HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-02-09, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017. PAGE 19.
Entertainment & Leisure
Garratt seeks local stories for `Pigeon King'
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Gil Garratt, artistic director of the
Blyth Festival, is on the hunt for
stories and people to help make this
year's production of The Pigeon
King as authentic as it can be.
Garratt and his team, which
includes his wife Gemma James -
Smith and Festival regulars J.D.
Nicholsen and Rebecca Auerbach,
have been scouring news stories and
documentaries for information about
Arlan Galbraith, the Pigeon King,
but they're still on the lookout for
authentic, personal and local stories.
There are reasons that locals who
found themselves entangled in
Galbraith's web are choosing not to
come forward, Garratt said, and he
understands their feelings. However,
he's hoping that he can convince
local farmers to share their stories
and know that the Festival has a
solid reputation of standing by them.
Garratt said that those who found
themselves involved with Galbraith
may be embarrassed to tell their
stories, not wanting to admit they'd
been duped. It's a natural way to feel
about the situation, he said, but he
assures Galbraith's victims that if
they get in touch with him or with
the Festival, those volunteering
information won't even have to give
their names if they don't want to.
"No one wants to admit they've
been `had'. It can make you feel like
you're not resourceful enough to
have figured it out," Garratt said.
However, due to various
circumstances beyond many
farmers' control, Garratt said it's
totally understandable why someone
would be susceptible to such a
proposal at the time.
He's also quick to point out that
those who were taken in by
Galbraith are victims of what he did
and should not be ashamed because
Enjoying the weather
Ten -year-old Ethan, left, nine-year-old Luke, right, and 11 -year-old Marisa McCarey were out
enjoying the snow and the sunshine on Saturday, taking to the top of snow-covered hills to get
a bird's eye view of their community of Brussels. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Riddell named to Hall of Fame
Continued from page 13
vegetable crop production in
Ontario. As the long serving director
of the Horticultural Research Station
in Simcoe, Ontario, his research
focused on a wide range of vegetable
crops including seedless English
cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage and
broccoli.
Loughton was nominated by
Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers
Association, Ontario Institute of
Agrologists, Stokes Seeds Ltd., Dr.
Neil Miles and Byron Beeler.
Known as a farmer, teacher,
auctioneer, Member of Provincial
Parliament and Minister of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs,
Jack Riddell focused his many
decades of service to the betterment
of Ontario agriculture. While
Minister of Agriculture, his
innovative and long-term vision for
agriculture led to the introduction of
more than 30 new agriculture
programs for farmers and his hands-
on approach to the job gave him a
deep understanding and appreciation
of the agricultural sector.
Riddell was nominated by the
Land Improvement Contractors of
Ontario.
Anyone who has been part of the
Junior Farmers' Association of
Ontario or who has attended
Ridgetown College (now the
Ridgetown campus of the University
of Guelph) owes much of their
experience to the leadership of Jack
Steckley. Working as a Department
of Agriculture employee more than a
century ago Steckley taught winter
short courses each year for young
farmers. Graduates then formed a
group to continue the lessons that
they had learned - now recognized as
the first Junior Farmers club Later,
he championed the need for a
Western Ontario Agricultural School
in Ridgetown. It was the fulfilment
of his long-time dream when the first
class graduated in 1953.
Steckley was nominated by Junior
Farmers' Association of Ontario and
the Westag Alumni Assocation.
The 2017 induction ceremony will
take place on Sunday, June 11 at
Country Heritage Park in Milton.
Details on how to purchase tickets
are available on the Ontario
Agricultural Hall of Fame's website
at www.oahf.on.ca
30 The Square
GODERICH 519 524 7811
FOR MOVIE INFORMATION...
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rill'.
Ira
long distance?1-800-265-3438
they didn't do anything wrong.
With fanners sometimes needing
off -farm jobs to make ends meet, he
said, people like Galbraith often
materialize when times are the
toughest.
Garratt said that some farmers
know when there has been a bad
year to not answer their phone,
knowing that it might simply be
another shady businessman with a
"proposal" that will make them
millions.
Galbraith's peak earning years
were at a time when hog prices were
at their lowest levels in years and he
knew and relied on the desperation
of farmers throughout southwestern
Ontario.
"He would prey on that very
thing," Garratt said.
Garratt said the Festival has a long
history of presenting farmers' stories
and standing alongside them during
challenging times. He used the Keith
Roulston and Anne Chislett
productions of Another Season's
Promise, which tackled the sky-high
interest rates of the 1980s, followed
by Another Season's Harvest, which
dealt with the BSE crisis, as
examples of the Festival's
commitment to telling farmers'
stories.
Not only did farmers flock to
those shows because they were
entertaining, Garratt said, but
farmers felt like their struggles and
challenges were being represented
on the Festival stage. He hopes that
this season's The Pigeon King can
do that exact thing for a new
generation of farmers facing a new
challenge in Galbraith's scheme.
The more personal experiences the
group can share as part of the
production, the richer the story will
be, Garratt said. While there are all
kinds of research materials available
from prominent Canadian media
outlets, and all the way up to the
New York Times Magazine, it will be
those personal experiences with
Galbraith and the effects the scheme
had on people and their families that
will help the show along more than
anything, he said.
For those wanting to speak with
Garratt about their personal
experiences with Galbraith or the
Pigeon King scheme, they can call
him at the Blyth Festival at 519-523-
9300 or e-mail him at ggarratt
@blythfestival.com. Those who
contact the Festival can be assured
that their names or any details
they're not comfortable sharing will
not be shared beyond these
confidential conversations.
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