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THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, July 14, 1999 B y W ilm a B lo k h u is BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR The death of Wiarton Willie, announced on Groundhog Day, complete with a . fake body displayed in a tiny coffin, was tacky, according to David Haley. Apparently dead for some time, Willie, whose demise was covered up, should have been replaced with a new Willie by Wiarton's Groundhog Day organizers instead of holding that shameless funeral. It was enough to create an uproar. "There's a lot of controversy surrounding the delaying of the announcement of Willie's death, and the use of that fake body in a coffin," says Haley, a Wiarton Willie buff and retired princi­ pal of Munn's School. 'They really blew it in Wiarton. These peo­ ple were not thinking about the kids." So agitated by the events of that day, Haley sat down and re-wrote history. "A friend of mine, who was also upset with what went on that day in Wiarton, suggested I write a book about Willie." He wrote The Life & Legend o f Wiarton Willie in two days. The book almost wrote itself. "I got up at five in the morning and I could see the whole story, so I started writing and couldn't stop. It was as if some force was driving me." Although unable to change history, Haley was driven to write a children's story with the desired ending for Willie's son, who is taking over as Wiarton Willie to carry on the tradition. Haley created an illustrated story, based on historical fact, of Wiarton Willie's life from the point of view of a groundhog family that was fortunate enough to have among its offspring an albino groundhog capable of forecasting the future. The book is designed for children aged 8 to 14 and offers an explanation for Wiarton's Groundhog Day Festival Committee's actions at the time. Haley test marketed the book, his first, by reading it to 300 children in the Wiarton and Cape Croker area. Haley's book takes Willie from his idyllic youth in a meadow to living in the lap of luxury at Sam Brouwer's Wiarton Willie Hotel. "I literally grew up with groundhogs," says Haley, who was raised on a farm near West Flamborough and now lives in Lowville. "My dog and I hunted them each summer." His familiarity with groundhogs comes through in the book, with each groundhog char­ acter based on somebody he knows. "Everything I mention about Wiarton Willie's life is true, except one thing." says Haley. "I couldn't get anybody to corroborate his kidnapping, so I created a love story to explain why Willie was absent for his 1986 pre­ diction. The editor of The Wiarton Echo thought it was a hoax." •ri>t L,f. e David Haley was compelled to write the story of Wiarton Willie as it should be told. The book even includes W illie's Anthem. While his kidnapping created local headlines, Haley created a story where Willie goes to Cape Croker to meet "the girl of his dreams," mar­ ries, and father's the son who, in the book, takes over as the new Wiarton Willie. (In actual fact, a white groundhog has been found in Ottawa and taken to Wiarton). However, the details of death threats on Willie's life and being painted green by the 'Oliphant Ollies' are true. Haley had a leg up on the research, having been interested in the life of Wiarton Willie for 26 years. His father, Art Haley, 83, is the town archivist. He also researched the files at The Wiarton Echo, and interviewed Mac MacKenzie of Wiarton's Mid-Winter Festival, who 'discov­ ered' Wiarton Willie, and artist Dave Robinson who created the stone statue of Wiarton Willie at Bluewater Park. The book is available at Bookers, Indigo/Chapters, the Lowville General Store, and in Wiarton. Five months in the works, the Life and Leg­ end o f Wiarton Willie has evolved into other products including blue bookmarks which turn white when touched, key tags, buttons, frisbees, and mouse-pads, all featuring the work of book illustrator Lynne Bryer. A song written by 11-year-old Samantha Liv­ ingstone will soon be available on CD. A website, www.williesworld.com, has received 1.5 million hits. Haley's next project will be a musical about Wiarton Willie. He retired from Munn's School five years- ago, ending a 35-year teaching career, almost all of it as a vice-principal and principal in Halton. Oakville Oakville Town Centre 815-1530 (Next to Toys R Us) Photo by Peter J. Thompson GONE F1SHIN': Cecilia Banks, 9, shows off the white perch that she caught during the Kid's Fishing Derby at Bronte Harbor on Saturday morn­ ing. The 45th annu­ al Kid's Fishing Derby ran from daybreak until noon and was open to all children aged 12 and younger. 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