Jennifer Black, curator of the little museum in Dunvegan, has issued an appeal for help to mothball the site for the winter. Jennifer hopes to head up a small team of five packing up exhibits. While experienced carpenter and all-round handyperson Matt William will help volunteers cross some maintenance items off the list, including: scraping and painting window sills, bird-proofing window frames, installing a hand railing and cleaning the Roxborough Hall’s attic (a task well suited to these cooler days). Some lucky pyromaniac may even get to 451 a pile of scrap wood and other rubbish.
The GPM’s “Closing/Fix-it” day is being held this coming Saturday, October 28th starting at 9:30 AM. Snacks, refreshments and a light lunch will be provided. Jennifer could really use your help… even if you can only contribute an hour or two. Please give her a call at 613-527-5230 and tell her she can count on you.
Trick or treat in style
For those who have never partaken of the DRA’s annual Community Halloween Party, remember the spook fest is never Halloween-adjacent. It’s held on the evening of October 31st… come heck or high water… and runs from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
Event organizer, Kim Raymond, reports that all the perennial favourites will be back: Kreepy Kitchen, Put-out-the-Pumpkin and the Ghoul Pool, to name but a few. The fun-filled Li’ll Spooks obstacle course… a huge hit last year… will also be returning. Add in crafts, games, loot bags and the costume parade around the Haunted Halloween Tree (to the classic Monster Mash song, assuming we can find our copy of the CD, which I’m told went walk-a-byes)… and you have an evening from which indelible childhood memories are woven. What’s more, the whole kit and caboodle is free. How’s that for great value?
However, it doesn’t all happen by magic. We need YOUR help. So don’t forget to drop off your candy contribution. Volunteers will turn your sweet generosity into loot bags for the kids who take part in the fun. The candy collection depot is located on the front porch of Mona Andre’s home on the northeast corner of the crossroads (19083 County Road 24). When I checked with Mona, she reported that contributions seemed slower this fall. “Last year, I had at least 20 to 25 bags of candies and chips at this time,” said Mona.
Bell to toll earlier
Don’t forget that this coming Sunday, November 5th, is all about time. For starters, you have to turn your clocks back an hour, thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time. And then you have to find time to take a nap to make up for the hour of sleep you lose.
Plus, beginning on November 5th, the starting time of the Sunday service at the Kenyon Presbyterian Church is being changed to 9:15 AM instead of 9:30. It should be stressed that this is a permanent change. The earlier start will give Rev. Julia Apps Douglas more travelling time to reach her second service, which is scheduled for 11 AM in St. Columba Church. Sunday School will continue to be held in the Kenyon church hall. All are welcome.
Movie doesn’t disappoint
If you missed the DRA’s Saturday Night at the Movies event this past weekend (and chances are you did, as there were only eleven of us there), you missed a great flick. This month’s offering was Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window with James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr. Produced in 1954, the film’s plot revolves around a wheelchair-bound photographer who spies on his neighbours from his apartment’s back window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Often, the worry with these so-called “classics” is how well they’ve aged. With Rear Window, there is no such concern. It was as entertaining on Saturday night as it was when it premiered 63 years ago… right down to the trademark cameo appearance of the director. In this Hitchcock production, he can be briefly spotted winding the mantle clock in the composer’s living room.
Event organizers Laurie Maus and Bob Garner apologized for the short notice. Life got in the way. However, Laurie says that she and Bob will be firing up the popcorn machine on a more regular basis as we head into the winter. The next film will be screened on November 18th at 7 PM. Then we’ll take a break for December and return in January. You’ll notice that I failed to mention what’s on the playbill next month. That’s because I’m not entirely sure. And I don’t want to be accused with spreading fake news. As soon as I know, I’ll put it in the column.
Advance ticket warning
If you’ve passed by the DRA hall on a Wednesday night recently, you’ve no doubt noticed the place is lit up like a Christmas tree, with enough cars out front to start a used car lot. That’s because the rehearsals for this year’s all-new Music & Mayhem revue are in full swing. Written and directed by Rosemary Chatterson, and featuring an incredibly talented cast and crew of local ne’er do wells, the 2017 show will build on the success of the past two years… and then some.
In fact, to meet the anticipated demand for seats, Rosemary and her team are taking an “in for a penny, in for a pound” attitude and putting on four performances this year: Friday, December 1st at 7:30 PM, Wednesday, December 6th at 7:30 PM, Friday, December 8th at 7:30 PM and Sunday, December 10th at 2:00 PM.
I’ll have more tidbits about what’s in store as the concert series draws nigh, but I wanted to give you fair warning that the Music & Mayhem tickets will be going on sale in early November. Once again, three community-minded organizations have volunteered to be ticket outlets: The Review in Vankleek Hill, the Home Hardware in Maxville and The Quirky Carrot in Alexandria. The price per ticket is $10 and all proceeds from the concerts will go to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank in Alexandria. If there are any tickets left for a performance, they will be available at the door for $12 each. For ticket assistance or more information, you can reach Rosemary at 613-525-1336.
Four course Euchre
We’re not going to do it for every DRA Euchre luncheon, but Linda Burgess and I decided to pull out the stops for last Friday’s event. In retrospect, we served up what amounted to a four course meal before the card game got under way: crudités and dip, chicken noodle soup, an assortment of egg salad and sliced turkey sandwiches and a dessert tray. And we’re glad we did. It just so happened that the group celebrated two birthdays this month. Phyliss Terry turned 99, which isn’t all that unusual these days. However, our Phyliss stills lives in her own house. The day’s second celebrant was Doug ‘”Tigger” Benson from Bourget who marked his 80th birthday by coming to Dunvegan.
The tournament’s “50/50” prizes went to Claire Van Putten (twice), Phyliss Terry and the dynamic duo from Cornwall, Helen Bellefeuille and former Dunvegan resident, Donald Clark. As for top scores, Margo MacRae took home 1st prize (and the Door Prize). 2nd prize was awarded to Michel Bourbonnais. And 3rd prize went to Arlene Monro. The “Most 4s” player was Helen Bellefeuille.
The second-to-last DRA Euchre Luncheon of 2017 is scheduled for Friday, November 17th in the DRA Hall at 19053 County Road 24 from 12:00 noon to around 3:30 PM. Admission is only $5.00 and includes great food and even better company.
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