I’m thrilled to see that the Kenyon Presbyterian Church’s “Outdoor Social” is enjoying a continued revival. In fact, this year’s edition will be the third since the event was reintroduced in 2014. The ladies of the Kenyon Women’s Association are to be congratulated for resurrecting the community get-together that was so popular back around the mid 20th century.
The 2016 Kenyon Presbyterian Church’s Outdoor Social will be held on Tuesday, July 5th. Please note that the merriment will start a half hour earlier this year — at 6:30 PM — and run until 9:30 PM. The evening of fun, food and fellowship will feature a downhome line-up of local talent, including The MacLeod Fiddlers, Fridge Full of Empties, The Brigadoons and more.
In addition to a Bouncy Castle, kids can look forward to an activity tent geared just towards them with diversions such as face painting, a fishpond and a craft table. And for young and old alike, there will be a bake sale table, a lemonade stand, a lunch and snacks. The cost of admission is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for ages 5 to 12 (with a maximum of $25.00 per family). Children under 5 are free and proceeds from the event go towards the upkeep of the church.
If the weather is inclement, the concert will be held in the church. But, if the weather is fair, don’t forget to bring your own lawn chairs. And remember, this event is open to all. You need not be a member of the Church to attend. The only prerequisite is that you enjoy having a good time.
Where there’s smoke…
The first thing that struck me when I dropped by the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s first-ever Smith-In Blacksmith Festival this past Sunday was the distinctive smell of burning coal. It is completely different from the smoke of from a wood or even a charcoal fire. It drew me to the Williams Pavilion where two blacksmiths had set up their forges and were plying their ancient trade.
While the attendance at the two-day event was nothing to text mother about — Saturday saw 115 paying visitors through the gates and Sunday about 80 — the Smith-in seems to have attracted a completely different crowd from the usual museum events. And as Martha used say before being locked up, that’s a good thing,
When I asked Doug Cameron from Hawkesbury for his impressions of the Smith-in, he replied “Wonderful!” While not a first-time visitor, Doug told me it was the first time he had really taken the time to explore the museum’s many buildings and exhibits. To be honest, I had been hoping for a slightly more expansive response to my question and luckily Doug’s friend, Christine Lockett said, “A fascinating glimpse into our history… one that shows how much richness our culture has lost.”
Exhibitor, Dave Brandow from Guelph, echoed this sentiment. The president of the Ontario Artist Blacksmith Association, Dave explained to Robin Flockton and I the reason why iron artifacts from 19th century had so much embellishment compared to today’s utilitarian equivalents.
“Back in the day, the most expensive component was the raw material, the iron and steel the blacksmith used. The cost of his labour was inconsequential by comparison.” As a result, hand-forged items were sold by weight and the price was the same from one store to the next. “Unlike today,” said Dave, “where everything is sold on the basis of the lowest price.” So to differentiate their creations from those of their competitors, blacksmiths of old would add decorative elements to their work to attract the shopper’s custom.
This idea that pioneers viewed time differently than we do today was further reinforced when I dropped by the old Hamelin Blacksmith Shop. There, by the glow of a roaring, bellows-fed fire, two smiths and an apprentice were forging a rifle barrel. When I asked how long the process took, from start to finish, I was told an entire week. For one gun barrel.
For me, the best news of the weekend is that the gathering appears to have been a hit with the blacksmiths themselves. “The smiths all seemed really keen on the event,” organizer Sean Burgess told me, “and all said they’d readily return if we were to hold this event again.” And I hope the museum does repeat it. It takes time to build up an event like this. And as long as it doesn’t lose money — which I don’t believe it did — then it’s worth allowing it time to grow. Look at how far the Harvest Fall Festival has come over the years.
“Nobody was hurt”
And talking about smoke, Dunvegan was awash in it Monday, June 20th. However, what struck me as a bit strange was that it was wood smoke, not the petrochemical fumes one gets from a building fire. It wasn’t long, though, before I had a call from Robert Campbell in the hamlet reporting that a fire had broken out in Kenny and Annette MacLeod’s bush.
As Kenny described it to me this past Saturday, he and his son have been clearing 35 acres at the south end of their farm. While he wasn’t burning the piles of brush at the time, embers from a previous burn — fanned by Monday’s gale-force winds — created a nightmare of a brush fire.
It wasn’t long before the strong westerly winds drove the conflagration into the bush on the Campbell farm to the east. There, around five to seven acres of cedar went up in smoke before the flames were finally extinguished. Another casualty of the fire was some of Roger Penner’s crops of soybeans that I’ve heard were destroyed when firefighters battled the blaze from the eastern front. In the end, the services of both the Alexandria and Maxville departments were required to bring the fire under control.
When asked Kenny about the loss of his neighbour’s bush, I was told that Brian Campbell had earned the Good Neighbour of the Year award when he shrugged it off and was heard to say, “The important thing is that nobody was hurt.” Kenny was also full of praise for Jason Wilkie who is in the process of building Brian and Karen’s new home… and Jonathan Hamelin who lives with his young family down the road in a bungalow that replaced the old one-room school that was lost to fire so many years ago. Jason and Jonathan have both been helping Kenny put out hot spots to prevent further flare-ups. They too deserve Good Neighbour of the Year awards.
Dunvegan Park condemned
At a recent meeting of the Municipal Recreation Advisory Committee, the long-awaited Playground Assessment Reports were distributed. In an understandable effort to limit the Township’s exposure to liability claims, a Certified Playground Inspector had been retained to have a critical look at the public playgrounds within the municipality.
Based on her reports, each one of the five playgrounds under local recreation association control (Glen Robertson, Apple Hill, Maxville, Dunvegan and Dalkeith) has deficiencies. Some minor. Some not so minor. And at least one — Dunvegan’s — a candidate for the scrap heap.
Despite the fact that the swing sets in the park at the corner of Dunvegan’s Church and Murray streets have served the needs of energetic children for nearly 40 years (first down where the micro soccer field is now located and, after that, the lot the DRA bought from the Arthur Campbell estate in August of 1988), the playground is a ticking time bomb. To quote from some of the report:
Below are the main reasons for recommending removal. There are so many non-compliant issues that the cost of making this equipment compliant would potentially be more than purchasing new equipment.
Lack of protective surfacing. Grass is not an acceptable surfacing material for the fall heights present at this equipment.
Exercise rings and trapeze bars are not intended for public play spaces. Not only do they create a looping hazard, but they are equipment that should have a spotter and intended for a supervised and controlled environment.
There are currently 4 swings present in the small swing set when only 2 swings are allowed per bay.
The blue plastic swing is not a commercial swing, it is intended for backyard use only.
The vertical ladder and moving sliding pole on the large swing frame is not commercial playground equipment _ it appears to be homemade and not appropriate for a public space.
There are numerous bolts beyond 2 threads on the swing sets.
In case you were wondering, the report contains photos of the offending bolt protrusions. They are at the very top of the play structures… eight to ten feet off the ground.
The fact of the matter is that, in today’s disposable world, old is verboten. As the inspector points out, “Playground equipment has a lifecycle of about 15 years and this equipment (Dunvegan’s) has exceeded its lifespan and should be removed to eliminate the added liability.” However, when you consider that today’s ‘CSA compliant’ structures can costs upwards of $60,000 to $80,000 installed, this can work out to $4,000 to $5,000 a year for one piece of playground equipment.
However, you can’t fight city hall. So the existing stuff must go; even the grass is a hazard. Naturally, Council is worried about the optics of taking stuff away from Dunvegan and not replacing it with anything. But cost is a real issue. So the Dunvegan Recreation Association will have to decide what the young families of Dunvegan (and the hordes of soccer players waiting for the match) need in the way play equipment… and if the DRA is in a position to contribute to the project from their fundraising efforts (assuming the Township also contributes as well).
Their best bet might be to pass on making a final decision this year and put some serious thought into their wish list and take time to do a cost/benefit analysis. I’ve been told that the recommendation to Council was that nothing be removed (other than that dreadful ladder) until all parties concerned had agreed to a replacement strategy.
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