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The Times Advocate, 2008-04-09, Page 5Wednesday, April 2, 2008 Times—Advocate 5 Opinion Forum News I OYEARS AGO April 7, 1998 - Landowners hosting the 1999 International Plowing Match gathered to unveil the sign at Earl Becker's farm, north of Dashwood on Thursday. Biddulph Township has put a freeze on the construction of new intensive livestock barns for six months. Cheryl Glavin of South Huron District High School placed sec- ond in the Royal Canadian Legion C District Remembrance Day poem contest. 20YEARS AGO March 30, 1988 - Exeter council Monday night approved a bylaw which will prohibit smoking in the town municipal office, the Olde Town Hall, the Exeter Pubic Library and the South Huron Rec Centre. Once the money was in the bank it didn't take long for the South Huron Rec Centre to pick up the new Olympia ice surfacer. Major contribu- tors were the Exeter Lions, Gregus Construction, Exeter Minor Hockey, Exeter Mohawks, Exeter Legion, Beta Theta Sorority, Rebekahs, Alpha Tau Sorority, Big 0, Times Advocate, Exeter Lioness Club, Exeter Optimists, Exeter Figure skating Club, South Huron Rec Centre, Xi Gamma Nu Sorority, Ellison Travel, Dashwood Industries and Exeter Roofing. 30YEARS AGO March 30, 1978 - The picket lines at Fleck Manufacturing cooled considerably this week as United auto workers were out -foxed by compa- ny officials. About 80 workers from Ford Talbotville arrived at 7 a.m. awaiting the arrival of non -striking members only to learn minutes later that the workers had arrived at Fleck about three hours earlier. As expected, striking Huron County sec- ondary school teachers continued to stay away from classrooms this week. The Huron County Board of Education announced last week that it was lifting the lockout of the teachers and that schools would be open Tuesday morning. Parents of most students heeded the warning that the teachers would not show up, but, about 35 did arrive for classes and were met at the main entrance by principal Joe Wooden and told to go home. Exeter Hawks ousted Belmont in four straight games in OHA Junior "D" play and will now meet either Stayner or St.George in the semi- finals. 45YEARS AGO March 23, 1963 - The million dollar Parkhill Dam project was given fmal approval by the Ontario Municipal Board Wednesday. Estimated at a cost of $1,073,620 the dam will be con- structed just north of Parkhill. Prime Minister John Diefenbaker was greeted by a crowd of about 700 at the Exeter train sta- tion as he made whistle stops through Huron and Perth ridings. Exeter midgets, the first local minor hockey team to reach the Ontario finals, meet Huntsville in a best -of -five series beginning Friday night. 50YEARS AGO Six teachers have resigned from the staff at South Huron District High School. They include Cecil Wilson, head of the French department; John Mahon of the agriculture department, Cecil Porter, head of the English department, social studies teacher Heather Goldstein, home economics teacher Marilyn Bowman and Mrs. C. Nichols of the English department. 60YEARS AGO March 30, 1948 - Mr. Norman Walper has just completed a dealer training course in a four-day conference sponsored by McColl Frontenac Oil Company. Mr. B.W.F. Beavers has retired as secretary of the Usborne and Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company after 19 years in that position. Pupils of Winchelsea School were taken on a tour of London by their teacher, Mr. Harvey Sparling, and six of the district ladies on Monday. Only two marks separated the Huronia Male Choir from the Stratford Choir for first prize at the Stratford Music Festival. ROSS HAUGH BACK IN TIME Seniors' Perspective By Jim Bearss Adult Activities Co-ordinator Today is International Disturbed People's Day.' Every 60 seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back. Life is short: Break the rules, Forgive quickly, kiss slow- ly, love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Coming events Euchre: Plan to go to this fun event on Sat., April 12. Euchre starts at 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lunch is provided and your cost is only a Toonie. Turn right at The Beer store and proceed to the end of the Jim B street. Legion: Soup and sandwich. Mark your day -timer for April 18-11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bake sale with soup and sandwich on May 16-11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Barn Dance Show On Sun., April 13 the Kirkton Agricultural Society is pre- senting a "Barn Dance Show" at the Kirkton Community Centre (based on a Barn Dance Show years ago on CKNX radio.) The concert will be from 2-4 p.m. featuring the Barn Dance Show Band and special guests. Tickets are available at Wayne Otterbein's Barber Shop in Exeter or the Kirkton Market in Kirkton. Health Fair Held at the YMCA Goderich on April 16. Time for this info meeting is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Sky Harbour Room. Learn about health promotion, participate in health checks, sample some healthy snacks and there are activi- ties for kids. Tourism development Brochure swap: Ontario West Coast Huron County is proud to host the 19th Tourist Event and Brochure Swap at The Zurich Arena and Community Centre at Zurich on Wed., April 16. Tourism development is essential to the growth and survival of the Huron County economy. It rep- resents a significant economic generator, along with agri- culture and manufacturing. The event will be open to the public from 4:30 — 5:30 p.m. Please plan to attend to see what the area has to offer. Senior games The Tri -County Senior Games District 29 (Huron, Perth and Middlesex) in the 20th year are open for registration in the following games: solo, crokinole, bid euchre, dupli- cate bridge, ten pin bowling, scrabble, cribbage, five pin bowling, pepper, carpet bowling, shuffleboard, golf, walk- ing, triathlon, swimming, slo-pitch, lawn bowling, euchre. The Annual Awards Banquet will be at the Exeter Legion. For more information, contact Don Overholt at 235-1807. Pick up a registration form at The Municipality of South Huron office. Note: The games committee is urgently in need of folks in the age 55 group and they don't have to be retired. People who win their event go to University of Western Ontario, London on Aug. 12 — 14 to participate provincial- ly. Tri -County senior information book Part of our mandate of the New Horizon's grant we received last year was to put together a book with senior's information in it to give free to seniors. Chapters in the book include: Postal codes, Emergency numbers in Huron County, local and area churches, Bed and breakfast infor- mation guide, Bruce -Grey County Agencies, Canadian Agencies, Chamber of Commerce's in Ontario, Community Care Access, Continuing Education, Financial Information, Foot care, Funeral planning and bereavement, Health for seniors, Housing for seniors, Huron -Perth Agencies, Keeping fit and active, London and North Middlesex Agencies, Municipality Information, Palliative Care, Protective Services, Senior residences, Social Action, Advisory and Advocacy, Support care and transportation. Give me a call at 235-4243 if you want one or pick up a copy at the South Huron Municipality Office, Exeter. Budget Backs Expansion of 211 Province - wide 21 1 system to offer 24/7 access to 60,000 programs and services. TORONTO -Investments included in the Provincial Budget will make it easier for Ontario residents to find and access important community resources. Modeled on the proven success of 911 for emergency services, 211 provides one- stop -shopping for the full range of community, social, health and related government services and programs. The explicit goal of 211 is to help overcome barriers to human services information and access", said BM Morris of United Way of Canada. "Callers can be served in more than 150 languages. Having trained people not machines answer all 211 calls enhances service quality, but also reduces access barriers related to mobility, sight or litera- cy." 211 is now available to 4 million Ontarians - residents of Toronto, Niagara, Simcoe County, Halton Windsor -Essex, and Thunder Bay. First begun in Atlanta, Georgia in 1997, 211 have quickly grown into an indispensable component of social infrastructure. "The most vulnerable members of the community often face the greatest difficulty finding and securing programs and services," explained Morris. "211 helps level the playing field and overcome systemic chal- lenges. Expanding 211 province -wide creates a powerful new tool in Ontario's efforts to reduce poverty." Last year, nearly one half million Ontarians called 211. 80 per cent of 211 calls were answered in less than 20 seconds. Nearly 90 per cent of callers followed up on the information and refer- rals received through 211 and actually got the help or services they need. As a testament to 211's pop- ularity and value to callers, virtually all said they would recommend the service to friends and fami- ly. "Other funders have been waiting for this signal from the province," said Morris. "Ontario's invest- ment will help leverage additional investments in 211, and open the door to new partnership opportunities." United Way's objective is to ensure all Ontario residents have 211 service by 2011. BC's Budget, released last month, also included resources for 211. For more informa- tion, contact Huron United Way at 524-7900. A History of Maple Syrup No one is really sure just how long people have been practicing the art and science of making this wonderful product from the sap of a tree. However, there are two basic schools of thought about the origin of maple syrup. The first group identifies with Native American legend and lore that maple syrup and maple sugar was being made before recorded history. Native Americans were the first to discover 'sinzibuckwud', the Algonquin (a Native American tribe) word for maple syrup, meaning literally 'drawn from wood'. The Native Americans were the first to recognize the sap as a source of energy and nutrition. They would use their tomahawks to make V-shaped incisions in the trees. Then, they would insert reeds or concave pieces of bark to run the sap into buckets made from birch bark. Due to the lack of proper equipment, the sap was slightly concentrated either by throwing hot stones in the bucket, or by leaving it overnight and disposing with the layer of ice out which had formed on top. It was drank as a sweet drink or used in cooking. It is possible that maple -cured bacon began with this process. Before the advent of Europeans, the Natives used clay pots to boil maple sap over simple fires protected only by a roof of tree branches. This was the first version of the sugar shack. Over the years, this evolved to the point where the sugar shack is not only a place where maple syrup is produced, but also a gathering place where a tra- ditional meal can be enjoyed. However, some historians maintain that the Natives did not have the technology or tools to perform the necessary boiling of sap to make either product let alone both. The first white settlers and fur traders introduced wood- en buckets to the process, as well as iron and copper ket- tles. In the early days of colonization, it was the Natives who showed French settlers how to tap the trunk of a tree at the outset of spring, harvest the sap and boil it to evapo- rate some of the water. This custom quickly became an integral part of colony life and during the 17th and 18th centuries, syrup was a major source of high quality pure sugar. Later, however, they would learn to bore holes in the trees and hang their buckets on home-made spouts. Maple Sugar production was especially important due to the fact that other types of sugar were hard to find and expensive. It was as common on the table as salt is today. History is nothing without our learning lessons from it. Today the technological developments continue. Improvements continue in tubing. Similarly, new filtering techniques, "supercharged" pre -heaters, and better stor- age containers have been developed. Research continues on pest control and improved woodlot management. The sneeze They walked in tandem, each of the ninety two students Ming into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles and Moms freely brushed away tears. The class would not pray during the commencement not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling pro- hibiting it. The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. The speeches were nice, but they were routine until the final speech received a standing ovation. A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then it happened. All 92 students, every single one of them sneezed! The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said, "God bless you, each and every one of you!" And he walked off the stage. The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval. earss