Greetings,
It is hard to believe that we are almost half-way through this year already and we are holding our collective breath that we have a more “normal” season with no heat domes, evacuations, or pandemics.
We were very disappointed to hear that we will not be getting any funding this year from the Federal government through Canada Summer Jobs, and consequently are unable to hire students to assist with tours and programming. We are therefore reaching out to anyone who would like to learn the history of the Fintry Estate and assist with giving tours throughout the summer. Our meagre supply of volunteers is struggling to keep the doors open on weekends, but come July we need to be open during the week as well. If anyone is interested helping out even one day a week, please contact me for more information at 250-309-7868.
On May 8th we held our annual Spring Fintry Fair and were delighted with the attendance. A big thank you to all our volunteers and Board Members who made the day a huge success. We had a great variety of vendors and musicians, also the Kalamalka Pipe Band and Kilt 45 who entertained us with some resounding renditions.
Our next event is the Fintry Fusion Art Show to be held on June 18/19 (10:00 a.m. – 4 :00 pm both days) with art from about 10 local artists displayed (and for sale) throughout the Manor House. The artists will be on hand and there will be demonstrations as well as live music……..and a strawberry cream tea available!
Another couple of important dates to mark on your calendars is Sunday, July 10th when we will be holding our Summer Fair on the lawn of the Manor House and Saturday, July 16th when we will be holding our Annual General Meeting at the Manor House.
Our Curator, Dan Bruce has an interesting and unusual addition to our collection that he would like to talk about….
The nights are cool, and I’m a fool,
Each star’s a pool of water . . .
Iced water seldom makes an appearance in English households. However, after the Dun-Waters had settled and experienced an Okanagan summer, the North American penchant for cool water would most likely have been accepted readily.
Bob Nolan was a Canadian songwriter who essentially became an American actor, singer and author. A founding member of The Sons of The Pioneers, he was born in Winnipeg, in 1908. Of the dozens of songs he wrote, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and “Cool Water” were certainly the best known. “Cool Water”, written in 1936 was made world famous by Marty Robbins, and earned Nolan a posthumous award in the Canadian Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2005. Nolan died in California in 1980.
Cool water may well have been available at Fintry, as running water was laid on to all the houses and barns. An ice-house and a root-cellar were created in the barn area for a summertime supply.
The silver plated, porcelain lined tilting water jug with matching cup is a very recent acquisition, and another reason for our gratitude to Mark Taylor, of Taylor’s Antiques, Kelowna. A product of the Reed and Barton Company of Taunton, Massachusetts, this was made around 1877. It is in fine condition, complete with the removable porcelain liner. Certainly nothing like it would have been found in any of the English or Scottish houses in the Dun-Waters’ experience, so one can imagine some initial novelty in adding a little water to a glass of “Laird of Fintry”. Toward the end of an evening, did any guest feel perky enough to call out, from the empty water jug ” Hey, Jamie, the waters done?”
We look forward to seeing you at the Fintry Fusion Art Show on June 18 and 19th. Come and see what talented artists we have right here in the Okanagan!
Kathy Drew,
Friends of Fintry Provincial Park