Spring 2009 - Merritton Matters
Transcription
Spring 2009 - Merritton Matters
MERRITTON MATTERS Spring 2009 • Volume 6, Issue 2 • www.merrittonmatters.ca The Students and Staff of Merritton High School Ten Years Ago Inside This Issue • Upcoming Events • More You Know You’re From Merritton If... • Merrittonians We’ve Lost • Trivia • Historic Merritton Baseball • Memorable Jim Smith • Evolving of a Neighbourhood – We Finish • Krista is Lunette-Alike Our Thought • St. James Becomes Accessible • Burleigh Hill Public School Curls • Habitat for Humanity Mailing Merritton Matters Do you know someone who lives out of town who might like to receive the Merritton Matters? If so, please call Doreen at 905-680-1959 to arrange for copies to be sent to them. C h e c k out ou r ne w website at w w w.merrittonmatters.c a. The Merritton Community Group The Merritton Community Group Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead) Who is the Merritton Community Group? The Merritton Community Group (MCG) is dedicated to the development and enhancement of the social and economic character of Merritton. We support Merritton as a distinctive heritage community. Our group is open to anybody who subscribes to this mission and wants to contribute to the community and economic betterment of Merritton. At our January annual general meeting, we elected a new board of directors – Chair Sheila Morra, Vice-Chair Morag Enright, Secretary Steve Hinchliffe and Treasurer Jean Westlake. We’re so pleased to see that Doreen England, who mails the Merritton Matters to people who don’t receive it with their Standard, is on the mend! Date May 2 May 3 Event Adopt-a-Street Road Clean Journey for Sight Who writes the MM articles? The Editor/Writer is Lorraine Giroux. Contributions have been received, with much appreciation, from: Tom Barwell; Pamela Guyatt; Rob Hughes; Dorothea Ives; Cindy Munro; Sheila Morra; Cathy Pelletier and Phyllis Thomson. If you have an article or suggestions for articles, please send us an email to [email protected] or mail to 19 Wanda Rd, St Catharines, ON L2T 1S5. Who took the pictures for this issue? Jean Westlake is our chief photographer. Yes, We Won Again! Landscape Ontario held a juried competition and then recognized winners at the Awards of Excellence Gala. On January 6th, we were invited to attend to receive further recognition for our Heritage Bins project. West Park Secondary School is now undertaking the project’s Phase Two, designing and painting bins with pictures of historic Merritton sports achievements and participants. Upcoming Events in Merritton Where Meet in parking area of Tim Hortons Meet at Grantham Lions Hall When What You Need to Know 10:00 a.m. Many hands make light work! Registration at 9:00 a.m.Go to www.granthamlionsclub.com for information. May 10 Merritton Locks Park Hike Meet in parking area at Westchester Noon For more information, go to and Oakdale Avenues www.thewellandcanalsadvocate.ca. May 16 Las Vegas Night Merritton Legion May 19 MCG Open House Seniors Centre 7:00 p.m. All welcome! May 30 Lions Lobster Fest Community CentreTickets are $65.00. Contact Geoff Crane @ 905-684-7655 or Mario Girotti @ 905-227-5170 June 20 Dog Guide Fundraising Dance Community Centre 7:00 p.m.Karen O’Connor’s fifth annual dance with $21,000 raised to date June 28 MCG Garden Tour Lovely gardens in our community Tickets at Bloomin’ Busy July 4 Community Appreciation Day Community Centre and Dunc Schooley PoolRededication of the Community Centre And don’t forget the Legion’s Fish Fry on the 2nd and 4th Friday each month. ULTRA SAVINGS ON INSTOCK WALLCOVERING The Wallpaper Place *** In Stock and Book orders *** We are here to serve you 20 Hartzel Rd., Unit 16 St. Catharines (905) 984-5660 Fax (905) 984-2148 www.wallpaperplace.ca DECORATE YOUR CASTLE AT COTTAGE PRICES I MERRITTON MATTERS Merrittonians We’ve Lost Whenever we hear that we’ve lost another Merritton community member, it reminds us of the wonderful contributions so many people have made to this great community. On October 1st, we lost David Hayes. He was a former teacher, Merritton High School principal and superintendent. On October 12th, Kathleen Michaud passed away. She was an active community member, particularly in the CWL of St. Patrick’s Church and in the Girl Guides, Hartzel District, and later in the Trefoil Guild. On October 15th, Janette Marshall passed away. Merritton was Janette’s home town and after serving in the Armed Forces during World War 11, she returned home, married Bill, and both of them became very active in the Merritton community, serving in many capacities over the years. On January 13th, Eva Glyn-Jones died at 90 years of age. Mike Collins wrote to tell us that he remembers when he was in Eva’s grade 12 Algebra class in 1962. “She was VERY firm but we certainly were well prepared when the provincial Grade 13 exams rolled around. Everyone in the class respected and admired Mrs. Glyn-Jones at Merritton High.” Spencer Fielder passed away on January 28th. Spencer had been a member of the Merritton Royal Canadian Legion Branch 138 for 38 years. His daughter Deanna, along with her husband Robert Mussell, has continued this long tradition of service with the Legion. To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, we know that these people truly believed that their life was part of a community and as long as they lived, it was their privilege to do for it whatever they could. Sharing Memories We strongly believe that part of our reason for existence as a Merritton organization is the need to recognize contributions made by people to our community. Please let us know if you’d like to share a memory about someone who has recently left us. We’re not talking about the conventionally paid obituaries but more like the Globe and Mail’s Lives Lived minibiographies that leave readers feeling like they’ve shared a cup of coffee at Timmy’s with the person. Thanks to Tom Barwell for starting us off. Email us at [email protected] if you have a recollection that you would like to share. John (Jack) Craig By Tom Barwell Jack passed away on Saturday, January 20, 2009. Not only did we lose a great Merrittonian, we lost another Veteran of World War II. Jack took an active part in the invasion of France. There are not many of these brave Canadian warriors remaining. He was not just a soldier. Jack was an artist, hunter, fisherman, golfer and a volunteer. He wrote many articles for the local papers and I read them all. They were full of history and interesting ideas. He was not shy of voicing his views on any subject. As an avid reader, his knowledge of world and local events was astonishing. Jack came from the family of Craigs who, for many years, lived in Merritton. His passing will be sorely missed by the community. Editor’s Note: John (Jack) Craig was the husband of Jean, father of John, Colleen and Kathleen, and brother to Betty, Sheila and Dr. David Craig. For 40 years Jack wrote a weekly column “Here and There” for the Thorold News. Merritton Matters has been very fortunate over the past years to receive recollections of Merritton days gone by from Jack, as well as from his siblings Sheila and David. Calling All Gardeners... Our annual garden tour is fast approaching! Should you be interested in allowing a tour of your garden this year or know of someone else who has a green thumb.... please call Pat at Bloomin’ Busy flower shop, 905-988-8840. Sunday, June 28th we will host our 2009 self-guided tour of Merritton gardens. Tickets are $10 each and will be available at: Bloomin’ Busy Flower Shop; Merritton Community Pharmacy; Home Hardware and Lock 3 Museum. Remember, all gardeners love to share ideas with other gardeners, no matter what the size of your treasured green space. Please don’t be shy, sign up! MERRITTON MATTERS I Art Barclay By Tom Barwell Merritton is mourning the loss of one of its own. Art Barclay, whose family name is well known in Merritton, recently passed away. Art was a big man and a gentle giant type of guy. But for his size he was surprisingly light on his feet. This enabled him to be a very good athlete. I remember him playing basketball for Merritton High School and he was one of the better players. Baseball was another one of his favourite sports and he played at all levels in Merritton. One little episode has stuck in my mind even though it happened over 50 years ago. It was a midget game and it was being played at Kernahan Park against our hated rivals, St. Catharines. Art came up in a dream situation. His team was losing by three runs in the bottom of the last inning and heads were hanging. Up comes Art. The pitch was thrown and with one mighty swing he belted the ball out of sight. Game over. As Art came trundling down the third base line, he was surrounded by his team who were all yelling and screaming. His reaction? Next to nothing. That’s the way he was. Humble to the core. Just a great person. I lost track of him over the years but I was not surprised to learn of his activities socially in the area. Now, tragically, he is gone, well before his time. But, I am sure that up among the stars he has hit another grand slam. God bless you Art and thanks for the memories. I MERRITTON MATTERS The Evolving of a Neighbourhood (continued from last issue) Editor’s Note: The gremlins must have been at work in the Fall/Winter issue because the last paragraph of the article ‘The Evolving of a Neighbourhood’ on page 15 became lost in the printing process. The only positive thing about it was that so many of you noticed it was missing and wrote or telephoned to let us know. (Thanks to Mel Lawrence of Trenton Ontario for being the first to alert us!) We have apologized to our writer Phyllis Thomson (and promised her a lifetime supply of tea so she’ll keep writing for us) and we have reprinted the conclusion of this article. Synopsis....The little area to the west of Burleigh Hill was originally a dairy farm owned by Francis Wark. It became a subdivision of thirty-six homes in the ‘60’s, but has remained relatively obscure, hidden as it is at the foot of the escarpment……. Conclusion....There have been a few larger homes added to the area since l960, but basically it has retained its small neighbourhood status with only one road serving both in and out traffic to/from Burleigh Hill Drive which seems to have worked pretty well for many years. But no neighbourhood is totally perfect, and I’m sure there have been some challenges along the way and I witnessed one on my recent visit to the area. Ste-Marguerite French Speaking School, which replaced St. Patrick’s school in l989, and the adjoining Day Care Centre, appears to have grown in popularity and population and with that has come traffic problems as cars arrive to pick up or deliver the children and have no place to park except along the narrow street leading in and out of Burleigh Hill. And I understand that there is now a proposal to build several townhouses where Rockdale and Warkdale meet, which is cause for concern for the residents and, having lived there, I can understand their consternation. But, from my point of view, this remains a unique little community. You know you’re from Merritton if... • you had your name on the birthday train at Julio’s Plant 2 • you waited for the groceries to come out on the “rolly belt” at the A&P • you went roller skating at Wheelies • you had sweat pour down your face while eating chicken wings at Friar Tucks • you got yelled at by the rink rats at Merritton Arena for doing the whip In the next issue, we’ll share some that were sent to us by Dave Breakwell. More You Know You’re From Merritton If... We had a great response from the list of “You Know You’re From Merritton If…..” that we published in the last newsletter. The first set of additions are from Sue Anderson who said in her letter “Your list brought back lots of memories and exclamations of “Oh yes, I remember that”. Thanks for your newsletter and the memories it kindled. I showed this article to my daughters and they enjoyed it and added a few of their own.” MERRITTON MATTERS I Merritton Baseball Jim Salomone let us know that his mother-in-law (Mrs. Margaret Saunders) had the following photograph of a Merritton baseball team and knew that our readers might be interested. They could only identify four of the players but we know that some of our readers will be able to help. We believe that the person in the front row, 2nd from the right, is Omar (Lefty) Savoie. In the back row, 3rd from left is Orm Simpson, and the 8th from the left is Jim’s father-in-law, Reg Saunders. Fifth from the left in the back row we believe is Angie Pastore. Unfortunately these four have passed on, but were all long-time residents of Merritton. Likely they were all employed at Hayes-Dana at the time. Let us know if you recognize any other players. Signs of Spring Thank you to all who attended our ‘Signs of Spring’ dance in March. Proceeds have been directed towards the purchase of a sign welcoming everyone to our Merritton community to be placed at the entrance of Mountain Locks Parks. The Merritton Community Group greatly appreciates the donation of prizes for the dance. Donors include: Canadian Tire Fourth Ave.; Laser Assist Dentistry; Bloomin Busy Flower Shop; Home Hardware; Sewing Machine Essentials; Merritton Community Pharmacy; J. Lombardi - Subway Pen Centre; Sheri’s Creative Edge; Burtnik Printing; A. Hartnett; M. Enright; C. Morra - Boston Pizza; Garden City Automotive; Dairy Queen; Time Bomb Computers; Pizza Hut; Shoppers Drug Mart; Midas; Stephanie’s Flowers; and Dana Does Dirt – Cleaning. History of Ladies Softball in St. Catharines Marg Schram is in the process of writing a book entitled The History of Ladies Softball in St.Catharines:1920-1960. She needs pictures of the many teams that represented Merritton in that era. Any original pictures would be appreciated. Please let her know if you can help by contacting her at 905-684-2515 or schrambo2@ sympatico.ca. I MERRITTON MATTERS Merrittonians in Sports Hall of Fame Last Issue’s Trivia Edna (Green) Groff provided us with the following list of breakfast restaurants in Merritton. Early Bird, Fortis Restaurant, Good Eats, Lancer Restaurant, Oma and Opa’s, Queenston Grill, Sunrise Cafe, Tim Hortons, Tony’s, and the third Sunday of the month at the Legion on Chestnut St. There were a few on Edna’s list that we hadn’t included when we created the trivia question. She added Tim Hortons onWelland Ave which is outside our boundaries. Several at the Pen Centre (A and W, London Arms, The Bay) weren’t originally included because they don’t consider themselves ‘Merritton’ although we certainly know better! Richard and Barbara Mawhood gave us their list of breakfast locations in Merritton Ward which had a few more, namely Lester D’s, The Flats, Fortis, Mozie On In Diner and Donut Diner. We know that happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast and, even more so, if eaten at a restaurant in Merritton. Previous Trivia – Aiken and McLachlan We want to recognize those who became part of the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame on April 28th. Two of these people, George (Clickey) Taylor and Bruce Erskine, were important parts of our Merritton sports history. Other inductees were Bob (Buff ) McCready, Marianne Groat and Mark Walters. George worked diligently for the Merritton Athletic Association, coaching baseball for 35 years. He was at the helm when teams achieved six Ontario titles. He was Community Park’s head groundskeeper when we had the Penn League Blue Jay’s team. Bruce attended Merritton High School and we like to think that his interest in rowing really got started when he rowed for the school. Honoured posthumously, he was a fourtime gold medalist at the Henley, a coach and official for 35 years. His wife Sue, also a Merritton student, was inducted in 1997. Your Letters Dorothy (Pirie) Hanna wrote to tell us how much she enjoyed ‘Merritton Matters’. She has lived in Merritton most of her life, first on Elm Street, then Almond and eventually over near the Pen. In the past issue, Tom Barwell had written about lawn bowling beside Main’s Drug Store. Her mother had bowled there for years with other ladies from Merritton and her mother and father met at the drug store when it was Bob Stewart’s before Main’s. That same issue also featured a picture of the train station and she reminded us that it was at the corner of Bessey and Merritt and for street cars, heading to Port Dalhousie. In the Fall issue, we showed a picture of a concrete truck from a company that has since disappeared from Hartzel Road. We hadn’t heard anything about it when we went to press with our Winter issue. In January, Dorothea Ives contacted us with some fascinating information and we have printed her letter below. Aiken and McLachlan Construction and Ready Mix was a thriving business during the 1950’s and 60’s. It was located at an angle, across the street from the Cosy Grill in what is now the Food Basics parking lot, where the Itt’s Thai Restaurant now stands. The front office was a two-story brick building housing several offices and work stations. There was a second building behind that which housed the equipment and the Ready-Mix. I joined the office staff of this company in the mid 1960’s. I met much kind, hard-working, good people during my few years there. Even my father was a past employee at that time. As time passed, the company ran into some difficult times and relocated to Ontario Street with many employees having been laid off. After a fairly short while, its doors closed permanently. I have many memories of the Hartzel Road area as I have spent much of my life in the neighbourhood. My parents moved the family to 35 Hartzel Road in the 1930’s and the house remained in the family until my mother’s death about 25 years ago. I returned in 1960 to raise my own family of 8 children on Marmora Street, just around the corner. They all attended Merritton High School. I now live in Secord Woods as do 2 of my daughters. MERRITTON MATTERS I War Two Veterans After hearing of the recent revitalization of our Cenotaph, Betty (Cowan) Munro thought Merritton Matters readers would be interested in hearing about a Civic Appreciation Banquet held more than a half century ago. We definitely were and asked the family to provide us with more background. WW II Appreciation Event By Cindy Munro In 1946 the town of Merritton held an Appreciation Banquet and Dance which was by invitation only for all the service men and women of WWII who were residents of Merritton. It was hosted by then Mayor, Leslie Skipper, along with the council and other dignitaries. It took place at the Merritton High School auditorium on Monday, May 6th, 1946. The stage was decorated with a banner representing all the various forces, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. The Mayor officially welcomed them home with the town’s inscribed thanks for their service ensuring the enjoyed victory for treasured Canadian freedom. The servicemen were presented with a token of appreciation – a ring with the Merritton crest. The servicewomen were presented with a makeup compact with the town crest. Merritton once again was a shining example to other townships in how they honoured their own in such a nice way. It was a wonderful evening with the stage set, prayers and speeches offered, and touching expressions of thanks presented. Even though the lights have dimmed on that night, and the years have passed, the Merritton veterans who are still living will never forget the town’s spirit. ABOVE: Munro family being honoured for two generations of active military service in WWII From left to right John Munro, Charles Munro Sr., Charles Munro. TOP RIGHT: Mayor Leslie Skipper and (from left to right) Dorothy Stradwick, unknown person, Joyce Martin, Rita Macintosh, Betty Cowan, Peggy Catteral, Marion Hough. RIGHT: Overall view of Civic Appreciation Banquet; Mayor Skipper, Town Council and dignitaries are pictured on the stage and the Veterans with escorts are seated. I MERRITTON MATTERS Habitat for Humanity For the first time in nearly a decade a Habitat for Humanity home building project is occurring in St. Catharines. The land has been secured and the site is in our community. The property on Merritt St. by Birch Lane, adjacent to the newly constructed bridge on the site of the former Ricci’s Tavern, has been purchased for the home. A family from St. Catharines will be purchasing the home under the unique Habitat for Humanity Niagara home ownership program. Every build requires a funding champion. MCG has approved a motion to be the fundraising champions for the new Habitat for Humanity Build in Merritton. The Merritton Community Group is actively looking for ways to support this project which requires $80,000 to get off the ground, of which $30,000 has already been committed, leaving $50,000 to be raised by September. To learn more about Habitat for Humanity Niagara, we asked Cathy Pelletier to write an article on the organization. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OPENS DOORS IN NIAGARA by Cathy Pelletier Habitat for Humanity Niagara is a non-profit, faith-based community organization working toward a world in which everyone has a safe and decent place to live. By mobilizing volunteers and community partners, HFHN builds affordable housing and promotes home ownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty Part of that commitment involves paying back some of the “sweat equity” invested into their home, by donating 500 hours (per family) of labour with another Habitat for Humanity initiative or in their community. The selected family must practice pride of home ownership and pass that pride on to their children in order to break the cycle of poverty. Using donated land and municipal co-operation, HFHN can build single-family homes for about $65,000. Cash donations are leveraged more than twice with gift-in-kind, gift-in-service and special rate contracts. HFHN houses are then purchased at fair market value with no down payment and no-interest mortgages. Homeowners’ payments are set at less than 25 percent of gross income for principal and property tax, and payments are geared to income. Each time HFHN builds a house, a ripple effect reaches out into the entire community. Families become less reliant on social services and food banks, student and apprentice builders become skilled trades workers within their community, the local economy prospers, volunteers become engaged, and the entire community feels fulfilled while working together to effect positive change in such a tangible, meaningful way. MERRITTON MATTERS I Good-Bye It’s the end of an era. After 36 years serving the Merritton area, the Hartzel Road McDonalds closed at 11:00 p.m. on March 31st. The bell tolled for Pen Financial Credit Union on Glendale, at the Seaway building, that day as well. Some might remember that this was the former Civic Employees Credit Union. 10 I MERRITTON MATTERS A Memorable Man and a Memorable Era at Merritton High School By Phyllis Thomson Do you remember your high school Principal? I do. Although we never met in my years at high school, I remember him very well! When my friends and I were about to enter Grade 9 (known as ‘First Form’ many eons ago) we had been warned that ‘HE’ (nary a ‘she’ back then!) was a dreaded Simon Legree, an ogre who was there for the prime purpose of meting out punishment, to be feared and avoided at all costs. So, being well warned, when he walked down the hall it was like the parting of the waters, we would all flatten ourselves up against the nearest wall of lockers until he passed. And if he happened to know your name, you knew you were in big trouble! The students at Merritton High School during the 50’s and 60’s were lucky – Jim Smith just didn’t fit that stereotype at all - he seemed to enjoy the students and despite the fact that he did know many by name, most of the time you were safe! He could be a stern disciplinarian when needed, but was always approachable and always fair. The students respected him and liked him. Add to that an extraordinarily likeable teaching staff for the most part, and it made for a pleasant atmosphere. Following graduation from Stamford Collegiate, Jim went on to graduate from McMaster University in Hamilton and the Ontario College of Education in Toronto. He accepted his first teaching position in Delhi in l948 where he remained until Thorold High School beckoned in l951. In l954 he moved down the hill to Merritton High as Vice Principal where he and I shared an office for a few years. The students of that era will remember, I’m sure, that tiny little office where we both had our desks along with several pieces of office equipment and, usually, a few students to be found in there as well. In l958, he became Principal of Merritton High and it was a sad day for the students in 1966 when he decided to accept the Principalship of a new school that was about to open in the north end of St. Catharines – Laura Secord. It was a great testament to the esteem in which they held him, when several of our staff members decided to join him there, but it was a tremendous loss for Merritton High School. One of these teachers told me years later, that when they left Merritton to go with Jim to Laura Secord, they started calling the new school “Merritton North”! In 1974 Jim was offered a Superintendent’s position, which he accepted, and where he remained until his retirement in l981. I asked him if he enjoyed this last phase in his long teaching career and he gave me a resounding “very much”. Jim and his wife, Florence, knew each other in high school. While Jim was at McMaster, Florence was in the nursing programme at the Hamilton General Hospital. Jim’s version of how they started dating is that Florence called him up at McMaster and asked him to chaperone her at an upcoming nurses’ dance – they will soon celebrate 61 years of marriage so I think we can now safely say that the rest is happy history! Four ‘little Smiths’ arrived over the years, Moira, Kirk, Shelley and Tara - two have become teachers with the local board of education, while two have chosen other professions, and there are now nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren for Jim and Florence. They still spend summers at their cottage north of Kingston and in retirement they have enjoyed traveling around Britain and Western Europe. Jim, and many former Laura Secord teachers, began a tradition which continues to-day – they meet for breakfast once a week at local restaurants – what a great way of keeping in touch! He has enough memories of his years in education to fill a book (now there’s an idea worth pursuing!) and here is just one …..“I remember well the day when ‘Surf was Up’ at Merritton High School. The date may have been the Spring of 1960. Before I went out for lunch, I noticed some water under the vending machines in the cafeteria and when I came back some students were waiting for me at the office door. “Mr. Smith” one of them said, “you’ve got to come down to the cafeteria right away”. A very unusual sight greeted me. Water was spurting up through the joints in the terrazzo floor in a manner similar to water spurting from a perforated garden hose and it was starting to flow down the hall towards the gymnasium. Through the quick action of a group of boys from the Gym and Shop, gym mats were used to block the flow at the end of the hall to direct it into the furnace room where George Wilson, our caretaker, then directed it into the floor drain. Thus the Gym and Shop floors were saved. And what was the explanation as to the source of the flood? A new addition had been built on Merritton High in l954. The footing of the new addition had settled onto the footing of the older building which, in turn, rested tightly against the water main. In time, the added weight of the addition eventually cracked the water main which entered the basement from a spot on Merritt St. opposite the intersection with Oakdale. As you can imagine, the situation required considerable excavation to repair. In this emergency operation to save the Gym and Shop, it was a moment to remember when about ten boys took off their shoes and socks and, as they grabbed the gym mats and ran to put them in place to block the water, all of them were shouting ‘Surf ’s Up’ – which provided a bit of levity to an otherwise potential disaster.” Jim reflected on the many reasons the Merritton Community has an especially warm place in his heart. ......“In the late summer of l953, a terrible epidemic of polio was raging and Florence became infected. Isolation wards at the hospital were full so we, along with our three year old daughter Moira, were placed in isolation for three weeks at home, which at that time was on Bessey Street. During that time, we never wanted for anything - neighbours and parents of students brought us groceries and, often, fully cooked meals until the quarantine was lifted. Merritton was sometimes referred to as a ‘Lunch Bucket Community’ and I fitted into that community very well. A Department of Education official, who had once been my teacher, said “For a good principal, a school should be his second family” and, for me, it was. There was back then an undisputed community spirit which I know still lingers in the Merritton Ward today.” By the time you read this, Jim will have reached the special age of 87, and you will be happy to know that he is still lookin’ good and feeling pretty good. In a recent conversation that I had with a student from that era, Jim’s name was mentioned and the student ended his thoughts by saying “Mr. Smith was just a great guy” - a fitting way to end this small tribute to the man who steered the good ship Merritton High and kept it in calm waters ‘way back then! MERRITTON MATTERS I 11 CLOWNING AROUND Krista Walters is a fun-loving, energetic and friendly Merrittonian! Combine her bubbly personality with her natural flare for captivating the attention of children and you’ve got a sure recipe for success. Krista has been working with children for the past thirteen years at the YMCA and loves to entertain them. One year she decided to dress up as Loonette the Clown, a lead character in a Canadian children’s program entitled ‘The Big Comfy Couch’, to amuse the pre-schoolers at Halloween and the children loved it. Then a few years ago, she noticed an ad for volunteers to enter the Labour Day Parade. Krista had moved to Merritton when she was young and, of course, went to the parade and carnival every year so she knew that it was a perfect opportunity to get some exposure as her alter ego. So off she went, and the response was amazing. People started calling her, telling her that someone they knew told them about her, or that they saw her in the parade. She was surprised at how popular she became and knew it was all thanks to everyone in the community spreading the word. She began to receive requests to appear at children’s parties. Krista knew that she couldn’t call herself by the same name as the clown on TV and so, when a parent suggested the name “Lunette-Alike”, she thought the name was catchy and really did explain that she was a look-alikecharacter to which the children could relate. She incorporates lots of activity in her routines ranging from dancing and stretching, playing games, face painting, and much Well done Merritton Bulldogs! They more. She tells me that most little children she entertains believe finished their 2008-09 season by that she has come out of the TV from The Big Comfy Couch and winning the Kingston Kids for Kids are so surprised when she shows up at their very own house. I saw Tournament atom division gold medal. her recently at a birthday party for a friend’s son, Colin, and was With wonderful contributions from really impressed! Colin and his friends particularly enjoyed the all team members, we also want to interactive story time and having their faces painted with freckles highlight Alex Roselli, Sean Michaud, and a clown nose. and Derek Pymont for their offensive If you would like to get in touch with Krista, you can reach her at her e-mail address : work and Justin Rombough and Cole [email protected] or phone her at 905-988-9107. Misener for their strong net minding. Bulldogs! 12 I MERRITTON MATTERS MERRITTON MATTERS I 13 ‘Waking the Sleeping Dragon’ Carolyn Swan is to be commended for her leadership in breast cancer awareness. She has organized a team for the Rankin Cancer Run being held in St. Catharines on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Carolyn’s team for the Run is named after her breast cancer survivors’ dragon boat crew, ‘Waking the Sleeping Dragon’, the first of its kind in the Niagara Region. The Waking the Sleeping Dragon Boat Initiative of Niagara is a collaboration between Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund, Niagara Dragon Boat Club, Employment Ontario and Brock University’s Recreation and Leisure Department. The crew held a charity fashion show at Silver Spires Church in March. Their goal is to encourage and support those living with breast cancer to lead full and active lives by sharing experiences, strengths and hopes. Waking the Sleeping Dragon is about finding personal resources and strength as well as broadening perspectives and about creating a positive environment which encourages fun, friendship and support. If you’re interested in participating in the dragon boat or any of her other activities, please contact the editor at Merrittonmatters@ hotmail.com. Anchors Away Stephen Congratulations to Stephen Burns who recently graduated from George Brown and is now off to entertain the masses on Carnival Cruise ships! 14 I MERRITTON MATTERS From left to right, Riley Mannell (Lead), Greg Sayliss (Vice), Ben Hughes (Skip), Ben Sayliss (Vice), Amir Bukhari (Second), Brian Tiner (Lead, Under Trophy). Burleigh Hill Wins DSBN Curling Championships! By R. Hughes In February, Burleigh Hill School’s curling team travelled to Welland for a Gold Medal match where they defeated the defending champions, Sheridan Park, by a score of 5-4 to finish their season with a perfect 14-0 season against other elementary schools. This young group of curlers executed the pressure shots to perfection. Vice Gregor Sayliss was responsible for a great take-out (hit and roll) in the second end to score four points. Skip Ben Hughes made an amazing draw to the button in the 5th end to score the winning point, and a pressure-filled takeout in the last end to help secure the victory. Second Ben Sayliss played extremely well all day, and executed 2 crucial takeouts in the last end to help preserve the victory. Lead players Amir Bukhari, Brian Tiner, and Riley Mannell made some incredible shots all day long, and it was their lead rocks that put Burleigh Hill in a great position to win the game. The team qualified to represent the DSBN in the Ontario Provincial Championships in April and finished 8th in Ontario out of 80 teams, missing the Bronze medal game by 1 inch. Their final record versus grade school teams all over Ontario was 20 wins 4 losses. Congratulations on a great season boys! St. James Anglican Church’s New Chair-Lift Dr. Tom Pekar was lauded for his volunteer work at the City of St. Catharines Recognition Night on April 22nd. Standing beside him is MM’s photographer Jean Westlake who emerged from behind the camera long enough to have this picture taken. by The Reverend Pamela Guyatt Town Hall Architect In the last issue, we featured an article about Merritton’s Town Hall, a wonderful example of historic Victorian architecture designed by William B. Allan and constructed in 1879. Here’s some additional information about Allan based on a report by Pat Menon to the Historical Society of St. Catharines. Former local architect William Bryson Allan (1838 - 1911) was born in Scotland and immigrated to Canada in the 1850s. He settled in St. Catharines in 1861 and started a furniture business with his family while also dabbling in undertaking, sewing machine sales and photography. But it was apparent that Allan had a talent for architectural design. Allan’s first known design was the Riordan Mill in 1867. Chronologically, some of Allan’s designs include: St. Paul’s Ward School (1871), Central School on Court Street (1872), First Presbyterian Church (1872), the expansion of the family furniture factory (1875), St. James Ward School (1876), and St. Andrew’s Ward School (1883). Other designs included the Protestant Orphans’ Home, Grantham Academy/St. Catharines Collegiate, St. Thomas Ward School, Merritton Cotton Mill, the R.H. Smith Company (saw works), the Oddfellows Hall, and the Merritton Town Hall. It has FINALLY happened! St. James Anglican Church, on the corner of Merritt and Oakdale, is now accessible to more people. People with physical disabilities can now use our new Chair-Lift to access the entire facility. When the church was established in 1871, very few people considered physical challenges when designing worship spaces. With four entrances into the building, and a set of stairs located at each one, we had a problem. As an example, at our parking lot entrance there are eleven steps into the main worship area of the church and five steps that lead down into our small hall. We had to do something to try and correct the situation. In April 2008, we applied for a grant from the Enabling Accessibility Fund. In September 2008, we were notified that our application had been approved. Construction started in November, when the sidewalk was ‘resloped’ to provide easier access from the parking lot to the door. In December, two crews arrived, one to install the Chair-Lift into the main worship area and down into the small hall. The second crew proceeded to create a new accessible washroom located across the hall from the current washrooms. All the installation and construction was completed by December 22, 2008. It was amazing to have everything operating and functional for our Christmas Eve services 2 days later. I have included a picture of Doris Fraser, at the time she was recovering from knee surgery and the chair-lift allowed her to have a ‘stress free’ arrival for the Christmas Eve service. Her smile says it all. MERRITTON MATTERS I 15