HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-04-16, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015.
Continued from page 6
congregation, including Rev.
McLeod,” Douma said. “Those
people leaving for Brussels United
Church left 155 families to keep the
church running.”
While having just over 300 was
tough for a church that, at one time
according to Armstrong, had 450
members, it was not the lowest the
congregation had ever fallen.
Douma said that, currently, the 161-
year old congregation has 140
members.
Over the past 90 years, the
population of the congregation has
fallen, however, there are still plenty
of good memories in the church.
Douma, for example, recalls when
the church used to annually go to
Camp Kintail, near Goderich, in the
1970s.
“There was family camping and a
church service up there,” she said.
“Our girls were young and had fond
memories of that.”
Douma also said, when she was
younger, the Sunday school had
picnics at Lion’s Park.
“I remember it because we had
chocolate milk from Cousin’s
Dairy,” she said. “They had a paper
hole in the cap that could have a
straw stuffed in it.”
Both Douma and Bowman
commented having chocolate milk
was a rarity in the earlier half of the
20th century.
Bowman’s favourite memories
revolved around the church building,
including the fowl suppers in the
1930s.
“You would get an ice-cream
scoop of mashed potatoes with a
sprig of parsley,” he said. “I don’t
know why I remember that. I don’t
remember the desserts, or the fowl,
but I remember the parsley. It was
just a thing you didn’t normally get.”
Bowman also told the story of an
usher using the collection boxes, one
of which can be viewed in the
sanctuary of the church, which were
mounted on six-foot-long rods to be
passed down the row.
After one got caught on an usher’s
coat years ago, it resulted in Mary
Uyl catching the business end of the
box in the head, Bowman said.
“The usher said some things I
won’t repeat,” Bowman said with a
laugh.”
One of Armstrong’s favourite
stories is about the church’s organ.
Originally the organ was at the
back of the choir loft, but the
organist couldn’t see the choir, so a
vote was taken to move the organ 10
feet to the front of the loft.
“That vote split the church,”
Armstrong said. “There were some
people who wanted it and some who
didn’t want to spend the money and
it caused some hard feelings.”
Bowman said there was another
ruckus caused among the members
of the congregation when the second
manse was built in 1958. The
original manse had been condemned
by the church, however, it is still
standing now in Brussels.
The newer manse, however,
caused a division in the church.
“Some were very upset about
that,” Bowman said.
Despite the divisions and moving
three times, the Melville Presbytery,
which predates the village of
Brussels, is still standing strong and
invites everyone to come out and
celebrate the 100th birthday of its
current church at 55 Dunedin Drive
on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Church Board of Managers Chair
Doug McArter said that there will be
no normal morning service and that
everyone is welcome to attend the 2
p.m. service.
Former Melville Minister Rev.
Caroline McAvoy will be speaking
at the event and there will be cake
and refreshments after the service.
With files from ‘A Time to
Remember’, a history of Melville
Presbyterian Church up to 2004
prepared by Jeanne Kirkby.
Continued from page 18
anchored by two strong pairs of
actors – two will be familiar to
Festival regulars, while the other
two will be new.
Eli Ham and Greg Gale, both of
whom starred in 2014’s Stag and
Doe, will play the play’s travelling
minstrels, while newcomers Marcel
Stewart and Sophia Walker will play
the Stewards – Austin and Milly –
owners of the Wilberforce Hotel.
Austin, the real-life author of
Twenty-two Years A Slave and 40
Years a Freeman, and his wife Milly
are complex and demanding roles,
Garratt said and he feels he has
found the right people to bring them
to life, despite some early hiccups in
the casting process.
Stewart, Garratt said, was hit by a
car whilst rushing to catch a TTC
streetcar just days before his
Wilberforce Hotel audition. On the
last day of auditions, Stewart
performed for Garratt and Phil Akin,
the show’s director, on crutches,
with staples in his leg and unable to
stand – but he blew both men away
and Garratt offered Stewart the role
on the spot.
Walker has spent nine seasons
with the Stratford Festival, but
decided that in 2015 she wanted to
do something else, Garratt said. A
very strong actor with a wealth of
experience, Walker is the perfect
choice to fill such an important role,
Garratt said.
Rounding out the Wilberforce
Hotel cast is Peter Bailey, who
performed in Blyth in 2007’s World
Without Shadows, one of the first
Festival productions Garratt
directed.
Mary’s Wedding, the Festival
season’s final main stage show, will
open on Aug. 7 and will star Ham
and Walker as Charlie and Mary
respectively. The play, written by
Stephen Massicotte, will be directed
by Garratt himself.
With the directors currently
working all over Canada, three of
whom that are new to the Festival,
Garratt says that much of this
season’s casting was done by way of
video submissions. He says the
process isn’t perfect, but it gets the
job done.
Garratt says that video
submissions are a good way to see if
an actor is “in the mix” for a role,
but when it comes to actually
casting the right person, the audition
process must become a little more
personal.
What really makes Garratt
ambitious for the 2015 season, he
said, is the style of actor he has in
this year’s company. “I love actors
who challenge each other and push
each other,” Garratt said.
Garratt says that he has cast actors
who perform with the spirit he
always tried to bring to the stage.
“I’ve always loved actors who are
a bit competitive,” Garratt said.
“There’s a difference between
competing with someone and
competing against them. When an
actor competes with their fellow
actors, that’s the thrill, that’s the
excitement.”
Competing with one another,
Garratt said, drives the Olympic
spirit in all of us, and brings out
performances that are far beyond the
capabilities of any one individual
performance.
Tickets for the Blyth Festival’s
2015 season went on sale to the
general public on April 1. They are
available by calling 519-523-9300
or online at blythfestival.com. As
reported in The Citizen last week,
opening day sales doubled sales
posted in 2014, proving that the
season is already off to a good start.
Fox, Thompson return to Blyth
Church to reach century mark this weekend
Quite a collection
While Melville Presbyterian Church’s current building is turning 100 years old this month, the
laying of the cornerstone and burying of a time capsule to kick off the build happened just over
101 years ago in May of 1914. Last year, the time capsule was unearthed and opened and it
included newspapers, documents, a hymn book and other artifacts. Here, the church’s Clerk
of Session Mary Douma shows off the collection. (Denny Scott photo)
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Thank You
Many thanks to everyone who donated time, cash, items and
talents for the Brussels Youth Centre Fundraiser and who promoted
this event throughout the churches, the towns and to friends.
Thanks also to: MC’s Dave Bell and John Kerkhoff; decorator Steph
Hammer; square dance caller Dave Paulin and dancers for great
entertainment and interactive participation with the crowd and David
Caven Fraser for a great musical debut!
Big thanks go to organizers: Elaine Hiller - Manager of Volunteers;
Yvonne Dettweiler - Meal Coordinator; Dawn MacLeod - Sales and
Promotion; Roger Hopper - Planner; Fred Haight - Shed Builder and
Kathy Procter - Coordinator.
A HUGE thanks to the many youth who helped set up and clean up
-- especially all the dishes and to donors Roger Hopper for the pig and
Brian Garnet “Let the Flames Begin” for roasting it (a whole day’s job).
Thanks to the many hands who all made the day a huge success
and helped us raise $7,200.!!!
IT MATTERS