Last 17^th of December, lead by Mayor Jim Garrah, the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian Navy kicked off on Water Street’s museum, Arthur Child. During the event, the mayor happily greeted the distinguished guests that consisted of local politicians, Branch 92 of the Royal Canadian Legion representatives, officers from the nearby Canadian Navy station at HMCS Cataraqui, and of course, veterans from the second world war themselves.

This starting of the celebration might be a little too early since it’s supposed to be on the 4^th of May 2010 however, Gananoque felt it had to start it as early as now to commemorate the Canadian Navy ship that has been named after the town, the HMCS Gananoque which is a Bangor class minesweeper.

The HMCS Gananoque’s biggest role during the second world war can now be found on a history book titled, “No Higher Purpose: The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War”. On the book, it highlighted that the HMCS Gananoque was part of an attack on a U-Boat from Germany which occurred on October, 1942. This event forced the U-Boat to cancel its planned attacked on an allied convoy and it is now remembered as one of the most successful counters from the St. Lawrence campaign.

For Gananoque locals who are going solo on Christmas, there is no better place to spend a joyful dinner other than the one that Paddy O’Boyle and his group of around 50 caring volunteers has been preparing for approximately 8 years on the running now.

The Christmas dinner prepared by O’Boyle’s group has been bringing the warmth of Christmas day to around 130 locals who are on their own. These people have been enjoying the annual dinner held at Kindsmen Hall, on 400 Stone Street North.

There are even meals being sent out to those who are celebrating Christmas alone but are unable to leave their homes for some reason. This just goes to show the community’s committed to sharing the holiday with everyone who is living alone.

The Christmas dinners are usually packed with everything a normal family Christmas dinner has complete with turkeys, ham, and an array of vegetables and even desserts.

For this year’s Christmas dinner, everyone can start coming at the venue from 10 in the morning. Dinner will be served at noon and everyone can expect the singing of Christmas carols with a keyboard accompaniment.

For more information on this Gananoque Christmas dinner, one can get a  hold of O’Boyle through 613-659-4077.

Boys and girls from age 4 to 12 years old can now have more reasons to smile after class because Gananoque’s Boys and Girls Club has finally opened its doors after being held up for months on end due to the H1N1 flu virus’ persistent presence in Gananoque. In fact, had it not been for this, children would have started enjoying the facility, which is located in the Linklater School’s Room 18 at Stone Street, since the 21^st of September.

Luckily, now that the H1N1 shots have been mobilize all over Canada, the organizers and the general population, especially the parents of children, are better at least with spending more time out and about with the new club being one of the destinations to be after school because it opens from 3PM-6PM on Mondays till Fridays.

The Boys and Girls Club of Gananoque is made possible by everyone who have supported the Linklater School, our very own Town of Gananoque, and the United Way of Leeds and Greenville. Thanks to everyone behind these organizations (including all the locals of course being part of the town of Gananoque), children now have more activities to think of even after school is done on weekdays.

Christmas is in the air and the town of Gananoque certainly doesn’t want to be left behind! For the holidays, Gananoque’s sidewalks and streets were transformed for the town’s “Christmas in Gananoque Moonlight Madness”, a one night event which happened in Downtown Gananoque (right smack in the middle of King Street E) on the 4th of December, last Friday.

A mini-event called “Heat in the Street” (which happened on the same day) had townspeople coming in for a night of shopping from 6 to 10 in the evening; picking from the many offerings local merchants had for sale. Not only that, visitors were able to “fire up” their shopping night, as they sampled the different kinds of chili prepared by locals and restaurants in the area!

Flowing food and drinks, store specials and sales, and horse drawn wagon rides all made for a night of fun and entertainment, perfect for the season.

If you plan on coming over to this quaint and close-knit community, don’t worry about missing out on this event! Gananoque has other sights and attractions, and a visit to the town always warrants for a trip to the Thousand Islands. After all, you don’t want to miss out on why it’s called the “Gateway to the Thousand Islands” right?

Watch out for more Yuletide treats from Gananoque before the year ends. Come on up and spend the holidays here.