People

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Creative Enterprise

Published February 3, 2012 by oddacity designs

Businesses from the Past

One of the most asked questions by visitors is “What do people do here?”  In the past, the village was booming and there was no lack of employment to be found.  However, since the 1970’s the village has experienced a serious economic downturn.  Many come with the intention of opening a successful commercial enterprise. Some succeed, others don’t.

Here is an attempt to document the businesses of the past and give them some recognition, however small, of their contribution to Bear River.  We hope the pioneer, entrepreneurial spirit continues as it is the basis of keeping the village alive.

Workers at the Clarke Brothers Pulpmill, 1920’s. Industrial employment such as this has long been gone, now the economic base of the village is tourism.

Looking back over the last 30 years, there has been a substantial ebb and flow of businesses in Bear River. The following is a list of most of them and the decade in which they closed.  If you can add to the list or would like to share a memory about one of them, please send us an email! (thebearrivertides@gmail.com)

Businesses : 1970

Chester Kaulback’s Barber Shop

Idle Hands Book Shop: Pam  and Sefton Squires

Bear River Farmers Museum: The Susnick’s

Riverview Guest house:  Al and Fern Denton

Bear River Yarn Shop: Andy Fleishman and Vicky Goodman

Bear River Health Food Store: Brian Flemming

The 1980’s:

The Trading Company: Mac Parker

Derby Jacks Pizza and Deli:

Sophias (Mario’s) Bistr0: Mark and Jerri Blugerman

Sears Outlet: Norma Terry

Geerling’s Tea Room: The Geerlings

Icarus Candles:Mark and Jerri Blugerman

Village Chandler:Mark and Jerri Blugerman

Max’s Barber Shop, Max Gillam

Watch repair shop: Albun Riley

Bear River Home Furnishings: Bob Benson

Cooper’s Electronics: Ron Cooper

Ali Harris’s Meat Market: Ali Harris

Sugar and Spice Bakery: Shela Breau

Pink Flamingo Cafe: Doug Dockrill/Zoe Onysko

House on the Hill Bed and Breakfast: Gene Sampson

House on the Hill Art gallery: Gene Sampson

furniture refinishing shop

The Packett Restaurant: Wanda Trimper

Jim’s Video Hut;

Sefton and Smith papermakers:Sefton Squires, Mike Smith

The Windmill Gift Shop;  Dorval Parent

The 1990’s

Fine Line Graphics: Brian Reynolds

Return of the Toymaker:  Warren Paxton

Kate’s Roadhouse

Bear River Baskets:  Steve St. Louis

Plover’s:  Danette ?

Twig furniture shop:

Bear River Drug Store: Clare Sommers, David Sommers

Fraser’s Grocery: Norma Fraser. Peter Fraser

Keith Fraser’s Building Supplies: Gary Fraser

Irving Station: Rick Jacques

Rice’s Meat Market: Vincent Rice

Kwikway: Mike and Margie Read

Bear Woods: Shela Breau, Victor Schneeweiss

Leopardskin Pillbox Hat: Zoe Onysko

Bear River Frenchy’s: Barb Darres

Yours and Our’s: Gertrude Benson

Bear River Arcade: Barb Darres

Axent on Silk: Diane Axent

Royal Bank of Canada

Sail Loft Gallery

Several craft and art shops.

The 2000’s

Inn Bear River: Doug Dockrill/Zoe Onysko

Lovett Lodge: Adrian Potter

Kayak and Canoe Rentals:

Stilts Cafe: Chris Hawes

Rising Tide: Brian Trimper

Tri Corner Cafe:  Kevin McEachern and Wanda Wright

Bear River Costume Rental Shop:  Charles Glover

Bear River Ethnographic Museum: Sarah Elizabeth Glover

Viking Leather: Jenny Stewart Mulligan

By the Brook Bed and Breakfast:  Bob O’ Flaherty,

Vineyard Haven Bed and Breakfast: Diane Glavin

House of Leaves B and B: Andrew Riddles

Little Village Tailor Shop: Carol Smith

Riparian Raptures: Jane Kingston

Ricardo’s Pizza: Janet Isles, Carolyn Wagner

Bears’ n Bees Craft Shop: Jane Hanshaw, Diane Milbury

Hobbit’s Hollow: Brian Hurlburtt

The Healthy Shelf:

Joe’s Bike Shop:Joe Quercia

Bear River Cafe: Lynn Belanger

Kelly Foxton’s Trading Post:Kelly Foxton

The Rusty Bucket: Heather Hannam

Kadijah’s Drumming Studio

Copyright 2012, Think for yourself publishing

Walter Wambolt: an extraordinary life

Published November 25, 2011 by oddacity designs

Walter Wambolt takes a break

If there is one person in Bear River who deserves mention, it is Walter. Walter is an example of what a community really is.

Walter Wambolt is in his mid sixties. All of his adult life, he has been a village fixture and maybe even an icon. Because of his physical  impairments, Walter has never had a job, but he is the busiest man in town.

Walter has a routine. He has a list of people and places and things that he checks on daily, probably covering dozens of miles a day. He helps out at the Cherry Brook grocery, picks up and delivers mail for people who can’t get there themselves and makes sure the street lights are all working properly.

While Walter may only have completed a few grades of schooling (not uncommon back then) he is an avid reader and never misses the bookmobile’s visit to town.

Because of Walter’s speech impediment, it is difficult to understand him unless you have developed an ear for it.  This takes time and most people are happy to indulge in learning to converse with him.  Unfortunately there are some who don’t and we pity them.  Because Walter is a wealth of information.

Walter has an encyclopedic memory of birthdays.  If he knows someone’s birthday, he never forgets what day it is, and often he will phone or drop by with personal birthday greetings. He reads the horoscopes every day,  and if he knows your sign , he will alert you when something good is going to happen.

Walter knows who used to live in each and every house in Bear River and can tell you great stuff about the former inhabitants. And he has the most delightful and original nicknames for just about everyone he knows.

One of Walter’s many talents is his gift of mimicry.  Walter can do wonderful imitations of the people in town…his version of Harry Hill and Leslie Kennedy are smack on the nose.  Walter can sing and play percussion instruments incredibly well.  Walter is also a good man with a basic joke and if you tell him one, he will share it with the rest of the town.  Just ask him why there are no frogs in Bear River.

Walter used to ride a bicycle until his vision got too poor. This was no fancy bike but a old-fashioned-one-speed bicycle and boy, did he put the miles on it.  It wasn’t unusual for him to ride to Digby and back on top of his regular route around town and  out to Bear River East, and Clementsvale.   Those are some mean hills. Walter must have the best leg muscles in the world.

Walter is almost always upbeat and happy. He loves sweets. At any event involving food, Walter gets fed for free and always enjoys the desserts.  Walter is also a regular member of the Bear River Christian Advent Church and particularly looks forward to the men’s fellowship dinner one Thursday each month.  The Changing Tides diner puts together a man-sized stocking full of xmas goodies for Walter each year, which many people in the community contribute to.

Walter loves yard sales and likes to stock up on perfume and pantyhose for the women in his life. He lives with his brother Gary (and wife Susan) and is particularly close to his sister, Shelly.

Walter is the only person in town who received a special award from the Bear River Fire Department for all the help he has given over the years, without actually being a member of the Fire Department.

There are so many great things to say about Walter but it also says a lot about the way the people in Bear River are committed to his well-being.  One newcomer commented that he knew he had moved to the right place when he saw how important Walter was to the village.

He is a jewel in the Bear River Crown.

Oh yes, his birthday is December 18th…don’t forget it!