It was once again relatively slow 20 years ago this week, in the Voice of Pelham issue of March 16 2005. The front page story was a summary of Mayor Ron Leavens’ remarks at the Pelham Mayor’s Breakfast held by the Welland/Pelham Chamber of Commerce, including the prescient advisory that, “We can’t keep going back to the tax base” to fund Town services, noting Pelham was looking at a situation similar to that in Erie County in Buffalo, where services were cut and staff laid off to avoid a tax hike.
Then it was time to open the Timbits Classic Hockey Tournament:
The Mayor is present once again, this time to hand out awards at the Legion’s Public Speaking Contest, with the assistance, far right, of Bud Ker, father of current Ward 1 Councillor Kevin Ker:
Next, the owners of J & J Floral Expressions are thanked for their help in sponsoring an ad for the Welland Hospital Foundation. Fun fact: J & J Floral Expressions occupied the ground floor of the dental practice opposite Beamer’s Hardware, the space that the Voice moved to some years later and where we remained until we ceased publication. There’s still a sign for the newspaper on the larger sign listing the building tenants at the parking lot’s entrance. (Not-so-fun-fact: Do not confuse this J & J with the other J & J florist, still extant, as they were as different as night and day, or as day lilies and nightshade.)
Another look at car prices, you ask? Sure. Here’s a 2005 Ford Freestar minivan, a model name I had to double-check. The Windstar, yes, but the Freestar? Turns out it was the “aging” Windstar’s replacement (which tells you how closely I was paying attention to Ford minivans), and enjoyed four model years, 2004-2007. Just to add a bizarre little connection here, the only Ford Windstar (or was it a Freestar?) that I remember ever seeing regularly around town happened to be parked quite consistently, for several years, in front of that other J & J florist, the nightshade one, perplexingly with New York plates. Meanwhile, unusually for a large carmaker, with the demise of the Freestar in 2007 Ford stopped selling a traditional minivan. Anyway, in 2005:
Next we have local participants in the Indoor Minor Track Association Provincial Championships, a quartet of accomplished athletes. Now, if there’s something familiar about the girl at the far left, Alannah MacDonald, you’re not imagining things. It took me a minute to figure it out—rather embarrassing, for reasons that will quickly become clear—but then the proverbial lightbulb brightened when I did a quick search on our site. You’ll see what I mean in a second. First, the young winners:
And now, Alannah MacDonald as we met her a few weeks ago, near the very start of this season of Friday Flashbacks. Yes, the butterfly girl turned PhD! If you missed the article, give yourself a treat by clicking the photo:
Next up it’s a seriously studious young man concentrating on avoiding electrocution:
Four years later, in 2009, Jesse apparently uploaded these creative photos to Flickr. Now, here’s the question: Where is Jesse DiBenedetto today? If you know, let us know too, at this address.
Here’s another look at the real estate market, this time about as typical a Pelham home as they come. A bargain, of course, in 2025 dollars, trade war or no:
Finally, this cutie-pie trio of gymnasts, including the wonderfully named Madison Maurice, headed to the provincial championships. (Where is Madison Maurice today? Apparently teaching French for the Niagara Catholic District School Board.)
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