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Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Sarnia Observer

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Gilberts: Judy LaMarsh was a trailblazer

Gilberts: Judy LaMarsh was a trailblazer

Today I’d like to talk a bit about a woman prominent in Canada's federal government in the 1960s: Judy LaMarsh.

yesterday 9

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Moving forward, one step at a time

Gilberts: Moving forward, one step at a time

I do not have the same flair for writing that Jim does, but I know there is no shortage of topics to write about.

07.02.2025 4

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Women faced multitude of rules travelling in 1850s

18.01.2025 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Victorian times had rules for everything

The Essential Handbook of Victorian Entertaining promised to introduce me to “all of the strange rules of Victorian entertaining.”

10.01.2025 10

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Folk toys of an earlier time can still amaze

Almost everyone has had a special toy as a child, and tucked away in a corner of the memory is a heartfelt feeling for that toy. Almost everyone...

27.12.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Christmas should always be time for thoughtful reflection

All too often, our lives allow no time for reflection. Intent on getting and spending, we rarely spend quality moments in thoughtful contemplation....

20.12.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Mistletoe has long and somewhat sordid history

Mistletoe was forbidden inside Christian churches. The pagan custom of decorating with winter greenery was readily absorbed into early Christian...

06.12.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Fred Collins was a master horticultural creator

Hamlet reflects on how quickly all the good deeds his deceased father had performed throughout his life were so quickly forgotten. In Shakespeare’s...

29.11.2024 4

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Visits to Detroit and visit from Lieutenant-Governor

Taking a boat ride from downtown Chatham to downtown Detroit was a popular thing to do 100 years ago. Although taking a boat ride from downtown...

22.11.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Century of stately beauty, history resides at 500 King St.

When we lived in Chatham, we lived next door to 500 King St. W. owned by Bill and Bernadette Craven. When we lived in Chatham, we lived next door...

15.11.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Remembrance Day time to remember victims of war

Each Remembrance Day we honour all those military men and women who gave their lives to keep Canada free. Each Remembrance Day we honour all those...

08.11.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Jimmy Wealch and his 1913 Ford Model T

I came across a charming story about a man named Jimmy Wealch from R.R. 5 Thamesville and his prized 1913 Ford Model T. While looking through an...

01.11.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Spooktacular Soiree promises to be pre-Halloween highlight

As Halloween approaches, it’s unfortunate that we can’t magically whisk all interested parties to area places where supernatural, spirit-related or...

18.10.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: White Bronze firm offered unique grave markers

Once you know about their colour and ornate ornamentation, you'll spot them in many Victorian-era cemeteries in our area and across North America....

11.10.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Cemetery strolls designed to enlighten, not frighten

Our all new Cemetery Strolls for 2024 feature new characters, some new actors and some very interesting scenarios. Our all new Cemetery Strolls for...

04.10.2024 2

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Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: 2024 Cemetery Strolls characters bring great stories to life

Experience what the streets of Chatham-Kent have to silently whisper in our ears this year. The wind strangely whistles around ominous-looking...

27.09.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Chrysler family, devastating floods part of Chatham history

I'm exploring two other aspects of Chatham-Kent’s fascinating history that a lot of people may not know about. Continuing with a theme, I’m...

13.09.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Chatham's economic woes are not new ones

Chatham with all its great natural advantages as an industrial location, had not within itself the resources to build anew. “Chatham with all its...

06.09.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Early schools in Chatham-Kent had rough start

This week marks the beginning of the school year so, let's travel back in time to the early days of schools in Chatham-Kent. This week marks the...

30.08.2024 2

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Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Grand opera house, fire disaster marked King Street's early days

It was the most palatial building of its kind west of London, Ont., and remnants of it still exist today if you are sharp enough to recognize them....

23.08.2024 4

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Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Some 1920s concerns mirrored in today's world

Sometimes, we foolishly think that, living in today's modern world, we have little in common with Chatham-Kent residents of the 1920s. Last week, I...

16.08.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Concerns of 80 years ago have resonance today

Bird infestations, farmer groups, bad luck individuals and global warming all may have modern connotations, but also had attention in the early...

09.08.2024 4

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: William Lees Judson was painter, teacher extraordinaire

Earlier this month, we told you about a delightful little book describing a tour of the Thames River in 1880, by Professor Blot. Earlier this...

26.07.2024 1

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Jim And Lisa Gilbert

Gilberts: Third summer ghost walk takes on added dimension

We are exploring our downtown and telling you all about the strange paranormal happenings over the years, but we're adding an historical component....

19.07.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

Jim And Lisa Gilbert