This past July, former resident Michelle Grimmelt launched a tome of childhood memories, aptly named The Aura of the North, in her hometown of Snow Lake, as well as in Flin Flon. She did a book signing at the public library in Flin Flon on June 28 and then repeated it June 29 at Flin Flon's Orange Toad.
She continued on to Snow Lake, where she launched the book to a large crowd of family and friends at the Snow Lake Motor Inn on June 30. During that auspicious occasion, Grimmelt advised that she would do one further launch at Winnipeg's McNally Robinson Booksellers during the month of October.
True to her word, she did just that on Oct. 12. Unable to attend, I was apprised of the event by Grimmelt's partner René Hübener. He advised: "An hour of meeting and greeting friends, family, and fans came and went in seconds. Suddenly The Atrium at McNally's was filled to standing room and beyond, and Michelle Grimmelt was being introduced. She approached the podium, and, once positioned said, 'I was telling Rene this morning that there have been times throughout my life when I've felt just like a little girl from Snow Lake. This is one of those times.' With that, Michelle had endeared herself to the one hundred or more that came to celebrate her book with her.
"Michelle read from her stories The Nights of the Red Wolf and from The Aura of the North, the short story for which the book is named. She presented herself like an author who had done this a million times before, yet loved it to pieces every time. The gathering hung on her every word and showed their approval with enthusiastic applause. Michelle, having told the story of how her father explained to her in her childhood that power failures were a result of moose having scratched their rears on hydro poles, wrapped up her readings with, 'Now let's get this moose arse party underway!'
She then introduced musician extraordinaire Tim Elias, formerly of the 1980's folk sensation Elias, Schritt, and Bell (today John Schritt's Channels Audio & Post Production is a mainstay of recording and film post-production in Winnipeg, while Steve Bell is a Juno-winning singer-songwriter). Tim performed some of his amazing music on both the mandolin and the guitar, while Michelle settled herself at the signing table in front of which were lined up dozens of people at a time, anxiously waiting to have their copy of The Aura of the North signed by the Northern author."
As a matter of note, when the Winnipeg Bestseller Book list for the week of Oct. 13 was released, holding down third place in the Hardcover Non-Fiction category was Grimmelt's The Aura of the North.
On to a completely different Snow Lake matter, a director of the Snow Lake Mining Museum made a disheartening discovery on Saturday Oct. 12, while walking through an outdoor exhibit.
The museum's brand new Staking-A-Claim exhibit was the scene of some senseless vandalism. Museum chairperson Paul Hawman reported that the person(s) responsible kicked over the claim posts, tore down flagging, and smashed the display's sign. A posting on the museum's website states that pointers were also removed and the aforementioned sign appeared to be smashed with rocks.
It was further noted that the RCMP had been notified and that they had attended the site and taken photos.
Additionally, the museum plans to repair the damages prior to next season, but warned if vandalism continues, the display will close and the children who visit the exhibit are the ones who will suffer as a result.
It is truly sad to think that there is actually a person or people out there who have so little respect for their own heritage that they would destroy the hard work of those who gather, maintain, and promote it sad, indeed.
On a more positive note, we in Snow Lake have said it for decades: Betty and Chester Rudd are selfless helpers and heroes to us all. On Oct. 10, the people at Greenstone Community Futures said it too in honouring their volunteerism in front of a nice sized crowd at their annual "Celebrating Communities Gala."
Following cocktails and appetizers, greetings from the member communities and from Greenstone itself, those assembled sat down to a lavish banquet that featured bacon-wrapped fillet with whiskey maple glaze and a blue cheese crust.
At approximately 9 p.m., the award presentations got underway. The Rudd's award was the final presentation of the evening and prior to making the presentation, a biography and rationale was given. It noted their helpful nature, volunteerism with numerous events and charities over the years, and cheerful personalities. No truer words have ever been spoken.
