It was a race to beat the elements last Sunday as we were laying down the grid for the new “Cow Pie 50/50” raffle on the lawn beside the Big Beaver schoolhouse. Cole Williams and his dad, Ben, had offered to help paint the lines defining the squares for this unusual game of chance that’s making its debut at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s Harvest Fall Festival this coming Sunday, September 12th. The way it works is a cow will be led into the enclosed grid and given 60 minutes to leave a cow pie (a.k.a. cow patty) on one of the numbered squares. The holder of the raffle ticket with the number that matches the square blessed with the first qualifying deposit is the winner. For all the details, check out the raffle rules posted on the Fall Festival page of the museum’s web site.
You don’t have to attend to win. However, unlike most raffles, the “Cow Pie 50/50 PLUS” event is a spectator sport. If you’re at the Harvest Fall Festival in Dunvegan, you’re more than welcome to amble over to the raffle corral (just south of the schoolhouse) at 2:00 pm and catch the action. A word of caution, though… ticket holders and others must not interfere with the progress of the event. Pushing, prodding or enticing Bessie with a handful of laxative-laced grain are all verboten.
Young Mr. Williams did a bang up job of painting the lines. We were indeed lucky to avail ourselves of the experience he gained lining the Dunvegan Recreation soccer field this past summer. Nevertheless, Cole, Ben and I lost the race against Mother Nature. With just two lines left to go, the leaden skies opened up and we were delugd. As luck would have it though, we didn’t melt… and the paint didn’t run.
Don’t let Ben and Cole’s soaking be in vain. Please buy one or more “Cow Pie” raffle tickets. There will probably be some for sale at the Fall Festival, assuming they’re not all purchased in advance. But if you want to be sure of snagging a ticket, grab one online at GlengarryPioneerMuseum.ca. They’re also available over the counter at the Dunvegan museum, Caisses Desjardins (Alexandria and St. Isidore) and the Dalkeith Plus Library. Or you can contact Matt Williams (613-525-0796), Linda Fraser (613-527-2572) and Louise Leblanc Mazur from the Twistle Guild of Glengarry (613-527-7720).
Yeah… no washing up
I’ve mentioned that this year’s Fall Festival at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum will be scaled down to reflect the challenges posed by the continuing Public Health quandary. Visitors will have to forgo frosty mugs of beer at the Star Inn, the stirring sounds of the Quigley Highlanders leading the horse parade and the toe-tapping performances under the music tent. However, the good news is that you won’t have to do without sustenance.
I’m pleased to confirm that the Dunvegan Recreation Association will be serving food, snacks and beverages at next Sunday’s festival. Unfortunately, their usual fare of sausages and hot dogs involve condiments, a high touch hazard. And portions of pie — their traditional FallFest dessert — is fiddly and slow to serve, So, in order to minimize wait times and avoid bottlenecks, the DRA has simplified their menu. Instead, they will be offering homemade chilli (regular and vegetarian) served with a bun, potato chips, soft drinks, bottled water and an assortment of dessert squares.
In the interest of public safety, the DRA’s catering co-ordinator, Kim Raymond, tells me she’ll be setting up cafeteria-style food serving stations that are six feet apart. And spray painted circles will help maintain social distancing. The DRA food booth will be located just east of the museum’s antique windmill. It’s a great way to refuel or slake your thirst… and support our local recreation association at the same time.
Man atop the mill
Speaking of windmills — the quaint, water-pumping type — the museum is lucky to have one in its collection. I’m not sure when it stopped working, but I remember back in the 80s when it merrily pumped water from the dug well beneath into a soapstone sink that I believe was donated by Jan and Gary Geddes. They found it when they owned the Duncan McLeod farm on the south half of Lot 19 Concession 9. However, it has been many years since I’ve seen its blades a-turning. That’s why I was so surprised, following a meeting at the museum one evening, to see the silhouette of somebody standing on the tiny platform at the top of mill, outlined by the setting sun. It turned out that the person with no fear of heights was Clay MacWhirter, co-chair of the Harvest Festival Committee. I learned that Clay is in his final year of Mechanical Engineering at Carleton University. It was so wonderful to see a younger person taking an interest in the museum, I contacted Clay and inquired about antique windmills in general and his plans for the GPM’s windmill in particular. Rather than filter his responses, I think it best to let him tell the story in his own words:
“I’ve been involved with old stuff for as long as my hands could operate a screwdriver and wrench, partly because there was lots of it around my grandparents farm, but mostly because it is so much easier to fix (and) understand than things built in more modern times… At one time, every second or third farm would have had a windmill, and sometimes two… Most of these early mills operated using a mechanism that was open to the elements, and therefore required a person to climb the mill almost daily to keep it lubricated… later mills (such as the one at the museum) were self-oiling, and can be compared to a modern vehicle engine where the oil is constantly circulating through the mechanism. Most of these self-oiling mills started to see use around the 1910s/20s, and many were advertised as being “annu-oiled”… In Texas, the Aermotor Company still makes a self-oiling mill that remains relatively unchanged since the 1920s and markets them mostly for ranches/pasture water pumping applications.”
Clay went on to say that the museum’s mill is a perfect example of what would’ve commonly been seen in this area from the 1920s to the 1960s. Known as the Beatty Pumper, its mechanism was manufactured by Beatty Brothers of Fergus, Ontario. From the mid 1800s to its sale to General Steel Wares of Toronto in 1969, the company made a complete line of home and farm devices, from washing machines to manure carts.
“Many of these (Beatty) mills were marketed as replacements for the farms who had old and possibly broken non-self-oiling mills… the idea being the Beatty mill would be placed on top of the old tower — exactly what the Dunvegan mill is an example of. The tower was made by Gould, Shapley & Muir, a Brantford, Ontario company that operated from the 1890s to the mid 1930s. They sold many windmills, early gas engines, and other supplies for the rural family across Canada. The tower is three-legged, and is mostly made of angle iron reinforced with twisted metal wire.”
Clay’s assessment is that the museum’s mill has a bent shaft, which means if the mill blades rotate in the wind, they may hit the tower and get bent as well. In order to correct this, the mechanism and blade assembly will have to be removed so the ‘stub’ tower (the very top part) can be fixed. Once this is done, Clay has every confidence the Dunvegan windmill will pump water once again. When I asked Clay how long this would take, he replied, “A realistic goal would be to have the mill operational in 2023, assuming the time and resources can be found.” I for one hope Clay gets the green light. It would be wonderful to have the windmill operational once more.
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