Yvon Plouffe wins feature race with Yankee Mirage at Driving Club farm: A large crowd, perfect weather and close finishes combined to make the annual Shawville Driving Club’s afternoon harness races the best ever.

The Connaught Park and CTA co-sponsored feature race was won by “Yankee Mirage” owned and driven by Yvon Plouffe of Angers, Que.

The winner was timed in 2.09 and 4, the last half in a speedy 1.02 and 4. Second by a length was “Keystone Goliath” owned by Dr. Frank Cowley, Ray Robin and Dr. Roly Armitage. “Goliath” was driven by Jean Paul Charron.

The president of the Canadian Trotting Association, Dr. R. Armitage, drove his son Donald’s “Belle Bluecrest” to a close third place finish. Roly is also a member and past president of Shawville Driving Club.

Wally Bretzlaff’s burned to the ground: Everybody in Ladysmith and for miles around was awakened very early Friday morning when an explosion occurred in the warehouse connected to Wallace Bretzlaff’s general store. The fire which followed destroyed the entire store, warehouse and dwelling of the Bretzlaff’s including four snowmobiles, tractor, jeep and automobile but five fire departments were able to contain the blaze and thus save the town.

Coming to help the local Thorne Fire Department were five fighters from Otter Lake, Campbell’s Bay, Shawville and The Hilton Mines.

The fire of unknown origin, destroyed the Four Seasons store and only several pieces of furniture and smaller articles were saved.

The building was built in about 1914 by Alfred Bretzlaff who operated it for a number of years. It was now owned and operated by Wally and Gerda Bretzlaff and had been recently modernized and enlarged and was Ladysmiths main shopping center.