By Thomas Smith

I only had the opportunity to learn from Guy Scott a handful of times throughout my career as a journalist.

Yet every time I spoke with him, I learned something new.

When I had a question about local history, Guy was the first person I’d contact.

At his core, Scott was a lover of local history and sharing it with others.

After graduating from Carleton University with a B.A. in History, then a B. Ed. from the University of Ottawa, Scott realized that his greatest calling was the void of preserving local history.

The bug for publishing local history was caught after publishing “Memories of Somerville Township”, followed by his first full book The History of Kinmount: A Community on the Fringe.

Fittingly, this book teaches us that “for order’s sake, there has to be a beginning and an end.”

I first learned of Guy Scott through research using the Maryboro Lodge Museum.

Glenn Walker, longtime member of the Maryboro Lodge Museum says that Scott first began contributing to the museum’s website during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Guy contributed very extensively to our website,” said Glenn Walker, member of the Maryboro Lodge Museum, “It wouldn’t be the same without him.”

Typical of Scott, Walker had met him when he gave a tour of an abandoned mine in Irondale. “It soon became apparent what a special person he was,” writes Walker, in a memoriam published to his website. “He had an understanding of the Kinmount region, past and present, that I doubt anyone will ever match.”

Walker recalls Scott as someone that could be known wherever he went, a local legend.

Beyond a prolific writer of local history, Scott was a valued teacher to kids at Fenelon Falls High School. With the announcement of his passing, dozens of comments throughout Facebook share how he sparked a kid’s imagination and love for learning about their own roots.

There are few community groups that Scott did not have a hand in shaping or leading at some point.

Scott’s final hurrah in the field of history is his contributions to the preservation of history of the Ottawa-Huron Tract. This expanse of land stretches from Algonquin Park to Hastings County. Scott was the founding director of the Ottawa Huron Tract Historical Association. The project continues to capture the history of the colonization of the area sharing tales of roads, rails, and those that inhabited it. The project and its information can be accessed through heritagestories.ca.

As the Editor for the Kinmount Gazette, Scott was crucial in getting the paper off the ground for Kinmount’s 150th anniversary celebration. Remaining an editor for the rest of his life, the Gazette provides a valued voice for what is happening in the village of Kinmount and shares local history on a weekly basis, just as Scott intended.

Perhaps Scott’s greatest pride in life was the Kinmount Fair.

Like many kids who grew up visiting the Kinmount Fair, it was Scott’s voice that announced the parade and dog shows.

Not just its voice, Scott served on the executive board of the Kinmount Fair for decades, like many family members before him.

Tracey Dettman knew Scott her entire life. As a close family friend, her father grew up with Guy.

Later in life, Dettman volunteered with the Kinmount Fair, as Scott grew in rank.

Serving as secretary, treasurer, then president, Scott benefitted from the help of Dettman and the rest of the board of directors to keep the tradition of Kinmount Fair alive.

At one time, Scott was even the president of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies.

“Scott was actively involved with the fair up to his passing,” said Dettman. “I was really pleased he could be the president at the 150th anniversary celebration.”

Scott made the Kinmount Fair what is known as today. He embodied the fair entirely and published several books on the topic. Cited several times by history students, Scott has supported research of rural pageantry more than anyone I know.

The 150th anniversary celebration of the Kinmount Fair was special, with an extra night of celebrating, cupcakes, special heritage events, and welcoming past ambassadors.

As Scott wrote, fairs in Ontario represent not only agriculture, but the rural lifestyle. The Kinmount Fair meant everything to Scott, and as its voice, his passing leaves some identity with it.

“We are going to say goodbye to him at the fairgrounds,” said Dettman.

Like his father before him, Scott will have a celebration of life at the Kinmount Fairgrounds Arena.

His celebration will be taking place on May 9 with visitation at 12 p.m. and a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. His family asks visitors to bring their favourite memory of Guy with a memorial box present to collect the stories.