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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 6, 1994 - 5 by, OM IROIEY A 5 DILIFA MSY PAVE UNITY £ E Millar Lights conc The Millar Lights will be presenting its Merry Chris ert tmas Show at the Town Hall beginning this Friday night. Pictured are some of the cast members taking a few minutes out during a rehearsal. Pictured are Melanie Winter, Gavin Stanley, Devon Marshall, Amanda Pelyk, Brad Goreski, Ryan Edgar, Leanne Rorabek and Rachael Kroonenberg. Hits the streets Jan. 21 By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star Last year's popular dog sled races will be returning to Port Perry this January. The "Northern Purebred Race" will take to the streets and lake in town on January 21 and 22, despite concern over the conflict with the annual Martin Techni-Cal Challenge races in Minden. An Orillia resident wrote a letter to the editor of this news- paper suggesting the local rac- es, run by the Kinsmen Club of Port Perry, were being run in "poor taste" as a "copy cat" race of the Minden event. Members of the Kinsmen Club did not comment on thelet- ter, and the races will go on as scheduled. Last year's event, run in connection with the Snow Flake Festival, was a huge suc- cess, drawing thousands to the Guardian Drugs celebrates By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star Co Twenty-five years ago Gord Parkin took over the keys to Guardian Drugs from former owner Andy Lawrence and the business has been going strong ever since. Guardian Drugs, today operated by Mr. Parkin and Dora O'Connor, is one of only three stores to remain in the same location on Queen Street as they did 25 years ago. Guardian Drugs has undergone changes to its look but 25 years in Port Perry reminded him of his hometown of Lindsay, and convinced Mr. Parkin within that year that Port Perry was the place to raise a family. Today his wife Susan and two of their sons, Mike and Chris, work in the family business. A third son Jamie also took his turn working at the store before moving on to university. - Six years ago Dora O'Connor, who had been working at the store part-time for three years, became a full partner with its location on the corner of Queen and Perry Streets has remained constant during the 25 years. Brock's Department Store and Home Hardware are the only other stores to remain in the same location as they were when Mr. Parkin arrived in Port Perry. "When you look at the stores downtown now and think back to when I arrived it is easy to see 25 years has gone by," he said. On November 15, 1969, Mr. Parkin took over the keys to what was then Lawrence Pharmacy. The business ran details. Gord and Susan Parkin and Dora and Wayne O'Connor, owners of Guardian Drugs celebrated the local pharmacy's 25th anniversary last week. Please see story for more under the name of Port Perry Pharmacy for several years before becoming a member of the Guardian Drugs chain in 1978. The store underwent a huge transformation in 1975 when old lighting and cherrywood were replaced to brighten and modernize the store. The changes saw the store's floor space increase from 1,500 to 2,900 square feet. "Tt was a big change and an adjustment for us," Mr. Parkin en Mr. Parkin arrived in Port Perry 25 years ago and stepped into his store, he had an option to run the business for one year and try it and move on if it was not to his liking. Married just months earlier in February, 1969, to wife Susan, the opportunity for ownership of the store arose in the spring of the same year and the newly-married couple headed to town to start a new business. The small town atmosphere, and knowing many of the customers personally when they come into the store, Mr. Parkin. The two were on hand last Wednesday to celebrate the store's 25th anniversary with employees, customers and friends. "Really there are four owners here," Mr. Parkin said, referring to his wife and Wayne O'Connor, Dora's husband who were also present for the celebration. The staff at the drug store has grown from six employees when Mr. Parkin arrived in town, to 11 employees today, including its owners. "They all do their share of the work around here," Mr. Parkin said of employees Gwen Luke, Helen Campbell, Kim Jenkins, Nelly Tiessen, Marlene Archibald, Mike and Chris Parkin and Kevin Pike. "I have enjoyed the challenges. It has never been boring here," Mr. Parkin said. He is not sure he will still be the owner when the store celebrates another 25 years in business, but "I am hoping for several more years of this," he added. Kinsmen working now on Port dogsled races area for the weekend. The Kinsmen Club, in antici- pation of its second annual Dog Sled Races, have recuited local sculptor Tyler Briley to create a bronzed statue to promote the event. Raffle tickets on a bronze dog sled sculpture will soon be avail- able through the Kinsmen Club of Port Perry. Mr. Briley, a well-known art- ist, whose work is on display in such places as the Canadian War Museum, has created a five-foot long detailed sculpture of a four-team sled and driver, complete with parka, mounted in an upright position. Mr. Briley, who donated his time to the project, put more than 100 hours of work into the piece. The bronze sculpture will be raffled off the week before the event. Local man seeking nod from Tories Scugog Township resident Llewellyn Jones has launched a bid for the Progressive Conservative candidacy in Durham East riding. The 37-year-old Nestleton man, a teacher at O'Neill Collegiate in Oshawa, is among four people whose names were ut forth by a candidate search "tommittee last Monday night (Nov. 28). In all, 26 people sought approval from the riding association. Mr. Jones, who until now has not been active in provincial politics, will be hitting the bricks over the next couple of months in an attempt to sell party memberships and garner support for a nomination meet- ing to be held some time in the new year. "I was encouraged to put my name forward," said Mr. Jones last Tuesday. : "I'm hoping the people of Scugog will support me, and the people of Manvers Rvnshsip, "I'm the only northern can- didate." Of the other three people in the race two are from Bowmanville and the other is from Oshawa. They are: a Kirk Kemp, manager of an apple farming operation and partner in the Kemp Travel Agency, of Bowmanville; John O'Toole of Bowmanville, a Clarington Regional Councillor and super- visor of material control at General Motors, and 0 Jack Wiley of Oshawa, a teacher and department head at O'Neill Collegiate, and a member of Oshawa city council. Mr. Jones said that no matter who takes the nomination, Conservatives in Durham East can seize the opportunity to oust incumbent MPP Gord Mills (NDP).