The Fernie Museum Speaker Series features Fernie local Gordon Sombrowski.
What is a curse? And what, in particular, is the Fernie Curse about? Where does the story come from? And how does it continue to play a role in present day Fernie?
This year is the 50th anniversary of the historic Curse Raising ceremony held in Fernie in August 1964. That ceremony is the theme of a program of events being hosted by the Fernie Museum this year. The first of these will be the inaugural presentation in the Museum’s 2014 Speaker Series.
The Sparrow Flutters and the Swallow Darts – The Curse a Blessing? is the first exploration of the Fernie curse presented by Gordon Sombrowski.
In his presentation Sombrowski will examine the versions of the curse and the implications of the curse raising ceremony – in particular the idea that the curse that was lifted was not necessarily the real curse. He will explore the present day view and examine how the curse still plays an important role in daily life in Fernie.
Sombrowski’s theme comes from Proverbs 26:2 in the bible, “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.”
Sombrowski grew up in Fernie and began writing in secret at the age of eight when he wrote a six page story about Catherine the Great. Forty one years later he published his first story and has since written numerous short stories, some of which were published as What Echo Heard. When not writing he helps guide his family’s business and volunteers in the community with emphasis on the arts in Calgary, Alberta and Fernie, British Columbia.
The first of the Fernie Museum’s Speaker Series will be held Thursday May 29 at 7 pm in the Fernie Museum Gallery. For more information contact the Fernie Museum at history@ferniemuseum.com.
