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THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2006 THE NEW TANNER 7 GRAPEVINE Billie brought a ray of sunshine... the last litter they would have after 30 plus years of breeding St. Bernards. They told us they couldnt have hoped for a better home for him. The Dude told me, I know you may not be ready, so its your choice. If you want, we can get him. If youre not ready, it is okay. Between tears and still apolo- gizing to Kodi in my head, I went for a walk when we arrived home and contemplated. I felt like I had betrayed Kodi and Shadow. Yet, I couldnt imagine my life without a dog and this one seemed perfect. I tried to think of him not as a re- placement, but a continuation of a loving home for a dog who needs loving parents. After my walk, I came home. Okay, call the breeder tomorrow and tell him well take him, but... The Dude looked at me waiting for the but. I get to name him. Now the Dude looked worried. Visions of Tinkerbell and Butterfly raced through his mind. That Saturday, we brought home Swiss View Billie Blue Eye...Bil- lie for short. He is an eight week old St. Bernard with one blue eye and one brown eye. I have no idea where the name Billie came from but it seems to suit him. Saturday night after Billie fell asleep in his new home with his new bed and his new parents, I took Kodis picture off my night table and kissed him goodnight while I again apologized to him. The Dude, knowing I was still emotional, asked me if I thought Shadow and Kodi were looking down on us. Yeah, I replied, Kodi is probably thinking Billie would be good to have for lunch, I said back jokingly. They say that in every life a little rain must fall. Well, we have had our rain. Our rain was the Kodi and Shadow leaving us. Now, Billie is bringing a ray of sunshine back into our lives. Hes making our lives heal a little better. And, as the Dude says, making our home feel like a home again. Continued from page 6 CIRCA 1920?: A radial car train stops at the Acton station on Main St. S. enroute from Toronto to Guelph. Usually two or three cars, the radial was the GO Train of its day but failed when the Great Depression hit. The last train ran in August of 1931 and its said thousands of people lined the route at intersections to bid adieu. Traces of Radial railway still exist in this area July 23, 1914 The rails have been laid on the C.N.R. electric railway from Toronto to Georgetown and the work will soon be as far as Acton. (An item in a Milton newspaper in July of 1914) Only a few now living will re- member the Toronto Suburban Railway which ran from To- ronto to Guelph with numerous stopping off points between. There were stations in this area from Limehouse to Eden Mills and apparently, like the Polar Bear Express, which runs from Cochrane to Moosonee, the motorman would stop along the track pretty well anywhere to pick up passengers. The Acton station was lo- cated where the Mackenzie & Chapman law offices are now at 33 Main St. S. When this scribbler was a toddler he can vaguely recall boarding the train for a ride to Eldorado Park which is located near Church- ville, now Brampton, on the Credit River. The attraction for this kid donkey rides. And it might have been a Hewetson Shoe Co. picnic. My father was employed there for years in factories in Brampton and Acton. There were stations at Lime- house, as mentioned, at Dolly Varden, Blue Springs Park (now Blue Springs Scout Reserve) and numerous stories recall when the electric cars stopped to let off passengers at Tony Seynucks dance hall. If you follow Crewsons Line south from Crewsons Corners to its end and take a footpath west along the hilly overlook, the old dance hall foundations can still be seen. Patrons of the dance hall wouldnt necessarily have to be able to do the fox trot, the two step, the Charleston or any other of the vigorous dance steps of the 1920s because there was another attraction boot- legged liquor. Throats parched by Prohibition were able to slake their thirst with the best bootleg- gers could brew or distill. Crewsons Line is, of course, the boundary between Milton and Halton Hills now. In those heady days it was the division between Esquesing and Nas- sagaweya townships. The road was not much more than a goats path. When the Law approached by car, the revenuers could eas- ily be observed. If they came along the tracks, the dance hall, overlooking the valley, was like an observation post. If train schedules conflicted with dances the young people and imhibers of the time would book a truck to take them to the dance and back everyone stand- ing in the back like cargo. Those were heady days and the Toronto Suburban Railway thrived with passengers and freight. Then came the Great Depres- sion, little money, better roads, trucks delivering freight, bus lines the Toronto Suburban fa- miliarly known as The Radial closed its doors in August, 1931, 14 years after the first train ran the lines length in April, 1917. When World War 2 arrived the rails were taken up and used for war material. It is a twist that a son of Acton, Sir Donald Mann, a legend in Canadian railway construction and part of the team of Macken- zie and Mann, was a lynchpin in The Radials construction. He bought the Toronto Suburban Street Railway in 1911 when it was a small suburban street line that operated in Toronto between Keele and Dundas Streets and in Weston. Mann, whose grave in Fair- view Cemetery, Acton, records his place in history, soon bought and surveyed an extension to Guelph. According to John McDonalds book, Halton Sketches, construction began in 1912 and grading was com- pleted in 1913. Although the road bed was built to relatively high standards some sources indicate that the railway was one of the cheapest built rail- roads in the world, the bank observes. Mackenzie & Manns baby, the Canadian Northern Railway, took over control of the Toronto Suburban in September, 1918. Later financial difficulties saw it acquired November 15, 1923 by the Toronto Transportation Commission, the TTC as its known. A month later Halton Sketches says it became an asset of the Canadian National Electric Railways. Traces of the old radial line can easily be seen throughout the area but its most prominent feature is the Halton County Radial Railway Museum on the Guelph Line, west of Acton and south of Rockwood which was constructed on the railways road bed. Its ironic that the Town of Milton, where the museum lies, is now hamper- ing its expansion. The Town is demanding a $97,000 fee for development of a building to house historic electric railway cars which are slowly disinte- grating outside. Railroading had its golden era when trains were the fastest and most comfortable mode of travel. The automobile took over and rail lines all over the country were torn up. Now as congestion in the Golden Horseshoe gets worse and gridlock takes over, there are plans afoot to bring new life to existing railways. It again may see the railway become part of modern life in this neck of the woods. -Hartley Coles SMALLWOOD FOOD For the past seven years, musi- cians who call the Smallwood Acres campground home on weekends have staged a concert to help fill the shelves at Actons FoodShare foodbank. The price to attend Saturdays outdoor concert was an item of non-perishable food, and approxi- mately 400 pounds of food was donated by residents of the camp, west of Acton. We come up here to relax and have fun and so every year we like to give something back to the community, said organizer Sam Lombardo who has been summer- ing at Smallwood since 1991. Were a little community here and this jamboree lets us have some fun and help the food bank. Its just that little something that we can do to. Last year, FoodShare distributed 24,500-pounds of food to approxi- mately 1,000 hungry people. FAIR BUILDING UPDATE Fair building fundraisers are optimistic more very significant gifts will be made in the coming weeks to the campaign to raise $750,000 for a new $1.6-million building in Prospect Park. Acton Agricultural Society fundraiser Drew Brown said theyre still concentrating on asking for large donations in face-to-face meetings with busi- nesses and families. The Town is inviting bids to construct a 2,425-square-metre indoor soccer facility, a one-storey above grade pre-fabricated steel building with artificial floor sur- face. Tenders close August 22. SHOW TIME! Check out the Acton library on Saturday, August 19 at 10:30 for a rollicking session of musical storytelling with Doug Barr, one of Canadas favourite childrens performers. His interactive musical story- telling show features wacky lyrics and lots of action for families and kids of all ages. Tickets, while they last, are on sale at the River Street branch. Barr performs at 2 p.m. at the Georgetown branch. DINEWISE All Halton restaurants and food take-outs are posting their health inspections as part of the Regions Dinewise anti-dirty dining program, which switched from voluntary to mandatory on July 1. Prior to the switch, 60 per cent of Halton restaurants, 550 eateries including 21 in Acton, voluntarily post their health department in- spections for the public to see, and many, like Gus Galimanas whose Acton Subway is the cleanest Subway in this part of Canada, see the certificates as a badge of honour. Restaurant inspection reports can be found at www.halton. ca/dinewise ARTISTS DESIRES Structured or un-structured? Individual lessons or friendly studio space? Those are some of the questions that Wall-to-Wall owner Joanna Lordon is asking clients these days as she plans for the fall. Lordon said shes sniffing out the need for classes and les- sons and will offer space in the basement of her store during the afternoons or evenings to artists who are looking for a friendly studio atmosphere. For details call 519-853-4814.