Once when I was busking in a town in the Ottawa Valley, there was an old man who stopped to listen for a while then asked for Maple Sugar. Nothing unusual about that - Maple Sugar is practically the anthem of Ottawa Valley fiddling, and 95% of the requests I got were for either Maple Sugar or Ste. Anne's Reel.

After I played the tune, the old man told me that he was a cousin of the late Ward Allen (who wrote the tune), that they had grown up together, and that he was with Ward the day when they were at a sugar shack and Ward was inspired to write the tune. I persuaded him to play a few tunes on my fiddle, despite his claim that he hadn't played for years and couldn't anymore.

Coolest thing that's happened to me while busking.

Marion