I remember my old town as a peaceful and quiet place in the 60s and 70s when I grew up there.
I lived at 289 St Paul Street with my single parent mom, “Bunny” and my 3 younger brothers, Chuck, Mike, and Al. – just across from Exhibition Place, where there were summer fairs, baseball games and the big blue water tower.
We didn’t have air-conditioning back then for those long hot summers, but you could sleep at night with our windows open and not hear traffic …. Just the sound of a gentle breeze at night and birds in the morning.
In the winters, nothing was more magical than the reflection of night stars on freshly fallen snow. There was an awesome silence and peacefulness I will never forget. Downtown – Christmas Lights draped over the street which were beautiful at night.
As kids we used to hike down the train tracks out past the old golf course to the Pretty River, where we would fish, go swimming, or just explore. On the way back, we would get yelled at by golfers as we hunted for lost golf balls.
My brothers and I would get our hair cut by our grandfather, Burt Conn, at Conn’s Barber Shop on Simcoe Street. Buds (my uncle) wreckers were just across the street and down a bit.
Exploring the old Tremont Hotel when it was just an old abandoned building, not yet renovated, was an adventure – looking at the old rooms, broken furniture, and artifacts was like time traveling.
Hanging out at Sunset Point in the summers and swimming out to Black Rock was a thing. In high school, if you had a friend with a car, we would go to Wasaga Beach and check out the tourist shops and arcade.
I remember grade 4 at the old Victoria school, where Mr. Cooper was our principal. I went to Cannaught school for grade 6, then Collingwood Senior Public for 7 and 8 – remembering Mr. Terry Geddies as an inspiration there – then CCI for high school.
Playing Pee Wee hockey at the Arena when I was younger and watching the Collingwood Blues on a Friday or Saturday night was always fun.
Having lunch at The Little Red Hen or in the booths at Woolworths was a treat, or going out to the A&W on highway 26 was good on a drive-in theatre night (triple features!!) I remember seeing The Good, The Bad and the Ugly there – mesmerized!
The Gayety Theatre and weekend double features on Sunday afternoons were a great way to pass some time
I have so many other memories and places I ventured, including Blue Mountain, Blue Mountain Pottery, Scenic Caves, Craigleith and the old train station out towards Thornbury… and so many more.
I was certainly blessed to grow up in Collingwood.
Thanks so much to Dan McGann for permission to share this great story!
