Book Signing - November 24

A Bit of a Legend in These Parts:  The Life of Betty Berger Lessard by Neil
McQuarrie

When: Saturday, November 24, 2007, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Where: Pennywise Books
 

Pilot, trapper, hunting guide, sled-dog racer - Betty Berger Lessard carved an
extraordinary life for herself out of the rugged wilderness of the Canadian Shield.

Born in Fort Frances in July 1915, Lessard spent almost all of her 82 years living
in a remote log cabin on the pristine shores of Namakan Lake.  She survived
encounters with bears, wolves and a charging moose while navigating thousands
of miles of backwoods and waters. She is credited with having saved at least one
man'slife.

Lessard charmed many a young man but tragically lost her husband in a boating
accident.

Lessard, who died in 1997, was a strong-minded woman of independent spirit
for whomthe convention of male and female roles held little importance. One of
herneighbours said of her, "She didn't just survive in the wilderness, she lived in
it." 

Her improbable story - "A Bit of a Legend in These Parts: The Life of Betty Berger
Lessard" is told by Neil McQuarrie, a long-time resident of Brandon who grew up
in Fort Frances, Ontario.

"I have long known about Betty and the life she had lived and wanted to write
about it," said McQuarrie, who will be signing copies of the book at Pennywise
Books from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 24. 

McQuarrie was able to capture Lessard's story through published articles in
newspapers and magazines as well as interviews with Lessard's relatives. He was
given access to old family photographs and used many of them to illustrate his
account.

Since his retirement from Brandon University, McQuarrie has written two other
books. The first was "On the Allan Cup Trail: The Story of the Fort Frances
Canadians" andthe second was "Fort Frances: The Story of a Town and Its People",
the town's centennial history. For three years he also wrote "Recollections", a
monthly column for the Fort Frances Times.

(Update Aug 12/08)    "A Bit of a Legend in These Parts" is now available on Ebay
(CLICK HERE).  If you have difficulty locating it, please call us (204-728-2665) or
email (pennywise@westman.wave.ca) and we will do our best to ensure you can
get a copy of this great book.