The Organic Underground Cafe is closing ... or maybe not. Our Century 21 Office in Belleville, Ontario is located across the street from a remarkable little cafe called the Organic Underground that was founded by Katharine Davis and her community of like-minded friends about three years ago. Perhaps the best way to describe it is to use part of the notice that Katharine posted on the Organic Underground website a couple of days ago. It sets out her initial vision for the cafe, one that has been achieved with remarkable success - "Three years ago this June, I opened the Organic Underground in downtown Belleville. "From inception, I imagined a space that would exemplify the reality that so many of us want to see in the world. "This was to be a space where people who live in a common geogr... 06/19/2010

I can't stand Shrek. I didn't like him in the first unwatchable Shrek movie, I didn't like him in the ten minutes I watched of the second movie, I hated him in the third movie which I didn't see, and now that I haven't watched the fourth one, I hate him more still. I'm trying to ignore you Shrek, you ubiquitous green hobgoblin (or whatever you're supposed to be). Am I the only person on the planet who doesn't like Shrek? It used to be that children's movies were for children. Now it seems like they are packed with double entendres, innuendos, and situations which are meant to appeal to adults too. It's really not a kids' movie. It's also not much of a movie for adults. Why is Shrek so darned popular?  I'll never know.   06/11/2010

I took the kids to the Aji Sai all-you-can-eat-sushi restaurant in Belleville on Saturday. I was very pleasantly surprised.  Most of the Asian restaurants in this area are of the small town chicken-ball-and-red-sauce variety.  The food at Aji Sai was very good and the service was indifferent, just like it's supposed to be in good Japanese restaurants that cater to Chinese people. I hate going to places where people fawn all over me. Perhaps I'm not a regular customer, but I prefer when the server takes my order and then leaves me alone. The restaurant is rather cavernous and Saturday it was pretty noisy because there was a whack of students in there celebrating something (maybe the impending end of the school year). I enjoy this atmosphere, it reminds me of the more authentic places whe... 05/31/2010

YARD SALE FOR THE CURE - REMAX BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO Saturday May 29, 2010 - REMAX will be holding a YARD SALE FOR THE CURE. Please come and join us and help us raise some money for a great cause.  I personally have had a close encounter with Breast Cancer.  Luckily, I am monitored on a quarterly basis with no cancer to date.  However, since my mother had a lump removed I am a high candidate for on-going monitoring.  Where does the money go? Research Grants: Treatment  Fellowship Grants: Post Surgical Care Community Based Research Grants: Side Effects of Treatment     05/28/2010

Let the Birds Sing - Tweet Up - Belleville Ontario Okay so I am a Twitter Addict!  I currently have two accounts and manage them via HootSuite.  You can find me via @Quintehomes4sal or @cathypolan. I enjoy engaging with others and sharing information.  I not only follow local people from my area but others in the real estate field both from Canada and the USA.  I have learned many new ideas from Twitter. For instance, I just held a Realtor Open House at 836 Huff Road, Marmora on Tuesday.  I called it "Tee Time".  I hired a Golf Pro from the Bay of Quinte Golf Course and offered agents a chance to get some golf tips while viewing the property.  Now my property is priced at $272,900.00 - so being frugal was of importance.  I went and got a great deal on Sandbanks Wine (Local Winery in the... 05/28/2010

Tomorrow (Friday May 28th), the Quinte Community Gospel Choir is having a fundraiser for Haiti. It's taking place at the Quinte Bible Chapel at 188 Victoria Avenue in Belleville. Tickets are $10.00, and you can get them at the door. As the poster above states, the guest artists will be the wonderfully talented Jeanette Arsenault and Rob Rapino.  The Gospel Choir themselves are worth the $10.00 admission charge, but when you include these two wonderful guest artists, you know you'll be getting value for your money. Why not come on down and enjoy two hours of entertainment? I'll be there (I'm giving a little 5 minute talk on the progress World Vision is making in Haiti), so come and say hello.     05/27/2010

Why not enjoy your Mother's Day with your family while participating in The Free Active Transportation Day presented by the Green Task Force in the City of Belleville. As your local realtor with Re/Max Quinte Ltd. Brokerage - I believe in our green initative programs and the City of Belleville is helping us along with offering many great programs especially this weekend. Location:                           Market Square,     Behind Belleville City Hall Time:                                2:00 p.m. Details:                             Join the Green Task Force to enjoy the City of Belleville's great trail system via your bike, roller blades or walk.  A map will be provided. Don't forget your helmet and a bottle of water.  Sponsors:                        Belleville Cyclists Advisory Gro... 05/06/2010

A Friendly Reminder Green Task Force Quinte Waste Solutions May 8, 2010                                                 Free - TV and Electronic Waste Drop Off Location:                                                      Yardman Arena, Cannifton Road Belleville, Ontario Time:                                                             9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Details:                                                        www.quinterecycling.org  Great opportunity to clean out the garage or de-clutter your home before selling.  If you would like a free market evaluation please contact me - your friendly Re/Max Quinte (Belleville, Trenton, Brighton, Frankford, Marmora) Ltd. Brokerage Sales Representative.   05/05/2010

St. Theresa's Catholic High School: St.Theresa Catholic Secondary School is a Roman Catholic Secondary School located in Belleville, Ontario. It operates under the direction of the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board. The school is named after the patron Saint, St. Theresa (1873-1897). St. Theresa C.S.S. is a uniform school. My two sons graduated from St. Theresa's.  It is an excellent school for your children to attend.  It has a school uniform and is located in the North East section of Belleville, Ontario. Recently it was awarded the National Secondary School Recognition Award for Physical and Health Education in Canada. The organization recognized teachers and students at St. T's for being excellent role models for all other Canadian schools. St. Theresa's is loca... 05/04/2010

The Green Task Force City of Belleville and Hastings Stewardship Council This is an excellent opportunity for young families to get their children involved with helping out the environment.  In order to protect and promote a "green"  environment we must be active.  Come join The City of Belleville Green Task Force and the Hastings Stewardship Council for this great event.     May 8, 2010 FREE - TREE SEEDLING DISTRIBUTION Location: Market Square, behind City Hall Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 noon Tree seedlings: White Pine, White Spruce, Red Oak, Norway Spruce, Nannyberry, Sugar Maple What to bring: Bucket or bags to bring your seedlings home please! Sponsor:   Hastings Stewardship Council 05/04/2010

 Belleville - Green Task Force and the Rotary Club of Belleville Present: May 7, 2010 FREE - MOVIE NIGHT IN THE PARK Location: East Hill Park, Corner of Bridge & Bleecker Time: Dusk until end of movie Movie being shown: A series of family movies, perfect for all ages What to bring: Your own lawnchair and reusable mug Sponsor: Rotary Club of Belleville   05/03/2010

The City of Belleville Green Task Force will be holding an ELECTRONICS DROP-OFF EVENT for proper recycling of your electronics. You can bring Televisions, telephones, computers, cameras, etc.   May 8, 2010 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Yardman Arena 265 Cannifton Road Belleville Cost: Help Support our local GLEANERS FOODBANK by donating a non-perishable food item. For all your Quinte Real Estate Needs please contact: The Sharon Shortt Team Catherine Polan, Sales Representative Re/Max (Remax) Quinte Ltd. Brokerage Office:1-866-969-9907 Direct: 613-243-9659   04/26/2010

City of Belleville Tax Increase    Although no city resident wants to pay more taxes I do believe our Belleville City Council did a great job in holding taxes to an overall increase of 2.4% after a couple of days deliberation. Although not all residents will see an increase.  It will depend on which part of the city you reside in. As reported by "The Intelligencer" (City of Belleville Local Newspaper) Tax information Taxes will be impacted by the 2010 City of Belleville budget. The following figures are based on homes assessed at $175,650: * Belleville urban: A total increase of 1.42 per cent or $40.41 annually;* * Cannifton urban: A total increase of 1.32 per cent or $36.62 annually; * Cannifton rural: A total increase of .85 per cent or $22.20 annually; * Rural: A total decrease of .3... 04/11/2010

City of Belleville: Green Task Force The City of Belleville - Green Task Force has a new initiative for City Residents to Purchase Rain Barrels. What a wonderful idea. If you are interested please contact Belleville Water at 613-966-3651 Total Costs including taxes is $45.20 while quantities last. You can pick up or have them delivered to your door. Here is an example of a Rain Barrel  (may not represent the one you will get - just an example)   For all your Quinte Real Estate Please contact: The Sharon Shortt Team Catherine Polan, Sales Representative Re/Max (Remax) Quinte Ltd. Brokerage 1-866-969-9907 613-243-9659 04/08/2010

This is the time of year where students and parents alike are awaiting news of acceptance into the university or college of their choice.  For many that choice is Loyalist College . Loyalist College official open its doors in 1967 in a local high school and had a permanent home in 1968 at its own facility.  Just in two years after establishing it owns facility the demand for the more space became evident and further construction was necessary to add an additional wing to the college called: Lennox and Addington Wing. Loyalist College  is located in a community in which I live called Belleville, also known as "The Friendly City."  Loyalist is located on 200 acres of land in our wonderful city.  Our city offers a number of great activities for the students whether it be our local sports c... 02/25/2010

I attended my first "TweetUp" at "The Boathouse" in Belleville. First for those of you who are unaware of what a "TweetUp" consists of - it is a group of people from the same area that participate on Twitter.  I have two twitter names @Quintehomes4sal and @cathypolan.  The one trait that hit me the most with attending the "TweetUp" was that we have no age boundaries.  We had people there from the ages of 18 - 60 both male and female.  I would admit that we had more female participants than males.  It was a wonderful opportunity to Network.  I met some very interesting people and although they may not be in the market today for a home - they may be in a few weeks or months. The second thing I noticed was what a great spot to have dinner - The Boathouse.  Belleville is a great community t... 02/20/2010

The Power of a Community: On Feb. 13, 2010 I attended the Belleville Bulls game.  The Belleville Bulls organization has dedicated this year to the Military.  The dedication ceremony was done early in the year and yes,  Col. Russell Williams represented the Military back in September. However, tonight he did not spoil the mood.  The Belleville Bulls Organization put on one heck  of a show.  The community has recognized the damage that this one individual has potentially done to our military and moreover to our community.  Our Belleville Police Chief read a note from the Jessica Lloyd family.  The speech was well spoken and well written.  They reminded us that her father served in the Canadian Navy for over 25 years and that we must remember that Col. Russ Williams acted as an individual ... 02/14/2010

One of the benefits that I get for being a World Vision Vlounteer is that I get to volunteer at some really great events and meet some really dedicated people, the type of people that I can look up to. Sometimes I have to speak, sometimes I have to present, but sometimes I just have to man a table and watch other people talk, present or perform. The part of me that doesn't like speaking in public (the brain is a wonderful thing, it starts working the moment you are born and stops the moment you get up to talk in front of a group of people), really enjoys the events where I can just relax and be a small part of the overall event.Friday evening was a night just like that at the Marantha Church in Belleville. It was the Couples Night Out, a chance for Couples to have an evening of peaceful... 02/14/2010

Ready for some good economic news? I know I am, so I was delighted to see this article in our local newspaper last week: http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1458779 In January and February of 2008 building permits in Belleville, Ontario amounted to $2,428,908. With timing that is especially fortunate given the current economic crisis, the Canadian Federal Government has started a major renovation project on its property at 11 Station St. in Belleville that will cost $8.5 million. This boosts the overall value of building permits issued in January and February 2009 to $11,288,100, an increase of 365% over the same period last year. I'm sure that plans for this have been in the works for a long time, but having this project proceed now is a stimulus at just the right time.Ci... 03/10/2009

I must admit that I have very little experience in re-reading books. Most often when I finish a good book, I like to think about someone who would enjoy it and give it to them. Passing it along means that it can be doubly-enjoyed. One book I decided not give away, though, is "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time" which was first published in 2003. The author, Mark Haddon, take us to a place we can never visit on our own - inside the mind of a young man with Asperger's Syndrome. Haddon manages to do this so effectively that reality, as Christopher John Francis Boone understands it, makes sense for us. The behaviour we would have dismissed as being bizarre has meaning within his experience, and his outlook on life challenges us to examine the assumptions on which we have base... 03/09/2009