Every year, the Dunvegan Recreation Association holds an open business meeting to review the past season and discuss the year ahead. However, in a classic example of the carrot and stick approach, these get-togethers always start with an old-fashioned potluck supper. So mark Friday, January 19th on your calendar, assuming your household still uses one. Or thumb it into your smart phone, if you don’t. And spread the word amongst family, friends and neighbours. It’s an excellent way to start engaging with the community where you’ve chosen to put down roots.
Everyone is welcome, young and old alike. All they ask is that you bring a main dish or dessert. And while homemade is the default position, in today’s hectic world even “store-bought’n” will suffice. The key thing is that as many folks in the Dunvegan region as possible attend. The potluck will start at 6:00 PM and the business meeting will begin at 7:00. And if you’re reluctant to stop in for fear of getting hijacked, worry not. Everyone on the Executive Committee has agreed to serve for another two years… and they deserve a standing ovation from the community for doing so.
Murderous old maids
On January 20th at 7:00 PM, the DRA will be resuming its popular cinematic event. This month’s flick is Arsenic and Old Lace starring Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane and Raymond Massey. Released in 1944, it was directed by Frank Capra, the Sicilian-born director who gave us one of my family’s favourite Christmas movies: It’s a Wonderful Life.
The feature opens with Mortimer Brewster, a newspaperman and author known for his diatribes against marriage, finally tying the knot at city hall. That done, Mortimer and his new bride return home to break the news of their nuptials to his two maiden aunts. While doing so, he discovers that his aunts have a deadly hobby.
Don’t forget to bring your own refreshments and a comfy cushion or chair. The DRA will supply the hot-buttered popcorn. There’s no formal admission, but donations towards the new playground equipment will be gratefully accepted. Remember, this is not intended as a family event; the idea is to provide a grownup’s night out close to home. Event organizer Laurie Maus tells me that she’ll be looking for suggestions for the 2018 Movie series. So put on your thinking caps.
Scotiabank helps again
This January marks the 20th anniversary of the Great Ice Storm of 1998. To mark this occasion, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum is hosting a “WE SURVIVED!” party at the Bonnie Glen Pavilion on Friday, February 9th. There will be a buffet dinner, storytelling, photos and a silent auction with many of the items you might need when, not if, the ice returns. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history, the 1998 ice storm lives on in the memories of all those who struggled through it.
If you don’t already have your tickets, time is fast running out. A favour, though. If possible, please purchase them at the Scotiabank in Maxville. The branch has generously offered to sponsor the GPM’s Ice Storm fundraiser by matching Maxville ticket sales… dollar for dollar. Every $40 ticket bought at the Maxville Scotiabank will mean $80 in revenue for the museum. If you can’t make it to Maxville, tickets can also be purchased at the Quirky Carrot in Alexandria, The Review in Vankleek Hill or online at: glengarrypioneermuseum.ca. The GPM is also asking that you share news of this event with your social media contacts. Please help turn this into a successful museum fundraiser.
Music to wine & dine by
While we’re talking about events like the Ice Storm Party, I wanted to address the way music is incorporated into many local fundraising and celebratory functions. I have attended a goodly number of these occasions and have been dismayed at how often they miss the mark when it comes to enriching the event with music.
This is in no way meant as a negative commentary on the musical talents of the bands, groups and solo entertainers who have graced the stages at these events. All were accomplished performers. But therein lies the problem. They viewed their engagement at the dinner or cocktail party as a “performance”… a sort of mini-concert, if you will. And nothing could be further from the truth.
Before the entertainment part of the evening (musical show, dancing, what have you) gets under way, music should be seen as one more arrow in the party designer’s quiver. Like wall decorations, mood lighting and table settings, music’s sole role at this point is to help create an ambiance that’s conducive to socializing… both before and during the dinner. When the musical component is so loud that guests have to shout to be heard by the people beside them — or there’s an awkward pause between numbers where the performers are expecting applause — you know that the wrong musical framework has been chosen. Long, long ago, there was an art form known as “dinner” music. It was low key and unobtrusive, but could add a great deal to reinforce the evening’s theme.
After pockets and purses have been picked and coffee and dessert has been served, the dance band or evening’s principal entertainer can make their grand entrance and blow the house down… but not before. Take a page from the Child Haven playbook. At their low-key fundraisers, ian hepburn plays the harp or David Kelleher strums lightly on his guitar. This sets the mood, without being overpowering. And no, it need not just be highbrow classical or jazz. Other, more universal, instrumental styles… such as country, Celtic or Christmas… work equally as well. Each can have a place, depending on the event’s theme. The key is that they know their place: softly in the background.
Slip sliding away
A year ago, I was told that winter maintenance on the Greenfield Road — also known as County Road 30 — had been downloaded from the United Counties to the Township. That was allegedly why there was a noticeable deterioration in the frequency with which the road was plowed and salted.
A frequent commuter to and from Cornwall, I had hoped that this was a one-year aberration and that, in winter 2017-18, the highway would revert to the level of care other County roads in the region receive. However, based on the condition of this thoroughfare over the holiday season just past, it would appear I hoped in vain. Yes, I know there are alternate routes south to Cornwall. For Dunvegan residents, though, none are as convenient as the “Martintown” route. And some, like Highway 138 with its lack of passing lanes to defuse the frustration of slow-moving vehicles, are downright dangerous.
Don’t get me wrong. I realize that County Road 30 hosts far less traffic that its bigger cousins. According to SD&G’s 2104 roads report, the road through Greenfield only has a count of approximately 260 vehicles per day. By comparison, County Road 34 has a count of approximately 3,000 vehicles per day. Given this, and the fortuitous location of a Township garage at the intersection of Kenyon Concession 4 and Greenfield Road, it makes perfect sense for the United Counties to offload County Road 30 to North Glengarry’s crews. However, as one of the many residents who have come to depend on this route, is it too much to ask that its maintenance be carried out to “County Road” standards?
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