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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-02-09, Page 2Page 2—The Wingham Advance -Times, Feb. 9, 1983 Rjnov a new There are a lot of memories in the old Bluevale Community Hall and, thanks to the United efforts of residents from the village and the surrounding coun- tryside, the hall yri_li be around for a while yet to. remind them of their history. Over t'he past couple of years, the Bluevale com- munity has been hard at work on the hall, and on Saturday night they got together to show off their accomplishments with an official opening of the newly - renovated building. Mrs. Jean Mathers, chairman of the hall board which coordinated the ef- forts, used the occasion to remind people of just how the hall came into being, the result of a marriage between • the foundation of the old Methodist church and the walls of the Foresters' Hall. In March of 1890, the congregation of the Bluevale Methodist Church decided to build a new church on this site, she said, and it opened in December of the same year, which was quite a feat. The church was used until June of 1925 when, with the union of the Methodists, Presbyterians and Congre- gationalists into the United church, the Methodists moved into the Presbyterian tins giv.' h I se on life church (now Bluevale Unit- ed) In 1927, she said, George McKay operated a creamery in the basement of the old Methodist church, and shortly afterward Mac Black bought it and stored grain in the basement. Some of the young men from the community used to hold dances on the main floor of the church, which was quite an accomplishment because, like most churches, the floor slanted toward the front. You danced downhill, she said, and then had to work your way back up. Mrs. Mathers hinted at some even more interesting things which had taken place in the -church, but refused to divulge the secrets. Later Black brothers traded the church building to Alex Mowbray for a house, she reported, and he tore down the building and donated the lot for a com- munity hall. At the same time, the old Foresters' Hall, located where the library now stands, had become unsafe because it had no foundation. The Men's Club hit on the idea of tearing down the hall, which had been built at about the same time as the church, and re -erecting it on the Congregation sets up Good Samaritan Fund The annual congregational meeting of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was held Sunday following the morning worship service. The Ladies' Auxiliary served a sumptuous lunch to a large number of the congregation. Rev. Paul L. Mills opened the meeting with scripture reading, followed by prayer. John Mann was named chairman and Mrs. Ken McKague acted as secretary. The minutes of the 1982 meeting were read and approved. The minister's report called for growth in faith, not to be content with the status quo. He said that the congregation, by God's grace, must love Him more and know the overflow of loving service and doing His will. The session reported on the establishment of the Good Samaritan Fund for the purpose of helping those in need. Reports of all organizations were ac- cepted. The board is plan- ning to renovate the nursery so parents with young children may attend the worship services. Tim Willis gave the report of the Board of Managers and the meeting was opened for discussion. Balloting took place for the election of five managers to servea three-year term. Those elected were Ken Leitch, Mrs. Ken McKague, Gordon Sutcliffe, Arnold Taylor and Gordon Wall. Auditors elected were Mrs. Ken Leitch and Mrs. W. Richardson. Trustees named were Ken McKague, Gordon Sutcliffe and G. W. Cruickshank. Appreciation was ex- pressed to the quilters for their many hours of work and to the retiring members of the board, as well as to all who, by their service and contributions, supported the work of the church. Rev. and Mrs. Mills were thanked for their dedicated leadership and inspiration. Belgrave euchre Eleven tables were in play at the weekly euchre which was held in the WI. Hall on Wednesday evening Febru- ary 2. Winners were: high lady, Mrs. Verena Bone; novelty lady, Mrs. Lawrence Taylor; low lady, Mrs. Eva McGill; high man, Garner Nichol- son; novelty man, George Michie; low man, Edgar Wightman. There will be euchre again this Wednesday evening starting at 8 p.m. Everyone is welcome. n church foundation, and that's what they did, hauling the walls over on wagons. The "new" hall went up in 1945, erected with the help of government and township grants, personal donations and fundraising events, and it was the scene of numerous programs and literary competitions for village and township residents. By the late 1970s, the hall had again fallen into disrepair, and the Chamber of Commerce looked into the question of renovating the old building or erecting a completely new one. Following much research, it decided to renovate, and turned over the task to the hall board. The board asked Bob Perry, pastor of the Bluevale, United Church, to supervise the reconstruction and, with the generous donations of money and labor from residents as well as grants from Turnberry and Morris townships, the hall was transformed. The whole hall has been insulated to permit electric heating; the basement was given a new cement floor, washrooms, a kitchen and a meeting room; a new front was added to the building to provide an enclosed en- tranceway, as well as a large cloakroom and space for a library; upstairs was given a new ceiling, washrooms and a small kitchen. "We used your money, talents and labor to the best of our ability," Mrs. Mathers told the approximately 100 people who gathered for the official opening. All the work that has been done is paid for; there are no debts. When the board gets enough money, it will finish the project. There already is a 'wheel- chair ramp downstairs and the washrooms there will accommodate a wheelchair, she noted. The board also has plans for a chairlift to provide access for the handl- tapped or infirm to the upper floor. She said the hall grew out of the visions and dreams of the community, and is a tribute to the people's determination and hard work. Mr.Perrie was master of ceremonies for the opening, with reeves Brian McBurney of Turnberry and William Elston of Morris as well as MPP Murray Elston also taking part. William Elston presented Mr. Perry with an old ashtray with a picture of the old Methodist church for display in the hall, and Murray Elston presented a large, framed photograph of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The opening ceremonies were followed by a dance up- stairs in the hall and card games and refreshments downstairs. THE OFFICIAL OPENING of The newly -renovated Bluevale Community Hall was held Saturday night, with MPP Murray Elston presenting a photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip to Hall Board Chairman Mrs. Jean Mathers. A large crowd Turned out for the opening, which was followed by card games and a dance. WINGHAM TRAVEL opened its doors for business last week under the management of Annalisa Fitzsimmons of Wingham. She will be assisted in her new venture by Anne Steinback and Cindy Campbell. Mr. Fitzsimmons also will set up his real estate office in the same building as his wife's business. Wingham Travel Ltd. is open for business Wingham Travel Limited will offer area residents the full range of travel services plus the stability of local ownership, said owner Annalisa Fitzsimmons who opened the business last week. No stranger to the travel business, Mrs. Fitzsimmons was manager at Holiday World, Wingham, for a year and a half. She will be assisted by Anne Steinback of Goderich who has five years experience in international travel and Cindy Campbell, Wingham, who has four years experience in the business. All three women have college diplomas in travel and tourism. Mrs. Fitzsimmon's husband Kt1Mi locate his deal estate officeir. liti building which is where the welfare Office used to be situated. She said she is determined to provide a full range of travel services to her customers: train, plane, ship and bus. Also, she hopes to get her licensing for in- ternational ticketing -because it will be more convenient for people since she wants to promote international travel. All-in-all it will be a well-rounded travel business, according to, Mrs. Fitzsimmons and will provide passports too as well as. medical insurance for vacationers. She believes that locally -owned businesses are good because profits stay in the community. Wingham Travel Ltd. also will provide stability of ownership. The job of a travel agent is to encourage people to invest their money in holidays which basically is what Mrs. Fitzsimmons hopes to do. She, Miss Steinback and Miss Campbell all are widely traveled and quite willing to make vacation suggestions to their customers. They will provide a follow-up service to clients too and will make contact with them after they return from their holidays for their comments. Mrs. Fitzsimmons added she will be available to local groups for film presentations and talks 'on various holiday options. What is the objective of Wingham Travel Ltd? In Mrs. Fitzsimmon's estimatioa-it ia7 to help people and give them, good con- sistent service. , Pot luck dinner precedes meeting of Lakelet WI LAKELET — Ten mem- bers and one visitor enjoyed a pot luck dinner prior to the February meeting of the Women's Institute, held at the home of Mrs. Lyle Murray. In the absence of the president, Mrs. Murray conducted the meeting. A letter from the provincial president was read, noting approximately 1,300 new members throughout the province. The officers' conference will be held at Waterloo May 3, 4 and 5, for Resolutions con- veners. It was decided to send a delegate to the con- ference. The group will entertain soon at the Fordwich Village Nursing Home and the Lakelet WI will be hostess for the District Annual to be held in Gorrie United Church on May 10. Mrs. Judge reported on the District meeting she at- tended. Guelph Area Day at the Erland Lee Home will be April 13. Plans are under way for a bus to go from the District. Anyone interested in going is asked to contact Mrs. Judge. Mrs. Emerson Ferguson gave the Smile for the Day and roll call was answered with a current event regarding the new con- stitution. Mrs. Jacques reviewed the rights and freedoms as contained in the Chalmers church groups record a successful year Whitechurch — A success- ful year was recorded by the congregation of Chalmers Presbyterian Church when its annual meeting was held recently, with Interim Moderator Rev. Paul Mills presiding. Rod Lamb is the student minister at the church. Trustees are Donald Ross, John Gaunt and William R. Purdon. Newly -elected members of the Board of Managers are William Young, Archie Purdon, Alex Craig and Fred deBoer. Auditors are Barbara Rintoul and Kathleen Gib- son. Walter Elliott is clerk of the session which also in- cludes Elroy Laidlaw, John deBoer, Dave Moffat, Archie Purdon and Donald Ross. There are 96 members on the roll and in the past year, there were four baptisms and one death. The Ladies' Aid was active throughout the year and ended the year with a balance of $1,010.22. Mrs. Don Ross is superintendent of the Sunday School and Karen Young is treasurer. Teachers are Kendra Purdon, Lori Falconer and Eddie deBoer. The Young People's group, recently organized, ended the year with a balance of $143.43. Treasurer is David Ross. The Women's Missionary Society held 11 meetings with 10 active members and 13 associate members. Guest speaker at the fall Thankoffering was Mrs. Ross Cumming of Lucknow. The World Day of Prayer service was held at Chalmers with Mrs. Murray Gaunt the speaker. Many cards were sent by the group and active and associate members supported the Society well with con- tributions. new Canadian Constitution. The March meeting at the home of Mrs. Versteeg (note the change) is the Education and Cultural Activities meeting. Fi.r.;ure skaters bri t al title The skating pair off Curtis Moore of Wingham and Debbie Horton of Goderich brought Wingham its first national figure skating title with their win last week at the Canadian figure skating championships in Montreal. Skating against 11 other pairs from across Canada, Curtis and Debbie captured the championship in Novice Dance,"placing second after the compulsory dances on Thursday and then taking the title on the basis of combined marks following Friday's program. Both 16 years old, Curtis and Debbie train at the Upper Canada Skating Club in Toronto, However their home clubs still are Wingham and Goderich, and those are the ones they represented at Montreal. They have been skating together for four years, and this was their second ap- pearance at the national championships. "It's a tremendous feeling. You want to cry, and then you're in shock because you can't believe it," reported Curtis' mother, Mrs. Fred Moore of Wingham, who attended the competition with her sons. - She said the prior to the competition, Curtis had said his aim was to win the sectional and divisional titles and to place in the medals at the national. Ordinarily Novice skaters don't go on past the national level, but there is a chance Curtis and Debbie will get to compete at the Junior World's in Tokyo, Japan, in December, Mrs. Moore added. The Canadian Figure Skating Association has talked about sending the Novice champions for the experience of world-class competition, but the decision will not be made until later in the year. Mark Moore, 15, wound up in ninth place in the very tough Novice men's com- petition at Montreal. He was a little disappointed, but actually skated very well, Mrs. Moore reported, as some of the top Novice men this year were scoring higher than some of the Juniors. She noted it can be difficult to explain to people back home that a skater gave a very good performance and still finished out of the `medals, but when you get to Belmore Visitors with Mr. and Mrs. George Kieffer were Mary Beth Matthews of Hamilton, John McDonald of Mississauga and Marilyn Kieffer, London. A men's curling bonspiel was held at Belmore on Wednesday, February 2. A girls' hockey tour- nament was held in the community centre on the weekend, with a dance Saturday night. the national level the competition gets very tough. All three skaters will be moving up to the Junior level next year. Also placing well at the national championships was the Junior pair of Kevin Wheeler, 17, of Brussels, and Christine Hough, 13, of Waterloo. They finished fifth overall in the Junior pairs. Kevin and Christine won the Novice pairs title last year and, the pre -Novice pairs the year before. They were supposed to go to the Junior World competition in Yugoslavia in December, but couldn't because 9 ing Christine had broken a bone in her foot, Mrs. George Wheeler explained. As a ,fesult of the injury, they only had a few weeks of preparation before the Canadian championships, so they were pleased with their performance. She said it has not yet been announced whether they will go to the Junior World competition this year. Local skating fans will have a chance to see Mark, Curtis and Debbie perform next Frida$r, Feb. 18, at the Wingham llFigure Skating Club's annual skating car- nival. St. Paul's Church (ANGLICAN) WINGHAM John Street at Centre Street The Hector: The Rev. John T. M. Swan, L.Th. THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF WINGHAM AND BELGRAVE ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, WINGHAM SUNDAY, FEB. 13, 1983 * The Sunday Next Before Lent 8:30 a.m. - Holy Eucharist ' 10:00 a.m - Sunday School, 1 1:00 a.m. - Mattins, The Litany and Sermon Ash Wednesday - 10:00 a.m. - The Penitential Office and Holy Eucharist 7:30 p.m. - The Penitential Office, Holy Eucharist, Hymns and Sermon. Choir Practice will be held after the Service WINGHAM FRUIT MARKET Weston Old Mill White Bread .:.2/ 1.19 Schneiders 500 gr. Cello Steakettes Schneiders Country Pork & Beef 500 gr. 2.19 Good - Pure Pork or Sausage 2.39 Schneiders 500 gr. Sliced Bologna 2.09 Mom's 1 lb. tub Margarine .69 Leaver 10 oz. Pieces & Stems Mushrooms .69 No. 1 Head Lettuce .59 Store Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thurs. & Fri. 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Sundays Phone 357-2240. We Deliver. inij ((��n e. -i mi Areae -n4 a 4iv net ue dine ./96.1t2/n, sf�rarc%l4ana Let us assist you with your plans for that all important wedding day. 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