Christmas is a season, not a day. That’s what I kept telling myself as I stood among the tissue and ribbon and the gazillions of bottles of herb vinegar, bags of hand made dip herbs, books, knitted items, soaps, etc. It is my style to enjoy making something and then do a lot of it….
This past summer when I decided to make windows for our cottage porch (to cut down on high winds) the first place I went was to Robinson’s Hardware. Steve Arnott looked at my sketches and we chose the right hardware to hang the things. I’m an optimist, so I was sure I could do this!…
I sat at Gryphon Theatre last October (1997) enjoying the musical winter series that’s been offered for years. When I saw a Don Messer Tribute in the lineup, I had a ho-hum attitude about the show, but I’m a theatre supporter with a paid-up subscription, so I went. It was a wonderful trip down memory…
It’s gift giving time. The season when people run, grim-faced with list in hand, from store to store. We’re buying happiness… or approval… or both. I also have a list so this is not an anti-commercial tirade. It is a story though about one of the most special gifts my family and I ever received….
When Kory Hopkins worked in radio, his golden voice found its way onto lots of commercials. His wit formed the foundation for lots of commercial “storyboards” where the advertising gameplan told an ongoing story and built to an established audience. Kory moved around in radio and then when the provincial government funded Environmental Action Barrie…
When Sean Lowrie was a 10 year old grade five student at Steele Street Public School in Barrie, he was a caring kid. He crawled across his backyard fence on Marwendy Dr. to reach the playground at his public school where many after-school hours were spent with friends. He worked his way through Steele Street…
Karen Eilersen is one of the many new-to-Barrie faces that’s becoming quickly a pillar of our community. When she decided to stop commuting in late 1995, it was with the dream to open her own day care centre. Today, Karen operates an innovative, pleasant, family-centred facility on Harvie Road in Barrie’s south end. Her business,…
When Al Eyers and his family owned the Midway Variety Store on Bradford Street, it was truly a place where people met. Bradford Street in the 70’s was car mecca for Barrie and the Midway was a small convenience store and coffee shop, and community catch-all. The Eyers lived above the store and were certainly…
When Cathy Smethurst & Ron Tulloch were expecting their first child, they did what most of us do… they started collecting nursery items… a crib, a dresser, a change table etc. When they were told this might be a multiple birth, they added a second crib. The year was 1973. The technology was very different…
It was about four years ago that Rob Butler stood in the courtyard at City Hall and felt the seeds sprout. People don’t usually associate Rob with seeds; in fact, people really only think of Rob on skis and in snow. Snow figured in the seeds that Rob sprouted, but steam and sprays and music…