HISTORY: First fair for Digby’s new fire hall

With Digby schools opening for 1,700 students, administrators were worrying how to provide water. The town’s public health officer had issued a boil water order two weeks earlier.

Labour Day brought closing of the Digby tourist information centre. Records showed 3,000 people visited the centre during the summer. The facility was jointly operated by the town, the Municipality of Digby and the New Horizons Club.

An editorial in the Courier noted the importance of community newspapers in recording local history, and referred to a clipping from the Weekly Courier of 1910 that told the story of Capt. William Ellis, lighthouse keeper at Point Prim since 1875. Ellis invented an ‘automatic time steam whistle’ that was “now used everywhere on shore and on board many ships.” As well, the story noted that in 1887 he discovered a comet that was then given his name by astronomers.

Eighteen-year-old Jane Straiton of Cape Cod landed a 745-pound bluefin, the first tuna of the season to be landed at Cape St. Mary.

Butch Wong pitched the first four innings for the Merchants in the sudden death playoffs with the Legion team, and added two home runs, a triple and a walk to lead the Merchants to a 17-13 win in Little League action

Steve McQueen was the star of ‘Junior Bonner’, playing at the Little Cinema.

50 years ago

Sept. 4, 1958 – Frank Miller of Smith’s Cove won the Western Nova Scotia Yacht Club trophy in a daylong program of power boat races sponsored by the club. The racing attracted 15 boats from Bridgewater, Bear River, Clementsport, Smith’s Cove and Digby.

Town council unanimously rejected a proposal that it accept responsibility for a $1,700 deficit incurred by the committee organizing entertainment and catering for crowds during the royal visit of Princess Margaret.

At the Western Valley baseball playoffs, Weymouth Pontiacs sent the Digby Ravens into early season retirement as Avard Wagner churned a five-hitter in the 11-3 win. The victory propelled the Pontiacs into the provincial championships against the Antigonish Bulldogs.

Maple Leaf picnic hams were selling for 49 cents a pound at the Central Market.

Playing at the Capitol Theatre was the comedy ‘My Man Godfrey’, starring David Niven and Joan Allison.

60 years ago

Sept. 2, 1948 – Two new courses were approved for students at Digby Rural High School. Agriculture was meant to meet needs of the area, said superintendent F.C. Purdy, and the ‘community citizenship’ course was “expressly designed to fit the local area.”

Purdy also announced that work on the new school was ahead of schedule and would likely be ready for full occupancy by late October. Until then, students were in temporary accommodations in church halls and the town courthouse.

While digging in his garden, Lynott Hersey of Tiverton found an American coin dated 1847.

The day was his 44th wedding anniversary, but Magistrate G.H. Peters was busy in Digby court. One man was sentenced to two months for punching police chief F.J. Thibault, three dog owners were fined for letting their animals run loose, and two young men were fined for creating a disturbance in a local hotel.

A thresher shark, rare to this area, was shot dead after becoming trapped in a Port Wade weir. The shark was more than 13 feet long and weighed more than 1,000 pounds.

‘Repeat Performance’ was playing at the Capitol, with stars Louis Hayward and Joan Leslie.