On the final episode of season two of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with former Clinton resident, film-maker, and entrepreneur Isaac Elliott-Fisher about returning to the area and creating a destination toy shop in Brucefield, Ontario. 

Isaac shares memories of walking into the rundown building that once housed a hotel and restoring it back to its former glory and current home of the Village Toy Castle - part museum, part arcade, part toy shop. But he also talks about a film, Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with connections to Huron County that eventually sold to Paramount. 

Favourite quote of the episode: "I found so many articles that mentioned the oyster dinners: 'The Seaforth women’s club enjoyed a lovely oyster dinner at the Brucefield Dixon House'. The newspaper articles of that era are hilarious. You have entire columns about who visited who on what day." - Isaac Elliott-Fisher on visitors past and present at the building that now houses the Village Toy Castle 

Related links: 

Village Toy Castle: https://toystoreguide.com/villagetoycastle/

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3817848/  

Find out more about Postcards from Huron County at: PostcardsfromHuronCounty.ca 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative, and audio production by Clint Mackie at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com.

On the third episode of season two of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with local historian and author David Yates about the development of the tourism industry in Huron County in the nineteenth century. 

David shares stories from hotels past - the Point Farms Hotel, Hotel Sunset, Menesetung Park - where regional produce and meats from local fields and dairy were served in fancy dining rooms to some of the wealthiest and most famous people in central North America.

We talk about the steamboats that arrived on the shores of Lake Huron bringing travellers for their summer stay, and inviting locals to join for a weekend getaway in Detroit. He explains why tourism was able to develop at the turn of the century and early 1900s, and the ultimate decline of this form of tourism. 

David writes a column for Huron County newspapers spotlighting local history, including many articles highlighting the tourism sector of the late nineteenth and early twenties centuries, and is the author of Out of the Woods, Out of the Blue and That Freedom Might Survive, to name a few. 

He also taught many students history at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. 

Favourite quote of the episode: It was the auto capital of the world, and all those beautiful buildings were being erected in Detroit. It was one of the largest cities in North America, and the excitement of going to Detroit at the time would attract hundreds of people for a long weekend to go down and see a ballgame, the theatres, the music clubs and then come back after four days.

- of the hundreds of people who would travel to Detroit from Goderich on the greyhound steamboat for a long weekend away.

Related links: 

David is the author of the following books: 

Out of the Woods

Out of the Blue 

That Freedom Might Survive

The Time of Our Lives

Admiral Henry Wolsey Bayfield

Find out more about Postcards from Huron County at: PostcardsfromHuronCounty.ca 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative, and audio production by Clint Mackie at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com.

On this week’s episode of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with architectural enthusiast and long-time Seaforth resident Cathy Elliott about the development of the town of Seaforth and its historic downtown core. 

Cathy shares memories of the downtown, the industries that once existed, and provides a visual tour inside some of the town’s least accessible buildings dotting the main street. Given her roles and responsibilities as a trustee of the town’s post office housed in a historical building, Cathy shares tips for heritage conservation.

Cathy played the role of Mrs Cardo during the town’s heritage days and brought the building to life.  

Favourite quote of the episode:   When you walk in you can feel people from the past, you can imagine what life was like. I just find it magical. - Cathy Elliott of visiting historic buildings on Seaforth’s downtown 

Related links: 

Seaforth Doors Open: https://www.shopseaforth.ca/images/pdfs/Seaforth%20Doors%20Open.pdf

Seaforth architectural walking tour: https://www.huroneast.com/en/my-huron-east/resources/history/SeaforthWalkingTour.pdf

Heritage Conservation District Study: https://uwaterloo.ca/heritage-resources-centre/sites/ca.heritage-resources-centre/files/uploads/files/Seaforth_HuronEast.pdf

Find out more about Postcards from Huron County at: PostcardsfromHuronCounty.ca 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative, and audio production by Clint Mackie at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com.

On the first episode of season two of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with visionary and entrepreneur Narcisse Cantin’s great-grandson Marc Cantin about his family’s vision for the area’s waterways and development of St. Joseph’s on the shores of Lake Huron. 

Marc shares childhood memories of scouring the family archives with his Uncle Napoleon Cantin, the development of St. Joseph’s and its once-bustling economy, the sad day in Cantin history when the Balmoral Hotel was dismantled, and the family’s local connection to Brother André. 

Marc and his wife Pauline hold the archives privately and have fashioned their house around the family history, turning a museum/archives of sorts. They welcome history buffs into their space upon request, and organize the annual heritage day in St. Joseph’s. He continues the family’s long carpentry tradition as the owner of a construction company. 

Favourite quote of the episode: When I say that it isn’t always about the story of the seaway, it’s more about the dream. That’s one of the favourite parts, the dream that a man had and to promote it like he did. Marc Cantin of his great-grandfather’s vision. 

Related links: 

St. Joseph Historical Society: https://stjosephmuseum.ca/ 

Narcisse, theatrical performance: https://youtu.be/d4PSNJipDF0

Find out more about Postcards from Huron County at: PostcardsfromHuronCounty.ca 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative, and audio production by Clint Mackie at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com.

Podcast host Mandy Sinclair returns with a four-part season two of Postcards from Huron County, exploring the county's industrial heritage since settler arrival on October 25, 2022.

Tune in to find out more about the development of the tourism industry, plans for a canal system in St Joseph, the development of a heritage downtown and more!

In the final episode of the series, Postcards from Huron County podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with Severn Thompson, one of the playwrights behind Wing Night at the Boot that performed at the Blyth Festival in 2018. Donna Govier, a regular at the Boot back in the day, joined by telephone, as she inspired the character Connie in the Wing Night at the Boot. 

Donna shares some hilarious memories of bygone days of her nights at the famed “Boot” in Blyth, formally known as The Blyth Inn. She tells tales of the streaker who passed through the bar one evening, and even having to turn in her knife at the bar when heading into the bar for a drink after working in the rutabaga plant nearby. 

Severn recalls the process for bringing these memories, including the streaker, to stage on the Blyth Festival and the audience reaction to the play.

Favourite quote of the episode: “The first streaker that went through was a local lad. His girlfriend happened to be sitting with us and she didn’t know anything about it. And then he came through the front door with a mask on and work boots and nothing else. She was so angry she took her diamond off and threw it across the room.” 

In the episode, Severn references Tuesday as Wing Night at the Boot. At the time of recording, Thursdays were Wing Night at the Boot.

Related links:

Wing Night at the Boot at Blyth Festival: https://blythfestival.com/wing-night-at-the-boot-august-8-september-15-2018/

Playwright Severn Thompson: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0962620/

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Thanks to our sponsor Royal Lepage Heartland Realty https://rlpheartland.ca. 

Royal LePage Heartland Realty is Huron County’s largest real estate brokerage, with agents specializing in all aspects of real estate spanning the County of Huron and beyond.

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com and tastinghuroncounty.ca.

In the seventh episode of Postcards from Huron County, host Mandy Sinclair sat down with Janet Cameron and Marie Flynn to learn more about the Clinton Spring Fair. 

We chat about the baby show, queen of the fair, talent shows, the Saturday parade through Clinton, and the famous demolition derby, all popular events in years past at the Clinton Spring Fair. Janet explains why Clinton hosts a spring fair while surrounding regions host fall fairs, and the purpose of hosting an annual fair. 

Favourite quote: She didn’t place, but she was first as far as I was concerned. Marie Flynn on entering her daughter in the baby show. 

Correction: Marie noted that talent show contestants were divided in to 6 – 12 and 13 -18. She meant to say 13 - 21 years of age.

Related links: 

Clinton Spring Fair: https://www.clintonspringfair.com/ 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Thanks to our sponsor Royal Lepage Heartland Realty https://rlpheartland.ca. 

Royal LePage Heartland Realty is Huron County’s largest real estate brokerage, with agents specializing in all aspects of real estate spanning the County of Huron and beyond.

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com and tastinghuroncounty.ca.

In the sixth episode of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with local historian and author David Yates. David writes a column for Huron County newspapers spotlighting local history and is the author of Out of the Woods, Out of the Blue and That Freedom Might Survive, to name a few. 

He also taught many students history at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. 

David shares stories from prohibition days including tales of temperance acts and the reason why prohibition came into effect. He tells tales of bootleggers and beer busts. We wrap up by chatting about when Huron County voted to abolish prohibition, one of the last counties in Ontario to do so.

Favourite quote of the episode: “The other thing that happens in the Victorian age is the rise of women's movements and the women's movements actually picked up on prohibitions. That was their cause. And that was probably, in Canada, women's first adventure onto the political stage and it actually allowed them later on during the war to get the right to vote."

This episode was recorded in 2021, so the article referenced as written “this year” was actually 2021. To read the article: https://www.clintonnewsrecord.com/opinion/columnists/bottle-clubs-of-huron-were-almost-legal-but-not-quite

David is the author of the following books: 

Out of the Woods

Out of the Blue 

That Freedom Might Survive

The Time of Our Lives

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Thanks to our sponsor Royal Lepage Heartland Realty https://rlpheartland.ca. 

Royal LePage Heartland Realty is Huron County’s largest real estate brokerage, with agents specializing in all aspects of real estate spanning the County of Huron and beyond.

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com and tastinghuroncounty.ca.

In the fifth episode of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with Monica Virtue, researcher, film-maker behind the The Ipperwash Park Film Project, and she co-curated the exhibit Gaawiin Ogiibagidenaawaasiiwaawan / They Did Not Let It Go at Museum London in 2020 and Nnigiiwemin, or We are Going Home, at the Lambton Heritage Museum in 2021. She also leads educational workshops with historian David D. Plain. 

Monica tells of discoveries made through her mapping researching including landscape changes on Treaty 29, seeing the original Treaty 29 on a research visit to Museum and Archives Canada, and the reserve lands throughout Treaty 29. 

Favourite quote of the episode: Seeing the treaty in real life was amazing, because it’s three pages long and the pages aren’t paper, they’re parchment. So that’s the skin of a sheep or a goat. So you can actually see the spine in the Huron Tract Treaty and the ribs, right in the parchment. And you can see the wax seals and the dotum markings from the chiefs, and ribbon interwoven. That’s when it became really real to me. 

Related links:

More about Monica Virtue: https://monicavirtue.com/

Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home exhibition: https://www.lambtonmuseums.ca/en/lambton-heritage-museum/nnigiiwemin-we-are-going-home.aspx

David D. Plain writings: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1487216.David_D_Plain 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Thanks to our sponsor Royal Lepage Heartland Realty https://rlpheartland.ca. 

Royal LePage Heartland Realty is Huron County’s largest real estate brokerage, with agents specializing in all aspects of real estate spanning the County of Huron and beyond.

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com and tastinghuroncounty.ca.

In the fourth episode of Postcards from Huron County, podcast host Mandy Sinclair chats with Robert Walker, Errol Bailey, Hopeton Johnson, migrant farm workers who spend six months in Huron County before returning to Jamaica. Susan Hubbard from Hubbard’s Rutabaga Plant (where the men are employed) joins in to share her personal stories and the impact her team has on the family-run agricultural business. 

Robert, Errol, and Hopeton share stories about life between two countries, what it life is like in Blyth as a migrant farm worker, and what keeps them coming back each year, for some it has been over thirty years. 

Favourite quote of the episode: When I'm coming to Canada, you know, it's one of my happiest days. The first time I’m going on a plane. You know, that was so exciting for me to come see what a plane ride is. Coming to Hubbards, I don't know where I was going. But I ended up at Hubbard’s and I never regret. I’m very happy. - Hopeton Johnston of his arrival in Canada over 15 years ago. 

Follow Postcards from Huron County on Instagram: @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Facebook @PostcardsfromHuronCounty 

Thanks to our sponsor Royal Lepage Heartland Realty https://rlpheartland.ca. 

Royal LePage Heartland Realty is Huron County’s largest real estate brokerage, with agents specializing in all aspects of real estate spanning the County of Huron and beyond.

Postcards from Huron County is made possible with funding from the Huron Heritage Fund and Community Futures Huron Community Projects Initiative the support of Clint Mackie, Andrew Bouck, Nick Vinnicombe, and Mark Hussey at Faux Pop Media.

More about Mandy Sinclair: https://mandyinmorocco.com and tastinghuroncounty.ca.