Photo Celia Hunter.
Glenn Fallis speaks to 4th Line Theatre’s Rob Winslow at a recent MCHS event.
Glenn Fallis, co-founder and owner of the Voyageur Canoe Company in Millbrook, captivated the audience that packed the Legion Hall on November 1 to hear about his exploits as sternsman for the Ontario canoe in the Centennial Canoe Pageant in 1967.
That’s where the stories told that evening began; with the trials of the weather, the food and long portages. Using Glenn’s video record of the adventure as a guide, we followed the canoes on the route from Rocky Mountain House in Alberta to the Expo ’67 site in Montréal. Glenn described the challenges of narrow channels through swampy wilderness, wind on the lakes, and churning rapids.
But, like the telling of tales tends to do, as audience members asked questions, the horizon expanded to include a few of Glenn’s other accomplishments. The development of his uniquely engineered canoes that have brought canoe enthusiasts to the area for decades was certainly a focus of interest, as well as the whitewater canoeing courses he taught, but it was a surprise to many to learn about his years of service to the community on Millbrook’s Public Utility Commission that saw to it that the wires were buried in the downtown core.
Building on the surprises and discoveries that come about when story-telling gets going, MCHS has started to plan for an evening that celebrates our local living legends. We want to capture some history!
We are looking for your suggestions of people, community groups, local initiatives that made a splash or added a certain sparkle to the local scene at one time or another.
It can’t be too long ago! The plan is to act on your suggestions by inviting the people involved, or responsible for what took place, to come and share their memories. Just what did it take to make a difference – create that splash or add that sparkle?
Like the evening with Glenn Fallis, we look forward to a whole lot of audience participation! In celebration of Heritage Week in February, we’ll invite these movers and shakers to take their turn on the stage to talk about what it took, and then we will open up the floor to hear your own memories and questions.
Send us your nominations, millbrookcavanhs@gmail.com.
By Celia Hunter