Page 10 - October 19, 2017

Page 10 The Independent Thursday, October 19, 2017
Lambton’s oil history to be tackled next by Donnellys director
Heather Wright
way around Ontario and even out west for screenings. Huggett goes to as many as possible, gauging the audience’s responses and later tweaking the lm to make it better.
his next lm; Boomtown.
“It’s the 45-minute history of the
now, I work in the industry in my day job as well. It is a piece of history we are much more tied to personally.”
Canada hired a research for a period of time to help them dig up the history and that was my mom,” says Huggett.
The Independent
oil industry in Lambton County,” he says.
The man who brought the story of the Black Donnellys to the big screen says he’ll bring Lambton County’s oil history to life next.
It’s his hope that after the screenings, The Black Donnellys will be part of lm festivals in Ontario and hopes to sell it into the US market as a history lm.
“It’s not going to tell the whole story, it will be chapters of it over a period of time...We are still kind of distilling it down to the essential pieces and doing the research.
Huggett admits with such
a wealth of stories about the characters who opened Lambton County’s oil elds and developed the industry it will be hard to nd just the right stories.
“I have several years of notes from that research that I have access to. As well as I have had conversations with the people who have been around 60 or 70 years who know the history,” he added.
Aaron Huggett was part of the audience during the two sold-out showings of The Black Donnellys in Petrolia.
And while viewers are just getting their rst look at The Black Donnellys, Huggett is working on
“I grew up a kilometre from where the rst oil gusher happened...we live there again
But he has a secret weapon - his mother.
“In the 90s, the Oil Museum of
Huggett is excited to tell a much more positive story with Boomtown.
The lm, which was partially lmed in Lambton, is making its
Corunna senior is nding her artistic voice later in life
The Independent Staff
Annie McLaughlin had always loved to paint. But the demands of her family and a busy life as a senior limited her painting time.
shown at Lambton’s main gallery, the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery.
from her past with photos she’s seen recently.
McLaughlin’s story.
The winners of the show were
But that changed ve years ago, when McLaughlin gave up her licence at the age of 85 and took up the paint brush.
Saturday, she was among
the artists at the opening of
the Victoria Hall Art Advisory committee’s juried show. She submitted Ghost Barn, a depiction of a foggy rural farm, similar to the one she spent most of her married life at on Petrolia Line.
The
proli c artist
amazed the
others at the
opening with
Mayor John
McCharles
commenting
there may
be hope for
him yet to
become an artist after hearing
honoured at the event including John Arts of Chatham for Best in Show for a painting called Canadian Oil.
Since then the 91 year-old Corruna woman has produced about two paintings a week - last year alone she created 98 works at her dining room table.
“I paint anything,” she says. “Mostly rural stuff.”
Sylvia Forman won best acrylic or oil, Roxanne Leystra took the prize for best photograph and newcomer Karen Cullaton of London won for best mixed media.
And her acrylics have been
McLaughlin says she never directly copies works instead using her imagination to create scenes
Annie McLaughlin
The works will be at Victoria Hall until Nov. 14. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite work which will get the People’s Choice Award.
Karen Campbell congratulates Jack Keefe, the winner of the Best Watercolour at the Victoria Hall Juried Art Show Saturday.
One injured as school bus looses its axle in Dawn-Euphemia accident Tuesday
Children on their way to Wallaceburg Christian School were shaken up but not injured after a small car hit their bus Tuesday morning.
Dawn-Euphemia re ghters were called to Dawn Valley Road near Croton Line and found the bus in a eld and missing its axle. The children who were on board
were shaken but not injured. The driver of the white car was injured. Witness say it took about a hour
to get her out of her car. She was taken to hospital.
Family members of the students say the re ghters made a bad situation bearable by handing out teddy bears to all the students after the crash.
The bus driver is also being lauded for her skill in keeping the bus upright after the crash.
Mike McDonald
& The Bayou Boys A
It’s not clear if charges will be laid in the accident.
Fill out your ballot for a chance to
win
one of two sets: 2 tickets
at any one or all of these contest sponsors
ctor’s A Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival
Saturday, October 28th at Victoria Hall
4119 Petrolia Line Petrolia 519-882-0633
4236 Petrolia Line • 519-882-4848
A Sweet Retreat
4190 Petrolia Line
(Just Across from Victoria Park)
Truckin Mamas Diner
519-882-0098
Tickets: $36
Showtime: 8 pm
All Proceeds will go to Petrolia Lions Community Projects.
Tickets for this show can be purchased at
The VPP Box O ce, Victoria Hall - 411 Green eld St, Petrolia by calling 519-882-1221 or 1-800-717-7694
or order online at www.thevpp.ca
m
r
s
l
d
n
a
e
i
r
f
e
n
a
k
e
r
n
e
w
e
f
r
h
i
e
n
W
d
s
e
i
L
i
o
4
3
7
5
P
e
t