How to live your dream

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Maybe I have a soft spot for people who have taken a big risk and left the comfort of a job or home to start a new life doing something completely different. You’ll read about Thomas and Gail Bailey, who started their own church. Hank and Diane VanderVelden have continued to simplify their lives so they could take it to an extreme: living the next ten years (that’s the plan for now) on a boat they built from scratch. And all of the people photographed for the front and back covers took a risk to move to Canada, including our cover subjects Marta Fiore and Joseph Fasolato, who moved from Argentina; on the back page, the Van Der Linde boys moved from South Africa, Elvis and Daniela Gerber from Cuba, and the Selvarajans from Sri Lanka.
My parents moved a lot before I was born, with my dad’s military service taking him all over Europe (my mom followed him to Germany) and into the Middle East. I’ve lived in England, and Anjhela has lived there and in Switzerland. Moving away from home takes a lot of courage and stamina, and you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen in the long-term, but that’s also one of the good things about it.
As you’ll read in our stories, the most successful risks require both planning and faith. It’s important to know what you can expect, but it’s equally important to realize that some things cannot be planned. Risk-takers require an organic attitude, an edge that allows them to be prepared for the worst, and the adrenaline that comes from being imperfectly prepared.
The key to success is having a good support system, and I’ve certainly found that to be true. I’m very thankful for the people who have helped me along the way.
I hope people will read this issue and see that dreams can be fulfilled, as long as you are prepared for the work involved and surround yourself with good people. And don’t forget to keep the faith.
Tell me about your adventures: drop me an note at the email address at the top of this page.

Keep it clean, boys

Advice from mom
By Rita Lessard

Thanksgiving – what a great holiday. This is a wonderful time of year to celebrate and reflect on all the many gifts and blessings we have received throughout the years. Since I’ve lived quite a few years, my blessings have been numerous.
I am especially thankful for my neighbours, my first family, friends, and last but not least, my husband and five sons.
My siblings – whom I consider my first family – are very special indeed. I keep in touch with my brothers and sisters as much as I can. My sister Joan, who lives in Shipka, is very kind and generous to Tom and me, so to her I say thank you on this Thanksgiving Day.
A couple of months ago, I was talking to my neighbour and she was quite astonished that I had raised five sons and lived to tell the tale. I told her that having five boys was the best thing that ever happened to me.
“Well,” she said, “I had two sons and I find that boys are so dirty.”
My response to her was, “Yes, you’re probably right, but I made sure that my guys were clean as they had to take a bath or shower every night,” to which she said, “Whatever!”
I think the idea of taking a bath every night backfired on my son Glenn on one occasion. Glenn and Tom Jr. (my oldest boys) had an opportunity to visit and have a camp-out at a neighbour’s farm. Since we’re basically town folk, this was quite an adventure.
Instead of having their bath the night before, I made the boys take their bath before they left for the farm. Tommy was okay with it, but Glenn put up quite a fuss. He insisted he was going to get dirty anyway, so what was the point? I prevailed and the boys were freshly bathed when they set out.
When they got to the farm with a group of other kids, they were quite excited to see the animals and the farm machinery and the rest of the makings of the farm. After they were there they were allowed to explore a bit, which was a lot of fun.
Glenn decided he’d like to go up in the hayloft and see how that felt, so up he went. He got walking around and everything seemed fine. Then, all of a sudden, he stepped in a hole and fell through the loft into the cows’ toilet. He was covered in manure.
Was he ever ticked! Glenn thought he would get dirty at the farm, but not this way. When he came out of the barn smelling like dung, the kids thought it was quite funny. Off he went to the bathroom for - you guessed it – another bath.
So yes, boys do get dirty, but you can always clean them, and this is another thing I am thankful for.
Count your blessings this year, and be ever so thankful today and every day.

From the Port to the Pacific

Couple hopes to one day sail around the world in hand-built catamaran

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

Retired teachers Hank (North Lambton Secondary School, Forest) and Diane (Our Lady Immaculate, Strathroy) VanderVelden, both 58 years old, set sail from Port Franks Thursday, embarking on a journey they started almost 20 years ago. With an interest in sailing that started in the early 1990s, Hank has spent the last eight years building a 14-metre long by 8-metre wide catamaran they now call home. The boat has three queen-sized bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a bathtub), a storage area, a full kitchen, and living room with television. Equipped with a machine to convert salt-water into drinking water and solar panels for electricity, the sailboat (with two backup diesel engines) allows the couple to be self-sufficient on the ocean.

This year, their destination is Florida, next year the Caribbean, the following year Europe, and if all goes well, they will sail around the world the year after that.

Hank: I’ve watched the round-the-world rally races for about 20 years, so it’s always been something I’ve been fascinated by. Certainly you get to see a lot of the world, and parts of the world you won’t see through a travel agency. Backwards parts of the world, interesting parts of the world, scary parts of the world; it’s not boring, that’s for sure.
We plan to go to Europe in 2009 with a group called ARC – Atlantic Rally Crossing – where you pay a fee and about 250 boats cross through Bermuda. They supply all the charting, weather forecasting and a doctor on one of the boats. It sounds like a lot of boats, but three or four days out you won’t see anybody anymore. You might see a mast way out in the distance, but you’re in radio contact if you have problems. We’ll go to Holland and the Mediterranean, and come back in September. We’ll see where we go from there. We may get out there and say, “Holy crap, this is not for us. This is too scary.” Maybe we’ll just float back and forth to the Caribbean. There’s no guarantee that we’ll circumnavigate. It’s our dream, but it’s a dream that has to come with a certain amount of reality.
Diane: Hank said he wanted to do this for our retirement, so we started looking around. We got our plans from Roger Simpson Design in Australia.
We sold our house about 10 years ago to stay with my mother who was dying of Alzheimer’s. Then we moved to an apartment and she moved into a nursing home, so we just stayed in the apartment. We just kept getting smaller - from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom apartment to a boat. The boat’s our home.
Hank: We enjoyed sailing all the time, and we thought it would be nice to retire on a boat. The advantage of a catamaran is it doesn’t keel over. You can put a cup down and it doesn’t go sliding off the end of the table; everything stays on the level. And it’s got more room. A cat this size probably has as much room as a 65’ mono-hull. We started looking at boats, and we decided on a catamaran. Then we started looking at catamarans and realized they were too expensive for us (a new boat this size would cost about $800,000), so we had to build one; that’s the only way we could get one.
I first got interested when a good colleague of mine and I sailed on another friend’s sailboat. The three of us guys would sail to the North Channel, to Tobermory. Then Diane decided she wanted to sail, too, so we took the courses together and we chartered together. As we became more confident in our skills, they let us go out on our own. Then we had the boat for two weeks alone in the North Channel, navigating around rocks and all that other stuff.
Would I tell somebody else to go and do it (build and live on a boat)? I’d say, you’d better really think it over because there’s a lot of work involved. As long as you research and understand what it’s going to cost and what it’s going to take. When you’re out on the golf course, you know where I am. When you go away for the long weekend, you know where I am. It’s a dream, but there’s a cost. It’s hard, dirty work. If you want it, you have to pay for it one way or another.
Diane: For the last month we’ve lived on the boat, and it’s been an uphill climb. There have been a number of setbacks – you get one thing fixed and something else comes up.
Hank: Both of us have mixed feelings because you’re leaving behind friends and family. If I told you we had no second thoughts, I’d be lying. Of course I’m apprehensive. You’d be crazy not to be. But it’s a trade off: do you want to just sit around at Tim Horton’s every day talking to your friends or do you want to go out and do something? You decide.
I can see it going ten years. That’s what we’re thinking right now. You don’t know until you go out and do it. We know what it’s like to live on it for two or three weeks, but we don’t know how it’s going to be over several years.
Diane: I’ve survived 38 years with Hank; I think we can survive a few more.

Church offers faith without pretense

Grassroots ministry is not your average Saturday night ritual

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

“This is guts,” says Reg Finkbeiner. “This is Sermon on the Mount.”
Finkbeiner is one of the regulars at Church, a grassroots faith ministry hosted at the Grand Bend Youth Centre at 7:30 p.m. every Saturday.
“I come here to worship,” he says. “This is an expression of what I believe. If I want to put up my hands, I can do it. If I want to do a little bit of soft-shoe, I can do it. Nobody’s telling me I can’t.”
Thomas and Gail Bailey started their ministry, earlier this year after leaving the Church of God congregation, the church where the Baileys met Finkbeiner.
“Despite the fact that I left the organized church and the official title of pastor and whatever that means, I’m still a preacher,” Thomas Bailey says. “God has laid it on my heart to preach his word. That’s part of the reason for doing this: to continue to preach and reach people. The other reason is to provide a way to get the message to people who wouldn’t otherwise walk into a church building. The last several years I’ve realized there are a lot of people who are seeking or already have a faith in God, but have walked away from the status quo religion tradition for a variety of reasons, and there’s nowhere for them to go. Almost a third reason would be to prove that it can be done without all that stuff.”
“A lot of people have been hurt in relationships with churches and other people in churches,” Gail adds. “I think they need a place to go that welcomes them with open arms.”
Finkbeiner was attracted to the purity of their effort.
“I connected with Tom and I connect with his principles. It’s not a theology, and it’s not a doctrine. It’s a way of being real. I love tradition, but tradition can produce a lot of incorrect reality.”
“We seem to be connecting with people who are otherwise unconnected,” Thomas Bailey says, “and this gives them a chance to be with people and worship again and be connected, without all the strings that come with it.
“There’s no offering. It’s certainly not money-oriented. People do donate, and the rest is out of our pocket. Our only expenses are rent and advertising. You have to really want to do that. I’m not here for the money. I’m here because this is what I want to do.”
The Baileys make it work by maintaining normal jobs. Thomas works at the Seaforth E.D. Smith creamery while Gail works at the Forest Subway.
“What makes this different is that we don’t own our own building and we don’t have an interest in owning one,” Thomas says. “We prefer to be in a public place that’s accessible to everyone. It’s more like we’re part of the community. The atmosphere is more relaxed. We certainly don’t care about how people look when they come in. The worship style tends to be more upbeat and contemporary; not a hymn book in sight. There’s more emphasis on the worship and the preaching.”
The average attendance at the services is between 10 and 12, he says.
“I don’t know if we’ve hit 20. Sometimes it’s a little discouraging, but I take solace in the fact that we’re reaching people that wouldn’t otherwise be connected. We’re ministering to them, so we are filling a need.”
One of the main ways the church separates itself from others is the Saturday night schedule. Bailey realizes it can conflict with other ways to spend a Saturday night, such as the nightlife in the summer and watching hockey in the winter. Their main concern, however, is getting out of the Sunday morning mold.
“We’re not competing with other congregations because they’re pretty much all Sunday morning. We’re very much into unity, and that’s why we’re unaffiliated. We’re into the unity of all believers. If we went to Sunday morning, we would be forcing people to make a choice, and that’s divisive.”
It’s a big risk for a couple that could have remained traditional church leaders, but they have no regrets.
“God asked us to do this,” Gail Bailey says, “and it took us a long time. We’ve left it in God’s hands. Whatever comes of it, comes of it. We’re just acting on faith.”

Start your holiday shopping this weekend in Port Franks

(Click above link for a map to the Poinsettia Tour)

The 4th annual Poinsettia Tour (October 13 and 14 at 10 venues) kicks off the holiday season in Port Franks, and gives visitors a chance to see what businesses are preparing for holiday gifts. Follow the poinsettia signs to the 10 venues along the way, and remember to sign up for draws at each store.

1) Northville Convenience Store
8575 Lakeshore Road (Highway 21) – (519) 243-2050
Owners: Rebecca and Barb Losee
Fall/winter hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
What to expect: “We’re more like a general store,” says Rebecca Losee. “We sell just about everything: from unique giftware to groceries, movies, homemade popcorn, Shaw’s ice cream, power tools, camping and fishing equipment. We also have two other rooms; in the first room we have clothing and beachwear and jewelry, things for babies and toys. In our back room is home décor, including furniture, vases, and anything to decorate a home with.”

2) MacPherson’s Restaurant
8512 Lakeshore Road (Highway 21) – (519) 243-2990
Owners: Veronica Brennan
Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
What to expect: Restaurant and variety store offering home-cooked meals, movies, an ATM, gift shop, greeting cards and lottery. We try to have a little bit of everything.

3) Port Franks Community Centre
9997 Port Franks Road
Presented by Ausable Port Franks Optimist Club
What to expect: Tearoom and craft show. Luncheon.

4) Miss Pia Jane (see ad)
7602 Ransford Street (off Port Franks Road) - (519) 243-3576
Owner: Louise Lockney
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the tour; Wednesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What to expect: Old, new, used and vintage gifts for the home, cottage, and camp. See the store very festively decorated with lots of cool flowers and lovely holiday gifts. Bright stars and holiday balls. Lovely gifts, fabulous jewelry. Painted furniture, great artwork, home décor, fabulous flowers, jewelry and handbags. Explore the building and visit all the nooks and crannies to see the surprises in store. There’s always juice and hot cider all winter long. “It’s a comfortable place to shop, browse and meet friends,” Lockney says.
5) New Life Treasures (see ad)
7574 Riverside Drive – (519) 243-2831
Owner: Glenna Hupka
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (for the tour); otherwise fall hours (to Christmas) are Wed to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What to expect: Treasures of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Home décor and red-hat society items. All artwork will be on sale at half-price, candles are half-price. Refreshments include apple cider and lemon and banana cake. I have a really interesting new item: wine bottle night-lights that are hand-made by Glenna Hupka, Gerda Prossler and Noreen Baker. They’re Christmas lights in a wine bottle that is decorated and one-of-a-kind. Our designer Lolita wine and martini glasses come with recipes on the bottom. Visitors can sample Wildly Delicious bread dipping oils. “Last year was my first year,” says Hupka, “and I met a lot of nice ladies who stopped by from Kitchener and Toronto, and I want to thank them for coming by.”
6) Rustic Creations (see ad)
10000 Erie Street (at corner of Riverside Drive) – (519) 243-3090
Owners: Nancy and Wayne Millman
Hours: for the tour 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; otherwise hours are Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What to expect: Goodies and refreshments, and lots of primitive crafts and candles, Christmas items and fall items. Hand-made dolls, wooden birdhouses and angels, rustic looking crafts. Most items are hand-made by Michelle McIntosh and Wayne Millman. “Visitors can tour the property and we have lots of things in our garden for sale, too,” says McIntosh.

7) Christine’s on the River (see ad)
10070 Poplar Avenue (off Riverside Drive) – (519) 243-3636
Owner: Christine Orosz
Hours: fall hours: Thursday 4 – 10 pm, Friday 4pm – 12am, Saturday and Sunday 12 – 10 pm
What to expect: For the tour, the lunch specials will include chicken Caesar salad, a dock salad and a chicken Caesar wrap with choice of soup or fries. The menu will be available at all the stops on the map. “The tour is a great way to get more people to know about Port Franks because it’s a hidden gem that no one really knows about,” Orosz says. “If the weather is good, we’ll have a good turnout.”

Roadside Art – The Birdman of Port Franks and gift baskets by Birdie (see ad)
7449 Sanderson Road (off Riverside at intersection leading to Christine’s on the River) – (519) 243-3860
Owners: Doug (the Birdman) and Brenda (Birdie) Wilkinson
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment
What to expect: Birdie will have a whole pile of gift baskets made, and the Birdman has made birds and planters. He’s making a bird made of rock right now, but normally the birds are made of motorcycle gas tanks. All of his planters are made from propane tanks. He’ll make custom orders as well. The gift baskets are all occasions, including diaper cakes for babies, gift baskets for wedding showers, dog and cat baskets. “Whatever they want is what I make,” says Brenda Wilkinson.
9) Bliss Studios (see ad)
7617 Riverside Drive – (519) 243-3598
Owners: Tony Miller and Lorraine Thomson
Hours: by chance or appointment
What to expect: It’s a contemporary art studio that shows established and emerging artists. Right now we’re showing Back in the Saddle, and it features Tamara Croxall, Sarah Kane, Kim Ange, Stephen Shellenberger, Lorraine Thomson and Tony Miller. “The most important thing is to see the art, although of course, the art is for sale,” says Miller. “We just want people to experience it. The building used to be a fishery, and it was one of the first buildings in Port Franks, so it’s an interesting place to visit.”

10) Rodgers Meat and Fruit Pies
7805 Alfred Street – (519) 243-1629
Owner: Rosemary and Gary Rodgers
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for the tour (depending on stock)
What to expect: Specializing in individual- and family-sized frozen meat pies (ground beef, steak, chicken and turkey pies) and frozen fruit pies that are in season. “It’s a home-based business, so you’ll be visiting our house,” Rosemary Rodgers says. “We also have a yummy lemon loaf. We’ll have good samples and anyone who wants to buy, can.”

11) Thedford Arena and 12) Lambton Heritage Museum - Lambton Colour and Craft Festival
Fundraiser for the Lambton Heritage Museum

Spend weekend indoors or out

Compiled by Casey Lessard

Still looking for something to do on the October 13th and 14th weekend? There’s plenty going on, whether you want to walk, run or drive.
Port Franks businesses are hosting the 4th annual Poinsettia Holiday Shopping Tour. Ten venues take part in this event to help you find unique gifts ahead of the holiday rush. Pull out our centre spread and take along our guide to the area and the businesses that are taking part. The tour runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Two of the stops listed on the map are part of the 26th annual Lambton Colour and Craft Festival, which takes place at the Thedford Community Centre and the Lambton Heritage Museum and runs at the same time, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the museum programming and raises about $30,000 each year.
“The museum offers educational programs for students,” says event coordinator Gwen Watson, “and we preserve and interpret the history of Lambton County.”
“The festival started small,” Watson says, “and we’ve increased the number of vendors to over 100 crafts people. We opened it up to Thedford to accommodate the number of vendors we have.
“We have a wide variety of things. We have country decorating accessories, your wooden folk art, painted wood and that type of thing. We have Christmas decorations, jewelry, quilting, fused glass, clothing, food items, jams, dips and oils. It’s quite an assortment of products.
Downtown Thedford will also feature the Fall Fantasia, which is a combination of farmers’ market, bog and orchard produce, and sidewalk sale for the different stores in the village.
If you’re looking for a way to get some exercise, head to the Pinery for its annual Pinery Road Race. The event is in its 6th year and runs Sunday, October 14 with a children’s run at 9:45 a.m. and 5km and 10km runs for adults starting at 10 a.m. To sign up, visit: www.eventsonline.ca/events/grandbend_run/

What are you going to do with your life?

Futures Week helps students figure that out with workshops and speakers

Principal’s Page
By Jeff Reaburn, SHDHS

Next week the school, in conjunction with the School Council, is hosting a series of presentations intended to help students figure out what they may want to do with their lives. The program, called “Life After High School: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?” or Futures Week, for short, covers a range of post-secondary options from college, university and the workplace to small business and entrepreneurship. Our goal is to make students more aware of the range of possibilities beyond high school and to encourage them to explore the available options.
The opening session on Monday afternoon (October 15) will focus on small business and entrepreneurship. We have subtitled this session “Small Business: Do It Yourself,” and have invited a number of local entrepreneurs and small business people for a panel discussion on running your own business. We have asked these individuals to talk about what inspired them to start up their businesses, how they got started, and what challenges they have faced in running their own businesses. We hope to encourage students to consider the prospect of working for themselves and to consider the pros and cons of being your own boss.
On Monday evening we have lined up a panel of experts to talk about where we are headed in a session called “The Future: Emerging Opportunities.” There is no doubt that we are currently trying to prepare young people for jobs that don’t even exist yet in a marketplace and world of work that are ever-changing. We have asked our panel of local experts to discuss the future of manufacturing, tourism, business, and agriculture in our area and in the province so that students and parents can be more aware of the skills and knowledge that may be required to be successful in the years ahead.
Our focus on Tuesday will be the world of work as we explore apprenticeships and non-traditional careers, occupations that students may be overlooking or of which they may be completely unaware. From journalism to politics, and accounting to engineering, this session is intended to get students thinking about a variety of occupations that they may not be considering, including niche careers that satisfy a very particular market demand. This session will also explore the world of apprenticeships with a particular focus on the growing demand for skilled trades people.
Wednesday’s sessions will be devoted to financial planning - how to pay for post-secondary education. Marilyn Davies from King’s College will be on hand for both the afternoon and evening sessions to talk about OSAP and budgeting for college and university. In addition, we have invited advisors from local financial institutions to talk about other sources of funding, from educational lines of credit to Registered Education Savings Plans. The afternoon session is intended primarily for graduating students who will be going on to post-secondary education next fall (and their parents), while the evening session will be open to everyone.
On Thursday afternoon, the focus will be “Learning Outside the Box,” with a focus on private colleges and alternative sources of learning, including the new Lake Huron Learning Collaborative, which is providing university courses in Goderich. There will also be representation from the Canadian Armed Forces and students will be able to gather information about sources of education beyond community colleges and universities. On Thursday evening there will be a career fair with representation from a range of businesses, industries and educational institutions.
Finally, on Friday, our focus will be on agriculture where “Dirt is Only the Beginning.” The focus in this final session will be on the diversity of careers available in the agricultural sector, with representation from a variety of local agribusinesses.
As you can see, we have tried to offer something for everyone. While the afternoon sessions will be aimed primarily at our senior students, parents are also welcome to attend and the evening sessions are open to everyone. The afternoon sessions on Monday and Friday are scheduled to run from 12:45 to 3:20, while the Tuesday through Thursday afternoon sessions will be in the last period of the day, from 2:05 to 3:20. All of the evening sessions will begin at 7:00 and run until approximately 9:00. Senior classes are being invited to attend the afternoon sessions, but students may also sign up for them individually if the entire class is not attending.
A complete schedule of the Futures Week sessions can be found on our school web site, www.shdhs.ca, under the heading “Career Week at SHDHS.”

Nuthatches can turn their world upside-down

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Imagine having the ability to maneuver head-first down the trunk of a tree; or better yet, to walk ably on the underside of a limb like a housefly on the ceiling. Such is the talent of the nuthatch. Upon close inspection of these little birds – they are relatively tame – their toes are quite elongated and sharp. This feature likely contributes to the skill of self-inversion; and like a good gymnast, they seem to have total control of their bodies while upside down.
Two species, the red- and white-breasted nuthatches, are common in our area. The red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is about 11 cm long and weighs in around 11 g. The back is blue-gray, the under parts rusty, and both male and female sport a black streak from the beak, through the eye to the back of the head. This little fellow is known to eat from human hands, much like the chickadee or gray jay, and its song is reminiscent of a tin horn with its short “ank, ank” sound. Their preferred foods include conifer seeds, sunflowers seeds, and suet. Nuthatches usually nest in a coniferous tree. The male and female smear pine pitch around the nest entrance to ward off predators - a very sticky yet effective process. From this nest only one brood of eggs is hatched per year.
The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is 13-15 cm and weighs 20 g. According to Fred J. Alsop III’s “Birds of Canada,” this species can catch a falling nut in midair. This is executed with considerably more expertise than some people (usually men), who strangely toss peanuts into the air and retrieve them on descent with their mouths (no names mentioned). The white-breasted nuthatch’s song is a sweet sounding “wee-wee,” and its favourite foods are nuts, seeds, spiders and insects. Unlike the red-breasted, the white-breasted nuthatch is non-migratory.
We have a great tube-style feeder called the “squirrel buster.” It is carefully engineered so the weight of the squirrel causes the barrel of the feeder to descend and close off the openings in the tube. Most birds are too light to cause this reaction. Recently inspired by the presence of an inverted nuthatch on the squirrel buster feeder, I sat down to outline this article. I glanced up and noted the presence of a Cooper’s Hawk perched on a large spruce limb. This accipiter (or bird hawk) pays frequent visits to back yard feeders for a quick lunch. Down and feathers were flying as he furiously attacked the prey in his talons (likely a finch or sparrow). At the same moment, the red-breasted nuthatch had settled itself on the suet feeder, oblivious to the presence of the formidable predator barely twenty feet away. Fortunately for the nuthatch, the hawk was consumed with devouring his own repast. Meanwhile, inside the house, I was thoroughly entertained by the balance of nature at work in my own back yard. Both nuthatch species are frequent visitors at our home near Ailsa Craig. Keep those feeders full of sunflower seeds and suet and you can be sure to attract them to your yard.

October 2007

Monday, October 1
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Cholesterol Class. Have you been recently diagnosed with high cholesterol? Then join us as our trained dietitians explain how you can manage cholesterol.
Contact Pat or Miranda at 519-238-1556 ext. 235 or 222.

7 p.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Alzheimer Caregiver Support Program. This program is facilitated by the Alzheimer Society of Huron County and provides support and information on the first Monday of each month. “Just For Us” is a fun supervised event held at the same time in the Adult Day wing for caregiver family members. Contact 1-800-561-5012 for more details.

Tuesday, October 2
7 p.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Bingo

10:15 a.m. to 12 noon - Port Franks Community Centre
Healthy Choices. Want to live a healthier more balanced life? Then join the Grand Bend Area CHC staff on Tuesdays for 6 weeks as we look at making healthy lifestyle changes. Contact Cindy at 519-238-1556 ext 6 to register. Sponsored in part by Healthy Living Lambton. No fee! Everyone welcome.

Wednesday, October 3
12 noon - Lion’s Park Pavilion
World Record Walk. Please join us at the Lion’s Picnic Pavilion in Grand Bend as we along with other communities in Ontario attempt to break the World’s Record for the most people walking at one time! We will start registering at 12 noon and begin our 1 klm walk at 12:30 sharp. Everyone is invited to participate! Contact Cindy at 519-238-1556 ext 6 for more details

12:30 p.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Grand Bend Golden Ager’s Luncheon Meeting. Guest speaker Grand Bend CHC Community Dietitian Miranda Burgess. 12:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 4
2 to 4 p.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Bereavement Support Group. Please join our Social Worker Mickey Gurbin the first Thursday of each month for support and group discussion.

Friday, October 5
7 p.m. - Caddyshack, Grand Cove Estates
Grand Dessert Night. Tickets $25 with tax receipt. Contact 519-238-1395 or 235-6202 or ask at Health Centre.

Grand Bend Motorplex
Division 3 Team Finals

5-7 p.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Meat Draw

Saturday, October 6
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Finnegan’s parking lot
Farmers produce, crafts and baked goods. Vendors welcome. Hosted by The Chamber of Commerce. (519) 238-2001 http://www.grandbendtourism.com

3 to 6 p.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Live music with Bob Finlay Band

Grand Bend Motorplex
Division 3 Team Finals

Sunday, October 7
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Finnegan’s parking lot
Farmers produce, crafts and baked goods. Vendors welcome. Hosted by The Chamber of Commerce. (519) 238-2001 http://www.grandbendtourism.com

11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pinery Flea Market
Live Music with Cactus Jam

Grand Bend Motorplex
Division 3 Team Finals

Tuesday, October 9
9:30 a.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Grand Bend Women’s Probus Meeting. Topic “Preserving your Life Story.” Guest speaker Sheila MacGregor.

Living with Breast Cancer Support. This program is designed for women who have had breast cancer and are looking for information, support and friendship. Call facilitator Cathy Campbell for information at 519-238-5072

Friday, October 12
12-8 p.m. - Holmesville Community Hall
Holmesville Country Creations Craft Show & Sale
Admission: Yes
Contact Patricia Holland (519) 233-7490

Friday, October 12
6 a.m.
Bayfield, Rainbow Valley Campground
29th annual Rainbow Trout derby - Joe Brandon Memorial
Sponsored by Bayfield Lions Club. Prizes for three heaviest rainbow trout weighed in at weigh-in station. Various age categories. Registration fee includes free family camping at Rainbow Valley. Children participation is encouraged.
Contact Rusty Brandon (519) 233-3158

Friday, October 12
Grand Bend Motorplex
Fastpixs T&T

5-7 p.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Meat Draw

Saturday, October 13
Pinery Park
Fall Colours Weekend: Discover the beauty of Pinery in full autumn colours. Take advantage of a self-guided driving tour through the oak savanna with stops highlighting the river channel and coastal dunes.

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Grand Bend, Lambton Heritage Museum
Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
Over 100 craft people at two locations. Features country decorating and Christmas crafts. Something for everyone. Start your shopping early. Admission: Adults $4 and Children $1.
Contact Gwen Watson (519) 243-2600, heritage.museum@county-lambton.on.ca http://www.lclmg.org

1 to 5 p.m. - Pinedale Motor Inn
Scrapbooking Workshop. Uninterrupted time to work on your projects. Snacks provided. Registration fee $10. To register, call Lynn at 519-238-2847

3 to 6 p.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Live music with Mid Life Crisis

Saturday, October 13
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Holmesville Community Hall
Holmesville Country Creations Craft Show & Sale
Admission: Yes
Contact Patricia Holland (519) 233-7490
Saturday, October 13
6 a.m.
Bayfield, Rainbow Valley Campground
29th annual Rainbow Trout derby - Joe Brandon Memorial
Sponsored by Bayfield Lions Club. Prizes for three heaviest rainbow trout weighed in at weigh-in station. Various age categories. Registration fee includes free family camping at Rainbow Valley. Children participation is encouraged.
Contact Rusty Brandon (519) 233-3158

Grand Bend Motorplex
Spooktacular Race (rain date: Sunday, October 14)

Sunday, October 14
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Grand Bend, Lambton Heritage Museum
Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
Over 100 craft people at two locations. Features country decorating and Christmas crafts. Something for everyone. Start your shopping early. Admission: Adults $4 and Children $1.
Contact Gwen Watson (519) 243-2600, heritage.museum@county-lambton.on.ca http://www.lclmg.org

Sunday, October 14
6 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Bayfield, Rainbow Valley Campground
29th annual Rainbow Trout derby - Joe Brandon Memorial
Sponsored by Bayfield Lions Club. Prizes for three heaviest rainbow trout weighed in at weigh-in station. Various age categories. Registration fee includes free family camping at Rainbow Valley. Children participation is encouraged.
Contact Rusty Brandon (519) 233-3158

Pinery Park
Fall Colours Weekend: Discover the beauty of Pinery in full autumn colours. Take advantage of a self-guided driving tour through the oak savanna with stops highlighting the river channel and coastal dunes.

12-5 p.m. - Holmesville Community Hall
Holmesville Country Creations Craft Show & Sale
Admission: Yes
Contact Patricia Holland (519) 233-7490

Monday, October 15
9:30 a.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Healthy Eating In Store for You. Join us for this fun educational program facilitated by Miranda our Community Dietitian . Call 519-238-1556 ext. 222 to register. We also will be offering this program geared to people who have diabetes on Oct. 5th 9:30 a.m. Call Patricia for details 519-238-1556 ext. 235

Tuesday, October 16
10 a.m. - Grand Bend Legion
Men’s Probus Meeting. Senior Drivers presentation by MTO’s John Warkentin.

Thursday, October 18
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Bereavement Support Series. Please join V.O.N. facilitator Kim Winbow for this 10-week group support program. This supportive program will help you to come to terms with your grief.

Saturday, October 20
8 p.m. to 12 a.m. - Port Franks Community Centre
October Fest Dance - music by Carousel. Advanced tickets only please. Contact Iris at 519-243-2090 or Ann at 519-786-5769

Monday, October 22
9 a.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Healthy Lifestyle Exercise Program
Mondays and Thursdays. Program includes warm up, low impact aerobic workout, strength work and stretching. Contact Cindy at 519-238-1556 ext 6 for details or to register. Sponsored in part by Healthy Living Lambton. No fee, everyone welcome!

Wednesday, October 24
12 p.m. - Grand Cove Caddyshack
Huron County Playhouse Guild annual meeting. Speakers Bill Creighton and Alex Mustakas from Drayton Entertainment. Huron Shore Catering lunch call Mary 519-238-5640. Guests and members welcome!

Thursday, October 25
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Diabetes Support Program
The Diabetes support group meets the last Thursday of every month in the Adult Day Wing of the GBACHC. Please bring a diabetes friendly pot-luck dish with you to share. Contact Aileen Knip Diabetes Educator for details 519-238-1556 ext 226

Saturday, October 27
Pinery Park
Hallowe’en Weekend: Join in our special ’spooky’ programming, decorate your campsite, enter our scarecrow contest, go trick-or-treating or visit the haunted museum across the road. Pinery’s Halloween Weekend has lots to offer!

all day, Goderich, Huron County Museum
Halloween Havoc
Children ages 6 to 10 are invited to a day of Halloween crafts, games and activities that will occupy the minds of the most anxious trick or treaters! $20 per child, pre-registration required.
Contact (519) 524-2686, http://www.huroncounty.ca/museum

5 p.m. - Star Dust dinner theatre, Parkhill
“Grease-ish” A Greasy Murder Mystery & Costume Party. http://www.stardustparkhill.com

7:15 to 9 p.m. - Lambton Heritage Museum
Spooky Time Haunted Tours. Spooktacular fun for everyone.

Sunday, October 28
Pinery Park
Hallowe’en Weekend: Join in our special ’spooky’ programming, decorate your campsite, enter our scarecrow contest, go trick-or-treating or visit the haunted museum across the road. Pinery’s Halloween Weekend has lots to offer!

1 p.m. - Star Dust dinner theatre, Parkhill
“Grease-ish” A Greasy Murder Mystery & Costume Party. http://www.stardustparkhill.com

Monday, October 29
Grand Bend Legion
Grand Bend Horticultural Society. Talk and slideshow on Christmas plants with Diane Vaughan.

Wednesday, Oct. 31
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Grand Bend CHC
Men Can Cook
This program is geared to men who have basic knowledge of how to cook but would like to expand their skills. We will also be offering a “Beginner Men Can Cook” program for first time chefs starting November 15th for 4 weeks. Call Miranda at 519-238-1556 ext. 222.

6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Goderich, Huron County Museum
Halloween Festivities
No admission fee.
Contact Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol (519) 524-2686

8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Goderich, Huron Historic Jail
Halloween Festivities for older children.
No admission fee.
Contact Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol (519) 524-2686

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