Virden will be hosting guests visiting town for the provincial curling championship. This has me thinking about how they will see us.
This town is an ideal size! It’s big enough to have a marvelous art gallery, a unique and rather grand theatre and fine dining – five downtown eateries, more on the highway. And, Virden is small enough to get anywhere within four minutes.
Let’s look through the eyes of ‘company’, like you do when you’ve invited guests for dinner.
You’ve got the dinner covered (the cook is preparing his delicious chicken parmigiana or curried pork tenderloin medallions. The aroma of fresh pressed garlic mingles with the Garam Masala… Aaah!)
Guests are soon to arrive. My modest home, tidier than normal, has some items of interest within. We will enjoy our visit.
Picturing their approach to our door, my brow furrows. I am suddenly seeing “us” through guests’ eyes, and nose. Our dog’s pungent odor – no time to bath the dog. He’s a basset, what can I say?’ The carpet’s shabby… the usual worries.
So back to the hundreds of people who are going to show up Feb. 6 – 10 in Virden.
Aghhh! The streets, the frontage road – I hope they don’t try and take those ruts too fast. Or the snowy bumps at the rail crossing. And don’t try and turn left at the one stop light!
But, then my mind drifts to the treasures within town: the beautiful TOGP facility, spacious, clean, with new safety rails in the seating stands and a hotel with a pool.
Not only that, what could be better than to have a few spare hours to shop the latest fashion in shoes or fantastic clothing stores all within walking distance of each other.
Oh My Gosh! What about the sewing and ceramics store? The Flower Attic? Three thrift stores for treasure hunters! Hardware, electronics and an opportunity to plan your next vacation, perhaps buy a boat, snow machine, a new car, or a Kubota – I mean, you’re in Virden anyway….
I think we need a brochure! Do we have a brochure? A Chamber of Commerce-sponsored leaflet for visitors?
Okay, so people are here to curl and to cheer. But just to give their eyes a rest from the red and blue circles, the intensity of competition, there is a visual feast of fine canvas art in the relaxing atmosphere of the C.P.R. Historic Centre.
So what’s the best thing about Virden? I’m biased. I think Virden has a lot of “best” features.
I am looking forward to accounts of the week of curling: near misses, button draws, victories and defeats. But I also want to hear about how visitors saw Virden.
