This weekend, I return to a format that has proven successful to highlight an individual year from our history. I enjoy the process of picking a year and going back to chronicle what was happening in town, and in many cases, reliving cherished memories. I have chosen the year 1957 as our featured year so…
Tag: Newmarket Today
Newmarket Today Remember -This weekly local heritage articles
Newmarket’s Lacrosse, Softball Teams Brought Glory To The Town
Three sports have dominated the Newmarket sports scene over the years — softball, lawn bowling and lacrosse — enthralling our community over the last 180 years. In the early days of our community, cricket was one of the most popular sports dating back to around 1859. Football and quoits (something like horseshoes, as players toss rings…
Newmarket Has Long Answered The Call Of Duty
Given Wednesday’s observance of Remembrance Day, I want to dedicate this article to all those who selflessly have put their lives on hold in service of their community during times of trouble. My own father is one of those who answered the call to arms and who sacrificed everything as a result. Born into a…
Little Known Details About Newmarket’s Role In WWI
Armistice Day, Nov. 11, has arrived, and I wanted to do something related to the occasion for this weekend’s article. The two world wars changed everything locally and it deserves to be embedded in our history, deep within our hearts long after the sounding of the last post. When war was declared by England on…
Some Name Dropping Highlights Newmarket’s Early Movers And Shakers
There are many prominent family names in Newmarket that you’ll likely recognize. One of the true delights in researching our past is the spotlighting of all those flesh and blood men and women who have permanently etched their names into our story as a community. They served as a defining force in our growth and…
The History Of Halloween, From Celebrating Saints To A Night Of Mischief
I thought it would be interesting to look at our memories of Halloween past. This article will be part history lesson and part personal remembrances and I hope that it will rekindle all those warm Halloween memories from your childhood. Finally, I hope this article generates some discussions about your ‘Best Halloween Ever’. First a little…
Newmarket High’s Literary Society Launched Decades Of Cultural Activities
Three extracurricular activities have contributed immensely to our high school experiences. For this article, I’ll be highlighting the years leading up to my time at high school, and in the future, will detail additional activities and years. Let’s look at the literary society, and music and drama clubs, and the yearbook at Newmarket High School. The…
Davis Siblings Created Legacy That Lives On In Canadian Professional Theatre
Here’s a story with which few people are acquainted, but I believe it holds particular interest. I am speaking of the birth of one of Toronto’s first premier repertoire theatre venues, the Crest Theatre. It has a local connection as it was founded in 1953 by three members of the Davis family in Newmarket, Donald…
Masons Continue To Thrive In Newmarket, 162 Years Later
Newmarket’s political and business elite were counted among the membership of this organization that has played a huge part in Newmarket’s history since the early 1800s and continues to flourish today at the Masonic Lodge on Millard Avenue in the old Temperance Building. We start our story with the arrival in 1817 of the Western…
Legend Of Newmarket’s Trading Tree
Newmarket’s Trading Tree is an excellent example of a “historical fact” that continues to have its doubters. Whether this has any effect on our current perception is hard to say but it is a great example of just why words like historical facts need to be vetted closely in today’s world. In this article, I…
