Michigan marina owner Nick Finazzo has spent the last seven years restoring this 1947 Russell Brothers tug to pristine condition. The Dryden 4 was previously in the service of the Dryden Paper Company during the 1950s and 60s.

Boats have served an important role in the history of the Dryden area as tools for both industry and recreation. But like many tools, those that have endured beyond their ‘useful lifespan’ risk becoming an inoperable museum piece at best, or the cruel fate of enduring future generations as a rusting hulk or scrap metal.

The Dryden 4, a 1947 Russell Brothers tugboat, is one lucky vessel.

After decades of service to the Dryden Paper Company during the 1950s and ’60s, the Dryden 4 has been lucky enough to find a kindred spirit who has meticulously restored the tug to a pristine condition and extended its lifespan for generations to come.

Wyandotte, Michigan marina owner Nick Finazzo purchased the Dryden 4 from local resident Barry Shepherd and has spent the past seven years fussing over every last detail of restoring the craft to its former glory in the Detroit area suburb.

Before he ever had intentions of restoring the tug, Finazzo says the Dryden 4 had paid for itself within a year in its workhorse role at the marina.

Coming from a family of automobile restoration enthusiasts, Finazzo says the restoration project began when he set about replacing the tug’s 12 window frames. Unsatisfied with the efforts of a local metal shop, Finazzo says he learned to weld in order to produce exact replicas.

“I like looking at things as though they were untouched by history,” he said. “You know that some guy welded that, so I always try to preserve those details. It’s just a thing with me. Those windows are fanatically perfect. The guy who built the boat would not know that those frames had been replaced.”

On top of general repairs, Finazzo sandblasted nearly every surface of the tug inside and out and applied a new coat of epoxy paint, he made repairs to the decking and spent considerable time on the boat’s interior restoring, preserving the well-worn original surfaces.

“They used to wear spiked boots,” said Finazzo. “I left all the holes in the wood and I varnished it. It looks really cool, it’s got that worn look. It has its scars and you can see how hard it was used.”

Finazzo and friends also removed the tug’s 2000 lbs winch gearbox, in order to re-machine a bearing. The boat still has most of its original features including the anchor and propeller cage.

One of the few deviations from historical accuracy was the replacement of the tug’s original 160 horsepower diesel motor with a new 250 hp motor – a move he says is common among other tug owners of the same vintage and effectively doubles the craft’s power.

“When I did some research on the Russell Brothers website, it looks like around 1975 everyone was replacing the engines with a 250 hp Cummins. Looks wise, it’s almost identical.”

In the spring, Finazzo will showcase the newly restored Dryden 4 at the Detroit Boat Show at Cobo Centre.

“It’s been seven years of work,” he said. “I can’t even remember half of the things I’ve done to that boat. It was all done very meticulously and it’s definitely a showpiece. It’ll make Dryden proud.”

Tug owner seeks information

For the Dryden 4’s upcoming exhibition at the Detroit Boat Show, Nick Finazzo is hoping to piece together the history of the tugboat’s working life on the Wabigoon from Dryden residents who may have stories or anecdotes about the working life of the Dryden 4 or the vessels employed by the Dryden Paper Company. He’s also keen to see any photographs or documentation that could be produced in regards to the vessel.

Nick Finazzo can be reached at 734-231-6444, or by email at ‘nick100@wyan.org’

- Chris Marchand

The Dryden Youth Centre is hosting a Candy Cane Christmas Dance on Dec. 18 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Dryden High School. Everyone ages 12-18 are invited.

Door prizes, spotlight dance prizes and a mocktail bar will be available all night long.

Grab your dancing shoes and come out to support the Dryden Youth Centre!

David Hickey has been performing throughout Canada and the United States for over six years. He has performed in hundreds of shows and has had six CDs released of his unique blend of improvised music with sonically pure and powerful all acoustic instrumentation.

Hickey will be performing in Dryden on Friday, Nov. 27 at the Ukranian Hall. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $20 per person.

Tickets can be purchased at the Boffo Bag, HomeStyle Candles, Lotto One, Village Corner in Vermilion Bay and Stannis in Vermilion Bay.

For more information, call Harriet at 937-5472 or visit www.crystaljourney.ca

Alice Pakarinen and her cat 'Sam'

While the words ‘faithful’ and ‘cat’ aren’t often used in the same sentence, a local woman says she feels much closer to her feline companion after spending a very cold night outdoors.

Wabigoon’s Alice Pakarinen, was throwing a handful of feed into her chicken coop outside her home in the late afternoon Sept. 28 when she slipped and fell.

No stranger to the orthorpaedic surgeon, Pakarinen, has undergone multiple hip and knee operations in recent years and says she has great difficulty getting up when she’s fallen down.

“I wiggled around and tried to find a spot where I could pull myself up, but there wasn’t anything,” said Pakarinen. “For some reason that day I put on a flannel shirt with long sleeves on it, so I pulled the sleeves over my hands to keep them warm, then ol’ Sam showed up on the scene.”

Living in a rural setting on Cemetery Rd., Pakarinen knew her chances of being discovered by a passer-by were slim. Thankfully, she was expecting her friend Sheila Engel, early the next morning as the pair had planned a trip to Thunder Bay.

Snuggled up with Sam, normally an ornery, somewhat solitary tomcat, Pakarinen says she settled in for a chilly twelve and a half hour wait. She looks back on the experience almost wistfully.

“I was very quiet, I never panicked,” she said. “I figured someone up there would look after me. The only thing of real concern to me was whether it would rain. I’ve seen the stars from Australia and Scotland, but that night they were unbelievable the way they were shining.”

Sweet relief arrived at 5 a.m. as Sheila’s headlights pulled into the driveway.

“As soon as Sam saw her car, he took off  – ‘my shift’s over’,” chuckles Pakarinen.

Pakarinen was taken to Dryden Regional Health Centre where she was warmed up from her chilly evening, examined and released none the worse for wear.

- Chris Marchand

Photo: Chris Marchand

There’s something to be said for simplicity.

Not much can go wrong when you have legendary Canadian songwriter and a few simple tools – a piano, a guitar and a handful of harmonicas, maybe a bass player to fill in a bit of low-end.

Murray McLauchlan’s Nov. 15 show at The Centre was simply entertaining – two hours of old favourites and impressive new offerings from a distinctively Canadian performer.

In the folk tradition from which he sprung, McLauchlan’s ability as a storyteller has only been polished with time, setting up each selection with banter as carefully crafted as his songs, planting seeds here and there that would flower unexpectedly later in the show in songs. Seemingly banal affections for draft windows in classic automobiles and the relentless chiding of his ‘first wife’ were fleshed out in meaningful complexity in the songwriter’s realm.

Opening the show with a lively old favourite ‘Down By The Henry Moore’, McLauchlan struck a clever balance between talk and music, between new and old observations of Canadian life.

New songs, such as No Change In Me, a tale of economic migration from Newfoundland to Alberta’s oil patch, prove that McLauchlan’s songwriting is as relevant and focused today as it ever was.

Capping the show with his 1973 hit, The Farmer Song, McLauchlan spent the subsequent encore trying his darndest to get the sold-out venue to sing along to a gospel tune with moderate success.

Those eagerly anticipating the Dryden Entertainment Series’ Nov. 24 presentation of John Mann (former Spirit of The West vocalist) will be disappointed to know that the artist has cancelled his performance due to health reasons. DES organizers are trying to arrange a replacement concert, or tickets may be returned for a refund.

- Chris Marchand

It was a busy weekend for Dryden as the Dryden and District Agricultural Society hosted its annual Fall Fair, drawing thousands of people to the community for three days of fun, food, midway thrills and agricultural events under mostly sunny skies. For more images from the weekend, see the photo feature on page 12.         Photo by Chris Marchand