed Home & Garden Show in Flesherton. Thank you to the folks at the Grey Highlands Chamber of Commerce for all their hard work in putting on such a successful event. I had the opportunity to attend as a vendor selling Grey County Apparel Company Hoodies and T-Shirts. It was so nice to be out in a public setting again speaking with people from across Grey Highlands and beyond. I even got to shake hands and see
Lastly, I’m excited to announce that I’m launching a new publication, called Support Local Magazine! I’ll start by covering Grey County and Bruce County this spring/summer, followed by Dufferin County and The Blue Mountains this summer. Support Local will continue the work we’ve been doing in Grey Highlands and South Etobicoke. It will take the concept further afield in time to towns, cities, and neighbourhoods across Ontario. Follow us @supportlocalmagazine on Instagram or check out Support Local - The Podcast at www.supportlocalmagazine.com to learn more about the publication. Until next month, thank you very much for reading Hello Country!
“Papa Country” Roger Tumminieri
(416) 788-0716 www.fiatluxmedia.com
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WELLNESS LOGICAL LEVELS: BEHAVIOUR Let’s continue up the logical levels! Last time, we looked at environment and how it can impact the changes that you want to make. Making changes in the environment are helpful, but they don’t often result in changes of behaviour. So on the second level, we can consider how focusing on behaviour change affects overall change. Dilt’s Logical Levels is a hierarchy of 6 levels: 1) Environment; 2) Behaviours; 3) Capabilities; 4) Beliefs and Values; 5) Identity; 6) Purpose. On level 2, when you focus on changing behaviours, you are more likely to make progress in your personal development. It’s also interesting to note that as you make changes on a higher level, the levels below will be affected.
JONATHAN NHAN take the time to think of what the actual behaviour you want to adopt is.
Let’s revisit the example of diabetes. Behaviours that affect blood sugar control include the foods that you choose to eat and the level of physical activity you engage in. Simply adopting behaviours of making different food choices can have an impact on your blood sugar control. Eating less processed foods, and avoiding added sugars are great starts, although framing the behaviours to take on in this way can make them difficult to achieve.
It’s a natural starting point to identify what we don’t want. Our brains are wired this way - to identify differences and things to avoid. Take the extra step to ask yourself what you are actually doing to avoid the thing that you want to avoid. A common theme that I hear from patients with diabetes is that they feel there are limitations placed on what they can do. The message is often to avoid the bad foods. You can likely find a list of the many things you should not be eating to help maintain or control your blood sugar. These are helpful to identify things that you should avoid, but what do you do to fill the void of options you might feel like you are faced with?
The reason these are not good target behaviours is because they are not specific and are framed negatively. When you say you want to “eat less”, how much less are you hoping to eat? If you are simply looking to avoid sugars, what will take its place? Consider when setting goals for behaviours to define them specifically and as a positive action, rather than one that seems like denying or withholding a particular action.
This is the time to get creative and it is an opportunity to learn. The concept of a “diet” often seems difficult and restrictive, but if you consider the pattern of eating you have right now, you can consider this your current diet. Part of the difficulty in changing this means learning a new way of shopping, preparing, and cooking your meals. This is exactly where the next logical level comes in, Capability. How can you be expected to know how to eat or exercise in a different way if you don’t have the skills and abilities already?
You can eat and prepare meals from fresh, whole ingredients. You can drink 8 glasses of water a day. These are behaviours that have specific indicators of whether or not you achieved them. They are also active actions you can do, rather than things to avoid. When you are looking at adopting new behaviours,
Find Jon at jnthn.ca
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Jonathan Nhan Co-Founder, Curate and Upgrade
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100 YEARS IN MARKDALE CURLING CLUB The MARKDALE CURLING CLUB turns 100 this year! Established (officially) in 1922 as the MARKDALE CURLING CLUB, the club was 2 sheets on outdoor rink space on the corner of Hwy 10. The Club hosted curlers from all around the area until it was officially incorporated as the MARKDALE COUNTRY CLUB in 1969, with a 9-hole golf course and an indoor, 4 sheet curling rink. The transition from outdoor rink to indoor recreational facility was welcomed by the people of Markdale and surrounding area as an exciting new place to gather and play. In the spirit of celebration, the Board of Directors along with many dedicated volunteers are planning to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the MARKDALE CURLING CLUB. A number of events throughout the golf and curling seasons are being planned, commencing with a BBQ/Dance on Saturday July 23rd, featuring a live band. Browse the many “historical artifacts” on display at the club
and take a photographic trip down memory lane. Keep this date free and come on out and celebrate the recreational hub of our community! Information will be posted as it becomes available on the Club signboard, the website, as well as Facebook and Instagram. MARKDALE GOLF & CURLING CLUB 85 Edith Avenue, Markdale www.markdalegolfandcurlingclub.ca 519.986.2690
elect
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TRACTOR TALK WITH TYSON RIER Spring has finally sprung and with the current discounts available at Huron Tractor, now is the time to get into a new riding mower. With great cash discounts, no payment, no interest options and great financing options, a new mower is now more affordable than ever. With many options to choose from, we are sure to have a mower for every yard. Our X300 series is the perfect step up for somebody wanting a solid mower without breaking the bank. With deck sizes from 42 to 54 inch, full digital fuel gauges, 4 wheel steering, and premium engines, this is a great machine. The X500 is the next step up in our lineup. With many of the same features as the X300’s, these offer larger engines and bigger tires, which helps with traction.
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is the limit. With available 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steer, and either gas or diesel engines, these are the ultimate mowing machines. Across our line-up you will find warranties of up to 4 years. With our tractors, we offer tons of attachments - everything from front mount snow blowers, rear dump carts, material collection systems, and an available mulch-on-demand system.
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FAMILY MATTERS CHARTER OF RIGHTS & FREEDOMS to 1982?” What about other commonwealth countries with similar constitutional histories as Canada? Australia does not have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Do basic human rights not matter to Australlians or the British, who also have no Charter?
I write this on the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Having lived under the Charter now for four decades, it is worthwhile to ask, “What has been the impact of the Charter on Canadian Society?”
In fact, many constitutional scholars point out that in order to get the provinces on side, the Charter entrenches the right of not just the federal government, but also the provinces to explicitly violate the very rights that the Charter was meant to protect. The wording of Section 1, or Section 33 (The notwithstanding clause) can be seen as a weakening, not a strengthening of rights in this country. Having said all this, is the Charter bad for Canada? No, I don’t think so. Pierre Trudeau argued that a “Flawed Charter was better than no Charter.” Maybe he was right..
As a lawyer, I can say it has impacted the legal field immensely. All laws, all legislation must now be framed with the Charter in mind. Proponents laud the Charter as securing basic human rights for citizens. Detractors ask, “Did Canadians not have basic human rights prior
JASON TODOROFF BARRISTER & SOLICITOR 7A Main Street East, Markdale jasontodoroff@gmail.com www.jtlawyer.ca 519-986-4494
JASON TODOROFF
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LIFE DIRECTIONS MENTORABILITY Do you own a business? Let us tell you development opportunities: Mentoring about MentorAbility. a person interested in a career in your sector provides a valuable professional What is MentorAbility? development opportunity for staff. A national initiative promoting the employment of people who have a Expand your network: Develop strong disability in communities throughout working relationships with local employment Canada. MentorAbility is a full- or half- service providers who can help you tap into day mentoring experience for which job competent future talent pools and connect seekers who have a disability are matched with the MentorAbility network at large. with individual Mentors to explore career opportunities. Promote your work through MentorAbility Canada provincially and nationally: Gain awareness of a new talent pool: Participating employers demonstrate Through this experience, you and your staff community leadership and a commitment can discover how to tap into a skilled pool to workplace inclusion. You will be of candidates who experience a disability. recognized as contributing to a national effort to promote the employment and Develop new employee engagement empowerment of Canadians experiencing and inclusion skills: By participating in disabilities. the MentorAbility Canada initiative, you CHELSEA BULLOCK will gain knowledge and skills to help you integrate job seekers with disabilities in LIFE DIRECTIONS your workplace. www.lifedirections.ca (519) 378-5514 Provide your staff with professional
“Matching Job Seeker Abilities with Employer Needs”
EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS
www.lifedirections.ca 519. 378.5514 774292 Hwy 10 N, Flesherton Cristin O’Sullivan Coordinator lifedirections@segss.com
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Amber Ebert
Workshops Facilitator LDWorkshops@segss.com www.fiatluxmedia.com
Chelsea Bullock Events & Marketing LDEvents@segss.com
D&M HOME CARE ASSISTANCE HERE FOR YOU At D&M Home Care Assistance, their mission is to provide the best care possible and to help people stay in the comfort of their homes and out of the hospital and long term care as long as possible. Owners and Southgate residents, Monika BornerFachnie and her husband Dennis Fachnie are passionate about serving Grey, Bruce, Dufferin, and Wellington Counties and focus their efforts on providing personal support services and nursing care for adults, seniors, and children. As a Registered Practical Nurse, Monika brings 30+ years of experience to bear in the couple’s new venture, while Dennis complements her skill set with his experience as a Personal Support Worker.
MONIKA BORNERFACHNIE
DENNIS FACHNIE
Services include, but are not limited to: housekeeping, laundry, shopping & errands, companion care, wound care, liaison with family physician, blood sugar testing, palliative care, blood pressure monitoring, dialysis, and dietician services. D&M HOME CARE ASSISTANCE dandm@greybrucehomecare.com www.greybrucehomecare.com (519) 377-6834
519.986.1983
c New Markdale Hospital P c Your financial support ?
NOW OPEN! Your funds help heal donate today at
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MADE IN GREY PROTOSOURCE DESIGN +
DARRIN PATEY Have you ever met someone who seemed quite humble and smart at first and then the more you talked to them, the more you began to realize they were brilliant? That’s how I feel about Darrin Patey. The West Grey resident is a mechanical engineer with a specialty in industrial design and can make anything you can think of out of plastic. Ok, maybe not anything, but just about. I had the opportunity to sit down with Darrin at his Protosource workshop recently. We talked about local politics, his passion for community, and his experience in industrial design - specifically working with plastics. “Plastic part design is my specialty,” he explains. “I’ve probably developed thousands of different types of plastic bottles over the years.” His workshop is a playground for anyone with an interest in 3D printing, CNC machining, woodworking, or metal fabrication and welding - all things I have no idea about but aspire to learn before it’s too late. 16
Darrin spends much of his time designing and building prototypes from consumer products and packaging solutions to larger scale projects like tool and die making and parts for industrial applications. He also creates parts to solve problems around the house or in his workshop. “I love the fact that you can make something you need in just a few hours,” he says. Darrin takes ideas, transfers them to computer drawings, and makes them come to life in their respective tangible forms. He helps other businesses grow by designing and manufacturing parts to aid in their production or industrial processes, as well as products that can be scaled to mass production. He even does custom jobs for smaller, retail businesses. What are you making today? PROTOSOURCE DESIGN+ 500015 Grey Road 12, Markdale www.ptotosource.ca (416) 458-3242
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ENJOY THE FREEDOM OF BEING YOUR OWN BOSS. HELP PROMOTE LOCAL BUSINESSES. BECOME A LEADER IN YOUR COMMUNITY. letsgetbacktobusiness@gmail.com www.supportlocalmagazine.com
HISTORY OF THE INTERNET
WORKING FROM A RURAL HOME IN THE EARLY 2000’s For those celebrating an anniversary this month (wedding, birthday, business, relationship, fitness or health goal), Happy Anniversary! I am celebrating 14 years in business this spring, which translates to 14 years of educating myself. Education doesn’t stop after high school, college or university, it continues throughout life. I learned that dial-up was pretty cool, but realized it was way too slow. I learned that cellular internet was a faster option, but again, it was still too slow. Then I learned about satellite internet. This sounded like the answer to my internet woes; it had to be CINDY MCQUEEN fast, we had satellite TV and that was fast, wasn’t it? figured several years (10 years ago and it hasn’t happened). Fibre Optic wasn’t an I purchased the broadband satellite dish option, I really didn’t want to rent space in and had it installed. It was expensive, an office when working from home was so especially since I was still paying for dial- convenient, so I decided to accept my notup and mobile cellular. I was looking quite-fast internet, hunkered down and got forward to hitting enter on the keyboard back to work. and having an instant response. Sitting in CINDY MCQUEEN front of my computer in the old summer Owner of kitchen, I was ready. I entered my first WANNA WEB DESIGN request, hit enter, and……. waited. I tried it wannawebdesign.com again, and… waited! What the heck? I was cindy@wannawebdesign.com still waiting! Not quite as long as with the mobile stick, but I was still waiting! I called the broadband provider and asked them why? Turns out the satellite was fast, but they hadn’t explained about the latency, which is the time for the request to be sent out to the satellite floating in outer space, and then sent back to my receiver (not to be compared with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite which is faster and within the earth’s atmosphere). Of course there would be a wait time, it totally made sense, but that hadn’t been explained to me before I c New Markdale Hospital signed up!
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I was now paying $10 for dial-up, $42 for mobile cellular and $80 for broadband satellite internet per month, and I was still waiting. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I started considering other options; renting office space in town where I could use cable internet, giving up my business, looking for other internet solutions…. I called Bell to see if the rumours about them changing their phone lines to fibre optic cables were true and how long I would have to wait. They 18
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s n io t c e l c l e o l c l o r c a l u r p a e epo hh TT popul
e it r u o v a f r u o y from Graphic Artist...
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THE LIFE OF A GARLIC FARMER PART 16 Happy Anniversary to you! Anniversaries are an important part of life. They remind us of important events, both personal and cultural. Whether we’re marking a birthday, a wedding or civil partnership, a momentous event, or a death of a loved one, an anniversary puts a pin on the calendar to remind us of something that matters. It’s a chance to reflect on a relationship or cultural identity, to come together to remember or to celebrate a joyous event. The month of May actually has a fair bit to celebrate and reflect upon for many different types of anniversaries. Growing up in Bracebridge, we had one TV and what we watched was what Dad wanted: Hogan’s Hero’s, news, Hee Haw and sports. He loved football and hockey. I remember one specific hockey game because my Dad was so excited and said history had been made with that game. Oddly enough, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Canada-Soviet Hockey Series. I also watched Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, sign the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom Act 40 years ago. That was probably a little bit more of history in the making, but to each their own. As Canadians, we seem to be preoccupied by royalty and it’s definitely a big year for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I’m sure I will never see such a celebration as a Platinum Jubilee marking her 70th anniversary as Queen of Canada. It’s the 75th anniversary of the adoption of The Canadian Citizenship Act, and this year alone, over 1,700 ceremonies are held across communities to welcome new citizens into the Canadian family. There is lots of history and old family names in Grey County from ancestors moving to Canada during the Great Famine in Ireland, and this year is actually the 175th anniversary of the Irish Mass Immigration. Here at Boars Rock Farm, we celebrate and honour the Foy family who carved their new life out of rough crown land and parts of the original house are still standing. To me, a really big anniversary is the, For Love of Grey Barn Quilt Trail. It was 5 years ago that I made a little presentation to the Rocklyn 20
PAUL & LORRAINE IRWIN Agricultural Society to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Rocklyn Fall Fair and 150th anniversary of Confederation. Myself, Hiliary Breadner and Kimberly Lewis as well as many other volunteers have been painting over 25 barn quilts placed all around the beautiful countryside of Grey County to celebrate agriculture. Barn quilts along the trail tell stories of local history, tourism, agricultural, family traditions and heritage. We encourage everyone to follow the trail map on the For Love of Grey Barn Quilt Trail to discover these amazing pieces of art for yourself. On a personal side, this year would have marked my mom and dad’s 60th wedding anniversary and I will be singing The Flintstones version “Happy Anniversary” as I have done every year from a little girl in memory of an incredible set of parents.. LORRAINE IRWIN PURE MUSIC GARLIC PRODUCTS puremusicgarlic@gmail.com puremusicgarlic.com @puremusicgarlic (519) 942-5410 BOARS ROCK FARM 136407 Grey Road 12, Grey Highlands boarsrockfarm.ca @boarsrockfarm
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CHAMBER CELEBRATING SPECIAL DATES At the Grey Highlands Chamber of Commerce, we take birthdays very seriously. Every year older a business gets is another year of surviving in a challenging environment – succeeding where others did not. That’s why we celebrate our Chamber Members’ significant anniversaries. We consider anniversaries significant at three years, five years, and each five years thereafter. We create and frame a certificate, bestow it to the business owner, and get a photo of the interaction to put on our website and offer to our local media. If you’re a Chamber Member celebrating an anniversary this year, let us know. We’d love to celebrate you. In fact, we’ll be visiting Markdale Flowers soon with a certificate congratulating them for three successful years making bouquets and arrangements, offering decorative items for our homes, and making wedding dreams come true. Earlier this year we started gathering our Members’ year of inception so we can proactively provide our Members with acknowledgement of their success. We encourage our Chamber Members to contact the Office to provide their inception years. MICHELLE PATEY
exhibits ARE welcome
For more infomation call: 519.538.0256 or 519.375.0928
Call or Text Dianne Booker for Tickets, Information & Times
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MIND OVER MOTOR
“DRAGON IN THE DINING ROOM - 1983 LAVERDA RGS1000”
560 pounds, 981cc, 3 Cylinders, 3 carburetors and a lot of <<Rosso>>. This is my 1983 Laverda RGS1000, and even the insignia are ITALIC. The first time I saw a Laverda, it was in the office of an eccentric and gifted craftsman, a fabricator and artist to whom I sold my Alfa Romeo 164L. I was struck by the presence of that bike, a 3CL model, and by the creative and driven character of its owner. I thought to myself, “Could I one day be the kind of man who owns a Laverda?” Years later, I had the opportunity to purchase that very bike, but it just wasn’t the right time. I wasn’t yet that man. I vowed (and I do tend to vow) that one day, I would own a Laverda. But first I had a lot of life to live, and a lot that I needed to prove. I had to get out there, get out of my own way and become Myself. I had to make Myself worthy of such a machine. And so it happened that on one sunny day I became the owner of my own Laverda, this RGS. The RGS is a compendium of exotic components, and the whole is greater than the sum: Brembo brakes, Marzocchi shocks, Dellorto carbs, Veglia gauges, plus a Perspex windscreen, and panels made from Bayflex plastic. There is beauty in the details and in the whole.
bike, suffering no fools, and offering no safety aids to save you. The clutch is heavy, and the bike does not like going slowly. Oh, and due to the design of the tank and filler, this model also has the tendency to burp gasoline into its own gauge cluster under braking, which has led to numerous interesting anecdotes from riders. And it’s fast. Very fast. The RGS is beautiful and interesting in its contrasts, with sculpted curves over brutal aluminum machinery, beauty in concert with strength. Every time I look at it, I’m entranced by the balance. Laverda RGS1000. I respect this brooding, beautiful, long wheelbase fire-breathing Italian dragon; it humbles me. Resplendent in its red and gold, the bike reminds me that not only have I have faced dragons in my life, but that I have understood them, embraced them, ridden them. I appreciate my RGS and what it took to get it here, in my dining room in Grey County. Robert is a Consultant, Facilitator, Motorist and Storyteller. His specialty is taking abstract ideas and “realizing” them - making them real. Robert has helped individuals, small and large businesses, local governments, organizations and publications realize success. www.robertiantorno.ca
This is among the last of these old-school dragons. On start up (which takes a while - dragons don’t like to be cold) the mighty engine will belch flames out of the twin exhausts. The sound and vibration from the mighty engine are ferocious - only to be vectored, not contained. It’s a heavy
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ROBERT IANTORNO
GREY HIGHLANDS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE
CANDIDATES WANTED FOR LOCAL ELECTIONS
DAVE MESLIN As this edition of Hello Country comes off the printing press, one election will be wrapping up while another election will be just getting started. May is the final month for provincial candidates to campaign for the upcoming June 2nd Ontario election. But May is also the very first month to register as a candidate for our autumn municipal election!
There are no parties to join, no party leaders, no party platforms and no nomination meetings. Every single candidate is an independent! This makes the whole process much more interesting and meaningful as candidates aren’t just party representatives, being told what to say and parroting the central platform.
Over the spring and summer, I’ll offer a monthly column that describes all the ways that you can get involved in the local election, well before voting day! I’ll list them in order of size, starting today with the largest commitment: Running for office! The official job requirements for political office are essentially zero. Unlike other job listings that require certain experience, training, certificates, diplomas or degrees, there is only one single pre-requisite for town council: You have to be an eligible voter in Grey Highlands. In other words, if you can vote then you can run. That’s it. (In my own opinion, the recommended skills and experience required are passion, thoughtfulness, good speaking skills, good listening skills and an open mind).
More than any other level of government, local elections offer a platform to move important ideas forward, express your voice and help shape the community you live in.
Running for office is a great way to share ideas and build support for them. Being a candidate can be fun, rewarding and a great learning experience, whether you win or if you lose! You’ll meet like-minded people, and those relationships will bear fruit long after the election is over.
We’ll be voting for eleven positions in October: One mayor, one deputy mayor, five councillors and four school trustees (one english and one french, for both boards: Public and Catholic). If you think you might be interested in being a candidate, get in touch and I’ll help walk you through the registration process. You can reach me anytime at dave@VoteGrey.ca We invite you to plug into our project, and sign up for our newsletter at VoteGrey.ca
We’re also very lucky in Ontario, because our local elections are explicitly non-partisan.
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COVER STORY GREY COUNTY REAL ESTATE INC. What are the other three most important words in Real Estate? Reputation. Reputation.
Reputation.
Over the years publishing magazines in Toronto and now in Grey County and surrounding cities and towns in Southwestern Ontario, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with a number of Realtors. Many of whom were upstanding, and generally speaking, very good people. Not all were great Realtors, however. And some of the ones who were skilled at selling real estate, weren’t always wonderful people. I suppose this is true for most professions; including Magazine Publishers :) When our family moved from South Etobicoke to Grey Highlands, we noticed a shift in culture. We were used to the fast-paced, every-person-forthemselves, take-no-prisoners kind of attitude and were very pleasantly surprised by the more laid back, slow and steady speed with which life is conducted in the country. But how could business possibly get done at this pace, I wondered. About a year into publishing Hello Country Magazine, I had the privilege of meeting Graciela and Eric Robertson, the motherson team behind Grey County Real Estate Inc. in Markdale. While sitting in the front room of their office, sipping a coffee kindly offered to me by their Office Manager, Kristen Bryan, I was struck by the overwhelming sense of peace and relaxation I was feeling, which isn’t a typical vibe I experience when first visiting a real estate office. Usually, there’s a frenetic energy - a mix of nervousness and excitement - with people hustling in the background trying to make their 24
monthly quotas. Not here. Grey County Real Estate is a peaceful place. When I was greeted by Graciela and Eric, I learned that I was sitting in what used to be the living room of the home where Eric was raised. No wonder it felt so calm. After our meeting, I kept bumping into people who knew both Graciela and Eric and spoke incredibly highly of them. I understood why. Not only were
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they very genuine people, they were also excellent Realtors - very professional, client-focussed, and extremely communityoriented. “Eric’s a great guy and an even better Realtor,” one person said to me. “He does a lot to give back to our community.” As Grey County Real Estate Inc. celebrates its 10th anniversary, their reputation as a highly proficient brokerage precedes them.
If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell property in Grey County or surrounding areas, I recommend reaching out to Graciela and Eric Robertson. It’s worth the trip to Markdale. By: Roger Tumminieri
GREY COUNTY REAL ESTATE INC. 39 Main Street East, Markdale www.greycountyrealestate.com (519) 986-2552
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EVENTS HOME & GARDEN SHOW
Familiar faces at the successful 2022 Home & Garden Show presented by the Grey Highlands Chamber of Commerce.
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THE ARTS FLESHERTON CALLING This July, the inaugural Plein Air Painting festival will run for four days in Walkerton, Hanover, and Durham, and all points in between. Plein air painting is simply the act of painting outdoors, which means that from Wednesday July 20 through Saturday July 24, local and visiting artists can be seen setting up easels along the Saugeen Watershed to capture the perfect landscape. They will be employing such media as acrylic, oil, and watercolour. The event will be hosted by the 28-member Saugeen Artist Guild with the support of Hanover’s Innovative Peoples Program and is open to professional, amateur and student artists. Special events for those who attend the festival include a dinner Friday night and the Sunday afternoon art show with an opportunity to meet the artists, vote for the winner of a People’s Choice Award, and even to buy one of the originals produced during the festival. There will be prizes and awards for the artists and attendees. For details about the Plein Air Festival, visit the Guild’s website at https://saugeenartistsguild.com. Bev Morgan, one of the founding members of the Saugeen Artist Guild, has participated in plein air festivals throughout Europe over the last ten years as a watercolour artist, but it was the one she attended in Elora in 2019 that inspired her to propose it locally. The group embraced the idea, formed a steering committee of 12 artists and 7 volunteers and, in collaboration with the Hanover Cultural Roundtable, the festival was planned for 2020. The pandemic, however, had another agenda and 2022 became the inaugural year. Like many artists, Bev came to her craft through an indirect route. In 1987, towards the end of her career as a medical lab technologist, she studied under well-known watercolourist Lin Souliere in Stratford. Over the last fifteen years as an artist, in addition to the large volume of
Painting by Bev Morgan 28
KEVIN ARTHUR LAND work she has produced, largely drawn from nature, and often organized by focal themes, Bev has spent a great deal of time teaching, whether on cruise ships where she taught painting four hours daily, or through online classes to more than 7,800 students. Her work outdoors results in a great deal of walking, which she loves. “Sometimes nothing jumps out at you,” she admits, but she still gets to be in a place that she loves. Nothing beats the moment her eye lights on a subject. “It’s that feeling, that inspiration,” she explains. Bev loves to experiment, and to try new techniques. She generally confines her efforts to watercolour, having tried oils and acrylics without the same level of satisfaction. Every year, Bev explores a different theme while working in her studio. Past year’s subjects include musical instruments, fruit, lighthouses, and the passage of time. This year, the prevalent focus is on mushrooms. Consider driving through the countryside along the Saugeen watershed during the first-ever Plein Air Painting Festival this July. With any luck, you might come upon Bev Morgan as she attempts to capture an unusual Morel in watercolour. KEVIN ARTHUR LAND
SPEAKING VOLUMES BOOKS & AUDIO 12 Toronto Road, Flesherton kevinarthurland@gmail.com kevinarthurland.ca
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GREYCOUNTYREALESTATE.COM 200 Highland Drive, West Grey Perfectly situated atop a hill overlooking beautiful 6 acres of rolling hardwood forest is this custom-built bungalow. You’ll be splendidly surprised to find it's both cozy and charming Covered front porch, bright open living room, custom kitchen, dining room, 3+1 bedrooms, 4-piece bath, 3-piece ensuite, 2-piece powder room, laundry/ mudroom and family room.
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Stunning mix of open space, rolling forest with trails and mature trees. The property also has two road frontages, with the second frontage at the end of the cul-de-sac and may offer potential for severance.
