HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-03-29, Page 21sykes
Inside:
•.
Art Club studies life of artist Tom Thomson .. Page 2A
Entertainment includes Snakes Alive at the
ROM in Toronto Page 4A
New season at Playhouse has The Sound of Music Page 7A
The Sound of Goderich includes The Laketown. Band Page 8A
AM & G's emergency department is getting
busier and busier Page 9A
• Captain Comet found some kids asking for trouble . Page 11A
Sigh. No one cares.
Not that I should expect anything in
return for this meagre weekly offering
but, being sensitive by nature, I just
thought somebody would notice.
But no one did.
It's no big'deal really. I mean I ac-
tually wasn't aware of it myself until
now. So I shouldn't maintain any lofty
expectations of the readers.
You see some time this month this
diligent correspondent pounded out his
100th column. Truly a minor milestone
in the obscure cat'teer of a columnist.
At the end of March it will Jfge two
years since the appearance f the
caricature with the silly seagull on my
shoulder. Which is something of an
anniversary I would think.
But there was nary a phone call or
congratulatory message offered my
way or even an ostentatious gathering
to celebrate the occassion.
You blew it readers. Perhaps that
was a bit presumptious on my part.
You hlew it reader.
Surely readers who clip this column
faithfully and. file them complete with
the number penned on the top would
have realized what a momentous oc-
casion it was.
But it was not to be.
If 1 were a hockey player who had
just popped his IOOth goal would there
not be much whooping and hollering
not to mention the presentation of the
puck'?
I would think so.
And surely with suchlofty stats
behind him would that player not
demand an extended contract for $12
million.
In sporting circles it would seem
reasonable.
But not so for the lowly colum-
nist. The occasion passed with
relative obscurity. The publisher
hasn't given any hint of a formal office
gathering with a presentation of the
prestigious column, the floral
nrrnnprments have yet begun tovour
into the pulsating newsroom and not
even mom has bothered to phone this
paper and babble on about the fine
work of a certain columnist.
It's disappointing to say the least.
And while there was little fanfare
over the column it is difficult to
speculate on its acceptance and impact
with readers.
Could 'this valuable piece of
literature have been clipped' by
numerous readers and mailed to Aunt
Millie, the one with hair on her legs, in
Moose Jaw, with key witty bits un-
derlined and linked to the words ha ha
in the margin, indicating a humerous
phrase.
Readers, noting the importance of
the work, may have sent'elipped copies
all over the country as a cherished gift
to loved ones.
Perhaps the 100th column has been
placed in a prominent position, just
inside the doorway, of many Goderich
homes to catch the mud and slop from
boots and shoes. Heaven forbid.
Certainly readers valued the
prominent column enough not to slip it
under the dog's dish or use it to mop up
messy spills in the kitchen.
At least youngsters could have taken
the column to school as an example of
poor grammar and syntax.
1 mean it should be 'good for
something.
There have been suggestions offered
in this diroction-..indicating what this
piece is good for, but afterall, this is a
family newspaper.
Oh,well. So the momentous occasion.
slipped by without any pomp or party
hats.
In only 18 more years I will have
written the 1,000th column and surely
then someone will notice.
For now I think I will ,just have to
settle for the extended contract with a
h.efty.bon us.
But somehow I don't think the
publisher will go for it.
the1
SIGNAL
STAR
132—YEAR 13
THURSDAY, MARCH 29,1979
SECOND SECTION
Hotdogs and popcorn traditional on The Square
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
First it was Pete's.
Then it was Dirk's. And
.now it is Laird's.
"Over the years, the
popcorn -hot dog business
at the corner of Hamilton
Street and the Square,
has become a tradition in
this town. And what a
tasty tradition!
It all started with Peter
Zimmerman of Goderich.
There was a depression
going on in this county
and he had to make
living somehow, he
recalls. So in 1930 he
bought a 1925 Model T
wagon from a woman in
Tilsonburg; drove it to
Goderich; modified it and
_ turned itin.to_the_popcorn-
hot dog stand that was to
become so popular with
Goderich residents.
Pete sold hot buttered
popcorn and hot dogs
smothered in onions from
his colorful green and
white Model T on the
Square in the evenings
for the next 42 years,
retiring in 1972. His little
wagon became as much a
part of the Square as any
of the other _ buildings
located there ---with the
exception that it could be
driven away!
Everyone knew "Pete
the popcorn man" and
few could pass by his
wagon without stopping
in for a delicious snack
and some friendly con-
versation.
When Pete first began.
his little business on
wheels, he sold hot dogs
for 10 cents or two for 15.
Popcorn also sold for 10
cents.
"You could buy two hot
dogs and a bottle of pop
for a quarter," he recalls.
When he retired seven
years ago', his popcorn
was up to 15 cents a bag
and his hot dogs were up
to 30 cents.
Pete still has his Model
T. He keeps it in his
A.
driveway on' Cameron
Street and makes hot
dogs in it when his three
grandchildren come to
visit from London.
"I' couldn't sell it. It
became a part of the
family," he explains.
Since his retirement,
Pete maintains that he
doesn't miss the work but
he sure misses the many
people of Goderich who
became his friends
through his business.
DIRK TAKES OVER
The corner of Hamilton
Street and the Square lay
barren for about three
years after Pete retired.
Then along came Dirk
Wolterbeek. He bought a
.milk truck from Gar -
diner's Dairy, converted
it • to a popcorn -hot dog
stand and began
operating from the
corner of Hamilton Street
and the Square on
February 4, 1975. The
business had been
revived, lending charm to
the corner once again.
Laird Eisler, son of
Dick and Beatrice Eisler
of Goderich, worked at
Dirk's stand almost from.
the beginning. When Dirk
bought a restaurant on
the Square,' formerly
known as the. Luja, and
turned it into Dirk's
Lunch Bar, he really had
his hands full. So he of-
fered Laird the chance to
buy his popcorn -hot dog
business.
Laird, who by that time
had .graduated from
G.D.C.I., wanted to be his
own boss and have his
own business so he
jumped at the chance to
buy.Dirk's stand. He says
he always knew he could
make money in the food
business somehow.
LAIRD'S HOT
DOG WAGON
over the
March 1 of.
He took
business on
this year at the age of 20.
So far everything is
running smoothly but he
admits that he is getting a
bit tired. As of last week,
he had worked 33 straight
nights. " He's open seven
nights a week from 7:30
to 1:30 Monday through
Thursday; 7:30 to 2:30 on
Fridays and Saturdays;
and 7:30 to 12:30 on
Sundays. All in all, his job
involves about 10 hours of
work nightly, including
about two hours of
preparations to open up
and the clean up at the
end•-e=rt'he, night. He gets
to bed about 3 or 4 a.m.
and sleeps until noon.
"You begin to look on
'that wagon as home
because you spend so
much-•- -time there,"- he --
says.
Laird has started
training his cousin to help
him and hopes to be able
to take about two days a
week off in the summer.
• It's difficult to train
someone in such a small
space because you're
always bumping into
each other, he explains.
At one time, before Dirk
had the truck modified,.
Laird says you couldn't
stand straight up in it.
After a night of working
with a bent neck, you
were pretty sore, he adds.
Working inside a
converted truck parked
outside has other
drawbacks besides the
lack of space that it of-
fers.
"The heat in the
su"rnmer time doesn't
bother me but I'll never "
get used to. the cold,"
says Laird.. "My feet
have been so cold some
nights, that by the end of
the night, I can't walk
right."
One night during a zero
snap this. winter, Laird
said his pop and his
mustard froze.
"You feel pretty lonely
in the winter sometimes
up there making hot dogs
in the middle of a storm
all by yourself," he ad-
mits.
But Laird resists the
temptation to stay home
even in the worst weather
because he feels that
customers are counting
on him. If people happen
to drive by•one night and
see that he is not at his
post, it might discourage
them from coming back
again, he explains.
Laird does not plan to
offer anything else. from
his stand -be-sides s - dogs, popcorn popcorn and pop
because his truck is just
not big enough to hold
more stock, he explains.
In the truck, he has a grill
with two small burners, a
popcorn machine, a
-copper • boiler, and a
small refrigerator plus
his stock. That;s crowded
enough.!.
At his parents' home it
takes a freezer and two
refrigerators to store his.
supplies.
Because Laird's truck
is only driven a mile or
two each day, the engine
tends to protest from
time to time. Laird hopes
to be able to take the
truck for 10 mile drives
on Sundays in the nicer
weather.
While he admits that
his business would not
appeal to everyone, Laird
says he really enjoys it.
"I'll never be a
millionaire but I can
make a living. The most
important thing is that
I'm my own boss. I an-
swer only to myself and if'
I want to make more
money, I work a bit
harder," he says.
The best part of his job
is meeting all the dif-
ferent people of
Goderich, he maintains.
"There are a lot of
great people in Goderich
and you can make a,lot of
fpiends. I have my
regulars. Some guys
come up (to the hot dog
stand) just about every
night, especially the guys
on the night shift at the
(Champion) Roads and
you get to know exactly
what they want on their
dogs."
In fact Laird knows'
some people only as
"mustard arld onions",
not by name. - His
customers, nameless or
not, keep him informed
about the latest hockey
and baseball scores, fires
and other local news.
"It's amazing the
things you see on the
Square some nights too,"
he continues.
Just standing around
making hot dogs might he
boring if„ it wasn't for his
location and customers,
he admits
Laird won't say how
many hot dogs and how
much popcorn he sells on
an average night. A lot of
people would be curious
to know, he says, but he's
keeping it his trade
secret.
Business picks up in the
summer months with
some nights being busier
than others, depending on
the show times, etc. If he
really wants to ,get busy,
he says, he raises the air
'I'urn to page i3A •
Pete "the popcorn man" Zimmerman is retired now but he still
keeps his 1925 Model T wagon in his driveway on Cameron Street
where he makes hot dogs for his three grandchildren when they
come to visit. Pete says he doesn't miss the work but he sure
misses the many Goderich residents who became his friends
while he was in business. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
I'm sorry. Try as I might I just can't
get worked up about the antics of out
country's first lady. It seems a certain
segment of our population is upset
about Margaret Trudeau's world wide
capers ,and would like her to kick off
her disco dancing shoes, get back in the
kitchen and reserve her comments to
raising children.
' Many Canadians are shocked by
Maggie's life and are embarrassed by
her actions. Those emotions are
heightened daily as Maggie shares
front pages in Canada with her com-
paritively boring husband who just
happens to lead the country.,
But I suppose any parent would be a
little concerned because of the
children. All they did was suffer the
misfortune of being born to a mother
•that would rather have her back
rubbed by a rock star as the lair sit on
the bank of the.Seine smoking up.
But the children aven't done bad.
Margaret must feel confidelnt Pierre
will not let them wander off at the ski
resort. The little devils will not have to
suffer from the chills of Ottawa winters
as they wait for the school bus and our
taxes have not soared as a result of the
television snacks the trio put away
while their father tells the country why
Joe Clark is out in left field.
So why get upset.
I guess Canadians feel that as
Maggie goes so goes the country.
Either that or we are just a twinge
en' ious of the life Margaret leads
between Studio 54, Europe and other
romantic ports of call.
For Canadians that consider
Margaret a shining example of the
average Canadian her lifestyle must be
a constant agony. Those are the people
that felt all American were clumsy as
they watched Gerald Ford fall off
'planes or walk into doors.
If such assumptions can he made we
must be a nation of people that lives for
the day we car, all wander bare foot
around the world playing kiss and tell
with reporters.
But if Canadians are upset or bored
with the never ending saga of Margaret
and whatever w"ill she do next they are
not proving it. Reporters are following
the woman around the world with pens
in hand waiting for her tongue to start
flapping. The British are having a field
day. They seem to get a rise when
Maggie says she likes to dip her big toe
in a glass of chilled chappagne while a
Palestinian guerilla . whispers
revolutionary slogans in her ear.
The point everyone seems to be
missing is that Margaret will keep on
flapping her toungue and bouncing her
bottom ardund discos as long as people
keep clucking their tongues and
shaking their heads in disapproval.
And why not, she's making a big buck.
Canadian newspapers are tripping
over one another trying to buy series
from Maggies's memoirs. In a few
weeks we will no longer have to wonder
what the woman is up to. She is going to
tell all i,g her first, and hopefully last,
novel.
But it may not all end with Margaret.
As soon as the nation bores with the
'lurid details of Maggie's escapades
Maureen can hop a flight for South
Africa, call a television station, and ,
carry on what appears to be a torrid
love affair with a diamond miner.
You've heard of Maureen. She
married an up and coming politician,
sat around having kids and looking,
pretty and then when the time was
right made her move.
But we could all be in fora"shock. Joe
may spot some lovely miss in
Venezuala when he's down there
negotiating oil rights. He may take her
to Studio 54 to do some dipping and
diving and while the country shakes its
head in disbelief Maureen will be the
talk of the nation as she tells working
women everywhere it's possible to
raise children and run a country.
jerf
Seddon
/