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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-10-25, Page 8TIIEWON 4DLwNc, r/NES Upsurge in Halloween interest The witching hour is drawing nigh and all around the area ghosts and goblins are appearing on lawns, porches and in windows. In recent years, there has been an upsurge in interest in decorating for Halloween. It's not just carved jack -o -lanterns anymore either as some ' homeowners have added elaborate outdoor displays. Some' local people have capital- ized on the trend toward Halloween decorating, including "Ceramic Friends" at Gorrie and Shelly Voll- mer of RR 2, Wingham, who teach- es craft courses for the Wingham Recreation Department and is an admitted Halloween-o-phile. As a festival, Halloween has its roots back to pre -Christian times. Long ago, it was believed to be the night that witches flew and was known as the Festival of the Dead. Later, Christians changed the name to All Hallow's Eve, which we now call Halloween. It is celebrated on Oct. 31, the day before All Saints' Day. Even though quite frightening it is a night for stories and of treating. Mrs. McArthur and Mrs. Cober of "Ceramic Friends" at Gorrie welcome the trend to home decorat- ing. They believe it is a carry-over of influence from south of the bor- der. In the United States, decorat- ing homes and businesses is very popular and it is becoming more so here. Ceramic decorations can be used year after year, McArtht r notes. Halloween was at one time, today fun, telling ghost course, trick -or - "Ceramic Friends" has.expanded its line of Halloween decorations to in- clude pumpkins, ghosts and wreaths, to name just a few. McArthur and Caber bought out the Wroxeter business "Family Ac- cents" and relocated it to the former Farmatic building at Gorrie. In the two and one-half years since they set up shop, they have seen their business go from the old glazed frogs, mushrooms and Christmas trees to dinnerware, wildlife figures and wreaths. Ceramics are becom- ing "in vogue" again and lend themselves to the hot "country" decorating motif. "Ceramic Friends" buys molds from several American companies. The liquid clay or mud is poured into the mold. It sits for two hours to dry, then is cleaned, sanded, painted and fired twice. Mrs. McArthur estimates the entire pro- cess takes about a week. "Ceramic Friends" offers classes and workshops in ceramics. It sells greenware and finished pieces to ceramics stores and also sells piec- es out of its Gorrie location. Both women say the business is growing faster than they can grasp and must make a decision in the near future whether to expand or hold to the status quo. They also have been urged to put out a cata- logue, another avenue they are con- sidering. , But for now they are doing something they love: Mrs. McAr- thur loves playing in the "mud" and Mrs. Cober has an • artistic side which fits in well with working with ceramics. Their families, espe- cially their husbands, are most sup- portive too, they add. Shelly Vollmer of Turnberry Township loves the fall, particular- ly the vibrant colors. Having two young children around the house adds to the fun of decorating for Halloween. Mrs. Vollmer got into crafting a number of years ago at the. sugges- Z WEDNESDAY;. acre= 25,1995 ao cIZciF/r Seasonal scene....Many people have enjoyed the seasonal display at College Corners, just east of 4Illolesworth tion of her mother-in-law. Since then she has made everything from welcome posts to wreaths and plaques. She scouts out craft stores and became friendly with Lea Bray of "Hanging By a Thread" here in Wingham. It was through Mrs. Bray that Mrs. Vollmer learned the recreation department was looking Societys armk30 . year ofgardens jn January By MARGARET STAPLETON The Advance -Tames The term "horticultural society" may concur up im- ages of little old ladies sipping tea at a garden party. But here in Wingham nothing could be further from the truth. The Wingham Horticultural Society marks its 30th anniversary in January of 1996. Even though it has been around for 30 years, few people realize the im- portant role society members play in beautifying our town. Rather than sitting around sipping tea, Wingham Horticultural Society members are more apt to be found up to their elbows in dirt, planting and tending various beds around the town. This summer's hot conditions with just the right amount of rain proved ideal for bedding plants. The Cruickshank Park was particularly lovely throughout the season and a credit to the town. But those beds are the result of a lot of hard work by, horticultural so- ciety members, as 'well the Wingham Parks and Rec- reation Department, under the supervision of Peter Quennell. Horticultural society executive member Al Skelton notes that the town crew of seasonal and full-time employees spent much of the summer improving walkways at the park. It was hot work, says Mr. Skel- ton, but the work crew did an excellent job in remov- ing the decorative red stone to make the paths wider, then adding a base of stone dust to make the paths harder and easier to walk upon. Finally, a new layer of red stone was placed back on top. The results are "just great", says Mr. Skelton, who says he believes that many more people made use of the park this summer during lunch hours and for an evening stroll. In fact, the society is looking for pub- lic input to further enhance Cruickshank Park and its other beds around town, Skelton adds. Mabel Jacklin of Wingham, horticultural society president, notes that the society buys all its plants lo- cally. This year, according to Jacklin, the society pur- chased: 257 boxed plants; 100 marigolds, 81 ivies; 70 geraniums; 25 cleome and 15 spikes. The horticultural society operates upon a yearly budget of between $3,000 and $5,000, Mrs. Jacklin says. Of that amount, $1,500 is a government grant, but in this day of cuts, society members realize that money may not be forthcoming in. the future. This is one reason why the Wingham Horticultural Society is looking for new ways to raise money for its many projects. One way through its annual mem- bership drive and canvass of the town. Memberships in the society are only $2.00 each. As well, local mer- chants contribute toward the society which does so much to beautify the town's main street. As mentioned, the society is looking for new ideas and new members to assist ih its planting program. "There's always room for another hoe and many hands do make for lighter work," notes Mr. Skelton. Those who like gardening are encouraged to get in- volved by calling Mr,.Skelton, Mrs. Jacklin, Shirley McKague, PhilBeard or Al Myers. BRIEF HISTORY The Wingham Horticultural Society has existed in its present form for 30 years, formed in January of 1966 and chartered in June by the province. Long-time member and Wingham resident Stewart Beattie says he believes there was a horticultural so- ciety in town prior to 1966, but he does not know when it started or ended. A newspaper report of the first meeting of the new- ly -formed Wingham Horticultural Society from Jan. 10, 1966, notes that it had 76 members. Ed Fielding was named president with Dr. W. A. McKibbon, hon- orary president. Mrs. Vaughan Douglas was first vice president and Rev. Gordon Fish, second vice presi- dent. Mrs. Robert Ahara was the secretary and Miss Doris Fells, treasurer. Directors included Daisy Connell, Mr. H. Sher- bondy, Margaret Wormworth, Zena Hopwood, John Strong, Roy Bennett, Anna McDonald, Mrs. McMur- ray, Mrs. Wm. Forsyth and Mrs. E. Fielding. Iris Morrey and Betty Feagan were the auditors. for someone to conduct craft work- shops and the rest is history. This fall, Mrs. Vollmer taught three Halloween workshops for the recreation department: a "Mr. Boo" wreath, a Halloween topper for a welcome post and "Hildy the Witch". She gets her ideas from crafting magazines and says most are very simple to make. on Highway 86. Decorating for fall and Halloween have be- come very popular in recent years. For the "Mr. Boo" wreath, Mrs. Vollmer got a flat basket. She traced a pattern for a ghost and cut it out of white cotton. She stuffed the ghost and placed it on the bas- ket, arranging, dried fall flowers and leaves around it. Most of her workshops take about three hours to complete. Mrs. Vollmer is conducting sev- St. Andrew's Goforth aulalary met Oct. L ast Tuesday evening, Oct. 17,. Corrie Nixon welcomed everyone to the October meeting of the Go- forth Auxiliary of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Wingham. She read a poem about Thanksgiv- ing, the theme for the night. Shirley McKague offered a prayer and two meditations were read. Lorraine Clugston led the group in singing, accompanied by Betty Richardson. • Mrs. Nixon introduced the guest speaker, Carol Gingrich, owner of the "World of Goods" store at Exet- er. Mrs. Gingrich showed slides of Ethiopia, particularly of schools run by Christian Blind Mission In- ternational. She and her husband have worked in several developing countries over the past 20 years. Mrs. Gingrich and., her assistant offered a sampling of goods from the shop for sale that evening, not- ing that all items were made by handicapped people from Third World countries. The proceeds from the sales of these items go back to the artisans to allow them to live independently. The president, Audrey McKague, led She business meet- ing, during which the designation 'of the Christmas offering was dis- cussed. It was decided that as St. Andrew's will be hosting the Hu- ron County Christmas Bureau again this year, a special offering of toi- letries and paper products will be received at next month's meeting. Members are urged to bring extra items of non-perishable food to the Church collection during the next month. The meeting closed with a prayer and delightful array of seasonal re- freshments, many prepared by Lin- ` da Pettigrew and served by the pro- gram committee. The r ? ld `1�litl tinulh nt 1llvth 519.523. 1595 eral Christmas craft courses for the. recreation department, including a Christmas topper for a welcome post, a Christmas angel grapevine garland and a four -season plaque. For further details, check the Wing - ham Parks and Recreation "Fall Leisure Guide" published earlier this fall or call the recreation de- partment at 357-1208. Brownies anal°Spar s BELGRAVE--The Brownies and Sparks held their regular meeting on Oct. 12 at the community centre. They enjoyed having Lila Procter join the group to teach members a new song. Camara Yuill received eight badges which she had earned over the summer at Keewaydin Camp. Janisa Cloakey received her Space Badge. Last Thursday, Oct. 19, the girls enjoyed making hat pencils and played a safety game learning haz- ardous symbols. This was followed by a fire drill. Erin Weitendorf received a Sparks badge for selling the most pumpkin pies, while Meagan Carter received a badge for selling the most calendars. Tomorrow evening, Oct. 26, the Brownies, and Sparks are hosting a Halloween party at East Wawanosh Public School. All elementary school children are welcome. different 3 buil! go on 0 lourney. I wdl errr,y the moment. I will smell the fresh country a!r I W1'I savor ltut ki11 (;odours I wdl fro asure the beauty of true torviscape. 1 w1I ornvo. I wG get myself 0 really cool leather lackPt. 1 w:11 morvhi Ut the. rrrr..iney 1 sove(i.