< Back

by Lance Erickson Ghulum, Lafayette, California

Source: The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle, Issue No. 21, Autumn 1997.

When actor Michael Mahonen (Gus Pike) offered to give me a tour of the Road to Avonlea set, he warned me that it was much more impressive when converted to celluloid. What Mr. Mahonen did not realize was that to a devoted Avonlea enthusiast like myself, the experience of viewing the set was an intimate thrill.

I made my 4-day holiday to Toronto specifically to see the set. My trip was made all the more memorable by Michael (known as Mickey) Mahonen's friendliness and congenial assistance. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when meeting Mickey, but I was pleasantly unsurprised. The same earnest and magnetic qualities of Gus Pike are apparent in Mickey and it's difficult not to admire this actor tremendously.

The indoor set is located in Scarborough, a considerable distance from the bustle of Toronto. On a sweltering hot August afternoon, Mickey graciously took time off from his busy shooting schedule and we drove to a huge warehouse in a relatively deserted area. (The outdoor set is located on Concession 6, just outside of Uxbridge, Ontario).

Outside was a long make-up and costume trailer with doors bearing each cast member's name. Scattered among the piles of lumber and scraps were remnants of old sets, such as Blair Stanley's gravestone, furniture from the White Sands Hotel and numerous odds and ends from Rose Cottage.

"Well, here it is!" Mickey said with a typical actor's humour, outstretching his arm as we entered the set. Once inside, I could see the building was sectioned into rooms, each distanced with a proper reserve from the other. Just off the entrance was the interior of the Avonlea church, a small room that looked no bigger than a large closet and, of course, not nearly as grand as it appears on television. Nearby were Miss Stacey's General Store, Rose Cottage and the King Farm.

As I strode through these various sets, I studied the details of each one, remembering little things. There was the inimitable Rose Cottage staircase, Aunt Hetty's parlour, and of course, the crucial King family kitchen. It was difficult to walk through these familiar scenes and not recall a myriad of images from the show's seven seasons.

Viewers often comment on the show's intimate attention to detail. That detail was easy to see when walking around these realistic indoor scenes. A closer inspection of the furnishings and personal materials of Rose Cottage lent me a peek into the happy and dramatic lives of its inhabitants. A framed photograph of Sara's mother, Ruth King Stanley, still resides atop the piano, a reminder of her continuing significance to Sara and Hetty. The firewood on the hearth and the authentic furniture, right down to the real lace doilies are all strategically placed to create a warm homelike feeling.

The King kitchen had the worn look of a true farmhouse kitchen, complete with Aunt Janet's cooking utensils, the staples in the cupboards, the worn rugs, etc. Right away my mind wandered through almost every episode in which the King children scurried nervously up those narrow stairs in their many crises. Equally intriguing was the layout of the farmhouse. Interestingly enough, the front and back doors are only a room away from each other, a strange structuring which one doesn't grasp when watching the show.

Huge backdrop paintings presented the outdoor views from the doorways and windows and they looked remarkably realistic. "See these paintings," Mickey said, "these are what made so many people fall in love with Avonlea and Prince Edward Island. It's called the magic of television!"

I could imagine the whirlwind of activity on this set on filming days, but on this day, the place was deserted except for a crew of set makers constructing future scenes and putting finishing touches on others. This included the interior of a cabin in which Gus Pike and Aunt Hetty were to have a highly emotional scene. Several sets are apparently gone forever such as the interior of the lighthouse where Gus Pike lived, which was dissembled and was not a favourite among the crew and cameramen because it was so small and cramped.

After experiencing the location in which it is made, I came to see that Road to Avonlea reflects well on everyone involved with the making of it. It is a testament to Sullivan Entertainment's ingenuity and craftsmanship that the raw material of these indoor sets comes together so fluently and realistically on film to create a series of such colourful ambience and superior technical quality.

My deepest thanks to Mickey Mahonen for his time and friendliness!

< Back