My apologies to families who… after reading last week’s column… dutifully marked down December 11th as the date of Santa’s visit to the Dunvegan Recreation Hall. As a number of folks kindly pointed out to me, I was WRONG. The DRA’s Santa Visit event will actually take place one day earlier, on Saturday December 10th.
President Ben tells me that the doors will open at 10 AM, with games and Christmas-themed crafts for the kids. He also confirmed that the rest of the stuff I made up in last week’s column around this topic was correct… for the most part. There will indeed be snacks, treats, and fresh, hot-buttered popcorn. And Santa’s elves will be showing Charlie Brown’s Christmas. As well, when the clock strikes 10:30, the big man will pop in for a story and, of course, use his eidetic memory to take note of the wee ones’ wish lists.
However, where my reporting went off the rails was my promise of actual photo prints of your child or grandchild interacting with Santa. (I specify “interacting” because I’m not sure the classic “sitting on St. Nick’s lap” pose is politically correct any longer.) As the group’s photo printer has acted up in the past, the whole process went digital last year. Instead of prints, the festive snaps were sent to each parent via e-mail. I’m told that this process worked so well they’ll be doing the same again this year. PS: Don’t forget there is no admission for this family-friendly event. However, the DRA volunteers would welcome donations for the Food Bank.
A Smash Hit
If you’ve already purchased tickets for the two remaining Music & Mayhem performances… on Friday, December 9th and Sunday, December 11th… congratulations. You have in your hot little hands one of the most sought-after tickets of the holiday season. In fact, I’d be surprised if, by the time Friday’s curtain goes up, if there’s even one seat left for either show.
As the audience at last Friday evening’s discovered, this hard-working troupe of volunteers delivers a whole heap of entertainment for the $10 price of admission. Watching from the very back of the room as I did last week, it was obvious the crowd was completely enthralled. And I’m pleased to report that nothing was lost to those in the back rows. The singing and comedic patter was crystal clear and one could see every little gesture and subtle change of expression.
I am so thrilled that Rosemary Chatterson, creator and producer of the Music & Mayhem revue, suggested using Dunvegan as a venue. What a great way to showcase local talent … and raise money for a very worthy cause: the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank.
My only complaint with the show is its tendency to create earworms. Also known as stuck-song syndrome, this phenomenon involves a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through one’s mind long after it has stopped playing. A number of the songs from Friday night’s performance keep haunting me, but none more so than Gerry Schmidt’s geriatric Elvis rendition of “Blue Christmas.”
With support from the members of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins in Alexandria, this three-pronged event is well on its way to making a substantial donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank’s Christmas fund. I’ll have the actual dollar amount when the dust settles after Sunday’s performance and will share it with you in next week’s column.
Dunvegan’s one-of-a-kind
While we’re on the subject of fundraising, I also wanted to report on the unique two-day “Historical Crafter’s Fair and Christmas Marketplace” that took place at the DRA Hall this past weekend. Designed to support local artisans, and raise much-needed funds for the Dunvegan Recreation Association, Jim and Shelley Mullin dreamt up this pioneer-inspired craft fair. The advance publicity promised one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts, and they were spot on. My only regret was that the broom maker was unable to come (due to a broom corn shortage, believe it or not), as was the Rouge River Bakery (due to a previous commitment in the Laurentians). However, both of these missing vendors say they hope to see their loyal followers at next year’s Historical Crafter’s Fair and Christmas Marketplace. Thank you Shelley and Jim. It’s a huge amount of work, but oh so worthwhile.
ULTIMATE Stocking Stuffer
As we’ve already opened the Pandora’s box of Christmas gift giving, I wanted to suggest a perfect present for the loved ones in your life who are fans of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum: tickets to the GPM’s 1867 Confederation Gala dinner/dance on April 8th of next year.
Treat your special someone to an evening of gourmet dining, dancing, live entertainment and a silent auction. For now, the tickets can be purchased by contacting Renée Homiak at 613-527-5230… or on-line from the museum’s web site at GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca.
-30-