Times-Advocate, 1996-05-08, Page 13Times -Advocate, May 8, 1996 Page 13
Pioneer Days feature
HAY TOWNSHIP - Try a spinning wheel from New Zealand. Check out a collection of old irons. Make a
candle from animal fat. Quilt pillows to raise money for the school playground. Spin a button on a string. Do
a little square dancing. Observe the art of wood carving and caning. Create calligraphy, rope, corn bread,
hankie dolls and ice cream. Add rug braiding, weaving and crosscut sawing and you've got Pioneer Days, a
Hay Days event involving three schools, at least 100 volunteers and a day off regular school.
The planning of the event, organized by the Hay Days Committee, began before Christmas. To celebrate
the township's 150th anniversary, about 30 local residents spent a day each in Hensall and Zurich Public
Schools as well as St. Boniface School to display their old-time skills and allow the children a chance to try
the activities.
Lois Hodgins, for example, used a classroom to display the wide array of antique kitchen gadgets she
brought from her museum in Crediton.
"School children are always interested in dinner pails," she said, adding ancient toilet facilities and irons
also keep their interest.
Cathy Skinner, of Zurich, explained how pioneers made candles from animal fat and cotton wicks.
"In pioneer days," she told a group of children about to dip wicks into a container of wax, "candles (were)
the only way they could see when it was dark."
Enough parking
Dear Editor:
At a time when all that we
hear and see in the news is pro-
vincial grants are cut, our coun-
cil are prepared by a slim major-
ity to spend up to a hundred
thousand dollars to tear down
the former (own office to build
a parking lot. Why!
Most taxpayers feel that a
parking lot is not needed or
wanted. We have no trouble
finding parking space in the
business area.
We hope that council will re-
consider that motion and keep
that building alive by selling it
for commercial or business use.
We would like to see that build-
ing stay on our main street for a
long time to come.
King McDonald
art of local residents
A spinning demonstration was presented by Blyth resident Toni Vos, who used a spinning wheel from New
Zealand. With 24 years of experieace, she was delighted to let the kids try the craft.
Jim and Joy Hogg, of St. Joseph, supplied homemade games including button and threat spinning.
"You can spin them for hours once you get them going," said Jim, adding he and Joy were there to show
the children "simple stuff, basic stuff."
Clarance Smillie and Lloyd Otterbein were busy performing detailed chair caping and wood carving based
on decades of practice.
"It was an old art," not many continue to do, said Smillie of his caning craft while working on a chair.
Children were busy at a table nearby making hanky dolls.
"We're making them from pieces of material but (pioneers) would have made them from real hankies,"
said Patti Fox, of Zurich. "It's a good church toy...They could make them in church to keep things busy be-
cause mother always had a hanky on her."
Each Pioneer Day concluded with a birthday cake and Hay Days coins.
"1 think the kids have really enjoyed it - a lot of hands-on activities," said Organizer Dianne Shapton. "You
have to give the volunteers a lot of credit."
At left, students concentrate on their quilting at St.
Boniface School last Wednesday. Below, a crosscut
demonstration entertains a crowd last Tuesday at
Hensall Public School.
Your Views
Letters to the editor
Reference to Mr. Carroll's letter
'Could it be that Mr. Carroll is
feeling a little heat regarding his
job?....
Dear Editor:
With reference to Mr. Carrolls letter re: School
spending. I think it is important to keep in mind Mr.
lPs-past and perhaps present-potitie'al -aff affilia—
tions with the provincial NDP.
I would advise Mr. Carroll to be a little more objec-
tive and a little less political when he decides to rant
and rave about the Harris Governments attempts to
eliminate the waste, particularly at the bureaucratic
level, as it pertains to spending in the education sec-
tor.
Could it be that Mr. Carroll is feeling a little bel, rr
rejard_ in�his own job?
Ron Cottrell
Exeter, Ont.
Recycling garbage
"One person's garbage is another
person's treasure."
Dear Editor:
I listened one day to a radio show where the host-
ess told of one of her favorite outings - which is
travelling the streets at "big garbage pick up time".
This was not a degrading thing to her. This was an
art! She actually went on to give hints on the best
times, areas, methods etc.
It's the same everywhere - "One person's garbage
is another person's treasure!"
Some municipalities have actually picked up on
this and advertise "Free give away days."
Anyone can see the demand is there as you view
trucks, packed cars, trailers, cyclists and people on
foot patrolling our streets when the spring cleaning
throw outs make their way to the curb.
Some people are offended at strangers sorting
through their "cast-aways". But isn't this better than
having all this 'stuff' overflowing our landfill sites
and if someone else can make use of anything, why
not let them.
So perhaps when we carry our discarded 'potential
treasures' to the curb next time, we could be a little
more selective in the manner we 'display' them.
(Especially those items we feel may be of interest to
someone else.) This would be most helpful to the
'curb -shoppers' on the next pick up and just think
about how you have helped the environment! "Re-
duce, Re -use, Re -cycle!"
S. Chappel
Job rights or gay rights?
Shouldn't job performance have
priority over sexual preference?
Dear Editor:
The current hullabaloo in Parliament points out
the workplace -wisdom of the new gay rights bill
proposal by the Liberals.
In effect they are saying "If you have employees
who are responsible for a company losing business -
you won't be able to let them go - unless they are
heterosexual"! Shouldn't job performance have pri-
ority over sexual preference?
W.H. Metcalfe
Huron Woods, Grand Bend
The duty of care
"With all the hype about the new
2:00 a.m. closing, there has
been little attention given to the
duty of care issue..."
Dear Editor:
With respect to the option of licensees remaining
open until 2:00 a.m., this has certainly become a hot
issue. Not since the government introduced happy
hour in the early eighties have licenced restaurant
establishments' opinions been so polarized.
We have attempted to reconcile the varying opin-
ions and create some common sense to a heated
emotional issue.
The primary concern to all operators should not
be based on economic lure or the search for addi-
tional profits between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. but
rather, the willingness to expand their duty of care
to patrons for an went hour. When a patron enters
into a licensed eittaplishment, an invitee/invitor rela-
tionship is created. Thisiesults in a special duty of
care imposed upon in operators. In the late eighties
(after abolishing the happy hour), the government
embarked on a national awareness campaign to en-
sure that all alcohol servers were aware of the statu-
tory duty of care. It was to become mandatory that
all servers of alcohol become accredited through a
server intervention program (SIPS). This undoubt-
edly increased the awareness and there was a mad
rush to become certified as the L.L.B.O. was to
make this a prerequisite for all alcohol server jobs.
But then, what happened? All of a sudden, the gov-
ernment largely dismantled the SIPS requirement
and in an uncanny twist, increased the serving hours
until 2:00 a.m. What happened to the "common
sense revolution?" The licensed operator still has
the duty of care. In fact, the risk of breaching the
standard of care increases exponentially for each ad-
ditional hour we are open. Given this premise, it is
not erroneous to expect hotel operators to modify
their behaviour to avoid liability. While no member
of the hospitality industry wants to be a spoiler of
good times, they have been imposed with the oner-
ous task of taking affirmative steps to prevent pa-
trons from bringing harm to themselves or others.
So please, be understanding of your bar manager
when they refuse you entry to their premises at 1:00
a.m. if they think you've had your fill. With all the
hype about the new 2:00 a.m. closing, there has
been little attention given to the duty of care issue -
it is not optional, it is our statutory obligation. After
all, in our neighborhood pubs, friends don't let
friends breach that duty of care. Please drink respon-
sibly and have fun!
Dan and Dave MacKeigan
Head Office, Murphy's Pub & Eatery
Opinion
A solid
state
identity
D By Rev. Cordell Parsons
u One author wrote, "I do not
-wish to see the distant hills, one
day is enough for me."
As society unfolds we run the
fl'sk of letting the moments pass
s by. In many respects, as tech -
logy becomes even more
early defined, and as science
-continues to explore unknown
galaxies, we will begin to devel-
op what I call "A Solid State
Identity". Put simply, as society
becomes increasingly more de-
pendent on 'the' latest scientific
innovations, we run the risk of
becoming more reliant on the V -
chip than on either personal or
community relationships. Cer-
tainly family developments will
pot escape this shift in emphasis.
i And there are strong indications
`: that the pendulum is quickly
op oving in this direction, particu-
larly with our 'around the clock'
' lifestyle. We are always going
somewhere or wanting to get
away from something. We hard-
ly have time to be 'holy' any-
more. And this change in life-
style is having its effect on
people and families. According
to the Canadian Mental Health
Association, for exarriple, behind
every third door someone is
faced with some degree of emo-
tional disorder.
Be expecting more from socie-
ty we begin to have less and less
time either for ourselves or for
others. And in the larger term the
moral fabric of relationships will
suffer the painful consequences.
It's perhaps ironic, but we are
faced with a 20th century para-
dox. On the one hand North
Americans are living longer and
people are retiring at a much ear -
Her age, while on the other hand,
we seem to have less and less
time to enjoy the fullness of a
new day.
Although tomorrow's poten-
tials cannot be ignored, some-
how we have to assimilate our
changing lifestyle into the realm
of the unknown. For it is certain
we can not turn the wheels of
time back to another age. We are
like the hermits of old, in need of
a renewed closeness with our-
selves and with peoples every-
where.
L. ,<, 1.,:4,14 ..t.1n ov
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