Pieces of the Past

Turning back to 1967, the City of Stratford was abuzz with planning celebration events for the week of the Centennial of Canada’s Confederation and throughout the year

Many interesting people have passed through Stratford over the years, and one of those was architect Cornelius John Soule. When he arrived, an article was published in the Stratford Beacon Weekly, introducing and welcoming him to the city.

The book Water Under the Bridges: Fullarton Township, 1824-1997 tells the story of Hattie Baker’s Farm Centre for Boys and her devotion to housing and educating vulnerable youth.

Did you know there used to be a sawmill in Woodham? The accompanying photograph from Stratford-Perth Archives with this article shows some of the mill workers. They are, back row, from left: Billie Wynn, Joe Rinn, Creighton Wynn, Sidney Mills, and Alonzo Mills. Front: Mary Mills and Lula Mills. 

To date, there have been well over 500 wildfires in Alberta in 2023. According to news reports, we currently have a haze from these devastating fires. 

Plog, pflug, ploh, plogr, or ploeg – these are old spellings for the word ‘plough.’ It is difficult to establish the origin of the word as it has been spelled differently throughout the world, but in Canada, we tend to spell it as ‘plow’ or ‘plough.’

Did you know that Listowel’s first hospital was privately run? The hospital opened in 1910 and was based out of a house at 445 Wallace St. N. It was ran by two nurses, a Miss Tolton and a Miss Schneider. The house had been the private residence of Fred Ellis prior to its sale and conversion to a sma

With spring around the corner, wedding season will soon be upon us. Brides and grooms will be getting ready for their big day. Dresses, suits or tuxes, flowers, and a venue will have all been chosen.

With the marking of the 53rd annual Earth Day this Saturday, April 22 comes the realization that since its inception in the United States in 1970, it’s become more important than ever for asking yourself what role you can play in protecting our planet.

There has been a welcome trend in the last few years to promote locally-produced foods at grocery stores. Choosing freshly-harvested products from close to home is even more enticing in spring.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the Knox Presbyterian Church in Listowel of course!

April Fool’s Day or All Fools’ Day is celebrated each year on April 1. This is a time for harmless practical jokes or hoaxes. Once the joke or hoax has been accomplished, the prankster usually shouts ‘April Fools!’ to the target. Although the origins of April Fools are unknown, there are lots of the

Streets and stories… Have you ever walked down a street where you used to live? Vivid memories of what happened there and the people who lived nearby seem to come to mind more easily. Volunteer Paul Wilker and his supporters have just launched a new website called ‘Streets of Stratford’ at www.stree

On Friday we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Traditionally, many wear green to participate in the festivities. Although St. Patrick actually wore blue, the colour green was adopted during a series of Irish rebellions in the eighteenth century in order to gain independence from England. The colour stuck

March 8 is International Women’s Day. First held in 1911, IWD is now an annual opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world.