The Red House Door Post

As each new year dawns I take a moment to write something reflective about the past year and look forward to the future. This year as I write I find myself reflecting on some of the greatest “traditions” we have in our small town and how fragile it really is in a day of consumerism and conglomerations.

Recently, while speaking at a Christmas Concert I looked to my left to see one of the reporters for the Perth Courier sitting there not only enjoying the music, but hard at work covering the concert. At the time I remarked to the public how privileged we are to have had a true community paper that has been published weekly for just over 175 years now. The more I thought about this over the last few days, the more important it has brought focus to one of those things we often might not recognize: the importance of recording and retelling our stories.

We are, at best, a collection of fragments from our past. We assemble them, rewrite them, dust of bits, put others away and highlight some portions depending on the occasion. This past holiday has proven that to me: not only was I able to share stories from my family and our traditions, but to blend them with true life experiences drawn from the pages of the Bathurst Courier and Perth Courier. What a loss it would be to our small town if that reporter’s voice had been silenced.

The television surrounds us with adds about protecting local television. We see the results when a major local event happens and there is little to no coverage as the large national oriented networks prefer to focus not on the stories that shape our histories, but on the sound bites that will ultimately be forgotten as the next national sound bite comes to the air.

There remains something very important in that local reporter, writing not about something that will shape Canada’s agenda, but reporting on something that will form our personal story; our own interpretation of the town we live in. She stands in the footsteps of those who have recorded the legends that mold us into what we are and what we will become.

We call ourselves “the heritage town of Perth.” Somehow, had it not been for the voices of 175 years of reporters we would be less of a community. Had the Courier not been there to record and report on the little things that we recall so vividly today the memories might have passed and future generations would certainly have had a great loss.

To our stories and to another year to tell them … and to another year to create them.

May God grant you a happy and healthy New Year!

Mr. & Mrs. Town Crier

It is amazing what a little snow can do. Only a few weeks ago we joked about the warm conditions our community was going through and today, well, with the temperatures at the uncomfortably cold mark and snow piles deep at our door steps … things change.

It is also amazing that our heritage community is here at all. That first summer, in 1816, looked more like our early winter. There are reports of icicles hanging from the rooftops in early June, and the ground being still frozen as July moved forward. It is a tribute to those first settlers that they stuck it out  and ultimately turned the untillable land into the community we celebrate.

These past few weeks I have had the opportunity to reflect once again on just how eclectic we truly were. As I pour through old newspapers and writings I see a very different little town … one which embraced a large spectrum of traditions and practices, particularly at this holiday period. It is easy to see the influence of those who came from France, Germany, Switzerland. It is apparent where the Irish and English influenced the celebrations within our town and how the Scottish embraced the coming of each New Year. The reports of community dances, of times of singing and concerts abound. When one considers how difficult it was to simply travel into town in the early days, these seem even more important.

Finally, there are stories about how this community cared for each other particularly when the cold winter’s air made it a difficult decision between keeping a family warm or keeping them fed. I cannot begin to list the number of activities this winter where we have seen the same tradition of giving and caring echoed through requests for donations to the Food Bank or Salvation Army rather then charging a fee to attend.

It is in that tradition that I prefer to think of this season and to wish you all “Waes Hael!” … “Good Health!” or simply, “Be Well!”

From this Green Man and his loving wife, nothing but the best to you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year … but above all, Peace! Thank you for bringing us into your hearts and homes again this year.

There are so many stories that surround the celebrations of the holidays within our heritage community. Searching through the archives of the Bathurst Courier and Perth Courier brings a very different picture of the celebrations of Christmas and New Years in the earliest days of the Perth Military Settlement, in fact, the it is just over a century ago that the trimmings we see in our homes, businesses and streets began to take form.

Christmas was celebrated at different times by the different nationalities who made up the Perth Settlement. Some celebrated it as early as St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. For others, it was celebrated as late as January 17th. Many celebrated it around New Years Day while many celebrated in early January. Until the early 1870’s December the 25th was a normal working day for the town. Many bylaws, including the Market Bylaw, required all businesses to be open and all schools and industries to be in full operation. In those early days it was New Years Day that was the public holiday and the larger community celebration. A poster still hanging in the Perth Citizen’s Band room reminds the community of their Annual Christmas Dance, held on Christmas Day … imagine trying to hold that event today!

Still, beginning in 1848 you will see mention of Christmas in the Bathurst Courier. It will be the 1890’s before we see Christmas advertisements, but there are a few editorials and articles which talk about the giving nature of this community throughout the holiday period. One article from 1849 is particularly heart-warming. These are the stories that Father Christmas has the rare opportunity to share wit h the young people who are visiting the Perth Museum this December.

Telling our stories is an important part of who we are. This Christmas and New Years take the time to share the stories of your family as you gather. As we share who we are we preserve our future for generations yet to come.

This year’s Festival of Good Cheer had a special guest in the person of Father Christmas, who made his official appearance on the streets of Perth over the weekend. Call him what you want … a Green Man, Father Winter or the more traditional Father Christmas, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet visitors to our town and speak about the traditions of the first Christmas here in this heritage community.

The traditions of “green” and “wassail” put the festive into the winter season. Most countries had some tradition of bringing greenery, song and celebration into the darkest months of the year. In the early 1600’s this blended together into what the British called “Father Christmas.” It would take the Victorians to both perfect it, and then change it.  Charles Dickens both set the tone and moved added new traditions in A Christmas Carol. The Ghost of Christmas Present was the second of the three spirits that haunted the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, in order to prompt him to repent. According to Dickens’ novel, the Ghost of Christmas Present appears to Scrooge as “a jolly giant” with dark brown curls. He wears a fur-lined green robe and on his head a holly wreath set with shining icicles. He carries a large torch, made to resemble a Cornucopia, and appears accompanied by a great feast. True to the ancient traditions, the ghost finally disappears at the stroke of midnight on Twelfth Night.

Our Father Christmas continues the ancient tradition of wishing everyone “Waes Hael” … which is Olde English for “Good Health” or simply “Be Well!” He must never be confused with Santa Claus … that is the one blending that the Victorians themselves started in the 1890’s. No! No! … Dressed in his green robes our Father Christmas reminds us that the season is about enjoying the time we spend with family, with friends and even with our visitors. Father Christmas will be seen at many different events throughout this heritage community in the month of December, and true to form, will disappear for another year on the twelfth night of Christmas.

As new photos of heritage Perth’s latest addition to our historic traditions arrive we will keep them posted here … <click to go to our Gallery!>

Whew … this weather has been beautiful: sunny days, warm temperature, just a little rain and no snow! A real change from last year, but a welcome relief for the planners of area parades and events.

As this heritiage community prepares to enter into is season of Good Cheer the list of events gets longer and the days later.  Watch out for this year brings about the appearance of Father Christmas to the street of Perth. A project that began over two years ago will make its first appearance at the Perth Museum on November 28th at the noon hour and then continue to bring greetings to events around the area for the month prior to Christmas.

It will be an entire month of music, shopping, fireworks and good times with family and friends. Hope to see you soon!

The long weekend of September marks the return of the Perth Fair to our community. This year the four days of the 164th annual fair was greeted with absolutely perfect weather, what had to be record crowds and a large number of visitors to our town … certainly more then this crier or his escort can remember in previous years.

The midway was absolutely buzzing on the Friday afternoon as the youth of our area stood shoulder-to-shoulder and pushed the rides to their maximum. Still, despite the noise and activities there remains a unique agricultural element to our annual back-to-school tradition and the show rings for the cattle, horses and just about every other animal were well attended. We were able to make a visit to the fair each day.

This year we walked the parade route with our mayor, John Fenik. His Worship was in fine form for the endeavour but was really not prepared for how long the walk actually is. A good size crowd greeted us at every step along the way … all the way into the packed grandstand area at the fair grounds. This year honoured the members of the Canadian Armed Forces and we were particularly proud to lead in the singing of the National Anthem.

There are so many good things about our heritage town. Just because the fair is over doesn’t mean things have packed up for another year. It is back out greeting visitors as the many fall activities move into high gear. We’ll see you somewhere along the way.

Almost every one of the 26 years the North Lanark Highland Games have been in Almonte the car has pointed its way to the “Friendly Town” for a day of bagpipes, drums and good times. For the past few years the day has also meant attending in full highland dress as Mr. & Mrs. Town Crier.

It is always a pleasure to return to the town my father grew up in and where I first started my career. This year was a little more historic since it was 100 years ago that my grandfather arrived in Canada and made his way up to the burgeoning textile mills of what is now Mississippi Mills. As a boy the Almonte Fair was a wonderful family tradition each fall. I can still remember the dinners served by the Presbyterian Church and the chips served at Barr’s Chip Truck.  Walking out on to the fair grounds stirs a lot of memories. Beyond that, it is a privilege to be present to hand out awards and ribbons, greet guests and simply visit.

We would like to thank the organizers of the North Lanark Highland Games, and in particular Brian Tackaberry, for making our day a pleasure once again. We look forward to returning next year on August 21st.

Summer finally arrived with a vengeance. Thank goodness there was at least some shade at the appearances Mr. & Mrs. Town Crier made this weekend! This upcoming week is equally full of Golf Tournaments, greeting and touring visitors coming to our heritage community and yep, several meetings thrown in just to keep us honest.

As I gaze back on my blog, I realize several weeks have passed since my last posting. Along the way greeting literally thousands of guests who attended the Stewart Park Festival, Band Concerts, the Art-of-Being Green Festival and others passing through on their way to the Rideau Canal Festival or Glengarry Highland Games.

This past weekend we greeted Special Olympics athletes taking part in the Knights of Columbus Summer Games at Conlon Farm, spent time at the Farmer’s Market and then on to open the new Toaist Tai Chi Center on Gore Street before a crowd of several hundred.

Perth is a wonderful place to visit in the summer … and judging from the 30+ temperatures the last few days, the summer is truly, truly here!

With all the flurry surrounding the 175th anniversary of the Rideau Canal just a short while ago it was easy to overlook Perth’s connection to the system through the Tay Canal. It was even easier to overlook the importance of William Morris, MP in the 7th and 8th Parliament of Upper Canada. It was Morris who first championed the Rideau system, not as a military canal, but as essential to the growth of the Military Settlement at Perth. Well before 1824 he had proven the need for the waterway. (Take that Colonel By!)

One of the guarantees made to the disbanded soldiers and others who first settled at Perth and on lands adjacent to that place was that, with the building of the Rideau Canal, there would come corresponding improvement of the Tay which would render it, too, capable of navigation by steamboat. As time passed and the settlement grew, it became a matter of vital importance that this guarantee should be fulfilled.

In 1834, the first Beveridges Locks, which ran through Pikes Falls (now Port Elmsley) allowed access from the Rideau Canal to the Town of Perth. Woven into the story one can even find an wonderful link to none other then Benedict Arnold.

The present day locks were built between 1883 and 1887, replacing the earlier set of wooden locks constructed in 1834. Locally the Tay Canal was known as “Haggart’s Ditch” after John G. Haggart, local MP, who held the portfolio of Railways and Canals and who poured much government money into upgrading the Tay Canal and constructing the current Beveridges Locks.

So, if the Rideau Canal opened in 1832, then this year we celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Tay Canal. We do so with a year of activities with many special events planned for the week of July 4-12th. A list of what is happening can be found at http://www.tayriver.org/tay175/.

An excellent article on the First Tay Canal can be found at: http://globalgenealogy.com/LCGS/articles/A-TAY.HTM

There are times when the Crier gets to be humorous… times official … times informal … times wrapped up in protocol. Canada Day has never been one of those days however. Each Canada Day brings about the opportunity to tell a story about our community and proclaim our small part in shaping our great country.

And so today, in front of the large crowd gathered at the municipal celebration the Perth Town Crier proclaimed:

“We speak about the 175th Anniversary of the Tay or of the Bathurst Courier. We honour names of Haggart, Matheson, Bell, Code and Shaw.

But few recall the name William Morris.

Morris, arrived here as a soldier in 1816 and opened a small store. He had an idea. A decade before the Rideau Canal was even proposed, Morris proved that a canal link between Perth and Ottawa then on to Montreal was possible.

Only years after our settlement  was formed, the markets in Perth had outgrown local needs many times over and the roads could not handle the volume of materials or thousands of people who came through our community each year. The canal was of economic necessity if our small settlement was to succeed.

The heritage of our Town is rooted in hundreds of names we scarcely know.  It holds foundation in those who came from Germany, France and Switzerland, who turned the backwoods and swamps into productive farms and whose hard work and effort spawned William Morris to enter politics and fight for the canal we continue to commemorate this year.

Today we honour a nation … 142 years of Confederation … but we here in Perth need only look at the stones in Craig Street Cemetery or in the Old Methodist Burying Grounds to recall those who nearly 200 years ago turned dreams into ideas, and ideas into Canada.

May each of us pledge to protect and to celebrate our common heritage.

God Save the Queen and may God bless Canada!“