LITTLE CURRENT – The Expositor has had its first entry into the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) ‘This Old Newspaper’ contest that tasks readers with recycling their newspaper into something new.
Diana Parrill of Sheguiandah saw the contest advertisement and, being a seamstress with an eye for vintage dressmaking, decided to put her hand at creating a 1920s-style flapper dress out of recycled Expositors.
Each detail of the dress was very carefully thought out. The drop waist includes a flounce made of the newspaper’s colourful Manitoulin Eats guide, which is meant to represent the businesses of Manitoulin in a kind of plaid, Ms. Parrill explains. The Manitoulin Expositor’s flag is displayed prominently at the top of the hemline.
The centre of the dress, on the front, is created from the June centre-spread of Manitoulin’s graduating Grade 8 classes and signifies Manitoulin’s student body. The reverse, with a v-neck, is made up of Manitoulin Health Centre’s centre-page spread featured in the last edition of July and represents Manitoulin’s health care systems, specifically in the time of COVID-19.
The top half of the dress focuses on community, both the business community and community building (and even includes a photo of Expositor publishers emeritus Rick and Julia McCutcheon on the occasion of Mr. McCutcheon’s induction into the Ontario Newspaper Hall of Fame). The reverse features photos from the Little Current Black Lives Matter march, an advertisement from the Government of Ontario reminding us to wash our hands and be mindful of COVID-19 as well as advertisements from the business community.
A special detail on the right breast of the dress, corsage-like, shows reminders of keeping safe during the time of pandemic with many-coloured hands to remind us that we’re all in this together.
Ms. Parrill topped off her creation with a flapperesque headband featuring this newspaper’s flag, a fan made from the full-page ad of Wiikwemkoong’s essential workers and a black and yellow tendril. Her shipping label even does service as a maker’s tag.
“My purpose also was to reflect the times we live in, as well as the things that are important to our Island community, which are expressed so very well by The Manitoulin Expositor!” Ms. Parrill said in her submission.
If you have a submission to make out of recycled newspapers, drop them off at The Expositor Office in downtown Little Current by Monday, August 31 for your chance to win $1,000 from the OCNA. For more details, see the ad on Page 6.
