Chances are the oft-heard expression “I have nothing to wear” is spot on the mark when it comes to the upcoming social event of the spring season: The Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s ‘1967 Confederation Gala’ on Saturday, April 8th. It’s unlikely that many wardrobes today boast the latest in 1867 fashions… evening gowns with low necklines, short sleeves and voluminous skirts supported by bustles, hoops, petticoats and crinolines. As Dunvegan’s Laurie Maus from Hawk Hill Farm quipped in a recent e-mail, “nothing here on the farm has a bustle… except for the back end of a chicken.”
Luckily, Laurie has offered to organize a meeting to discuss how ladies who are interested might beg, borrow or fabricate the appropriate attire. If this describes you, please call Laurie at her period appropriate telephone number, 527-1897, as soon as possible. There isn’t a whole lot of time left.
For the record, I have already assembled my costume for the Gala. I will be going as a time traveller from the rural 21st century.
Speaking of chickens
In terms of this week’s column, I can definitively say that ‘chickens’ came before ‘eggs’. When speaking with Laurie Maus about her bustle-sporting Partridge Chantecler chickens (a heritage breed developed in the 1920s by Dr. J.E. Wilkinson of Edmonton, Alberta), the topic of eggs was raised. As a breed, Partridge Chanteclers are extremely cold resistant. They also have the habit of laying more eggs in the cooler months, which has resulted in Laurie and her partner, Bob Garner, being inundated with eggs.
For readers who may not know Laurie and Bob, the Dunvegan couple raises and sells premium Ontario lamb, grain-raised roasting chickens and table eggs from their Heritage Breed flock. Theirs is a farm gate operation, which means that the only way to purchase their delicious products is to drop by their farm in person.
If you’re a first-time farm gate customer, why not start with a dozen or two of their eggs at just $4.00 a dozen. It’s a great way to get to know their operation. Their working flock is fed a balanced mix of local grains. It’s also allowed to free range from thaw until freeze up and peck at sprouted wheat in the winter. To minimize egg washing and preserve the natural film that increases storage time, the nesting boxes and coop is kept scrupulously clean. To satisfy your fresh egg cravings with “coffee-coloured ovals of perfection,” as Laurie puts it, just give Hawk Hill Farm a call at 613-527-1897.
GPM strategic chinwag
There are three museum-related events I wanted to bring to your attention… in neat chronological order. The first is this coming Saturday, February 25th from 9:30 AM to 1 PM. Dunvegan’s Glengarry Pioneer Museum is inviting all interested parties to a Strategic Planning Session & Luncheon. The discussion will focus on volunteer recruitment, museum grounds and buildings, and fundraising. Needless to say, the museum Executive Committee is anxious to hear YOUR ideas.
So please drop by the Dunvegan Recreation Hall at 19053 County Road 24 on Saturday and join what promises to be an interesting exchange of ideas. The more participation they have, the greater their success will be. As lunch and refreshments will be provided, it helps to know how many folks they can expect. Please RSVP by calling Renee at 613-527-5230.
Lift a fork to 1812
Last year’s 1812 Steak Night Fundraiser was so successful that the museum is repeating the event on March 4th, beginning at 5 PM. The event will be held once again at the Windsor Tavern at 84 Main Street in Vankleek Hill. My mouth is watering already. Terry and I attended last year’s dinner and it was amazingly good. Plus for each $15 steak dinner, the Windsor Tavern will donate a portion of the proceeds towards the museum’s 1812 Re-enactment event. To add to the excitement, there will be 50/50 and other draws throughout. While historical dress is encouraged, it’s in no way mandatory. The only real prerequisite for admittance is that you bring a hearty appetite… and your credit or debit card. I will see you there.
Glengarry’s hot ticket
Further evidence that the Glengarry Pioneer Museum has decided the key to a donor’s heart is through her or his stomach is their ‘1867 Confederation Gala’ on April 8th at the Glengarry Sports Palace in Alexandria. While Gala organizers are gussying it up with a whole lot of great extras, the real star of the night will be the dinnertime feast. What extras you ask?
Well, on top of draws and a silent auction, guest speakers like First Nations expert, Carole Pagé, will briefly discuss life in Glengarry at the time of Confederation. Experts will also help gala-goers master the intricacies of dances that were all the rage in 1867. Local musicians, Kim and Eric Little will be performing during the cocktail hour. And the evening’s headline act will feature Ashley MacLeod and Patty Kelley.
Tickets are $60 per person and $450 for a table of eight. You can purchase them on the museum’s web site, GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca… at the Scotiabank in Maxville… or by calling the museum at 613-527-5230.
One less commuter
Regular riders of bus #517 to Ottawa, operated by Delaney Bus Lines, may notice that one of their fellow passengers has given up his seat for good. After 35 years, Dunvegan’s James Prevost has retired from the world of Information Technology (IT).
James got his start in IT in 1982, in Toronto, with Thomas J. Lipton and Sony of Canada. Then, in 1989, he moved back to Ottawa and spent the rest of his time in harness working for two federal crown corporations: the Farm Credit Corporation and Export Development Canada. As a career path, James appears to have lucked out. “As I look back,” James told me, “I have no regrets. I’m satisfied that all my career choices were the right ones for me.”
James plans to continue volunteering with the Glengarry Pioneer Museum and with Kenyon Presbyterian Church. He’d also like to revisit the genealogy research he started on his maternal family tree. He also told me that gardening and yard work is top of mind. “The weeds won’t have a chance this year,” said James.
James and his wife, Sandra, have no major trips planned in the near future. At this point, they prefer short excursions, not too far from home. “I definitely want to check out the Glengarry Archives and other events and attractions around here that we’ve never had time to see.”
I asked James if he’d miss commuter bus #517. “To be honest, I’ll miss the relaxation time it gave me,” James answered. “Not having to drive to work in downtown Ottawa was a welcome benefit.”
Bureaucracy ‘s real role
Regardless of whether the biology of the analogy is correct, I recently came across a neat passage in Light of the World, a recent novel by the award-winning American writer, James Lee Burke. For me, it goes right to the heart of my distrust of formal institutions.
“Bureaucracy is bureaucracy wherever you go. I’ve always suspected bureaucracy serves an ancillary purpose, in the same way the human body absorbs an infection and prevents it from getting to the brain. Bureaucracy protects the people in charge from accountability.”
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