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Find what’s hidden in Ground Burger Bar mural and help Newmarket hospice

With the support of Ground Burger Bar, local history buff Geoff Brown has come up with fun way to give back to Margaret Bahen Hospice
2019 12 10 Ground Burger Bar Hospice DK
Deborah Kesheshian, director of development for Margaret Bahen Hospice (from left), Geoff Brown and Madeleine Alaouze, general manager of Ground Burger Bar. Debora Kelly/NewmarketToday

History buff Geoff Brown is challenging you to have a little fun with Newmarket’s historic downtown Main Street, while supporting the local hospice that has been there for his family and countless others.

The longtime Newmarket resident and teacher, who has a passion for local history — and has many fond memories of growing up in town and spending time on Main Street — was excited to see a large mural on the wall of the Ground Burger Bar when it opened on Riverwalk Commons in July 2015.

“I was amazed to see their huge mural depicting what I thought was downtown Newmarket, and was disappointed to learn that it was actually downtown Chicago,” Brown said.

He decided right then that he would offer owner Grant Buckley a historic photograph of downtown Newmarket from his own collection, with contemporary images added similar to the Chicago mural.

With the downtown Newmarket mural up on the restaurant wall now, Brown suggested to Buckley that they mark the occasion with a fun contest that would support Newmarket’s Margaret Bahen Hospice.

Both his mother and mother-in-law had stayed at the hospice for their end-of-life care.

“Margaret Bahen has supported our families in the last couple of years, and we wanted to give back to them. We considered it a home away from home in the circumstances that we were faced with,” Brown said. “There was no better place for my mother-in-law and my mom, who expressed how much they loved being there for the situation they were in.”

His son, Karsten, had already been inspired to give back to the hospice, donating $5,000 that he won in a contest with several of his fellow Dr. J. M. Denison Secondary Students last summer.

“This is all about giving back, in part inspired by what Karsten did in winning that contest,” Brown said. "When we had the idea for this contest, it was a no-brainer where the fundraising money was going to go to.

“If a group of 16-year-old boys can raise $5,000, why can’t we?” he added.

Customers at the restaurant can enter the contest for $5 and try to find the hidden items in the large mural of Main Street (spoiler alert, this is one of the items hidden in the photo) circa 1920s.

“I thought it would be neat for customers who were waiting for their meal to have fun trying to find as many of the things that are embedded in the photograph as possible,” Brown said.

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Some of the hidden images include a one-legged athlete who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research, a rapper from the 6ix, a Canadian purveyor of coffee and doughnuts, and a lucky Canadian coin.

“Since my mom just passed, it was natural to hide a little memento in the mural in memory of her, which can be found on the left bumper of the yellow souped-up car,” Brown hinted. “The last item added was an angel, in honour of my mother-in-law who just recently passed.”

The winning customers who have identified the most items will receive half of the amount of entry fees collected, with the other half going to Margaret Bahen.

Brown hopes to eventually match the $5,000 raised by his son and his friends.  

“It’s so meaningful that someone who has watched where the money goes, who has seen it in action, has chosen us as their charity of choice,” Deborah Kesheshian, director of development for Margaret Bahen Hospice, said.

She expressed her gratitude, too, to Ground Burger Bar, “a local business that is so community-minded.”

Brown said as well as raising money, he hopes to create awareness about Margaret Bahen Hospice and the care it provides.

“My family was unaware of the hospice until it came into our lives. With the number of people who come through this restaurant on a daily basis, it’s packed all day, to give them awareness of what Margaret Bahen is and to know it’s an option if they ever need it is a wonderful thing,” he said.

“We weren’t on that Main Street way back then, but we are a significant hidden gem in this community now,” Kesheshian agreed.


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Debora Kelly

About the Author: Debora Kelly

Debora Kelly is NewmarketToday's editor. She is an award-winning journalist and communications professional who is passionate about building strong communities through engagement, advocacy and partnership.
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