Galwegians- August 2023
The Galway Hall had a rocking good time on the last Saturday of June. The CLCA held a “Name That Tune Event” that was well-attended and fun for all that participated. Proceeds from this event were donated to the Kinmount and Area Food Bank. July saw the Hickey Family reunion at the Hall which had a strong Canada/USA connection.
Events that use the main hall and/or the kitchen at the Galway Hall will stop in August. No bookings for these areas will be taken until the start of 2024. Updates regarding the renovations of the kitchen will be posted regularly on the Hall’s website (www.galwayhall.ca).
The Greater Harvey Historical Society is hosting an ancestry workshop on Monday, August 21st from 1 pm until 3 pm. This workshop will be held in the Galway Hall’s meeting room. All are invited.
Please note that the meeting room at the Hall is not affected by the renovations nor is the GHHS offices.
The fifth year of Shamrocking Galway was probably the final year for this “Friends of Galway” project. Another 25 purple shamrocks were distributed to interested full-time and seasonal residents. Over 125 plants have been given away over this 5 year period.
The next FOG meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 22nd at 7 pm in the meeting room at the Galway Hall.
Two of our grandsons witnessed a life and death battle between a toad and a water snake. The snake had caught the toad in a hole near a stone wall and was attempting to drag it out of the hole as the snake was also working on trying to swallow the toad. The toad, on the other hand, was continuing to ‘balloon’ itself to prevent becoming the water snake’s lunch. After watching this battle go on for a few minutes, the decision was made to intervene. A slight touch from the blade of a nearby paddle on the back of the snake was all that was needed. The water snake released the bloating toad, slithered back into the lake, and swam away. Curiously, the toad also plopped into the lake and ended up recovering from its ordeal on a rock ledge.
Around our place, it has been a quiet year for hummingbirds all spring until the third week in July. The action has definitely picked up, The territorial aerial chases between feeders have begun.
There have been several observations of does and fawns being noted in and around Crystal Lake- Crystal Lake Road, Eastview Road, and Galway Road. One doe and twins have been videoed and posted on the CLCA website.
My first sighting of a Monarch Butterfly this year was on Friday, July 20th around Clear Bay. It is refreshing to see an increase in milkweed plants along the roadways. Kudos goes out to the gardeners that allow these plants to live within their flower beds. An excellent example of milkweed plants within gardens is at the Kinmount and District Medical Centre /Kinmount Pharmacy.
Have you ever seen a moth with colours of yellow and pink? As unusual as this colour combination sounds for a moth, it identifies the Rosy maple moth. As its name suggests, the Rosy maple moth is attracted to red maples and sugar maples.
Looking upwards into our August night skies, August 1st is a full moon and supermoon. This is also the second of four supermoons in 2023. It is known as the Sturgeon Moon but has also been called the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Corn Moon. On August 10th, Mercury will be at its highest point, seen in the western sky just after sunset. The Perseid Meteor shower happens on the night of August 12th and into the early morning hours of August 13th. With a crescent moon, skies should be dark enough for a good show, starting after midnight. On August 27th, Saturn will be brighter than at any other time all year and it will be visible throughout the night. On August 31st, there will be another full moon and another supermoon. This is the third of four supermoons in 2023. Since it is the second full moon in the same month, this is also a blue moon.
Looking ahead into our night skies in September, the planet Neptune is visible on September 19th and the planet Mercury on September 22nd. September 23rd is the September Equinox (Fall and Autumnal) and September 29th is a full moon and supermoon.