Dear Editor,
Concerning the name of the river that runs through it. Why does it have to change to advertise it? Does a new modern type name make it more historic, or more beautiful, or more elegant to roll off the tongue? If your answer to these questions is yes, then by all means change it. But to many of us old timers that grew up along her, swam in her, fished and boated on her, whose lives were formed around her. She will always be the Kemptville Creek.
Bob Ellah
It is truly a creek, I don’t believe you can travel from Kemptville to Oxford Mills via the Kemptville Creek in a boat. It does not have the depth of a river and the only time it has sufficient water flow to carry a canoe or any other type of water craft is in the spring. Those that want to change the name are most likely not originally from the area, and change the name of something merely for the sake of change with no real relevance to much of anything. Progress has changed the tiny Village of Kemptville to what is becoming a small city in it’s own right, bringing new residents from larger cities and expect to change an established way of life to suit others. Stores and businesses are expanding to meet those needs but the housing projects make it look like any other city, crammed together and built mostly in quantity not so much in quality. I have stayed in the area but could never live in Kemptville again the way it is expanding, like we used to say about Toronto – nice place to visit but wouldn’t want to live there. I’m sure when former residents that have moved far away and come back after a long absence won’t believe what they see.
I’ll stay rural for now and enjoy a quieter life style and watch from the outside what happens next…