In researching this first item… Saturday night’s Spaghetti Fundraiser in Dunvegan for the Maxville Firefighters Association… I discovered that approximately 40% of the Maxville Fire Department calls the Dunvegan area home. This includes Jonathan Hamelin, the detachment’s Deputy Chief. As of this writing, the other Dunvegan volunteers are: Ryan Arkinstall, Donat Leduc, Phil Schellenberg, Jeffrey Beaudin, Norm Jeaurond, Jeremy Falle and Jay Wilkie. So if you ever have the misfortune of needing anti-fire services, chances are good that a goodly proportion of the individuals trying to extinguish your conflagration will be your neighbours. And these firefighting volunteers need our help. The funds raised at Saturday’s pasta-thon will help the Maxville Firefighters Association support local charities and purchase specialized equipment like the Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) they use for off-road emergencies.
Time was a spaghetti fundraiser like this would be a pretty vanilla affair: piles of pasta topped with a hearty tomato-based meat sauce (with meatballs, if it was putting on the Ritz). However, I should have known that, in today’s chichi “foodie” world, this wouldn’t cut the mustard. So, Saturday’s diners will have a choice of four different sauces. That’s right, four: Québecoise, Bolognese, Calabrese and Tomato.
What the heck, I’ll give it a try. However, at the first hint my meal is being “plated” with a tiny twist of non-GMO pasta, drizzled with a herb-infused sauce-like liquid, topped with a wee sliver of ancient-grains garlic toast and oh-so-artistic swirls of some unknown purée filling the space where food would normally reside… I’m out of there.
All kidding aside, please support the Maxville Firefighters’ Association first-ever fundraising dinner in Dunvegan. It’s being held this coming Saturday night, November 16th, at the Dunvegan Recreation Hall, 19053 County Road 24. Last week, I mentioned that the event would start at 5:30 PM. I was wrong. Meal service will actually get under way at 4:00 PM. If you’re going south this year, this will be good practice for all the early-bird specials I hear they have in Florida. Be advised though, that there’s no early bird pricing. Regardless of when you choose to dine, the cost is just $10 for adults and $5 for children under 16. Keep in mind though, that the doors close at 8:30. A cash bar is available. So, if you like a glass or two of Chianti, or a beer, with your Spaghetti Bolognese, they’ve got you covered. There will even be official takeaway containers at the ready, if you need a meal to go. I hope to see you there.
Pink Panther visits Dunvegan
Given that the Maxville Firefighters’ spaghetti fundraiser has usurped its normal time slot, this month’s DRA Movie Night has been moved to Friday, November 15th. If you’ve been meaning to attend this far too underrated event, Friday’s movie selection — Blake Edwards’s Shot in the Dark from 1964 — is well worth coming out for. The second in the immensely popular “Inspector Jacques Clouseau” franchise (the first was The Pink Panther in 1963), it stars Peter Sellers and Elke Sommer. It is in this film that Sellers experiments with the exaggerated French accent that becomes his trademark in later films in the series. We also meet two regular characters in later Clouseau films: Commissioner Dreyfus and Sellers’s Chinese manservant and martial arts instructor, Cato.
As the late Jeff Shannon, a Seattle-based film critic, wrote: “If you could choose only one Pink Panther movie, your best bet would be A Shot in the Dark – ironic, since it’s the only entry in the series that doesn’t mention the Pink Panther or even feature the cartoon cat in its opening credits… Inspector Clouseau is accidentally assigned to track a gorgeous, high profile murder suspect (Elke Sommer), who is connected to several Parisian murders by circumstantial evidence. Of all the Pink Panther movies, this is the one that fires on all pistons, with Edwards and Sellers in peak form, servicing a traditional farce that brought out the best in their inspired collaboration.”
I saw the movie back in the 1960s and, as I recall, the scene where Clouseau (and Elke Sommer) visit a nudist camp was more than worth the price of admission. And, the good news is that the DRA doesn’t charge admission for its Movie Night event. However, they do gratefully accept donations. So you should bring along a few shekels to drop in the jar. Regular audience members also recommend bringing a comfy lawn chair or cushion… and your personal choice of refreshment. The movie starts at 7:30 PM and the DRA supplies free hot-buttered popcorn.
Euchre this Friday
Friday, November 15th, is also the day the DRA holds its monthly Euchre Luncheon. Volunteers Ann Stewart, Linda Burgess, Lisa Chapman and myself hope you will join us for our penultimate get-together before we take our deep winter break in January and February. Admission is only $5.00, which includes a pre- and post-tournament buffet lunch. Event starts at 12 noon in the DRA Hall, 19053 County Road 24, Dunvegan,
Dunveganite takes to the sky
This will be the third time I have referred to Mr. D. A. Gray in this column, and I’m embarrassed to say that I know very little about the gentleman. It’s a deficiency I will have to address. I know he lived in Dunvegan in the early 20th century and, from the few references I have come across, he was obviously an astute businessman. For example, in 1942, Mr. Gray purchased the Dunvegan sawmill from Wallie MacKinnon and I assume the land upon which it stood. The steam-powered mill was located just east of the museum, near where the Barry and Evelyn Viau live today. Gray operated the mill for a few years before selling the equipment to a Quebec firm that moved it to la belle province.
D.A. (I have no idea what the initials stand for) also figured prominently in the Dunvegan column in the October 31st, 1930 edition of the Glengarry News where he was referred to as a local Firestone (tire) dealer. It was reported that he’d been invited to visit Ottawa by the Hugh Carson Company, Firestone distributors for Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. While there, he was “taken for a flight in the giant Firestone Airplane which is making a good-will tour of Eastern Canada.” At the time, aviation was in its infancy and, in addition to dealers, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was able to entice the Mayor and Council of Ottawa, as well as Dominion Government and church officials, aloft for an aerial excursion. According to Dunvegan column, the Firestone plane was powered by three 425 horsepower motors and had a top speed of 190 miles per hour. Pretty impressive for the time. The plane carried 16 passengers in what was described as “Pullman Car” luxury with wicker chairs and tables, and even a refrigerator. Asked how he enjoyed the trip. Mr. Gray replied “Fine! I was sorry when it was over.” The obviously cosmopolitan Mr. Gray described the feeling of takeoffs and landings as “a little sensation like travelling in a fast elevator.” He then went on to wax enthusiastically about the view from on high, “Everything seems so different looking down on it.” He also admitted he was ready to fly again any time he was asked.
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