Victoria Jubilee Hall 2022-23 Season

2022 - 2023 Entertainment Season 111 Jackson Street South - Box 369, Walkerton, Ontario NOG 2V0 Phone: 519-881-2826 E-mail: vjh@wightman.ca Website: www.vjhall.on.ca

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

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Index

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Series Performances Séan McCann......................................................................................................................8 The Wilkinsons...................................................................................................................9 Wingfield’s Folly...................................................................................................... 10 & 11 Allison Lupton..................................................................................................................13

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

Amanda Rheaume............................................................................................................14

Also at Victoria Jubilee Hall Information for Patrons..................................................................................................... 5 Welcome to the Opera Hall............................................................................................... 6 Celebrating 125 years................................................................................................15-18 Volunteers....................................................................................................................... 22 County Towne Players...................................................................................................... 28 Activities at Victoria Jubilee Hall thrive thanks in part to support from the 50/50 draw held at each performance

and the

Rotary Club of Walkerton District 6330

Thank you to the Community for its continued support.

Victoria Jubilee Hall is owned and held in Trust for the community by the non-profit, volunteer Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (South Bruce-Grey Branch)

Information for Patrons

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BOX OFFICE HOURS Monday - Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

(519) 881-2826.

SEATING AND TICKETS Victoria Jubilee Hall has General Seating.

Ticket numbers are for tracking purposes only.

WHEELCHAIRS Victoria Jubilee Hall can offer 3 wheelchair spaces in the Opera Hall.

Reservations are recommended.

Patrons using wheelchairs are requested to arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to the performance time.

LATECOMERS AND LEAVING THE OPERA HALL In order that everyone may enjoy the performance, and in consideration of the performers on stage, latecomers and people who have to leave temporarily during the show will be admitted at a suitable break, at the discretion of the ushers.

THEATRE ETIQUETTE In consideration of those who have allergies, perfume and cologne should be used in moderation.

Please note that the use of recording devices or taking photos is strictly prohibited.

As a further courtesy, all electronic devices should be turned off at all times while in the Opera Hall.

Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

We accept Visa, MasterCard, cheques and cash.

There is a $5 per order handling charge on credit card purchases.

Most tickets can now be purchased on ticketscene.ca Please check our website and social media for all updates on tickets and availability.

FOOD AND DRINK No food or beverage is permitted in the Opera Hall, with the exception of bottled water.

@VJHWalkerton

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There is always something happening at the Hall!

Visit www.vjhall.on.ca to keep up to date.

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It’s so good to be back.

Following a challenging two-year hiatus, we’re so excited to welcome the community back into the hall to come together to experience some of our exciting and excellent shows this season.

During the pandemic, while we were apart, our volunteers were busy behind the scenes. Many renovations and maintenance projects were attended to and our volunteers are working together to start the groundwork for a strategic plan.

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Victoria Jubilee Hall is celebrating its 125-year anniversary and seems poised to springboard into the next phase of its history. We’re working together to bring a wider variety of shows and enhance hall services to continue and build on the long legacy of being a regional hub for arts and culture.

The hall has a long history and it’s on each generation to bring their stories to the stage and use this beautiful space to grow the bonds of community. Your voice matters—please feel free to reach out anytime.

Thank you for joining us and thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely, The Victoria Jubilee Hall Project Committee

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

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Séan McCann

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

Saturday, September 24, 2022, 8:00 p.m. as much as it helped him. His album, “You Know I Love You” (2015) was inspired by the love Séan found in sharing that story and his attempts to find connection in a world seduced by the false social media promise of real connectivity. The latest album, “There’s a Place”, is a collection of songs from a man who is determined to remain "face to face" when we are tempted to keep our eyes buried in our screens and the artificial light of this digital age.

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éan McCann bought his first guitar in 1989 which he affectionately calls “Old Brown”. Old Brown has been around. He was there for the first song Séan ever wrote. He was there as Séan founded Great Big Sea, the acclaimed and multi-million album selling band that would change his life. He was there to hold Séan up many a night as he struggled with alcoholism, and he has been there to help guide Séan out of the darkness with music as his medicine.

Séan's 2014 album “Help Your Self” was a battle cry; a line in the sand which announced that he was ready to start over again. It resonated with people in a way he never could have expected. The experience helped éan understand that he wasn’t alone and that telling his story could help others

A recent recipient of the Order of Canada for his advocacy for those living with mental health and addiction issues, Séan released his first book “One Good Reason”, cowritten with his wife Andrea, in April 2020 … just in time for the pandemic.

“One Good Reason” is the story of how love saved their marriage, and music saved his life. It is the story of a man freed from the weight of a lie; a man who is changing his narrative and never forgetting that he is not alone. Music is strong medicine and Séan did not sit idly by to suffer the effects of social isolation caused by COVID-19. Instead, he researched and recorded a rocking new album of traditional sea shanties that were meant to be sung LOUD and with others! SHANTYMAN is the sound of how working together can help us overcome our most difficult of challenges.

Today he continues his journey as a singer, songwriter, husband, father, and now a sought after keynote speaker and mental health advocate, always with Old Brown by his side.

Part of the Jubilee Arts & Music Series (5 for $140) Individual Tickets: $40

The Wilkinsons

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Saturday, October 22, 2022, 8:00 p.m.

Parton, to Patsy Cline, Restless Heart, Linda Ronstadt, and Garth Brooks.

With Top 5 hits on the Billboard charts, number 1 hits in Canada and a reality show on CMT, The Wilkinsons always entertain. Come see this multi-Grammy nominated, Juno award-winning family group as they play an intimate, acoustic show.

Founded in 1997, the Trenton Ontario family trio consisted of Amanda Wilkinson, Tyler Wilkinson, and Steve Wilkinson. They achieved success late in 1998 with the hit single "26 Cents", a Number One on the Canadian country music charts and Top 5 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. It was followed by "Fly (The Angel Song)", also a No. 1 in Canada.

The trio’s music draws on a mixture of influences—everything from George Strait, Reba McEntire, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Dolly

Part of the Jubilee Arts & Music Series (5 for $140) Individual Tickets: $40

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ocal country music legends return to the Stirling Festival Theatre stage.

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Wingfield’s Folly

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Sunday, November 6, 2022, 2:00 p.m.

he Wingfield Cycle is a Canadian series of seven one-man plays - Letter from Wingfield Farm, Wingfield's Progress, Wingfield's Folly, Wingfield Unbound, Wingfield on Ice, Wingfield's Inferno and Wingfield Lost and Found - written

by Dan Needles, directed by Douglas Beattie and performed by Rod Beattie. They tell the story of Walt Wingfield, a stockbroker-turnedfarmer living near the fictional small town Larkspur, Ontario in Persephone Township and his various misadventures while trying to make a living in the agriculture business.

The plays progress as a series of letters written by Walt to his friend, the editor of the Larkspur newspaper. The plays were later collected and edited into a series of half-hour television shows, which were essentially video recordings of the plays.

In Wingfield’s Folly Walt questions his farming lifestyle after a letter from his firm in Toronto. He accepts a marriage proposal from Maggie, Freddie's sister.

Episode 11 Once again in winter's grip, Walt looks after chores at Don's, risks life and limb trying to get his horses out of the barn, and acquires an "enforcer", Mrs. Pankhurst, the goat.

Episode 12 Freddy declares that Walt's newly acquired but ancient tractor needs a "tune-up" and takes it to pieces in his front yard. Meanwhile Maggie helps Walt deliver a new lamb back at the farm.

Episode 13 Walt discovers the secret to working with his old draft horse, King, prints his own currency and persuades his neighbours to join him in a closed economy on The Seventh Line. Then disaster strikes at the turkey shed.

Episode 14 Walt's currency scheme hits a snag when Dry Cry starts coun-

terfeiting the "Walt". Freddy and Don organize a "work party" to deal with the problem at Dry Cry's store after dark.

Episode 15 Walt gets in a fight with Maggie over an old boyfriend who is trying to swindle her and determines to sell out and move back to the city.

Freddy is hired as auctioneer.

Rod Beattie (actor) A veteran of seventeen seasons and over 50 productions with Ontario's Stratford Festival, Rod Beattie is one of the most respected and versatile actors in Canadian theatre. Featured stage roles include Narcisse in The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux at London's Grand Theatre; Ed in Ed's Garage at the Grand Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre and Theatre Orangeville; Felix in The Odd Couple at Segal Centre, Montreal; Johnny Pateen Mike in The Cripple of Inishmaan at Theatre Calgary; Bill in The Love List and Greg in Sylvia at the Belfry Continued on page 11

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Douglas Beattie (director) became an independent producer and director in 1979. His association with Dan Needles goes back to childhood summers spent on the farm. In addition to heading the Wingfield team Doug has been guest director at the Stratford Festival; the Belfry Theatre, Victoria; Lighthouse Festival, Port Dover; Theatre Orangeville; the Blyth Festival; the Piggery Theatre, North Hatley; Thousand Islands Playhouse; Gryphon Theatre, Barrie, and the Grand Theatre, London (The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux, Ed's Garage and The Perils of Persephone). He was consultant to Primedia's television production of Letter From Wingfield Farm which won the 1991 "Gemini" Award for best performing arts program and is co-executive producer of the Wingfield TV series. He is also founding Artistic Director of Pie in the Sky Productions (formerly Touchmark Theatre) and President of Douglas Beattie Theatrical Productions Ltd. which markets the CDs and DVDs of the Wingfield plays.

Part of the Jubilee Arts & Music Series (5 for $140) Individual Tickets: $40

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Dan Needles (playwright) spent half his childhood in the city and half on the family farm at Rosemont, Ontario. After university he went to work as editor of the local newspaper in Shelburne where he created the character of Walt Wingfield, the retired stockbroker turned farmer, who told about his adventures on the farm in a series of weekly letters to the editor. In 1985 Dan drew from these columns to write his first play Letter From Wingfield Farm.

Wingfield's Progress followed in 1987, Wingfield's Folly in 1990, Wingfield Unbound in 1997, Wingfield On Ice in 2001, Wingfield's Inferno in 2005 and Wingfield Lost and Found in 2009. Since 1997 Dan has delighted readers of Harrowsmith magazine with his back page column.

He also writes for Small Farm Cana-

da, Farmers Forum and three Ontario publications, On the Bay, In the Hills and Watershed. Dan won the 2003 Leacock Medal for Humour for his book With Axe and Flask, the History of Persephone Township from Pre-Cambrian Times to the Present.

Wingfield's World, a novelization of all seven Wingfield plays, was released by Random House in October, 2011. His latest book, True Confessions from the Ninth Concession, was published by Douglas & McIntyre in the fall of 2017. Dan's other plays include The Perils of Persephone, Ed's Garage, Team on the Hill, Baco Noir and The Last Christmas Turkey, which premiered as a Christmas musical at Theatre Orangeville in December, 2017, with music and lyrics by composer Clive VanderBurgh. In December, 2014, Dan was appointed Member of the Order of Canada.

Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

Theatre, Victoria; John Proctor in The Crucible and Father Gustave in Blessings in Disguise at Manitoba Theatre Centre; the professor in Oleanna at the Grand Theatre and the National Arts Centre (opposite Sandra Oh) and Andy Ladd in an Ontario tour of Love Letters (opposite Martha Henry).

Over the past thirty years Rod's name has become synonymous with the Wingfield series which has brought him acting awards, rave reviews and sold-out houses in Toronto, London, Stratford, Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Saint John, Fredericton and a host of smaller communities across Canada. Rod and Walt made their American debuts to great acclaim at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 1994. Rod is the winner of the 1991 - 92 "Dora" Award (best performance by an actor in a leading role) for his performance in the first three Wingfield plays. In 2017, he was appointed Member of the Order of Canada.

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Allison Lupton

Saturday, February 25, 2023, 8:00 p.m.

After working with various bands

and groups including Killiecrankie, which was regularly heard on CBC Radio’s legendary Max Ferguson Show, Allison began releasing music under her own name in 2001 with her debut album “My True Love”. The album launched her solo career, performing across Canada, the United States, and the UK. She has since recorded 3 solo CDs and been featured on CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. Allison is a frequent collaborator with other artists, releasing singles with The Young’uns (The Eve of Christmas Day), Craig Werth (When TroubleComes) and the album “So Lucky” with Tannis Slimmon and Rosemary Phelan. She has also been featured as a soloist with The International, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge Symphony Orchestras.

Allison is a multiple CFMA nominee for “Traditional Singer of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” as well as Folk Music Ontario’s “Songs From the Heart” grand prize winner for “One More Day”. With her new album, “Words of Love”, Lupton can count herself securely among Canadian folk music’s finest contributors.

Part of the Jubilee Arts & Music Series (5 for $140) Individual Tickets: $40

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cclaimed Scottish musician Archie Fisher shared that “Allison Lupton’s balance of strong composition and sensitive musicality makes her a fine contemporary songwriter and interpreter of the tradition and the works of her fellow songsmiths.”

Born and raised on a second generation dairy farm in rural Ontario, Allison Lupton has always been immersed in Canadian folk life, but it took a love and intense study of Irish and Celtic music for her to find her way to the Canadian folk music tradition that she has grown up around.

Her newest album, “Words of Love” showcases her original material, songs which fit so perfectly into the cannon of Canadian folk music that they could easily be mistaken for traditional numbers. Along with her band mates Andrew Collins, Shane Cook, Tony McManus, Joseph Phillips and Ivan Rosenberg, Allison brings to life the best of the contemporary folk music scene in Ontario, while incorporating the Celtic influences that have been such an important part of the Canadian immigrant story as well as her own musical path.

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Amanda Rheaume

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Saturday, April 22, 2023, 8:00 p.m.

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manda Rheaume’s rootsy, guitar-driven ballads introduce crucial dimensions to the world of Heartland Rock. In a genre characterized by anthems of underdogs, assumptions and unfair advantages, Rheaume’s sound and story crucially and radically expand the boundaries, geographic and cultural, to make space for new perspectives on resistance and resilience. A Citizen of the Métis Nation, and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume’s music is indeed from the heart, and the land.

First a songwriter, Rheaume comes from a long line of tireless, transformational organizers and activists, and carries this lineage forward in her ever-growing role as a crucial builder of Indigenous music infrastructure and community. From the Interna-

tional Indigenous Music Summit, to newly-founded Ishkode Records, and the National Indigenous Music Office, the goal of raising Indigenous sovereignty in the music industry drives all of Rheaume’s work.

Rheaume (she/her) has released 5 full-length albums over a period of 15 years, a self-managed career that has traveled countless tours and milestones. 2013’s Keep a Fire was nominated for a JUNO Award and won a Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. With a new single “100 Years,” a driving, surging Copperhead Roadesque journey through a wilfully, harmfully misrepresented chapter in a violent colonial timeline, Rheaume makes a powerful statement about history and identity.

Part of the Jubilee Arts & Music Series (5 for $140) Individual Tickets: $40

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ictoria Jubilee Hall has been an important part of the community for 125 years, bringing people together as a regional hub for arts and culture.

Victoria Jubilee Hall was built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign. The cornerstone was laid 12 August 1897 and the first Town Council meeting was held 19 February 1898 in the newly built Town Hall.

One of the many that helped to build the Hall was John “Jack Black” Douglas. Douglas was a two-time Town Reeve and was also a foreman at Spool & Bobbin and is buried in the Douglas Hill Cemetery on Bruce Road 3 near Eden Grove. One of his descendants has donated some of the original tools used during the construction to the hall to be kept as artifacts of hall history.

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The Hall was designed by A.R. Denison and constructed by contractor Henry Clark, using marl brick, clay and local fieldstone, intended to replace the original wooden structure used by the town. The marl clay was taken from an area which was gradually filled in with water, creating Marl Lakes.

Recently an article surfaced giving an account of the laying of the cornerstone. According to the article from 1897, in the cavity of the cornerstone they placed a scroll, a vial of Canadian coins, a list of voters, the town bylaws, a history of Walkerton and copies of local and regional newspapers including the Walkerton Telescope and the Toronto Globe.

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16 Continued from page 15 Of course, one of the most distinctive features of the Hall is its bell tower and cupola. The bell itself was manufactured in 1870 in Troy, New York and raised into the bell tower in 1897 where it sits today protected by the cupola.

In the early years the bell tolled at 7 a.m. to mark the workday, at 12 p.m. for lunch, at 6 p.m. to mark the end the day and finally at 9 p.m. to mark the curfew for children. On Sunday mornings it rang at 10:30 a.m. to remind people to get to church. In addition, the small clapper on the bell was rung insistently to summon help if there was a fire and a very long tolling if someone had drowned in the river.

Municipal records show that proceeds from a concert held during the Hall’s official opening were to purchase glass-covered faces for a clock in the tower. Town council at the time realized it would cost up to $20,000, millions in today’s currency, so the clock windows sat empty for 109 years. In 2006, thanks to the initiative of Mac and Jean Kirstine, with the assistance of Gladys Jacklin, the Walkerton Image Committee and Harkes Industries, the clocks were finally installed in the four windows of the bell tower.

There are eight different floor levels.

Originally the lowest level was used as a farmers’ market with weigh scales set up next to the hall to weigh coal and farm products. In later years it was converted to a fire hall and firemen’s quarters. The rest of the building housed municipal offices, a marketplace, council chambers, police office and jail, the Opera Hall and the top floors were the living quarters for the Ferguson family.

The Opera Hall seats 300 people and has an upper balcony with original seating. The seating was supplied by the Valley City Chair Co. of Dundas Ontario at a cost of $1.10 per seat.

Since its debut the Hall has been used for social dances, box lunches, political rallies and debates, along with theatrical presentations. The seats were not bolted to the floor, as they are today, but rather could be moved and stored away under the stage to make room for dances, with an orchestra set up on the stage.

Looking closely, you will see the highly polished wood, handcrafted iron railings, plush covered seats and velvet stage curtains setting the stage for live theatre, music and more.

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hief R. B. Ferguson and his family moved from Wingham to Walkerton in 1904 with his wife and ten children. Together, they lived in the Hall as the first caretakers living on the top floor and two rooms on the ground level.

They worked to maintain the interior and exterior, including the grounds keeping.

R. B. Ferguson was also the town police chief, truancy and quarantine officer and dog catcher. He rang the bell morning, noon and night and oversaw the weigh scales. There was a nightshift officer who worked but would wake Chief Ferguson in an emergency.

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just walk out and put up a thumb and get ride by a town person.

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Grace Ferguson Wood, husband Wallace Wood and their four children lived at the hall from 1957 to 1972 when the town council decided to convert the living quarters into municipal offices.

Carrying on the duties from his father before him, Chief John E. Ferguson, his wife Mabell and their five children lived at the hall from 1933 to 1956. Chief John Ferguson would walk his rounds through town and if anyone wanted to speak with him the people would leave handkerchiefs or notes to let him know. He did not have a vehicle but that did not get in the way of his duties. He was well known and so highly respected that if he needed a ride, such as to a police emergency out of town, he would

From a 2007 interview Grace recalls some memorable moments from her childhood watching live shows and dances. Her husband Wallace Wood was a drummer and performed in the hall with popular bands such as the Esquires, Circle 8 Ranch and Earl Heywood. Grace recalls in her childhood ringing with bell to signal a fire at the Baptist church she saw through her bedroom window. The following week there was an article in the town paper with the headline “Baptist Church Saved by Amazing Grace”

Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

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Grace’s father was Chief John E. Ferguson and her grandfather was Chief R. B. Ferguson. When her father was ready to retire, the caretaker position opened and so she decided that they would carry on the family tradition of caring for the hall.

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ictoria Jubilee Hall stands today thanks to a group of citizen volunteers, who worked very diligently to save the building from dereliction and demolition twenty-five years ago. That group has grown into a small but dedicated group of volunteers who are involved in every aspect of operating the hall.

The building is now held in trust for the community by the South BruceGrey Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), a non-profit, volunteer organization.

Victoria Jubilee Hall is a volunteerled organization with these volunteers overseeing operations and caring for the hall. This includes

booking shows, maintenance and repairs, finances, grant applications, marketing and promotions.

During performances it is the sound and light technicians, ushers, ticket takers and lift operators. It also includes the work of a very small group of dedicated, green thumb volunteers who look after the landscaped areas around the building, planting, pruning and weeding to ensure the beauty and blooming of Jubilee Gardens.

At Victoria Jubilee Hall volunteers are recognized as the lifeblood of the building.

Without volunteers the show would not go on.

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This is an early postcard of Victoria Jubilee Hall featuring the weigh scales and the original entrance.

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Manufactured in 1870 in Troy New York, the bell was raised into the bell tower in 1897 where it sits today protected by the cupola. In the early years the bell tolled to mark the workday at 7 a.m., at 12 p.m. for lunch, at 6 p.m. to mark the end of day and finally at 9 p.m. to signal curfew for children.

On Sunday mornings it rang at 10:30 a.m. to remind people to get to church. In addition, the small clapper on the bell was rung insistently to summon help if there was a fire and a very long tolling if someone had drowned in the river.

Inside the tower and up to the bell there are many names of those before us—so when you make the climb up the tower you are in good company. A wonderful article by Lloyd Cartwright, we hear about the lives and work of the the Wallace Brothers who, at least twice in the hall's history, rejuvenated the walls with a fresh coat. To this day, you can see the signed wall in the bell tower.

Back in the day weigh scales were set up next to the hall, where the Bell building now sits. It was the responsibility of the caretaker to monitor and work them. They were used to mostly weigh coal and farm products. In the winter clear paths had to be kept as the snow would reach the tops of the hydro poles.

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~ Volunteers ~

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

A special thank you to all our volunteers who have contributed thousands of hours and a wealth of expertise to breath renewed life into the Victoria Jubilee Hall.

Sharlene Adams Marilyn Al Andrea Barclay Cameron Blythe Steve Blythe James Bonhert Maryanne Buehlow Bill Carroll Yvonne Carroll Ted Cobean Ron Cook Cathy Cormack Reta Cunningham Debbie Davidson Catherine Dickison Cate Diebold Heather Eckert Jeanne Eddyvean Sharron Edgar Ruth Fischer Tammy Gailing Kendra Girodat

Janice Hawkins Tim Hawkins Barb Kerry Bridget Kerry Doug Lonsdale Bonnie McGinnis Ken McGinnis Dash McLean Greg McLean Terri McNinch Gemma Mendez-Smith Bob McCulloch Deb Meyer Don Moore Adam Nickel Anne Nicolson Linda O'Hagan Monica O'Hagan Richard Osborne Andrea Popiez Richard Popiez Cally Quish

Pauline Siegfried Jayne Schlosser Winnie Schmidt Greg Schuett Gregory Smith Leyah Smith Henry Simpson Judy Sloan Marg Sockett Joanne Sutton Gregory Smith Bruce Stickney Mary Stortini Joanne Sutton Mary Tally Ron Tally Lydia Thackeray Gail Voisin Michelle Walker Vicky Weber Stephanie Wells Robin Zettel

Forever in Blue Jeans: Tribute Show to Neil Diamond

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With Special Guests Aaron Solomon as Roy Orbison & Laurie Lynn Danks as Dolly Parton

Sunday December 4, 2022, 3:00 p.m.

Tickets: $40 Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

Sing! Show Chorus November 24-27, 2022 & May 11-14, 2023

www.singshowchorus.ca

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Sing! Show Chorus is back!

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Alarm Systems Access Control

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Medical Alarm Video Surveillance Mobile Control

Matt & Doug Berry 519-881-1103 www.firstlinesecurity.ca 10 Elm St N. Walkerton, ON N0G 2V0

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Below is an interview excerpt of Grace Wood recalling her account of the pipe and life at the hall. “The old ‘whistle’ pipe still exists in the tower with the bell rope. How did it work when there was an emergency? We had a phone upstairs near the bedrooms and when it rang after 10 o’clock at night, you knew that somebody died, or it was a fire. The phone is really what held us here.

We couldn’t go too far from it and we never failed to answer it. When a call came in, we would ring the bell to signal the volunteer firemen that lived in town. If the call came in at night, there was a pipe near the rope, we called it “the whistle”. When the firemen arrived, they would whistle up and then we’d call back down and tell them where the fire was. That’s how we communicated. We used it a lot in my dad’s day and it saved a lot of time running up and down the stairs.

Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

Did you know the balcony seats in the opera are original to the building. The seating was supplied by the Valley City Chair Co. of Dundas Ontario at a cost of $1.10 per seat. Valley City Chair Co. closed its woodworking doors in 2012 after a 178-year run. They were the premier company for laboratory furniture but had a specialty for wooden seating for churches, courthouses and theatres.

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To commemorate an event a miniature of the Victoria Jubilee Hall was built. It was constructed and painted by George Allison and his wife Jean, parents of Lynne (Ken) Brown of Walkerton.

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Did you know that on 21 August 2003 the Victoria Jubilee Hall was struck by lightning? Minimal damage occurred and when repairs were made, the lightening rod in the cupola was re-grounded and has been ever since.

Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

When the hall was constructed in 1897 this stain glass was installed along with it. You can find it just above the main entrance. Rumour has it that it has been shot at by a pellet gun and if you look closely, you can see a tiny hole.

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County Towne Players are coming back

Watch for further updates about the new play!

Yet another great example of why, small rural towns are such a wonderful place to live (“the people”, just in case you haven’t figured it out!)

The 2022 cast and crew of the County Towne Players’ production of Four Weddings and an Elvis.

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

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Thanks to: Marg Sockett Ruth Fischer Pauline Siegfried And Future Lawn Inc

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Victoria Jubilee Hall - Since 1897 - Celebrating 125 years

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