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Falkenburg Union Cemetery – 1886
The picturesque Falkenburg Union Cemetery north of Bracebridge is the resting place for a number of the pioneers of the area. Nestled under the trees are some of the monuments of early settlers of the area. I spot well worth visiting on one of these beautiful crisp fall days. (Photo By Fred Schulz)
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EVEN WITHOUT A MUSEUM, AN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, A HUGE VOLUNTEER BRIGADE - FREE ENTERPRISE CAN DO IT ALL
HISTORY FOR PROFIT - IT'S GOT A LOT OF POTENTIAL
YESTERDAY WAS KIND OF EXCITING FOR ME. IT DIDN'T INVOLVE WINNING A LOTTERY, OR GETTING NEWS OF A PULITZER PRIZE COMING IN THE MAIL. A CASE OF BEER WASN'T DELIVERED TO MY FRONT DOOR, AS A GIFT FROM CARING NEIGHBORS, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I WASN'T INVITED TO A CEREMONIAL DINNER; OR EVEN A FRIEND'S HOUSE FOR BUFFALO WINGS, AND TO WATCH THE FOOTBALL GAME. BUT WHAT TREASURE I DID FIND, WITH A LITTLE DIGGING IN MY ARCHIVES, WERE THE WASHINGTON IRVING BOOKS I HAD STORED AWAY BACK AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY (2000), AFTER I'D FINISHED MY BOOK ON THE NAMING OF BRACEBRIDGE, (AFTER IRVING'S BOOK "BRACEBRIDGE HALL.") I GOT MAD AT THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE, BECAUSE THEY SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST IN FOLLOWING-UP MY SUGGESTIONS FOR A FULL RECOGNITION OF THIS LITERARY CONNECTION. WELL, THEN THERE WAS THE TIME, SHORTLY AFTER THE BOOK'S RELEASE, WHEN THE MAYOR, AT THAT TIME, PHONED (WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF DINNER) TO ASK IF I COULD GIVE HIM ONE OF MY BOOKS, SO HE COULD PRESENT IT TO THE DIRECTOR OF A COMMUNITY BAND, VISITING BRACEBRIDGE, FROM ENGLAND. I OFFERED HIM TWO, I BELIEVE, ONE TO GIVE AWAY, AND THE OTHER TO HAVE AT TOWN HALL FOR REFERENCE. NOW THAT WAS A LAUGH. I DID OFFER TWO BOOKS TO THE LIBRARY'S MUSKOKA COLLECTION. BUT YESTERDAY, I WAS JUST HAPPY TO FIND THEM AGAIN, BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE HOW DEEP, AND FOR HOW LONG, I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO QUEST IN ORDER TO FIND THEM. NOW I CAN DO THE SERIES OF COLUMNS I WANTED TO PREPARE , IN CELEBRATION OF HALLOWEEN.....AND HEADLESS HORSEMEN WHERE EVER THEY RIDE THE MOONLIT TRAILS THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE.
SO HERE'S MY PRE-SERIES PERSPECTIVE, ON WHAT I CALL THE "FORWARD-BACKWARD" APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE. I SEE IT HAPPENING OFTEN IN OUR REGIONAL MUNICIPALITIES.
OUR MUSKOKA TOWNS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR TOURISM-FRIENDLY IDEAS, TO ENTICE VISITORS TO OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE COTTAGERS (SECOND HOME OWNERS), AND TOURISTS, TO EXPLORE OUR REGION BEYOND THE FALL COLORS AT THANKSGIVING, AND DURING THE WINTER SEASON. THE CRANBERRY FESTIVAL IN BALA, HAS BEEN ONE OF THOSE SUCCESS STORIES, AND DESPITE THE ONGOING BATTLE WITH THE ELEMENTS, A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS WHO ATTEND, DON'T CARE ABOUT INCLEMENT WEATHER. FOR MANY COTTAGERS, DAY TRAVELLERS, AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS, THE FESTIVAL IS HOME GROWN FUN.....WHERE YOU CAN BUY CRANBERRIES FROM THE GROWERS THEMSELVES. THE VILLAGE OF BALA WORKS HARD TO PUT THIS EVENT ON, IN CO-OPERATION WITH A LOT OF PARTNERS, AND A BRIGADE OF WILLING VOLUNTEERS, WHO SHOW UP YEAR AFTER YEAR, INSISTING ON BEING A PART OF A REALLY UNIQUE MUSKOKA AUTUMN-SEASON TRADITION. IMAGINE IF THE ORIGINAL MUSKOKA CAVALCADE OF COLOR, HAVING BECOME SO POPULAR IN THE 1970'S, HAD BEEN MAINTAINED FOR ALL THESE YEARS, TIEING INTO THE CRANBERRY FESTIVAL, AS A SEPTEMBER TO LATE OCTOBER ALLURE?
AFTER A PRETTY FAIR TRACK RECORD, FROM THE 1970'S, THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL RAN OUT OF STEAM AND VOLUNTEERS AS A DISRICT-WIDE EVENT IN THE 1990'S, BUT IS BEING REBORN ONE TOWN AT A TIME. THERE ARE WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS IN COMMUNITIES LIKE PORT CARLING AND PORT SYDNEY, AND THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL HAS ACTUALLY REKINDLED THE OLD "SKOKIE" THEME, FROM THE ORIGINAL EVENT BEGUN AS A TOURIST PROMOTION IN THE EARLY 1970'S. THE PROBLEM WITH THE ORIGINAL EVENT, IN EARNEST, WAS THAT MUSKOKANS WERE EXPECTED TO RUN THE MYRIAD OF EVENTS, WHICH AT ONE TIME STRETCHED OVER TEN DAYS. THE ORIGNAL IDEA, WITH PROVINCIAL FUNDING ASSISTANCE, WAS TO ENHANCE THE ATTRACTIONS OF MUSKOKA IN ITS MOST ADVERSE, WEATHER-CHALLENGED TIME OF YEAR. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY CITIZEN HELPERS, WHO HAD NO VESTED INTEREST IN THE EVENT DOING WELL, (NOT BEING STAKE HOLDERS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY) FELT SLIGHTLY USED, AND A TAD ABUSED, AS VOLUNTEERS, IN THE PROJECT, CLEARLY ORCHESTRATED TO BOOST THE CAUSE OF YEAR ROUND TOURISM. THEY WERE IN FACT, MAKING BUSINESS FOR THE RETAIL COMMUNITY, AND SOME TOURIST ACCOMMODATIONS, BUT WERE GETTING TIRED OF THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS.....WHICH BECAME MORE INTENSE AS THE VOLUNTEER WORK FORCE BEGAN TO DECLINE.
THE DIFFERENCE TODAY, IS THAT THESE NEWLY CRAFTED AND UPDATED WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS, HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO SATISFY THE PERMANENT POPULATION, AS WELL AS VISITORS. THE GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL OGRANIZERS, WERE SMART TO MAKE THE EVENT INCLUSIVE OF LOCALS, AND NOT JUST SEEK THEM OUT, AS SERVICE STAFF TO THE TOURISM INTERESTS. THEY WANT EVERYONE TO JOIN IN, AND THAT MEANS A HAPPY MIX OF COTTAGERS, PERMANENT RESIDENTS AND DAY-TRAVELLERS WANTING TO CHECK OUT THE ACTION. EVENTS IN PORT CARLING AND PORT SYDNEY, HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE NEIGHBORLINESS GENE, BEING NOT ONLY GOOD HOSTS, BUT CRAFTING A WEEKEND EVENT THAT APPEALS TO A WIDER, AND MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE.....TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY GOODWILL, AT THE SAME TIME AS MAKING A WEE PROFIT FOR CHARITABLE CAUSES.....AND SOME PROFIT OF COURSE, FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
IN BRACEBRIDGE, IN THE LATE PART OF THE 1990'S, THERE WAS A WELL THOUGHT-OUT INITIATIVE, TO PROMOTE THE NATURAL HERITAGE OF THE COMMUNITY, AND REGION; BY RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER POWER AND RIVER RESOURCES, TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN, FROM ITS PIONEER YEARS ONWARD. I SAT ON THIS COMMITTEE, AND DID A LOT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING FOR THEM, UNTIL, I BEGAN TO SENSE A POLITICAL UNDERCURRENT I COULDN'T LIVE WITH. IN MY OPINION, ORGANIZERS BECAME OVERLOADED WITH NEW RESPONSIBILITIES, AND VOLUNTEERS BEGAN TO DECLINE IN NUMBER. IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN A SPRING EVENT, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT IN THE FALL SEASON. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT DISSENTERS STARTED TO INFUSE CRITIQUES, AND OVERHAUL SUGGESTIONS, TO THE POINT, MANY WHO HAD BEEN KEEN ASSOCIATES, DECIDED TO PURSUE OTHER ACTIVITIES INSTEAD. FOR AN EVENT OF THIS SIZE, YOU COULDN'T OPERATE IT WITHOUT AN ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS....OR MAKE IT A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION, RANKING AMONGST THE BEST IN THE PROVINCE, WITH OUT A MAJOR INFUSION OF CAPITAL. MONEY WAS A KEY ISSUE, AND ONCE AGAIN, IT FALTERED BECAUSE IT WAS AN EVENT FOR VISITORS, MORE THAN IT WAS FOR THE PERMANENT POPULATUON. THUS AGAIN, ORGANIZERS EXPECTED THAT THE LOCALS WOULD PITCH IN, TO HELP BRING PROSPERITY TO THE REGION. BUT MOST OF THE VOLUNTEERS DIDN'T STAND TO GAIN FROM THE SUCCESS OF THE EVENT, EXCEPT TO SAY THEY'D ENJOYED BEING IN COMPANY WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, AS EVENT HELPERS. WHICH IS GOOD AND WHOLESOME FUN, BUT IT'S BLOODY HARD TO SUSTAIN VOLUNTEER SUPPORT FROM THE LOCAL POPULATION, WITHOUT SOMETHING MORE TANGIBLE AS COMPENSATION FOR HOURS INVESTED.
BOOSTING THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, NO MATTER HOW THE SUBJECT MUNICIPALITY STICKS IN ITS OARS, IS STILL PRETTY MUCH A FREE ENTERPRISE KIND OF THING.....AND THE FESTIVAL SPONSORS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, SHOULD HAVE BEEN HUGELY, IF NOT OVER-WHELMINGLY, THE PROVIDERS OF FUNDING AND GUMPTION TO MAKE IT A BETTER, AND MORE DYNAMIC EVENT. WHEN YOU HINGE AN EVENT ON BUSINESS RELATED ASSOCIATIONS, THE MOOD OF THE MUNICIPALITY AT BUDGET TIME, AND BOTH THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, THE SET UP AND MANAGEMENT REQUIRES MUCH MORE SKILL TO PULL OFF SUCCESSFULLY, OVER THE LONG TERM.....AND MANY, MANY MORE VOLUNTEERS TO WORK IN ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITIES, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. NOT JUST AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT. IT'S A VOLUNTEER KILLER, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!
THE COMPLICATIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS, TO MEET GRANT AND LOAN REQUIREMENTS, CAN BE OVERWHELMING TO THOSE EVENT COMMITTEES, ILL PREPARED FOR REQUIRED PAPER-WORK, AND CONSTANT NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FUNDING PARTNERS. IT WAS THE MAIN BUSINESS REASON, ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE, WE HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE OPERATING BRACEBRIDGE'S WOODCHESTER VILLA AND MUSEUM, FROM ITS VERY FIRST YEAR OPEN FOR BUSINESS. THE ADMINISTRATIVE WORK REQUIRED AT LEAST ONE FULL TIME MUSEUM STAFF, AND THE MORE GOVERNMENT RESTRICTION AND REQUIREMENTS FOR MUSEUM FUNDING CHANGED, WE ACTUALLY COULD HAVE USED TWO FULL-TIME STAFF JUST FOR CLERICAL RESPONSIBILITIES, TO LIVE UP TO GOVERNMENT STANDARDS. IF WE HAD BEEN PERFECT, IN GOVERNMENT TERMS, AND DONE ALL THE CLERICAL WORK DUTIFULLY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD ANYONE TO ACTUALLY OPERATE THE MUSEUM DAY TO DAY; EXCEPT VOLUNTEERS. THIS IS WHAT WE TRIED TO DO, AND THE BURDEN UPON THESE GENEROUS FOLKS BECAME SO ONEROUS AND TIME INTRUSIVE, THAT YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE HAD FEWER AND FEWER VOLUNTEERS TO CALL.
BALA IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A BALANCE ACHIEVED AND VERY NEARLY MASTERED, BETWEEN THE PERMANENT POPULATION OF THE VILLAGE, COTTAGERS, VISITORS, PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, AND THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. IT'S NOT PERFECT, BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL DISSENTERS WHO WISH IT WOULD GO AWAY, BECAUSE OF COMPROMISES AND INCONVENIENCES THEY HAVE TO MAKE IN THEIR LIVING AND TRAVEL NECESSITIES, OVER THE EVENT WEEKEND. I'VE TALKED TO RESIDENTS WHO OPT TO LEAVE THE AREA ENTIRELY, FOR THE WEEKEND, RATHER THAN TOLERATE THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE THAT THEY FIND ANNOYING. THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY, SEEM TO LIKE THE IDEA OF THE VILLAGE STANDING OUT SO PROMINENTLY IN THE DISTRICT, AND PLAY PERFECT HOSTS FOR THE THRONGS OF VISITORS SHOWING UP IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER, TO BE PART OF THIS SEASONAL HAPPENING, BASED ON THE GOOD TASTES OF THE BRIGHT RED CRANBERRY.
PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND THE FESTIVALS THAT COULD BE!
I AM AN UNDETERRED BELIEVER IN FREE ENTERPRISE DOING ITS THING. I'VE LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE IN THIS REGION, AND BY MUCH TRIAL AND ERROR, THAT THE ONE UNTAPPED RESOURCE WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITIES, IS THE OLD FASHIONED ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVE, TO RUN PROGRAMS AND EVENTS WITHOUT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES AND THEIR ACCOMPANYING RULES, REGULATIONS, AND DRIFT OF POLITICS, WHICH TIME AND AGAIN INTRUDES UPON THE MECHANISM OF SUBJECT EVENTS. IF YOU TAKE THEIR MONEY AND THEIR SUBSIDIZED RATES, FOR RENTAL FACILITIES, YOU ALLOW FOR THIS POLITICAL FANNING-OUT OF INFLUENCES. I KNOW OF SEVERAL EVENTS THAT COULD DO A LOT BETTER IN THE FUTURE, IF MORE BUSINESSES STEPPED UP, AND FORMED A LOOSELY KNIT CO-OP TO FUND AND OPERATE THE SHOWS....BECAUSE VESTED INTEREST IS NOT A BAD THING....AND IT'S PRETTY GOOD FOR BUSINESS RETURN IF IT'S DONE WELL.
THE PROBLEM OF SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ON TOP OF THIS, IS THAT PERSONALITIES AND PHILOSOPHIES CAN RUN AMUCK....WHILE A STRICT BUSINESS DEAL BASED ON INVESTMENT RETURN, AS THE KEY MOTIVATION, WITHOUT THE BURDEN OF POLITICS, OFFERS A STRAIGHTFORWARD MISSION STATEMENT. IT'S BUSINESS, BY BUSINESS PARTNERS, WITH A BUSINESS PLAN. REAL SIMPLE. THE IDEA IS TO MAKE MONEY BY RUNNING A SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED PROGRAM. SUCH WOULD BE THE CASE IF A BLOCK IN THIS TOWN, (GRAVENHURST) DECIDED TO RUN THEIR OWN PROMOTION, OR EVENT, THAT HAD NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH ANY OTHER PART OF TOWN, OR ANY ORGANIZED BUSINESS ASSOCIATION. IT'S BEEN DONE BEFORE, BUT IT COULD BE DONE AGAIN, AND PROSPEROUSLY, IF MANAGED CORRECTLY BY WILLING PARTNERS, TIRED OF THE SAME OLD, SAME OLD. FREE ENTERPRISE NEEDS TO SEPARATE ITSELF FROM MUNICIPAL OVERLORDS FROM TIME TO TIME, TO STRETCH THE OLD WINGS.....AND FIND OUT, BY ADVENTURE, JUST HOW EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT THE OLD WINGS ARE, FOR TAKING FLIGHT WITHOUT A SAFETY NET.
PRIVATE AND BUSINESS FUNDING AND DIRECTION CAN BE PRETTY EXCITING, WITH GREAT RESULTS, WHEN THE TASK IS EXECUTED WELL. THERE'S TOO MUCH RELIANCE THESE DAYS ON BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS, AND NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON WHAT NETWORKING BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRY CAN DO ON THEIR OWN, WITHOUT ANY SUPERVISION FROM THE SO CALLED MOTHERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS. THEY HAVE THEIR PLACE BUT NOT AS A REPLACEMENT FOR FREE ENTERPRISE ON THE FREE RANGE. SOME BUSINESSES SEEM TO BE LOST WITHOUT DIRECTION FROM THEIR SO-CALLED KEEPERS, AND I FIND THIS A DIMINISHING REALITY, OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FREE ENTERPRISE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I'LL GIVE YOU A TIMELY EXAMPLE, WHICH WILL FEED INTO MY HALLOWEEN FEATURE COLUMN, REGARDING BRACEBRIDGE, AND ITS VERY WEAK, TO NON EXISTANT RELATIONSHIP WITH WASHINGTON IRVING, WHO WAS THE AUTHOR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TOWN'S NAME......GRANTED IN AUGUST, 1864, BY A VERY PLEASED POSTAL AUTHORITY (WRITER, LITERARY CRITIC, HISTORIAN AND CIVIL SERVANT), WILLIAM DAWSON LESUEUR. DR. LESUEUR THOUGHT HE WAS BESTOWING AN HONOR ON THE PIONEER COMMUNITY, BY ADOPTING THE NAME "BRACEBRIDGE," FROM IRVING'S LANDMARK BOOK, "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," WHICH WAS AN EXTENSION OF THE PREVIOUS "SKETCH BOOK," THAT INTRODUCED THE READER TO GEOFFREY CRAYON, ESQ., IRVING'S CHARACTER TRAVELLER, APPOINTED BY THE AUTHOR TO VISIT ENGLAND. JUST TO FOOTNOTE, THAT DR. LESUEUR HAD ALSO NAMED GRAVENHURST, TWO YEARS EARLIER, AFTER THE TITLE OF A BOOK WRITTEN BY WILLIAM HENRY SMITH, A BRITISH POET / PHILOSOPHER.
WHEN I WAS WORKING ON A SMALL BOOK, REGARDING THE NAMING OF BRACEBRIDGE, (WHICH I BELIEVE WAS LONG OVERDUE) I CONFESS TO BEING QUITE OPTIMISTIC, THAT A TOWN ALWAYS QUESTING FOR TOURISM ADVANTAGES, TO EXTEND THE TRADITIONAL SUMMER SEASON, INTO THE SHOULDER MONTHS, WOULD BE THRILLED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THE LITERARY ADVANTAGES OF AN ENHANCED RELATIONSHIP WITH WASHINGTON IRVING; HIS WORK, AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES SHARING THE CELEBRITY AND NOTORIETY OF HIS WORK. BEING CONVINCED THIS WAS A WIN-WIN SITUATION, FOR ALL COMMUNITY PARTNERS, I SENT A NOTE TO BOTH TOWN COUNCIL, AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ASKING TO BOOK A TIME, WHEN I COULD PROPERLY PRESENT MY IDEAS, FOR A FULL RECOGNITION OF THESE IRVING OPPORTUNITIES, OF WHICH I WAS DISCOVERING REGULARLY, BY THE CRAZY HAPPENSTANCE OF RESEARCH. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AND AROUND THE LATE 1990'S, JUST BEFORE THE PUBLICATION OF MY SMALL BOOK, IN THE SUMMER OF 2000. WELL, TRYING TO GET AN AUDIENCE WAS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE, WITH EITHER THE TOWN OR THE CHAMBER, AND AFTER MY SECOND ATTEMPT, IT WAS SUGGESTED I COULD MEET WITH A TOWN COMMITTEE, BUT IT WOULD REQUIRE SEVERAL WEEKS TO A MONTH'S WAIT, AND A MORE COMPLETE PRESENTATION IN ADVANCE, FOR WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR FROM THE TOWN. I KIND OF STOPPED IN MY TRACKS, AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE I'D ALREADY BEEN CLEAR IN MY COVERING LETTERS TO BOTH GROUPS, AND SOME MATERIAL HAD BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS.....WHICH I KNEW COUNCILLORS HAD READ, MONTHS BEFORE I MADE LETTER APPLICATIONS, TO SCHEDULE MORE FORMAL PRESENTATIONS TO BOTH PARTIES......THE TOWN AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
I HAD BEEN INFORMED BY SEVERAL SOURCES, OF CONSIDERABLE RANK IN TOWN POLITICS, THAT I WAS WASTING MY TIME DOING ALL THIS WORK ON IRVING. LESUEUR RULED AGAINSTM AND I DARE SAY, INSULTED THE CITIZENS OF THE TOWN, CIRCA 1864, WHO HAD COME UP WITH THE NAME "NORTH FALLS," TO ADORN THE NEW POST OFFICE SIGN, WHEN IT WAS FINALLY GRANTED. IT HAD BEEN KNOWN AS NORTH FALLS FOR SOME TIME BEFORE THE OFFICIAL APPLICATION, BUT LESUEUR DIDN'T THINK IT WAS DISTINCTIVE ENOUGH, AND IMPOSED THE NAME "BRACEBRIDGE" INSTEAD. IRVING HAD DIED SOME YEARS EARLIER, AND NEW RELEASES OF HIS GREATEST WORKS, WERE BEING REPUBLISHED AT AROUND THIS TIME. IT'S LIKELY, THAT AS A LITERARY CRITIC, LESUEUR HAD IRVING'S LATEST RELEASE ON HIS BOOK SHELF ANYWAY. SO HE DECIDED TO HONOR THE PIONEER RESIDENTS OF THE TOWN WITH A NAME TAKEN FROM A GREAT BOOK. AS I'VE NOTED MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, LESUEUR'S BIGGEST PROBLEM, LASTING TO THIS DAY, IS THAT HE DIDN'T PEN A LITTLE NOTE, AS TO WHY HE REJECTED NORTH FALLS, AND DECIDED TO HONOR IRVING INSTEAD. KEEP IN MIND, AT THIS CIVIL WAR TIME IN AMERICA, IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN WELCOME NEWS BEING AFFORDED A NAME ASSOCIATED WITH A WELL LOVED AMERICAN AUTHOR. IF HE HAD GIVEN THE REASON FOR HIS CHOICE OF NAMES, THERE MIGHT BE, TODAY, "WASHINGTON IRVING"-THEMED STREET SIGNS, MEMORIAL TRIBUTES IN THE POSTED NAMES OF RECREATION FACILITIES, BRIDGES, HOLLOWS (SLEEPY), AND FESTIVALS. ONE TINY OVERSIGHT COST US A GOOD AND PROSPEROUS RELATIONSHIP WITH WASHINGTON IRVING. THE SAME HOLDS FOR GRAVENHURST. THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPIER, ME THINKS, TO HAVE MAINTAINED THE NAME "MCCABE'S LANDING," THE CITIZENS CHOICE IN 1862, RATHER THAN BEING BURDENED BY THE NAME PENNED BY A BRITISH POET, OF CONSIDERABLE ACCLAIM....BECAUSE OF THE LITERARY WHIM OF WILLIAM DAWSON LESUEUR.
SO HERE'S THE LONG AWAITED POINT OF THIS BLOG. READY FOR IT? I THINK IT'S SHOCKINGLY PROFOUND. A MISSED OPPORTUNITY OF HOLLYWOOD PROPORTION. NOW, ONLY A FEW DAYS AWAY FROM HALLOWEEN, AND YOU WON'T FIND A SINGLE WASHINGTON IRVING REFERENCE, BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, OR EVEN THE FREE ENTERPRISE OF THE COMMUNITY....NOT A SINGLE TIDBIT OF LITERARY HERITAGE, WARNING OF THE IMMINENT VISIT, OF THE GHOST OF THE HESSIAN TROOPER, LOOKING FOR HIS HEAD. THE "HEADLESS HORSEMAN," OF COURSE, IS THE SUPERNATURAL ENTITY, IN IRVING'S FAMOUS, "LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW." IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT, IN THE CHAPTERS OF THE LARGER "SKETCH BOOK," ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN AND AROUND 1819, YOU, PROBABLY LIKE ME, GREW UP WITH IT, COURTESY OF THE WALT DISNEY CARTOON, THAT USED TO AIR EVERY SUNDAY EVENING, JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN.....THROUGHOUT MY YOUTH. I'M NOT THRILLED THAT THIS WAS HOW I TURNED ONTO WASHINGTON IRVING, BUT AT LEAST I DID. IT MOST CERTAINLY LED TO MY INTEREST IN LATER YEARS, WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT THE AUTHOR OF THIS MARVELLOUS SHORT STORY, HAD A LITERARY LINK WITH MY HOMETOWN AT THE TIME. WHAT I COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND, WAS WHY THE TOWN SEEMED SO DISINTERESTED IN THEIR OWN PROVENANCE, AND A LINK WITH AN AUTHOR CHERISHED FOR HIS AMAZING TALES, SUCH AS WITH "RIP VAN WINKLE." SO I DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE ON MY OWN, AND I WAS SHOCKED FRANKLY, TO SEE SO LITTLE INTEREST IN WHAT I FELT WAS SO POTENTIALLY FRUITFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY QUESTING FOR MORE TOURISM RECOGNITION.
I GET SO MAD THESE DAYS, ALMOST TO THE POINT OF SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION, WHEN I READ ABOUT BIG CITY CONSULTANTS BEING HIRED, ONCE AGAIN, TO HELP "BRAND" THE COMMUNITY, WHICH AS A CASE IN POINT, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, HAD TO DO WITH BECOMING KNOWN WORLDWIDE AS AN EDUCATION MECCA OR SOMETHING. I KNOW QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WEREN'T HAPPY ABOUT THIS, PREFERRING TO BE KNOWN INSTEAD AS A CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY, AS A TRIBUTE TO SANTA'S VILLAGE. SO AS THE TOWN'S MOVERS AND SHAKERS WERE PAYING AN OUTSIDE INTEREST, TO HELP THE MUNICIPALITY FIND ITSELF, AND ITS PITCH TO OTHERS TO "COME AND SEE," THE WHOLE IRVING CONNECTION WAS BEING IGNORED. I EVEN TOOK THE TIME, TO REPLY TO THE SURVEY, AND AS I HAVE MANY TIMES BEFORE, OFFEREID TO SPEAK TO THE MATTER IN PERSON....AND TO EVER WOULD GIVE ME THE TIME OF DAY. MAYBE I WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS IF I'D BEEN CONSIDERED WORTHY ENOUGH AS AN HISTORIAN, TO MAKE SUCH A DEPUTATION...., EVEN FOR FREE. MAYBE IF I'D ATTACHED A HEFTY CONSULTING FEE, THEY'D HAVE TAKEN ME SERIOUSLY. SO WE COME TO THIS POINT IN TIME, WITH THE SAME OLD OPPOSITION, IN THE SAME OLD POSITION AS ONCE. HONESTLY I HAVE GIVEN UP THE IDEA, THAT MY FORMER HOMETOWN WILL, WITH ITS BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, EVER MAKE WHAT I THINK IS A REMARKABLE CONNECTION, TO ONE OF THE FINEST STORIES OF THE PARANORMAL EVER WRITTEN. SO HERE'S MY ALTERNATIVE APPROACH. MAYBE THERE ARE BUSINESS PEOPLE IN BRACEBRIDGE, TIRED OF ADVERTISING PROMOTIONS THEY FIND ROUTINE AND UNREMARKABLE. THEY ARE THUSLY ENTITLED TO POACH THESE IDEAS FREE OF CHARGE. I WON'T MIND AT ALL. IN FACT, IT WOULD BE A BLESSING.
AS ONE OF THE COMMUNITIES IN NORTH AMERICA, OF WHICH THERE ARE A FEW, THAT HAVE A CONFIRMED LITERARY PROVENANCE WITH IRVING'S WORK, THERE IS A TIME HONORED RIGHT, AND INHERENT PRIVILEGE, TO CELEBRATE THE AUTHOR'S MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES CELEBRATE "CHRISTMASES AT BRACEBRIDGE HALL," IN SEASON, AS AFFORDED BY HIS SHORT STORIES OF BRACEBRIDGE HALL, AND MOST CERTAINLY, HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS IN OCTOBER, IN RESPECT TO THE TELLING AND RE-ENACTING OF "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW." BRACEBRIDGE HAS, ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, CELEBRATED "CHRISTMASES AT BRACEBRIDGE HALL," BUT ONLY BY SELECT COMMUNITY GROUPS, AS FUNDRAISING EVENTS. AS FOR THE FULL RECOGNITION OF "THE RIDE OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN," NOT SO MUCH....IF EVER, IN THE CHRONICLE OF TOWN HISTORY, IT HAS EVEN BEEN MENTIONED IN A WHISPER, AS A POSSIBILITY. I'D LIKE TO THROW THIS IDEA OUT TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AS INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES, MORESO THAN TRYING TO CONVINCE THE MUNICIPALITY OR FORMAL BUSINESS GROUPS, TO LEND AN EAR TO A WHINY OLD HISTORIAN LIKE ME.
SO FOR TOMORROW AND RIGHT UP TO HALLOWE'EN, I'D LIKE TO TAKE SOME WORDS PENNED BY IRVING, AS RELATES TO SLEEPY HOLLOW, FROM THE 1893 EDITION OF THE SKETCH BOOK, WHICH I PURCHASED FROM AN ESTATE AUCTION, IN BRACEBRIDGE, AT THE FORMER EWING HOMESTEAD, ON ZISKA ROAD. IT'S THE SEASONAL STORY THAT COULD MAKE THE FOUNDATION OF A WEEK-LONG FESTIVAL IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.....OF WHICH, IN LITERARY PARTNERSHIP, THEY ARE ENTITLED TO ENJOY AND PROSPER FROM.....AS MANY CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES HAVE, ACROSS NORTH AMERICA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VISITING TODAY. IF YOU DON'T KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW," EXCEPT WHAT YOU REMEMBER FROM THE DISNEY CARTOON, OR RECOGNIZE FROM JOHNNY DEPP'S PORTRAYAL, IN THE MOVIE "SLEEPY HOLLOW," WHICH WAS A HUGE STRETCH FROM THE AUTHOR'S ORIGINAL STORY, MAYBE THIS WILL BE A HAUNTINGLY EXCITING TRIP BACK IN TIME....TO THE VALLEY OF THE ENCHANTED HUDSON RIVER. LET ME KNOW IF YOU THINK IT'S THE KIND OF LITERARY ATTACHMENT, AND SUBJECT, THAT COULD WITH TIME, AND INVESTMENT, INSPIRE SUCH A VIGOROUSLY FRIGHTENING, SUBSTANTIALLY PROFITABLE, FREELANCE, OCTOBER FESTIVAL OF THE SAME NAME.
I'LL START THE STORY TOMORROW. PLEASE JOIN FRED SCHULZ AND I, FOR WHAT I THINK, WILL BE A GREAT HAUNT.....IF INDEED ANY HAUNT CAN BE CONSIDERED AS SUCH.....GREAT!
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