Road to Avonlea

Sara Stanley is a wealthy child sent to stay with distant relatives on Prince Edward Island, when her father is accused of embezzlement. She finds the life on the small island a challenge, and getting to know her mothers family is not much easier. At first Sara resents being in Avonlea. Her mothers sister, Hetty King, resents Saras Nanny Louisa and sends her back to Montreal. Sara is left to live with her Aunts Hetty and Olivia in Rose Cottage. My favourite quote: ""As the eldest in the family, Im used to making unpopular decisions."" ~ Hetty King.

A mischevious Sara and Felix sneak into grumpy old Alexander Abrahams house, on a dare, not knowing that he is ill and about to be quarantined. Avonlea busy-body, Rachel Lynde enters his house looking for his farm boy who has been skipping her Sunday School Class. All are quarantined together. Alexander is a woman hater, Rachel a do-gooder, and the house is an unmitigated mess. Rachel nurses Alexander through his illness, Felix too, when he falls ill. Sara helps cleans his house, and learns that there is more to life than just reading books all the time. Through the help of the children and Rachel Lynde, Alexander is no-longer a cranky old man, and somewhat less of a woman-hater. Mrs. Rachel, however, remains a do-gooder.

"Old Lady Lloyd" is believed to be a very wealthy woman, but she is actually living in poverty in her mansion. Sara befriends Miss Lloyd and wants to help her. Sylvia Gray, a friend of Olivias visiting Avonlea, is the daughter of Miss Lloyds former beau, who Miss Lloyd has never forgiven. Young Miss Gray has a magnificent singing voice, and Miss Lloyd, after a long conversation with Peg Bowen, walks through a thunder storm to get her cousin, with whom she has not spoken in years, to finance the young womans career. The lesson is about forgiveness.

The children are enthralled went a missionary visits Avonlea. Sara is distressed that Peter, the hired boy, has ""no religion"" and sets about getting him to go to church. Peter comes down with influenza and the children come to realize how precious life is. Hetty and Olivia start to treat him less like hired help and more like family; Peter goes to school with the King children.

Back from their honeymoon, Malcolm suggests starting a family; Abigail says that she is too old for children, and they fuss quite a bit. Sara and Felicity find a newly orphaned baby and leave him on the McEwans door step, hoping to smooth rough waters between the couple and give them something that they need. Enemies Rachel Lynde and Aunt Hetty both decide that they have a greater claim to the baby and both want him. In the end it is decided that the baby is better off with Malcolm and Abigail.

With Aunt Hetty as the Avonlea schoolmistress, Felix is feeling like the ""dunce"" that she tells him he is. With the help of Peg Bowen, the Witch of Avonlea and a ""magic stone"" Felix hopes to win the spelling bee, but then he loses the stone. His sister, Felicity sees her dream of becoming the Spelling Champion vanish, when it is Felix who wins. Felix learns that he always had the ability to win and he only needed a bit of self-confidence, just as the wise Peg Bowen wanted him to learn. Favourite quote: ""Cows and sows give birth as well, but to my knowledge, this doesnt qualify them for Teachers College."" ~ Hetty King

Blair Stanley, Saras father, has been acquitted of fraud and he wants Sara to come home to Montreal. He returns to the island and comes up against Hetty King, who refuses to let Sara go. Aunt Hetty resents Blair Stanley taking her younger sister Ruth away from the family and then letting her die, because of their fast city life-style. Sara in heartbroken, afraid of losing the family she has grown to love and losing her fathers love, because she wants to stay in Avonlea. Trying to reason with Hetty and Blair leaves her further frustrated, and so Sara runs away and hides, hoping to unite the families. Instead it sparks more antagonism. When she is finally found, Sara defiantly argues with Blair, and not paying attention to where she is walking, loses her footing and falls from the top loft of the barn. Hetty & Blair, frightened of almost losing Sara, decide to talk over their differences and call a truce to their fighting. Sara is allowed to stay on the island.

Janet Kings Great-Aunt Eliza comes for a visit, and sets the King household on its ear, as Janet tries to please her guest, while she herself is feeling quite unwell. Alec finds out that playing cricket, is not as easy as it used to be when he was a younger man. Felicity decides that she is now ""grown up"" at age 12 1/2 and develops a crush on a visiting rival cricket player. Mooning over David Hawes, Felicity longs to receive her ""first kiss"". Sara and Felix make a new friend, Gus Pike, a young sailor, recently arrived in Avonlea and looking for work. Alec offers his barn for Gus to stay in, and also some work until the cannery begins hiring. It is wise Great Aunt Eliza who realizes why Janet is feeling unwell, it is announced that the family will soon have a new baby. Felicity finally gets her kiss and the family is never the same after Gus Pike enters their lives.

Dora and Davy Keith come to live at Green Gables, with Marilla, a distant relative, after their parents die. Only a temporary arrangement, until a uncle could be located, Marilla is faced with the prospect of turning two children over to an orphanage or losing the friendship of Rachel Lynde, because Davy has proven to be a handful. Rachel makes matters worse beacause she is suffering from a tooth ache, but refuses to go to the doctor...and then there is that naughty pig.

Edwin Clark, an old beau of Olivias has returned to Avonlea, intent on winning her hand. Hetty had chased him off years before, but as he returns wealthy and successful, Hetty no longer objects. Sara thinks Olivia is better suited to shy and awkward Jasper Dale, and encourages him to pay court to her. Olivia is torn between a former love and a new love, however her decision on who would be the best man to wed becomes quite clear, when she sees how the two men react to the emergency that occurs when a small boy falls down an abandoned well. My favourite quote: ""Aint that the pistol""~Jasper Dale

Gus Pike is working hard at school and taking odd jobs around town when Captain Ezekiel Crane, the reclusive lighthouse keeper, offers him a job and a place to stay. Rachel Lynde is convinced that the island is being over run by bootleggers. The children believe they see a Ghost Ship near the lighthouse. Abe Pike, former first mate for Captain Crane, arrives in Avonlea, having escaped from prison and claims Gus as his son. Abe fights with Ezekiel and falls into the ocean, as the towns people storm the light house looking for bootleggers.

Bored with everyday life, the King cousins decide to create their own newspaper. This helps to keep them entertained and goes quite well, until the childrens ""made up"" advice column (Madame X) gets mixed up with the Avonlea Chronicles real news. Olivia, working as a reporter for the Chronicle, and temporarily acting as editor, is hard put to defend herself for the column mix-up. Then, the Chronicle office is robbed and it is up to Jasper Dale to catch the thief and exonerate Olivia. Favourite quote: ""Snoring is boring."" ~Madame X

""Rollings Reliable"" is sponsoring an essay contest to honour the mothers of the town. When Sara decides that Aunt Hetty should be her subject for the contest a scornful Sally Potts and Felicity tell her only a ""real"" mother could be entered in the contest. Having found out that Sally and Felicity share a birth date, and were delivered by the same doctor, a mischievious Sara tells them they were switched at birth. Both girls and their mothers agonize over this and learn that it is ""who raises the child, and not who gives birth"" that makes a woman a mother. Felicity enters Saras discarded essay in the competition and Hetty wins.

aka ""The Ties That Bind"" Hetty takes over the plans for Olivia and Jaspers wedding, changing the small intimate ceremony they planned into a three-ring-circus. Jasper & Olivia want to elope; Janet is forced to do all of the work; the wedding ring is lost; the wedding gown arrives three times too big; and Hetty and Olivia are not speaking to each other. Here comes the bride...

aka ""Another Point of View"" Alec is elected to the school board, and Hetty feels that she is being unfairly criticized so she quits her job as schoolmistress in Avonlea. Her replacement is Alistair Dimple, an impoverished actor, pretending to be a teacher. Alistair inspires the students to learn by doing role-playing and, in turn, inspires Hefty to write a book about the island. Alec finds out Dimples ""identity"", but keeps quiet as Avonlea school battles it out for the History Championship competition against rival Carmody.

Back in Avonlea, Jo Pitts is wreaking havoc with Hetty, who believes that ""Sara"" has become deranged. When Jo decides she has had enough of Hetty, she decides to drown her. Sara and Gus escape the gang of theives, who are run by Abe Pike, and sail back to Avonlea just in time to stop Jo from robbing the town blind. Gus offers the King women some advice on how to handle Jo, and she is offered a home with Sara and Hetty at Rose Cottage. However, Jo decides to take her fate into her own hands and leaves town.

It is a dark and stormy night when Gus falls under the spell of beautiful Amanda Stone, much to Felicitys chagrin. Robert Rutherford arrives in Avonlea, on Amandas very heels, and claims the gems Amanda left in safe keeping with Gus are stolen. Gus, smitten with Amanda, refuses to believe Rutherfords claims, however Felicity smells a rat in fine french perfume. The towns people hear about Guss gems and begin to treat him differently. Then a series of events causes Gus and Felix to be thrown in jail and Gus sets out to find the truth.

aka ""Vows of Silence"" The new minister in town, gives a hell-fire-and-brimstone sermon which convinces the children that the world is coming to an end. The adults have no idea that the children have taken the sermon so seriously. The children go to the lighthouse, prepared to confess their sins, and hope this will save the world. A lunar eclipse convinces them the end is nigh...and Felixs confession almost makes Felicity put an end to him.

Felicity is invited to Kingsport Ladies College, because of her academic excellence. Once there,she is intimidated by the other girls worldliness, so she lies and pretends that she is Saras rich sister, using the storys of Saras life. Gus, worries that he is losing Felicity, and decides that if ""good manners and breeding "" are important, he is going to get them. Sara and Pierre further Guss education. Felicity has to face her parents with her lies, and learns a lesson in humility.

It is heartbreak at Green Gables when Marilla Cuthbert dies suddenly, and leaves no will. The assumption is that Anne would always inherit Green Gables from the Cuthberts. When Gilbert Blythe arrives in Avonlea and tries to buy Green Gables it is too late, one of the neighbors has bought it. Rachel Lynde and the children are now homeless, unless Rachel can make friends with the new owner. A man who ""hates"" Rachel. Rachel has to learn to ""mind her tongue"" if she wants a to continue to live at Green Gables.

Aunt Hettys plans to help Olivia with the new baby change when Olivia challenges Hetty to be creative. Hetty has written a romance novel, and with out her knowledge, Olivia publishes it in the Chronicle, under the nom de plume, H.E. LeRoi. Clive Pettibone, the new school master, also has a creative streak. Hetty and Clive are antagonists, until they share their secrets. (setting us up for a possible romance between the two characters)

When the town decides it needs a Volunteer Fire Department, after a mishap nearly burns down the stable, the choice of chief is between Alec and Clive. It is Hetty who casts the deciding vote, for Clive! The fire department is unruly and disorganized, until Felixs science experiment goes awry, almost burning down the school and they all work together as a team to save it.

Alecs childhood friend, Emmett, returns to Avonlea with a new young bride and an infant. He asks Alec for help, as his farm has done poorly and he needs to fish for food for the winter. On a shipping expedition, their ship sinks and Emmett dies. Alec feeling responsible, tries to run Emmetts farm and his own. Evelyn, the clinging widow, causes problems between Janet and Alec and sets the whole town gossiping.

Gus gets Felix a job at the White Sands Hotel, as Simon Tremaynes assistant. The job goes to Felixs head, and causes a riff with Gus. He reveals that the new owner once worked for royalty; the same Duke who just happens to be visiting Carmody. Hetty is determined to get the Duke to come to the Founders Day Banquet and to have the King Family honoured as Avonleas Founding Family---of course, it isnt quite the Kings---

This synopsis is from the back of the video case cover of Sullivan Entertainment - Road To Avonlea - Felicitys Perfect Beau: ""With the attentions of both Gus Pike and Arthur Pettibone, Felicity becomes confused as one proposes marriage and the other courts her. Seeking avice on matters of the heart she returns first to Sara, then Hetty and eveutally her family. In the end she determines that she alone must decide her future.""

A wealthy American developer tries to modernize Avonlea and reinvent it in the style of a town he built in Pennsylvania. Opinions in the town are mixed; Clara Potts and Olivia take up the case for modernization but Hetty is firmly against it. Meanwhile, Sarah convinces her trust fund (by impersonating Hetty over the telephone) to buy an Edison motion picture camera and send it to Jasper Dale, under the impression that he is to do experiments in frame rate with it for the Edison company. Eventually, Hetty decides to use footage Jasper filmed with his camera to show a visual record of Avonlea, as part of an emotional appeal against the radical rebuilding of the town.

Felix must decide where his future lies; the farm or the hotel. The choice is too difficult and Felix rebels. He is too tired to work well at either the farm or hotel; and gives up his job. Alec, seeing how unhappy Felix is, urges him to resume working at the hotel. Felix befriends a millionaire, who teaches him the importance of Fathers and Sons and how to ""talk"" to his father.

Plans are on the way for the American millionaire (see Home Movie) to turn the old cannery into a distillery. An outraged Hetty persuades H.B. Dunn sells the cannery to her, but she doesnt know how to run it. Jasper and Olivia take over the day-to-day running of the cannery, and use Gus Pikes expertise in operations. Problems arise that must be solved. Gus and the King family pitch in, even Felicity, and all the lobsters are canned; so Hetty decides The Dales must buy the cannery from her.

Avonlea is hosting the annual drama competition and Hetty plans to win.She makes a wager with Eleanor McHugh,betting a secret family recipe.Asking Janet to play the lead role,She callously recasts the role when the opportunity arises,giving the part to Isabelle Carrington,famous stage actress.However it turns out that Isabelles refusal to play the part as originally written (by Hetty of course)forces Hetty to fire her only one day before the competition is set to begin. So Hetty must beg Janet to retake the lead role in time to save the play.

The Kings find a man in thier barn and give him work, but is he all that he seems?

The King family finds out that Cecily has TB and the townsfolk try to avoid contact with the King family.

Certain people in Avonlea are hoping for a progression in romance. Ever since Morgan went away to military school, Izzy has been Clives singular focus. She feels he needs a wife, and searches through the list of spinster women in Avonlea for a suitable candidate. Izzy sets her sights on either Hetty or Muriel. With an established relationship, Gus and Felicity each have news which could affect their future. Gus has been promoted to Assistant Manager at the White Sands Hotel, meaning that he now has the financial means to ask Felicity to marry him, which meets with Alecs approval. Felicity however has just been accepted into Dalhousie Universitys medical school in a fast tracked process. Because Gus wants to get married now, whereas Felicity wants to wait until she finishes school - which could be upwards of seven years - Gus and Felicity have to decide what to do about the possibility of a future together. Gus thoughts are affected by Matt ODonnell, an old sailor colleague who is passing through Prince Edward Island, while Felicitys are directed by Dr. Jones practice as well as the financial ability of the Kings to send her to school for seven years.

When Janet and Viola go for a joy ride in Miss Staceys new automobile, it raises rumors that Mrs. Elliott has a drinking problem.

The White Sands Hotel is the setting for a Bachelor Auction. Each bachelor makes up a picnic basket and a lady bids on it; the bachelor then shares the basket with the lady. Felix and Izzys romance begins to blossom; Becky Lester has her eye on Davy; Hetty looses Clive Pettibone to Muriel Stacy; Simon Tremayne has his eye on Hetty but fears he has no hope; but the dance at the hotel, to end the day, finds Hetty is Simons arms.

Janet has time on her hands for the first time in her life. Felicity, Daniel and Cecily are all away from home. Felix is busy at the hotel, Alecs time is taken up by the farm and his lodge. When she sees a chance to earn ""extra"" money, Janet jumps at the chance; but all of the money makers end up costing Janet more than she makes. Janet must find a way out of her problem without telling Alec; the owner of the company she is dealing with makes threats, and Alec comes to her rescue.

Rose Cottage is ""empty"" now, so when Rachel has a stroke Hetty agrees to take in Dora and Davy until she fully recovers. Rachel goes out west to live with her son. Once again, Dora and Davy have made a major change in their lives. Davy feels responsible for Rachels stroke, and causes an unbelievable amount of trouble. Hetty finally gets to the root of Davys guilt and she, Dora ,and Davy settle down to a new life at Rose Cottage.

Felix goes into the fox raising business with Izzy; but when he needs to get a bank loan he trades Izzy for Nat Lester as his partner. Nat spends most of the money trying to impress people, Felix is in danger of loosing Izzy as his friend, and Felicity needs to learn to see life from other peoples perceptive. The foxes escape and Felix must find a way to repay the loan. Izzy accepts Felixs apology and they resume their friendship.

After recovering from her stroke, Rachel Lynde embarks on a return trip from her sons home out west to Avonlea. On the way, she suffers a second stroke that leaves her unable to talk. Hetty King takes her in to nurse her back to health but Rachels son wanting to take her back to BC with him. Hetty, Davey, Dora and Olivia all aid in getting Rachel talking again, with help from the most unlikely source - Pierre (the chef at the White Sands).

Felicity has completed her first year of medical school, and passes with flying colors. Dr. Snow offers her a job for the summer, and Felicity learns the ""human side"" of medicine rather than the "" text book"" side of it, and it is a real eye opener! When Dr. Snow and Felicity are unable to save Felicitys friend, Colleen Pritcharts, life during child birth Felicity re-examines her plans to become a doctor and awaits the return of Gus.

Felicity continues to mourn a year after she learns that Gus ship was lost at sea. While attending a town meeting, she is maneuvered into excepting a position on a committee to assess the old Lloyd mansion. Upon examining the house, the committee discovers four orphans living there. Stuart McRae, a new banker, supports Felicitys idea that the house should be converted into a fondling home. The project, along with Stuarts affections, promises to help Felicity get over her loss of Gus.

Davy sees a mermaid in a traveling show and is smitten. He has his head full of dreams and fantasies. Rachel is improving since her stroke and is learning to enjoy the ""little things"" in life. The traveling show tries to swindle the town out of its share of profits; but Davy discovers what is going on and puts a stop to it.

Janet Kings sister, Abigail, and Great Aunt Eliza return to Avonlea, turning Janets world upside down. Janet hints to Abigail, that there may be a wedding in the spring and shows her a dress pattern she wants to make. After several remarks Abigail made to Cecily are told to Alec, he thinks Janet is pining for the engagement ring he was never able to afford. Alec is determined to get Janet a ring and takes her wedding band to ""size"" the new ring; Janet thinks she lost her band and tries to get a replacement

When a famous song writing team come to the White Sands hotel; Hetty wants no part of them until she learns that they are ""intimates of the King o England"". They are to be the stars of her musical at the hotel. When Felix tries to interest them in Uncle Jaspers ""recording device"" they are more impressed with Alecs singing than they are the electronics. Alec has a chance to go to sing on Broadway or remain in Avlonlea.

Two orphaned brothers arrive at the Avonlea Foundling Home and bring trouble and strife with them. They are looking for their big brother,Jim, who arrived in Canada before they did. They steal money from Hetty, cause mischief in town and make trouble for Davy. Davy ""borrows"" money from Hetty and takes the boys on a train ride to Halifax to find their brother. Hetty takes Davy to task for his actions; but he has learned a valuable lesson. and we see that Davy is finally growing up.

A mysterious telephone call to the King Farm leads Felicity King, mere days before her wedding to Stuart McCrae, and Hetty King in search of Gus Pike, who had been reported drowned at sea. After a long trip to South Carolina and running into several dead end leads, Felicity and Hetty find Gus had survived the ship wreck...however, Gus has lost his sight in the accident! Now it is up to Felicity and Hetty to convince Gus to return home to Avonlea...and Felicity has some hard choices herself to make. Will she honour her engagement to Stuart, a kind and gentle man, whom she does not love...or will she return to the arms of the boy, now man, that has always held her heart, Gus Pike?

Gus return to Avonlea stuns the King Family and forces Felicity to make a decision between her childhood sweetheart, Gus and the kindly banker, Stuart. In the meantime, Jasper and Olivia have decided to leave Avonlea, after the disastrous Dale Cannery fire and Hetty is furious. Felix makes a decision that stuns his family, especially his mother Janet, and a certain familiar character makes her prodigal return to Avonlea for Felicitys wedding day.