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Music Festival and Friends
Good Brothers highlight another ambitious lineup
of talent at annual Optimist Club music festival
The 1986 rendition of the Goderich Op-
timist Club's Music Festival and Friends
promises to be one best festivals hosted by
the club.
Optimist Riverside Park, just off
Maitland Road near Champion's min
plant, will burst into sound as the three-day
event begins Thursday.
Performer Richard Knechtel kicks off the
festival Thursday with his Capin Cruisers
and an assortment of rock, folk and blues.
Knechtel, who has been performing here for
years, has also been at Pickin' in the Pines
at Formosa, the Owen Sound Folk Festival
and recently entertained at the CKNX Barn
Dance at Port Albert.'
Some local talent, The Nads, will be on
stage Thursday evening with some rock -re .
roll selections and Rick McGhie, an ac-
complished singer -guitar player who needs
no band to back up his folk -pop repetoire,
Will follow.
Ending the first night's- entertainment is
T.W. and the All -Night Sensations. This
popular London area band will entertain
with some of the best blues 'sounds. Kenny
Miller, cousin of B. B. King, once remarked
at the festival that Tim Woodcock was one of
the best blues guitarists he'd seen. Wood-
cock's musical, aptitiite doesn't end on the
stage but extends into his off-stage work of
• making guitars. This band will cap, off an
energetic evening of rock.
Friday evening's lineup features
bluegrass, newgrass with Sharp's Creek, a
band that started in Goderich and now plays
out of London. Sharp's Creek offers a selec-
tion of traditional bluegrass music.
Pulse Creek, a band that appeared at last
year's festival will follow on Friday even-
ing.. This award-winning band features
super harmony and an interesting lineup of
songs ranging from traditional bluegrass to
contemporary tunes in bluegrass style.
One of the highlights of the festival will be
the appearance of the Gocid Brothers Friday '
evening. The Good Brothers began recor-
ding albums in the mid 1970s and their uni-
que blend of bluegrass and new country
earned the group a 'good luck message from
'Gordon Lightfoot on their second album.
The took off from there and in 1983 record-
ed the album Live N' Kickin, which was
backed by a television special of the same
name on First Choice-Superchannel. This
popular Toronto band alsolists a Juno
Award among its accomplishments.
The festival features an entire day of
music Saturday as Knechtel gets things go-
ing at noon and will be followed by McGhie's
second performance of the weekend.
Wild and Blue, a band capable of handling
anytype of music will be on stage Saturday.
Saturday will also feature a visit from(
13.W. Pawley, an 'entertainer who was at-
tached with Ronnie Hawkins for several
POSTSCRIPT
By Susan Hunriertmark
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%PIN
Let the child
in you come
out to play
I have no profound pronouncements to
make this week. No intricate analysis, no
mind-boggling message, no carefully
considered commentary and no terribly
witty revelation.
This is the first week of summer after
Saturday's full moon and I'm feeling
carefree and envious of the school
children who'll soon be as free as the but-
terflies who float across the fields on a
sultry afternoon. And, I'm wishing I were
one Of them.
In fact, in an effort to reduce the
destructive stress in my life, I've begun
studying kids in hopes of recapturing
some of their spontaneous, energetic joy
of living. And, I've become more aware
of the ways that society, in an effort to
make us into responsible, mature adults,
dims the spark of spontaneity and locks
us into self-consciousness.
I had an opportunity recently to return
to the freedom of childhood for a few
hours while a young friend and I ex-
changed our limited expertise about
gymnastics. Before I knew it, I'd return-
ed to my Grade 5 days when I spent hours
hurling my body through the air on my
front lawn in an attempt to master my
front handspring.
My eight-year-old friend and I stood on
our heads, rolled in the grass and
generally pretended we were Olympic
calibre gymnasts performing for gold
medals. And, despite some grass stains
and a few sore muscles ( on my part, not
hers), it was great fun.
Since that day, I've had sudden Im-
pulses when I'm in a particularly good
mood to turn cartwheels while walking
around The Square or on the boardwalk
at the beach. But, I've supressed them so
far. I'M well aware that normal people,
especially adults, don't turn cartwholls
to get around -they walk. So; I try to
conform.
But, every once in awhile, when I'm
feeling bold, I let the kid in me come out
to play. One Hallowe'en a few years ago,
a friend and I carved pumpkins to greet
the trick -or -treaters at my parents'
house. One thing led to another and, soon
my friend and I were squealing loudly
and flinging stringy bits of pumpkin guts
across the room at each other.
After a few stern looks from my
years during which time he regularly ap-
peared on Hawkin's weekly television show,
Honky Tonk. Now on his own, Pawley has
recorded several albums and a Toronto Star
review of his latest album called him "the
most distinctive voice in 'country music
today."
Pawley is no stranger to Goderich having
played here many times during his musical
career.
The proceeds from the festival are used
for Community service work bythe Optimist
Club and the seventh edition of Music
Festival and Friends, promises to be an
entertaining one.
Canadian teachers w ark hard
It's a small world for St. Mary's exchange principal
BY MIKE FERGUSON
For Marion Hockton of Kingsheath,
England, being in Canada is a super.
experience -and she's eagerly anticipating a
chance to watch the Cosby Show.
Since March 12, Mrs. Hockton has been
principal at St. Mary's School in Goderich
as part of a program called the Canadian
Leave Educational Exchange (CLEE). At
the same time, current St. Mary's principal
Jim McDade is in England to sample the
educational system of that nation.
Mrs. Hockton has some interesting obser-
vations about the similarities and dif-
ferences between Canada and the Mother
Country.
"Teachers work tremendously hard
here," suggests Hockton, Who believes they
also have more paperwork to do, which
means more hours. In contrast, there is
more freedom in England to deviate from
the cutricultim, whereas the Ontario
government doesn't allow much leeway, she
says.
Hockton adds that is not a criticism, but
"just a difference." In England, the prin-
cipal of each school decides the curriculum,
with the emphasis on the three R's:
Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.
Teacher unions are very powerful in both
countries. "In the past year, there has been
more dissension than we've ever had,"
reveals ilockton, indicating most of the
strikes dealt with the issue of pay. Qn
average, she says, Canadian teachers make
twice as Much as their counterparts in
England.
Hockton points out there are more.
similarities than differences in the two
educationatsystems, Both the length of day
and range of subjects taught to students are
comparable..
The age at which students change schools
varies widely with the situation in Canada,
however. Those ages four 0 11 are in a
"primary school"'4th secondary school
the next step for 12 to 18 year Olds. Like
Canada only about seven to 10 percent of the
students who begin at age four will go on to
university, she says,
Marion
Hockton of
exchange program
England is principal at St. Mary's School as part of an
Photo by Mike Ferguson
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The students are -very well-mannered
here," says Hockton, offering the example
of a recent Toronto Blue "'Jays game she
witnessed with' the children, "They were
very concerned about all the garbage and
litter left behind" by outgoing fans.
The principal has heard so much about
mother, I was reminded that adults do
not partake in such antics. But the inci-
dent is one my friend and I still share
when we want to make each other smile -
and remind ourselves we do know how to
—traVellirc (ever( ifs
enrivgehiL
been wondering lately why adults
seldom allow themselves such mindless
yet satisfying entertaitunent. It seems to
me that there would be no better way to
combat stress than allow ourselves to ex-
perience the exuberance of children
more often.
Have you ever watched a child travel
down the street? Simply walking would
be out of the question. She'll run, stop, ex-
plore something on the sidewalk, lose in-
terest, skip, sing, jump off the curb•and
continue on her merry way.
An adult who acted in this manner
would be locked up. My question is why?
What happens along the way from
childhood to adulthood to stifle our abili-
ty to enjoy life without question? And, to
express that enjoyment without fearing
what others will think? -
I especially enjoy watching the un-
conscious movements of a child when
music plays. Without worrying about
who may be watching or what steps she
should use, she dances. And, she ex-
presses the joy for living the music was
intended to evoke.
Most adults need a darkened room, a
packed dance floor and a bloodstream
full of alcohol before they can answer the
same needs in themselves. The next mor-
ning, they'll blame the alcohol for letting
them enjoy themselves. And, sober in the
bright light of day, they could never
allow themselves the same enjoyment.
Why not? ,
We're all attracted to comedians like
Robin Williams and Howie Mandell who
act as outrageously and foolishly as we'd
like to if we had the courage to risk
ridicule and let go of some of our adult
control. We even pay, them big bucks to
act like children so that through them,
we can vicariously be children again.
I occasionally Make ' my small
rebellions against the convention that
says adults can't have too much fun. I've
been known to sit dross -legged at my
desk and let whoops of laughter escape
from me for no particular reason. And,
I've caught the disbelieving and
sometimes judgemental looks of co-
workers who've noticed my transgres-
sions from adulthobd.
' But, I figure if my rebellions ease the
stress of grown-up living once in awhile, 1
can take the heat. And, I realize that I've
got a lot of conventional learning to undo
before I can let the child in me come out
to pray more often.
the nice yards here that she began to
wonder. A -"yard" in England is another
word for a slum area. She soon realized the
difference.
In addition, Hockton recalls talking to a
class at St. Mary's about the sport of
"rolinders". All the students were so in-
trigued and attentive 'learning about this
foreign sport, until both the narrator and
her audience realized that baseball was just
another name for it.
As well, she says the roads and highways
are very good here, but she isn't familiar
with why there is gravel at the side of them.
Population signs are another curious exam-
ple of Canada.
The sheer vastness of the country is
something that will forever be etched in her
memory. Travel over long distances is .
necessary just to get from one town to the
next, she says. The distances are shorter in
England, but the roads ane winding, making
it seem longer, she adds.
Last month Hockton visited the Stratford
Festival, and was uniquely able to compare
it to England because she only lives eight
miles from the "real"Stratford-on-Avon.
"The river and its scenery are much pret-
tier" in Stratford, Ontario, she says, sug-
gesting the tourist industry is as of much im-
portance here as it is in England.
Recent terrorist incidents in Europe
"have been played up by the media," in-
dicates Hockton, meaning Many American
tourists are "staying home." She has no
qualms about safety in England, saying it's
"as safe as Goderich." Hockton reveals that
many businesses, especially in the Stratford
area, have gone out of business due in large
part to the lack of tourists this, year.
Hockton says Goderich is showing her "a
lot of kindness and. hospitality. °This is a
tremendous, super experience."'
One thing the English principal will be
taking back with her is the knowledge that
there isn't enough Canadian literature in the
schools back home, .
"1 will certainly be promoting it More
because it's so good," Hockton says.
the Cosby Show that she can't wait to watch
it, she says. There are only four channels in
Britain, and some Of the British TV "is very
good -but we also get a lot of the American
rubbish like Dallas and, Dynasty," she adds.
Hockton says she's becoming
So ma' people in Goderich tell her about
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