The Fabulous Knockouts – Music on the Barge – Gull Lake Rotary Park – Gravenhurst - Sunday, Aug. 4th
“Music on the Barge” Gull Lake Rotary Park, Gravenhurst is pleased to present The Fabulous Knockouts on Sunday, August 4th commencing at 7:30 p.m.
For many, the l980’s was the “me” decade. For four young men in black jackets and skinny ties it was the “we” decade. The (not yet Fabulous) Knockouts spent most of that decade criss-crossing Ontario and many points east and west spreading their unique brand of rock and roll. Honing their craft while playing with the likes of Bo Diddley, Del Shannon, Peter Noone and many others, the boys wowed audiences everywhere they went.
Alas, like many good things, this too came to an end. As the years passed, their musical journeys took them in different directions. Although their paths crossed many times, the four have never player together again until now.
In 2007, they decided to see if that same magic would still be there. It is! As recent gigs have shown, the band can still rock as hard as ever with a sound so tough it cuts the air like a knife. Or, change gears abruptly and play a ballad so sweetly that grown men cry. Still playing a mix of hits and rarities from the mid 50’s to the early 70’s they bring an intense energy mixed with a sense of fun to everything that they do.
Enjoy their musical journey featuring hits from Johnny Rivers, The Troggs, The Searchers, The Buckinghams, The Dave Clarks Five, Del Shannon, CCR and many more.
Don’t miss The Fabulous Knockouts on Sunday, August 4th commencing at 7:30 p.m. at Gull Lake Rotary Park, Gravenhurst.
In the event of inclement weather, rain or lightning, the concert will be cancelled and not relocated to another venue for the safety of the audiences and the performers.
BUSINESS APPEARS TO BE EXCELLENT IN GRAVENHURST - AT LEAST FROM OUR STAKE ON THE MAIN STREET
I'M NOT GOING TO EMBELLISH A THING. I'M TOO TIRED TO ATTEMPT B.S., WHEN THE TRUTH WILL SUFFICE. SINCE THE END OF JULY, OUR SHOP HAS BEEN HUMMING ALONG AT A MUCH FASTER, MORE PROSPEROUS CLIP THAN THE YEAR BEFORE. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AS A FAMILY OF FOUR, AND WE HAVE HAD LITTLE TIME TO DO ANYTHING MORE THAN HAVE A SANDWICH ON THE RUN, AND A LIMITED NUMBER OF TRIPS TO THE BATHROOM, DURING BUSINESS HOURS. THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST. AND IN JANUARY, WE JUST WANT TO FIND A CUSTOMER OUT THERE. SO A LITTLE INCONVENIENCE IS WORTH THE END-OF-THE-DAY SALES FIGURES. WE'RE GOING TO PASS LAST YEAR'S FIGURES, BUT BACK THEN WE WERE A LOT SMALLER, AND OUR INVENTORY MUCH LIGHTER IN VOLUME. WE'VE ADDED ANOTHER ROOM, AND SUZANNE OF COURSE HAS OPENED HER "COOKERY NOOKERY,' WHICH IS ALSO LOOKING PRETTY ROBUST. OF COURSE, THE SUMMER MONTHS ARE GOING TO BE MORE PROSPEROUS, ON ACCOUNT OF SHEER VOLUME OF THE CUSTOMER NUMBERS. NONE THE LESS, IT IS SHOWING US THAT SPECIALIZING SOMEWHAT WAS PRUDENT; JUST AS THE BOYS BEGAN SPECIALIZING IN MUSIC LESSONS, VINTAGE VINYL AND INSTRUMENT REPAIR, TO BUILD UP SOME DIVERSITY, FOR WHEN THE RETAIL COMPONENT WEAKENS IN THE OFF-SEASON.
ANDREW AND ROBERT OUT-SELL US IN MUSIC RELATED ANTIQUES EIGHT MONTHS OF THE YEAR. FOR THE REST, THE TRADITIONAL ANTIQUE COMPONENT MORE THAN PULLS ITS WEIGHT. DESPITE A VERY SLOW START TO THE SUMMER BOOM, WHICH TOOK UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF JULY TO BREAK LOOSE, IT'S BEEN DOUBLE-SHIFT EVER SINCE…..AND LIKE MOST MUSKOKA BUSINESS FOLKS RIGHT NOW….WE'RE LOUNGING FOR A FEW MOMENTS, SMILING BUT EXHAUSTED. BUT IT'S THE WAY MUSKOKANS HAVE HAD TO LIVE AND WORK SINCE THE PIONEERING DAYS IN THIS REGION. THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IS A FICKLE ONE, AND SOMETIMES YOU WIN, AND YOU CAN LOSE JUST AS EASILY. WE REALLY DON'T LIKE OPENING ON SUNDAYS, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN OUR ONE TRAVELLING DAY OF THE WEEK, TO PICK-UP INVENTORY REPLACEMENTS. BUT LOSING A SUNDAY CAN MEAN SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS, AND IT'S HARD TO JUSTIFY CLOSING. WE JUST DRAG OURSELVES IN, LATER IN THE MORNING, AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEADING DOWN TO THE BARGE AT AROUND FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON. THE BOYS ARE PART OF THE BARGE TECH GANG, SO THEY STILL HAVE TO WORK LUGGING EQUIPMENT, WHILE MOM AND POP DINE ON THE SHORE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF INTERESTING AND ENTERTAINING THINGS HAPPENING IN GRAVENHURST. AND AS I POINTED OUT IN YESTERDAY'S BLOG, WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF OUR HOMETOWN, WHETHER AS PERMANENT RESIDENTS OR SECOND HOME OWNERS (COTTAGERS) ENJOYING OUR LAKELAND. TAKING A DRIVE AROUND TOWN EARLY TODAY, AND THEN LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WHAT WE WISH FOR, FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE YEAR, HAS COME TRUE. WE ARE DEFINITELY AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO VISIT FOR TOURISTS. MAYBE THEY DON'T WANT TO SHARE WINTER WITH US, AND I DON'T BLAME THEM, BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE CAN HAVE SUCH LARGE NUMBERS VISIT DURING THESE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER MONTHS…..AND WELL INTO THE AUTUMN SEASON, WHICH IS TRULY MAGNIFICENT WITH THE CAVALCADE OF COLOR. SOMETIMES WE LOSE OUR WAY HERE, AND START IMAGINING AN END TO TOURISM AS WE KNOW IT……AND PREDICTIONS START FLYING, BY MID NOVEMBER, THAT THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IS SHUNNING GRAVENHURST. FOR SOME OF US, IT TAKES SOME SHOULDER SEASON MONTHS TO BUILD BACK OUR SUMMER SEASON INVENTORIES. WE DON'T ORDER FROM A WHOLESALER, SO EVERY ITEM WE HAVE IN OUR SHOP IS HAND PICKED, WHILE WE TOUR ABOUT THIS PART OF ONTARIO. SOME THINGS WE PURCHASE, LIKE VINTAGE CLOTHING, QUILTS AND BLANKETS, NEED TO BE RESTORED BEFORE THEY ARE PUT UP FOR SALE. SUZANNE IS A REAL FUSS-POT THIS WAY, AND YOU WILL OFTEN FIND HER, EVEN NOW, MAKING REPAIRS TO THE BACKLOG OF ITEMS THAT NEED A FEW STITCHES OR A MAJOR OVERHAUL. SHE WORKS AT THIS BETWEEN CUSTOMERS. BUT ALL OF US CURRIES ARE HAVING A BLAST, DOING WHAT WE LOVE, AND PARTICIPATING IN A BUSINESS NETWORK THAT WE ADORE. WE HAVE MANY FRIENDSHIPS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH A FORMAL ASSOCIATION, AND TOGETHER WE SHARE WHAT WE CAN……TO PROMOTE CUSTOMER SERVICE ACROSS THE BOARD. I DON'T NEED TO BE FORCED INTO AN ORGANIZATION, OR RECRUITED AS A MEMBER BUSINESS, TO FUNCTION AS A BUSINESS CO-OPERATIVE. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE THE BOYS BEGAN THEIR SHOP, AT THE OLD MUSKOKA THEATRE, EIGHT YEARS AGO. NONE OF US COULD GET BY, WITHOUT HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS WHO WE CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON, TO GIVE US A HAND, AND WELL,…. FEED US. "DEE-DEE'S CAFE" ON MUSKOKA ROAD IS OUR KITCHEN AWAY FROM HOME. THEY SEND CUSTOMERS TO US, AND WE SEND HUNGRY FOLK TO THEM. THEIR HOT SOUP HAS NOURISHED BODY AND SOUL MANY TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR.
SUZANNE AND I ARE TRADITIONALISTS. WE GREW UP AT A TIME WHEN A HANDSHAKE AND GOOD MORNING GREETINGS, WERE THE ONLY CLEAR AND MEANINGFUL SIGNS OF BUSINESS AND CUSTOMER CO-OPERATION, WITH NARY AN ASSOCIATION TO TELL US HOW TO ACT, OR INFORM US, BY DECRY, WHY WE SHOULD NETWORK IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE DISCUSSED BUSINESS PLANS OUT FRONT OF OUR SHOPS, AND MET OVER COFFEE TO DISCUSS MUTUAL INTERESTS. WE ALL BENEFITTED, UP AND DOWN THE STREET, BY BEING KIND AND CARING TO ONE ANOTHER, BECAUSE WE WERE ALL AFTER THE SAME THING……MAKE THE CUSTOMER WANT TO SHOP AT HOME. TIMES CHANGE. NOW EVERYTHING HAS TO BE FORMALLY ORCHESTRATED, AND AN EXECUTIVE MUST BE ELECTED, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE UP TO SPEED ON WHAT IS EXPECTED OF US. IT'S THE REASON WE HAVE IGNORED THEM SINCE THE BEGINNING, AS WE KNOW HOW TO CONNECT AND NETWORK THE OLD FASHIONED WAY; THAT STILL WORKS JUST AS WELL AS IT DID WHEN HORSE AND BUGGIES CLOMPED UP AND DOWN THE DIRT ROAD, THAT IS NOW OUR SHOWPIECE UPTOWN ARTERY. WE DON'T TRY TO DISSOLVE THEIR ORGANIZATION, OR MUTE THEIR DIRECTIVES, BUT ASK THEM TO RESPECT OUR RIGHT TO CONDUCT OUR BUSINESS, AND OUR CHOICE OF SALE DATES, ON OUR SCHEDULE, AT OUR CONVENIENCE. YUP, IT'S OUR PREROGATIVE. AND WE BASK IN THE FREEDOM WE HAVE EARNED. WE ASK THEM FOR NOTHING. AND WE AREN'T SLIGHTED IN THE LEAST WHEN THEY PLAN EVENTS WITHOUT OUR APPROVAL. THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO CONDUCT THEIR AFFAIRS, JUST AS WE HAVE A RIGHT TO PURSUE OUR OWN BUSINESS PROTOCOL.
BUT I KIND OF THINK WE SHOULD BE IN AGREEMENT THIS MONTH, THAT THE SUMMER SEASON HERE IN GRAVENHURST HAS BEEN PRETTY SOLID, AND THE LAST FEW WEEKS, VERY EXCITING. I MUST ADMIT, TO GETTING QUITE ENTHRALLED BY TRAFFIC TIE-UPS ON MUSKOKA ROAD, WHEN IN THE OFF SEASON, ADMITTEDLY, IT CAN GET A LITTLE SPARSE OUT THERE. BUT ALL THE DISCOURAGEMENT EVAPORATES, FOR MOST OF US RETAILERS, WHEN WE LOOK UP OVER THE COUNTER, WHILE TRYING TO SNEAK A SPOONFUL OF SOUP, TO SEE THE SHOP FULL OF CUSTOMERS ENJOYING WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. THERE IS NO NEED FOR PROPAGANDA, OR FOR EMBELLISHMENTS, OR EVEN FOR WISHFUL THINKING, BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING THE OUTSTANDING LEVEL OF SUPPORT WE DESERVE, AS HOSTS; AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, OF BEING DEDICATED AND SERVICE MINDED, IN OUR LITTLE TOWN IN SOUTH MUSKOKA. YOU WILL SEE IT TOMORROW NIGHT IF YOU HEAD OVER TO ROTARY GULL LAKE PARK, FOR THE SUNDAY "MUSIC ON THE BARGE" CONCERT. A LOT OF SPECTATORS. A LOT OF FOLKS TO BUY TREATS AT OUR ICE CREAM SHOPS, AND RESTAURANTS……FUEL AT OUR GAS STATIONS, AND EVEN SOME GROCERIES. WE DON'T HAVE TO SELL THIS COMMUNITY THE WAY SOME FOLKS SEEM TO BELIEVE. WE NEED TO FIRST, APPRECIATE THAT IT HAS TAKEN SINCE THE 1870'S, TO BUILD UP THE TOURISM TRADITION IN GRAVENHURST, AND THE WIDER MUSKOKA. NO GROUP IS GOING TO CHANGE, ON THEIR OWN, SOMETHING THAT HAS BECOME NOT ONLY TRADITION, BUT AN HISTORICAL PRECEDENT. IF HOWEVER, WE BUILD ON ALL THE POSITIVES A BUSY TOURIST SEASON CAN OFFER, AND POSITIVELY REINFORCE WHY WE ALL ENJOY LIVING HERE YEAR ROUND, GRADUALLY YOU KNOW, WE WILL START SEEING EVER MORE TOURISM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN FACT, FROM SEPTEMBER UNTIL THE END OF JUNE, OUR CUSTOMERS WERE OVER NINETY PERCENT FROM OUT OF TOWN, AND ABOUT FORTY PERCENT, FROM OTHER REGIONS OF ONTARIO. IF WE HAD ANY CONCERN ACTUALLY, IT WAS FROM THE POOR TURN-OUT OF LOCALS TO SEE WHAT WE HAD DONE TO THE OLD BUILDING. SO THE TOURIST ECONOMY DID KEEP US IN THE BLACK YEAR-ROUND. NOW IF WE COULD JUST GET SUPPORT FROM HOMETOWNERS. THIS REALLY IS THE PROBLEM. IT'S TIME TO START SHOWING THE LOCAL POPULATION, WE WANT THEM AS CUSTOMERS TOO. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY LOOK AT BUSINESSES LIKE OURS AS "TOURIST TRAPS," AND WILL SHOP FOR ANTIQUES ANYWHERE ELSE BUT WHERE THEY LIVE. AS WELL, THERE'S A MAIN STREET IMAGE ISSUE, AND MANY LOCAL S ARE WELL AWARE OF THE DISHARMONY THAT HAS EXISTED HERE FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS…….BUSINESSES DISAGREEING WITH THEIR GOVERNING REPRESENTATION……ARGUING VEHEMENTLY THAT THE TOWN DOESN'T HELP THEM OUT. SO HERE'S A PLACE TO START IMPROVING BUSINESS. BRING BACK OUR LOCAL POPULATION, BECAUSE WE WANT TO RETURN TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS…..WHICH WOULD BE PROSPEROUS FOR EVERYONE. SO WHERE DO YOU SHOP? IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD CHANGE THE WAY WE ARE PERCEIVED…..AND EXPANDING THE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION BOUNDARY ISN'T THE END-ALL TO MAKING THE MAIN STREET MORE VIBRANT AND PROSPEROUS. GENUINE GOOD WILL IS A START. WE'LL SEE HOW THIS PANS OUT, AS A FIRST STEP, WHEN THE BIA MOVES AHEAD, WITH THEIR PLAN TO INCREASE THEIR BOUNDARY, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. ANY TIME YOU TITHE SOMEONE WITH A TAX……GEEZ, IT DOESN'T USUALLY WIN FRIENDS.
I WROTE A BLOG SOME TIME AGO, REGARDING WHAT I ENJOY ABOUT LIVING IN GRAVENHURST. IT IS A BLOG I STAND BY TODAY, AND ONE THAT I WOULD BE PLEASED TO HAVE THE LOCAL CHAMBER USE, AND BENEFIT FROM……IF THEY SO DESIRE. THEY PREFER TO WRITE THEIR OWN PROMOTIONS. FAIR ENOUGH. BUT I FEEL GRAVENHURST HAS BEEN THE PERFECT HOME BASE FOR OUR FAMILY, AND IDEAL FOR THIS WRITER IN RESIDENCE. I HAVE BEEN WRITING DISTRICT WIDE FEATURE STORIES FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF PUBLICATIONS, FROM THIS PORTAL AT BIRCH HOLLOW, SINCE THE FALL OF 1989…..AND IT HAS PROVEN TO BE AN ONGOING SOURCE OF CREATIVE ENERGY, EVERY DAY, AS I HOPE, IN SOME WAY, THIS BLOG, AND MY OTHERS RELATE. "MUSKOKA AS WALDEN," IS STILL MY FAVORITE, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN WHILE I SIT, AT THE LARGE WINDOW, OVERLOOKING THE BEAUTIFUL "BOG" ACROSS THE LANE……AND YES, IT IS FOR ME, WHAT WALDEN POND WAS TO DAVID HENRY THOREAU. SO ALTHOUGH MY CRITICS BELIEVE ME TO BE A DETRIMENT TO ALL THINGS GOOD IN GRAVENHURST, I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING TESTIMONIAL, ABOUT WHAT I DO BELIEVE IS THE GOOD LIFE HERE IN SOUTH MUSKOKA…..FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. THIS HAS BEEN VIEWED BY READERS AROUND THE GLOBE
CHRISTMAS SEASON IN GRAVENHURST - A WRITER IN RESIDENCE
Listen! Do you hear it? What about now? There it is again! My guest. My unexpected, uninvited guest. Keeping me company. Chirping. Chirping.
Somewhere at Birch Hollow there is a cricket, chirping away, as if attempting to communicate something or other about the prevailing comforts of the household. Each time I begin typing, and have a good idea what I'm going to compose two paragraphs into the future, this darn cricket will start its abrupt, annoying chatter, announcing its state of the union. Maybe it's looking for a mate. Possibly it's a disgruntled former friend or relative, who has returned to this mortal-coil as a cricket. I've tried addressing it by name but the cadence doesn't change. If it was any spirit that might re-incarnate to my office, it would be Dave Brown, my historian friend, who used to bunk-out on the couch over there, in the corner. He was an outdoor education co-ordinator and he wouldn't hurt a cricket, let along any living creature. It couldn't be my mother, because it doesn't chirp loud enough. I couldn't kill it, even if I captured the wee beastie, because of this suspicion the intrusion had a purpose. Gads.
I'm very much a creature of habit. I like things to stay the same. Somethings I can't control. In my office, things are easy to organize and situate, such that each day, except for the sun and breeze coming in this window, I have the comfort of controlling what is normal. This cricket, in the natural scheme of things, is very much doing what is normal. It's just not normal that it has come to dwell in my comfort zone. While I'm very much against the idea of hunting this creature-of-the-shadows, and killing it, because the winter is upon us, I wouldn't be able to catch and release either. I'd feel real bad all winter, that I'd caused the poor little thing great discomfort. It's just hard to keep a story-line, because every time I stop, and look about to see where the chirping is coming from, I forget half what I was writing about. It took me a long time to get used to our cats jumping up on my lap, while I'm typing, but forgive me for saying that the purring of the felines, is much preferable to the start of the unsettling round of chirping; that by the way, always seems so urgent and of grave consequence. There's an interpretation issue, I'm sure, so I should seek out a cricket whisperer for clarification.
Strange as this may seem, I found a book at a local charity "Sale for Jesus" (I'm serious), on Saturday, containing a most appropriate passage. I thought that if Jesus had something to do with this sale, possibly he was trying to send me a message about toleration and harmonious living. The book is entitled "The Yellow Briar," by Patrick Slater, containing a most insightful overview of pioneering in Ontario. As if by some strange manifestation of providence, it contains a reference quite suitable to my present situation……as a writer and as a landlord here at Birch Hollow. It seems the best place to start this series of Christmas season blogs, for my hometown, and as an explanation, why I adore working and living in Gravenhurst. It reads as follows:
"And here I sit, a garrulous old fellow whose trials and troubles are all over, chirping away and as happy making noises for my own amusement, as any cricket in a crack by a glowing chimney corner. Sure an Irishman gets a lot of fun watching the world go by. But my warmth comes from memories of the long ago. So I ask you, folk, to fill your glasses with the moonshine of the hills where speckled trout still lurk in limpid streams." Here's to the worn-out hearts of those who saw a nation built, and to the proud, fun-loving young hearts that have it in their keeping." Ave Atque Vale - 1924.
If you have now wondered whether an old writer has taken leave of his senses, well, maybe I have. I'd like to believe in my celebratory frame of mind, like Scrooge, in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," that I've come to my senses. That I've awoken to the clear awareness, it is another day before Christmas, and there is still time to correct some wrongs, and resolve misadventures. There's time to compliment the town that has cradled our family, and created such enthusiasm in this writer's heart. And it all begins, in this humble little abode, this tiny office overlooking The Bog, with three cats nearby, and a cricket that's now home for the season. I hope you will find reason to join me, despite the wee chirping, now and again, mixed with the crackling of cedar in the hearth, and a background of Mozart, creaks and snaps of a house in the cold, and the permeating aroma of Suzanne's Christmas baking…….as much a distraction as the cricket these days. Pull up a chair, and I'll adjust the oil lamp so we can see each other. If you feel a hand on your shoulder, it's just a ghost. Friends of ours, who have attached themselves to a house they apparently enjoyed visiting. Nothing to worry about. They mean you no harm.
The fact that I have initiated this Christmas season tradition, as a blog this year, is greatly out of character for me. I have been writing Christmas journals since I was a kid, and I've written in many locations, in old houses, cottages by the lake, apartments and duplexes, and sometimes in hotels during my more adventurous youth. I have never sought to publish them because they have always been particularly personal. I've borrowed some themes, worthy of stand-alone features articles, in many different publications. I've long been fascinated by the Christmas ambience, and how it changes from place to place, town to town, and how my impressions change from year to year. Several years ago, my father Ed, who adored Christmas, and made a big fuss about shopping with the boys every year, had a stroke in mid-December, and our Christmas season was spent largely at the hospital. It was the first year we settled for a tiny table-top Christmas tree, with flickering lights (which I can't abide), because no one felt all that merry. We did okay, and had a good Christmas with Ed (in hospital quarters) but because we knew he wasn't going to survive, there wasn't much chance of lifting the melancholy for long. Still, that's the rigors of reality and the loop of the mortal coil. I still made copious notes, and that has always made things feel better, even if they weren't in fact, and it was one of the most prolific writing periods in recent memory. It lasted through that spring season. Ed didn't.
This year, as a way of carrying on a tradition, of journalling through the Christmas season, I decided to go public. I wanted to share some personal observations, about the town that has been our home since 1989. At a time when Gravenhurst has had to shoulder a great deal of economic chagrin, and random, unfounded comments that suggest, "the town is cursed," I felt it was time, to share a contrary opinion, based on personal history. As I have mentioned many times in the past, I am particularly fussy about the places I call home, even temporarily, and I'm more than just a little demanding about the place I write. I have written on the beaches of Florida, and on the fringe of Sherwood Forest, in Nottingham, England. I've penned lengthy tomes looking out over Lake Joseph, when I lived in an enchanted little home, known as "Seven Persons Cottage," on Lake Muskoka, and at the family cottage on Lake Rosseau. I've written from a canoe in Algonquin Park, while looking for Tom Thomson's ghost, and I've written in the attic of Bracebridge's former McGibbon house, an estate that was home to many, many wayward spirits. And since 1989, I have begun my Christmas journal in early November, concluding by tradition, on the strike of midnight, on New Year's Eve. It has been a most prolific period of my professional life, and I owe it to this neighborhood, this old town, and all of its interesting characteristics, with a provenance of tantalizing history, colorful community builders, surviving traditions, and a kindness of heart one can't mistake for anything else. I have written in many places, where I could not muster the enthusiasm to create for long, and even an interruption by this cricket of mine, would have been a welcome relief from the misery of creative hiatus. I have written, as with the old Herald-Gazette building, on Dominion Street, in Bracebridge, because I was employed to do so; and always with great volume to fill the white spaces of the weekly news. In my younger days as an editor and feature writer, I could force myself to write whenever or in whatever locale it was necessary to meet a publishing deadline. Today it's just not that free-flowing any more. That's why it is so important to the old author-me, to have such an inspirational place, such that finding a good time, to sit down in my office, and write, is never a burden….never something I won't heartily enjoy. I feel comfortable in this town, and while that may not seem enough credit, or endorsement to rid the town of this "curse" innuendo, well, maybe I can change that, by time we get to that New Year's toast….ending with that festive kiss on the cheek, between good friends, and family, who quite like it here…..at home in Gravenhurst.
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