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Reade Je _JS0 Afn old ios By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Chances are that some- where, deep in the archives of Scugog Shores Museum, Sher Leetooze is toiling away right now, poring over all the mate- rial on the old Cartwright Township she can find. That's the way the Bowmanville historian, story- teller and writer has been spending most of her time late- ly, as the publication date for Along the Gravel Road: A Brief History of Cartwright Township approaches in November. It will be the third local his- tory she's published in as many years -- the others focused on Darlington and Clark Townships -- and it, like the others, will be primarily a labor of love. Although the books are sold for $18.95, it's not a prof- itabl, undertaking, she claims. She's hoping to document his- tories of many of the townships that comprised the former Durham County. Ms Leetooze said she "fell into" the pursuit of local histo- ry. She had been writing a col- umn for papers in Bowmanville and Oshawa for years when the bicentennial of old Darlington arrived in 1994. "I thought I'd take all these columns, and put them in a book," she said. And to supple- ment what she'd written over the Fy Ms Leetooze dug into the township's history. "The more I looked, the more 4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, September 17, 1996 It's to be on sale in November | Woman's working on history of old Cartwright I found," she said. "Once [ glean what I can from local histories, then I get into the broader spectrum of books." The result is a combination of home-spun history -- all of it verified before it's included in the publication -- with hard research to provide the histori- cal context. "That's what I'm trying to do, is present the story of a township rather than a histo- ry." : The process and the sources -- they vary from museum archives like those at the muse- um on Scugog Island to old- timers, the original record- keepers of any community -- means that each local history will be quite different, said Ms Leetooze. "Each township in the coun- ty has its own flavor, it's own tradition, which has been hand- ed down through the genera- tions," said the author. "Let's face it: The way you look at the world has been handed down to you by your parents and your grandparents." Here's an example: How many people know today how strong the Loyal Orange Lodge once was in Cartwright? ...Very powerful, says Ms Leetooze. m the mid to late 1800's the Orangemen kept a watch over the community, and ran it the way they thought proper. The Cartwright contingent was nearly as fearsome as the infamous Cavan Blazers, who is due out in November. amounted to vigilantes,Ms _ Leetooze contends. "They (The Cartwright Orangemen) were as strong and vehement in their beliefs, but they weren't as violent, thank goodness." .. 'Publicity pays', says volunteer Sher Leetooze at work In the Scugog Shores Museum archives. Her book on Ci Rather than attempting to "I'm hoping these books provide all the answers, Ms be a tool for people," she s Leetooze hopes her books will "If you'd like to find out n help inspire amateur historians about the Cartwright hist to dig further to unearth their you can call Sher ] family roots, and those of their communities. . - (905) 623-9147. : Lo ------------------------------------------------ Community pitches in for food bank By Jeff Mitchell Port Berry Star A little publicity can go a long way. That's the feeling of the folks at Operation Scugog's food bank, which has benefited from an influx of donations in the weeks following an appeal CHS band plans sale On Sunday, Nov. 24 the Cartwright High School Senior Band will host the fifth annual Christmas in the Country Craft Sale at the Blackstock Rec. Cen- tre. A wide variety of ven- dors will offer their crafts to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 pm. Lunch will be served by the Senior Band and parents. Home baked items will be available at band's bake table. Interested vendors are invited to contact either the school at 986-4241 or Glenna Macleod at 986- 5434. This event has tradi- tionally been the first of a series of fundraising events for the Senior Band's annual trip to the International Music Festi- val. The band intends to travel to Quebec City in ei- ther late April or early May. Their rehearsal sea- son began last Wednesda with an eye to the IM competition. for help. "Publicity pays," said food bank volunteer Anne Wanninkhof last week. She said that after Operation Scugog went public in the local press with news of its dire state -- the shelves were nearly empty, and needy families were still coming to the Simcoe St. building week- ly -- the community responded in a big way. "Really, it has paid off," said Mrs. Wanninkhof. "Our shelves were pretty bare, and now it's looking good." There have been spe- cial promotions at places like Goreski's and Springwater RV camp, and people holding dances have asked for donations of non-perishable goods as part of their admission. Ball teams have helped out, as have individuals: And local farmers have been generous with fresh produce as well, said Mrs. anninkhof. The surge in support came just in time; last Wednesday, 27 families appealed to Operation Scugog for help making ends meet. Mrs. Wanninkhof said the need will continue, and that the food bank will require the continued support of the community. "Let's face it," she said, "the economy isn't all that great yet." . The food bank will soon be gearing up for its annu- al Thanksgiving food drive. Watch future edi- tions of The Star for details on how you can help out. join in during the evening, which is open to the Greenbank church marks anniversa This coming weekend marks the 100th annive sary of Greenbank's United Church, and they'v got a celebration in the works. : Se The centennial started this past Friday SvenioE with a sold-out visit from that well-known hick Charlie Farquharson (and his pal Don H and music by Catherine McKinn : This coming weekend there's ple: planned, with events Friday, Saturday and Sunda a Friday night (Sept. 20), there will be an evening ; of banjo music in the church, beginningist 7 p.m. Other community members will be encouraged to public and free of charge. There will be a social time with refreshments. | > a On Saturday aftgrrgon) you're invited Victorian Tea, being held in the Sunday sch rooms by the Evening Unit UCW. hr a On Sunday, Sept. 22, the church's 100th anniversary celebration will be held at he hurd Guest speaker will be former Greenbank Chur member Rev. Ed McCaig, currently of Newberg. . mass choir of current and past members, under th direction of Linda Hunter, will perform. %h) After the service there will be memorabilia up downstairs, and mementos to purchase.