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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-05-29, Page 13SECOND SECTION „.. 4..•••••::::. US. NO 1. at Country Playhouse AQUATIC AREA — The playground at the Grand Bend Public School looks more like a swimming pool on Monday following the heavy rain Walls to go up today Torrential rain and hail results in 100E000 flooding, damage set at AND DISTRICT NEWS perch as this picture was taken, General consensus was that the current catch is quite small and the big ones are still to come. 1-A photo intense red-orange glow grew only slightly closer, indicating to him that it must be a blaze of gigantic size, possibly a large industrial fire at Huron Park. Pulling out of a treed area onto a flat level plain, he anticipated seeing the flames shooting into the sky, pinpointing the location of his 'scoop.' Imagine his chagrin when, clearing the wooded area, his "fire" turned out to be a beautiful orange-red moon rising in the south-east horizon. THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE ctSitteT%ter tg PROCEEDS FOR The Grand Bend Nursery School and flooding at Grand Bend on Sunday. False alarm Perch biting A month ago yesterday I found myself sitting at a desk at the T-A and a few days later wandered over to Grand Bend, I don't know about you but it takes me a good month to figure out what direction I'm headed in, • both literally and figuratively. It's been an interesting month! Actually I've spent a lot more time at Grand Bend than anywhere else in the T-A coverage area, And, particularly on hot long weekends, it's been enjoyable. But it hasn't all been spent ogling the bikinis and lolling on the sand, . During the 30 days just passed I listened to Liberal liturgy, heard farmers worried about their water supplies, attended a township council meeting, en- joyed a Legion dart league bash and met literally hundreds of fine people. Two Grand Bend council meetings and one sitting of the recreation committee were on my schedule in addition to the May meeting of the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce and the Huron Country Playhouse Ladies Guild gathering. Over and above that I've en- deared myself to some of the merchants in Grand Bend per- sistently annoying them to spend a few bucks advertising their wares in the T-A. In the past two weeks I've been busy around the ranch, cutting grass and getting the garden in shape to produce a generous yield of goodies. So, while it's been busy, it's been interesting and enjoyable. + + + One of the words used above, 'friendly' has become as over- worked as 'fantastic' and `terrific' and a few others. But there just isn't another word which does the same job. Ever since I was old enough to make my own decisions, I opted out of the city rat race and took up residence in a small town. In recent years, I had come to the conclusions that small town friendliness was a thing of the past. In two particular towns, certain circumstances had caused the friendliness to wane considerably and I took it for granted that the same thing had happened all over. I was pleased, to put it mildly, at the reception I have received both in Grand Bend and Exeter. Like any stranger or newcomer, I was like a lost sheep for awhile and all the gestures, invitations and just plain friendliness were `terrific' . + + + BITS 'N PIECES . . .Reports of a large cat seen north of the village have been confirmed by the OPP and apparently tie in with earlier reports of some type of wild cat seen in the Goderich area, Apparently the cat is about three to four feet long which rules out, I would think, a domestic cat gone wild. Last year, Bruce county had a baboon running wild and during the winter the North Bay area was pestered by a cougar and now Huron-Lambton has a cat which sounds like it might be a bobcat or lynx . . . We un- derstand there is a first for Grand Bend coming up in the near future, A graduation will be held later in June when a number of students will take the step up to kindergarten, from the Grand Bend Nursery School. Teacher Holly Stapleford hinted that the graduation would be complete with gowns and paste board hats . . . It's bad enough to have your basement flooded, your garden washed out and your tomato plants lost but when your camper trailer floats away that's going too far. John and Blanche Skinner of Gill Road, two doors down from the Grand Bend Medical Centre, will have quite a job getting their camper back on its wheels after the waters swept it into a little gully on their property Sunday night . . An interesting and seldom seen attraction at the Buffaloburger Fest will be the horseshoe tournament. The Chamber of Commerce was lucky to come up with a former Ontario champion to make sure it's all done ac- cording to the rules. And if you're feeling a little low, the "pre- Olympic physique contest should be good for a laugh by the look of the entry list of Reeve Sharen of Grand Bend along with Mayor Bruce Shaw of Exeter, Reeve Jack Tinney of Hay Township and Reeve Cecil Desjardine of Stephen Township . . If success could be judged by the crowd, the auction sale at Hotson hardware Saturday must have been a dandy. Cars were lined up on both sides of the road as well as filling the parking lot . . Take a black- pencil and put a note on the calendar for June 21 if you are interested in attending the annual dance sponsored by the Huron Country Playhouse Women's Guild. Tickets are available only through the purchase of tickets to the theatre unless you know someone with tickets who isn't a dancer. If not, the ladies would be eager to sell you some theatre tickets as they've set their goal at 1,200 subscriptions, double last year's quota. + + + The idea to provide parking facilities for the village and perhaps even turning the main street into a mall, is a good one which merits more study. The newly revitalized Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce discussed the downtown parking problem at a recent meeting but decided to defer any action until fall, what with the busy summer upon us. Now council has kicked the idea around and so far almost everyone I've talked with agrees that the two ideas might be a solution to Grand Bend's biggest problem. No doubt the Chamber will be making moves in the fall and if they teamed up with council to solve the problem, it just might get done, once and for all. Perhaps the ideas put forward so far will not be feasible for economic or other reasons but usually when people start talking about a problem, a solution isn't too far away. See you next week, GRAND BEND from across the country are being received in support of this ambitious undertaking, From London $1685, Exeter $1945, Strathroy $47, Zurich $102; Toronto $550, Dashwood $50, Petrolia $25, Camlachie $100, Kitchener $450, St. Marys $100, Parkhill $1700, Bayfield $212, Stratford $60, Centralia $100, Hensall $550, Dorchester $200, and Grand Bend $8220. Cities in the USA have contributed $875 and various donations from Montreal, Calgary and BC have been received. Foundation support now totals $37500. To date the contributions climbed to just over $50,000 with $75,000 still to go.' As in the barn-raisings of old community support is raising the walls. The Women's Guild for tht Playhouse is donating the stage curtain and much of the building material comes from donated barns from the surrounding area. Benson Tuckey, chairman of the Fund Raising Committee for the Playhouse is confident in the theatre reaching its goal soon. "With the strong community involvement the amount we're striving for is coming within sight. We are reaching the middle leg of this journey." A member of the T-A editorial staff, who out of kindness shall remain anonymous, was working in Dashwood on Tuesday night when, about 11:30 p.m. he noticed a reddish-orange glow in the sky to the south-east. Immediately suspecting a fire of large proportion, he set off down county concessions in the general direction, keeping an eye on the glow as he negotiated the gravel roads, looking for a blazing barn. On and on he went and still the PERCH BITING Tuesday the T-A camera found some happy fishermen from Grand Bend on thenorth pier pulling in perch.86th these fishermen were unhooking Grand Bend and district was busy "bailing-out" early this week following a downpour and flooding on Sunday afternoon and evening, Dozens of basements were flooded, roadways were washed out and property damage loss from the flooding, has been estimated at about $100,000, Grand Bend OPP were busy during the storm rerouting traffic around a section of highway 21 which was under water. Two sections of roadway in the village were washed away ac- cording to Grand Bend reeve Bob Sharen, Lake Road and River Road were both affected along with a portion of sidewalk near the Grand Bend Public Utilities Commission office. The storm swept in over Lake Huron shortly after four o'clock Sunday afternoon and the rain, mixed with hail, did not end until after eight o'clock Sunday evening. Water flowed down the village EXETER, ONTARIO, MAY 29, 1975' DANNY'S HOME-MADE TIN Head Cheese '1.28 DANNY'S HOME-MADE Sausage 1B98` SCHNEIDER'S LOOSE main street, at one point cutting off access to the beach, By nine o'clock, everything was back to normal except the mopping up. Residents of Gill Street, south of the Grand Bend Medical Centre were particularly hard hit. John and Blanche Skinner watched the flooding waters from nearby fields eat away at their back yard, eventually sweeping their camper trailer into a nearby gully. With their basement flooded Mrs, Skinner suggested damage to their home was abolit $1,000. Next door to Skinner's, Lloyd Stewart lost some of his backyard as the eroding water swept across his land seeking the Ausable River. PUC chairman Prosper Van Bruaene said that although lightning struck installations a couple of times, they suffered no damage to PUC property, A pole near the river was struck by lightning but the situation was promptly rectified by the PUC crew who were busy pumping water at the time. The Grand Bend fire depart- ment also pitched in to help lower water levels in several areas. The village works crew was busy placing sand bags to hold back flood waters in several locations. Three girls from Detroit, members of a Detroit girl guide group camped at Pinery Provincial Park, were examined at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital after lightning struck Just feet from their tent. Joanne and Bonnie Groves and Wendy Whidden, were found to be unhurt but badly shaken. Sidney White of Owen Sound felt the full force of the storm when the light plane he was at- tempting to land near Bayfield flipped over on its back. White was not injured but his plane received damage to one wing and the tail section. A large boat, moored in the river, was sunk after filling up with water during the storm. It was raised and pumped out Monday and suffered no ill- effects, South of Grand Bend, one farmer, Martin Kelder, lost 25 acres of onions due to flooding. Several stores and business places reported damage due to flooding but generally damage was light. Outdoor rink A committee to study the feasibility of an outdoor skating rink has been appointed by the Grand Bend Chamber of Com- merce. President George Kadlecik told The Times-Advocate Tuesday that the committee would report back to a regular Chamber of Commerce meeting at a later date. President Kadlecik said the Chamber would approach the recreation committee should the investigation indicate an outdoor rink is necessary and feasible. The structure of the new Huron Country Playhouse began to take shape on Monday morning as a dozen men with a great crane raised the B.C. fir timbers into place, The goal of a permanent theatre building has almost been reached with the walls and roof going up throughout the week. Audiences will enjoy the best of both worlds, surrounded by the fields and apple blossoms while enjoying fine entertainment in the new theatre, near Grand Bend. Jerry Van Russel of Lucan has had his firm working deter- minedly to meet the June 25 opening deadline. The local support has been tremendous with workers from the com- munity, u nder, the Local Initiatives Program, getting the beams and walls ready for the raising. "The theatre will be unique in Canada" says Carlos Ventin, inspecting architect, "Not only is it the one theatre being built specifically for summer use, but it is the only one that looks like a barn on purpose. Though designer Peter Smith of Lett, Smith, designed a barn- like structure, inside it is a comfortable theatre, Audiences and casts alike will be pleased with the increased facilities. The seating is graded with every seat , in the house having a full view of the stage. The stage itself is large enough to accommodate, the biggest casts. This year's production of "Hello Dolly" will witness the fact, as forty per- formers tread the boards with room to spare. Though the structure is being raised, the total goal of $125,000 has yet to be reached. Donations Children's Fashion Show (Advance Tickets $2.00) Wednesday, June 4 at 2:00 p.m. at the GREEN FOREST MOTEL Styles by: Ladybird Teacher's Pet Christina $wimwear Simon Casual G.W.G. Fashions supplied by the M&R SHOPPE T-A photo GRAND BEND TRAVELLING TRAILER — John and Blanche Skinner of Gill Street in Grand Bend were surprised to see their camper trailer, parked in their backyard, float away into a small gully during the flooding at Grand Bend on Sunday. The trailer is not badly damaged but will be difficult to get out of the gully., T-A photo FAMILY PACK DRUMS TOASTMASTER BREAD 3 LOAVES $1 CANADA NO 1 BUTTER 1.08LB SIZE 1I3's Oranges Head Lettuce FLORIDA Tomatoes 39' LB38 Doz89( toe* FOOD VALUES HERE! Fresh Fryer Parts COUNTRY STYLE .58c COUNTRY STYLE SHORT RIB or Blade Roasts LB 98` Ground Chuck .98 FAMILY PACK FRESH Weiners 6 LB BOX $4.78 Chicken Legs LB 88' Fresh Roasting Chicken 4 5 LB AV LB GRADE A" CHOCOLATE CHIP or PEANUT BUTTE i Dare's Cookies VAS' 1.78 Hostess Chips 9 /4 AYLMER 48 01 Tomato Juice 55t CHERRYHILL 2 LB JAR Cheese Spread $2.39 BRIGHTSIDE 450 MIL Shampoo $1.99 ESSEX 1 1/2 LB TIN Canned Hams $2.68 TONIC WATER. CLUB SODA, COLINS MIX, BITTER LEMON 10 OZ TINS Canned Pop 24/$3.88 FROZEN FOOD SPECIAL WHITE 12 OZ TIN Sunkist Lemonade 534 THE TENDER SPOT Phone 238-2512 Grand Bend Open Monday to Thursday - 8 A.M. to 6 P,M, Friday, 8 to 9 P.M.; Saturday, 8 to 7 p. Open Sunday, 9 A.M. to 6 P.M.