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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-12-05, Page 5Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Times -Advocate 5 Opinion Forum News I 0 YEARS AGO December 3, 1997 - Saturday's Santa Claus parade was the best one ever according to commenta- tor Jon Dinney. One of the partici- pants was Hensall Fair Ambassador Christine Bengough. The Hensall District Co - Operative has turned the corner and is well-positioned for the 21st century.This was the common message for the 200 people who attended the 60th annual meeting of the Co -Op Wednesday night in Exeter. 20YEARS AGO December 2, 1987 - Exeter residents will have the opportunity of making sure our popular white squirrels will dine in style this winter. Andy DeBoer, one of the town's original white squirrel boosters told the T -A a specially formulated squirrel food is now available at Fisher's Hardware, MacLean's Home Hardware or his Sunoco station. The secret mixture contains peanuts, sunflower seeds and corn and is blended at the Arva Flour Mill. Luann Phair is the new clerk -treasurer of the vil- lage of Hensall. Mr. and Mrs. Everett Haist of Dashwood will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary on Dec. 22. 30YEARS AGO December 1, 1977 - Business of the Exeter District Co -Operative continues to increase each year. At Tuesday's annual meeting in Kirkton, shareholders learned sales had increased during 1977 to $2,835,074. This is an increase of about $106,000 from the previous year. Net profits for the year were $105,065, compared to $103,906 for 1976. Brick work for the new Hensall arena continues to progress with workers from F and H Masonry from Stratford doing the job. Members of the Mennonite community from Milverton took care of the demolition of the old arena. The fastest growing town in Huron county is Exeter with an increase of 29 residents this year bringing the total to 3,519. Goderich and Seaforth both suffered small losses in population. The Exeter detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police has moved to their new quarters on Highway 4, just north of the Highway 83 intersection. Russell Bolton of Seaforth has been named World Hay King for the sixth time. 45 YEARS AGO November 23, 1962 - B.J. Vos, R.R. 1, Exeter was recognized as the top milk producer in Huron county at the annual meeting of the county Holstein club last week. Hensall Boy Scouts raised $79 in a recent drive of the village for the Muscular Dystrophy fund. Exeter's first two-year council has a new deputy - reeve and councillor as the result of Monday's elec- tion. Councillor Bill Musser defeated incumbent Claude Farrow as deputy -reeve and the new council member is Norman Ferguson, a driver at RCAF Centralia. 50 YEARS AGO November 26, 1957 - First winner of the $800 Christmas jackpot sponsored by the Exeter Businessmen's Association was Mrs. Donald Ralph of Exeter. An Exeter lady, Mrs. Eunice Stone, sighted a "fire- ball" over Western Ontario over the weekend. She said the hovering object "was a round ball with a tail of fire which looked to be six feet long." Several other area people reported similar sightings. William Hess, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hess of Zurich has received his embalmer's license in Toronto and is now employed in Woodstock. Air force veteran Graham Mason is the new presi- dent of the of the Exeter Legion branch. He suc- ceeds Harold Holtzmann. 60YEARS AGO November 22, 1947 - The Exeter municipal coun- cil has purchased 100 new upholstered leather fold- ing chairs for use in the town hall. The Exeter Area High School Board has pur- chased six acres of land adjoining the school prop- erty where the public school owns three acres. The new land is for the new high school building. Over 3,000 envelopes were sent to district fami- lies at the first of the week by the Exeter branch of the Canadian Legion to raise funds to be sent over- seas for care of the hungry in Britain. ROSS HAUGH BACK IN TIME Seniors' Perspective By Jim Bearss ADULT ACTIVITIES CO-ORDINATOR I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap." Tip of the Week: To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard -boiling. NewYears Eve Celebrate New Years Eve at the Royal Canadian Legion RE Pooley Branch #167 Exeter. Time for this fun evening is 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dance to the music of "Chris and the Boys." You get lunch and "taxi" for $30 per person for $50 per couple. There are two hundred tickets only and for more information, contact the Legion at 235- Jim Bearss way. 2962 or Sharon at 235-1299 or 235-2696. New Years Eve Old Tyme Country Dance, featur- ing `Rural Roots' at the KW Community Centre Dec. 31 8 p.m. to midnight. Ticket includes a deli- cious buffet lunch and the proceeds go to the Kirkton-Woodham Pool. Advance tickets are avail- able from Otterbein's Barber Shop 235-0559, Tasty -Nu Bakery 236-4912, Jeff Miller 237-3424, Murray Armstrong 236-7746 or Kirkton Market 229-8923. Wingham Town Hall Heritage Theatre Make plans to attend a "Gospel Show" by the Barn Dance Historical Society on Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. Come and be part of history with the first ever "Gospel Show" by the Barn Dance Historical Society. Reserve your tickets today before all the tickets are gone. Cost is only $20 a ticket, $18 a ticket for a group of 20 or more people. "South Mountain and Friends" show Dec. 22, at 2 p.m. Come see and listen to the tra- ditional country music of South Mountain and friends. The band and Jake and Laura Rose will be playing a mixture of their traditional country songs as well as some Christmas favourites to get you in the Christmas spirit. Reserve your seat today! Only $20 a ticket or $18 a ticket with a group of 20 or more people and to reserve a ticket contact the office at (519) 357- 4082 or Toll Free: 1-866-357-4082 or E-mail wht@hurontel. on. c a Christmas Traditions from around the world: Christmas candles are all shapes, colours, sizes and scents. On the Advent Wreath, a candle is lit each week to remind us of the coming of Christ. Candles represent Jesus who is the light of the world. Christmas Carols - Created when St. Francis of Assisi made the first "creche" or Nativity (manger) scene; he and others sang the first carols. Most carols were handed down by word of mouth for hundreds of years. Most of the early carols were about Mary, the shepherds, the Magi and the birth of Jesus. Later carols were sung by groups of peo- ple who would go to homes and sing in harmony. Christmas Star - The Christmas star announced the birth of Christ. Many songs were written about it. The star appeared on many of the first Christmas cards in the 1840s. Stars were placed on the tops of Christmas trees. Christmas trees - Evergreen trees and tree branches have been used for decorating homes for Christmas. The decorated tree originated in Germany where a fir tree was decorated with apples and candles. Prince Albert brought the cus- tom to England. The idea of decorating a tree spread to America. Gift -Giving - The day of gift -giving varies in many countries Dec. 6 (St. Nicholas day), Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 26 (Boxing Day) Jan. 6 (Epiphany, Feast of the Wise Men, or the Three Kings). The giver of gifts also varies in different coun- tries. It would be the Christ Child, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Befana in (Italy), Babushka (Russia), the Magi or St. Nicholas. "Nisse" are Scandinavian elves who hide presents for children. Julomten is a gnome who brings gifts to children in Sweden Ornaments - The first Christmas trees were dec- orated with real fruit and flowers. Cookies, nuts, candies and other kinds of food were added later on. Lighted candles were also used but there was a danger of fires when the candles were lit. Tiny gifts were also hung on the trees for ornaments. In Germany glass blowers began making glass balls to decorate the trees. Poinsettia - A legend in Mexico tells of a small boy who had nothing to offer the Christ Child on his birthday. As he prayed at the alter of the church, his prayers were answered and the "Flower of the Holy Night" sprang up before him The bright red petals of the poinsettia are actual- ly leaves. It originates in Mexico and it was brought to the United States in the 1800s by a man named Dr. Pionsett and the poinsettia was named after him. The first plum puddings were made in the 1600s and were not even made of plums. The pudding was a "stiff" porridge to which were added lumps of meat, dried fruits, butter, sugar, eggs, spices, rum and brandy. It was prepared weeks before Christmas. How to host a party on a budget: You want to throw a party, but don't want to break the bank? No problem. A little resourcefulness and creativity will go a long Fancy tablecloths: Don't have a tablecloth big enough to cover your table now that you've put the extra leaves in? Try this trick: Starch and iron a white flat sheet in good condition and spread it over the table. Then position a smaller tablecloth on top of it (if it's square, arrange a diamond shape). Voila you have total coverage and no one will know the difference. Serving Platters: don't spring for platters you'll use only a few times a year. Instead, dress up your glass pie plates with summer cocktail napkins or edible flower petals. Need an extra serving tray? Drape a cookie sheet with white -linen napkins or cover a large cutting board with a patterned scarf. Specialty ingredients you'll use only once: Many recipes call for spices and other ingredients you don't normally keep on hand. Before buying a whole bottle of something when you need only a teaspoon for one dish, check the substitution guide in your cookbooks. For expensive dried spices and herbs, visit a bulk food store. They typically stock spice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and similar items loose in bins so you can buy just what you need for your recipe. Doing everything yourself: Yes, we know you want total control. But a potluck get-together can save you money and stress and you can still give your guests a lovely gift for their efforts that won't cost a thing. Here's how to do it right: Assign each guest a category such as a vegetable, side -dish, bread or dessert. Ask guests to bring copies of their recipes on index cards that you can assemble into little cookbooks as parting gifts. Punch holes in the cards and tie with ribbons. A lavish bar? Nix the cocktails. You'll save the expense of hard liquor, as well as mixers. Stick to wine or beer, or try this fruity party -punch for a crowd: Mix together and chill 2 cups (500 m L) each cranberry juice, pineapple juice and orange juice, plus 1 cup (250 m L) orange liqueur. Just before serving, add 4 cups (1 L) chilled ginger ale and garnish with lime slices. For kids or non- drinkers, mix up an additional bowl of punch with- out alcohol. For fun, freeze grapes or berries in your ice cubes. Generational differences A very self-important college freshman from Ottawa University took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen standing next to him while wait- ing for a bus, that it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation. "You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one," the student said, loud enough for the other passengers nearby to hear. "The young people of today grew up with televi- sion, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, com- puters with light -speed processing and ..." Pausing for breath ...the senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said: "You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were young...?" So we invented them. Now, you arrogant little fool, what are you doing for the next generation? The applause was resounding. Karen Stanlake Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, con- cerns, complaint, and kudos. By mail: P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6 By fax: 519-235-0766 By e-mail: editor@southhuron.com Please include your name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. The Times -Advocate reserves the right to edit letters for brevity.