1.2: The Story Girl Earns Her Name

Road To Avonlea: Season 1 (Buy This Season) | 1.1: The Journey Begins | 1.2: The Story Girl Earns Her Name | 1.3: The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s | 1.4: Materializing of Duncan McTavish | 1.5: Old Lady Lloyd | 1.6: The Proof of the Pudding | 1.7: Aunt Abigail’s Beau | 1.8: Malcolm and the Baby | 1.9: Conversions | 1.10: Felicity’s Challenge | 1.11: The Witch of Avonlea | 1.12: The Blue Chest of Arabella King | 1.13: Nothing Endures But Change

Sara Stanley inadvertently helps a con man skip town with the proceeds from a Magic Lantern Show that was to have raised funds for the school library. In an attempt to redeem herself, Sara launches a number of money raising schemes, including door-to-door solicitations.

Nothing works as Sara starts to look more and more foolish in the eyes of the town. She sets upon the idea of putting on her own show despite the fact that the only person in Avonlea with a Magic Lantern is the reclusive and shy Jasper Dale.

Sara manages to convince the reluctant Jasper to come out of hiding and help with the show. It’s a great success until Sally Potts, a vindictive rival of Sara’s, pushes the Magic Lantern over the town hall balcony, causing a fire. Sally makes it looks like the whole fiasco was Jasper’s fault, causing him to flee in shame and embarrassment.

Sara and the other children know that Sally Potts was the real culprit, not Jasper Dale. To get her to tell the truth, they make her walk a gangplank into a pond full of blood-sucking leeches. Sally soon confesses and runs away screaming and crying.

Aren’t you nervous about going up in front of all those people? – Cecily King

A local philanthropist and businessman Mr. Wellington Campbell decides to make a substantial donation to the library due to Sara’s beautiful rendition of “The Little Match Girl” as part of the Magic Lantern Show.

Sara’s reputation is restored and she becomes known in Avonlea as “The Story Girl”. Jasper is absolved from the fire at the Town Hall and he and Sara become the best of friends.

Notes & Inspirations

• Originally Aired January 14, 1990
• This episode features the first appearances of Jasper Dale and Wellington Campbell.
• The covered bridge is not seen as Mr. Beatty drives the stolen buggy out of town because it wasn’t built yet.
• In early episodes, the set dressers used mulch and red food dye to make the roads look red. In later seasons, the roads were covered with red crushed brick.
• The shots of the kids on the beach were filmed by a second unit crew on Prince Edward Island. All of the kids were photo doubles, not the actual cast. Sarah Polley had an excellent photo double. She looked so similar to Sarah, that in some cases she didn’t even have to hide her face.
• The White Sands Hotel is actually Dalvay by the Sea on P.E.I.
• The Avonlea Town Hall is actually the Oddfellows’ Hall located at The Pickering Museum Village near Pickering, Ontario.
• Stuntwoman Alison Reid actually set herself on fire to film the Magic Lantern Fire scene.
• The exterior of Jasper Dale’s workshop was filmed on P.E.I. and the exterior of his house was shot just North of Toronto. In later seasons, once Jasper became a regular character, the exterior of Jasper’s house and workshop were built on the Avonlea backlot near Uxbridge, Ontario.
• The scene where the kids chase Sally Potts from the school yard to the pond is a bit of a “cheat”. The school is actually nowhere near the pond. In fact, you can see the roof of the school in the distance in the shot of the kids arriving at the pond.