The Huron Expositor, 1968-10-31, Page 18ne.
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1165414E, OXON 'EXPOSITOR. SE/WORTS, ONT., OT. 31, 1948
In 187
John Aird
First Manager Seaforth branch
when The Canidian Bank of Commerce,
opened its Seaforth branch the town was
just ten years old.. °
Now' Seaforth is celebrating its cen.•
tennial!
The Bank had thirty-four branches then.
Now we have over fourteen hundred!
Young "Jock" Aird, first manager of
Seaforth branch went on to become Sir
John Aird, president of The Canadian
Bank of Commerce!
E. S. Campbell
Present Manager
..
We've shared a lot of history with
Seaft3,rth — and with Huron"' County;
Dublin branch opened in 1906 and
Hensall just last year—and we now share
Ike- --
with t -ees of this community the
nostalgia for t e past, the hopes for the
future and the feeling of pride which this
special anniversary engenders.,
-
• CANADIAN IMPERIAL
, BANK OF COMMERCE '
25,000 Swianners a Year
Seaforth Lions Park Serves Wide Area
The, story of Seaford' Lions
Park, since its beginning i n
1925, has. been one of steady
development. The Park to -day.
in the facilities it provides and
in its attractive artangement is
comparable to any in the prov-
ince.
One of the first projects of
the Lions Club after its format-
ion in 1925, the park is t h e
mecca each summer of thous-
ands of disrrict citizens and is
the popular picnic spot of grays
from across western Ontario. .
Decision to create a park in
what had been, attrieg pimeer
fromAe.highway side of tbe
river, acrPss the island, and
into the park.
Opening ceremonies were
plahned for the pool and set
for August 29, 1935 but were
`rained out. The next year the
first Lions carnival was held at
the park to provide funds for
the pask operation. This too
ran into bad weather.and was
rained out. However, in sub-
sequent years threLions. summer
carnival has become one of the
outstanding attractions in the
summer season and has done
mucti to provide the revenue
days, a limestone quarry arose with which to maintain the park,
as a result of the death of a ',-" 4n1937 floodlights were in -
local resident by drowning. The stalled, the river banks trimrred
Lions realized this had come and lined with stone, and a new
about because adequate swimm-, eastern entrahce created. The
ing facilities did not exist in floodlights were the gift of Mrs.
the area.
First step in the develop -
ment came about when an area
Or two acres was rented from
the then owner of the Tucker -
smith farm in which the quarry
was located, J. R. Archibald.
Members were assisted by area
farmers and in the first year the
mud accumulated through many
years was cleaned from t h e
river bottom to provide an im-
proved swimming area. So
that the river could beclearied
of accurn'ulated river silt more
readily And at regular intervals .
the Lions dug a diversion drain
across the park so that the wat-
ers of Silver Creek would bypass
the pool area. The drain serv-
ed until the middle thirties
when additional capacity w a s
required and a second drain was
constructed,
While the quarry provided
reasonable swinnming accomrm-
dation, the park facilities a s
compared to those that exi s t
T. A. G. Gordohin memory of
her brother Dr. McKay.
As the facilities of the park "
developed, demands for im-
proved accommodation arose •
and in 1935 a new dressing booth
was erected which included a ,
refreshment booth. For the
first time refreshments were
available at the park.
The same year the club de-
cided to enlarge the park facil-
ities and purchased the existing
two acres that had been rented
as well as six additional acres
to create a park of 8 acres. In
the new area a playing field
was created and the river, as it
extended through the area, was •
landscaped and retained by a
series of dams. At the same
time, the.original park area
had permanently lighting in-
stalled and parking facilities
created.
In 1941, as a result of a
bequest of the late Mrs. Whitt-
aker, the club proceeded with
today were limited. A few the erection of the pavilion
_tables were installed and a which since then -has continued
couple of times a year t h e to serve. The large pavilion,
grass was cut. Work which was, 100' X 26', contained dressing
done was. not extensive bu t a rooms and a refreshment centre.
beginning had been Made a n d ' The earlier refreshment booth,
the reaction of the public w a s and dressing accommodations
such as to encourage the Lio n s were moved to the rear of the
to carry on with the creatioe of park to serve as storage facil-
modern park facilities.
ities.
To assure that proper care The construction of the .
would be given the property, an pavilion was carried out by
adjoining cottage was purchased , local labour under the super -
by the late Dr. Charles McKay. ,‘eisiee q:jf :rim7c argta kr, • Sol
a charter member of the c 1 u b, Williams and"Robert Porterfield. •
and presented to the club as a When the pavilion was •fin -
caretakers residence. The first ishe'd early in the .summer of
occupant of the house was the 1942 an enlarged program of
late Sol Williams who continued construction_was commenced
for nearly 20 years to contribute and the first- of thousands of
to the park and'who saw i t s Seaforth area students who have
development from the i n i tial learned to swim at the park
stages. In the same year, were graduated.
through an arrangement with Quring the war years ordin-
Seaforth, town water was made ary maintenance was provided
available to the park and the but no major improvements
caretaker's cottage. ' were undertaken. In 1947, how -
All these improvements and ever, with the advent of night
activities required money and softball in the area the Lions,
as a means of financing t h e Club provided a floodlignted"
project the Lions built a portable ball park whichtwas the home
dance flopr and a permanent • • base for winning Seaforth teams
• stage in the park. Da4ceS'.were for a number of years. The
run at regulal intervals and after floodlights continue to serve
the dance was over the members durin6,- the carnival and on other
of the club banded together and -occasions throughout the season.
stored the floor in an area under In the early fifties it became
the stage. Srnall sheds w ere apparent that some change'
obtained locally and relocated would be necessary in the supply
at the park to serve as changing of water to the natural -fed pool.
rooms. Rafts and a diving board Not only was the amount of wa-
were install.ed • but there was ter coming .into the pool less
little supervision. This was a each year but the problem of
factor in a drowning fatality ,providing labour to carry out
whicL occurred in 1933 and wnich the cleaning of the pool each
is the only fatality in. the more month was becoming costly to
than 40 years the Lions have Such a degree that an alternat-
operated the park. ive had to be found. .
The Lions, realizing th at After exploring every possi,
increased Use of the paik created bility, the club accepted a rec-
additional responsibilities, made cAmendation of the Parks com-
a de:cision to proceed with a long mittee to create- au eetirely
range program of improvements new pool removed from\ the
which would include a penman- river pool that had served so
ent supervisory staff. " well so many years. Construct -
Meanwhile, the problem of ion of the new pool began ear -
'maintaining a pool in reasogably ly in 1955 and in the following
clean condition because of the Year the 13001, 100' X 45', was
increasing amounts of silt corn- brought into use. Total cost
ing down the stream. was becom- of the pool was $42, 000. 00
ing more difficult. So that pro-. with additional costs involved
per.maintenance could result, a in providing necessary facilit-
desksion to provide a ,concrete ies and Modernizing the
poor within the river bed w a s ion. The cost was met through
taken and in 1935 a pool 180' X public donatio ,
ns through Ont -
80' was created. The southerly ario government grants of rough -
portion of the pool was a retain- 1Y $9, 000, 00 which were ob-
ing wall which still exists. The tained as a result of co-oper-
ation of the Township of Tuck -
new pool was On two levels with
Tuck -
the one area for beginners and ersmith , and through Lions
separated from a deeper area by Club activities.
a chain link wire fence. The following year, because
of the changes in the grade of
M a first step in the newly the provincial highway abutt- •
superiised facilities the club ing the park, it became neces-
removed the rafts which, while- sary to create a new entrance
providing pleasure for the youth and thiS was done by purchas-
of that era, did create a hazard. ing a small.area of land from
As the new pool was comp1e- the adjoining Nixon farin'and
ted steps were taken to provide a new driveway and entrance
a rietv dam at the westerly end was built, In 1960 a stage was. -
a the property. A neF apo? erected to eliminate the net-
ach bverwap island created out essity of portable stages.being
of material removed during the bunt each Carnival year.
excavation for the pool w a s While eaeh year thousands
built, Attractive bridges. led 01 persons were using the swim-
ming pool, no provision had
been made for smaller child-
ren and this need was recogniz-
ed in 1961 when construction
was begun on a wading pool.
Erected in memory of former
members of the Lions Club,
the wading pool was usedfor
the first time in 1962.
In recent years the Lions
Club has continued its program
of improving park facilities
and in 1964 a large picnic
pavilion 36 X 86 feet w a s
erected at a cost of approxim-
ately $11, 000. to provide pro-
tection for the hundreds o f
groups who each year look for. -
ward to using tbe park. The
pavilion too serves to accom-
modate dances sponsored by
the club on occasions during
the summer.
To mark Canada's Cen-
tennial work commenced in
1966 to erect attractive en-
trance gates in co-operation
with the Township of Tuck-
ersmith as the township cen-
tennial project. The gates
were opened. officially at a
ceremony on July 1, 1967.
The same year construction
of a new and enlarged dam and
improvement to the stream ,
area up from the dam was coal-
pleted. The dam which cost
approximately $10, 000. re-
placed the original structure
which had been erected more
than thirty years earlier. The
project was carried out in co-
operation with the Tucker -
smith township and the prov-,
ince, the latter contributing
three-quarters of the cost by
way of grants,
The program carried on at
the Lions Park at the present
time is a far cry from the
beginning more than 40 years
ago. This year a total of •
nearly 25, 000 persons swam in
the pool. The highest number
to use the pool in any one day
was when 884 swimmers passed
through the turnstile.
A program of instruetion
provides for classes being con-
ducted from July lst through to
the 'end of August and each
year an increasing nurnber of
Seaforth and area children are.
given free swimming innruct-
ion. Th1s year the courses were
attended by nearly 500 students.
11 -...ijillif1(1') 1 d I 4;1(1 1,1 ; • 'PO
We are proud of our association
with the Town. of Seaforth and The
Huron ExPositor and Welcome this
opportunity to Extend Best Wishes
on the -occasion of their 100th
Birthday
ESBECO (HURON) LTD.
STRATFORD
Authorized Bottler of Coca-Cola -under co.ntract with Coca-Cola Ltd.
Sto,
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