Gravenhurst is on the Upswing

OUT OF FRUSTRATION - COMES, WELL, A DETERMINATION TO MOVE ON WITH OTHER PROJECTS

In Support of Gravenhurst -

Out for a walk this morning, I found The Bog silvered-over with thick sparkling frost. The sun was dazzling off the ice crystals adhered in prisms, on the tall, willowy lowland grasses, and cattail remnants of a season in transition. It was such a magnificent and inspiring scene. Whenever one forgets how amazing it is here, in the heart of Muskoka, we all need to dwell a while in a place like this. It is the essence of enchantment. And at points when I start wondering if this is still the place to inspire the writer in residence, well, I return home feeling resolved that I could find no finer place on earth to work. I settle into my office, overlooking The Bog, in the embrace of this wonderful neighborhood, and feel quite compelled to write something, or other, to reflect on this hometown ambience, that has and will continue to find its way into my manuscripts in production. When I hear and read about the dire predictions facing our hometown, almost daily, it's admittedly hard at times, not to be swayed into thinking I must be looking through the wrong portal…..or seeing my environs, this place and our town, with rose-colored glasses…..as it has always been a case, I feel eternally optimistic about most things in this life. And I certainly have faith in the citizens of this town to prove its critics wrong.

When we moved our family to Gravenhurst in 1989, while it was only a shift of 10 miles south from Bracebridge, it was enough of a change for a Muskoka clan, to make us feel as if we'd moved across the continent. As we were't changing jobs, just the place of residence, we pretty much had to stay close to our respective work places. Suzanne a secondary school teacher, and me a battle-weary editor with the local press, there were advantages in being somewhat removed from close proximity. Suzanne found it better to be away from the student body on our down time, and I enjoyed some brief anonymity from news sources. I could walk through a grocery store without being accosted about a story I wrote, or about one I should write. In Bracebridge we wore our work like clothing, and even in our social circles, it was hard to catch a break from our professions. I remember once being terribly hurt by a close friend, who invited us to a party, but asked politely (but ignorantly) if I could please leave my reporter's notepad at home. Thus indicating that I was so untrustworthy that I would be making copious notes about party banter, and assorted bum pinches and scurrilous other innuendoes. Well, we didn't attend.

I'd received a number of death threats over the years, and many, many warnings that I might receive a damn good thrashing, for writing various news stories that named-names. With a young family, I was getting worried that when my lads hit school age, and they had to attend a school in the same town I was reporting and editorializing, they might well have been put at risk of reprisal. Not from the adults but possibly from their offspring. Even at school, Suzanne was tired of the comments about my newspaper's political stand, or opinion on union activities, which always caused a problem with relations….even family, some who were union haters.

To say we escaped to Gravenhurst to distance ourselves from adversarial forces, is really quite ridiculous, when you think about the ten minute ride between towns. It was more of a convenient, comfortable distancing, to a town we liked because of what it didn't have. It wasn't being stretched with urban sprawl. It held the values of a small town, with strong neighborhoods, and a history displayed proudly. And while its detractors accused town council of holding back progress, we didn't feel there was any shortage of progressive interest here, or fear and loathing of accepting new development. The town leaders seemed genuinely interested in protecting the historic character of the town, as if it was important to maintain for posterity. We liked that, and still do. It was the hometown we wanted for our young lads. We weren't wrong, and the fact they've spent most of their young lives in Gravenhurst, and have become part of the local business community, attests to the fact they liked the hometown feeling. They found opportunity here, and the network to employ, to make their business successful. They are now in their sixth year of business on the main street. They are graduates of the Gravenhurst High School, and they stayed here, invested here, and devoted themselves to charitable causes….right here in South Muskoka.

For many years Suzanne and I refrained from getting involved, other than normal day-to-day living, shopping, socializing etc., and even though I had a short stint as editor of The Banner (local weekly newspaper), it was all calm on the southern-front. Although I lived and thrived through one of the most volatile periods of newspaper competition, in Muskoka history, at the helm of the former Herald-Gazette, our new life in Gravenhurst was meant to be much more passive and comfortable. I was pretty good at staying out of controversy, until we found the town quite willing to sell-off The Bog, our neighborhood wetland, and then the going got heated. It took a new century to start this battle. Then we made the mistake of suggesting our son run for office, with the local business association, and well, that ended quickly and badly. Defending our son and the president of the association, drew us into a constitutional quagmire we will never forget. So much for staying out of the kitchen.

Our family has great respect for Gravenhurst, and we know we made the right decision to move here to raise our family. How could we not be grateful. We live in a wonderful neighborhood, in the midst of a most beautiful wreathing of nature, and we're only a few minutes from the business community where the boys have set up shop. We have however, pondered many times recently, whether or not we have slipped back into our old ways, and precarious involvements, that helped us decide to leave our former hometown. We do agree that there is something wrong in Gravenhurst, and it comes down to that veil of negativity that seems so prevalent these days, despite there being many positive but untold stories of financial successes. I think the leadership from municipal council, is weak at best, and the inability of the mainstream business association to restore relations with all stakeholders, is creating a drag on future potential. It's unfortunate but our boys are weighing their options about re-location, as a result of this growing disunity with the association. They don't like the broad-sweeping statements of economic calamity, being used for headlines every time there is a twinkle of a problem on the stretch of old main street. They happen to be doing quite well, but you won't read that in the press. I've suggested this to the media, and their willingness to talk about their five year milestone on this same troubled main street, but it hasn't been requested yet. Why? Maybe they offer a contradictory glimpse that doesn't jive with the street-speak presently. We sometimes feel we should conceal the fact we're doing well, as it doesn't fit with what everyone seems to be talking about……apparently with more interest in bellowing about imminent disadvantages, than the many positives sprouting up, despite, on what, in some ways, seems like salted ground.

We Curries are an opinionated lot. But we put our critiques in the right place, at the right time, and get involved where and when we have to, in order to prove we stand by our convictions…..by our home town. While some shout from the sidelines, we aren't afraid of getting into a scrum, if it is an issue we need to correct. Lately, we've been getting a little overwhelmed by the stuff we feel is wrong, being operated improperly, and needs to be corrected by citizen involvement. Then there are the moments of clarity, when alas, and by experience, we realize there is no way to change what is occurring, or the prevalent attitude toward change. It is a town that needs to be inspired again, to regain its rightful place as Gateway to Muskoka. I fear there is much in the way of reaching this historic level of pride, due to the fog of so many disagreements, and so little leadership to march us through the chagrin. While we won't walk away from a challenge, or to address something we perceive to be ill-conceived, and poorly executed, we simply don't have the capability of changing or even influencing attitudes, of those who think they are, by the paperwork of elected office, representing our general interests simply by the chain of office.

I have been rigorous in my critiques of local council and the business association. I haven't pulled too many punches. I have received a fair amount of criticism myself, and I've lived on to fight another day. I like dialogue, and adore public consultation. What we see now, in so many levels of governance, is a willingness to talk about transparency and community involvement in decision making, and government re-structuring, but an unwillingness to allow change to truly penetrate where it needs restoration. The negativity spreading in Gravenhurst can only be removed by an enlightened town council, genuinely concerned that all business, all attractiveness to this Muskoka town, is being threatened by this pre-occupation….as if we are the only community in Canada suffering from business de-centralization and economic slowdown.

I will continue to write about my hometown, and it will never be at the expense of censoring opinion, or declining to tackle political dead-lock. It will highlight the beautiful, and comforting hometown, we found when we moved here more than twenty years ago, and still find in abundance amongst the citizenry who know when to turn-off political rhetoric and business whining. We Curries have enjoyed our years in Gravenhurst, and look forward to many more. I won't apologize for withdrawing, to some degree, from trying to change what appears cast in stone. One day, a new and exciting leadership will arrive again in this town, and capitalize on the strong foundation that still supports a genuinely good and strong hometown…..if only everyone could see it…..wouldn't that be a step in the right direction?

HAVING TO BATTLE A LOT TO KEEP A BUSINESS IN GRAVENHURST - IT SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND - HOW ABOUT TRYING TO KEEP US HERE!!!!

There is little point trying to help the governance sector of our community, or the other associations that are supposed to be enhancing business and its opportunities, because other than seeking broad-stroke solutions to every problem, apparently and allegedly plaguing us, they don't see the trees for the forest. And there's no way an opinionated son-of-a-bitch like me, is going to have any influence, to convince them that broad strokes may be good in conjunction with other improvements, but a waste of energy unless there is a ground-swell of support for the cause. There are citizens of this town, who are tired of the complaining from some main street merchants, which is a decades-old reality. It didn't begin with the spate of fires and construction. It began well more than a decade ago, and longer, that main street merchants were verbally sparring, largely with themselves, about the way they've been ignored by the town. There was merchant unrest when I became editor of The Banner in 1989. I think research would reveal this is kind of a main street thing to do, with business associations across the province. If there wasn't an association, well, as they say, "if a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there to witness it……does it bother to make a noise?"

The latest bid, by various groups and interested parties, to declare the devastated area of the main street, an economic horror story unfolding, is a wee bit of over-kill, and the problem is, most of the participating parties seem to be embracing the idea; that to get financial assistance, we should also, for fear of being different, adopt a like-minded strategy, and confess to having the worse business time of our main street existence. While my critics will suggest I'm a insatiably argumentative, disloyal blogger, ignoring the plight of our business neighbors on the mainstreat, I like to think of myself as the bastard who knows the importance of getting all sides of the issue, before issuing the proclamation "we're starving to death out here…..won't someone help." And while it may seem like a good idea to seek financial assistance to help businesses get through the year, damn it, has any one of these pre-occupied folks pondered, even for a moment, how much pain and suffering is going on in the households of our fine community? How many families are struggling to make ends meet, and to keep a roof over their heads? How many kids show up for school every morning, without having had breakfast? How many will have to rely on the food bank again this month, to keep some food on the table? And who will advocate financial relief for these folks, when the mortgage or rent payment falls short, sometimes month after month? I wonder if the same business folks, who are having such an incredibly miserable time, have had to use the food bank recently. As a matter of some irony, the food bank is located on the main street, and has faced many of the same disadvantages, and huge economic challenges. They carry-on because there is a need for assistance, and many clients who would suffer immeasurably if the service was no longer available.

As citizens of Gravenhurst, our family is sensitive to the welfare of our community generally, from neighborhood to business sector, and we have involved ourselves many times, in the past, trying our best to support the local food bank, and our friends at the Salvation Army. We truly appreciate the difficulty the main street is having, and realize how dreadful the fires have been to all the lives connected, in one way or other, with the recent devastation of fire. The construction period has been hugely difficult but it had to be done regardless. We will benefit from the restoration, without question, and it will help inspire re-investment on the main street corridor.

Our family business was not consulted about this latest attempt to draw attention to the main street economic situation. And we won't be supporting it, as far as our own business is concerned. You see, we can't join an initiative that is so broad sweeping, and unfairly inclusive, when we can state, without reservation, we are having a successful business year, in an area apparently burdened to over-flowing with huge economic woes. In some cases, we've actually felt more than the usual isolation from the town and representative associations, and have pondered whether we should just close-up seeing as business sucks? And then we look at our financial statements and realize, well, we've made it another month, and everything seems to be holding tight. Maybe we can ride this out! We've been thinking about this a lot lately. Every time however, we correct ourselves with reality…….that our problems, and they are few, are no greater or more significant that many folks out there, who worry about economic survival. Warning of the approaching apocalypse for main street businesses, is really stretching it, as we see it from our business vantage point.

So, our music industry lads are taking a week off, and traveling on business to Ottawa, where they stay at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast close to Parliament Hill, and they're going to study music and record businesses in the city, and bring back some new ideas and plans for the coming Christmas season……that they are looking forward to, as they both love the social / commercial connections with their customers…..and assorted friends who find their shop a nice place to stop for a visit.

The improvements to main street business, no matter what the broad stroke, or generalized programs, will come piece by piece, just as our community was advanced from the late 1850's. It will take gumption and courage to stick it out……not just loan leniency from lending institutions, or grant money for yet another survey-taker / grand idea facilitator. The welfare of the business community and the welfare of our citizens is one and the same. They all need attention. They all need good neighbor actions and reactions……and while few will stand up and say "don't give us any free money," the reality is, good neighbors, who are proud of their community, warts and all, is all the investment you need, to inspire ongoing investment.

We think of Gravenhurst as a whole. And we want it to do well as a community, in everything it pursues in improvement to the quality of home town life. We are sensitive to the criticism of other communities, and we hate it when customers tell us, that it's too bad our shop isn't in a more economically better-off area. It's especially hard when we truly enjoy working from our main street shop, yet we're constantly informed by others, that being part of a declining main street, means we are disadvantaged ourselves. We just don't see it that way, and we know now, from the direction being taken by the business networks, that we will simply have to put up with the reign of negativity, and the precarious undertow of chagrin…….and deal with the guilt, we suppose, of doing quite well in spite of what others have been led to believe.

We brought this to the attention of the media, recently, suggesting it would be a dandy idea, to research those businesses on the main street that are surviving, and presently thriving, in order to present a more balanced overview of the situation. We haven't seen any action on this but we trust they will sense the necessity of balancing their reporting by gaining as many sides to the story, as they can……so the citizens of this town, and region, can get a more complete understanding of these burdensome economic times. And just how widespread it is! Not just on our main street.

THE STORY OF ADA FLORENCE KINTON COMPLETE - HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO OFFER A DONATION TO THE SALVATION ARMY FOOD BANK

In the November 1st issue of Curious; The Tourist Guide, the final chapter of the year-long feature article on the life and charitable work of Ada Florence Kinton, will be published. It already appears in this collection of Gravenhurst blogs. You can find all of them in this past year's inventory of blog submissions, should you wish to read the earlier chapters. We have just recently posted the November column in advance. The column collection will be submitted to the archives of the National Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario, as Miss Kinton, while a well known member of the Salvation Army, was also a talented artist and art instructor in Ontario.

The column series, over the year, in this widely circulated publication, was dedicated to the Gravenhurst Food Bank, operated of course by the Salvation Army in our community. As Miss Kinton worked, in her early years with the Salvation Army, in the soup kitchens of Victorian era Toronto, she knew the ravages of hunger on society's most vulnerable. She went on to write many insightful and uplifting articles for The War Cry in her final years of life, passing away after a lengthy illness, in the Town of Huntsville, in the district she cherished.

I hope the series has inspired some donations, in her name, (not mine) for the benefit of food banks here and in other communities that need the services of kindly volunteers, and generous donors. It is a tough economic time to be asking the communities of Ontario for help, but the need is still very much the case, and is expected to rise substantially if economic conditions worsen. I hope these columns have been enjoyable to read, and somewhat inspiring. Hers was a full life, despite the reality she died at a relatively young age. Her devotion to helping others has always served as a great inspiration to me, and it is the reason I have returned to re-write this biography numerous times…….from what I originally wrote for a local publication more than a decade ago. It has now been re-published four times, reaching a substantial audience.

Please consider making a donation to the food bank in your community, to help out our neighbors in need. God Bless.

BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT BUSINESSES - A NETWORK THAT HAS COMMON SENSE AS ITS PIVOT

Our boys' main street Gravenhurst business, hinges on one detail above all else. Customer satisfaction. The wee lads learned early on, in their main street foray, to worry less about the politics of the day, and more about whether or not they were adequately meeting the needs of their customer base. While admittedly, they have, at some point, become side-tracked by the differences of opinion, with the local mainstreet business association, they've snapped back repeatedly, to the recognition they can't find much, if any, common ground to develop a long-term relationship. So why get worked-up about the adverse situations that develop, when there is no chance of meaningful reconciliation anyway? If they could opt out completely, without moving, they would do so in a speedy pen-stroke. The only other option is to remove themselves from the group, due to lack of confidence, and continue to forge relationships with town-wide businesses, as they have endeavored over the past five years. When however, they get characterized by the same brush stroke being used by the business association, holy mackinaw, that sucks……especially when it seems to lump us in with everything else that is apparently sub-poorly. We're having an exciting business year, and we want the rest of the town to know this, while apparently, we should be announcing our downfalls, just to perpetuate the news the main street is in the grips of a great depression. Hey, we've had tough times, and expect a lot more, and know our only salvation, will be to make right decisions on and on! That's our success or failure in a nutshell, and the business community isn't going to save us, if we don't measure up. We pretty much accepted this reality, when the shop was opened five years ago. The training wheels came off. And there were lots of falls, lots of scrapes, but all in all, our good mates in business, throughout Muskoka, gave us a helping hand and always the kind of advice that pulled the lads from the prevailing funk of near failure. The only discussion we have ever had, about the future welfare of the business, is whether or not to leave the mainstreet business area, to free ourselves from the neighborhood politics. It's particularly tough when you really like the position, and the opportunities afforded by the site. So when we suggest that it is better to remain uninvolved, at the present time, with all the dips and doodles of the association, it's simply a necessary attitude adjustment, in order to remain situated in a zone we all adore……for the successes that can be harvested annually from the old saying, "location, location, location." We see a lot more of this ahead, despite the drift of fog, raised by those who represent us.

We have a great deal of respect for the Gravenhurst business community, at large, that has had to share the burden of the economic doom and gloom, the press feels compelled to publicize with their sweeping and broad-stroke belief, that if there is hardship on the main street, there must be hardship everywhere……thus explaining why those businesses chugging along, despite the chagrin elsewhere, aren't given exposure for their successes at weathering the economic storm. Last year, around this time, even the regional television staffers, were wandering up the main street, looking for the carnage…..obvious and perceived, in order to present what they thought was the story…….not what was in reality……the actual story. So instead of making a fair representation of local merchants, some doing poorly, others doing well, they decided to support the most obvious theme……..which, in short, was "why is everybody jumping ship from the main street of Gravenhurst." This story could have been done for hundreds of communities in this province, who are exposed to main street age-issues, competition from new retail competition, and the normal, to be expected, transition and redevelopment realities of all older commercial centers. It was as if Gravenhurst was the only town on earth that was facing these issues of de-centralization of the business centers, and the problems associated with high real estate values in the downtown core, huge renovation and maintenance costs of old buildings, and insurance demands, to upgrade the safety of these same buildings……which is important and necessary. In many cases, well, it's just cheaper to go to newer buildings, and this has meant, for some investors, leaving the downtown core to its own devices.

For the local business network to regain relevance, and effectiveness, town council needs to round-out its support of the group, with a little tough love. If they don't appreciate its failings, to bring merchants at large together, and why rifts exist, (not just with our business), nothing they do will ever be more than what is accomplished annually now. Just a lot of berating and generalized opinion, that they're not getting a fair shake of money or attention. And there will never be enough of either to satisfy them. Of course, Gravenhurst Council must support this business network, and is showing their commitment to co-operate, and bend for the greater good. While this is a positive initiative, and exactly what I suggested a year ago, to heal some of the festering wounds inflicted in the past, the lingering issue is still one of confidence……and what we see happening is the "same old, same old," that at the very best, means the main egos will get pumped up, and the self importance issues will manifest into political maneuvering and manipulation……and a year from now, the only difference will be the need for more money, more compliance, and more bending to achieve the same ends. That the business network feels empowered, is apparently what this is all about. When the reality is, unless the directorship of the business network can reach-out, and mean it……and show what it takes to build a bridge that functions as it should, and carries the weight without collapse, there is no way that they, or the town, can achieve anything more than the mirage of co-operation. It's up to every business to hustle up their successes on their own…….frankly, the way it has always been, and will continue to be. There are benefits, of course, to having friends in the neighborhood, and a local government that shows its support for the business community…..and not just for the benefit of cranky mainstreeters. But the optics suggest, that while they think a bridge is being built, well, that's the whole problem with mirages. You take a step, and you find out rhetoric and grandstanding doesn't span even the smallest gap with reliable bridging.

We aren't interested, any longer, in trying to convince local politicians, about the necessity for a thorough revamp of the business network in the downtown area. So, like many other businesses, we've found that our best plan for the future, is to run our business without even the slightest worry about the very next salvo / press agitation, from the association, about the very great odds stacked against the mainstreet. We can forgive them for their generalizations because it's their trademark after all. They've been doing this for years. We have a much harder time understanding why the town hasn't employed some restorative work, to force the association, to come to terms with its inefficiencies and ongoing decline of relevance to the business community it serves. Council has a responsibility, as the supporting, sponsoring governance, to understand what the deficiencies are, between the representative group, and the business members…..and not just from the pages of yet another survey. A councillor should be attending every business in this zone, without business association influence, to fully appreciate that there's little chance, at present, of ever unifying this group of businesses…..that are tired of being taken for granted, and having their concerns inadequately represented in a variety of forums. As we are seen as the rogue element, in the neighborhood, and unworthy of any significant and meaningful outreach, we don't have to worry about being included in any reindeer games. It suits us fine. But don't believe everything you read otherwise, about the merchant togetherness in this neck of the woods…..because it just isn't so!

Not changing what doesn't work, and allowing status quo to reign supreme, is to guarantee this important business community further diminishes in relevance, as an historic and ongoing economic pillar. A significant investor to this town, and this neighborhood, will perform due diligence, and find out these great divides themselves……..and how it may be better, and generally advantageous, not to be a part of the present association, when independence from an over-riding association, can be had elsewhere in town. As the bitching about decentralization, and the establishment of more aggressive commercial pods, continues to be the belly-ache we all must hear and read, council should really assess what the doom and gloom approach has done to the once shining star of Gravenhurst downtown….or uptown, whatever the association calls it these days. Like peeing into the wind, folks, we're all getting wet, and the town's reputation is losing the lustre our pioneer builders rightly achieved, by hard work and determination to succeed, as the historic gateway community, to one of the most beautiful regions on earth.

What we need in this community, plain and simple, is leadership. What we're getting is less than stellar. Public relations bandaging. That's about it!

The buck…..it stops with the citizens. It's time to let town hall know, as stewards of our town's good name, we're not happy about this present condition, of being made to feel disadvantaged because our main street isn't what it used to be! We did have terrible fires, and there have been great burdens caused by mainstream re-construction, and we have all faced disadvantages and inconveniences from current events. As a neighborhood business, we share the chagrin of these imposing realities. But buried in this obvious situation, is the nagging disconnect that has been in place for more than a decade. It was a prevailing issue in the early 1990's, and I can remember writing an editorial, to this effect, about how important it was, in this era of transition and urban expansion, to work in a unified way to make the mainstream corridor more attractive to customers, permanent and seasonal. The editorial didn't cause anything more than a blip of consideration, and the often repeated statement, as you might hear today as well, "who the hell does this guy think he is, telling us how to run our businesses."

In free enterprise, change comes by necessity in the bid for profit. Or there is profound failure. If the business association was operated on a basis of this accountability of demonstrated successes, we find it hard to believe, that it wouldn't be defunk as a result of its failings, or totally re-constructed from the ground up by its governing agency……the town.

So here we are again. Second verse, same as all the rest.

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR - CHANGE IS OCCURRING - LIKE IT OR LOATHE IT, THERE'S NO STOPPING IT -

No matter how big the shortfall of optimism in this town, about business improvements on the main street, the reality is that new interest is flourishing, and just because it doesn't play-out, or get front page exposure in the local press, isn't the grand determination of its existence. The renewal of Gravenhurst's main street is coming, and as with all change, as profound as this will be, it will come at a weighty price, and it will claim a goodly number of casualties during the transition. That's just life and the evolution of daily business enterprise, successive decades, half-century milestones, and ongoing centennials, bicentennials etc. etc. Despite what may seem nothing more than a dim twinkle at the end of the tunnel, is closer and more explosive than it appears…….and investors are seeing something much brighter down the pike.

This isn't grand expectation, or the manifestation of an over-active imagination. It's what experience in urban re-development tells us. We are at an age of architecture, on our main street, that demands either serious refurbishing of all the buildings, or hardcore, aggressive renewal. It's certainly not something confined to our little burg. It is a world-wide situation. We need not sacrifice the character of our historic town, to modernize and facilitate the rigors of the future market-place in Muskoka. The biggest failure of all, is to have our leadership, miss opportunities to improve, because of short-sightedness, and stubborn adherence to old tired standards, that have lost their dynamic, to make money…..and of this I mean "profit."

WITH A WEE BIT OF EXPERIENCE - WE OFFER SOME RETAIL EXPERIENCE - WE UNDERSTAND HOW TOUGH IT CAN BE

My life-partner Suzanne, began working at about eleven to twelve years of age. While I started a little bit later, my multi-year gig began with Clark's Produce, a wholesale fruit and vegetable supplier, in Bracebridge, for a buck an hour. Hey, it was the sixties, and I was a kid without income to that point. So a buck an hour was, as far as I was concerned, one significant step toward early retirement,

Suzanne began her work career, when her family (Stripps), of Windermere, purchased the Windermere Marina, on Lake Rosseau. With her mother, as head cook, they ran a well known little snack bar called "The Skipper." From the sixties into the seventies, Suzanne's summers were pretty clearly defined. Work! From making milkshakes and ice cream cones, to flipping burgers, and serving up food for many long, long days, to help the family enterprise. The only time to swim, in the lake she loved, was either in the early morning, or late at night. It was hard to make friends. She admits it wasn't much of a social life back then, except with customers…..many who did become life-long friends. I've never known Suzanne to show any regret whatsoever to that early immersion into the family business. Same with our boys Andrew and Robert. They became antique dealers before their respective fifth birthdays.

She went on to work at the Windermere House shop, and then was in charge of retail and other related sales at the Windermere Golf and Country Club. She has run a majority of our retail sales, in a variety of locations since the late 1980's, when we established Birch Hollow Antiques, and God Bless Her Soul, she's run sales all over the place ever since, from antique shows, to fundraising sales, to the humble flea markets and garage sales. She has even run yard sales for others, all very successful, I should note.

I went from the produce delivery circuit, where we began deliveries at about 5:00 a.m., to the lumber trade, where I was also on the road dealing with happy, indifferent and indignant customers, from one end of Muskoka to the other. I worked at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, in maintenance for four years, painting and re-painting the building….and acting as a goodwill ambassador to all those who used the facility. Everyone, at least in Frank Henry's term as administrator, was told, clearly, that we were to make this a welcoming, accommodating place, and if it meant a painter or gardner had to scurry in for a wheelchair, for a patient….well, we were glad to do it!

When I got my first writing gig, as a reporter for the Muskoka Lakes-Georgian Bay Beacon, back January 1979, not only was I on the news and sports beat, but I had to sell office supplies at lunch hour, or any other time the clerical staff was out of the office. I was scared to death, at first, but I didn't really mind the added responsibility. It certainly put me at the ground floor of what was going on in main street commerce. Of course, in MacTier, that was a pretty short stretch of retail outlets. None the less, I don't regret the experience. Truth is, that while ringing in an office supply sale, I often got a news tip, or idea for a news feature, from a chatty customer. From 1979 to 1990, I was dealing with hundreds of people a month, as an editor with Muskoka Publications, and hundreds more, as manager of Woodchester Villa and Museum, and a few hundred more in our main street Bracebridge antique shop, below Martin Framing. As far as serving the public, and just in case you were wondering about our family's background…..seeing as we pass ourselves off as knowledgeable in the field, we were in the front-line of a lot of charitable ventures beyond our daily tasks. We were actively running fundraisers in Bracebridge, particularly with the Rink Rat Hockey Club, which is still operating to this day, and raising funds for worthwhile groups. We raised many thousands of dollars in my tenure with the club (I commenced it as The Herald-Gazette Rink Rats) and the annual Lovable Losers Hockey Tournament we founded decades ago.

From the mid-1980's, our boys, Andrew and Robert became part and parcel of all our projects, including the Crozier Foundation, operated by our friend Roger, a former all-star goaltender with the Detroit Red Wings. The boys were in a special parade with Roger, their entry announcing the creation of the fledgling children's foundation. With mom and pop, we stayed with the foundation for 12 years, working at skate camps (as food providers), and helping with the Sports Hall of Fame rotating exhibits at the Bracebridge Arena. What choice did they have? None! But I'll tell you what, their early exposure to retail, and the buy-market-sell routine, hasn't hurt them a bit; especially seeing as they put all the family experience to work in their uptown Gravenhurst Music business, in the former Muskoka Theatre building, opposite the Opera House. There have been more than a few times, in the five years of their enterprise, that we have been criticized, vocally and in print by the local business community, not appreciating our right to shove the "oar in" so to speak. As new business operators, it was expected the boys would be willing partners, and vote with the flow…….whatever that happened to be at the time. What these same folks had neglected to learn, was that these two young lads had been training for their own main street enterprise for many years before actually hanging out their shingle. So when Andrew, initially, began to sense that we could not agree with many of the opinions and adopted policies from the business network, and that trying to change or even influence the group was impossible, there was no other choice than to hunker down, network with business friends we could relate, all over the community (not just on the main street), and try to make rent every month.

There was a time when we did discuss moving the operation off the main street, to free ourselves of the business politics but as Andrew and Robert both adored the location in the old theatre, and its proximity to other places they work part-time, it was decided then, and even most recently, to extend our lease. But nothing has changed, with the formal business governance, and our resolve is as stoic as it was after the first of many unfortunate interactions…..of which established this present, successful course of independence from all local business organizations. The boys exercise their right to select who they network with, and why, and they enjoy the non-controversial day-to-day operation of their business. It's one thing to be burdened by the rigors of retail enterprise, and the shortfalls of the economy, but quite another to be weighed down by endless debate and bickering about the mainstreet business future. We think it's all about free-enterprise, with big emphasis on entrepreneurial gumption. Maybe some folks, who are interested in investing in this main street business corridor, will take it upon themselves to conduct an in-depth investigation of all our businesses, and possibly find something quite hopeful, and uplifting, from merchants who are willing to stick-it-out, despite the set-backs actual and perceived in the future.

When some irritated town councillor, or business community grand-poobah (or something like this), wishes to toss out a critique, or to minimize what our boys have done thus far, well, maybe the first step for these young, bushy-tailed businessmen, is to give them the benefit of the doubt…….and consider the information presented here, as reason they deserve to not only be heard, but be reckoned with, as knowledgeable fellows who love their home town…….and are quite willing, like others, to create opportunities,…..not just waiting for someone else to create them first.

Our boys aren't pursuing their music business to become millionaires. As we Curries are often quoted as saying, "we're still a million dollars shy of becoming millionaires," we're genuine when we suggest, we love what we do……..and that's always been our accrued wealth. So while they, and we as their supporting family members, don't wish to belong to any the formal business networks because of bad experiences in the past, it doesn't mean we don't support, and promote (every single day), the business community at large.

But they sure don't like to hear or read about others who criticize local business opportunities, especially when they are never canvassed for an opinion, about their own optimism that we can not only survive but regain much of the economic stature we once had on the main street. We all like to think that goodwill is the best starting point for every day. Of this, we won't change our opinion.

Fix the attitude and we can all look forward to a much more exciting future. Maintain the pall of doom-saying, and it will be left to the grinders and assorted die-hard optimists, to pave the way forward……as it always has! Town Council need not look too far, or devise complicated strategies for recovery. Businesses will want to locate here, when they sense optimism, and co-operation are ingrained as business strategies for one and all. Renewal is the operative word here. Some would have us believe, it is far more complex and impossible to attain, than actuality shall eventually prevail. Of this we are confident, or we wouldn't continue to invest in our main street.

2011

ADA FLORENCE KINTON - PIONEER ARTIST, MISSIONARY

By Ted Currie

There is a strangely alluring, well worn pathway, quaintly winding over the newly fallen leaves, meandering quite close to the final resting place of Ada Florence Kinton. Artist, writer, poet, philosopher, missionary. Some person(s) is obviously making the rounds of the cemetery regularly, visiting family plots or the grave-sites of friends and neighbors.

It isn't likely the case, the visitors are pausing at the tombstone belonging to Miss Kinton, in this small, quiet, secluded cemetery, not far from the bustling business centre of downtown Huntsville, Ontario.

A few folks here still remember the art work of Ada Kinton. A few more know about her stay in the community, in the late 1800's, and have heard about the book, "Just One Blue Bonnet," which was a small memorial text published by the artist's sister, Sara Randleson, shortly after Ada's death, at the turn of the 1900's. There have been others who have taken the time to learn about this talented, under-recognized artist, and there have been many responses sent to me this past year, asking for more information on this extraordinary woman.

But as far as this path being beaten down to visit her tombstone, as a pilgrimage of faith, she would feel, even in the spirit sense, that she wasn't worth the fuss. As she lived and worked modestly in her pursuit of art, she was a committed volunteer, a stalwart missionary, working tirelessly to help others help themselves. While this writer would like to think that now and again, some person would show up here, to remember her wonderful life, suffice that folks have been reading about this charitable, giving soul for the past year, here in the pages of Curious; The Tourist Guide. One family member has already paid compliments to the series, and we hope as well, that a donation or several, have been made to local food banks in her name, as this series has been dedicated to the Gravenhurst Salvation Army Food Bank. A donation this fall, to any food bank, would be greatly appreciated, and one that would be heartily appreciated by Miss Kinton, in her own spirit of giving and compassion toward the less fortunate. Thanks so much for joining this year-long series of columns, about a woman who inspired such goodwill and harmonious living. She was the epitome of peace on earth and goodwill toward man.

Ada Kinton died while convalescing at her brother's homestead in Huntsville, not long into the 1900's. She was still quite young but the rigors of missionary work, especially in Australia, and then the Northern United States, wore her small body into a progressive decline. Her sister noted that she was in great discomfort in those final years, although she was so much at peace, looking out from the verandah, onto the little town she had written about in her journal, so many years earlier, and had painted in snowclad winter finery during the first months of her stay in Canada in the 1880's.

Ada Florence Kinton gave up a promising career in fine art, and as a talented art instructor, in England, and later in Canada, to join the efforts of the Salvation Army, to administer the word of God, and the kindnesses of good faith and compassion, to those who were most in need. She stood out in the bitter cold, on the streets of Toronto, to help those who could not find shelter, or sustenance. Hers was the voice of optimism and resolve, that God would provide. With her unmeasurable kindnesses and faith bestowed, she gave those without hope, the rare reason to smile. There are testimonials from people she did assist, who later came to tell her, so proudly, of their respective, newfound successes, and to tell her, face to face, what her intervention had meant to them. As well, there were many talented artists, who went on to earn names for themselves as painters, who bestowed thanks on Miss Kinton, who gave them the benefit of her expertise, and her unique capabilities to capture the scenes she witnessed. She inspired many to better themselves by hard work and sensitive lives. Her abilities both as an artist and writer, were captured in the pages of the Salvation Army's "War Cry," a publication she adored working with, during her final years in this mortal coil.

As many times as I beat down this modest, winding footpath, over this peaceful acreage in beautiful Muskoka, I never once arrive at the marker belonging to Ada Florence Kinton, that I don't somehow feel the aura of peaceful solitude, without nary a twig of mournful emotion. It is, as if, she is letting her biographer know, that her death more than a century ago, followed a fulfilled, accomplished life. One that she had celebrated despite the hardships. It was, in her mindset, no hardship whatsoever doing God's work. And it is of considerable comfort, to stand out here, facing the cold wind and colder rain of early November, to look upon the subtle glow I bestow her name, etched onto the modest stone face of the weather-worn marker, and enjoy the contentment, her good name and work have lived on into this new century. For the Christmas season this year, in our hometown, our family will be hosting the annual Christmas Concert, at the Gravenhurst Opera House, in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank, that helps so many in our community provide for their festive season. We will proudly announce, that the concert is dedicated to the memory of Ada Florence Kinton, friend of Muskoka, artist, and missionary.

Please consider making a donation to a food bank in your own community, to help those who find themselves in crisis. It would please Ada Kinton so much, to know her own kindnesses are still impacting the goodwill of folks more than a century later.

Enjoy a late autumn adventure in our beautiful province. It is a time of the rolling year, the Group of Seven Artists loved to venture forth, into the countryside, to depict the haunted landscapes, the misty lakelands, and the curious light and shadows that illuminated our townscapes and historic architecture. There is a beauty even in the leafless forests, and windswept pastures, and the great bank of dark rolling clouds that enchant the month of November in Ontario.

-30-

CHANGE AND PROFOUNDLY SO! A STRATEGY THAT WON'T LET GRAVENHURST DOWN

There are a lot of folks in our hometown, who wish their town would return to the way it was in the 1950's. The 1960's weren't too bad either. Some would even argue, a dose of the 70's and 80's would be better than what the so-called modern era has foisted upon us as alleged improvements. Many of the older residents, who have invested much of their lives in this bailiwick, feel there has been a loss of identity, and a watering down of old town values. There are those, amongst these citizens, who are appalled by new commercial nodes, and the decentralizing of the main street, as the main business area of town. Of course, there are those who are equally appalled change hasn't occurred faster, and more aggressively, to offer more opportunities and greater services…..such as a bus route linking the business nodes. Can't please every one!

First of all, the reality is that there will always be a shortfall, between what we possess and what we would like to have for our mutual benefit. It's just good old human nature. As far as consensus, well, there's no earthly way to satisfy all the people all of the time. Still, there is a lingering belief, we can come close enough, to stop the belly-aching about our shortfalls. Yet even though it may be a small divide, between optimum and "we can live with it," the bridge has to be a mighty one none-the-less. Lately, it would seem, if you believe press reports, that the economic disadvantages of being a main street business here, can never be fully bridged or reconciled. It might be temporarily, and weakly bridged by dialogue, and negotiation, but before any good can set in, for the long term, some event, it seems, will occur that knocks the blocks away. Then we read, in the local press, or hear electronic media reports, that doom and gloom are once again akin to the Town of Gravenhurst logo……suggesting to one and all, the world, that we have a main street business community going into the round-about of the popper.

I expect, after reading some of these negative and biased pieces, based on a limited number of opinions, and fact finding, to discover, that very next morning, all the storefronts boarded-up, with tumble-weeds rolling down the centre of the street…..where motor vehicles used to pass. If reporters aren't willing to go the distance, and interview those merchants who are doing well, and who have a resolve to soldier-on, despite some economic weaknesses (kind of a global thing these days), then they are doing a disservice to the realities of the community they serve. Few citizens would deny there has been a mainstreet decline, over the past ten years, and if they were asked…..well, they'd provide a diverse range of reasons, not simply the facts we've had road re-construction, fires and building collapses. Some of the reasons the public believes there has been a decline, might surprise those interested enough to research the matter. It's not as complicated an issue as it all appears at first or even second glance.

There's been a nagging negativity in the business community itself, that has been festering for more than 20 years. The complaining has been public, not confined to board meetings, or council chit-chat. It's been "out-there" for everyone to see and interpret. What do the business community movers and shakers expect comes from multi-decade bungling of business representation? Who wants to locate in an area where business colleagues can't agree on much of anything, other than "the governance of the day," simply "can't cut-it," when it comes to the co-operation of all concerned. There has been a dysfunction for a long time, and while the infusion of grant money for coordinators, seems an initiative that could bring about a new understanding about the poor relations with local governance….., will it then be the case, that when the results are provided from surveys and questionnaires, the traditionally stubborn and argumentative board members and town councillors, allow contrary opinion to their own mindset, help set down the foundation of yet another hopeful bridge.

Some participants may argue that it is this resistance to change, that makes inevitable change so darn hard to swallow. Like road construction, that despite what collateral damage has occurred, had to take place. Despite the protests of those who believe they (the road re-builders) could have executed all the service changes needed, like the less-invasive surgery we read about in health care. A few believe they should have been compensated because construction adversely affected their businesses. When what we should have all been doing, from the get-go of construction, is working together to, (as a business community should), mitigate some of the obvious problems that were about to occur. It's not like we didn't have preparation time. The problem here, is that we do not operate as a unified business community, because of hard feelings up and down the street. An eager reporter might find this out, should they be truly interested in the root causes of the prevailing disunity.

Gravenhurst is a good hometown, and it will rally, just as it has many times in the past. There is a lot of negativity out there, and frankly, it's hard not to let it seep into your psyche. But as main street business operators, ourselves, we get up every morning with the same chipper attitude, and look forward to the adventures of the business day. And we enjoy the company of some business friends, who are also doing okay as main street enterprises, and look forward to special sales events we have planned, and of course, our seasonal celebrations which we enjoy getting ready for! While we are affected by everything that goes on, in our business community, on the neighborhood scale, and in the wider community (where we have our business mindset), we know that we have to try to rebuild, and serve our customers to the best of our capability. Job one. We think the best way to fight negativity, and the doldrums some others prefer to partner-with, is to know we have satisfied a customer's needs, and that they will not only be back to see us, but tell others about the good service and kindnesses they received, shopping in Gravenhurst. And when all the posturing and fact-finding has been exhausted, it will still come back to gumption to succeed at business, and the logical approach to change, and stalwartly meeting it before it meets you. Reality is just catching up with Gravenhurst, and although it appears some manifestation of curse, and comeuppance……well, resilient business folks and cheerful hometowners, look at it with sensible proportion, and know that human spirit and resolve can survive a lot. Those who might suspect the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as the next stomp-down of all our hard work, should soon realize, that opportunity will present itself, despite the fall of hooves along our path.

We need a bridge between us. Of course we do. But the pooling of negativity, and fear-mongering, has to be removed before the first block between earth and universe is stuck in the muck…..with the security we need to build upon for lasting positive results.

Maybe we all need to go to the Dragon's Den, to get some business advice. A lot of us probably wouldn't like the critique. Doesn't mean it was wrong. Just that we didn't like it! Truth does that some times.

A GREAT WEEKEND FOR MUSKOKA TOURISM

If your local retail business, didn't have a good weekend financially, here in Muskoka, you're doing something wrong. You need to change your protocols. It was one of the busiest Thanksgiving holidays I've seen in a decade. Maybe longer. Even as we mire in the obvious problems we have, in the mainstream business section of Gravenhurst, from ongoing road construction to the unfortunate problems of fire and its aftermath, there were lots of folks visiting our town because it's in one of the most beautiful regions on the planet. Tourists don't come to retail-shop only, but they will shop if and when they choose. But it's the magnificent backdrop of this hinterland our visitors most enjoy. Shopping and residing here for vacation, is a bonus to the local economy. Our own main street business, operated by our two sons, had a solid Thanksgiving week, and will go into the off-season, or shoulder season, knowing they had an above average year, not just in sales, but in their service capacities. They also moonlight at several other jobs, and this has worked out well additionally.

Their success has come at a huge cost. They went right into business, shortly after graduating high school, and gave up a fair bit of social life, and girlfriends, to dedicate themselves to the vintage music and guitar / drum instruction enterprise. Many folks who knew us were highly critical that we didn't insist, as parents, that Andrew and Robert attend college or university, prior to setting up main street shop-keeping. What they didn't appreciate, was that both our lads had apprenticed in the antique business, since they were old enough to know what our buying adventures were all about. They grew up in a museum, literally, as I was manager of Woodchester Villa and Museum in Bracebridge, when they were toddlers, and we had an antique shop on upper Manitoba Street during those same years. When we weren't running the shop, or tending the museum, we were participating in all kinds of antique sales, flea markets, garage sales, and any other interesting venues we could find. They've been buying and selling collectibles, for more than a decade now, five of those years in a shop most expected would fail in its first year. And they told us so! Critics weren't bashful at all about telling us we were wrong-headed, and foolish for backing their enterprise. Those folks who gave them the benefit of the doubt, and supported them in those tough start-up years, are still coming by for a visit, or to get some work done on a guitar, or even to rent or buy equipment, and their opinion is vastly different that when they first met Andrew and Robert, and wondered how these two green kids could survive the mainstream rigors. There was complaining about the shortage of business on the main street then, as there is now, the difference being, some owners have figured out that complaining doesn't bring in business……innovation and entrepreneurial spirit fills in the gaps.

We have long worked behind the scenes with our sons, and proudly so. They have proven they can sell just about anything, from antique tables, and steamer trunks, to vintage drum sets, amps, banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins, and noise makers of all sorts, from all countries. Now they're even selling their mother's hand-knit mitts, socks and hats. But they still look like the same two young lads who entered that main street venue, full of anticipation and expectation, but not so much worry. If there's any one thing I admire about these upstarts, it's the fact they don't ever dwell on the negatives, or the criticism swirling around the town…..which seems a perpetual motion kind of thing. While some argue the town is cursed, because of the spate of bad luck and general misfortune recently, they don't carry any burdens other than the tasks for the given day. This past weekend they cut some prices, brought in some pieces that had been in storage, highlighted some other inventory that had been buried by volume, and took some consignment antiques from us. The result was a prosperous family weekend, in business, goodwill, and the stuff that has kept us a close family.

I remember one antique dealer, telling Andrew, one day, that if it wasn't for your parents, "you wouldn't have a business right now." To which he responded, "You wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for your parents." And rather than get into a great debate on the issue, he turned and walked away. When people do say this, to please themselves undoubtedly, I can only offer this retort. We have mentored them, and assisted them financially, including accounting services. What we would have offered them to attend university, was afforded them to start up their business. While I hear some parents bemoaning that their sons and daughters went into a completely different field, than what they were educated in, or that they owe huge amounts of money in student loans, our boys have paid us back inside five years with their earnings. Do I brag? Not really. Why? They're just doing what they're supposed to do as businessmen. Not fancy footwork, no bedazzling, or charade, just the kind of effort that works for customers, and that works well for them. It's not complicated. If you love your business, and you know how to adapt to change, and the dynamic of the local and tourist market, you're going to be around for the long haul.

The boys are often asked what would make the town more prosperous. You'd be surprised who does the asking! And they tell them the same thing every time. It's about the customer and what he or she wants, and that pertains to just about everything we do here in this town. If something isn't working, and there is a consistent failure to improve, and there is no plan to change to meet demand, then why ask questions of those who are successful. You're only going to be told that hard work alone doesn't guarantee prosperity. You can keep a shop open 24 hours a day but if it doesn't have what the customers want and require, then it's a failing business venture. The same can be said for just about anything else that depends on pleasing the public. Yet it is our biggest failing here……that it is considered more productive to argue and criticize within the business community, than to improve business by being intuitive, responsive, dynamic, and doing what it takes to survive and improve. Even though most businesses recognize this as true, they will still argue until the cows come home, and waste precious time, trying to make their point at a meeting……..which adds up to hard feelings and mistrust in the process of business to business co-operation.

While many businesses look to the town to help them out, and provide some sort of milestone direction, to save them from the quagmire of commercial depression, frankly, our family is quite happy to do the work ourselves…..as we know it will get done right the first time, without all the political debate and posturing first. We do prefer our independence because it works. We network when we need to, and we have many business colleagues throughout this part of Ontario, and particularly Muskoka, who we buy and sell on a regular basis. We do what we have to, in order to survive financially, and that has meant considerable sacrifice for two eager lads, who believe education in business, doesn't stop just because you have a vendor's permit.

If you press Andrew or Robert about where they got their gumption, well, (and it will take some coaxing), they will tell you it's a family matter. They might tell you that their family, on their mother's side, were some of the earliest settlers in Muskoka, and that these Ufford / Three Mile Lake homesteaders, had the historic distinction of being known as the "Three Mile Lake Wolves," who for kicks, would come to Bracebridge as a group, lock arms at one end of the street, and walk its length, challenging any one to get in their way. Hey, it's in the history books. The history of the Shea family. Ireland's finest.

It doesn't mean to suggest our boys are fighters. Not really. They are pacifists with big hearts. But don't think for a moment, they don't have a little canine in them, passed down over the centuries. These are the same lads who can boast of having their great-great grandfather's dug-out canoe, proudly on display at the Muskoka Lakes Museum.

Andrew and Robert are happy to be mainstream businessman. Gravenhurst is their home town, and a place they find quite profitable in so many ways.

What a great weekend it was, here in South Muskoka. Hope you had a good time too.

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND ALWAYS A TREAT FOR THE SENSES

We will once again, this autumn season, have what they call, a "Stay-cation," for the Thanksgiving holiday. It is truly one of my favorite times of year here in Muskoka. We Curries have for long and long, celebrated the four seasons here…..the place we live. We travel a lot for our profession, but regionally…..without the need for an airport visitation. While we are probably pretty dull folks in this department, every time I see the huge traffic jams to get into Muskoka, on holiday weekends, and other summer weekends, I very much appreciate their appetite for what we have on a daily basis. I'm proud of being Muskokan. This is ever-more poignant when I think back to my early city years, in Burlington, and how stirring it was to arrive at a Muskoka lake for a wee vacation. I can walk down to the same lake in a couple of minutes. There are a lot of perks to living in the hinterland of Ontario.

Our family is thankful we live in such a naturally beautiful region on earth. We don't take it for granted. If we, at times, become annoyed at all, it is usually because we have become immersed in local politics, or the follies of developers who wish to remove the forests of the region, for housing developments and commercial nodes. Generally, we are pretty calm, as residents of Gravenhurst, and very much celebrate the opportunities afforded us, in business and profession, and have no real interest in getting political. Of course, some times, you just can't avoid making a comment or two. This would be the case no matter where we lived. We have some pretty firm commitments, better stated, "loyalties" to our environment, and we don't bend too much, if we feel particularly strongly about the adverse affects of a development or destruction of a forest or lowland. We not really activists here at Birch Hollow but we are watchdogs without question.

We are very thankful, as a family of Muskokans, to live in the Town of Gravenhurst. And despite a lot of recent negativity, and some outright disasters in a number of areas, we still look upon our situation here as a blessing, and will make a toast to a good hometown, at the commencement of Thanksgiving dinner…….as is our tradition on these special occasions. We hope you feel the same way about Muskoka……and about Gravenhurst. Having a Stay-cation is no hardship whatsoever!

Cheers.

WHAT A COINKIE DINKIE -

I FINALLY GET CLOSURE TO AN EDITOR'S GIG CUT SHORT-

When I strolled up Dominion Street, in Bracebridge, on the day I became editor…..of the oldest newspaper in town, (early 1980's) I remember pausing to look up at the iron letters on the front of The Herald-Gazette office, and thinking out loud….this is the best day of my life!

Even as a snotty nosed, dirty-faced kid, running around this old town, I had looked upon that newspaper office, one block from the main drag, and thought it was my destiny to one day take the helm as editor. I was a writer in residence up on Alice Street, even in public school, when I began writing adventure stories to impress the creative writing component of public school english. I then moved on to a spirited writing residency in the former brick house, built by Dr. Peter McGibbon, earlier in the century. It was a particularly haunted abode, in a good way, and it was a hugely prolific period in my budding career. I was inspired by everything. They were all challenges to cherish. I couldn't wait to finish one project before launching a second and third.

I seemed to always be writing or planning out a script or war-themed story, although my first public piece was a short play about the curious, risque interactions of teenage friends on the brink of new and exciting discoveries. Well it got some laughs, and I made a few of my girlfriends blush, but it established me, amongst my associates, as a writer wannabe. So much in fact, that one of the main characters, and my best friend at the time, swiped the manuscript and refused to return it……believing that if I did become a well known writer-kind, this would be a valuable first edition…..

So when I strolled up to that Dominion Street newspaper office, on that spot of urban landscape since the late 1800's, I was too over-whelmed frankly, to know how to express myself about the promotion……so I drank like a writer and lived the life of a newsy…….like our hero, columnist Paul Rimstead, of the newly launched Toronto Sun. Rimmer was a local lad, who had the same trials and tribulations at the local high school, as we (the other writers on staff) had endured, but had still gone on to the fame and glory as a key player in the Canadian daily press. Rimstead led the way for many young, full of ambition reporters. I drank to my success. And I wrote morning, noon and night. With a few beers to keep me awake.

I arrived at Muskoka Publications in the winter of 1979, working first as a reporter for the Muskoka Lakes-Georgian Bay Beacon. I did fill-in work for The Herald-Gazette when there was a manpower shortage, and I managed to sneak a few news photographs and some shared articles into the bigger newspaper of our small network, and one fire scene flick that I was enormously proud. I had to spend the whole night at a structure fire to get the shot, but I can't explain the pure joy of seeing that action photograph, on the front page, in that week's edition.

I worked hard to earn a name for myself in the writing business generally, and it wasn't long before the publisher decided I deserved a step-up in the organization. When I was offered a chance to join The Herald-Gazette full time, as news editor, and then editor after a year's experience, the rush was long and tingling. It was most of what I had wanted as a young lad, returning home after his stint at university. The only thing missing in my life was a partner, some kids, a dog and cat, and well, a small, tidy little house to raise our family. Before the end of the 1980's I had it all. We were broke but happy with our professions……a writer and a teacher (Suzanne). We had two wonderful boys, Andrew first, and then wee Robert. A dog named Alf and two cats…..one was Fester and the other Animal. It was a happy beginning. Contenting and exciting at the same time.

Then we bought a newer house, and then flipped it, for a mover-upper in the Town of Gravenhurst. It was all coming together. And I never once entered the building on Dominion Street, that I didn't look up at those beautiful metal letters, adorning the white stucco, of the place I loved to work.

Well, you know what they say. It wasn't about my ability to write, or my willingness to work long, hard and suffer the low pay I was being offered. I always wrote more than we needed for each edition, and our paper, because of a great staff of reporters, made The Herald-Gazette a keen competitor in a tough market. After working as a feature editor for our sister publication, The Muskoka Sun, as well as The Muskoka Advance, and The Herald-Gazette, from my home office……where I was able to look after Andrew in those early years of adjustment to new family responsibilities, absence from the day to day operation of the paper, put me at a serious disadvantage to compete with those who wanted my job. After several years of working from a home office, the in-office competition was too severe to keep me in the top position I had enjoyed during those halcyon days.

I rejected the down-grade imposed by the new owner, and could not stomach the reduced hours and diminished opportunities. I left the best job I'd ever had……and I did have many regrets. It had been a dream job…..but you know what happens to dreams?

I've been bitter about this for many years. The Herald-Gazette ceased publication about a decade later, and the name was removed forever from local publishing. What a terrible reality that was for a long-in-the-tooth dreamer like me. I had always thought there might be a day I would make a come-back………you know, be invited back into the newsroom, to re-invent the glory years of what we (reporters) used to call…..with affection, "The Hurly Gazelle."

It never happened. My aspirations died with the closure. And I've never been back in that neighborhood of Dominion Street, that I haven't glanced upon that building, with great longing, looking for the letters that once graced its old facade……and reminded me I was in the right place. I was hungover a lot in those days, so it was nice to have those letters to situate me, when the buildings all had the same texture of blur.

This week, at a local second hand shop, I found a box containing some old, rusted metal letters. I was intrigued. Specially the simple note on the side of the box that read, "Metal letters from Dominion Street - The Herald-Gazette." When I met Suzanne, holding the box, with the bottom falling through, she said it was as if "a Christmas morning……seeing a child with the best gift ever."

I now own, as a matter of so much irony, the actual letters of my newspaper's name, that I glanced happily upon, for all those years. It cost me $15 for the box. They are now stretched on the side of my driveway, for guests to read. I plan on getting a nice bit of pine to fasten them eventually. They remind me of some great days, and wonderful folks I worked with……some who have passed away since my days as editor.

Maybe they, as individual letters, are a strange form of closure. But when it is spelled out, "The Herald-Gazette," it makes it all so different, and I feel connected again, to a front line news job I had always wanted. I will never forgive those who treated me badly in those years, but this is the kind of trophy that makes a good stab at restoration of good thoughts, about good times…..despite the cruel realities we encounter through our respective lives.

I never stopped writing despite my disassociation with the newspaper. I suppose that really bothered some of my adversaries. And that's always been a sweet fancy of mine, that they couldn't dictate a writer's passion, by simply cutting the payroll……and one of the most eager and respectful editors they ever had.

I will think of those days again, when I look at these familiar letters that meant so much, for so long, and apparently……still entice me to write, and write, and write.

Whoever dumped those letters, along my hunting and gathering pathway…….thank you so much. I have a feeling the irony has a lot more twists and turns yet to come.