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Times-Advocate, 1979-09-06, Page 13 (2)• a MAIN 'STREET 1902 — This is one of the earliest photographs of Grand Bend's Main Street when there was just a dirt trail leading through the trees to the lake The big building on the left is "The Tenderspot" - when it. was a quiet 9eneral store instead of a busy super- market." NO LONGER EXISTS — This building wait once located just east of the stop lights where Highway 81 now runs The house on the right now holds Gainer-Kneale insurance offices People say that this general store had several different owners over the years. Names men- tioned were Ravelles. Fredericks and Appletons. The smaller building is said to have housed the telephone office when that convenience first came to the village This post card was dated 193,4. Remember? 'The way we were...' The summer of '79 is now no more than a pleasant memory for those who spent it in Grand Bend. We thought you might like to see some icenes of by -gone summers to jog memories of those years at the beach. We tried to ascertain dates, names and places by consulting.,l�ith several long-time residents of the area, but we apologize if we don't have every detail straight. These pictures and old post cards were photographed from a collection at Lambton Heritage Museum. Many collectors in Grand Bend as well is the museum have many more like them. THE IMPERIAL HOTEL — Just a block from the beach, this hotel was popular in the thir- ties Over the years the rook and the name of the Imperial has changed. In recent years it was known as Kelly's and this summer the name changed to R.D."s. GATEWAY TO GRAND BEND — This was the post card you sent home to show your friends how welcome they'd be if they came to the 'Bend This photo of a tree -lined Main Street was probably taken in the thirties The stone pillars held up the welcome sign for decades after that LAKEVIEW HOUSE — A popular tourist accommodation in Grand Bend early this century was Lakeview House. This building once stood where the board walk and "Village Square" -sprang up this summer along Main Street. next to the Sun Shop. Residents at the turn of the century had a beautiful view -of Lake Huron from the second storey veranda After Lakeview House was torn down this lot remained vacant for several years. For a brief time in the six ties trampolines had the area jumping. CAMPING OUT — Taking your stereo tape player- along on a camping spree is not a new idea Many years ago these campers enjoyed music from their old gramophone The beach front property around Grand Bend was not privately owned. so people just pitched their - tents along the take in the wooded areas Notice that they came complete with their Union Jack flying Cost of new parking lot angers businessmen Main street businessmen are so upset about being taxed for the costs of a new parking lot, that Grand Bend council has decided to hold a special meeting for them to air their complaints. Those unsatisfied with the arrangements can attend a meeting of the parking committee, planning board and council Monday night at 7:30 in the council chambers. • Bill Janssen owner of The Anchorage on Main Street came before council at the regular meeting Tuesday night to express his dissatisfaction with the parking lot system. Janssen said he hired someone to survey people parking their cars in the new lot over the Labour Day weekend, and learned that most of the users were near- by cottagers, not people shopping on Main street. He said he did not feel that he should be taxed for the parking lot. The new parking lot is ,located behind the municipal office. Reeve Bob Sharen asked Janssen to return for the special parking meeting this Monday. But Sharen took the opportunity to say that the Main Street businessmen are only being apportioned a cost of, any deficit on the parking. lot. He said that the parking lot should pay for itself through user fees, but should there be bad weather next summer and a deficit arise, Residents complain about loud iire `. r those who benefit from the parking lot will pay for it. Sharer also said that all ratepayers in the village will be paying 2 mills towards -the parking lot. But he made it clear that the businessmen on Main Street will have to cover any deficits. "i don't think it's fair for_ people on Main Street to do it alone." Janssen replied` Councillor Harold Green said that Main Street businessmen• should be making more use of 'the parking lot. Ile said that. many of the merchants do •not live on the pr"raises, and therefore have tc drive their own cars to work. Green says he has seen them parking their cars in front of other merchants so that there will be parking in front; of their own business. Sharer said that council has encouraged Main Streetm ha w -A letter written slightly it was on May 24. Music, '.-"WV*:n� rgheek : by - L. -althotigh'playing in the early • �f B•tB ”Irigham brought Grand ,Bend Council's at- tention to complaints of noise and rowdyism over the Labour Day holiday. Many residents from the area at the corner of the King and Pine. Streets came to the meeting with noise com- plaints. • Dr. Brigham said that conditions have improved a great deal over the situation on the May 24th weekend. but they are still "horrible". Dr. Brigham said that the residents of 'the area have been working together to put a stop to the loud parties. in her letter to council, she wrote that at the Labour Day parties, there was only one bonfire with medium size. flames, not over the top of the cottage as they were on May 24. She said that fur- niture was only being thrown from rooftops, not burned as •"'sucifting ours -wasmuted, not as loud as at previous parties. The centre of -the road was .kept clear for traffic, not blocked by parked cars as it had been 'other weekends. There were no incidents of urination or sex relations on front lawns as -there had been previously, and garbage was now placed in bags and not scattered around Ibe,.q ' bourhoo6-c:_�„ Mg 74. • Dr.Brigham recommended that council take action against absentee landlords. She says that landlords, not the trpnants causing all the problems, are to blame. Dr. Brigham added that she would like to see a cora- - mission, appointed to examine property rentals. Reeve Bob Sharen responded that he had been Please turn to page 2A' s o use the Loi f-oc .n' Main Street free for visitors. Janssn also .aid he would like to see the parking int. V9klised, tttnr �yt, Page 1A SEPTEMBER 6, 1979 Price Per Copy 25 Cents Summer of '79 one of the best "One of the best, ever" 'That's the way the sum- mer of '79 is being described on the beach and along the streets of Grand Bend. A random sampling of mer- chants, clergymen and visitors agree that while the weather in later weeks may not have been the best, there were still crowds. and good times to be had in Grand Bend. Nick Carter. owner of the Sun.and Surf Shops says that despite a poor start on the Canada Day weekend, the month of July was good. Carter says that business .went very well for him this summer. Carter said that a gas shortage in the United States didn't seem to effect the number of visitors in Grand Bend. "You couldn't tell there was any vas shortage in Grand Bend. ears went up and down Hain Street continually," Ca;•ter added. Carter, who is president of the Chamber of Commerce. said that he and some members of the executive felt that if anything, the U.S. gas shortage may have been a benefit to Southwestern Ontario. He speculated that Americans from Detroit and other border areas might have travelled farther, but with the gas shortage they decided to stay in this area. Carter said that people were pleased with what the Chamber has done this summer, according to what feedback he has received. He M a i,r's • • MUSS 11 BY MARY ALDERSON i still find myself moving towards shops that have big pasters in their windows featuring bargain prices on three ring hinder paper and • hunches of Bic pens.' 1 haven't yet grasped the fact that for the first time in' 19 .years i don't have to go back to school. i guess that means that i never really minded going hack to school. i don't remember much about my. first day of school. in Kindergarten, so I guess everything went alright. i only seem to remember th s first days', where � least in my min ot•u d' f.ike the first daypf school iii grade one, wjten- i discovered that all the,"bus" lunch buckets with colour co- Reeve�udy t n►ac• ase Fii t what council should do besides the signs they have already erected. and Jan- ssen replied he didn't know. Two letters were received from other merchants camplaining about the parking lot tax. Marion Cherny of Marion's Arcade wrote to council that she ob'ectted being charged. for Harold Klopp of the Colonial Hotel and Gables Tavern wrote that he ob- jected to being assessed for parking because he had recently moved several outdated cabins from his property. and made more than adequate room for parking for his two • establishments. tttH'had brand new--sfiilij"r- ordinated matching Ther- mos bottles. On the other hand: i waft carrying a rusty,, dented. scratched, ugly pink lunch pail that.1 think my older siblings had kicked home from school rather than carried. This thing was so out of style that it was too small to even hold a Ther- mos bottle, .let alone a matchi i 'one. Now, what bothered me most was that my mother had lied 'to me. i had been skeptical about the ugly lunch pail when 1 left to catch the bus in the morning. i We still have bile .snapshot of me scowling of - the camera that first morning' with the pink thing in my Reeve Sharen said that hand.) But my mother had Klopp's complaint was assured- me that everybody probably legitimatewould be carrying lunch • buckets that had belonged to their big sisters. i soon IErarned that most of my classmates' siblings were still in school and carrying their ,own lunch pails. Having sisters that are more than zi decade older than you certainly has its disadvantages. And then there was the first day of schooljn Grade nine. i thought I was fully prepared for this event. My mother and i had gone shopping and we had pur- chased a new light brown imitation leather jumper. and then Motherad_nl� me a gold-: - ><?' L.,. go with it. .. A - mini length-_ ithitati:on leather jumper may sound eigi cky today;;•,hut believe me, s cited Burgerfest, the fireworks display, and the new flags lining Main Street as successful Chamber projects. Carter also said that he felt there were fewer problems with vandalism and theft in Grand Bend stores this summer. He said that for the first time in several years he did not prosecute any cases of shoplifting in his two shops. Wendy Andrews -Elliott co- mfier of Merry Rags in Grand Bend agreed that "July was fantastic". She said that her clothing store had been particularly busy, and a Midnight Madness sale they held in August was very popular. Mrs. P. DeJong at Grand Bend Clothing and Backroom Boutique said that they had a very busy summer. but she added "i'm always busy." Don Flear reported a successful summer -at the Bakery after re -opening this. spring. Flear said he felt there were more families in Grand Bend this summer. and that More families Help business. "They'll buy a dozen doughnuts, 'they don't 'one' you to death," Flear said. Dennis Mathers at the • Cheryl Ann said he had one comment about the summer - "i'm glad it's over." He • said they had a very busy summer. and now hg wanted to spend a nice relaxing winter making repairs. Mathers said the Cheryl Ann had a•"super" July but things were slower in August due to cooler weather: He said he thought there were more families in Grand d. which meant less Ruth 1 iW n at 11 r Bookstore...was.. the ,,Q merchant in our'18 election who reported this summer - double his winter staff. He said he had no difficulties with shoplifting in his store. Masse attributes his in- crease in business to the fact that he has tried to keep his prices in line with • city supermarkets. He says that in the past. people would bring all their groceries from the city with them. because they felt that stores in resorts would be a "rip- off". - Masse is anticipating a busy September as well. "We don't roll up theside- walks on Lal4bur Day anymore." he said. Lorne Campbell, manager of the Bank of Montreal said that they have experienced a very busy summer. Camp- bell said that "things hai•e been running smoother. thanks to the master charge cards and the multi branch banking cards." These cards have been a convenience to tourists. he said. He said that more Americans than ever -were having their mosey ex- changed at the bank. "I'm 'amazed at the number of transactions,': he said. .Tourists change their U.S. currency at the bank to get the most favourable ex- change rate, he said. The Toronto. Dominion Bank was unable to make comparisons because this was their first summer in the village. but a spokesman said they were well satisfied with their business. Father Boyer at the Roman Catholic Church reported that this was "the largest summer we've had. by all means." Father Boyer said that church attendance has been increasing steadily over the past four or five years. He said that about 500 people would attend Saturday night mass, and well over 1.000 people would come during • the three masses on Sunday mooing. He said he has noticed ore young families in at- tendance. As well as a greater number of summer visitors, his actual per- manent parish is increasing, he added. Rev. H. Moore estimated that about 350 people at- tended the outdoor services at the United Church. He felt that more campers were attending church, 'and that special music and speakers attracted a very good congre ation. Ro.eorge Anderson at the Anglican church says that his congregation doubled from 40 to 80 this summer. He says that many of the cottagers return each summer. but there were new visitors as well this year. f.� GAMES CONFISCATED -- OPP officers Gary Parmenter and Gord Pelissero push a game ,of chance down the sidewalk in front ot.t ' '; ut 3 re mac,j'1nOs w re con-• iscated. The policemen lifted the illegal machine5'tfnfo-e r tit ` ifd t Pt11ihy f> 1�`ffee"'-�"-• onto a -Ministry of Natural -Resources tett � 1 ., .Q,fig field until the crown at- ` .17.7 y d'et i --•-�•�ei� Pf-they�wilt•be-destre�yed-a • a Owner charged 1969 it wa* the Hest year old girl could ever dream of. And this was good quality vinyl --not like the cheap stuff a girl friend had. Hers cracked in the first frost that fall. Anyway 1 had counted on making a good first im- pression that day --but it was far from being frosty. it was a hot, stuffy day, guaranteed to'suffocate anyone who was wearing viii' 1. I just couldn't wear it. With the bus only minutes away. i was forced to peel off the leatherette, and put on an cotton dress. on top of that my sandal strap broke. and I had to wear old loafers with knee socks. - It was terrible to have to go to a new school in an old dress. but the worst blow was learning that no one Please turn to page 2A ove41 sales in `pool•er: i weather. She says that cottagers and boaters like to read when it's cool or rainy out. • She reported that their children's room with its selection of toys.and books was particularly popular this summer. Leo Masse at The Ten- derspot said that this was his best summer ever in his nine years in Grand Bend. Masse said he had 25 on staff Goodbye . Bluewater Country This is the last issue of Bluewater Country for this year. But we still plan to bring you plenty of news from Grand Bend and the area around Lake Huron -- even when the blue water is frozen over. • • Police search to4i'?cadL- - confiscate games of chance Ten game machines were confiscated from a Grand Bend amusement arcade last week when police decided that' they were games of chance and not skill. The arcade was in- vestigattrd by two plain- clothes offie; rs from the Ontario Provincial Police in Toronto. The Iwo men are with the anti -rackets branch of the OPP and work as a gambling squad. The ten machines con- fiscated were of two dif- ferent kinds, but similar in action. They were glass cases (filed with plastic toys, cigarette packages, souvenirs; and occasionally lighters and calculators. in ohe type of machine, a quarter is inserted and a claw moves out to grasp an item. Most often. the player receives nothing for his 25 , an OPP spokesman said. The other kind has a turn ng plate with -the various items on it. When the movement stops the player is supposed to get one of the contents. The machines were taken from the E.G. and J. Knapp and Company Amusements on Main Street. The ten machines were loaded onto a Ministry of Natural Resources truck. The Pinery detachment of the OPP conducted the c'onfiscation rather than the Grand Bend detachment because the Grand Bend office is closing up, and the officers would not be in the area for further dealings With the matter. itis -now up to the Lambton Crown Attorney to decide if charges will be laid, or If a hearing will be held. The crown attorney will also decide whether or not the machines will be destroyed.