CORNWALL, Ontario – Many great talents were on display Saturday for the third annual This Ability of Mine Showcase at the RCAF wing on Water street.
The This Ability of Mine Showcase provided the Cornwall community with the chance to view and experience the many amazing talents which often go unnoticed by the general public.
From crafts, to WWE figure collections, dioramas made to scale, a collection of Harry Potter based collectors items, to the musical stylings of Jean and Cameron, there was enough on display to keep crowds entertained.
“It’s 100 per cent theirs,” said lead organizer Art Levert. “And, it’s awesome…there is a lot to be seen.”
For literature lovers, Patsy was on hand to display her progress on her novel, Midnight Rider, with pages on display for passersby to check out. The well researched, Western style novel provides lessons on bullying, while remaining within the realms of historical accuracy and cultural sensitivity.
“It’s the kind of book you can read one chapter to your children,” said Levert.
Fans and alumni from Char-Lan will be proud to know that one of the showcasers, Jean, was around to spread the high school’s sports team, The Rebels, and sell some of his original paintings.
Both Cameron, who is in the process of writing a Harry Potter inspired script, and Jean performed for the crowd.
Also returning to this year’s showcase, Jean M displayed some of his scale models, built from memory, of the St. Hubert kitchen, the Brockville McDonald’s restaurant, and his own home. Special to Levert, Jean M’s detail heavy scale models acted as the original inspiration for Levert to organize the show in 2013.
For the first time, the showcase was proud to also feature the craftworks of the folks from Different Abilities, which currently operates out of the old general hospital. Different Abilities provides an outlet for people with non-normative abilities to keep busy and connect with their community.
Helen Horvath began Different Abilities after she found a need, based on her experiences in Cornwall, concerning her daughter.
“It’s just a great place to not feel like ‘that disabled person,’” said Helen, who was displaying her knitting. “Disabled people are seen and not heard, but people go in there and it’s like ‘wow’.”
With so many awesome talents on display, and likely plans for a fourth year, checking out This Ability of Mine is a great way to see all the talent that Cornwall has to offer.
