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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1994-01-19, Page 7CANADA'S COUNTRY GENTLEMAN Poker Rally Members of the St. Helen's Snowmobile Club are busy preparing the trails for their annual Poker Rally this weekend. Registration takes place at the St. Helen's WI hall on Sunday, Jan. 23, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. This year, Gilchrist Farm Sup- ply is sponsoring a trophy for the best poker hand. The Club offers great cash prizes as well as many door prizes. This.is the first year in several that the run has not been delayed due to lack of snow. • Good food, fun ;and friendship "Like many other things, cooking is more fun if we have company", says Barb Klages, Community Kitchen Co-ordinator with the Bruce -Grey -Owen- Sound Health Unit. And that's what community kitchens,. a all about - planning meals, shopping and then cooking them to take home to your family. Klages has plans for at,least four - community kitchens in Grey and Bruce. The hope is that the idea will catch on and more will be formed. A community kitchen can form anywhere. A group usually aims to • feed about 12 mouths and may be anyone -- young parents, seniors, experienced cooks, new, homemakers - whoever. The participants• meet and decide what they would like to cook' and plans nutritious and . economical meals (usually five meals "per ses- sion) using their own, favorite recipes and new ones. Each par- ,ticipant puts money into the groups' grocery, kitty --$1.00 per person in their household for each meal to be cooked. If a group is preparing five meals, a family of four would put $20.00 into the grocery kitty (five. meals x 4 people x $1.00 per ser- ving). This money is used to buy the necessary groceries. The .group meets again- to prepare the meals and everyone takes home meals for their household. Grogps usually repeat the process of , planning, shopping and preparing monthly. Depending on the group; child care and transportation .may, need to be arranged. Groups can form on their own or there is • htlp available from the Bruce -Grey -Owen Sound Health Nit. If you are interested in making the program available in your community or would like to be a participant in a community kitchen, contact the Health Unit in Owen Sound at 376-9420 or in Walkerton at 881.4920 and leave a message for .Barb Klages, Com- munity Kitchen Co-ordinator. Snowmobiling is big business for tourism by John Peevers • It's fast, it's fun and it's very big business. •Snowmobiling could be an enor- mous boost to the tourism industry in Grey -Bruce counties according to a number of snowmobile boosters who were touring the area last week. "I don't see any reason why we (ain't capture 20-30 per cent of the (provincial) market," said Andrea Whelan of the Grey -Bruce Snow- mobile Trails Inc. Snowmobiling generated over $400• million province -wide last year so a 20-30 per cent share of the market would be a significant windfall. "What else in the winter time can you do to generate this kind of income?" said Don Lumley, president offthe Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs. Lumley was in Port Elgin last week as part of a three day tour of the Grey -Bruce. area. Whelan said Lumley was impressed with the Grey -Bruce trails, saying they compared with some of the best Ontario has to offer. According to Whelan one of the only things holding Grey. and Bruce counties back from reaping huge financial benefits from snow- mobiling is a lack of .promotion. "We have so'much to offer. If the two counties worked hand in hand we could attract people here," she said. Craig Nicholson,, who is well known to snowmobilers for the column that he writes . under the byline the Intrepid Snowmobiler, echoed sentiments that. Grey -Bruce residents are sitting on a .potential 'gold mine'. He.saidhe was recently talking to a group of snowmobilers who travelled from southern Ontario to the Muskoka area • to snowmobile several times every year. They recently came to Grey -Bruce after discovering there was no snow in Muskoka and wondered why they hadn't 'been coming here all along; Nicholson said. "It's a natural for your area. You've got snow, trails, lots of land. There's no end to it," he added. In the past the snowmobile clubs have been the only ones actively promoting snowmobiling in the area, Whelan 'says this should be the responsibility of local economic development and tourism agencies who have the money and marketing ability necessary.. "We haven't been promoting the area in the winter. We want to be able to compete...we've got the people, but if there are no dollars than we can't match the promotion of other areas." Promotion would involve atten- ding various trade shows and producing brochures and advertising in snowmobiling publications. Hospitality is another thing which Grey -Bruce motel and restaurant operators can concentrate, on in order to keep snowmobilers coming back. "Snowmobilers like to be treated well and they will remember and come back," said Lumley. Port Elgin and District Chamber of Commerce Manager Connie Barker said local motel operators are beingeducated to let . them know how much money is involved in snowmobiling. • "They know it's there now so they're going to key into it," she said. Lumley, who is from Sudbury, Ont. said the OESC is working on a provincial marketing strategy to attract .,snowmobilers to the province. Quebec has been the destination 'of choice for many American snow- mobilers' .because of' its excellent trails but more so because of its strong marketing efforts. ' Lurnley said Minnesota probably has the highest concentration of snowmobilers in North America. Snowmobilers from the U.S. come to Canada because of the groomed trails which are net available in the States. (John Peevers is editor. bf • the. Shoreline News, Port Elgin) Are we sitting on a modern day gold mine? O Generated over $400 million in Ontario last year • ❑ Approximately $75 million generated in southwestern Ontario CI 76,000 snowmobile permits sold last year Participation in snowmobile clubs growing 20 per cent last 2-3 years in While on our average snowinobiler spends $151/day most of it on food, fuel and lodging o Average snowmobiler spends $4635 annually on these items. Where lave all the children gone? Playground equipment appears a little forlorn as It watts for the spring thaw and the exuberance of young children once again. (Pat Livingston photo) Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, January 19, 1994 -Page 7 Happy 30th Jackie Simpson 1 A \ * Love Your Family LUCKNOW & DISTRICT LIONS CLUB Dabber Bingo Lucknow Community Centre Sunday January 23/94 $1000. Must Go! 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