COVER STORY

(Left to Right): Priceville’s Kristen, Madison, Cooper & Duane Bryan of DB Powersports

I love these kinds of stories. You know, the ones about local family businesses working hard to serve our community here in Grey Highlands. Often, they involve the types of connections that only small town living can provide.

I first spoke with Duane Bryan last winter when I was looking at getting into snowmobiling. He was recommended to me by the local snowmobile club as a trusted small engine mechanic and someone who might be able to help me find a sled for my family. As I’m sure you’re aware, sourcing outdoor sporting equipment these days isn’t an easy task. But Duane helped me out, big time. I ended up buying a snowmobile from his brother, Lance, and have thoroughly enjoyed taking my boys out on it - even if I do spend a disproportionate amount of time digging it out of the deep snow drifts on our property. Call it a winter weight-loss regime.

So when I noticed that he’d moved his operations from his hometown of Priceville to Markdale, I thought I’d give him a call. I soon found out that his wife, Kristen, works at nearby Grey County Real Estate Inc. See where I’m going with the small town connections?

Meeting the Bryan Family for a photo shoot on a frigid Saturday in mid-January was a real pleasure for me. I learned that the whole family is involved in the business. I knew a bit about Duane’s history as a professional racer (he competed in the COSDRA grass drag racing circuit in 1996 and raced for 9 years), but I didn’t know that he’s also a licensed motorcycle mechanic. Good to know for all you reading this who enjoy Grey County’s scenic, winding roads.

I also learned that DB Powersports actually got its start in the marine sector as a mobile boat repair business serving clients on Lake Eugenia (an ingenious idea, if you ask me). Duane and family have grown it to the point where there aren’t many boats on Eugenia that they don’t service. But that’s not all...

“We’re currently a full service repair shop for snowmobiles, ATV’s, dirt bikes, personal watercraft, and boats,” explains Duane. “We do do everything from an oil change to a full engine rebuild. Even full boat detailing. We service all makes and models. We are able to get most parts that you need.”

I must say, I was really impressed to learn just how much the Bryan Family helps with DB Powersports.

Kristen built the website and handles the marketing side of the business. At the beginning, she managed all the bookkeeping and payroll functions while working part-time. When she was

able to start working full-time at Grey County Real Estate, they offloaded these responsibilities to a local business. She’s still the website updater and social media expert. Duane likes to call her the “IT department of DB Powersports.”

In the spring and fall, Madison (a 20-yearold university student) and Kristen pick up and deliver boats to and from storage. Madison helps to detail boats, as well. She learned to drive a truck and trailer and reverse with a trailer at 17 (which is more than I can say for myself at 45). If you’ve ever seen me reverse a horse trailer, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Five-year-old Cooper loves spending time in the shop with Duane. You can point to any machine in the shop and he’ll tell you who owns it and why it’s there. He has his own tools and always wants to get in and help with the repairs.

Even Duane’s parents are involved. Over the years, they’ve helped deliver boats and more recently, his dad built the new service desk in the parts building.

Rounding out the team at DB Powersports is William MacLeod. In 2016, William started a Co-Op program through Grey Highlands Secondary School with Duane and became an apprentice when he graduated highschool. In the summer of 2021, Will obtained his Marine Mechanic License. He is now a full-time mechanic and has grown with the business. He’s part of the family.

DB Powersports may have been born from the marine business but their passion has always been snowmobiles. The whole family can be found on the trails in the winter. Duane is the Vice President and Groomer Coordinator for the local snowmobile club, Klondyke Trail Groomers, for the past 8 years. He has been a member of the board for 17 years. He takes an active role in ensuring the local trails are maintained. Basically, he’s the one snowmobilers either love or hate when the trails are open or closed on the Klondyke trail system throughout the season.

So...all this begs the question: Why move the business from Priceville to Markdale?

“We’re hoping the larger location will provide a much-needed service to the residents of Grey Highlands and beyond,” Duane explains. “Living here for the past 19 years, we know how important Powersports are to this community for tourism, farming, hunting, recreation, and community connections. We hope to provide a trusted local source to repair and maintain machines, as well as pick up needed parts and accessories. As we get renovations finished on the showroom, we’ll be trying to keep inventory of many of the common parts that are used by our customers as well as start doing morotcycle repairs, tires and certifications. It’s an exciting time for us!”

Need to get your sled tuned up for the late winter we’re having? Or maybe get a headstart on this year’s boating, ATV, dirtbike or motorcycle season? Visit Duane Bryan and the whole family at DB Powersport’s new location in Markdale or call Duane directly.

DB POWERSPORTS 774495 Highway 10, Markdale 519.924.0303 www.dbpowersports.ca

I don’t know much about the artist being profiled this month. I know that he is not from Grey Highlands, he’s an out-of-towner. I’ve spent a great deal of time wondering exactly who he is, because when he performs as a musician, he does it using the appellation “The Foole”. He is in good company. Many musicians have chosen a stage name or persona: Alice Cooper, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dog being prime examples. David Bowie had multiple personae, from Major Tom to Ziggy Stardust, from Aladdin Sane to The Thin White Duke.

Nonetheless, he does have a local connection. A couple of years ago, I wrote a poem in response to learning of the murder of a local man, William McAdam Luke in 1870 in Cross Plains, Alabama. He was hanged by the KKK along with three black men for his support of black equality and for teaching in an all-black school. I wanted to set the poem to music and reached out to the members of the music community in Hamilton whom I knew to consider the task. I was not successful until one day I received a phone call from a man identifying himself as The Foole to offer his services. I suggested the piece should have the feel of a 19 th century Negro Spiritual, but with a modern take. The simple, yet moving, recording of his composition I received a couple of weeks later was all of that. If you’re curious about hearing it, drop by the store and I’ll be glad to play it.

I have since learned that The Foole is an intensely private man, and he doesn’t give much away about his identity. During our subsequent telephone communications the past few years, he has let slip the occasional autobiographical tidbit. I know he was born in Italy, somewhere near Naples, and moved to the south, “the heel of the boot” during his early years. When he was 10, he moved with his family to Canada, and has spent most of his later years in my hometown Hamilton. Along the way he has been a working musician, playing a variety of instruments in numerous bands, and his work has taken him across Canada and to countries around the world. He has worked in several capacities in film and television as a cameraman and editor as required, occasionally even in Grey Highlands.

It is his love of music, however, that dominates his life. In the last few years, he made the decision to concentrate on his own work. The Foole has built a sound studio in his home, taught himself the principles of sound engineering through trial and error, and subsidized this education by recording the work of others. He cut his teeth on mimicking the sound that came out of Apple, Motown, and Muscle Shoals so he could create his own.

Although he has been composing music his entire adult life, it wasn’t until nearly two years ago that he released his first album, “…from this point of view”. There are a few infectious pop songs in the mix, but the first-time listener will be struck by the sheer variety of the offerings: the hauntingly beautiful “Hey Suicide”, which evokes memories of Gary Jules cover of Tears for Fears “Mad World”; “Don’t Call it Love”, a ballad whose video can be viewed on YouTube; and even a sly homage to the work of David Bowie, “The Foole”. The first single, “Don’t Call it Love”, is playing on over 250 radio stations around the world, everywhere but North America, where the dominant rule is “you pay, we play”. For someone with no marketing in his background, The Foole has proven to be something of a juggernaut.

Check out his website: www.thefoole.com where you can hear the music or better yet, buy the album. He has hinted that there is a new album on the horizon, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a little support on his journey.

“The Foole”

SPEAKING VOLUMES BOOKS & AUDIO 12 Toronto Road, Flesherton kevinarthurland@gmail.com kevinarthurland.ca

Speaking Volumes Books and Audio

“Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards.”

-Oscar Wilde

12 Toronto Rd. Flesherton, ON 905-719-8878 homelandk@sympatico.ca

@speakingvolumesflesherton

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