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Lake Flashback: Sealcoating fiasco, baking up a storm, and village voting can be found this week

Unique solution is offered for chipped windshields, winning baker not yet a pro, and voting in 1977
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A carousel and a gingerbread house and a pile of prizes show that Peggy Bauman knows her baking. Here she is with her family, husband Dan, eight-year-old Salvana, and four-year-old Shiloh from the ‘Lake News’ of Nov. 25, 1992.

Welcome to Lake Flashback. Reporter Lexi Bainas has been combing through oldnewspaperswiththeassistance of the Kaatza Station Museum and Archives so we can jog your memory, give you that nostalgic feeling, or just a chuckle, as we take a look at what was making headlines this weekaround Cowichan Lake in years gone by.

This week around the Cowichan Lake area…

10 years ago:

History was repeated in 2007 as an attempt to sealcoat Highway 18 again failed, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in windshield damage.

By late November, the Lake Cowichan Gazette proclaimed, “Cash payouts being offered to those who have highway claims; local body shops booked into 2009.”

The unique option of cash for crash resulted from the crush at Valley bodyshops.

“Because of the Highway 18 volume (of claims) local bodyshops are booked out until 2009,” said Paul McNicholls, Duncan manager for ICBC claims. “Given the long waits — there are probably people who don’t have repair dates yet — what ICBC is trying to do is shorten the wait times.”

The focus of the program is only for people with existing claimes and the offer is only good for paint and chip damage, he said.

25 years ago:

“Despite over 100 baking awards, she still calls herself an apprentice” said The Lake News headline of Nov. 25, 1992.

The story was about Peggy Bauman, who despite winning enough ribbons, from such entries as muffins, carrot cake, and bread, to cover a kitchen table, was still not a master baker.

“She has never officially, by government rules, completed her training,” the story said.

“Bauman has been baking for the past 11 years. She has entered fairs up and down the Island and has won prizes for a broad range of goodies. Her dark fruit cake is a recipe of her own. Each Christmas she takes orders from her customers for Christmas cake and other goods.

“This Christmas she has two specialties: a carousel, which she has recently perfected, and gingerbread houses, for which she already has orders.”

40 years ago:

The Lake News of Nov. 23, 1977 shared the news that Don Gordon topped the polls that year in the run for village council.

“Gordon, a truck driver and father of three children, was smiling after Saturday’s aldermanic votes were tallied. He had topped the polls in his first attempt to gain an elected political position.

“Gordon polled 435 votes leading incumbent alderman Ken Irving’s 411 tally…Political newcomer Jim Colwell made a respectable showing with 362 votes.”

In the next paragraph, the paper announced that “Stan Creelman easily reclaimed his seat on the School District #66 board in Saturday’s election. He received 354 votes, 45 per cent of the total votes cast. Jack Peake finished second with 239 votes and Betty Palmer trailed with 186.

Finally, Lake News readers learned that “Les Peake came out on top in a close three-way race for two school trustee seats in Saturday’s rural election by tallying 210 votes. Incumbent Helga Lemke squeaked by incumbent Archie McMillan with 194 votes, one more than McMillan’s 193. One spoiled ballot could have made the difference. The ballot in question contained a single X between McMillan and Lemke’s names.”

However, McMillan decided to concede and not ask for a recount.