Reprinted from The Packet, July 9, 2015
by Lester Green
Participants parading in the Lane on Canada Day.
The sounds of laughter and the sight of children celebrating Canada Day in the Lane, a local area of Little Heart’s Ease, was music to ears of Maxwell Marsh and Mariah Jacobs, two of the oldest residents of the Lane.
During Canada Day, descendents of Alice (1897-1979) and David (1895-1967) Jacobs gathered to reflect on life growing up in the Lane where children were once numerous.
Kevin Marsh, a former resident who grew up in the Lane remarked, “when Dad moved our family from Deer Harbour in the 1960s there was about 60 kids of various ages living and playing in the Lane.” Today there are no children that are permanent residents of the Lane.
During the fall, winter, and spring, the Lane goes silent, like so many other smaller settlements in rural Newfoundland.
Great-great grandchildren of Alice and David Jacobs celebrate Canada Day with a parade in the Lane at Little Heart’s Ease.
The only sounds to be heard are songbirds, crows, seagulls and the occasional dog barking. Various communities throughout the region served by the Packet and beyond can relate to a recent trend where people raised in small towns are now retiring and purchasing or building summer homes/cabins, while maintaining a permanent home elsewhere. The populations swells during the summer months with people gathering for a variety of occasions but quickly become ghost towns during the rest of the year.
The descendents of David and Alice Jacobs are no different.
Again this year, the great-great grandchildren made the Lane come alive with shouting, running and playing as they held their Canada Day parade.
With four generations represented, they started at the end of Lane and proudly carried the Canadian flag with their brightly colored wagons, bikes, and clothing to the base of the hill. Parents and grandparents pushed, pulled, or watched their children as they slowly moved up towards the hill.
Among the great-great grandchildren, Leland Oberlander, who was visiting his grandparents from New York state, was being pushed by his parents on his brightly colored bike decorated with Canadian flags.
Santiago Green, Shoal Harbour, reaching for a Canada Day cupcake.
Valentina Green was also taking part, riding her bike and flying the Canadian flag. She was born in Lima, Peru but moved to Canada four years ago and now lives in Shoal Harbour. Even at a young age, one could observe the bonding among cousins, as they celebrated and marched along the Lane, where their ancestors had walked more than 130 years ago.
When the parade ended, the children and adults were treated to the cutting of the Canada Day cake by Miriah Jacobs and Maxwell Marsh. The kids enjoyed cake, muffins, hotdogs and sandwiches. They played with a variety of toys and just walked around in the Lane enjoying the natural beauty that the Lane offers.
By 1:00 pm, the children dispersed and moved to other Canada Day functions at Hodge’s Cove and Shoal Harbour to continue their Canada Day celebrations. The short time spent together and the memories recorded through video and photos will be forever remembered by those who attended.
Check out our website at www.thepacket.ca for more photos from Canada Day in the Lane
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Transcribed by Wanda Garrett, November 2022.
These transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material