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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1980-08-07, Page 3a A •, 7r,"7:7 THE HURON EXPOSITOR, AupusT 7,, 1989 omethingtosay by Susan White FQXf ire fo .Huron Cotin Its a play that could take place in Huron County, but it's set in Rabun County, Georgia. The dilemma which faces the Nations family in Hume Cronyn and Susan Cooper's new play, ,Foxfire, which opens in Stratford tonight, eehas been talked over in e-, innumerable Huron farm kitchens and back porches too. The pressures of develop- ment-re-and—a—real—estate- speculator called Prinz Carpenter, played expertly by Richard Monette, are pushing the family to give up 'their mountain farm and trade 150 acres ("more or less") for $100,000. I won't tell you, w_hatetleey decide, but Cronyn and Cooper's play would be a hit with any local people who can make it to the Avon to see it . . . and afford ticket prices, which range from $5.50 for the upper, upper balcony, to 515.50. (We had top price seats one night this 'Week for only $9.50, but that was a preview and it was . long sold out). Jessica Tandy plays Mrs. Nations,, or Aunt Annie, a tough but very giving mountain lady. , She welcomes home her son Dillard, a country singer played by Brent Carver. who really can sing. Foxfire explores the family's strong roots in the mountains, but thciugh Dillard sings about them, he isn't interested in Moving back to stay. Neither are his brother or sister and therein lies Aunt Annie's problem: "Sell now or your kids will sell when you're gone,- the developer tells her. ANEW LAKE — Five inches of rainfall Tuesday caused many creeks and rivers to overflow their banks as a heavy thunderstorm ripped through _ y- - the Seaforth area. Silver Creek quickly rose during the storm, and flooded much of the front section of the Lions Park. (Photo by Ellis) Mary Jane Heggtvelt • Mary Moore June Calvert. Bev Eisler Mary Bernard Denver Maschke • What do visitors think of Seaforth? BY WILMA ORE As a roving reporter these put few days I talked to a number qf visitors to Seaforth and .uked them what their impresslons were of our town. Mary Bernard of Tcmento said Seaforth Is a very pretty town and was impressed with the friendliness of the people. St* mentioned that the chief of police, John Cain% was !Timidly arid very helpful in Assisting her to locate an address. She visited Sesforth Community Hospital and found it very nice. She mild for a town of this size Seeforth had more than e adequste social sereices and she admired the display of flowers in the gardens and the- beautiful trees everywhere. June Calvert of Godcrich said she found. the shops in Seaforth nice but not up-to- datei describing them as somewhat rtindown. She' criticised the clerks who seemed "indifferent. to a strange new cus-torner •In their stores", and said the clerks give better service to town residents --their friendly neighbours. She said the flower pots and planters along the math street were not planted with suitable plants in many cues and were shabby looking a place to drop garbage. She felt Seaforth had nothing to offer in the way of a nice restaurant. and ' while she and her husband drove down for hair appointrnesits, they would not care to eat in the town. A strange min in town was next to be questioned by the reporter. Detieer Nitschke of Mitchell said he -found the people fairly friendly and easy going. He remarked that he was happy to see more paved streets and found. the town was improving in its general appearance. More new store • • • He said Seaforth needed industry; with not enough factories, Ir is hard to keep people in town, especially young people justeiout of school, he noted. ./ "Seaforth is a pretty friendly town", he concluded Burlington resident Mary. Moore said she loves Seaforth and likes he feturn to her home town with its many gracious old homes and its treeelined streets. She said she was saddened by the demolition of the fronts would give the town a lovely old mansion on clean look, he said. ' e_Gieylerich Street. "Why, it He said he found shopping s shuddering to the In Seaforth dearer than in his wrecker's hammer almost town or in Stratfotd. before the last echo died away from the voices of the departing Whitman family." She feels Seaforth will lose its charm if the town continues to tear down these stately old homes and replaces them with "square little boxes of houses that have no charactete'• "And they have spoiled that pretty little rambling Silver Creek at the east entrance to town. Now it is an ugly drainage ditch with raw clay -banks," she said. She wondered if the green slime on the creek's waters in the Lions Park could be from the polluted waters of Where is this !Agin St. brickwork? BY SUSAN DUNLOP LACAC STUDENT Linda Ellis of Seaforth guessed correctly that last week's Look Up to your Heritage feature was from the Oddfellows building structure. The Oddfellows, in 1874, built the existing structure which now houses Seaforth Automotive, William Logan and Robert, Jamieson's "Golden Lioli" dry goods stare was the first place of business on the main floor, later occupied by Irvin's Hardware. Bob Doig's plumbing shop was added in the 1950's. The Oddfellows Hall located on the second floor, was opened Feb. 5, 1875 and is still in ifse today. Since 1912, the Order of the Pastern ,Star, have held meeting's there. The rounded windows of the upper facade are a good example of the Italianate style which influenced so Much of the architecture in late nineteenth 'century Ontario. Each is double - sashed and crowned by a small, central, eirdlear pane. On either side Thl of the windows are prgtruding pillars which emphasize the rhythm achieved by the cornice (the decoration under the eaves). From a distance the building appears to be made of red brick. but is really of white brick construction. with the facade painted red The low -pitted mafs adds to the Italianate atmosphere of the building. Entries guessing the -location of this long -column ci brick work for this week's oyntest (a toughie) should be in to the Expositor by Molday, August 11. • NrioarozAa. .4kVe:d ig 6........,,..,......s.....11,,,, —ft _•,./e1,.......e....e,....,.-,.....,-,-..-,...,--- ,,....,...,..,.... -.-- r.,,,,,,,, L "the drain and wished Seafoeth hid a good place to go but to eat- a place with atmosphere and good food. "The Whitman house would • have made a perfect place for tbe right people with knowe how to run a restaurant." WORK TOGEt HER To spruce up the town she thought the businessmen should be doing ITIOre "to plan together to work out something like they did when we were living in Goderich. working out a painting seheme op the store fronts, briek sidewalks, pretty street Please turn to Daiie 8 A lot of the play's henour comes from Dihard's father, .Hector Nationeeeplayled by e Hume Cronyn.... 1411iRiiigh hea.eon. Stage big as life, getting in digs and reminiscing with -the rest of them, and Annie talks over all her important decisions, with him, Hector died a few years back and is buried in the. apple orchard on the home place, (The tree under which he's interred put out ebelufiftil-Wasoins7-theyetite— MANY -THEMES after he died, Rector tells us.) The Ilia), is based on. the Foxfire books, a collection of ' mountain stories in people's own words which cel brates a tough but hone of life that's pre* well gone now. As another cheiracter, local on relationships. Dillard's marriage is breaking up, his wife has left him and his dear departed father comments that you -never saw a marriage fail -in • the mountains, unless a man was widowed or "a no good." .0 Foxfire really should be playing in Blyth, because it's important to local audiences ebut that fledgling theatre could cc. ver afford it. Perhaps someday though. Or maybe someone will write a sequel, set in Huron County. As one of the my theatre- going companions said: "A hundred years from ewer the land could be full ofCadillacs Continentals and concrete, but if we sell off our farms there won't be much food around to eat." For big splurge, an entertaining evening and * lot of food for thought, tee Foxfire, • playing until October 12 at the Avon in Stratford. practise. The younger generation wants to throW thafoutrin-d Jill, ere does that leave'people like Hector and Annie? But Foxfire is more than. just a celebration of the good old days. "Do you think I'd like to still lie ploughing behind a mule?" Hector tells a student who's eager for mountain lore. "I've get a tractor". The play' e ,seibtle working of many themes that are important now in' Huron County. . .a clesh of generations, a land being' bought up by outsiders, the pros and cons of progress, the pressure modern life puts teacher Holly Burrell (played by Donna Goodhand) says, the mountain farms and ridges are being sold to rich Floridians who come in their Cadillacs and Continentals to exclusive retreats laden with No Trespassing signs. I guess you ecould -say progress is the ',Alain in Foxfire but developer ig pretty honest too . . . he points out that development brings money, good schools and jobs (yes, as waiters, savsliolly) to the mountains. The Foxfire books are marvellous, full of information on the old ways of doing things, and so is the play. Sure they conflict sometimes with modern scientific realism (in one of the play's best scenes Dillard as a teenager, argues with his father's reliance on a planting calendar and "the signs-) but they're based On years of tradition and Tuckersmith gets tough BY WELIVIA ORE ' Tuckersmith Township commit has author- ized Clerk Jack McLachlan to take whatever action is appropriate to collect the delin- quent water accounts on the Vanastra And E,gmondville water systems. It was reported that several have been paid with in the last few days. • Council agreed to a rental of the Vanastra mereation centre to the Vanastra Lions club for a stag tin September 12 at its recent meeting but warned that no future Stags will be allowed if exotic dancers are to be in attendance. • Council approved a request from the VanEgmond Foundation to obtsin special occasion permit for a hospital marquee next to the Van Egmond house in Egmondville for Saturday afternoon, September 27; from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. when the Cklerfest is beld. Council voted against having individual ownership for each townhouse apartment as proposed by new owners, 389792 Onttrio Limited. Council denied the livestock claim of Harvey Hammond of Brumfield for 14 goslings, which were . claimed to be destroyed by dogs. . *7 :'i invited The August meeting of the Seaforth Wornen's Institute to be heel at the home of Mrs. G. Elliott Tuesday, August 12, 8:15 p.m. Doug Stem. Mitchell will be guest speaker. Roll Cali to be answered with, "Name a way ty help keep our young people on the Wm." Lunch . conveners Mrs. C. Stewart, Mrs. Sam Scott and Mrs. G. Elliott. • Fisherman sports 2 leg costs BY EIMISHOVELLER ci Bob Daltien•s luck nin teat on the last day of his fishing trip in Northern Ontario. "I slipped cm a rock," he said from his farm at RRI, Londesboro, "and went over co my ankle. 1 tore the ligaments in both my knees." UNLUCKY FISHERMAN — Flobert Dalton of R.R.1, Londesboro spent a week in hospital in North Bay after tearing the ligaments in both knees on the last day of his fishing trip at Lake Nippissing..,in the picture with Mr. Dalton are his grandchildren :Jennifer Ward and Jamie Dalton. Jennifer was born on the clay Mr. bpiton had his accident. (Photo by Ellis) "We had two guides. We had to travel 20 miles by boat; then 32 by ambulance to - hospital in North Bay," Mr: Dalton has easts on both legs stretching all the way to hilattilis. He said can meve about with a cane, although he can't bend either -leg- He added that getting himself upright wa.sthe biggest problem. Mr. Dalton spent two weeks in hospital in North Bay, before returning home last Thursday. "I lost neck of all time," he said.."You can stick your fingers in behind my kneecaps." The casts will have to stay" on for 'another four weeks and then therapy will follow. "My son and I work the farm," he said. •71Ve'll manage." ironically, the morning of the imIdent Was one 'of the better ones on the fishing trip. "We'd gone into shore for. hinch," said Bob. "We'd gotteii our resteh, That morning I got tleee. In fact, I caught the biggest fish that morning."