100 YEARS AGO Thursday, February 20, 1908

• Weather got at its tricks again last weekend. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it was snow. Saturday the inevitable freeze and snow storm came along. Trees suffered. So did telegraph and telephone wires, Shelburne being shut off from the outside world Saturday. Saturday morning's passenger train came from Toronto three hours late with two engines. South of Melancthon Station as a snowbank took the outfit to its chilling embrace and kept it there until a snowplow came to the rescue Sunday forenoon. An attempt was made to run a train from Owen Sound Saturday afternoon but a drift welcomed it three miles from the Sound and a yard engine and shovellers had a circus getting it out and back to its starting point. Saturday night's train from Toronto reached Shelburne Sunday forenoon and was taken on through after the plow.

The train that had been stalled near Melancthon was taken back to Toronto. There was no telegraph communication with the south until Sunday morning, the wires being down. This in itself made the running of trains a ticklish business. Many of the passengers on the stalled train walked back to Shelburne Saturday night.

• There was a fair sized audience in Shelburne town hall Friday evening last to witness the performance of the drama, "The Corner Store," by the dramatic club of St. Paul's Church. The cast of characters was as follows: Eli Wheeler,who keeps the corner store, D. J. Reburn; Bud, his son, home from the city, J. H. McLelland; Harvey Barton, Bud's cousin, (and the "villain of the piece"), Bert Colbeck; Jimsey Flannagan, recently landed and remarkably green, Harry Hillhouse; Otto Guckenheimer, Jayville's chief of police, George Berwick; Jasper White, always under suspicion, Sam Lindsay; Dora, Eli's niece, and heiress to $60,248, Mrs. Bingham; Jerusha Jane Alverah Ann Boggs, an orphan, Mabel Bates; Aunt Hannah, Eli's wife, Mrs. George Berwick. While not so good as some of the productions that have been staged by the club, The Corner Store has its share of excitement and interest, with enough fun thrown in on the side to give the audience some good laughs. A specialty in the form of a vocal duet by the McLean Brothers was introduced in the first half.

• The adjourned annual meeting of the Dufferin Conservative Association met in the town hall, Shelburne, on Wednesday, February 12. There was a good representation from the different municipalities and the meeting was an enthusiastic one. The first business after the reading of the minutes of the last annual meeting was the appointment of delegates to attend the meeting of the Central Association when called in Toronto. The delegates are Dr. Barr, MP, C. R. McKeown, MPP, and the president, vice-president and secretary of the association.

• At its regular meeting Monday evening Shelburne Council approved a motion "that the village bear half the expense of a telephone in Chief Thompson's house and that the same be installed as soon as possible."

75 YEARS AGO Thursday, February 24, 1933

• The nomination to fill the vacancy in the Deputy Reeveship of Mulmur Township, caused by the death of the late William Tupling, was held in the Orange Hall, Mansfield, at noon Monday. John Reburn, R. H. Jamieson, William Mitchell and Charles Bradley were nominated but the other three nominees having retired, Mr. Mitchell was elected by acclamation.

• In order to meet existing conditions in passenger traffic and express and baggage shipment, the CPR trains to and from Toronto now have a combination baggage and express car with a mail compartment on one end, instead of two cars, and one coach has been taken off two of the trains. Every train to and from the city formerly had two passenger coaches, a baggage and express car and a mail car with room for express. Besides combining the baggage, express and mail accommodations in one car, the CPR has also removed one passenger coach from the morning train from Toronto and the afternoon train to the city. The other trains will still have two coaches.

50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, February 19, 1958

• Monday was the coldest February 17th ever recorded at the Redickville weather station, with a low of -10F and a high of -3. Few Dufferin County roads were fit for traffic and rural schools suffered from attendance. Monday morning's train from Toronto was 90 minutes late.

25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, February 23, 1983

• Fifteen Shelburne workers headed back to their jobs at the J.W. Robinson Saw Mills Monday as the sawmill went back into operation for the first time since last July.

• The Orangeville Agricultural Society has turned down a request to allow a farmers' flea market at the Orangeville Raceway.