Christmas In Muskoka; A Parade In Bracebridge With Hugh Clairmont and A CPR Railway Mans Hat

Muskoka Blogger waiting for his train to come in; maybe the Christmas time Polar Express. Ted is wearing a vintage Canadian Pacific Railway conductors cap. Rob Currie Photo

CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA - HAVING TOO MUCH FUN, SOMETIMES, IN THE PURSUIT OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES

IT IS TRUE THAT VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE - TAKE YOUR TOYS OUT AND PLAY WITH THEM

     AS RELATES TO THE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE, "BLOGGER TED CURRIE, IS REPLACING ACTOR TOM HANKS, AS THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON'S CONDUCTOR, ON THE POLAR EXPRESS."
     I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE WHAT OUR FAMILY GETS UP TO, DAY IN, DAY OUT, BESIDE THE OBSESSIVE AND STRANGE PARTS, AS BEING A PARALLEL TO THE TOY LOVER RUNNING A TOY SHOP. THE CANDY LOVER OWNING A CANDY SHOP. WE LOVE ANTIQUES AND NOSTALGIA, AND WE, AS NO COINCIDENCE, ALSO HAVE AN ANTIQUE SHOP AS YOU ALREADY KNOW. THERE ARE A LOT OF PERKS IF YOU RUN THE BUSINESS SENSIBLY. AND BECAUSE WE BUY WHAT WE'D ALSO LIKE TO POSSESS, EVEN AS OUR OWN HOUSEHOLD CONTENTS, IT'S LIKE HAVING A DISJOINTED RECREATION ROOM, AND HOUSE, SEPARATED BY A THREE MINUTE DRIVE OR A FIFTEEN MINUTE WALK. YOU CAN'T RUN A BUSINESS WITHOUT MAKING A PROFIT, HOWEVER THIN THAT MIGHT BE, BUT YOU SHOULD NEVER RUN A BUSINESS THAT YOU DON'T ENJOY; JUST TO MAKE A BUCK. MAKING MONEY IS SO MUCH MORE FUN, WHEN YOU'RE WORKING IN THE RIGHT AREA OF COMMERCE TO SUIT YOUR VALUES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES. BEING AN EMPLOYEE IS DIFFERENT. YOU WORK WHERE THERE IS AN OPENING. IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE. IF YOU HAVE A BUSINESS THAT INTERESTS YOU, AND ONE YOU DON'T MIND SPENDING A LOT OF HOURS PERFECTING, IT WILL OBVIOUSLY HAVE A HIGHER POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS; THAN SAY, IF YOU OPERATED AN ENTERPRISE ONLY BECAUSE OF PROFIT MARGIN. ONE OF THE JOYS OF RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS, IS BEING ABLE TO HONE SOMETHING THAT FITS WITH YOUR ASPIRATIONS AND INTERESTS.
     I KNOW THERE ARE READERS WHO VISIT THIS BLOG, WHO AREN'T ALL THAT INTERESTED IN ANTIQUES, NOSTALGIA OR COLLECTABLES. THAT'S PERFECTLY OKAY. I GUESS THE ONLY OTHER WAY TO APPROACH THE SUBJECT OF COLLECTING OLD THINGS, IS TO SUGGEST, THAT MOST OF US, WHETHER WE WANT OUR HOUSE FULL OF THEM OR NOT, HAVE RECOLLECTIONS OF WHAT THEY POSSESSED AND ENJOYED AS YOUNGSTERS. I KNOW MANY ANTIQUE COLLECTORS AND DEALERS, WHO FELT SOMEWHAT SHORT-CHANGED AS YOUNGSTERS, BECAUSE THEY CAME FROM FAMILIES THAT COULDN'T AFFORD TO PURCHASE A LOT OF TOYS, FOR THEIR YOUNGSTERS AT CHRISTMAS TIME. THESE FOLKS, NOW ALL GROWN UP, HAVE A LITTLE MORE CASH TO INVEST IN THE TOYS THEY DIDN'T GET IN CHILDHOOD. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF COLLECTORS WHO CHERISH THEIR TOY ACQUISITIONS IN ADULTHOOD, AND PLAY WITH THEIR TREASURES AS A PART OF A SECOND CHILDHOOD. COLLECTING VINTAGE TOYS IS A WILDLY POPULAR INVESTMENT HOBBY, AND PRICES CAN BE EXTREME FOR ORIGINAL PIECES IN PRISTINE CONDITION. I PREFER HAVING ONES THAT HAVE BEEN PLAYED WITH, AND ENJOYED THROUGH THE GENERATIONS; CARRYING THE SPIRIT OF GOODWILL INTO OUR DOMAIN. WHILE I DON'T HAVE A TOY COLLECTION TO COMPARE WITH THOSE CHERISHED BY MY CONTEMPORARIES IN THE FIELD, I APPRECIATE JUST HOW MUCH FUN IT CAN BE, TO PLAY WITH ANTIQUE AND NOSTALGIA PURCHASES. I'M ALL FOR SECOND AND THIRD CHILDHOODS. SUZANNE BUYS OLD AND COLLECTABLE DOLLS, AND WILL MAKE OUTFITS TO BRING THEM BACK TO PLAYABLE CONDITION. ANTIQUE COLLECTING ISN'T AS STUFFY AND CONFINING AS YOU MIGHT BELIEVE, AS A PERSON PEERING INTO OUR WORLD WOULD SOON DISCOVER. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DROP YOUR GUARD A TAD, AND, WELL, DON A TRAIN CONDUCTOR'S HAT, LIKE I DID FOR THE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE. THE ONLY DOWN SIDE IS THAT WE CAN'T KEEP ALL GREAT FINDS. WE SNEAK IN A LITTLE PLAY TIME WHEN WE CAN. SEE THAT SMILE ON MY FACE. I GUESS IT'S MORE OF THE GRIN OF OWNERSHIP OF A NEAT PEICE OF RAILWAY HISTORY.
     WHAT A HAM? YES I AM! WE FOUND A CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY "RAILWAYMAN'S" HAT, YESTERDAY, CRUISING THROUGH ONE OF OUR FAVORITE ANTIQUE HAUNTS, AND IT EVEN FIT MY SWOLLEN HEAD. WHEN I ASKED SON ROBERT, IF HE COULD TAKE A PHOTO OF ME, WEARING THE CONDUCTOR'S CAP, SUZANNE REFUSED TO LET IT BE TAKEN WITHOUT COVERING MY, AS SHE PUT IT, "CRAPPY" SWEATER. SHE FOUND A WINTER SCARF TO COVER-UP WHAT OFFENDED HER, AND ROB DID THE REST. AS FOR MY SWEATER, IT'S WHAT I WEAR FOR WRITING, AND DOING REPAIRS, ON SOME OF THE PIECES WE ACQUIRE, BUT MOSTLY WORN FOR DURABILITY AND COMFORT. THE SCARF WAS A NICE TOUCH, I HAVE TO ADMIT, BUT I'M WONDERING NOW IF IT WAS MOTIVATED BY SUZANNE'S MARKETING SENSE; AS SHE MAKES THESE ITEMS OF WINTER WEAR IN OUR GRAVENHURST SHOP. NAW, SHE WAS PROBABLY JUST LOOKING OUT FOR HER HUSBAND'S BEST INTERESTS, COVERING UP MY RATTY, "NOT-FOR-PRIME-TIME-VIEWING" OLD SWEATER. THE HAT IS FANTASTIC, AND WEARING IT, FOR EVEN A SHORT WHILE, WAS A TRIP ON ITS OWN. THIS IS THE JOY FOR US, IN THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE BUSINESS. WE GET TO BUY THE COLLECTABLE ITEMS WE ARE MOST INTERESTED IN, WHICH BY THE WAY, COINCIDES PRETTY CLOSELY WITH WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN AS WELL. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH RAILROAD MEMORABILIA. EVEN IF THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY, IS A LITTLE HIGHER THAN MARKET VALUE, THE INVESTMENT IS STILL PRETTY SOLID. AND, YES, THERE IS THE PLAY-TIME SIDE AS WELL. BY RUNNING A BUSINESS LIKE OURS, AS DIVERSE AND WEIRD AS IT CAN GO IN A HEARTBEAT, WITH WHAT WE MOST ENJOY OF OLD STUFF, IT IS VERY MUCH LIKE SPENDING "A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM," BUT OUR FUN COMES MOSTLY DURING THE DAY.
     OUR FIRST RULE OF BUSINESS, IS TO ALWAYS BUY QUALITY ARTICLES, THAT WE JUDGE WILL HOLD THEIR VALUES THROUGH HELL OR HIGH WATER, AS THEY SAY. IF WE BUY WOOL BLANKETS, BECAUSE WE HAPPEN TO LIKE THEM, AND THE QUALITY THEY REPRESENT, WE MAKE SURE THEY ARE OF A HIGH CALIBRE AS VINTAGE HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES. THEY MAY BE IN WORN CONDITION, BUT IF THE QUALITY OF THE ORIGINAL BLANKET IS EXCELLENT, SUZANNE WILL PROVIDE EQUALLY HIGH QUALITY RESTORATION AND REPAIR. IF WE BUY PAINTINGS, OR SCULPTURES, BOOKS, PRINTS, OR COLLECTABLES LIKE THE CPR CONDUCTOR'S HAT, WE INSIST ON THE SAME STANDARD OF QUALITY AS A STARTING POINT. WHILE IN THE AREA OF NOSTALGIA, THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TODAY, AS SOME LESSER QUALITY ITEMS, THAT HAVE, FOR REASONS OF ASSOCIATION, WITH VINTAGE MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS (IN PARTICULAR), BECOME SUDDENLY POPULAR BECAUSE OF RE-INTRODUCTION. CONSIDER MOVIES LIKE "E.T.", "STAR WARS," THE TELEVISION SIT-COM, "ALF," AND DOZENS OF OTHERS MAKING COMEBACKS. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF NOSTALGIA ITEMS, RELATED TO THESE MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS THAT ARE NOT WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER "HIGH" QUALITY MATERIALS, BASED ON OUR STANDARDS OF INVESTMENT. YET WE HAVE TO WORK ON BEHALF OF OUR CUSTOMERS, TO BRING IN AN INVENTORY OF ITEMS THEY HAPPEN TO BE COLLECTING. IT COULD BE AN "E.T." KEY CHAIN, OR A PLUSH TOY "ALF," OF WHICH THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF REPRESENTATIVE MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE ON THE SECOND HAND CIRCUIT. SOME ARE MORE POPULAR THAN OTHERS, AND WHILE PRICES ARE STILL PRETTY LOW, ITEMS FROM "STAR WARS," AND "STAR TREK," CAN GET PRETTY CRAZY OUT THERE, SUCH THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY THEM, AND THEN OFFER THEM TO OUR CUSTOMERS THROUGH THE SHOP. IF WE CAN GET THESE ITEMS AT GOOD PRICES, WE MOST CERTAINLY WILL BUY THEM FOR RE-SALE. WE PAID MORE FOR THE CPR CAP, BECAUSE WE WANT IT FOR OUR SHOP, AND THERE ARE FEWER OF THESE HATS OUT THERE, THAN THE COLLECTABLES I WAS JUST WRITING ABOUT, WHICH NUMBER IN THE TRILLIONS. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF TRAIN MEMORABILIA, IS THAT IT HAS BEEN A POPULAR FIELD OF COLLECTING FOR MANY DECADES, WITHOUT LOSING ITS LUSTRE TO RAILWAY INDUSTRY HOBBYISTS.
     WHY WOULD A TRAIN CONDUCTOR'S HAT BE A DECENT INVESTMENT, WHICH BY THE WAY, I DID ACQUIRE FOR A SENSIBLE PRICE? THERE ARE FOUR SECTORS OF POTENTIAL BUYERS, THAT WILL BE INTERESTED IN THE CAP. ONE BEING, THOSE WHO COLLECT RAILROAD HERITAGE ARTIFACTS AND NOSTALGIA. THE SECOND, THE MODEL RAILROADERS, WHO MIGHT WISH TO OWN A CAP LIKE THIS, WHILE THEY'RE ENJOYING THEIR ELECTRIC TRAINS. THE THIRD COLLECTING GROUP, WOULD BE THOSE WHO HUNT AND GATHER VINTAGE HATS, AND THERE ARE QUITE A FEW OF THOSE FOLKS OUT THERE. THE FOURTH SECTOR, IS THE BIGGEST AND MOST PROLIFIC IN ACQUISITION; THE IMPULSE BUYER, HOME DECORATOR, GIFT GIVER, LOVER OF UNIQUE VINTAGE PIECES, WHO MAY HAVE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT ACQUIRING A CONDUCTOR'S CAP UNTIL THEY SAW ONE IN A SHOP. IT SURPRISES US ALL THE TIME, HOW MANY PIECES, THAT WE ACQUIRE WITH OUR COLLECTOR FRIENDS IN MIND, ARE PURCHASED INSTEAD, BY THOSE HOME DECORATORS, WHO HAVE A PASSION FOR THE "LOOK OF HISTORY," AND THE MOOD ENHANCING QUALITIES OF "NOSTALGIA" ON A SHELF, A TABLE, OR ON A HAT-RACK. THE HARD CORE COLLECTORS ARE CAREFUL ABOUT THE PRICES THEY PAY, BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF RAILROAD HERITAGE, AND WANT THE BEST OF THE BEST, AND ALWAYS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THEY WILL QUIBBLE WITH US ABOUT PRICE, WHERE THE MODEL RAILROADER, WILL HAGGLE ON ANY ELECTRIC TRAINS WE HAVE, BUT NOT ON SUCH AN ITEM, THAT TO THEM, FALLS OUTSIDE THEIR MAIN COLLECTING FOCUS. THE CONDUCTOR'S HAT WOULD BE AN ADORNMENT AND A FRILL OF PLAYING WITH TRAINS. A HAT FANCIER WILL BE CAREFUL, AND WANT HIGH QUALITY, BUT WILL LIKE THE FACT THAT THE CAP REPRESENTS A VINTAGE THEY MAY BE PARTICULARLY FOND OF, AND HOW THEY FASHION THEIR COLLECTION. HOME DECORATORS AND GENERAL BUYERS WHO THRIVE ON SHOPS THAT CARRY UNIQUE AND CURIOUSLY APPOINTED ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, ARE MOSTLY CONCERNED ABOUT QUALITY AND CONDITION, WHICH IS THEY WAY WE SHOP AS WELL. THEY WANT A GOOD PRICE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, BUT THEY MOSTLY WANT TO HAVE THE BRAGGING RIGHTS OF OWNERSHIP, AND ARE PREPARED TO PAY MORE THAN SPECIFIC RAILROAD COLLECTORS. THIS WILL CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE RARE NATURE OF THE RAILROAD COLLECTABLE. I ONCE HAD A TICKET STAMP MACHINE, FROM A BRITISH TRAIN STATION, AND IT LASTED IN OUR POSSESSION FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS, BUT WHEN IT FINALLY SOLD IN AN ONLINE AUCTION, WE GOT THE PROFIT WE HAD HOPEE FOR, AND FELT GOOD ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT WAS GOING TO A SPECIALIST IN BRITISH RAIL HISTORY. THAT'S ALWAYS A NICE BONUS. BY THE WAY, WE DO TRY TO PLEASE ALL THE INTERESTS OF OUR CLIENTS, AND WE TRY TO MAINTAIN A HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY BY SELECTING ITEMS FOR PURCHASE, THAT WE KNOW WILL HOLD UP AS SOLID INVESTMENTS IN THE FUTURE. OUR SIMPLE STRATEGY, IS TO BUY ITEMS WE LIKE, AND THAT WE KNOW BY MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WILL NOT ONLY HOLD THE VALUE OF WHAT WE PAID, AND MARKED UP FOR THE SHOP, BUT SHOULD INCREASE IN VALUE IN THE FUTURE. THERE ARE A LOT OF CONDITIONS THAT COULD ENHANCE OR DEFER THIS, BUT LONG TERM INVESTMENT IS WHAT WE LOOK AT, AS BEING THE OPTIMUM SITUATION, WELL BEFORE WE MAKE A PURCHASE. HERE'S OUR BASIC STRATEGY.
     IF YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, INCLUDING ART AND BOOKS, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT PRICES YOU CAN EXPECT TO PAY, OUT ON THE HUSTINGS. IF YOU FULLY APPRECIATE THE DANGERS OF REPRODUCTIONS AND OUTRIGHT FRAUDS, BEING SOLD AS ORIGINALS, AND HOW TO CHECK MINUTE, TRADEMARK CHARACTERISTICS, TO MAKE SURE WHAT YOU'RE BUYING IS ORIGINAL, AND NOT EITHER AN INTENTIONAL FAKE, OR ONE OF MILLIONS IN REPRODUCTION, THEN YOU MOVE ON, TO BUY ACCORDING TO YOUR INTERESTS. IF YOU'RE BUYING TO RESELL, OR AS AN INVESTMENT TO MAKE AN EVENTUAL CASH DIVIDEND, THEN OF COURSE, YOU NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PRICE PAID. THE LOWER THE BETTER. IF ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT YOU'RE BUYING IS FOR HOME ENHANCEMENT IN THE PRESENT TENSE, THE RULE TO ADHERE TO, THAT DEALERS FULLY SUBSCRIBE, IS TO MAKE QUALITY THE PRIMARY ISSUE. RIGHT ALONG SIDE OF COURSE, WHICH SHOULD BE OBVIOUS, PERSONAL LIKE. THE RULE FOR US, HAS NEVER CHANGED. IF THE MARKET FALLS OUT OF THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH THE ITEMS WE HAVE IN OUR COLLECTION. I DON'T BUY PAINTINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT SUZANNE AND I WOULDN'T WANT MOUNTED FOR DISPLAY IN OUR HOUSE. IT'S A RULE WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING SINCE WE BEGAN BUYING AND SELLING ANTIQUES. WE ARE NEVER TRULY DISAPPOINTED WHEN SOMETHING WE HAVE HUSTLED-UP DOESN'T SELL, BECAUSE WE CONSIDER IT SOMETHING WE WILL UTILIZE IN A NUMBER OF OTHER WAYS. IF WE LIKE EVERYTHING WE BUY, THEN IT WON'T BE ANY HARDSHIP WHATSOEVER, TO HAVE THE SAME ITEMS ADORNING OUR HOUSE IN THE EVENT WE CLOSE THE SHOP. IF YOU HATE THE LOOKS OF A PIECE, THE COLORS OF A PAINTING, OR THE SUBJECT MATTER, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS, OR WHAT IT REPRESENTS, THE BEST POLICY, EVEN FOR DEALERS, IS TO AVOID BUYING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. SEEING AS IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE EVERYONE, EACH DEALER HAS TO SET DOWN SOME PARAMETERS AS TO HOW FAR THE LINES OF VIABILITY CAN STRETCH, WITHOUT INCREASING RISK UNNECESSARILY. THERE ARE ITEMS I WON'T BUY AT ANY PRICE, EVEN THOUGH WE WOULD LIKELY BE ABLE TO SELL THESE PIECES QUICKER THAN OTHERS WE LIKE BETTER. EVERY DEALER I'VE EVER KNOWN, WILL AGREE, SOME PIECES JUST WON'T MAKE THE SHOP-STANDARD, NO MATTER HOW CHEAPLY THEY CAN BE ACQUIRED. I'M FASCINATED BY FUNERARY ANTIQUITIES, BUT I WON'T BRING IN A VINTAGE COFFIN OR CASKET FOR SALE, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT ARRIVED HERE AS A DONATION. WE DON'T WANT TO UNSETTLE OUR CUSTOMERS; WE WANT TO PLEASE THEM, AND ALTHOUGH THESE RATHER MORBID PIECES HAVE A PLACE IN THE COLLECTABLE FIELD, WE AREN'T ABOUT TO IMPOSE THEM ON OUR PATRONS FOR SHOCK VALUE JUST TO MAKE A BUCK. SOMETIMES IT WORKS, BUT OFTEN THERE IS THE KIND OF NEGATIVE BACKLASH, THAT CONTRARY TO A DEALER'S STAUNCH BELIEF, ACTUALLY HURTS THE ENTERPRISE. I'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN MANY TIMES BEFORE, AND WE WON'T TAKE THE RISK. I WOULD HAVE A VINTAGE COFFIN IN OUR SHOP IF IT HAD SOME INCREDIBLE HISTORY ATTACHED, OR IT WAS PART OF A HALLOWE'EN DISPLAY. I'VE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY NUMEROUS COFFINS BUT SUZANNE HAS PREVAILED AS SUPREME ACCOUNTANT.

HUGH CLAIRMONT USED MUSIC TO LIGHTEN UP THE DULLEST DAY - SO GRAVENHURST WAS PRETTY BRIGHT WHEN HE WAS AROUND

THE SANTA CLAUS PARADE IN BRACEBRIDGE - WHAT AN EXPERIENCE WITH HUGH ON BOARD

     HUGH CLAIRMONT, AND SON MARK, WEREN'T STATUS QUO PUBLISHERS. NOT A CHANCE. THAT'S THE FIRST THING I LEARNED ABOUT WORKING WITH THEM. I HAD TO BE AS DIFFERENT AS THEY WERE, IN ORDER TO FIT IN….WITHOUT A SEAM SHOWING TO THE READER. THERE WAS NO "SAME-OLD, SAME-OLD" WITH THESE CHAPS, AS I WOULD LEARN HELPING OUT WITH THE MID-1990'S START-UP OF "MUSKOKA TODAY;" A REGIONAL PAPER WITH A STRONG BIAS TO HOMETOWN GRAVENHURST. AND OF COURSE, HUGH WAS WELL KNOWN ALL OVER MUSKOKA, FROM THE HUNDREDS OF PUBLIC PERFORMANCES, OF HIS MANY BANDS, OVER MORE THAN A HALF CENTURY. SO RIGHT OFF THE MARK, HUGH COULD TAP INTO A LARGE AUDIENCE OF FOLKS HE KNEW, FROM A LIFETIME ON THE MUSIC SCENE, IN ORDER TO HELP LAUNCH THE PUBLICATION. THE FACT THAT HUGH HAD ALSO BEEN A MEDIA PERSONALITY FOR YEARS, WITH OTHER PUBLICATIONS, GAVE "MUSKOKA TODAY," A HEFTY START IN A TOUGH MARKETPLACE.

    THERE WAS LOTS OF COMPETITION. SOME IN THE BUSINESS, FELT THE CLAIRMONTS WERE CRAZY TO EVEN ATTEMPT SUCH A RISKY VENTURE, KNOWING HOW CUT-THROAT IT COULD GET OUT ON THE HUSTINGS, TRYING TO SCARE-UP ENOUGH ADVERTISING TO AT LEAST BREAK-EVEN. THERE HAD BEEN OTHER NEWSPAPER FAILURES IN THE RECENT PAST, AND THE ROAD BEHIND WAS STREWN WITH THE BONES OF LOST ADVENTURERS. I PROBABLY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CRITICS OF THE PLAN, BECAUSE I HAD CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE WITH THE OTHER PUBLISHERS OPERATING IN BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST. AS I HAD WORKED FOR BOTH, AND SHORT OF SLIDING DOWN AN DECLINE OF UPRIGHT RAZOR BLADES, THE BID FOR MARKET SHARE WAS GOING TO HURT EVERY DAY FOR A LONG TIME. THEY WERE, AS THEY SAY, UNDAUNTED. THE HELD TO THEIR CONVICTIONS, THAT A GOOD QUALITY, ENTERTAINING, WELL WRITTEN TWICE-MONTHLY, WOULD GET ITS SHARE OF READERS RIGHT OFF THE BAT. ADVERTISERS WOULD NOTICE THIS, AND BEG TO JOIN FORCES WITH THE CLAIRMONTS, TO CREATE A DISTRICT-WIDE PUBLICATION……UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE ON THE LOCAL MARKET. HONESTLY, THEY DID WHAT THEY SET OUT TO DO. I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY, BUT I WAS DEAD WRONG ABOUT MARK AND HUGH'S WILLINGNESS TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT……AND SECURE ENOUGH ADS TO KEEP THE PAPER AFLOAT. THEY DEFIED A LOT OF CRITICS. NICK THE GREEK WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM ONE IN A THOUSAND ODDS OF SUCCEEDING…..AND LOST. BOTH NEWSPAPER PROS, DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SURRENDER, FIRST OF ALL, AND THEIR PASSION WAS LIKE NOTHING I HAD EVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. CERTAINLY NOT IN THE PRINT MEDIA, OF WHICH I HAD BUNDLES OF PAST EXPERIENCE. MOST OF THE PEOPLE I WORKED WITH THEN, HATED TO GO TO WORK…..EVEN SOME OF THE MANAGERS.

     WHEN I LEFT THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE TWO WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS, IN BRACEBRIDGE, I SWORE-OFF EVER GETTING INVOLVED WITH PUBLISHERS AGAIN. I JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE PATIENCE TO DEAL WITH THEIR EDITORIAL PROTOCOLS, AS A STAFFER, AND WHAT THEY RESPECTIVELY WANTED TO ACHIEVE….WHICH WAS FINE FOR THEM….BECAUSE THEY WERE THE OWNERS. TO SIDE WITH THEM EDITORIALLY, I FOUND THE CHASM GROWING DEEPER AND WIDER EACH WEEK. I'D BEEN SIDELINED FOR AWHILE AFTER, SO I COULD CONCENTRATE ON RUNNING OUR LITTLE ANTIQUE ENTERPRISE, IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND WRITING SEVERAL MANUSCRIPTS THAT NEVER MADE IT TO PRINT. I WORKED ON SOME FREELANCE PROJECTS, AND HAD A COUPLE OF PUBLISHED COLUMNS HERE AND THERE, BUT NO FORMAL ARRANGEMENT. WHEN MARK AND HUGH OFFERED ME A REGULAR COLUMN SPOT IN THE NEW AND EXCITING "MUSKOKA TODAY," I AGREED WITHOUT HESITATION, BECAUSE I KNEW THEIR POPULARITY WOULD GUARANTEE A POSITIVE ENTRY INTO THE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE MARKET. I WAS RIGHT. THEY WERE RIGHT. AND WE WERE TURNING A LOT OF HEADS WITH THOSE FIRST EDITIONS.

WHAT WE ALL DID FOR HUGH CLAIRMONT - AND YES IT INVOLVED A PARADE

     ANY FRIEND OF PAUL RIMSTEAD, WAS A FRIEND OF MINE. I HAD READ ABOUT HUGH, IN ONE OF RIMMER'S TORONTO SUN COLUMNS, ACTUALLY WRITTEN AND PHONED-IN, FROM THE CLAIRMONT'S BAY STREET HOME. RIMSTEAD HAD SPENT THE NIGHT, AND WAS LIKELY A LITTLE HUNGOVER IN THE MORNING, BUT STILL MANAGED, AFTER A HARDY BREAKFAST, TO MAKE THE DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT DAY'S COLUMN. I WOULD HAVE PAID A MILLION BUCKS TO HAVE SAT IN THE SAME ROOM WITH HUGH AND PAUL…..TALKING ABOUT STUFF. HERE WERE TWO WILD STORY-TELLERS, WHO COULD BOTH FILL A LOT OF WHITE SPACE FOR NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS, AND THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A FLASK OF SOME LIQUID REFRESHMENT, TO LOOSEN THE WRITERS' LIPS. IT MAKES ME MAD. I DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE GETTING TOGETHER LIKE THIS……SO CLOSE TO HOME. I'D HAVE JUST FOISTED MYSELF ON THE TWOSOME, AS I USED TO VISIT HUGH ON OCCASION ANYWAY……UNINVITED, BUT ALWAYS WELCOMED IN FOR A CHAT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EPIC CHAT….RIMMER AND CLAIRMONT LETTING LOOSE ON EVERY SUBJECT THAT THEY FELT OBLIGED TO OPINE ABOUT.

     Hugh was remarkable for his ability to persuade the undecided. When he began telling me about the plan to get a half-ton truck, and put a band in it, so they could enter the annual Bracebridge Santa Claus Parade, I wasn't particularly surprised. Hugh was a showman. It's what he did best. Folks liked him, with either trumpet in hand, or in front of his lips. It didn't matter. He had a likable face, and a personality that made him endearing by sight, if not at first, by sound. So I bought into the story he was spinning, sitting back in his office chair, at the Muskoka Today office, on First Street, here in Gravenhurst. I think Mark interrupted, to tell me that it was really going to be a promotion, via entertainment on the back of the truck, for Muskoka Today. I assumed that would require a couple of signs to be mounted on the back panels of the truck. Yup, that was going to happen. And Hugh with drummer Wayne Hill, Mark and someone else I can't remember, would be playing a variety of Christmas songs all the way from North Manitoba Street, down to the Silver Bridge, and up and around the Ontario Street to Kimberley, looping behind Memorial Park, and then back to the arena. Sounded good. Great for introduction of the new publication to the citizens of Bracebridge. If you remember Hugh, well sir, there was more. A lot more. The entire Currie family was involved in this strategy.

     I had one significant problem with Hugh Clairmont. I could say "no" to Mark without blinking, and we'd both get over it! I didn't know if Hugh would have had hurt feelings, if I had ever declined a request to assist him, but it never got to that point…..because I just couldn't say "no" in the first place. Honestly, he could manipulate me all over the place…..but it always paid off for me…..even when we followed his advice and moved our family, lock, stock and barrel to Gravenhurst. When Hugh suggested that we would be of immeasurable assistance to the newspaper promotion, if we got our wee lads to hand-out newspapers along the parade route……at first, I thought he was kidding. Before I knew it, he found some old newspaper bags, and we'd been recruited before I had more than a few seconds to mull-it-over……especially what Suzanne was going to say about exploiting our children, for the good of the newspaper.

     The boys had been with me at the time, so they were in, hook, line and sinker. They liked Hugh as much as I did, so when they got a chance to be part of a Santa Claus Parade, the little cherubs couldn't contain their enthusiasm. They rolled up a couple of old papers, and pretended to throw them at spectators. I wasn't at all sure how this was going to work out, but it would most definitely be memorable. Nothing with Hugh was boring or routine, so I had a few days to get mentally prepared for what was coming down the pike.

     It was a bitterly cold son-of-a-bitch, that day, and we all had extra sweaters and long-johns, mitts, toques, and yes, newspaper bags. Hugh was delighted to see that Suzanne had come with us, and in fact, offered both of us matching newspaper bags, (old Toronto Star bags) just like the boys were wearing over their tiny shoulders. Not exactly designer bags, as Suzanne would undoubtedly have preferred. It definitely didn't go with her outfit. Geez, Hugh had done it again. All four Curries, were part of the Santa Claus Parade, and while Hugh and the lads played merry Christmas tunes, we carried heavy bags of papers which we handed out the whole way…..against the wind. Suzanne gave me angry looks every step of that parade, and I had lots of time to think about what wonderful treats I was going to bestow on her, at the end, to make up for the newsprint ingrained in her skin, and the blisters from her "non-parade suitable" footwear. The boys had a blast. That's right. Our two musician sons, Andrew and Robert, apprenticed with one of Muskoka's legendary trumpet player - writers, along that really long and cold parade route. It was the adults newsies who were having problems keeping up. I had crappy shoes on as well, and by time I hit the bottom of Queens Hill, and Thomas Street, the sole of my right running shoe, had separated, and begun to flap with each step. I had, by circumstances beyond my control, become an uninvited and unwelcome second percussion player, with drummer Wayne Hill.

     Every time I looked back at the truck, these guys were having way too much fun, playing, laughing, chatting, playing and waving a lot. I don't know how many papers we gave out that afternoon, but we actually ran out before the loop was completed. It must have been several thousand, but then who was counting. Suzanne was. Oh boy! I think it was the first time ever, a publication had been handed out, from a float, in the Bracebridge Santa Claus Parade. Hugh knew how I liked historical "firsts," so he gave me a big one on that day. Strangely, I met up with quite a few former readers from my Herald-Gazette and Muskoka Advance days, and I was able to let them know that my columns were still in active publication…..and only a few miles south. Suzanne met up with a lot of her former teaching colleagues and students, from Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School, where she was before transferring to Gravenhurst. So she made it a social occasion, as did I. Actually, these friends also distracted her from planning ways to kill me, at the end of the parade. The boys were just thrilled to get back to the arena, for the free hot dogs and hot chocolate served to parade volunteers.

     It was a tough haul on a cold winter day, but it provided a memory that was well worth the experience. I have remembered everything I ever did with Hugh Clairmont, because they were always unique, and absolutely remarkable in their own peculiar way. Hugh habitually thought outside the box, as they say today, so it was his commonplace, to do something to attract attention…..and if you happened to be with him at the time…..well by golly, you were going to get attention deflected your way………as it was just one of the risks of being in his company. He knew everyone. If you walked down the street with Hugh, his arm was in the air rotating like a propellor, at passing motorists, cops, delivery drivers, cabbies, mayors in passing, and all the pedestrians and shopkeepers on both sides of the street. He said hello to people he didn't know, as a matter of routine. He figured that if you were visiting his town, he should get to know you. I had a lot of respect for his public relations savvy, and while some thought him to be intrusive, they could never say he wasn't friendly…..in the most outgoing way.

     Hugh was in his element, in the back of that pickup truck, playing the frosty horn and waving to the crowd……who were thinking of him as part Santa, part Elf, part musician, but most part entertaining character…….who was being yelled at by acquaintances, from the parking lot of the arena, even before we started, all the way back to the parking lot….where they were still yelling at him. And he was waving. So based on this public relations lark, it worked out pretty well for the first year of Muskoka Today. I got lots of feedback, and many new readers, in part, because it was assumed, that anyone who wrote for the same paper as Hugh Clairmont, had to be "good people." Being associated with this legend of music and print in Muskoka, was a career booster…..at the same time as it was an odyssey to behold.

     I can't imagine what Gravenhurst would have been like, if Hugh Clairmont had never been born. Gads would we have been duller than Bedford Falls. Hugh gave our town a buzz that was hard to ignore, and we all benefitted, whether we ever told the old guy or not….. just how much we cared for him. That starting year, of Muskoka Today, we shared our Christmas with Hugh Clairmont and family……and we would eventually wind-up, celebrating the season at Muskoka Sands, with associate writers like Jack Hutton and Mel Malton amongst many others. What a highly charged, fascinating time it was. I wish you could have been there.

     I've always thought, that like Parry Sound has a billboard picture of Bobby Orr, Gravenhurst should have a huge photo of Hugh with his panama hat and trumpet. It would be the face that reminds visitors, just how much fun we're all about in this neck of the woods. You know what? We could use some of that Clairmont excitement again. Get some smiles back on our faces.

     Thanks very much for joining me for this look back, to another era of local history. I'm delighted you had some time to visit. Please come again. There's always another seat available, around the old Birch Hollow hearth…..especially at Christmas time. Suzanne has brought out some extra chairs for late-comers. Like I said before, our favorite program as kids, was the "Friendly Giant"….so how can you tell?