Village Squire, 1980-07, Page 7"It's just so different today," she said. "I just don't bother
going down Main Street on a weekend anymore because of all
the people."
"The village has become known. Some of the old timers would
say they knew it at its best," she said sitting comfortably in the
sun porch of her 122 year old home.
Mrs. Metcalf, a retired school teacher, said she remembers
the unthought-of safety that the village once possessed. But
today, that has changed, she said, citing an example of a
Bayfield friend who fought off a young man wearing a ladies'
stocking over his face, demanding her money.
Like the hand hewn cedar beams that run through the Metcalf
home, it's the timeless sense of security that has attracted
people to Bayfield in the past. Today, it's the threat of change
that scares some of them.
Mrs. Metcalf said most residents are afraid attracting the
"wrong crowd" could eventually change the peaceful village into
a haven for bikers, rowdy teenagers and fast cars. She said it's
that threat that has inspired the formation of groups like the
Historical Society, the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory
Committee, the Rate Payers' Association and the Bluebird
Society.
ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY
Concerning itself with preserving the architectural beauty of
the old buildings in Bayfield, the Architectural Conservation
Committee is the most recent addition to Bayfield's list of
groups. Like the conservation group, the Historical society is
concerned with maintaining the old time charm of Bayfield. The
Rate Payers' Association acts as a voice in local government.
A movement to add yet another name to the Bayfield list of
societies and committees has recently started. Like other
merchants on Main Street, Chris Gowers, manager of the Little
Inn, suggested that a Tourist Association or a Chamber of
Commerce be formed to express a stronger view in local
government.
"The town's people have got to realize the value of tourism
and what it does for them," he said. "The number one industry
in Bayfield is tourism."
"Main Street must be protected from unscrupulous
development," he added.
Wearing a plaid shirt opened at the neck, Gord Graham, the
village clerk, takes a different view of the tourism industry in
Bayfield.
"Tourist? We like to see them come and we like to see them go
even more," he said.
Village reeve Frank McFadden, who has been serving as reeve
in Bayfield for two terms, says he won't be back.
Leaning against a shovel in front of the flower garden on his
front yard, Mr. McFadden described feelings in the village as
bitter.
"These people are very hard to work for, very difficult," he
said. "There are so many little groups only interested in
themselves, it's difficult to please everyone. You just can't do
A retired flying instructor from London, Mr. McFadden moved
to Bayfield in 1951, when he purchased a local hardware store.
He describes the arrival of summer tourists as invigorating.
For approximately the past 10 years, Bayfield residents have
argued about the need for public washrooms, who will supply
them and who will maintain them.
In a June 26 letter to the editor of the Clinton News -Record,
Sarah Dick discusses the options available to residents in the
controvercial washroom issue.
"It is a service, after all, which benefits everyone in Bayfield
since the reported use of the parks, beaches, streets and private
lawns for lavatory purposes is hardly an enhancement of this
community," said the letter.
In her letter, Mrs. Dick captures the essence of Bayfield 40
years ago and how past images have been fighting with the
present realities in the minds of some residents.
"One can dream about Bayfield as it once was. I remember it
forty years ago- and have loved it ever since, but reality is here.
The trailers are here. The hot dog stands are here. The boats are
here. There is no turning back the crowd now . . . . "
Like the concerns that develop in merchants and residents
when a vacation spot becomes the rage, the fishermen docked on
the Bayfield River have become conerned about increased use by
pleasure boats.
For generations, the McLeod family have been casting their
nets in the Lake Huron waters outside of Bayfield. Each morning
the large fishing boats push out to cold deep waters to set the
days nets, but each day that ritual becomes increasingly difficult
"Some of the fishermen feel they're being crowded out," said
Penny Overboe, Donald McLeod's daughter who runs their
marina fish store when the boats are out on the lake.
A total of
five marinas are located on the river and one of the few things
Bayfield residents have agreed upon lately, is that they don't
want any more.
Standing on the long wooden dock that stretches out into Lake
Huron from the Bayfield River, you can watch the many
expensive boats putter out of the small cove. Once they reach the
mouth of the river and break free from the sloping hills that
embrace the marina, their sails billow in the wind. With a cool
breeze blowing through your half zipped jacket, you can feel the
power generated by the forceful winds causing you to lean to its
demands - like those boats on the choppy waters ahead.
Contrasting the sleepy turn of the century flavor that has made
Main Street and Bayfield popular, the marina has a 20th century
atmosphere with an accent on affluence. Like the faded silver
star that hangs centred on Main Street, the marina is a reminder
of another time, and a symbol of the pressures of progress
affecting Bayfield residents.
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VILLAGE SQUIRE/JULY 1980 PG. 5