Each Labour Day weekend the City of Pembroke, Ontario, hosts an Old time Fiddling and Stepdancing Championship. For the week preceeding, normally placid Riverside Park, with baseball diamonds, soccer fields and a beach on the historic and mighty Ottawa River, is transformed into "Fiddle Park".
More than 1,300 RVs of every descrioption are crammed and jammed into every nook and cranny. Somehow, temporary electricity and water lines are connected to most of them. The cost is $90. flat rate; for one day or for the week. This year, the 31st Anniversary, we unearthed two Trilliums, a
U-Haul and four Bolers (plus ours).
Electronic amplification is prohibited. Most of the campers return year after year with their violins, bass fiddles, guitars, banjos, mandolins, pianos (yes), tap shoes, etc. etc. and form like-minded groups with impromptu settings in all sections of the park. Music and dancing is heard and seen throughout the day and into the wee small hours. Many campers don't even manage to make the free shuttle bus to the downtown arena for the playdown competitions.
Following are a few inadequate pictures of this fantastic "happening" -- best experienced rather than described.
From Pembroke we went on to Algonquin Park, and our very favourite wilderness campsite. One year it was "Walter" the moose hanging around; last year the "star" was a wild red-shouldered hawk who just loved posing for pictures. This year a "fearless wolf" has been relocated deeper into the park -- leaving mainly the mergansers and loons to enhance our total tranquility.
Des & Diane
The Mountain Egg AKA 2006 13' Scamp
Linear Mode
