May 2017 May 19 2017 | Page 14

Page 14 The Colebrook Chronicle Friday, May 19, 2017 Around The Region BISHOPS/CHAMPLAIN REFUGEE SALE On Saturday morning, this reporter was up early and headed to Lennoxville, Que., to attend the annual Bishops University/Champlain College Refugee Sale. Every year, around this time, these two learning institutions get together and hold a huge garage sale that helps students come from war- torn places and gives them a second chance at a good educa- tion. Every year, Bishops Univer- sity and Champlain College bring over at least one student each. People started lining up early in the morning at the arena entrance a little after 6 a.m., waiting for the doors to open at 8 a.m. to an arena filled to the brim with all sorts of treasures. Tables were full of glassware, house wares, dishes, and every- thing in-between. There was something for everyone to buy. –Corey Bellam SPEY CASTING COMES TO SHERBROOKE Fly-fishers could be found everywhere at Sherbrooke’s Blanchard Park last weekend for the 8th annual Spey Forum. This featured fly-fishing demos of the latest equipment in Spey Cast- ing. We came in contact with Jean Fontaine, who welcomed us to the event and filled us in on what was happening. Spey Casting is a technique used for fly fishing. It is done with either a normal-length fly rod, or a double-handed fly rod, often called a Spey rod. Spey Casting is used for fishing large rivers for trout, such as steel head and sea trout. It is also used in saltwater surf casting, and allows the angler to cast larger flies for a longer distance. It started in Scotland in the mid 1800s. The name comes from the Spey River in Scotland. Back when this first got started, the rods were 22 feet long. Today they are 12-15 feet and can toss a line up to 80 feet. There are two types of Spey Casting–”Splash and Go” and the “Waterbourne Anchor.” Each angler has his or her own way to swing the line and cast. We came across Jean-Claude Rheaume and Maurice St-Louis hard at work tying flies. A little further down the line, we met with Bob McKenzie from Ontario and Pascal Perreault from Sher- brooke–the founders of the Sher- brooke Spey Forum. They told us that eight years ago, they were looking to start up a Spey Cast- ing group, and couldn’t find the right spot until they came across Sherbrooke’s Blanchard Park. We were told that close to 400 people attended this weekend event, coming from New Hamp- shire, Maine, Ontario, Quebec, and even one individual from Montana. The lake was lined with fishermen, and the beach with outfitters and salespeople. –Corey Bellam NORTH COUNTRY CHAMBER PLAYERS Recognized as one of New England’s foremost musical ensembles for nearly four decades, the North Country Chamber Players proudly announce their summer season, the 39th annual White Moun- tains Music Festival, which will include six weeks of concerts, lectures, open rehearsals and outreach programs in northern New Hampshire, beginning on Saturday, July 8 at the historic Sugar Hill Meeting House and concluding, on Sunday, August 13, at the spectacular