There are a lot of way’s that people can have fun and learn at the same time. On Saturday at the INVISTA Centre, Bring Your Thing sought to learn how Kingstonians like to play!
Canada’s Penitentiary Museum showed us that in any situation in life, play is important. Kingston Penitentiary prisoner Luigi Gallo (1950’s) fashioned his own dice, which were found hidden in the leg of a bench. If you look closely at the dice, you will notice that one is missing a ‘6’ side. These dice were loaded and were most likely used for illegal gambling. Guardsmen’s also had their share of fun, the staff hockey team in 1989 was the “KP Shacklers.”
Frontenac County Schools Museum had a number of vintage games to try out; Including a set of pick up stick, which in my opinion is more difficult then any Jenga game. Simply drop the deck of sticks and pick them up without moving any other sticks. I never was able to pick up a stick. There was also tiddlywinks, antique blocks and the always popular cup-and-ball.
The Original Hockey Hall of Fame explained the evolution of the hockey stick and puck. In early hockey games, the puck was simply a stone block! The Kingston Lawn Bowling Club shared their long history in Kingston, who have been an club since 1914, originally part of Queen’s University.
Kids’s were invited to play the Kingston Board Game! Using large dice, there were a number of challenges until you reached the end and could be declared the winner. From taking the pose of Sir John A. Macdonald, making up a story about hockey or playing Kingston timeline, Kingston heritage was more fun then ever. Can you answer this Kingston Trivia Question? The designer of the LaSalle Causeway, Joseph Strauss, also designed what famous bridge?
Kingston Broad Sword Academy demonstrated the art of the broadsword. Jake Hodgson has been practicing broadsword fighting for decades and is happy to share his craft. He and his partner walked the audience through the different tactics of the broadsword, and taught us the history of the highlanders fighting style.
Jake shared the tale of two highland clans, who at a truth dinner, sat each others clansmen’s beside one another, one by one. When their leaders gave the sign, both clans pulled out their dirks to stab the other clan, or so the tale goes. I learned that highland fighters regularly fought naked without their kilts, so they could easily get to the ground to avoid gunfire, and get up with their swords ready to fight.
