BCN: 30 years and 1550 issues later

It was a beautiful afternoon in April, 1990 when a young man with a clipboard stood in the driveway of LL Brome, polling visitors who strolled down England Hill, stopping to have their photo taken in Derek Severs’ vintage green convertible.

From my second-floor window of The Record office across the street, I watched until my reporter’s curiosity got the best of me and I went outside to ask what the survey was about.

His question: “Do you believe Knowlton should have a weekly newspaper? Would you subscribe if a new paper came to town?”

Um.

The pollster, it turned out, was doing a market study on behalf of an enterprising publisher in Westmount, who was thinking of starting a newspaper in the bustling village.

Two weeks later, The Record launched the weekly Brome County News, and has continued to publish it weekly for 30 years.

So if anyone knows the pollster or the publisher, tell them yes, it was a good idea. Thanks.

Sharon Mccully

Here are a few of the stories we covered that first year.

May, 1990

Victoria Days in Knowlton

It was a spectacular weekend of sights and sounds as members of the Montreal Chamber Orchestra entertained visitors and locals with the mellow sounds of flute and cello while the Barbershop singers provided background music for actors from Theatre Lac Brome to perform period skits on street corners. Throughout the weekend, thousands of visitors ambled through town, greeted by shopkeepers in Victorian-era attire. A highlight of the weekend was the antique show held at Raquette Lac Brome where an estimated 2000 people admired craftsmanship and the beauty of things past.

Lifetime Pen-pals finally meet- Before there was war, husbands, babies and grey hair, there was Girl Guides and pen pals. Joan Eldridge of England and Bertha Nichols from Mansonville were 10-years old when they started exchanging letters and they kept up their correspondence for 55 years until finally meeting. The two women who began their friendship in knee socks and loafers half a century ago, told BCN, finally meeting in Mansonville was a highlight of their lives.

Fisher’s Point ‘renovation’ – Inspectors from TBL were dispatched to a small cottage on Fisher’s Point to check out a renovation project authorized under a grandfather clause, only to discover the ‘reno’ was a topto-bottom rebuild of a rustic cottage to two-storey mansion. Update: it’s a cottage again.

Theatre Lac Brome – TLB artistic director Emma Steven played a lead role in Noel Coward’s witty farce Blithe Spirit in the theatre’s new airconditioned building on the boardwalk. The full summer season ticket included Anton Chekov’s The Sneeze. In the tradition of a community-based theatre, the full calendar included benefit performances for BMP Hospital, Brome County Historical Society and the Group Home for English-speaking youth in Cowansville.

June, 1990

Historical Society celebrates Reginald Fessenden – “One, two, three, four. Is it snowing where you are Mr. Thiessen? If it is, telegraph back and let me know.” Those words spoken by Reginald Aubrey Fessenden on Dec. 23, 1900 represented the first transmission of the human voice without wires. Six years later, the first radio broadcast in the world’s history was made by Fessenden on Christmas Eve, 1906 when he beamed a Christmas concert to the astonished crew of the ships of the United Fruit Company out in the Atlantic. A proud moment in Knowlton and Canadian history.

Cowansville Youth Home reports successful first year- Michael Caluori, president of the newly established home for English-speaking youth said the importance of allowing young people in difficulty to stay in their own communities was confirmed as 18 youths aged 13-17 from the Eastern Townships spent time at the home.

Camp Garagona honours foundersplaques were unveiled at the summer camp for handicapped children in Frelighsburg to honour founders National Hockey League star Doug Harvey and community volunteer Myrtle Tait. The families of Harvey and Tait attended the ceremony at the camp that provides adventure for some 1787 campers and repite for families each summer.

Bring Your own Bag – What is now de rigeur, was a novel concept in June 1990 when a Sutton group launched a campaign to have shoppers bring reusable bags to the store for their shopping. They enlisted the support of Sutton Metro grocery which showed its support for the campaign by offering 3 cents to customers for using their own bags to carry home groceries.

July, 1990

Knowlton : Is this Victorian village for sale?- On the heels of a massive redevelopment of Knowlton’s downtown core, practically all