email: southdundasinbox@gmail.com

Olivia Mudde poses with Grandma Doreen Henderson, Mom Tammy and Dad Ian at presentation . . .

Thursday, April 3rd - South Dundas' Seaway District High School in Iroquois continues to produce esteemed graduates. Young and upcoming entrepreneurs who obviously are intent to make a difference in their upcoming turn entering and taking part in the business world.

        A few days following the annual tri-county Science Fair at which four Seaway students came away with a virtual truck-load of awards, Seaway graduate Olivia Mudde was presented a Gold Key Award as her final 2025 semester in McGill University's Farm Management and Technology winds down. Mudde attends the Macdonald Campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Qc. through the week and commutes home to the family farm in Iroquois on weekends.

        "I received a gold key award for my time at MacDonald campus for volunteerism and things like that," Mudde said when asked about the presentation, playing down her role as the recipient. 

        According to Farm Management and Technology Program Director, Pascal Thériault, who is making the presentation in the above inset photo, "The Gold Key Award is given annually to those students who show exceptional leadership and excellence in the promotion and development of extra­curricular activities which benefit the Mac community as a whole. Selection is also based on the extent and effectiveness of their involvement, the leadership they have shown, their ability to work with peers, and the continuity of their initiatives."

        Ms. Mudde's reluctance to throw light on her own accomplishments did, somewhat shyly add, "Not a graduation ceremony. Just a gold key award ceremony. No one in my program has won this award in 10+ years. So it was a big deal for my program." 

        Program Director Thériault added, "Please join us and give it up for our very own year three student Olivia Mudde, who has received the Macdonald Gold Key Award today! Congratulations, this is so well deserved!"

        Good on you 'Liv! what he said . . . 

Tuesday, Apr. 1st - Maeve Windle, a 14-year-old, Grade nine student at South Dundas’ Seaway District High School owned the Awards presentations at the United Counties Science Fair in Cornwall over the weekend including the Chemical Institute of Canada trophy for the Best in Fair project. Ms. Windle entered a project entitled Sustainable Sorbents: A Novel Approach to CO2 Sequestration.

        Included in Maeve’s list of honors is the Chemical Institute of Canada Trophy (best in fair); All Expenses Paid Trip to Canada-wide Science Fair in New Brunswick in June 2025 (one of the top four projects); Outstanding Research Award Certificate, sponsored by Ontario Power Generation of $300, (one of the top six projects); Dr. Leo F Kennedy Memorial Trophy (best Intermediate project); Ken Morris Memorial Award (best in Climate & Meteorology, senior project); Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists Trophy (best in Applied Science); Parks Canada Trophy, plus a book, (best in Environmental Science); St. Lawrence College Health Sciences Trophy (best in Botany).

        The Science Fair not only saw the top award presented to a Seaway District High School student, a total of four entries saw students who attend Iroquois based Seaway High parade to the awards table to accept numerous trophies, honours, and recognitions over the evening.

        Seaway’s Madison Johnston will be joining Maeve Windle on an ‘All Expenses Paid Trip to Canada-wide Science Fair’ for her finish in the top four projects, her entry titled See the Beat — Exploring ECGs. Madison was presented the All Expenses Paid Trip to Canada-wide Science Fair (one of the top four projects); Outstanding Research Award Certificate, sponsored by Ontario Power Generation, $300, (one of the top six projects); CIMA+ Communications Award (best in communication, junior project); Dr. Charles Pender Memorial Plaque (best in Human Biology); St. Lawrence College Technology and Trades Trophy (best in Physical Science); Rotary Club of Cornwall Plaque

        Merab Ali and Ashley Humpartzian entered their ’Toxic Tides” project and also brought accolades home to Seaway,  recognized for “Outstanding research” among other honours. Those included Outstanding Research Award Certificate, sponsored by Professional Engineers of Ontario, Upper Canada Chapter $300, (one of the top six projects); University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship, $1000 each, (most deserving Senior project); IPG Award for Environmental Sustainability and Innovation (innovative or practical solutions for sustainability).

        Seaway High students and supporters witnessed another of their own, student Shannon Staye, receiving the Best in Energy award and the Excellence in Science Award for her entry, The Effects of Grounding.

        Stay received the Silver Award, sponsored by Professional Engineers of Ontario, Upper Canada Chapter, $150; Ontario Power Generation Inc. Trophy (best in Energy); and the Grant-Marion Construction Limited Trophy (excellence in Science).

Heading to Baie Comeau, the bulk carrier Algo Guardian was one of the last ships to move

along our waterfront on the final day of March. Most locals are looking for Spring to

arrive with some extended sunshine and warmer temperatures, to date not so

plentiful. One year ago today we were gardening and preparing vegetable

plots at our place in Morrisburg, ON

Sunday, Mar. 30th - The Morrisburg Skating Club's Annual showcase event packed families and supporters into Morrisburg Arena in spite of freezing rain warnings and threats of power outages. And the two and a half hour presentation was, as always, near perfect in creating happy smiles and extended cheering as each of the groups and individual performers skated through their practised routines. 

        Our congratulations to all of the skaters, the production team, volunteers and the folks who make up the executive of the skating club. Their efforts, so well presented through this wonderful and entertaining event, go a long way in promoting our community and its people, and their dedication to making South Dundas the great community it continues to be.

        From our vantage point along the ice surface barriers, we captured several hundred photos, which have been posted here. Please be patient the photos are loaded in three sets and may display slower than usual. And please enjoy all of the skaters performances we've captured . . . 

Monday, Mar. 24th - South Dundas' U13-C House team playing in the Upper Canada Minor Hockey League closed their year on Monday evening at the Westport Arena with a win. A glorious win in fact!

        Over a 24-game regular season the team managed a shorter than 50-per cent win record, allowed the 3rd-highest goals against numbers, and closed in 7th-place, 23-points behind the 1st-place North Dundas Demons.

        Following the opening round of play-off action the Lions were relegated to the B-Pool play-off round. Having recorded a 10-5 loss to the Leeds Chargers followed by an 8-6 win over the Smiths Falls Bears, the Lions suddenly found themselves in the B-Pool Gold Medal series against the Leeds Chargers. And wow! Maybe, just maybe . . .  

        The opening game was scheduled for Monday, Mar. 17th at the Chargers home Arena in Westport. And no player East of Brockville has ever been heard to say "Oh how we love going to Westport!!"

        However, the Lions arrived in Westport with a bit of enthusiasm in their pockets. Didn't want to get too cocky showing their colours, just in case. As it turned out it was the Lions doing the charging and the Chargers doing the retreating in this game. South Dundas rolled to a lopsided and surprising 6-2 victory.

        On Wednesday, Mar. 19th the warriors from Westport arrived at the Lion's Den on Morrisburg's Ottawa Street. A large gathering of Lion's fans crowded the Arena foyer and they were expecting a home team rout! An hour later the Chargers were piling in their rides home to Westport with a 5-2 victory n their pockets and the series tied at one game each. The third meet was scheduled for Westport on Monday, Mar. 24th at 7:00 p.m.

         The home team Chargers took command of the ice immediately on the opening face-off and shortly following with their star sniper Josiah Branscombe snapping an unassisted marker into the netting behind Lion's cage keeper Findlay Mossman. Two minutes later Jonathan Worrall put Leeds up 2-0 when Cohen Courtman and Lucas Plunkett combined to set up an opportunity. 

        Following the break to start the middle frame Branscombe fired his second unassisted goal giving the smiling home team a seemingly unbeatable lead at 3-0, with the game notes only half-way completed on the scoreboard.

        And then, like a magician makes a dollar disappear, the Lion's Griffin Cassell, Mason Horricks (who scored from inside his own blue-line) and Luca Mills made the Chargers lead disappear, in barely a five-minute flash of playing time. And while the second period was over, the score tied with one period remaining, and that screamed "New Game!"

        The final period had barely been whistled 'let's go' when Jensen Roderick stole a loose puck, beat Leeds goaltender Harrison Holder, and gave South Dundas a 4-3 lead. The Lion's bench went wild!!

        The Chargers Emmery Daw quieted the visitors from South Dundas to slightly more than a whisper less than a minute following when he put the puck behind Mossman, tieing the game, with assists from Branscombe and Courtman. 

        The two teams went back and forth, like clock-work up and down the ice. Opposing net minders faced numerous scoring chances yet continued turning each away repeatedly. That is until Griffin Cassell stepped up, snared the puck and netted the winning B-Pool Gold Medal goal. Unassisted!     

        Watching this team through this season seemed at times comparable to watching a seemingly resurrected, one time collection of dead-end street road hockey warriors representing the infamous Morrisburg projects. A  fabled team from games long gone, and a fabled force to be reckoned with. In this particular game a long familiar name, over a long time in local hockey circles, Cassell, hit for two goals on the night, led his 7th-place finishing team to the win, toppling all comers, and capturing the Championship hardware and the gold and blue glory for the South Dundas Lions! 

        And that story too,, will no doubt rank as fabled some years from today.

        Our most sincere congratulations to Griffin and all of his teammates, cage keeper Findlay Mossman, Bentley Jameson, Mason Keyes, Jensen Roderick, Jake Cardinal, Luca Mills, Piper Smyth, Preston Hubert, Griffin Cassell, Landon Horricks, Madison Cardinal, Sam Toonders, Jayce Whittaker, team Captain Ty Merkley, and William Millward. Also to Head Coach Rick Hubert, Assistants Mark Mossman and Mat Jameson, Managers Amanda Smyth and Danielle Whiteway and Trainer Cody Cassell. 

Saturday, Mar. 22nd - If one line was used to describe the 2024-25 South Dundas U11-B Rep Lions, it would naturally be "The Best of the Best!" 

        This team of unbelievably talented "under-11-year-olds" has mesmerized their considerable fan following game in and game out, through the entirety of both their regular season and Championship playoff series, coming out unscathed as Upper Canada Minor Hockey League 2024-25 Champions. And deservedly so!

        These Lions ran through a 24-game regular season, capturing 21-victories and one tie for top spot. They tied the Alexandria Glens 2-2 in their first playoff game, corrected their errors and dumped Brockville 4-1, edged Cornwall 4-3, crowned the Kemptville Royals 4-1 and doubled the North-Glen-Stor Braves 8-4.

        In the Championship A Pool series the Lions met the Kemptville Royals in their opening game at Morrisburg, scoring a lopsided 8-4 playoff victory with a scoring and defensive skill set backed by superb net minding that was simply mind-boggling.

        Up by a win the team travelled to Kemptville on Saturday afternoon, finding themselves in a 0-0 tie following the opening period of back and forth action. Max Lapointe put his Royals team in the lead late in the middle period when he flipped a well screened shot through crowd that bounced into the Lion's net.

        Entering the final period down a single goal saw the Lions, as they made obvious several times this season, aim their attack. Considerably outsized by their opponents South Dundas consistently goes to work, rushing and checking and wearing their adversaries down.  As the edge in puck control moves in their favour the Lion's Nash Dempsey charges the net seeking a rebound, challenges the defenders and bangs a Harris Smail created rebound past Kemptville's cage-keeper Eli DuPerron to tie the game.

        Dempsey loves the heated action, loves to score goals and knows his play has and will again encourage his teammates to turn it on. And they did respond.

       South Dundas owned a major portion of game time in the final ten minutes of the 3rd-period. The Kemptville Royals defenders were in for the long run, but . . . 

        Jaxson Holmes scored the game winning goal when Parker Johnson's shot and rebound plopped on to the ice in front of the Royals net, a goal that most affected the home team through the closing four minutes.

        The Royals were physically spent. They simply couldn't muster another scoring opportunity.

        The game was settled on a 2-1 Gold Medal Championship victory for the Lions.

        Our congratulations to South Dundas' top hockey team of the 2024-25 season, the U11-B Rep Lions: Goalie Emmett Cooper-Kerkhof, Beckett Fahrngruber, Jack Heuff, Drake Thompson, Grayson Kelly, Gavin Aubin, Blake Sears, Harris Smail, Jaxon Holmes, Parker Johnston and Nash Dempsey; Head Coach Matt Fahrngruber, Assistant Coaches Dave Sears and Ryan Aubin, Trainer Amber Kelly and Manager Tracy Yalden.

A few days before the first ships came down the St. Lawrence Seaway we were treated

to a fantastic sunset from the west end of Duncan Park in South Dundas.

Although it would have been spectacular to capture a ship slipping out of this background, we did

get a vapour trail from a jet starting in the second photo in this series and through the fourth

photo. It's opportunities like this, the natural beauty of our location, that is so incredibly valuable . . .

The Bilinguish Boys!

April 5, 2025 | 7 pm

$25 in advance (+ online fees) or $30 at the door

        The Bilinguish Boys is a group formed in the suburbs of Greater Sudbury, somewhere between Azilda and Chelmsford. Comprised of Stef Paquette, Dayv Poulin, and Édouard Landry, these masters of the Franco-Ontarian music scene will be serving up their original songs and some covers, with voices and guitars harmoniously blended into a full speed sound cocktail. Add to that the comedic improvisation they are renowned for, it's going to be an evening of guaranteed fun!

        Tickets for this show are $25 in advance (+ online fees) or $30 at the door. Advance tickets are available online only through the Eventbrite Link below. Your ticket will be delivered to you via email. If shows are sold out, we will post that information here and on our Facebook page, otherwise you should assume you can also purchase tickets at the door. We accept cash, credit card or debit for day of show sales.

        All seating at our shows is general admission - which means you will choose your seat on arrival. There isn't a bad seat in the house, but if you would like to be close to the front we recommend arriving at least half an hour before show time.

        The Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg is a fully accessible venue - we will reserve seats for those who need access to wheelchair or walker spaces. Please email us at info@st-lawrencestage.com immediately before or after you have purchased your tickets so that we can ensure the space is reserved for you.

Go to www.st-lawrencestage.com