The Wingham Advance-Times, 1979-08-08, Page 1M
FIRST SECTION
W ingbaai.
Wingham's birthday
aaffirmsaffirmscl,e6tenniaI sl
By Dave Dineen
A lot of people, both Wingham
and area residents and those
returning to town, remarked
during Wingham's centennial
celebrations that the town really
is the place `where people meet
and people speak'.
Though the more than 50 public
activities scheduled f6r the Aug.
1-6 centennial week were
generally well organized and well
attended, the best part of the six
days for many was bumping into
old friends along Josephine
Street, laughing it up with the old
gang at the school reunion,
visiting familiar places and
rejoicing at the spirit which
pervaded 100-year"Id town.
The Wingham Centennial
Committee worked - for three
years preparing the birthday
celebrations and with the help of
the community provided ac-
tivities ranging from an antique
car show to a sing along down
memory lane; from a huge
parade Saturday to a quilt
display and a Bavarian garden
and from pancake breakfasts to
something for the future when a
red maple tree was dedicated as
the centennial tree.
RAIN DIDN'T
DAMPEN SPIRITS
There was rain twice during
the six days of events, but the
rain fell when there were few
outdoor activities scheduled and
didn't put a damper on the fun
inside.
About 4,600 people registered
for centennial week and though
all had some connection with
BEST BEARDS -Archie Hill's beard measured out as the longest, Perrie Holmes' was
judged most colorful and Colin Campbell's was the best groomed. The three each won S50
for their efforts in the Centennial beard growing contest.
CENTENNIAL BEAUTIES—Karen Wood was a popular winner In the Miss Centennial
Queen contest, with Evelyn During and Diane McLean as first and second runners-up. For
the talent portion of the contest Karen played the piano and sang, Evelyn showed some of
her paintings and Diane and Friends modeled an impressive display of clothes she had
made.
, August 8, 1979
Wingham, they came
across Canada and the
s, Australia, and his wife
n and father John said they
Ey
States, from Groot BritIR;
hated to leave.
Australia as well as !
The Walkers were kept busy
local area. So many people
During their short stay in town as
arrived for registration Saturday
1 mayor William Walden took
they couldn't all be ttc-
VWrn to events, introduced them
commodated. Registration
10 scores of local people and tried
continued Sunday and Monday
10 make them feel at home in
afternoons, which hadn't teat
their town's Canadian namesake.
planned.
"The people here have been
The dances, parades,
simply tremendous,,, the
breakfasts and barbecueAustralian
mayor said an hour
were all well attended, according.
,fore leaving town Sunday
His father agreed.
to the centennial committee. The
ening.
whole town was pretty. w64. full,
We really don't want to
as people had trouble 9b.Wing
parking spaces throughout' the
leave."
Jack Stoner, mayor of the local
holiday weekend. Other spaces
Wingham's sister city of Stan -
weren't easy to come by eadW as
dish, Michigan, has been in town
the Friday night centennial ball
several times but not when there
was crowded and Sunday night's
has been such a crowd. Each
shirttail dance filled the arena.
time he has come to town he has
The final CKNX Barn Dance
been impressed with the frien-
reunion Saturday was the dliness of local people, he said.
indoor show of the weekendy.
He took part in a number of
as many as 2,800 people cra>al-;'x
activities in Wingham over the
med into the sweltering
.Y Weekend and was a speaker at
Lockridge Memorial Arena.,
the unveiling of a historical
The arena was renamed
i plaque in front of the museum
Wednesday night from the
Saturday.
Wingham Arena to honor the
The Standish mayor is en -
efforts of brothers Alf and Walter
thused about the link between his
Lockridge and the Lodlaidge
city and Wingham and will honor
family in their support of iminor
the people of this town in Sep -
sports in Wingham. Two plaques
tember with a Saturday ear -
and a new sign were erected at
marked as `Wingham Day' in
the arena in appreciation of the.
Standish.
work by the Lockridges.
The Standish -Sterling high
FOREIGN VISITORS
school band got together during
FELT AT HOME
their school holidays just to come
After little more than 48 hours'
., to Wingham to help celebrate the
stay in town, William -Walker,
town's centenary. The band,
mayor of Wingham. Now South
Continued on Page 2
Seven inked in
two -car accident
Seven peesons were injured in last week also resulted in in -
a two -car collision just outside juries.
Wingham during the early hours 'On Saturday Frank Rutledge of
of Sunday morning. Brussels and a passenger in his
A car driven by Jay MacLaurin car, Doreen Rutledge, received
of Wingham collided with minor injuries as a result of an
another being driven by Ray accident on the B-line road, east
Biesinger of RR 1, Auburn, of Highway 4 in Turnberry
sending both drivers to hospital Township.
as well as five passengers in the On Friday Linda K. Baitley of
Biesinger vehicle. Wroxeter received minor injuries
Injured were Theodore, when she was involved in a
Brenda and Aliecia Biesinger, all single -car accident on Huron
of ARRA, Auburn, and Debora and County Road 12, north of Con. 1-2.
Kathy Mahon of RR 2, Seaforth. Morris Township.
The accident took place on
Highway 861 west of the in-
tersection with Highway 4.
Two single -car accidents late
Parade pictures
on Channel 12
Coverage of Wingham's cen-
tennial parade, in color, will be
seen on Cable TV, Channel 12,
tonite ( Wednesday) at 7 o'clock.
Anyone who is not able to watch
it tonight may see it next
Wednesday, August 15 at 7
o'clock when film coverage will
Sixteen share
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Sixteen employees at the
Wingham branch of the Toronto -
Dominion Bank came up winners
in the Wintario lottery draw last
Thursday night.
11 The 16 will split $100,000 as a
result of one of their jointly -
purchased tickets qualifying for
a top prize.
The winning ticket was
reportedly purchased at Harris
FIRST OPERATOR—Countess Book (nee Carr), 93, was the first telephone -operator In
Wingham and was presented with a certificate at the operators' reunion Saturday by °
"Ike" Templeman.
PUC safety
record lengthl, ea
The Wingham Public Utilities
accident took place in 1959. In the
presently the commission is pal
Commission's impressive worker
waterworks section there is a.16
a fixed 'tate for its minimum
safety record lengthened in 1978,
year accident free record with a
monthly balance, but with
Ken Saxton, PUC manager, told
total of 24,208 work days without
current high interest rates it can
the commission at its meeting
a serious accident.-:
flet more interest if it accepts a
.�..,...bceiness the t�oeet-:
<,Tl`"`i[i -.A*
In the hydro part of PUC work
mission received a letter from
minimum lending rate of 12,5 per
the number of consecutive ac-
Mayor William Walden which
cent.
cident free work days totals
requested that it pay town
The commission voted to of -
166,556 and the last noteworthy
council sewage debenture
hely write off $493.04 in bad
payments quarterly instead of
accounts, though Mr. Saxton
yearly. The mayor, who is a
noted if the people who owe the
weekend
member of the commission,
pUC money ever move back to
Conduct
explained that high interest rates
town, they'll have, to pay. He said
was noroblem
forced the move and said that the
the bad account figure is
P town
had been making quarterly
reasonable, considering revenue
WtWe townspeople and visitors
payments for the PUC all along.
is about $1 million a year.
were out enjoying themselves at
PUC Manager Ken Saxton and
the centennial festivities over the .
Roy Bennett, PUC chairman,
weekend they also behaved
complained again that it didn't
'
pretty well, Chief Robert Wittig
know how long it had been paying
of the town police reports.
some debentures, what the value
Oaks
were
He reported 'a very good
of "the debentures are or other
weekend and added he really
information about them.
�o r
appreciates the consideration
The town handles all PUC
planted
people showed for others. There
debentures, so the PUC makes
were very few occurrences or
debenture payments to the town
coronation
charges and the town shouldn't
which in turn pays the holder -of
have made any bad friends with
the debentures.
Some of the oak trees standing
anyone, he said. At any rate
The commission has wafited
along the east side of the
nobody complained.
more information on the
Wingham Public School property
He noted the local police had
debentures it has been paying off
were planted in 1937 to mark the
help from the police departments
but hasn't been able to get the
coronation of King George and
of other towns, which local of-
information for several years.
Queen Mother Elizabeth, The
ficers had volunteered to help
Mr. Saxton noted the town may
Advance -Times learned last
during their celebrations in,
not need the payments quarterly
week.
previous years. Volunteers from
because he thinks the PUC is
Gordon Kidd, principal of the
all the Huron County towns as
already about $36,000 ahead in
public school from 1936-41,
well as Kincardine, Walkerton,
payments on one debenture,
recalled that he ordered Royal
Hanover, Mount Forest,
though he isn't sure if that
Oak acorns in May of 1937 to
Harriston, Palmerston, Listowel
amount is for a reserve fund held
mark the occasion, but they
and Tavistock helped with crowd
in trust.
didn't grow so he planted Ontario
and traffic control on parade day.
In other business the com-
Red Oaks the same year.
The local detachment of
mission opted for a floating in-
Some of the trees still stand
provincial police was also very
terest rate on its balance at the
along Catherine Street behind the
helpful in looking after the
Canadian Imperial , Bank of
school. Mr. Kidd is now living at
t.....- t- .,, A_A
Commerce in Wingham.
RR 3, Georgetown.
BEAUTY ,CONTESTANTS—Twelve local young ladles Contestants Evelyn During, Michelle Foxton, Linda Taylor, Foxton and Cindy Campbell, were judged on personality, Crawford Douglas of Chesley. Miss Wood was crowned
competed for the honor of reigning over Wingham during Its Karen Wood, Tracey Brown, Shells Burke, Diane McLean, attitude. poise, talent and beauty by Louise Merritt of queen, with Miss During and Miss McLean as the two
Turnberry Township, Bruce Downs of Walkerton and runners-up.
centenary In the Miss Centennial Queen contest last week. Caryn Mann, Karen Coultes, Susan Chapman, Susan