HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-08-17, Page 8to the editor
hould not be
d at market
r,
ay, I attended the Farmer's
he Square. It is a great place to
sh produce, baking,, flowers,
ople who convene the project
a lot of work, and should be
aced. One question quickly
bvious: "Why spoil it with
ore anyone comes to the con-
t I don't like dogs, 'wrong" lam
r, in the right place. An area
is available is not the place for
v other animals. I know I will
ers but really ask yourself "Do
o buy fresh berries after they
sniffed by a strange dog?"
is exactly what happened on
le gentleman who was selling
lost this basket as he disposed
mediately. The dog owners
't care as their dog continued
th nosing at the stands as they
ng.
e on pet owners is this being a
e dog owner? I think not. Let's
riga super good farmer's mar -
of irresponsible dog owners,
gs are not allowed In a grocery
this any different?
t.
Dorothy Sduieider
Wednesday, August 17, 201 1 • Signal -Star 1
www,goderichsignalstarcxun
Solving Goderich's gang problem — an early morning adventure
It all started at the five -points.
Every morning at seven
o'clock, the of gang met up at
Tim Horton. Comprised of sen-
iors of various post-retirement
ages, the ol' gang knew every-
one and everything that went
on in town. It was their turf,
had been for years.
Tom was known as the
leader of the 5 -points gang, mainly because he
showed up earlier than anyone else - at 6:30 a.m.
As gang members arrived around seven, they
would naturally gravitate to where he was sitting,
newspaper already browsed through, ready to
talk about what's going on in town and in the
world at large.
But one morning, that all changed.
As Tom walked into Tim Hortons and turned
toward the 'regular' section, he stopped short...
Bill had gotten there first and had picked a dif-
ferent table.
"Morning Tom," Bill said with a wide grin on
his face. "Did you hear what those jokers at Town
Hall did this timer
Tom, who routinely read the news at exactly
&35:a.m, was without words.
"No Bill. Haven't gotten to the paper yet."
"I can see why you come here early;' Bill said,
spreading his hands to emphasize his glorious
discovery. "You have the place all to yourself!'
From then on, Bill was always there before
Tom showed up, and sometimes, other gang
members were with him. Word had gotten out
that the early bird picks the table.
Tom felt betrayed. Or rather, Tom felt usurped.
His status as leader was gone. He did the only
Column
Gerard Creces
nts need to be vigilant for Lyme disease
or.
,ase to see a couple of items
al Star recently about Lyme
waver, I must admit to being
pointed that the most recent
n the .second to last page.
aseneeds to be front page
now.
heat so stifling many people
ng and walking in wooded
are shady, the perfect loca-
ks. People need to be aware
tative measures, high risk
nd symptoms. Infected ticks
o live anywhere in Canada
S), with some areas having a
ulation than others.
ase is spreading rapidly due
thcing a ride" on migratory
e next "feeding area" Due to
r,
tively newcomers to the
a, my husband and iu enjoy
of walling and cycling on the
Maitland Trail.
ever, have a concern with the
ideration some cyclists show
estrians on the trail. How di -
be tocal! out or ring abell
tut
this rapid spreading people need to be
aware.
I am not the only person in Huron
County fighting lyme disease, I am not
even the only person in Goderich suf-
fering
uffering with it. It is in your own back
yard, check kids and pets regularly, use
repellant even if there doesn't seem to
be any bugs out. Any removed tick
should be taken to the health unit for
testing, you need to pay attention to any
flu like symptoms. Anyone who would
like more information about Lyme Dis-
ease or is in need of support while fight-
ing it is welcome to contact me at juli-
eannesoelandt@gmail.com Be aware,
be safe!
Sincerely
Julie Roelandt
Goderich
thing he could - he went to the
Tim Hortons down Highway 8.
There again, sitting in the
early morning sunlight, was a
gang of seniors, chitchatting
away over coffee and Danish.
Tom sat down, introduced
himself, and began his sad
tale of displacement
When he finished, Gladys,
a grandmother of six with a cottage out on Blacks
Point, said the exact same thing happened to her
at McDonalds. She used to get there before the
rest of the group, get a coffee, a muffin and a
Toronto Stan
But then, another coffee gang moved In and
things began to change. Staff were too busy to
give their cheery "Good morning, Gladys." 'They
were constantly refilling the cups of the other
seniors.
Thus, it began.
The Highway 8 Tim liortons group renamed
themselves the Good Time Bunch and took to
wearing their gang colour - beige - when out in
public. Members could only earn their colours
by striking out at one of the two opposing gangs.
Theirtactics were aggressive - getting to the
front of the line at the 5 -points and counting out
pennies as slowly as possible, or reading the
paper at Mclonalds and ,refolding it poorly, fill-
ing out only half the crossword, incorrectly and
in ink. For a while, this intimidation worked and
the Good Time Bunch became notorious and
feared. Retaliation, however, was imminentand
inevitable:
The rival coffee gangs, meeting in secret over a
game of cribbage, were gaining new members
•
and plotting ways to take back their territories.
The Laugh -Along Gang at the 5 -points, recog-
nizable by their black knee socks and sensible
shoes, began showing up at the Hwy. 8 Tim Hor-
tons at 5:30 a.m., each person occupying one
table until there was nowhere to sit.
Seeing an opportunity, the Java Pals from
McDonalds began going to the 5 -points at 4:45
a.m. buying up the first fresh donuts of the day
before heading back to the golden arches for 20
cent muffins at 6:15. 'Things progressed this way
until gangs of seniors controlled every coffee
shop in town.
People on their way to work were unable to
get a cup because of the hold ups, and nobody
dared speak up because they all i expected their
elders too much.
Seeing the destruction they were causing, the
leaders of the three big coffee families agreed to
meet on neutral territory and work out a deal.
The Laugh -Along Gang, now under the lead-
ership of Bill, would take the West side of High-
way 21, while Tom and the Good Time Bunch
controlled the East side, as well as anything
North of Huron Road. That left Huron Road
south and all of Bayfield Road to the Java Pals.
The trucewas a lasting one, and would
become the stuff of legends.
Former gang -bangers gladly retold their tales
to one another and gradually they began to min-
gle. Old barriers were torn down and new friend-
ships made.
The pot they all agreed - was not who got
there first, but that they all got together and sto-
ries of Goderich's one and only gang war can still
be heard to this day... over coffee and Danish, at
7a.m.
Delivery problems solved for reader
To the editor,
On the evening of July 12, 1 turned on my tele-
vision to find the cable was out: I called the cable
company, Eastlink, the morning of July 13 and
was quickly put through to a person to help me.
Someone could come that day if I was going to be
home but I said the next day would be fine.
On July 14 I left the house for a short time in
the morning to return and fined a message on my
answering machine and not in my malib c say -
Ing a problem had been fixed. Thank you.
The July 20 edition of the Goderich Signal -Star
was not in my mailbox so I called the carrier and
within ten minutes the young lad was ringing my
door bell, paper in hand and apologized for miss-
ing me. Thank you.
For five days July 7 to 12, 1 did not get the Lon-
don Free Press, got it two days and then not again
July 15. From July 16 on it has been in my mailbox
by 7 a.m. except two days when it appeared late.
I made phone calls and was told the problem
was that a new carrier started July 7. Everyone I
spoke to was nice but my no delivery did not
seem to get followed through. I called accounting
to ask if I had been credited and was told only for
two days as they assumed papers were redeliv-
ered and since I had not called back a second
time, I did not receive a credit. I was not told I
neededto do this. On another phone call I was
told it would be looked into and after a call to
accounting was told 1 would get a full credit.
I have lived back in goderich 95 years, last 20 at
the same address and have been a subscriber all
this time.
I thankyou all and hope the problems are all
solved, but wonder why it takes so long.
Sincerely
d Trail cyclists encouraged to extend courtesy More pride has benefits
you approach a walker from the rear?
It can be very startling to suddenly
sense a cyclists speedingpast you without
warning. Sudden movement by either
party could result in serious injury.
Please think about this next time you're
enjoying your cycle along the trail and call
out or ring your bell as you approach. 1
know the thoughtfulness will be
appreciated.
It is not only the courteous thing to do -
it is the right thing to do.
A bonus is the good example you are
setting for young people.
Sincerely,
Carol Hawkey.
Mrs. Clem Desjardins
Goderich
To the editor,
Congratulations to Jane Miltonberg from Lucknow regard-
ing Ideas for Goderich, AUG 5, 2011.
1 believe Jane was saying that a little more pride in our
community has unequaled benefits to us all.
Since' ely,
George Hebert