Posted on July 24, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Street Fair on Main – 2014

 

 

The 151^st. edition of the Antigonish Highland Games is fading in the rear view mirror. We should all applaud the hundreds of volunteers that make this happen every year. Some of these people have been giving of their time for over 50 years. They need reinforcements and they need it now. Maybe you will consider volunteering next year. A special mention to Jamie MacDonald and his team for organizing an awesome Street Fair.

All you working stiffs ( myself included ).  What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you contemplate going to work on Mondays? I know that two cups of coffee are mandatory before I show my face at the office…  just to make sure I don’t destroy my computer or hurl an epithet at some unsuspecting staff member ( or worse, a client ). What is it about Mondays that so easily seems to take us out of rhythm? This past Monday, it seemed that everyone in our office was just a tad off kilter. The very first appointment of the week was a complete surprise to all of us as no one knew this person was coming.

When I got home from work on Monday, I decided to try and articulate why Mondays are so different from the other days of the week. Do you have a theory on Mondays? Please pass along your comments as my story “ Monday, Monday” is getting down to the edit stage. As far as I can tell, the only really good thing about Monday is that it became the title of that great Momma’s and Papa’s tune from 1966. Ouch. Another sign of aging. That song is nearly 50 years old!

I am also putting on the finishing touches on a story for the Cape Breton Star. Because the paper is distributed all over Cape Breton Island, I am trying to profile the different towns and villages. Next week, I will be doing a story about Port Hastings and Port Hawkesbury. “Make Haste to the Hawk” gives a brief overview of the Strait area,  where big industry has always been a trademark. But ultimately, it comes back to the people and the area has its share of character and characters. I will be publishing that story on my website after it has been published in the Star.

My tribute to David Miller and Aida Arnold received a large and warm response. They have contributed so much to our community over the years that I felt a shout out was in order. Come out to the Art Fair tomorrow evening at Chisholm Park and say hello to them. By the way, they are not just great ideas people. They are true workers and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, doing all of the mundane chores that are required to put on a quality event.

Have a great weekend.

 

Posted on July 17, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Our community in bloom

I would like to once again compliment the Town and the people who care enough to make our community look attractive to tourists. The “Communities in Bloom” initiative is a real winner. It seems that you can’t walk a few feet on Main Street without encountering a flower box or a hanging basket. They are absolutely beautiful and a real eye catcher. Kudos to Wayne and the other people who routinely water the flowers.

At the risk of leaving someone else, I want to recognize three couples who were instrumental in this community beautification effort: David Miller and Aida Arnold, John Hamilton and Minoli Amit, and Ernie MacLaughlin and his wife. It was their vision and hard work years ago that has resulted in the Town repeatedly being recognized as one of the most esthetically pleasing in the country.

I attended a reunion of former students of the old Antigonish High School the other day at Piper’s Pub, Besides the guest book, the other most important thing the organizers did was to bring stick on name tags. I didn’t recognize some of the older people but happily knew all of the people from my era. We all commented that we struggle with names and have bouts of forgetfulness. I wondered aloud at our table whether aging had anything to do with that! Oh my, but the years fly by. Shocking, actually. I am one of those who routinely pooh poohed reunions when I was younger but now I see how important they are… and fun.

I think just about every person in attendance must read The Casket ( or my website ). The vacuum cleaner story still has “legs.” Just about everybody in the room commented about the story and their version of “staging the house.” I guess misplacing items is common. One person told me that they found children’s toys in the oven the day after a showing. Good thing they weren’t preheating the oven for a roast!

So. Did you attend any of the Highland Games last week or some other festival? Sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I look at the program for a major event. Even if you were cloned, it would be nearly impossible to see everything or do everything on the agenda. It got me to thinking about the “feast or famine” syndrome. You know what I mean. You hardly ever socialize but the two weeks leading up to Christmas, you get invited to a dozen office or house parties. Very often, more than one are happening on the same night and you dutifully make the rounds. By the end of the holiday, you are ready to kill somebody who puts a shrimp ring in front of you.

“Feast or Famine” looks at the “all or nothing” phenomenon. It calls into question the notion of seeking balance and moderation in our lives. Neither of these is possible, by the way. I have been studying the subject for nearly 63 years.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on July 10, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Allan Syliboy appearing tomorrow at Antigonish Art Fair

Hope you’re having a great Highland Games week so far. There’s lots more to come.

I want to dedicate this space today to the Antigonish Art Fair. The second of five shows will be held tomorrow evening ( Friday, July 11^th. ) at Chisholm Park starting at 6:00 p.m. You can just click on the link and get yourself up to speed. www.antigonishartfair.ca

To put it simply, an ambitious group is trying to make Antigonish into an arts and culture destination, along the lines of what Nashville did with country music. The fair is a multi faceted event showcasing local artists and artisans as well as other artistic forms. There’s also a food court. Two weeks ago we had ethnic foods. Not sure what’s on the menu this week.

I will once again host the main stage at the gazebo for an action packed evening of music and entertainment.

We have a very special treat this week. First Nation’s artist, activist and musician, Allan Syliboy will be in attendance. His life long friend and occasional “partner in crime”, Bruce Campbell will be doing an old fashioned “medicine show.” There will be two performances during the evening. Allan and Bruce will also have some of their art available for purchase.

I met with the organizing committee a few days ago, along with Bruce, to try and understand exactly what he and Allan would be doing. I don’t inhabit the art world nor do I claim to understand artists themselves. They see the world differently. I listened intently three times trying to figure out how to present this as the Emcee. I have a couple of university degrees but I was still befuddled when the discussion wrapped up. I guess art is meant to be unpredictable so Friday will be a work in progress for me. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.

We will also have a harpist, some classical musicians and tiny Highland Dancers. These young ladies performed at the last show and were definitely a crowd pleaser.

I did mention multi faceted, didn’t I ?

We will also be treated to a demonstration of Sheng Zhen Qi Gong. Please don’t ask me to explain this. Just come and see for yourself. I am told that one of the world’s leading practitioner’s, Master Li will be joining us for a performance on August 8^th. I gather he is the “Wayne Gretzky” of this discipline.

As an aside, we were meeting in a room above Marie’s Flower Shop. By the time our meeting ended, the flower people had left and locked the side door to the building. We were locked in. I scanned the room and noticed a package of gum and four bottles of water. I had visions of “Lord of the Flies” if we had to stay the night. Luckily we were rescued.

Oh yes. A reminder of the street fair today on Main Street. I will be parked outside of the 5 to $1.00 hocking my books. Come by and say hello.

Have a great weekend.