Name: Verna LewisInterviewer: BJ D'Eon, Grade 9Question: What is your name?Answer: Verna LewisQuestion: How long have you lived in Digby County?Answer: All my life. Since I was born in 1942Question: Where were you born?Answer: In Hillgrove, in my grandfather's houseQuestion: Was there a hospital in Digby?Answer: I think so...I can't rememberQuestion: So your delivery was a house call?Answer: YesQuestion: Where did you life as you grew up?Answer: I lived in Hillgrove until I was nine or ten, and then I moved to South RangeQuestion: How often did you go to Digby as a child?Answer: Oh, I don't remember going to Digby a lot as a child. I know that when I did go, I went with my neighbours, the Haight boys, whenever they would go into town.Question: Did you often go with your parents?Answer: No, not that I can rememberQuestion: Did you go into Digby for groceries?Answer: I don't ever remember going into Digby for groceries. We usually just made do with what we had.Question: So you and your family produced all your needs?Answer: Yes, mom would cook all our food and sew our clothes. We had a vegetable garden and a cow and a horse. We would milk the cow and whenever mom would make bread, we would get the flour from the corner store up the road.Question: You had a corner store?Answer: Yes, In South Range and once in a while, mom and dad would give us five cents and we could walk up to the store and but penny candy. I remember once when dad gave me a dollar and sent me to the store to buy s blade for the saw. On the way I lost the money! I was blamed and they thought I spent it on something for me.Question: Were you punished?Answer: I think I was, I don't really remember, but yeah, they probably did punish me. It was a big than to lose a dollar. That was a lot of money then.Question: Yes, I see. So when you did go into town, why did you go?Answer: I don't really remember, its amazing what I've forgotten. I know that when we did go, it took a lot longer than it does now to get there with our old car. Cars weren't as fast as they are now. It would often take us around forty-five minutes when now it only takes fifteen to twenty minutes to get to Digby. Question: Where did you go to school?Answer: I went to a little schoolhouse here in South Range up until grade six. I would take my lunch, and sometimes walk home for lunch.Question: How many grades were there?Answer: Primary to SevenQuestion: And you stayed until grade six?Answer: Yes, and then we went to Digby on the bus for high schoolQuestion: Did you have relatives in Digby?Answer: Yes, we used to go into town to my aunt and uncle's house for a meal and a visit. We always loved going; they had a big beautiful house and they always provided us with meals we would never get at home. It was a real treat.Question: What were the summers and winters like?Answer: Well, the summers were always very hot; I remember that my brother and sisters and I would go topless in the summer up until we were 11 or 12 because it was so hot.Question: And the winters?Answer: They were very, very cold and there were lots of stormsQuestion: Do you remember storms like the blizzard we just had?Answer: Yes, but it wasn't until I was a grown woman with my own children. It was terrible and lasted a long time. The wind was incredible and it blew out a few windows. Many people were without electricity for days.Question: Has the snowfall changed at all since then?Answer: No, we still always had around the same amount as we get now. Question: What other types of disasters do you remember?Answer: Well, I don't ever remember anything terrible happening. Just storms.Question: Was there a lot of fires?Answer: I don't think so; I suppose there were fires but not very much. There probably weren't as many things to cause a fire as there are now, with all the electricity.Question: What did you have for news?Answer: I remember there was news on the radio but I didn't listen to it because it didn't interest me or anythingQuestion: What type of advertisements were there?Answer: I don't remember...maybe there were a few on the radio and there were posters or signs in the stores but that was all I remember.Question: When you had snowstorms, how long was it till you were plowed out?Answer: Well, we never heard tell of being plowed out the day of the storms like it usually is now. We were often stuck at home for days but we never cared because we were pleased and satisfied at home anyway.Question: What was your first job?Answer: I worked at Stedman's Five and Ten downtown Digby and I got paid $8.90 a week. It was when my brother, Arnold and I lived in an apartment in town.Question: How old were you then?Answer: I was 16 and my brother was 14Question: What type of things were there for entertainment?Answer: We went to the show, we had a theatre. We would listen to old soap operas on the radio and we would often walk the sidewalks. Another big excitement for me which wouldn't be very exciting now was when I got paid on Fridays at noon. I would walk down to the Cornwallis Restaurant which is where House of Wong is now. I would buy my dinner and I really liked getting strawberry shortcake. It was the specialty in strawberry season for $1.25. It was a real treat for me.Question: What other places in Digby County did you visit?Answer: We would go to Weymouth on July 1st every year, which was the highlight of the year. We took a picnic lunch and supper and there was activities set up everywhere and things like that.Question: Was there a parade?Answer: Yes and there was a big ball game and at night there would be fireworks. We stayed the whole day. We would also go to Bear River in July for the Cherry Carnival Question: What things did you have in Digby County that we don't have now?Answer: I remember downtown there was a big town clock that would strike every hour. We don't have that now.Question: Did you ever hear church bells ringing?Answer: Yes, but not a lotQuestion: From the time you were a child to the time you were grown up with your children, did things change a lot?Answer: YesQuestion: Have you always liked Digby County?Answer: Yes, but many things have changed and you hear a lot more events and news happenings now. As children, we never heard of anything happening in town and we didn't have to worry about a lot. Now, you often hear of everything going on.Question: Thank you very much.Answer: Your welcome