“Queensborough: A Place of History and Beauty,” the headline on our new sign on the bank of the Black River in “downtown” Queensborough says. To which one might add (given the generous donations of time, talent and money around the sign project): “And also a place of great community spirit.”
As I reported not too long ago, the pretty little hamlet of Thomasburg (which is, like Queensborough, part of the GTA, the Greater Tweed Area) had a significant occasion last month when a sign outlining its history was officially unveiled. The event got lots of coverage in the local press (one of the stories is here), and this all prompted Evan Morton, the tireless and irreplaceable curator of the Tweed and Area Heritage Centre, to wish in his weekly column in the Tweed News that the other GTA hamlets might follow suit.
Well! What Evan didn’t know, apparently, was that Queensborough actually beat Thomasburg to the punch! The only difference being that our historical sign hasn’t (yet) had an official unveiling, with municipal officials and whatnot on hand. That may yet be arranged. But the most important thing is that the sign is up, and – thanks to generous donations of money and time and work by volunteers in the community – is looking very handsome indeed.
You might recall that I reported here on the early efforts, led by Queensborough’s Elaine Kapusta and the Queensborough Community Centre Committee, to produce the sign. And in the interest of full disclosure I should admit that the text was composed by yours truly, though that work was no big deal. What I really want to tell you about this evening is all the other work and support that went into this project.
First, after the sign itself was produced, there was the building and erecting of the framework for it and the planter box at its base, followed by staining of the wood: that was looked after by John Barry and Frank Brooks. And then there are the newly planted flowers in that planter, which are lovely! Those were paid for thanks to a generous donation by Chris and Vicki Moak and family (you might remember that Chris and Vicki, who own a busy towing company, saved Raymond and me one time when a car situation left us by the side of the road). Anne Barry was the volunteer (from the Queensborough Beautification Committee) who planted them.
In its site down by the Black River in “downtown” Queensborough the sign looks fantastic! It tells people who pass through our hamlet something about its history – with photos, including of course one of the Rock Acres Peace Festival – and also, I think, about its community spirit. This bit of beautification (and education, about Queensborough’s past and present) was all completed thanks to private donations and volunteer work, so at zero cost to taxpayers.
Over the two and a half years that this blog has been in existence, I’ve recounted lots of instances of good old-fashioned community spirit and community pride here in Queensborough. (Very notable among those other examples are the recent erection of made-in-Queensborough street signs, and the flower baskets that have been hung from them and that are being maintained by volunteers.) Our historical sign is only the latest; I know there will be many more to come. It all just reinforces (as if that were needed) how proud and happy I am to live in this beautiful, historic little place.
Meanwhile, at the Manse 