Given the historically low voter turnout for municipal elections in our neck of the woods, one wonders if the Township should at least try to drum up a bit more interest. It’s the layer of government that may have the most direct impact on lives of North Glengarrians, and yet only 37.3% of us cast a ballot in the 2014 election. True, we’re not the worst. In the municipality of Middlesex Centre, only 13.98% bothered to vote. But we are a long way from being the best. Mattachewan Township in Northeastern Ontario had an impressive turnout of 74.33%. However, this may have had more to do with the fact the municipality’s population is only 409.
One suggestion would be for our municipality to get into the “Election Roadshow” business. There are at least six Township-associated halls in North Glengarry that I can think of. North Glengarry runs the community halls in Alexandria and Maxville, while the local recreation associations operate the halls in Glen Robertson, Apple Hill, Dalkeith and Dunvegan. Why not, in the lead-up to the election, schedule a public information meeting in each of these venues?
The meetings could start with a brief introduction to the new on-line and telephone voting protocols and then move on to short presentations from ALL the candidates who are running for Township positions. This could then be followed by a moderated Question & Answer period. To have any hope of success, though, the “Roadshow” must be heavily promoted with newspaper ads and date-specific signage in the communities where the events are being held.
It’s Friday Euchre time!
This coming Friday, September 21st, is Euchre day in Dunvegan. Admission is only $5 and includes one of the best lunches on the circuit with heaps of sandwiches and homemade sweets by Sandra Daigle. A 50/50 draw is also part of the fun. Held in the DRA Hall at 19053 County Road 24, the affair starts at 12:00 noon and wraps up around 3:30 PM. Everyone is welcome.
Thursday“Q & A” cancelled
Louise Quenneville — Dunvegan-based candidate for the position of North Glengarry’s Councilor at Large — has had to cancel her information session at the DRA Hall tomorrow night, Thursday, September 20th. She tells me that she’s going to go old school and call on as many voters as she can… door-to-door. Another option for Dunveganites wanting to learn about Louise’s positions on the issues facing our township is her web site: www.louisequenneville.com. Brian Caddell — a candidate for Deputy Mayor of North Glengarry — will still be hosting his information session at the DRA Hall on Sunday, September 23rdat 7:00 PM.
Pop-up swan song
One of the secret joys of recent Harvest Festivals at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum has been the spontaneous musical performances that “pop-up” here and there unexpectedly. The event organizers do not plan them. They just appear suddenly, to the delight of festivalgoers in the vicinity. And then the musicians slip away when the spirit moves them. I spotted three such performances at the 2018 Harvest Festival, but there may have been more.
First was a lanky lad by the name of Clay MacWhirter who could coax the most amazing tunes from an old squeezebox. Far smaller than the typical accordion of polka-playing fame, the humble instrument sang sweetly in Clay’s hands.
Second, there were a couple of young violin players parked on the bench between the Drive Shed and the Harvest tent. Unfortunately, they were just coming to the end of their set as I came across them. I wish I’d been able to catch more of their music. The duet consisted of Reid Baker and Rachel Campbell. If Rachel’s name sounds familiar, you’re right. She and her mother, Gabrielle Campbell, will be the opening act at the DRA’s Festival of Small Halls concert on September 22ndfeaturing Cassie & Maggie.
Last, but not least, there was an end-of-day jam session that coalesced around Dunvegan’s renowned busker Steve “Spider” Merritt. The group that gathered near the Big Beaver Schoolhouse included Justin Theoret on banjo, Steve Merritt on banjo and harmonica, Doug MacPherson on mandolin, Steve Stang on guitar and Fred Leroux on fiddle.
I was saddened to learn later that this was Spider’s last public performance. He called me last week to say that a condition known as “trigger finger” had finally forced him to hang up his banjo. Trigger finger, also known as “stenosing tenosynovitis, is a condition that causes pain and a sensation of locking up when you bend and straighten your finger. Needless to say, not what you want happening when playing a musical instrument.
Spider’s first professional gig was in Maine at the Waldo County Hospital’s Christmas party in December of 1961. His on-stage debut earned him the grand sum of a Liberty silver dollar, which he still has. If you do the math, this means that Steve Merritt has been performing for fifty-seven years. Over this span, he tells me he has never been late for a performance, never missed a booking and never cancelled a show (except for the volunteer appearance he had scheduled for last year’s DRA Crokinole & Taffy Party.) One of the true characters that make up the rich tapestry that is Dunvegan, Steve’s music will be missed. Although, I suspect he will still show up for kitchen parties and help keep the rhythm.
On its own four wheels
Brenda Kennedy from Baltics Corners e-mailed to comment on my “Rocky Suggestion” item in last week’s column. For those who missed it, I proposed that the Jamieson Stoning Machine — the horse-powered device used over a century ago to move large stones to the edge of a farmer’s field — be temporarily relocated to next year’s Harvest Festival agricultural demonstration area. I also proposed pairing the Jamieson machine with the amazing Bugnot Stone Crusher that is available to today’s farmers. It can pulverize 40 acres of stone-strewn fields in a single day.
Not only did she like the idea, she confirmed that the Jamieson Stoning Machine was still mobile as recently as1998, when Denis LaFerriere and his crew relocated the Drive Shed. The building had to be moved back about 20 feet from its’ original location. Brenda, who was the museum’s curator at the time, clearly remembers the stoning machine rolled right along with it. As she recalls, Denis and his team decided it would be easier to hitch the artifact to the building and move the two together. Brenda’s recollection suggests that the Jamieson Stoning Machinecan’t be all that fragile if managed to make the 1998 move on its own four wheels.
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