I was astounded at the response to Sandra Lauzon’s “Country Bumpkin” letter in the Christmas issue of the Glengarry News. Who knew that, to get a reaction in these parts, all one had to do is insult one’s readers. Good trick. I will hold “clodhopper” in reserve.
I wonder though if Ms. Lauzon wasn’t pulling our collective leg in her infamous letter. It certainly would explain her strange use of “Haha.” It appears twice, for no apparent reason. In my estimation, it might be the alphabetic equivalent of an emoji, those ubiquitous symbols so loved by the internet generation. Perhaps it’s an analogue for a naughty wink.
Spoof or not, I see a strong parallel here to how we get offended if someone insults one of our relatives, even though we’re not all that fond of the individual either. If I had a loonie for every time I’ve heard this little weekly referred to as the Glengarry Snooze, I would have been able to retire months ago. And who amongst us hasn’t called this paper a rag at one time or another? The difference is that it’s our rag.
He-haw, they’re back!
It was just confirmed that Amber Kilgour’s popular scavenger hunt through the snowy woods will be a feature of the Dunvegan Winter Carnival this coming Saturday, February 1st. Amber tells me she’s planning a “party time” theme. In other words, youngsters will be searching for things associated with a child’s birthday party. As an added bonus for completing the hunt, participants will have a chance, from 11 am to 3 pm, to get reacquainted with Amber’s donkeys. At past carnivals in Dunvegan, these affable animals have been a real hit with the young at heart. Amber’s signature event joins a host of other favourites, including: sledding, skating, crokicurl (crokinole curling), snolleyball (snow volleyball), sleigh rides and more.
We may not be the biggest carnival around, but the families who return year after year from near and far tell us we’re one of the best. Why not try us out for yourself? Carnival Day gets underway with a county-style breakfast at the hall, 19053 County Road 24. From 8 to 10 am, you can fill up on bacon, sausage, muffins, scrambled eggs, and pancakes for just $8.00. For those from 5 to 12 years old, it’s $5.00. And children under the age of 5 are free. The outdoor “winter fun” portion of the day takes place at 19314 County Road 24. Everything is free and every one is invited.
Great grandmother triple hitter
This past weekend, Kenny Macleod pulled up in our yard atop his brand new Skidoo to deliver the news that he and his wife Annette had a new granddaughter. Mackenzie Paige Lowe, 7 lbs 8 oz, was born January 23 at 7:48 pm at the Winchester Hospital to Rebecca (nee MacLeod) and her husband Alex Lowe. Mackenzie Paige is the fifth grandchild for Kenny and Annette, and the first for Dwight and Caroline Lowe. Great grandmothers Margaret MacLeod, Claudette Massia and Florence Lowe also welcomed the wee lassie’s birth. Congratulations to all.
Unsung snow heroes
The other reason Kenny dropped by last Saturday was to report on his trail-packing progress. He generously took on the task to groom the sleigh ride and scavenger hunt trails in preparation for the Winter Carnival. After each snowfall, he can be found going round and round packing the white stuff and clearing away any fallen branches.
Another behind the scenes contributor to the annual event’s success is Norm MacLennan and his John Deere snow blower rig. In the weeks leading up to Carnival Day, Norm ever so kindly takes the time to clear the old post office parking lot and the road back to the pond. I’d don’t know what we’d do without the assistance of these two community-minded individuals.
In St. Elmo or Maxville?
Ken McEwen formerly from the 7th of Kenyon, emailed me earlier this month about an article in the Glengarry News by Dane Lanken and Karen Davidson Wood entitled “Future of St. Elmo historic churches remains unclear.” It is Mr. McEwen’s contention that the locking of the church door to exclude Rev. D. Gordon did not take place in the log Congregationalist Church in St. Elmo. As Mr. McEwen explained, “What maybe confusing people… is that the Presbyterians brought the log church to us as a hall. Many events were held there, concerts, chicken suppers, polling stations, etc.
Mr. McEwen is not disputing that Rev. D. Gordon’s disagreement with some of his parishioners took place. Nor the fact that Gordon kicked off the lock used to bar his entry and held a service. However, he believes the altercation actually occurred at the Church of the Indian Lands (a.k.a. The White Church) that used to be located in what is now the Maxville Cemetery.
After the parting of the padlock, Rev. Gordon boarded a ship bound for Scotland to raise money for a new house of worship. The red brick Gordon Free Church was subsequently built in St. Elmo. Mr. McEwen remembers fondly the lovely arched stained glass windows that graced the church’s steeple – windows that he recalls were lost to thieves prior to his leaving the area in 1952. I too recall them being stolen, but this was in the 1980s and I don’t remember them as being stained glass. If this is the case, the second set of crooks didn’t get the antique windows they had hoped for. It’s no wonder the church said enough is enough and closed off the space with ugly flat panels. But I digress.
Mr. McEwen suggested the reason for the confusion surrounding the location of the ecclesiastical lockout was that, although the Indian Lands Church was in the 17th Con. (Maxville), its manse was in St. Elmo. Originally a log building, the manse was replaced with a brick house which still stands today, shrouded by trees, north and west of the St. Elmo intersection. The Church of the Indian Lands was dismantled in 1900 and Knox Presbyterian, and its new manse, took its place. The Gordon Free Church then acquired the manse in St. Elmo formerly used by Church of the Indian Lands.
If you’d like a glimpse of the Church of the Indian Lands, I’m told there’s a plaque in the Maxville cemetery at the south end of town. And, according to Ken McEwen’s late father (who attended both churches), the stained glass windows and the large interior beams in Maxville’s Knox Presbyterian came from the Church of the Indian Lands. Unfortunately, there’s no record of what happened to the door Rev. D. Gordon broke asunder to hold his final service in Maxville.
The Amazon dilemma
More so than ever before, postal vans and private couriers descended on the hamlet of Dunvegan this past Christmas delivering boxes with the all-too-familiar Amazon logo. And I admit some of these parcels ended up at our home. However, as a documentary Terry and I just watched this past weekend – The World According to Amazon – points out: for every job this silent killer of local retail creates, two other jobs are lost. After having watched the film, I find that clicking the “add to cart” button, while addictively convenient, has become much more of a moral dilemma. But is the battle for a local economy already lost?
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