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SECTION H l TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2007

DECORATINGBright colours revive a junk-sale dresserPAGE H11

HOT PRODUCTSNew dish drainersward off microbesPAGE H2

LAWN CAREZero-turn modelssave time and fuelPAGE H4

NEW IN

HOMES

ELLEN MOORHOUSESPECIAL TO THE STAR

LAKEFIELD, ONT.—Ronnie Hawkinssits on one of four couches in theliving room of the sprawling 6,800-square-foot home on Stoney Lakethat he shares with Wanda, his wifeof 45 years.

They call the 77-hectare spreadHawkstone Manor, rechristened byHawkins in recent years as ‘‘Mort-gage Manor North.’’

The 72-year-old rocker is a littlecranky. It’s a hot summer day, he’sjust back from lunch and people arecoming and going. Wearing histrademark black T-shirt with awhite hawk, he’s holding one of thefamily’s five chihuahuas. Throwsprotect the sofas from the animalpopulation, which also includestwo larger dogs and two cats.

But Rompin’ Ronnie — the rocka-billy star who came up from Arkan-sas with his band of Hawks in 1958to Hamilton — soon warms to hisstories. He punctuates them withdeep hearty laughs, husky fromyears of smoking and club singing.

He banters with Wanda in the way

AT HOME WITH RONNIE HAWKINS

FRED THORNHILL PHOTOS FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Entertainer Ronnie Hawkins and his wife, Wanda, relax with some of the family’s five chihuahuas at his home near Lakefield. The couple has owned the 77-hectare property since 1969.

Where the Hawk loves to nestSinger embarking on new ventures, both entrepreneurialand entertaining

It’s called Hawkstone Manor but Hawkins’ home on Stoney Lake iscomfortable and unpretentious. The property also has a barn.

Hawkins sits at his truly grand piano, marbleized and embellished yearsago by an artist. The painting on the wall is of a younger Wanda Hawkins.

The living room is flanked by a wall that is a gallery to a half-century career,with clippings and photos of the musician and others in the business.

A sign at the driveway gate leads to the home of the singer from Arkansaswho came to Canada 49 years ago and became a musical legend.HAWKINS continued on H8

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NEW IN HOMES COVER STORY

of long-married couples.“One of those rich women tried to

run off with me there,” says Haw-kins, of the days when he met Wan-da at the now-gone Concord Tav-ern on Bloor St. W. He turned it intoa Toronto hot spot when he intro-duced the staid city to the Twist inthe early ’60s.

“You know the Bronfmans, thewhisky people? Well, that onedaughter, she got comin’ in therewith an entourage and she wouldn’tleave. She reached for a cigaretteand 17 lighters came out to light thecigarettes.”

He continues: “Wanda won me.She told me she had money. She liedto me.”

“And he told me that he had mon-ey,” Wanda says.

Money has been a concern for theHawkinses, especially since Ronniefell ill five years ago. Their property,which once had 24 hectares ofmowed and sprinklered lawn, is aburden. It’s tempting to cash it in.

“If we sell it, I’ll be livin’ good,”Hawkins says. He regularly threat-ens to buy his grandfather’s farm inArkansas and build himself a cabin,where he’ll dream of stardom andbring in a few lap dancers.

Nobody really believes him. Or thebad-boy talk that masks his vulner-ability and commitment to familyand friends.

“Ron doesn’t want to leave, but ithas been so stressful. It’s been a lotof work and a lot of maintenanceand a lot of everything,” says Wan-da, looking comfortable in an aquaT-shirt and light blue jeans withembroidered details.

The Hawk, a former gymnast whomoonwalked before Michael Jack-son and did back flips off the Con-cord Tavern stage, was given threemonths to live back in 2002. Bypasssurgery revealed what was thoughtto be pancreatic cancer.

He mysteriously beat the progno-sis. Now he’s feeling better, and thefamily’s finances are looking up,thanks to a couple of entrepreneur-ial dairymen and rockabilly fansfrom Minnesota — Marty Davis andhis brother Mitch.

“These are our angels that came tous,” Wanda says.

“With tarnished wings,” addsHawkins, laughing.

The Davises, whose family owns a$700-million-a-year milk-process-ing company in Minneapolis, planto revitalize the singer’s career.They’ve also stepped in to spruceup Hawkstone Manor, startingwith the kitchen floor.

“Ronnie and Wanda wanted to up-grade the home,” says Marty Davis,who came by to visit. “And so wedid.”

The kitchen, with its dark oak cab-inetry from an earlier decade, is awork in progress. The floor is nowgleaming, light fine-grained quartzthat stands up to four-legged traffic.

“The Hope Diamond couldn’tscratch that floor,” says Hawkins,the master of aphorism.

The Davises wanted Ronnie andWanda to test the quartz productthey’re manufacturing at Cambria,another business they own. They’reopening a plant to fabricate count-ertops and other items in Boltonlater this month, and they wantRonnie to be their harbinger.

With the new plant operating, theHawkinses’ kitchen will get aquartz counter, and no doubt a coatof paint. Ronnie and Wanda’sdaughter Leah, 37, started paintingthe kitchen trim turquoise lastChristmas, but didn’t quite finish.

While Hawkins likes to talk aboutraucous month-long parties, theHawkins residence is, in fact, an un-pretentious, large, family homethat still has its nearby barn. Haw-kins and Wanda brought their threechildren here to live full-time sevenyears after they bought it in 1969.

Their oldest child, Ron, who suffersfrom schizophrenia, lives withthem. Wanda’s mother stayed withthem for many years before herdeath in 2001 at age 100. And thefour grandkids, son Robin’s chil-dren, spend time in the summer,riding motorbikes and dune bug-gies.

The view from the eight-bedroomhouse is panoramic and peaceful,down a grassy hill to the lake. Twocottages that the Hawkinses rentare hidden on a rocky peninsulaamong the trees.

The home decor is eclectic, shab-by chic. Wanda ventures the word“camp,” compared with the formal-ity of their former Mississaugahome. The huge living room, withits terra cotta walls and big stonefireplace, is a gallery to the Hawk’shalf-century career. The walls are

covered with framed clippings andphotos of Hawkins, his bands, mu-sician friends and events such as a60th birthday show in 1995 and atribute concert in 2002, both atMassey Hall.

Wanda is custodian. She straight-ens some frames that the breezefrom the window has unsettled.There are snapshots of John Len-non and Yoko Ono at the Hawkinsspread in Mississauga and of fellowArkansas native and Hawk fan BillClinton. There are musicians Haw-kins has worked with over theyears, including the original bandhe brought to Hamilton. (“I’m thegood lookin’ one,” Hawkins likes tosay.) There’s guitarist Robbie Rob-ertson, at 15, who Hawkinswhipped into shape, along with somany other talented young per-formers who went on to greater glo-ry after the Hawk’s “boot camp.”

Wanda’s there, too. “Here are themany faces of me with different col-ours of hair,” she says with a laugh.“The older I get, the blonder I get.”

Much of the furniture comes froma time when the Hawk was soaring.The ebony-black desk, angled in acorner of the living room, was cus-tom-made by an Italian craftsman40 years ago. Positively Napoleonic,it’s embellished with 18-karat goldaccents. Hawkins was measured forthe matching chair, with arms sup-ported by golden griffins. Some ofHawkins’ awards — a 1984 Juno, forexample — sit on the desk.

A tall, mirrored commode, with a

bow front, came out of a Georgiahotel: “I shouldda bought everypiece of furniture in that place,”Hawkins says.

Another notable fixture: a grandpiano marbleized and embellishedyears ago by an artist who stayedwith the Hawkins family. On thesides are Michelangelo figures: Ad-am from the Sistine Chapel ceiling,his hand outstretched for the touchof God.

On the lid: portraits of the Haw-kinses’ two sons as cherubs, flank-ing an older, recently added Leahwho hadn’t been born when the art-ist first worked on the piano. It hadbothered Wanda that her daughterwasn’t represented.

Some objects in the room are gifts:an Inuit carving from GordonLightfoot, another Canadian icon.A couple of bronze statues fromHawkins’ own collection sit on sidetables.

He says he also has a lot of Indianartifacts, including seven peacepipes, gifts from seven tribes. Heused to take his band to reserves onSunday and play. “Nobody wouldhardly play for them, because theydidn’t have much money, but I hada good time.”

Ideally, the Davis brothers willprovide Ronnie with the perfectplace for his collections and memo-rabilia. Marty Davis is talking abouta Ronnie Hawkins’ museum, pref-erably near the Yonge St. stripwhere the Hawk used to hold forthat long-gone clubs like Le Coq d’Or.

FRED THORNHILL PHOTOS FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Hawkins takes in the sensational, verdant view at his home which includes 77-hectares of sprawling prime real estate bordering beautiful Stoney Lake near Lakefield.

Rockabilly legend’s lakeside retreat HAWKINS from H1

Hawkins’ kitchen floor is made of a fine-grained quartz product, beingmanufactured by Cambria in Bolton, that stands up to four-legged traffic.

Treasures, like this antique mirror above the fireplace in the living room,were bought back in the days when the Hawk was soaring.

This ebony-black desk was custom-made for Hawkins by an Italiancraftsman 40 years ago and embellished with 18-karat gold accents.

Who are these fresh-faced boys dressed in suits? A very early version ofthe Ronnie Hawkins band that came to Canada from Arkansas.

Product:STAR Date:08-04-2007Desk: NIH-0009-CMYK/01-08-07/20:50:48

BUILDING MATERIALS SITE SEEING NEW IN HOMES

ELLEN MOORHOUSESPECIAL TO THE STAR

Canadian music icon Rompin’ Ron-nie Hawkins is counting on anothertype of rock to put him back on hisfinancial feet — quartz.

The 72-year-old singer will bebelting out his traditional rockabil-ly music at the same time.

Hawkins and his current band ofHawks will play Aug. 18 to mark theopening of a $4-million Boltonplant that will fabricate quartzcountertops and other products forToronto’s housing market.

The plant represents an expan-sion into Canada by Cambria, aMinnesota-based company that us-es Italian technology to manufac-ture the quartz slabs. Hawkins hasbeen retained to help promoteCambria’s products. He has also en-couraged the privately held firm toinvest here.

Says Marty Davis, Cambria’s chiefexecutive and president: “He keptsaying, you need to look at Canada.Toronto is one of the greatest citiesin the world. He’s one of the rea-sons we’re here.”

So how did Davis, whose family al-so owns a $700-million-a-yeardairy business in Minneapolis,cross paths with Hawkins, the Ar-kansas boy who came with his bandto Hamilton in 1958, seeking fameand fortune?

The connection was forged be-cause of the 1976 movie The LastWaltz, which chronicled the finalSan Francisco concert of The Band,a group that backed Hawkins in theearly ’60s. The film featured a pa-rade of musicians — starting withHawkins and followed by stars suchas Neil Young, Neil Diamond, JoniMitchell, Ringo Starr and Bob Dy-lan.

Marty and his brother Mitch gothooked on The Band.

“And if you get hooked on theBand, then you learn about RonnieHawkins because really he was theguy who formed them,” says Davis,at Hawkins’ home on Stoney Lake.“And of all the singers (in The LastWaltz), for some reason in Minne-sota, the Davis boys, we like Ron-nie’s singin’. ”

By chance, about two years ago,the Davis brothers met a Canadianbusinessman, former EdmontonOilers owner Peter Pocklington.Originally from London, Ont., hewas Hawkins’ roadie when he wasstill a teenager in the late 1950s. Hetold the Davises that Ronnie wasstill around.

“So we called Ronnie up,” says Da-vis. “And I said, hey, would you everdo a show? Yeah, he said, I’d do ashow. But I gotta tell you, he wastrying to figure out if I was full ofhay, and I was trying to figure outwhether he was.”

When they met, they hit it off, saysDavis: “We saw how real it all was,the history, the grassroots aspect of

who they are . . . and he kept saying,‘Canada is the promised land.’ ”

At the time, Hawkins was just get-ting back on his feet, after bypasssurgery and a recovery from a pan-creatic growth that behaved likecancer. An MRI scan in 2003 con-firmed that the growth is gone, al-though there’s no medical explana-tion. His finances were in badshape, he was hoping to do someshows but recent experiences hadleft him with a bad taste.

He didn’t make anything fromthree concerts, he says, includingone staged as a tribute in 2002when he wasn’t expected to live.

“That Tribute party at MasseyHall, everybody played for free, the10 biggest acts in Canada. Any oneof those acts could’ve filled MasseyHall by themselves, any one ofthem. I still didn’t get a cent . . . Ihad a wonderful time, though.”

Maybe times are changing for theHawk. The Davis brothers have re-organized Hawkins’ company, theyhired him for a concert in Minneso-ta last year, and they’ve put him on aretainer to promote their quartzproduct.

They are starting to plan a big con-cert for next year to mark the 50thanniversary of Hawkins’ arrival inCanada. They also expect to haveHawkins’ repaired 1955 double-decker bus tooling around town.

“Now we don’t know anythingabout music,” Davis says. “But weknow how to administer business.”

Hawkins is impressed: “They dounbelievable stuff. They’ve got ateam of crackerjack young boog-ers,” he says. “This new world thatwe’re in, they use four computers atthe same time and three cell-phones. ”

Because of Hawkins, the Davisesstarted researching the Torontomarket. They already had connec-tions to Canada. Marty’s brother’swife is from Toronto, and they arefriends with the Saputo cheese-making family of Montreal. (TheDavises are the biggest supplier ofcheese powder to Kraft Foods inthe U.S.) They were impressed bythe strength of the economy andcommercial activity here.

They chose Bolton for their plantand expect to create jobs for 75 peo-ple within the year and project a $4-million-a-year payroll.

The U.S. business for quartzcountertops and other productshas taken off. Davis says sales were$100 million last year for Cambria,after doubling annually over theprevious six years.

According to the company, thequartz countertops sell for $50 to$70 a square foot — about the sameas a mid-level granite. Cambria’sproduct is made from Canadianquartz that has been crushed,washed, re-combined and boundwith a polyester resin. It qualifiesfor points under the LEED greenbuilding standard.

Davis, who plans to buy a condo inToronto next year and open a show-room downtown, says they’ll bepaying Ronnie a good wage, as wellas concert fees to his productioncompany.

“He will have security, as long ashe does his job and creates value,”Davis says. “We’re betting on Ron-nie. He’s betting on us. He’s a greatintroduction for us, and he’s one ofthe things that compelled me to getinvolved. We think Ronnie can earnthis with our brand in your market,’he says.

TOBIN GRIMSHAW/TORONTO STAR

Cambria plant manager Howard Byrne, left, and his team bring in a blacklimestone countertop for inspection at the Bolton plant. TheMinnesota-based company uses Italian technology to manufacture slabs.

Hawk teams up withquartz for rockin’ time Concert will be given to mark opening ofBolton fabricating plant

We’re betting onRonnie. He’sbetting on usMARTY DAVIS, CAMBRIA CEO

Arista Homes and Paradise Homesare building their newest commu-nity, Magnolia, near a natural para-dise of greenery in Brampton.

Located at McLaughlin Rd. andMayfield Rd., the 1,400-home com-munity borders the rolling hills ofCaledon. There are parks, a play-ground, ponds and trails, plus linksto Brampton’s trail system and thewoodlands and greenery of HeartLake Conservation Area.

Some lots back onto the Fletcher’sCreek watercourse that wrapsaround the naturalized perimeterof the neighbourhood, providingthe privacy and landscaping of anatural buffer.

“We sold about 40 homes at ouropening, so the level of interest isreally good,” says Cara Ramani,sales representative for Arista.“This is Phase 1 and we released 52semi-detached homes on 28-footlots, 52 detached homes on 38-footlots and 31 detached homes on 41-foot lots.”

Schools, shopping and the CassieCampbell Community Centre,which is under construction, are allnearby.

“There’s also going to be a hugecommunity park,” says Ramani.

Arista’s semi-detached homesrange from 1,317 to 2,013 squarefeet and start at $268,990. De-tached homes range from 1,591 to2,575 square feet and start at$326,990.

All homes have nine-foot mainfloor ceilings, vinyl casement win-dows, extended baseboards andcasings, plus an upgraded engi-neered floor joist system for quietfloors.

There are a variety of façades,well-appointed architectural de-tails such as bay windows, coveredbalconies, covered porches withrailings and columns, double-doorentries, porticos, stone accents,varying roof peaks and more.

Inside, depending on the plan,you’ll find coffered ceilings, decora-tive columns, family rooms withgas fireplaces, main floor laundryrooms, master bedrooms with spa-cious ensuites, cathedral ceilings,

pantries, second-floor familyrooms, separate dining rooms andtransom windows.

Paradise Homes is offering semi-detached homes on 28-foot lots.Sizes range from 1,309 to 1,860square feet. Detached homes will bereleased on 38- and 41-foot lots,with 45-foot lots being offeredsoon.

Prices start from the mid-$260,000s.

A limited time bonus offer in-cludes a $2,000 discount and onebonus item such as four appliances,a gas fireplace, air conditioning orlaminate plank flooring.

Standard features in the Paradisehomes include nine-foot main floorceilings and ceramic tile in the foy-er, kitchen and bathrooms.

Theses homes also have energy-efficient vinyl casement windows,large ensuite bathrooms and arepre-wired for future home automa-tion.

Paradise has created a variety ofinteresting exteriors for attractivestreetscapes.

Depending on the model, exteri-ors have double door entries, dor-mers, shutters, porticos, and over-sized windows.

Some plans have office lofts, extra

second floor bathrooms, cofferedceilings, open-to-above areas, dec-orative columns, main or secondfloor laundry rooms, kitchen is-lands and bookshelf niches.

The community will soon enjoyeven easier access to Highway 410when it gets extended to MayfieldRd., which is expected to be com-plete by the end of the year.

“People will be able to get to High-way 410 within minutes and it willeventually be connected to High-way 10 as well,” says Ramani.

Established neighbourhoods existsouth of the community so resi-dents won’t be living near a futureconstruction site.

Closing dates are from about Feb-ruary to November 2008.

The Magnolia sales office is locat-ed at the builders’ Brampton’s NewHome Store on Bovaird Drive East,east of Kennedy Road. There areeight model homes to view.

Hours are Monday to Thursday 1p.m. to 8 p.m.; weekends and holi-days 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and, closedFridays.

For Arista Homes, call 905-840-3102.

For Paradise Homes, call 905-840-7135 or visit www.brampton-newhomestore.com.

Project blossoms near parks, ponds

Magnolia is a new 1,400-home community bordering the Caledon hills.

BRAMPTON

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