L’équipe du Journal régional Le Haut-Saint-François. De gauche à droite : Scott Stevenson, Francine Prévost, Maxime Robert et Jean-Marc Brais.

Si le Journal régional Le Haut-Saint-François était une maison – en parlant justement d’habitation dans ce numéro – alors nous serions en reconstruction.

Depuis le début juillet, l’équipe du journal compte un nouveau directeur général, Scott Stevenson, après quelques mois de recherche. Journaliste depuis plus de trente ans pour plusieurs publications locales comme le Sherbrooke Record, La Tribune et le Townships Sun, il a aussi une longue expérience dans la gestion d’organismes communautaires.

Depuis la fin juillet, Jean-Marc Brais est de retour à l’emploi du journal, cette fois à titre d’agent de développement numérique. Il avait été journaliste pour Le Haut-Saint-François de 2017 à 2019 en plus de ses projets multiplateformes. Dans ses nouvelles fonctions, Jean-Marc aide le journal à publier activement sur le site internet et sur la page Facebook.

La maison du journal s’agrandit. Ainsi, les activités numériques s’ajoutent à la version papier, qui, elle, continue à un rythme de 24 parutions par année. Sur le site internet, on retrouve l’actualité du Haut-Saint-François qui s’est développée plus rapidement que ne le permet le suivi de l’édition papier.

Jean-Marc et Scott se joignent une équipe aguerrie à la permanence du journal. Parmi elle, on retrouve l’adjointe administrative Francine Prévost, employée au journal depuis 27 ans, et l’infographiste Maxime Robert, en poste depuis 13 ans.

La fin de notre contrat avec le journaliste Ronald Martel au mois d’août laisse un vide dans le journal, que nous remplissons à court terme par des textes de pigistes ainsi que de Scott et Jean-Marc. La conseillère publicitaire Coralie Mathieu quitte aussi, retournant aux études. Le journal est ainsi à la recherche de son remplaçant, un futur membre dynamique de l’équipe qui aimerait aider à innover et augmenter nos services aux clients.

En tant que fondation de l’organisme qu’est le Journal, le conseil d’administration amène une base solide, représentant les membres et lecteurs-rices qui l’élisent annuellement. Le conseil est mené par la présidente Lisa Irving, la vice-présidente Suzanne Jutras et le trésorier Pierre Couture, en plus de comprendre Alexandra Jacquet, Pauline Beaudry, Francine Prévost et Daphné Raymond comme administratrices.

Notre toit, ce qui nous garde à l’abri, ce sont nos fidèles clients annonceurs, qui incluent également les 14 municipalités du Haut-Saint-François en plus de Saint-Malo. À eux s’ajoutent les programmes d’aide gouvernementale pour les médias écrits, principalement celui du ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec.

La presse vit une révolution amenée par les technologies de l’information. C’est une transformation sociale semblable au passage de nos maisons de pierres placées à la main à des maisons de 2×4 / 2×6 préconçues et préfabriquées. La préservation et le succès de la presse écrite devient alors un enjeu important pour l’avenir de notre société libre, ce que votre équipe du Journal régional Le Haut-Saint-François entend poursuivre avec talent, vision et joie.

Lisez-nous attentivement pour découvrir nos beaux développements architecturaux, sur papier et en ligne, à venir dans les prochaines semaines!

Jean-Marc Brais et Scott Stevenson

Quand j’ai acheté ma ferme à Newport en 2012, les premiers à venir m’accueillir étaient mes voisins directs à l’est, Nelson et Mimi… et leurs animaux. Le couple, deux chiens, un chat et une chèvre sont tous venus à pied le long du chemin pour me souhaiter le bienvenu. Mes autres voisins n’ont pas tardé à les suivre.

C’était bien parce que la vie dans les rangs peut être solitaire.
Les voisins, ainsi que nos animaux, nous font compagnie lorsque voulu. Dans les rangs plus tranquilles comme le mien, lorsqu’on se sent seul, on peut aller travailler près du chemin jusqu’à temps qu’un voisin passe. Souvent, ça nous amène à des beaux bonjours et des partages non seulement plaisants, mais même réconfortants.

Aujourd’hui, malheureusement, la vie agricole et forestière est justement plus solitaire. Nous avons développé de plus en plus de technologies et d’équipements pour remplacer les humains, et le travail se fait souvent seul. Ce n’est pas toujours bon pour le moral.
D’où l’importance des groupes, des rencontres, des rassemblements; ils sont nourrissants… même pour ceux qui inclinent vers l’introverti.
Les foires agricoles sont l’issue de cette compréhension parmi les familles agricoles, même avant l’isolement technologique intense des dernières décennies. L’Expo de Cookshire nous rassemble à chaque été depuis 1845.

La foire agricole est semblable aux encans qui sont, selon le berger anglais James Rebanks dans son livre The Shepherd’s Life de 2015, « dans plusieurs façons le centre de notre mode de vie, la place où on se réunit pour faire le commerce, mais aussi pour socialiser ».
La Cookshire Fair 2024 ouvre ses portes jeudi et se termine dimanche. Venez jaser avec vos voisins un peu, voir les jeunes et moins jeunes s’amuser, les animaux, les musiciens, les danseurs. C’est bon pour le moral.

Scott Stevenson

Nous avons une région exceptionnelle, avec des espaces verts incroyables, des rivières et un ciel avec mille étoiles. Pas étonnant qu’autant d’entreprises de gestion immobilière souhaitent venir y construire des logements haut de gamme, dans ce qu’ils nomment « la banlieue de Sherbrooke » !

Initialement, quelques propriétaires d’immeubles habitant le Haut-Saint-François détenaient à peine quelques portes, puis des groupes venant de Sherbrooke ont commencé à s’intéresser au développement dans nos différentes municipalités. Pour la plupart, il s’agit de promoteurs immobiliers spécialisés dans la construction de multilogements et acquérant de plus en plus de propriétés partout en Estrie.

Non seulement ces nouveaux projets de luxe participent à la financiarisation du marché locatif, mais d’un point de vue environnemental, les impacts peuvent être néfastes sur nos milieux : déforestation, implantation dans les bandes riveraines, travaux d’asphaltage, étalement urbain. Nous en venons à nous questionner sur la réglementation municipale et provinciale.

Notre objectif et notre fierté devraient être de développer un parc locatif accessible pour toute la population, avec des dimensions adéquates pour les familles et visant à atteindre l’équité intergénérationnelle. Nous pensons que les conséquences de ces choix seront très importantes au niveau du bien-être collectif et qu’il s’agit d’un enjeu de santé publique.

La crise du logement a un impact direct sur la santé physique, l’augmentation de la violence conjugale, le développement des enfants et la santé mentale des personnes qui la vivent.

Des conséquences qui engendrent des coûts beaucoup plus importants collectivement que l’investissement qui serait nécessaire pour développer des projets accessibles. Des conséquences que les organismes communautaires sont à même de voir dans leur quotidien et qui sonnent l’alarme depuis plusieurs années.

Nous croyons en la mixité sociale, au partage du territoire. Mais comment arriver à cette mixité sociale alors que les logements sociaux et abordables font autant défaut ? On nous dit que pour résoudre la crise du logement, on doit en construire davantage. Mais qui aura accès à ces appartements de luxe dont le coût est au-dessus de 1000 $, voire 1500 $ par mois pour un 4 ½ ? Il est faux de penser que ces logements aident à résorber la crise, au contraire, cela met une pression constante sur le prix des loyers.

Si tout le monde a le droit d’avoir un toit décent et salubre, que fait-on des gens en situation précaire ou dans la classe moyenne qui peinent à joindre les deux bouts ? Qui se privent parfois de manger pour payer leur logement ? Il faudrait d’abord s’assurer que toutes les personnes en ayant besoin aient accès à un toit pour se loger, ce qui n’est pas le cas dans le Haut-Saint-François.

À titre de comparaison, il faut savoir que nous avons une moyenne de 2,59 logements sociaux (HLM) pour 1000 habitant.es, soit 61 logements : 6 logements familles (St-Isidore-de-Clifton) et 55 logements pour les 50 ans et plus (St-Isidore, East Angus et Ascot Corner). En comparaison, le Val-Saint-François offre 382 logements sociaux, 157 dans Les Sources et 106 dans le Granit.

Alors que la moyenne au Québec est de 8,10 HLM par 1000 habitants, nombre qui est déjà insuffisant, il nous manquerait plus de 130 logements sociaux pour atteindre cette moyenne québécoise. Nous avons un grand retard à rattraper puisqu’aucun logement social n’a été construit depuis 1983.

Nous croyons en un développement social où le bien commun est au centre de l’habitation. Nous avons de beaux modèles de développement social autour de nous, il suffit de nous en inspirer !

Marilyn Ouellet, Centre des femmes du Haut-Saint-François (CFHSF), Dudswell
Andrée Larrivée, CFHSF, Weedon
Jacinthe Gobeil, CFHSF
Jeanette Carolina Cutica, CFHSF
Élysabeth Grenier, CFHSF
Camille Marquis, La Relève du Haut-Saint-François
Maé Amélie Charbonneau, Weedon
Nancy Levesque, East Angus
Roxanne Jodoin, Weedon
Julie Ouellet, East Angus
Marc-Antoine Daigneault Leblanc, East Angus
Diane Boucher, East Angus
Karyann Tessier, Ascot Corner
Anne-Sophie Bordeleau, CFHSF
Marie-Josée Léonard, Cookshire-Eaton
Dora Golden-One, Scotstown
Carole Poulin, Cookshire-Eaton
Manon Poulin, CFHSF
Hélène Roux-Bordage, Haut-Saint-François
Vee Langlois, Sawyerville
Gabrielle Joncas-Brunet, Sawyerville
Julie Bisson, Haut-Saint-François
Mélanie Harpin Labbé, Cookshire-Eaton
Sabrina Charest-Prévost, Cookshire-Eaton
Myrthô Ouellette, East Angus
Claudia Racine, Cookshire
Camille Côté, Bury
Thomas Grey, Bury
Micheline Couture, Ascot Corner
Lucia Demers, Cookshire-Eaton
Cyrielle Ametepe, Haut-Saint-François
Martine Pallascio, CFHSF, Cookshire-Eaton
Nathalie Gauthier, Cookshire-Eaton
Hélène Côté Lambert, La Patrie
Myriam Larocque, Cookshire-Eaton
Charlene Audrey Chouinard, Bury
Martin Mailhot, Dudswell
Samuell Beaudoin, East Angus
Micheline Claing, La Patrie
Sylvain Labrecque, Cookshire-Eaton
Jade-Audrey Péloquin, Haut-Saint-François
Bruno Charpentier-Morin, Haut-Saint-François
Vickie Shaw, Bury

It was 1800 and hemp had a future in Eaton Township. And then it didn’t.
These days I am reading the two-volume Eastern Townships Adventure by Bernard Epps, the late Bernie of Gould Station. It’s a riveting read, the story of the Townships in the 1800s and its transformation into farmland by immigrants.
One Hugh Finlay, Bernie reported, toured Eaton Township in September 1800. He had high praise for Josiah Sawyer and his associates. He wrote about ˝a settlement called Cookshire, where there’s a school already established that has 30 scholars.˝ He found «abundant» crops and urged a road be built north to Quebec City so farmers could market their wheat, oats, peas, millet, kidney beans, buckwheat, Indian corn, potatoes, turnips, tobacco, flax, pumpkins, squashes, and yes, hemp.
Hemp had a glowing future. The military-minded British government needed hemp for rigging and caulking their tall ships. They thought Lower Canada (Quebec) could supply it, and set up a ˝Board for the Encouragement of Hemp.˝
With Governor Craig’s blessing, in 1806 entrepreneur Jesse Pennoyer established hemp plantations in the area and began building a hemp mill in Waterville. To be successful, he needed two things: good quality hemp seed, and a road to Quebec City.
Governor Craig did build a road to Quebec―Craig’s Road. It was begun in October 1810 and completed in January 1811. Alas, a few months later, the spring thaw rendered the road dysfunctional. With the impending War of 1812, Governor Craig had more pressing priorities of a political and military nature.
Pennoyer persevered. His hemp grew well, but he was not able to get it to market. In 1811, he complained to a friend ˝that he hadn’t been able to sell a single pound of hemp since he’d begun in the business five years before—save a small quantity made into rope.˝
About hemp, he wrote, ˝As far as it has been tried, it grows extremely well. No country or soil (Russia not excepted) will produce better hemp than this part of Lower Canada.˝
In the spring of 1812, a flood badly damaged Pennoyer’s unfinished hemp mill. ˝That was the end of the hemp business in the Townships,˝ Epps wrote.
For more of the Craig’s Road story, visit 100objects.qahn.org. For more about the hemp story, look for The Eastern Townships Adventure, to be published this fall by the Townships Sun and partners.
DAVID FRANCEY, Aug. 3
Here’s hoping it’s not too late to get tickets for four-time Juno award winner, David Francey, returning to the Townships for a concert at The Piggery Theatre, 215 Simard, North Hatley, on Saturday, August 3, at 8 p.m. Tickets: $35/person, at piggery.com/boxoffice or 819-842-2431.
BROOKBURY’S 100th, Aug. 3
Brookbury Hall celebrates its 100th anniversary on Saturday, August 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. with an Old Fashioned Afternoon featuring sandwiches, tea and scones, old fashioned games outdoors, and a book of memories and pictures. The event is free of charge, at the Brookbury Community Centre, 571 Brookbury Road (aka Route 255). Info: harperjm55@gmail.com, or 819-872-3205.
A garage sale planned for Saturday, September 14, at the Brookbury Hall. Info: Brenda Bailey, 819-884-5984.
CONCERT, Aug. 4
Biscuits, Storms, and Melodies (Biscuits, tempêtes et mélodies) is a young-in-spirit, young-in-years concert in collaboration with Valérie Milot and Production Anémone 47. ˝It’s an ode to the imagination that allows both children and adults to let themselves be carried away by the music.˝
Here’s how it goes: ˝Simone is bored; his mother confiscated his tablet. She’s really not happy! But suddenly the sounds coming from her window seem to come to life. Thanks to her abundant imagination, musical worlds inspired by delicious cookies, breathtaking storms and celestial melodies unfold before her eyes and ears!˝
The concert is on Sunday, August 4, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, 125 Principale West. Free of charge.
CANTERBURY
The Canterbury Centre’s public market is on every Saturday until the end of August, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring weaving, jams, baked goods, vegetables, honey, and maple products. Info: Candy, 819-657-4661.
LINE, VOLUME, IMPRINTS
An exhibit of works on paper, constructed around line—˝a line which defines an imaginary volume, that of the body or space˝—is at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery. The show features Eric Daudelin, Francine Simonin, and Lisa Tognon, in collaboration with the Eric Devlin Gallery.
Another exhibit, by Sandra Tremblay, treats the phenomenology of imprints, paintings where pictorial and psychic imprints are energized: ˝a sensitive look at the living traces that relational experiences leave in oneself over the years.˝
Both exhibits are at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, 125 Principale West, until August 18, Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
EATON CORNER
The Eaton Corner Museum is open Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with temporary additions to the permanent exhibits. Admission: adults, $8; seniors, $6; and youth (up to age 18), $4. A family of two adults and two youth, $20. Info: 819-875-5256, and the Musée Eaton Corner Facebook page.
MURMURING IMAGES
Outdoor images projected onto the walls of Victoria Hall and other buildings take you back to the beginnings of Eaton Township. Beginning at nightfall on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Murmures du Canton, at the Parc des Braves, 85 Principale West, Cookshire.
CHURCHES
Anglican. Sunday service: August 4, at 9 a.m., at St. Peter’s, Cookshire, and August 11, at 10 a.m., at St. John’s in Brookbury. To find services in the deanery, check the schedule at deaneryofstfrancis.com/calendar/. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services are at 10:30 a.m. in these locations: August 4, at the Sawyerville United Church; August 11, at East Clifton United Church. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by August 1 for publication
August 14.

CANTERBURY CONCERT
Canterbury Concert: Paula Chiasson, Normand Breton, and Christian Nolet offer a concert at the Canterbury Centre on June 21st at 8 p.m. for the Fête Nationale, featuring traditional Quebec music with guitar, mandoline, accordion, violin, bass, and voices. Space is limited; reserve in advance at 819-872-3400. Tickets: $15. The Canterbury Centre is at 1095 Victoria Road (Route 214), Bury.
CONCERTS IN THE PARK
The “Duo Vivo,” Roxanne Sicard and Richard Zheng, offer a violin duet in a “Concert-Apéro” on Sunday, June 30, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Parc des Braves, 85 av. du Parc, in Cookshire. (In case of rain, the concert will be at the Trinity United Church, 190 Principale West.) The two violinists have a classical repertoire in addition to bringing together different musical styles in original arrangements. They have been playing together since 2020, and this year are touring Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes with the Jeunesses Musicales Canada. More about them is at Duovivoduet.com. Offered by the Galérie d’Art Cookshire-Eaton, the concert is free.
Upcoming concerts are July 10, at 7:30 p.m., in the Trinity United Church, is the “Orford sur la route” by interns at the Académie Orford. On July 28 at 5 p.m. in the Parc des Braves, is the “Quintette De Vito” wind instruments with Robin Doyon and Stéphane Beaulac (trumpets), Gabriel Gauthier Beaudoin (horn), Martin Ringuette (trombone), and Jean-Philippe Dutil (tuba).
Finally, on August 18 at 5 p.m. in the Parc des Braves, is the “Quintette Silience” with Léanne Teran-Paul (oboe), Mariane Pellerin (clarinet), Thomas Gauthier-Lang (saxaphone), Gwénaëlle Ratouit (bass clarinet), and Alex Eastley (bassoon).
FROM LINE TO VOLUME
“De la ligne au volume” is the title of a new exhibition at the Cookshire-Eaton Art Gallery, opening Saturday, July 6. It features three artists, Eric Daudelin, Francine Simonin, and Lisa Tognon, who work on paper rather than canvas, and also construct their compositions around a line which defines an imaginary body or space. The exhibit will be in the Louis-Pierre Bougie Hall until August 18, and is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 12 to 5 p.m. The Gallery is at 125 Principale West.
June 30 is the final day of an exhibit of outdoor paintings by Stuart Main, Pauline Boudreau, and Chantal Julien. Admission is free.
CHILDREN’S ART
“Capture ton patrimoine,” an exhibit of works by 5th and 6th graders at the Cookshire Elementary School, is at the John-Henry-Pope Maison de la Culture, 25 Principale W. in Cookshire-Eaton, until September. Organized by Chloë Southam of the Haut-Saint-François MRC and Rebecca Coates, teacher at the Cookshire Elementary School, it is inspired by a photography exhibit of Action patrimoine. The Maison de la Culture is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
BROOKBURY
The Brookbury Barbecue is Saturday, June 22, at 5 p.m. offers hotdogs, salads, chips, and ice cream sundaes. Entry: $10/person. The Brookbury Hall is at 571 Brookbury Road (aka Route 255). Info: Brenda Bailey, 819-884-5984.
Also at the Brookbury Hall are planned three card parties on Tuesdays, July 2, 16, and 30, at 2 p.m. The entrance fee of $8 includes lunch.
Plan ahead: On Saturday, August 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. is to be a 100th Anniversary celebration of the Brookbury Hall, and on Saturday, September 14, is planned a garage sale.
MURMURING IMAGES
Time-travel back to the beginnings of the Eaton Township through images projected onto the outdoor walls of Victoria Hall and other buildings. All summer, beginning at nightfall on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Murmures du Canton, at the Parc des Braves, 85 Principale West, Cookshire.
EATON CORNER MUSEUM
The Eaton Corner Museum opens June 22-23 and 29-30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In July, it is open Thursday to Sunday. Admission: adults, $8; seniors, $6; and youth, $5. A family of two adults and two youth, $20.
PARTY IN SAWYERVILLE
Loisir Sawyerville is to host a Fête-Saint-Jean-Baptiste party on Sunday, June 23, from 3 p.m. to midnight at the Sawyerville ball park. Bouncy castles, a canteen/bar service, a bonfire, and music are lined up for the evening. More details to be posted on the Loisir Sawyerville Facebook page.
CANADA DAY IN BURY
“Is there strawberry shortcake?” asked Brenda.
“Yes there is,” replied the Bury Athletic Association.
That exchange was on the Facebook page of the Bury Athletic Association, sponsor of the Canada Day festivities on Saturday, July 29. (An article about Canada Day is elsewhere in this issue.)
Volunteers of the Bury Historical and Heritage Society will whip up the strawbery shortcake from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bury Armoury Community Centre, 563 Main Street. BHHS President Praxède Lévesque Lapointe says the price is $8.
Across the street at the erstwhile United Cultural Center, 560 Main Street, festival goers can top off their shortcake with a plate of salads for $12, and at the same time, explore the site of the village’s future community café.
Visitors will also be able to appreciate more than 60 banners lining the streets, bearing the images of soldiers in past wars. The exhibit is organized by the Bury Historical and Heritage Society, and has been funded, in part, by the families of veterans, in memory of their loved ones.
CHURCHES
Baptist. Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. Sunday services: June 23 at 10 a.m. at St John’s, Brookbury, and June 30 at 11 a.m. at St. George’s in Lennoxville. To find services in the deanery, check the schedule at deaneryofstfrancis.com/calendar/. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Sunday services, until June 30, are at the Trinity United Church in Cookshire at 9:30 a.m., and at the Sawyerville United Church at 11 a.m. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by June 19 for publication July 3.

To be honest, I don’t know a lot about gardening. What I do know dates back to another time and place before plastic and pesticides.
When we woke up in the morning, we tasted the wind and surveyed the clouds. We had a huge garden plot plowed and harrowed by tractor-drawn machines. After that, our only tools were metal hoes and garden rakes on handles of wood, with which we gauged long rows in the earth, planted seeds, and fought off the weeds. Or our own two hands, to pull out the weeds who’d got out of hand, and finally to pick the peas, beans, and corn. Oh yes, we had forks to dig the potatoes.
So a few years ago, when Janice LaDuke invited us to write a poem that begins «If I know anything…» this is what came out of my old-fashioned pen (previous published in a chapbook, Black Cat Tales (2018):

If I know anything about gardening

It’s about dropping seeds steadily into the furrow
tamping the earth over them

It’s about earth worms
wriggling under my bare feet

It’s about hoeing on and on
drawn down the row by my sister’s stories

It’s about lettuce
sprouting shy but determined

It’s about tomatoes sweet and juicy
cleaved and slathered with mayo
slipped between slices of homemade bread

It’s about sweet corn
rushed from the stalk into a pot
still sweet and succulent

It’s about bushes of peas beans potatoes
withering before winter winds

If I know anything about gardening
it’s about dirt and more dirt
it’s about living and dying

GARDENS & MARKETS
In short, ‘tis the season for gardens, and garden markets, four of them in the Haut-Saint-François. The one in Dudswell is already launched and continues Saturdays, 9 to 11:30 a.m., until September 14, at the heritage garden, 167 Main Street (facing the town hall).
Bury’s market in the Memorial Park kicks off June 15, and continues July 13 & 27, August 10 & 24, and September 7. It’s at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At the Sawyerville Community Garden, 70 Randboro Road, the weekly public market begins June 29 and ends September 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Over at Canterbury Centre, 1095 Victoria Road, the market kicked off last weekend, and comes back Saturdays July 27. It continues weekly until August 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Oh yes, speaking of gardens: On the magazine stands in the Cookshire IGA and the Dépanneur Lachance in Sawyerville is the May Townships Sun about gardens and gardening in the Eastern Townships. Featuring flowers! This lush issue is guest-edited by Angela Leuck.
GARDEN BEE, 25th
An inaugural garden bee is planned at the Sawyerville Community Garden on Saturday, May 25, 9 a.m. to noon. Helping hands are invited to help with tasks related to getting the garden open and running for the 2024 season. For more information, contact jcsawyerville@hotmail.com, or check the Facebook page, Jardin Communautaire Sawyerville.
BROOKBURY POTLUCK, 25th
The Brookbury Hall is open for business! The first event of the season will be a Spring Potluck supper and Silent Auction on May 25 at 5 p.m. The Hall’s address is 571 Brookbury Road (aka Route 255). Info: Brenda Bailey, 819-884-5984.
SmART SCIENCE, 25th+
SmART Science workshops in English continue the next three Saturday afternoons, 1-3 p.m., for families with children aged 9 or older. It features «Engineering Squad» activities devised by Science Wizard Angie Aucoin. The series is sponsored by Literacy in Action. Space is limited, so sign up first with Angie@lia-estrie.org, or 819-346-7009.
STAINED GLASS IN BURY
What? A special exhibit of 14 «stained glass» mosaic artworks created by children aged 5 to 15 during «Paspareil» workshops led by stained glass artist Chantal Guertin.
Where? You can see it at the Bury Library, located at 569 Main Street in Bury (side door of the Victoria Multifunctional Centre). The exhibit is on display until Canada Day, when the pieces will be sold.
When? The exhibit is accessible during the library opening hours, Monday from 2 to 4 p.m., Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.
CANTERBURY CONCERT, June 21
Heads up for St-Jean-Baptiste weekend: A concert at the Canterbury Centre on June 21st at 8 p.m. for the Fête Nationale features traditional Quebec music with guitar, mandoline, accordion, violin, bass, and voices. The musicians are Paula Chiasson, Normand Breton, and Christian Nolet. Tickets: $15. The Canterbury Centre is at 1095 Victoria Road (Route 214), Bury. Info: 819-872-3400.
BROOKBURY, June 22
Hotdogs, salads, chips, and ice cream sundaes! It’s the Brookbury Barbecue planned for Saturday, June 22, at 5 p.m. Entry: $10/person. At the Brookbury Hall, 571 Brookbury Road (aka Route 255). Info: Brenda Bailey, 819-884-5984.
PARTY IN SAWYERVILLE, June 23
Loisir Sawyerville is to host a Fete-Saint-Jean-Baptiste party on Sunday, June 23, from 3 p.m. to midnight at the Sawyerville ball park. Bouncy castles, a canteen/bar service, a bonfire, and music are lined up for the evening. More details to be posted soon on the Loisir Sawyerville Facebook page.
CHURCHES
United. Penticost 1 services are May 26 at 9:30 a.m. in Cookshire, and 11 a.m. in Sawyerville, followed by the Annual Congregational Meeting. Penticost 2 services are the same times and places on June 2nd. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. Sunday services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. Sunday services are on May 26 at 10 a.m. at the St. John’s Church in Brookbury, and on June 2nd at 9 a.m. (new time) at St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. To find services in the deanery, check the schedule at deaneryofstfrancis.com/calendar/. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by May 23 for publication June 5.

Did you miss the eclipse? Were you stuck in the mud, and forgot to look up at the stars? Maybe you’ll join us in Iceland on August 12, 2026. In the meantime, we boldly zoom past mud season into spring. And stuff is happening.
SOMETHING B/OLD
A weeklong fest for old people, B/OLD Aging Together is planned for May 6 to 15, at Concordia University. It’s reaching out to us in the Haut-Saint-François too; most of the events are hybrid, so available via Zoom. What a good use for our new high speed fibre-optic internet. (Thank you, Mr. Legault for connecting the anglophone underclass to each other, she says with a chuckle.)
No, no, B/OLD is for everyone! The program is both hybrid and bilingual. And it’s totally free of charge.
I know about this event because I have an old artist friend participating in it. “I’d like to make you aware of the wonderful work Concordia University’s EngAGE program is doing. Simply put, their goal is to empower aging!” she emailed.
The program includes a series of panels and discussions―for example, participants get to see a podcast being recorded live. The Forever Young podcast is created by three women at the Montreal West Public Library who engage in conversations about aging with people who think outside the box.
They plan a conversation with Ryan Backer, co-founder of Old School, an online space that raises awareness of ageism and promotes age equity. That’s offered by Respecting Elders: Communities Against Abuse (RECAA), activists against mistreatment of older adults. Other topics are mistreatment in long-term care, and Aging and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
A series of workshops mostly requires attendance in person: Creating stories of aging in Zine form; music therapy for culture change and social justice in long-term care; puzzles and riddles; propagating food in your kitchen from scraps. Another series of short films also offer interesting glimpses into living while old.
Then we come to the exhibits. My friend, Joanne Kielo, is participating in the group show “advantAGE: Reinvention,” showing the work of 10 artists who create while old and female.
In the Fraud Tails/Tales “Scam Booth,” people of all ages are invited to share their encounters with scams and scammers, while a digital animal filter hides their identity and offers a humorous take on the experience. Another participatory exhibit is the ACT Living Lab mobile garden, described as “a vibrant space showcasing hydroponics, soil-grown seedlings, and innovative ideas for aging together with vegetables.”
Joanne is a good ambassador. The program includes some innovative approaches. It sounds like fun! I’m looking forward to embodying a feline in the “I am not a cat” style while explaining how I’ve made myself immune to telephone scams. The themes treated are important―ageism, fraud targeting seniors, senior abuse, navigating the long-term-care jungle, and so on. I’m happy to see old women appreciated as artists. We’ve come a long way since Grandma Moses.
But I can’t help it. I wish this kind of focus would be less needed in our society. I wish “intergenerational” would be less of an exotic concept, that senior generations were more integrated into our society as a whole. That the need to focus on survival didn’t impede the joy of living and contributing our experience and creativity.
Check it out online: bold2024.ca. Just imagine the slash between the “b” and “old.”
SOMETHING V/YOUNG
This weekend the Townships Sun’s Young Voices is to give 15 Awards for magazine art, photos, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to youth ages 11 to 29, selected from more than 75 entries from across the Eastern Townships,
Townships Young Voices has two youth coordinators, Ana Martinez and Arabella MacFish. Four local experts volunteered as jury members: author and film director Louise Abbott, author Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt, poet and journalist Scott Stevenson, and artist Yong Sook Kim-Lambert (read more about the jurors at: instagram.com/tyvoices). The awards total $3,000, more than triple last year’s purse. Five first-prize winners will each receive $450, five second-prize winners will each receive $100 and five third-place winners will each receive $50.
On top of that, we’ll be able to vote for winners of People’s Choice Awards in each category!
Winning entries and honourable mentions will be published in the July-August 2024 special youth-designed edition of the Townships Sun magazine, as part of its ongoing 50th anniversary celebration year.
The Awards Gala is planned for Sunday, April 28, from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Lac-Brome Community Centre, 270 Victoria, in Knowlton, and we are all invited, free of charge, to help celebrate all the participants. Please reserve your space at townshipssunRSVP@gmail.com.
WATERWAYS
What has happened to our Townships waterways? A few answers are in the current Townships Sun, available at townshipssun.ca or the magazine stands at the Cookshire IGA and Dépanneur Lachance in Sawyerville.
VIACTIVE
April 24 is the last Viactive session of the season in Sawyerville, and May 15, in Newport. Happy summer!
CANTERBURY FLEA MARKET
Tony De Melo of the Canterbury Cultural Centre is still looking for items for the May 18-19 flea market: Old, new, used, vintage or antique items in good condition, please; large pieces of furniture, appliances or clothing, no thank you. All proceeds go to the restoration and regular maintenance of the Canterbury Centre at 1095 Victoria Road (Route 214), Bury. Info: 819-872-3400.
CHURCHES
Anglican. Sunday, May 5, at 10 a.m.: St. Peter’s in Cookshire. To find services in the deanery, check the schedule at deaneryofstfrancis.com/calendar/. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Thursday, April 25: 10:30 a.m. Saint Francis Manor, Lennoxville; 1:30 p.m. Grace Pavilion, Huntingville. Sunday, April 28 and May 5: 9:30 a.m. in Cookshire, and 11 a.m. in Sawyerville. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. Sunday Services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by April 25 for publication May 8.

Just published―the Townships Sun’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition, a full 52 pages of stories and images reflecting on the life and times of this “small yet mighty magazine.”
Those are the words of Marie Moliner, its 50th Anniversary Coordinator and Assistant Editor, who led the team organizing a celebration of the edition’s launch at Uplands Cultural & Heritage Centre on March 19th. A full 50 Townships Sun volunteers, partners, contributors, and donors attended and received a complimentary copy of the special edition.
The Townships Sun was first published on February 8, 1974, during a period of great social and political change in the Eastern Townships. Its parent organization was the Eastern Townships Social Action Group (ETSAG), formed to support the English-speaking communities in the region, preceding Townshippers’ Association.
The Anniversary Edition recounts the Sun’s story over the past five decades through a variety of articles, photos, and graphics by many of the same people involved over the years: Russell Pocock, Susan Mastine, Libbey Griffith, Bernard Epps, and Charles Bury, Gladys Beattie, Barbara Verity, Scott Stevenson, David “Skip” Wright, and many others.
Over the years, more than a few of the volunteers were, or are, Haut-Saint-Françiscans. In fact, the official Townships Sun logo depicts the twin mountains on our eastern horizon, Mont-Mégantic and Mont-Saint-Joseph. Artist Stephanie Wells drew it, based on the view from her house in Scotstown.
Begun as a tabloid, the Sun was transformed into its current magazine format in 2007. An editorial team of Nancy Beattie, Charles Bury, Brenda Hartwell, and others led it then. More recent editors were Rod Leggett, Gordon Lambie, and Barbara Heath, editor for six years until she passed away in 2021, when I took on the role as my retirement gig, albeit a volunteer job.
This retrospective edition was built on the foundation of our archives project last year. I discovered all kinds of riches during my review of all 50 years of the magazine. Earlier themes concerning living as an English speaker in the Townships as the French language predominates gave way to concerns about the environment, and health and social issues. But also the natural beauty of the Townships, and, as described in Angela Leuck’s article, culture―arts and literature―have always remained important.
The history of our little community magazine is intertwined with the tumultuous story of English-speaking people in the Townships over the past 50 years. I think it will be a good read for many years to come!
Back issues of the Townships Sun are available online by googling “BAnQ Townships Sun.”
The 50th Anniversary Edition is twice the size of the Sun’s usual issues, and cost about twice as much to print.
It could not have been created without the support of the magazine’s 50th Anniversary Partners―Blanchard Litho, Global Excel, English Language Arts Network, Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network, and Townshippers’ Association―and more than 60 individual donors. We are very grateful!
The Townships Sun’s 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition is in the mail to subscribers and on the magazine stands at the Cookshire IGA and the Dépanneur C.P.L. Lachance in Sawyerville. Until April 30, copies of this special 52-page colour edition are available for $2.50; after April 30, they become collectors’ items, and will be sold for $5 each. If any are left. To get yours now, subscribe at TownshipsSun.ca.
Look lively. The next edition about the eclipse and our waterways is coming out at at the beginning of April.
ODD FELLOWS
The Odd Fellows of Eaton Valley Lodge #60 in Sawyerville are organizing a Pancake Supper fundraiser on Saturday, April 6, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Sawyerville Catholic Church Hall. Pancakes, eggs, grilled potatoes, baked beans, bacon, sausage, ham, and more. Tickets are $20 (adults); $10 (ages 6-12), and free for children under 5.
For tickets, call Barry Berwick (819-889-2597) or Tami Spires (819-452-3685). When reserving, please say whether you are dining in or taking out.
ECLIPSE!
Providing no clouds are in the way, the Haut-Saint-François offers prime viewing of the April 8th solar eclipse. We’re situated right in the centre of the path of totality.
For us, totality begins at 3:28:02 and ends 3:31:32 p.m. (3 minutes, 30 seconds). The moon begins to move across the face of the sun at 2:16:59, and finishes at 4:37 p.m. So says eclipse.org.
The MRC has organized a free activity in La Patrie from 1 to 4 p.m., with a large-screen broadcast of a special program from the Mont-Mégantic Astrolab and free eclipse eyewear for up to 1,800 people. Eleven other municipalities offer similar activities, including Bury, Dudswell, Newport, and St-Isidore-de-Clifton. For details, google mrchsf.com/evenements/eclipse-totale-dans-le-haut/, have a cup of tea while the page opens, and read all about it… in French. Then just relax while the sun takes a nap!
CANTERBURY FLEA MARKET
Tony De Melo of the Canterbury Cultural Centre is once again looking for items for the May 18-19 flea market. “Old, new, used, vintage or antique items in good condition are welcome,” he wrote. “We do not accept large pieces of furniture, appliances or clothing.”
All proceeds are for restoration and regular maintenance of the church―i.e. the Canterbury Centre at 1095 Victoria Road (Route 214), Bury. For more information, contact Tony at 819-872-3400.
CHURCHES
Baptist. Sunday Services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Anglican. No services in Cookshire. To find services in the deanery, check the schedule at deaneryofstfrancis.com/calendar/. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. March 31st: Sunrise service at the Eaton Corner Gazebo, at 6:20 a.m., followed by a potluck breakfast at the Sawyerville United Church. Easter Sunday service with communion is at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church. April 7: Services are 9:30 a.m. in Cookshire, and 11 a.m. in Sawyerville. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by March 28 for publication April 10.

A book club in the boonies?
I must confess I’ve never been part of a book club before, but as Colleen talked to me about her idea, I began to feel excited.
That’s Colleen McInerney. She moved to Saint-Malo from the Montreal area a few years ago during the Covid pandemic. Last week, she reached out to the Sawyerville Librarian, Ann Rothfels, who popped off an email to Rachel Writes: Are there any book clubs around here for people reading books in English?
I couldn’t think of any. Colleen emailed that she’d be interested in starting one up, and she offered a meeting space for the group. I called her to find out what she has in mind.
She said she’d never been in a book club either, so she’s been talking to people about how they run their book clubs. She discovered it can be hard to get enough books for everyone to read the same book at the same time. A library rarely has more than one copy. So, she thought, “why not just ask everyone to bring the book they’re reading, and have an exchange, kind of like CBC’s Canada Reads?”
“Just bring what you have read, and we can talk about it. We could do book exchanges, too. Or the members could discuss it, and maybe if everyone agrees, they could read something together on Kindle. Anything is possible. The main thing is to have an intellectual and social gathering of people who like books.”
Colleen used to live in the McGill Ghetto in Montreal, in a cooperative. She’s envisaging a book club along the lines of a little cooperative. “I know how to cooperate,” she laughed.
“We could meet once a month, or maybe once every three weeks, to follow the library’s schedule. We could decide at the first meeting how we want to do it.”
Basically, she is thirsty for the kind of cultural and social contacts she used to have in the Ghetto. She participated in the Literacy in Action “Migration” events in Eaton Corner and Lennoxville. “I know it’s fun to create with others,” she said. She’s eager to meet people who are also interested in the arts and literature.
On the other hand, Colleen has a lot of appreciation for her new surroundings. You can hear it in her voice, as she gives directions. “You just go up Route 253, it’s the next village over from Sawyerville. Then you go four kilometres on a dirt road. It’s beautiful, through the woods. I live on Lake Lindsay. A hundred years ago, there was a small lumber mill here, run by steam. It’s really a pleasant place to meet, outside on good days, or inside.”
She says she’s interested in getting to know writers as well as readers. I was supposed to be interviewing her, but very quickly, I found Colleen was asking me about my writing. I was able, though, to find out she has written and self-published “a little book with a big title: An A―Z Guide to Reinventing Yourself with Passion and Zeal in the 21st Century.”
“It’s amazing. A painting I did is on the cover, and now I’ve ended up living in a similar scene! It’s kind of synchronistic. The book is based on common sense, but also some life experiences and learning I had, and a near-death experience. But I did create a life I enjoy very, very much.”
Her book is for sale on Amazon, where you can preview the entries for A and B. Under “B” are “Balance” and “Beliefs.” I suspect if I read further, I would soon come to “Book Club!” It’s all part of creating a life you enjoy very, very much.
To find out more, contact Colleen at 819-658-1078 or colleenmcinerney51@gmail.com.
50th ANNIVERSARY
When Colleen began interviewing me, I had a chance to tell her about the Townships Sun, and that I am its editor. Did you know this year marks the 50th anniversary of this magazine? It started in 1972, and this month’s “legacy” edition is super fat―a full 52 pages. To fill those pages, I’ve been looking back through some 14,000 pages of the magazine from February 1974 to February 2024. And I’ve asked some long-ago contributors to write about their experiences. Altogether, it makes an engrossing story, the Townships English-speaking community and its little magazine.
So that’s why the March issue is late hitting the magazine stands. During the week of March 18th, look for your copy at the Cookshire IGA or the Dépanneur C.P.L. Lachance.
BILINGUAL TAX SERVICE
Last chance to use the bilingual income tax assistance program in Sawyerville, open to persons with limited income, free of charge. This service is organized by the Loisirs de Sawyerville, and is part of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program organized by the Canada Revenue Agency. Danielle, Francine, and Suzanne will still welcome you on Wednesday afternoons, March 13 and 20, from 1 to 6 p.m. and March 27, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Catholic church in Sawyerville, Église Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire, 4 Randboro Road. Use the back door to enter the basement. Info: Danielle, 819-889-2614.
CHURCHES
Anglican. No services in Cookshire. To find services in the deanery, check the schedule at deaneryofstfrancis.com/calendar/. Info: 819-887-6802, or quebec.anglican.ca.
United. Usual Sunday services are 9:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church (Cookshire), and 11 a.m. at the Sawyerville United Church. On March 24, these will Palm Sunday services. On March 31st are planned a Sunrise service at the Eaton Corner Gazebo, at 6:15 a.m., and an Easter Sunday service with communion at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity United Church. Info: 819-889-2838. For pastoral care, call Rev. Spires at 819-452-3685.
Baptist. Sunday Services are in French at 9 a.m. and in English at 11 a.m., at the Sawyerville Baptist Church, 33 rue de Cookshire. For information, please contact Pastor Michel Houle at 819-889-2819.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-640-1340 or email rawrites@gmail.com by March 18 for publication March 27.