This will be the third week in a row that I start off with a food-related item. However, this time it’s being done out of a sense of altruism. My goal is to persuade as many people as possible to contribute home grown or home cooked items to the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s Harvest Sale Tent. Donating the bounty of your gardens and kitchens will delight September fall festival visitors from near and far… and help raise moola for the museum. Former Dunveganite Barb Newman, the Harvest Sale coordinator, has put out a call for pies, squares and cakes, bread, rolls, cookies and doughnuts, fresh herbs and vegetables, fruits, jams, pickles, plants, flowers and whatever else you think would be appropriate. Donations can be dropped off at the museum (call ahead to 613-527-5230 to make sure someone’s there). Or to arrange for a pickup, call Barbara Newman at 613-361-2703.
Channeling Flora and other contests
To celebrate the 20thanniversary of the Harvest Fall Festival — and honour the late Flora Chisholm, one of Dunvegan’s truly great pie makers — the museum is having an apple pie baking contest (twinned with an apple tart contest for the small fry). Judging will take place under the Harvest Tent at 12:30. For all the details, contact Barb Newman at 613-361-2703. I’m not sure how you apply to become one of the judges, but I’d suggest the museum opens a bidding war for the privilege. Could be a real sweet deal.
If you have a green thumb instead of a sweet tooth, take a stroll down memory lane and enter this year’s zucchini contest redux. Zucchini-themed activities were a mainstay of earlier iterations of the Fall Festival. This year, the winning entries will judged solely on the basis of weight. Entries should be dropped off at the Children’s Tent. But make sure you clearly identify your zucchini with your name and phone number. You’d be surprised how many contestants risk elimination by failing to do this. The zucchini judge will weigh the field and render his or her decision at 12:30.
Last but not least, for those who excel in fowl rather than fruit or fibre, you’re encouraged to enter your most vocal rooster in the ‘cock-a-doddle-doo’ contest. Besides rewarding the best crower, prizes are also up for grabs for the most handsome rooster and the best rooster crowing impression by a human. This cockerel competitionwill be judged at 2:00 PM under the Children’s Tent, which will also be hosting a colouring contest, crafts, and a variety of relay races for youngsters and the young at heart to enjoy.
Services of note
Let’s take a break from Fall Festival news for a moment to check what’s in store at the Kenyon Presbyterian Church in September. For starters, this coming Sunday, September 1stat 11:00 AM is when our wee kirk holds its extremely popular Memorial Sunday service. It’s a time of remembrance and fellowship and, for over 75 years, folks have come from near and far to pay tribute to families and friends laid to rest in the Dunvegan graveyard. Rev. Jim Ferrier will lead the service and a special offering will be collected that’s earmarked for maintenance of the graveyard. Following the service, a light lunch will be served at 12:00 noon in the Church Hall. The cost is $8.00 per person; children 6 years and under are free.
Then, on Sunday, September 22nd, the church in Dunvegan will once again hold its annual Old-Time Service to coincide with the museum’s 1812 Re-enactment Weekend. Re-enacters from the living history event down the road will be joining the Kenyon Presbyterian congregation for the unique annual service. Even if you’re not a regular churchgoer, you are more than welcome to join them.
Where’d the time go?
Twenty years ago, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s executive committee decided to organize a small fall festival as a way of thanking volunteers for all their hard work over the summer. A modest affair in the beginning, the event wasn’t intended as a fundraiser. Rather, it was seen as more of a “fun raiser.” A day of old-fashioned rest and recreation intended to capture the community spirit of pioneer times. In fact, the original FallFests in Dunvegan had so few ‘street creds’, organizers had to bribe artisans and exhibitors to attend. Two decades later, the autumnal celebration has evolved into a major player in the little museum’s calendar of events… one that, in some years, attracts as many as 2,000 visitors to our sleepy hamlet.
True, many of the attractions are the same each year, just as they are with most rural gatherings of this type. The Williamstown Fair and the Glengarry Highland Games come to mind. But this is a large part of the festival’s charm. Where would we be without Noella and Leo Paquette book-ending the day with their unique country music sound? There’s something to delight just about everyone except the most curmudgeonliest… from antique agricultural implements brought to life to demonstrations by artisans making butter, ice cream, harnesses, saddles and leather boots. Not to mention spinning, weaving, quilting and hooking rugs. There’s even one of Eastern Ontario’s largest horse-drawn wagon and carriage parades. Led by the Quigley Highlanders Pipes and Drums, it always gets underway at 1:00 PM.
So why not treat your whole family to the magic that is Dunvegan’s Harvest Fall Festival on Sunday, September 8thfrom 11 AM to 4 PM? Even in those rare years when rain has fallen, the joy is still infectious and can be seen in eyes of the adventuresome that show up regardless of the weather. Admission is $10 ($5 for members), with kids under 12 free, or $25 for families. This year’s festival is co-sponsored by Caisse Populaire de la Vallée, Alexandria, Munro Agromart, and many other local businesses.
Happy 50th Claude
If you were wondering why so many vehicles were gathered at Claude Paquette’s place on County Road 24 near Highway 34, I have the scoop. It wasn’t an auction or a sudden surge in the demand for cordwood. It was a birthday celebration organized by Claude’s family and friends. Last Wednesday, August 21st, Claude’s age-ometer hit 50. Congratulations!
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