a re-print from “The Record”
St. Paul’s United Church in Waterloo was built on main street (Foster Street) in 1864. It was originally a Methodist church also used by the Anglicans. They had traveling ministers known as “circuit riders” who mostly came up from the States. Unfortunately, the church burned to the ground in 1868 but was reconstructed and dedicated in June of 1869 for a mere $6,000! A great deal of money at the time nonetheless.
Over the years, a lot has happened and many things have changed. As the population grew older, many church members became less active or passed away. A lot of the younger people moved on to pursue their educations or jobs elsewhere. Eventually, the Manse had to be sold in 1979 due to a lack of funds.
To Be or Not to Be..
Tanya & Singfield and William Shakespeare
a re-print from “The Record”
“To be or not to be – that is the question…”, one of the best known quotes from Shakespeare, provides us with an image of humans suffering, and wrestling with the question of who we are. Radio Communautaire Missisquoi believes the answer is in its mission statement, “being who we are”. To be who you are is the most important way to be. In order to achieve this goal one has to be confident.
RCM’s board of directors decided that the product it sells would be confidence, back in the day when the organization was looking for a mission statement. To many at the time it seemed to be a statement of hot air. Confidence? How can one sell confidence?
Well (I am risking being a broken record here), a non-profit organization sells a product much the same as a commercial corporation. The point is that the non-profit product has to change a human being, make a difference in their life. Sure, a new chair or a pair of shoes will change the life of a person, but what is it that will change the person? This is the question. The to-be-or-not-to-be proposition takes on an air of having to commit suicide in order to resolve the problems of life. RCM proposes life itself. Being who we are; something that can’t be achieved without a certain level of self confidence, the thing we offer.
Oliver Klaus: The Sounds of Silence
Maurice Oliver Klaus Singfield
a re-print from “The Record”
I grew up as a teenager in the 1960s, let my hair down and was dedicated to following the trends of the day. It’s amazing how music defined my generation, like all others before and after. I don’t know, but music seems to have a special way of reflecting the times.
Like an old piano, music betrays the secrets of time. A spindled leg from the early 1900s is much different from a new one, and the sound of music from the 20s is far different from the sounds of today. Memories cling to art like flies to sticky paper and our lives hang somewhere in time ready to be rediscovered and deciphered by new generations.
a re-print from “The Record”
The grand finale of the Stop! show took place on Saturday November 27th . Our three judges Miklos Takcs, Guylaine Charbonneau and Jean Wiedrick reached their decisions.
- The winners of the Competition have been chosen:
- Véronique Hamel (Waterloo) – 1st place ($500),
- Emilie Dion (Granby) – 2nd place ($350),
- Adelaide Ménard-Tremblay (Granby) – 3rd place $150
- and Pascalin Naud (Roxton Pond) – the People’s Choice award.
The money prizes were sponsored by the Caisse Populaire de Waterloo. Congratulations and best of luck to all the winners in their future endeavors.
The awards ceremony took place in Knowlton at RCM’s Radio Village Hall, inaugurating the room as a performance venue. With enough space to seat eighty people, RCM is certain that Radio Village Hall will prove to be an important asset to the community.
open the full post » Grand Finale!: STOP! piano competition 2010
a re-print from “The Record”
What on earth is Radio Village Hall? A totally new idea, a unique broadcasting concept and project created specifically for the Townships community, right here in Ville de Lac Brome. Radio Communautaire Missisquoi (RCM), with devoted volunteers, has built a performance venue at 305B Knowlton Road in Knowlton (CIDI’s recording studios) ready to be wired to the world, positioned to send out messages of who we are and what we do.
RCM’s radio station, CIDI 99.1 FM with its global web portal www.rcmmedia.org, has been successfully broadcasting and internet streaming Townships life on a daily basis for the past three years. Radio Village Hall will be plugged into this network, feeding even more information about ourselves through press conferences, musical events and live programs to the rest of the world.
a re-print from “The Record”
What does it take to build a social-conscious institution that’s resistant to stagnation and the test of time, and able to make a positive change?
“Change is good”, an expression not quite as popular as “how’re you doing?”, implies a willingness to face the challenges of the day with courage and faith in the unknown. Whereas “how’re you doing?”, a question that implies an acceptance of the status quo expects “oh, just fine” as a response. Two people involved in such an exchange (at the post office possibly) would never expect a response such as, “I have to think about it”.
“Change is good” doesn’t evoke an immediate reaction. As much as we want change in our society we don’t want it. The turn of phrase works well as a political slogan however, but hits ground zero when it comes to our personal comfort. Is “being who we are”, therefore, about feeling secure and not rocking the boat?
a re-print from “The Record”
Hello. I’ve appeared in these pages before, and since I am also a recording artist, I probably need no introduction. For those unfortunate few who may not be “au courant” as they say, the name is Singfield, Smoke Singfield. I prefer my vittles dry, not mushy.
I don’t usually write articles. This week I had to do it because Maurice and Tanya are too busy and tired.
Several years ago, I have to admit that I was sort of homeless. I wandered around the town of Waterloo and came upon a nice big house that had friendly humans in it. I decided to move in. Wise decision.
Mostly, I eat and sleep, but I do earn my keep by catching mice from time to time. I’ve also caught a couple of bats and I chase the pesky squirrels off the deck in the summer.
The Waterloo Library offers a culinary feast once a year and a feast for the mind all year long.
When I looked up the word library in my dictionary of word origins, it was said to have come from the Latin word “liber”, meaning book. The word liberty also stems from the Latin “liber” meaning free. How odd! Same word, two different meanings. In the case of the Waterloo Public Library, it is not odd at all. The books are actually free for children and students of all ages, no matter where they live. For adult residents of Waterloo, the membership fee is a mere $5 for two years thanks to a generous subsidy from the Town of Waterloo. For non-residents, it is $15 for two years. This is quite an unbelievable bargain.
open the full post » Waterloo Library Brunch, an Annual Feast!
a re-print from “The Record”
Responsibilities, responsibilities. It’s amazing how many we have. And, it’s surprising that some of us don’t seem to care. How often have we heard: “I guess I’ll get married, and if it doesn’t work out I can always get divorced”. Or, “I don’t feel like going to work today. I think I’ll call in sick”. Or “It’s good enough, who’s going to notice anyway if it isn’t perfect”?
What’s with the human species that makes us feel we can get away with things, believing we’re entitled to steal from each other? Okay, not all of us. But, one has to believe that even the righteous join in the pursuit of happiness, living out lives in controlled environments built by the not-so pure at heart.
a re-print from “The Record”
Thanksgiving was upon us. Yet another year, another meal, another family gathering. But what is it that we are truly thankful for? Telemarketing, spam, global warming, recessions, high taxes, a minority government, the internet, reality TV, #1 goalie Carey Price, the demise of Tiger Woods, or could it possibly be our community?
The harvest is in and now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of our labours. Right? Let’s be thankful for who we are. I don’t know, maybe it’s time to reflect on why we have what we have. We can be thankful for being alive, but sooner or later we have to think about our quality of life. Are we really happy with what we have and by the way, who are we?
We, as a community, constantly buy into globalization as being the next big thing. Whether we realize it or not, we’re hooked and seemingly can’t let go. When there’s a grand opening in our area of a “Big Box” store we rush out and greet the creation with awe and great expectations. Back home we turn on the TV and maybe the radio hoping to be fulfilled by the next big thing. Usually an artist, show or product we can’t live without.
a re-print from “The Record”
Sunday, October 3, 2010.
What a day! A beautiful sunlit day in autumn. Maurice left early as he usually does on Sunday mornings to go to the radio station in Knowlton. Having gone to bed very late the night before (as usual) I slept in. Got up, made coffee, did some laundry, an editing job for a client, went to the grocery store, came home, fed the cat and read the paper, did the puzzles. My husband arrived, we chatted and ate and then because it was Sunday night, Dave Chapman showed up as usual to listen to his show “It’s on the Record”. We call it the SNC (Sunday night club). Starts at 8 pm. The show had barely begun when the phone calls started. First it was Anita, Greg’s cousin, who had brought him back from the hospital the day before. Greg had been in the hospital for two weeks following major surgery. Then it was Greg’s brother Richard, who lives in Ontario.
open the full post » Greg Hayes (1958-2010): A Tribute and Farewell to a Friend
a re-print from “The Record”
We’ve had a booth at Brome Fair for three years now. To our left are the animal barns, directly in front of our booth is the animal judging area and to the right, we have the police, both the SQ and the RCMP, as well as the border patrol, the firefighters and just across from that is the ambulance. This got me to thinking just how many people do not work from nine to five, Monday to Friday.
All of the farmers must take care of their animals and their crops, and they are reliant upon the weather when it comes to sugaring or haying, planting or harvesting. Most of the firefighters in our rural area are volunteers who make themselves available day or night when summoned.
How about all of the hospital workers? Nurses, doctors, orderlies, lab techs and others? Or the people who work in residences for the elderly or disabled?
Par Michel Tassé – La Voix de l’Est (Arts & Spectacles) – Publié le 23 septembre 2010 à 09h13
Pascal Gauthier vit de beaux moments depuis le début de l’aventure de Trois.photo Alain Dion
(GRANBY) Pascal Gauthier l’avoue: il est nerveux, fébrile. Samedi soir, Jean Sébastien Lavoie, Martin Moerman et lui entameront une tournée qui les mènera un peu partout au Québec. Et ça commence ici, à Granby.
«Commencer une tournée devant ses parents, ses amis et ceux qui te supportent depuis des années, c’est une bonne raison d’être sur les nerfs!», lance le ténor waterlois en riant de bon coeur.
Pascal Gauthier et ses deux acolytes ont lancé Trois, un album éponyme, à la fin de l’hiver dernier. Et le temps est venu de présenter leurs chansons de pop-lyrique au public.
«Je suis très, très fier de commencer la tournée au Palace. Jocelyn Lemoine m’a fait un merveilleux cadeau en nous offrant de présenter notre tout premier spectacle chez moi, dans ma région. Ça, c’est quelque chose que je n’oublierai jamais.»
Pascal a chanté une fois et puis une autre au Palace. Mais la plupart du temps, c’était dans le cadre de concerts-bénéfices. En fin de semaine, les gens qui seront sur place auront payé pour le voir et l’entendre lui, pas juste pour appuyer une bonne cause.
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The Sutton Jazz Festival
Homegrown, believable and inspiring
a re-print from “The Record”
What’s with this thing called jazz, that moves people to rejoice and express themselves musically. For nine years now Stanley Lake has poured his heart and soul into the Sutton Jazz festival, and has created an annual celebration of musical spirit.
To him, jazz aficionados are the ones that “keep showing up year after year to hear the glorious sounds of jazz…intellectuals some say. Finger snappers. Head bobbers. Hipsters and ‘Cool Daddy Os’, mesmerized by the sounds of Jazz. Attracted to a music that is both accessible and at times inaccessible. Comprehensible and incomprehensible.”
a re-print from “The Record”
“Stop!” is a TV show on Videotron’s community cable network Vox (channel 9) out of Granby, and features young local musicians from the area playing different genres of music.
For the past three years “Stop!”, produced by Radio Communautaire Missisquoi (RCM / CIDI 99.1 FM) in conjunction with Télévision Communautaire de Waterloo, has presented 18 bands to date in a televised battle of the bands. The criteria for becoming a contestant are: the artist has to be an independent artist, perform original compositions and be able to play live in studio in front of TV cameras.
This year, from the beginning of September right up until the third week of December, the producers of “Stop!” will be presenting for the first time the “Stop!” piano competition. The show will feature six classically trained piano students from the area vying for $1, 000 of scholarship prize money for the benefit of furthering their musical education; 1st place $500, 2nd place $350 and 3rd place $150. There will also be a public choice award decided by people who go to Radio Communautaire Missisquoi’s website (www.rcmmedia.org) and place their votes in an online voting booth.
