For better or worse, I am back authoring another “The Galwegians” column for the Kinmount Gazette. An illness prevented me from making the deadline dates for the December 2022 article and the January 2023 article. Please note: This February 2023 article will be posted on the main page of the Galway Hall website. Previous articles of the Galwegians are archived on this website. The address is: www.galwayhall.ca
The Galway Hall is preparing for the 2023 season of events. The first major fundraiser at the Hall is the Kinmount and District Bursary Committee dinner/auction. This event will take place on Saturday, February 11th. The doors open at 5 pm. Dinner is at 6pm. See the posters or check the Kinmount and Galway Hall websites for all the details. To date, this Bursary Committee has given bursaries to 42 recipients! Please show your support for area students seeking a post-secondary education.
Speaking of fundraisers, please save the following dates and help support the Galway Hall:
Saturday, July 1st: Strawberry Supper Saturday, November 4th: Turkey Supper
The “Friends of Galway” are a loosely-organized group of like-minded souls interested in sharing stories and tales about Galway Township and its inhabitants. They had been meeting at the Galway Hall four times a year for a few years. However, COVID-19 stopped the ‘Friends’ from gathering since 2020. Like so many other activities, once the routine has been interrupted, it becomes very difficult to re-start it again. 2023 is going to be an opportunity for the “Friends of Galway” to meet once more. Meetings are on Friday nights at 7 pm. The dates are: March 31st, June 23rd, September 22nd, and Dec. 15th. Anyone is welcome to share in this time of friendship and storytelling. Often, food appears at these gatherings. “Let the light of our ancestors illuminate our path.”
Have you ever walked into a room, with purpose, only to stop suddenly and realize that you don’t have a clue why you entered that room? And yet, from your public school days, you can remember some poem or some short verse you had to memorize. One of the sayings that stands out for me (and I still recite it to our grandkids) is:
“GOOD, BETTER, BEST,
Never let it rest,
Until your GOOD is BETTER,
And your BETTER, BEST!”
I think of the athletes that compete at all levels as they strive to excel. I think of our frontline workers that work so hard to keep us safe and well. I think of our volunteers that work tirelessly to keep our community vibrant and alive.
Christmas Eve’s dump of 20+ cm of snow created travel nightmares locally, nationally, and internationally. However, the “January thaw” that happened a couple of days later took care of much of that dumping. It also opened up some of our lakes and rivers. For example, Clear Bay remained ice-covered but Crystal Lake became ice-free. 6 Trumpeter Swans returned to take advantage of the open water and hung around as long as the lake remained open. One observer posted a picture on the CLCA website of open water in the main lake as of January 20th. The fluctuating temperatures and the mixed precipitation that has occurred have made it challenging to make an ice rink and keep it so far. Believe it or not, as I shoveled our rink on January 20th, I uncovered a frog! Yes, a frog! Needless to say, it looked a tad chilly.
NASA is tracking an ancient comet that was last seen 50 000 years ago when Neanderthals still walked the Earth. Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF) may become bright enough to be seen by the unaided eye. The time period for this chance is from January 24th until February 6th. Look into our northern sky towards the Little Dipper. However, comets can be fickle! Comet C/2022E3 (ZTF) may be stunning or may be a no-show. This comet went to the outer reaches and back in its estimated 50 000 year orbit. All indications suggest that C/2022 EF (ZTF) won’t be back past Earth again because its current trajectory will eject it from our solar system.
On February 5th, the Full Moon occurs. This moon is known as the Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. Looking up and looking ahead into the night skies in March, the sky’s brightest two planets, Venus and Jupiter, will slide past each other on March 1st. The Full Moon in March occurs on the 7th. On March 20th, the March Equinox occurs at 21:17 UTC. This is the start of the first day of spring. It is also called the Vernal Equinox.