The Church at Indian River

The old church, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic, 

has stood in this location, overlooking the rolling countryside, since 1902. 

It was designed by William C. Harris, a Canadian architect, known for the acoustics of the buildings he designed. The material and labour were provided by local people, both parishioners and non parishioners.

The church was debt free when completed.

Over the last century, the church needed repairs as the number of parishioners declined. It could have been demolished. However, a fund-raising effort helped restore it and later, the Indian River Festival Association formed to offer musical performances in the church. The arrangement keeps the building maintained and used. Sunday services are held there in the summer.

The acoustics of the church are incredible, said to be among the ten best performance venues in the world.

Sitting in the pew, one is wrapped in sound, one with the music, as the performers sing and play in the sanctuary. The festival hosts classical, contemporary, choral and folk music to name a few. There is something for everyone over the summer months. My husband and I have tickets for traditional and folk music in August.

This church is a testament to the ingenuity and hard work of those who built it and those who work to maintain it. 

Misadventures at the roadside

We were headed to Thunder Cove, Prince Edward Island but stopped along the way to watch ducks on a pond. As we pulled away from the roadside, something didn’t sound right with the car. Before long, a light came on and my husband commented, “We have a flat tire on the front passenger side.”

He pulled over and I checked. Sure enough!  Since we were in front of St. Mary’s Church in Indian River, we pulled into the parking lot. 

Our best efforts to jack up the car and remove the tire failed so we called Roadside Assistance.

It was an interesting experience. The wind was high and on the cell phone, it was difficult enough to hear the other person, especially when the occasional vehicle or piece of farm equipment drove by. In addition, the person spoke with a thick accent.

I always feel bad when I can’t understand other people. They speak English much better than I could ever speak their first language. To compound the problem this time however, the person thought we were in the countryside of Ontario, despite repeated reference to Prince Edward Island. Finally, my husband asked to speak to another person. Bottom line, someone arrived to help 45 minutes later.

If you are familiar with our excursions, you know we always bring a picnic lunch. So, when the tire is flat, the Smiths have a picnic.

It was a perfect location. The only living creatures were the birds, doves on the church roof cooing and robins chirping their happy songs as they dropped by the cemetery.

By the time we finished lunch, Assistance had arrived. Back at home and $200 later a new tire solved the problem. 

It was an expensive picnic.