These days, it wouldn’t be much of a column if I didn’t reference the Glengarry Save Our Schools campaign, at least briefly. To be honest, I’m exhausted just scrolling through the amount of work the Committee has put into the protest so far. If you have yet to visit their web site (www.glengarrysos.ca), do so and you’ll see what I mean. Not only is their on-line profile excellent (as one would expect with persons from this social media infused cohort), but they are also keeping up the public pressure with a placards-in-the-face presence at local rallies and Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) mandated “consultations.”
For starters, if you’d like to learn more, the SOS Steering Committee is holding a public meeting tomorrow evening, November 3, at 7:30 in the Sanford Centre at Island Park in Alexandria. It’s hoped that concerned citizens will turn out en masse because, to quote the SOS team, “a strong outpouring of support sends a strong message.”
Then there are the public meetings the UCDSB has planned to pay lip service to consulting with the great unwashed on the proposed closure of Glengarry schools. Throughout the Pupil Accommodation Review process, the Board MUST conduct “public consultations” where parents, students and community members can provide feedback on the UCDSB’s Building for the Future report… and Board representatives can pretend to be listening to them.
The school board has four of these public meetings scheduled for our region. The first is at 6:30 PM, November 14th at General Vanier, 1500 Cumberland Street in Cornwall, ON. The second is at 6:30 PM, November 17th at Seaway District High School, 2 Beach Street in Iroquois. The third is at 6:30 PM, January 23rd back at General Vanier in Cornwall. And the fourth is at 6:30 PM, January 31st at North Dundas District High School, 12835 County Road 43, on the outskirts of Winchester.
For the first of the public meetings, I believe the SOS Committee is organizing a bus (or mayhap even buses) to ferry protesters to Cornwall on the November 17th and they are reaching out for community support from organizations like the Dunvegan Recreation Association. President Ben Williams tells me that the DRA is holding a special e-mail polling of the group’s Executive Committee to vote on contributing to the cost of the bus trip to Cornwall and the production of more lawn signs.
All this is good, but pressure must continued to be applied at the political level. I did look over a copy of the statement from MPP Grant Crack that was read at the GDHS student council meeting on October 5th. And yes, it made many of the right noises. But actions speak louder than words. Wouldn’t it be grand if Mr. Crack were to join a picket line in front of his constituency office in the North Glengarry Town Hall? An MPP picketing himself… now that would be a first. But for Grant to join the picket line, one would first have to materialize. Which brings to mind the lone picketer that faithfully marched south of Vankleek Hill last winter protesting the deforestation of Eastern Ontario. Yes, a lone voice in the wilderness… but one that generated a great deal of press nevertheless.
Saddle-up Film Fans!
A number of weeks ago, I briefly mentioned that the DRA would be introducing a Movie Night event at the Dunvegan hall. In that column, I promised to get back to you with more details… that I now have. However, before I share these with you, I want to stress that this is NOT a family event. It is aimed at adults in the community… as a chance for parents (and non-parents) to enjoy an evening out at the picture show, without having to drive to Ottawa, Cornwall or even Grenville.
For the group’s first film, event organizers Laurie Maus and Monica Ahrens have chosen Blazing Saddles, the tongue-in-cheek western by the late Mel Brooks. In this satirical take on Westerns, a newly-elected black sheriff and his alcoholic sidekick battle racial prejudice in a small town slated for demolition to make way for a new railway line. They win over the townsfolk by standing up to the gang of thugs sent by the railroad to chase people out of town.
In researching the film, I came across a list on www.MentalFloss.com of 11 things you might not know about Blazing Saddles:
- The movie was originally going to be entitled Tex X: An Homage to Malcolm X
- John Wayne politely declined to appear in the movie
- Blazing saddles was the first movie to incorporate audible flatulence
- “Mongo”, the hulking henchman, was portrayed by a former NFL player
- Actor Slim Pickens voluntarily slept outside with a Winchester rifle during most of the shoot to get a feel for his character.
- Gene Wilder was far from Brooks’ first choice to play “The Waco Kid”
- Gene Wilder pitched the premise of Young Frankenstein to Brooks on the set one day.
- Madeline Kahn earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of saloon singer Lili von Shtupp.
- World War Z author Max Brooks (Mel’s son) was born during the movie’s lengthy writing process
- A pilot for an unmade spinoff TV series called Black Bart was filmed in 1975.
- In 2000, the American Film Institute called Blazing Saddles the 6th greatest American comedy.
I do recall seeing this film back in the day, but after reading this list, I’m convinced I’d like to see it again. I hope you’ll join me on Saturday, November 19th at 7 PM for the Dunvegan edition of “Saturday Night at the Movies.” As the chairs in the hall are not designed for creature comfort (but do stack and store nicely), I encourage you to bring your own pillow or a folding lawn chair. The DRA will supply freshly made popcorn. As for liquid refreshments, if you want to wet your whistle (responsibly), you are asked to bring your own tipple.
To give the evening an authentic movie-theatre feel, Laurie has even lined up some extra features. “I am going to collect some funny commercials to have for pre-show and intermission entertainment,” Laurie told me. There will be no admission charge for the evening’s fun, but the DRA will have a jar available for donations towards the hamlet’s new playground equipment. You’ll remember that the existing play structures were condemned recently as being unsafe for today’s play-challenged youngsters.
-30-