Road to Avonlea

The King family from the Road to Avonlea television series gather together during the first World War to celebrate the holidays. The season is a time of crisis for the family this year, however, as eldest son Felix who was fighting overseas has been listed as missing in action. Meanwhile, Aunt Hetty grapples with loneliness and a potentially fatal back injury; Felicity searches for a new career; and Olivia considers moving back to Avonlea.

A DVD special feature containing exclusive interviews with the cast and Kevin Sullivan at the end of the series. The actors reflect on the production which ran for seven years, and Kevin explains why he decided to finally conclude it.

the origin of a series

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 mother's family is not much easier. At first Sara resents being in Avonlea. Her mother's sister, Hetty King, resents Sara's Nanny Louisa and sends her back to Montreal. Sara is left to live with her Aunt's Hetty and Olivia in Rose Cottage. My favourite quote: ""As the eldest in the family, I'm used to making unpopular decisions."" ~ Hetty King.

Content to stay on at Rose Cottage, with her Aunt's Hetty & Olivia, Sara makes friends with Jasper Dale, 'The Awkward Man' of Avonlea. In the meantime, the school board has decided to hold a 'magic lantern' show and use the proceeds for the school library fund. The man they hire to do this show is in actuality a confidence man, who Sara inadvertently helps skip town with the money. Sara wants to put on a show to replace the missing funds and asks the help of the shy Jasper, who is an inventor and owns a 'magic lantern'. Sara gives a heartfelt recitation of ""The Little Match Girl"", and she is forever known as ""The Story Girl"", in Avonlea.

A mischevious Sara and Felix sneak into grumpy old Alexander Abraham's 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'.

Sara returns to Montreal, to live with her father, but a tragic accident causes her return to the island. Once only motherless, Sara finds her self suddenly orphaned and searching for answers. A traveling circus is in Avonlea and Peter takes her, hoping to cheer her up. Instead, Sara decides to visit the fortune teller, who claims to communicate with the deceased. Sara's life is placed in danger and it is Uncle Alec who saves the day.

Janet King's Great-Aunt Eliza comes for a visit, and sets the King household on it's 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.

Muriel Stacey, is returning home to Avonlea to see her old school house and her school chum Hetty King. Feeling threatened by her perceived former-rival, Hetty goes out looking for new students. Gus Pike is now working at the cannery, and wants to learn...reading, writing and how to be a gentleman....Hetty is delighted with his enthusiasm. After an accident at home, Hetty is temporarily replaced at school by Muriel, who not only does not want to replace Hetty, but organizes the children to do a ""tribute"" to her. Gus plays a fiddle solo to express his gratitude to Hetty.

aka ""The Ties That Bind"" Hetty takes over the plans for Olivia and Jasper's 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...

Alec wants to sell Blackie, an aging farm horse and somewhat of a pet of Felix, after he purchases a new horse. Felix won't hear of it and decides to start a delivery business, with Sara's help, to pay for Blackie's feed. Felix is teased by the local business men and makes a foolish wager. This causes heartbreak for young Felix, and then a new beginning.

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.

Olivia is about to deliver her first child, and Jasper's family descends on them intending to aid at the birth. Their Bohemian life style clashes with the traditional life style of the King Family, causing major problems. Montgomery King Dale's entrance to the world, almost didn't happen. Jasper is the one who saves the day!

Aunt Hetty's 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)

For his 14th birthday, Felix wants a rifle, but receives a telescope instead. He borrows his fathers rifle to go hunting, on another one of his 'get rich quick schemes', to provide venison for the White Sands Hotel. Gus hears the shot, and finds Felix bending over a wounded Digger. Arthur Pettibone, is a veterinarian student, the oldest son of Clive, who his eye on Felicity. He treats Digger, knowing he is making an impression. Gus is not pleased at Felicity's reaction to Arthur, and realizes that he has competition for her affections.

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.

The family is planning a 50th birthday party for Hetty. Her publisher, no longer wants ""Romance"" novels from her. Muriel Stacey returns to town and takes over the general store. When Hetty succumbs to appendicitis, her out look on life changes. She decides to write about what she knows; her childhood and the beauty of the island. This episode is Heather Conkie's shining moment as a writer for 'Avonlea', as we are given insight to the young Hetty King

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 doesn't know how to run it. Jasper and Olivia take over the day-to-day running of the cannery, and use Gus Pike's 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.

Felicity is at medical school, and Felix is visiting,when they spot Gus in the market place with a strange woman. Felicity mistakengly thinks he is engaged to this woman,Charlotte Ames, and returns Gus's ring. Gus finds Felicity at school and they decide they 'need to talk'. As Gus walks Felicity back to her rooming house they encounter a flower lady, wandering the streets, who thinks that Gus is Captain Crane. Together, Gus and Felicity decide to bring her back to Avonlea to solve a mystery. Gus thinks the flower lady may be Eliza Pike, his 'deceased' mother. A photograph of Eliza and Abe Pike together, makes Gus realize that she is indeed his mother. Hidden behind this wedding photo of Eliza and Abe is a photo of Captain Crane, whom Gus begins to believe is his real father. He and Eliza go to Jamaica to find the captain. Before he leaves, Gus implores Felicity ""...say you'll be mine."" ""I've always been yours, I'll be yours forever"", she assures him. Gus gives her his ring again

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 Izzy's 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 Simon's arms.

Cecily is in a sanitarium in New York, where she meets Louie, a street smart boy. Bored with their treatments the two get in to so much mischief, Cecily is in danger of being sent home. Janet and Alec arrive and try to smooth things over. Cecily tells them of Louie's sad life, and they plans a Christmas celebration for a poor boy who has never had one. Louie dies shortly thereafter; but Cecily settles down determined to get well.

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 Felicity's idea that the house should be converted into a fondling home. The project, along with Stuart's affections, promises to help Felicity get over her loss of Gus.

The Dominion Day picnic finds Felix in jeopardy of losing Izzy's friendship and Jasper trying to tell Olivia he has been offered a teaching position in England. The boys in town are all making eyes at Hannah Hubble while the girls look on with growing irritaion.

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 it's share of profits; but Davy discovers what is going on and puts a stop to it.