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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-06-18, Page 4Page 4—Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, June 18, 1986 P.O. Box 400, Lucknow NOG 2H() Established 1873 Thomas Thompson Alan Rivett Pat Livingston Joan Helm Merle Elliott 528-2822 -Advertising Manager -Editor -General Manager -Compositor -Typesetter '-t RIF -IC -0 CIP ULATION Subscription rates in advance: s17." Outsiae Canada $60.°° $14,00 Outside Canada $58 " Senior Citizen Second class mailing reg. no. 0847 Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged , for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid at the applicable rates. Time for a decision It's decision time for the Lucknow Arena Board, The fund raising campaign launched by the Lucknow Lions Club to raise money for a new arena has never really gotten off the ground. Attempts to secure grants from the provincial government and Wintario have been less than successful. A major consideration has to be the lack of communication between the arena board and the fund raisers. A further lack of communication between the people in charge of the fund raising campaign and the Lions Club has also created problems for the project. The arena board is meeting tonight to consider a letter from the consulting engineer which has completed an on site inspection of the arena. The letter from Gosling Engineering Limited suggests it would be prudent to consider building a new arena before investing any more money in the existing structure to repair the leaking roof. It's time for the various parties involved to get their act together. If they don't, the public will never support the project and fund raising will falter. Rumours abound that the money already raised will not be used for a new arena but to repair the roof, because there is no hope of raising funds for a new arena. The public needs to know where this project stands. The place to start is an improvement in communication among the arena board, the campaign steering committee and the Lions Club. S.D. Scouts welcome new leaders Dear Editor: Recently, an article appeared in your paper thanking the Service Clubs in the community. We of the Lucknow Scouring Association wish to add our own voices of appreciation for past and hopefully future support. Scouts have long been a part of this community and although the profile is lower, there is a definite service perform- ed. The service is aiding children in their mental, physical and spiritual development through a program that is both challenging and fun. Leaders have a unique opportunity to influence some people beyond the circle of their own family. This can be most enjoyable if you let it. New Leaders are always welcome. They must be male OR female, kind, gentle, patient, understand- ing, wise, strong, quick and healthy. No experience necessary! Mike O'Neill, Chairman, Lucknow Group Committee. Nostalgia is big business Nostalgia. It seems to be thriving in the 80s more than ever before. To many it's a look back at times which were supposedly more care -free — the "good old days", if you will. It's also big business nowadays with every relic who ever appeared on a movie screen or on a record popping out of the woodwork to give us a look back in time. One visit to Lulu's Roadhouse is all you need to see the powerful influence nostalgia has on the 80s. But, it's great, isn't it? For me, I'd much rather tune into the old TV shows of the 60s and 70s rather than watch the ultra -glitzy offerings of the 80s like Miami Vice or Magnum PI. Who can resist the "backwoods buf- foonery" of the Beverly Hillbillies with Un- cle Jed, Jethro, Granny, Ellie and Cousin Bessie (that's the Chimp) or seeing Sam's meddling mother Endora on Bewitched turn Darrin Stevens into a tuna fish sand- wich? Now that's entertainment, folks! I must adroit that this past March I've had the far biggest and best dose of nostalgia than ever in my entire life. It was like re -living my ninth birthday. It was a time for renewing some memories and catching up on old times with the Monkees (not the "Cousin Bessie" type, but Mickey, Davy, Peter and Mike). Through the months of March and April, MTV (an American video channel) was re- running old Monkees episodes made bet- ween 1965 and 1968. Let's just say my eyes ALAN were glued to the television set, watching my childhood heroes. And, to my amazement and delight, the shows were as funny now as they were when I was a kid. It was a great feeling seeing Mike, Davy, Mickey and Peter get pies in the face, seltzered and joy-buzzered by the evil Captain Crocodile or, in another show, hearing Mike give the farm report and proclaiming: "Pigs are up, hogs are down, and cows are doin' fine just the way they is!" However, times change and the Monkees have long since grown out of their zany, made -for -TV, rock and roll idol image. For you trivia buffs, did you know that the last Monkees episode aired on March 3, 1968, that Peter Tork was the first Monkee to of- ficially leave the band, that David Jones is a successful stage actor in his native England and that Mike Nesmith is heir to a liquid paper fortune and is a successful video producer? I've also taped 20 of the 45 Monkees episodes. Who knows, maybe in 20 years, I'll dust off the video tapes and re -live my childhood all over again. Sweet music (photo by Alan Rivett) By the time the community had been alerted to the fire, the sawmill was an inferno. So intense was the heat, it was impossible to get near enough to form a bucket line. "Let it be - no power on earth can save it now," MacCrimmon told the fire fighting volunteers. "Ye might as well try tae quench it wi' spit!" The siding of the building was soon totally consumed, revealing incandescent remains of stacked lumber glowing red and in places, white hot. Large pieces of burning debris were carried up into the night sky by the force of the updraft and fell to earth in the surrounding area. MacCrimmon feared the possibility of grass fires being started in the adjoining fields. "Awa and get as many sacks as ye can," he ordered. "Let's be ready tae beat the flames an' prevent the spread o° the fire!" Lucy Murdoch stood amongst the excited onlookers and watched helplessly as the fire quickly destroyed what had taken almost a year to build. Seeing the thor- oughly miserable state of the woman, MacCrimmon took her gently by the arm and led her away to her house. "There's naught tae be done the noo," he told her. "I'll send my wife tae bide wi' ye through the night. Come the morn, we'll decide what we hae tae do." Before he left her he gave a grave warning: "Dinna say a word about the fight ye had wi Teddy - not even tae my Flora!" Within the space of two hours, what had once been a sawmill was reduced to a huge pile of glowing charcoal. By midnight, most of the people had returned to their homes leaving only a few men to keep watch. It was two days before the remains of the building had cooled sufficiently for a few inquisitive individuals to search through the ashes. There was nothing of any value left. Even the machinery had been twisted beyond recognition and some parts had completely melted away. MacCrimmon was secretly gratified to observe that no trace of bones (animal or human) could possibly have survived the furious intensity of the fire. The tragic death of her daughter, Annie in childbirth and now, the mysterious disappearance of her son, Teddy, was just too much for Katie Murdoch. Her mind began to play tricks with her and in her distress, her imagination ran a wild course which was almost close to the truth. She was convinced her son had been murdered. Unfortunately, because she had little or no love for Allan Livingstone, she was quick to connect him with her son's absence, especially since the two had been engaged in a fight shortly before the fire. So sure was she that foul play had taken place, she asked MacCrimmon to arrange an "inquest". "I'm no empowered tae hold an inquest, he told her. "Even if I was granted the authority, how could I do such a thing - we havena found a body!" "There's nay body 'cause it was burnt tae a crisp in yon fire. My lad was murdered by that ragamuffin o' a stone- mason and he burnt my Teddy tae destroy the evidence," Katie screamed. "If ye'll no do something. I'll awa an° see the sheriff!" MacCrimmon did not wish to have the official law interfering in his domain and since he knew Katie was quite capable of carrying out her threat, he agreed to conduct an investigation. This took the form of a public meeting. On the evening of the so-called "inquiry", the community hall was packed. But this was more for entertain- ment purposes than sympathy for Katie Murdoch. Nobody could possibly believe any foul play had taken place but they knew Katie could be relied upon to give an outstanding performance. Lucy Murdoch sat at the front. She was pale and very nervous. MacCrimmon did not wish her to break down and suddenly blurt out the truth to rid herself of her misery. "I see nay need frac Lucy tae sit through this meeting," he told the assembly. "The poor lass has enough tae worry about wi'out listening tae the wild accusations o° her mother-in-law. If there are no objec- tions, I shall be pleased frac somebody tae escort the lady hame." There was not a single objection, not even from Katie Mudoch!