Getting Into Character…

Judi and I visited the Scugog Shores Museum and their Pioneer Fall Fair. We were impressed with village interpreters and how they assumed the identity of the pioneers they were portraying. It wasn’t just the costumes. It was the little things. The way they spoke. The knowledge they displayed about their tasks and staying within character during conversations with visitors. 

We have visited quite a few re-enactments and pioneer villages and they all seem to attract people who have these characteristics in common! Re-enactors and village interpreters are, in most cases, unpaid volunteers. They do it for the love of history and they have a lot of fun doing it! Just think, they are portraying our forefathers in the heat of summer! No air-conditioned buildings! Dressed in “hot” old fashioned materials! I asked one re-enactor how he coped with the wool uniform he was wearing. He just shrugged and smiled and said “You get use to it after a while!” I wondered what he meant by “after a while”! Did he mean when the leaves started to fall and it was time to stoke up the coals in the fireplace? No matter, these wonderful, dedicated historians continue to keep our past vivid and alive! Thank goodness there are people out there that care so much! 

If anyone reading this article is interested in becoming a village interpreter or re-enactor, the pioneer villages and re-enactment groups are always looking for new volunteers. Just contact your nearest pioneer village and they can steer you in the right direction. Who know, the next time Judi and I visit a pioneer village or re-enactment, we might be snapping a picture of you! If we are, let us know. 

Attention Animal Lovers…

It’s amazing how well festivals and animal fit together! I had never really thought about it until I started examining festivals and their common links. The more I thought about, the more I realized how large a part animal played in the majority of festivals Judi and I had visited. Out of the last 10 festivals visited, 7 had had animals’ involvement in one form or another! I’ll quickly go down the list. The Fur Trade Re-enactment at Lang Pioneer Village had a number of farm animals plus a horse drawn wagon ride. The Old Time Fiddle Championships in Shelburne had a number of horses in their parade. The Kingston Sheep Dog Trials was really animal oriented! There were, of course, dogs (Border Collies) and sheep, but they also included 2 horse drawn shuttle wagons, a birds of prey demonstration by the Canadian Raptor Conservancy plus two other animal presentations, one by Jungle Cat World and the other by Little Ray’s Reptiles! The Rural Ramble Farm Tour featured numerous farm animals including cows, pigs, chickens, sheep and horses. At the Fort Henry Sunset Ceremony, the Fort Henry Guard’s mascot is a goat named David IX. The Orono Fair had animals galore, chicken (lot of them!), ducks, rabbits, cows and horses! Finally, at the Dine and Shine in Lang Pioneer village, not only did they have their traditional horse drawn wagon ride, but they had their own unique brush with wildlife! Just as Village Museum Manager, Joe Corrigan, was about to welcome the attendees, a flock of Canada Geese flew over the event giving us all a very loud, but appreciated Canadian “fly-by” (NASCAR eat your hearts out!)! So, if you are an animal lover, Ontario festivals and events are a must for you!

Unplugged…

We have been to a number of events that have had loud sounds, such as an air show, several military re-enactments with cannons, a military band performance and a “Rock” concert. They were all very enjoyable, but to a sensitive ear, loud! 

So, what’s the solution? Ear plugs, of course! The only problem with ear plugs is that they can really mute the sounds, both good and bad. If you are close to a cannon being fired off, good! If you are listening to a really great, but loud, music group, bad! Judi and my older grandson have sensitive ears, so ear plugs work for them, especially at battle re-enactments. I guess it’s a matter of choice and it depends on your “sound pain” threshold. Here is an example of what I mean. Judi and I attended a “Rock” concert in Peterborough. A Rock group called “Sweet” was the featured performance. We had the opportunity to hear them practice in the afternoon, so we knew they were going to be loud at the concert, VERY loud! During the concert we were going to be seated near the stage and loudspeakers. The festival organizer offered each of us ear plugs. We gratefully accepted. Judi was very apprehensive and decided to sit at the back of the park, away from the stage and the loudspeakers! I stayed at the front. The concert opened with a Toronto based group, Hello Operator. Although they were fairly loud, they weren’t “ear plug” loud! Then Sweet took the stage. The sound level went up several decibels! I listened to their first song without the aid of ear plugs.  When they started the second song, it was even louder! I put the ear plugs in! I couldn’t leave them in! They muted the music too much and, after all, I was there to listen to a “Rock” concert! I knew what to expect when it started and I wanted to enjoy “Sweet” and their music! By the end of the concert my ears were buzzing, but I had a great time!

“Pardon! I can’t hear you! Did you say something?”

Staring Down the Competition…

I always have great fun when I go to a fundraising auction dinner. Most have good basic food and an atmosphere that is happy and festive. But the real fun is people watching! During a “silent” auction it’s fascinating watching people’s strategy! Some people “sneak up” to the bid sheet, look around to see if anyone is looking and then quickly write down their bid. If a bidding number is available, they use it rather then disclosing their name! While some bidders may be “sneaky”, others are “bold”! They walk up to the bid sheet, look around defying anyone to challenge them and then boldly scrawl their name on the sheet! Then they look around again telling anyone who will listen that they will “win” this item! Once an initial bid has been made, most bidders become very possessive when it comes to “their” item! They tell their friends that it’s “theirs”. They jump up when anyone goes near “their” item! If someone has the audacity to bid against them, they become quite defensive even “stock’ the offender in extreme cases. And, if they lose, they become pouty and withdrawn (at least for a little while)! It’s all in great fun and for a worthy cause. Live auctions can be even more entertaining. Many times, it’s like a boxing match! At first “opponents” just spare, checking each other out. They make little bids and then stop as though they are giving up, out of the bidding. Then they start again, bidding in a flurry! Finally, one of them many “throws” the “big”. They step up the bid so high that they “knock” their opponent out of the bidding! Sometime the “big bid” doesn’t knock the opponent out. They just become more stubborn and start to borough in. The bids go higher and higher until someone flinches and a winner is declared! The beautiful thing about this type of bidding is that everyone wins! The audience wins because the “fight” has been great entertainment! The organizers win because the item that was bid on brings a big profit for their cause! The winning bidder wins because he/she won! The losing bidder wins because he/she didn’t! At the end of the evening everyone goes home happy because they know that they have helped a “great cause”!