The Icelandic connection - 01.12.2020, Blaðsíða 43

Vol. 71 #4
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
185
brought over in 1903 and who knows
how old it was then. It might have been
five or 10 years old, we will not know
exactly. Thinking when it came out of
the factory it would make it more than
120 some years old. When you think of
that, remember that it has been through
all kinds of environments and elements.
At least since I got it has been exposed
to the elements and rarely protected.
The neighbors used to come and borrow
it from time to time. Sometimes the
harmonika was gone for a week or a
month. The neighbours would have it and
enjoy the instrument. We thought that
was great for everyone to try and learn
to play it.
How I acquired it.
The Minerva Ladies Aid which
was founded about ten years before
the occasion of the raffle I am about
to describe. Siggi had always provided
the musical entertainment when any
function was held in the hall. I never did
really hear why Siggi was in a hard place
except that he was not totally satisfied
with the old harmonika or squeeze box.
The reason was never spoken of but it
could have been that it played in only two
keys. I suspect that the keys that it did
play in were not compatible with music
of the day. I think he really wanted to be
involved with playing with an orchestra.
The Ladies Aid decided to support his
feeling that he needed a new accordion.
It was decided to hold a raffle as a
fundraiser and that would be culminated
in their annual Tombola in the winter.
In those days, babysitting was unheard
of. There was a big long table up on the
stage and as babies or toddlers were ready
to go to sleep, they were simply put up on
the table — all rolled up on the table not
to be disturbed till coffee time which fell
around midnight. I was about five years
old at the time. It seemed like a magnet
pulled me up there. I was not put on the
table to sleep through the whole evening.
I was there present right on the stage to
see and hear Siggi. So that when it came
time to make the draw, someone suggested
why don’t we just have Oli pull the
winning ticket. The ticket just happened
to come up and was for my sister Gerdur.
All of a sudden it became the possession
of one of the Narfasons. That is how it
wound up at Vidivollum, the farm name
of the Narfason farm. When it came to
our place, I didn’t know anything about
it and I just fooled around with it just
like any kids that came along visiting. It
became a bit of a competition to see who
could make the most noise with it and
that was really not appreciated. It didn’t
see much use until neighbors started to
wonder if they could borrow it to see if
ARBORG PHARMACY
SHARED WISDOM • SHARED COMMITMENT • SHARED VALUES
Guardian
Pharmacist: V. T. Eyolfson
Box 640, Arborg, MB ROC 0A0
Ph: 204-376-5153
Store Hours: Mon. - Sat. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fri. 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sun. noon - 6 p.m.