1934–35 set back efforts by a full year as the roadbed was rebuilt and gravelled. Paving was completed through the villages in and between Port Lambton and Corunna in mid-to-late 1936. The following year, paving operations were completed between Wallaceburg and north of Sombra, as well as between Froomfield and Sarnia. This left two gaps in the pavement, on which work would be delayed by the onset of World War II. Work resumed August10, 1942, with paving completed between Sombra and Courtright by the end of the year. The final gravel segment, between Courtright and Froomfield, was paved during the summer of 1943. This completed the paving of Highway40 between Chatham and Sarnia. At a ceremony in Corunna on the evening of October27, 1943, Minister of Highways George Doucett cut a ribbon to officially mark the completion of the work. A total of $1,622,598 ($ in dollars) was spent on upgrades and paving between 1934 and 1943. Rose Trail Perhaps more than any one person, former Wallaceburg mayor Alan Perry Brander was responsible for the idea of a continuous parkway along the St. Clair River. In 1949, he approached Maud Gordon, head of the Wallaceburg Horticultural Society, with the concept of a rose trail along the highway between Wallaceburg and Port Lambton. A program of planting rose bushes along Highway40 approaching and through the town was begun. By mid-1951, the Rose Trail Committee, now backed by the Wallaceburg Chamber of Commerce, had planted nearly 1,600 rose bushes, including several hundred near and within Port Lambton and Sombra. Speaking of the tourist potential to the Wallaceburg Rotary Club, Brander laid out his vision for a beautified living museum, akin to the Niagara Parkway or Colonial Williamsburg, along the riverfront. In 1952, and now with the support of the DHO, the program expanded to include the entire highway between Wallaceburg and Sombra, with an additional 1,300 rose bushes prepared for planting that summer. In August 1953 a beauty pageant was held at the first Port Lambton Civic Holiday celebration. The "Queen of the Rose Trail" was chosen by judges selected by local newspaper publishers each August long weekend over the next three years. Attendance of this event rose dramatically each year, with as many as 7,000 visitors in 1954. The celebrations likewise grew to include a boat race, baseball games, a carnival and a parade. However, the contest was inexplicably cancelled prior