The Kids Made The Carnival

THE KIDS - THE FUTURE OF THE TOWN - THE WINTER CARNIVAL

WINNING OVER THE PUBLIC WILL TAKE TIME

I HEARD ONE LADY COMPLAINING THAT "IT'S JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHERS." ANOTHER WOMAN, WHILE PAYING FOR AN ITEM AT A LOCAL SHOP, EXCLAIMED, "IT'S TOO COLD TO GO TO THE WINTER CARNIVAL." A GENTLEMAN VOLUNTEERED TO A FRIEND, "I'LL JUST GET A BEER, SIT OUTSIDE IN A LAWNCHAIR….AND HAVE A BOWL OF CHILI."

A KID WALKING DOWN MUSKOKA ROAD, ASKED HIS MOTHER, 'WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL IS SKOKIE ANYWAY?" "I DON'T KNOW," SHE ANSWERED, PULLING HIM ACROSS THE INTERSECTION. I WAS GOING TO YELL BACK, THAT SKOKIE IS AN "OTTER," BUT SUZANNE BECKONED ME, JUST THEN, TO LOOK IN A SHOP WINDOW. "CAN WE GO ON THE HELICOPTER," ANOTHER YOUNG MAN, ASKED HIS DAD. "WE'LL SEE, SON, WE'LL SEE." "CAN I HAVE SOME CANDY," ASKED ANOTHER WEE LAD, WHO WOULD HAVE ASKED THAT SAME QUESTION, WINTER CARNIVAL OR NOT. IT WAS A SUNNY, COLD DAY IN FEBRUARY. THE CITIZENS FELT THE NEED TO COMMENT, AND COMMENT THEY DID!

STANDING OUT ON THE WINDY CORRIDOR OF MUSKOKA ROAD, ISN'T THE BEST PLACE TO CONDUCT AN INFORMAL WINTER CARNIVAL SURVEY. BUT THERE WERE LOTS OF INTERESTING COMMENTS, BEING BANDIED ABOUT, MOST OF THEM QUITE SUPPORTIVE OF THE ANNUAL FEBRUARY BASH. OVER-DRESSED KIDS, ALMOST INVISIBLE BEHIND THICK SCARVES AND OVER-SIZED TOQUES, WOUND THEIR WAY DOWN TO ROTARY GULL LAKE PARK, WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION, SPARKLING IN THOSE EVER SCANNING EYES…..ABOUT "WHAT ADVENTURE IS THIS?" WHAT I SAW IN THEIR EYES WAS GREAT EXPECTATION. WHAT I SAW IN THEIR EYES, WHILE PLAYING ON TOP OF THE SNOW MOUNTAIN, ON THE BALL FIELD OF GULL LAKE PARK, WAS "SINCERE SATISFACTION." HAD THERE BEEN A VOTE, OF ALL THE KIDS PLAYING IN THAT PARK, AT THAT MOMENT, THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE PRECISE LEVEL OF APPRECIATION FOR THE PAST YEAR'S WORK. "DO WE HAVE TO GO MOM? CAN'T WE STAY A LITTLE LONGER? PLEASE, PLEASE CAN WE STAY?" NOW THAT'S AN ENDORSEMENT. IF THE CARNIVAL MISSED HITTING ALL THE TARGET GROUPS WITH BEST INTENT, SUFFICE TO SAY, THAT WHAT THEY DID CONNECT WITH, WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO BALANCE THE WEEKEND WITH RAW FUN. GOOD FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY STUFF. KIDS ARE TOUGH CRITICS. WE NEED TO LISTEN TO THEM. MAYBE IT COULD BE A WINTER CARNIVAL CONTEST FOR SCHOOL KIDS, NEXT FALL SEASON……TO COME UP WITH SOME NEW RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR GULL LAKE PARK, WHEN THE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ITS 2013 EVENT. THESE ARE OUR YOUNG STAKE HOLDERS. OF COURSE THEY DESERVE A VOICE….AND A VOTE.

IF YOU HAD A WINTER CARNIVAL, AND ONLY THE ADULTS SHOWED UP, THE EVENT MIGHT RAKE-IN MORE CASH, BUT IT WOULD BE A "FOR THE MOMENT" SUCCESS. IF YOU HAVE A WINTER CARNIVAL AND THE KIDS SHOW UP, AND FAMILIES APPROVE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT, YOU MIGHT HAVE LESSER PROFIT, BUT INFINITELY MORE POTENTIAL FOR THE NEXT YEAR, AND ALL THE YEARS AFTER THAT……

FROM WHAT SUZANNE AND I WITNESSED, ON THE ICE PADS ON MUSKOKA BAY, AND AT GULL LAKE PARK, I THINK THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE CAN STOP BEATING-ITSELF UP, BECAUSE SOME EVENTS WERE UNDER-ATTENDED. NO ORGANIZER WANTS TO FIND AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE, IN A WIDELY SPREAD-OUT, WELL DIVERSIFIED, HEAVILY ADVERTISED FESTIVAL, SHORT OF PATRONS. IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE ANY PROMOTER NUTS, WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED. WHY DO THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN TO NICE PEOPLE? BUT IF ONE WAS TO AVERAGE ATTENDANCE OVER THE THREE DAYS, AND EXAMINE THOSE EVENTS WITH HIGHER PARTICIPATION, IT MAY BE QUITE UNDERSTANDABLE WHY SOME FOLKS DECIDED TO STAY OUTDOORS, INSTEAD OF WATCHING BANDS PERFORM AT THE OPERA HOUSE. THIS IS A REALITY FOR THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE TO SORT OUT, IN THE POST-MORTEM THEY WILL OBVIOUSLY CONDUCT, SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

REGARDLESS WHAT MAY HAVE GONE WRONG, OR HOW MANY EVENTS WERE UNDER-ATTENDED, THE FACT THAT FAMILIES SHOWED UP WITH THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT CARNIVAL YOUTH, SHOULD MAKE ORGANIZERS PLEASED ABOUT THIS APPROVAL RATING. HAVING SO MANY YOUNGSTERS WANT TO ATTEND THE WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS, AND KNOWING WHAT "SKOKIE" IS ALL ABOUT, MEANS THE INVESTMENT HAS TAKEN ROOT, AND BEGUN THOSE EVERSO TINY BUDS OF FUTURE INTEREST, THAT WILL PAY DIVIDENDS FOR THE COMMITTEE IN THE YEARS TO COME.

THIS IS ONLY THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REJUVENATED WINTER CARNIVAL FOR OUR TOWN. WHILE I'M SURE THE CARNIVAL COMMITTEE HOPED FOR HUGE CROWDS, I THINK WITH EVEN AN AVERAGE TURN-OUT, THERE WAS THE GENERAL FEELING "WE LIKE THIS FOR OUR TOWN." I'M SURE THERE WILL BE THOSE WHO DIDN'T THINK IT WAS RUN AS WELL AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, AND DIDN'T HAVE THE VOLUNTEER NUMBERS NEEDED TO RUN ALL THE EVENTS THEY HAD PLANNED. WELL, EVEN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LARGE-SCALE EVENTS, CAN ATTRACT CRITICISM. THE GENEROUS NUMBER OF EVENTS CREATES A HUGE NECESSITY FOR VOLUNTEERS, AND WE MUST APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULTY GETTING DEDICATED FOLKS TO SPEND MANY HOURS OUT IN THE COLD, FOR THE GOOD OF THE CARNIVAL. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO BUILD-UP THAT KIND OF GOODWILL AGAIN, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE LENGTHY HIATUS BETWEEN THE FORMER MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, AND THE REVAMPED, RE-STAFFED GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL. A LOT OF TRUST HAS TO BE BUILT BACK INTO THE EVENT. I THINK IT'S A BORDER-LINE MIRACLE, THAT THEY'VE COME THIS FAR, AND WON SO MUCH SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY, AFTER ONLY THREE YEARS. THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF NOW, WHEN PLANNING BEGINS FOR THE 2013 WINTER FETE.

WE TOOK A DRIVE AROUND GRAVENHURST ON BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, TWO FABULOUS WINTER DAYS IN SOUTH MUSKOKA, AND WE WERE BOTH IMPRESSED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SKATING ON THE LAKE, SNOWMOBILING ALL OVER THE PLACE, ICE FISHING, SNOW-MOUNTAIN CLIMBING AT GULL LAKE PARK, LINED-UP FOR HELICOPTER RIDES, AND JUST GENERALLY WANDERING ABOUT, ENJOYING THE ATMOSPHERE OF A VERY NICE PLACE ON EARTH……IN SUNNY WEATHER.

IF THERE ARE ORGANIZERS OF THIS YEAR'S CARNIVAL, WHO ARE STILL A LITTLE DEPRESSED BY SOME OF THE SHORT-FALLS, THEY SHOULD BE INSPIRED BY THE REALITY, THEY INSPIRED THE FOLKS WE DID SEE, TO BREAKAWAY FROM THE WINTER DOLDRUMS, AND CELEBRATE NOT ONLY OUR TOWN, BUT OUR ENTIRE REGION. WHILE IT IS STILL A DIFFUSED REALITY, THESE VISITORS TO TOWN, WITH THE RESIDENTS OF OUR TOWN, ADDED TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY……AND WE WATCHED IT. MANY BUSINESSES DID FEEL THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF WINTER CARNIVAL ATTENDANCE, AND IT WOULD BE NICE OF THESE ENTERPRISES, TO LET THE CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, AND THE TOWN ITSELF, KNOW ABOUT THE SUCCESSES, NOT JUST THE PERCEIVED FAILURES. THERE WILL OF COURSE, BE SOME BUSINESSES, WHO WILL INDICATE THE EXACT OPPOSITE, AND FEEL THE CARNIVAL ISN'T AN ECONOMIC STIMULUS AT ALL…..JUST A WASTE OF EFFORT AND TAX DOLLARS BETTER SPENT ON SOMETHING ELSE. OTHERS WILL RALLY WITH THE COMMITTEE, TO WORK A LITTLE HARDER FOR NEXT YEAR, TO MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES THAT GROWTH AND POPULARITY DICTATE, SIMPLY AS A MATTER OF COURSE. THE QUESTION IS, DID WE BENEFIT AS A COMMUNITY, BECAUSE OF THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL?

FROM WHAT I KNOW OF THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, THAT BEGAN AS A THREE TOWN EVENT, BACK IN 1971, IT WAS ESTABLISHED AS A WINTER-SEASON PROMOTION, TO ATTRACT SUMMER VISITORS TO OUR REGION IN JANUARY. FROM IT'S COMMENCEMENT, THERE WAS LITTLE REAL CONCERN, BY ORGANIZERS, FOR SATISFYING THE LOCAL POPULATION. IT WAS A TOURISM-BUILDING INITIATIVE, THAT RECEIVED FUNDING AS SUCH. AS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT QUITE A FEW TIMES THIS WINTER, SO FAR, I BELIEVE THIS WAS THE WRONG APPROACH THEN, AND AS IT CARRIED ON IN THE SAME TRADITION, FOR MANY YEARS AFTER. BUT IT WAS THE LOCAL POPULATION, FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT SUPPORTED THE CARNIVAL VENUES…..NOT TOURISTS. THIS ISN'T TO SAY THEY DIDN'T ATTEND, BUT NOT IN THE NUMBERS EXPECTED BY THE PREMIER OF ONTARIO, JOHN ROBARTS, AND MINISTER OF TOURISM, JAMES AULD, WHO BOTH WROTE INTRODUCTORY EDITORIALS, IN THAT FIRST CARNIVAL PROGRAM. WHETHER THEY MEANT TO, OR NOT, THEY FORGOT ABOUT "US." APPARENTLY, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO ORGANIZE AND STAFF THE EVENT, BUT NOT ATTEND IT……WE COULD, BUT WE SHOULD PROBABLY STEP BACK TO LET OUR VISITORS HAVE A GOOD TIME FIRST. IT WAS WRONG THEN, AND IT WOULD BE JUST AS ILL-CONCEIVED TODAY, IF THE COMMITTEE WAS TARGETING TOURISTS, BEFORE PLEASING THE HOMETOWN GANG.

WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE THREE YEARS OF THE CARNIVAL'S RE-GENERATION, IS A STRONG COMMITMENT TO MAKE A WINTER EVENT THAT APPEALS TO THE LOCAL CITIZENRY. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE VISITORS JOIN US….AS WE HAVE BEEN SHARING OUR REGION SINCE THE 1860'S. THIS MAY BE THE MOST DIFFICULT HURDLE TO JUMP, FOR THE COMMITTEE, BECAUSE MANY FOLKS STILL THINK OF THE WINTER CARNIVAL AS A TOURIST-THING……AND NOT FOR US. WE KNOW DIFFERENTLY, AND I SEE THE CHANGES, THAT ARE ENCOURAGING MORE YOUNGSTERS, TO ASK THEIR PARENTS, TO TAKE THEM TO OUR WINTER CARNIVAL. TAKING THE SKOKIE MESSAGE TO THE LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND SECONDARY SCHOOL, WAS AN EXCEPTIONALLY SOLID INVESTMENT IN GOODWILL. BUT IT'S A LONG TERM PROJECT, AND THE KIND OF SUCCESS WE ALL HOPE FOR, IS STILL A TAD DOWN THE ROAD. IT IS THERE. I TRUST THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE PATIENCE TO WORK THROUGH THESE GROWING PAINS, INSPIRED BY THE OBVIOUS GAINS….HOWEVER SMALL THEY MAY BE.

THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT DEAL OF CONTROVERSY THIS PAST YEAR IN OUR LITTLE TOWN. HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE FALL-OUT OF DEVASTATING FIRES, RECREATION CENTRE INVESTIGATIONS, MAIN STREET ECONOMIC WOES, AND EVEN HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES, IT MIGHT SEEM A THREE DAY WINTER CARNIVAL WOULDN'T DO MUCH TO PUSH BACK THE TIDE OF NEGATIVITY. BUT IT DID. THE GATHERING OF CITIZENS, OF ALL WALKS, ALL PROFESSIONS, ALL POLITICS, STOOD IN THE BLOWING SNOW, FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS OPENING CEREMONY, LOOKING FOR THAT GLIMMER OF SUCCESS WE ALL WANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. IT WASN'T ONE PARTICULAR ASPECT OF THE OPENING CEREMONIES THAT STRUCK ME, AS BEING MORE POSITIVE THAN SOMETHING ELSE, BUT RATHER, IT WAS THE COLLECTIVE OF STRONG PERSONALITIES, BUNDLED-UP IN THE COLD NIGHT AIR, THE SNOW BURYING THE OPERA HOUSE SQUARE, TO SUPPORT AN INITIATIVE, WORKED ON BY LIKE-MINDED CITIZENS WHO PULLED A TOWN TRADITION OUT OF THE PAST, AND BRAVELY RE-INVESTED. HOPING AGAINST HOPE, RESIDENTS WOULD INVEST WITH THEM. IT WAS A CLEAR DEMONSTRATION, THAT DESPITE THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO INSPIRE NEGATIVITY, BECAUSE IT SEEMS EASIER TO CULTIVATE FROM APPREHENSION, THERE'S CLEARLY ENOUGH GUMPTION, AND INTENT TO FIGHT-ON, TO RAGE INTO THE FUTURE….RATHER THAN WHIMPER ON THE SIDELINES, ABOUT HOW BADLY OFF WE ARE.

OUR FAMILY COMMENDS THOSE KIND FOLKS, OF THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, WHO GAVE UP THEIR TIME, TO HELP OUR HOMETOWN. DESPITE THE RIGORS OF REALITY, AND SOME LOW NUMBERS AT A FEW EVENTS, AND THE SHORTAGE OF VOLUNTEERS FOR SOME VENUES, THE COMMITTEE HAS GIVEN US THE TEMPLATE FOR A LONG-TERM WINTER CARNIVAL TRADITION. I HOPE MORE PEOPLE WILL STEP FORWARD AND VOLUNTEER TO HELP THE COMMITTEE ACHIEVE ITS GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES FOR 2013. IT IS A BEHEMOTH CHALLENGE TO UNDERTAKE SUCH A LARGE FESTIVAL. THEY NEED YOUR HELP. OUR TOWN BENEFITS IN SO MANY WAYS, WHEN YOU DO!

JUST REMEMBER THE KIDS. SEEING THOSE SMILING, ROSEY-CHEEKED WEE BAIRNS, MADE IT ALL WORTHWHILE. THE FACT IS, WE HAVE NOT DONE AS MUCH FOR OUR YOUNGER GENERATION, OUR GREAT FUTURE RESOURCE, AS WE SHOULD HAVE IN THE PAST. WE CAN CORRECT THIS. THE WINTER CARNIVAL WAS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN, ON A WONDERFUL WINTER WEEKEND IN BEAUTIFUL SOUTH MUSKOKA.

AS A FINAL NOTE, I WANT TO HEARTILY THANK THE COUNCILLORS AND STAFF OF THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, FOR SUPORTING THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, AND GIVING THEM THE ASSISTANCE, AND RENTAL FORGIVENESS, THEY NEEDED AT A VARIETY OF VENUES, FROM THE RECREATION CENTRE, OPERA HOUSE, TO GULL LAKE PARK AND BEYOND. KNOWING THE TOWN SUPPORTS THIS WINTER INITIATIVE, SHOULD PROVIDE THE COMMITTEE WITH ASSURANCE THEY HAVE A FUTURE….DOING THIS SKOKIE THING! THANKS FOR INVITING US CURRIES TO BE A PART OF IT. SUZANNE IS PLANNING MORE SKOKIE SCARVES FOR NEXT YEAR. OUR LADS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, AND THE GROUP "PRESSURE POINT." WOULDN'T MISS IT!

WHEN SOMEONE SAYS TO YOU….."SO HOW WAS THE WINTER CARNIVAL?" POSSIBLY YOU MIGHT REPLY, WITH SOMETHING LIKE, "IT WAS NICE TO SEE HAPPY FACES IN THIS TOWN FOR A CHANGE."