Those of us involved with Dry Stone Walling Across Canada are excited about an unusual international event coming up this October in little old Port Hope, Ontario.
On the the 2016 Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, a permanent boat roofed house structure that was originally built in honour of Farley Mowat ten years ago, on the same date during the 2006 DSWA festival, is going to be ceremoniously dismantled and reassembled at a more appropriate site nearer the centre of town.
Stone by loving stone the dry laid boat structure which was built while Farley was with us, will be moved to its new home, as a kind of memorial to one of Canada's greatest authors and long time resident of Port Hope
Audiences will see the new incarnation of 'The Boat' being reconstructed by professional wallers from Britain the USA and Canada, during the festival, this time on public town property, near the banks of the mighty Ganaraska River.
Residents and walling enthusiasts and most importantly avid readers and lovers of Farleys writings from around the world are invited to attend this event and many will be given the opportunity to participate in remembering Farley by helping carry (and wheelbarrow) some of the (smaller) stones from the boat to their new home, during our special 'Farley Festival'.
This will be part of a special parade commemorating our beloved Farley during which the larger stones will all be transported by flatbed truck and 'floated' down Dorset street (presumably with fans and onlookers waving and cheering either side of the street) to then be reassembled in boat-like splendour at the new mooring spot (appropriately ) across the river from the port hope library.
It will indeed be the weekend when the Boat That Wouldn't Float actually did get 'floated' !
Please set aside this date in your calendars to join us for all the fun and pomp and ceremony. I'm guessing if Farley was still with us he'd get a huge kick out of the whole idea and highly approve of such a cooky three-day literary/stone celebration.
