Unfortunately, the start time of the “Classical Music Under the Stars” event at the Dunvegan museum on Thursday, July 11thwill be delayed; probably until 7:30. One of the musicians has a rehearsal commitment that prevents an earlier departure from the city. Organizers are seeing what they can do to keep you entertained until they arrive… and apologize for the inconvenience.
The concert will feature cellist NoëlCampbell (a native of Alexandria who is studying music at McGill) and violinists Anastasia Virlan and Olga Semionova.The concert will be held rain or shine. The DRA has kindly offered to host the event in their hall (19053 County Road 24) if the weather looks iffy. Don’t forget to bring your favourite lawn chair or a blanket and an ample supply of bug spray. If you wish, you can even bring a picnic supper, dine al fresco and explore the museum’s buildings and exhibits before the concert.
There’s no formal admission, but volunteers will pass around a hat at intermission time. The suggested donation is $15 per person, but feel free to toss in a few bucks more. It’s a worthy cause.
The Dunvegan speedway
As I mentioned in last week’s column, Dunveganite Gord White has been trying to improve road safety on County Road 24… specifically the 0.8 km stretch of that runs west from the hamlet’s crossroads to the top of the hill. To discourage Ottawa-bound commuter traffic from speeding after they leave the hamlet’s 50 kph zone, Gord is suggesting that the entire stretch be designated as double solid yellow.
In discussions with the SD&G’s Transportation and Planning department he has been advised that the best the Counties can do is to reduce the passing section as one leaves the hamlet by 300 meters. They will accomplish this by removing the single “skips” (that’s what those broken lines are called, who knew).
As BenBenjamin de Haan, Director of Transportation and Planning explained in an e-mail to Gord, “Our staff applies a consistent approach to how line painting is applied on County roadways based on the Ontario Traffic Manual… The County does not make exceptions to these guidelines based on specific requests.”
This one-size-fits-all approach is not a surprise. The default response of bureaucracies large and small is always “no.” However, the reality is that commuters see the 80-kph sign at the edge of the hamlet as an invitation to put the pedal to the floor, with little or no regard for the numerous hidden driveways at the crest of the hill. Eastbound motorists itching to pass also know they can surge ahead when the roadway drops towards Dunvegan. But to put this in context, we should not forget that this is the exact stretch of highway where young Grant Hardy was killed on October 22, 1983 while bicycling east along County Road 24 with a friend.
In my opinion, if “administrative consistency” prevents the full implementation of Gord White’s safe motoring proposal, then the 300 meter de-skipification the Counties is offering should be doubled. This would still leave the sightline-based passing zone that the OTM Scriptures demand, but it would be significantly reduced in length. Of course all this will no doubt be moot once the Township installs one of those “this is your speed” units so in vogue today. Like oil on troubled waters, the digital seeing eye will take the wind out of speeders’ sails overnight. My only suggestion is that they calibrate it better than the one going into Alexandria. That one wags its red finger at you even if you’re travelling well underthe speed limit.
I think the scariest part of the exchange that I read between Gord and the SD&G Transportation and Planning department was about the overarching purpose of traffic lines. It would appear that they’re little more than smoke and mirrors. It turns out that road markings are merely ‘guidelines’ for motorists. As Mr. de Haan put it, “line painting is a non-enforceable marking (e.g. there is no rule that specifically states you have to cross at a skip and you are not allowed to cross at solid line).” This statement warrants further investigation of the Traffic Act.
Land o’ milk and honey
If you need further proof that Dunvegan is a paradise, a report just received from Dunveganite Jim Tilker may be what you seek. I’ve just learned he saw a stunning male peacock on the north side of Dunvegan Road between our place and the hamlet. While this claim may sound a bit farfetched, you must keep in mind that Jim has a history of rare sightings. It was he who, in the summer of 2017,repeatedly encountered a young deer near my neck of the woods that was white with brown spots.
According to Laurie Maus, the peacock Jim saw is named Junior. He is the offspring of an ostentation of peafowl imported by Louise Vininsky and Mike Ferron, the couple who used to own the farm to the east of us.Junior now belongs to Marie-Josée Proulx, the equine entrepreneur who took over the property from Mike and Louise. According to MJ, Junior has just come into his full plumage and is somewhat feral.
Marie-Josée has been making major improvements to the old Grier property, the latest being a new barn. Rumour has it that, once the latest addition is complete, she’s planning to have an open house. If you’d like to get a better sense of what she’s doing, feel free to visit her web site: www.canadreamfarmkwpn.com
-30-