Bayview Village has undergone plenty of change over the past 50 years, but the bond shared by Harold and Lorine Pepper has remained constant.

The Peppers were among the first residents in what was then known as Bayview Gardens, moving there in the late 1950s when the area consisted primarily of fields and trees.

The couple, who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary today, first met at a New Year's Eve party thrown by Canadian shotput champion Jacqueline MacDonald in 1950, and Harold said the sparks were evident even then.

"I phoned her up the next day and asked her to go to a movie with me," he said. "I figured, why wait?"

Though that first date led to half a century and counting at each others' sides, Harold confessed he doesn't recall what movie they took in.

"I didn't care what the movie was - I had my girl by my side," he said.

The couple was engaged in February 1952, and tied the knot on June 15, 1957, the month after Harold graduated from dentistry school. He took a job as a dentist with the Red Cross, working in Echo Bay, located 30 kilometres east of Sault Ste. Marie, then moved to North York later that year, where he started up a private practice in the basement of their family home.

"At the time, Bayview was just a two-lane road and our home was built on an apple orchard," Lorine said. "There were hardly any houses in the area at all, and I guess we were kind of a landmark. People giving directions would say, 'Turn at Dr. Pepper's sign,'"

Lorine helped with Harold's practice in the early days, though she took on less of a role in the business once the couple became proud parents. With four children - Rick, Karen, Glenda and Cheryl - and a home dental practice, life could be hectic, but Harold and Lorine pulled through with support from one another.

"We were always a team and we were always working together," she said.

Harold remained in the dentistry game until 1999, when he was forced to undergo bypass surgery. The popular local dentist's impact on the community was evident when hundreds of cards and letters poured in, wishing him well on his recovery.

Fortunately, daughter Karen was already working in the office as an associate and was more than willing to take over the family business, with sister Glenda working as office manager and Lorine still keeping the books.

"It worked out well because Karen already knew the patients, and it was great to be able to keep the business in the family," Harold said.

The couple still lives in the Bayview Village area, though they travel often with close friends. They also vacation at their family cottage in Muskoka, spending time with their four children and six grandchildren.

The Peppers' children have planned a golden wedding anniversary party for Harold and Lorine on Saturday, June 16, with more than 100 friends, family members, neighbours, former patients and employees attending.