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.
One of the things that amazes me about Flin Flon and area is how much there is to do. For a small town, IÕm sure we have enough happening to rival communities twice our size. But so many great events go largely unnoticed and underappreciated by the public at large. ItÕs as though many of us are afraid to try something different. IÕll give you an example. On Saturday I took my camera and notepad to the Elks Hall for a performance by the Dauphin Friendship Centre Square Dancers. Now, my interest in square dancing prior to walking through the door was at about the same level as soap operas and algebra. DonÕt get me wrong, I didnÕt mind going and snapping some photos and talking to some folks. ThatÕs my job. But if I werenÕt a reporter, I highly doubt I would have attended. It wasnÕt long before I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it all was. Ten swift-footed young ladies put on an incredible hour-long show, stomping their feet and twirling in perfect unison. One couldnÕt help but appreciate the hours upon hours of practice they must have put in. With about 80 people on hand to watch, the turnout wasnÕt exactly horrible. The organizers were pleased. But I couldnÕt help but think that a lot of people really missed out. Like me, they probably heard the words Òsquare dancingÓ and immediately pictured themselves twiddling their thumbs in boredom. I think back also to aboriginal storyteller Aaron Bell, who delivered an absorbing cultural presentation last November at the Friendship Centre. Only 25 people showed up to see Mr. Bell. It was a real shame, because if storytelling is an art form, this guyÕs a real Picasso. Again, I found myself unexpectedly absorbed. Those are just two of many examples. I have been to my share of community events that were so poorly attended I couldnÕt help but feel for the organizers who had put in so much effort. We as residents need to start making more of an effort to support community events. DonÕt let assumptions like Òthat will be dullÓ hold you back. Give new things a try. Like they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. * * * Since I have room for a personal anecdote, I thought IÕd share a story of my brush with fame over the weekend. I was goofing around on YouTube when I came across a clip of an American radio deejay. He was asking people to send him the home phone numbers of celebrities. Beneath the clip, someone posted what they claimed was Hulk HoganÕs number. I was sure it was fake, but I thought, what the heck. The phone rang a couple of times and then picked up. Pleasant instrumental music, the kind you hear when youÕre on hold, played for about 30 seconds. Then a voice answered. I could tell right away it was Hulk Hogan. Hulk asked me who I was, and I told him I was in Canada and had noticed his number on the Internet. ÒWeÕre in the process of getting that changed. Thanks,Ó he said, hanging up before I could attempt small talk. So there you have it. Never in a million years did I think IÕd have a conversation, however brief, with a guy whose action figure I had as a boy. Local Angle runs Fridays.
