Bras D'Or

Dennis Jessome
The Boy From Bras D'Or

"The Last Bonfire Of The Summer"

The end of summer was getting near and it was time for the last big bonfire of the year down at the Big Creek.

Everyone did their bit by bringing something to put on the fire to get it started, a board, an old table, broken chair or any old wood they could get their hands on at the time. And when we got her going, the big surprise was about to come.

A lot of the kids forgot the truck tires we hid in John the Baptist's old foundation, from the Truck Tire Race, that was suddenly ended by Larncie Carey's tire, swerving into John (Blue) and Mary Ellen (Barry) Leblanc's shack.

We hid the tires with old branches of trees for this big event. Every Saturday we had our regular bonfire down at the Big Creek but this was the night for the big one.

It didn't get under way till almost dark. When the fire got going good, Leroy Pero, Uncle Robbie and Aunt Colletta (Carey) Pero's son and I went over to the old foundation and came back with two big truck tires.

Well you talk about excitement, when they seen the tires. These tires always gave off lots of heat. You couldn't get within ten feet of the fire. The stink of rubber burning and the black smoke would almost choke you.

But that came with the bonfire and nobody minded it a bit. When it got going real good, you could see the black smoke and flames for miles around. And if the wind was blowing in the right direction the houses from Bras d'Or Bridge to Bras d'Or corner would get the black smoke.

You might think it was London fog, only blacker and dirtier. And the stink, surprisingly how far that smell could travel and stay close to the ground.

With two big truck tires blazing what did anyone expect. I saw Con Newton down at the bridge the next day when I went fishing with my Uncle Louis Carey who married Sadie Pentz.

He said, "I guess that was the last bonfire for the summer. Dennis I can always tell, we had to close the windows, and it was coming up the gut then going up the road. Everyone up here got it. You almost choked us out. You should have waited till the wind wasn't blowing in our direction and she would have went up straight up into the air.

I replied, "Ok Buddy, we'll make sure to wait for the wind to die down next year. That was the last big bonfire for this year".

"Yes I know", said uncle Con, "Next year then".

Ok Buddy, "When we were down at the creek the night before, we had a little night swim to try to get the smell of burnt rubber out of our hair. Stunk like hell".

When the fire was starting we would jump through the black smoke, as the blaze got bigger we would skunk who would go through it.

We all lined up. Billy, Leonard and Tootie Chisholm, Ligey and Ya-Ya Slade, Emerson Jessome, Ba-Ba and Donnie Clark, Patty Jessome, Louis Jessome, Danny Laffin, Petie Laffin, Sonny, Giggy, Larncie, Jude Carey and a few more fellows.

A few girls always showed up for our bonfires. We could always count on Shirley Pero, Margie Donovan, Bernice and Ruby Slade, Lois and Delores "Lossie" Jessome, Eunice Jessome, my sister, and a few other being there for our bonfires.

We knew we were going to get in trouble when we got home because we all smelled like polecats. But that was all part of having a bonfire and being young.

Being this was the last bonfire of the summer we made it a really good one. We had twenty-seven tires, eight belonging to big trucks.

We went over to the foundation and almost everyone had a tire coming through the grass towards the bonfire. Well, once we started to put on the tires, the pile was about ten feet high.

The flames were something to see, beautiful if I may say so. The smoke was also a sight to see, I tell you. The heat that fire gave off, WHEW!!! A sauna couldn't give off that kind of heat.

I never saw so much black smoke at one time in my life. Just standing there and looking around at all the happy faces staring into the bonfire, even a few grown ups having a swig of beer out of a quart beer bottle gave me a feeling of warmth, more than the fire itself.

It was the warmth of togetherness, of one big happy family from Bras d'Or Shacks gathered together to share one another's delight of the last bonfire of summer.

Then someone said Leroy set off the firecrackers. Leroy Pero and Ya-Ya Slade had a two by four each and went over to the bonfire, and came down on the burning tires and a sight to behold.

Millions of sparks flying through the air in bellows of smoke lightened up the sky. They rose about thirty feet in the air; you'd swear you were in New York City on New Year's Eve, when they set off the fireworks.

Every time Leroy or Ya-Ya would hit the tires you could hear "AAAHH!! OOHHH!!" That was a good one.

Well the bonfire was dying out, and everyone was getting tired, and it was getting late, it lasted a long time.

That night being all together and taking part in a yearly event was remembered by all throughout all year.

It was kind of sad to see everyone go their separate ways after the bonfire was over, but that night stayed in their memories till the following year and the same event would take place again.

Throughout the years if it was mentioned, someone would say, "Geeses Bye, [Geeses Boy] that was some bonfire you had at the Big Creek, it sure was".

These little events will live in my memory forever. Thank you Dear Friends for the Memories.

These pages were created by Lark Szick
© Copyright All Rights Reserved. Mar. 2007.

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