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A Childhood in Douglas and a Lifelong Friendship

Sharon moved to Douglas when she was just nine years old. Though she doesn’t claim a formal relationship with the McHale’s, her connection to them—and to the Tavern—is undeniable. “I babysat for their kids a couple times when I was young,” she recalls, adding, “I’ve known them forever, but I don’t know if I can define it as a relationship other than a friend, a neighbor.”

The Tavern, for Sharon, was never just a bar—it was the backdrop of life in Douglas. As a young woman raising children in town, she became part of a local initiative to paint and sell wooden leprechauns as a community project. “That was a really fun project,” she says.

Her children, like many in Douglas, took step dancing lessons at the Tavern with Tammy Lynn Stokes. “We were in and out of there all the time for things like that,” she says. And beyond dancing, it was the go-to venue for every kind of event: “birthday parties and anniversary parties and retirement parties and all kinds of community functions,” Sharon says. “Because where else did you have it in Douglas?”

She even hosted a baby shower for her grandson there in 2019—something that some people found humorous, but for Sharon, it felt natural. “That seemed to me the perfect place to host.”

Whether helping out at euchre tournaments, pitching in at events, or just being present, Sharon’s relationship with The Diddley was woven into the rhythm of everyday life in Douglas.

St. Patrick’s Day: A Non-Negotiable Tradition

“I was 19 years old, and I couldn’t wait to get there,” Sharon remembers about her first legal St. Patrick’s Day. She was in university in Ottawa at the time, but made it a point to come home—“proudly sporting my ID.” And from that day forward, St. Patrick’s Day in Douglas became a cornerstone of her calendar.

She’s missed very few over the decades: “I have very rarely missed a St. Patrick’s Day since I turned 19. I was in Ireland one year… maybe one year I was sick… I broke my ankle, I might have missed a year.” But for Sharon, the pull back to Douglas was powerful. Even after moving to Renfrew, she made sure she came back for the celebration.

“It was very important to me to still get home for St. Patrick’s Day, and I always felt like there was something drawing me to Douglas.” It wasn’t just the single day, either—it was the whole week, or even the season. She took part in trivia contests, dinners, barbecues, and more. “It’s great to get back and just see everybody again.”

And the crowd? Monumental. Sharon recalls the transformation of Douglas’s usual 250-person population into something much larger. “There was like 10,000 people or something ridiculous like that in Douglas,” she says of one early parade. “It was nuts, absolutely nuts.”

She’s been to nearly every parade, sometimes as a spectator and sometimes as a participant. “We did a really good parade a few years ago,” she says, proudly recounting a float for Canada’s 150th anniversary: “We were the Irish Grovers, and it was a fabulous float.” Another year, she transformed a Jeep into a giant leprechaun and rode in the parade with members of the Community Living group. “Just great,” she says. “The parades are great.”

The Tavern as a Second Home

For Sharon, The Douglas Tavern was more than just a familiar place—it was an extension of her home. “I just liked being there,” she says simply. It was where Douglas gathered, celebrated, and came together. The notion of a “community gathering spot” wasn’t just talk. It was lived reality.

There was a rhythm to life in Douglas, and the Tavern helped keep the beat. Sharon wasn’t just showing up to participate—she was often helping behind the scenes, in the kitchen or with decorations. “It was easier for me to help out in the kitchen and things like that, so I was quite happy to do that.”

The sense of familiarity was constant. “Any time I went in there I always felt like I was coming home,” Sharon says. It’s a feeling shared by many—one of comfort, of recognition, and of knowing you belonged.

This deep connection wasn’t built overnight. It was formed over decades of shared celebrations, quiet evenings, community events, and annual traditions. Whether stepping into the Tavern for an event or just dropping by to see familiar faces, Sharon always found what she was looking for: a place that felt like home.

Building Belonging: The Community Living Celebrations

Sharon has worked with Community Living Renfrew County South for over 25 years, supporting adults with intellectual disabilities across the region. But it was her deep roots in Douglas—and her love for St. Patrick’s Day—that led to something extraordinary: a two-decade tradition that gave dozens of Community Living clients a sense of visibility, celebration, and true belonging.

That tradition started with one woman: Catherine O’Neill.

“She was from Pine Valley, so she was a Douglas girl, a Douglas area girl,” Sharon says. “She knew all the same people. She knew Terry and Evelyn… and she loved St. Patrick’s Day.”

Catherine was known for her big personality and her pride in who she was. Sharon remembers her fondly:

“She used to say that she was short and fat, pretty and sweet, Catholic and Irish—and she was. She was great.”

It was Catherine’s love of the town, of the Tavern, and especially of St. Patrick’s Day that planted the idea in Sharon’s mind. Why not find a way for her clients to celebrate in the place that meant so much to them?

Sharon approached Evelyn McHale to ask if they might be able to bring a small group to the Tavern for a daytime celebration. March 17th was too chaotic and crowded, but there had to be a way. Evelyn, always thoughtful, had a solution.

“The first couple years we did it, Evelyn had suggested that maybe we jump in with a group from the Bonnechere Manor that used to go every year.”

That partnership worked beautifully—for a time. But Sharon quickly realized they were outgrowing it.

“More and more people wanted to go… and it just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

By 2003 or 2004, they were hosting their own separate Community Living St. Patrick’s Day celebration at The Douglas Tavern. It became a signature event—not only for the clients, but for the town.

“By the time we had our last one… we had 60, 70 people in there.”

Sharon made it magical. She brought green hats and fun accessories for anyone who didn’t have their own. Evelyn made sure the Tavern was ready and welcoming. And from that first year on, the event took on a life of its own.

Music became a centerpiece. Sharon reached out to Guy Jameson of Eganville, asking if he’d consider playing for the group. He was busy—but he showed up. And he kept showing up.

“After that afternoon was over, he came to me afterwards, and he said, ‘Sharon, this is the most fun I’ve had for so long. Please ask me every year.’”

Dozens of musicians followed in his footsteps: Ralph Selle, Allison Andrews, a very young Corey Selle on fiddle, Kent Smith from Lake Dore, Daryl Mooney, Mary Etmanski, and Frank Campbell, their go-to music man.

Step dancers from St. Michael’s School became part of the tradition too. “We had all the Enright’s and the Donohue children, and McGrath girls, and oh, the Dwyer girls,” Sharon remembers. “They just loved seeing the kids and watching them dance.”

And through it all—every year, every note, every dance—Catherine’s spirit lingered. What began with one proud Irish woman and her connection to Douglas grew into one of the most joyful and inclusive traditions the Tavern had ever seen.

“It was a yearly celebration not just of St. Patrick’s Day, but of community, inclusion, and joy.”

On paper, the Community Living celebrations at The Douglas Tavern looked like a nice community event. But in reality, they meant something far deeper.

“For them, going to the Douglas Tavern was a really big deal,” Sharon says of her clients. “They knew the tavern. They knew Terry and Evelyn, and they always enjoyed that.”

The events weren’t just themed parties—they were real affirmations of place and belonging.

Sharon puts it clearly: “It was never for the money. It was for the enjoyment.”

Because in truth, most of the patrons that day weren’t ordering meals and drinks. “I do have some of my guys who will drink beer. But it’s mostly pop and chips, although I’m sure we went through a lot of those.”

Still, the Tavern gave them everything. Time. Space. Music. Smiles.

“It was so important for my guys to feel like they’re part of the community. And this was an excellent way to do that.”

That’s what real inclusion looks like—not a token gesture, but a seat at the table, a moment on the dance floor, a place where you’re expected, wanted, and celebrated.

Music, Step Dancing, and the Magic of the Hotel

Though most now call it The Douglas Tavern, Sharon still calls it what it once was: “the hotel.” That’s what it was when she moved to Douglas as a child, and the name has stuck with her. “When I was a girl, it was the Douglas Hotel. And I know it changed to the tavern. But, you know, it’s just stuck in my head.”

Her children’s first real introduction to the Tavern wasn’t through drinks or adult events—it was through step dancing. “My kids took step dancing lessons there for years. That was such a fun time for them,” Sharon remembers. Her son John started at just six years old.

Step dancing lessons were held right in the parlor of the Tavern. Afterward, there was a ritual that meant even more to the kids: a visit to the bar for a treat. “Lloyd Whalen was there… he was the great-uncle of another one of the dancers… Uncle Lloyd used to buy them all the pop and chips after step dancing.”

The kids were thrilled—not just by the treats, but by the space itself. “They were just thrilled that they were in the hotel,” Sharon says with a smile in her voice.

For children in Douglas, stepping into the hotel wasn’t just stepping into a building—it was stepping into tradition, memory, and pride. It offered a kind of early belonging that stayed with them well into adulthood.

The Tavern, or “hotel,” as Sharon still calls it, wasn’t just for grown-ups. It was a space where the next generation learned the rhythm of the town, one step dance and pop at a time.

A Personal Message to Terry and Evelyn

Sharon closes her story with heartfelt gratitude. When asked if she had anything she wanted to say directly to Terry and Evelyn, she didn’t hesitate:

“On behalf of Community Living, I would just like to say thank you so much for hosting us year after year. That was such an important day for my clients. And we are going to miss that so much. Well, I know they already do.”

But her thanks didn’t stop at her work with Community Living. Sharon reflected on a deeper, community-wide legacy that the McHale’s cultivated over decades.

“Just what you did for Community Living was really wonderful. And on a personal note, thank you for everything you did for the Douglas community. Because you’ve done so much over the years. And I’m very aware of a lot of it.”

And perhaps the most meaningful part of her reflection was this: the feeling she always had when she walked through the doors of The Douglas Tavern.

“Just making the tavern a place where any time I went in there I always felt like I was coming home.”

That, more than anything, is the legacy the McHale’s leave behind—a legacy of warmth, inclusion, and belonging.