The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

six original families weekender august 3 1985 p7 hamlet spirit alive for cedar grove this is the second in a series on markham hamlets freelance writer nancy hoskin talked to longtime residents to prepare this report by nancy hoskin things arent like they used to be in cedar grove but how could they be after a major expropriation move in the 1970s claimed most of the land but though some have moved away and the hamlet is only a shadow of its former self the community still retains the spirit which has kept it on the map for so many years cedar grove was once a bustling farm community settled by six founding fami lies including the dimmas and reesors around 1803 its location on the little rouge river made it a natural place to build saw mills and grist mills a general store school tavern hotel mennonite church and blacksmith shop soon followed later a cooperage sup plying barrels for the mills including the flour mill and later for the cider mill was opened cedar groves community spirit soared winter and summer the mill ponds pro vided cedar grpve with its skating rinks but through flood damage the ponds gra dually disappeared then in 1927 cedarena an outdoor skating rink was built and became a popular attraction people still flock to the secluded location and take advantage of the potbelly stoves to warm their hands or heat up some hot chocolate many markham families would spend summer days picnicking at woodland park and more than 1000 visitors often attended the annual cedar grove garden party where local and hired talent per formed in an outdoor amphitheatre each summer the garden party was a monstrous affair we all had so much fun performing and dressing in our costumes said delia dimma recalling the event while looking at the old photo album as the years went by the community prospered and grew but in 1972 the ham let was dealt a severe blow when the feder al government expropriated most of the land for a proposed airport the residents supported by a great many markhamites formed the people or planes pop group and put up a great fight pop finally succeeded in having the airport project put on the back burner but unfortunately for cedar grove it wasnt until after the expropriation had taken place by the time the federal government was through the small farming community saw more than 41000 acres of land ex propriated that took in all of cedar grpve less 1v4 acres lome dimma is one of the only two resi dents in the hamlet who has retained his home and halfacre free and clear the ori ginal dimma lot held the cottage his fathers large farm house and 100 acres of land today some of the leased land is farmed the hamlet also has the cedar grove cider and vinegar works still in op eration established in 1885 by peter lapp the factory produces apple butter cider and vinegar between the good and bad times few peo ple have left the hamlet and several fami lies like the reesors and dimmas have made it their home for their entire lives with 126 acres of land on the outskirts of the hamlet still being farmed by his son and grandsons simeon reesor 89 recalled his early years in cedar grove where he has lived all his life i used to farm this land with two teams of horses i took over from my father now you need a college education to run a farm i shouldnt have been able to stop going to school at grade 7 but thats how times have changed said mr reesor three generations live in the reesor farm house which was built in 1890 according to lome dimma there is a sprinkling of young newcomers to the area but many of the residents are in their 80s with a few in their 90s he said the formula for the long lives of the cedar grove resi dents is hard work without giving up ive always planned on living until the year 2000 ill be 90 and eight days old and will have seen two haleys comets he concluded the lapp brothers cider mill pro duces cider and vinegar even though the building looks deserted from the road sjoerd witteveen take a peek at the fashion alternative at whittamore farms near cedar grove a family picks yellow beans even though the land has been expropri ated much farming is still going on in the area opening august 8 at eucalyptus everyone wins we have disciminating taste for you why we appeal to the lady who has fashion awareness on a limited budget we appeal to the lady who has quality clothing has outgrown her closet or who has a one occasion ensemble to sell let eucalyptus sell to you and for you use us to fill or clear your closet one experience becomes a habit phone enquiries welcome 8 centre street markham ont 2948950 queen city glass toronto limited custom mirrors bevelling antique mirror resilvering shaped glass tops grinding crystal glassware 7634 woodbine ave unit 5 markham 3646285 4755757 over 70 years service reupholsteringbytoromark the mark of quality since 1950 markham district upholsterers since 1950 lei oui craftsmen completely rebuild and recover your suite 5 year guarantee on workmanship you choose the fabric from our many samples 2 piece plain suite rebuilt and recovered only aqq00 nylon or polypropolene m vv in tweed or plaid for free home estimate cau 2942581 toromark furniture house ltd free armcaps pickup oefcvery quality furniture reupholstering carpeting draperies sherwood plaza 4772055 2942581 hwy 11 just wist hwy mawowm