by Bev Lundahl
As a child I first learned of the Chamberlain picnic from my grandmother, Alice Jane (Jennie Dixon) McGregor, the daughter of Emmaline Chamberlain-Dixon. She was only too happy to share with me memories of her childhood and youth spent near Peterborough. Her move with her husband Bill McGregor and four children to Saskatchewan in 1919 was traumatic. She would sing to my mother and her other children ‘It’s a loooong way to Peterborough,’ imitating the song of the meadowlarks on the prairies.
I had the privilege as an adult of attending the Chamberlain Picnic three times: 2005, 2010 and 2015. As a genealogist it was obvious that I should visit the old homestead and meet all those Ontario relatives. So in 2005 I basked in their stories and memories. The pilgrimage from the prairies by ten of us from Saskatchewan in 2010 was an unforgettable experience. But 2015 was different. I was promoting my book Entangled Roots, the Mystery of Peterborough’s Headless Corpse with some trepidation. The book contained family history but I wasn’t so sure that this story fitted comfortably with the lore of the Chamberlain Picnic!
The Chamberlain picnic has indeed become an enduring legend.
Saskatchewan relatives visited in 2010 — a special event for everyone. Bev is in the front.
Greetings from Saskatchewan
by Sandra Holman
It is with great fondness and some wonderful memories of being at the 2010 annual picnic and representing my Grandmother’s (Jennie Dixon) family along with several of her grandchildren. We had such a good trip to see where our wonderful “heritage” originated and to meet so many relatives at that time. So very sorry that this year’s Picnic cannot be held due to COVID. Trust this finds all of our Ontario relatives staying healthy and COVID free. We have not had any cases in our area and we are really thankful for that.