February dance cancelled over Halloween alcohol problems

Principal’s Page
By Jeff Reaburn

Two weeks ago we held a Career Week at South Huron to promote awareness among the students of the many career options open to them, especially the careers available right here in Huron County. The Career Week was sponsored by the School Council and funded by a Parents Reaching Out grant that the School Council received from the Ministry of Education. Over the course of the week, students attended sessions on small business and entrepreneurship, future opportunities in Huron County, apprenticeships and non-traditional careers, financial planning, private colleges, a career fair, and opportunities in agriculture.
I would like to thank the many individuals from local businesses, industries, and institutions who gave of their time in support of this venture. The afternoon sessions were very well attended and I think the students learned a great deal from them. I know that I learned more about career opportunities in Huron in this one week than I have in many, many years, and we are very grateful to all the individuals who took the time to share their expertise with us. Unfortunately, with the exception of the session on post-secondary financing, the evening sessions were not very well attended, but the information provided at these sessions was extremely valuable.
I would like to thank as well the many teachers who gave up class time to bring their classes to the afternoon sessions, and to Isaac Moore, Warren Elder, and Mitch Boyle, who helped us every day with the sound system and presentation technology. Finally, I would like to thank Jim Brintnell and Karen Brown of the School Council for their hard work and support in organizing, promoting, and running the Career Week activities.
On a less than positive note, we had some disappointing behaviour at our Halloween Dance last week. A number of students chose to smuggle alcohol into the dance and were drinking while attending the dance. Several students were caught and have been suspended from school. However, we have pretty reliable information that there were many more who escaped detection, some of whom were identified but left the dance when they realized that some of their peers had been found out. This incident has disappointed me greatly and has caused me to re-evaluate several aspects of our school dances and our methods of supervision. As you may know, we have police at our dances and one of the things that they routinely do is check bags and backpacks as students are entering the school. We also have breathalysers that we use at the door. Sometimes we breathalyse everyone, a practice for which we and several other schools have been criticized, and at other times we do random sampling. In fact, one of the reasons that I chose to get breathalysers in the first place was due to parent complaints when their children were suspended that many others were drinking as well, and why weren’t they caught and suspended?
As well, staff members circulate in the gym and in the halls around the gym to monitor student behaviour during the dance. They also check the bathrooms periodically, but this practice often results in complaints from students who feel that their privacy is being violated. Perhaps now they will understand why we need to do so.
Despite all these precautions, some students did smuggle alcohol into the dance, which was probably made easier due to the fact that this was a costume dance. As I indicated to several people following this incident, if we reach the point where we have to search students and breathalyse them on the way out as well as on the way in, then it is time to discuss why we are having dances in the first place.
As a result of this incident, I have cancelled the dance scheduled for February, and we will be breathalysing everyone who attends dances in the future. As well, there will be no more costume dances. This may seem a harsh reaction and it does penalize students who did nothing wrong, but I feel the need to send a statement to the student body on this issue. Should we continue to have problems of this nature, then we will have to consider not having dances at all.
The Provincial Code of Conduct is very clear - students are not to attend school functions under the influence of alcohol, and suspension is the recommended consequence. In fact, if a student is caught supplying alcohol to another student, then the principal must consider an expulsion. Please note that it does say “consider,” but students need to be aware that this is a possible consequence should they be caught in such a situation. Hopefully, this is not a decision I will ever have to consider.

A Story of Love, not War

Could You Wait?
Book & Original Lyrics by W. J. Matheson
Original Music by W.J. Matheson, Louise Pitre and Diane Leah
Performed by Louise Pitre and W.J. Matheson
Directed by Miles Potter
Grand Theatre, London
October 23 to November 11, 2007

Live! On Stage!
Review by Mary Alderson

Could You Wait?, a new musical to start the season at London’s Grand Theatre, has been billed as a war story. With Legion members greeting patrons at the Grand’s entrance on opening night, the impression was given that this was a World War II play. But Could You Wait? is a story of love, not war, set in the early 1940’s. Yes, there is a war going on, but it’s almost forgotten as the plot is wrapped up in the romance of Matt and Mary.
When the action begins on stage, we meet Matt and Mary, an elderly couple out on a seniors’ bus trip today. They are revisiting the Royal York hotel, which apparently holds significant memories for them. Mary is thrilled, but Matt says they should have taken the trip to Casino Rama.
Then the clock jumps back in time. Mary and Matt meet at a dance in Halifax. He’s in the Navy and is just heading off to war. He’s a Saskatchewan farm boy, or “plough jockey” and she’s a French Canadian Catholic. The romance develops shyly through the mail, and both express concerns about what their mother would think. Mary moves to Toronto, and Matt, on leave, has to find his way to meet him there, planning to pop the question and ask her to wait for her. The proposal is made in the luxurious Imperial Room at the Royal York.
Mary is played by Broadway star Louise Pitre (the mother in “Mamma Mia” in both the Toronto and New York productions) while Matt his played by her real-life husband Joe (W.J.) Matheson. You may remember them in the Grand’s outstanding production of For the Pleasure of Seeing You Again last February. Matheson wrote this show for Pitre, and the two obviously enjoy working together. They collaborated on some of the songs, together with musical director Diane Leah.
It’s a heart-warming story, and the music is wonderful. Their original works are mixed in with some old favourite war songs, such as “I’ll be Seeing You in All the Old Familiar Places” and “The White Cliffs of Dover”. Both Pitre and Matheson have beautiful voices – whether they’re rendering spellbinding solos, or singing together in harmony, their vocal performances are flawless.
The couple also dance together. There are some romantic waltzes, but a favourite is the lively jive to the great swing song “Steppin’ Out”. Credit goes to another husband and wife team who handled the choreography: Janet Kelley and Glen Kerr.
The story contains a few anachronisms, but Matheson can be forgiven for taking some poetic licence. The elderly Matt comes on stage carrying a Simpsons shopping bag, but says he’d rather be at Casino Rama – I don’t think Simpsons and Casino Rama ever existed together in the same time frame. Lyrics in one song mention Diefenbaker, but I doubt that Dief was making much news during the 1940s. And the song “Steppin’ Out” was not popular until after the Second World War.
But no one said that it was going to be a history lesson – instead it offers us much to learn about romance, love and life.
Could You Wait? continues at the Grand Theatre in London until Remembrance Day, November 11. Tickets are available at the Grand box office at 519-672-8800 or 1-800-265-1593.

Mary Alderson offers her view of area theatre in this column on a regular basis. As well as being a fan of live theatre, she is a former journalist who is currently employed with the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporations.

The long and winding road to recovery

“I’m going to walk over on my artificial leg. And maybe get up and do a slow dance with somebody.”

Benefit and dance for Tom Lessard
Saturday, November 3 – 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Crediton Community Centre
Sponsored by Centralia-Huron Park Lions Club. Age of majority required. Lunch provided.
Entertainment by Li’l Audrey.
Admission: $5.
Tickets: Corry Price (519) 228-9907 or Debra McNair (519) 235-0158.
Proceeds will offset costs associated with leg amputation Tom received this summer. An artificial leg costs (after government help) at least $2000. Tom could need three in total.

As told to Casey Lessard
Photos by Casey Lessard

Tom Lessard: The pain was out of this world. I’ve never gone through pain like that. Some of it was the gout, but that was just in the toe. The rest of the pain was just a constant screaming pain. Even morphine didn’t work. I had constant pain in my leg 24 hours a day. It was excruciating.

It all started in 1988. I used to go back and forth to Exeter on Fridays. Then my leg started cramping up in my calves. I went to Dr. Gans, and he didn’t know what the heck it was. He was treating me with cortisone and all this other stuff for almost a year. Finally, he said, “You ever been tested for cholesterol?” I said no. “Well, let’s get you tested.”
It was way up. “All right,” he says, “let’s get you on this stuff,” and he put me on Zocor. He got me an appointment with Dr. Mike Sweeney here in London. I got down to him and he said, “I’ll tell you what. You smoke?”
“Yeah, I’ve smoked for 40 years.”
“Well, you either quit smoking or I’ll take your legs.”
I said, “Well, that’s easy enough, I’ll quit smoking.”
Smoking dried out the arteries and took away the elasticity they need. The cholesterol builds up in there. That’s hereditary from my mother and father, but back then we never knew.
The doctor said, “We’re going to put artificial arteries in your legs between your groin and your knees. We’ll do the one this time…”
I said, “Can you do them both?”
“It’s quite an operation,” he said.
I said, “Let’s do them both.”
I got in on the 16th or 17th of December, they did both my legs, and I had some heat down there and the pain was gone. It was December 25th when I got out.
He said, “I’ll guarantee it five years.” That worked along pretty good until about 2002 (14 years later), and then I had problems with my left leg. It started going crampy and all sorts of funny little things. So I went in and they gave me an angioplasty and sort of scraped out the inside of the artery, so that fixed my left leg.
Then in 2004, the same thing happened in my right one. They did that one, but then I got a fungus in my toes. That was about a year and a half ago, at the beginning of 2006. My family doctor tried to treat it but it kept getting thicker and thicker and thicker. Then I got what seemed like gout in my big toe.
At first, they said, “Just stick a piece of cotton batten in between your toes,” so I did that for a week and it didn’t work. So I went to a clinic and the doctor there said, “You’ve got gout.”
She sent me over for x-rays and blood tests, and sure enough, that’s what it was. I got this gout treatment, but nothing was healing properly. My toenail fell off. The foot started swelling up and problems in my right calf again.
I went to see my specialist, but I had a hard time getting to see him. Finally I did, and they hauled me in and that was February of this year. They did an artery bypass from my groin right to my ankle.
After it was over, they took the stitches out a little early and in my calf, there were five or six of them and it didn’t heal properly. They treated that for six months.
I’d go to the specialist and they kept taking pieces off my heel. Then I had an ulcer down there, the toenail was gone, and it was getting black. Finally, they said, we’ll take your toes off. This was the last week of June.
They took the toes off and part of the heel, and two days later when they took the wrapping off, I looked down at my toe and my foot was all black. They took off the rest of the leg to the knee the next Friday.
I came out of the operating room and I felt like a million dollars. I hadn’t been in my bed since October – I couldn’t sleep in my bed because it was too painful. I went 31 days with no sleep in that stretch between October and July.
I played pool the other day with the therapist. I had the leg on and you go around the pool table and see how long you can stand and move around. Also, we played shuffleboard last week. You try to stand for half an hour without too much pressure or getting too tired.
My leg feels better, but I’ve got a job to do at the post office. I like to go visit my friends at the bar. I’d like to go shopping, running to town and back. I can’t rake the lawn or do anything outside, which I always liked to putter around. A lot of the time I can’t even sit out there because I need someone to make sure the doors open for me.
I’ve lost my home life for the time being, and when I’m home I can’t do much. I have to ask Rita, “Can you take me out?” Then we have to get the wheelchair out and the walker and get down the steps. Then we get to where we’re going and it’s a big chore. So I very seldom even ask her.

They say if you’ve had gangrene, it’s a 50 per cent chance you’ll lose your other leg in five years. I had gangrene, so 50 per cent; that’s not bad odds. I’ve had 70 years (his birthday is October 27), and I went 20 years on a five-year promise.
If I have to lose the other one, what can you do about it? If you don’t want to live, you just say leave it on and let the gangrene take you. But I’m not going through that because that gangrene is deadly.

I think it’s very nice of these friends and neighbours to hold this benefit. I’m not going to turn them down. If they raise some money for me, I can certainly use it. We don’t have a lot of money.
I want to walk over there (to the benefit). I’m going to walk over on my artificial leg. And maybe get up and do a slow dance with somebody.

Beach meeting Saturday; next Strip Nov. 21

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

An important meeting is taking place this weekend (Saturday, October 27 at 9 a.m.) at the Grand Bend Public School, and anyone interested in the future of Grand Bend should attend. It’s billed as a beach revitalization meeting, but anyone who attended the last one in the summer knows it’s a lot more than that.
Attendees at the last meeting left feeling like the municipality had ignored the realities of the village, and noting the town should get the main strip right before making changes to the beach.
It will be hard walking into a room full of people who are skeptical of your plans, but that could have been avoided by asking questions of the stakeholders in the first place. The people I’ve talked to about this issue say they’ve never been approached (before or after the meeting), and they should have been.
Not all of the ideas presented at the last beach improvement meeting were bad; some weren’t considerate of the context of the village. Many people who attended would like to see the main street cleaned up and made more attractive first. They forgot the meeting was focused on beach improvement, not village improvement. Unfortunately for Lambton Shores, most people consider the two the same.
And yes, there were arguments about the quality and quantity of work put into maintaining the beach on a daily basis. They should not be forgotten either, and we’ll see whether they are addressed.
It’s a good sign that the town has listened to residents who were furious over meetings held on weekdays. We’ll see Saturday morning whether the municipality has listened to anything else, and I’m sure there will be plenty of people who disagree with the plans walking in the door.
Once bitten, twice shy, right?

Strip monthly until May
Our next edition is November 21. We will appear in your mailbox monthly until the Victoria Day weekend. See updates at our website: http://www.grandbendstrip.com.

Name spelled wrong
I also want to apologize for spelling Louise Lockrey’s name wrong. I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Hit the ice, granny

Advice from mom
By Rita Lessard

With all of this nice warm weather we’re experiencing, you would think that a winter sport such as hockey would be the last thing on our minds but since we usually spend money for the kids when they go back to school, we might as well add to that the expense of hockey registration.
I don’t imagine families do any fundraising to offset the cost of registration, which in turn pays for ice time and other hockey needs. Fortunately for us, when our five sons were playing we had a fundraising committee that raised lots of money that helped out a lot.
These days, I realize parents haven’t got the time or the energy to raise money in the fashion that we did. Although I was always at the arena, I never quite watched a complete hockey game. Usually I was working in the food booth, but that wasn’t my only excuse. Once the fans got going with their screaming and hollering, I couldn’t stand it and I would make myself scarce.
I realize hockey is a rough sport, but fans are sometimes more violent than the players on the ice. I remember one game in particular when we experienced the wrath of the fans.

Coming out swinging
(Note: names have been changed to protect individuals’ identities)
Jack’s parents and grandparents never missed a game. They really enjoyed watching Jack play and he was a very good player but they got a little carried away with their screaming and hollering. Grandma was the worst. She was quite feisty and she really didn’t appreciate it when Jack was in a scoring position and a player took a penalty to foil him. Joe seemed to be in the penalty box a lot, which wasn’t always a bad thing because most of the time he was there for stopping Jack from scoring.
This time, granny notices Joe’s jersey number after one such incident, and her vindictive mind brews a plan.
Granny waits a little bit until the game is over. As always, when the game is over, it is a custom for the players to line up and shake hands in a friendly manner; all things good or bad are forgotten. Not quite this time.
All of a sudden, Granny makes an appearance on the ice heading straight for Joe. Holy cow! With her purse as a weapon, she gets on the ice and starts swinging like Willie Mays. Since she doesn’t have skates on, she’s not too steady on her pins and eventually she goes down. She ended up breaking her wrist and she was taken off the ice on a stretcher - screaming, of course. We couldn’t shut that woman up.
If you can imagine how shocked we were at this performance, the fact that she was wearing a skirt when she went bottoms up was quite comical. Not too pretty!
Although Joe was startled, he wasn’t hurt. Grandma ended up getting a penalty: she wasn’t welcome at any more of Jack’s games.

Reach out and touch someone
You know, it truly is amazing how times have changed. I was listening to the news the other day and in some schools, the kids are not allowed to touch each other in any manner – no embracing, no hand shaking, no playing tag. It saddens me to think my grandchildren are denied this act of affection. If that were the case in the real world, I’d probably be locked up by now. I encourage you to take a chance and hug somebody today.
And remember, keep your stick on the ice and granny off the ice.

You won’t hear from mom for a while - not because she’s locked up, but because the Strip doesn’t publish again until Nov. 21. Read more advice then.

Building bonds with a stranger

Big and Little Sisters find common ground at hockey arena

Whodunnit?
Friday, November 16, 6 p.m. - South Huron Recreation Centre, Exeter
A Wild West murder mystery fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters South Huron with three-course dinner catered by Barbara’s, silent auction, and music by Stone Angels.
Tickets: $50. Call 519-235-3307

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

Exeter residents Doris Osgood, 48, and Natalie Priebe, 14, spend Friday nights together at the South Huron Community Centre. The two are Big and Little Sisters, and enjoy spending time together, but especially at the hockey rink, where they volunteer with the Exeter Hawks. Osgood’s son is the goalie for the team, and her husband is the announcer.

Doris: My little sister is bigger than me (laughs). We’ve been together not quite a year. It was just before Christmas…
Natalie: …December 19…
Doris: …when we got together. Amy from Big Brothers Big Sisters was really excited because she knew how into hockey our family was. My son’s the goalie for the Hawks and she knew that Natalie was right into hockey, so she’d probably enjoy tagging along, and she does.
Natalie: There were some other things we had a common interest in, but the hockey is how we hooked up. We both like hockey and really enjoy doing it. That’s why we enjoy seeing each other every week.
Doris: My husband is the announcer for these games, so we’re up in the press box. He’s keeping track of the penalties and the shots on net. We’re there with a piece of paper keeping a count on that, which is verified with the person in the penalty box area.
Natalie: I like doing the shots on net. That’s my job when I come to the games. If I miss a shot, Doris is right in there telling me that I need to put it down.
Doris: We also come down in the intermission and help with the fundraiser activities - the 50-50 and the chuck-a-puck - if they need people to help there.
It’s great for Natalie now that she’s in high school because I can sign for volunteer hours for her. I know the other people here appreciate having her here as well. With most groups and activities, you’re always looking for people to come along and help.
Natalie: We moved to Exeter a year ago. My parents are separated, so it was difficult. I went to a new school, moved into a new house, got separated from my father. I was in Seaforth for my whole life so it was difficult leaving Seaforth and coming to Exeter, but in a way it’s better to start a new life and see what else is out there.
It helps to have someone there. (Without Doris,) I’d still be going through difficult times, not letting anybody know what’s going on in my life between my parents and with my family. When Doris is there, we talk about some of those things and how to resolve things. During the intermissions we’re usually down here talking about something.
Doris: My son is 18 years old so, having had a teenager, it was okay for me to have an older child as a match instead of someone younger. I think it’s probably a more relatable match. She can talk to me and I still understand where a teenager is coming from and I’m in tune with what my own son is going through at the high school.
Natalie: It makes you feel better that you’ve got one more person in your life. The first couple of days, I didn’t know what it was going to be like, but it’s pretty good.
Doris: It is great to interact with somebody else who’s not in my family. Not having a daughter or sisters, it’s cool to be able to do girl things. But we’re not really girly-girls. It’s a comfortable interaction. It’s really nice to relate to somebody who does enjoy the same things but not my own age.
This is something I always had in my heart: to be a Big Sister. We’re all busy these days, so it wasn’t that I decided all of a sudden that I had time. I realized that soon, if I didn’t say yes, I’d be looking back years later saying I wish I would have done it.
It’s not about having time or money. Most of the stuff we do doesn’t cost much. It’s not about thinking you have so much to offer someone else and being an influence on them. It’s about just being there for someone else. In today’s world, where everybody’s going so fast, some people get left behind and it’s kind of nice that there’s a program that opens things up for her.

“(Big Brothers Big Sisters) gives them the support of a mentor,” says organization secretary Laurie Mackechnie, “support they might not be getting from other avenues or at home.”
The organization has two major fundraisers each year, including the bowl-a-thon held across the country, and one local event. This year, the spring event had to be cancelled because of low ticket sales, and they’ve decided to try the Whodunnit to raise much-needed revenue.
“Combined with money from the United Way, that’s all the money we have for the year. If there’s good attendance, we hope to raise about $5000.
“Finances have been tight. We need to have enough funds to pay the staff to run the programs. If this fundraiser is not a success, we may have to re-evaluate some of the programs we offer. We would have to find ways to cut costs or increase funding.”
The murder mystery event is a new event for BBBS, but Mackechnie promises a fun night.
“We have a group of actors coming in to do the murder mystery part of the night. I’ve seen them before and they do a great job and it’s a whole lot of fun.”

Career week opens new doors for students

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

What are you going to do with your life? It’s not an easy question for students to answer. The South Huron District High School council tried to help during Futures week last week.
“Each of us has our own understanding of what’s available,” says council chair Jim Brintnell, “but until you open it up, it’s hard to know what’s out there.”
Two sessions focused on small businesses and entrepreneurship.
“You have to have a goal,” said Alison Lobb of the Huron Small Business Enterprise Centre, “and then you have to put it on paper.”
Monday’s small business session inspired local shop owners to give their advice on how to be a success.
“Whatever you do, do your best,” said Wilma Truemner of Bridal Elegance in Exeter. “Do a lot of research. Go to people who know what they’re doing and ask questions.”
Julian Bayley of IceCulture reinforced the importance of a good first impression, and the importance of social skills: “You will always be using your networking skills.”
Darren Kints of Dairy Queen encouraged students to ignore naysayers: “If you listen to people who say you can’t, you won’t.”

Get help getting into shape

Curves Exeter introduces computer system to help members optimize workouts

By Casey Lessard

The women at Curves in Exeter are about to get an even better workout, says owner Ann Barteaux, thanks to a $15,000 computer and equipment upgrade. The new system, called CurvesSmart, determines each member’s individual optimal workout and guides the member when she (Curves is designed especially for women) is not optimizing her exercise. It will be operational as of October 29.
“When someone comes in to register,” Barteaux says, “we do a health profile, see if they’re on medications, do blood pressure and heart rate tests. This is all entered into the system, we take the person to each machine, do a range of motion test and maximum power test, and this gives the computer a basis to work from. The person takes their personal key tag and touches it to the machine reader, and it monitors the range of motion and power, and you are aiming for the lights to turn green.
“It enhances the quality of the workouts,” she adds. “It’s fairly easy to get distracted when you’re working out. Now, with the light sensor, you have to focus on your workout. All of our hydraulics are hooked up to a sensor and if you need to increase the intensity of your workout, it will do that.”
Not only will it increase the intensity, it will also keep track to make sure you’re not overdoing it.
“If you’re working past your safe heart rate zone, the stepper will automatically reduce the intensity it will allow you to work at for the machines following it.”
The stepper and a unit for stretching are the new equipment purchases that come with the CurvesSmart computer monitoring system.
“We’ve had a lot of great feedback about this machine, even from die-hard stretchers.”
“Your body doesn’t get as much out of a workout if you don’t stretch properly afterward,” says trainer Sid Reaburn. As one of the test subjects for setting up the computer, she’s also impressed with the new system.
“This is so user-friendly. All you look for is the green light.”
“Curves is the only fitness facility with this technology,” Barteaux says. “We are the only one in Huron County and north to have this system. Sarnia and Stratford are getting it, and London has it, but in this area, we are the only one with it.”
She was convinced by the technology even before she bought the club.
“I had committed to the purchase of the CurvesSmart prior to becoming an owner of a club because I believe it’s that important to women’s health.”
CurvesSmart is just one more attribute the Exeter location has to its credit. The club has earned the Shining Star quality standard, which signifies it is an elite Curves club.
“The members’ commitment to the club and to using the facility properly is a huge part of that,” Reaburn says.
Curves members will soon be helping women at the chain’s 10,000 clubs around the world get into better shape. Baylor University will use the (anonymous) data gathered from the CurvesSmart system to research women’s health.
“Obesity is a huge problem for all age groups in North America,” Barteaux says. “Women are the only demographic for whom obesity is not increasing. Men and children continue to rise, and Curves believes it must have a small part in that success.”

Get your motor running for kids

Motorcycle riders show their heart with fundraiser/parade

Kause for Kids
Saturday, November 3
Gables, Grand Bend
10 a.m. – staging
12 p.m. – parade
Admission:
New unwrapped toy plus $20, or $75 in pledges
Tickets available at Colonial and Peckitt’s Mens’ Wear
Entertainment by Hotel California, tribute to the Eagles

“We think there’s a need to level the playing field for special needs kids,” says Nelson Desjardine, founder and committee member of the Kause for Kids. The event is a fundraiser operated by Ontario’s West Coast Riders in conjunction with the Grand Bend Optimist club.
The annual motorcycle parade through Grand Bend and subsequent lunch and party is always a sell-out, and if you’re interested in taking part, you should register soon.
“It’s been a great response,” Desjardine says. “Since year one, the tickets have sold out. We couldn’t do it without the community. They know what we’re all about. It’s about kids with special needs.”
Even if you can’t take part in the ride, you can still participate.
“We expect to sell out and the overflow will go to the Colonial. People can come out to the parade and donate toys at the parade. Bikes will be decorated in a Christmas theme. We’ll have quite a few spectators along the parade route. It’s just like a Santa Claus parade but with motorcycles.”
Hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate, which it has for the last five years. Last year, the event raised $33,313, which was given to the Grand Bend Optimist Club for distribution to various children’s charities (a full list is available at http://www.grandbend.com/kauseforkids/). Some of the funds raised at the event have been earmarked for a special needs project at the Grand Bend beach. Twelve hundred toys were received and distributed to needy children in the area.

Here are some of the charities benefitting from the Kause for Kids:
Thames Valley Children’s Centre, Sunshine Dreams for Kids, Spinabifida & Hydrocephalus Association of Ontario, War Amps Champ Program, Make a Wish Foundation, Camp Trillium, Huron United Way, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Sari Therapeutic Riding, Alexander MacKenzie Secondary School for Special Needs Students, Community Living Sarnia - Lambton Summer Respite Program, Foundation Huron, Grand Bend Optimists (Beach Project - Special Needs), Children’s Health Foundation, Bruce Shriners for Shriners Hospitals, Mocha Motor Corps for the Shriners Hospital Ride, Ride for Sight, Childhood Cancer Foundation/Childhood Cancer Research Fund, Baby steps walk for NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit St. Joseph’s Hospital, London)

Prowling for owls

Owl Prowl
Morrison Dam Conservation Area (ABCA administration centre workshop), Morrison Line, east of Exeter
Saturday, November 3, 7 to 9 p.m.
Register ahead of time at 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2810

The Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority’s Owl Prowl is your chance to take a guided hike in search of night creatures, especially the Eastern Screech Owl.
The evening begins at 7 p.m. sharp with a multimedia presentation focusing on the owls and how they adapt as nighttime hunters.
“It’s really amazing to find out about nocturnal creatures such as owls in our area and the fascinating ways they adapt to their environment,” says Julie Hicks, ABCA conservation education specialist.
After the slide show, you will join a guided night hike. Once your eyes will become accustomed to the dim light, you’ll be able to explore the wonderful world of owls and other creatures of the night.
Dress appropriately for a nighttime hike, and bring a mug to enjoy hot chocolate around an outdoor fireplace after the hike. This helps reduce waste created from using disposable cups.
Last year, more than 150 people joined the prowl. If rain is imminent on Nov. 3, call the ABCA for an update.

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