It’s happened. I look back now to my youth and I remember clearly the day I tsked tsked at my mother, wondering how she could possibly, possibly be seen downtown wearing those peddle pushers, those sneakers, and that incredible haircut. The year was 1966 and I was tying a black ribbon around my shoulder-length, very…
She was a young dog, pregnant, and in labour for the first time. In fact, she’d been in labour for two days when her ‘family’ dropped her off at the Barrie Branch of the Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) on Patterson Rd. Two days in labour for her first litter. Animal…
Fifty minutes. Let’s see, if I’m really efficient, I can stop at the bank, drop off the mortgage payment, pick up the cleaning, grab vegetables for dinner, pay my parking ticket and hit the drivethrough on the way back to work. Yes, that’s exactly what lunch hours have become for many women. And if those…
Take a look at a 14 year old kid. If you don’t have one of your own, think of the one next door, or the one who works at the drug store down the street. Or, the one who babysits for you. Now, imagine yourself, head bowed, paying respects at that kid’s funeral. And why?…
It would have been unheard of a few years ago, but today natural remedies and traditional wellness meet hand-in-hand. That’s sure happening next Saturday, November 9 when the Alladin Banquet Hall on Essa Rd provides the setting for a wellness expo devoted to alternative approaches to healing. Holistic health practitioners of every stripe will offer…
It was 1946 and 35 year old Alan Victor Tribble was home from the war, having served in the army and returned to Barrie, to his wife and young son John. He quickly set about the activity of finding a way to provide for his family. Thus began Cotty’s Cleaners. Why Cotty’s? Well, nobody, except…
It was a Saturday morning in May. 1972. The Shriners Parade was in full swing along Dunlop St. in Barrie. Ron Tyler was taking pictures of everything in sight. He was also interviewing me for the position of editor of the Barrie Banner. In a nutshell, this sums up Ron Tyler, though the measure and…
There’s so much happening at next Friday’s small business showcase, it’s hard to know where to start. Over two dozen volunteers have been working for five months to pull together a full day event that’s geared to Barrie area businesses and residents. Called “Doing Business With Your Neighbours” the trade show times were set to…
A pox on time-saving devices, that’s what I say! I’m sure my great grandmother would agree, if I could ask her! But let’s look at life right now. Let’s look back to 1982 when I was ‘banging’ out feature articles on a portable, manual typewriter (with carbon paper for copies) and driving the package down…
When the gorgeous, full colour, hard bound coffee table book hits the shelves (or the coffee tables) next June, it’ll sure be a welcome addition to published histories of Barrie. Probably the city’s greatest historians are Su Murdoch and Dr. Brad Rudachyk, both published authors of various aspects of Barrie, its inception and its growth….