Believe it or not, it’s almost three years since the debut of the DRA’s movie night… on November 19th, 2016. For most of its run, the event has been held on a Saturday night. However, this month’s movie is one of the exceptions. It will take place on Friday evening, i.e., October 18th. And the film will start a half hour later — at 7:30 PM — so you can get home from work and have a spot of supper. (Don’t forget to leave room for hot-buttered popcorn.)
Laurie Maus and Bob Garner have chosen The King’s Speech for this month’s cinematic offering. It is a historical drama about King George VI’s struggle to cope with a stammer by working with an Australian speech therapist. If you’re a bit hesitant about showing up on Friday night, here’s a review that I found on the International Movie Database (IMDb): “There was no way I could have imagined how wonderful The King’s Speech would be. There was abundant humour without the film ever becoming a comedy, drama without dreariness, and many deeply moving moments. I can’t praise this film enough.”
Bring your own refreshments and a comfy cushion or chair and the DRA will supply the popcorn. While there’s no formal admission, donations towards the DRA’s community programs (like this and the one that follows) will be gratefully accepted. Remember, this is not intended as a family event. Instead, the idea is to provide a night out close to home for us older folks.
Buddy… can ya spare a gumdrop?
As the days get shorter and nights are colder, the Dunvegan Recreation’s Halloween committee gets serious about planning for their annual Community Ghoul Fest. A decades-long tradition, the event draws local families to the DRA Hall on All Hallows’ Eve for a magical night of communal fun and food.
In the coming weeks, I’ll get into more detail about what this year’s party has in store. For now though, I’d like to appeal to your generosity. By donating Halloween candy to the DRA, you help them put together loot bags for all the trick-or-treaters to take home at the end of the evening. So I’m counting on you to give until you get a sugar high. Mona Jerome has once again volunteered her front porch as the drop-off spot for your contributions. Mona lives on the northeast corner of the Dunvegan crossroads. Her civic number is 19083 County Road 24. If you have some sweets that you’d like to contribute, just drop them in the collection box on Mona’s front porch.
Not Trump’s fault
At one point during the hors d’oeuvres phase of our Thanksgiving feast, the topic of American Thanksgiving cropped up. We all agreed that holding the celebration a month or so before Christmas was a bit odd… and wondered if our neighbours to the south had once held it closer to the correct date, i.e., the one we Canadians observe. Or have since 1957, when Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving would henceforth be observed on the second Monday of October.
While the kneejerk reaction, of course, was to blame this aberration on Trump, it was suggested by one of our guests that the present timing of Thanksgiving in the U.S. actually dates back to when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President. It was further suggested that this change was made purely for business reasons.
It turns out this tall tale is true. On December 26, 1941, FDR signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day in the States from the last day in November to the fourth Thursday. For the nation’s shopkeepers this change translated into extra shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Which is precisely why the Retail Industry lobbied the President and Congress to make the switch… to goose an economy that had been ravaged by the Great Depression. Finally, something neither Trump nor his Russian pals had a hand in.
“Juckerspiel” anyone?
This coming Friday, card enthusiasts from the region will gather in Dunvegan to play Juckerspiel (Jack Game) or Euchre as it has come to be known. Many historians postulate that the game originated in Alsace, once a territory of the German empire and now part of France. Juckerspiel (Euchre) came to North America on the waves of 18thcentury immigration from Germany and England, especially Cornwall where the game is immensely popular to this day. The game’s rapid adoption is believed to be the reason North American manufacturers added “Jokers” to decks of playing cards.
I sure hope you’ll be able to join us for Friday’s October Euchre Luncheon. Admission is only $5 and features homemade sandwiches, an assortment of pickles and sweets from the magic kitchen of Sandra Daigle. The event starts at 12:00 noon and wraps up around 3:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us. We had five tables of players last month. Let’s see if we can top that.
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