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Doug’s 1950 Olds 88 traded for load of cow manure EMC Lifestyle – Doug Janney of Renfrew, Ontario, has owned several classy vintage cars over the years, but in his teenage days, he drove some real “heaps.” Here is the story of one of them while Doug attended Lorne Park College in what is now Mississauga. Doug often spent Saturday mornings visiting his friend and mentor Jack Sanford in nearby Streetsville. Jack and Doug would go out and pick up scrap metal, old radiators, batteries, and copper wire, then burn the insulation off the wire and take their loot to the scrap metal dealer on Mavis Road in Cooksville. Jack knew of many neat old cars available for sale in the area, including a jet black 1950 Olds 88 twodoor fastback with its original overhead valve Oldsmobile Rocket V8 engine under the hood. The interior still retained its new car smell. Doug’s father always viewed the Oldsmobile and Buick as being several steps higher than the Janney family’s 1954 Ford and gave his son approval to buy the Olds. Doug bought the car for $65 from money earned working at his 65-cent per hour part-time job at a Do-
minion store and his share of the scrap metal loot. Two weeks later, Doug and his dad washed the Olds and then began waxing it. As they applied the wax, some of the paint came off, exposing masking tape covered by a thick tar substance. Doug’s friends referred to this cheap restoration technique as “Canadian welding.” Doug was not happy. A short time later, his dad announced the need for compost material for a vegetable garden. A farmer in Streetsville loved Doug’s Olds. Without telling his dad, Doug negotiated a deal to sell the Olds, and part of the deal was a dump truck full of cow manure to be delivered to the Janney home. Doug rushed home to tell the farmer where to dump it, but the farmer got there first and dumped the entire load in his parents’ driveway, with steam coming off, flies buzzing around, and a horrible stench. Doug’s parents were
not happy. It took Doug and a friend an entire week wheel barrowing this load to the site of the vegetable garden. About a year later, the Oakville police arrived at Doug’s parents’ house. The Olds 88 had been put into Doug’s father’s name for insurance. The car was found at the site of a suspicious barn fire and the new owners had not transferred the registration or licence plates. Once again, Doug was in the dog house with his parents. As Doug says: “Let the buyer – and seller – beware!” I’m always looking for more stories. Email billtsherk@sympatico.ca or write Bill Sherk, 25 John St., P.O. Box 255, Leamington, ON N8H 3W2. Everyone whose story is published in this column will receive a free autographed copy of my recent book, “OLD CAR DETECTIVE FAVOURITE STORIES, 1925 to 1965.”
Submitted illustration
Here’s an image of a 1950 Olds 88 two-door fastback taken from a sales brochure.
DIXON From page 25
or in Smiths Falls at Rideau River Music. In Carleton Place, it’s available at SRC Music on Moore Street. Music show Dixon is working on an all-star series – the Ottawa Valley Opry – to be held at the Carleton Place Town Hall auditorium on Feb. 17. Along with Dixon, some of the top local voices from the Valley will be on stage. “I wanted to do this
because there are a lot of great musicians in the area and they need to be heard,” Dixon says. “It’s going to be a sit-down concert type of show and tickets are $20.” Arlene Quinn, who Dixon says is the Queen of Country in the Valley, will be on stage, as will be Jamie and Jeff McMunn and Johnny Spinks. The house band will consist of fiddle player Peter Dawson, an Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame inductee in 1999; guitarist Brad Scott, 18, of Pak-
enham, who Dixon says is already a superstar; Ed Ashton of Perth on bass, Terry Kittmer of McDonalds Corners on drums; Wayne Mills of the Freddy Vette and Flames fame on bass saxophone. The show gets under way at 2 p.m. at the town hall, located at 125 Bridge St., Carleton Place. Tickets are available at Shadowfax, 67 Foster St., Perth; SRC in Carleton Place. Call 613-267-6817 or 1-800-518-2729 for more information.
Tell Someone This is a great opportunity to brag. Tell someone what you’re doing to make the world a better place. Support the cause. Encourage them to get involved too!
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Alan Brown’s 26th Annual
Almonte Office 613-256-1860
Royal LePage Toy & Collectible Show & Sale
Warehouse Sale
Brockville Legion Hall
4 HUGE DAYS!
A Little Something for Everyone
Saturday, January 26, 2013 Almonte Civitan Hall
Thursday January 17 thru Sunday January 20
500 Almonte St., Almonte, ON 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Admission $5.00 at the door Children Under 12 FREE
Save up to 70% Men’s and Ladies’ Name Brand Fashions
www.bigbrothersbigsisterslanark.ca jennifer.miller@bigbrothersbigsisters.ca
613-283-0570 Proceeds from the Toy Show will go to support the programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lanark County
SALE LOCATION Brockville Legion 180 Park St, Brockville
SALE HOURS Thursday Jan 17 ...10-9 Friday Jan 18 .......10-9 Saturday Jan 19 .....9-5 Sunday Jan 20......10-4
Downtown Store Closed During This Event THE EMC - 26 - Thursday, January 10, 2013
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