Last week was a random Ramblings to be certain, but who knew Silks Country Kitchen had so many fans here in our town? The number of comments regarding my column discussing the name Silks has been remarkable.
So many good vibes, such positive karma and such respect for the quality of the meals and staff. And the drinks.
I spend far too little time on the internet, but have often been intrigued by just how much useful and useless information can be found with even basic surfing. The natural flow from the name Silks to jockeys (watch the spelling) fascinated me, and so very few even long time NOTLers had any idea. It really was interesting to learn that this Silks had absolutely nothing to do with lingerie. The Kentucky Derby, indeed.
It is indeed a small world, and my recent browsing brought me to another long-forgotten memory. The segue to the Gerry the Giraffe sculpture snuck up on me, and this short-time Niagara-on-the-Lake character deserves some comment. It certainly garnered a lot of attention back in 1987.
Gerry the Giraffe is a memorable 13-foot-tall sculpture created by former U.S. Marine Jack Kearney in Provincetown, Mass., at the northernmost tip of Cape Cod, past Chatham and the sand dunes of Newcomb’s Hollow. Made from scrap car bumpers and various other auto parts, ingeniously resembling a giraffe. Weighing about 1,200 pounds, roughly the same as a full-grown adult male giraffe.
Who knows how or why, but John Ronald Catena from this area was intrigued, and purchased Gerry the Giraffe for $4,300 (in American dollars). The details are difficult to unwind, but suffice to say that “the Cat” had a knack for attracting media attention and causing controversy.
He was unique and creative. Man the torpedoes and full speed ahead. For a short time, Ron owned the Prince of Wales Hotel, Silks Country Kitchen, the Cat’s Caboose in St. Catharines and who knows what else?
He had the large sculpture placed in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel, but local leaders didn’t think it belonged at the corner of King and Queen streets. Much controversy ensued and Gerry the Giraffe was soon turfed.
Incidentally, while he owned the Cat’s Caboose, they served the first Buffalo chicken wings in all of Canada. The things you didn’t know. To create more seating space for paying customers, the Cat bought an old caboose and had it moved to Glenridge Plaza. He knocked out the south wall of his original restaurant and attached the caboose, but oops — he had forgotten to run the concept past the Toronto based landlord.
Too late, man, and about 40 years later, the Cat’s Caboose is still a going concern. There are many reasons why, including proximity to Brock University, ample parking, and professional, hard working employees under the leadership of Scott Hill. Give it a try when you next find yourself peckish and in the Garden City.
When they added the caboose, they had to move Gerry the Giraffe. He still stands proudly on the roof of Hudson Welding and Fabrication, 326 St. Paul St. W, corner of Vansickle Road.
If you have a quirky sense of humour, drive over and have a look.
Now, during every local election campaign, I find myself overwhelmed by the number of candidate signs. So much work, but so effective and part of the game.
This is going to be an election with very close results, so I respectfully encourage NOTLers to study up on the issues and vote.
To ramble dramatically while winding up, on the way back yesterday from family Thanksgiving in Ottawa, I saw literally thousands of signs. Election signs, and other signs of all types.
The sign that made me smile most was right here in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In Virgil, in front of Penner’s Home Hardware:
“No pumpkin spice here. But lots of rakes and leaf bags.”
And on Niagara Stone Road going towards Old Town through the road construction, in front of the big red church (Niagara United Mennonite Church) the timely and thoughtful and kind sign, “Bless all of the road construction workers.”
