C.O.R.E Jamboree attended by many, “a profound success”

August 9, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By MARNI WALSH

Organizer Bill Duron says the Jim Cuddy Jamboree to raise funds for the community environmental protection group C.O.R. E. on August 5th was “a profound success.” Conserve Our Rural Environment (C.O.R.E.) has monitored and responded to issues that challenge protecting the environment and appropriate use of land in Mulmur for many years.

Close to 400 people attended the event at Lyric Pond, the home of Bill and Melody Duron near Honeywood, to support CORE’s work. This was achieved “not only through raising awareness of the work CORE does and gaining new members,” says Bill Duron, but by “building and maintaining a reasonable ‘war chest’ to ensure we can be nimble and effective in responding to inappropriate land use issues as they arise.”

“The major battle was the proposed Mega Quarry,” says Mr. Duron, “and after paying the accumulated debt from CORE’s participation in that opposition, the organization is still actively involved with the Airport Road gravel pit hearings, scheduled for January 2019, to ensure that any approval guarantees that Airport Road is not used as a haul route for gravel trucks. This will enhance safety on a road the Ministry of Transportation has designated as dangerous.”

Lyric Pond was chosen for the first concert 14 years ago, when Sarah Harmer camped at Lyric Pond for her Niagara Escarpment tour. The August 5th dinner and concert took place under a tent erected on the shores of the three acre pond. Jim Cuddy’s band, and his opener, Austin McCarthy, donated their time and talent for the annual fundraiser, performing on a hay wagon with guests surrounding them on bales of hay. The $200 tickets for adults included the meal and entertainment, with reduced prices offered to students and children.

“The weather was perfect,” says Bill Duron, “and the beer provided complimentary for 14 years was welcome refreshment, along with Megalomania Wines. The New Farm provided the vegetables, and the reaction by the attendees to the catering of the Flying Chestnut Restaurant was over the top. At about 9pm, the Jim Cuddy Band and Andy Maize of Skydiggers climbed on Norm MacEachern’s hay wagon and on the very first song, everybody stood up from their square bales of hay and started dancing. They never sat down and cheered enthusiastically at the conclusion of every song.”

With a goal of raising $25,000 in mind, Conserve Our Rural Environment says it “intends to use the proceeds from the Jamboree to retain professional services, such as an engineer, to support the voluntary pro bono lawyers, Jane Pepino and Alistair Crawley, who will argue in court that gravel trucks should not be using the dangerous Airport Road to transport aggregate from the proposed gravel pit at County Road 21 and Airport Road.”

Duron says CORE has also worked with Mulmur Township Mayor, Paul Mills, “in convincing the Ministry of Natural Resources to restock the Pine River Fishing Area with 10,000 speckled trout, which has not been done in 20 years, creating a new natural and recreational resource in the Mulmur Hills. There are also parking lot gates which help prevent the area from dumping violations and reducing off road violations in the Pine River Forest from dirt bikes, ATV’s and trucks.”

The organization, which is “emphatic in promoting the necessity of being engaged in land use policy in Mulmur, thanks “the attendees, sponsors, and musicians for supporting the effort to protect the agricultural heritage and recreational uses of the Niagara Escarpment and surrounding lands in Mulmur,” in what guests are calling “a magical evening.”