HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-01-15, Page 5How to come up with the next `Elmo'
Even the day after
Christmas the Toronto Star
classifieds were filled with
ads for 'fickle Me Hlmo.,"
the furry red Sesame Street
character who laughs when.
you tickle him and who sold
like wild fire this past holi-
day season.
Thirty-four black market
Elmo dolls were listed under
"Merchandise for Sale" and
"Gifts for Girls and Boys"
with prices ranging from
$142 to $2.000 with lots of
"best offers" or "make an
offer" included. Most were
described as being "brand
new in box."
For those more interested in
modern art. there was this ad:
"You want Elmo??? I'll
paint Elmo! Mural artist."
Thankfully. there's no ads
for people wanting to cover
themselves with red fur and
have you tickle them for
$500. (At least not in that
issue of the Star).
But it you were searching
for an Elmo and:were willing
to pa; hundreds for one. why
not consider some of the
other fascinating items avail-
able on the classified pages
that could've been yours:
• There's a male Marmoset
monkey for $ 1,500 (who may
or may not laugh when you
tickle him).
•. African grey babies and
orange winged Amazons,
whatever they are, are going
for $375. (1 think they fly).
• 1985 Kintail bagpipes for
S800. (Your neighbours
might not laugh when you
play them. But you may get
some unexpected Scottish
visitors).
• Dalmation celebrity pups -
used in photo shoots. (No
prick given but may be worth
lots if they decide to do a
sequel to 101. Dalmations).
But why this obsession with
Elmo? Why all this madness
over a furry red toy'!
Maybe that's not the ques-
tion to ask. Maybe we should
'be asking "what will be the
Elmo of Christmas 1997?"
And how can I capitalize on
this insanity?
Maybe we'll return to a
simple craze like pet rocks
again. This time it could be
'Vet branches" or "that
wacky maple leaf." All it
takes to change any common
household item or piece of
nature into a commercial
craze is an exciting, bold
marketing plan that creates
lots of hype.
Who knows, depending on
next December's weather, the
big -seller could be that crazy
now "Box of Snow" - "Fun
for all ages!" "No assembly
required!." "Can be shaped
into anything!"
(But refrigerate after open-
ing).
(Thanks to Antelda
Reynolds for bringing in her
December 26 copyof the
Toronto Star to the
Expositor).
Frozen bodies drift ashore near Goderich
CONTINUED from page 4
teeth of hell. on the morning
of the next day.
"It became a matter of this
way. that way and that way."
Bullard said. pointing lett. -
right and toward the ceiling.
"It was bad in Lake
Superior but in Lake Huron it
was worse." he said. adding
vessels at the time weren't
equipped with ship to shore
radio to rapidly communicate
about inclement weather.
Meanwhile much debris
and many frozen bodies from
the ships that went down
drifted ni shore - on the
Ontario side of Huron 65 to
70 of them between Sarnia
and Goderich.
FROZEN BODIES
A farmer near Grand Bend -
spotted (he first to wash
ashore. Farther along the
beach there were two more.
Indoor
walk -a -than at
high schools
4n indoor, winter walk-a-
thon is being held, at five
Huron County Secondary
Schools, including Sealiorth.
a week Saturday. Jan. 25.
The "Walk. For Memories"
has been organized to help
raise money by the
Alzheimer Society of, Huron
County. .
11 starts at 9:30 ,a.m. and.
goes to 12:36 p.m. and there
are prizes for those who raise
the highest pledges:
For further information and
pledge forms the soc`,iety's
phone number is 482-1482,
OF 1-800-561-5012.
Eisler in
'Dreams on
Ice's in London
Former world pairs champi-
ons, Seaforth native Lloyd
Eisler and his partner Isabelle
Brasseur, ate stars of a big
figure skating show, "Winter
Dreams on Ice" at Thompson
Arena at the University of
Western Ontario in London
next month.
The show. for the
Children's Wish Foundation
of Canada, is on Feb. 22 at
7:30 p.m.
Restructuring
options narrowed
A subcommittee ,has whit-
tled down the 22 proposals it
received for consulting to
four, for the restructuring
study Seaforth is involved in
with other' area municipali-
ties.
Coun. Brian Ferguson told
council last Tuesday that the
four remaining all have sig-
nificant experience and are
mid-range in price, although
the subcommittee's delibera-
tions remain confidential.
He said the full restructur-
ing committee meets again in
Clinton on Jan. 22, when it
will probahly cbose.its con-
sultant.
Coun. Ferguson said it
remains unclear whether
Goderich (town) is going to
take part in thisstady.
All wore lifejackets from the
Wexford, which had been
waiting to get into Goderich
with the Turret Cape.
One of the boats whose
wreckage also soon drifted to
shore at Goderich had been
the biggest steamer on the
Lakes. the 550 -foot grain
carrier James C. Carruthers.
Canada's newest and most
modern. making just the third
trip of its inaugural season.
A sub -headline in The
London Evening Free Press
summed it up: "Death and ,
Destruction Most Terrible In
• the History of the f ireat
Laken' '
The Lake Carriers
Association issued a $25 •
reWard fcir each,body found.
Undertaker William Brophy
at Goderich had as many as
25. laid out on whatever w'as
available. Five unidentified
f
seamen were buried at .
Maitland Cemetery, on the
outskirts of that Goderich.
where they remain. Three
more sailors were bund the
same day in Kincardine, three
identified but all unclaimed.
HARDY SOUL
But the Turret Cape made it
in and Ted lived to tell the
tale another 83 years.
He was a hardy soul. In his
youth he played junior hock-
ey,at Goderich and didn't .
stop ice skating until he was
83.
Edith Baker of the Seaforth
area. who was his cousin,
describes him as a Clark
' Gable type, a tall handsome
man always very popular
with the ladies. but very self -
,effacing.
His was married three times
and bereaved three times. He
gave up the helm of his final
WHITE STUFF - Trent Ward
enthused Saturday morning
after the weekend's big snow
cruiser "Seaforth" in the
early 1990s when his last
wife became seriously ill, and
told the .reporter in 1990 he
could still navigate his boat if
he had it.
In 1994 serious health prob-
lems developed after a fall on
ice when going out to his car
before the streets were salted.
His charmed life ended last
July 21.
His harrowing ordeal back
in 1913 was something he
didn't like to talk about,
especially to strangers. .
"My neighbours don't
know about that," he told the
Saginaw newspaper on the
anniversary of the Great
Storm six years ago.
"But when we have bad
weather and someone com-
plains about how bad it is - I
can tell them 1 know!
"I; ve been there."
Crops, swine
updates on tap
Karen Renner, weed control
specialist with Michigan
State University. will be
lured speaker at the Huron
Soil' and Crop Improvement
Association's Spring Crops
Update next weekend, Jan.
24 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
the Seaforth Community
Centres.
Pre -registration by phone is
required by calling the
Clinton OMAFRA office.
The !6th annual Centralia
Swine Research Update will
be held Wed. Jan. 29 at the
Kirkton-Woodham
Community Centre. '
Multi -site production is
again a major focus of this
year's program. Dr. Jerry
Torrisun, Director of
Veterinary Services, Pig
Improvement Corporation.
Franklin, Kentucky is the fea-
tured speaker.
for further information,
contact your local OMAFRA
of Egmondville wasn't overly office or Dr. Doug Bach;
surveying ,the accumulation coordinator at 674-1662.
storm.
• •
Town insurance rate rises 16.9 per cent
Seaforth Council approved majority of insurance classes
a $4,229, or 16.9 per cent $10.000.
increase in the town's con `"me liability frenzy is con-
prehensive insurance for unuing." Coleman told coun-
1997 at last Tuesday night's cil. "All other premiums
'regular meeting. . remain the same. I know -it is
All but $15 of the increase i bitter pill. Seaforth hasn't
is due to liability increases had a lot of problems."
said Jeff Coleman of Frank The total sum of municipal
Cowan Company Ltd., who property insured at replace -
presented the new policy, rrtent value is $4,295,800.
along with Ken ¶ardno of The town adjuste�,
Seaforth. deductibles for premium sav-
Deductibles remain the ings several budgets ago, and
same as last year, in the the next step would be to
$25,000, a move both coun-
cillors and administrator
commented would .not be in
the interest of ratepayers at
last Tuesday night's meeting.
Administrator Jim Crocker
asked the Cowan representa-
tives if it is hypothetically
possible for municipalities,
for instance Seaforth and
Clinton, to share policies.
They said they didn't think so
i`F-tttey were not amalgamat-
ed, and -assets likewise
weren't shared.
Road to gravel pit concerns McKillop ratepayers
McKillop Council received
a letter expressing concern
withconditions of a road to a
gravelpit in the township at
its Jan. 7 meeting.
"The road, on Conc. 6 and
7 between County Rd. •12 and
the gravel pits going east...is
unsafe for someone to travel
on it," says the correspon-
dence from James and Sheila
Thompson at RR 2, Seaforth
in McKilIop.
"The road is soft and has
many pot holes which causes
controlling of a vehicle dan-
gerous."
"We would like to recom-
mend that steps be taken to
pave or hard top it. We real-
ize that the hill at the gravel
pits will be taken down when
the pit gets close to the road.
The road could be paved to
the bottom of the hill until
then.
"There is lots of gravel still
to be taken out of these pits
and the road conditions must
be improved on somehow."
In other matters, council
approved a tile drainage
debenture for $20,000,
VIII INNISI1 IXPOt$lTOR, i.rwslry Is. 91989-4
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PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & TREATMENT
Emphasis on Empirically Validated Therapies
Anxiety • Chronic Pain • Depression • Grief • Stress
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George (Home 522-I6291 Matt, Dan & -Wes.
received a rashest for repairs
to the Dennis. municipal
drain; and passed a motion to
pay this year's unchanged
$752 levy from the Amble
Bayfield Conservation
Authority.
Building permits have been
issued for a hog barn and an
addition to a residence in the
township.
A general voucher of
$80,359.81 and road superin-
tendent's voucher for
$200,346.06 were approved.
passed and paid.
•
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To Catch a Dream
FROM 1988, when they fust skated at
the Calgary Olympics, to their medal -
winning performance in Li leharruner
six years later, Isabelle Brasseur and
Lloyd Eisler have' become two of the
brightest stars the skating world has
toner.
In it autobiography, Brasseur and
Eisler show us the heights and lows of
their glittering amateur career.
But, more than anything else, they
reveal how their indomitable will and
support of each other -enabled them to
catch a dream.
A. Beautiful Gift
. 829.91 including GI
$ 7.
Shop locally ... Pick it up at
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