Times Advocate, 1989-07-12, Page 9IMMO
•
the
Street
By Jim Beckett
S . aid Osman and Dave Josephson will be sharing the top
male student award and up to $4,000 which goes with
the Monett!. Scholarship. Last week it was announced by
school principal Bruce Shaw that Osman was the winner.
In a statement to the T -A Monday morning Shaw said "due to an
error in the calculation of final marks David Josephson's average has
been adjusted so that he and Said Osman will both share the Moncur
Scholarship. The award is given to the top male and female stu-
dents who have the highest average in their final year of high
school. Both Josephson and Osman racked up an amazing 575
points out of a possible 600 which translates into an average of
about 96 percent. Although after calculating all grade 13 course re-
sults over two years Osman has an incredible 97 percent average.
Shaw said this is probably the highest average ever produced at
SHDHS. Details on the Moncur Scholarship are sketchy but appar-
ently a Mr. Moncur was a pharmacist in Peterborough who had at
one time attended high school in Exeter. His legacy to the best male
and female students is the interest on a trust fund established for this
purpose. Brenda Balsdon's scholarship as top female student will
not be affected.
One of the most interesting often -heard complaints about the new
brown postal boxes scattered across Exeter was they would be dump-
ing grounds for all the junk mail and assorted litter. This is one
prediction that didn't turn out...in fact you'd be hard pressed to find
any litter at any of the boxes. Exeter's own Tom Creech who is
employed by the Post Office to present their moves on a positive
side explained it this way. "Why litter your own area, the boxes are
so close and convenient it would be just like throwing garbage on
your own lawn."
* * * * * * * *
Combining busy schedules and active children has eliminated me
from winning the "organizational award" at the Beckett household.
Just before driving to a ball game for your youngest athlete I dashed
back into the house to double check the schedule my wife has hang-
ing by the telephone. "Hurry, we're late," I shouted as we piled into
the car for the 50 -mile trek to Listowel. As is the custom we
dropped by the arena to see if any other players needed to ride. We
were late and nobody was there. "Oh well, we'll catch the others
soon," I thought. We went directly to the ball diamond in Listowel
and waited patiently for the rest of the team to arrive...and we wait-
ed and waited. Nobody showed up which caused my temper to
match the temperature as I accused the young player of not telling
me about a change in his schedule. You guessed it, the game was in
Exeter. The boys didn't have to be is Listowel until the next day -
which was exactly the way it was marked on the calendar.
* * * * * * * *
Contractor Ted Voogel is busy renovating the former Country
Flowers building in preparation for occupancy by The Dresser which
will be moving in shortly.
* * * * * * *i *
Bob Chaffe is the lucky winner in the Exeter Lions Trailer draw
held at the Rec Centre Saturday night. The club raffled off the
$28,500 trailer which was donated to the club by Bob Hamather.
Proceeds are going to the new Lions Youth Centre.
* * * * * * * *
Plans are underway for several activities at the Youth Centre
which will see more youngsters taking advantage of the facilities.
Jenny Rowe is organizing an entertaining event which will see all
the new grade nine students who will be going to SHDHS getting
acquainted at the Youth Centre. Apparently invitations are going out
to everybody.
* * * * * * * *
.Town administrator Rick Hundey has proven he's the type of guy
who would give you the shirt off his back....literally. He proved
this recently at the luncheon to honor Elmer Bell. Mayor Shaw
showed up in ultra casual attire compared with the more formal dress
of the rest of the group. He disappeared into what could be his pri-
vate quarters in the town hall and emerged a few minutes later wear-
ing a dress shirt and tie provided courtesy of Hundey.
By the way, Shaw, who has been dragging his feet when it comes
to accepting a transfcr to Goderich as principal of their high school,
is developing a high profile in the county seat. He was in court in
Goderich last week as part of a fundraising event for Huron County
Crimestoppers. Shaw was up on two charges. He was accused of be-
ing an athletic supporter and also of showing reluctance to move to
the prettiest town in Canada. The judge sentenced him to spend 12
months in Goderich beginning in September. Crimestoppers raised
$15,000.
Back
in tittle Lii
10 years ago
• Stephen Township took Over the
:mak arena frons the Ontario Development Corporation who
manage the induvtrial r7-1-
'Recently
7-b•Recently honoured with a Canada Day award from Hay Township,
Napoleon Cantin was recognized in 1979 for his work recording the
history of St. Joseph. The lakeside community was once envisioned
as a future city by Cantin's grandfather, Narcisse.
' 20 years ago
•"We're getting, more_adyanc: �, alit. x.or..+<-;p<a set Tedi ay
-about-his.departnieti's switch to breathalyzers for testing impaired
drivers. The previous rule of thumb had been to ask the driver to walk
a strargmltmc. _ -
• The Exeter OPP was in charge of the search for Vernon Wedge of
J cruiser whi le out on the lake near
Grand Bend.
•The owner of the Patio Motel in Stephen Township requested that his
property be annexed by Grand Bend so that he could connect to the
newly -installed water system.
S0 years ago
•The Exeter Agricultural Society heard plans to build a covered
grandstand to with a seating capacity of 1,000, extending the race
track to a full half mile, and to move the ball diamond. The total cost -
was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $2,000.
•'A brilliant meteor like s hall-nf ffrs
8:45 Tuesday evening. It streaked through the sky and residents of the
district who saw it seemed to think it fell only a short distance west of
rh+m"
100 years ago
•Crediton: %'The Zurich baseball team (the Deutschlanders) came
here but did not conquer. They played well but Crediton played better,
the score standing 19 to 11 in favor of the home team. The Zurich team
left a favorable impression by their honest play and gentlemanly
manner, and we hope to soon sec them again in our village."
Times -Advocate, July 12, 1989
Page 5
Hensall, a Mecca for browsers,
collectors, and lovers of antiques?
By Adrian Harte
HENSALL - Certain places are
known as great places to buy an-
tique treasures. Portobello Road in
London, England used to be fa-
mous for its selection of antique
shops. If some people had their
way, Hensall might become a mag-
net to attract antique buyers in
south Huron County.
Janis Bisback, who runs Church
House Antiques in Hensall with
her husband Peter, thinks that if
just a couple more dealers would
locate in the village, Hensall would
become a special attraction for
tourists and knowledgable antique
buyers alike.
The antique trade is closely
linked to summer tourism, notes
Bisback. People looking for a
good buy will browse -through all
the local stores while on vacation,
or will even set aside weekends to
visit the various outdoor antique
shows held around the province.
Bisback says her business is split
half and half between sales at her
store and the shows she attends.
The store is almost an antique
itself. The Bisbacks purchased the
former Hensall Anglican Church
next door to their house in 1980
when they were worried it was go-
ing to be demolished for a possible
apartment building. -Today the
store is crammed full of enough
furniture, signs, and memorabilia
to keep a collector amused for
hours.
Bisback wonders if her husband's
secret desire is to open a private
museum.
When it comes to reasons why
people buy items from the past,
Bisback cites the history involved,
the workmanship, the scarcity of a
particular item, and, of course, the
investment potential such pieces
represent.
Bisback says the final factor on
what a _piece is worth is exactly
what someone is willing to pay for
it. Furniture sold at the Church
House for a few hundred dollars has
resurfaced at other dealers for thou-
sands.
"A lot of it is in the way we dis-
play things," said Bisback, explain-
ing that a dealer with a spacious
showroom and a colour brochure is
more likely to find customers will-
ing to pay a higher price. Auc-
tions also tend to drive the market
sky high -when bidding begins on a
desirable item. °
Much of the fascination with an-
tiques is owning something from
an era when everything was better
made. All furniture was solid
wood. Store fixtures were carefully
varnished, and even baking supplies
came in enamelled tins.
"I can't begin to fathom keeping
Minute Rice boxes or Kool Aid
packages," said Bisback, suggesting
that today's disposable everyday
items will never be attractive to
collectors.
While most people think of furni-
ture when antiques are mentioned,
The Church House also has a full
stock of other memorabilia, includ-
ing tools, decorations, glassware,
signs, toys, and everything, else.
The more unusual items often find
homes with dedicated collectors
looking to complete an eclectic dis-
play, such as an authentic barber-
shop.
Not everything is rosy in the an-
tique world. Bisback says that 90
percent of her business is selling
and buying to and from other deal-
ers. Each time a piece changes
hands it goes up in price as another
dealer tries to find its perfect buyer.
However, the temptation to cheat is
too great for some and dealers have
to be wary.
..:..t. :o to
"cobble" together bits of wood from
broken furniture to repair, or even
create, another item. Especially.
suspect are harvest tables beem.ce si-
ive. to bufrll'ai'1'"'eJtatf"replica out
of old church pews.
Some even go so far as to print
phony labels or inscriptions to
make the buyer believe a piece is a
certain age or from a particular
county.
"There are people who will delib-
erately misrepresent a piece," said
Bi
"The traitiona) ntle of thumb that
•
an antique must be at least � CI
years old doesn't really annly. cant
Bisback. People are already buying
`uirrnismtgta`ptel ertrultrtt r 1920s
and 30s, but the Bisbacks like to
think they still have access to items
frdtn the 1880s. Older stuff is
much more scarce.
"A lot of Canada's East Coast
eighteenth century furniture was
bought up by Americans 100 years
ago," said Bisback.
The biggest thrill for an :incura-
ble" antique dealer, explained Bis -
back, is finding an otherwise undis-
covered treasure in a local barn, attic
or basement. in the industry this is
r " , rr
sumption is that if a customer buys
an antique from someone who
"picked" it, the price will be better.
Those who like to think of older
furniture as being lovingly hand
rubbed and varnished might be dis-
appointed to learn that much in this
region was painted to give a little
colour to an otherwise dull pioneer
lifestyle. The Bisbacks like to pre-
serve original finishes whenever
possible to stop historical roots
from being "severed". There are
items that need refinishing, howev-
er, but the Church House prefers to
sell the furniture in its unrestored_
condition whenever possible so the
customer knows exactly what he or
she is getting. -
Vince and Ilse Krainz at Home-
steader's Antiques on King Street,
said they have been pleased with
customer response since moving the
business from Exeter six months
ago. The Krainzes specialize in re-
finishing antique furniture with the
traditional hand -stripped method.
"There aren't too many people.cra-
zy enough to do hand stripping
these days," said Vince Krainz. He
said dipping furniture is quicker but
can spoil the wood and loosen the
furniture's joints.
Ilse Krainz said Homesteaders gets
a few items in for repair, including
treasured family heirlooms.
"We've had people bring us stuff
in boxes in pieces," she said, ex-
•plaining that they can often be
brought back to lift.
Homesteaders also stocks a large
number of nostalgic decorative
items, ranging from china to old
cameras. Vincent Krainz said many
businesses will buy antique equip-
ment to decorate their front offices.
Ilse said many people who browse
in the store are from out of town
looking for a special souvenir.
"Some people come looking for a
specific item - the tourists, they
look for anything."
Something for everyone - Janis Bisback of The Church House Antiques in Hensall examines a minia-
ture sewing machine that is one of the hundreds of fascinating antique items that can befound in
the store.
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