1971 Muskoka Winter Carnival

NEW YEARS IN GRAVENHURST -

MORE FROM THE 1971 BROCHURE, OF THE IST EVER MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL

I BEGAN AS A PATRON OF THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, AND THEN AS ITS REPORTER, AND THEN, AS A NEW DAD, THEN A PATRON WITH A FAMILY….WHO ALSO WAS A REPORTER. I ALWAYS ENJOYED THE WINTER CARNIVAL BECAUSE IT CAME AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS PRETTY QUIET AND VERY COLD HERE IN SOUTH MUSKOKA. THERE WAS A NEED FOR SOME KIND OF COMMUNITY EVENT, AND THE WINTER CARNIVAL BROUGHT A LOT OF ACTIVITY TO A STATUS QUO REGION. THERE WERE SNOWMOBILERS, DOWNHILL SKIERS, CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS, SLEDDING, CURLING, SKATING AND HOCKEY, BUT THAT WAS THE ROUTINE STUFF. PUT IT TOGETHER, AND ADOPT A WINTER WEASLE…..I MEAN OTTER, AND THROW IN SOME NATIONAL ADVERTISERS, BREWERIES, AND WINTER JUST ISN'T THE SAME AGAIN.

AS A REPORTER THE WINTER CARNIVAL ALWAYS CAME AT A TIME WHEN WE NEEDED SOMETHING……ANYTHING TO FILL THE NEWS PAGES. WE COULD COUNT ON THE WINTER CARNIVAL ACTIVITIES TO MAKE AT LEAST ONE MAJOR PHOTO SPREAD, AND DUST ANOTHER TWENTY OR SO IMAGES THROUGH THE PAPER THAT NEXT WEEK. EVEN AFTER THIS, WE'D HAVE SOME GOOD LEFT-OVER SHOTS TO FILL THE WHITE SPACE OF GENERALLY EVENTLESS FEBRUARY. VALENTINES DAY DOESN'T HELP WITH PHOTOGRAPHS. SO WE DID LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THE EVENTS, ESPECIALLY THE POLAR BEAR DIP THAT PROVIDED MANY GREAT PHOTO OPS. SURE IT WAS COLD, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. WE ALL LIKED PHOTO CREDITS AND THE WINTER CARNIVAL WAS THE EVENT TO COVER, AS THERE WAS A WIDE DIVERSITY OF ACTIVITIES. GETTING THE EVENT FOR KIDS WAS THE GUARANTEE OF A FRONT PAGE SHOT……BECAUSE, AS THEY SAY, KIDS AND PETS SELL PAPERS. BUT YOU KNOW, AFTER YEARS OF COVERING THE WINTER CARNIVAL, I ACTUALLY FOUND MYSELF GETTING INTO THE WHOLE CELEBRATION THING…..THAT WINTER WAS MORE EXCITING AND FULL OF OPPORTUNITY THAN I HAD THOUGHT. I DISLIKED WINTER BECAUSE OF A CRAPPY CAR, AND THE EXPENSE GETTING BOOSTS ALL WINTER LONG. WHEN I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ACTUAL WINTER CELEBRATION, I HARDLY NOTICED THE SNOW AND COLD…….UNTIL I GOT BACK HOME AND MY TOES BEGAN TO THAW; OR HAD TO CALL THE TOWING COMPANY FOR ANOTHER BOOST.

I'M PLEASED THAT THE WINTER CARNIVAL HAS BEEN REVITALIZED HERE IN GRAVENHURST, AND THAT SKOKIE, THE OLD OTTER, HAS COME OUT OF RETIREMENT. AND IT'S WHAT HAS INSPIRED US, AND THE GROUP "PRESSURE POINT," TO COMMENCE A WRITING PROJECT, TO CREATE A NEW WINTER CARNIVAL SONG, FOR GRAVENHURST…..A 2012 UPDATE FROM ALL THE OTHER SKOKIE AND WINTER CARNIVAL SONGS FROM THE PAST.

FOR NOSTALGIA'S SAKE, HERE ARE SOME REPRINT PAGES, FROM THE 1971 PROGRAM, WHICH WAS THE FIRST-EVER MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL.