Stories by Ian McKechnie
Local History
So why should I care about the coronation?
The coronation is fast approaching, and I’m already feeling queasy.
Local History
Up and away: The thrills of flight in Kawartha Lakes
About 120 years ago, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright took off from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in what has been celebrated as the first flight in an aircraft.
Lifestyle
Declining Church attendance in Kawartha Lakes
In 1937, the Rev. J. Cunningham Grier gathered on the front steps of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Lindsay with members of the church’s Bible class for a group photo.
Local History
Remembering Flora McCrea Eaton
One hundred years ago, in 1923, the famed (yet nearly bankrupt) financier Sir Henry Pellatt was forced to give up his beloved Casa Loma, in midtown Toronto.
Local History
Punching out
From the flour mills, sawmills, and woollen mills of the nineteenth century to the sprawling industrial complexes of the mid-twentieth century and beyond, factories have long provided steady jobs to local citizens.
Local History
Sandwiches and such: The story of Cragg's Box Lunch
It’s a crisp February day in Lindsay more than 70 years ago.
Arts + Culture
St. Thomas Aquinas takes on High School Musical in production at Flato Academy Theatre
Theatregoers will have a chance to see St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School bring High School Musical to the FLATO Academy Theatre’s stage on Feb. 24 and 25.
Local History
Dashing through the snow: Sleighing and sleigh rides
Although it is customary to sing “Dashing through the snow/ In a one-horse open sleigh” during the Christmas season, the snow is often not plentiful enough for a good old-fashioned sleigh ride until at least January.
Local History
“Make it an Electrical Christmas” Remembering appliances from long ago
It’s a snowy Christmas Day in Lindsay some 65 years ago.
Local History
The Pipes & Drums of Lindsay at 50
The skirl of the great highland bagpipe has the poignant potential to bring a lump to the throat of anyone — even those who do not claim Scottish ancestry.
Local History
Veteran Leonard Green remembers his service as a ‘store basher’
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to act as an interpreter for a living history exhibit about the lesser-known stories of those who served behind the front lines of the First World War.
Local History
Disability in Kawartha Lakes: A century of raising awareness
In 1900, a letter from Samuel Suddaby, clerk of Somerville Township, crossed the desk of George Lytle, publisher of the Lindsay Watchman-Warder.
Local History
A history of caretakers in Kawartha Lakes
Whether a school, a municipal facility, a place of worship or a local business, a building’s appearance is likely to garner comment.