In one account I came across recently, it was suggested that Halloween has its roots in Samhain, an ancient Irish Celtic festival. The Samhain festival (pronounced SAH-win or SOW-in) marks the end of the harvest season and the start of the “dark half” of the year: winter. Ireland may have been the home of Jack-o’-lanterns as well. To ward off evil spirits on Samhain, It’s said that candles were placed inside hollowed-out turnips.
I also stumbled across two more interesting Halloween “facts.” The first is that the traditional orange and black Halloween colours represent the hues of harvest and the death of summer. The second is that trick-or-treating may have arisen from the superstition that ghosts could disguise themselves as humans and go door to door begging for food or money. If its request was denied, the spirit could haunt the person who refused it.
Whether the above is 100% accurate is anyone’s guess. However, here is one All Hallows’ Eve fact that I know to be true: this year’s DRA Halloween Party was one of the most successful in its long history. Party organizer, Kim Raymond, tells me that at least 52 children and 45 adults showed up. “I was keeping separate tallies for both children and adults,” reported Kim, “but at one point people were streaming in so fast I wasn’t able to keep up.”
I couldn’t make it to the party this year, but my spies tell me that the new games that organizers introduced last year — “Put Out the Pumpkin”, “Pumpkin Hop” and “Catch the Ghost” — were once again smash hits. Kim also upgraded the old beanbag game this year, which is about time, as I can remember Bob Linney fashioned the original pumpkin target board at least 20 years ago. Kim spruced it up with florescent paint and Ping-Pong eyeballs which added to the fun and made the game much more challenging.
Kim wanted me to thank all those kind souls who contributed either financially or with party/loot bag supplies. These include Marlie and Jim Tilker, Heather and Evan McIntosh, Bruce and Lynn MacGillivray, Lynda and Stephen Burgess, Barb and Dennis Ranger, Allan Walker, Isabelle Clark, Kelly Doyle, Myrna Ladouceur, the MacPherson-Prevost and Chapman-Pritchard households and Tamarack Creek Communications. Each year, Tamarack provides the candy for the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s Penny Candy Booth at the Harvest Fall Festival. Due to poor weather on the day of the Festival, there was leftover candy and it was earmarked for the DRA Halloween party. “There were many other very generous individuals who contributed, but preferred to remain anonymous,” Kim says. “We truly appreciate their assistance as well.”
As with any event like this, the 2015 Halloween blowout was made possible by a host of hard-working, community-minded volunteers. This year’s crew included: Kelly Doyle, Isabelle Campbell, Caleb Raymond and Jaydan Willock… along with the usual cast of DRA faithful: Sean, Mona, Erica, Laurie, Vivian and Kim. Special mention should go to Vivian Franklin for her outstanding outdoor decorations. (Loved the bats on the DRA sign, Viv.) And to Ben who… even though he was unable to attend the actual event… rounded up willing volunteers and provided a spooky Halloween Tree.
As a closing note, Kim met a lady who remembers attending the DRA party as a child. She was back again this year, with two children of her own. Kim asked me how long the party has been in existence. I’m not sure off the top of my balding head. But I will check my archives.
Dunvegan’s Secret Helper
Vivian Franklin tells me that when she went to update the Halloween message on the signboard in front of the DRA Hall, she discovered that someone had repaired the west side door. The original door was destroyed a few years ago when a strong gust of wind caught it unexpectedly while signage updates were in progress.
All that Vivian found to mark this kind handyperson’s passage (apart from the repaired door, of course, was an anonymous note saying “Vivian: I hope this keeps the snow out.”
Now, I’m pretty sure I know who did this kind deed. But he or she obviously wants to keep his/her identity a secret, and I will respect this. Nevertheless, both Vivian and I wanted to acknowledge this person’s kindness publically. It’s these sort of quiet, unselfish contributions that help build and maintain community spirit.
Child Haven Comes From Behind
I don’t know if it qualifies as a trend, but another recent event that I was unable to attend… the Annual Child Haven Dinner… was also a stupendous success. The secret might be to send me an invitation, and then contrive to ensure I am unable to show up.
By all reports, a few days before the 30th annual fundraiser for Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino’s Child Haven project it looked like ticket sales would be way down. And yet, the night of the event, folks seemed to come out the woodwork, driving attendance figures and donations to brand new heights.
Organizers were also thrilled that attendees seemed to appreciate the changes that were introduced at this year’s dinner. Right after the 2014 fundraiser, Alyson Graham sent out a call for suggestions on how the event could be improved. Alyson and her committee took the comments, observations and suggestions that poured in and did their best to incorporate them in this year’s dinner.
For starters, organizers moved the Silent Auction tables to the back of the room, along the hockey arena windows. This made the dinner feel more intimate. As well, the “Needs Board” was positioned right in the middle of the Silent Auction, which meant people had to walk by it to view the items on the auction tables.
This seemed to work well, reported Alyson. “The fear was that people would not get up and browse the auction tables if they were not in the centre of the room, but we proved the opposite. This was our biggest year, financially, for the Silent Auction.”
But the organizing committee didn’t stop there. I’m told that the music was not overpowering, as was the case some previous years. Instead, Dunvegan’s guitar virtuoso, David Kelleher, played quietly in the background.
Selecting table numbers from a basket eliminated any impression of favouritism in choosing the next table called to the buffet. Investing in a professional sound system also made a huge difference. As did choosing a new caterer who not only had sufficient food on hand to feed the hungry hordes, but also offered plenty of non-vegetarian options for the husbands in the audience.
Alyson and all her fellow volunteers deserve a big round of applause.
Euchre Rebounds
While we’re on the topic of successful events with a Dunvegan connection, I also wanted to spotlight last month’s Euchre luncheon. As you may recall, I mentioned in the column that I hoped we could reverse the decline in attendance. And my prayers were answered.
When we threw open the doors of the DRA Hall, euchre enthusiasts kept pouring in… in numbers we hadn’t seen for a number of months. In fact the crowd was so large (and ravenous) that I had to run home to make more sandwiches and pick up a box of Tim-Bits to replenish the trays for the post-game lunch.
The healthy number of players allowed our euchre-meister, Ann Stewart, to award “50/50” prizes to Moira Cunning, Lynn Robillard and Isobel MacLennan (who had two winning tickets). Winners of the bonus Halloween draws were Doug Benson and Colombe Raymond. For “Top Scores”, 1st prize went to Claire Van Putten, 2nd prize went to Estelle Brazeau and 3rd prize went to Dytha Dixon. The Door Prize was awarded to Marion MacGillivray. And the “Top Stars” players were Moira Cunning and Michel Bourbonnais.
The next DRA Euchre Lunch is scheduled for Friday, November 20th. As always, it will be held in the DRA Hall at 19053 County Road 24 from 12:00 noon to around 3:30 PM. Admission is only $5.00 and includes pre- and post-game lunches.
As it’s November and the chilly weather will no doubt have settled in by the 20th, the meal will include a bowl of piping hot soup. The only thing it will not include is me. Unfortunately, I have a meeting I can’t reschedule, so Terry will be there to help DRA volunteer Linda Burgess instead. Jim Tilker has also agreed to be an apprentice server and keep everyone’s tea and coffee cups topped up.
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