
For 59 years, our extended family has gathered on Boxing Day to skate, followed by lunch. My parents, Wilfrid and Carmelina Fagan, started this tradition in the mid 1960s. We aren’t exactly sure what year it began, so we have pegged 1965 as “the year.” At the time, my father was hired by the Caledonia Arena Commission, to oversee the new artificial ice surface in Caledonia. As the only employee, he was responsible for the maintenance of the ice surface, booking ice time, flooding the ice in between rentals, keeping the books, cleaning the arena, and so on. I remember as a child, there were many evenings my father would not be home until we were all in bed. In spite of the long hours, he loved that job.
In those early years, everyone came back to our home for lunch after skating. With the family growing in numbers, we now rent a room at the arena to enjoy food and fellowship. We are fortunate to have four generations, usually around 50 people, coming from far and wide to attend. There have been only a few occasions when we were unable to skate; once an ice storm forced us to cancel, one year the arena was booked for another event so we tried roller skating instead, and of course, the Covid years. I wish my parents were still here to see the legacy they created.
With a potluck lunch, we get a wide variety of foods, but there are some favourites that return every year. My brother Mike always makes his chili. I have shared a few chili recipes in this column but each person puts their own twist on the dish – they are the same but different! I did overhear my grandsons commenting on how much they liked “Uncle Mike’s Chili,” so I figured this was definitely a good one to include. Mike said he doesn’t really have a recipe but there are certain ingredients he traditionally adds to the ground beef.
My usual contribution is the hash brown potato casserole. This is a classic dish which many of you will be familiar with, but I know there are a few variations out there. This particular recipe is from the United Church of Canada cookbook “Let’s Break Bread,” submitted by the Holy Trinity United Church of Elliot Lake, Ontario.
Enjoy!