The history and heritage of the city - a February feature put together by the Heritage Committee.

eventsblue 100x100By Staff

January 21st, 2019

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Odeon_Burlington Lakeshore Road at Brant

How many people in Burlington remember this theatre that was on Lakeshore Road

The City of Burlington’s Heritage Committee has been busy planning another exciting Heritage Month, that begins on February 1st.

There is an opportunity to learn more about the events and issues that have shaped Burlington and Canada by attending the informative sessions planned throughout the month.

Topics and events will include Black history, First Nations, Freeman Station, Burlington architecture, movies, panel discussions, stories and more. The full calendar listing is at bpl.on.ca and burlington.ca/calendar.

All the food was made on the premises using recipes from the period of time the Ireland Farm house was built.

Lower kitchen in Ireland House – it is a tour well worth the time.

A kick-off event is planned for Friday, February 1st at St. John’s Anglican Church, 2464 Dundas from 1 to 2 p.m and at Ireland House Museum, 2168 Guelph Line from 2:30 to 4 p.m.)

1 p.m. – Greetings from Mayor Marianne Meed Ward; talks on St. John’s Cemetery, Burlington Agriculture and Oakridge Farm

2:30 p.m. – Refreshments (hot cider and freshly baked scones) and tours of Ireland House Museum.

Seating for this event is limited so please RSVP to arabellagore@gmail.com by Jan. 25, 2019.

Someone in the audience at the Ireland House presentation might want to ask the Mayor about the house she lives in on Martha Street; The Meed Ward family went to the effort to have their home designation as historically relevant.

Howard Bohan, Chair, Heritage Burlington that made this event possible worked with the Burlington Public Library, Museums of Burlington and the City of Burlington. He gives special thanks to the Burlington Heritage Month Committee and to Martha Hemphill of the United Empire Loyalists Association for her leadership.”

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2 comments to The history and heritage of the city – a February feature put together by the Heritage Committee.

  • Milly Vigh

    Hello Does anyone please remember a man who’s surname was Vigh, He used to make furniture or bed mattress on land near the airfield/airport he would be in his 80s now.

  • Peter Menet

    I remember the Odeon movie theatre as I worked there as an usher from September 1966 to June 1969. The manager was John Grant. He taught me many unique skills. One of which was how to get 300 people to stand in the rain on Friday and Saturday nights until the next showing of the feature movie. The Odeon, also known as the Roxy, was the only movie theatre in Burlington until the fall of 1969 when the the Burlington Mall opened with two theatres. That was the beginning of the end for the Odeon as at the mall you could wait indoors until the next showing.

    Mr. Grant was an ex-carny man and he had many skills. He had the front doors designed so that unless you knew the trick they were near impossible to open from the outside even though they opened outwards. Rowdy patrons who did not want to leave were told that we would gladly fight them outside. We would walk them to the doors, hold a door open for them and then close it quickly from the inside. They would stand outside ranting unable to get back in.

    One of the benefits of being an employee was that I could watch all the restricted movies even though I was underage. That was a big deal then.

    Alas, the last time I saw Mr. Grant was in the fall of 1973. The movie “Caligula” was showing and Mr. Grant said it was soft porn. He was sad, but he was near retirement and the theatre would close soon after we met. He had done very well on the stock market. Odeon was then owned by the Rank Organization. Older people will remember J. Arthur Rank. In the early sixties Rank obtained the exclusive rights worldwide to distribute Xerox machines outside of the USA. Mr. Grant had Rank shares. He was the only man I ever knew who always had two or three monkeys at home. He could afford them.