If you’ve been meaning to catch a performance of the smash hit, Music & Mayhem, you’re running out of time. Intended as a fundraiser for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank, the Christmas-themed music and comedy revue is the brainchild of Rosemary Chatterson from the 4th of Kenyon. She and her talented cast of locals have put together an all-new show for 2017 that will have you rolling in the aisles (if there was room; which there won’t be).
Sadly, 2017 will be the revue’s second-to-last year. Next December, the beloved vaudeville-like show will go out with a bang when the M&M troupe puts on a much-anticipated “Best of Music & Mayhem” extravaganza. But that’s a year away. If you’d like to see this year’s Music & Mayhem show, you’d best act quickly. One gentleman has already contacted Rosemary looking for fourteen tickets.
To meet this year’s anticipated demand, the DRA will be holding FOUR performances: Friday, December 1st and 8th at 7:30 PM… Wednesday, December 6th at 7:30 PM… and Sunday, December 10th at 2:00 PM. Tickets are now available ($10 each) at the Caisse Populaire Desjardins in Alexandria, Home Hardware in Maxville, The Quirky Carrot in Alexandria and The Review in Vankleek Hill. For ticket assistance or more information, you can reach Rosemary at 613-525-1336.
Help’s on its way
I apologize for the absence of a Dunvegan column last week. I was in Toronto to participate in the planning of Ontario’s new Structured Psychotherapy program for people suffering from mild to moderate depression and anxiety. The initiative is being developed in conjunction with mental health experts, service providers and members of the public. Its introduction will make Ontario the first province in Canada to provide publicly funded “structured” psychotherapy to help people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
The goal of Ontario’s Structured Psychotherapy program will be to offer evidence-based therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to people online or in-person through individual or group sessions. Over the course of a set number of sessions, the program will help people uncover unhealthy patterns of thought and develop more constructive ways of thinking.
Up until now, access to a licensed therapist trained to provide structured psychotherapy — that’s covered by OHIP — is extremely limited. The wait list for public care is about a year. And many of the more than 100,000 people dealing anxiety and depression across the province can’t afford private therapy.
When the new program rolls out across the province over the next three years, this targeted population should be able to access the support they need by speaking to their primary care provider, visiting their local community mental health and addictions centre, or by contacting ConnexOntario. That said I hope this program is only a beginning. OHIP funding of proven therapies for other, more complex, mental health and addiction issues could make a real difference to the lives of this province’s family caregivers and their loved ones.
In the meantime, if you or someone you know could benefit from speaking with a professional counsellor, there are FREE, single-session Walk-in Clinics across the region. No referral is required. And no appointments are made. Access is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For a complete list of the various locations, visit www.walkincounselling.com. In Cornwall, the Clinic is hosted by Counselling and Support Services of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, which is located at 26 Montreal Road. It is open on Thursdays from 1:00 to 8:00 PM. The last walk-in session starts at 6:30 PM.
Where’s Steve?
This month’s DRA Saturday Night at the Movies selection has yet to be announced. I hope to be able to feature it in next week’s column. However, if anyone is listening, I’d like to make a suggestion for a future screening: Peyton Place. Set in a small 1940’s town in New England, the film examines the hypocrisy that underlies the façade of proper Christian morals expressed by the community’s leading citizens.
I’ve never seen the film, and perhaps it’s a dog. But I’ve discovered that it does have a local connection. Shot in New England, the film’s primary location was Camden, Maine. In fact, the film premiered in Camden two days before going into general release in December 1957. And one of the people in the audience that December evening long, long ago was none other than Dunvegan’s Steve Merritt. Camden was Steve’s hometown. The production company even hired Steve and his chums as extras, and turned their high school into Peyton Place High. Having Steve on hand to describe his brief stint as a movie star… and perhaps awarding a prize to the first member of the audience to spot Steve (on screen)… could make for an interesting evening.
2017 Goblin Report
Dunvegan Recreation volunteer coordinator Kim Raymond kindly provided an in-depth report on this year’s Hallowe’en celebration in Dunvegan. Here, in her words, is a first hand account of what transpired.
“… It was truly a community effort from start to finish. To begin, the DRA really appreciated Mona and Gerome Andre offering their front porch as a candy donation drop-off spot. Mona — ably assisted by the three Quesnel sisters Brittany, Christina and Stephanie (Tougas) — also assembled the loot bags for the party. The four spent an enjoyable evening together, and the bags of Hallowe’en treats were finished in record time.
Party attendees were met by an impressive outdoor jack-o-lantern display, which, despite the wind, somehow managed to stay lit up all evening. The pumpkins used were grown and donated by Heather Raymond. And Vivian Franklin and Scott MacDougall helped with the carving. A recently donated skeleton and spooky decorations created by Vivian completed the outdoor display.
At least 40 children… and approximately 25 adults enjoyed the festivities inside the hall on a chilly evening. “Zombie Splat Wall-ball” was a welcome new addition to the evening’s activities. It joined the “Lil Spooks Obstacle Course” and old favourites such as “Ghoul Pool” and “Put out the Pumpkin.” But the big news of the evening had to be the “Spooky Haunted Shed.” Here brave Hallowe’eners discovered that the unfortunate Smith family had met their messy demise. DRA volunteer Amber Kilgour (assisted by DRA president Ben Williams) put an incredible amount of time and effort into making this new attraction a hit.
The party wouldn’t have been nearly so enjoyable without the efforts of the many volunteers who supervised the games and entertained the children. The DRA wants to thank Megan Roman, Cam Van Loon, Tyler Pritchard, AJ Hay, Cora and Lewis MacLeod and Sarah Jane, Heather and Caleb Raymond for all their hard work. Heather, Sarah Jane and Vivian Franklin should also be recognized for all the time they spent the previous weekend getting the hall ready. As should new Dunvegan resident, Louise Quenneville. In addition to providing Halloween party tunes, Louise also volunteered for clean up duty.
When it came time for the annual costume parade, the Stewart’s Glen gang almost swept the field, with cousins Brennan Russett and Glen Ian McRae winning the prizes for scariest (a swamp creature) and funniest costume (a horned, spotted monster) respectively. Melody Bertrand won again this year, taking home the prize for most original costume. Only nine years old, Melody constructed her scarecrow costume from a kit all by herself. The DRA sincerely thanks all party attendees for coming out… and all those who contributed time, energy, candy and cash towards a very special night in Dunvegan.”
Kim Raymond also deserves a great big thank you for this detailed report and all the effort she put into continuing the decades-old tradition of the Dunvegan Community Hallowe’en Party
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