Sunday, February 19, 2012

Gravenhurst Winter Carnival, Outdoor Fun

ENJOY THE FINAL DAYS OF THE WINTER - THAT WAS SORT OF -

I KNOW AN OTTER YOU SHOULD MEET? GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL


I'M NOT GOING TO LIE ABOUT IT. SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS A COUPLE OF OLD HERALD-GAZETTES, FROM THE EARLY 1980'S, UNDOUBTEDLY CONTAINING ONE OF MY OLD COLUMNS, ABOUT FREEZING HALF-TO-DEATH, STANDING OUT AT A MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL VENUE…..SUCH AS THE POLAR BEAR DIP. SO THERE'S NO POINT MISLEADING YOU WITH ANY NONSENSE, ABOUT HOW EAGER WE ALL WERE, TO SADDLE-UP TO THAT FROSTED SKOKIE, ON THE CROWDED ICE, AROUND AN OMINOUSLY BLACK, STEAMING, OPEN HOLE IN THE MUSKOKA RIVER…..PREPARED BY MEN WITH BIG AXES, FOR THOSE WHACKY DIPPERS TO HIT THE BRINE.

I'M TELLING YOU FRANKLY, OUR REPORTERS WOULD DRAW STRAWS. THE LUCKY AMONGST US, GOT TO COVER THE INSIDE EVENTS, AND THAT MEANT, A JACKET-LESS, MITT-LESS PHOTO ASSIGNMENT, AND THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY THE ROVING REPORTER MIGHT GET A WEE PINT, IN THE SPIRIT OF ALL THINGS WINTER. FOR THOSE POOR DEVILS OUT ON THE ICE-FLOW, WITH TEETH CHATTERING, I DIDN'T FEEL SORRY FOR THEM AT ALL. THEY WERE JUST GETTING WHAT I HAD ENDURED, THE YEAR BEFORE…..ALONG WITH THE BED RACE, AND THE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR THE KIDDIES. THE DIFFERENCE TODAY……WELL, I NOW ATTEND WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS BECAUSE I WANT TO……WITH NO PAY CHEQUE-HINGING ON MY EVER-SMILING PERFORMANCE…….OR THE NOTE LEFT ON MY DESK, BY THE PUBLISHER, REMINDING ME, "IT'S YOUR JOB, CURRIE….GET OUT THERE AND FIND US A BIG SCOOP." "AT THE WINTER CARNIVAL," I'D LAUGH TO MYSELF. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY TOOK THE EVENT, AND SKOKIE A LITTLE TOO SERIOUSLY BACK THEN, BUT BY GOLLY, THE ADVERTISERS, AND ESPECIALLY THE SPONSORING BREWERIES, WERE OUT IN FORCE……AND THEY WERE COVERING MY PAY CHEQUE. SO I PAINTED A SMILE ON, AND STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH SKOKIE, FOR A LOT, AND I MEAN A LOT OF WINTER CARNIVAL BED RACES, LOG SAWING, POLAR BEAR DIPPING, AND NAIL HAMMERING. GOOD TIMES.

WE ALL THINK ABOUT THE SAME, ON MATTERS OF WORK AND PLAY. I LIKED THE "PLAY" SIDE OF THE WINTER CARNIVAL, FAR MORE THAN THE "WORK" DETAIL. AFTER I LEFT THE NEWSPAPER, SUZANNE AND I NEVER MISSED A WINTER CARNIVAL WEEKEND, AND WE'VE GOT LOTS OF PICTURES OF SNOW-SUITED CURRIE KIDS AT THE WINTER PARKS. AS YOUNG PARENTS, WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY TO SPEND ON RECREATION, AND WE FOUND THE WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS VERY AFFORDABLE. BETTER STILL, WAS THE FACT WE WERE ABLE TO GET THEM OUTDOORS AND AWAY FROM TELEVISION, AND OUT OF THE STUFFY HOUSE. NOW ALL THESE YEARS LATER, ANDREW AND ROBERT ARE PLEASED TO BE PART OF THE NEWLY RE-INTRODUCED AND IMPROVED GRAVENHURST WINTER CARNIVAL. IN LATE DECEMBER, THEY DECIDED TO WRITE A THEME SONG FOR THE 2012 CARNIVAL, WITH THEIR GROUP PRESSURE POINT, AND FOR THE PASTS TWO WEEKS, THEIR MUSIC VIDEO OF THE SKOKIE SONG HAS HAD 1,024 HITS AS OF THIS MORNING. THEY HAVE BEEN ASKED TO PERFORM AT THE OPENING CEREMONIES, ON FRIDAY NIGHT AT THE OPERA HOUSE, AND THEN AGAIN ON SUNDAY "IN" THE OPERA HOUSE, WITH OTHER GUEST BANDS…..ALL OF THEM LOCAL, SUCH AS VAN NEWELL AND THE BODENVILLE FLYERS. EVERYBODY'S PRETTY EXCITED, AND I'M QUITE HAPPY ABOUT THIS NEWFOUND TOWN ENTHUSIASM GENERALLY. THE THEME SONG WAS DONATED TO THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, FOR THEIR USE TO ETERNITY, IF THEY WISH.

NOW THAT I CAN ATTEND THE WINTER CARNIVAL EVENTS, WITHOUT THE PUBLISHER'S ORDERS PINNED TO MY JACKET, I WILL HAVE A MUCH BETTER TIME. THE WEATHER IS LIKELY TO BE A LOT WARMER, THAN I REMEMBER FROM THE CARNIVAL DAYS IN THE 1980'S, WHEN JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY OF THE WEEKEND WAS WELL BELOW ZERO. I CAN RECALL HAVING MY FILM BREAK IN THE CAMERA. IN FACT, I CAN REMEMBER, FOR SOME OUTDOOR EVENTS, WATCHING BED RACE COMPETITORS HAVING TO PULL CLUMPS OF ICE FROM THEIR BEARDS. NOW HERE'S THE THING ABOUT THAT……WHILE IT'S EASY TO REMOVE THE ICE, THE FACIAL HAIR OFTEN COMES AS WELL. WHICH IS OKAY, UNTIL THE THAWING OF THE SKIN COMMENCES…..AND THIS IS WHEN THE STINGING SENSATION REQUIRES A LITTLE LIQUID SEDATIVE. I REMEMBER A GUY, WITH A SUBSTANTIAL BEARD, SHOWING ME THE HUGE CLUMP OF ICE, WITH A THIRD OF HIS BEARD ATTACHED……CRADLED IN HIS MITTED-HAND. HE WAS LOOKING AT ME RATHER NERVOUSLY, AS IF TO SAY, "GEEZ, THIS CAN'T BE GOOD." I COULD SEE THE BARE SPOT ON HIS CHEEK, AND I THINK I MAY HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE. THE SAME GUY WAS BROUGHT TO TEARS LATER ON, WHILE AT ONE OF THE INDOOR VENUES, WHEN THAT PATCH OF HAIRLESS SKIN BEGAN TO THAW. I DIDN'T HAVE A BEARD THEN, THANK GOODNESS, BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME ICE-BOAT.

PUT DOWN THE CELL PHONES, TABLETS, PADS AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES FOR A TAD, AND TAKE A CHANCE ON A NEW CARNIVAL, BASED ON AN OLD PREMISE, THAT WINTER CAN ACTUALLY BE FUN. ORGANIZERS WILL BE GLAD TO SEE YOU. THEY WILL CERTAINLY BE GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU BROUGHT THE KIDS, BECAUSE THESE YOUNG CITIZENS ARE THE FUTURE OF THE EVENT. TAKE OUR LADS FOR EXAMPLE. THEY'RE QUITE ECSTATIC, IN FACT, PREPPING FOR THEIR VERY FIRST WINTER CARNIVAL PERFORMANCE…..OTHER THAN AS DONUT-EATERS. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. BRING OTHERS. THE ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT……WHAT YOU HEAR YOU MISSED.

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