Treasured Memories of Fred and the Maple Leaf Dairy

Photo from- Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum.

Maple Leaf Dairy -249 Bridge Street Carleton Place–Joann Voyce added When this picture was taken this was Langtry’s Dairy/ The building to the right was the Beer Store

One day it seemed Fred Veenstra was there and the next day he wasn’t. To tell you the truth I began to drive over to the Maple Leaf Dairy one hot summer day in the early 80s when my hair stuck to my head as I just didn’t want to be seen at Mac’s Milk on my side of the river. Stupid idea? Maybe- but then I would have never met Fred.

As the sound of the television blasted in the background and people came in and out I found out a lot about Frank over the years. I never knew how old he was, but he told me stories about being born in the Netherlands and how the family moved to High Street in 1963. When his father developed heart problems he, like myself felt, responsible for his family. Both of us had to grow up pretty fast because of family issues.

Photo from Google Image-Inside Ottawa Valley

Throughout the years that I frequented the Maple Leaf Dairy, the chips began to be a little past their expiry date, and some things developed a film of dust over them, but that didn’t matter as you went there for Fred. Fred told me he had bought the building from Bill Rintoul in 1970 and at one point he had six drivers delivering through the area- even as far as Bells Corners and Stittsville. But, as we both discussed, sometimes you need to make changes in your business and Mike McNeely took over the delivery business in the 1980s, but Fred kept the store.

The Maple Leaf Dairy was open from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day, and no matter what time you went in Fred was standing behind the cash with a smile. I could never understand why he never married as he was a good looking man and always had a kind word and a smile. Sometimes he would hand out a dollar or two to those who needed it, and sometimes he would wave his hand in the air telling someone to pay him when they could. A more humbler generous man you could not find anywhere in the town of Carleton Place.

Sometimes he would laugh at my incessant playing of the lottery- but that was just between me and him. The day I heard of his death from liver cancer I cried- and after that I stayed on my side of the river to play my lotto. I knew how hard it was to run a business and thought Fred had deserved a whole lot better. But, even though I did not get to say goodbye to Fred I knew it was not forever, and it was definitely not the end. It simply meant that I would miss him until we meet again.

Photo -Lot of 6 Vintage Dairy Tokens Carleton Place, Ontario RARE Maple Leaf milk-EBay

Fred Veenstra

(Died December 30, 2010)- Barker Funeral Home
Peacefully in hospital, Carleton Place, Ontario on Thursday, December 30, 2010.

Loved and devoted brother of Nellie Jansen (Keimpe), Corrie Ballard (Del), Tina Pos (Hans), the late Jan, Shirley Archer (Bill), the late John (Linda), Margaret Sabourin (Gerry), Marcell (Lena) and the late Rose McKenzie (Skip). Special uncle to many nieces and nephews.

Friends may call at the Alan R. Barker Funeral Home, 19 McArthur Avenue, Carleton Place on Monday, January 3, 2011 from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Tuesday from 12 noon until time of funeral service in the chapel at 1 p.m.

Interment at Pinecrest Cemetery, Ottawa.

In lieu of flowers donations to the Carleton Place Hospital Foundation would be appreciated.

Nancy Hudson– First met Fred when he used to delivery milk to our home in Innisville. He was a really nice man. Remeber when the dairy was first Langtry’s and later Rintouls.

Sherri Iona– I remember walking from my grandparents’ house at Bridge and Townline to the dairy as a child. It was one of the few places we were allowed to go. Penny candy, maybe a pop, definitely ice cream or a Popsicle on a hot day. And then there were milkshakes and floats. Sometimes Nana would want us to pick up something at Mrs Knowlton’s across the street. I don’t remember who worked at the dairy but I do remember being in school with I think Marcel Veenstra and they lived just up the street from us on High Street . . . It might have been at the old monastery, which became a nursing home of kinds. I remember my brothers playing hockey on the outdoor rink with the Brothers.

Linda Gallipeau-Johnston– We used to go here a lot in the 70’s but as a kid we used the dairy on Moore Street – remember Fred very well. The building to right I remember being the Beer Store when i was a kid. It was also the Knights of Columbus hall sometime after that.

Keith Drummond-Fred was a big part of our childhood. We lived a block away at 277 Bridge Street until I was about 12 (1975). My younger brother and I would get our weekly allowance of 25 cents and we would race to the dairy to see Fred and by candy and pop. Back in the days when the parents didn’t have to be in hot pursuit after their children, in fact they didn’t want to see us till the street lights came on. I moved away in the early 80’s but would come back once in awhile and there would be Fred behind the counter at the Dairy. I met Fred when I was 7 yrs old, last time I was home was in 2004 and there was Fred, behind the counter. 25 cents went a little further in those days, but Fred would always throw in a little extra.

Wendy LeBlanc I have so many memories of ‘The Dairy’ as we kids of the 1950s called it; it was around the corner from our home on James Street and we either shopped there or at least walked by it every day. The following are some random memories as they come to me:

When Dad first came home from WWII, he didn’t go immediately to the promised job at Findlay’s Foundry, but worked delivering milk for the dairy for some months. Our milk was delivered daily from The Dairy, but occasionally Mum would send us over to buy a quart of milk; I clearly remember carrying the empty glass bottle with 2 dimes and a penny in it to buy the milk, which at that time was not homogenized. Mum either poured the cream off the top for another use or vigourously shook it to give us wonderfully rich whole milk.

On Sundays following attending Church at Memorial Park United, we stopped off at The Dairy to buy a brick of Neapolitan ice cream, our staple dessert on Sunday noon. Very occasionally, we would walk over to The Dairy with a bowl and come home with it full of scoops of dipped ice cream for a special treat (we had only an icebox, so couldn’t store ice cream).

In the 1960s, my sister Kathryn worked at The Dairy and brother Wayne and I expected extra large ice cream cones from her, and I am sure she gave them to us in fear – not of losing her job, but of us. Peggy Mace and I stopped at The Dairy almost daily on our way back to school after lunch to buy penny candy; Mrs. Saunders was working there and was very patient with us as we carefully and slowly selected our treats. While we were there, a well-dressed man (I think I know who it was but hesitate to say as I am not certain – but definitely a town business man) came into The Dairy every day and drank down a glass of Alka Seltzer; now that must have been some kind of a lunch he went home to! Our childhood neighbourhood territory was small, but our lives were enriched with businesses like The Dairy and the people who owned and worked there.

Dale Costello Great memories, and stories of Maple Leaf Dairy. We were big time in CP with two dairies. Many a chocolate shake hand made by Ray Morrels mom. My Uncle, Lorne Aitken delivered bottled milk, and I helped on Saturdays