125 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 29, 1883

• Tuesday noon, Shelburne villagers were again treated to an entertainment consisting of obscene language, fighting talk, etc., terminating in one of the parties, who was drunk, receiving a very badly disfigured countenance. The individual with the "mashed" face lay wallowing in his own blood for some little time on Main Street, while the inflicter of the punishment and some friends, looked on. Although not a very pleasing spectacle, it constituted a very good lesson in temperance.

• Richard Slack Sr., aged 84, died at the residence of his son-inlaw, William Watson, in Melancthon, on Monday last. Deceased was one of the old settlers of the township, coming in 1854 from County Fermanagh, Ireland. Prior to coming to Canada , he had served a full term in the Dragoon Guards, for which service he was in receipt of a pension up to the time of his death. The land upon which deceased located was the west half of Lot 9, Con. 4 OS, upon which his son Richard, the respected treasurer of the township, now resides.

100 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 26, 1908

• At the November meeting of Dufferin County Council, a petition was presented that the unincorporated village of Horning's Mills, be set apart as a Police Village. The petition was signed by 58 ratepayers and strongly supported by Messrs. T. R. Huxtable and R. E. Newton, who addressed council on its behalf. On motion of Councillors Dynes and Donaldson, council grated the prayer of the petition and gave leave to introduce the necessary bylaw. G. M. Vance, K. C. , of Shelburne, who had prepared the bylaw, was on hand to give council any information that might be required. The bylaw is to receive its third reading today.

• Shelburne Council met Friday last as a Court of Revision on local improvement assessments. The principal business was the consideration of the appeal of property owners on a business section of Main Street who had suddenly remembered that six feet in depth of their property frontage has for years been used by the town for sidewalk purposes.

• The audience that assembled in Shelburne town hall last Wednesday night for a concert to be given by Misses Freeman, Miss Cocking and Mr. Turner had to be dismissed without the concert taking place, the superabundant supply of coal gas that filled the building and was especially strong on the stage making it out of the question for the soprano or elocutionist to attempt their share of the program. Mr. Turner gave a cello solo and Miss Willda Freeman a piano solo to console the audience with their disappointment.

• George Hill of Second Avenue, Shelburne, had his valuable young horse harnessed up Saturday forenoon in the process of breaking it in for carriage use, when the animal broke away and made for the CPR tracks. The northbound passenger train was pulling out from the station at the time and Mr. Hill waved his arms and shouted for the engineer to stop. The train slowed down but did not stop and the engine caught the horse near the cattle guard, killing it instantly.

75 YEARS AGO Wednesday, November 30, 1933

• A municipal record, not likely held by any other man, is that of Telford S. Parkinson, of Orangeville, who has been elected by acclamation as the town's mayor for a third successive term. Mayor Parkinson has now entered his 19th year as a member of council. During that period he was mayor in 1920-21, and as reeve in 1925 was elected warden of Dufferin. He is looked upon as the next candidate for Dufferin-Simcoe in the Ontario Legislature.

• Three exhibits of one peck each from the Dufferin Boys' Potato Club competed in the national contest at the Royal Winter Fair. That of Sandy Hunter, of Melancthon, won first in the section for Dooleys in a class of nearly 30 entries.

50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, November 26, 1958

• Municipal elections will be held in three Dufferin municipalities this year. Although there will be acclamations in Mulmur, Mono and East Luther, there will be elections in Shelburne for reeve and council, Amaranth for reeve and council, and Melancthon for deputy reeve and council.

• Premier Leslie Frost has announced an expanded program of provincial assistance for municipal works to ease winter unemployment. The program, to go into effect Dec. 1, will give the municipalities 75% of the payroll costs of special winter projects.

25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, November 30, 1983

• Freezing rain caused both an unexpected holiday and a bonus in study time for 1100 Dufferin County students on Monday.

• Toronto lawyer Edward Greenspan will defend Rex. Albert Yates on charge stemming from the July 2 break-in at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Orangeville.