WHITBY FREE PRESS, Thursday, November 4th, 1971, Page 3 IN MEMORY OF THE OLD TOWN HALL 'The harp that once through Tara's Halls The soul of music shed, now hangs as mute, on Tara's walls as if that soul were fled. So sleeps the pride of former days, So glorys thrill is o're, And hearts that once beat high for praise, Now feel that pulse no more. - THOMAS MOORE -2OId Tymer' The old Town Hall. The for egoing poem by Thomas Moore, the genial r ish poe t and humour- ist born i n Dublin in 1779, stands high o n t h e l1ists of poetic classics of past ages, and undoubtedly will continue so in perpetuity to glorify Tara's Hall. T o fully appreciate th e meaning of this great poem, we need go no further than the Town of Whitby. I refer to W h i t b y's memorable "Oid Town Hall" p i c t u r e d h erein, unmatched outside Toronto as a truly great community cen- t r e , comprising municipal offices and council chamber on street-floor; serv- The old Town Hall. ing Board of Education, police courts, Public Utilities, charity bazaars, fire h a I 1, works department and basement 1 oc k up cell1s for overnight prisoners. On the second floor up, there was a large auditor ium and end gailery; a large stage fuily equipped wi th movable scen- ery and drop curtain; dressing rooms a n d o r c h e s tra pit fronting the stage foot lights. Whi tby Town Hall coul d accommodate ail travelling theatricals from the mem- o r able shows such as 'Guy Brost Min- s t r e ls and 'Un clie Tom's Cabin', the f a m ou s Chautauqua lectures and con- certs. Upon the advance billing of coming enter tai nment, local or visitingthe townhall was called "Whitby Music Hall" or "Whitby Opera House ", according to the type of entertainment. The memorable banquets held annu- ally on St. Georges, St. Andrew's and St. Patricks Banquets honounring our e anly English, lrish and Scottish set- tIers, are marked indelibly on the cal- endar s of yest-a-year. Another one was the un f orgettable Fireman's All-night b al I a nd other banquets held annual lyCaere'Ochsa ihhrp as highlight s of the town enter tainmen t . of e chyea onNewYea's ve ith verley's seven piece orchestra as pic- equal of that great and classic instrument music always by Vhitby's famous Cal- tured here, including that beauti fut harp, that once was played in "Tara's Hall. " wgu~utw.FURNITUR E * APPLIANCES *STEREO & T.V. *CARPETUNG