Kincardine's love affair with the automobile is hilarious race to the finish

If you're unaware of Kincardine's important role in the invention of the automobile, you're not alone.

However, if you were among the 150 people at the Walker House Heritage Dinner, Saturday, May 7, at the Kincardine Legion, you would know and understand the multi-faceted love affair between Kincardine and the automobile.

The show, "Kincardine and the Automobile (A Love Story)," was written by Graham Mahood and directed by June Daniel. It's a marvellous account of the history of the automobile, as well as car dealerships, gas stations, accessories, and more, in Kincardine and around the world, from the early 1900s until the present day.

Laura Haight, president of the Paddy Walker Heritage Society, welcomed everyone and introduced Mahood who held a quiz about the automobile which began the evening of hilarity.

Then the ride through history took off, with steam cars in the 1700s, followed by the first actual horseless carriage in 1907, then electric cars, and finally, the combustion engine.

Kincardine's importance sparked with the first Old Boys and Girls Reunion in 1907 which fuelled the automobile revolution, according to Mahood. Cars were driven all the way from Minnesota, just to be at this famous event. Kincardine's first car was owned by Andrew Malcolm.

Narrated by Amanda Farrell and John Low, the story not only focused on Kincardine's automobile history, but also each new development in cars, such as seatbelts, headlights, windshield wipers, power steering, power brakes, and cruise control.

Making the play come alive, was the music, performed by Patt Lowry on keyboard, Steve Deer on guitar, and Brian Tovey on harmonica, and the singers, Steve Deer, Sid Duggan, Jaki Mayer-Duggan, Amanda Farrell, John Low, Patt Lowry, Stacey Millar and Slayde Miller.

The show also featured photos on a projector screen, thanks to the hard work of Michael Yun, and the donation of photographs by members of the community.

The play rambled on, describing the various car dealerships and gas stations that came and went, Kincardine's first taxi-cab company, and the failure of the Ford Edsel followed by the brilliant release of the Ford Mustang,

It was a terrific ride down memory lane, through story and song. And, near the end, the secret was finally told that the torrid affair between Kincardine and the automobile, stems from the fact that so many of the dedicated volunteers who helped restore the Walker House, were car buffs, including Alf Rackley, Ken Zurbrigg, Wilf Mahood, Doug Storrey, John Willis, Robert Cottrill, Wayne Palmateer, Jack Nancekivell, and Jim Bagshaw.

The love affair between Kincardine and the automobile produced a love child: the Walker House, which stands for all things great in Kincardine's history.

Unfortunately, if you didn't catch the performance May 7, you are out of luck, because it was a one-night event. Perhaps you can convince Mahood, Daniel and the gang to play it again, because it is definitely worth seeing at least one more time.