"Someday You Know It'll All Burn Down..."
 Circa 1940s  Circa 1950s  May 24, 2000: Photo by Terry Myers, North Renfrew Times  May 24, 2000: Photo by Terry Myers, North Renfrew Times
Byeways destroyed in fireNorth Renfrew Times The Upper Ottawa Valley lost a local landmark Wednesday night as the Byeways Restaurant and Tavern burned to the ground in a spectacular blaze. Forty firefighters from Laurentian Hills, Deep River and Petawawa were called to the scene shortly after 11 pm and appeared at first to have the fire contained to the restaurant area at the east end of the historic building. But by midnight, the fire got the upper hand as flames began to lick out the back windows of the restaurant and through the roof, and the entire structure was soon engulfed. At the height of the blaze, the flames leapt 60 feet into the air as the peaked roof slowly collapsed in on itself. Firefighters were forced to pull back and Highway 17 was closed to traffic for close to an hour after live hydro wires pulled away from the building and began popping and arcing in a shower of sparks. Hydro crews finally severed the wires from a transformer on the far side of the highway. By 2 am, all that was left of the Byeways was a pile of coals and rubble, the charred skeleton of some of the buildingıs framing, and two bare brick chimneys. Firefighters remained on the scene throughout the day Thursday to hose down the remains. Used at various times as a gas station, restaurant, hotel and tavern, the Byeways was a familiar stop on Highway 17 for more than 50 years. Farewell to an old characterNorth Renfrew Times I probably shouldn't be writing this - there are far more qualified people than me to remember the Byeways, and maybe they will. But to this old Brit, the Byeways somehow represented the character of the Valley that has kept me here for 34 years, and I hope for another 34 years. Within days of arriving in town in 1966, I had my first meal out in Canada at the Byeways. I will never forget the 24-ounce steaks. Where I am from, that would have been the ³joint² that fed the family for half a week! Neither will I forget those plates designed to hold the 24-ounce steaks with room to spare. I saw them again not too long ago at a dinner - I guess they perished in the flames along with the rest of the hardware. I remember many enjoyable meals. I remember the after-rehearsal get-togethers, and those terrifying drives home. (Different times?) And the entertainment in the bar... The impromptu fights that erupted for no apparent reason other than it was the thing to do... Fiddler Johnny Mooring performing a couple of weeks before he was stabbed to death in a drunken brawl (in Cornwall, I think)... God what a life those guys chose to live! Rod Pelletier explaining that the group booked from Toronto would miss their opening night because they forgot to hang a right in North Bay and finished up wherever... The topless go-go dancer having to pause her wallowing on stage to pick up a quarter or dime or whatever from the tip bowl on the bar to feed the juke box before resuming her wallowing... And of course, Jimmy Mayhew playing absolutely everything from classic to popular as he did for Mac Beattie, and is still doing in Pembroke and area... I recall the respect he received from the most highbrow of the local musical ³elite² at the time, and deservedly. Take a chance to listen to him while you still can! Yes, it was the happiest of times and the saddest of times. I guess the Byeways remained a place to eat until relatively recently, but the drinking-driving ethic put the writing on the wall a long time ago, even on the mural wall in the dining room. It never really had a chance. The death of a building like the Byeways is a bit like the death of an old character and friend. You must remember the good things, and not the bad. You have to accept that everything has a time and a place, and when that time passes, and the place moves on, it will die, leaving only memories...  |
