Hants history
Here’s a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal.
25 years ago (Sept. 22 and 29, 1993 editions)
• The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth was a new organization that was formed to replace the World Pumpkin Confederation. The goal of the group was to give growers greater say in how pumpkin and squash weigh-offs were run.
Will Neily, of Spa Springs, was in charge of promoting the new group and said he anticipated a large number of entries in 1993.
• The Hants County Exhibition was deemed another success, recording 37,343 visitors in five days.
• Hants West MLA Ron Russell was sounding the alarm over the possibility that the Liberal government was looking to reinstate video gambling machines in corner stores.
• Apple crops were hit hard by the unusual weather experienced in 1993, with the cold temperatures in the spring doing much damage to Hants County trees.
Daniels U-Pick was reporting that fruit with a pit was “almost non-existent.”
• The winners of the inaugural Sam Slick Photo Contest, held in August, were announced. There were a total of 124 entries. The grand prize winner was Cynthia Phillips, of Halifax. The winner of the Sam Slick Sayings category was Ted Doane, of Windsor, and the winner of the My Best Shot category was Lester McLellan, of Walton.
• Nineteen-year-old Amanda James, of Windsor, accepted employment as the groom of one of Germany’s top riders, Nadine Cappellmann-Biffar. Her employer was ranked seventh in Grand Prix dressage riding in Germany and was trying to qualify for the 1996 Olympic team. James was to accompany Cappellmann-Biffar around Europe for various competitions.
• Two sets of pen-pals met in Walton after decades of correspondence. Ferris Weatherby, of Walton, met Margaret Coates, of Skipton, England, after 51 years of letter writing, and Joy Clark, of Walton, met Eileen Palmer, of Leeds, England, after 40 years of overseas friendship.
50 years ago (Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, 1968 editions)
• The Hants County Exhibition indicated it had broken its attendance record. More than 40,000 visitors stopped by the week-long show in 1968, with 13,803 stopping by on Saturday alone.
• Miriam White, of Windsor, with her pony Sir Bronk, took home three first place trophies at the Hants County Exhibition: pony hunter conformation, hunter pony over 12.2 hands and pony handy working hunter. The duo also won awards at the Lawrencetown and Truro exhibitions.
• Three fires were reported within minutes of one another along the shore.