In The News 

• Tay man shoots 23 year old wife, out on bail
• Christian Islanders get hydro, 20 homes already wired
• Possibly extend mail delivery to new Donalda St. housing
• Howard Elliot lifelong Coldwater grocery store owner dies
• Flora Kenny, 73, dies one half hour after her husband Michael also 73 both of Phelpston, buried in a double ceremony
• Mr. & Mrs. Fred Peacock, Penetang, celebrate sixty years
• No milk delivery Dec 25-26 Jan 1-2 Armstrong’s and Dubbin`s
• Alex Truax 83 dies, pallbearers six past Legion presidents
• Expensive & unsightly TV antennas may soon disappear with the advent of cable TV
• 27 year old Allan Hume appointed leader of the Midland Citizens Band

Mr. & Mrs. Frank Fenton at their home at 208 Elizabeth Street. Frank is holding the skates he wore while playing on many championship teams in Midland and Waubaushene and still likes to put them on for some laps around the rink. Born in Brighton Ontario on Christmas Day 1875 and moving to the end of the track at Waubaushene in 1878 he began working there in a box factory at 10 years of age for 50 cents per 12 hour day. At that time a good labourer could earn $28/mth and a professional such as a lake captain could earn $50- 60/mth. Moving to Midland Frank obtained work as a wheelsman on a lumber tug and on September 5th, 1900 he married Bertha King at Midland. Soon he was employed by the Madawaska Club at Go Home Bay as a caretaker, a position he held for the next 45 years. Held in high esteem by the club the couple were twice sent by them to winter in Florida and California. They had many adventures “Up The Shore” including apprehending an armed burglar and surviving their horse and cutter going through the ice at Whalens.

Schooners Towed Into Penetang Harbour 1890

Winter layup reminds old timers of the day back in 1890 when led by the tug John Martin the schooners Groton, C.A. King, Nassau and Charger were towed into Penetang Harbour.

Midland Junior Chamber of Commerce hold house decorating contest and award Christmas turkeys to the top four entries. First place above is Dave & Eleanor Hudson of 374 Manly Street, second was L.R. Diver 339 William Street, third Mrs. E.L. Metherell of 385 Bay Street and fourth Mrs. William Henderson of 88 Bay Street. The bungalow shown above belongs to Mr. & Mrs. Bill Howard of Yonge Street W.

Hotel Brule advertising Christmas Dinner;

Fruit Cocktail, Tomato Juice, Royal Consommé, Celery Hearts & Sweet Crunchy Pickles

Roast Young Turkey, Cranberry Sauce and Sage Stuffing, Roast Domestic Goose with Thyme Dressing,

Baked Sugar Cured Ham with Fried Pineapple Rings

Creamed, Mashed or French Fried Potatoes

Mashed Turnips or Asparagus Tips

Steamed Christmas Plum Pudding with Caramel Brandy Sauce

Hot Apple Pie with Whipped Cream

Christmas Cake and Mixed Nuts

Vanilla Ice Cream

Tea Coffee Milk

$3.00

Entertainment

Holiday Dances at the Parkside –  Christmas Night, New Years Eve and New Year’s Night; Teenage Dancing nightly during Christmas Week

Pen Theatre  –  The Son of Monte Cristo   –   Junction City  –  Great Guns with Laurel and Hardy

Bowling at the Midland Bowling Academy Christmas Day and New Years Day

Roxy Theatre   –  Phantom of the Rue Morgue  –  The Walking Dead  –  Duel in the Jungle

The Embassy in Coldwater  –  Tanganyika

Riverside Port Severn – Holiday Dancing

Pen Bowling Alleys

Midland Minor Hockey December 23rd Barrie Bantams & Midgets vs. Midland at the Arena Gardens

Circle B Dance Pavilion Holiday Dances tickets at Johnstone`s  & Beauchamp Electric

Comic Strips in the Free Press

Blondie, Muggs and Skeeter, Elsworth, Pogo

(Double Click on Photos to Enlarge)

St. Andrew’s Hospital cornerstone “well and truly laid” by the Hon. MacKinnon Phillips, Minister of Health for Ontario. Others in the picture are L to R; Stan Jordan, bricklayer foreman  Bert Oxford and Rex Timms all members of the R. Timms Construction and Electrical Ltd., the contracting firm. Comparatively good weather for mid December blessed the event, the same weather that has helped in the progress on the building.

 

 

Three thousand dollar boost to the new hospital from the Midland Lion’s Club. The club is financing a children’s nursery and plan to endow it permanently. Lion Adam Miller, Lion’s president Bill Orr, Lion Bill Hack presenting the cheque to V.G. Edwards chair of the hospital’s special finance committee.

 

Notice  –  Night classes in Marine Navigation commence January 3rd 1955. For students wishing to qualify for the following certificates  –  Masters, First and Second Mates (Inland Waters) Masters and Mates (Minor Waters)

70 railcar loads of Christmas trees shipped from Penetang and 10 from Midland averaging 1300 trees per car, a total of 103,000 trees have been loaded for mostly USA destinations.

 Santa Claus  –  Old and young throng King Street on Saturday morning to greet Santa Claus. The jolly old gent is shown waving at the crowds as he prepares to leave his sleigh and enter Edwards Specialty Shop. Second photo, flanked by two helpers, Carol Parizeau on the left and Marlene Fraser,  Santa beams merrily.  Santa will listen to the pleas of 2500 children on his throne in Edwards Toyland.

Midland’s Junior Redwings members, Bruce Calvert, Jim Lemieux and Joe Faragher. All played juvenile hockey last season although Calvert was called up to help the Wings in their final drive for the championship.

 

First woman ever to sit on Tay Council led the polls in last Mondays election. Mrs. Minnie Mayhew joins Cecil Parker, Loran Williams and by acclamation Reeve Fred Kinnear and deputy reeve Ralph Dalton.

Free Press tradition to publish news from local communities in North Simcoe some of which no longer exist. The happenings, mostly social from places like;

Eady, Severn Falls, Wyebridge, Hillsdale, Melduf, Hobart, Port McNicoll, Waubaushene, Allenwood, Elmvale, Crossland, Vasey, Lafontaine, Rosemount, Perkinsfield, Victoria Harbour,  North River, Lovering, Waverly, Fairview, Elmvale, Coldwater, Phelpston, Creighton, Sunnyside, Mount St. Louis and Tiny Township. The larger communities had weekly news and the smaller ones were published periodically. Each community had its own column and often its own local correspondent that collected and submitted the news.

News Items

• Christmas store hours open until 9.30 PM every night
• Midland buys 500 tons of sand from Penetang, forces the cutting of pine trees that now adorn downtown posts in Penetang
• New Second Penetang Scout Troop invests 40 boys at one time
• Midland firefighters get $125.00/yr increase, public works staff get .15 cents per hour increase
• Fathers Night Christmas shopping sale in Penetang
• HMCS Penetang returns to Halifax after exercises in Bermuda
• New Penetang rink expects ice in by Christmas
• Midland Y’s Men plan jack rabbit hunt on Boxing Day
• Midland 3 man committee explores site for new town hall
• Coldwater School Board awards $82,100 contract new bldg
• Red Wings lose 2-1 at Stouffville
• Monarchs win 8-2 over Gravenhurst Indians at Midland
• Midland tax levy $408,553.00 up over $9K from last year
• Illegal possession of beer nets $300.00 fine in Penetang
• Six year old Linda Duval struck and seriously injured by a vehicle while tobogganing at her home on Robert St.

 

Christmas mail rush is on. Bob Goatcher and Armand Marion wade through stacks of cards and letters.

Double click on photos to enlarge.

Winter Repair Program at Shipyard to Employee Between 50 and 100 Men
No new contracts are on the horizon but repairs to winter fleet will employ up to 100 men.
CSL winter fleet will be; at Port McNicoll, Sir James Dunn, Georgian Bay and the McLagan; at the townhouse, Lemoyne, Ashcroft, Donnacona and Westmount, at the Aberdeen, Prescott and at the Tiffin, Coverdale and Thunder Bay.

The Hydro Electric Power Commission will erect TV tower on the farm of Bert Robitaille on the Balm Beach Road this week. TV programs will be fed to Midland and Penetang. Two 85 foot B.C. cedar poles each weighing two tons will be used instead of a steel tower to reduce interference.

Regent School holds official opening of new addition last Wednesday night. Four men pictured were a prominent part of ceremony.

Frank Bray, board chairman; Wm. C. Vanderburgh, assistant superintendent Department of Education; Ken Ellis, public school inspector for the district and Mr. C.S. Cox architect for the new building.

George Price and Co. Ltd., heating contractor from Coldwater is busy with several large local contracts. New boiler and oil burner which consumes 60 gallons per hour at the Copeland Flour Mill in Midland. A new boiler for oil heating installed in the Midland Elevator and a 17 ton boiler for steam heat at the new Canadian Name Plate factory. Also the heating, plumbing and ventilating contracts for the hospital expansion and the new high school.

Women’s Institutes are noted for the meals they prepare for various functions and Wyebridge is no exception as their W.I. last week fed a group of potato growers assembled at the Parkside Pavilion for an annual awards banquet.

Names were not recorded. LET US KNOW IF YOU RECOGNIZE ANYONE

Looking out on a cold strange world this little lamb is one of two born December 4th on the Graham Jones farm. Mrs. Jones (nee Margaret Jean Montgomery) is seen with her daughter Sheila aged 3. The Jones farm is 3 miles south of Midland on Hwy 27.

This large framework visible from Hwy 27 will soon emerge as the Wyebridge Community Hall. Gangs of volunteer labourers have already started sheeting the structure. Funds have been mostly raised by the Wyebridge Women’s Institute who have catered literally hundreds of district functions in the last several years.

Midland and District Canadian Club members learn how easy it is to make floral center pieces and Christmas wreaths when an expert does it. Midland florist Mac Perrin displays some of the creations he made for the ladies during his two hour demonstration.

Christmas Ads

Edwards Specialty  Shoppe will grace the Festive Table with linen table clothes ranging from $2.75 to $97.50. Aprons starting at .39 cents.

Serve Coke, the treat of the season, .36 cents a case of six. Penetang Bottling.

Be a smart Santa give a gift subscription to the midweek Free Press Herald and the weekend County Herald, $3.00 annually, by mail in Midland $4.50.

This Christmas give him something for the car, Canadian Tire Store, Bay Street opposite the bus terminal. Steering wheel muff, .39cents, 1/4″ electric drill $15.95, curb feelers .69cents.

Gifts That Appeal – Strathearn’s Jewellers, electric shavers, carving sets, 400 day clocks cuff links and tie sets, etc.

Edwards Toy Department – Daisy Rifle really smokes $4.25, Walkie Talkie Set $2.85, Metal Tricycle $5.69 Marx model train set $14.98

Curlers Prime the Pig – Norm Greene, left, and Cy Ney are seen “priming the pig” as the new season got under way at the Midland Curling Club. The pig will get plenty fat from donations from unlucky curlers who “hog” their stones before the season ends next spring. Others Karl Bertrand, club president and R.S. King.