MARMORA CUP '0;, ,G'~
THE MARMORA CUP IITH[ (UP IS so HU(H IHARHORA' IT'S A STORY IN ITSHf! ... and so said June Vilneff in 1979, when the Marmora Cup was presented for the first time. Given the mandate to develop a concept for the design, sub-committee embers, J'.ionel . ennett and Cheryl Leonard, focused on a cup that would symbolize the history 0 ber and iron had attracted the original pioneers in 1821 and it was no different in 197~. And while the cup was to incorporate these two physical elements, the finished trophy came to symbolize the spirit, the stability and the wealth of the community. A huge piece of unpolished iron ore was donated by Jack and Sheila Golden at Tri-County Printing, home of the Marmora Herald Newspaper and they explained it had eo with the business when they purchased it from Howard Wilson in March of 1965. In 196 ,Mr. Wilson had purchased the Marmora Herald from the Sabines, who had run the business .nce 1906. The piece of iron ore was most likely removed from the Marmora Iron Ore Min hat went into operation in 1952, employing over 300 men and women, until it closed the very ye the cup was made. The mine was an open pit operation, rich in magnetite deposits buried below 10 of limestone. The large piece of ore was given to Donald Kerr, a geology teacher at Centre Hasting·s:-- .••••.. !!'lt'ti4 Secondary School, in Madoc, who cut the rock into a more manageable size and polished one surface smooth enough to mount a silver cup. The wooden base of the trophy was cut from an unused pulpit from Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Marmora, donated to Joe MacCauley by Father Patrick Carty, the Parish Priest at that church from 1977 to 1987. The solid oak pulpit was originally designed, built and finished by Stanislaus Bertrand, who himself was a member of the Sacred Heart Church. He w. living, at the time, with his family in Marmora, when the parish lost their brick church andall its con nts m a fire on August 20th, 1903. The congregation immediately built a new chureh on the ruins oflhe old, and it was blessed for the first service on November 20, 1904. MacCauley removed a few of the thick solid oak boards, planed them down and built a two layer base large enough to mount forty silver inscription shields, designed to bear the name and city of the 1st place winner of the 150 mile Canadian Sled Dog Championship Race. Finally, the crowning touch was added. The silver cup, measuring five inches high and nine inches in diameter, was donated by June and Doug Vilneff, owners of The Gift Shoppe. In total, the trophy weighs slightly over twenty-two pounds. __ _, The Royal Canadian Legion had donated the 2nd place trophy until i996, when the Marmora Lions Club took on the honour, and the third place trophy has always been presented by the Marmora Volunteer Firefighters.
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