Kleinburg Spirit

Vol. 8   No. 1         Our Community Newsletter            Jan., 2005

Our Eighth Year!

This issue marks the start of the eighth year of publication of the Kleinburg Spirit newsletter. The newsletter was published six times in 2004, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors: Binder Twine Festival Committee, KARA, McMichael Canadian Art Gallery, Chartreuse Restaurant, Kleinburg Travel, Hawthorne House, Kleinburg Book Company, and the Royal Bank Financial Group. The Kleinburg community has enjoyed the work of the former publishers and editors, Alda and John McMahon for a number of years now. The community would like to thank them for their wonderful contributions and efforts. Alda and John have not only been responsible for the construction of the newsletter, but have effectively transmitted concerns and information to keep the community united. A round of applause is indeed presented to them for their creativity conveyed through the newsletter, and their loyalty to the community. Although they will no longer continue directing The Spirit, their contributions are continuously welcomed in the newsletter, as many of us will miss them!. I would like to take this opportunity to present myself, Daniela Corapi. As mentioned in the previous issue, I am extremely excited about continuing The Spirit. It is a valuable satellite to inform residents of the community about activities taking place. If there are any suggestions for The Spirit, please feel free to forward them to [email protected].

Binder Twine Festival Winter Party Quilt

Norma Curtis, Quilt Contest Co-ordinator.

During the Viewer's Choice Awards, you had the opportunity to vote for your favorite quilt square. Due to the large number of submitted squares (37), the decision was made to reinstate an event that occurred in the early 1980's, the Binder Twine Festival's Winter Party Sampler Quilt.  One of the volunteer prizes at the annual Binder Twine Winter Party was a Sampler Quilt.  At this year's Winter Party, the Binder Twine Festival Committee will be donating a queen size, green and wine sampler quilt to the other terrific prizes of the Volunteer Draw.  The quilting was done by the Nobleton United Church Quilters.  The Christmas Quilt Squares will be raffled at this year's festival. Register and come out to the Winter Party and a draw ticket will be put in the drum for you.  Hope to see you at there (Saturday February 5th, 2005 , 7:30 pm , at the Kleinburg Golf Club) and good luck.

KARA

Kleinburg & Area Ratepayers' Association
P.O. Box 202 Kleinburg, Ont L0J 1C0

By: Ian Mitchell, Director

Following the public meeting convened by KARA at the Kleinburg Golf Club 23 November, a very difficult decision faced the KARA Board of Directors. Many voices asked KARA to continue to oppose the proposed erection of 15 apartment units across from the gate of the McMichael Collection. This was even though, in the latest revision of the proposal, the applicant has put all 15 units in one building, and has set that building as far back on the lot as possible. The KARA Board held an emergency meeting 27 November. Despite the strong argument for continued opposition, the Board reluctantly decided to support the proposal - with several conditions strongly specified to Vaughan Council. The Board was swayed by clear indications that if this proposal were not supported by KARA and by Vaughan , the applicant might propose a far worse configuration of apartments on that lot. The Board also heeded Vaughan 's warning that it would then be highly likely that the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) would accept that far worse proposal. The Board also feared that further applications for apartment buildings in the Kleinburg village core would soon follow, and would be approved by Vaughan and the OMB. This would happen because applicants such as the present one would seek to exploit extensively the weakness in Kleinburg-Nashville Community Plan (Official Plan Amendment 601) that may now allow such proposals. KARA is working to ensure that, even if the currently-proposed building is erected, OPA 601 will be revised so as not to allow any further proposals of this sort.

The KARA Board of Directors has been mightily disappointed, in the matter of the apartments mentioned above, and in the matter of the erection of the house now at 17 Napier Street , with the inability of Heritage Vaughan to prevent what the Directors have taken to be violations of the terms of the designation of the Kleinburg-Nashville Heritage Conservation District. Efforts are underway to resolve this problem.

KARA has been unsuccessful in opposing the continued operation of a separate business in the shed at the rear of the lot on the south-east corner of Islington and Stegman's Mill Road . Vaughan Council is in the process of re-zoning the property so as to permit this business to continue.

KARA Directors have questioned several aspects of the current York Region environmental assessment that may lead to increases in capacities of both water supply and sewage treatment for Kleinburg and Nashville . Even the need for any increase at all is being challenged.

Progress is being made towards eventual land reconfiguration and tree-planting in much of the large vacant space between the Fire Hall and the water tower.

Readers are reminded that the work of KARA on behalf of the community is increasingly demanding and difficult. The KARA Board of Directors is often frustrated by the volume and complexity of the work, by the skill and resources of many who oppose KARA's efforts on behalf of the community, and by the failure of Vaughan Council as a whole to grasp the vision for Kleinburg and Area that Ward 1 Councillor Peter Meffe does share with KARA. Also frustrating is the limitation in Directors' ability to commit time and attention to a vigilant promotion and defence of residents' interests. With the time and talent they have available, KARA Directors are doing the best they can to represent residents' interests at all levels of government, and to inform and influence the decisions of politicians and staff in government. Sometimes though, the Board remembers sadly the old saying, "We get the government we deserve." If any reader would like to add their own contribution of time or talent to KARA's work on behalf of the community, the Board would like to hear of it. President Ken Schwenger may be reached at 905 893 0929. If readers would like just to see how KARA works, they would be welcome to observe any regular meetings of the Board; these are usually held in the Kline House at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Call Mr. Schwenger beforehand to confirm.

Binder Twine Festival Committee

TM P.O. Box 6 Kleinburg, Ont L0J 1C0
By: Tim Arnott, Chairman

The Festival would not be possible without fellow committee members, and the hundreds of residents and business community members who volunteer their time, their products, and their property in order to make the Festival a success.

The Kleinburg Binder Twine Funding Allocations for the 2004 Event

  1. Kleinburg Business Improvement Area (BIA) - $1,000 towards the cost of Christmas decorations within the village core;
  2. Kleinburg and Area Ratepayers Association - $1,900 towards the costs associated with the preparation and distribution of the Kleinburg Spirit as well as such things as public meetings during the course of the year;
  3. 2nd Kleinburg Beavers - $575 to assist in attending the Annual/Regional Rally;
  4. 2nd Kleinburg Cubs - $650 for providing various craft and food supplies as well as for assisting their annual Cub-r-ee camping trip;
  5. Kleinburg United Church - $12,000 to assist in covering the costs associated with paving the Church parking lot;
  6. Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School - $5,000 to assist in covering the costs for computers, acquiring mathematics workbooks, Artist/Scientist in the School Programs, and Carnaval '05 for the student population;
  7. Kleinburg Public School - $12,000 to assist in the areas of purchasing more computers for the school, in-school arts presentations, Leadership programs for junior and intermediate students and science manipulatives;
  8. "Girls on the Run" program at the Kleinburg Public School - $2,000 to assist in covering the costs associated with key program elements during the first year of operations;
  9. 1st Kleinburg Sparks, Brownies, and Guides - $2,400 to assist in providing planned outings to the Ontario Science Centre, Casa Loma, the Metro Zoo, and bowling;
  10. Kleinburg Old Boys Club - $2,480 to assist in improving the appeal of the existing collection of artefacts and documents from Kleinburg's local history through the development of a video, flyers, and improved signage;
  11. Vaughan Food Bank - $2,000 to assist the Food Bank in fulfilling its mandate of assisting families in Vaughan with their daily food needs at this time of year.

A total of $42,005 was been distributed back into the community after the 2004 Binder Twine Festival. Groups and organizations can submit funding requests to the Trust Committee by filling out an application form and submitting it by September 30th of the year for which funds are sought. For further information, please contact Marilyn at (905) 893-0563.

Community Events

McMichael Canadian Art Gallery Events

(All events are FREE with admission)
Gallery Hours: 10 am - 4 pm , until April 30

January 9th:

Family Sunday, 11am - 4pm. Images of the Far North

January 16th:

Sunday Concert Series, 1:30pm . Canzona, wind quartet.

February 6th:

Sunday Concert Series, 1:30pm . Christina Ariss- Birch & Dwane Webster, vocalists.

February 13th:

Family Sunday, 11am- 4pm . Funky February Fun!

February 20th:

Sunday Concert Series, 1:30pm . Amity Trio, classical ensemble.

February 26th:

Exhibition Opening. Cities of Canada . Closes May 8th.

March 5th:

Exhibition Opening. Urban Images. Closes May 23rd.

March 6th:

Sunday Concert Series, 1:30pm . Fergus Hambleton, jazz ensemble.

March 13th:

Family Sunday 11am-4pm . Canadian Cityscapes.

March 21st:

Special March Break Bonus Days Begin (for Toronto District School Board student's Break)

April 3rd:

Sunday Concert Series, 1:30pm . Renee Barda, classical singer.

April 10th:

Family Sunday 11am-4pm . New Growth.

April 17th:

Sunday Concert Series, 1:30pm . Riverdale Ensemble, classical.

 

Kleinburg Sparks, Brownies and Guides.

We are now taking orders, and the cookies are $4.00 per box. Delivery will take place late in March or early April. To order call Ivy at 905 893-3667 or Barb at 905 893-3660. Also, the Vaughan Food Bank, Brownies and Guides would like to thank everyone for their support for the food drive. Girls and moms worked hard and collected enough to fill a van. Thanks to the Binder Twine festival committee for funding.

 

Community Clubs

Humber Club

The Humber Club for local seniors meets at 10 a.m. every Tuesday Morning at the Kline House. Please join us for a social time with games )cards, Scrabble , billiards, ect.) and a cold pot luck lunch. New members are most welcome! For more information, please call (905) 893-9108.

Woodbridge Garden and Horticulture Society

The garden season for 2005 begins for Woodbridge Garden and Horticulture Society on Monday January 17th, 2005 . Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of every month at the Woodbridge United Church . All gardeners are welcomed to these meetings. The meetings are held at 8090 Kipling, for more information call Joyce Bockmaster at (905) 851-1339.

Kleinburg Bridge Group

Bridge resumes on Thursdays, starting January 6th at 1 p.m. in the Kleinburg United Church basement. New members are always welcome. For more information, please call Coreen Beesley at (905) 893-1593.

Kleinburg Church Women

Next meeting is February 1st at 7:30 p.m , held at the Kleinburg United Church basement. Join us for an armchair trip to Russia with Edna Carrick. Everyone is welcome! Call Elva Williams at (905) 893-1750 for more info.

Kleinburg Euchre Group

Looking for some fun on Friday nights? Every Friday, starting January 14th at 7:30 p.m. , you are welcome to play social euchre in the Kleinburg United Church basement. For more information, please call Norma Curtis at (905) 893-1382.

 

PIERRE BERTON

By: Bob Klein

Canadian, author, neighbour, friend. Known as: informed, outspoken, opinionated, humorous, and unselfish. Someone called Pierre a Canadian icon and his passing is a loss for our country. But to those of us who live in this Village of Kleinburg he was much more. If John Kline was our founder, Pierre was our first citizen. It was he who massed his many friends to form KARA to take on the developers in the late 60's. Mention "Milani" and Pierre launched into the story of how a determined group of citizens raised the money to hire lawyers and planners to defeat a developer who was determined to bulldoze Kleinburg and erect apartment building and strip malls.

Kleinburg was not just a bedroom community for Pierre ; he was involved in the community from the very beginning when he and Janet moved to their present home in the early 50's. Pierre was on the school board at the tie when the new building was constructed. He was also a scout leader and it was this continued interest that led to his negotiating of the arrangement with the CPR to obtain the Kleinburg railway station. With a group of the "locals" it was moved to the Village where it has served as the "Scout House" for many years.

The image that most of us have of Pierre is when he dressed up as the emcee for the queen contest each year for Binder Twine. He loved this role and always looked forward to the festivities of nail driving, log sawing and cow milking each year. While Pierre was tall at 6'5"; when he put his Binder Twine outfit and top hat on he looked to be 8 feet tall as he walked through the crowd on Main Street . He enjoyed signing autographs and talking with the people who wanted their picture taken with him whether on the street or signing his books at The Kleinburg Book Company.

For many of our newer residents who would like to know more about this history of Kleinburg; Pierre wrote many of the articles that appeared in the Binder Twine books that were printed and given away to all visitors who joined us on the first Saturday in September after Labour Day. These are now collectors' items but many can be seen at the Kline House on the second floor where many items and pictures of past Binder Twine are on display.

Pierre was also a conservationist. He was a strong supporter of the Kleinburg New Forest and turned out each planting day to dig with the younger generation to plant a forest for their future. Pierre loved the McMichael Gallery and its location in a nature preserve. He has demonstrated his love of this Village though his involvement in every project or cause where he felt he could help. He will not be forgotten. He was our friend.

 

KLEINBURG SPIRIT

Publisher: Daniela Corapi   Editor: Daniela Corapi

Local organizations are invited to submit material for publication in the Community Events and Community Clubs sections. Please include the name and phone number of a contact for follow up as required. Material cannot be returned, and will be edited to suit the newsletter.

Next Issue: May 2005 Submission Deadline: Feb. 13

Mailing Address: email - [email protected], or contact number (416) 857-2651. 20054 publishing schedule: January, March, May, July, Sept., Nov.

 

 

The Official Web Site Of The Village Of Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada