Glen Wallis As Richard Stephens

Letitia Youmans (centre aka Carlotta Rutledge) flanked by Carol King and friend.

Athol Recreation Secretary Janet Davies and Treasurer Lily Lee

Some brought their own furntiure from home to enjoy the live music.

The audience listening to E.Z. Country South

Yummy cherry ice cream form the 4H club

Cheryl, Bob and Linda serving yummy pizza.

Carol King who help co-ordinate the old fashioned games.

Angelo Bean and Karen who served the wonderful sausages for the Long Table Lunch

Donna Kaye who co-ordinated the Old Fashioned games.

Cherry Valley residents: Glen Wallis, Billy Munnelly, Kevin O’Connor, Brian Conway and John Mc Kinnon.

Don Montgomery hanging up the sign.

Having fun in the sack race

Kato Wake (Athol Rec. Chair) and Billy Munnelly

Long Table Lunch

Locavore Lunch!

Long Table LUnch Servers Gerry Jenkison and John McKinnon.

Volunteers in Historical Costume

Kevin O’Connor as Squire Asa Werden, Kat O’Connor as his daugther Amelia and Lesly Hadrill as his wife Elizabeth.

Athol Vice Chair Susan Wallis in historical costumes as Jane Williams heads the annual Scavenger Hunt and Historical Walk.

Cherry Valley Women’s Institute

Dancing away to Little Bluff

Evening dance in Town Hall

Bruce our Town hall super and his wife.

Bar at the Little Bluff Dance

Live music, a locavore long table lunch, wood oven pizza, scavenger hunt \ historical walk, old-fashioned games followed by an evening dance featuring Little Bluff.  This is what the Cherry Jubilee was all about this year.

The Long Table lunch started about noon with a delicious lunch coordinated by Athol Rec.  Chair Kato Wake and an enormous crew of volunteers.  The lunch featured sausages from Angelo Bean, Pyramid Ferments Sauerkraut, potatoe salad made by volunteers and a cherry tart made by the Pink Lunch Pail.  80 people enjoyed this wonderful lunch served by volunteers dressed in historical costumes and personas organized by Athol Vice Chair Susan Wallis  with costumes supplied by Carlotta Rutledge of the Mount Tabor playhouse.

At 2:30 pm the old-fashioned games started coordinated again this year by Cherry Valley residents Donna Kaye and Carol King.

History played an important theme throughout the day’s events with a self- guided historical walk and scavenger hunt throughout the village.  Historical characters such as Alva Stephens (aka Brian Conway) and Letitia Youmans (aka Carlotta Rutledge) were seen wandering the small hamlet.  The public was also invited to see for the 1st time on display the ledger of Alva Stephens, a 200 year old artifact.

All this to the back drop of the music by E.Z.  Country South.

The day wrapped up with a rockin’ dance in the hall featuring the local band Little Bluff.

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100 people gathered in the Cherry Valley United Church on Friday night to kick off the Cherry Jubilee weekend with a wonderful concert produced  by Fifth Town Films of Cherry Valley and co-sponsored by the Athol Recreation Committee and the Cherry Valley United Church.

The crowd was mesmerized by the sweet, angelic voice of  Jennifer Castle  singing both old and new songs followed by the surreal sounds of the  duo AroarA featuring songs from their new CD “In the Pines”.

The crowd sipped  on ice tea  from Honey Pie Hives and Herbs  (www.honeypie.ca) brewed with love by Athol Recreation Centre Vice Chair, Susan Wallis and home-baked cookies baked  with even more love by Cherry Vally resident Lesley Hadrill,  The audience enjoyed the performance immensely which was evident by their rowdy insistence on an encore performance by AroarA.

Thank you to Ryan Noth and Tess Girard of Fifth Town Films, Gavin North our sound man and David Colwell  of the Cherry Valley United Church.

                             Jennifer Castle (above)

AroarA-   Andrew Whiteman & Ariel Engle.

AroarA-Andrew Whiteman & Ariel Engle.

Photo credit  Johnny C Y Lam © 2013        www.johnnycylam.com

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Alva Stephens was an early United Empire Loyalist who came to the area from Jefferson County in New York State sometime between 1812 and 1815 during the War of Defense.  He was a hatter by trade establishing three successful businesses at Stone Mills, now called Glenora. His first venture was as a haberdasher where he made and sold hats, after which he erected a hotel in the same location and finally became the owner and operator for the ferry between Glenora and Adolphustown, as well as the hotel and tavern.  While at Glenora, at around 1814 he started writing this ledger, which is on display. The ledger reveals important information on tavern life, the ferry operation, and Stephen’s many other trades, including his hat making.

According to the ledger dated 1817 but with entries from 1816, this almost 200 year old book is a priceless piece of local history.

Alva Stephens finally settled in Cherry Valley when he purchased a homestead in 1822, which stands just outside the hamlet of Cherry Valley on the right side of Cty. Rd. 18 on the way to Sandbanks, currently the home of  Athol Committee members, Susan & Glen Wallis.  Mr. Stephens is reputed to have given Cherry Valley its name based on the abundance of cherry trees in the area at the time and it is reported that there was a large cherry orchard located on his property on the banks of East Lake.

The Stephens ledger, which will be 200 years old in 2014, provides a fascinating window into the social life of a long ago era here in the County. Sadly, the ledger is in poor condition and its contents are becoming hidden from us because handling the book will add to its deterioration.

The Athol Recreation Committee is looking into having the ledger restored so that it can be seen by future generations. First, it is hoped that the pages can be digitized and thus make the contents available for anyone to read. Second, it is important to restore the book itself, so that it can enter its third century without facing the danger it is now in from more degradation. This is an important and historical artifact, and the project may be expensive and take a long time.

We urge you to make a donation towards saving this wonderful part of our local history.

Special thank you to Athol residents Barbara Wyatt and Linda Cole for spearheading the preservation of the Stephens ledger and to Glen Wallis for building the display case.

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Day and Night time fun for all…………………..

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To start off the Cherry Jubilee weekend come to our opening concert on Friday night!!

Buy your tickets in advance $12 or at the door $15.

Light refreshments will be served!

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