The Times Advocate, 2006-06-07, Page 44
Exeter Times—Advocate
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
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Editorial Opinion
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TIMES ADVOCATE
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EDITORIAL
Fair will be
missed
Among the headlines this week is some
disappointing news — the annual Exeter
all Fair has been cancelled this year. If
enough volunteers come forward, the fair could
return for 2007, but that's no guarantee.
People have been predicting the downfall of
small-town fairs for years. Times have
changed, society's interests and passions have
changed and fewer children are getting
involved in agriculture.
The Exeter Agricultural Society is struggling
with a shortage of directors and volunteers for
the fair. While an earlier plea for more volun-
teers was ignored by the public, the Exeter Fall
Fair will be missed this September. Those who
made the fair an annual family event will miss
out on the midway, the ambassador competi-
tion, the various School and Homecraft divi-
sions, the parade and the other games and
activities that made up the Exeter Fall Fair. Will
the Exeter Fall Fair be reborn and return for
2007, or will it fade away from memory? Only
time will tell, but this community won't be the
same without it.
Exeter isn't alone in its struggles with its
annual fair — communities all over are having
a hard time keeping annual events like this
alive. They find themselves either cancelling
them, like Exeter, or downsizing
What's surprising in this area is that, of the
local fairs, Exeter's was the one that didn't sur-
vive. It seems strange that other smaller com-
munities have found enough volunteers to keep
their fairs alive, but Exeter can't. How come?
If you would like the Exeter Fall Fair to con-
tinue in future years, contact a member of the
Exeter Agricultural Society and volunteer. The
fair has traditionally been something that
brought the families of this community together
each year. It's an event small towns need.
Dalton McGuinty's worst nightmare...
UNWUZZLEP
PITBULLS
SMOKING
ON A
COVERED
BAR PATIO
What goes around comes around
It was an ordinary day a couple of Saturdays ago.
A day where really not much was going on in my little
town of Nairn, population 350.
My mom and I were quite bored so wanting to cure
our "boredness" we decided to go into the big city of
London and do something we're both very good at —
shop till we drop.
Since both my mom and I visit London regularly we
try our hardest to switch up the route every now
and then to add some excitement to our trip.
Well, little did we know that our trip was about
to get quite exciting.
My mom and I, both animal lovers, have taken
in several creatures over the years, with two dogs
and five cats, most of them strays before being
rescued.
So, here we are, my mom and I, driving down
Gainsborough Road by Vanneck when on the left
hand side of the highway were three of the small-
est raccoons we've ever seen huddled together,
looking to cross the road.
So my mom and I, the "animal rescuers" that we
are pulled over quickly but carefully and got out of
the car.
We hurried towards them, shooing them away from
the busy highway and at the same time trying not to
scare them too much.
The first one took off towards an apple orchard with
the second following — but the third, nope, it decided to
scurry towards my mom's car crawling underneath and
finally settling inside the wheel well of the back of her
left tire.
Ok, so here we are on the side of a busy highway with
a raccoon hiding in the wheel well of my mom's Aztek.
And for some reason we were laughing about it; it was
funny at first.
Knowing that we couldn't drive with this little raccoon
hidden in the wheel well, we had to get it out.
Well, bare hands didn't work — we learned that
quickly and neither did our long winter ice/brush
scraper.
At the sight of anything, the raccoon began hissing.
Thankfully, just moments later two gentleman stopped
with twin boys.
They originally thought we were having car
problems but thankfully after explaining
what happened they gladly helped out.
In fact the one gentleman had handled
quite a few raccoons in his life and wasn't
(unlike my mom and I) afraid to stick his
hand up the wheel well after we got him
some gloves from a house nearby.
With much prying and pulling and definite-
ly a lot of hissing from the raccoon — he was
free.
The gentleman carried him towards the
grass and put him down.
Well, this feisty little raccoon, the stubborn
thing that he was tried to fight this gentle-
man after being rescued.
So, again he picked him up and after receiving a bite
to the thumb we all walked towards a large tree and put
him in there instead.
Before parting we thanked them profusely.
It's funny, my mom and I stopped originally to rescue
these poor defenseless raccoons and in return ended up
getting rescued ourselves.
It's times like this that a certain motto comes into
mind — "What goes around comes around."
NINA
VAN
LIESHOUT
KICK THIS
AROUND
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