WINDSOR, N.S. — WINDSOR — Here's a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal.
25 years ago (April 27 and May 4, 1994 editions)
• Angela Tracy Quinn, 19, was chosen as Princess Windsor 1994. The First Lady-in-Waiting was Jan Fraser and the Second Lady-in-Waiting was Jan Hunter, of Ellershouse. Nine women competed for the honour.
• Theresa McGinn, 21, was chosen as Princess Hantsport 1994. Her Lady-in-Waiting was Karrie Ritchie.
• The community was mourning the loss of Tara Lynne Touesnard, a well-known Valley fiddler and violinist. She was killed in a car accident on Highway 101 in Greenwich. A special service was held in her memory at Acadia University.
• The Windsor Regional Library, and the Annapolis Valley Regional Library system, were both celebrating being in operation for 45 years.
The Annapolis Valley Regional Library was established in April 1949 and headquartered in Annapolis Royal under the direction of librarian Alberta Letts. The first three branches were opened in Annapolis County in May — Annapolis Royal, Bridgetown, and Lawrencetown. The Middleton branch followed suit in September and Windsor and Wolfville branches opened in November.
In 1951, Berwick had a branch and in 1954, Kentville signed on. Greenwood air base briefly had a branch — from 1955 to 1962. Hantsport joined the fold in 1957, followed by Port Williams in 1958 and Kingston in 1972.
• Kentville town council voted against leasing four acres to a New Ross amusement park operator looking to establish a waterslide facility. The Journal reported that Kentville’s loss might be Windsor’s gain as the owner was looking to set up in town as part of the Windsor Country Fair attractions.
• West Hants council was concerned over the potential agreement between the Municipality of Chester and Browning Ferris Industries (BFI) Waste Systems of Halifax. BFI wanted to use the Kaizer Meadow landfill to deposit about 50,000 tonnes of refuse during a 30-month period. Nearly 10,000 tonnes was currently being dumped at the site.
Council was concerned about possible leeching into the county's water supply if the landfill was expanded to accommodate the influx of trash. Residents on both sides of the county line were protesting the expansion.
• Windsor, West Hants and Hantsport joined together to ban corrugated cardboard from the Cogmagun Landfill site. Further, it was noted that CKF could take all of the local corrugated cardboard products and recycle them.
• Ski Martock was recognized for its commitment to raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society through the annual Ski Mount Everest Challenge. The event in 1994 raised $47,000.
• The mysterious smell that had been plaguing Dr. Arthur Hines School in Summerville was reported to be under control, though air quality was continuing to be monitored.
• The Windsor Workshop on Centennial Drive in Windsor was planning an $85,000 facility expansion as the number of participants continued to grow.
• Primary students at Three Mile Plains were learning the value of a penny. The class began collecting pennies for the IWK in September. They had raised $125 as of April 1994.
• Residents and special interest groups were concerned that the provincial government announced it would license two gambling casinos — one in Halifax, the other in Cape Breton. The Provincial Health council was questioning how the economic benefits would weigh against the health and social costs of gambling.
• Local boxer Chris Schofield opened his own boxing club in Windsor.
• Five players from the West Hants provincial champion Atom A team were selected to represent Nova Scotia at the 4th annual World Minor Hockey Championship Tournament in Montreal. The athletes were Aaron MacPhee, Ryan Burns, Brandon Benedict, Chris Davidson and Colin Keith.
• The MT&T Showdown, a battle of the bands, was set for Kentville and would feature 15 bands competing for a chance at cash prizes. Funds raised would help implement a toll-free province-wide Youth Help Line. Among the Hants County bands competing were Prozac, Distorted Truth, Sarah Cessford, Zodiac, KES Jazz Combo and Glycerine.
• Lacey McCarthy, daughter of David and Wanda McCarthy, of Three Mile Plains was one of three Grade Primary students in the province to win a prize in the 1994 Hurt Alert Day art contest.
• Hants Shore youth performed a play about family violence. The young thespians with a message were Kerina Dykstra, Bramber; Suzanne Weatherby, Bramber; Mark Cox, Cheverie; Jennifer Burbidge, Walton; and Mitchell Wilcox, Pembroke.
• Throughout the month of May, the Windsor and Wolfville fire departments were holding a friendly competition to see which station could raise the most money for the IWK.
50 years ago (April 23 and 30, 1969 editions)
• The home of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Carr, of Bramber, was completely destroyed by fire, leaving the couple and their five children homeless. The pair purchased the property less than a year earlier, relocating from Fall River.
• A private tea, sponsored by the Windsor Jaycettes, was held for the Princess Windsor candidates. Those running for the crown were Diane McNeil, Cheryl Woodworth, Cheryl McDougall, Shirley Kirkpatrick, Ann Boyd, Brenda Burke, Rosalind Ledson, and Jane Purdy.
Following the tea, Ledson, 18, from Brooklyn, was crowned Princess Windsor 1969.
• A 14-year-old Avondale girl was killed in a car accident after the vehicle left the road and struck a tree. The boys in the car, a 19-year-old and 21-year-old, were taken to the hospital in Halifax. At the last report, the 19-year-old was still unconscious, and the 21-year-old had lost an eye.
• James Cochrane, of Kentville, retired after 30 years with the Dominion Atlantic Railway, completing his last run on the gypsum train.
• The Hants County 4-H Rally was held in Brooklyn, with the 4-H public speaking competition winners being Debbie McBurnie, senior winner; Marlene Malcolm, intermediate winner; and Beverly McClare, junior winner.
• Susan Doran was selected to represent Windsor Regional High School at the Adventure in Citizenship seminar in Ottawa.
• Nova Scotia’s annual indoor open archery tournament was held in Hantsport. The winners with top individual scores were: men’s high, Roger Hill, Hantsport; girls’ high, Cathy Powers, Greenwood; ladies high, Julie Blondell, Greenwood; and boys’ high, Kevin Mack, Hantsport.
• G.C. McDade and L.D. McCully were appointed to the Board of Directors of Minas Basin Pulp and Power Company Limited.
• The Imperial Theatre in Windsor had a slate of new movies for residents to check out. The rated R Three in the Attic, starring Yvette Mimieux and Christopher Jones, had a four-day run. There were matinee showings of The Magic World of Topo Gigio and 1001 Arabian Nights, for children. Other films included The Americanization of Emily, starring Julie Andrews and James Garner, Helga, which showed the complete birth of a baby, and The Impossible Years, which was billed as a battle between the undergraduates and the over-thirties.
• In the Hants History column dating back to 1944, Alex Miller resigned as Windsor’s chief of police, and George Riley left money in his will to go towards the erection of a community hall in Windsor to be used for youth recreation.
In wartime news from 1944, Private John Lowthers, of Three Mile Plains, was reported as wounded in action; and Private H.W. Pelley, of Guysborough but well-known in Windsor, was awarded the Military Medal. Pilot officer Wesley Knowlton, a former Windsor Bank of Commerce employee, was reported as missing in action.
In the Hants History column from 1919, fisherman Robert Cook was reporting that gaspereau were scarce.
Laurie Stevens, a former Windsor photographer who served during the First World War as an aviator, arrived in Truro flying his privately-owned plane.
