Manotick's annual Dickinson Day parade allows many of us to roll back the clock for a night! Spectacular!

Dickinson Day parade does not disappoint!

For the second time in five years ( and third overall) I took part in the Dickinson Days parade in Manotick. Five years ago I was in a 1964 T-Bird courtesy of Todd Wallace from Wallace Service Center - the best group of mechanics in the area by the way! This year, it was a 1958 Pontiac Pathfinder courtesy of Wendy Carkner and is this baby a beauty or what?!? And the car is nice too!! lol.....

That's the most people I've ever seen line the streets of Manotick - ever. What a crowd. Lots of familiar faces, tons of kids which was great, just an outstanding event and kickoff to the weekend.

Dickinson Days is not what it used to be when the tent party in the Mill Square on Saturday night was the main attraction. It was a unique party to Manotick and the '692'. A melting pot of ages, multiple generations, in some cases entire families would hit the tent, upwards of 700 of us and it was thee can't miss party in the village of the year.

Alas the only constant is change. Nothing stays the same. There still are a number of great events, attractions and items of interest for all to see and take part in on Dickinson weekend and the parade kicks it all off.

But for a few hours this past Friday, one more time just like the old days 40 years ago, it was Liam Maguire and Gordie Paul, rolling down Main Street Manotick, then heading to see Gladys Scharf on the First Line - who has lived in her home there since the year she was married to Kenny (1949)

- then we scooted into Hillside Gardens, driving by the house Gordo grew up in, by the Ranch, both of those homes located on Driscoll Drive the latter being-home to utter chaos for nearly a decade, 1988-1998, then by St. Leonard's elementary and finally the Gunter home- for a quick rum and a hello with one of the village's greatest families.

It was a great tour with Gordo and although we did not end up at the British Hotel or a stag in one of our neighbouring communities or hit a party like one of the hundreds we went to, it was great to roll down the roads of our youth one more time and the night back at the Mill Tavern was exceptional. Thanks again to Wendy for allowing us to take that beauty car on tour.

One of my stops was Rideau View Golf Club. It's my 45th year there. It's my second home and I cannot imagine my life without that club in it. Every blade of grass and pebble of sand, despite the hardship they give me - lol - the staff, members, all of it, we are one big family and I'm eternally thankful for being a part of it. I love that pic with the car and holes 1 and 9 in behind.

On to summer activities! Be well everybody! Gidday!

Post Script

Manotick is a native word meaning, 'Isle in the River.' The Dickinson, Currier, Watson surnames were the founders circa the 1860s and beyond. The Bracken's and the Driscoll's were the families who helped facilitate a lot of the growth in Manotick post WW1.

I've written many times about biking to and from St. Leonard's to my home on the First Line in the early 70s where businesses like Mc-Macs, Karl's Fina, Lindsay and McCaffery's, The Gift and Variety, Brennan's Cleaners, Wilson's Shell, Ross's Pizza and of course the legendary Manotick Tea Room - among others - were the businesses of my youth where the owners, their families and staff were all important parts of the village of Manotick. They are all gone. Couple of name changes, some new businesses operate in those former locations but nothing stays the same which is why Gordo and I really enjoyed a little trip down our memory lane this past Friday.