[mobirdhunter]

For those of you who love the writing of Gordon MacQuarrie:

We just returned from attending the 3 day Gordon MacQuarrie Pilgrimage in Barnes, Wisconsin, two whoops and a holler north of Hayward, Wisconsin. The Barnes Area Historical Association puts on this event which includes presentations on various aspects of MacQuarrie's writing (such as the origin of "The Old Brown Mackinaw"), visits to spots immortalized in his stories (like the "Hole in the Wall" and the old "Ice House"), culminating in a canoe trip down the Brule River.

You should check out the Barnes Area Historical Association website: bahamuseum.org

There are new books -- collections of MacQuarrie's writings -- for sale on the site, and you can become a member of the Old Duck Hunters Circle (Elaine and I are now proud life members).

It's nice to see these small historical organizations keeping alive those things from our sporting heritage and life that have been so important to those of us who cherish the sporting life. If you are a MacQuarrie fan, you should consider attending one of their pilgrimage events.

Photos:

1-3. The small Barnes Area Historical Museum has a room devoted to MacQuarrie. Lots of memorabilia from the ODHA.
4. One night we had a pine knot campfire with ODHA trivia and a performance by the Incorrigibles
5-6 Visits to sites immortalized in MacQuarrie's writings were a high spot of the event for me. Visiting the remains of the old ice house (from my favorite MacQuarrie story, "We Shall Gather by the Ice House") and MacQuarrie's logs-on-end cabin, the beginning point for so many of his tales, made the trip so worthwhile.