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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-07-28, Page 15TAKE OUR CAKE! DECAVENI ICE C.' DESSERTS 22.4640 anis 11X11--�' )\()t'\l 1. ssroa Exeter Times Advocate Wednesday)* 21 ,1999 Page 15 Millennium mania.: gearing up for jan. 1, 2000 Lots of local events planned. Sy Katherine Harding TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER It isn't every -day a new millennium rolls . around and the world is gearing up to mark the occa- sion with a huge bang. Where are ,you going to be when the the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve 2000? It may seem ludicrous to be making New Year's Eve plans when, temperatures are hovering'round 30 degrees ,Celsius but the clock is ticking -- quickly. Even though, technically, the new century and mil- letin4un wontoilicially start until Jan. 1. 2001, the lure and symbolism .of the year 2000 is too seductive for the world to•rosist. England is planning a nationwide pealing of bells and .have even built a "milledeftnn dome" in London to. Mark the event; Brazil is- planning a gigantic party in Rio_: de Janerio; and Dublin, Ireland has installed a giant digital clock that will erupt into fireworks at the stroke of midnight gh ....,� on the last day of 1999. •- Even the Vatin . is ignoring maths':italics by 'declaring 2000 a Great Jubilee Year -- the clurcli's 27th since the din 1300.e,„*„.,, sealed until July 1, 2099. The Lucan Optimist Club is organizing a "Come Celebrate the Millennium" party at the Lucan Community Memorial Centre. Their tickets are priced at a clever and reasonable $19.99 per person and includes a light buffet and music by D&L Music. For more information tall Jean at 227-1398. Hensallites can ring in the New Year by snagging tickets to the annual Hensall Minor Hockey New Year's Dance at the community centre. In Zurich, a big fund-raiser party for improvements to the Babe Siebert Memorial Arena is being planned. Arena manager Kevin Geoffrey said while the orga- nizing committee is still in the process of booking a band and picking a theme for the event, 250-300 peo- ple are expected to attend.. Ticket prices will be $3840 per a (the price is still being worked out) and will include a dinner, prizes and dancing. Tickets for the Zurich event will be available in early fall. Grand Benders have a few options when making millennium party:pians. Bernie Greene s, a restaurant on Ontario St., is look- ing to be rented out by one large group but has also been discussing holding their own bash which would include a large prime rib And seafood dinner. For more informa- tion, call Mike Bannon at 38-8887. The Oakwood Inn is undoubtedly putting on the most lavish and pricey event by planning a four-day party at $1,800 per couple. Guests will arrive at the resort on Dec. 30 and depslrt Jan 2. The ticket p ittl;ludes accom- modations, meals, Oakwood Inn Millennium souvenir bathrobes and lots of events including a huge New Year's Eve Party complete with fire Works and Lots of cham- pagne. For ticket information:: c Mary Wright at 238-2324. Local hospitality businesses in the area are expect- ing a big boost from planned celebrations. Julian ` Bayley from Iceculture in Hensall says their business is "booked solid." The company, which specializes in supplying ice and higher end ice products. including sculptures, will be working "flat out" to fill all their 'orders. • "I hope we'll have enough ince," he half -joked. Their sales have doubled and in some instances. quadrupled for businesses they regularly deal with. "All the hotels are sold out for New Year's and they have doubled_ their ticket prices, so they have to give them something a bit extra," said Bayley about the extra business. "That's where ice figures in." co urse� City will be the epicentre. Of ;North -Ams ican ce 1Vr decades.- Timms= will be transformed s viigiant television :screens conveying {ennium cele ' �_ : from each' of the world's 24 time zones. The - t will still be the traditional dropping of the b ' n Tinier Squame itt Midnight. Locally, if you're ginning ng t0 go out, ticket prices range anywhere from'19.99 to $1,800, - In Exeter, the South Huron Rec Centre has been booked for a private family party since 1997. - However, for those who want to dance the night away, the R.E. Pooley Branch 167 Exeter Legion is Sc planning a celebration. Legion past � president Bart DeVries said the Eugene Hartman BaW has been ten- tatively booked and tickets prices will be around the $20 range and will include a light buffet. The legion's time capsule, which was closed on July 1, 1999, will be briefly reopened to enclose photos of this year's Canada Day celebrations. The capsule will then be re- 'r fi 'i ice'. A. .`>.s. ... - :..---. •' :Y-. •, .: Transport Canada says travelling in Canada by plane, rail or other means during the 1999-2000 holiday season shouldn't be any different than other year. "The Canadian transportation system is among the safest In the world, and we expect it to remain that way through the Year 2000,” says' Andre Morency, Chair of Transport Canada's Year 2000 Steering Committee. • Transport Canada regulates safety and security for all forms of transportation that come under federal jurisdiction. While each individual company is responsible for its own Year 2000 readiness, Morency says Transport Canada has the power to limit or shut -down any operations it considers unsafe. "The bottom line is that, Year 2000 or not, all companies must meet normal safety standards. A computer failure is not an acceptable excuse tqday for failing to meet safety regulations, and it will not be an acceptable excuse at any time in the future," he says. Transport Canada says its own critical systems will be ready for the Year 2000, allowing it to carry on with its safety, inspection and awareness work. The Department has also been working with the transportation industry to monitor progress and promote awareness of the Year 2000 issue. This work will continue into the Year 2000. According to Morency, the news from that industry has been good so far: "Based on the information we have received to date, we feel the transportation industry in Canada is taking appropriate steps to minimize the risk to safety due to Year 2000 disruptions," says Morency. He points out that to date, reports from major aircraft or aeronautical product man- ufacturer have not indicated any Year 2000 safety-related problems. NAV CANADA, the private corporation that provides air navigation services in Canada, reports that it has completed all its major preparations for the Year 2000. • While 'Transport Canada is pleased with this progress. Morency notes that the "Where are you going to be when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve 2000? a••?rr :s:. : •:: - :::.. :.}L:::.: til• •.:}' ;:'" :�{'�•%:.}`.:.•1.::::. :'.t :'c •T r:•.fr r 'D{. r ti:f{:;'}r'• ••{„f {:'•r. .}• •• .}: ' r• •r. �Z. 5 r .r r�••�:r i' Yom:: •fir •�' • 4 1{ ; rix -0c •r:}�•{: . `:• .•:•. rr• rrr...}'..:•'ri}t}•ti..: •• r.r •: y....... {:(:}x: j:{.. ::v:? ;{:: {}:};.':' • • is {i:•}:}.; •y ��:��:�'#<��>,.'S•y': �w•: •r_tiY:iLr�.T�sliil�C►{`::}t "•••C { .004)01040iii •• } } Q c Ct I S r' Transport Canada says ¥2K shouldn't get in the way Government of Canada isn't taking any chances with the safety of Canadian trav- ellers. Transport Canada will have back-up plans ready to deal with any unexpected problems, and is working with transportation companies to make sure they also have back-up plans. In addition, the federal government is keeping tabs on Year 2000 readiness of all Canada's critical infrastructure, including transportation, through the National Contingency Planning Group at National Defence. The planning group is working with partners to assess overall risk to Canada's critical infrastructure and is co-ordi- nating contingency plans at the national level should they be needed. So what does all this mean for Canadian travellers? Transport Canada expects travel within Canada over the 1999-2000 holiday period to be safe, with the usual level of holiday delays and congestion. For more information on the Year 2000 and the transportation industry in Canada, visit the Transport. Canada Year 2000 Web site at www.tc.gc.ca, or call Transport Canada's Year 2000 Information Line at 1 877 748-2232. • Canadians travelling abroad should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs for additional information about their destination before travelling. The Department's -'ravel Reports are available for over 215: countries and will be updated regularly with the latest Year 2000 status reports and information on regions to watch. These' reports and other Year 2000 travel information are available on the Department's Web site at www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca under the "Travel" section, or by contacting the Consular Affairs Bureau by phone at 1 800 771-8977 or (613) 944-3037, or by fax at 1 800 575-2500 or (613) 9442500. For other Year 2000 information, visit the federal government's Year 200(. Information Web site at www. info2000. gc. ca, or call 1 800 0 -Canada (1 800 622' 6234. For TTY/ Teletypeiwriter, call 1 800 465-7735.