Matthew Farfan

Hockey legend Bobby Hull is coming to Milby. More specifically, he is coming to lend his support and his name to the fundraising efforts underway at the Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse, off Route 147 in Milby. Hull, it turns out, is a personal friend of Milt and Bev Loomis, who are prominent members of the Little Forks Branch of the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada and Patrimoine-Ascott-Heritage, the non-profit association they helped form a few years ago to restore the old school.

Built in 1822, the schoolhouse is opened each summer as a heritage attraction, and serves as a reminder of how life in a one-room schoolhouse used to be nearly two centuries ago. Unfortunately, the schoolhouse operates on a very tight budget and is in serious need of funds. This is where Bobby Hull comes in. Hull, who grew up on a farm in rural Ontario, has offered to lend his name (and presence) to a fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, July 18 at the school.

The event, which will start around 3 p.m., will include a silent auction of hockey memorabilia and a méchoui / BBQ at 5:45 p.m. Proceeds from the dinner, which will include roast beef, pork and chicken, will go towards maintenance and operational costs at the school. Tickets are $25.00.

Hull, who is considered one of hockey's all-time greatest stars, played professionally from 1957 to 1980. A left winger, he served most of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. He later played for the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA, and finally for the Hartford Whalers. Hull won the Stanley Cup in 1961, and set many records in his years on the ice. Nicknamed "The Golden Jet," he was the fastest skater of his time. He could also shoot the puck faster than any player in hockey history. In fact, his slapshot was clocked at 120 miles per hour! Bobby Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

For more information on this fundraiser, call Bev Loomis at (819) 346-6746, or email her at mbloomis@ican.net.

For more information on Milby and the Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse, click here.
Or here.


(Photos: Matthew Farfan)