Richmond Hill Winter Carnival - February 5 and 6, 2011
This was our first year being invited (by Dave Brunelle) to this event, and it was a great experience to be part of the 43rd annual Richmond Hill Winter Carnival at Mill Pond. The 1812 Winter Encampment was set amongst some trees at the north end of the Pond, while most of the other attractions (bouncy castles, horse-drawn sleigh rides, great pond skating, ice sculptures, etc.) were at the south end. Nevertheless, we had a constant flow of people, representing many different cultures, stream through over the course of Saturday and Sunday.
The encampment included Captain Larry Hanna, and the men of the Norfolk Militia. Their firing demonstrations included timely shouts of "bang" from the public, since the town of Richmond Hill would not allow any actual firing of the muskets. Meanwhile, Captain Hanna’s wife, Linda, gave demonstrations of campfire cooking. Dr. Phineas Quimby (Bob Allan), wowed people with his rope magic and tales of the astounding benefits of Miracularium Medicosity. And of course, Richmond Hill native Sutler Cyrus (Jeff Wakefield), provided wholesome family fun in the form of target shooting games (ala 33-calibre rubberbands), with the gracious assistance of his wife, Carol.
Many of the public, who originally came from Eastern Europe and Russia, had a very different recollection of the "War of 1812" - one involving a plump little French Emperor - and didn't realize that we had had our own version here in Canada. Many of those had a love of furs, and really enjoyed learning about our fur trade and early pioneer life in Canada. It made sharing our history all the more enjoyable!
Much thanks goes to Sable, who endured a recent twisted knee injury and the snow and cold weather to come on Sunday morning just to deliver a very delicious stew she'd made for our lunch! The only downer was an unfortunate mishap with the porta-potty on Saturday evening, making a pilgrimage to the south end of the pond necessary to find any needed relief. Regardless, we're very much hoping to return next year!
A steady flow of people both days
