Oct 22: Love Hate Whisk(e)y: A Family Saga

October 22, 2026 at the Glencoe Library at 6 p.m. 

The Glencoe & District Historical Society and the Glencoe Library welcome Dutton author Valrita Fournier for an engaging evening exploring her sweeping Canadian family saga, LOVE HATE WHISK(E)Y.

Set along the St. Clair River and rooted in the farm culture of early 20th-century Ontario, Fournier’s two-volume saga follows the Bennier family through love, loss, secrecy, and the charged world of whiskey production—legal and illicit. Rich with historical detail, the novels weave together the rise of the automobile, evolving farm life, shifting fashions, and the deep social tensions of the era.

Volume I: Le Réveillons (The Awakening).  Introduces the Bennier family and their complex emotional world—love, hate, trauma, and resilience—against the backdrop of Ontario’s whiskey-making tradition.

Volume II (forthcoming) opens in June 1940 as master distiller Marcel Bennier returns home to the family farm with a dual mission: to produce industrial alcohol for the war effort and to conceal a secret too dangerous to reveal. As his family prepares for his arrival, they reflect on the events of the past years and brace themselves to share a shocking truth of their own.

About the Author

Valrita Fournier is a multi-talented playwright, poet, mystic, novelist, composer, and master of ceremonies. A graduate of the University of Toronto with a degree in English Language and Literature, she won first prize in a one-act play competition with her comedic work Eggs-Actly My Dear!.

Though not a musician by training, Valrita has organized musical and theatrical events at numerous venues including Place Concorde, Mackenzie Hall, WEDS Theatre, church halls, wedding stages, and even a Women’s Day whiskey-tasting book talk at a distillery restaurant.

Her creative works include:

• LOVE HATE WHISK(E)Y – Volume I (published)
• LOVE HATE WHISK(E)Y – Volume II (in editing)
• The Legende of the Greene Faerie, a musical environmental tale (CD)
• The Eleventh Commandment, a mystical religious work (out of print)
• Several unpublished plays

Event Format

The author talk will run approximately one hour, including audience questions.   This is a wonderful opportunity to meet a local Southwestern Ontario author whose work blends heritage, drama, and the storytelling traditions of rural life. All are welcome, and admission is free.

Contact for inquiries:
Mary@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca  or Valrita Fournier – 4nier.arts@gmail.com