Downton Downtown - Sunday, July 6, 2014

One of the lovely photos hangng in the garden  = I believe it is Taken by Jeff Tessier

What a splendid event it was!  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Where to begin to describe this excellent event?

I think I will start with some of the pictures which I snapped at the social event.  There were so many interesting things to see and to listen to.  I stayed until the last event which ended about 7:30 or 8 p.m.

Bean bag toss anyone?

the bean bags

For those of a certain age, who doesn't remember the fun of tossing bean bags into the gaping holes and competing against others?

Such simple things but good clean fun and lots of healthy competition.

Ice cream making - demonstration - eventually people got tiny cones to eat

As the afternoon progressed, the fun continued.  People sat in the shade when they could find it while others sat at the tables with the umbrellas.  I brought my walker as I knew it would be crowded and I knew I needed to sit.  It was difficult wheeling it in the garden - not because of the grass but because of the paving stones which were kept for authenticity.

I was joined, eventually, by Mohammad and then Jeff and Andre came over.  I did not see them sitting there.  I knew Mohammad was coming but did not know Jeff and his friend Andre planned to be there.

What a positive afternoon it was.  Everybody seemed to be enjoying the different activities.  Some people played the bean bag game, some played badminton. and some played croquet.

There also were lots of vendors on the side of the house selling antique things from that era..

A view of the plants where I was sitting

A side view of Whitehern

To add to the pleasure of the afternoon, there were two speakers, Daryl  MacTavish and Janet Kronick who gave a glimpse into life back then.  Mary Louise and her group sang some lovely old songs which were much appreciated by those present.

Some of the participants of the fashion show in the afternoon

Part of the fashion show by Hamiltonians

It was great fun to see all the fancy hats and lovely long dresses worn by the audience.  People were encouraged to dress up in the 1930' s type of clothing and many did. It was so lovely to see, even some of the men did as well.  In those days in Canada, people dressed modestly.

A close up shot of some of the gorgeous flowers in the garden

The singing group

Daryl McTavish - speaker

Janet Kronick from Dundurn Castle also spoke about Mrs.Padmore's kitchen but unfortunately I did not get a picture of her.

An unusual flowering plant - I don't know the name of it.

Professional models from Blackbird Studios wearing bridal gowns

Peggy and her dance partner - member of the staff

Visitor dancers

Professional dancers - Margot Smith & her partner

In addition to the wonderful events going on at Whitehern in the garden, there was also a talk by Dr. Mary Anderson on the people of Whitehern.  She is the author of two books on Whitehern.  This talk was at McNab Presbyterian church where the family used to be members.

At St. Paul's .where the McQuesten ladies went for the evening service, they had an organ concert every half hour.

Speaking of music, I would be remiss if I did not mention harpist Rachel Nolan.  She played beautifully.  It was a touch of heaven in down town Hamilton.

All in all, what a wonderful occasion this was.  I wrote a thank you email to the city as soon as I got back home and got a reply back the next morning.

Thanks for dropping by.  Hope you enjoyed your little visit to this gala event.