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COMMUNITY CALENDAR • LIFESTYLES • SPORTS • COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENCE • TV LISTINGS Wednesday, March 4, 1998 Wilrl Wpct TV IIU VVC9I V by Laura J. Richards Slaff Writer A dream to re-crcalc the front street of a wild west pioneer village is something a Newcastle resident has been working working on for some time. However, it took a trip to Arizona for the idea to fix itself in his mind. Steve Holliday (who is distantly related to gunslinger/dentist Doc Holliday) told The Statesman: "I've always been a history buff. When others were into sports, I was into history." 1 The fascination was fanned by his grandfather and trips to the farm and talks with the older folks when he was growing up. Holliday hails from the Whitby area. He remembers remembers that "going to the farm was like going to Disneyland." He hopes to re-create on his property the atmosphere that made him want to go back to the farm time and time again. So, 12 years ago, he bought eight acres of property fronting on North St., Newcastle, and abutting the 115/35 highway. highway. The site included a two-storey Georgian home built in 1848. Over the past several years, ' neighbours and passers-by have been witnesses witnesses to the transformation transformation of the property. He started with his house, then added the 'saloon' and the western scene grew from there. Now he has developed his home into what he has dubbed "Doc Ville" -- An Authentic Replica of Old Dodge City and he has begun to market his property to producers of commercials, music videos, television, and feature films. Holliday figures he has something special and different to offer those in the film industry, including family tics to the legendary gunslinger, Doc Holliday. He never knew there was a connection until he began poking around and found out that "the Holliday clan is a small clan from Scotland." Taking this thought to heart, Holliday went to a genealogy company who helped hint discover a few lost relatives living in Michigan. "All the Hollidays are related," he said. "Doc Holliday's father and my great great grandfather grandfather were second cousins." He says a picture of his grandfather held alongside one of Doc Holliday would show "that they look almost identical." Americans More Entertainment Orientated Holliday says while in Arizona he went to see Tombstone and noted "it revived me. The Americans arc more entertainment-driven." He also spent time in Nashville where he was further inspired to pursue his dream of bringing the wild west to his own back yard. He adds that his family family is supportive and so ' are his neighbours. "They love to look out their windows and see all this nostalgic stuff. And I have enough space between our properties." His Plans Holliday has just started started marketing his western/pioneer western/pioneer front street to "agents in The States" who would be looking to produce movies and music videos." He has produced a publicity brochure which shows his village 'dressed' for action. Holliday has been buying historic farm equipment for many years and his collection can be seen in buildings from his Georgian house to the the driving shed. "About 10 years ago there were three or four pioneer farm sales that I went to and bought trunkloads trunkloads of stuff at good prices," he recalled. He bought everything from wagon wheels to barn material to barrels, to lathes. A peek inside The Long Horn Saloon takes you to a different time and a different place. Suddenly you are no longer in Newcastle Village, but in the wild west, or at least, one man's version of it. The out-buildings on his property have been refurbished to his requirements -- and they all look like they belong in another time -- certainly certainly not 1998. He says he has been diligent in ensuring the 'look' and 'atmosphere' is authentic as he can get' it. Holliday wants to open the village to not only .video productions, but also to corporate special special events like beef barbecues. barbecues. He will even host "shotgun" weddings. His dreams for his property are simple. "My dream? To have a movie series shot here -- a good financially stable series to employ people...creating people...creating jobs for myself, my family and my friends. "I would like to have pony rides for the children, children, and hay rides along with a few small animals. I'd like to have a team of draft horses," Holliday said. Holliday envisions tea room located in the family home or a western theme menu with barbecued barbecued beef on a bun. A bus tour destination is another another possibility. Holliday had his first taste of tourism during the LACAC House Tour last fall. "About 450 people people went through even though it was raining that day, and the response was very encouraging," he observed. "Lots of people exclaimed 'we never knew you were here!' People said it was 'authentic' and 'well worth coming to." Holliday said the words of praise were well worth the effort to reconstruct reconstruct his version of Dodge City. WAITING ROOM? -- Steve Holliday, a descendant of the famous Doc Holliday, of gunslinger fame, sits outside the dentist's office in his recreation of Old Dodge City. Doc Holliday was actually a dentist, dentist, so it's fitting that a dental office sign would be attached to Steve Holliday's Georgian-styled home north of Newcastle. LOCATION, LOCATION - Steve Holliday hopes to bring the music and film industry to Newcastle Village's north end. He has been building a village depicting an old west town in his yard. Holliday hopes location managers will see the village and use it in settings for commercials, music videos, television and movies. From "Water Baby" to Lifeguard by Laura J. Richards Slaff Writer A coach of the masters' swimming program at the Courtice Community Complex was a "water baby" who never took structured swimming lessons until she attended summer camp at age nine or ten. "I don't remember when I first learned how to swim," says Joan Santomcro. Sanlomcro says her favourite picture of herself as a child is when she was two years and in what passed as a swimsuit in those days. "My dad must have taught me to swim...he was a lake swimmer," she said. Her swimming took place in the Muskoka area of Ontario, long before she set eyes on a chlorinated chlorinated pool. Santomcro has spent the last 23 years slipping in and out of pools as a coach, teacher and lifeguard. lifeguard. She leaves behind a legacy of children, teens, adults and seniors who have learned to swim under her guidance. "I have taught walcrbabics, pre-schoolers, regular regular lessons in three different Red Cross programs, programs, lifesaving classes up to Bronze Medallion, school board multi-level classes, daytime lessons for older adults, recreational synchronized swimming" swimming" and many other areas, she said. "I have taught the children of students I once taught, and had parents at Waterbaby classes whom I had taught as children. I have worked with staff members that I taught when they were as young as six years old." Aquafitness She has also spent 15 years in various pools teaching aquafitness classes to women of all ages. "In 1983-841 was told to do a fitness program in the pool class and given a sheet of exercises to do." IN THE SWIM -- Joan Santomcro started swimming at such a young age, she can't remember not being in the water. On Friday, Feb. 13, she officially retired from her position with the Clarington Community Services as a part-time Lifeguard Instructor and Aquafitness Instructor. e LUKtO*XtH leituitittan From there Santomcro has developed her own exercises by making use of the local library resources and taking courses. "In the beginning it was extremely difficult to find workshops on it. "Every time I went to a workshop I always came back with more ideas for the ladies," she recalls. Smiling, Santomcro added: "We evolved together." "No matter what I throw at them, they keep moving." The age range goes from 40 to 80 years and many of the people (predominantly women) have been a real inspiration to their instructor. "I have seen the Aquafitness program grow to the point where there arc now 50 participants of all ages in three morning classes; many come twice a week. They arc special people, some of whom have been attending my classes for up to 15 years." Some of the advantages of Aquafitness over regular fitness programs is that "the buoyancy that the water provides takes the weight off and cushions movements. It's good for the hips, back and knee problems. Water provides resistance and it gets the heart rate up." Looking back over her career in and around different pools from the Whitby Civic, Osliawa Civic Complex, the Flying Dutchman and Memorial Park to the new Courtice Community Complex, Santomcro says she has had a lot of fun. "One of the funniest things that have happened was one day when we decided to play water baseball. baseball. We needed a pitcher and this 80-year-old woman piped up 'I'll be the pitcher.' People were yelling and cheering," She discovered the senior was one mean pitcher, pitcher, She later found out from the woman that she had been a softball pitcher when she was younger. *----- -n-|--n KAJewuArtdi Fun also came from working with pre-schoolers. pre-schoolers. "We play with them and tap into their imaginations. imaginations. With them you have to deal with their incredibly short attention spans." Santomcro has always kept up with the trends and with her training. "I have done training courses in pre-school instructors, Red Cross Examiners, synchro examiners, examiners, swim coach level 2 certification, Arthritis Society training, and aquafitness certification," she said. She noted that she did an aquafit instructor instructor trainer course, too, on top of the National Lifeguard Service Award which she earned at age 40. Retirement As she looks forward to her retirement, Santomcro is keen to get back into the water to develop a lot of her own skills. "I have a lot of interests, but no specific plans, I need a 'time out'," she said. Santomcro added she has been thinking about going to school to do a horticultural diploma and keep on with coaching. "I am currently coaching a Masters Swimming program, (fitness and competitive swimming for adults) at the new Courtice Complex, and shall continue to do so. We are building a new club, and we have a great group of new swimmers (ages up to 60-something) who arc working hard; but having it lot of fun along the way." She added that she participated in a relay team at the first World Masters Games in Etobicoke in 1985. "I was 'recruited' for the team and wo worked very hard for nearly a year to get faster. Thai event remains a highlight in my years of swimming," swimming," Santomero noted, "Maybe now, I'll have time to start training again myself, and return to the starting blocks!"