Sarah Pruys
Fort Frances often is considered a small town where there is nothing interesting or exciting to do.
But is this actually true, or is it possible that people simply are resistant to change and unwilling to try new things?
The only problem is that often you have to go out and look for opportunities, rather than waiting for them to come to you.
Getting involved, or being a tourist in your own community, can be quiet rewarding. How many locals have gone to the top of the lookout tower lately, or explored the Hallett?
How many have seen the latest exhibit at the Fort Frances Museum or at the Fine Line Art Gallery? And who has taken a square-dancing class, or joined a volunteer organization recently?
Carole Mackintosh believes there is, in fact, a lot to do in town. She’s actively involved in many things, and finds that keeping busy is a great way to meet new people while staying actively involved in your community.
When she is not “grandparenting,” the local resident is participating in the arts or in sports, and has tried numerous new activities over the years since moving here from Scotland.
While she no longer participates in badminton, it was a sport she played for years. The local club features different levels, but she played “recreation on Friday nights.”
But Mackintosh still square dances with the local “Pairs ’n Squares” group, saying it is a winter activity in town while the summer is spent travelling to other communities for dances.
“We’ve gone to Winnipeg, Bemidji . . . Warroad,” she noted.
“We realize people have a limited supply of money, so we keep the price very reasonable.”
Usually they have about three squares, which translates to about two dozen people.
“It waxes and it wanes,” Mackintosh conceded. “We go through a bad spell and we’ve only got one square out.
“And that’s kind of sad because honest to goodness, it’s such a fun activity.
“If you can walk, you can square dance,” she added.
“This is true democracy at work . . . if you’re interested in some good socialization, some steady exercise.”
Everyone is welcome, and the group is “always looking for new members.”
But one of her Mackintosh’s favourite things in town is the public library.
“I think it’s one of the finest resources, especially given we’re such a small community,” she remarked.
“It is way above and beyond what you’d expect because it’s not just the typical functions of a library, but the technological aspects, and the support and the willingness to teach.
“The gals who work there are just so fantastic,” Mackintosh enthused. “You can tell they really like being there, not just because it’s a job.”
“It’s amazing for a small town,” she reiterated. “You can rent books, DVDs, and CDs.”
Mackintosh described the many programs offered at the local library as being “cultural and educational.” Programs and events are offered for all ages, with many beginning just in time for summer.
Another excellent resource, she said, is the Memorial Sports Centre, noting “they have swimming, skating, squash, tai chi, yoga, Zumba, and roller derby.”
“And a whole heap of other stuff,” she added. “If there’s a need, there’s a class.
“It’s just so all-encompassing,” she stressed. “People just generally realize it’s an arena, so you’d expect to have the ice hockey . . . [but] there’s a whole other aspect of the arena.
“There’s the weightlifting apparatus, which looks pretty marvelous to me. And there’s squash courts . . . learn to swim programs . . . aqua-therapy, aqua-fitness.”
Mackintosh does tai chi.
“Now the tai chi, we’re sort of in a phase where we’re trying to get the word out there that we have it on offer,” she noted.
“We have a steady core of about 10 members, but we’d really like to see more people getting into it.”
Next comes the museum—often overlooked and yet still an “interesting resource.”
With year-round displays about local heritage, as well as new travelling exhibits every few months, it is disappointing that more people do not take advantage of it.
Mackintosh also cited the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre, which is very “in-depth and detailed” on pre-colonial times, Fort Frances Little Theatre, which “is very active . . . those people have worked hard under very difficult circumstances because we never had a place to call our own,” the Fort High band and plays, Borderland Community Orchestra, and the museum over in International Falls, which she said is “very user friendly.”
As for volunteering, Mackintosh has been with the Border Concert Association for years, which has “brought in so many acts” to Backus Auditorium in the Falls over the years.
“Something for everyone,” she remarked.
“For such a small community, for us to have access to these marvelous artists, at total rock-bottom prices, we’re not having to pay to go to Winnipeg. . . .”
“Border Concert [membership] is $50 dollars for a season,” noted Mackintosh.
As an added bonus, committee members get to meet the artists—something she says would not happen in a larger centre like Toronto.
If this were not enough to stay busy, Mackintosh also spoke about the many free or inexpensive things people can do locally to stay occupied.
“There are many parks, you can swim, have a picnic. . . .
“There is a very strong soccer league,” as well as ample opportunities for slo-pitch, golf, and kayaking.
“We’ve got a lake right in our backyard,” she noted, which she also takes advantage of—often taking classes the local Rendezvous Yacht Club offers.
“These are members who just, from the love of sailing, they give of their time. And like every other club, they are trying to get the word out there that these options are available.
“They have a learn-to-sail beginners’ course,” Mackintosh said. “[It’s] very, very interesting.
“You’ll learn a lot more about the lake, you’ll learn a lot more about the weather, you’ll get the skills you need for the mechanics of sailing.
“My favourite one—there is a whole session on tying knots!
“For a small area, we have a lot of choices,” she reiterated.
Mackintosh believes becoming involved is “a human basic necessity.”
“We are social animals and we have to get out on sort of three different levels,” she explained. “First of all, just for the moving around, the exercise, getting the blood going, getting your muscles toned.
“But we also need the social aspect,” she added. “We need to be with people, it keeps our brains active.
“And then the cognitive cerebral thing. We’re challenging our brain, we’re learning something new.
“All of it is supremely superior to being a couch potato,” she stressed.
“I think your body starts to die, your brain starts to die, your heart, your social things with friends starts to die if you don’t make the effort.”
