Sometimes it takes someone from “away” to show you what a treasure you have in your own community. I frequently write about the bass tournaments and the great bass fishery of Rainy Lake, and I’ve caught numerous big smallmouth bass to prove my point. Those fish always are released back […]
Jim Cumming – From the Publisher Emeritus’ Pen
Jim is the former publisher of the Fort Frances Times Ltd. He writes a weekly column and can be contacted at jcumming@fortfrances.com
There is a sign posted at the Civic Centre that reads, “Volunteerism is the rent we pay for living in a great community.” I’m regularly reminded of this quiet saying that Mohammad Ali originally spoke as I look throughout the district at all the projects that continue to benefit residents. […]
The yellow school buses were circling the block yesterday picking up students with new backpacks and brightly-coloured runners. Lineups of cars at Robert Moore and other schools had parents dropping off their children for the first day of school. Alas, we are heading into the last long weekend of summer. […]
Schools will be starting soon. Some parents will experience worry as their first youngster walks out the front door and boards a waiting school bus. Almost a decade later, that group will move on to high school and parents suddenly will realize that their children are growing and quickly will […]
Large golden round bales dot the fields along the highway. Today, some are lined in rows along fence lines waiting to be moved to feeding areas later this year. The tops of barley quickly are turning brown and will be harvested soon. The oats are turning from green to gold […]
In my youth, I was a paper carrier. My route extended from Central Avenue to the Memorial Arena and included all the avenues between First and Second Street. Tall American elm trees grew up from the edge of properties and the arching branches from one side of the street met […]
I think that Newfoundland Labrador must have some of the very best television ads promoting travel in its province. When Marnie and I travelled to Newfoundland in early June, we found it difficult to find accommodations when we started looking in March. The bed and breakfasts were all booked up. […]
The Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship came to an exciting conclusion early Saturday evening. The finalists kept exchanging the “hot seats” as the crowd wound up from the blare of music and the showmanship of the anglers. I had not volunteered for the tournament in several years, but had kept […]
Why do birds begin singing at 3:30 a.m. before there is even the hint of a sunrise? Why on nights of high humidity are the sounds of the trains amplified? All of these questions—and even many more—have crossed my mind this past week as I have awakened from a deep […]
We have a habit on Sunday evenings. We call our sons shortly after they should have finished supper in Calgary. It’s been ongoing since they left home for university more than a decade ago. One might think that with Twitter, Facebook, Facetime, and Skype, the old-fashioned phone call no longer […]
When I was growing up, one of the carrots my mother would use to get us to help when she was baking was the opportunity to lick the beaters or spatulas. Or sometimes when she was baking cookies, my mom would roll some dough into a small ball and offer […]
This Friday begins the great countdown to the 150th anniversary of Canada. On the 149th anniversary of Confederation, we will begin making preparations for the grand celebration one year from now. This past month, my wife and I were fortunate to visit Newfoundland—the last province on our list of places […]
