The Victoria Day weekend is just around the corner. When I was a wee lad, this was the weekend when we traditionally opened up the family cottage in Lakefield (Quebec, not Ontario). To this day, the backwoods aroma of winter-packed conifer needles and any sound reminiscent of the lifting the huge shutters in the screen porch overlooking the bay bring memories of the early 1950s in cottage country flooding back. Of course, this was when cottages were just that… not a code word for all-season, lakeside mansions where roughing it means making do with 3-ply toilet tissue, rather than the usual 8-ply.
Back here in Dunvegan, there isn’t a lot of local cottage opening in the offing, but the three-day weekend (from 10 AM – 5 PM each day) is when the Glengarry Pioneer Museum officially throws open its doors… which are located at 1645 County Road 30, at the corner of Greenfield and Dunvegan roads.
As I mentioned last week, the Orange Lodge will kick off the 2016 season with a new exhibit entitled “Cultivating the Wilds of Glengarry.” It will feature antique agricultural implements from the GPM’s collection and offer you insights into the backbreaking tasks pioneers faced to clear their farm allotments and ready the fields for raising crops and livestock. For those less familiar with the museum, the Orange Lodge is the log structure near the one-room schoolhouse. Both are just inside the entrance off County Road 24.
Then, on Sunday, I’m hoping that the question of who has the largest collection of bagpipes in the world will be settled. In a press release issued by the museum last week, it was stated that Sunday’s guest speaker, Alan Jones from Montreal, is the proud owner of a collection of over 300 bagpipes and 400 Celtic whistles and flutes.
However, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest collection of bagpipes belongs to Daniel Fleming from Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom. Fleming’s collection consists of 105 bagpipes as of October 2013. Fleming started collecting bagpipes (each one of which is playable) in 1973 at the age of 10. So who’s right? The Guiness folks or the GPM’s press officer? To confuse things even more, when researching Mr. Jones, I came across the following in an article from Historica Canada:
“Allan Jones Collection. A private collection of 70 sets of western European bagpipes from Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, France, Sweden, Belgium, and Sicily, dating from 1760 to modern instruments. All are in playing condition and have been used by Jones in performances and workshops in Europe and in North America. In 1989 an exhibit of bagpipes from this collection was held at the Marsil Museum in Montreal.”
Perhaps Mr. Jones went on a buying spree since this article was written in 2008. Or mayhaps some wires got crossed when the press release was being written. No doubt all will be revealed on Sunday.
Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Jones promises to be a fascinating presenter. Not only is he an enthusiastic collector and a fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, he also founded the North American Northumbrian Pipers Convention which, over the years, evolved into the annual Pipers Gathering held in Burlington, Vermont.
Mr. Jones and his pipes take to podium at 1:00 PM sharp, so I’d recommend you show up early to secure a choice seat. I should also point out that admission on Sunday is $10 per head ($5 for members).
Following the Bagpipes presentation, the Pioneer Museum will also be hosting an old-fashioned Victorian Tea from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Organized and catered by the tireless Linda Burgess, the tea party will feature platters of her dainty sandwiches and homemade sweets donated by volunteers from across Glengarry. As for whether there will be scones, clotted cream and preserves, I’m not sure. We’ll just have to wait and see. By the way, there is an additional charge of $5 for the Victorian Tea Party, but the money goes to a good cause and buys you an afternoon of decadent treats.
Guess how many were served?
Speaking of good causes, I’m told that the Kenyon Women’s Association pulled off yet another successful church supper this past Saturday night. Despite less than inviting weather and competition from a fundraising event in Moose Creek, the hard-working church volunteers still served over 150 sit-down and take-out meals. The organizers were very pleased and asked me to thank everyone who came out in support of this cause.
Ouch and Double Ouch!
One of the many friends and neighbours who greeted me at Saturday’s hamfest was Lynn MacGillivray. She said she and husband Bruce were off the next day to deliver their son, Ian, into the loving arms of his Toronto girlfriend. Apparently, a brief weekend visit home for Ian and his beau turned into a bit of a nightmare when he snapped both his wrists in a freak accident while on an ATV excursion to the MacGillivray’s back 40.
As a result, Lynn and Bruce have been looking after Ian — hand and hand — while his bones began to knit. Well on the way to recovery, Ian is now able to do more on his own and was anxious to get back to his life in the big smoke. And while it all turned out well in the end, it just goes to show that a mother’s job is never done. Enough said.
Pig Roast… Last Squeal
And here’s yet another pig-related story. Carma Williams tells me that the deadline for buying tickets to Maxville’s 125th anniversary Pig Roast on June 11th is fast approaching. So they know early how big a pig to put on the spit, organizers need to determine the size of the crowd in advance. That’s why tickets to the celebratory BBQ are only on sale until May 31st… at $10 per head ($5 for children six and under).
Carma wasn’t all that clear on where one obtains tickets, but she did mention that there’s more information on Facebook (Maxville 125) and the “Things to do” page on North Glengarry’s web site. Alternatively, you can give Carma a call at 613-527-1438.
While this isn’t strictly Dunvegan news, there has always been a strong historic tie between Maxville and our hamlet. That’s why, next week, I’ll tell you a bit more about what’s in store down the road on June 11th. It promises to be a whole lot of family fun.
DRA Euchre on the 20th
And please don’t forget that this coming Friday, May 20th, is the Dunvegan Euchre Luncheon. For the paltry sum of just $5, you get a delicious lunch buffet of homemade sandwiches and sweets and an afternoon of companionship and light-hearted card play. A 50/50 draw is also part of the fun. All this happiness takes place in the DRA Hall at 19053 County Road 24, starting at 12:00 noon and wrapping up around 3:30 PM. Everyone is welcome.
Who gets the ticket?
As I’m at a conference in Toronto, this week’s column is but a shadow of its usual self. However, before I sign off I wanted to pass along a question posed to me by Terry: in the coming age of driverless automobiles, will we still have to get a driver’s licence?
My guess is no, but that “passenger licenses” will become a mandatory tax grab. They will prove to be yet another way for Queen’s Park Liberals to squeeze the last drops of life from Ontario’s moribund economy.,
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