Tuesday, May 10, 2005

100 years ago

York Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society were performing Gilbert and Sullivan's opera "HMS Pinafore" with a determination to make it an unqualified success. Rehearsals took place every night and those who had been privileged to be present at one of these preliminary performances had been impressed with the keenness and enthusiasm with which the members of the chorus and the principal went through their work. The chorus was admirably balanced and the voices of exceptionally good quality. Each lady and gentleman evidenced too a thorough grasp of the demands made upon them from a historic point of view, and threw plenty of life into their acting.

50 years ago

Sooty, the bear cub, favourite of young television fans, who was always in trouble, was in more "hot water" at the British Industries Fair at Olympia, London, when he was the accidental cause of showering the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with water. In the form of a glove puppet operated by Harry Corbett, Sooty was showing off his antics from Mr Corbett's hat. Suddenly, he dived down, produced a water pistol, and directed it full in the face of Mr Corbett. The Queen and Duke laughed as some of the water ricocheted over them. Sooty, in no way abashed, bowed in apology to the Queen and the Duke, who flicked a few spots of water from their shoulders.

25 years ago

(Industrial action means there was no Evening Press 25 years ago today. Instead we have used an entry from a paper as close to this date as possible.) If the lifeline thrown by volunteers to York's only open air pool was successful, Rowntree Park baths could be open again the next month. Hundreds of people were ready to join a self-help scheme to keep the pool going. The city council axed the pool after being told that it would cost £10,000 to bring it up to standard. Tony Lister, of the Friends of Rowntree Park, commented: "We are looking to the council for support, but with or without this I am confident that we can have the baths open in a month." He continued: "Without the labour, which we could supply from all the offers we have had, it could be opened for next to nothing."

Updated: 15:19 Monday, May 09, 2005