The History of the Shawville/Clarendon Fire Department is available at the Pontiac Printshop, 133 Centre Street, Shawville. For information call (819) 647-2204.

The Shawville Talespinners meet at the Archives on the first Friday of the month at 2.00 pm. (summer months excluded).  Formed by Venetia Crawford, one of the founders of the Archives, this group brings together local people who can remember the personalities and events of the past.  At the first meeting Ms. Crawford used the topic of "school days" as a starting point, and related her own experiences as a teacher in Otter Lake in the 1960s;  other participants, including Reverend William McDowell and Betty Shore, contributed to the same theme.  Among the future topics will be mail delivery, war heroes and ghosts.   Ms. Crawford would like to see more people participate, and suggests that those who participate come to the Archives in advance to search the newspaper clippings for background to stories.  The Archives are open Tuesday to Thursday, 9.00 am. to 4.00 pm., and Saturday, 10.00 am. to 2.00 pm.

Logging History
Saturday,February 15, at Sheenboro, John Brennan, owner of Brennan's Recreational Farms, hosted a logging demonstration day, illustrating the techniques employed before the introduction of today's machinery.  Men with memories of the old days of the logging camps demonstrated notching, crosscut sawing, hauling with horses and skidding.  Linus ("Wrangler") Hearty told the press that he could recall crossing the ice on the Ottawa River many years ago in April, with a team of horses pulling a sleigh piled high with logs.  Today, he said, that would not be possible, because the winters are much less cold.

Pontiac Artists Association receive grant of $4000 from  The Québec Minister of Culture and Communications. Madame Line Beauchamp, recently announced the money will be used for two projects: the publication of a promotional leaflet about the 2006 Pontiac Artists' Workshops Tour, which will take place in June; and the event known as Art in the Park, in which the public is invited to join the professional artists in creating a mural. These annual events are regularly announced in this Cultural Bulletin.

Parish Records Ken Desjardins, originally from Fort Coulonge, has spent about a quarter of a century compiling lists of members of Catholic parishes across the Pontiac.
His latest volume is entitled 1846-2004 St. Anne's Parish Grand Calumet Island.  His previous books are entitled 1884-1992 The Marriages of St. Peter's Parish, Fort Coulonge, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Vinton 1875-1996, and 1851-1998 La paroisse Saint-Jacques-le-majeur Portage-du-Fort.
Mr. Desjardins will print 200 copies of the Calumet Island book, and any proceeds of sales will go to the church.  He will print more copies if the demand is there.  His father, Eméril Desjardins of Fort Coulonge, has copies for sale.