Art, not food, is the goal
He has exhibits of his craft in all but one of the globe’s continents.
And that is something that Daniel Kramer, wheat weaver and one-time owner of the former retail shop The Top Drawer in St. Jacobs, has been looking to remedy with a vacation to Antarctica.
“I was trying to get a piece down there just so that I could say my work has made it to every continent – I might have to do a trip myself,” said Kramer with a chuckle.
Daniel Kramer turned an early appreciation for the ancient craft of wheat weaving into a career and a lifelong passion that continues to grow.
After 30 years of operating The Top Drawer, Kramer closed his shop at the end of last month. Although he is now pulling away from the retail side of things, he will continue to make new creations from his home studio in Waterloo and sell them through his former retail neighbour at the Village Silos, Elsa Brigden Elliott . Her store, the Silo Weavers, will continue to carry Kramer’s products as well as those created by other artists formerly affiliated with his shop.
Kramer’s foray into the world of wheat weaving happened serendipitously. Read more
Linwood PS achieves EcoSchools’ certification
The results are in: Linwood Public School is a greener, more energy conscious place.
The school applied for EcoSchools certification in May and last week, at a ceremony at the CIGI (Centre for International Governance Innovation) in Waterloo, received its gold certification Read more
Business as usual through upheaval
Cratered and ripped open, Arthur Street in downtown Elmira is impassable save by foot or heavy machinery. And while this construction is affecting the number of cars coming into Elmira via the town’s main artery, it appears area businesses are faring quite well under the circumstances.
“The construction’s being received really well – we’re very pleased. I have no complaints about the construction at all,” said Krista McBay, owner of Elmira Home Hardware and chair of the Elmira Business Improvement Area (BIA).
Naide Zacharczuk, owner of the Sip & Bite Restaurant in downtown Elmira, has found business relatively steady throughout the construction process that has closed access to the core via Arthur Street.
“Everyone’s really positive about it: they said that people are coming in, still getting people from Waterloo and they are following the detour signs. The township has done a great job with signage. … Actually, our sales are up.”
When the news broke that the main drag would be closed on a stretch in front of the high school to undergo a $2-million infrastructural overhaul, some merchants in the downtown area worried the work would deter potential customers, especially those Read more
Many spectators watch as cruisers trail farm vehicle
It might not make an episode of COPS or World’s Scariest Police Chases, but an incident involving a fugitive tractor and two police cruisers hot on its tail in Elmira last weekend was the subject of local gossip, quickly making appearances on the popular networking sites of Facebook and YouTube.
Police in Elmira gave chase to a tractor after it was stolen from a Maryhill Road area farm on June 5 Read more
Snyder’s Flats to be restored
In the 1980s it was a gravel pit. Now, more than 20 years later, the 200-odd acres of land at the end of Snyder’s Flats Road in Bloomingdale form part of a diverse natural landscape that serves as a publicly-accessible natural space.
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), which owns the Snyder’s Flats Rotary Forest, last week officially launched the opening of the park at the entrance to the forest. Read more
EDSS student wins scholarship
Elmira District Secondary School student Tristan Neill was one of 12 local winners of Canada Millennium scholarships. Neill received one of 121 national awards, worth $25,000.
“It was very exciting news,” Neill said.
Along with strong academic performance, Neill is actively involved in student life at EDSS, heading up the school’s debating team and organizing an all-candidates debate at the school prior to the federal election last fall.
Tristan Neill this week picked up a Millennium scholarship, one of a dozen area winners of a national award worth $25,000.
Neill is also a member of the school choir, the string orchestra, the cross-country and track teams, and the best buddies club, where he volunteers his time working with students with mental disabilities.
He will be starting first year at the University of Western Ontario this fall in the scholar’s electives program, a flexible program that offers students the opportunity to do research in their first year. Neill also received a $24,000 President’s Scholarship from Western.
Making a final delivery
Arnold and Esther Letson know a thing or two about West Montrose – they’ve been delivering its mail for 56 years.
Born in the home he and Esther now reside in, Arnold Letson continued the tradition of tending to the family farm – three generations of Letsons have worked the land there – as soon as he reached adolescence. He and Esther still look after the farm today.
Arnold’s knowledge of the local area grew profoundly when he turned 16 and took on another family tradition: working for Canada Post as a mail deliverer.
Arnold and Esther Letson are hanging up their hats after 56 and 42 years, respectively, delivering mail for Canada Post. There is, however, still plenty of work to do on their West Montrose farm.
Some 56 years later, Arnold and Esther, who joined forces with her husband shortly after they were married in 1966, know the area like the back of their hands, but now it will be up to others to learn the ropes: the couple retired from service with Canada Post last week, and was honoured by their peers for years of dedicated, friendly service.
“I would love to actually talk about them for two to three hours – they’re fabulous people,” said Elmira post office superintendent Peter Cowie. “They’re incredible people, great workers, always a pleasure to work with, and will be missed by Canada Post Read more
GRCA looks at cumulative impact of gravel pits
Do the impacts of aggregate extraction below the water table increase when the number of such operations in a given area also increases?
This is one of the issues that a report about the cumulative impacts of aggregate extraction below the water table in the Grand Read more
King set to Kruise once again
Elvis Presley, or at least a half dozen or so reincarnations of the late hip-swinging American icon, will be rockin’ Linwood June 20.
For a second year, Kruisin’ with the King – the local Elvis Tribute and classic car show – will take place at the Linwood Recreation Complex. Read more
Expansion provides more room for Comfort
As businesses worldwide struggle to deal with the fallout of a global recession, it appears that some industries are actually growing. Take pet food, for example: more and more people are seeing a connection between healthy diets for their pets and long-term savings, says Chris Schaefer, owner of Creature Comfort Pet Emporium in St. Jacobs.
“It (recession) has had its impact in that people aren’t spending their money as much on luxury items,” she explained. “We’re definitely seeing a strong focus on health, because … people are very conscious of the costs of medical care.”
Chris Schaefer of Creature Comfort Emporium and her friend Stormy are happy with the extra space at the newly expanded St. Jacobs pet store.
Consumers of food – both for humans as well as for their pets – are seeing the connection between sound nutrition and healthier bodies in the long run. As a result, they are more willing to spend their money on preventative medicine and nutrition. Many pet owners, Schaefer said, are feeding their animals quality food products, believing that this will reduce the chances of health complications in the future.
Indeed, sales of holistic, homeopathic and herbal, as well as so-called “apawcathary” products have grown in recent years, said Schaefer.
“The pet industry itself certainly is still expanding and growing with research and development.
“To have a good selection as well as bringing in new options, required growth on our Read more
