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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-08-26, Page 28Page 12A Times -Advocate, August 26, 1987 SANDCASTLE PARADE —inside, outside, or on the beach, in the long run the place to be is The Thirsty Fox, Grand Bend. So says the float in Saturday's parade along Main Street. and district news Connie Keyser - 2238-2695 Roberta Walker - 238-2471 Weather disrupts Sandcastle Days_ Sandcastle Days opened with a parade under ominous, overcast skies that cut down on the crowds. Led by a 1940 black Dodge from Grand Bend Plymouth - Chrysler. Sid Fraleigh, M.P.,- David Smith M.P.P. and Bob Sharen of the Chamber of Commerce -constituted the VIP's of the parade. The Alhambrans were next in line in a 1946 one ton Ford pick-up truck. owned and operafed by Philip Walker of Oakwood. Three Alhambrans rode fn theback, tossing candy to the kids in the crowd. Benguin the Penguin marched with the little clowns, pro- moting the Grand Bend Winter Car- nival. Miller's:Lite entry was an old 1920's Mercedes beer delivery truck. all restored in lavish detail. The Girls Marching Band of Seaforth District High School provid- --ed-mus1c_ tot: the parade. complete with kilts anddrutnS. The I lessenland entry featured a bevy of beauties in ethnic garb dancing about a•maypole. The Barefoot Pedlar had a Sand- castle float. and Farmer Bill handed out flowers to the ladies again this year. There were several beautiful horses. two representing Rings. Strings and Things, ridden by Darryl 'Farquhar and his wife and a rider for' " 1 D. Mop and Dust": The Grand Bend Yacht club pulled a boat, which towed a skier on a skateboard, of all things! - Two, beautifully restored vehicles were a 1955 black Chrysler Imperial, owned by Philip Walker of Oakwood. and a 1928 Model A Ford Tudor, own- ed by Wayne Shaw of Grand Bend. There was a huge float from Thirsty Fcx featuring camping, complete with boat. tent. sand. and of coursea bar! Congratulations to the parade organizers and to parade honorary Grand Marshal, Laurie. Mannell. The weekend festivities were .or- chestrated by • the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce. with Barb Gower, of Barbara's Naturally and the owners of Coral Reef doing most of the organization. After the parade there were two food eating contests. one for the adults (20 years and over ). devouring oysters at Hotel Mainstreet. Over at "Our Andrews" the children (12 and under) were try- ing to outdo each other in consuming spaghetti. Matthew Miller wort first prize, a huge stuffed horse. The actual sandcastle competitions had to be postponed until next weekend, tentatively re -scheduled for Saturday, August 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the main beach. Sunday from 11 to 3 p.m -is the rain date. rr dog LOOK MA! NO HANDS - In less than four minutes, Matthew Miller of Grand Bend downed the plate of spaghetti provided by Barbara's Naturally, in the "Our Andrews" sponsored contest at Sandcastle Days. w SCHOOL OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT 1987-1988 THE LAMBTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION "Lombton County Public Education - in the tradition of yesterday, - in touch .with today, - in trust for tomorrow!" ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: Forest Central, Woodside, Kinnaird, Grand Bend. Bosonquet Central, Warwick Central, Aberorder and Errol Public: Elemenary pupils (othbr than Kindergarten and French Immersion Kindergarten) will commence school at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 1987, and wll attend for o half day (a.m. only). All Kindergarten pupils must participate in an Early Identification Program. The parents of these pupils will be notified of interview times during the week of August 31 - September 4 and be inform- ed when classes for these pupils commence. For further information and registration of new students, parents may contact the local school principal during the week of August 31 - September 4. Students living north and east of the Pinery entrance will attend Grand Bend Put c -hoot, The bus schedule in use in June 1987 will be cont,r < < c' hoots, withany necessary adjustments mode in tho 111 wee al knnl. SECONDARY SCHG "t $ `,econdary schools Wil oNErate o regular school program on /r.olnesday, September 9, 1987, beginning at 8:45 a.m. and d, nlis'ing at the end ,of classes in the afternoon. . Tuesday, September 8, is Professional Activity Day for curriculum development. NOTES: 1, North Lombton Seconday School - Buses will run the same routes as Test June starting Wednesday. Any Grade 9 or new student to the area, please contact Kernohan Bus Lines (786.2391). 2. Students attending .l C.C.V,I. transferring at North Lambton. contact Kernohan Bus Lines. Lambton 'Central CQllegiatj Vocational Institute - Student photographs will be token at the time of registration on September 1 and 2 from A:00 to 11:30 a -m. and 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Nancy Bentley Dr. A.R. Wells Chairman of the Board. - Director of Education 4 The organizers had about 10 teams lined up for this weekend.,hut only three are local. The out-of-town•teatns are uncertain they will be able to return, unfortunately, so more com- petitors will be needed, in case they can't all come back. If you are creative when it comes to sculpture, try sand! Call Barb Gower. 238-5620 for more information: See you next Saturday on the beach, to cheer them on! - Wind has last word The Sandcastle competitions had to - be postponed this weekend at Grand Bend. causing frustration, aggrava tion and considerable disappointment to the organizers and competitors, as well as all the tourists who had come to see the magic of sculptures arising from the sandy beach. Instead, the weather took the lead role. and the wind had star billing. . The wind: blowing away hot, muggy -weather, tossing grey and white clouds about like bags of wool; whipping the lake waters into a fren- zy of whitecaps lashing the shore, • pounding the sand like distant thunder all through the night. A walk along Grand Bend beach on Saturday afternoon revealed open vistas of surf and sand, devoid of sun worshipers, red flags fluttering, inhabited only by -seagulls and a few hardy tourists. You leaned into the howling wind, buffeted by spray and sand driven hard enough to sting your face and • legs. People gathered in awe at the dock on the main beach to witness the wild maelstrom of water as the waves crashed into each other throwing spray high over the harbour light at the end of the pier. Swimming would have been suicidal, with Mother Nature in one of her wilder summer moods! At night the wind continued, tossing" the trees and rustling the leaves about; the lake waters were still rag- ing like a mild, restless beast im- prisoned by the confines of the shore. There was no moon, a black sky a - twinkle with stars, briefly shadowed by paler clouds, still being herded across the sky by the wind, powerful and exhilarating - a wild night! Men may plan the events of our lives, but nature often has the final say. Double celebration for local lade Most of us would feel that we had really accomplished something by lasting long enough to celebrate our 90th birthday in a hale and hearty fashion. Mrs. Jean Wright, of Beach O'Pines .reached that particular marker this weekend, and was honored by alt of her friends. Mrs. Wright attributes her good luck to good genes, pointing out that most of her large family are now bet- ween•90 and 95 years of age. - She is also pleased that her second book on paleontology has been published this summer by the Ausahle-Bayfield Conservation Authority. Mrs. Wright who has writ- ten on a variety of topics over the years, undertook this particular pro- ject at the suggestion of an old friend, Dr. G. Arthur Cooper. Dr. Cooper had retired from the Na- tional Museum of Natural History. in the Smithsonian. Washington, D.C. She sent Dr. Cooper a number of fossils which she and her husband had collected from all across Ontario, and - he made the photos of those fossils for her book. "the River and the Rocks" The book deals with 'the natural history of this area; she spent one summer accumulating the background material, then wrote it up and sent the results to the Ausable- Bayfield Conservation Authority, who undertook publication. A copy of "the River and the Rocks" has been put into schools and Iibt'hries, but the book is not present- ly on sale to the public, a•fact that Mrs. Wright is unhappy about. Mr. Gregory Pulham has been unwilling to put her work on sale,at book stores, but she hopes he would change his mind, as many would like to obtain a copy for their own personal library. She feels that such a book would be an asset to the area, available for sale at such places as the Lambton Heritage Mllseuin, for instance. Congratulations to a remarkable lady on her cbnsiderahle achievements - perhaps she has yet another book in store? Keep up the good work, Mrs. Wright. you are aro inspiration to us all, Vintage cars in area on weekend Thunderbirds on parade Lambton Heritage Museum hosted the Southwestern Ontario T -Bird Club on Sunday afternoon, as over 50 beautiful Thunderbirds were on display. The club organizer, Bill "Fawcelt;.was very pleased with the turnout; as proud owners came from Torontoj1urlington;Sarnia, Windsor, and all points between, to compare, shop, brag and by. The T -Bird club specializes in models from 1958 to 1966, -with some "Early -Birds", and is open to owners of later models. as well. On Saturday afternoon, 19 T -Birds formed a parade, with police escort, for a drive down to Bayfield. Over 75 people showed up for a celebration at • Thirsty Fox on Saturday night : lots of food and fun. A glance in the rear view mirror at .just the right moment revealed the long gleaming ribbon of chrome and delicate pastel colours as the sun glistened on the convoy of 18 vintage Thunderbirds on the curve. "Would you look at that!" exclaim- ed Bill Fawcett, driver of the lead car, "Kind of makes your heart do a flip- flop" to see such a sight. This trip, in convoy, to Bayfield on Saturday afternoon was part of a weekend of events andshows (rallies) planned by Fawcett, a resident of Port Franks, for the Southern Ontario Thunderbird Club. The meeting last year in the treed setting at the Lamb - ton Heritage Museum was such a pleasant success that over 55 area members brought their vehicles this year for a repeat rally at the Museum on Sunday August 22. Protected from the wind and warmed by the sun, the vintage Thunderbirds streamed into the corral area at the front of the museum until there were no parking spaces left. . Bill Fawcett and his wife Cathy were ecstatic at the turn -out and en- thusiastic about the excellent dinner Saturday night at the Thirsty Fox, when 70 of these dedicated Vintage Thunderbird. collectors gathered to enjoy the comradeship of a meal together and trade stories of recent acquisitions and even trade scarce car parts. The parking lot at the Pinedale Motor Hotel was crackling with -ex- citement Saturday afternoon- as preparations for the trip to Bayfield got underway. Last minute polishing of the chrome, checking the oil. and double-checking instructions set the mood) of adventure. With a tnolot•cy- cle O.P.P. -escort, the convoy was underway, right on schedule. salutes and waves to each other indicating all was A-O.K. No sooner were the T -Birds assembled in the centre park at Bayfield than the spectators gathered around to try to capture, if only for a few minutes the thrill created by own- . ing one of•these machines. Barbara and Toly Sw•ystun, sum- mer residents of Bayfield. proudly displayed their newly acquired black '65 model Bird with Landau roof and the well -loved original black leather interior. This baby "floats on the cor- ners, is heavier" in the way- it handles. "It's not a road machine ( meaning a muscle car) but a cruis- ing car" explained Swystun. When asked why he got interested in classic T -Birds, Swystun, like every other T -Bird collector "bought a little, nostalgia." Ile always had a soft spot for the vehicles. Barbara bought Toly his first pair of coveralls last Christmas for doing his own maintenance. The Swystuns apparently are in- curable addicts because they also drive one of the new "bubble" Aerodynamically styled 1984 Thunder- birds that have captured the imagina- tions of North Americans to=day. Although they are satisfied with their purchase, "there is no comparison between the two. The '65 classic is a CAR, the '84 is just an automobile". Styled more like a racing sports coupe, this '55 model was the pro- totype, leading the way to Thunder- bird's unique status in the history of the automobile. Sporty and exciting in looks, the first T -Birds were not to be considered like the racey Corvette, but were "boulevard" cars for classy , cruising. An eye for beauty and quality, the On location or Studio Bart DeVries PHOTOGRAPHY • COMMER(IA( • WEDDINGS • PORTRAITS • GROUPS PUBLICITY Telephone 235-1298 137 Thames Rd., East, Exeter, Ont. We are now receiving monthly shipments of Best Seller Novels - Come and see the New - Arrivals 1988 Robert Bateman Diaries in stock ,..,,-,.,...- Mall.* 4 Times - Advocate desire for the best, were the hallmark of the Thunderbirds of 1955 to 1966. A Thunderbird rally is a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Ownership of one of these classics is an experience in living. The Thunderbird, billed as "an ex- citing original by Ford" was first unveiled to the public in February 1954 at the Detroit Automobile Show. There were only about 16,000 1955 models made, in five colors, with. power steering, power brakes and windows and a choice of automatic or standard transmission. The new 160. horsepower V-8 engine was powerful enough to go from a standing start to zoom 53 car lengths ahead of a con- ventional 1954 car, in 40 seconds. The car had a steel body, with a folding fabric top for summer and a Fiberglass hard top for winter to make it a good winter car as well. It was a sporty. personal two-seater with most of the major parts inter- changeable with regular Ford cars. Billed as "Seventh heaven on wheels" and enchantment unlimited" the early Thunderbird was the stuff dreams are made of, under the careful direction of L.D. Crusoe, general manager of Ford Division. Originially sold for about $3,000 a 1955-56 model will appraise at $30,000. some going up to $50,000 depending on condition: One car was on sale recent- ly in Toronto for $52,000! The 1958-66 models are worth from $17 to $20 thou: sand. with hardtops a little less than the convertibles. Why so much'' Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that sets the price! Bob Duncan, of Birr, a member of •• the Tri -County Heritage club, Ilder- ton, displayed a black 1855 T -Bird with a three -speed stick shift, and a 1965 two door hard top, colored Ember Glo (Rust) and cream top. He brought both of them restored, and also owns 5 tractors of various models. - Jim Foster of Slrathroy showed something different - a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria which he restored himself over a period of years, finishing four years ago. This rare model has a 312-V8 engine, a Con- tinental kit on the back, a .gorgeous cat in turquoise whit] complete with chrome strip across the top- and license "MY CHUM". A real work of art. John McKenzie of Clinton did the upholstery on the car, the results of a true perfectionist. Orville Tedball, of Slrathroy, did a "ground up" restoration of his 1957 T - Bird. He removed the body and started working from the chassis up for a better job,'a real tabor of love. This beautiful two seater red conver- tible isnowappraised at about $30,000. The love affair goes on, into the 60's, with a 1964 model owned by Pat Ven - ton of Grand Bend, since 1965.This pale blue 2 -door has a white leather top, the paint ,job redone ten years ago. The most recent model shown was a 1976, one of the last long ones, as they were shortened in 1980. Nearly 1000 tourists enjoyed the show, and after they left, the owners continued the weekend party. with a meal catered by Pizza Defile at the Museum, before they departed for home. ('ongratulations to organizer Bill Fawcett for a great show. T -BIRD FEVER — Grand Bend reporter Connie Keyser experienced first-hand the nostalgic luxury thatcaptivatesThunderbird collectors. Bill Fawcett's '65 T -Bird convertible led the convoy of 18 cars to Bayfield Saturday. On Sunday the Southern Ontario Vintage Thunder- bird Club held their summer rally on the grounds of the Lombton Heritage Museum. COMFORT AND CHROME — Port Franks resident Bill Fawcett demonstrates the luxury of the assimilated "jetliner cockpit" instru- ment panel at the wheel of his classic '65 T -Bird convertible. HEATING / AIR CONDITIONING • LENNOX �CBAJLEYj All You Need to Remember About Home Comfort Hensali GBAILEYS 262-2020 Heating and Air Conditioning We're proud to be Your LENNOX Dealer Serving from Lucan to Blyth 1 cepCasual Industries Inc. • Casual Furniture • Artifical Plants • Acrylic Drinkware • Outdoor Fireplaces and B.B.Q. • Outdoor Torches and Candle Lamp, We encourage a standard of excellence in Casual Living Quality'• Hwy. %-83 Grand Bend Ontario 238-2110