The Auld Kissing Stane in James Square, in Fergus has finally been recognized as an integral part of the towns history. Today, a storyboard and decorative bench were unveiled as a salute to the rock, or stane as the Scots used to say. Pipes & Drums added the right Scottish touch to the occasion. The Auld Kissing Stane was one of the few public places in the village, in Victorian times, where a fella could kiss his girl without being chastised for showing affection in public. Many a young man proposed to his girl here - mom and dad included in the list. The rock, a fine example of erratic blue granite, was left in the valley after the last ice age (10,000 years ago) passed over the area and gouged the Grand River Gorge. You can see from the holes in the rock that someone had the silly idea in the early 20th century that the boulder should be dynamited into oblivion. Sanity prevailed. My grandfather Charlie Mattaini talked the fools out of their folly and the Auld Kissing Stane survived. There was a time when it became the spot to settle a quarrel (c1970 - 1985). Oh, how times change . . . Today it is considered a sign of good luck to come when a couple smooch at the Auld Kissing Stane.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 20:46:39 +0000
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