Oops, there was another owner of Truro’s famous old hockey Forum
Leave it to an ‘old friend’ to straighten out the ship.
Back during early February - we featured a once popular Truro rink. The Fleming Arena, located on the north side of Queen Street, opened in 1931. In later years it became known as the Truro Forum and still later it was called the Colchester Forum. Home to many hockey players and skaters, some terrific Truro Bearcats hockey teams played senior hockey before large crowds in the historic building.
In researching what has been recorded regarding the former well-known Truro landmark, we found that William Fleming was the original owner. Some years later Willard Cox became the owner and still later local businessmen George Mccharles, and Larry Hatfield owned the facility. Things ended for the Forum in early 1963 when the building was destroyed by fire.
To tell the story correctly and to explain how it was learned that one gentleman had been omitted from the list of owners, I would like to go back to a friendship that began in Brookfield in 1952. On a beautiful summer afternoon nearly 70 years ago, an eight-year-old picked a strange way to try to make a friend.
Driving a bicycle too fast through an opening in a white board-fence leading to the Johnson yard, also the home of Freddie Johnson’s Auto Body, the eight-year-old failed to negotiate a right turn and ran smack into the back fender of ‘a really neat Model T Ford.’ The kid immediately felt fear and embarrassment.
Picking himself and his bike up off the ground – he saw Mr. Johnson rushing out of his garage to examine damages. It was around this point that a big voice and a man laughing could be heard.
“No problem, you can’t hurt that old car, don’t worry a thing about it young fella,” a smiling George Lewis said. “The car is fine.”
As I was that kid who crashed into the car, I’ve never forgotten the incident and how understanding and fair George was. It just might have had something to do with a long and ongoing friendship…
During a recent visit to the Willow Street, Truro home of George and Margie Lewis - my memory was refreshed regarding another person who had been the owner of the old hockey Forum.
“My father, Charlie Lewis, owned the Forum from 1939 until 1947,” George, 86, said.
“Dad sponsored the Truro Bearcats hockey team all through that period when he owned the Forum. I believe it was around 1941 he began sponsoring the Truro Bearcats baseball team. Dad gave a lot of the hockey players jobs at Lewis’s Hat and Cap Company.”
George talked little about his father, a graduate of Mcgill University, taking on numerous challenging business ventures, mostly the discussion was about his father’s huge love for sports.
“He was around sports all his life; sports was certainly a big part of his life,” George told me. “I can still remember him taking me down to the rink every so often. I remember when they held wrestling at the Forum, over the years the rodeo came to town, and it was held at the Forum. In a way it was a multi purpose building – there were times during the late summer and early fall I remember them storing potatoes in the Forum.”
When George shared that his father had never been inducted into the local sports hall of fame, I assured him that it was probably something that had been quite innocently overlooked.
“My father was so involved, there are certain players I can still recall him talking about who he must have had quite an involvement with. In hockey, guys like Frank Grabowski, Lou Medynski, Alex Robertson, Win Langille, Billy Hepburn, Manny Mcintyre and Billy Mcintyre come to mind.
“I knew Billy Mcintyre better than any of them, I knew Billy from when he first came to Truro up until he passed away. Billy was quite a competitor; I remember he really wanted to win. Billy was a well-liked man.”
George would not say for certain, but he hinted that it could have been his father who first put artificial ice in the Forum.
“It could have been the summer of 1940,” George recalled. “I remember Billy Mcintyre telling me that Dad put the artificial ice in the Forum. I think it was Dad who brought Billy to Truro.”
With a big smile on his face - George recalled another memory of the old Forum.
“I can remember a time the Army was stationed in Debert – a bunch of them were at the Forum and a big fight broke out. The one Truro Police car they had at the time; it was loaded with Army guys (under arrest) I would have been just a young kid at the time.”
George’s grandfather, George E.M. Lewis, was a well-known businessman and developer. In association with Warren Ogilvie – they established the Truro textile business ‘The Eastern Hat and Cap Company.’ Later known under such names as Lewis Ltd. – it was located at the corner of Prince Street and Elm Street. At its peak the plant employed 900 people. Lewis was also involved in manufacturing facilities around Nova Scotia and in Brownsville, Me.
George’s father, Charlie Lewis, was likewise a successful businessman. Today’s George Lewis is recalled as also being a businessman. George was in the automotive business and car sales for many years, he was also involved in commercial insurance, and he was the co-owner of the original Ponderosa Tavern in Bible Hill.
George and Margie Lewis have three grown children and four grandchildren.