DECATUR – Enter a magical world where chimney sweeps dance on rooftops, toys come to life and a famous nanny flies through the air. “‘Mary Poppins’ ‘is all about magic and being able to accomplish anything if you set your mind to it,” said director Lauren Cantrell Salerno. “I feel like after this past year, […]
Category Archives: Chimney sweeps
A look back at chimney sweeping in Old Barrie, a dangerous, dirty and difficult job to do, not to mention low wages and underestimated It took a tough customer to be a chimney sweep in Barrie in the city’s early years, when every building was heated by some sort of combustible material. In general, the […]
After speaking to McCartney in New Zealand, Jackson traveled to Starr’s home in Los Angeles to show her the footage on an iPad (“He was laughing, I was laughing”), and began corresponding with Olivia Harrison, the George’s widow, who supported him. behind the project despite documenting George’s displeasure. “She saw the rooftop concert around the […]
Located on 6 acres near the Diamond, the Interstate Business Park sold for $ 7.7 million. (Photo by Mike Platania) Tucked between highways 95, 64 and 195, the aptly named Interstate Business Park has a new owner behind the wheel. The two-building complex located at 3601 Saunders Ave. sold at the end of last month […]
TORRANCE, Calif. – A woman from Torrance has returned home to find nearly a thousand birds inside her home. “There are birds everywhere,” took on a whole new meaning for Kerri. A video shot by neighbors and his family shows the little black birds circling the outside of the fireplace and sweeping in groups. Once […]
Steven Carter has swept over 40,000 chimneys in the old English tradition since he founded Chimney Sweeps, Inc. in 1985. “Our philosophy is that your fireplace is part of your home,” Carter said. “If the fireplace goes out, the house goes too. We take care of your fireplace so we take care of your home. […]
Former Regular Times reader Dan Harris contacted us after we published a story about the lost but not forgotten jobs that were once a feature of our streets, such as chapper-uppers, ragpickers and lamplighters. “The picture of the chimney sweep reminded me of a calamitous incident in the building where I lived when I was […]
Shannon Brett was just 13 when she helped sweep her first chimney. But the 19-year-old young woman would never have guessed that she would take it up again at the end of her adolescence and discover an end-to-end passion for the profession. Leaving school with ‘barely enough GCSEs to get into university’, she went on […]
A reflection for the fourth Sunday of Lent Readings: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 Ephesians 2:4-10 John 3:14-21 What is the Talmud? Piotr, a Russian soldier, poses this question to Jewish partisans fighting the Nazis in Primo Levi’s If not now when? (1982): “Is this your book of the Gospels? » How do you explain this […]
These days, few young people choose a career of climbing on roofs and removing soot from bricks. But despite other options, that’s exactly what Vilnis Daņiļevičs happily does from Monday to Friday. As a young man, Vilnis followed his heart and studied to become a music teacher. Indeed, for 20 years, he has been playing […]
Harpers Stoves and its sweeping business have been busy over the past year and have a swollen order book for the weeks ahead. Partners Jamie Griffiths and Gareth McNeal have seen business soar as more want to keep house fires going. Jamie said: “Woodburning stoves have become extremely fashionable in recent years and more and […]
Links between occupational risks and cancer Percival Potts entered epidemiological folklore for providing one of the first links between occupational exposures and specific cancers…namely scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps. And, to be clear, it was squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the scrotum, not testicular cancer. And what was both striking and shocking about […]
ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA — Soot and ash spurt from the stove as Sukhbaatar Jizaabandi pounded it with a hammer. Dust fills the air, caught by sunlight streaming through a window. Gloved hands, Sukhbaatar shovels the soot into a bucket. At first glance, Sukhbaatar’s job as a government-hired chimney sweep seems like a prosaic necessity in a […]
The deaths and injuries of cyclists delivering food on our roads will not stop until we recognize the relationship between working conditions and safety. Focusing only on safety issues (by making them wear high visibility vests for example) will not solve the problem that has led to the death of five cyclists in the last […]
A month ago, I tried unsuccessfully to hire a chimney sweep. Then I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince my wife to hire one. “I emailed four companies,” I said. “Most don’t even answer.” “It’s because you’re afraid of sweeps,” she said. “You have to get over it.” I turned to look out the window. “They toil […]
II sit in my office cabin while the squirrel in front of me eats the last tomatoes of the summer. He’s sitting on the corner of the raised bed just across the window, with a look on his face that says, I thought you’d like to see this. Behind the squirrel, a man wearing a […]
San Diego is known for having a pleasant, temperate climate, but even Southern Californians need an indoor heat source during the cooler winter months. Many homes have fire pits and chimneys that are lit during the holidays, and for homes in the mountains where it snows or for those without central heating, fireplaces are a […]
SALT LAKE CITY — Republican congressional candidate Burgess Owens considers himself a “sweeper” in a Trump administration if voters elect him and send the president back to the White House in November. Owens said he lost it all after a decade in the National Football League that culminated in a Super Bowl championship with the […]
This content is sponsored by First, a good chimney sweep will carefully inspect your chimney for potential problems. MANCHESTER, NH – What is a chimney sweep? Ed Hewitt, owner of Manchester-based Anything Chimney, is happy to talk about chimneys with anyone who asks. “It all comes down to safety, which is why we do what […]
Company Spotlight: Chimney Sweeps Inc. has grown from one location to two and is offering a special summer offer to help San Diego residents keep their chimneys clean. Chimney Sweeps, a family business that has serviced chimneys and fireplaces across the county since 1985, will now operate from its original location in Lakeside and a […]
Mall police officers, hearing the growing demand to “defund the police”, fear for their future. Already feeling besieged every time they make a drug arrest, respond to a domestic violence call, or stop a driver with a broken taillight, they now also face the worry of soon finding themselves unemployed. We’ve all heard the saying, […]
Many police officers, hearing the growing demand to “defund the police”, fear for their future. Already feeling besieged every time they make a drug arrest, respond to a domestic violence call, or stop a driver with a broken taillight, they now also face the worry of soon finding themselves unemployed. We’ve all heard the saying, […]
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: Amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, Chimney Sweeps, Inc., is still providing inspections, repairs, and other services to customers throughout the San Diego County area. “There are certainly risks associated with the hearth, including carbon monoxide, chimney fires, smoking and other fire hazards,” said Julian Margo, who runs the day-to-day operations of the business. […]
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: Amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, Chimney Sweeps, Inc., is still providing inspections, repairs, and other services to customers throughout the San Diego County area. “There are certainly risks associated with the hearth, including carbon monoxide, chimney fires, smoking and other fire hazards,” said Julian Margo, who runs the day-to-day operations of the business. […]
A version of this story aired in 2015. For hundreds of years, chimney sweeps have provided a necessary and important service to society. In 1981 Jeff Schmittinger began working in the field and today he operates Wisconsin Chimney Technicians in Waukesha. Before becoming a chimney sweep — yes, that term is still acceptable today — […]
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: Visions of Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep come to mind when we think of Steven Carter. He is a real and current top notch chimney sweep. In fact, he’s called a Master Sweep in the old English tradition, and he’s swept over 40,000 chimneys in his career. Chim Chim Cheree indeed. […]
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) – After a chimney fire on Thursday, a homeowner urges others to have their chimneys swept. “If we hadn’t paid attention to the noise and investigated it, we could have had a very big fire,” said Jean Cole, owner. Cole said Halloween night by the fireplace took a spooky turn. “We […]
wayne walker Wayne Walker talks about being a chimney sweep in Central Georgia. Q: A chimney sweep is not a career that comes to mind in the south. Is there really a call for it? A: There are more chimneys in Central Georgia than you might think. People have them for ambiance as well as […]
The fantastical adventures of Mary Poppins are for many a treasured part of childhood. From beloved books by PL Travers to the Disney classic Mary Poppins movie and even in the recent Mary Poppins Returns appeals to audiences of all ages. However, not everyone is so nostalgic for the nanny. In an editorial by The […]
DEB BUTTLEMAN-MALCOLM DAVENPORT — Earl “Brady” Bunch IV graduated early last month, with his last day of class Dec. 18 at Davenport North High School. That night, he was already hard at work at Falcon’s Nest Chimney Sweeps, preparing for his future as the third generation of his family to do such work. “My dad […]
Although smoke alarms are essential and very important in the event of a fire, there is another way to stay safe and even prevent those fires from happening – and many forget to do this. Annual chimney cleanings are essential for a healthy chimney and a safe home. “If you have it inspected, you can […]
What there is to know Out-of-state companies are calling homeowners with chimney cleaning offers, only to get their foot in the door selling unnecessary services. There are no national regulations on chimney sweeps. Make sure the company is insured, ask what licenses or industry credentials they hold, and check them. When Lucille Collings bought her […]
Chimney sweeping is a complex and sometimes high-tech job that is essential to the safety of your home. If you have a fireplace and use it regularly, fall is the time to seriously consider hiring a chimney sweep before lighting your first fire. Chimney sweeping is a complex and sometimes high-tech job that is essential […]
Randolph – It’s 7 o’clock in the morning and it’s time for roll call. A room full of men all dressed in black gather for their daily early morning staff meeting. More than two dozen of them, many with beards, hold take-out coffee cups, sit in chairs around a conference table, against the wall and […]
Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec/Ray Johnston of Top Hat Chimney Sweeps works on a woodstove on Tuesday. He sold his business to Randy Sabo, owner of Chimney Doctor of Bedford. Top Hat Chimney Sweeps has a new owner, but customers shouldn’t notice a difference. “We are not going to change […]
Erwin Liverman, 71, believes he is the world’s oldest chimney sweep, 60 years after he started. He feels like a relic in a craft that’s been described as both Dickensian and lyrical – think of the rooftop shenanigans in the classic Disney movie “Mary Poppins.” Liverman has long since lost count of the number of […]
When someone says chimney sweep, the image that comes to mind is stained black cheeks and Victorian England. Or maybe it’s Dick Van Dyke, the most famous chimney sweep of them all. “Chim-chimney, chem-chimney, chem-chim dear “, he sang in the 1964 musical “Mary Poppins.” Thanks to improved worker safety, the days of climbing up […]