The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-06-17, Page 21Kids can enjoy Club
again this summer
BY CATH WOOD)
This summer, the town recreation
department is again offering two
programs for children. Youngsters bet-
ween the ages of three and six can enjoy
the Bert and Ernie Kiddie Club, and
school-age Children caro take advantage of
the playground program called Super
Summer SPecial Surprises.
Last summer 'was the premier seamen
for the Kiddie Club, and the rec depart-
ment received a Summer Experience
ant to fund it. However, the grant was
,t made available this year and an in-
creased registration fee of $15 per week
will be charged.
"Because we didn't get the grant,, it's
necessary to charge $15," explained
program co-ordinator Bob Marshall. "It's.
certainly not out of line though.
Babysitting fees for a week would be much
This lad had fun at last year's club
higher than that and we offer a lot more in
the way of activities."
Last summer, an average of 222 children
3x6 years old registered on a weekly basis.
The program is based at Robertson School
and sessions run Monday to Friday from 9
a.m.-11:45 and 1 p.m. -3:45. They begin
July 6 for seven weeks. Registrations will
be held prior to each session at the rec
office at the grandstand.
Supervisor of the program is Karen
Willis as was the case last year and her
staff includes Barbara Conlon and Lisa
Ryan. Karen describes a typical day like
this: in the morning children have a circle
time then a free play. After a mid-morning
snack, they play outside. In the afternoon, .
the children have a,special activity such as
swimming or going on a trip.
The program is designed to introduce
children to pre -kindergarten skills such as
reading, writing, thinking and socializing.
Programs for the Super Summer Special
Events are now being set up and will be
circulated through the schools this week
This program is set up on a 'pay as you
play' format „ because certain events
require admission or participation fees.
Some of the events already arranged
include a playday in Seaforth, the Pup-
petmongers Powell, and Paddlecade '81.
Bob Marshall is enthusiastic about a
production called 'The Kids on the Block',
also planned for the Super Summer. It is a
puppet play about disabled children. Each
puppet has a disability which is explained
to the audience and they are allowed to ask
questions. "It is meant to get kids to
realize that we are all people first and
some of us happen to be handicapped."
says Marshal .
The Super Summer Special Surprises
commence July 6 and will rim until August
21.
The supervisor of the Super Summer
playground series is Cathy Britnell: Her
staff includes Audrey Beacom and Debbie
Bedard. grogram has received a
a rapt atom thegnvernmeet ammmtuig to
$3,700 which will pay these three salaries.
In recognition of the International year
of the Disabled Person, both the Kiddie
Club and the Summer Surprises will be
open tag disabled children. Additional
trained leaders will be working with these
children on alow ratio basis.
Late poet discovered
A Goderich reader was kind enough to
submit a personal book of poems by a
former Goderich poet, Eloise Skimmings.
There are few details contained in the book
about Skimmings, but her first edition of
Golden Leaves poems was published in
1890 and a further edition was printed by
The Signal Press in 1904. •
As an introduction to the first edition of
Golden Leaves, Eloise Skimmings wrote:
"Like whisperings from soul to soul may
these Golden Leaves inspire my readers,
as I have been inspired, to acts of
benevolence, to a study of our beautiful
language, to keep it pure and unsullied,
and to acts of kindness, no matter in what
sphere of life we are placed.
"Trusting my many readers may agree
with H.R.H. Princess Louise in styling my
poems "graceful poetry." I present
Golden Leaves to a music loving and
poetical public_
The book also contains poetry written by
her brother, lieutenant Richard Skim-
mings, of the Goderich Garrison Artillery.
A note on the author says he was a
promising young lawyer who took a
terriblecold during the Fenian raid
Richard Skimmings suffered from a
severe lung disorder and in 1868 sailed for
Lima, Peru, South America, later
returning to Goderich. In the same year
his lung problems returned and the
lieutenant sailed for Bermuda to regain his
strength.
While in Bermuda he continued with
poetry writing and decided to return to
Goderich in 1869 and died in his home town
in May of that same year.
Louise Skimmings continued to ply her
craft in Goderich until her death on April 7,
1921.
It is reported that Skimmings lived in
the Kingston Street area across from the
present location of the. Legion. Perhaps if
Waders know more about the Skimmings,
they would be kind enough to forward a
few details to this office.
The following poems are samples from
the book, Golden Leaves, as published in
Goderich in 1904.
CHIVALRY
How fair a flower is chivalry
In the garden of life!
Like the crocus in early springtime,
Where winter storms were rife,
The snowflakes falling unheeded
Turn to page 3A •
SECONDSECTION
Park turns
English for an
afternoon
The Courthouse Park was transformed
into 15th Century England on Saturday
afternoon, as Morris Dancers performed
to the strains of flute and fiddle.
The folk dancers were made up of three
groups fro;n London and Toronto, who
were celebrating their yearly 'Ale' last
weekend with other folk dancers from
Virginia and Michigan. They also per-
formed in Bayfield, Exeter; and the
Pinery.
Morris dancing dates back five centuries
to rural England, explained; Allister
Brown, of the Forest Qty Morris Dancers.
"We do it for a bit of fun. It's a, sociable
thing for us," he said of the appropriately
named `Ale'.
Photos by
Cath Wooden
A future Morris dancer
Morris dancing was traditionally performed during the springtime in Old England
North Street 150th year begins June 21
BY JOANNE BUCHANAN
Sunday, June 21 will mark the beginning
of the 150th year of the founding of North
Street United (methodist) congretation.
On this day, the special guest at the
church service will be_ The Reverend Dr.
George Birtch of Toronto. Dr. Birtch has
recently retired from Fairlawn United
Church in Toronto and formerly served the
church at Metropolitan, Toronto and
London. He is one of the church's leading
preachers.
North Street United Church's an-
niversary
nniversary committee is busy planning
several projects and special events which
will be held throughout the sesquicen-
tennial year. One of the first projects to be
completed is an ink sketch of the church
banding. This sketch was done by Mike
Scott, a local artist and rnetrnber..of the
North Street congregation_ It will be used
for the cotter of the Sunday, June 21
bulletin and throughout the year, it will be
used for the church letterhead, hasty notes
and commemorative plates and mugs, etc
which will be made avafable to the
congregation. and general public. A limited
edition of this drawing has also been
reproduced irk color.
NorthStreet's sesquicenteninial year will
culminate with a Homecoming Weekend,
June 16-20, 1982. The Moderator of the
United Cluiielt of Canada will visit
Godericlt at this time.
The following is, a history of North Street
United Church written by the late . Mary
Robertson and taken from a special 125th
church anniversary. publication:
From its beginning, North Street Church
has been a uniting church. When in 1841,
the founders became the possessors of the
rots on NorthStreet, the group of wor-
shippers was a bine& of llie Wed cyan
Methodist Church. In 1815,. a union was
consummated with the New Connor:ion
Methodists wider the name of the Canada
Methodist Church. In 1884, a larger union
took place when the Canada Methodist, the
Methodist Episcopal, Primitive Methodist
and the Bible Christian bodies united with
the name of the Methodist Church of
Canada. In 1925, a great step forward was
taken when the Methodist Church of
Canada, the Congregational Church and
the Presbyterian Church in Canada joined
forces to form the United- Church of
Canada
Prior to 1841, the group of members
formed part of the Saugeen Mission, then
Goderich became itself the centre of a
district. There was no resident minister at
first, but the group was served by
travelling preachers, then by students, one
after another, who lived in town while
preparing for their ordinations. These
students were under the direction of a
superintendent.
On October 4, 1841, Thomas Mercer
Jones and Frederick Widder, acting for
the Canada Company, deeded to the
Reverend E. Evans and the Reverend
Thomas Fawcett, lots 5 and 6, east side of
North Street, Goderich. Later the
ministers assigned these Iots to the
trustees of the Wesleyan Methodist Church
of Goderich.
On the more southerly of these tots, a
frame MusD:* was built. The furnishings
were simple. The seats were benches
without becks. The men occupied seats on
one side of the room, the women sitting on
the other side. Thomas Fawcett was the
minister at the time, the circuit rider and
the student preacher having made way for
a settled pastor. As the church had no
parsonage, the minister lived in a rented
house on East Street.
The old femme church served the
congregation for 15 years or more. In 1859,
during the pastorate of the Reverend
Mike Scott (left), local artist and member of North Street United Church, was com-
missioned by the Congregational Board to do this black and white ink sketch of the church
building. The sketch will be used throughout the church's sesquicentennial year for church
letterhead, hasty notes and commemorative plates and mugs. Also pictured here with the
completed sketch is North Street minister, Robert Hail. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
Thomas Cosford, the trustees decided to
proceed with the erection of a brick
church. It was decided that the building
should be 60 feet by 40 feet of brick on a
stone foundation: A subscription list was
opened for donations and persons of all
denominations aided the Methodists
generously. Among the name on the list
(which is still intact) a' , Malcolm
Ca :t utt, Jahn 'Galt a .;l Thomas
McQueen.
In 1860 the church was dedicated in a
fitting ceremony. By 1865 the congregation
had so increased in numbers that, to ac-
comodate them, a gallery was built around
the skies of the auditorium. But still more
room was needed and in 1869, an addition
of 24 feet was made to the length of the
building. The addition was 20 feet wider
than the original building, extending 10d
feet on each side, thus making it in the
:shape' of a T.
In 1875, when the union with the New
Connexion bodywas formed, North Street
Church and the old Brock Street Church
were united under one superintendent. For
a few years both churches were kept open,
an unordained minister assisting the
pastor. In 1878, the trustees of Brock Street
Church agreed to sell their building and
use the sum obtained to enlarge North
Street Church so that it would ac-
commodate both congregations.
This was done and the addition made
North Street Church into the form of a
Roman cross. The congregations were
united and the building, with its slight
alterations. was used until 1906 when,
during the pastorate of the Reverend G.N.
Hazen, it was torn down and the present
church erected in its place. the
congregation worshipping in the cour-
troom of the county building until the new
church was completed.
It is a matter of interest that in 1888 the
congregation had paid off all mortgages on
the building and the church remained free
of debt until the new church was built,
when a mortgage of a few thousand dollars
was placed on it and carried until 1924
when, once more, the whole property was
made free of debt.
In 1941-42, a new heating system was
installed in the church and the removal of
the old furnaces and the large, cum-
bersome furnace pipes made possible the
transformation of the rather dingy
basement into the. present churchhall.
For several years there was no par-
sonage on the church property. the
minister and his family continuing to live
in a rented house. In 1853, during the
pastorate of the Reverend Samuel Fear, a
contract Was let for the erection of a
building on the lot beside the church. The
contract ,eallod for a house 32 feet by 30
feet with a cellar seven feet high, the house
to contain five rooms beside the basement
in which the dining room and the kitchen
were located. Early in 1854, the building
was finished and its completion was
celebrated by a tea meeting held in the
Temperance Hall which was kindly loaned
for the occasion. In 1868, the parsonage
was enlarged, being made into a two-
storey building which stood until 1912,
when during the ministry of the Reverend
Alfred Brown, it was torn down and the
erection of the present commodious house
was begun and finished during the time of
the Reverend W.K. Hager.
Old record books show how frequently
the members of the Official Board met and
how carefully they considered each matter
brought before them. The choir members
and their leader gave of their talents
freely. The organist received a small sum,
not at all commensurate with the service
rendered. and all. even to the boy who
pumped the organ, were devoted to the
privilege which was theirs, the leading of
the congregation in the service of praise.
The Sunday School had a group of
zealous workers and it would not have
been a Methodist Church without a Ladies'
Aid and early in the history of the church,
such an organization was formed. .
Under various names. the youth of the
congregation had several active groups
and for many years, under the leadership
of the late Dr. A.T. Emmerson. a Men's
Study Club flourished.
The people of North Street Church have
not only been concerned with their own
.welfare and the welfare of the community
about them. Early in their history. they
contributed to the connextional funds of
the church and to the great missionary
efforts which have sent preachers and
teachers. physicians and nurses to non-
Chiristian peoples. Calls for aid in tithes of
special need have always met with ready
response. ,