I must admit, when I asked myself this question, I came up a bit hazy. I do recall that a few years earlier, mayor Jean Drapeau of Montreal in announcing the budget for the 1976 Olympics proclaimed, “The Olympics can no more lose money than a man can have a baby.” This was a quote that came back to haunt him when, after the games were done, Aislin’s famous cartoon depicted a pregnant Drapeau on the phone, along with the caption “‘Ello, Morgentaler?” For those who weren’t around at the time, La Belle Province had been saddled with a post-Olympic debt of $1.5 billion… a sum that took them 30 years (until December 2006) to retire.
I was also reminded that — despite declaring in 1974 “income controls risk hurting the small and the poor… and while that might be of minor concern to the more conservative governments and political parties, it is of fundamental concern to (the Liberals)” — 1976 was the year that Trudeau Senior introduced wage and price controls to the Canadian economic landscape.
But surely, I said to myself, some positive milestones must have marked 1976. So I checked the wayback machine and discovered that, in 1976, the supersonic Concorde jetliner entered commercial service… Isabel Peron, the president of Argentina, was deposed, albeit by a military coup… Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak formed the Apple Computer Company… and after three years of construction, the 1,815 foot CN tower in Toronto was completed, to become — for a short while at least — the tallest freestanding structure in the world.
1976 was also the year that Jack and Linda Fraser from the 8th of Kenyon were married. In fact, this past Sunday, June 5th, was their 40th anniversary. Congratulations!
Adding volunteers… one at a time
And while we’re in a congratulatory frame of mind, I wanted to extend best wishes on behalf of the Dunvegan community to Glengarry Pioneer Museum curator Jennifer Black and her husband, Brien Mullin, on the birth last week of a 7 lb 13 oz baby boy: Riley Alexander Mullin. Young R.A.M. is obviously a lad who knows his own mind. Contrary to the timing his mom’s doctor had forecast, he decided that enough was enough and popped into the world at 2:16 AM on May 31st… the same date that my daughter and my brother were born.
When I asked Jennifer to comment on last week’s happy arrival, she replied, “The bag might not have been all packed and ready to go, but everything went smoothly and everyone is healthy.” The proud parents tell me they are looking forward to meeting everyone at this summer’s museum events and showing off their brand new son.
Reaching out across the road
First, a word of apology to the volunteers of the Dunvegan Recreation Association. I completely overlooked mentioning the DRA’s “Meet Your Neighbour” event in last week’s column and I’m sorry.
So, I was delighted to hear that the event — which, in the end, turned into a cooperative effort between the DRA and Kenyon Presbyterian Church — was such a great success. Due to Sunday’s much-needed downpour, the DRA’s annual meet & greet moved across the road from the Dunvegan Park to the church hall, where it was melded into the church’s regular post-service coffee get-together. As DRA spokesperson, Kim Raymond, pointed out, “we’re all neighbours when you get right down to it.”
I’m told that over 60 people were in attendance. Kim Raymond and Heather McIntosh took care of the coffee, drinks and snacks including: popcorn, fresh fruit and muffins… not to mention, the popular DRA Caterpillar Cupcake Cake that folks have come to expect at this event. And Caleb Raymond and Joe Vrbetic, both Dunvegan youths, ran the popcorn machine and provided invaluable assistance at set up and take down time.
Last but not least, Mona André deserves special mention. Mona had organized games and activities for the children but, at the last minute, was able to cleverly modify them for indoor play. At the end of the event, the church kindly provided take home party favours for the young participants. A stellar cooperative effort; hopefully, many more follow.
Old-time Service this Sunday
Another event that has turned into an annual affair is the Kenyon Presbyterian Church’s Old-time Service to honour the pioneer families who settled in the Dunvegan area. Introduced in 2012, the event is held in the late spring of the year (weather permitting) at the Skye Road Pioneer Cemetery on Skye Road. In the early 1800s, long before the log, and then stone, church was built in Dunvegan, this Skye Road site was used by pioneers for open-air services and as a final resting place for their dearly departed.
This year, the Old-time Service will be held on Sunday, June 12th at 9:30 AM. If you’ve never visited the pioneer cemetery, it’s located just north of the 417 on Skye Road about a quarter-mile in from County Road 30 on what once was the old Campbell farm. A word of caution though, if sitting on the grass is a thing of the past for you, please bring your own lawn chair. In the case of rain, the service will be held in the church. Either way, refreshments will follow at the church hall. Everyone is welcome.
MacLeod Potluck Picnic open to all
Eighty years ago, on Saturday, July 4th, 1936, over 1,000 members of Clan MacLeod gathered just north of Dunvegan for a picnic in the maple grove of Donald D. Macleod’s farm at the corner of Stewart’s Glen Road. They were there to honour the memory of their forefathers and to meet with kith and kin. The Clan Macleod Society of Glengarry, the first outside of Scotland, had been formed in Dunvegan on November 2,1935. And the hugely successful gathering in July of 1936 was the society’s first project.
Eight decades later and the organization’s still going strong. In fact, this coming Saturday, June 11th, the Clan Society will be celebrating it’s 80th anniversary. The festivities will begin at 10:30 AM with the laying of “Stones of Recognition” at the MacLeod Cairn located at 2140 Laggan-Glenelg Road near Dalkeith.
Then the action will move to the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan for a Potluck Picnic starting at 11:30 AM. Before raising knives and forks, the event will kick off with entertainment, including: Ashley Macleod McRae and her students at 11:45, a dancing competition at 12:00, the Quigley Highlanders Pipes & Drums at 12:20 and more.
Once the pipes and fiddles have been packed away, it will be time to break bread, starting with the saying of Grace and, because it is the Queen’s 90th birthday, the singing God Save the Queen. When was the last time you heard that sung?
You don’t have to be a member of Clan MacLeod to attend the picnic. Everyone is welcome… and there’s no admission. However, if you’re feeling generous, donations (that the Clan will pass on to the Museum) will be gratefully accepted. Baked ham, Yvonne McDonell’s famous dinner rolls and a Queen Elizabeth birthday cake will be set out to share with everyone, but salads and desserts would be much appreciated.
Many thanks to Yvonne McDonell for providing the research for this article. When I asked about her connection to Clan MacLeod, she told me her mother was Dorothy MacLeod (Johnny Willie’s daughter) from Spring Creek. Yvonne was born and raised in Dalkeith.
Patty-roll, patty-roll bake me a…
When speaking with Mayor Chris McDonell’s wife, Yvonne, about Clan MacLeod’s 80th anniversary, I was struck by the fact that her dinner rolls seem to be in demand all over Glengarry. So I asked if she’d be willing to share her recipe with my readers. She agreed, and here it is:
1½ cups warm milk
¼ cup sugar
1½ tsp. salt
¼ cup shortening
½ cup water
2¼ tsp. quick rise yeast
1 beaten egg
4 cups white flour (sifted) and 1½ cups whole-wheat flour
- Heat milk in microwave with shortening until shortening is melted. Then add ½ cup cold water.
- Pour into a large bowl, add beaten egg, sugar and salt to the milk mixture. Then add yeast to warm milk mixture.
- Stir in 1½ cup whole-wheat flour and 1½ cups white flour into the milk mixture and beat until smooth.
- Gradually add remaining flour, working the last of it with a rotating motion of the hand.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny (8 to 10 minutes).
- Place dough in a large lightly greased warm bowl. Grease top of dough with butter.
- Cover with waxed paper and towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1½ hours). I warm my oven until the rack is very warm but cool enough that I can touch it.
- Punch down risen dough and turn onto a lightly floured board. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes
- Punch down again and shape dough into plain or fancy rolls and place on a greased baking sheet; cover with towel and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour (doubled in size) in a warm oven.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. After seven minutes, transfer the baking sheets; top sheet goes on bottom rack and bottom sheet goes on the top rack.
- When golden brown, remove from oven and brush tops with butter. Cool on a wire rack. Should make three dozen rolls.
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