'Special place in our hearts': Frontenac captain receives town's top hat

The top hat has been presented for yet another year.

In one of Midland’s more amusing historic traditions, the friendly competition to receive James Playfair’s top hat and officially welcome the first commercial vessel into the town harbour for the commerce season was presented to Canadian Steamship MV Frontenac captain Brandon Durant for the second year in a row.

“The top-hat ceremony really holds a special place in our hearts of Midland,” announced Mayor Bill Gordon during the event, attended by a dozen residents and visitors. “For all Midlanders, this symbolizes the maritime heritage of our town and community, as well as our deep-rooted connections to Georgian Bay.”

With the scenic backdrop of Midland Harbour and the Frontenac behind, Gordon and harbour master Rick Dalziel presented the recently refurbished top hat to Durant. It was noted that the Frontenac had been to the ADM Milling Company waterfront facility during the spring, but that opportunity for the event wasn’t navigable for either the ship’s crew or the town’s politicians.

“You were our first vessel in spring, too,” Gordon stated, “but scheduling – because this is a big operation – just didn’t allow for the ceremony to take place in the spring. Even though we had other vessels come and go, we waited until you came back. Better late than never.”

The silk top-hat ceremony began more than 100 years ago, and this year marked the return of the hat to its former glory due to refurbishing efforts since last year.

Durant shared that it was nice to see the tradition carry into small towns such as Midland.

“A lot of times when you come into these towns, they’ve become forgotten in a way that they become a cottage spot,” said Durant, “and you realize there’s been a lot of history here.

“I’ve brought four different vessels into this harbour over my career,” Durant added, pointing out the former waiting berths along the Sunnyside and Midland Point waterfront locations where ships once lined up, jockeying for position. “I’ve sailed on two ships that were built here.”

When asked how many more top hats Durant was looking forward to in the years ahead, he remarked: “I’m 51 now, but I feel 25. I could do this another 40 years.”

“This is an excellent town for when we’ve come in here,” Durant shared. “Everyone’s been polite and kind to us, always.”