GREAT FUN AND WONDERFUL OUTCOME AT CHRISTMAS CONCERT

This week Andrew Currie will be able to present the Salvation Army Food Bank, in Gravenhurst, with a cheque for $800, plus a significant volume of donated food items, gathered from admissions at their annual “Night Before Christmas,” variety show at the Opera House, Saturday evening.

Expenses were approximately $530 for the Opera House rental which was entirely covered by local business sponsorships, which we greatly appreciate.

As you can imagine, the take-down and settling after one of our fundraising shows, is a slow and somewhat painful physical and organizational process. It always takes several days to get our gear re-located and the site cleared up for the next user-group. But I can tell you, this one was a show we won’t soon forget. Andrew and Robert arrived home last night, absolutely ecstatic about the success of the event......and as its harshest critics, let’s just say they slept well and peacefully. A concert that doesn’t work, and has more than just a few problems, festers within for weeks afterwards. We haven’t had many of those but a few that we still think back on and wish we had done better or could do them over.

Most of all, they like the idea of showing up at that Food Bank with donations in tow......and this year was full of generosity, and we must heartily thank our many supporters who helped the boys achieve their objective. Over breakfast today, they talked about some options for their next project at the Opera House....., which means that they are only partly exhausted but perpetually inspired.

We will be adding some more notes about the event in the coming days. We want to provide an updated list of event sponsors, who helped us secure the best venue in town, for an event we insisted must be high profile.......because the current escalating needs of the Food Bank have to be high profile, in order to get attention for the 12 month a year crisis they face despite the Christmas generosity.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT READY TO GO - FOR THE GRAVENHURST FOOD BANK

My father Ed wasn’t a wealthy man. Happy, contented, always consciencious and kindly toward others, he and his late wife Merle, were always giving money to charitable causes. My father had spent time in orphanages as a child, looking after his three brothers when his mother would disappear for weeks on end, his father having already abandoned them while living in Toronto’s well known Cabbagetown. He grew up knowing hardship and it was the root of his generosity to his family and others. Around this time of year he would have a jar of pennies ready to go for Suzanne, who co-ordinates the annual “penny-drive” at Gravenhurst High School, in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank. It wasn’t much, he would tell us, but there was always something to extend us, to help others.

Just over a year ago now, Ed suffered a small stroke at his Bracebridge apartment, but because he didn’t want to bother or inconvenience his concerned neighbors, turned away quite a number of folks who had come to his door after hearing him falling repeatedly. He offered them his sincere thanks for being concerned about him but he had called his son (that would be me) to come and help him. Well, Ed never called, and by time we arrived several days later, he was in pretty bad shape. He died in early January with a bad heart physically but a good heart in spirit.

It was Ed who looked after Andrew when he was taking a federally funded business course, in Bracebridge, five or so years ago, and then for several years after he graduated, he lived four days a week with him, to work on instrument repair. There were too many distractions here and Ed worked with him, and drove him to get supplies, and they talked about business and stuff. It was where Andrew’s Music and Collectibles began in earnest; what he had learned in the business course he applied to the opening of this own enterprise......something his brother Robert would follow, opening his own music business three years later. Both of course now operate from the former Muskoka Theatre building opposite the Gravenhurst Opera House.

Ed was always the voice of encouragement and as a former manager of numerous Muskoka and Parry Sound lumber companies, during his working life, including Building Trades Centre, his business experience was precious to Andrew, and he soaked it up like a sponge. And when we began our first fundraising activities, it was Ed who always backed the events, and offered what money he could to get it all started. That final day in Ed’s apartment, having to put those keys on the kitchen counter for the landlord, was as you can imagine, heartbreaking to both boys who had both kick-started their professional and business careers sitting in this now barren old room, with that strange echo of the past bumping one last time into the future. And we very much suspect he and Merle were watching out over our final moments in their cherished apartment, and in their own way, as kind spirits do, wishing them and us well on our continuing adventures.

We found five jars of pennies under the kitchen counter, Ed had been saving for us, to use for some other charitable project, and we shall indeed put it all to a good cause.

While Ed wouldn’t have wanted to be highlighted at our Saturday night fundraiser at the Opera House, it will be obvious in the twinkling eyes, and grin of contentment of both Andrew and Robert, that the production of “A Night Before Christmas,” was indeed dedicated to the memory of their grandfather and grandmother who loved them dearly.

We hope that you and friends will be able to attend “A Night Before Christmas,” beginning at 7 pm Saturday, Decemeber 18th, at the Opera House. There is no admission cost. If you can offer a non perishable food donation, or a cash offering at the door, in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank, it would be greatly appreciated. If you wish to attend the event but can’t afford to make a donation, please come as our guests. It’s our Christmas gift for the community.....an event, we are delighted to say, which has already become a seasonal tradition. We will be back next year, and for many years after that.....”God willing,” as Ed used to remark when we’d say “We’ll see you later!”

Thanks so much for helping us out on this event. We will provide you all with a fundraising amount shortly after the concert.

Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Years!

PERFORMERS EXCITED - ORGANIZERS CROSSING THEIR FINGERS FOR GOOD WEATHER, AND IT’S LOOKING A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

When you’re organizing a variety show at a wonderful venue like the Gravenhurst Opera House, and managing the appearances of a large number of musicians, and guest dancers this year, you can get the jitters at the slightest problem or blip that arises. While the December 18th Christmas Concert for the Gravenhurst Salvation Army Food Bank is indoors, and almost weather-proof, the problem is a bad storm that might stop-up attendance. In the final few days of polishing the show, you just can’t help playing around with all the “what ifs” that dog every event promoter until the fundraiser has successfully concluded. So Andrew and Robert Currie, old hands at concert promoting, are keenly tuned to the unfolding events, whether a storm on the horizon or the intrusion of colds and seasonal maladies affecting their cast members.

Right up to the opening act, there are a thousand things to take care of, in order to make it a good and substantial show......and of course to get a goodly amount of food donations for the Salvation Army. We have had a good response from some of our corporate / business friends but admittedly a few disappointments from some others who we thought might come through with a small donation. Obviously times are pretty lean and we’re lucky to have received what we have to date, as this has offset the cost of the Opera House rental. We are still accepting donations of cash and food items right up to the evening of the event, and if you want to be a sponsor of the show you can contact Andrew or Robert, by visiting their main street Gravenhurst Music Shop, opposite the Opera House. We will be announcing our sponsorships in the opening presentation. It has been the generosity of these businesses that have made “A Night Before Christmas” possible, from a financial point of view. And our many kind and talented entertainers, joining us, well......that’s the Christmas spirit of a good old hometown.

We’re getting close. Hope you can attend! Admission is by donation of cash or food item. But if you can’t offer either, we don’t want you to miss the show.....so please come as our guests.

Despite all the pre-show nervousness, I know the boys will be planning ahead to the next fundraiser, moments after the grand finale.

NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS JITTERS? NO WAY! IT’S TOO MUCH FUN TO WORRY ABOUT

We’re happy to report that we’ve been getting some more sponsorships for the fundraising variety show, A Night Before Christmas, being held in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank, next Saturday, December 18th, at the grand old Gravenhurst Opera House. As sponsors of the annual fundraiser, our boys Andrew and Robert are getting excited. It’s the kind of excitement they had as kids waiting for Santa. When they got into the entertainment business here in Gravenhurst, more than a half decade ago, putting on a Christmas event at the Opera House garnered the same anticipation and expectations of the season.....as they once awaited for Santa at hearthside.

They love to stage events and that does go back to childhood when they would put on festivals in the backyard for bored kids in the neighborhood. Attendance was pretty low and the guitars were cardboard. What they were planning then became a reality when they got into high school and started working on Pure Gold, the annual variety show at GHS, a Battle of the Bands, and then when they opened their Muskoka Road business, they decided to go main stage with all the bells and whistles. They’ve had the entertainment bug for decades, and now it’s spread throughout the community......and it’s all for the good of our neighbors, especially the folks at the Salvation Army’s Food Bank, who work so hard to help others in need. We appreciate the work they do each month of the year, to help meet the food requirements.

The first few fundraisers were worrisome because we didn’t have much of a budget to advertise in the local media. We were always able to count on the support of the Gravenhurst Banner to publish our press releases. We would have loved to advertise, and pay our way, but we simply couldn’t have afforded the expense, and then offered a donation. Hundreds of charitable projects work this way, and many are neglectful of thanking the local media for their unyielding assistance. This includes The Moose FM and Cogeco’s Cable 10, both having helped advertise these variety shows over many years. We were paying the Opera House rental fee, and despite being less for a charitable cause, it still took a lot of ticket sales to cover costs, before we could make a donation. It was this year the boys decided instead, to seek business donations to help cover the expenses, and it has made all the difference in the world......the show can go on without worry that a low attendance might diminish the gate, and subsequently the ability to donate at the end of the festivities. Every user group, supporting a charitable organization fears this reality. Andrew and Robert have had quite a few supporters offer ongoing assistance, such as Chamberlains TIM-BR MART, of Gravenhurst, long time supporters of any musical event we stage. Thanks Doug for all your kindnesses past and present. It’s meant a lot to the boys to have Aidan and your support and participation through so many past concerts and fundraisers. Another kind donation to help us offset rental costs of the Opera House came from Sellavision. Sincere thanks from all of the folks putting on “A Night Before Christmas.”

It’s getting close. The kids are working hard to polish their acts, the dancers are raring to go, and our vintage performers are as excited as the youngsters, glad to help out a good cause and, well, join with the neighborhood of a fine town. You can still make a donation to the event, as a sponsorship, which will be acknowledged during the event, being M.C.’ed again by our good friend Fred Schulz. Admission is by cash or food item donation. But folks, if you simply can’t afford either, please don’t let that stop you from attending the event. It’s Christmas. The show is our gift to you.

Hope to see you there!

HERE’S OUR OTHER SUPPORT FOR THE GRAVENHURST FOOD BANK - BUT DON’T FORGET OUR “NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS” FUNDRAISER AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, DECEMBER 18TH, 7 P.M.. WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU!!!!

As our own family commitment to the fundraising and awareness campaign for the Gravenhurst Food Bank, and the Salvation Army, and the great assistance they provide our community twelve months each year, I have begun a 12 part series of feature articles, published in “Curious: The Tourist Guide,” (available at select shops and online) profiling the life of a woman from Victorian times, by the name of Ada Florence Kinton.....a tireless worker with the Salvation Army, in Toronto, who had a particular affection for the District of Muskoka. Her family were pioneer businessmen in the community of Huntsville back in the 1880's. She did spend some time in Gravenhurst, as is referenced in her journal, but she was on a traveller’s schedule of trains and carriage (sleigh) travel.

I have worked on Ada’s biography since the mid 1990's, and it has been published three times previously in the local press, as a series of articles, focused primarily on her art and writing work in Muskoka. On this occasion, I’ve delved into her efforts, street level, helping the less fortunate at soup kitchens and street-outreach in Toronto. Each of the 12 parts is dedicated to the staff and volunteers of the Gravenhurst Food Bank, in her memory, with an attached request, each column, asking that readers support food banks in their own community, not just at Christmas, but throughout the year. I’ve been tremendously inspired by this gentle-woman, since I first discovered her book, “Just One Blue Bonnet,” back in the early 1990's, while hunting for old books at a Bracebridge second hand shop. She rests today in a tiny pioneer cemetery in Huntsville. But her spirit is very much alive, and hopefully you will find something inspirational as well, in the columns re-printed on this blog-site over the next year. The year-long series will be submitted, on completion, to the National Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario archives, pertaining to her contribution, in Ontario, to both art and art instruction. She taught art in England and in Ontario, and was a highly competent painter who captured many Muskoka landscapes.

These are chapters about the goodwill of man toward others. We see it all the time. But sometimes we take it for granted, that it will always be there when we need it! As for need, I can’t imagine the hardship that would be caused if the Food Bank closed it’s door due to low resources. What would be wonderful, is if need declined. Unfortunately in this precarious post-recession period, that isn’t going to happen any time soon.

Hope you enjoy this little piece (2 columns, November, and December 2010)

Merry Christmas to one and all. Hope to see you at the concert.

ADA FLORENCE KINTON AND I HAVE A DATE THIS WINTER, IN SUPPORT OF THE SALVATION ARMY FOOD BANK

Since I began working for the local Muskoka press, back in 1979, first from a news desk at the Georgian Bay-Muskoka Lakes Beacon, in MacTier, up to and including my years with The Herald-Gazette, Muskoka Sun, Muskoka Advance, The Muskokan, The Examiner, The Banner, The Wayback Times and currently Curious; The Tourist Guide (online), I’ve amassed a rather significant collection of feature articles, some that ran over a few months, and several that ran monthly over a year. Point is, I’ve always got a bin-load of feature articles and local histories to update and re-write for today’s audience. If I was in a musical group, I suppose you’d say, “I’d be my own tribute band.”

There’s one biography I’ve returned to twice before, because I have a deep devotion to the subject. And I’m not really sure why. I’ve worked on many compelling and emotion-laden stories in the past. This one however, was as if I’d been touched by something divine......as one might expect from an audience with an angel. On the day when we found each other, she was alone in the corner of a book shop, and I was a writer without a muse. She was the subject of a 1907 book, entitled “Just One Blue Bonnet,” and I was the book collector with just enough coins in my pocket, to make this biography my own.

It was in part, you see, a regional Muskoka text, as a fair component was set in the Huntsville region, well before the turn of the century. As my job was to ferret-out good local histories, this looked like a gem. And it contained a personal journal regarding her stay in the district, with many observations about the settlement, the inhabitants, local customs and the hinterland surrounding the pioneer encampment, with accurate descriptions of the flora and fauna, and wildlife beyond. You might say Ada Florence Kinton, and I, were kindred spirits even though we were more than a lifetime apart.

Ada Kinton was a member of the Salvation Army, as referenced by the “blue bonnet,” and she wrote for the publication “War Cry,” when not working as a personal assistant to Booth family members, while on international missions. Before she was a member of the church, she was an accomplished artist and teacher, and as well, became a talented writer. She made many pioneer era sketches and paintings, while residing in Huntsville, with her brothers, who were amongst the early settlers and business founders in the hamlet. When she arrived in Muskoka, following the death of her father, in England, the transplanted Miss Kinton was deeply homesick, and worried about her future in a new and barren land.

The story, in a nutshell, is about devotion, sacrifice, and compassion. I visited her grave recently, tucked into an old, treed cemetery in central Huntsville, and felt a gentle comfort standing above her tombstone, as if she was pleased in spirit, her biographer had finally paid a visit to her final resting spot.....which was a beautiful plot in a quiet place, surrounded by family members, and despite the din of daily life in a thriving town, there was a prevailing solitude. She passed away, early in the 1900's, on a porch not far from this gravesite. In those final days, her sister helped her onto the porch, so she could watch the comings and goings of her adopted hometown. She had been greatly fatigued by her missionary work, and had suffered numerous debilitating illnesses, contracted in tropical climates. Ada was still a young woman but appeared much older and feeble, in those last days residing in Huntsville. Despite being in constant bodily pain and being weak from fever, she was contented with the days of her life, and the people she had come to know in so many walks of life. One would think that a great writer like Charles Dickens or Washington Irving, would have celebrated her as a character in one of their memorable novels, had she been known to them. Her work amongst the poor in England and Canada was legendary, and it was this compassion that drew people to her side, whether it was the destitute, the intellectual crowd, or her art students, looking for her leadership and advice. Many of her art school graduates, both in England and Canada, became highly accomplished painters.

This is just a wee introduction to a 12 part series of articles I’m now preparing for Curious; The Tourist Guide, which will run over the coming year. It is online so you can read it there if you can’t find the publication.....which is available at select shops in Muskoka and Southern Ontario. The column is dedicated to the Salvation Army’s Food Bank, in Gravenhurst, Ontario, my hometown.......and my hope is that readers will be inspired to make a food or cash donation to a food bank in their own community. My first column on Ada Florence Kinton will appear in the November issue, and there will be a special Christmas-themed column in December of course. You can access the article by searching “Curious; The Tourist Guide.” As I am writing this feature series, as an exclusive for this publication, it will not be published on my blog-site.

Please keep the Food Bank in mind this coming holiday season. They could really use your help......it’s the neighborly thing to do. The folks in need, well, they are our neighbors!

PLEASE HELP YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANK THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON -

ADA FLORENCE KINTON SAW HOPE AMIDST HUMAN TURMOIL

By Ted Currie

This is part two of the story of Ada Florence Kinton, an accomplished artist and teacher, a writer of considerable acclaim, and a stalwart worker on behalf of the Salvation Army, in Canada and abroad, from the late 1800's, until her death in Huntsville, Ontario, shortly after the turn of the century. The series is dedicated, in her memory, to the Gravenhurst Food Bank, operated by the kind folks of the Salvation Army. If you can, please donate to a food bank near you this Christmas season. Ada Kinton would been delighted by these many acts of kindness.

The reader of Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol," huddled cosily at hearthside, enjoying the crackling fire within, undoubtedly would have found the story of Scrooge’s spiritual rekindling, both remarkable and comforting at this time of the rolling year. Yet in the 1870's, a young British girl, familiar with the work of the deceased author, knew well that no matter how compelling a good story, there were pockets of the good old city of London, where there seemed no visible comfort or enveloping compassion. The bright light then as now, was the steadfast work of the "kindly," who, just as today, offer assistance where and how they can. A good ending to a story was uplifting, as literature, but the real world didn’t follow the author’s dot of an "I" or feel compelled to attain a higher moral standard. Despair was indeed that vicious circle that seemed impossible to impede by normal course.

Ada Florence Kinton was profoundly influenced, as a child, by what she saw of the poverty and immorality in the city she adored. Confessed to her sister, some years later, Ada had one day, in her youth, followed a curious trail of tiny footsteps along a dark city lane. In the author / artist’s1907 biography, entitled, "Just One Blue Bonnet," Ada pens the following description of the scene she witnessed in this poor section of London.

"Once long ago, in this writer’s earlier days, a trifling incident chanced that was fated to leave my senses, ever keenly on the alert, to the presence of evil abounding in the child-world. In one of the poorest streets, of London, a little way past the archway’s entrance to a slum, so bad and vile that it was known to all the neighborhood around as ‘Little Hell,’ there suddenly appeared a small half-clad urchin, shoeless and with a pale face, who came painfully limping along, for a careless step on some shattered fragments of glass (maybe a drunkard’s bottle) had gashed the poor little foot, cut through the coating of dust till it left an open wound." Ada writes, "Then as I watched, I saw the trail went down toward ‘Little Hell,’ and there vanished away. But the memory remained, and from that day the thought of the small, blood-stained footstep, trodden in vivid brightness on the dull, cold, grey of the stone-paved streets, haunted and followed me until it conjured up a vision; and troubled fancy dwelt long amongst a multitude of neglected children, whose feet run to and fro, the streets of every town and city and leave no trace or sign to tell the tale."

Even in the 1870's the young Ada Kinton had made her turn toward charity, and the ceaseless mission to help the poor. Even though she had a promising career as an artist herself, and was in demand in England, and later in Canada, as an art teacher, she could not devote herself to either, when in her mind, there was so much suffering around her. A trip to Canada in the 1880's, and then several years later, after her father died in England, gave her a good opinion about new opportunities closer to family, who at the time were amongst the earliest pioneers of Huntsville, Ontario. When she was not working on behalf of the Salvation Army, on missions abroad, working on the streets of Toronto helping the poor, she found solace wandering the countryside trails in Huntsville, writing and sketching.

But admittedly, she was most content, helping at the soup kitchens, with a particular sensitivity to the underfed, under-clothed children without home or sustenance in the cruel winter climate. When she began writing, some years later, for the Salvation Army "War Cry," she penned a particularly poignant piece, that as a biographer, has always allowed me to visualize this tiny, warm soul, reaching out to the desperate, to offer if nothing else, a warming embrace of compassion. By lamplight she wrote the following passage, a memory of once, a child saved from the cold.

"On the last night of the three days we passed down Yonge Street, two or three people stood round a tiny news-boy, who was gasping out sharp sobs. ‘Can’t keep himself warm? Then let him die,’ was the surly comment of a man with him. But we could not ‘let him die.’ So grasping the swollen purple hand, we ran him along so fast as the stiffened child could move, past the gathering crowd on the Temple steps, standing, shivering, waiting for the door to open, and down through the back door into the warmth of the fragrant, coffee-scented soup kitchen. No wonder he could not ‘keep himself warm.’ There had been a slight thaw at noon but as the sun went down, the frost renewed its power, and the wet snow that soaked his boots, was beginning to freeze them to his feet, in the stinging, biting wind, and only with considerable hot coffee and rubbing would the circulation be persuaded to move again. ‘It’s all ready now,’ said the superintendent of the coffee-tins.

"Withdrawing ourselves into as small a space as possible, on top of a biscuit-barrel, with our little charge, now quivering and panting with the reaction of returning warmth, we watched from our vantage while doors were opened, and six hundred people jammed down those steps in one solid human lump, so terrified were they that there would not be enough for all. It was a scene never to be forgotten; we were powerless to move to help, though in the crowd we saw, among many things, a white-haired old woman, with her old clothes, half torn from her, and a basin of hot coffee poured down her bent back, and a child half crushed, when a pair of strong arms seized him and uplifted him above the seething mass of heads. In an incredibly short space of time the abundant supply of food, crackers and loaves, and coffee, had vanished, and the crowd moved out wiping their mouths and laughing. ‘Me and my children must have starved but for this,’ said a woman as she edged past our barrel, with a bonnet knocked sideways over a grateful face. ‘Shan’t I owe the Army a lot when I do get work again,’ said a tall man quietly. A man came hurrying down the steps with his eyes on the coffee tins. ‘Too late, my boy, your coffee’s all gone."

The man had walked the cold snowy streets for hours to get to this sanctuary, only to find there was nothing left. It was this evidence of constant need that kept Ada Kinton on the job, even when it was obvious her own health was being sacrificed in the charity of helping others. The need was always there, the cases dire but Ada Kinton, as so many others, devoted themselves to doing the best they could, despite the circumstances, the shortfalls, and the necessity that seemed to increase weekly.

As the ghost of Dickens’ Jacob Marley bellowed angrily at Scrooge, when commended for having been a good man of business in life, reminding the covetous old sinner that "Mankind was (is) our business," one might pause momentarily and imagine Ada Florence Kinton, hovering faithfully over the poor and destitute, hoping against hope to save one more life.

For many years Ada Kinton was a familiar face on the streets of Toronto, and in the mission, where the hungry and cold found sanctuary. Her story is but a tiny fragment of the triumphs of human spirit, and fortitude, we see and hear about so frequently..... the generosity of folks like you, willing to share with the less fortunate.

From our family here at Birch Hollow, sons Andrew, Robert, my wife Suzanne and myself, with of course greetings from our seven rescued cats, so pleasantly huddled by the cracking fireplace, and dog Bosko, at my feet, have a wonderful Christmas holiday and a celebratory New Year. Drive safely while traveling throughout the region, and if you drop into the shops, antique malls, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants noted in this publication, please let them know you read about their business in Curious; The Tourist Guide.

Merry Christmas. See you next year with more on Ada Florence Kinton.

-30-

THE CONCERT FOR THE COMMUNITY, BY THE COMMUNITY - IN THE BEGINNING

When Andrew and Robert Currie planned their first fundraiser, shortly after opening their main street Gravenhurst music business, the plan was a simple one. Bring together musicians with widely diverse backgrounds, to play side-by-side with their fledgling music students. It was thought, and rightly so, that experiences would be shared between them. While they didn’t necessarily join each other on stage, backstage, and over a slice of pizza, before the show, the mentorship occurred like magic. The senior musicians saddled up to the rookies, and any stage-fright was quickly evaporated by bolstered confidence. And if you ask the veteran players about experiences at our fundraisers, they’ll admit to being quite inspired by the courage of the young talents to face the audience, and perform for a good cause no matter how bad the jitters.

There were a few musicians who thought the lads were nuts to attempt to mix junior capabilities with the accomplished performers, who would surely get bored with the pace and mistakes of their juniors. Admittedly, there was room for doubt, such an intermingling of abilities would take its toll on the audience and the cast itself. Funny thing though but all the perceived and actual dysfunctions of such a variety show worked out as “improv” entertainment......and if there was chagrin out there, well it didn’t stop any one of the shows from carrying on......sometimes with a wee limp, but always to a rousing ovation after the final group finale. And when a performer did complain, well, we just thanked them for their help for the particular fundraiser, and refrained from bothering them again. Funny how these things go, that some of the musicians not satisfied with the event, were first to sign for the very next variety show.

Part of the success of the event is the Opera House itself. There is no question that it is the Opera House, in Gravenhurst, that is most accommodating for a large Christmas-time production.....and there’s something about the patina of the place that makes it important and necessary to let it have a roll in our hometown Christmas celebration......as it has had for so many decades. While we have had a very difficult time covering the rental costs of the facility, as have many other events at the historic venue, by not selling tickets, and having to pay an extra percentage onto the rental amount, we can save enough from donations-at-the-door, and sponsorships, to provide the Salvation Army Food Bank with a larger donation. It requires a little more leg-work and sponsorship solicitation, from our dear business friends but the event runs without financial burden. But they’ve been determined to use this great entertainment venue regardless of the paperwork and hustling for donations, and hope to have many more similar events throughout the year.

The event isn’t highly polished. It isn’t supposed to be. What it is however, is a good neighbor event, that is more about kindred spirits and charitable hearts, than entertainment efficiency. It will have its flaws but it will have its successes.......and the reality that at the end of the night, old musicians and young will heartily pat each other on the back, the audience will leave feeling Christmas has been duly celebrated, and the next day food will be trucked over to the Food Bank as a result. Now that’s a good feeling in a good hometown!

We are pleased to have so many friends in the entertainment business who willingly give up their time to help Andrew and Robert stage this annual Christmas Variety Show.....Saturday, Decemeber 18th, at the Opera House.....beginning at 7 p.m. (Donation by cash or non perishable food item....seats are on a first come basis). If you wish to be recognized as a sponsor of the Night Before Christmas show, please let the boys know.....you can drop into Andrew Currie’s Music and Collectibles, (in the former Muskoka Theatre building, opposite the Opera House).....and you can drop off, in advance, any non perishable food items you wish to donate to help the Salvation Army.

As complicated as it can get for organizers, including mom and pop working behind the scenes, it’s still the same simple plan we began with quite a number of events ago. Good neighbor musicians and good neighbor patrons make a wonderful and inspiring partnership. It’s about neighbors helping neighbors afterall. Not just at Christmas but throughout the rolling year, as Charles Dickens might have penned, of what warm spirits can achieve in a short span of time.

Merry Christmas folks. See you at the concert.

GRAVENHURST CHRISTMAS VARIETY SHOW FOR FOOD BANK

In the spirit of goodwill, neighborliness and community pride, local entertainers, musicians and dancers, will once again reunite, as is becoming a Gravenhurst Christmas tradition, to stage a special variety show, at the Opera House, Saturday, December 18th. The fundraiser is for the Salvation Army.

With a longstanding commitment to assisting the Salvation Army Food Bank, to help its clients throughout the year, Andrew and Robert Currie, have been bringing together a talented array of local performers, to fill the Opera House with Christmas merriment. The annual December get-together will once again be directed by Master of Ceremonies, Fred Schulz, who will treat guests with a reading of “The Night Before Christmas.”

There will be special performances offered by the “Just 4 Kicks Dance Studio,” of Gravenhurst, and music students of Andrew and Robert Currie, plus traditional Christmas-time appearances by well known performer Ginger Graham, with a special medley of Christmas songs, and his memorable commentary of which the audience adores, plus talented guitarists / singers, Ray Parsons, Mark Wigston and Jon O’Connor.

There is no admission cost to the event. The hosts ask instead for donations of non perishable food items, a cash donation, or both at the door, the evening of the event. If you can’t offer either, that’s okay. You’re welcome to attend regardless, courtesy the event sponsors, which include Peter’s Players, Just 4 Kicks Dance Studio, Andrew Currie’s Music and Collectibles, Robert Currie’s Music, Gravenhurst Classic Car Wash, Birch Hollow Antiques, and the Probus Club of Gravenhurst.

The Opera House will open at 6:15 p.m. and the show commences at 7 p.m.

For more information about the event you can drop in to Andrew’s Music on Muskoka Road, opposite the Opera House, or call either 644-0804, or 644-2192. If you can’t attend the variety night but wish to donate to the event regardless, you can drop off items at their main street business.

Please help support the kind work of the Salvation Army and their Food Bank volunteers, who have benefitted our community for so many years, in so many ways!

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