Pollard Candy

Article by Kathleen Hay
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October 30,2007

Candy Pollard is one gal who really knows how to kick up her heels. The marketing
and event coordinator for Cornwall and Seaway Valley Tourism, this owner of
Studio C was also a top highland dancer who competed throughout her teen years
across Canada and the United States. She's seen here with one of her favourite trophies, a Dancer of the Day from the Schenectady Highland Games.

Candy (Woods) Pollard really knows how to have a fling. Not your average fling, but a
highland fling. A familiar face to many as the marketing and event coordinator for Cornwall and Seaway Valley Tourism, Candy was also once a high-profile highland dancer who competed throughout Canada and the United States for several years.

She was born and raised in Cornwall, to June and Edward Woods, and has a brother, David, and a sister, Pam. Even before Candy began attending St. Columban's West, she
enrolled in Berenice Dickson's dance classes at age four. As well, she also studied ballet; baton, tap dancing and jazz dancing with her teacher, and while still a teenager herself, she taught baton for the North End Social Club. Candy graduated from high school, and it was during this time she really peaked as a highland dancer.

Among the many awards she won were Dancer of the Day (four times) at the Schenectady Highland Games, Seaway Valley Championship, Canadian National Exhibition Championship (1st Runner-up), Ontario Championship (Irish Jig) and Ontario Championship (Sailor's Hornpipe).

She began dating her high school sweetheart, Mike Pollard, when she Was15. They got married when she was 21, and a couple of years later they had their daughter, Alanna,
who's now a teacher.

In 1990, Candy opened Studio C Celtic, lyrical and street jazz dancing. That same year, she began working in the city's economic development office as a tourism and convention officer. Since 1995, she has been employed as marketing and event coordinator for
CSVT. When not at work or teaching in her studio, Candy has lent her expertise to Glen Productions as a choreographer, as well as helping out with the box office.

Candy is also very busy at the moment chairing the RBC Cup organizing committee The event will be held, May 3-11, 2008 at the Cornwall Civic Complex.

Q1 What was your first dance outfit? The first outfit I remember was my MacLeod kilt, the yellow and black. My mother loved that tartan. I didn't have a choice. I had a black velvet fitted jacket, white frilly blouse. Standard highland dancing costume. I was five. I
was so sweet!
Q2. What was your most embarrassing moment as a dancer? There are so many! Probably the worst was at the Glengarry Highland Games. I was 16. I was dancing on the platform about 1:30 p.m. The grandstand was packed. I'm out there doing the sailor's hornpipe and my feet came out from under me. I fell so hard on my backside I can still feel it. My mother and my dance teacher said it was like I had springs on my feet.
I hit the floor and bounced up so fast I didn't miss a beat. Of course, I got disqualified. I was so embarrassed.

Q3. If you could dance a duet with either Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire or Donald O'Connor, who would you choose? That is really hard. I think I'd probably go for Fred Astaire.
The elegance and skill, but still taps. He was more of the triple threat. I used to dream about dancing with him as a kid.

Q 4. All-time favourite dance musical? Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The thing I like about Joseph is the different types of music. The other musicals are great, but each' one has its own style of music. Joseph incorporates them all, from things like One More Angel in Heaven, which is country, to the '80 s pop of Go, Go, Go Joseph.

Q5. What was your date from hell? Oh my God, yes. It was the one and only blind date I ever went on. My girlfriend set me up with her boyfriend's co-worker. He was twice my age, and was just the most odd person I'd ever met in my life. He had a totally different outlook, felt women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Definitely not me. I went home really early. I came to find out my girlfriend had never met him either.

Q6. How did Mike propose? On one knee. We had a friend who was an OPP officer and
were having a spring dance at Legion. In those days, we wore formal gowns. Mike picked me and had forgotten his wallet, so we had to go back to his home. We went in and he suggested I sit down for a few seconds, then he went upstairs. He comes back down and
gets on one knee in front of me. I did not expect it. The nice part is we had this spring
dance to go to and celebrate. It just made it more memorable. I got a good one.

Q7. What was the worst fabric you ever had to sew? There have been many. There
was a shiny metallic and every time the needle went in, it frayed into shreds. It looks very
pretty though. I still have a bolt of it. Someday I'll probably use it for a
backdrop. But to sew? What a nightmare.

Q8. Most memorable occasion as a tourism person? This is a hard one. I'm going to say it was when we moved to Pitt and Second Streets, and opened the info centre. Up until then, we were just a pure marketing office and didn't deal with the tourists. By opening the centre, we'd see tourists on a daily basis and help them out. It was so nice to actually talk to people visually.

Q 9. What tourism site, near or far, have you not seen that's number one on your wish list? Gettysburg. I've wanted to see Gettysburg, and now that I've gotten a bit of interest in the paranormal, it's an added attraction for me. As a kid, my parents always took us to historical or educational places every year, but it's one of places we never got to.

Q10. Do you wear socks to bed? Sometimes in the winter.

Q11. What are you known for in the kitchen? Nothing. Seriously I'm not a
good cook. My mother was a fabulous cook, and try as she might, it never sunk-in to me.

Q12. What was your favourite place to party as a single girl? The Cornwallis. I was a CC
brat, and that was our stomping grounds. Most of us lived center town or this end of Riverdale so we walked. We'd go from the Cornwallis, then up to A&W on Pitt. Carl's had the best milkshakes, too.

Q13. What did you want to be when you were a kid? We didn't have as many choices as a kid as you do now. I always thought I wanted to be a teacher or a secretary.

Q14. What was your last purchase? A pair of shoes. I love shoes. Black mules from Payless. I've forced myself to cut back in recent years.

Q15. Who were you named after? What's your middle name? I wasn't named after anybody. My mother found Candace in a book and decided Candy was a good name. The only time they used Candace was when I was in trouble. My middle name is Lee.

16. What's your hidden talent? I really enjoy gardening. The first couple of years we were here, I put in one cucumber plant and we had enough to feed the crescent. But I really enjoy my flower gardening.

Q17. If you were a car, what kind of car would you be? I would be a red Mustang convertible. No question.

Q18. Describe your perfect day of relaxation? By the pool, in the pool, near the pool. Just a cold beer. Lots of sunshine.

Q19. What was your favourite Halloween costume? I think the most fun I had was
when we went out dressed as hippies. It was in the late '60s or early '70s. I always had long hair. I frizzed it up, put a peace symbol on my cheek, with every string of
beads I could find. I remember my mother letting me shred the bottom of an old pair of jeans. The final touch were the blue, round glasses, like John Lennon's

Q20. Do you believe in ghosts? Oh, boy. I'm starting to. One and a half or two years ago, my answer would be absolutely not. But there's something going on at that jail. We hear things you just can't explain. I'm starting to accept the possibility of ghosts.