Garnet Graham Park Dedicated, 1986
Garnet Graham had an energy and enthusiasm that few other Fenelon Falls residents could match. He was the town crier, he played Santa Claus, he served on village council, he was a very active Rotarian, and he was Mr. Yip—the personality that so many visitors to Fenelon Falls would never forget. Garnet took a simple magic trick, and turned it the most popular souvenir of Fenelon Falls—a popularity that was largely the result of how special he made it while demonstrating. Yip sticks (or whammy diddles) exist around the world, but there was only one Mr. Yip—Garnet Graham.
Wherever he went, in Kinmount, Fenelon Falls, Cobie or Minden, Garnet Graham would draw a crowd. His sidekick, Bobby Beau, was a dog that could add, multiply and climb trees. Few who had seen them perform together would ever forget it. Garnet would sell a “Three Piece Chicken Dinner” for a dollar—the buyer soon found out it was a dinner for a chicken. He peddled the actual water that Champlain paddled on—bottled straight out of the tap, Champlain did paddle through the Kawarthas after all. He’d demonstrate how to hook an elastic with the “Goes-Into”—when in reality there was no elastic. Through all of these magic tricks, he spread a lot of joy and raised money for countless local charitable causes.
In 1986 Fenelon Falls Reeve Barclay Taylor renamed Lakeshore Park as Garnet Graham Park. It was a fitting tribute, because his Yip Stick money had helped develop the park into the community space that so many people knew and loved. He was also a very active part of the Rotary Club as they worked towards the same goal. Garnet Graham spent so much time at the park, for a generation he was the personality animating the park. Living next door, countless kids would stop at his garage to enjoy learning his magic tricks. To visit the park today, is in many ways to see Garnet Graham’s dreams come true.
