Brome Lake Classic Golf Tournament

So you like Golf and have been keeping up with Vijay and Tiger for the last few years and have had your share of Mulligans down on the local golf courses? Well now is your chance to prove your stuff on the links! The setting will be the glorious Knowlton Golf Club and it's time again for the Chamber of Commerce annual golf tourney. It's a good chance to come out and meet up with the hard-working business owners who make Lac Brome special. And if you happen to get a hole in one you will be immortalized and will probably have a plaque placed in the Chamber of Commerce offices downtown in Knowlton!

The Chamber of Commerce of Brome Lake will be holding its annual golf tournament, to promote good networking opportunities for local business people and to raise money for the Chamber’s numerous activities, Thursday August 30 at the Club de golf Lac-Brome situated at 700, Lakeside Rd in Foster (Brome Lake).

The shot-gun start will take place at 1 p.m. but first, a brunch will be served to all players at 11 a.m. This friendly competition will be followed by a supper where everyone will get a chance at winning one of the numerous prizes. Also, every participant will receive a young tree to contribute to the long term enhancement of the environment.

Come and enjoy a fun filled day in the outdoors with your friends, colleagues and collaborators. Tickets at $125 are available by contacting Véronique Montagne, General Manager of the Chamber, at (450) 242-2870, and include the two meals, the golf tournament along with a golf cart as well as numerous prizes to be won. Do not miss your chance!

Visit the Brome Lake Chamber of Commerce Website

The Big Brome Fair: Aug 31 - Sept 3

The Big Brome Fair is being celebrated this long labour day weekend in Brome and it is going to be one of the biggest and best fair's ever! This year marks the 151st year that the Brome Fair has taken place and thecrowds are expected to be bigger than last year. As the Big Brome Fair prepares for the celebration of the 151st annual showing of this wildly popular event the atmosphere in the region is one of palpable excitement!

Since the inception of the Brome Fair in the 1840's there have bee many changes of government, wars, depressions and countless changes in the way people live...but some things have remained constant; the people of the region and their connection to the land they live on.

Farmers and craftspeople have been gathering together over the years in an annual celebration of all that they do; maintaining their crops and tending to their flocks, eeking out an existance that is not always easy but is always fullfilling and based on the good values of family and hard work.

To make this Brome Fair one to remember the committee in charge of the event has decided to put an emphasis on decorating the fair grounds to allow visitors to see a real sense of history. This will involve costumes and some special displays and arrangements on the fairgrounds to help people take a walk through the history of the Eastern Townships and the agricultural tradition.

Of course the Brome Fair is about family fun, with fun midway rides, music, clowns, magicians, petting zoos, games, food and bingo on site but it is also a serious agricultural show with events and judging taking place in many categories through the week-end. Last year's 150th birthday bash brought the addition of a beer tent for the first time ever in the history of the fair (Thank Goodness!). Traditionally the only beer or alcohol to be seen was at the make-shift get-togethers that tended to pop-up in the huge parking field or stable areas. Surely many a thristy cowboy will be glad to have the chance to saddle up to the bar and have a cold one!

Main headliners for this year's fair include Desert Heat. After only a year of being in the Canadian country music scene, Desert Heat has become one of Canada's most popular new bands. They are at the CCMA's for indie group of the year, opening for some of Canada's biggest country groups and artists such as The Road Hammers, Doc Walker, The Wilkinsons and George Canyon to name a few. They have also now released four singles from the Cd Forever Road, with airplay not only doing well across Canada, but now gaining popularity overseas at radio.

With over 1000 professional live performances under their belt, Desert Heat knows how to put on an explosive and dynamic show as well. They love to be on stage and love to entertain.

One exciting addition will be Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo. Paul “Little Ray” Goulet, owner and head curator of Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo, located in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been caring for reptiles and amphibians since he was a child. In 1995 he and his wife Sheri, began performing educational, live animal presentations to schools, birthday parties, corporate events, malls and fairs. In the fall of 2000, they opened their zoo and have watched it grow to have the most diverse collection of reptiles and amphibians in Canada. The zoo now has the largest outreach program in the country, performing over 2500 presentations a year in Eastern Ontario & Western Quebec.

There will also be horse race betting as well! Wow...last year the booze started flowing and now the gambling is being brought in! Combine this with the big 4 x 4 trucks and the truck pull and you've got a little bit of red-neck nirvana right here in Knowlton!

Other fun stuff is the James Johnson Balloon Show, the Mustang Show featuring lovely horses and Ted & Marion Outerbridge doing some incredible magic tricks and illusions. The full schedule is available at the Brome Fair Website

Get to the grounds early as there is always long traffic lines heading to the fair grounds. The Brome Fair takes place at 345 Stagecoach Road. If you are in the Knowlton area and can't figure out how to get to the fair just ask anyone you see...The Brome Fair is all we've been talking about for the last month!

Check out our photos from last years Brome Fair or look back at the 2006 Brome Fair in our article from last year.

Arts Sutton Casino Night

Hopefully those hours of watching The All Stars of Poker on TV will pay off now as your big chance to try and beat the bank is here. The ever popular Casino night hosted by and raising funds for Arts Sutton is a great evening at the Auberge West Brome; located on 200-acres of perfection in Quebec’s glorious Eastern Townships, the historic Auberge West Brome will be turned into a friendly gamblers paradise in the scenic and rustic beauty of the Auberge.

And remember; what happens in Sutton stays in Sutton!


Arts Sutton has been active for 27 years and has a dual mission: to promote and exhibit the work of artists and to offer the public a window into the visual arts. It is a non-profit organization that is funded by contributions from members and the revenue from its annual fundraiser.

Yves Cousineau, chair of the Board of Arts Sutton, notes that “the Town of Sutton generously provides us with our exhibition space. However, the Gallery relies on the generosity of its members and the community to continue its activities.”

Over the next year, Arts Sutton will present a dozen exhibitions and hold a Christmas market for artists, in addition to organizing workshops and lectures. These activities are open to the residents of Sutton, the region and all of our visitors.

The Casino Night on September 15 will be a lively event with music, wine, cheese and appetizers, a silent auction, a live auction and many door prizes. Tickets cost $75 and a $50 tax receipt will be issued. Tickets are available at the Gallery, at the Golden Book bookstore and at Sutton’s Tourist Information Office.

Help us enhance the rich cultural life of our region! Come enjoy yourself and support our artists!

For more information, contact the Gallery at (450) 538-2563.

The Gallery is located at 7 Academy in Sutton and is open from Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm.

Quebec Lakes Closed For No Good Reason

Year after year the stuffed shirts in Quebec City basically wrap our Lakes with yellow police tape saying there are dangerous levels of blue green algae and we have to stay out of the water. But are these closures justified? Maybe the quality of the Lake isn't so bad after all?

A sudden media frenzy around the closing of lakes due to blue green algae followed by Government officials promising action and firm measures to stop the percieved worsening state of Quebec lakes is focusing attention again on our Brome Lake. The beach on Lakeside is fairly quiet; there are people picnicing on the beach but no-one is going in the water because the Government has declared that entering the water poses a serious health risk!

But just how serious is the risk? It seems that now, with a little digging, the owner of the Knowlton Marina, Gerry Moar has revealed data shows that the water in the lake is actually hardly dangerous at all! Here is the complete letter sent by Gerry to news media and DK:

RE: CYANOBACTERIA : BROME LAKE CLOSED FOR NO REASON

I’m the marina owner on Brome Lake who refused to post the government caution signs for Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) until the government would send me the test results confirming the presence of toxin dangers to human health.

I finally received the results on July 30th, for the June 27th, 2007 tests and the results from August 17, 2006 (when Brome Lake was closed) to October 18th, 2006, this being the last time the government took tests before they lifted the closure in May, 2007. (Brome Lake was closed for 8 ½ months). The government claims they could not take tests during the winter.

Following are the essentials:
Brome Lake is used for recreational purposes only. The town has its own water well supply as do other residents. The provincial maximum levels of toxins for drinking are 1.5 parts per million, and 16 parts per million for recreational (swimming) use.

All the tests results are available, but following is a summary for 2006:

Plage Douglass
16 October 2006: Toxins: Less than .019 ppm
18 September 2006: Toxins: Less than .034 ppm
17 August 2006: Toxins: Less than .567 ppm

The level for drinking is 1.5 ppm. The level for swimming it is 16ppm.

The samples are similar for all areas in Brome Lake.

In 2007, when Brome Lake went on the list of “contaminated” lakes, test results for all areas of the lake totaled less than .11 ppm.

In summary, Brome Lake was closed in 2006 for no justified reason according to provincial government lab test results. In 2007, Brome Lake was placed on the list for no justifiable reason.

I guarantee for the most recent lake closure, the results will be the same. I know the government will wave the “protecting the public health” flag, but for low long and with what justification?

Regards,

Gerry Moar
Proprietor, Marina Knowlton

WOW! That letter is a bombshell!

The water in Brome Lake is almost drinkable yet the lake is closed! While the Quebec government says it may bring in regulations to stop the spread of blue-green algae in the province's lakes it is downplaying the magnitude of this summer's cyanobacteria outbreaks...and maybe they should re-think their policies before shutting down lakes left and right. They are talking out both sides of their mouths saying the problem is serious yet then saying that the problem isn't actually so bad.

As Mr. Moar stated, they wouldn't close down an entire city just because of a few smoggy days so why close down the entire lake because some beaurocratic statistician in a lab coat takes a water sample and finds a little higher than normal levels of a natural bacteria? It doesn't make sense, and the new data revealed in Moar's letter shows just how arbitrary and heavy-handed these "experts" can be.

Now the Liberals are beating their chests saying they are getting serious about the problem...yeah...and what have you done for us these last five years? I guess the media attention is forcing them to pretend they will be getting tough...but if the levels of cyanobacteria in the lakes of Quebec are as low as what this new data shows then this whole issue is almost a non-issue.

Why not just let people know that there may be health risks if they go into the water instead of closing the entire lake? Doesn't this Government also sell cigarettes on every corner? Sure they put warnings on the cigarette packs but idiots can still smoke 'em if they want! So why, when it comes to a benign potential risk, do they swoop in like storm troopers and ban anyone from putting a toe in the lake?

My answer would be that they are incompetant ninnies.

The devestating financial damage caused by closed beavches and marinas and parks is catastrohpic for our small communities. And what's worse is that now we find out that Brome Lake isn't soo bad after all and we're dumping over $150,000 into some engineering firms pocket to come up with a solution...but now, if it is revealed that there is no problem...can we get our money back?

Teknika HBA couldn't even present their "action plan" on schedule and we don't even know when they will actually reveal this sacred document but when you combine this waste of money with the inability of the government to act responsibly it all starts to stink like bloated carcasses in the Yamaska! Due to the bogus closures by the Government and alarmist posturing by officials towns like Knowlton are wasting precious tax dollars on plans because everyone has been convinced that the sky is falling.

Maybe it's time to accept the risks that are inherent with a planet that is becoming over-populated. If you live in a city your lungs will be pummeled by toxic fumes from traffic and if you swim in a lake in 2007 you may run the risk of catching something...big deal...we can assess our own level of risk taking can't we? With increasing populations and increased polutions maybe there is nothing that can be done but is anyone brave enough to admit that? Maybe these algae blooms are natures way of fighting back, like when an anti-virus attacks a disease?

Environment Minister Line Beauchamp said possible new restrictions could target farmers, residential septic tanks and may include lakeshore buffer zones. Greenpeace was bashing the farmers of the province but Beauchamp said she would not take action immediately. First, she wants to tour the regions affected by the toxic algae to consider all the causes. It has been stated that she will miss the big meeting on August 14th when Renaissance Lac Brome holds another big information session in Knowlton.


Previous Stories Regarding the Lake Dangerous Cyanobacteria Closes Brome Lake | Brome Lake Announces Lake Plan | Is Teknika Missing The Boat | Brome Lake Announces Lake Plan | Teknika Report Delayed Again | Renaissance Lac Brome Annual Meeting

Twin Vernissage at the Knowlton Gallery

The second vernissage of the season will take place on August 19th, at the Knowlton Gallery. The gallery will again present its unique concept of two artists from different disciplines, painting and sculptures.

“All in vividness and contrasts” with Suzanne Leblanc.

Suzanne Leblanc, born in St-Hyacinthe and teacher by profession, is never one to do things halfway. Having developed a love for the outdoors, she discovered a fascination with shape, perspective and colour. After working with oil paint for several years she then developed a penchant for watercolours, which have been her passion for more than a decade, and she is now discovering the pleasures of acrylic.

She is recognized in her works through her use of vivid colours and the transparency of light. Her contrasts blend together in ultimate simplicity thereby reflecting her vibrant personality.

“Force and fragility” with Heide Messing.

Born in Germany, Heide Messing has lived in Québec since 1953. Actively involved in the domain of fine arts since 1977, she obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University (Montreal) in 1988.

Her works can be found in collections throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan.

The magic of creating a new form fascinates her, be it in stone, bronze, or concrete for monumental works.

The vernissage of Suzanne Leblanc and Heide Messing’s works will be held at the Gallery Knowlton, on August 19th, 2007, from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. The artists will be present.

The exhibition will continue until August 29th.

Information:(450) 243-6083 http://www.knowlton-arts.com/
285, chemin Knowlton, Lac-Brome, Québec, J0E 1V0