Page 3 - December 2023 News On 7

HAZZARD'S HISTORY NOTES

by Grant Ketcheson

CHRISTMAS IN A COUNTRY CHURCH

The celebration of Christmas at Hazzard's Corners Church has seen many changes over the last 165
years. Much of this window into the past was preserved for us in the 1974 book “Pilgrimage of Faith”
by Alma Moocroft, Blanche Sandford and Alma Blackburn This is the go-to source for the history of
the churches of the Madoc area. We still have some copies available.

From this book, we get a glimpse of a long-ago Christmas celebration at Hazzard's. “As reported in
the North Hastings Review of December 1891, about twenty young men and women besides the
children of the Sunday School participated in the literary programme. It reflects great credit on the
young people that so fine a programme would be presented. Last Christmas, not one of the invited
speakers put in an appearance (because of weather and roads) and an impromptu programme had to
be made. The choir, under the direction of Misses Kincaid and Burnside contributed materially to
the success. The experiment proved so successful that the young people took upon themselves the
task of furnishing the entire literary entertainment and they have performed their part nobly.
Notwithstanding the children were admitted free and the darkness of the night, the proceeds of the
night were seventy dollars and fifty cents.”

Reading this account raises a couple of
questions. How bad were the roads and
weather such that horses and sleighs could not
travel? Secondly, was listening to “invited
speakers” considered Christmas
entertainment 130 years ago? It seems that the

young people of Hazzard's Church answered
that question by taking over the entertainment
from then on !

Even though our version of “Christmas in a
Country Church” may be vastly different from
that of 1890, the same warm welcome always
awaits members of the community on
December 23. With reading of the Christmas
lessons, singing the old familiar carols and
greet-your-neighbour fellowship, the same
Christmas spirit abounds at Hazzard's Corners
Church.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS