Letters from Corner Brook Week 14

Saturday is the second day of the Winter Carnival here in Corner Brook, so the first order of the day, at an eye-popping 10:30 a.m., is a real Newfoundland breakfast at the Salvation Army Citadel. Eggs, fried bologna, baked beans, toast, and “toutons” - pan-fried bread dough, especially good with molasses drizzled over. Yumm. I understand there are stores which sell the dough and all one has to do is fry it up. Mmmmm hmmmmmm.

BUT Yrs. Truly saves room for the Charity Chili Cook-off down on the Majestic Lawn. You can’t really tell it’s a lawn of course, because of all the snow, but the location is well known and the gazebo is actually visible. Seven contenders, from various places around town, present their version of chili, and we the sturdy and trusty, taste every single one. I never knew there could be so many varieties of chili - even a fairly Mexican one with cumin and chocolate, and a good bite that clears the sinuses. Although they are all pretty good, I pick Number 1 - a good, full-bodied meaty chili with just enough beans, and some cheese to go with it. Number 4 is close - sour cream and corn muffins on the side. For a finish, a cup of hot chocolate. The winner??? Number 1. He’s won several years in a row. Problem is the recipe is a total secret. And there is a photo with Ambassador for this year.....

From the chili cook-off we whip up to the Pepsi Centre to see the craft sale. Not really much there - unless you’re into tole-painted wooden replicas of the island of Newfoundland. There are some great-looking baked goods, but the problem is I have a tiny freezer which still sports some baked goods given to “Rev. Fran” at Christmas - plus a loaf of Finnish pulla which is being saved for a dreary day.

Sunday is a beautiful day - absolutely perfect weather. The streets are clear, no snow, and it’s mild and smells almost springlike. Church is packed - several people out who couldn’t get there because of being snowed in, are finally free again! This week we go into the context of “turn the other cheek”, “carry an extra mile”, and “give up your garments”. These are all specifically cultural references for a people oppressed by the Romans, and are - in my reading - lessons in non-violent resistance, not calls to be wimpy. One thing I will say, no one sleeps in my sermons.

After church it’s lunch at Timmies again, and then over to the bottom of Hospital Hill, to watch the “bobsled” races. I put that in quotation marks, because these are home-made bobsleds. While the snow is a little grainy and a bit too wet, it is lots of fun and really well attended. Trying to persuade the congregation that next year we could build a toboggan, challenge the other churches, and call ourselves the “Humber Hooligans”, or something.

From there we scoot to St. Gerard’s School, for the “Leifling” contest. Each year, as well as the official Viking, Leif the Lucky - and the two youth Ambassadors for the carnival, a child is chosen as “Leifling”. They are judged on costume, their answers to questions, style, and a challenge “swordfight” with Big Leif. There are about six kids from Humber United entered, so I want to be there.

Standing around outside at the bobsled races (granted, in church clothes which means stockings and dress pants) I realise it’s a tad chilly after awhile. Yrs. Truly does a quick trip to Mark’s Work Wearhouse - ski jacket and ski pants. Not to be frivolous, but anticipating being up at the ski hill Sunday evening for the fireworks and torchlight parade. Turns out to be a good decision. In the late afternoon, a bunch of us wander up to Marble Mountain, and stake out a table on the third level, for a perfect view of the hills where the torches come down. Dinner (using the term loosely) is poutine, a cup of coffee, and a coconut chocolate bar. The skiers with the torches are amazing; we go outside for fireworks, and a walk around the grounds. In the ski pants and jacket, not a bit of chill. What an absolutely wonderful and fun day!

Monday is “Family Day” - a civic holiday for pretty well everyone except, interestingly, Canada Post. I chat with the postman as he unloads the mail for delivery from the box inside the snowbank across the street. No such luck, he says - they get a day in August, instead of a day off in the crappy winter. Sounds to me like a day off in the winter would go over better.

So this is the one activity of the day, today. Chili and apple crisp lunch at First United Church. My colleague, Myles Vardy, has made his special chili and I intend to be there to eat that particular chili. There are lots of people from Humber. For a mere $7 we get a nice hearty bowl of chili, bread and butter, coffee or tea, and apple crisp with ice cream. You can’t beat that! On the way home I drop off one of my congregation and her daughter at the local park where there is a snow sculpture contest.

Today is Tuesday. A little melancholy today. It’s a year to the day that my friend Gayle in Atlanta died. Last year, since I was unable to get out of Toronto to go to the funeral (horrendous weather), I had lit a candle and sat vigil instead. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. The music at her funeral was “Spirit in the Sky”; I’ve been singing it on and off all day, and lit a candle again.

It’s snowing again - been snowing all day. Went out briefly for some shopping, coffee with a friend, and as the snow came down thicker and thicker, decide to leave the rest of the shopping till tomorrow......

Took a picture of the snow outside the front door before going to bed. I notice that one side of the car is covered.

5:30 Wednesday morning, the “b’ys” are shovelling the driveway. Just as Yrs. Truly is heading out, the plow comes by. Front end of car covered in crud from plow. OK. A half-hour of clearing crud, five minutes of rocking the car back and forth (and I suspect laying down a little rubber), and we are OUT!!! Yes!!!! Morning in the office, and lots gets done. Cell phone rings - colleague at the other church can’t get a ticket for the cabbage roll dinner tomorrow. I say show up and be fed. Am I going to the Lion’s Club for fish cake lunch??? he asks. Why sure, says Yrs. Truly, be right there. So off we go for fish cakes, baked beans, partridgeberry sauce, dessert and coffee. I am not a baked beans person, but the fish cakes and partridgeberry are great - as is the dessert and coffee.

Wednesday evening and Thursday morning are devoted to making cabbage rolls. Six cabbages - two large roaster pans, and one large casserole dish of small ones. This year, they were introduced (by Yrs. Truly) to sour cream and dill on cabbage rolls. It was a big enough hit that next year there will be more. ....and there’s the promised photo with “Leif the Lucky”. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., take-out dinners (100 of them) are picked up, and then from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. two sittings for dinner. Large plate of cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes and turnip, rolls and butter, tea or coffee, and a piece of carrot cake. Where else can you get a meal like that for $10.00???? At the end of the evening, it is clearly a great success - and after it’s over, the Men’s Club comes in to do the cleanup.....and as they say around here "That were some good!!!!!".

In case you think there is a lot of eating, you’re right. Originally the winter festival was a day, then became three days, and finally a decision was made to take ten days in February, which included the Family Day holiday, and provide not only a great celebration which puts Corner Brook on the map, but also an opportunity for the various churches and charities to do fund raising. So just about every church does a dinner, a lunch, a breakfast - sometimes both. Lion’s Club and the Legion, Rotary, whatever - all do something. Each year a different school is featured for the Leifling contest. There are dances for youth and seniors, concerts and a ceilidh.
Everyone supports everyone else’s fundraisers. I’ve probably spent $40 this week on food - but it is all to charities to continue their work.

So another week has passed. Just to finish off, a photo of the snow overhang, from the living room window. Good thing too - overnight there was pouring rain, which cleared the roof somewhat. The plan *was* to have Carnival Breakfast at First United. Five minutes later the weather has become a wild blizzard with zero visibility. So ends week 15.