Pendulums. By their very definition, they swing. For this reason, they often serve as a metaphor for the vagaries of demand. A perfect example is last Friday’s fundraising event at the Windsor Tavern in support the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s War of 1812 Reenactment and Education Day for Grade 7 and 8 students. Last year, the place was so packed that snagging a seat was virtually impossible. However, this year was a different story. If only one could stop the pendulum halfway. But is a stationary pendulum still a pendulum?
Event organizer Jim Mullin confirmed what Terry and I saw when we attended, “numbers were considerably less this year.” No doubt this was partly because of weather. Another factor was probably the frustration experienced by some attendees last year. And it’s too bad. It appears that the Windsor ironed out their logistical kinks. This year, they had sufficient staff on hand and stuck to a reservations-first policy. I suspect that even if the crowds had been larger, the dinner service would have gone far more smoothly than in previous years. We’ll just have to wait until next year to see if I’m right.
Organizers are still waiting to see what the event raised in total. They’ll be meeting with the Windsor Tavern this week to collect a percentage of each steak dinner sold. This donation will join the $385 raised through the 50/50 draw and door prize raffle. As Jim Mullin said, “not bad for an event with no overhead or expenses to operate.”
On behalf of the War of 1812 committee, Jim wanted me express a special thank you to: Mike St. Denis and his staff at the Windsor Tavern for making the night possible… to everyone who donated items for the door prize draw… and to those who braved the weather to support the museum’s War of 1812 reenactors.
Really cool cash
Staying in the fundraising vein for a moment more, I promised to get back to you with a final tally of what the Ice Storm Anniversary dinner and auction netted the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. GPM treasurer Marlie Tilker reports that the grand total was $9,200, inclusive of the $5,000 that Scotiabank so generously matched.
Toe-tapper tickets
The Dunvegan Recreation Association tells me that tickets to the much-anticipated Ben Miller and Anita MacDonald concert are now on sale at the Quirky Carrot in Alexandria, the Home Hardware in Maxville and The Review in Vankleek Hill. Admission is $20 per person, with proceeds from the show going towards the DRA’s playground renovation project.
Celtic musicians MacDonald and Miller expertly blend the traditional sound of the Cape Breton fiddle with the haunting strains of the Scottish Border pipes for a magical evening of Gaelic dance tunes and soulful airs.
The ceilidh-like concert will take place at the DRA Hall, 19053 County Road 24, on March 16th. The curtain will rise at 8:00 PM, with an intermission halfway so everyone can catch their breath, enjoy a few complementary snacks and refill their glasses at the cash bar. After the show, Ben and Anita will stick around for a meet and greet.
If you’re a Celtic music fan, you owe it to yourself to grab a ticket or two to this top-tapping event. You won’t regret it.
Omne trium perfectum
From the time our parents introduce us to fairy tales, take us to church or on a Caribbean vacation, we’re almost hard-wired to expect that things come in three… usually good things. The concept is rooted in the Latin principle known as omne trium perfectum or the rule of three.
The three little pigs. Goldilocks and the three bears. The three blind mice. The three wise men. The Holy Trinity. Even Trinidad (the Spanish word for trinity)… so named by Columbus because of the island’s three mountains. Three just feels right. So it should come as no surprise that the weekend of March 16th obeys the rule.
First off, on Friday, March 16th — the day before St. Patrick’s Day — the monthly DRA euchre luncheons return for another year of comestibles, cards and companionship. Given its timing, our ‘faith and begorrah’ luncheon will feature potato and bacon soup, platters of homemade sandwiches and a tray of sinful sweets. Admission is still only $5.00. If you’ve never dropped in, the tournaments are held at 19053 County Road 24 starting at 12:00 noon and wrapping up around 3:30 PM. Come one. Come all.
Then, of course, on Friday evening, there’s the Ben Miller and Anita MacDonald concert. That’s number two.
And completing the triumvirate of events is the Dunvegan Recreation Association’s Saturday Night at the Movies. Organizers Laurie Maus and Bob Garner know it will be competing with St. Paddy’s Day shenanigans across Glengarry, but if you’re looking for good time far from the madding crowd, please join us as we screen Big Fish.
In this whopper of a tall tale from director Tim Burton, Will, who has been estranged from his father Edward Bloom for years, returns home to confront the man on his death bed. At issue are the fanciful tales Edward has told all his life, not only to Will, but the whole world. Quirky and endearing, the movie starts at 7:00 PM. Bring your choice of refreshments and a comfy cushion or chair, and the DRA will supply the popcorn. Admission is free, but donations to the Playground Fund are welcome.
Vanishing hamlet?
Has anyone else noticed how the “Dunvegan” sign on County Road 30, south of the crossroads, is rapidly fading away? It’s becoming increasing hard to read, as the graphics disappear. At first, I thought it might be the supplier (or the Counties) skimping on UV protection to save a few bucks. Road signs, especially the south-facing ones, endure punishing exposure to the sun’s rays. Hence, strong UV protection is essential for a sign’s longevity. However, I checked, and other south-facing County place-name signs — like the one south of Fassifern — are still in good shape.
So I wondered if this could be a conspiracy to slowly “disappear” the entire hamlet of Dunvegan. Nonsense, I thought… until we received our new phone book from Bell.
To be accurate, it’s more of a booklet… a mere shadow of the useful tome that we all depended on before the advent of cell and internet phones conferred “unlisted number” status on the majority of rural households. Even the person who delivered the so-called phone book treated it with the distain it deserves. She or he merely threw it on the ground beneath our mailbox; it wasn’t box worthy. And they were right.
But I digress. Why Bell’s offering fueled my fears of a concerted anti-Dunvegan conspiracy was that the booklet contained not one residential number with a “527” prefix. If your number started with “525,” you made the cut. You were one of the chosen, an Alexandrian.
Now, perhaps us 527ers are in a “Maxville” book. If so, why didn’t we get one? Surely Bell Canada knows where the dividing line between 527 and 525 lies? Even so, why are we being split off from our fellow “525” Dunveganites to the east?
It gives one pause.
-30-