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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1984-05-30, Page 2Huron F 4xposItor.� SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST tea ew RIBBON AWARD 1983 A Incorporating 10 Main Street Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning Brussels Post 527-0240 JOCELYN A. SHRIER, Publisher RON WASSINK, Editor KATIE O'LEARY, Advertising Representative Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press institute Subscription rates: Canada $18.75 a year (imadvance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (In advance) Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1984 Second class mail registration Number 0696 cn Super parade The Seaforth Optimist Club combined ,their --,annual Mardi Gras festivities with bicentennial celebrations on Saturday. Unfortunately the parade down Main Street only had a small number of floats depicting. the 200th birthday of Ontario. • Most people, and there were lots of them who watched the parade, said it was the best parade. they had ever seen in Seaforth. The parade was good. There were many pipe bands, the SDHS trumpet band and hundreds of Shriners In their decorated cars, mini -bikes, dune buggies and Oriental band. In one way, the parade was super, but it could have been better with more community participation. Since it was billed as a bicentennial kickoff parade, local businesses and clubs could have shown more support to Indeed make It a best ever. Many parade watchers voiced their disappointment of the group of local hot rodders. We all like to see a classic automobile, restored to perfection and gleaming after hours of polishing. But the constant squealing of tires detracted from the parade and from other participants, especially the bands who were trying to do their thing to make the parade even better. Perhaps the Optimist Club is heading in the right direction. They brought In many new attractions in hopes of raising funds through their annual Mardi Gras weekend. The parade was good, but the best part of it was that It attracted spectators and shoppers in downtown Seaforth. If the community shows more support next year and participates as It has In the past, such a celebration could flood Seaforth with people, maybe even some first timers. We have to get the people here to show them what Seaforth has to offer. Let's hope the Optimist weekend is an optimistic step in retaining and building an even more progressive community. House is needed GRADUATION exercises were held for 43 Reid; and bottom left, Jason Jeffrey, students of the Hensall Nursery School last receiving last minute Instructions from week. Shown at top left Is Kelly Dayman; top teacher Debbie Denomme. (Wassink photo) right, Kelly Regler, Amanda Regler, Jeff Grads The Ronald McDonald House is the answer for any parents who must I to a major centre to seek diagnosis and treatment of their children. WI hout it, out-of-town parents who have no friends or relatives to stay with ust either sleep in hospital lounges or bear the financial burden of paying for a hotel room or driving back and forth from home to hospital for extended periods of time. When a child is seriously ill, parents have enough emotional stress to deal with without the additional worry of finding a place to stay or perhaps being separated from the child. The Ronald McDonald House will make a bad situation a little easier to bear. Along with an ec6nomical, homelike place to stay, the house will provide support and companionship by grouping parents in a similar situation together; those who find themselves walking the house at night, unable to sleep will be sure to find an understanding ear in another parent who Is experiencing the same problem. We In Seaforth are among the many who must travel to London or to another city If a life-threatening disease strikes. So, by contributing what we can to the Ronald McDonald House. we could be making our own lives easier if we're ever in such an unfortunate situation. We can be sure we'll be helping to keep families together so both parents and children can battle a child's sickness. To the Editor i Congratulations to barbershoppers Dear Ron: I always look forward to your paper and once in a while 1 recognize a familiar name a classmate or S.0 1 1'31 to '16i student from way back then' It's great As a Sweet Adeline of many years. 1 was proud and pleased to get the pictures of the Barbershop Show 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game". and to read about so mans folks getting "hooked on harmony" to such a short time Congratulations to them all' Please renew my subsct'iption to your paper for another year. Thank you and may I congratulate you on your wonderful con- tent Sincerely Mary Krpau (Murphy) 6/04-108 Ave Edmonton. Alta Gala Gananoque It is a time when we would welcome former residents and new friends to the Gateway to the Thousand Islands This weekend, June 22.24. will feature a giant Indian Powwow, historical exhibits and reenact- ments, as well as other events that focus on friendship and fun We would welcome anyone to attend. Further information can he obtained from the Gananoque Chamber of Com- merce. 2 King Street, Fast K7G 1F.6. Yours sincerely Barry Grills. Publicity Chairman Eclipse cah damage eyesight permanently Today (Wednesday) is eclipse time again. Though it only happens every few years, there will be a partial eclipse of the sun. The moon is expected to cover about 80 per cent of the sun's face, resulting in an eclipse even greater than the last one in 1979 when there was a 65 per cent eclipse. As 1 recall, the '79 esclipse couldn't be seen in this part of Ontario because of overcast skies. Seems the best place to be was in Winnipeg. Officials and eclipse fanaticks said that was the best spot to watch the eclipse. 1 can remember watching the eclipse on the tube and it sure was spectacular, especially when time-lapse photography was used. Actually, the eclipse is a slow. drawn out affair. Today, It's going to almost take three hours. starting at 11:30 a.m. and ending at 2:15. Back in the good old days. when I was knee high to a grasshopper (can you believe it). and in public school, the whole class planned to watch an eclipse. It was my first and at the time. 1 didn't'really know what such an animal was. There we were, all 32 kids from grade one to eight in our one room school, smoking pieces of glass with a candle, 1 don't ever remember seeing the eclipse and 1 didn't watch it on television because we didn't have one. it was probably cloudy anyway. Everytime thereafter,when there was an eclipse, i missed it••usually because it was an overcast. cloudy day. Today. i can thank my lucky stars that 1 never did stand outside, star rig at the sun for a couple of hours. If I The Gala Gananoque Heritage Days Festival Committee of Gananoque. Ontar- io. is seeking old friends of the town and former residents, to specifically invite them to return and share with us the mammoth celebrations we plan this June to observe Ontario's Bicentennial and the town's own heritage.. This invitation applies to new friends as well. To create a celebration of some sine and scope, the Festival Committee has set aside three weekends. The first weekend, .bine 1 5.1 7, has the theme of a Town and Country Weekend while the second weekend, June 22-24, is entitled Festival of Friends. The third weekend, called Salute the St. Lawrence, will focus on the St. Lawrence River and the fun it provides to the people who live in or visit this area. The second weekend in particular has been deemed as a homecoming weekend. A free key Dear Sir: i take great pleasure in inviting you to join the celebrations of our province's Bicente- nial. The birthday party goes on all year long with thousands of events being planned by almost 800 municipalities to celebrate 200 years of dynamic history. Special participants in the celebration are the historic sites, attractions, museums and art galleries of which this province is very proud. 1 am especially pleased to forward to you what we call our "Key to Ontario" and 1 hope you will find time in your schedule to visit some of these outstanding provincial attractions which will feature significant Bicentennial events. We are proud of our province and of the enthusiasm with which Ontarians have caught the spirit of Bicentennial. We would be proud to have you among the distin- guished visitors to our provincial attractions during this special year. With my kindest regards, i remain, Yours truly, Fred Ross Director General Ontario Bicentennial Celebrations SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink had, i probably would be reading in braille -- I'd be blind. Going blind is no big thrill, especially when you can prevent losing your eyesight. That's just what the two elementary schools m Seaforth are doing. Kids are going to be kept indoors during the eclipse. The reason is the experience could be blinding. WOKING NOT NORMAL Looking at the sun at any time, eclipse or no eclipse, is not the normal thing to do. We never look at the sun and if we do. it damages. An eclipse is no different. in a partial eclipse, part of the sun will he blocked, but the invisible infrared rays from the exposed portion can still damage. Seaforth Optician. David Longstaff says the lens in our eves are like a magnifying glass. Just like a magnifying &lass burns a hole in a piece of paper when directed at the sun, the same happens when we look at it with our eyes. The lens burns a hole in our retina — the damage is permanent. if we were to look at the sun, our eve lens would focus all the light to a pinpoint onto the retina and burn the fovea which accounts for 90 per cent of our vision "Once it's burned, it's gone it only takes seconds, even a glimpse damages The damage is permanent hut people aren't aware of that," says Mr. Longstaff. if we were to watch the eclipse with the naked eye, we wouldn't realize we'd burned our eyes because there wouldn't be any pain. "You don't know damage is done until you wake up the next morning with no vision." STAY INDOORS Since it will be hard to resist taking a peek at the eclipse. St. James students will be kept indoors. "We sent•a memo home to the parents. Students will be having lunch and recess indoors. We don't want any kids walking home for lunch because the eclipse could be tempting." said Ray Contois, principal. Notes were also sent home with students of Seaforth Public School. "Students will be kept in at noon hour and students who normally go home for lunch, will require a note from home." says Dave Kemp. vice-principal. Students at both schools will probably watch the eclipse on the late night news, And as far as Ray Contois' concerned. "that's the safest place to be The secret for today is it's better to he safe than sorry I'm not smoking glass with candle smoke because it's not supposed tote safe — the eclipse that is. Some even wonder if looking at the eclipse through a welder's mask is safe. The only safe method is through a pin-hole camera. For me, it on't matter if today is a cloudy or sunny day, i still won't sec the eclipse, not that i want to. esides. I'll be working. And that's all the b tter because 1 don't have a welding mask or a pin-hole camera, I can t be bothered making a contraption as shown at the right to view the eclipse the proper way. i probably couldn't find a box big enough. Sometimes you want to check 'None of the above' What a sense of power those few 100 people who answered the Gallup Poll last month must be feeling. Here they were. just a tiny proportion of the population. just answering a few questions. and they set the whole country on its ear. 1 wonder if they realized how important they were when they were giving their answers, !wonder if a few of them might have said, "What the hell, let's give them a thrill" 1 once answered a Gallup survey i can't remember feeling f had the power to alter history in my hands. it scares me now to think 1 may be responsible for changing entire government policies lust by the way i answered those questions. Some of those government programs you love to hate may have come into being because I went "eenie" when f might have gone "moe" as I considered which way to choose. The horrible thing is, 1 can't remember one single question that was on the survey outside of the one about which way you would Everyone How to,supplement your income when you go into retirement? This is an occupational hazard of potential retirees, who, after living in this country for the past 30 years, know full well that their paper money is going to be good for starting fires with, and not much else, in a decade or so. Canadians are extremely security -con- scious. They don't give a diddle about BEHIND THE SCENES by Keith Roulston vote if there was an election today (I think 1 was undecided). i mean. here 1 might have changed history and 1 don't even remember what history I changed. Which of course is the strange things about polis. Politicians are always on record and something they said years ago can be brought up to them today to show how they've waffled (Pierre Trudeau hasn't lived down the Second World War yet). But here are these people out there who have had a tremendous effect on which way politicians form policies and those anony• mous people may change their mind entirely tomorrow and next week may have entirely forgotten even what they were asked. Then there are all those millions of people who never get asked and yet are part of "the people" that are supposed to have spoken when a poll is taken. How come. for instance, nobody ever asks me what I watch on television. My television is continually clogged with mindless sit -toms where you can see the punchlines coming and the entire plot by the time the first commercial arrives and I'm told that's what "the people" want. Ain't 1 ' 'people "? They fill the screen with car chases and he-men so chesty they can't do up all the buttons on their shirts and they say that's what everybody wants. Does that wake me a nobody? The trouble is, even if you do get to answer one of these surveys. they may not ask you the questions you want to answer. Sometimes you want to check off "None of the above" but the computer doesn't have a place for it. And sometimes you want to give them an opinion they apparently don't want to hear because they have no place for you to give it. A few years ago 1 was talking to a writer for the London Free Press about the paltry amount of space allotted to entertainment newels in the paper. But the surveys show, he told me, that people aren't interested. They want information on junior hockey, etcbut not on entertainment. It so happened that 1 got a call a couple of years later from someone taking a readership survey for the Free Press. Would 1 say 1 was: a) very interested b) somewhat interested or c) not at all interested in junior hockey. And so it went through a half-dozen or so questions and just when 1 was ready for the question about how interested i was in entertainment, she said, "That's all, thank you." 1 was still stuttering " B -b -b -but" when the phone clicked. So much for my influence on the world through surveys. is frightened by the modern economy SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley growing old gracefully. They want to grow old comfortably. Scotland and the bogs of Ireland and the smogs of England, with plenty of nerve and not much else. They paid their dues with hard work, taking chances, raising and feeding, huge families. The last things in their minds were pensions, condominiums in the south, the It's hard to believe. These are the same Telling dollar. or Ayrabs. people whose ancestors came from the fogs of (please turn to page A3)