Wow, am I ever out of touch. Last week, I admitted that I had never heard of a Hallmark Christmas movie, the type of feature film being shot right now at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. It turns out I am one of the few poor souls in North America who hasn’t. Some of the least likely persons I know told me they loved them and watched them all the time. And it wasn’t just one person who said they were loyal fans of the genre. We’re talking numerous.
I further screwed up when I declared,”There has never been a hint of a green Christmas in a Hallmark film” and alluded to truckloads of artificial snow being imported to Dunvegan for the winter barn dance scene. I was wrong. The Christmas being depicted in the movie being made in Dunvegan is 100% green, because it’s set in sunny California. Which rarely gets rain, let alone any of the fluffy white stuff.
The museum is still closed for the filming of Once Upon a Christmas, but will reopen on Friday, August 7th. Curator Jennifer Black told museum members and volunteers in an email that it’s been an exciting time watching the production company in action. “I have heard many times from their crew,” Jennifer wrote, “how friendly the community has been.” If you’d like a sneak peek, the museum has posted some photos of the transformed museum on its Facebook page.
Auction 2.0
I was delighted to see that, after a bit of a rocky start, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s online auction is much improved. Gone are the column of miniscule thumbnail images and the huge, but largely irrelevant collection of posts. Now, when one clicks on the Auction tab of the museum’s web site, the items up for auction appear “front and centre.” Even more importantly, the items are attracting bids. For example, the pine-top dining table handcrafted by Blair Williams that started out at $275 is already up to $400. And Laurie Maus’s hand spun and knit replica of a 1898 Shetland wool hat has been bid up to $50. And there’s still time for you to check out what’s on offer and place a bid. The online fundraiser doesn’t end until Saturday, August 8th.
If you’re at the downsizing stage of life and don’t need more “stuff,” you can still participate. One way is to bid for services, like a professional photo shoot with local photographer Gina Dragone. Or underwrite the museum’s conservation projects. They have two items that are in immediate need of preservation: a late 19th century sleigh and a WWII-era portrait featuring Pilot Officer Robert J. McCormick by local artist, the late Stuart McCormick. If yours is the winning bid, you’ll receive acknowledgment when the artifact is displayed and a tax receipt for your charitable donation. I urge you to help the museum reach its goal for this fundraiser. Visit GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca today.
At last… something NOT online
Tired of online events? I don’t blame you. So I’m pleased to announce that the Glengarry Artists’ Collective will be holding their annual art exhibition in the Big Beaver schoolhouse at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum from Saturday, August 8th to Sunday, August 16th. This will not be a virtual event. You’ll actually be able to see the works from a goodly number of local artists, in person. If it’s anything like previous years, the exhibition will include ceramics, carving and works on slate, glass and traditional painting materials like paper and canvas.
Naturally, due to Covid, the usual vernissage to kick off the exhibition is a thing of the past. At least for this year. And to be fair, a bunch of artists and art lovers mingling in a close setting consuming nibblies and liquid refreshments doesn’t come anywhere close to today’s public health guidelines. Masks will be required indoors and social distancing rules are in effect. Nevertheless, it’s a chance to actually get out and about, aside from joyless mad dashes to the grocery store.
Please note the museum encourages you to phone (613-527-5230) or email ahead (info@glengarrypioneermuseum.ca) to arrange an appointment. However, it’s not mandatory. They will still accept walk-ins. If there’s already another group in the schoolhouse, you’ll have to wait. But it’s the perfect opportunity to check out other buildings first.
Tribute interruptus
Hallmark’s filming of their Once Upon a Christmas tale has put a bit of kink in the collaborative tribute to the late Peggi Calder in the Dunvegan museum’s Roxborough Hall. However, with the museum’s reopening to the public this coming Saturday, friends and acquaintances will once again be welcome to share their remembrances of Peggi with the family in the Book of Memories and add a story or photo of their own to the celebratory display, if they wish. The museum is open — preferably by appointment — Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.
For those out of town or unable to get to the Roxborough Hall, Samantha Schofield has put together a touching memorial page on Facebook: fb.me/peggicaldermemorial. And, next week, I’ll provide you with a YouTube link to a collection of family photos set to some of Peggi’s favourite music. It’s a touching selection of images that includes a priceless one of Peggi’s late husband Bill playing the banjo as a young teenager.
Plight of the orphaned farmhouse
This past few weeks have seen the addition of two more For Sale signs on Dunvegan Road, both for properties that — while surrounded by actively farmed fields — only come with the few acres of land and the laneway leading up to the property. The fields, pastures and woodlots to which these houses were once attached as a family farm have been severed forevermore. And, as a condition of these severances, no residences can ever be built on the separated farmland. From the perspective of preserving the agricultural integrity of the county and preventing a proliferation of residential subdivisions, this is a good thing. But, years down the road, who knows?
The two examples I mentioned above are not unique. Up and down the road, there are many formerly proud farmhouses, some with a barn and other out buildings, standing in the middle of fields of corn, wheat or beans to which they have no connection. Farmers who needed more land to meet their nutrient management commitments and grow cash crops purchased the original farms and sold off the part they didn’t need — the farmhouse — often at a premium price to buyers with little or no rural experience. However, these “orphaned” houses may end up biting us on the butt in years to come.
Mysterious water-colourist sought
I recently had a call from Joan Siwik, a former Kenyon Township counsellor from the days before amalgamation. Joan was stumped by a watercolour painting in her collection that bears only the initials “J.S. 1988” in the way of identification. The artwork depicts a scene from downtown Greenfield with Kenyon’s municipal hall and the old general store beside it to the south (which was subsequently torn down to create today’s parking lot). Joan wondered if I recalled a watercolour artist with these initials who lived in this area and exhibited at local art shows. I did not. So I’m appealing to you, my readers. If you have any idea who this mystery artist might be, please call or email me.
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