News as it Happens

October 13, 2002; Ralph Patterson celebrated his 90th birthday.

February 10, 2002; The Wakeham-York Carnival is once again in full swing. It began on Friday with a moonlight walk (under cloudy skies) and some teen events. Saturday morning, despite the cold, a good number of children showed up at the York Rink to participate in children's activities, which were to be followed by a hover craft demonstration. Bad luck prevailed again, as the hover craft owned by the Gaspe Fire Department failed to start. In the evening there was a very successful pot luck supper followed by the coronation exercises, and an amateur hour at the Royal Canadian Legion. All in all, the carnival is off to a good start. Festivities will continue through the week.

October 29, 2000; An early snowfall caught Gaspesians unprepared. Contracts for snow removal were not yet begun, so the roads remained in terrible condition through most of the day. Sunny Bank Street was impassible until about 4:30 PM.

Sept. 2, 2000; Vernon Eden and Paulette (Patterson) celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with an open house at Wakehm Hall. They were married on Sept. 3, 1960. A lovely supper was served to over 150 family and friends in attendance. Vernon and Paulette had five children, two of whom remain in Sunny Bank. [see photo]

August 31, 2000; Congratulations to Ralph and Bessie Patterson of Gaspe as they celebrate their 65^th wedding anniversary. Ralph and Bessie were born in Sunny Bank, where they grew up, worked, raised their family and have enjoyed 25 years of retirement. They have set a wonderful example for their 4 children, their 11 grand children and 6 great grand children. Family and friends wish them continued happiness in the years ahead. [see photo]

July 9, 2000; Hydro Quebec began work on the new power line between Perce and Gaspe, which will pass east of Second Lake. The new line is to provide an alternate power source in the event of another failure like that in June of last year. The projected completion date is December of this year. [see photo]

Jan. 23, 2000; The local snowmobile club, Les Bons Copains, has obtained a grant of $50 thousand to construct a suspension bridge across the York River. The new structure will be built just east of the highway between Wakeham and Sunny Bank to accommodate snowmobiles in the winter and ATV’s during summer. Construction will only begin in spring, but the snowmobile trail is expected to open this week with traffic travelling across the ice for one more winter.

Jan. 11, 2000; Schools closed due to a violent winter storm which began in the early morning. The total accumulation was only 19 cm but it was accompanied with gale force winds, causing driving conditions to be very poor.

Dec. 31, 1999; With Y2K approaching fast, the temperature has dropped dramatically in Gaspe. Though sunny weather has prevailed through the holiday season, night time temperatures in Sunny Bank have dipped as low as -27 C. We currently have about 10 cm of snow on the ground, far below the average for this time of year. Snowmobile enthusiasts, skiiers, and others are anxiously awaiting the first major snowfall.

Dec. 25, 1999; Christmas Day. Cold and wintery, but very little snow. The Canadian geese just left for the south. About a hundred were seen today in the Gaspe Bay, two weeks later than ever recorded before.

October 6, 1999; Paving was completed today on the bridge from Wakeham to Sunny Bank. Most cement bridges in the province have developed problems related to rusting of steel supports. These supports are being replaced causing traffic delays throughout the province. The work on the Sunny Bank bridge has taken about 3 weeks.

October 4, 1999; Second crop of lupins in full bloom! The flowers, which blossomed in July on schedule and were mowed to the ground, grew for the second time this summer and bore beautiful flowers. This is a further attestation to the beautiful weather we've experienced this summer. Lawns are still being mowed regularly, and people are walking and biking in shorts.

October 3, 1999; There was a 9 hour power outage today. As a result of the power failure in June it was determined that some power line poles needed replacing. At least two of the poles near the second lake road were replaced and fitted with more durable aluminum crossbars. The scheduled outage began at 4 AM. Power was restored around 1 PM, several hours before expected.

Sept. 26, 1999; Two robberies in Sunny Bank! Last night Jean Grocery was burglarized. Thieves broke the front window and stole about $1500 worth of cigarettes. The same night, Bartlett Palmer's shed was broken into and the burglars made off with over a thousand dollars worth of woodworking tools. A bit unusual for the Gaspe area, except there has been a rash of break-ins during the past month.

June 29, 1999; A forest fire began in Sunny Bank about 5 PM today. It started in Clifford's Road, just south of the CBC tower. The cause was unknown, but the local fire department was on the scene within minutes, and extinguished the blaze very quickly. The weather has been extremely dry during the month of June, with only about 50 mm of rain recorded (less than 2 inches). The fire index is high, and the woods has been closed on a few occasions.

June 12, 1999; Power failure in Gaspe. A cross bar broke on a hydro pole near Second Lake today, causing a power failure throughout the Gaspe area at about 11 AM today. Most regions had regained power by supper time, but much of York and Wakeham remained without electricity until about 2 AM. Crews had to be brought in from Rimouski to do the repairs.

June 7, 1999; The bike trail through Sunny Bank was paved today.

June 4, 1999; Gaspe is going to have a bike trail. Paving began today to make a 21 km bike path around the York Bay. It will be about 4 feet wide on the right side of the road going west in York and down Wakeham, back to Gaspe.

May 12, 1999; After a week of summer, guess what? Snow! Sunny Bank residents woke up this morning with the ground white. Our pansies are in bloom, some people have planted their potatoes, and everyone has gotten used to wearing shorts. Oh well, back to jackets for a while, I guess.

May 9, 1999; Floodwaters continue to rise. Water has completely covered the road near Jean Grocery. Water in a creek near the home of Dale Miller has begun to cut away at the side of the road. Water is currently about 14 inches below the record high water levels set in 1982. Temperatures remain far above seasonal average. Now (11 PM) the outside temperature is 15 °C.

May 7, 1999; Today was the warmest yet in a series of very unusually warm spring days in Gaspe. Temperatures reached 29 °C today in Sunny Bank, and the York River peaked to levels not seen in years, due to the melting snow. Water has overflowed the banks of the Long Reach once again, and has covered more than half of the road in front of Jean Grocery. Several residents have water in their basement, or near the basement floor. It has been so warm that some people even braved the icy waters at Haldimand Beach for a dip in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

May 5, 1999; One of my "Signs of Spring," the emergence of the light green poplar leaves on the Wakeham Mountain, occurred today. It breaks the previous record of May 7, 1987, tied last year.

April 14, 1999; A Cessna aircraft crashed about 2 km west of the Gaspe airport at 10:31 on Wednesday morning. There were 4 people aboard, the pilot, co-pilot, and 2 passengers. No one from Gaspe was involved. Search and rescue took several hours to reach the wreckage, but all those aboard had perished in the crash. This accident happened in the middle of one of Gaspe's worst winter storms of the season. We received 24 cm of snow in 6 hours along with high winds. Schools closed early, and numerous automobile accidents were reported.

March 17, 1999; Gaspe's snowfall record for the month of March is 186.9 cm, set in 1971. As of today we have received 145 cm of snow and 50 mm of rain. Well on our way to breaking the record! Even the "Sunny Bank" street sign had it rough, as it was apparently knocked off the post by the plough. This time, though, it was safely returned to the Town of Gaspe, and will be reinstated.

March 16, 1999; The affects of a mild earthquake were felt by several Sunny Bank residents at 7:56 this morning. The duration was only a few seconds, but it was clearly evidenced by rattling glasses and swinging crystals on chandeliers. This occurred in the midst of another March blizzard which has dumped more than 30 cm of snow, and shows no signs letting up. [The earthquake was centered in the St. Lawrence River north of Matane, and measured 5.0 on the Richter Scale. The Blizzard dumped another 59 cm of snow]

March 8, 1999; Well, robins take shelter! An "Old-time" snowstorm started yesterday morning, and continues yet this evening. Almost everything is closed. The streets are plowed, but most houses remain snowed in. We used snowshoes to go next door for a visit. [Snowfall totalled 63 cm]

March 5, 1999; Weather has been amazingly warm. Even the birds seem confused, as we saw a robin hopping across the snow on our lawn this morning. (I don't think he found any worms though!)

Feb. 22, 1999; Wanda Miller arrived home today on the train. She made the trip alone, but was met by anxious family members when sh e arrived. We extend her all our best wishes.

Feb. 20, 1999; Andre Jean was back at the store briefly today. As yet he is unable to return to work, but is at home and recovering nicely.

Jan. 29, 1999; The Wakeham / York Carnival began last night with a Card Party at the Gaspe Elementary School. Albert Patterson walked away with the top score in Five Hundred. All in attendance seemed to have a good time. Festivities continue tonight with the Coronation Supper and dance. A full schedule can be found on the Eastern Shores site.

Jan. 22, 1999; Andre Jean, the proprietor of our grocery store, has been in the hospital since Monday, January 18. Best wishes go out to him for a speedy recovery.

Jan. 14, 1999; Gaspe residents are thoroughly enjoying the news lately, watching Southern Ontario being buried with snow. The army has even been called in to help with clean-up and to assist with maintaining order. We, in Gaspe, have had a great winter so far. Very little excessively cold weather, and only recently have we gotten enough snow to open the ski hill and the snowmobile trails.

Jan. 3, 1999; Kevin, my son, announced his engagement to Lyndsey Patterson, daughter of Kevin Patterson and Colleen Bechervaise. The wedding will be on July 24 in Gaspe.

Jan. 1, 1999; Almost all the "Young Folks" have left Gaspe again. Each year Gaspe attracts many of the people who have moved during the past few years, returning to enjoy Christmas with their families. On the evening of Dec. 25th the Gaspe Legion fills to capacity with people renewing old acquaintances. The weather has been very cooperative, with temperatures remaining above normal for much of the holiday season. The York Rink was opened with beautiful outdoor ice for skating and hockey. Unfortunately we have practically no snow yet, removing snowmobiling and skiing from the normal list of winter activities. Among those who were able to make it to Sunny Bank again this year were; Karen Sinnett; Bruce, Chris and Gina Miller; Donald Sams and Debbie Robertsand their two children, Jessie and Jordan, Paula Sams and John Utton, Graham and Kelly Sams; Brady Patterson; Danny and Scott Reeder; Dale Patterson and Melissa Welch, Kevin Patterson and Lyndsey Patterson; Dean, and Sherry Phillips, and Lana and her husband, Andrew Miller, and their two children, Ryan and Brandon; Susie Patterson; Trent Patterson, his wife and two children, Michael and Christopher, Lennox and Sue Patterson, and their two children, Tammy and Dylan; and Brian and Sandy Patterson. Also it was wonderful to see Wanda Miller able to return and be with her family during the holiday season.

Dec. 31, 1998; Sherry, daughter of Gerald Phillips and Donna Patterson, announced her engagement to Brian Mulvihill, of , Ontario. The wedding will be set for early October, in 1999.

Dec. 15, 1998; Gina, daughter of Harris and Joanne Miller, announced her engagement to Kevin, son of Ev and Elaine Jones, of Gaspe.

Dec. , 1998; Sandy, daughter of Glenn Patterson and Sherry Suddard announced her engagement to Richie Mullin, son of Karl Mullin of York.

Dec. 4, 1998; The York Rink opened again, for it's 30th consecutive season of operation.

Oct 22, 1998; We've lived in the same house for 24 years and this is our third address change. Residents of the Gaspe area were recently notified that we will have new postal codes as of November 16th. The codes for Sunny Bank Street will be G4X 2M7 for the odd numbered houses (on the south side of the street) and G4X 2M8 for even numbered houses. For those who live in the village of Sunny Bank, on York Boulevard West the codes are G4X 2M5 (odd numbers) and G4X 2M6 (even numbers).

Oct. 19, 1998; The annual moose hunt opened on Oct. 17. Beautiful temperatures made the weekend a pleasure. Unfortunately record numbers of moose have been registered again, with over 90 reported in the first three days. Many local residents fear that increased hunting will devastate the moose population.

Oct. 15, 1998; To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary our family took us to supper and had an open house afterward. About 20 people attended the supper and over 50 visited during the evening, including both our sons who flew home for the weekend. Debbie and I would like to thank all those who dropped by.

Sept. 27, 1998; Rocky Jean and Michele Adams were engaged today. Rocky is the son of Tony Jean and Lana Palmer of Sunny Bank. Michele Adams is the daughter of Vaughn Adams and the late Anita LeBlanc.

Sept. 18, 1998; Many students from schools on the Gaspe Coast within the Eastern Shores School Board attended the Annual Track Meet at the Gaspe Polyvalent today. The weather was beautiful for the event. Among the students participating in the event were Crystal Miller and Tyler Patterson from Sunny Bank.

Sept. 17, 1998; The Small Game hunting season opened today. A lot of hunters passed through Sunny Bank on their way into the woods, but from most reports the catch seems quite small.

Sept. 15, 1998; Amazing weather continues. Sunny Bank usually receives its first frost in early September or even late August. This year we have not yet received our first frost. Several residents still have cucumbers and tomatoes growing. Local farmers had a successful summer, with the early spring and unusually long season. (see Sunny Bank Weather)

Sept. 6, 1998; May not have made headlines in major newspapers, but this was a great day for me. My eldest son, Dale, married Melissa Welch of Rutland, Vermont. The wedding was near Killington, at the Summit Lodge. Over 30 of Dale's relatives and friends made the journey to attend the wedding. The festivities began with a "Pool Party" on Saturday afternoon hosted by the Welch family. The water was over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, somewhat unusual for we Canadians. The highlight of the Sunday afternoon wedding was probably when the entire wedding party ended up in the pool, including dresses and tuxedos. The festivities concluded with a brunch on Monday morning at the home of Peter and Brenda Welch. See photos.

August 31, 1998; Back to school. Students of the Gaspe area returned to class earlier than usual. However they can look back upon the summer of '98 as being one of the warmest on record. Lots of sunshine, and even warm water at Haldimand Beach.

August 18, 1998; Grand theft in Sunny Bank! Last night all three "Sunny Bank" signs were stolen. There was one at the corner of Blvd. York West, identifying the street, and two others marking the village of Sunny Bank. All were removed by vandals, who obviously came prepared with wrenches. In addition the "Stop" sign in Wakeham, at the end of Blvd. York West, disappeared.

August 2, 1998; Lowell and Heather Patterson hosted a "Jack and Jill" party for Heather's brother Darrell and his wife to be, Brandy Jones. Gorgeous weather permitted the festivities to be held outside.

May 10, 1998; Miller Grocery changes hands again. The young couple, Claudette Eden and Andre Jean will be proprietors of Sunny Bank's only general store as of midnight tonight. Dale and Wanda Miller bought it from Bruce Patterson in 1991. They would have undoubtedly continued operating it for many years, had it not been for Wanda's illness. She will undergo a bone marrow transplant in late May. The general store has been around for about three quarters of a century, originally owned by Douglas and Ada Palmer.

May 7, 1998: One of my "Signs of Spring," the emergence of the light green poplar leaves on the Wakeham Mountain occurred today. This day ties the previous record for early springs set in 1987, records of which I've been keeping for about 25 years. The weather has been magnificent, with mostly sunshine for the past several weeks, and the day-time high, frequently over 20 degrees Celcius.

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