Knox Presbyterian Victorian Tea & Fashion Show

Event at Dickinson House, Manotick – June 20th, 2009. Event report by Lucy Martin

Grown men and women playing dress-up with young children? Cavorting in public as real or imaginary characters from centuries past? Blame Katherine Killins! And heritage fashion mentor Edwina Richards Sutherland. And Coral Lindsay – who is somehow always around when trouble brews. Plus the usual suspects and many new recruits.

Early in the year, when thinking about Manotick’s 150th, Killins floated a trail balloon, asking who might like to make more of the anniversary year by bringing history to life in period dress? Playing the part of townspeople from the mid-to-late 1800’s could raise the profile of RTHS and make the whole year more fun.

The idea sparked great enthusiasm. Planning meetings followed and ideas flowed. A float in the Dickinson Day’s Parade? Done! A fashion show at the already-planned Knox Presbyterian Church Tea? No problem. More period dress for the always-needed volunteers at Dickinson House? Check. An old-time village harvest party in October? Be there for music, food and family fun at ‘Manotick Saturday Night’, at the Legion’s Harmony Hall, Oct 3rd.

As imagination and creativity took flight, a good-sized cast turned out for the June 20th church tea.

We had people playing real people:

* Brian Earl was Moss Kent Dickinson for a day, right down to convincing sideburns, a wonderful period suit and hat and spontaneous mini-history lessons about the King of the Rideau. When not on the runway, he worked the crowd like a true politician. Well done, sir!

* Mark Jodoin was nursing a sore back from an excess of furniture moving. But he managed a brief appearance as Dickinson’s early partner in the grist mill, Joseph Merrill Currier

* Coral Lindsay did double-duty at Dickinson House and at the fashion show portraying her own greatgrandmother, Mrs. Enoch (Polina) Scharf of First Line Road in North Gower, come to town to sell or trade her fresh butter and eggs

* Jane Anderson wore her great-aunt Annie Eades Smiley’s authentic cotton nightgown from 1897. She would have traveled part of the way from Shawville Quebec on the Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway (known as the ‘Push, pull, jerk’!) and finished the journey by steamboat

* Rosemary Hayes portrayed her great-great grandmother, Susanna Mariah Clarvis, who emigrated from England in 1886 and was also the grandmother of Dora Stamp. A pen-pal relationship linking the English and Canadian branches of this family tree has endured through the generations.

* Lindsay Devlin and Ella Bakker-Moffitt played sister milliners Lindsay and Rebecca Pollack (who really did have a hat shop on Main Street in Manotick)

* Sandy Wilson portrayed a generic townswoman but chose her name to honour a real person: Flora Wilson Carter Gallagher Rice, first cousin once-removed to her husband Ron Wilson. In the ‘let’s pretend’ group, the runway models were:

* Young Sophie & Sarah in costumes sewn by Fran Millar for the Manotick 125th celebrations

* Margurite and Stuart Rogers as Hannah and Stu, pious farm folk, carrying a great-aunt’s family bible from 1863

* Four heritage presenters in expertly-prepared period dress: Wynter Trueman, Emily Ramsdale, Colin Langlois and Stuart Edwards Johnston. The teens are part of the Watson’s Mill summer ‘Gossip Tours’ – beginning July 4th (Wed, Thur, Sat and Sun at noon and 2 pm)

* Katherine Killins continued a family tradition of heritage reenactment with her charming doll-bearing granddaughters, Abigail and Gillian.

* Ellen Adamsons as the scandalous Widow Deliliah McTavish-Smith–three husbands in the grave – and on the hunt for husband number four.

* Georgina Tupper arrived as the Dickinson’s convention-flouting scullery maid, crashing the party to seek employment for a young daughter who bears a striking resemblance to one of the Dickinson sons. (Scurrilous gossip which should not have been displayed whatsoever, let alone repeated in polite society!)

* Susan McKellar as Mrs. Martin (Letitia) Jamieson, of Wellington (now Kars). President of the Foreign Mission Society at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, whose house burned down in a suspicious fire

* And your correspondent, Lucy Martin, as American Lucy Alexander Chandler. This daughter of missionaries in the rowdy seaport of Lahaina, Maui deserted her parent’s calling by marrying a whaler, and moving to an easier life back in New England

One of the pleasures in the whole exercise came in pretending to be someone from a different time & life, while bringing some historical accuracy to the role. (Draw your own conclusions about possible Freudian implications!)

There was a great deal of favorable comment about the transformation of an ordinary multi-purpose church basement into a truly charming tea room, with splendid tea sets and displays.

Kudos to to Knox stalwarts Liz Blaine, Ardi Williams, Sheila Percival, Stephanie Cameron, Melanie Hayes and their small army of hard-working volunteers for their beautiful, delicious and very well-attended tea. Scott Cameron started each fashion review with some fine piping. Though we are biased, it did appear that a charming time was had by all.

It’s not too late to make, borrow or buy an outfit to participate in more dress-up opportunities this summer & fall.