Kincardine Mass Band Parade

There was a certain appeal to packing the lawn chairs into the trunk and having no more to do than sit for the afternoon in a shaded park while enjoying some really good, free, live entertainment. All you could eat hot dogs, corn on the cob and pop was available for $6.00. Off we went for our grand adventure.

After juggling a bit to accommodate a vertically challenged senior who chose to sit in the middle of the crowd, we found a suitable spot. Our afternoon began with the Toronto All-Star Big Band who has been coming to Kincardine for the past 18 years. Performing with them were “The Andrew Sisters“, “Louis Armstrong”, and a drummer who in addition to playing his drum set, banged out beats on a garbage lid, wooden posts and whatever else he could find to drum on, on stage or off. Pretty good.

My all time favourite Saturday afternoon entertainment was a local group known as The Pleats (not to be confused with The Pleats from Chicago.) Led by Laurie Dalton, they played and sang celtic music and Canadian folk tunes, using close harmonies. Laurie made the bass guitar sing. She also plays the acoustic guitar and has a rich alto voice. Nicole Reid, who’s voice has a down east quality to it, sings melody, and plays the guitar as well as violin, her husband Nick plays the kitchen pipes, the bag pipes and a variety of drums. On the keyboard was Brenda Manderson who sings harmony. I could have listened to them for the entire afternoon and was disappointed to find out they have no cd’s available for purchase.

It never occurred to Gene nor I that all those gathered in the park would, like us, need a place to eat. Instead of making reservations at one of the local eateries, we went for a walk along the Kincardine Harbour where scores of sailboats and yachts were anchored. When it came time to eat, the only inn where we found room was the Bruce Inn. The server mentioned it would be a bit of a wait for our food but as we had an hour and fifteen minutes before the Gathering of the Bands, we thought we’d have lots of time. One hour and ten minutes later, our entree arrived amidst heartfelt apologies from the poor server.

At 8:00 p.m., 180 pipes and drummers started marching from Victoria Park and onto main street Kincardine playing all the way to Quinn’s square then back again. Following them were thousands of people, the largest crowd they’ve ever had in Kincardine. While the Mass Band started 20 years ago, the Kincardine Pipe Band parade has been marching down Kincardine’s main street every summer Saturday night, rain or shine, at 8:00 since 1948. To see more photos and videos of this years parade, go to http://www.kincardinetimes.com, click on A & E on the left and again onto A&E and Heritage with video Kincardine’s 20th annual Mass Band Celebration. The Mass Band gathers on the last weekend in August (before Labour Day.)

Next summer on the first weekend in July, we hope to go to the annual Kincardine Festival where bands from Toronto, Chicago, Halifax and all places in between, compete. In addition are Highland Games competitions, many of them held on the shores of Lake Huron. And, if that’s not enough to pique your interest, you could always stroll along Kincardine’s boardwalk while watching the magnificent sunsets light up the heavens over Lake Huron. They’re among the best in the world.

Violet Hill

We discovered Mrs. Mitchell’s restaurant in Violet Hill when, driving home from Meaford one year, we saw a road sign advertising pie at Mrs. Mitchell’s. My husband’s very fussy when it comes to pie. He insists there are only three kinds he likes: hot pie, cold pie and more pie. With pie on the sign board, we adjusted our travel plans and

Dining Room

headed to Mrs. Mitchell’s. We’ve been going back ever since. The tiny hamlet is located on the north side of Hwy 89 between Alliston and Shelburne.

Two years ago, Gene and Bob climbed off their bikes to have lunch at Mrs. Mitchell’s. In full leathers with helmets under

Mrs. Mitchell's

their arms, they walked inside to be greeted by the maybe 4’8″ proprietor, Maureen Baufeldt. “Have you come to rape and pillage?” she asked.

“No. Not today,” said Bob, a little startled.

“Damn,” she replied, just loud enough for them to hear. Mrs. Baufeldt passed away in June of this year. We miss her.

The restaurant is a transformed one room Schoolhouse. At first we thought Mrs. Baufeldt was Mrs. Mitchell until we learned from a brochure that Mrs. Mitchell was a teacher of the longest standing at that school. The name was chosen in honour of her dedication to the community.

I love the warm, rich, country decor of the restaurant. (If country decor can be considered elegant, than Mrs. Mitchell’s has a refined, country elegance.) Outside, the grounds are exquisite, inviting exploration which yields surprise after surprise. GRANNY Taught Us How, a dangerous place to shop, is located across from the restaurant. It used to be the Orange Lodge.

The food is listed as “Cozy Country Dining with a Creative Flare.” You can have lunch, afternoon tea, or dinner. We’ve enjoyed all three. While Mrs. Baufeldt is no longer there to meet you, her daughter Heidi is every bit as solicitous. Menu choices are varied and they always offer amazing daily specials. If you’re in the area or are looking for a destination, you’ve got to try Mrs. Mitchell’s.

GRANNY Taught Us How

Sailing an America’s Cup Yacht

America's Cup Yacht

Auckland is known as the “City of Sails.” Boats belonging to all levels of society anchor in every bay and harbor. Seeing masts lined up like telephone poles is part of the landscape.

Sailing was Gene’s passion when I first met him. Being a non swimmer at the time, I enjoyed our excursions on Lake Ontario but it remained far from a passion for me. It was natural then that on this visit to New Zealand, our son Matthew, daughter-in-law Sharilyn and Gene booked a two hour sail on a 24 m America’s Cup yacht while I remained on terra firma taking the grandchildren to Chipmunks (an indoor fun place for children.)

The eleven guests and 5 crew members of the yacht, departed from the Viaduct Harbour and sailed into Waitemata Harbour where any willing guests got to take the helm or work the grinders (winches.) Rising to the challenge, Matthew, Sharilyn and Gene each took a turn at the helm. Sharilyn said, “You learn so much more by actually getting involved.”

While at the helm, Gene had the yacht heeled over to eighteen inches of freeboard (above waterline.) “An absolute thrill,” he said, “worth every penny.”

Whenever the boat tacked, they worked like mad on the winches to adjust the sails while being strongly encouraged by the crew. “We paid good money to have them to yell at us to work faster,” said Gene with a chuckle.

All was well until the slider that runs the inside sails of the mast got stuck at the very top. A crew member had to be winched up the 34.5 m sail in a trapeze to unstick it. As this work was done by the crew members, the guests had to resign themselves to relax for an additional half hour in lovely Waitemata Harbour, Auckland. Not hard to take I understand.

Robert Harris Coffee Anyone?

Last week at this time we were enjoying a Robert Harris coffee in a shop by the same name in Auckland New Zealand. For me, Starbucks packs too much punch for enjoyment. But Robert Harris decaffeinated cappuccino made with soy milk with a touch of chocolate was oh, so good.

It’s hard to imagine having to battle with instant coffee for market share but back in the 1960’s, that’s what Bob Harris had to do. He was a barber with a long, fond memory of the freshly ground coffee he drank in Italy during the war. Retiring from barbering, he built his own roaster (Kiwi ingenuity) and started experimenting, launching his coffee brand in his new deli in 1972. The coffee was a success from the start. Harris lived another seven years, never realizing the potential his coffee would one day achieve.

Murray and Val Connelly bought the Robert Harris deli in 1979. As the Connelly’s were in the hospitality industry, they surrounded themselves with the right people at the right time and the business grew rapidly. Having retired from the coffee industry, Murray Connelly, in his early ’70’s, is now restoring a hotel in Tonga where our son met him and heard the Robert Harris success story. It was our water drinking son who introduced us to our latest coffee thrill. I’m glad he did otherwise we would not have had the opportunity to enjoy ‘morning tea’ in an Auckland coffee shop.