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Show n jr- l MS. I . ' " v:'-l...- L" ;..: v..;- I' II 1 iiMULUijj.f!!, Lillian Bircumshaw ' Lil Bircumshaw: Tm Not Leaving' gave the children of Park City candy on Chinese New Year. And she recalled the grand Sunday services at the Episcopal Epis-copal Church when Blanche Fletcher would play the piano. But more than any other single thought I was left with was the feeling that this was one tenacious lady who intended to remain in Park City all her life. , "I don't really feel like I'm-old I'm-old till someone asks mv age and then says '871'." The' starling : discovery of Lilliam Bircumshaw' s age is ony,,;vthat'f heijtu'ricl, clearly , defies her chronological clock. "They're not going to get me out of, here till they take .me out. in a box." Lillian Bircumshaw is 87 and she has , lived all her life in Park City; she aims to keep it that way. "You know, when you're born in a place you get kinds used to it. It's been. good to me; I got no kick at all. The only . trouble with the building ' around here is Tdoii't get as much sun as I used to." In the mid- 1800s, Lillian's ; grandparents' came to Patk City from .Montreal, Canada : as saloon keepers.1 Therp were at -that time'16 rsal6dhs'; 6n:! Main Street alone. "They ' wouldn't let a -women :instde though, and they wouldn't let only fairies in either." ' i - . Lillian's father was a book-' keelper at 'Ashem's in Park City and her imother was a housewife. She remembers Park City., as -a. f un townto grow, up . in. "In the winter time we'd get a group of about twelve together and we'd g8 bob-sleighing. We would start up at the Catholic Church and wevwould ride all the; way played the drums and the bells. Lillian would travel with the other wives in the band to different dance halls and ; shows where their husbands played. "When it was snowing, snow-ing, we would put bricks in the oven and heat them all day long, then we would have them in . the sleigh to keep warm during the long rides. It sure was : a , good orchestra; : Mrs. Fletcher was a part of it, too.!' i t v In 1948, Lillian began the first school lunch program in Park City. Prior to that, Lillian ..hadr.be.en working at . the. Miner's Hospital for eight years. The Board of Education sent her a letter asking if she would undertake the enormous enor-mous task of setting a lunch program" lip .for 550 students. For the next .1 7 years, Lillian and Vera Tree and Mr, ' Anderson pioneered the pro- gram. "We. had. nothing to start but with; it was rugged.; We'd each make a batch of bread. a day. We had mostly; government food to use that was sent in;: hams and turkeys and chickens." ! ' 1 down to where the Mt. Air Cafe stands today. We could sleigh ride on any street; we loved the snow. We've seen snow so bad-you couldn't see the other side of Main Street! ' they ,had to carve steps over the top." - '' Lijiian 'recalled all the., dances Park City used to have. . "There was. always, a great, . dance on St. Patrick's Day at the Elks Lodge, We'd dance all night long. ".The. 4th. of, July held a dance too, in addition to , races and picnics and fireworks.. Easter meant , new hats rand, dresses,, and another occasion for a picnic On September .4, 1913 Lillian married Albert Bircum- v shaw. Bert was the water, master for Park City. "He knew AvhQrcyr.c'utyoiT was..; in town. ;Ho;d fix frVcn, m'pes ! . and sh u t-off water when ,hecd be. The oherthfng;he didii't like to do was colWt fees. ' ' By day, Bert jBircunishaw -was water. :mastjF-.but at nith Today, Lillian, and her-special her-special friends Blanche Fiet-, cher and Hortense Ely spend time; reminiscing about those days gone by. Like many -senior citizens here they feel a fierce loyality to Park City. "Park City people are Park.. City, people;, we're all Park . City people, dpwn ,.at the ; seniors. We've stuck . it out , together here, through the strikes and the epidemics. Oh, ; there are them that's gone out -of here, but a lot of them has comeback." Lillian has a granddaughter who lives in Nevada and Calls often to encourage her ' to move out with her, "But I'm not leaving!" she says. " On the, day I visited with v Lillian she was yorking on an . ciiormoiis jigsaw puzzle, of 1.000 pieces given to her by - her son.. 'We talked . about )Eastcr' Rock and Nigger. Hollow perfect picnic spots of 'days gone bv.. She told . me- |