Lots of ways to get together this summer

This ‘civic’ holiday is observed throughout Canada, but how did it get started? We have Toronto to thank for this one. In 1869, Toronto city council decided to have a ‘day of recreation’ in honour of many early historical figures, including Lord John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. He was the man who abolished slavery in Canada, created Yonge Street, and even inspired the agricultural fair tradition that would give rise to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

The holiday was designed to be family-orientated to give us all an opportunity to enjoy a long weekend in our very brief summer with our loved ones. Not everybody will get this holiday and some of us rarely see this as an option, particularly in our local economy. The hospitality and retail sectors or those in the resource industries do not have the luxury of these occasions, as this is when the work is available. The same is true for essential personnel in health care and law enforcement.

Further, it seems strange that we need to orchestrate holidays so that we can get everybody together when in our area there are so many other opportunities. Over the next few weeks there are festivals that we can use to gather together as a community like Scallop Days, Freeport Days, the Digby County Exhibition and the Wharf Rat Rally.

Get can together

Mid-week events like Weymouth Tea Days or the Eldridge Memorial Library Open House in Sandy Cove on Aug. 6 are also neat times to get the clan together for a bit of light-hearted fun.

The annual open house at the Eldridge Memorial Library is not high on everyone’s agenda but it is a pleasant diversion. The library was founded in 1933 and has been a summer gathering spot in Sandy Cove for generations. Staffed and maintained with considerable volunteer effort, this haven for the written word has served the Neck communities for many years.

The library’s collections consist of donated volumes that delight and entertain young and old alike. One can find so many treasured works of prose and poetry as well as the children’s stories of our youth. People gather in this historic building to quilt, to knit, to read and to discuss the issues of the day. The open house has the added incentive of sweet treats and coffee. I hope to see you there.

There may also be times when quiet contemplation is the order of the day. Time for yourself is also a valued commodity, one that is often negated by the role of mother. That will be my August long weekend. My family is taking off with the Sea Scouts to canoe the wilds of Kejimkujik.

I hope they will make time on Aug. 2 to celebrate Keji’s birthday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Visitor’s Centre, but my plan for that day is a big pot of tea, a good book, some pleasant music, no phone and a nap.

kristy@ns.sympatico.ca