George Hamilton meets Stan Rogers

One founded our city, the other crafted stirring songs

I feel kind of bad about this but I’ve got a hunch I’m not alone.

Hands up everyone who, like me, didn’t know that locally the August Civic Holiday is officially called George Hamilton Day.

No, it’s not named after the Hollywood actor with the permanent mahogany tan.

It’s in honour of the almost certainly mutton chopped soldier/developer who founded this city in 1833.

Apparently, municipalities in Ontario are free to rename the blandly designated Civic Holiday, which falls on the first Monday in August, after local historic figures of their choice.

Thus Burlington has Joseph Brant Day. Toronto has Simcoe Day. And Hamilton has George Hamilton Day.

Urged on by the now defunct Hamilton Historical Board, city council unanimously voted for the change in 2010.

Unbeknownst to me, it seems council also directed staff to develop a George Hamilton Day event program that each year chooses a different famous Hamiltonian to celebrate.

According to city spokesperson Ann Lamanes, staff work with local heritage groups to develop a theme and then seek public input to select someone who best represents that theme.

I feel a little bad about that, too. I should have known that in the past the city has used the holiday to honour the likes of Olympian Ray Lewis, political pioneer Nora Francis Henderson and provincial highway honcho Thomas McQuesten.

I’m not sure how I missed all this. Maybe I was out of town or just out to lunch. Regardless, it finally penetrated my consciousness this week.

While looking for a staff report on the city’s website, I saw a promotional slide show announcing that this year’s George Hamilton Day celebration is focused on legendary folksinger Stan Rogers.

To kick it off, the city and The Spectator are teaming up to present a concert featuring the music of the late Rogers at the Spec auditorium on Aug. 1. (The concert is free but tickets are limited to four per person. Call 546-2424 ext. 5771 for information.)

The performers are Stan’s widow Ariel Rogers, Paul Mills, Jude Johnson, Paul Langille, Poor Angus, and the Spec’s own Mark McNeil.

It’s great to see Hamilton once again lauding Rogers, especially since the Canadian music establishment has been shamefully delinquent in not recognizing his indelible stamp on Canadian music.

Born in Hamilton, a resident of Dundas and immersed in Maritime music traditions, the singer-songwriter crafted stirring story songs that epitomize the cultural psyche of Canada and capture its sea-to-sea experience like few others.

Rogers died in a tarmac airplane fire in 1983 while returning from a concert in the United States. He was only 33 years old.

Yet during his short lifetime he penned a body of imperishable work that includes love songs, sea shanties and anthems that uplift the heart and extend the reach of the human spirit. I venture to say that songs like “Barrett’s Privateers,” Northwest Passage” and “The Mary Ellen Carter” will endure as long as this country does.

It remains a national disgrace that Rogers hasn’t been posthumously inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. When I asked about the glaring omission a few years ago, officials with both organizations pleaded an embarrassment of riches and suggested it was just a matter of time. Well, we’re still waiting. Meanwhile, it’s good to see that Hamilton isn’t. Rogers was inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction in 2003.

George Hamilton — the War of 1812 vet, not the bronzed actor — made the cut in 1985.

Burlington has Joseph Brant Day. Toronto has Simcoe Day. And Hamilton has George Hamilton Day.