HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-09-28, Page 39t
PAGE 24
Car
ent
Visi
awe w
of Se
not only
s Opera Hall provided
ainment for all of Huron County
BY RON WASSINK
•to Seaforth, even long-time residents stand in
ing up at Cardno's Opera Hall. The first lady
was opened in 1875, providing entertainment,
Seaforth residents, but all of Huron County. In a
Sense, Cardno's Opera Hall was the hottest night spot in
town. •
Its mast striking feature is a large clock tower, with clock
faces on north, south, east and west sides. Time has
weathered the faces. Paint has disappeared as have
numerals and minute and hour hands.
Actor entering the main doors to the hall, one climbs 22
Stepsop a four foot wide staircase with oak bannister to the
opera hall. Considering the building is over 100 years old
and has been closed for 31 years, the interior still
maintains a semblance of elegance. The hall has elaborate
woodwork around windows, a wooden balcony and a curved
stage.
The hall was closed in 1952, the same year Queen
Elizabeth 11 was crowned. The future was very dim. It was
the, era of 'television. People had other forms of
entertainment. The grand lady was soon forgotten after
the curtain closed for the last act of Professor James
Scott's play, "Crossroads".
The 1920s was the era for the big band sound. Ed Daly,
lifetime Seaforth resident, remembers when he and his
orchestra played in Cardno's hall. "It was a swing and iazz
era. I played violin and banjo and my two brothers played
the piano and drums. For awhile we had an orchestra made
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up of two families, three Stewart brothers and three Daly
brothers. It was called the Dal -Stewart Orchestra.
"Radio was just coming in, so anything that hit the town
pretty well filled Cardno's Hall. It was only one of few
entertainment spots. It always seemed fairly busy. 1 can't
remember too many stage plays, mainly because 1 was
musically inclined.
"I can remember people sat on long benches and chairs.
The main stage curtain included advertising. My father's
advertisement was one of them. He was a jeweller.
"I can recall that local talent was featured in minstrel
shows. There also used to be a travelling show put on by the
Guy Brothers. It was a variety program which featured
singers, dancers and comedians. My dad used to be what
was called an end man because he used to sit in the end of
the front row. The two end men were dressed in crazy
costumes, had black faces and hands. They supplied the
jokes and wisecracks.
"My most vivid childhood recollection is of an act when a
guy crawled to the stage in an alligator costume. It seemed
so real that I wasWIIaNdDING THE CLOCK orun oof the place."
Mr. Daly is one of a handful of people who climbed the
clock tower on a regular basis. Since his father was a
jeweller, Ed was in charge of winding the clock every
Saturday.
"It was a job I had every week, summer and winter. 1 had
Please turn to page 25
WE[tiCOE9
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MORE THAN A PRIORITY
QUALITY IS JOB ONE
QUALITY RIGHT
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THE LINE
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SEAFORTH 527-1010
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Continued from page 24
to wind up two weights using a big crank. One weight was
for the clock and the other for the striking mechanism. A
bell rang every half hour and on the hour. It kept good time
when it was running."
Winding the clock was'no easy feat. "I had to go up the
stage, on a ladder to get into the attic. I then had to cross
rafters and climb two or three ladders to get inside the
tower. The crank had a five foot sweep. It took at least five
minutes to wind the clock. The weights must have weighed
200 pounds each. They were large steel cylinders filled with
stone. I can remember looking down the hole waiting for the
• containers to come up and get the job over with.'
"1 remember seeing "Crossroads"," says owner Ken
Cardno._"The hall was always packed. It always seemed full
to me. I was six when it was closed, due to the popularity
of television. We closed it ourselves. At the time, it may
not have been heartbreaking. 1 can remember Dad coming
home with black eyes received from breaking up fights at
dances."
The hall held as many as 600 people at a time. Following
the war, it was a big thing, he says.
CURTAIN IS THERE
The curtain Mr. Daly refers to still hangs above the
stage. It was handpainted at the turn of the century by Will
Clarke, scenic artist of Clipper, New York. The scene
shows a Scottish castle near a river with a man fishing with
a bamboo pole from a rowboat.
The clock operated until 1965. "The clock quit when I quit
winding it," says Mr. Cardno.
The future use of the hall will depend on funding for
restoration costs.
"1 would like to see something developed where the hall
could be put back to use," says Walter Armes, a member of
Seaforth s LACAC. "It's a nice feeling room. It did a hell of
a service for the town. It was the social centre of Seaforth.
Please turn to page 26
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PAGE 26
SEAFORTH
LIONS
CLUB
Presents
PARADE
SATURDAY,
OC OBER 1
1983
at Seaforth and .District
Community Centres
1 P.M. - 1 A.M.
From Optimist Park to
, Arena - 12 NOON
QUEEN CONTEST
Saturday Afternoon
at Arena
DANCE to 2 bands
FROM 1 P.M. -1 A.M.
$4. PER PERSON
Includes beer stein /
ADMISSION
to the Van Egmond Foundation
on its 9th annual
Oderfst
Best Wishes for many
years to come
SILLS
(filizdioinewa.
Home Hardware
527-1620
Seaforth/