The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
By Jonathon Naylor 'It's one of those little miracles that you just keep running into in Flin Flon,' said pianist Mark Kolt. 'I mean, this is not the sort of thing you can ever count on happening and it happened.' Kolt was referring to the hefty donation of just over $30,000 that has restored the Steinway grand piano at the Community Hall to its former glory. Just as surprising as the size of the gift was the fact that it came from a single individual who, rather than bask in applause or compliments, is choosing to remain anonymous. As amazing as this gesture was, for some reason it is not entirely surprising. Flin Flon is as benevolent as it is proud of its past. And, with no disrespect to the anonymous donor, if he or she had not come forward, surely others would have. Charitable donations, both from the anonymous and the known, are a cornerstone of our community. Our parks, our museums, our children's sports programs and even many of the comforts at our hospital rest on a foundation of giving. Pick up The Reminder on any given week and chances are you will see a smiling someone presenting a cheque to the benefit of the community. It is quite uncanny, really, but those of us who have long lived here just accept it as the way things are and always will be. I know Flin Flon has been criticized as a community that had everything done for it, where 'the company' built needed infrastructure and maintained hangouts like Phantom Lake. While Hudbay remains charitable, launching a $1-million community fund in 2008, it no longer has the same financial presence it once did. I doubt any company in a one-horse town like ours does. That means the need has grown for individual and collective generosity. To that end, residents have certainly answered the call, whether it is with their time, money or both. The restored grand piano is indeed the latest in a long line of 'little miracles' we have seen. The detailed restoration process, completed by a professional out of Saskatoon, was more than a year in the making. Work included new strings and other innards, replacement key covers and a stripping and refinishing of the exterior. The end result is a beautiful sight for even for non-pianists like myself (though I can play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' using two fingers), and a vast improvement over the state of the instrument in recent times. At one point, Flin Flon Arts Council volunteer Tom Heine recalled, a visiting pianist tried to tickle the Steinway's ivories only to have some of the key covers fall off. Talk about embarrassing. Now this 117-year-old instrument is fine enough for Stevie Wonder to play. We look forward to its harmonious sounds filling the R.H. Channing Auditorium for years to come. Local Angle runs Fridays.
