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PAGE 24, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1988 Whitby'ssouvenirs A history of Whitby memorabilia By Adam Sikora If you're going to throw out some memorabilia you've received or purchased at a local event, stop and reconsider. Case in point: a brief history of Whitby souvemrs. Many events have been held in Whitby's . history by various groups and many celebrations have been held, resulting in a mass of paraphanelia that is both interesting, recording Whitby's history and potentially valuable. The following is a list of souvenirs issued or sold from groups and events from Whitby's past and present, compiled with the assistance of Brian Winter of the Whitby Archives and Chamber of Commerce: 1903 -Brooklin Old Boy's Reunion; badges given out 1904 -Whitby Old Boy's Reunion and Ontario County Jubilee (50th anniversary) badges and souvenir picture booklets distributed 1907 -Whitby and the Board of Trade issued booklets 1910:- Ontario Ladies' College (now Trafalgar 'Castle) and the Whitby town registry offered paperweights and pictures -registry office and St. Mark's to families with newborns in 196't 1971 -the Rotary Club issued a series of sketches by local artist Kalman Banitz 1973 -another series of sketches sold by the club, this time by Dave Aitkenhead -plates sold to commemorate Whitby homecoming 1974 -Ontario Ladies' College sold a plate celebrating its centennial 1979 -the Bank of Montreal, in its 25th year in Whitby, issued a print of the old post office; the site where the bank resides 1983 -gold-plated coins for Whitby's Marigold Festival This is just a gance at the multitude of souvenirs issued for free or sold to Whitby's public in generations past. As for the future, one has but to look around local stores for Whitby-related items to come to the conclusion that we are enjoying a prosperous souvenir industry. Almost any type of souvenir imaginable is available, from something considered a little offbeat like license-plate holders to standard items such as pens, badges and ashtrays. With the various array of Whitby souvenirs available to its visitors and residents alike, it is a little-known fact many are produced right here in town. "Everything is selling well", says Judy Gibbens, tourism clerk of the Whitby Tourist Information Centre, when asked of the sales progress of their inventory of Whitby souvenirs. A popular item is maps, which are produced by Map Art of Whitby, a local company. One reason for the popularity could be the continued prosperity of the centre. Although nowhere near the figures it experiences during the summer, when tourism is at its height, the 900 Brock St. S. centre still assists 55 to 60 people a day on average, according to Gibbens. However, out-of-town visitors do not all account for souvenir revenue. "Distribution is about even", says Gibbens, when it comes to the purchasing of Whitby souvenirs. Many interested residents buy for themselves or for relatives living elsewhere whom they plan to visit. Other items of note the centre carries are Whitby t-shirts and sweaters, provided by local Church (then a Methodist tabernacle) sold metal plaques containing pictures of both respective places 1914 -Town-issued booklets 1941 -Chamber of Commerce issued a map 1947 -Chamber of Commerce promotional book on Whitby (redone in 1955 by the Chamber of commerce in conjunction with the industrial commission) 1955 -centennial of the incorporation of the Town of Whitby -wooden nickels, badges, two souvenir booklets given out, one by Ontario County, one by the town of Whitby, sold for 25 cents (however the Town ran out of the latter of these books, and in 1959 offered to buy them back for 50 cents each) 1958 -the Whitby Dunlops hockey team -sold crests and pennants to raise funds for their trip to the world junior championships in Oslo, Norway (which they won on a goal scored by now Mayor Bob Attersly) 1967 -booklet called "A Town Called Whitby" was sold for $1 (later had to be given away due to an abundance of them) commemorating Canada's centen- nial, and baby scrolls were given business person Ed Buffett, and a collection of porcelain, including mini-vases and plates which are emblazoned with the marigold. the town's symbol. These are provided by the Brock Stop, a porcelain gift shop in the downtown core. The-store works in conjunction with Whitby Psychiatric Hospital which has some of its patients working on the souvenir porcelain as part of rehabilitation, making them totally responsible for the creative process. Finally, there is perhaps Whitby's most famous and widespread souvenir - the mari- gold lapel stickers, distributed by Mayor Bob Attersley wherever he .travels. When asked how much the thousands of stickers handed out annually cost the Town, Gibbens' supervisor Lorna Solly replies they are "relatively inexpensive" in light of the recognition and good will they bring Whitby. Store offers local craftwork By Adam Sikora Jack Hastie, owner of Turtle Creek Classics in downtown Whitby, has something a little different to offer. With a tasteful selection of art, crafts and gifts including handicrafts, trays, decorations and works of cera- mics and porcelain, a majority of them are created by craftspeople of Whitby and the surrounding area. Their works are sold in other places such as markets and craft shows and it is in such places that Hastie often first discovers them. Hastie, himself an artist, offers prints of early Ontario buildings. These prints, originally drawn in pen and ink by Hastie, are then reduced and colored with water- color paints. Four buildings from Whitby in his list of offerings include Ross House, Andrew Ross House, the Whitby railroad station (now The Station Gallery), and a streets- cene of four Whitby buildings. Hastie also offers a unique service - creating custom house portraits in the same manner as the early Ontario buildings were rendered. Customers who wish to have their house preserved in this manner need only provide a good photograph with which Hastie can work. Spending 15 to 20 hours on a print, Hastie duct. For more information, call guarantees a satisfying final pro- the store at 430-3242. JACK HASTIE colors a print Classies store in Whitby Lane. in his Turtle Creek Limited edition prints By Debbie Luchuk stone at the library, which now People looking for unique houses his law office and is the "Whitby" gifts for Christmas or site of extensive restoration. for anytime can now buy prints There are 250 limited edition and notepaper featuring various prints in circulation, and they tistorical buildings in town. can be bought from Miskin at his The old Whitby library, at the office for a sum of $50 each. corner of Byron and Dundas Sts., Miskin has funded the produc- has been commemorated in a tion of these prints, and will take print by Desmond Clancy, from a from the sale only what is pen and ink drawing. needed to pay the artist and Whitby lawyer Murray Miskin costs to have the prnts made. He commissioned the artwork to is givingthe rest of theproceeds commemorate the 75th annivers- to the Whitby Historical Society ary of the laying of the corner- for use at their discretion. ACO now offers hasty notes The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, Durham br1anch, has produced a series of hasty notes featuring various buildings of historical interest in Whitby and neighboring areas. Each note has information about the building on the back. The art was commissioned ,*,- from Anne Thomson, an Ajax artist, and portray some of the buildings as they are today, some as they were in the past or in their "heyday." The cards sell for $4 for 10, and make a great stocking stuf- fer while assisting the Architec- tural Conservancy to finance heritage conservation projects.