According to our “3rd Friday of the month” formula, Dunvegan’s Euchre Luncheon was to start up for the spring on Friday, April 19th. The only problem is that the 19this Good Friday and a number of our members have commitments at their church. So, for this one month only, Euchre will be held the following Friday… on April 26th. Please help me spread the word.
Spotlight on Lanken & Howes
I was pleased to hear that, at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s AGM this coming Friday, Dane Lanken will be the recipient of their “Pioneer Award”. Like the long line of “Pioneers” who have preceded him to the podium, Dane is an extremely worthy candidate. A vocal champion of our region’s fast vanishing architectural heritage, he has fought long and hard to preserve what little we have left, before they all fall victim to the blades of Sunday bulldozers or are remuddled beyond redemption.
I believe Dane Lanken set off down the Writer’s Road in the year Canada turned 100, when he joined the staff of the MontrealGazette. He served as one of their film critics and feature writers until 1977, when he struck out on his own as a freelance journalist for Canadian Geographicmagazine and others. He is also a historical writer of some note, with a book on Montreal’s golden-era movie theatres, many articles in Glengarry History’s Glengarry Life publication and, most recently, co-authorship of a book commemorating Alexandria’s 200thanniversary. For this and his other countless contributions to Glengarry’s heritage, Dane is most deserving of this honour.
On Friday evening, museum members and guests will also take pause to honour Lindsey Howes with the GPM’s “Volunteer of the Year” award. Since joining the museum at the start of the millennium as a summer student assistant, Lindsey has set the bar incredibly high when it comes to volunteering. With a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy, she has recorded oral histories, contributed to other research studies, organized work bees, served as a volunteer coordinator, sat on the museum’s board of directors and organized the historical driving tour. Last, but not least, for the past six years, she has chaired the annual Harvest Fall Festival committee, one of the Museum’s highest profile events. If that isn’t enough to earn her the volunteer award, I don’t know what is.
As I mentioned earlier, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s Annual General Meeting and Potluck Supper takes place this Friday at the DRA Hall, 19053 County Road 24, Dunvegan. The evening will start at 6 PM with a potluck supper, followed by a short business meeting. On top of recognizing the contributions made by Dane and Lindsey, the evening’s program will include a presentation marking the 100thanniversary of the Dunvegan Recreation Hall entitled “Dunvegan’s Orange Lodge: A Hall with a History.”
Golden Years symposium
This is more of a “save the date” item. Daughter of Dunvegan, entrepreneur and volunteer extraordinaire, Alyson Graham, is organizing a Senior’s Symposium on Monday, May 6thfrom 12.30 – 5.00 PM at Brent’s Place (the funeral parlour/art galley/conference centre) in Alexandria.
In addition to exhibitors with products or services of interest to baby boomers, the afternoon will feature a topical slate of speakers: Susan Desjardins from Dying With Dignity Canada; Dr. Nadia Kucherepa from Glengarry Memorial on the “falling” epidemic; Bill Kerr from IHA Canada on the new Senior’s Village; and Craig Smith, from the Champlain LHIN on home care. If you’d like more information, or are interested in exhibiting, contact Alyson at: cedarwoodalyson@gmail.com
Four-way tie
DRA president, Ben Williams, reports that Friday’s Pizza, Crokinole and Taffy party at the hall was a great success, attracting both the usual suspects from the local concessions and a number of new faces. In a practical demonstration that many hands make short work, volunteers Anne Forester, Robert Campbell and the Williams triumvirate of Cole, Dawson and Oakley set up the card tables and crokinole boards in near record time. Anne then joined Vivian Franklin on popcorn duty and they pumped out a steady stream of hot-buttered goodness, while Sean and Erica Burgess served up savoury slices of pizza.
With bellies full to busting, the crokinole gang got down to finger-flicking fun. The tournament started with a full slate of forty contenders: ten tables of four players. “Vivian had the taffy ready just before 8:00,” Ben Williams told me in a post-event e-mail, “so we took a sweet break and had time for a few more games to decide the victor.” When the tournament ended, there was a four-way tie for first. So there was a playoff round, the winners of which were: Angus McDonell (1st), Cole Williams (2nd) and Molly McCormick (3rd). Ben also wanted me to thank Steve Merritt for keeping the room entertained with his special musical touch.
Scotch River magic
Next up is a brief story that Steve Merritt called in a few weeks ago. Steve lives north of Dunvegan, over the 417 and within walking distance of the Scotch River. (Terry and I used to joke about this tributary when we first arrived, noting that every bridge in north Kenyon crosses over some “branch” of it.)
Steve contacted me to report that the stars had aligned and the Scotch River had magically turned into the Rideau Canal during Winterlude. He said that every ten years or so, conditions are such that the river turns into one long, snow-free skating rink… a phenomenon he has taken advantage of ever since moving to the area over 50 years ago. In a bittersweet note that accompanied the photos of this decade’s skate-a-thon, Steve mused that this would most likely be the last of his lifetime. But that didn’t seem to detract from his joy of lacing on his trusty blades one more time.
This year, Steve only took photos as a memento of his river-long glide. However, in another e-mail to me, he generously shared a link to the video he produced after his previous skate in 2008. The YouTube video documents his trip from the north side of Stewart’s Glen Road north to where the river passes under Highway 417. Even the music Steve selected for his video clip: worked perfectly: Rippleby theGrateful Dead. If you’d like to share in the magic of this rare skating adventure, take a peek at Steve’s video. Or go to YouTube and search for “River Skate.”
A-mouldering in the grave…
I’m sorry to say that, so far, my search for the paper records of Dunvegan’s Loyal Orange Lodge No.1158 — their minute books, Royal Council Degree records, dues-paid ledger and membership roll — has come to naught. The Glengarry Pioneer Museum has a smattering: minutes of Orange Young Britons No. 43 meetings until 1900. And the Glengarry County Archives has another small piece of the puzzle: minutes of L.O.L. No. 1158 meetings until 1900. However, there the trail goes cold.
On the off chance the records were returned to Head Office, I checked with the Most Worshipful John Chalmers, Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Canada. And nope, they have no records of the Dunvegan Lodge… beyond the original warrant in 1863, the Lodge’s incorporation in 1891 (so it could own property) and its dormancy in 1977.
So, like John’s Brown’s body from the famous American Civil War song, the best that can be hoped is this treasure trove of history lies a-mouldering in an attic or basement somewhere. The worst is that the records were sent to the landfill or used as kindling for a campfire.
However, before I give up, I’d like to appeal to my readers to keep their eyes peeled for anything to do with the Dunvegan Orange Movement. You never know when stuff will turn up during spring house cleaning.
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