HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-09-08, Page 35CRAIG HARDWOODS LTD.
Five generations
of Craigs have
operated sawmills
since 1866;
originally at
St. Augustine ...
Since 1946 at
Auburn.
Cralg's Sawmill as seen about 1950
With over 127 years in business
we welcome all the participants in the
32nd Pioneer Threshers' Reunion to
our area.
AUBURN 526-7220
Welcome to the
44
32nd Annual
BLYTH FESTIVAL Thresher Reunion!
Great selection of tickets still available.
Ceili House
Ceili House, is an absurd,
spirited play that's a welcome
relief for its audience...the
combination of eclectic cast,
and witty lines makes this play
a refreshing evening of light
entertainment.
Heather Boaa, Godertch Signal Star
The Glorious 12th
The Glorious 12th is an
entertaining look at the good
and the bad in humanity, the
powers that pull families
together anu apart, the pride of
convictions and the paranoia of
bigotry.
Bonnie Gropp, The Citizen
Kevin Bundy and Laurel Paetz
in Celli House.
Photo by James Hockings.
'A Win-Win Situation"
Win a 1993 Geo Tracker 4 x 4 Convertible, or one of 99 other prizes.
Draw date - 11 September 1993 - 7 p.m. - Blyth Memorial Hall.
Tickets $20.00 each Ontario Lottery License # P931420
Call (519) 523-9300 for tickets.
C.A. BECKER
EQUIPMENT LIMITED
Lucknow, Ontario
519-529-7993
Evenings - Steve Donaldson 519-392-8254
THREE YEARS AGO,
WE SET THE STANDARD.
NOW WE'RE RAISING IT:
INTRODUCING THE
NEW 5200 SERIES
MAXXUM LINE.
et
NEW CASE IH MAXXUM LINE UP
5250 5240 5230 5220
112 hp 100 hp - 90 hp 80 hp
"Call us for a demonstration"
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 1993. PAGE A-15 S.
Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion 1993
Spectators line streets to watch
Continued from A-14
gathering. Machinists who had worked with
the steam threshers and owners of machines
were invited to show off their equipment and
discuss the old times.
The first reunion was to be held at the old
Orange Hall in Blyth. Mr. Hallahan says,
Upon arrival at the hall the Orange Master
refused us entrance. He felt that we had
consumed some liquor and shouldn't be
allowed in the building."
He admits they probably looked like a
wild group but, they were just having a good
time.
Since indoor activities had been
disallowed, he says the men decided to
continue their party in front of the hall.
Several of the men had brought fiddles
and other musical instruments with them and
With all the sites and exhibitions available
for viewing at the Huron Pioneer Thresher
and Hobby Association's 32nd anniversary
reunion, one might work up an appetite.
This year as in the past, there will be a
good selection of food available throughout
the three day event held at the Blyth
Fairgrounds.
There will be food booths strategically
placed around the grounds to make
quenching a hunger or thirst very easy.
The booths will be located at Shed 2, near
they began to play in the street.
One thresher was a piper, fiddler and step
dancer, says Mr. Hallahan.
As the group carried on, the street began
to fill with spectators. Soon the area was
overflowing and the Orange Master decided
the threshers weren't such a bad group after
all. He chose to let them into the hall, says
Mr. Hallahan.
For the next four years the group of men
got together at an old horse barn. They had
five steam engines on display and
entertained spectators with their homegrown
style of music.
Mr. Hallahan is quick to point out the
contribution of the threshers wives to their
reunion. The women provided an excellent
meal in the old thresher way, he says. They
cooked good hot meals and there was plenty
of homebaking too. The selection included
Second Stage next to the arena ball diamond
and close to Radford's diamond on the
opposite side of the park.
The Blyth Optimists and Lions will be
providing typical fare such as pop, hotdogs,
chips, fries and hamburgers.
The Girl Guides will also be operating a
booth which will supply hungry spectators
with muffins and cold drinks.
If you are interested in some old fashioned
food, a trip to the bean pot at center park
Continued on A-16
pies, cakes and home preserves.
By the fifth year, the popularity of the
reunion had grown. It changed the event
from a private social gathering to a
community activity.
The original members decided to set up
committees to provide more entertainment,
fiddle and stepdance contests and to bring in
more threshing machines.
As the years passed, the event just
continued to grow in its ability to pull in
spectators and exhibitors.
Mr. Hallahan says the threshers managed
the show for 23 years. It was decided at that
time to incorporate the show for the Hobby
Association.
This was the biggest change for the
reunion, he says. Instead of all the members
participating in the planning, 15 directors
were chosen.
The reunion now has five executive, nine
directors and 34 committee chairmen (some
hold more than one post).
" As a member you are told what to do and
where to go. It is no longer a reunion. It is a
business," says Mr. Hallahan.
Reunion has plenty
to satisfy appetites