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2- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday March 15, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com col E d-m an Easter Sunday ate H March 23rd y esistiblreDeliciou r ar- ade Pu Cho s St. Patrick's Day walk dates back to 1922 By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 2501 Third Line (At Dundas) · (905)849-4546 www.walkerschocolates.ca CABINET REFACING AFTER after before BEFORE Ready for Eddie? Oakville's green-clad walker, Eddie Williams, is back to once again perform the time-honoured St. Patrick's Day tradition of a 40-kilometer march from Toronto City Hall to downtown Oakville. "I'm looking forward to it," said Williams. "It's like being a hockey player before the big game. You've got the butterflies in your stomach and you can't wait to get started." The ritual, which Williams will be undertaking on Monday for the 32nd time, dates back to 1922 when a group of prohibition weary Irishmen made the trip from Toronto to Oakville in search of bootleg green beer. The memory of this great walk was initially kept alive by walker Charlie Priestman, who passed the responsibility on to Barney Heard, who in turn undertook the walk for 20 years before collapsing during a St. Patrick's Day snowstorm in 1976 in Mississauga. Heard was driven to Oakville that year, but completed the walk the next year for the final time.Williams joined Heard for that walk and promised to keep the tradition going. He has been true to his word. Besides honouring the tradition this year, Williams will also be using the walk to honour American Chess Master Bobby Fischer who passed away in January. Fischer was best known for defeating Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union during the 1972 World Chess Championships in what at the time was described as a Cold War victory. "Being a lover of chess and being that there are 32 pieces on a chessboard and this is my 32nd walk I felt it was appropriate," said Williams. "I think a lot of the young people today are so hooked on the TV and the computer that there basically isn't any social connection. Chess is a social game. You can play it with friends or family. It's got no denomination barriers. It doesn't matter what language you speak because chess speaks for itself, and you can renew friendships and create friendships while playing it." Williams noted that he and his son often take a chessboard with them wherever they go, with their games often drawing small crowds of interested onlookers, who Williams also teaches the game to. Whether it is to honour Bobby Fischer or the prohibition-hating Irishmen of 1922, Williams welcomes anyone who wants to join him as he walks, noting that at least four participants have agreed to join him so far this year. "I usually catch the Oakville GO Train at 7 a.m. and I've had people meet me there in the past," he said. "Last year there were about three or four people who met me at Toronto City Hall, our starting point. We always leave at 9 a.m. When the clock at Queen's Park strikes we take our first step." The walk will take place in any weather, with Williams noting that a colder day is preferred as it is easier to deal with than a warm or snowy day. "Sometimes the weather is so warm that you almost get dehydrated. The sun is just blazing on you and I've gotten my face sunburned a couple of times," said Williams. "I would rather have it cold because any clothes you wear in the beginning you have to carry with you the whole way. Also when it's cold you can walk faster to warm up, but when it's warm you have to slow down or you'll overheat." Williams says the absolute worse weather to perform the walk in is rain, which is exactly what he had to do for four hours during one walk in the 80s. Eddie Williams "I had a winter coat on, but you can't escape it," he said. "If you wear rain gear and you're walking at a good pace, you're sweating inside. So, when it rains you get soaked no matter what you're wearing." About six or seven hours after the journey begins, it will come to an end at a bar in downtown Oakville. Williams believes the walkers of the 1920s would go to the Halton Hotel, where beer was taken after being smuggled off the pier, however, as the Halton Hotel is no longer in service, Prime Time Sports Bar, located at 234 Lakeshore Rd. E. will fill the void. While Williams may be a stickler for tradition, he will forgo the drinking of green beer, opting instead for orange juice and maybe the occasional whisky. "I tried to drink green beer once just for St. Patrick's Day and I couldn't do it," he said. "I threw it up. I'm not a big draft beer drinker." To this day, Williams is amazed by the warm reception he receives each time he finishes a walk and notes that it is this reception that will make it hard for him to stop walking if the time ever comes. "This one woman comes out to see me almost religiously. She brings her grandchildren and she just thinks it's a fantastic thing. A year ago, one of my Grade 3 school teachers Mrs. (Joyce) Burnell came down and was really excited about it," said Williams. "It's these kind of people who expect me to do the walk that keep me doing it, because I think they would be disappointed if I stopped. All through the year people are asking me two questions, `Did you do the walk?, and `Are you going to do the walk?'" Williams also noted that this showing of community spirit follows him during the course of the walk itself. "Even when I'm in Toronto, on the lakeshore, people from Oakville or people who know the story are honking their horns and waving at me. Being dressed in green they automatically know who I am," he said. "When I'm coming down Southbound Road around 4 p.m., people are out there in droves bringing water out to me or food. They'll ask me how I'm doing. The response that I get is just phenomenal." Anyone interested in joining Williams on his walk or donating chess books so he can continue spreading the joy of chess can call him at 905-690-8154.