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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1981-07-08, Page 13New wcitersIide m by Mary Alderson WANTED -- Anyone age 81 or over, who is looking for o good time, and would like to set o resold. See the staff at the Giant Splashdown Water Slide for a free ride. That's the kind of want ad the folks at the new water slide would like to run, just to prove that it is, indeed, a sport for all ages. The water slide opened Wednesday on Grand Bend's main street, and so far, they've given rides to toddlers through to 60 year olds. But their counterpart in Tobermory brags that he has had an eighty year old go down his slide. So, to top that. they are offering a free ride to the first person 81 or over who is willing to take the slippery trip. I went to see the new waterslide soon after it opened. But the operators convinced me that I couldn't write a story about it until I had taken the ride. I return- ed later. with my bathing suit under my arm, and my husband. Victor, ahead of me.Hecould go down first, if he survived, I'd give it a try. It's nice to have a guinea pig. The new water slide is the pride and joy of Ron Martin, Sharon Uttley and Bill Kunz. They erected it this spring on a vacant lot adjacent to RD's Hotel. Ron's parents, Lloyd and Gladys Martin, operate Beach Golf next door. Ron estimates that it cost well over $100,000 to purchse the land and erect the new waterslide. The tower holding the slide stands 32 feet in the air. but the slide or flume coming down is 250 •feet long. ' Ron and Sharon say that the Aide is a "brand new design"... They leoked at many other slides and con- sidered several alternatives, before erecting this one. The slide, in Tobermory is similar. The fibreglass for the flume came from a company in North Carolina. A waterslide in Arkona near Rock Glen also came from the same factory, but it was built into a hill side, rather than set on a tower as the new one in Grand Bend is. Ron says that his slide is the "fastest around". The 250 foot trip can be made in nine seconds. A pump pushes 300 gallons of water through the slide ROUND THE BEND — Tom Kadlecik, hanging on to his foam mat like a giant diaper, banks a curve on the new waterslide in Grand Bend. Staff photo every minute. Some of the water Is circulated through the system, but fresh water is being added constantly. Chlorine is added to the water. which goes through filtration system. An eight ride pass costs $3.00. The operators are very flexible about the way the pass is used. A couple can share the pass taking four rides each, or a family of four can each have two rides. Or, one . rider can go down the slide twice today, and come back tomorrow or next week for the rest of his rides. as long as he doesn't lose the pass. The pass is a little plastic - tag which is worn around the wrist and punched each time a ride is taken. The (side is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. "Safety first" is an impor- tant rule atround the waterslide. The heavier you are. the faster you go down the slide. A child wilt travel relatively slowly. Children under six are not allowed on the slide. unless accom- panied on the same mat by an adult. An attendant is always at the top & the tower, pacing the sliders to avoid collisions. At the end of the ride, the sliders are dumped into the splashdown pool. Lighter children slide easily into two feet of water while heavier adults splash down into the pool a little further along the run. At first. Sharon_.says that they were letting as many people as possible pile onto one mat. But her concern for safety made her decide to limit each mat to two riders. Sharon and Ron say that health inspectors have ex- amined their set up, and are , "very enthusiastic" about it. Neighbours, too, have been "super helpful". Residents in the Gibbs Park area helped them clean up the lot, and were "very supportive" of the building project. My impression of the water slide ride? Well, when Victor ran back up the stairs for his second slide, im- mediately after his first trip down. I knew the ride couldn't be too terrifying. But thrilling? Yes, it is. There are butterflies in your tummy for the full nine or ten seconds. You climb the tower, with a compressed foam mat in your hand. You seat yourself well ahead on the mat, because for most of the ride you are laying on your back. Sharon says that after their first day in operation, ON THE WAY DOWN — Bill Kunz, who helped construct the waterslide, enjoys riding the new toy. In thisfromviewthe top,,Kunz is half way down the slide, while spectators wait at the bottom for him to splash into the pool. Staff photo - �yM GIANT SPLASHDOWN — This was the usual view for spectators, when a slider splashed Staff photo into the pool at the waterslide. Mill rate up 1 3 percent It's going to cost Grand Bend residents about 13 percent more to continue living in the village this year. A budget presented at Monday night's council meeting featured across the board increases in most areas for ratepayers. The residential mill rate will ihcrease from 188.3 last year to 211.9 mills this year. The commercial rate climbed to 249.3 mills from 221.4 mills last year. The only area which showed a cut back, was amount allotted tdthepounty of Lambton. All the other areas showed increases, and the addition of a s wer mill rate helped push up the final figures. • Lambton county will only receive 20.1 mills from residential ratepayers this year, as compared to 25.5 mills last year. The com- mercial rate was also cut from 30.0 to only 23.6 mills this year. Residential ratepayers will see their general municipal mill rate go from 59.6 last year, to 63.4 mills this year. The general municipal rate for com- mercial businesses made a comparable jump from 70.1 last year to 74.6 mills this year. As usual, education costs account for much of the budget. The residential rate for elementery school taxes rose from 54.7 to 62.7. The commercial rate jumped from 64.3 to 73.8 mills. Similarly, the rate for secondary school taxes also climbed. The residential mill rate will be 56.3 up from 43.9, while the commercial rate went from 51.6 to 66.2. The cost of fire protection and water went from 4.6 mills for residential rates last year to 5.4 mills this year. The commercial rate from 5.4 mills to 6.4 mills. In the new category for sewers, the residential rate was set at 4.0, while the commercial rate is 4.7 mills. they examined the foam mats. and noticed that many. of them bore teeth and fingernail imprints. I un- derstand why. An attendant will give you a good push, and you go fly- ing down the slide, on top of a stream of floating water. While you might think that you could scrape your elbows or bruise your knees, no such thing happens. With the fast flowing water on the smooth fibreglass flume, you simply slip right along. One suggestion — remember to stop scream- ing and close your mouth before you hit the pool. Otherwise, you could swallow a good portion of their splash down area. But Sharon and Ron like to hear the shrieks and screams as -the customers come down. It's the noise that attracts more people to the slide. They have already found that business slows momentarily, they can go Page IA cikes big splash down the slide themselves, for the waterslide this Satur- will be some "giveways". that octogenarian to ctaun a hooting and hollering all the day. Sharon says that there And they'll be looking for free ride. way. Before they splash down. people are lined up to find out what all the commo- tion is about. A viewing area is a very important part of the waterslide.' Usually there are 20 to 25 spectators lined up along the fence, getting splashed as the sliders come down. "It's great fun to just watch." Ron says. He adds jokingly that they wish they could charge the spec tators. The slide winds its way to the bottom in a figure eight. As you round the banked curves. you ride up the side of the wall, rather than on the bottom. Two of the curves are partially covered. to insure that no one will fall out, while another is a complete tunnel . sending the rider into darkness for a real thrill. A grand opening is planned imes - dvocate NEW WATERSLIDE — The Bend's main street. The new Beach Golf. 32 foot tower stands above most other buildings on Grand slide, with its 250 foot ride is located between RD's Hotel and Stuff photo JULY 8, 1981 L -J Price Per Copy 40 Cents Park Naturalist says: Leave wildlife in the wild Any baby animal will make a good house pet if you bring it up, right? Wrong, says Terry Crabe, naturalist at Pinery Provincial Park. Crabe says that too many people think that wild life can be made into pets. Also, peo- ple think that they are do- ing the animal a favour by taking it into captivity. Crabe stresses that wild animals do test when just left alone. At present, he and the park staff are car- ing for a week old fawn, which was brought to them by people who thought the little animal was lost. Crabe said he returned the animal to the woods where it was found, hoping that the mother would reclaim it. But when no mother showed up, he brought the animal back and took over the care and feeding of it. Crabe says that too often campers, and residents near the park try to tame the wild life. At first it's fun to feed a baby animal, but it soon becomes a chore. he says. "It takes time, it's a big commit- ment. Wild animals are more work than normal pets," Crabe said. The little fawn, who was wobbly when it was Mary's •musings BY MARY ALDERSON Number Two tries harder Someday, maybe someday, I will be number one in my husband's life. I thought perhaps that I had finally reached that numero uno position, but alas I lost out again. I've accepted it. I will always take a back seat (literally) to others that are more important to him than I am. Who is this tough com- petition I face? Is it singer Crystal Gayle with her long, flowing hair? Is it the likes of Playboy model Jo Penney who we met at Burgerfest? Oh, no, my adversaries are much tougher. Not until the Albertans drain the oil wells, cut off our gasoline supply and the automobile becomes extinct, will I have my husband's full attention. He is in love with beauty on four wheels. He comes by this love affair with the vehicle honestly. He grew up in a home where the cat was all- important. You see, his father, who recently retired, was a car salesman for over 30 years. I'm just lucky I met Victor back before he had his driver's licence. If I had come into the picture after he had discovered the automobile, I'm sure we would never have gotten together. We started going together when 1 was 14 and he was 16, before he learned to drive. For a few short weeks, I was most important in his life, until he passed that driver's test. Then he fell in love with the family car – a beautiful new 1969 Foird LTD. While all our friends pulled up to Addison's Drive In and munched french fries sitting comfortably in their father's cars, we had to stand outside eating hotdogs. He wasn't taking any chances on getting a spot of catsup on the luxurious upholstery. But Victor soon tired of asking his Dad for the keys, and bought his first car in 1970. It was a 1964 Chevy II -- white with a red interior. He loved her. I can remember sitting, ignored, reading magazines, on a Sunday afternoon, while he tenderly applied Bondo to her rusty holes, and lovingly sprayed her with Canadian Tire Paint. But her rust spread like cancerous sores, and he had to discard her for a 1967 Ford Galaxie with a fast back. But it was a case of love 'em and leave 'em. The affair with the green Galaxie ended when a petite MG sportscar caught his eye. The MG also a 1967 model, was a favourite – she had real red leather seats. But again rust blemished her complexion, andhethrew her over for a beautiful Triumph TR6. The love affair, with the TR6lasted the longest, but after seven years he lost interest in her, too. She was an attractive dark blue, with an adorable light blue interior, and a wood panelled dash. But I could see his interest was waning, he decided that he would not take her out during the winter. The TR6 spent more time in the garage, when he purchased a brand new Mustang in 1975. She was a beauty, until vandals stole her CB radio one day, and ruined her interior. Victor never loved her the same after that. In 1978, he came home with a bright red bronco. She was his first truck, and he was so proud of her strength. But she had a bad habit -- she liked to drink. The gas bills grew. Ile alternated between the truck and the TR6, until the little convertible con- fessed that she, too, would need some work, and he sold her last year. As time went on, he grew bored with the Bronco, and her power ceased to impress him. Last week, he tossed aside the Bronco, for a Mercury LN7. She his all the zip of the TR6 and a sun roof as well. And she certainly doesn't have the Bronco's drinking problem. And this is when I thought that maybe I was getting ahead. While he was very. fond of the ew LN7, with her intermitt. nt wipers and cute digital clock, he just wasn't as crazy about her as he had been with his previous new cars. In fact, I was sure he had lost his passion for the automobile, when he let me drive the new car for the first two days, while he drove my car. But on the third day, things changed. I saw him go outside and polish off the new car. Then the an- nouncement. "I'm driving this car today," he smiled after. I had lost out again. But there is something I must point out. Did you notice that he's very fickle when it comes to romances with automobiles? A spot of rust, a couple of scratches or bad shock absorbers,and he's ready to dump them. The affair with the old car ends quickly when a new beauty rolls in. He's had eight vehicles in the time he's known mid. I'm just thankful he's not as picky whet it comes to wives. Our marriage has survived two years, and before that we went together for 10 years. And although he's threatened, he hasn't traded me in yet. brought in. gets fed from a baby bottle six times a day. He empties the 8 ounce bottle each time. The fawn is being fed a com- bination of goats milk and Similac. Later. Crabe says, they will just give it goat's milk, which he buys direct from a farm near Thed- ford. He suspects that the fawn was just a new born, because its legs were so wobbly. and its hooves were still soft. Crabe conceded that the fawn's mother may have been killed on the highway. but he believes that the fawn should have been left alone. He says that nature has a way of looking after baby deer. The young deer have no scent whatsoever, and predators can't track them down. Also the brown spotted coat is excellent camouflage. He says that the old wives tales that once an animal is handled by humans. it's mother will reject it, may be true. A few years ago, Crabe learned that some campers at the Pinery had taken home a baby fawn. They fed it a diet of just cow's milk, and by the time he found out about it and con- tacted them. the fawn had died. He says that there is also a problem in the park with people wanting to domesticate baby raccoons. The little raccoons make cute, playful pets. but once they get older, they may scratch and bite, which of course. is natural for them to do. People should not han- dle eggs in a bird's nest, nor should they try to tame baby birds. Wild birds do not make good pets. Crabe stresses. It is very hard work to keep a baby bird alive, he says. A young robin will eat it's weight in worms every day. and it is dif- ficult for a human to feed it enough. he says. Crabe's advice when it comes to wild animals? "Look but don't touch. En- joy them from a distance." And as for the nervous little fawn? Crabe hopes to release it back into the park as soon as it learns to find food for itself. But if it becomes to accustomed to humans. he may have to find a home for it in a zco. Note -- At press time, it was learned that the • little fawn had been taken to a farm near St. Thomas, where it is being nursed by a nanny goat. Crabe said that the frequent feedings were becoming difficult for park staff, and it was decided that the fawn would do better with the goat. Crabe added that some concerns. had been raised about the young fawn's eyesight. He fears that the animal may be blind or have poor vision. Also, Crabe said that the little deer is a male. Bucks are generally more difficult to raise in captivity than does, he said. No decision has been made on the future of the fawn. i a• , _,,..4.,tr..44. -;.. v: •, . ,._1 --1"4- 'r.',,� 444.t: 1(4.17 .a t lir i rAt • ti'• .1 FEEDING THE BABY • t a. ti t,? � •ti : " e .'44+x ,, �'. s+• 'i, — Pinery Naturalist Terry Crobe is feeding a yok•np fawn from a baby bottle, after it was brought to him. While it was fun of first Crobe says the feedings become a chore. Stuff photo