Karen Smith recalls bringing the band to her house the Sixties for a 'jumping' Christmas party, with furniture pushed aside, and then the phone rang .. plus Ian Macdonald on toyland; Mike McMullen, Ken Schroeder at church

House parties over the Christmas season are always popular but one held in Chapleau during the Sixties still brings back memories as a live band had the place jumping in no time after it arrived at the home of Karen Smith.

Andre Renaud had mentioned the party to me some time ago when I was researching 'Phoenix Rising' a band in which he played drums for a time. The band also went under other names. So, as i was looking for some different Chapleau moments at Christmas, I was able to contact Karen for some information about bringing the band to her home to play for a party.

Karen wrote: "The heroes of this tale are my Mum and Dad. My brother Brian and I were home for Christmas. A bunch of us had gone to the show and were returning to our place when someone mentioned the band was practising in the basement of the town hall. I think it was Ken Braumberger that talked them into playing at our place."

Karen and Brian's parents were Cecil and Ruth Smith and they owned the Fox Theatre in Chapleau. To the real oldtimers, at first they had the Regent Theatre.

"In no time we had the band and their instruments loaded in trucks and cars and and set up in my parents family room," Karen continued. "Carpets in the living room and dining room were rolled up, and furniture pushed aside.

Peter Simpson and Sean Henry

"We did have a piano at our place and Peter Simpson tickled the ivory . That piano never sounded so good. The band had the place was a jumping in no time. Guitars, drums, horn, piano and even Frankie (Bignucolo) singing his heart out. "

Then the phone rang....

"Expecting a noise complaint I answered," Karen said. "It was our neighbour Mrs. Pineault concerned that someone was snooping around our garage. She could see the lights going on and off and was sure someone was sitting in the car. Out we went to investigate.

"There sat my Mum and Dad. They had arrived home to find their house filled with teenagers dancing to the music of a live band and could not hear themselves think. Dad had made a dash into the kitchen poured them both a stiff drink and there they sat, in the car in the garage waiting for the party to end."

"Learning that it was Mum and Dad sitting in the car, Mr. Pineault came over and invited Mum and Dad over to the warmth and peace and quet of their place.

"I have no idea how long the party lasted but by the next morning all the furniture was in place nothing broken and everyone had a great time.

"God Bless Mum and Dad. They had their home invaded by teenagers more than once," Karen added.

(As an aside, on a personal note, I thank Karen for her kind words about my grandfather Gerge Hunt and my family at St. John's Church.)

Andre Renaud picked up the story by recalling that it was Peter Simpson who made the arrangements with Karen " I was fairly new in the band at that time. I remember Peter saying to me," Andre we have a Christmas party to play at..It's at Karen Smith's place..

Peter told him they needed about 20 songs asking if he thought he could do different beats because he knew that in a small area the mistakes stand out and it's hard to keep the drum sound low. "You mostly use brushes or the stick on the rim and use he high hat rather than the big cymbals...."

Andre remembers that the place was packed, and it went over real well."We had a great time and there was no trouble at all..Karen was a great hostess and she paid us real well for those days..I remember $5.00 each..

"My drums were new and they were like a blue sparkle..Peter would alway say when the guys helped me move them around..Watch the bluey guys... watch the bluey.LOL. Peter had a nickname..A lot of people called him Simmy I always called him Pete."


While we were chatting Andre recalled another popular feature at Christmas in Chapleau. "I used to like going downstairs at Smith and Chapple's and look at the toy display..Also the train display they had there every Christmas.Nice place to duck into on the way to school when it was real cold..Warm up for a few minutes and keep going the rest of the way..LOL"

I remembered that Ian Macdonald, now retired as professor and head of the department of architecture at the University of Manitoba, at one time had a connection to the Smith and Chapple train display, so sent him an email for details. As always Ian replied promptly with details.

"My Dad looked after the Smith and Chapple hardware department including "toyland". It was set up in the lower level at the east end of the building under the Grocery department. The toyland display always included two electric train layouts. One was an American Flyer and the other was a Lionel.

"I had the nonsalaried assignment to oversee the operation of both of them which I gladly did. It was the only job I ever had at Smith and Chapple aside from occasionally delivering flyers.

"Several years later I began firing for the CPR and had the opportunity to actually operate full size locomotives hostling at Cartier. Most of my subsequent Christmas holidays were spent in a CPR locomotive cab substituting for running crews who were booking off. It paid a lot better than the Smith and Chapple assignment but I'm not sure it was ever quite as much fun."

Ken and Mike about then!!!

Michael McMullen, my cousin, and Ken Schroeder, my good friend, shared their exchange of emails about their role at the midnight service at St. John's Anglican Church where Michael had to fight an itch.

Michael asked Ken: "Do you remember the Christmas Eve service (midnight I believe) in either 1952 or 1953 that you and I were charged with standing in the middle aisle and determining when people could go up for communion? As I recall the church was packed. One reason that I remember it so vividly is that I had to scratch the back of my leg and was too embarassed to do anything about it while on duty (and display). The relief to do that downstairs afterwards has been etched in my mind ever since!"

Ken replied: "Funny how some things just stick .." Ken advised us that he has now been promoted to stand guard at the foot of the two steps at their church here in Hamilton. "Sigi (his wife) lets them out, one side at a time, and I wait to catch  anybody that falters on the steps .....good job ....."

I think the service was in 1952 when Rev. E. Roy Haddon was at St. John's. I recall the packed church. As an aside, at that time Michael's father Keith, was the People's Warden and my mother Muriel, and Ken's mother, Edith "Teddy" Schroeder, were in the choir.

Ian Macdonald recalled his role: "As an aside, my assignment at St.John's for the Christmas Eve service was operating the chimes. It was a job I inherited from Bob Linklater  who was then studying for the ministry at U of T. You may recall that  the chimes were actually a recording which was played on a set of large speakers in the St.John's belfry connected to a record player and amplifier in the ante room off of the Vestry. There was a real bell in the belfry in addition to the "virtual chimes" which I heard only on very rare occasions. I'm not sure but I think that Miss Herner donated the  sound system. You probably know better than I.

I believe she did along with her sister, Mrs Nettie Grout



Thanks all for the memories. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Christmas at Our Place in Chapleau by Bill and Barbara Groves

Bill and Barbara (Bowland) Groves kindly shared photos of their beautifully decorated home in Chapleau. plus Billand Barb out for a Winter hike in the golf course area.

They also sent along the following message:

"From our place to yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

And, the same to you Bill and Barb.  mjm

Chapleau folks share memories of the season from Christmas market in Germany to church pageant and Santa Claus at Smith and Chapple Ltd.

Lorne and Jackie Riley with Erin, Patty, Loreen, Lorne at Christmas

Lorne Riley shares memories of Christmas songs from home countries while June-Marie Charlwood remembers the crisp cold snow and Ken Schroeder plays Santa Claus. It is the Christmas season and time once again to bring you moments from here and there and indeed everywhere.

Lorne Riley writes from Dubai where he is head of corporate communications for Dubai Airports that he lived overseas for 10 years now in three different countries and, "despite this, have managed to more or less maintain a 'Canadian Christmas'. It typically means flying home for two harried weeks jam-packed with dinners, lunches and get-togethers as we struggle to see as many people as possible in a very short time frame."

However, his favourite overseas Christmas experience was in Frankfurt where "we used to have a staff party every year to celebrate Christmas in the German tradition."

Lorne explained that typically it "started in the Christmas market in Hauptwache at the centre of the city with cups of mulled, sweetened gluhwein or beer (the best in the world I might add) and snacks like bratwurst or kartofelpuffer (potato pancakes and apple sauce). It would end with a merry, multi-cultural group primed with Pils, gathered around a heavy wooden table laden with goose, rotkraut (red cabbage) and knoedel (a doughy dumpling the size of a baseball) in a smokey restaurant singing Christmas songs from our home countries."

He also recalled very fond memories of Chapleau Christmases..."ham and perogies were the tradition at Christmas Eve at the Riley household, lovingly prepared by my mother (Jackie Riley who is a great cook...hi Mom!).

"In my teenage years our gang of friends (some of us from the NOHA Midget C Champion Chapleau Huskies...John Bernier, Pat Payette, Randy Carroll, Tim Morin, Donald Swanson, Mario Lapierre, Alain Bouillon and Paul Martel to name a few) would gather at the Payettes for some Christmas cheer and a singalong."

Just to interject a bit on the champion Midget C Huskies, they won the NOHA title in 1979-80 in Blind River in a nail biting series. The coaches were Jamie Doyle and Mike Tangie, and I was there on the bench with them. Also, Lorne's father, Lorne Sr., coached the Chapleau Midgets to an NOHA title in the Sixties which led to the founding of the Chapleau Junior B Huskies. Lorne Sr was the first coach of that team which won championships in 1966-67, its first year. When Lorne became ill, Keith "Buddy" Swanson, the manager took over as coach.

And most importantly Lorne shares: "I still remember waking up Christmas day to the smell of turkey roasting, opening the treats in our Christmas sock which was pinned at the foot of the bed (a clever ploy by my parents to keep us entertained in our rooms so they could catch an extra hour or two of sleep) and looking through a thickly frosted window to see if sliding at Second Rock or on Hospital Hill was in the cards...that is if Santa brought the Krazy Karpet I had asked for....

"While I haven't made it back to Chapleau for Christmas in a very long time, and I rarely get to see my very good friends from back in the day, I'd like to send everyone back home best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and safe, healthy and Happy New Year."\

June-Marie Charlwood, a member of one of Chapleau's pioneer families wrote that the one memory she had of Christmas in Chapleau was the Christmas Pageant by the St. John's Anglican Church Sunday School and singing The Huron Carol.

June-Marie is the daughter of the late Bessie Woodard who was born and raised in Chapleau. Bessie married Maurice Charette and they lived in Chapleau in the early Fifties.

"Then we went to the Zufelts (Elsie (Hunt) and B.W. "Bubs" Zufelt lived on Beech Street at the time) and walking home in the crisp cold snow and watching the beautiful aurora borealis light up the sky....I believe I was 7 which would make it 1952..."

When June Marie mentioned 1952, it rang a bell and I went to my book 'Sons of Thunder ... Apostles of Love' to see what was happening at St. John's. I noted that at Christmas 1952 when Rev. E. Roy Haddon was the rector, the largest congregation ever recorded at a service to that time in the history of the parish was on Christmas Eve with 267 people in attendance. There were chairs in the aisle on a beautiful Winter evening.

June Marie also recalled getting a book called 'Fifty Famous Fairy Tales' that year which she still has and "read to my children and grandchildren. ....Wow Michael you have brought up some very special memories to my heart..."

When I received an email from my lifelong friend Ken Schroeder with some memories, I actually did recall when he was Santa Claus at Smith and Chapple Ltd.

Ken wrote: "I remember being a Chapleau 'Santa Claus' at Smith and Chapple one year, music was big ..nice and loud ....kids enjoyed... Jingle Bells... etc....Art Grout always was happy about these good times ....people smiling . Good times ...." They sure were great days Ken.



FROM MY EMAIL BAG

Vivian Edwards wrote about my article on John 'Mac' McClellan. "That article on Mr McClellan was so excellent. When I wanted a job at the Chapleau Telephone Co. I gave Mac as a reference and Mrs Delaney phoned him and he said hire her. It changed my whole life. I Joined his bugle band but he let me be in it but told me not to blow the bugle as I couldn't carry a note. I took the bugle home gees I was proud and was in the marching band but messed up as I swung my arms the same way. Poor guy he was so tolerant. When my brother Tom quit school he called my mom and said this boy was to carry on in school. Over the years I am sure he helped countless students. Great men happen only so often and he was one of them . Good job Michael."

DR. YOUNG MEMORIAL
I have been advised that the Queen's University Alumni Review will run a memorial article on Dr. G.E.Young in its Winter issue. Dr. Young graduated from Queen's in medicine in 1942.

Please feel free to send along your Christmas memories and/or photos. My email is mj.morris@live.ca
or see me on Facebook!