CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

RE-VISITING THE HANDICRAFTS FROM THEN TO NOW - AND A WHOLE RANGE OF ARTISTIC, CREATIVE INGENUITY FROM OUR HOMES TO YOURS

I JUST MADE EYE TO ANTENNAE CONTACT WITH MY EVER-CHIRPING CRICKET FRIEND. IT'S BEEN A LODGER HERE THIS FALL SEASON, AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S ONE CRICKET OR A HALF DOZEN. FORTUNATELY, I ONLY HEAR ONE AT A TIME. I'M HOPING I WILL NOT BE THE AUDIENCE OF A CHRISTMAS-SEASON CHORUS THEY MIGHT HAVE PLANNED FOR THIS VENUE OF BIRCH HOLLOW. OF COURSE I'VE HAD THIS DILEMMA, ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE WEE BEASTIE IF I WAS TO MOUNT A SUCCESSFUL CAPTURE. IT'S NOT THE BEST WEATHER TO BE SENDING SUCH A CREATURE OUT OF DOORS. SO I KEEP HOPING WE CAN CHUM TOGETHER WITHOUT TOO MUCH CONTACT, SO I DON'T HAVE TO ENTERTAIN SUCH AN IDEA. FOR ALL I KNOW, I COULD BE BREAKING UP A FAMILY, BY CATCHING THIS INTERLOPER.

I BETTER START MAKING THESE NOTES BEFORE HE INTERRUPTS AGAIN. I KEEP HAVING TO PAUSE. NO REAL REASON. THE SOUND JUST DISTRACTS ME LONG ENOUGH, I FORGET MY LAST RELEVANT THOUGHT. HERE GOES.

As luck would have it, I found the book mentioned in a previous blog. There it was, wedged in the middle of a hundred other books, leaning a little to the left, but easy to pull out, without the usual landslide such retrieval activities frequently cause. It is entitled simply, "Handicrafts of New England." It is a 1950's circa edition, which had its seed in early magazine work from the mid 1940's. It was written by Alan H. Eaton, and published at the time, by Bonanza Books, of New York.

It begins, "There is no wealth but life. Life, including all its powers of love, of joy, and of admiration. That country is richest which nourishes the greatest number of noble and happy human beings." John Ruskin.

Robert Henri wrote, "Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything well. It is not an outside extra thing…..He (She) does not have to be a painter or a sculptor to be an artist. He / She can work in any medium. They simply have to find the gain in the work itself, not outside it."

"A study of the handicrafts of New England might well be considered an inquiry into the place of handicrafts in our present civilization, for within her boundaries are combined all the elements which make what we call modern civilization," notes Mr. Eaton in his introduction. "Notwithstanding the great industrial and commercial developments of this region today, there is practiced within the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, perhaps the widest variety of handicrafts in any country. The spread of motivation ranges from those whose handicrafts must provide the necessities of life to others, who, although free from economic pressure, still make objects with their hands because of man's natural urge to convert materials of his environment into useful and beautiful forms.

"The word 'handicraft,' as used in this book, is a broad term including all these things which are shaped by hand either for the maker's own use or for others. The article may be fashioned entirely by hand, including the preparation of all the materials in basketmaking; or it may be part machine made, as in preparation of woods for fine cabinet-work, and the machine spinning of thread and yarn to be woven on a hand loom. But if the final product, the character of the thing itself, is shaped by hand, it is an object of handicraft. Thus the old world handicraft, as defined by Webster, is a good word,….. for it says exactly what it means."

From my own experience writing feature stories in Muskoka, and being a collector of many hand-made articles (particularly hand-made furnishings from a bygone era), from paintings to quilts, I believe Muskoka has a treasure-trove of fascinating biographies, of largely unsung craftspeople……who have never belonged to an arts and crafts movement, or been on a special tour of artists, or who have never sold anything they've created. Undoubtedly there are many artisans who simply give items away, ranging from home-made fishing lures and decoys, to hand-knit sweaters, mitts, and gloves. The book is a more thorough examination, than I can obviously offer at present, about the various guilds that were put in place, to allow these crafters to market their creations……and the many obstacles that were in the way, of establishing their work as regional industry……and creating a fair balance for the home-workers, to compete in the dog-eat-dog commercial environs of the post war period. The fascination for me, was the book's biographical work, highlighting so many different handicrafts, as it is referred, and giving readers an opportunity to know more about the cultural heritage that was in danger of disappearing…….as manufactured goods were faster to produce, cost less generally, and had the advantage of wide-scale marketing and shipping. It was tough, you bet, for a home knitter, to compete with volume and fair pricing, the parallel articles that were being manufactured by the multimillions for a bargain-conscious audience. Quality, for awhile, lost its significance. Price was becoming the bottom line. Of course, there have always been those who would gratefully choose "handmade" versus the product of a machine.

My introduction to the crafters in our region, came when I was editor of The Herald-Gazette, in Bracebridge, in the 1980's, and it was my job to edit the weekly submissions from our community correspondents. We had space reserved in the newspaper for all our small hamlets and community organizations, ranging from the Women's Institute, 4-H Clubs, Church Women's groups and many, many others. The copy was full of information about the comings and goings of local citizens, and events in these hamlets, as well as updates on fundraising projects, such as community quilts, which were to be auctioned off eventually, and the money directed at a wide array of missions, initiatives and local building projects. I read about every craft imaginable in these enlightening community columns…..that while admittedly more time consuming than most other editorial work, were particularly enjoyable because they were deep and sincere reflections of rural life and times.

I know so much more about our district because of the decade I spent working in their company. In fact, I read about my own future wife, in columns back then, written by Mrs. Bunn, under the heading "Windermere News," and in the Women's Institute and United Church reports, especially her quilt work for these same fundraisers. She was the go-to person when a quilt needed to be put together…..not so much the quilting itself…..which she can still do, but now mostly for repairs.

Suzanne is a home-knitter and she has begun selling her mitts, scarves, socks and hats at our boys music shop, and she's been getting custom orders for Christmas. And I used to get annoyed by the ticky-tacking sound of needles connecting……which at first seemed a whole lot like a dripping faucet. Now that she's turned it into a business, well sir, I can take my mind off the ticking, and be overjoyed by her newfound success. What began from youth, being taught by her mother Harriett, in Windermere, and was refined by suggestions and tricks of the trade by many family crafters over the decades, has always been a part of our Birch Hollow hubbub here…….she has made sweaters for family members for decades, and our boys had a lot of knitwear as kids. Robert now proudly wears his mom's handmade socks, and mitts, and begs her to fix any wear holes…….because he refuses to discard them for new.

I hope you don't perceive this to be a shameless info-mercial for my wife's knitting. But how many highly skilled knitters and quilters, afghan crafters, candlestick makers are out there, doing their thing, with nary a headline or a brief biographic notice. They are important to know about…..even if they aren't selling their wares. Low and behold, they are the fabric of our community, and our hometown. You'd be surprised to know how many of these kindly crafts folk, do their work for charity……mitts and baby knitwear are sent to hospitals and to missions around the globe, to help the less fortunate……a generosity that goes back to the war years and earlier, when those on the home front, made knit items, to send to the soldier's on the battlefront. It's still a benevolent act, being done in one form or other today…..and tomorrow, and unfortunately, we know so little about it all!

Over the centuries, we have had some amazing talents in this region, in a large and diverse field of handicrafts. Some we know about. Many we travel to see on studio tours, and at special art exhibits. Many of us have homes and offices decorated with these well executed, hand crafted pieces, from tea sets, to the most amazing glass creations, paintings and sculptures of international acclaim. And then we have the home-sewers and quilters, who have done the most exquisite work, without nary a fuss being made…….until it is either given as a gift or offered as an auction item in a local fundraiser…….the generosity that repeats many times each year throughout our district.

Excuse me for being aggravated sometimes, when I read the community press, and find the pre-occupation of doom and gloom consuming most of the ink. It used to be that newspapers serving this region, believed in the relevance of outreach and a strong connectedness to the rural areas….the hamlets and villages that still thrive in the beautiful countryside of this amazing region of Canada. Without the weight of BIA debates and the preponderance of politics at every turn, economics oppressing us, like carrying around barbells, the country accounts might serve quite refreshing today……as they always did during my editorial tenure. I found out Muskoka is much more than political posturing, grip and grin ribbon cuttings, and economic belly-aching to get a headline. There was a richness to harvest out there, that was and is still important, to our overall well being as a district…..and as a hometown. We have forgotten that our town isn't defined by the main street, the Wharf, South End developments, or the new recreation centre…….or even the ruckus at town hall. It's the bigger picture we often minimize because that's what the media, the business community, and the politicians reflect as being most important. How many times a year does a hamlet conundrum make a headline in our paper, unless there is some calamity. Maybe there aren't enough reporters to look at our rural climes. More likely, they don't appreciate the social /cultural importance, of including them in our town reporting…..as frequently as once in our mutual history. Gravenhurst is a tad bigger than most of us might believe, from the balance of reporting. There are a lot of great human interest stories out there……but who cares? Right? How many subscriptions and newsstand sales are going to increase because of a feature story on Barkway or Housey's Rapids? I'd read it! Heck I'd write it, if they'd print it!

It's time we got our poop together, and realized that our hometown, our home region, is much more diverse and exciting than most of us know…….and the folks who still rurally, for the love of open spaces, are just as important a consideration, as anything else we are trying to nurture and promote in Muskoka. While handicrafters don't only live in the rural areas of our municipality, it is where you will find many art studios……as the countryside is still the same inspiring locale, as it was in the beginning of our history here. I have a great deal of respect for those who craft anything at all. Alas, I'm only a writer, dependent on my wife to keep me clothed in the finest Muskoka knits. Now that's shameful advertising.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, PLEASE COME OUT TO OUR "NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS" FUNDRAISER, FOR THE SALVATION ARMY FOOD BANK, ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, BEGINNING AT 7 P.M., AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE. ADMISSION IS BY DONATION. FOOD DONATIONS WILL ALSO BE COLLECTED. IF YOU FIND YOURSELVES WITHOUT COIN IN HAND, PLEASE COME ANYWAY AS OUR GUEST. WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU.

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

THERE'S A LOT ABOUT OUR TOWN WE DON'T KNOW - BUT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO! HIDDEN TALENTS THAT SHOULDN'T BE OBSCURED BY ECONOMICS

I HAVE JUST THIS MOMENT, RETURNED FROM AN INVIGORATING MORNING WANDER, DOWN THROUGH THE MISTY MOOR HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW…..BETTER KNOWN THESE DAYS AS THE SEGWUN BOULEVARD PARKETTE, SO DUTIFULLY AND LOVINGLY MAINTAINED BY MIKE SMITH, AND FAMILY…..MIKE BEING OUR RESIDENT PARK RANGER, WHO MAKES SURE WE HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO WALK OUR PETS, STROLL AND MINDFULLY MEANDER LIKE WRITER-ME. MIKE REMINDS ME SOMEWHAT OF A WHIRLING DERVISH, IN THAT HE IS ALWAYS WORKING AT SOMETHING OR OTHER…..HAVING A PRETTY DARN PRODUCTIVE RETIREMENT……BUT HIS IDEA OF RETIREMENT IS STUFFING MORE ACTIVITIES, AND MEANINGFUL PROJECTS INTO A DAY, THAN MOST OF US COULD HANDLE IN THREE DAYS. HIS DAY APPEARS TO BE TOPPED OFF WHEN HE FINALLY SURRENDERS TO THE ENJOYABLE TASK, OF TAKING HIS WEE DOG FOR AN EVENING STROLL, WINTER, SUMMER, SPRING AND FALL. BUT I'M PRETTY SURE HE'S SCANNING ABOUT, THINKING OF PROJECTS HE'D LIKE TO ENGAGE. AS ONE OF THE SENIOR MEMBERS OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, HERE IN THE CALYDOR SUBDIVISION, RESIDENTS HERE ARE WELL SERVED BY THIS DEACON OF HOMETOWN VALUES, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL THE ATTENTION HE PROVIDES THE BOG, AND ITS CONSERVATION GENERALLY. WE NEED ABOUT A THOUSAND MORE FOLKS LIKE THIS, LOOKING OUT FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.

There's a light rain falling. Nothing that would disturb or delay a walk in this precious woodlands. Most of that first major snowfall has melted away, and there are many frothing cataracts, along the black winding trail of tiny creeks, criss-crossing the grassed-over lowland. It is as if Thoreau himself, might pop out of an evergreen cluster, to look out over the hinterland of his Walden Pond. There are fresh tracks of neighborhood deer, having passed in the night, and a woodpecker has, with abundant good fortune, found a pocket of bugs in an old log, that holds his fascination, as I walk close by without notice. The squirrels today are quite playful, and the overhead boughs are bending and small trees swaying, as three of them, jump from branch to branch, in this warm morning of late November. It is at times like this, I wish to have the capability as an artist, to capture this all on a paint board. It's something one wishes to share with others, because it is so full of life and possibility. One may enter here feeling lowly, pensive, stressed from the rigors of the modern world, and before long, the woodlands have claimed another soul for posterity. There is so much to see and experience here, that it is little wonder, the willing voyeur can be lifted away by all the intricacies of land and horizon, in the enchanted surroundings of evergreen and hardwood; the wafting mist that is now cloaking over the remaining cat-tails, and tall willowy bog grasses, still tossing in the gentle air currents, rising over the hillside pines and leaning old birches.

I have arrived back home a little wet but gainfully inspired, as usual, about the graces of natural Muskoka. How it inspires the artists, the crafts-people, poets and writers, and everyone else who senses the power of nature to renew the weary soul. I am just now drawn to an old book, I keep as reference, I'd like to tell you about. I'm not sure I can find it, amidst the thousands of reference books I stack at Birch Hollow, but it won't stop me telling you about it. It's a book I've kept because of its relevances to the antique and collectible trade, yet it has a great deal to do with an appreciation of home region talents. Arts and crafts talents! The behind the scenes glimpses, of some incredible artisans, and crafters, from wood carvers, quilters, knitters, artists, and builders, who most of us don't know about……yet when I tell you more about the book, you will appreciate why we should all know the nature of their work……because these are our neighbors, and the culture of our hometown.

Let me start with one tiny story you may remember from one of my earlier blogs, several years ago. When I began as a rookier reporter, for the Muskoka Lakes-Georgian Bay Beacon, in MacTier, back in 1979, I was living in Bracebridge, at the time, but the daily drive was killing me. I was offered a small cabin nearby, as a seasonal solution, at least, to the long commute. The lakeside abode, was called "Seven Persons Cottage." It had been constructed in miniature, on the model of a much larger English manor house, I believe, but done to scale……even to the most minute detail, the cottage was a replica of something much, much larger.

The owner didn't tell me about this before I went on the tour. I was mildly amused when I found the replica port and dock for a wee boat, and when I saw the cottage through the vegetation, I got a chuckle because of its tiny grandeur. When I had to hunch a tad to get through the door, well, it was getting stranger. When I saw the interior, I was speechless. I've only been speechless a couple of times in my life…..and this was one of them. Everything in the house…..even the gargoyles carved into the fireplace mantle, were done in miniature. First book I came to…..yup, on the miniature shelf, above the miniature desk, was the brand new release of the book "Gnomes," sitting on a small rocker inside the front door. When that heavy little door shut behind me, I was in another world. There was a bow window on the front, and a built in seat, with a cushion, that afforded a view up the lakeshore, over a croquet lawn…….presumably for the gnomes to have a game now and again. It was a writer's paradise let me tell you. It had two bedrooms downstairs, a dining room, kitchen, living room, built-in writing desk inside the door, a loft upstairs, and a back hall to a rear door. Much was built-in, such as the bunk beds, and the tables that folded down from the wall. The furniture obviously, was enough to handle the large frame of the resident scribe, but of smaller size than the actual Victorian furniture that should have been in such a grand estate. It had a mile of richly aged woodwork, and the most alluring aroma of woodsmoke, part of the patina of all who had dwelled there in the past. I was able to move around easily, as the ceiling was the same as any house. But it looked much smaller from the outside. During my residency, I had as many as eight people in the house, and more could have fit in without crowding. Looking at it from the outside, you wouldn't believe it could hold more than four adults……twenty gnomes.

I was introduced to the elderly chap who had handcrafted this Muskoka beauty, as a fun project, numerous years earlier. His cottage was more traditional, but it still had the artisan's magic touch. I had never seen such a large hand-carved pipe collection, but I'm not sure now if this was his handiwork. What he had created with Seven Persons Cottage, was an enchantment beyond anything I could have anticipated……even if I had been offered the information well in advance. Wrapping my mind around this estate in miniature, demanded a serious investment of time……and surrender on my part, of all the standards I expected of places I resided. It was fun beyond fun. I had the greatest summer of my life, because of the artistry…..the incredible talents of a hobby woodcarver / builder, who was my new neighbor.

Imagine waking up with a wee brandy-induced headache the next morning, and looking out the tiny window onto that very tiny harbor…..with a really tiny boat moored there……and thinking, geez, how did I get to Lilliput. I felt like Gulliver all that summer and fall, and I really hated to leave it behind.

I will write a little blog later today, about the reasons we should embrace the work of our talented artisans and craftspeople here in Gravenhurst, and the wider Muskoka…..some, by the way, who have never considered selling their work for profit…..but just enjoy the challenge of new projects, and the sheer joy of creation. In the meantime I will try to find this fabulous New England craft history. I'm not optimistic. It's the problem of being eccentric and a book collector at the same time. I can't find a bloody thing when I need it most……but most certainly will find it when it's not required reading.

More to come-

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

STAYCATION - SHOPPING LOCALLY, AND I MEAN THAT!!!!!

OF COURSE WE HAVE TO DO SOME BUSINESS SHOPPING OUT OF THE REGION. WE CAN BE SPOTTED WANDERING AROUND ORILLIA ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH. I LOVE COUCHICHING PARK, WHERE WE USED TO BRING THE BOYS ON SUMMER SUNDAYS FOR FAMILY BARBECUES. WE USED TO GO UP TO WINDERMERE FREQUENTLY, WHEN WE HAD THE FAMILY COTTAGE ON LAKE ROSSEAU. WHEN SUZANNE'S FATHER DIED, AND HIS WINDERMERE HOUSE WAS SOLD, THERE WASN'T MUCH REASON TO RETURN. SAD BUT LIFE'S JUST LIKE THAT. I USED TO BE IN BRACEBRIDGE SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK TO VISIT MY MOTHER AND FATHER FOR COFFEE, BUT SECOND VERSE SAME AS THE FIRST. THEY BOTH PASSED AWAY AND NOW I ONLY VISIT THE TOWN ON SATURDAY MORNINGS, TO VISIT THE SECOND HAND SHOPS, AND ALMOST ALWAYS FOR BUSINESS…..OUR ANTIQUE BUSINESS AND THE BOYS MUSIC SHOP. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT.

AS FOR STAYCATIONS, GEEZ, SINCE VACATIONING IN VIRGINIA BEACH, AS NEWLYWEDS, SUZANNE AND I HAVE WRITTEN THE ROUGH TEXT ON STAYING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. WE DO THIS FOR ONE IMPORTANT REASON. WE LOVE IT HERE. IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE THINK MUCH ABOUT, UNTIL SOMEONE MENTIONS IT, OR WE READ ABOUT THIS NOVEL IDEA OF INVESTING IN CLOSE-TO-HOME TRAVELS (OR NOT SO MUCH). ADDITIONALLY, AND WE ARE PUTTING THIS ON THE RECORD, IN CASE ANY ONE WANTS TO VARIFY OUR STORY……WE SHOP LOCALLY. FROM CARS AND MAJOR APPLIANCES, TO CLOTHING, GROCERIES, PET SUPPLIES, HARDWARE, GARDENING SUPPLIES, OUR FLOWERS, SHRUBS AND DECORATIVE BIRD BATHS. WE SHOP LOCAL. AND WE'RE SATISFIED CUSTOMERS EVERYWHERE WE GO!!!!

If some of my readers, and assorted others, who come upon these tomes by accident, think I'm pretty liberal with my criticism of several business associations, it's because we have a right to make comment……as retailers ourselves, and folks who put their money where their mouths are…….every day of the commercial week…..seven out of seven days. We visit at least one grocery store each day. We own seven cats, five of which were strays dumped off near our house. But as I love shopping……one of few males who actually gets a kick out of grocery store visits, I'm pretty good with this….although Suzanne…..not so much. The point is, we have everything we need right here in Gravenhurst…..and Bracebridge…..and it has, over the years, reduced our gas bill substantially. There are some business materials we can't always find in abundant supply here, but in the antique and collectible trade, that's just the way it is…..and will continue to be.

I take great pride in this fact, that we spend our money locally. I have bought the last two vehicles in Gravenhurst, and before that, they were acquired in Bracebridge. All our car's servicing is done in Gravenhurst, and with highly competent mechanics here, why would I go anywhere else. Last summer, we purchased a stove and fridge from one of the most reliable dealers on earth, right on our historic main street, and they purr along beautifully. Couldn't be happier, and the service…..it was wonderful. Whether it is a can of paint, a new shelter for our yard stuff, some interesting collectibles and good quality clothing from the local thrift shop,…… a new or used book from the nice folks at the book store, we find what we want and what we need right here in South Muskoka…….and while on staycation too.

Our boys, well, they've been known, for business, to spend a week, a couple of times a year, in the nation's capital…….haunting the old record and music shops for interesting new inventory to bring home for their customers…….and of course any ideas that they can bring back to improve their market-share…..and please their customer base. Even when they travel, they're representing their Gravenhurst business…..and almost every trip is a working vacation. It works for them. They have a good time, and always look forward to coming home, and getting back in the shop. Their business is a lifestyle situation…….and they will tell you without blinking…..there's more to life than money. Just ask the musician-kind and other guests, who stop by for a chat, or to lounge blissfully (listening to music) on the sofa, about the Currie boys passion for their business. It's just an unspoken reality. Sure, they need to make money to stay in business, but they keep a perspective about work and play…..that seems to keep them motivated. A lot of critics, who feel they should keep better business hours, don't realize the hours they spend instructing students after the shop has closed at 5 p.m. And both have other part-time jobs in the entertainment industry when they can squeeze it in. They're entering their sixth year, and business is good. And I'm sure this is the case throughout our good town, (many haven't been surveyed about their successes), where many business owners have spent, from a few intense years, to most of a lifetime, investing their heart and soul, in order to be a successful member of hometown commerce. It shows. We like and admire that!

I have just finished the most delightful meat pie, a portion of heavenly sausage roll, and then, after a little hiatus……with tea, a small but magnificent hunk of chelsea bun, from our favorite little main street area bakery…….one of the best in the country. A staycation is no hardship whatsoever.

Our family runs a local retail shop in the BIA zone of Gravenhurst. We have good days and bad…..dry spells and days when we're overflowing with business. We're no strangers to the highs and lows of main street business. But we never finish a week, that we can't say with honesty……"it worked out okay, you know! What are we going to do next week?"

We shop in as many local stores as possible, in any given week, and we find the service to be of the highest standard…..but of course we're biased……because no matter what the prevailing situation, we are happy homeowners, living the good life here in beautiful Muskoka. Making our home in Gravenhurst since 1989…..we made a good choice to raise our family.

As for Christmas shopping…..well, you guessed it…….everything will be purchased here……and possibly, a few items ten miles north (it was after all my own hometown as a young lad). We've already picked up a few items from local church and community fundraising sales / auctions, that will make perfect gifts. The holiday feast will all be purchased locally, and right down to the Christmas crackers, we'll be able to look you in the face and say…….we support our area merchants…..big, small and all those in between.

So take my critiques in the spirit they have been made…….from someone who will put up……to scrutiny, and heartily debate and defend any comment I write. We don't shop in Gravenhurst because of blind loyalty. We shop here because we get competitive prices, quality items and friendly, reliable customer services; and follow-up service when required. I don't shop locally because I feel sorry for town merchants. I shop here because I get the results I expect from the business community. This isn't an endorsement. It's reality. Nothing fancy.

And it is important to note that I am just one of hundreds who would rather shop here than switch.

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

MUSKOKA ROAD OFFICIALLY OPEN, LIGHTING CEREMONY COMPLETE, A SMALL GROUP PARTICIPATED, EMERGENCY VEHICLES SAD IRONY

The nagging problem in Gravenhurst, is that ideas that would be flatly rejected by "critical thinkers," get approval by the tiny minority….., who come up with these exciting concepts, like adopting the American "Black Friday," shopfest animal show, (thankfully without the trampling and pepper spray) and what could have been a really nice Christmas season opening celebration, was marred by irony….by unfortunate, almost macabre symbolism, of having town fire trucks….lights engaged, blocking the Opera House section of Muskoka Road……such that many folks came up to the scene, during that period, looking to see what other main street building was a smoldering ruins. Emergency lights tend to do this! Excite those approaching the scene. To shop? Not really. The few administrative folks, in charge of these events, aren't being monitored….and that is scary. They are making decisions that affect community reputation, and this needs to be re-visited…….because I'm pretty sure having emergency vehicles in full regalia, lighting up the night sky, over and above the lights on the Christmas tree, wouldn't have been in the top ten ways, those of sensible proportion, might have opted to celebrate either the end of road construction, or the commencement of Christmas shopping on the main street. We always hope common sense will prevail in these situations, but it isn't happening…..and what will occur next.

Black Friday shopping isn't going to happen on the main street of Gravenhurst, the way organizers would like……because we don't have the abundance of retail opportunities that Macy's Department Store has. What we have here is a really nice downtown, with some fine businesses, that we're proud of……and the mainstream of good business practice, and attention to detail, and smart marketing, is what will win us the most business attention. Not adopting ideas like Black Friday.

The official Christmas Tree lighting. It could get better and more diverse, and using the Opera House and its square makes perfect sense. But here's an idea. Instead of having the shops open, let the business community have a night off……to join with customers, citizens generally, bring in some entertainment, and some food, and let's have a party, where community takes over……from commerce……for one night of, you bet ya…. "fun for fun's sake." Goodwill here, and Christmas cheer……these are investments that are required in this town, not ridiculous ideas that come from some other place….some other mindset, that is not in this community's best interest. It may have seemed like a cute plan to block the road…..which by the way wasn't necessary, (ribbon cuttings can be anywhere on the main street or sidewalk to make the point of "re-opening"), and set out emergency vehicles……to revisit the trauma of the past year….but it was not the kind of cheer most of us expected. A little fear, is more like it!

This is the time to instill a Merry Christmas cheerfulness in our town. The whole town . And the Christmas tree lighting, should have been a fountain of optimism, about a town renewing itself after a tough, tough year.

As for some reports that suggest "droves" of people attended the lighting event……..no…..and in fact, there was nary a sign of anything that looked like a drove. As many coming up to the scene looking for "fire," as were in attendance for the official tree lighting.

I may be the biggest Scrooge or Grinch on the block……to those who thought this was a great plan. To some others however, I may only be a partial Scrooge, or Grinch, who isn't that far off base…….believing emergency vehicles didn't enhance the celebration.

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

THE TALENT WITHIN - THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD - AND THE WORK TO EXPOSE IT FOR THE GREATER GOOD

JUST AS THERE ALWAYS HAS BEEN, FROM THE FIRST CABIN CARPENTER, FARM, BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY BUILDERS, GRAVENHURST HAS, AND DOES POSSESS TODAY, A LOT OF TALENT WITHIN OUR POPULATION. A MAJORITY OF IT GOES UNRECOGNIZED. SO MUCH IS WASTED BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T FEEL THEIR CAPABILITIES ARE WHAT THE TOWN WANTS OR NEEDS. IT'S NOT JUST THE CASE WE HAVE TALENTED AMATEUR ARTISTS, CRAFTSPEOPLE, WOOD CARVERS, WOOD WORKERS, WRITERS, POETS OR CANDLE-STICK MAKERS. WE HAVE EXCEPTIONAL BUILDERS, ROOFERS, PLUMBERS, MECHANICS, BOAT BUILDERS AND RESTORERS, ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, LAWYERS, DOCTORS, TEACHERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, NURSES, PAINTERS, GARDENERS, SALES PERSONNEL, STORE CLERKS, WAITRESSES, GROCERY STORE STAFF….. WHO ARE AMONGST THE BEST OF THE BEST. WE KNOW IT….WELL, A LITTLE BIT. WELL, OKAY, TRUTH IS WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IT TOO OFTEN, OR MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO HEARTILY THANK THE GROCERY CLERK FOR A JOB WELL DONE. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU GAVE YOUR MECHANIC A HUG, OR SHOOK THE PLUMBER'S HAND, AFTER GETTING THE WORKS UNCLOGGED AND OPERATIONAL AGAIN. AND WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME, YOU ASKED THE DONUT SHOP COUNTER STAFF…..IF THEY WERE HAVING A GOOD DAY THUS FAR?

HOMETOWN PRIDE. I WRITE ABOUT IT….BUT WHAT DO I REALLY MEAN?

There is a complacency today that has been growing steadily, over the past thirty or forty years, that for a number of reasons, seems almost anti-hometown. It's not just in one area but rather a kind of flooding, eroding reality, few of us think about……. but will recognize the changes if we recall the way it was back in the 1940's and 50's, as compared to the new century way of doing things…..social / cultural things. The distinction is even greater when you go back to the beginning, and work forward, to find out the precise time when our reliance on one another became of somewhat lesser importance.

Consider what began on this wilderness frontier in the late 1850's and 1860's. It was a precarious balance for survival. Think about those modest shanties in the midst of a Muskoka winter. What did those hale and hardy settlers do to survive? What did those pioneer business-folk do, in order to cement their enterprises onto this wild Ontario

landscape, and carry their enterprises over the brutally lean decades? From the beginning, pioneers helped pioneers. Neighbors offered helping hands to those who had just arrived…..scared half to death about the coming realities of homesteading in a rough and tumble environment. The businesses counted on the good neighborliness of these same homesteaders, and did as much as possible, under the circumstances, to meet the needs of the frontier population. There were a lot of needs, and a genuine shortage of money to pay for anything more than basic provisions. So automatically, there needed to be a "trust of circumstance," as neighbors had to rely, in so may ways, on one another, and businesses had to keep a tab, for those customers who were short of funds. It was the belief in honesty and integrity, and a wee bit of mutual charity, at a time when it was absolutely necessary to build a settlement worthy of being called a "hometown." The security net……a caring hometown!

As towns like ours grew larger, outward from the original footings, and respective populations increased, it was a milestone event, when the encampment earned the status of having a mailing address…..the name attached to the first post office. How exciting it would have been to finally be afforded, initially, hamlet status, then village recognition, and then the kind of population statistic that warranted "town" entitlement. It's pretty difficult today, to feel that kind of pride experienced then, when they were so eager to embrace future advancements. A few of those hamlet settlers, may have even thought about city status one day……looking out over the lakeland here in South Muskoka. What is clear, is that they wanted more for their community, and they weren't shy at all, about asking citizens to do their part, in making the province and country proud of this shoreline community…..named Gravenhurst.

Today we have a huge disconnect with those days because of our general lack of respect for what history can provide the present, as an abundant resource. Our shift away from that neighborliness some of us old-timers recall, has deflated the hometown spirit for a lot of citizens…….many who live in neighborhoods today, who have little idea who lives on their street……and no real interest in finding out. As for borrowing a cup of sugar or jug of milk, if it does happen somewhere out there, it is a vastly diminished neighbor to neighbor affection…..not widespread or commonplace as it once was, when hometown values even trumped local politics. The problem is societal and not something we spend too much time trying to resolve. We don't really understand it, when our long time residents talk about changes in our town, with some disdain, and we might even chirp-up, that they should simply "join the modern era, and forget all that nostalgia." Is it because we've become city-like in attitude? Is it because we have a population now unfamiliar with our past……having moved here from other regions, other hometowns? Is it because we don't know the relevance of the past, as it effects the present? Do we care about hometown values at all? What can it do for us today? Can it pull us from the doldrums, and make us excited about the future again? Can it spill-forth optimism, in the volume we need it?

In the past, our community was indebted to itself. There was more reliance on each other here. Shopping locally, using area trades people, and professionals, was not only prevalent, but the essence of the local economy. It was necessary because of transportation limitations, to make use of the opportunities close at hand. It's not to suggest settlers didn't stray away from time to time, and allow city influences to assist in one of a million ways, but it was the inclusion period of our history, where we turned to our talented citizenry for most of our needs. For decades now, there has been a great watering down of this dependence. We have so many other options. We can travel to the city, the box stores, outlet malls within a couple of hours. We can shop for price advantages in a wider area, and now so much is even accomplished by on-line shopping. The importance of self-supporting our own community, has become far more a concern for individualism, and "I'll shop where I want," or where the best variety, the best environs, and the best prices are available. It's our social / cultural / economic advantages to do so. But the reality is, we're destroying the final vestiges of hometown the way it has been since those founding settlers, hacked out those first few acres to build upon. Is this overly dramatic? Absolutely not. And you can find evidence of this everywhere you look, in the small regional communities, being so heavily influenced by close-commute cityscapes. Add to this, the decentralizing of historic business communities in town, and you have a force of change that is disorderly, and chaotic……and as we can see in many North American communities, so devastating, that hometown pride isn't even on the map.

It is a pivotal consideration in Gravenhurst today. All these influences have had a huge impact on the town's traditional business core, and the watering down of old values. The distancing from history as a companion resource, has left many wondering things as ridiculous as, well, changing the name of the town. I can't tell you how insulting this would be, especially the provenance of the name we have. Look back a few blogs to the story on William Dawson LeSueur and poet William Henry Smith….to appreciate my chagrin at a suggesting such a ridiculous change. Sometimes here, it feels as if we've been dumped out into the middle of the lake, to tread water indefinitely, looking desperately for something firm to grasp onto……and then pull ourselves back to firm ground.

Yet if you were to do a little hobby research, and go back to crisis periods in our town, in our country, you would find one profound reality that is worth the effort of preserving for posterity, you might say. During the most difficult years and circumstances, economic, war-time, we have pulled together as a home-town, where every talent is revered for what it can offer…..to a total effort of support and sustainability. Those store clerks, and doctors, nurses, home-makers, grandfathers and grandmothers, paper boys and girls, mechanics, writers, newsies, pharmacy staff, and farmers, came to each other's defense, and we had a community effort to meet the requirements of the day. Fraternal and support groups formed to handle difficult tasks, and to assist the community where need was most seriously needed. When I talk or write about hometown values, this is what I am referring. In the coming economic downturn…..and it is coming, many will fear our town could well be knocked off the map. That we will lose many important, landmark businesses. We will be left as a ruins, when it is all said and done. The historian however, who doesn't get consulted all that often, is instead, looking forward to a renewal of community pride……a recognition that we can help ourselves, by being good and compassionate neighbors, willing to help each other out with small but significants steps…..like shopping locally a little more than usual. Every cent invested here, is a welcomed, and positive reinforcement that we think of our neighbors as family………and you know, pioneer times weren't as "dark age" as we sometimes think. We can draw a lot out of those hard days, that can make our lives at present, more dynamic and profitable…..and not just in terms of economics.

Please give some thought to home town values this Christmas season.

You can start by coming out to our Christmas Concert, at the Opera House, on Saturday, December 10th, in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank. There is no admission fee. Food and cash donations are accepted at the door. If you haven't got anything to donate, please come anyway…..because we want to show what hometown support looks like…..up close and personal. What would be nicer than a full house…..to show the Salvation Army our gratitude, for helping our less fortunate neighbors have a festive holiday season.

Merry Christmas.

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

THE BARGE YES, AMPHITHEATRE, NO! GRANT MONEY WOULD BE BETTER SPENT ON OVERALL PARK UPGRADES

I am very pleased, as is our family, about the willingness of the town to repair their property…..their (our) asset, of which they have had stewardship for all these years. I do however, object to a bid to construct an amphitheatre on the hillside above The Barge. That will be a costly situation, when you consider drainage and engineering issues, and the reality there are only ten or so concerts each summer. There are cheaper alternatives to accommodate the audiences that attend Barge concerts. Folks have been hanging onto that hillside for decades and I'm pretty sure the accident statistics are pretty low. The discomfort to hind-ends…..so move!

The embankment overlooking The Barge is shoreline, and it is eroding bit by bit. There's not much holding it up. There is a necessity to either plant some low-level trees there, to hold the earth, or make some other structural insertions to stop future decline. I just don't think that has to be inground bleachers, when rock and shrubberies will do the job. The water running off through this soil will require considerable drainage planning, and installations, to avoid a crumbling mess after only a few years of service. The cost, which will be substantial, doesn't seem a responsible investment, considering The Barge attendance, at present, and the ten concerts held from mid-June to mid-August. Unless there's a plan to increase the number of concerts, and use it more than one evening each week. It doesn't take an accounting credential, to figure this to be frivolous to an extreme. Makes a good headline though, if you're short of news.

First of all, The Barge concerts are attracting good crowds. But you have to average them over the season. Having a large turn-out for a particularly popular act, is offset by a smaller turn-out to one that is of lesser interest to general concert goers. I have not seen a crowd there yet, and I do notice this kind of thing, that wasn't accommodated adequately. Even for the biggest shows, there's room to spare. Beside my wife and I, for example. I guess folks don't like the fact I fidget a lot, and appear to be eating all the time I'm there. Point is, with more bench seating, and some much better planning, and visibility improvements, an amphitheatre is like whacking a fly with a sledge hammer. I haven't heard of many people leaving the park, because they couldn't find some place to plop down a lawn chair. There is a pretty large viewing area, and it wouldn't take much tweaking to fit many more in……without opting for the expense of a shoreline amphitheatre.

As for the environment, the idea also isn't all that sensible, as the town will be told, as the idea picks up some glad-handers who want to be part of the big deal at Gull Lake Park. Environmentally, it would be much better to have that filtering earth, root and grass hillside, and some small shrubs, to deal with the run-off water that seeps down that hillside as a matter of topography. Cement doesn't really filter too much. For years, environmental concerns, have brought awareness to natural (as much as possible) shorelines, to help the ecology of the lakeland. It may not seem that a small bit of concrete for seating would be an environmental concern, but it is after all, what we ask of our cottagers, to be concerned about, when re-developing or building their new retreats. They have been told for decades, the relevance of having vegetation at the shoreline…..as natural enhancement that is good for us all. What falls onto the amphitheater, and what is otherwise deposited there, from cigarette butts to all sorts of chemical contaminates, will wash into the lake without the benefit of some, even if its minor, filtering. Which puts that, with the windscape, right into the swimming area of the park.

I don't think anything should be done to compromise that hillside, accept the temporary, and welcome intrusion of concert goers six concerts out of ten. The only time the hillside gets bulked up, is when there is a highly popular act, such as Shania Twin, The Good Brothers, and any concert that happens on the Civic Holiday Sunday……which is simply a high-use time for the park. Seeing as I have been central, as a Barge supporter, attending a majority of concerts each year, I see this speculative fishing trip, for future federal and provincial money, as a waste of council time. A potential frittering-away of taxpayer money on something that simply isn't required, in order for people to watch the weekly concerts. Even if the concerts were doubled, and the season expanded from the 24th og May, to Thanksgiving, I would offer the same advice. Put in more benches, and if necessary, buy some more, and it will be cheaper and better all round, for patron comforts. Some folks don't mind sitting on that hillside as is.

If there is money to spend on Gull Lake Park, improvements should be made to the children's playground, which is way too small and uninteresting, for the large number of families, and youngsters using the park throughout the summer. Keep in mind, that while parents and grandparents are watching The Barge concerts, the kids are either swimming, or at the playground. I think improvements should be made to the washrooms, and building another covered pavilion would make a lot of sense……considering the Rotary pavilion is a busy place on weekends. This was one of the best enhancements to the park and an ongoing benefit to its users……and I have seen many family reunions (get-togethers) under that roof, and this is what gives the park its true comfort character. My wife and I picnic there on many afternoons, throughout the summer season, and can't help but notice a lot of day-travellers, using our park for a respite on their adventures. I love seeing this. The spin-offs for tourism are many. It's a family park, and improvements to make it more accommodating seem a better investment, than carving seats into the hillside.

There was a time when Barge Manager, Fred Schulz and I talked about the potential for such an amphitheater……years before this week's front pager in The Banner. Of course we've always talked about the "what ifs" but have stopped because of the realization that, if there was money, it would be better spent on other Barge or park enhancements……which would still benefit the concert accommodation, even if it was just more bench seating. On reflection however, we found other priorities, and over the past two years, it's been more important to make upgrades to The Barge……and it still is……more so than diverting any money away from the focal point of the concert series. In fact, I would put the purchase of a canopy way, way, ahead of new seating expenses, because with the new plan of, "Rain - No Show - No Re-location," it will be ever-more important to offer temporary shelter to valuable stage equipment, in the event of a short rain period. I'm dubious about this plan…..but I understand Fred's position on the matter. The accommodation at the new recreation centre is not convenient, or large enough to accommodate The Barge shows, as did the original Terry Fox room in the former centre. This should have been considered much more seriously, before the plans for the rec. centre were finalized…..because I'm pretty sure Fred would have offered a learned opinion, from years of experience, that the room, as drawn into the plans, would not be adequate for rain-out re-locations. This would seem, to me, if not everyone else, to have been the kind of sensible planning, and logical consultation needed to accommodate user groups…….some big user groups like The Barge. This room-expansion idea, frankly, would have seemed a much better investment than building an amphitheatre……even with a roof.

I may be accused of being a kill-joy on this, but then I'm only one voice…..one under-read blog. So I'm pretty easy to blow off, as an armchair critic. I'm not on a Barge committee, and I've never once been asked for my opinion. No surprise here. But as federal and provincial grants are "taxpayer-funded," I really don't like this plan at all. As we go into the lost decade, as financial folks call it, I think we need to adapt to a new frugality, and an awareness how capital investments, in this town, have weighed us all down over the last five years…..and will be on our shoulders for many years down the road. Maybe more than a decade.

The Barge is a town asset. It is a proven cultural / recreational positive for our town…….and the nurturing of the tourism industry. But why build an amphitheater, when some benches will do? Unless Fred is bringing in U-2 and I don't know it, then the simple, modest accommodation of the good old Barge will suffice.

Just an opinion from my own Bleachers.

CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST

THE VIBE IS A GOOD ONE - BUT NOT EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S THERE - IT'S JUST AN OLD BUILDING AFTER ALL - THE OPERA HOUSE

IT ISN'T A PREREQUISITE THAT YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS. IT'S NOT PARTICULARLY RELEVANT WHETHER YOU ARE DEEPLY RELGIOUS, OR FOR THAT MATTER, HAVE FAITH IN ANYTHING BUT YOUR OWN DIMENSION. YOUR OWN WAY OF DEALING WITH THE REALITIES OF EACH WAKING MOMENT. WHEN YOU SLEEP, WELL IT'S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO DENY THE SLEEPLAND NYMPHS THEIR FOLLY. SENSING ONE'S SURROUNDINGS, AND BELIEVING IN WHAT YOUR INSTINCTS ARE TELLING YOU, ISN'T AS MUCH THE CASE OF PERFECT SCIENCE, AS IT IS THAT AMAZING QUALITY OF SENSORY PERCEPTION. LIKE I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, IT'S NOT WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS, OR EVEN KNOW WHAT THE PARANORMAL IS ALL ABOUT, BUT RATHER IF YOU BELIEVE IN POSSIBILITY AND POTENTIAL……..AND DON'T DISCREDIT EVERYTHING YOU EXPERIENCE….JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A RATIONAL EXPLANATION. IF YOU WANT MORE OUT OF THIS DISCUSSION, WELL, YOU CAN DELVE INTO THE WORK OF AUTHOR C.S. LEWIS, AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL QUALITIES AND QUANTITIES OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT!

OR WE THINK WE KNOW IT!!!

How about a little adventure? Got a couple of moments? If not, we'll meet again. If so, here we go!

I've been a collector over most of the past 56 years. If my mother was alive, God Rest Her Soul, she'd tell you about the afternoons I got home from school, in Burlington, with pockets loaded full of stuff I'd found on the way to and from my daily duty. It might have been chestnuts, golf balls, old bits of iron, a broken baseball bat, or hockey stick remnant. Merle would ask to see what I'd brought home, and of course, I'd only show her what was absolutely necessary. I ushered a lot of livestock past that threshold. The neighbors would hear the shrieks the next morning when Merle would accidentally find the pet toad or neat bug I'd snuck past her the day before.

I brought the stuff home, not because I was a hoarder……because I'm really not…..but due to the fact we had a small apartment, and I always had such big plans for a future in the collecting field, Merle didn't have much choice but to cull regularly. Andrew Currie is a chip off the old block. Robert is far more reserved as a collector than his brother. More like his modest and sensible-proportion mother Suzanne.

I have never really be able to explain fully, why I felt compelled to fetch "found" stuff home, even as kid, but there has always been an allure of some kind or another, that compels me to, at the very least, pay a few moments attention, to a piece or pieces I come across, emitting a wee vibe……something like "touch me…..you know you want to." Now before you think of me as pervert, I'm talking about antiques and collectibles here. And when I get the urge to touch a vintage flat-to-the-wall cupboard, or an antique cradle, by golly, I'm touching it. It's an attraction I've always suspected had something to do with previous owners, who in a spiritual sense, may still be attached to a cherished bit of furniture. In the paranormal field, of which I am very much involved, this isn't particularly usual. There has long been documentation about allegedly haunted cradles, rockers and yes, even a printing press, that once belonged to William Lyon Mackenzie, Upper Canada's legendary firebrand of the 1830's rebellion. It is housed in his restored house, in Toronto, and the press responsible for the Colonial Advocate, is said to have, on occasion, unfinished business. Resident staff, at times in the past, have awoken to hear the press in operation. It's not unusual to read about old pump organs that play by themselves, or toys that move, as if being played with, at times when no child is at hand. We have a few of those items.

It's not about haunting, or any kind of possession, that made me want to collect stuff. That's too simple an explanation. Yet there have been hundreds of items, I've come across in years of antique hunting, and auction going, that came into my possession because of the "vibes" that initially attracted me. Ghosts, like Casper, didn't jump out at me, or play malevolent games when I got them home. But they have a provenance none the less, that I wanted to be a part of…..if only for a short time.

As an example, as a public relations director for the Crozier Foundation, that was created shortly before Roger Crozier's death, I was responsible for the exhibits of the Bracebridge Sports Hall of Fame, which was afforded the town by the foundation, and Roger's desire to see local athletes recognized. He was born in Bracebridge. I had the cherished responsibility of acquiring hockey artifacts for the display. I had the rare opportunity of attending an auction, where some of Roger's game items from the 1960's Detroit years, were up for sale. On behalf of the Crozier Foundation, I was able to purchase Roger's 1965-66 goalie stick……which was actually a sliver of blade and a hand-smoothed and contoured shaft. You could actually hold the stick, as he would have, during that Detroit / Montreal final, that year, and feel precisely the place where his hand was situated. Keep in mind, this was his Conn Smythe Trophy win, that year. Also consider the fact goalie sticks were not replaced as often as they are today. This stick had been used over many, many exciting Original Six games, probably stopping shots from Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, and Bobby Orr. The stick was in the same locker room as Gordie Howe. For a hockey fan……and you don't have to believe in spirited anything……. you couldn't hold that stick, match your hand grip to the hollow where his hand wore away the wood, and not, in some magical moment, hear the crowd at the old Olympia Stadium, or hear the echo of Foster Hewitt calling the play by play.

While I had the stick in my possession, as curator, I used to pull it from the case on special occasions, such as during the Crozier Foundation Summer Skating Camp, and let the kids have a chance to experience the hockey artifact (we also had his mask and skates), up close and personal. I can tell you, it didn't take me telling them about any spirited stuff, for them to get that familiar "oh wow," buzz. It's just one of those ingrained things, that we employ enthusiastically, to celebrate our life experiences. I was always a curator, whether at Woodchester Villa, or at the Hall of Fame, who believed the "behind the glass stuff" should be put into the hands of "the passionate" as a learning tool. How can we learn about history without immersion? Books alone won't do it! You know, I really enjoyed seeing the kids' (and adults as well) expressions, holding the goalie stick or mask. Even though most didn't know much at all about Roger, outside of his name being attached to the Foundation, a little introduction by me, allowed them to put it in their own modern perception, of what it would be like to play in the National Hockey League. Andrew and Robert loved to engage this stuff, and well, they did have a front row seat. They also got a chance to handle Irvin "Ace" Bailey's skates and trophies, as both lads helped me with regular display changes.

OLD AMPS, OLD GUITARS, MANDOLINS AND DRUMS - ARE THEY THE VESSELS OF THE SPIRITS OF THE PAST?

We Curries don't spend a lot of time talking about paranormal this or that. The boys know I've been a long time ghost-sleuth, and they're mentioned frequently on my "Muskoka and Algonquin Ghosts blog site. But it's one of those things we don't get worked up about…..yet something that has a sensory relevance none-the-less. Possibly it's a sort of gift (my mother wouldn't have called it a gift…..more like a curse) that we are aware of these vibes of the past……attached to things we collect and use daily. When they began working toward a business in vintage instruments, Andrew and Robert carried this respect for provenance (maybe providential as well) with them…..to auctions, antique warehouses, malls, hole-in-the-wall collectible and music shops, looking high and low for pieces that spoke to them. It wasn't just about buying for profit. Geez, if we did that, we'd actually make lots more profit than we do. Like the collectors of fine art, they began looking at the history of a piece, whether an instrument, or an amplifier, concerning themselves with things like…..who owned this before….where did you get it……where is it from originally…..was it played on stage…..did it belong to a group, a band, a solo act……?

They used to drive antique dealers (who often sell old instruments) nuts, with the barrage of questions. They didn't just hand over the money. They wanted the stories to go with the pieces. It's more than likely, some of the antique folks blew them off with fanciful stories….with a lot less truth than they deserved. Old music shops, on the other hand, have owners with a keen sense of an instrument's history……like did it belong to Johnny Cash, or Hank Snow? It does matter, not just because of the celebrity factor, but because of the "stories within," each piece possesses…….to one respectful of such performance provenance……or call it patina (as antique dealers point out about richly seasoned furniture finishes). Andrew, in particular, came to respect this aspect, of tremendous influence, whether to buy an old amp or guitar…….half expecting, as the dreamer he is, that the essence, the spirit of past performers and all the venues it played, were somehow trapped in those vintage articles. I wasn't going to tell him he was misguided, considering how I lived my own life as a collector / dealer.

A few years into the process of collecting these old music artifacts, for the launching of an eventual vintage music shop, we watched a short news feature on television one night, about a world renowned musician, (I won't name here), who used to come into a guitar shop (when in town), looking for interesting pieces…..especially ones with provenance. Of considerable interest to this guitarist, were the vintage amplifiers…….that generated a sound that had that haunting "sort of possessed" legacy attached……still ringing of the exceptional play and performances of decades past. Crazy? I don't think so. Sensory perceptive? I believe so! This performer is by no means the only one to feel this inner spirit, still bouncing about, in the mysterious internal workings of old instruments, and amplifiers. Paranormal? Not really. But as if an alchemist built these early music relics, there are performers who have a very superstitious way of looking at these items….and how they fit into music heritage. Do they really think, that by using a guitar, once owned by Muddy Waters, will mean he's still very much playing along, from somewhere behind the strings, or within the orange-glowing old tubes of a battle-weary amplifier. I don't believe it's the case they believe these pieces are haunted……but rather "storied," and part of a culture of music milestones…..and therefore, possessing a sort of passed-down goodwill……like palming a four leaf clover your mother once stuck between the pages of an old and forgotten book. It brings back memories of dear old mom. It doesn't imply it is haunted. Yet it does have a vibe. A pleasant one. I can imagine this of a vintage guitar that has been hauled all over the earth, for performances or recreation, having the provenance ingrained, of some very intense and emotional moments. Like Roger's hockey stick, the musician with respect for this kind of history, won't have to discuss this vibe…….they'll just benefit from it! Ask Andrew about this, some time when visiting his shop. He's not a ghost hunter, but if he ran into one…..as he has (I'll let him tell you about that one), he'd probably engage it in conversation.

When the amazing Kreskin, attended an Opera House event, not so long ago, Andrew, working the show, had a chance at the end, to have a social moment or two with the legendary chap. In the course of conversation with others as well, her happened to mention his affection for the play of Canadian bandleader Paul Whiteman. Only the day before, Andrew was (the only one in the world at that moment), to have had the Paul Whiteman Trophy in his hand. Paul was such an admirer of hockey, and Irvin "Ace" Bailey, that he had a special trophy made for the Bracebridge-born star……that we had polished for the Hall of Fame the day before, during an exhibit change-over. Kreskin's attention was peaked, as he was also aware of Ace Bailey. We actually sent him an image of the Whiteman trophy the next day, to show him we weren't fooling about our own connection to Paul Whiteman. As he can read minds……maybe we read his…..who knows.

On one of the first blogs in this Christmas in Gravenhurst series, regarding the upcoming Night Before Christmas Show, on December 10th, at the Opera House, in support of the Salvation Army Food Bank, I told a story about the boys sitting up in the auditorium, looking at the precious old and "storied" stage……looking to be inspired about this year's show……well by golly, they found the "vibe" they were looking for. They always do. As a preamble to any show our family begins, the boys let the Opera House do the inspiring for them. They've not been disappointed yet. No, it's not about the fictional, very much invented apparition, some call "Ben" the love-lost techie who died there (no proof of this). The motivation they get from this enchanted place, is the same as they would find in the texture, feeling, and legacy of an old guitar……a violin, mandolin, or a beat-up old amplifier…..with a lot of service yet to provide. The mission of the show is to bring folks together to celebrate the Christmas season as a community. As we have done, in recent times, and is evident throughout the entire history of this community, the benefactors of this unity of performers, has been donations of food and cash to benefit those in need. Four us, it means a needed donation to the kind volunteers who keep the Food Bank doors open. It is our Merry Christmas celebration…..in the bosom of a fine building……with the echoes of the past still resonating about those wooden arches, like a sweetly singing violin.

In context, if you have read recent articles about a special guitar (spirited?), recently acquired by Canadian music star Murray Mclauchlan , used on his new CD release, it's true what they say. Andrew did sell it to Murray, although you won't see his name in any of the articles. As for claims it's kind of an enchanted piece……would you expect anything less…..at least if you appreciated what you've just read as being, well, somewhat true. It spoke to Andrew when he purchased it. Now it's a good vibe for someone else.

We're just big believers in history, plain and simple. Hope you can be part of it, on Saturday, December 10th, beginning at 7 p.m. Fred Schulz is once again our master of ceremonies. As former manager of the Opera House, he's the best host for an Opera House Christmas……in the final days of its 110th Anniversary (1901-2011).

More to come on the Opera House…….got to go and paint a bathroom right now, or I will be haunted by conscience. And Suzanne too!