- Mandy Sinclair
Severn Thompson and Donna Govier on Wing Night at the Boot
Updated: Sep 20, 2022
Donna Govier shares some hilarious memories of bygone days of her nights at the famed “Boot” in Blyth, formally known as The Blyth Inn while Severn Thompson recalls the process for bringing these memories, including the streaker, to stage on the Blyth Festival and the audience reaction to the play
In the final episode of the season one of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with Severn Thompson, one of the playwrights behind Wing Night at the Boot that performed at the Blyth Festival in 2018. Donna Govier, a regular at the Boot back in the day, joined by telephone, as she inspired the character Connie in the Wing Night at the Boot.
Donna shares some hilarious memories of bygone days of her nights at the famed “Boot” in Blyth, formally known as The Blyth Inn. She tells tales of the streaker who passed through the bar one evening, and even having to turn in her knife at the bar when heading into the bar for a drink after working in the rutabaga plant nearby.
Severn recalls the process for bringing these memories, including the streaker, to stage on the Blyth Festival and the audience reaction to the play.
Favourite quote from the episode:
“The first streaker that went through was a local lad. His girlfriend happened to be sitting with us and she didn’t know anything about it. And then he came through the front door with a mask on and work boots and nothing else. She was so angry she took her diamond off and threw it across the room.”
- Donna Govier on her memories of the streaker at the Boot
Listen now
Further resources:
Correction: Severn made one mention of Tuesday night wing night at the Boot. She corrected herself to say Thursday, which is when the wing night takes place in Blyth.
More about Wing Night at the Boot at Blyth Festival: https://blythfestival.com/wing-night-at-the-boot-august-8-september-15-2018/
More about playwright Severn Thompson: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0962620/
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Special thanks
Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative and the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media.