The Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-03-18, Page 57ettrai
by,ayne Brady.-Miltenburr
ArnaH
: flock of tundra swans flew overhead; the
ther day,heading northward. 'That is my first
ignal thatspring is on its way. Spoke ,gently
rising 'from the maple sugar shack that f pass'on my way
to town,- is another indicator that Mother Nature is at
work, bringing life to the maple trees and the other
• :growth in the woodiots.
Spring also means that I can enjoy the rich abundance.
• of rural Iife , this part of inid-western Ontario offers yet
again, After living anthis area for seven years, I am still:.
amazed at the strong rural communitiesthat have sur-
vived and .are thriving.Everywhere i' go,wwhatever I
are people, groups, organizations,. that keep the small,
towns and their surrounding areas humming.
Where else can you still .listen to one.of.thethree
„remaining „farm directors left en a radio station, with
farm. news twice a day, "CKNX .recognizes the
important role that agriculture plays thriotghout`thcir'
• re. conal market. CKNXAM/FM boasts one of the
largest farm ,audiences in the country :and their farm
de artrnent provides:news and statistical information`
that's of interest and necessity to one of the nation's
richest agricultural. communities,"
lust take the recent ice'storrtn in• .January to show.
•how IniJeh rural comrniunities can: pull together; and
in•a,.htirrv! Living in, the snow bolt,. vita know what
nasty weathercan blow in off.thc Great Lake'... Our
ge orator ltelpe;d (Alta family somewhere -1n. Eastern
Ontario..i' a just kept our fingerscrossed that we would.
n't need it ourselves during the six weeks it was gone.
The Lucknow.Sentinel, like, all the
other. small community newspapers, is
like.the hub on a whee.I...1t informs
everyone as to what is hap-
pening on a weekly basis. 1
certainly couldn't be without a
subsca`iption. ',Sports. activities,
ownshiir'eouncil briefs, hamlet
reports, birthsand deaths,
etc acknowledge the poo -
pie and. the places shut
make up the social fabric of these small towns. The
cessions and'sideroads are rho spokes. of the wheel, pro-
viding the weekly news; intertwining the lives and lover
of rural neighbors
I Always look to Coming Events in any newspaper,
and there is no shortage of events! You can just about go
to anything and do everything.' If you can't,ge.t to
Toronto for the'.big;acts, they'll corm to you. But who
needsthe big aeta. when the home grown talentrates a
;10. Soundsatton put of Tecswater,• is lust one example
• that encs you've seen their concert,: you are committed,'.
to Seeing them perform, every year.
Children's choirs, Christmas concerts, .summer the-
titres, dinner theatres, marching bands,.. Celtic' festivals;
Old Boys and Girls reunions, and township sesquicen-
tennials are just a brief list of the multitude of activities
that happen year in and year 'out,
And what makes these activities happen?Voluntecrst.
Whom would rural communities be without vol'un-
techs. With government downsizing, more work. has
been pias nto the shoulders.of volunteers.' Again, you
volunteer to the `nth degree if you have the time
K .r and resources nvailable,,T ere are volunteers to run
, the agricultural fairs, volunteers to lead 4-kf, valva.
T~- tcers.to assist at nursing homes, volunteers to coach
sports teants volunteers to help at your children`s
schools, volunteers to drivascmoreitizens.from Al()
13; volunteers to put out fires and: volunteers to bake
pies!
• set 'Food', page 21
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WA+GONLIT ELLISO,
TRAVELL ETER YOU
TM
SPECIALISTS
LAURIE RUSSELL KRISTYN DARLING BONNIE SITTER. SARAH DARLING; JULIE CAMPBELL