Once Baptist ~ now Presbyterian

Photo by Barry Wallace

Folks walking and driving by the old Baptist Church on the King Road, at Fisher Street, in King City this past week, will have noticed that a new sign has been installed in front of the old church.   The old church, which was built in 1873 and moved from Eversley to King City in 1889, has become the HanWool Presbyterian Church.   There have been no religious services in the old church for almost 50 years.   Services in the new church will be offered in both Korean and English languages and will be serving current members from King, Vaughan, Aurora and Richmond Hill.   About two-and-a-half months ago, I speculated in this blog space that the old church was to become an Italian bakery and expresso bar.   Well, I sure got that one wrong.
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Barry Wallace   

The morphing of King City...

On east side of village...

Two views from the north side (above) and the south side (below) of King Road, looking east from Warren Road, towards Dufferin Street.   Curbs were installed this week on both sides of the road and will be followed shortly by sidewalks and  road refurbishment. 

On west side of village...

The landscape changes in the new Zancor Royal Collection development, on the south side of the King Road, between the GoTrain tracks and the closed Catholic Separate School.   Below, the adjoining Royal Collection condominium apartment development, on the south-west corner of King Road and the new Burns Boulevard continues to fill up.

There is a gaping hole (above and below) in the Royal Collection development lands that is signed as a "Designated School Block".   Many of the approximately 150 home sites have yet to be built, as well as any future school.

Photos by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

A time to reminisce about Strange School days

Laskay Hall Photo by Barry Wallace

S.S. # 4 Strange/Laskay Reunion

Sat., Sept. 14 ~ 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Former students of Strange Public School are invited to attend and reminisce on Saturday, September 14, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Laskay Community Hall.   There will be a pot luck lunch and dinner.   Call or email for your dinner tickets (no charge) at 647-989-1913, or gloria.dalton@learntocompute.ca.    You can also visit the Facebook Group: S.S. # 4 Strange/Laskay Reunion.   Laskay Hall is located at 12840 Weston Road, south of the King Road, in the hamlet of Laskay.   I will be attending as my dear wife's escort.   I am not a former student, but my wife is, and she has forbidden me to say how many years ago that was.   A reader of this blogsite left some comments recently in response to a blog I had written about Laskay.   She went on to say: "Our family revered Miss Arbuckle as a teacher and the ones left still speak in awe of what she could accomplish in that little country school".   I spoke with the revered Betty (Arbuckle) Dew a couple of weeks ago and she said it was her intention to attend the reunion.   It should be fun.

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Barry Wallace

Summer 2013 ~ gardens to remember

Flowers by Linda Wallace   -   Photos by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

Walter Rolling ~ 1873-1943

Photos above by Barry Photos

2013 marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of Walter Rolling.   The man was an educator of great repute and a legend in his own time.   It seems that no one in King Township's history has earned as high regard as this man did.2013 is also the 70th anniversary of his death.   The monument and gravestone, pictured above, are to be found in the King City Cemetery.   The photo at left is from the King Township Museum.   When Walter retired from teaching, 2,000 pupils and friends gathered at Kinghorn School to honour this man for his 41 years of service as an educator.   I imagine there will be some kind of event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth, ten years from now, but I don't suppose 2,000 people will attend.

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Barry Wallace

Kettleby Fair ~ Saturday, September 7

Photo by Barry Wallace

"The biggest little fair in Ontario"

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Barry Wallace

Autumn leaves are a month early

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Autumn is still a month away but local maple trees are already starting to show their fall colours. The picture above was taken at the King City Cemetery where a dwindling number of 100-year-old maples still put on a great colour show, on the north side of the King Road, each year.   The building in the background is the the brand new Spring Hill condominium-apartments building.   More colourful maple leaves are also seen (below) on the 18th Sideroad at the UofT's Jokers' Hill. 

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Barry Wallace