Memories of the Olympia & Howard Little Fire-Ray Paquette

The picture above is of Howard Little courtesy of Julia Waugh Guthrie- thank Julia!

The loss of the Olympia Restaurant was a minor tragedy for teenagers in Carleton Place. It was where we gathered to plan our activities for the weekend. On a personal note, the loss of Howard Little’s Barbershop meant I had to find a new “hair stylist” although in truth my crew cut could be duplicated by any of the numerous barbers that plied their trade in town at that time.

The morning after the fire I was on my way to my summer job at 6:00 a.m. and they were still hosing down the remains of the business block. The rebuilding of the Olympia was undertaken quickly so we teenagers were not without a “hangout” for a lengthy period of time.

Thanks Ray for your memories of the: The Howard Little- Olympia Fire on Bridge Street

 

 

 

RELATED READING:

Glory Days in Carleton Place- Ray Paquette

NEW PICTURES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO:  The Fire That Almost Wiped Out Part of Bridge Street

Food Fit For Olympians in Carleton Place

The Moffat Street Fire in Carleton Place– Archie Hudson

In the Year 1923 —- “BHM”– (Before Howard McNeely)

Scotch Corners Union S.S. #10 School Fire

Who You Gonna Call? The Fire Boxes of Carleton Place

What if You Had a Fire and No One Came?

Fire, Could End All You’ve Become — Photos of those that Protect Carleton Place

Burning Down the House in Carleton Place

When The Streets of Carleton Place Ran Thick With the Blood of Terror!- Volume 1- Part 2

Carleton Place Main Street Fire — Okilman’s

The “Chosen Friends” of Carleton Place –The Fire of 1904

Dan Miller of the Queen’s Hotel vs the Town of Carleton Place

Superior Sign in Almonte — What’s the Difference?

The new Superior restaurant sign– not quite the same as the old Posted:  on 03 Jul 20–The Millstone by Peter Foisy So what’s the difference with the sign? Yes, The original sign was hand painted, this one has vinyl stickers on top of blue paint. But what else is different? Gal MacDonald asked: Should we restore our very own Olympia Restaurant sign as it is part of downtown Carleton Place history? Do we ever stop trying to save memories? Should The Olympia sign be restored in Carleton Place? How far should we go to keep history alive? In the Carleton Place Restaurant Review.. someone said that they were not in favour of using tax payers dollars to restore the Olympia sign as it had been closed since 2001. I agree.. and this is what I said.. I have never been behind anyone using any tax payers money to do something like this. Anyone that knows me knows I always do things from the heart– and assume others do in some respects too. I am going to post a story tonight that is going to blow your socks off. I am just a firm believer that we have so much to offer in this town.. and so much MORE than the history of Roy Brown but (let’s not take away from what this man did)— BUT if you have been following my stories on The Tales of Carleton Place every night– I have only touched the edge of what we have to offer tourists here in Carleton Place. But having places papered up for years does not make the Main Street look good or help the finances of the town. Of course neither does shopping or supporting restaurants in Kanata. It’s all about bringing folks to CP for me. I have people all around the world reading about CP- Would love to exchange that into dollars of tourism for the town. Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tillting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place

Memories of All You Can Eat in Carleton Place

Matchbook Cover
(2015.1.1)

All you can eat Chinese Food Buffet prepared by a Chinese cook 4pm to 8 pm every Friday to Sunday night. Hamburgers and Milkshakes, and sitting in the booths after school.

This matchbook was a give away from the Olympia Restaurant in Carleton Place. Located at 101 Bridge Street, the restaurant, with its booths, curved counter and red leather stools, was a local institution. First opened by Louis and James Laskaris as the Olympic Candy Store in 1920, it was later sold to Jim Antonakos in 1958.
A fire destroyed the building in 1960, but it was rebuilt and opened again in 1961.
The Olympia closed it’s doors for good in 2000 and is still greatly missed.

Photos etc From the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum