HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-09-29, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011. PAGE 23.
September 1 marked the 60th
anniversary of Margaret “Jean” Hall
and John “Grant” Williams of
Brussels.
Jean, the daughter of Grace and
Edgar Hall of Mimico, Ontario, and
Grant, the son of Ena and George
Williams of Port Huron, Michigan,
were wed on Sept. 1, 1951 at St.
Margaret’s Anglican Church in New
Toronto by the Reverend Dwelly. In
attendance were relatives and
friends.
Their honeymoon took them to
Windsor and Port Huron before they
returned to live in New Toronto.
The couple moved from New
Toronto to Hornby, then to Lorne
Park, then Wingham, followed by
Acton and finally moved into
Brussels.
Grant was a police officer and a
farmer over the years while Jean was
a housewife and manager of the
Salvation Army Thrift Store in
Acton.
The couple both retired in the mid
1990s, with Grant retiring in 1995
and Jean following suit in 1996.
They have three children; Mary
(Frank Stretton), Edgar (Angie) and
Les (Brenda)
They also have 10 grandchildren
Margaret (Dave Speer), Grant
(Cindy) Jarvis, Lesley and Brendan
Stretton, Harmony, Spencer,
Meaghan, Garret, Justine and Ryan
Williams, as well as two great-
grandsons, Ben and James Speer.
Both Grant and Jean are members
of the Salvation Army in Wingham.
The celebration was held at the
Fireside Café outside of
Wingham.
“Oh Baby that’s a-what I like!”
Most fans of 1950s rock and roll
music can easily recall these famous
lyrics sung by the legendary Big
Bopper in his 1958 signature hit
“Chantilly Lace”. Of course, The
Big Bopper’s promising career was
cut short in a tragic plane crash with
fellow performers Buddy Holly and
Ritchie Valens on Feb. 3, 1959, in a
day described as “the day the music
died” by singer Don McLean in his
classic tune “American Pie”.
Despite his short career, The
Bopper also found success as a
songwriter, as he penned “White
Lightning” for George Jones and
“Running Bear” for Johnny Preston,
with both records reaching the
number one position on billboard.
On Sunday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. the
legendary rock and roll music of the
1950s will be celebrated at the Blyth
Memorial Hall in a new touring
show entitled, “The Big Bopper’s
Rockin’ 50s Show”. The
performance features top-calibre
tribute artists backed by the stellar
Memphis Cats Band, hosted by the
“The Big Bopper” portrayed by
international touring artist Bill Culp.
This unique show combines live
musical performances, dialogue and
interesting trivia relating to the
songs and artists of the 1950s.
In addition to Culp’s performance
as “The Big Bopper”, the show also
includes Jeff Giles paying tribute to
Buddy Holly with songs including
“That’ll Be The Day” “Peggy Sue”
“Oh Boy” and “Rave On” amongst
the audience favourites. Giles is
highly regarded for his work in “The
Buddy Holly Story”, and has started
in several large-scale touring
productions of the famed Broadway
musical including a recent sold-out
month-long run at Theatre Aquarius
in Hamilton.
“The Big Bopper’s Rockin’ 50s
Show” also includes some hits from
legendary female rock and roll
singer Connie Francis, who scored
several Top 10 smashes including
“Stupid Cupid” and “Lipstick on
Your Collar”. Bill Culp notes,
“These are really fun songs that you
don’t hear much these days, so it’s a
real treat to add these to the show.
We’ve really made an effort to
include as many great hits from the
1950s rock and roll era as possible.”
The 1950s also saw the rise of Sun
Records in Memphis, which is
generally credited as the birthplace
of rock and roll. Best known as the
record label that launched the career
of Elvis Presley, Sun Records also
launched, “The Man in Black”
Johnny Cash in 1955, who scored
with rockabilly-flavoured hits
including, “Folsom Prison Blues”
and “Get Rhythm”.
These classic Cash songs will be
sung by the amazing Jim Yorfido at
the Blyth show. Yorfido has won
rave reviews across North American
for his amazing portrayal of Johnny
Cash, which captures both the look
and incredible baritone voice of the
man himself. Jim has the unique
distinction of being the only Cash
tribute artist to be recognized by Sun
Records in their official,
international touring show.
The Blyth show also celebrates the
music of “The Killer”, Jerry Lee
Lewis with songs including “Great
Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta
Shakin’” performed with fire by
Memphis Cats pianist Bruce
Tournay.
Tickets for the Oct. 16 show are
$25 and can be purchased at the
theatre box office at 423 Queen
Street, Blyth or ordered by phone
519-523-9300 or toll-free at 1-877-
862-5984. For more information
visit www.blythfestival.com and
click on Memorial Hall.
Over 500 people gathered in
downtown Brussels on Sunday
afternoon for a sold-out beef
barbecue and community
celebration. The event, which also
included live music, horseback rides
and a showcase of local businesses
and community groups, was meant
to get local residents talking about
downtown revitalization.
In June, a community meeting was
held to present the findings of the
recent Brussels Business Retention
and Expansion study. While that
initiative identified several strengths
in Brussels, the overall feeling was
that something had to be done to
improve the downtown.
“A call went out at that meeting
for volunteers to help lead the charge
on downtown revitalization efforts”
says Huron East Economic
Development Officer, Jan Hawley. “I
am so pleased and excited about the
level of enthusiasm that people are
now showing for our downtown.
Things are really starting to happen.”
A group of local business owners,
calling themselves the Brussels
Gang has worked over the summer
to come up with some new ideas for
the downtown area. These include
new streetscape plans, community
branding, connecting business
people, promotions and the launch
of a farmers’ market, slated for next
spring.
While Sunday’s event was a
chance for local residents to hear
more about these initiatives,
participants were also asked for their
ideas about how to rejuvenate the
downtown core by filling out a
postcard survey. Many great
suggestions came through such as
“add more benches to main street”,
“make the downtown look better and
fill up those store fronts” and “how
about a dollar store or a drug store”.
These ideas will be reviewed by the
group as it moves forward. “There is
such a feeling of ownership and
passion about Brussels” says Kathy
Nichol, one of the event organizers.
“We are just in the beginning stages,
but with so much energy and so
many positive ideas; I feel like this
community can do anything it sets
its mind to.”
Also at the event nearly $150 was
raised for the EDGE fund, where
matching dollars will be provided to
help restore the heritage lost in
Goderich after the August
tornado.
Brussels couple celebrates 60 years of marriage
Over 500 gather for Brussels barbecue
Show pays tribute to music of the 1950s
60 years and counting
Margaret “Jean” and John “Grant” Williams of Brussels
celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary earlier this
month. (Vicky Bremner photo)
BIG BOPPER’SBIG BOPPER’STHETHE
BIGBIGBOPPERBOPPER JOHNNYJOHNNY
CASHCASH JERRY LEEJERRY LEE
LEWISLEWIS
CONNIECONNIE
FRANCISFRANCISBUDDYBUDDYHOLLYHOLLY
Jeff GilesJeff Giles Maggie MaeMaggie Mae Bill CulpBill Culp Jim Yorfi doJim Yorfi do Bruce TournayBruce Tournay
SUNDAY OCTOBER 16 - 3:00 PMSUNDAY OCTOBER 16 - 3:00 PM
BLYTH MEMORIAL HALLBLYTH MEMORIAL HALL
423 QUEEN STREET423 QUEEN STREET
CALL 519-523-9300 or 1-877-862-5984CALL 519-523-9300 or 1-877-862-5984
www.BlythFestival.comwww.BlythFestival.comONLY $25
Happy 50 th
Anniversary
Mom and Dad
Bernadette & Stuart Smith
Brian, Kevin, Andrea and Lisa
You are invited to celebrate
with friends and family
Saturday, October 8, 20118pm-1am
Knights of Columbus, Goderich
390 Parsons Court
Best Wishes Only
Love
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