Book Excerpts

The Superior Propane Explosion

On the night of August 4th, Ray Pineau and his brother Andy were sleeping in a bunkie their dad had built on the Pineau property.  With the first explosion the boys felt the bunkie shake from side to side.  Ray awoke and looked out the window to a sky that was orange.  Ray knew what had happened. He jumped from the top bunk and took Andy by the hand and headed out the door.  Ray’s dad was leading his mom out of the house, his dad was bleeding from being hit by broken glass.  Their neighbours were already in their car and they yelled for the Pineau family to get in quickly.  Frenchy Pineau took his family to a friend’s house in the southwest part of town.  Ray’s dad had been a volunteer firefighter, so after making sure his family was safe he went back to the scene of the explosions.  

The next morning Ray headed up towards his home to see what was happening.  His dad spotted him and told him he had a job for him.  Ray was introduced to Officer Vipond.  Ray sat on the Officer’s Harley motorcycle and assisted the police with screening the people who were trying to get into the evacuated area.  There were reporters, potential looters and those who were just curious, mixed into the crowd of people who were permitted into the area.  As each person came forward for access, Officer Vipond would look at Ray.  If they worked for the plant or lived in the area, Ray would give a nod of approval.  If they didn’t, he gave the officer a shake of his head.  For a young kid Ray couldn’t have asked for a better job.

 

What Did Donkeys Have To Do With Baseball?  

In 1971 residents of Maple were back at the ballpark to see firefighters, women and the Lions members from King City and Maple take to the field for a couple of games of donkey baseball.  It was reported that the ladies tied the firefighters, and that the Maple Lions beat the King City Lions, but scoring was never that good in donkey baseball.  So how did you play?  Well first you needed donkeys, 11 of them.  Three for the basemen, three for the fielders and one for the shortstop.  Four more donkeys were used for the batters. The pitcher and the catcher were the only two players that didn’t require a donkey.  Players did not have to be on the donkey the whole time, but to participate in a play, they had to be on a donkey. The bases for donkey baseball were four-foot circles.  Baserunners had to be mounted to round the bases.  Of course, the highlight of donkey baseball was that most donkeys do what they want, and that was seldom consistent with what a baseball player wanted.  There was a rumour that John Kucherawy must have had some sort of secret, as he had the donkey racing from third base to home plate.

 

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

For the kids of Maple those church bells rang each day at noon and 7:00 p.m.  Depending on your age, the bells had different meanings.  In the days long before cell phones the bells often meant it was time to go home for lunch or dinner, or in some homes, it meant you were late for dinner.  At the time the bells were received the gift also included six rolls, which had increased to 21 different hymns by 1978.  A log was kept at the church as to when each hymn was played.  The bells at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church still work on special occasions.  The steeple was hit by lightning, but the bells were repaired in 2018.  They play for weddings and special services.