NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

LEAVE IT TO THE HISTORIAN - 1971 PROGRAM FOR THE FIRST MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL - IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

IT'S WHAT US HISTORIANS DO. COLLECT INTERESTING RELICS. I'VE BEEN BUYING AND SELLING MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS NOW. THIS ONE WAS KEPT IN MY MUSKOKA PAPER FILE, AND I'M GLAD I DIDN'T GET TEMPTED TO SELL IT. THAT'S THE CONTRADICTION OF BEING BOTH AN HISTORIAN, AND A BUYER AND SELLER OF OLD STUFF. YOU CAN'T KEEP IT ALL. OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT SUZANNE TELLS ME, WHEN I ARRIVE HOME WITH ANOTHER VAN-LOAD OF ANTIQUES ETC.

I WENT TO THE VERY FIRST MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, BUT I WAS PROBABLY TOO CHEAP TO BUY THE FIFTY CENT PROGRAM. I THINK THIS ONE CAME FROM AN ESTATE AUCTION IN GRAVENHURST SOME YEARS AGO.

"The Muskoka Winter Carnival will add another recreational event to the year-round calendar of happenings in one of Ontario's favorite playgrounds," wrote Ontario Premier, John Robarts. "Those of you helping launch this first Muskoka carnival are participating in what will surely become a most successful annual event, resulting in a large boost to Ontario's winter tourist industry. Muskoka is generously endowed with natural and man-made facilities for winter sports. The proximity of large population areas suggests that the Muskoka Winter Carnival may one day be recognized as a major North American event. I congratulate those of you who have planned or are participating in this first Winter Carnival, and I wish you many exciting days of fun."

The Minister of Tourism, the Hon. James Auld, wrote, "I welcome this opportunity to extend greetings to those of you who are taking part in the First Annual Muskoka Winter Carnival. As Minister of Tourism and Information, for the Province of Ontario, I am always pleased to see local organizations taking a lead in actively promoting their regional tourist attractions. Muskoka is renowned for its many advantages during the summer months. It is indeed gratifying to see the development of organized activities in the winter season during which time Muskoka has a great deal to offer to the outdoor enthusiasts."

"It is with a great deal of pleasure that I extend a warm welcome on behalf of the District of Muskoka, to those of you who are participating in the first annual Muskoka Winter Carnival. You will find that all the traditional pleasures of winter enjoyment are easily accessible in Muskoka, which ranks with some of the finest vacation areas. To date the emphasis of our tourist industry has been placed on the summer months. Through the Muskoka Winter Carnival, the many pleasures of the Muskoka area during the winter months will be publicized to everyone's advantage. It is to be hoped that the Muskoka Winter Carnival will have the effect of encouraging summer residents to winterize their cottages and to prove to the vacationing public that Muskoka is the place to enjoy a winter vacation."

The above letter of introduction was written by the first chairman of the new created District of Muskoka level of government, Milton A. Tibbett.

What you can also see, from the first three letters published in the souvenir program, is that the emphasis was on boosting tourism, creating a national and international buzz, and maybe, just maybe, getting our cottage owners to insulate their cottages, so they can enjoy winter activities…..just like they do in the summer season. Keep in mind, this insulating-the-cottage plan, has created problems of its own, due to increasing road maintenance demands which increase each year, as does the budget for winter road maintenance. I'm digressing. But what you don't see, in the first three letters, is anything that would suggest how great it would be if local families would come out as well. It was a "given" right? Well, not really. Who will be putting on the Winter Carnival? Where will the volunteers come from, to fill the roles of big show operators? It was designed as a tourism promotion.

The Carnival's first chairman, Hugh Mackenzie, wrote the last of the four "introductory" letters, and was the only one to mention "family," and that could be perceived as meaning local families were also welcome to attend. I'm sure this was his intent. "The Muskoka Winter Carnival Committee was formed in the summer of 1969 and has worked diligently from that date to the present, to provide what we anticipate will become the most exciting Winter Carnival in Canada. As you glance through this program, you will see that each day contains events for both the spectator and the participant. Each day is filled with social and recreational activities. Each day is filled with fun. We believe that every member of the family will find some activity suited to their outdoor interests during this week of festivities."

But Mackenzie, who would later become District Chairman, and then the Mayor of Huntsville, added the tourism cap to the introduction, writing, "It is our hope that your experience here will encourage you to look to Muskoka in the future as a place to enjoy all of your wintertime recreational activities. We hope too, that those of you who have summer cottages in this area, will learn through this Carnival, of the great potential for winter that Muskoka has to offer, and, that this will encourage you to winterize your summer home. We trust that you will discover a fresh, new and exciting Muskoka, during the time that you spend with us. Once again, may I welcome you, on behalf of all of us who have been involved in creating the Muskoka Winter Carnival."

Undoubtedly due to provincial funding, grants, etc., and sundry other promotional advantages, the idea was to draw as many folks to Muskoka as possible during the winter season. It was a marketing strategy that had one giant hole in it! It wasn't aimed at pleasing the local population, as such. It was a combined business enterprise, that while undoubtedly a contributor of jobs and economic advantage, failed in the long-run because it maintained this "them and us" relationship throughout its history. It's not that Muskokans didn't attend, but they weren't the target audience. The whole fuss was, as the letters indicate, to encourage summer folks to give a "Muskoka winter" a try. Meanwhile, Muskokans weren't of much interest, accept as volunteers to staff the venues. They'd take our money, but we were not the preferred patrons. This was perpetuated year after year. To the point many area residents got tired of the tourism gimmicks, when in fact, from the beginning, the carnival should have been far more inclusive and welcoming to everyone…..whether you were packing money in that big wallet, or just a yocal looking for something to do. Hugh Mackenzie was the more generous of the four letters of introduction, and I think he was genuinely concerned about local participation……that made us feel somewhat welcome to the event. But it is clear this was an economic development issue, and what organizers were watching for, was the attendance data…….so where were these patrons coming from? Were cottagers part of the mix? To what percentage? Even then, they would have discovered, as they did for years after this, that it was the year-round residents that bulked out the three town carnival. It never became one of the best in the country, and I would venture to say, it wasn't even close. You just don't dislodge the Quebec Winter Carnival quite that easily.

The Gravenhurst Winter Carnival's rejuvenation, and Skokie's de-moth-balling, is very encouraging. I think this will be the third event of the re-birth, although I stand to be corrected. As I wrote in a number of blogs last January, I hope the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival Committee, and Town Council, will make this a "people" event…..a "family" fete; regardless of where patrons happen to be from; if they are of the tourist-ilk, or cottager population, day-travellers, or Muskokans, who call this place home 24-7. If there was an error with the Winter Carnival at its inception, it's that they didn't make it clear…..abundantly clear, that it was an event "FOR MUSKOKANS, BY MUSKOKANS, AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS INVITED TOO." It can be a tourist-friendly event, while still being aimed at pleasing the folks who live here year-round. It is the success behind carnivals in Port Carling and Port Sydney, that have been operating for ages, by catering to community interests. As it is expected the locals will be running it, why the heck shouldn't they be invited as the special guests. It doesn't mean other folks aren't welcome…..but that hometowners don't feel subservient to all others attending. There's more to life and times than catering to tourism. Back in 1971 this editorial would have been blacked out; the writer run out of town on a rail. Or worse.

From what I have seen so far of the Gravenhurst version of the Winter Carnival, over the past two winters, it is very much a hometown celebration……open to everyone, but big on local values and friendships. Kid friendly too! I like that.

I'll have more information from that inaugural program in tomorrow's blog. Join me.

Suzanne just bought some Skokie-colored wool today, to make scarves for the band members of "Pressure Point," to put them in the creative mood, while they're in the studio, coming up with a 2012 version of a Winter Carnival song, specially written for their hometown. Watch for updates.

Now I've got to listen to the ticky-tacky of knitting needles for the next month. Aye, but it's for a good cause!