Looks like Santa dropped off an early Christmas present for the Glengarry Pioneer Museum this year. And with the GPM’s revenues slashed to the bone as a result of the pandemic, it could not have come at a better time. Starting this past Monday, a film production company has rented our little museum, lock, stock and barrel, to shoot a Hallmark Christmas movie. I am probably alone in this, but I had never heard of a “Hallmark movie.” In my mind, Hallmark was synonymous with greeting cards and holiday kitsch. It turns out the brand is also huge in the Yuletide romance film industry. With an audience comprised primarily of women 25 to 54, the company boasted over 85 million viewers during its 2017 Christmas extravaganza. Which makes Hallmark’s Christmas channel hugely profitable.
The channel, which made 37 original Christmas movies in 2018, works primarily with independent production companies like the one from Toronto that is in town this week. Formulaic, with actors who specialize in Hallmark productions, the films are very fast to produce. The shooting is usually wrapped up in two or three weeks. And they contain no expensive, time-consuming special effects sequences or stunts. About the closest they come is the use of artificial snow, like the truckloads they imported to Dunvegan for the winter barn dance scene. Because, snow… and a happy ending… are both constants in these productions. There has never been a hint of a green Christmas in a Hallmark film.
The full-length movie being filmed at the museum has a working title of Once Upon a Christmas and is directed by Max McGuire. McGuire made his Hallmark debut last year when he made Mistletoe & Menorahs, the story of a toy company executive who has to learn about Hanukkah to land a big account. Jennifer Black, the GPM’s curator, tells me that Max’s 2020 film tells the heart-warming story of a successful female author who returns home for Christmas. The town where she grew up just happens to have a pioneer museum that is not only open in the winter, but also employs an anvil-pounding hunk of a historical interpreter who steals her heart. In addition to featuring the Williams Pavilion in the barn dance scene, the Big Beaver schoolhouse, the Hamelin Blacksmith Shop and the Roxborough Hall will also “star” in the film.
I don’t know what sort of bargain the museum struck with the production company for the eight-day exclusive use of the Dunvegan site, but I sure hope it was in excess of what they charge locals for events like family reunions and weddings. While the Toronto film producer doesn’t have the endlessly deep pockets that Hallmark possesses, it is still used to paying the going rate for location rentals. In a 2018 article in Narcity, Jennifer Browne interviewed Jon Summerland, British Columbia’s film commissioner. Summerland told her, “A small kitchen scene in a small town might get you $1,000 per day, but in big cities like Vancouver or Toronto, the rate could go up to as much as $7,000 per day.” And that’s for just one room.
Going… going… gone
While we’re on the dual topics of Dunvegan’s museum and money, I’d like to point out that the Glengarry Pioneer Museum is in the midst of holding an online auction. It started on Saturday, July 25th and is over on Friday, July 31st at 5:00 pm. I apologize for not giving you a heads-up a bit earlier, but no one told me it was happening. Nevertheless, you still have a few days to check out the over forty items that have been donated by generous museum patrons and place a bid. There’s everything from an handcrafted dining table from Blair Williams and a hand spun and knit 1898 replica Shetland wool hat from Laurie Maus to a Deanne Fitzpatrick- designed hooked rug by Jane Desjardin called “The Garden Shed.” To check out the auction, visit the museum’s web site and click on the “GPM Auction” tab at the top of the page.
While I haven’t checked every one, I’m glad to see there are minimum bids on many of the items. I’d hate to see them sold for ridiculously low sums. I’d even suggest that things that remain unsold as of Friday be held over (with the donor’s permission) and placed in a follow-up auction. If so, I’d suggest ramping up the publicity, in both print and social media… and seeing if a more user-friendly auction engine is available. I found the tiny thumbnail-sized column down the side of the page very hard to work with, especially on a mobile device.
Alternatively, to eliminate the need for a follow-up auction, supporters of our little museum could step up, place bids on everything in the auction and clear the board by this coming Friday. I added up the minimum bids and the total is less than $2,250.
Supersized driving tour
Okay, “supersized” is a bit of an exaggeration. However, the response to event was so great that, in light of the new Covid guidelines, organizers have decided to add ten to fifteen more spaces. So, if you’d like to take a mini-magical mystery tour on August 11th from 9 am to noon, extra tickets are now on sale. The cost is just $25 per person and are available online through the museum’s web site: GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca. If computers aren’t your thing, you can always call the museum at 613-527-5230 and complete your ticket purchase over the phone.
The tour will start out — rain or shine — at the little museum in Vankleek Hill before moving on to the Higginson Tower and the Arbour Gallery. The groups will then hit the road and head over to the McIntosh Family Cemetery, final resting place of a famous Canadian columnist. The next stop is McCrimmon Corners for a look at the Sons of Scotland Hall. From there, it’s a short hop and jump to the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan. If you wish, you’re welcome to pack a lunch dine out on the museum grounds, or under the Williams Pavilion in the case of rain.
Advisory vs. advocacy
Further to my comments on North Glengarry’s proposed clear cutting bylaw (and any other issues that affect farmers for that matter), I believe that Council needs an agricultural sounding board. The present slate of councillors have little direct farming experience. And, in a township where a significant percentage of the economic activity is related to agriculture, this represents a real gap. A small advisory committee of say three volunteers could offer input on proposed policies and legislation that have a potential impact on the farming community and cut off a lot of problems at the pass. Will this committee be biased? Of course. Other groups from which the Council seeks input… the Raisin River Conservation Authority, for example… are biased. But this doesn’t mean they can’t be consulted or that their input is devoid of value.
The key goal of the Farmers Advisory Committee should be to encourage cooperation between North Glengarry Council and the farming community. To this end, it must be stressed to those joining the committee that the role is an advisory one; it is not one that focuses on advocacy. An Advisor seeks to inform a process. On the other hand, an Advocate seeks to ensure a particular outcome.
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