Frederick Edward "Fred" Deschene^[1]

1890 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	Frederick Edward "Fred" Deschene
  Born	CA 1890
  Gender	Male
  Business	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Park Theatre
  		Preston-ParkTheatre-002-Facebook2017.jpg City of Cambridge Archives
  Occupation	1921	Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	confection store owner
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-204014
  Died	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I204014	Generations
  Last Modified	25 Apr 2024

  
  

  Family	Jennie,   b. CA 1890,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Children	1. Frederick Marron Deschene,   b. 14 May 1917, Port Colborne, Humberstone Twp., Welland Co., Ontario
  Last Modified	26 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F57147	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Two rather basic second-storey movie houses entertained Preston film fans in the 19-teens. The Bijou was at King and Lowther while the Princess had a brief home in Preston Opera House near Central Park. That last word, Park, introduces the long-running theatre many Preston people recall - the Park Theatre. Thanks to a January 30, 1957, Galt Evening Reporter article dug up for Flash from the Past by Dan Schmalz of City of Cambridge Archives, there are many details available about the Park's early decades. Fred Deschene bought a downtown candy store in 1921 and on King near Argyle erected the town's first purpose-built theatre. During Deschene's two decades running the Park, he introduced talkies to South Waterloo County. After he retired in 1941, the Park was operated by Rosabelle Druckman, Gordon Ringle and Walter Pavik. Theatre Holding Company, managed by Howard Schedewitz, owned the Park in the 1950s when a $30,000 renovation gave the theatre a mammoth curved screen and freshened up the exterior and interior. mills, r. (2019). Flash From the Past: Hespeler, Preston and Galt's movie palaces \emdash all gone. CambridgeTimes.ca. Retrieved 6 April 2019, from https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/living-story/9269883-flash-from-the-past-hespeler-preston-and-galt-s-movie-palaces-all-gone/?fbclid=iwar2dypzbdoj3tpe2agjfevtwppgp0pajdzem-ffm12kdslvw-qwjdbr98mq#.XKi8yYGdyoQ.facebook

  
  

• Sources

  [S2537] U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946. Name:Frederick Marron Deschenes Race:White Age:23 Relationship to Draftee:Self (Head) Birth Date:14 May 1917 Birth Place:Port Colborne, Ontario Residence Place:Hollywood, Broward, Florida, USA Registration Date:16 Oct 1940 Employer:F E Deschenes Weight:131 Complexion:Light Eye Color:Blue Hair Color:Brown Height:5 9 Next of Kin:Frederick Edward Deschenes

  
  

• Event Map

  Business - Park Theatre - - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - confection store owner - 1921 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth