Dr. Brian Goldmam, noted ER doctor and CBC radio host of “White Coat, Black Art” took a trip to Perth Ontario and interviewed a local resident, author and blog writer, Jennifer Jilks.

Click Here for photos and details of the interview and Dr. Brian Goldman’s experience in Perth Ontario.

Photo: courtesy Chris Must, EMC

Be excited as the days come near to the Perth Regional Heritage Fair 2011. The heritage fair is an annual program that persuades students to discover the wonderful heritage of Canada in a hands-on learning surrounding. The students who attend will be using the medium of their preference to tell tales about the heroes, legends, milestones, and the many achievements of Canada. After the program, the students are encouraged to present their results at school, regional, provincial and eventually, national levels.

When it began in the year 1993, the heritage fair programs have grown to have over 200,000 students from all over Canada every year. However, the Regional Heritage Fair won’t be possible without the help and support of the community partners and the sponsors. The Ontario Power Generation, Perth Stamp Club, John & Ruth, Gittens, Civitan Club of Perth, Kiwanis Club of Perth, Mr & Mrs David Taylor and Heritage Management are just some of the most prominent sponsors of the event who have been supporting the heritage fair ever since.

The heritage fair also relies on a huge number of volunteers who help with setting up, registering the participants, judging the projects, providing the activities for the students and offer all the necessary support to make the event successful. These event is the most vibrant community celebration where enthusiasts of local and historical museums and culture get together to offer different exhibits, demonstrations, food, and entertainment and the best thing about regional heritage fairs is that the students are encouraged to interpret their projects by sharing their stories with the community.

It’s almost near! Clear your schedules and be at 13 Victoria St, Perth ON K7H 2H3 on the 28th of April 2011, Thursday. Share stories, meet new friends, and learn new things and more. Come and see the Perth Regional Heritage Fair 2011.

With Canada’s cycling community quickly growing in numbers, enthusiasts note that cycling is guaranteed to make a profound impact on the country. The beginnings of this movement were perfectly demonstrated at a meeting of Committee of the Whole that took place on the 5^th of October, with a majority of Perth councilors moving to pass a motion that would effectively highlight the benefits of cycling to people’s health, as well as to the environment and the local tourism industry.

Councilor Beth Peterkin was responsible for spearheading the motion that would call on Perth’s mayor to urge the County of Lanark and the Ministry of Transportation to designate cycling as a recognized mode of transportation within Lanark County, which would also give the cycling community recognition and raise awareness on the benefits of hopping on a bike.

Peterkin, who’s also a member of the Perth and District Chamber of Commerce’s Cycling Committee, stressed that she didn’t call a vote for the motion to get tax dollars into it. The aim of the motion is to simply encourage cycling in the community, nothing more, and nothing less. Since the majority of people know how beneficial cycling is to our health and the environment, the next step to take is to highlight its benefits for tourism.

The Heritage Management Committee of Perth has requested town council to include two of the town’s historic churches in the official municipal heritage registry.

In a Committee of the Whole meeting that took place on the 12^th of October, Tuesday, Perth councilors voted ‘yes’ to place the St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church and the Asbury Free Methodist Church on the municipal heritage register, effectively placing them under some protection from any demolition that might happen in the future.

Established in April, 2010, the municipal heritage register lists buildings and other properties that have historic significance. As such, the municipality must give its approval to the owners of listed buildings before any demolition or removal takes place. The first and only property in the list before the addition of the two churches is a stone cottage that’s a century and a half old, located along Rideau Ferry Road.

By adding the two churches to the heritage register, the Town of Perth will now be able to ensure that it gets notified 60 days before any planned removal or demolition. The next stop is to get full heritage designation for the two buildings, which will permanently preserve and protect them from any demolition.

Laura Weeks, a resident of Perth, is making an appeal to the town’s residents. It’s a plea for help that could save the life of a 5-month-old baby.

She’s not asking for solicitations or money. Instead, she’s asking for something more important. She’s appealing for volunteers and donors to visit the stem and marrow cell donor clinic that’s open today from 1 in the afternoon to 7 in the evening. This is happening together with a blood donor clinic that will be held at the Perth Civitan Club.

Weeks hopes that the donor drive will help find stem and marrow cell donors that might be a match for Nathaniel Lupton, her nephew who’s in the fight of his life. Little Nathaniel suffers from Wiskott – Aldrich syndrome, a rare disorder that affects the blood platelet count and greatly weakens the immune system. He’s spent most of his young life in the hospital and has been receiving weekly blood transfusions, as well as enduring numerous blood tests and other painful exams.

The only cure to his disease is a bone marrow transplant. If he doesn’t get one, doctors expect Nathaniel to live less than a year.

The good news is that some Perth residents have volunteered to help set the clinic up and encourage others to participate and be tested. Weeks hopes that with the help of the community, they can find a suitable match for Nathaniel.

The local charitable institution for children, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lanark County, is happy to announce the presence of a caseworker in Perth who will now be available in town every Wednesday at the new Jewels Gently Used Clothing thrift store.

The store opened here in Perth in June, and showcases a wide selection of fashions for women and children. ‘Jewel’s also has a variety of books and household items homeowners will surely love. Items at the store have all been donated by the public, and have been sorted and made presentable, ready for sale to customers. The store here in Perth is the second branch of Jewels, which first opened on William Street in Smiths Falls.

For those of you not familiar to the group, Big Brothers Big Sisters is an independent agency that gets it funding not from the government, but from community members and other charitable organizations willing to lend a helping hand. Since 1973, the organization has opened its arms to the Lanark County community, helping people through its thrift stores, mentoring programs, and group programs that involved music, sports, crafts, and a whole lot more.

With the opening of its Perth location, Big Brothers Big Sisters hopes to raise awareness in the town and get the community interested in paying it forward.

After 25 years of serving the Town of Perth, long-time councilor Bill White doesn’t seem to be throwing in the towel anytime soon. In fact, the veteran politician is looking to run one more for another term.

White, who was born and raised in Perth, was first elected as councilor in 1985. Over the years, he’s seen how the Town of Perth has grown, and now he’s looking forward to watch over the town as it progresses even further over his next term. His basic tenet when it comes to decision making is simple—“Use common sense.”

He points out that there are still plenty of things that need to be done here in Perth—things he feels can be accomplished if he’s given another chance to serve the community. As a highly regarded councillor, White holds two positions: head of the parks and recreation department, and member of the Water and Sewer Board. He also has experience with the town’s police service, having spent 10 years as part of the Police Services Board.

Among some of White’s major achievements include the creation of Conlon Farm’s recreation facilities, as well as spearheading a move to enhance recreational services in Perth.

Perth Mayor John Fenik has a reason to smile, an unusual one at that.

The mayor expressed no qualms about asking for a raise in a meeting with council that took place on the 14^th of September.

At a Committee of the Whole meeting regarding council expense accounts and remuneration, councilors unanimously agreed that the town’s mayor should have an increase of honorarium of $24,000, $6,000 higher from the $18,000 the  mayor has received for the past 4 years. After a lengthy discussion, council also agreed that Perth’s deputy mayor should also receive an increase of $14,000 from $12,000. Councilors themselves can also expect to receive $13,000, $2,400 higher from the current $10,560.

The meeting was held to go over expense accounts before the municipal elections on the 25^th of October. While some members have expressed reluctance in introducing large increases, they were eventually convinced that the Mayor and other local government officials were underpaid for quite some time.

Deputy Mayor John Gemmell also commented that the mayor deserves a raise for all his hard work. He points out that Fenik is on the job from morning to afternoon, even during the late hours.

For those who haven’t visited the place before, Camp Merrywood looks like the perfect summer camp for kids.

You’ve got the typical amenities found in a summer vacation camp, such as a spacious mess hall, a large swimming pool, sports facilities for those into basketball and the like, and other indoor and outdoor facilities for recreational purposes. Topping that off are the buildings in the camp that come with very “outdoorsy” names like moose, loon, maple and bear, just to name a few.

Found on a peninsula that conveniently sticks out into the Rideau Lake, giving it an ideal position between Smiths Falls and the Town of Perth, Camp Merrywood stands out from other camps by offering some special features.

On close inspection, visitors will notice a few differences, such as washroom tops specifically designed to be lower to better suit those on wheelchairs. Other features for children with special accessibility needs have been incorporated into the camp, which has earned Merrywood a spot in the hearts of parents who have children with special needs.

Thanks to the united efforts of the 1000 Islands Rotary Club and the Brockville Rotary Club, Camp Merrywood continues to be funded, giving kids with physical disabilities the opportunity to have a great summer vacation in a comfortable and secure setting.