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Dear Editor,

To put a personal face to Don Messer in the summer of 2009, our community will be celebrating his 100th birthday.

Though other provinces have claimed Messer as their own, he was truly a child of New Brunswick, born at Tweedside, on the outskirts of Harvey Station.

Many Canadians feel they know this man. For many years they listened to him on the radio, watched him on the television or attended live performances.

But there is more to Don Messer than the one-dimensional man portrayed on the show. A musician of renown, he was also a great supporter of Canadian musicians and talent. He had a family, was a savvy businessman and an innovator.

My goal in writing a book about him is to present to Canada a more personal view of the man behind the music, to tell the story of Don Messer the person, not just Don Messer the musician and TV personality.

I ask for your help. I am looking for stories about Don Messer, personal anecdotes that speak to the nature of the man and the era. They can be entire stories or simply a memory of a single event or conversation. I am looking for stories from people who went to barn and house raisings where fiddling went on into the early morning hours. And stories from people who liked the Don Messer show or who thought it was corny. And stories from people who lived through the Depression and know that $1.85 went a long way.

Thank you,

Johanna Bertin

donmesserbook@hotmail.com

P. O. Box 348,

Harvey Station, N.B.,

E6K 1W9