The Huron Expositor, 1976-07-15, Page 20THE 1" • RON EXPOOTOR, JULY 15, 1970
This week
at the Expositor
THE BILLS MUST BE PAID — That's true at a newspaper like any other business
and the person who sees to that at the Expositor is bookkeeper Teresa Devereaux.
Teresa keeps the accounts straight with the help of a bookkeeping machine that
makes almost as much noise as the commercial printing press in the back shop.
Theresa, whose office is next to Carol Hunt and Dianne McGrath in the front, is the
person to see if you have any questions about your account at the Expositor.
(Staff Photo)
Jack Thynne remembers decades of
GIVING THE GIFT OF LIFE — Jim Floyd of Seaforth was one of the many
residents of the Seaforth Area who turned up at Northside 'United Church to '1
donate blood on Monday evening. (Staff Photo)
• ARNOLD J.STINNISSEN
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The fund raising committee for
a new arena for Brussels decided
on a name and picked their
executive at a well attended
meeting in the old arena Monday
night.
Jim Prior was named chairman
of the new Brussels, Morris and
Grey Recreation Centre Board.
Ralph Watson is the group's
treasurer and Shirley Wheeler
and Audrey Cardiff are the
secretaries.
The finance committee, headed
by Frank Stretton, with Ross
McCall as first vice and Don
McDonald as second vice plan to
organize a house to house canvass
to help raise the $200,000 needed
for the new arena. More than 60
people have volunteered to help
tlie,m raise funds.
Board chairman Prior' 'said
ab out $11,000 has been -raised
already, before the campaign has
really ever started. "We've got
$190,000 to go yet and it's not
going to be easy."
But the enthusiasm is there, he
says, "With ,Anyone I've talked
to, it's a foregode conclusion, that
we're going to have a new
arena."
The property committee,
'headed by Gerald Smith is
looking into a site for the new
recreation centre. Jim Fritz heads
the building committee which is
studying repliminary plans for the
arena from Peirson Buildings Ltd.
of Peterborough for the 500 seat
arena and 350 seat auditorium.
They p lan to visit a similar arena
in coldwater, Ontario.
The recreation centre's
publicity committee is chaired by
Shirley Cossitt.
Fund raising activities are
underway already with the
Brussels Figure Skating Club
sponsoring a draw for a market
hog at Friday night's Agricultural
Society dance with Walter
Ostanek. All proceeds go to the
recreation centre fund and tickets
are available from Ray and
Helen's, Oldfield's Hardware and
Hayward's Variety.
Correspondent
Rena Caldwell
Jeff McKay , son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ken McKay, while riding a
motorcycle, collided with a car on
No. 4 Highway on Saturday
afternoon. The accident took
place 1'/, miles south of Kippen.
Ron Littleton is a patient in St..
Joseph's Hospital, London.
Mr. and Mrs. Ken McKay have
been holidaying in the Western
Provinces-.
Rec Centre
Names executive, starts
campaign for '200,000
Mr. and Mrs. Herman Sp'eare,
Toronto and Mr. and Mrs. Dean
Gibson, Lucan, and Miss Mary
McGillivary, London, visited with
Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Mellis on
Sunday. ,
A surprise miscellaneous,
shower was held for Miss Willy
Blom at the home of her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Nick ; Blom on
Sunday, July 11. The shower was
arranged by Mrs. Liz Moir who
read the pressentaticin address
Kippen
J. McKay in motorcycle accident .
Playing his fiddle across Canada
fiddling his way right -ross
Canada, from one town halt to the
next. Some summers. would find
him playing for audiences in the
Maritimes, while others would
find him on the fair circuit in
British Columbia or Colorado.
"Fused to stay two nights in
one town. I always gave them two
shows, one each night.
Sometimes when the crowds got
so big, I had to put on two shows
in one night so everyone could get
in," said Jack..
Mr.. Thynne picked up the
name of "The Kansas Farmer"
one time when he was playing in
the States.
"This fair secretary said 'What"
are we going to call you?'. Well I
said I didn't know, • so he wrote
down "The Kansas Farmer". I
copywrited the' name as I was the
only one who could use it. I used
the name in both Canada and the,
United States," he said.
Every winter, with the ,
exception of one, Mr. Thynne
returned home to his wife and
family in Brussels.
"I never saw my family during
the summer and I was always
glad to get home in the Winter. I
always was home before
Christmas, except the one year
when I ' stayed out in
Newfoundland", he said.
The best audiences were the
ones in Manitoba, according to
Jack.
"They'd think nothing of going
75 miles to a show," he said:
But Ontario was still his
favorite stomping ground;
"I was always partial to
Ontario. I was born here, and I
grew up here. I understood the
people and they understood me,"
he said.
Playing in town halls and at -
county fairs during the twenties
and thirties right up through to
the sixties, one would think Mr.
Thynne would have had his share
of trouble, but Jack says that he
only ran into trouble once.
",It was out in the Maritimes. A
bunch were, there for a fight and
they fought it out, but I kept
playing. That was the only time I'
had any actual trouble. I always
used to keep playing without a'
break and never 'gave them time
to start anything,". he said.
Jack mainly played by himself
before audiences, although once
in a while he might have another
man playing on stage with him.
However, for one nine year period
he had the Jackson family of
Brussels play with him i local
performances. •
In the winter when business
slowed up and there were no fairs
to play at, Mr. Thynne would rent,
local halls himself and put on his
own show. However, he always
preferred to be sponsored by
someone as there was less worry,
he said,
"I used to be booked up for .a
year ahead," he said.
Mr. Thynne fondly remembers
one time when he came into a
town and. found,— that Guy
Lombardo' was playing the same
night. "I said: 'Guy Lombardo
don't scare me': I went downtown
and played arotird different
places and that night I had 700
people at my show and Guy
Lombardo only had 400. I had 300
more than Guy Lombardo," he
said.
In all the years that Mr. Thynne
played, he only had t wo fiddles.
The first one he payed $7.50 for
and used it until a drunk fell on it
and broke it. The second fiddle he
still 'h as.
"Why I paid a whole lot more
for that second one," he said with
a smile. "All of ten dollars. I
never had a very dear fiddle."
"One time I was playing at
some town and this guy came up
to me and said 'I wantyou to see
my violin, I think I have a better
fiddle than you'. I said 'How
much do you think I paid for it?'
'Not a dollar over $800' he said: I
went and tried his fiddle, but
there sure wasn't any thousand
dollars difference."
Mr.Thynne is especially proud
of the last concert he ever played.
"It was in Brussels. Brussels
was a good playing place, I could
always fill the hall when I came
home. M. the last show, the
farewell show: I turned more
people away than I could get ,in
the hall. I was very proud that
night."
(by John Miner)
Forty years ago many people
across Canada and in the United
States knew him as "The Kansas
Farmer" or "Canada's Only
Singing Violinist". In Brussels,
his hometown, he was known
simply as Jack Thynne, the man,
who could play the fiddle and sing
at the same time.
Today, although "The Kansas
FA rmer" no longer hits the road
each spring, Jack Thynne, 79,
still calls Brussels his home. Now
living in the Callander, Nursing
Home, he is,able to-look back on a
peculiar career that stretched
across decades and thousands of
miles. .
Jack got his first start in the
music business when a school
teacher from Bluevale paid him to
'play for a school concert.
"I remember this guy gave me
five dollars to play the first night.
I thought I' had the world by the
tail," said Mr.Thynne. It all came
naturally to me, I' never had a
lesson in my life.' '
When he was 18, Jack decided
to start playing and singing full
time despite objections from his
parents.
"They didn't like it at all, but
they found out for once I was
right," said Jack.
At first there was little money
in it with a two hour show
sometimes only bringing him 20
cents, gays Jack. In the beginning
he played at local halls, but as his
popularity grew he got requests
to travel further afield.
"They used to write me and ask
me to go certain places and that's
where I went," he said.
In time Jack wag singing and
Brussels own
Jack Thynne
in his heyday
Select first
bike carefully
Selecting that first bicycle for a
child can be a problem, particu-
larly when there are so many
types to choose froth. Here are
some tips to keep in mind from
the Ontario Safety League.
First, be sure that the bicycle
you are about to buy fits correctly.
Too many parents work on the
assumption that the child will
grow into the bike.This is a
dangerous practice. For comfort,
safety and easy handling, the bike
operator should be able to touch
ground with the balls of both feet
while sifting on the seat.
Make sure, too, that the. child
. can reach the hand grips without
sttetChing. The Ontario Safety
League recommends • coaster
brakes for children, rather than
hand brakes, Coustet: b rakes
siMply, 'require the Operitor to
pedal backward. Rand brakes
require more .0-ordination and
attength than most Children can
muster,
tinally# be Stift that yoUt child
nridotatanda the laws and safety
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&itititifititICS have safe bleyekag'
courses aiid .preitatem • '
Facer Leo
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