Winter storm Friday

Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for Friday. Here are the details of what to expect for most of Southern Ontario, including Grand Bend area:

This is a warning that dangerous winter weather conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions.. Listen for updated statements.

Snow heavy at times is expected across all of southern and eastern Ontario with a possibility of freezing rain and ice pellets along lakes Erie and Ontario on Friday.

A low pressure area over Arkansas is getting organized and setting its sights on southern Ontario. As the low moves east across the southern states then curves northeast towards the Ohio Valley tonight it is expected to tap into a lot of moisture and energy from the gulf of Mexico. As a result it is likely that this low will intensify into a significant winter storm as it moves into southern Ontario later tonight and Friday.

Latest indications show the potential for significant amounts of snow from this deepening low as it tracks northeast just south of lakes Erie and Ontario towards New England by Saturday. This type of winter storm often has a swath of 15 to 30 centimetres of heavy snow associated with it. Freezing rain and ice pellets will also be a problem as the storm centre gets close to the lower Great Lakes. If the storm tracks slightly further north an increase in the duration of ice pellets could significantly lower snowfall amounts especially near lakes Erie and Ontario.

The leading edge of the snow is expected to reach the Windsor and Sarnia areas Thursday night then spread rapidly northeast across the remainder of the district reaching the Ottawa area Friday morning. Latest analyses suggest the heaviest snow swath may extend from Lake St Clair northeast across the London Kitchener and Golden Horseshoe areas into eastern Ontario including the national Capital region Friday. Ice pellets and freezing rain may also be an issue to contend with generally in regions near and southeast of highway 401. Exact snowfall amounts and the location of ice pellets and freezing rain will depend upon the exact track of this developing storm. It is also possible if the storm centre tracks further north than expected that there could be a changeover to rain Friday especially in areas near eastern Lake Erie and over Prince Edward county.

Travellers should be prepared to alter plans accordingly again as driving conditions once again will deteriorate significantly on Friday.

This storm has the potential to be quite significant and have high impact especially if heavy snow develops.

Please refer to the latest public forecasts for further details.

Remembering Ryan

Ryan VanValkengoed, 17, of Crediton went missing after leaving a friend’s house a short distance from home the evening of January 11. Police divers found his body in the Ausable River Monday afternoon. Ryan was the oldest of three sons of Bob and Lorie VanValkengoed, owners of Advanced Auto Parts and Salvage and Lorie’s Advanced Hair Care.

As told to Casey Lessard

Bob VanValkengoed: He was very responsible. With this incident, we knew there was a problem right from the start.
Lorie VanValkengoed: We were hoping this was the first time he did something out of character. But it wasn’t.

Lorie: When we first got married, we were probably married about a week and I remember saying to Bob, “Let’s have children right away,” and him saying, “Yep.” As a woman, I thought there were about 15 more sentences that needed to go with that, so I waited a week and asked again, and he said, “Yep.”
The hardest time Ryan ever gave us was giving birth. He was 19 days overdue. He was due December 9, and Christmas Eve, the doctor told me to come see him. I said, “You have no idea. If you put me in the hospital over Christmas, I guarantee I will make your life a living hell.” He said he just wanted to make sure I would make it through Christmas.
On December 26, we went into London to be induced and on December 28 at 2:32 in the morning, he was born by Caesarean section.

Bob: It’s the only time in his life he’s been late. He was pretty good otherwise.
He was always a good kid. I went to London three or four times a week, and every morning I had to get up at 5 o’clock and he would get upset if I didn’t wake him up. He wasn’t even two years old. So I would wake him up and put his work clothes on and we would go to work. He would sleep on my lap. We would take a load of products to London, and I always remember going to the restaurant for breakfast. At that age, he was just so busy fooling around or crawling under the table. We would drop off scrap at Zubick’s and every time he would get a chocolate bar. For years, if I didn’t wake him up, he would just be so grumpy that I didn’t wake him up.
After that, he was always in the shop. He was blonde as snow, but he’d come out of there covered in black from oil and mud.
One day I was working and I had bought an electric car for him. He wasn’t two yet, and I looked over; he had hooked a set of chain falls (for pulling engines out of cars) onto the electric car and it was sitting eight feet off the ground.
Lorie: He was interested in possibly taking over the business (Advanced Auto). We just talked about it over the holidays.
Bob: It was in his blood. He liked it. He could print invoices and take care of the business end of it. I always checked and there was never a time when he forgot something. And if someone came after hours, he would tell them, “I’ll deal with you this time, but you shouldn’t make this a regular habit.” He was good at training his customers. He was a real businessman.

Lorie: School was never an interest for him. He wanted to run his own business. One day, I got a call from the school saying Ryan had skipped. I asked him when he got home, and he said, “Yeah, I skipped.” I asked what he did, where he went. “To the cafeteria.” I said, “You skipped school to go to the cafeteria?” He said he was talking with the principal Jeff Reaburn. They were talking about starting your own business. So I called the school and said, “My son skipped, he was talking with the principal, so please give him detention.”
He was a thrill seeker. One day, he fell out of a tree on the property and he came to the shop and said to Bob he fell. He was walking and talking, and Bob said, “You look good to me.” We found out later he had fallen 30’. His first cousin said he landed and looked fine but started crying because he couldn’t find his shoe. It wasn’t the fall that hurt him.
Bob: We always had golf carts or dirt bikes. All the kids rode around on this one golf cart. I told someone that we went through 50 gallons of gas in one summer.
I bought him a new dirt bike in the spring, and he always wore a helmet. I was raised with a bike and I still ride without a helmet. But Ryan always wore a helmet. I always said, “What did I say to him to convince him to wear a helmet?”
Lorie: I cut hair out of my home, and I was with a client one day and Ryan was at the top of the stairs. Ryan asked if I could come up the stairs. I said I was busy – I think I was doing a colour. He called Jacob instead. Ryan had wiped out severely on his dirt bike. Jacob, to help Ryan had wrapped his wounds in toilet paper. It took me about two days to pick the toilet paper out of the wounds as it healed. To this day, he had scars (and he was proud of every one of them).
Bob: He was in bed three days, and Jacob took his meals up to him.

Lorie: All of us were very close with Ryan. He connected with each one of us in different ways.
Bob: Just a great guy to be around. Some of my hired help aren’t around this week because they’re taking it very hard.
Lorie: Ryan had a good group of friends.
Bob: [He didn’t like big parties.] Even on a Friday night, he was never comfortable if there were more than five people.
Lorie: The only time he liked that was for concerts. In fact, I have a $600 bill on my credit cards for Linkin Park.
Bob: He would take matters into his own hands and order tickets. One day he called me and said he needed (continued on p.4) (cont’d from p.3) $900 on my credit card. I said, “What are you doing?” He said, “We’re going to see Motley Crue and Aerosmith.” He said the tickets were $150 a ticket and if he got six guys to go he could get a limo lined up. He was 15 when he did that. He was organized and knew what he liked.
Bob: He was very thrifty. He came from the movies one night and said, “Dad, I got free popcorn.” I asked how he did that. He said, “It was easy; I just went into the garbage bag and grabbed an empty bag and told the guy to fill it.” I said, “Don’t you find it gross to grab a bag out of the garbage?” He said, “Do you think I’m that stupid? I told the guy I needed a new bag!”

January 11
Bob: Lorie had gone to the States for a business meeting for the weekend. I was with the boys myself. I woke up at about 12:15 a.m. I went and checked him out and he wasn’t there. So I laid down again and kept getting up again every couple hours. All of a sudden, at 5:45 a.m., he’s still not there. I thought maybe this was the first time he slept over at a friend’s house. I had to take one of the other boys to hockey practice and on the way, I called the shop but got no answer. He would sleep out in the shop sometimes. I kept thinking he was staying at one of his buddy’s places. I had breakfast with a friend of mine that morning before 8 o’clock, and through the morning I kept trying to call a couple of his friends and got no answer.
Finally I got through at 2 o’clock when I called his cousin. His cousin said, “Oh, Ryan should have been home.” There were five or six people at the house he was at Friday, and Ryan was one of them. That’s when I started getting scared.
In the meantime, one of my nephews drives over here and he’s concerned. That’s when I called the police and told them it was very out of character. I thought they would just fill out a missing person’s report, but he took it very seriously. Within hours they had the dogs out and police officers all over the place. It was on the news Saturday night.

January 12
Lorie: I was at a big conference, and one of the ladies called my room Saturday night. She told me Bob had been trying to get in touch with me. I looked at my friends and to
ld them, “It’s not good.” He wouldn’t call me for anything unless it was very serious. I phoned home and when I came downstairs, my one friend said, “You look like you’re going to be ill.” I kind of half-smiled and said, “Ryan’s missing.” A couple other friends gathered around and asked, what do you want to do, do you want to sit down, what can we do for you? I said, “Actually, I’d like to breathe for a minute.”
I sat and collected my thoughts, and one friend who had disappeared showed up and said, “We’re packed and ready to go.” It was a surreal ride home. We were about four hours away and I think we did it in two-point-five. The closer we got to home, the more it started to sink in.
Bob: From Saturday afternoon to Monday, we hardly slept. You doze off for a few hours here and there. I sat in the chair in the kitchen, and from that chair, I could see the door to see if anybody was coming in, I could see the road to see if anyone was coming there, and I could look at the clock. For three days, I kept looking at the clock, the door, the window.
Everyone was helping. Even people I knew didn’t have their driver’s license were driving around trying to find him.
Lorie: Two officers, Ralph Christmas and Jeff Adkin, were in charge. They sat with us, they gave us minute-by-minute updates. We had many people call offering to volunteer. The police had to treat it as a possible crime scene, so volunteers couldn’t come in. They tried to get a helicopter from Orillia, but it was grounded due to fog, so local pilots took officers up and did an air search. There were at least a couple of planes. There were numerous neighbours and their kids out looking. From young to old and everybody in between.

January 14
Bob: The police found some of his belongings by the tree by the river. They said that’s the last trace of where he’s been. Monday afternoon, they found him about 25’ from the bridge. The autopsy said he had drowned.
My brother-in-law didn’t want to be the one to tell us, so he asked a neighbour to do it, and all he said was, “It’s not good news. They found him.” And we knew.
The house was full of company – friends and family and relatives. And it was devastating. I’ll never forget that.

Lorie: The O’Briens had taken the kids for two nights and took their kids out of school to keep them company. Before the news spread, I went to tell my boys. They had some questions and some tears.
I called Const. Adkin and told him I was ready to come and see Ryan, so I got to spend some time with him before he left. That was a really good time.
Lorie: You couldn’t sit and write enough thank you cards. The first one would go to the police officers, then the professionals who did the search, the pilots who volunteered, the volunteers, the fire department.
Bob: The phone calls, the food. I’ve never seen so much food in my life.

Lorie: I’ll miss the stupid stuff. Folding laundry and making three piles.
Bob: Four people for supper, not five.
Lorie: It seems like it’s a lifetime away. I’ve told everybody there’s part of me that believes I knew this was coming. I don’t know if it’s just concern for a child normally or something more than that, but I’ve prepared for this for years because I believe the day he was born, the day of his death was pre-planned.
Bob: I wouldn’t have believed it was this bad to go through something like this. You keep blaming yourself and wonder what you did right, and your mind is racing with what went wrong.
Lorie: But if we had to change one thing, there’s nothing we could change. For a teenager, he was good.
Bob: We just feel it’s a big dream and everything’s going to go away and be back to normal.

Coping with the loss of a student; exams start Friday; and planning for next year

Principal’s Page
By Jeff Reaburn

Last week was a very difficult one for students, staff, and families of the South Huron community as we struggled to come to grips with the loss of one of our students, Ryan VanValkengoed. Ryan was a fun-loving student with a great sense of humour who was well liked by all who knew him, and his death has caused us much sadness. The huge number of students, staff, friends, and community members who attended the visitation and funeral attests to the positive impact that Ryan had on our lives. He will be deeply missed.
We will be meeting with students this week to plan a memorial service for Ryan, which will be held early in the new semester to celebrate his life and share our thoughts and stories so that we may keep him alive in our hearts and in our memories. Further details regarding the memorial will appear in next week’s column.
Final exams for Semester One courses run from Fri., Jan. 25 to Wed., Jan. 30, with a P.A. day Thurs., Jan 31. Semester Two begins Fri., Feb. 1. The exam schedule is posted on our school website as well as in classrooms throughout the building. In the event of a snow day during exams, that day’s exams will be moved to the following day and the whole schedule will be moved back by a day. Students are advised to take home study materials in advance of exams so they have notes and texts for study purposes in case we have bad weather.
The end of the first semester also means that it is time to start preparing for next year’s course selection. Our guidance staff have already visited our public feeder schools and provided Grade 8 students with a course calendar and other materials needed for selecting courses for Grade 9 next year. Unfortunately, this year we have not been permitted to send our staff to the Catholic elementary schools; however, we are able to make our course selection materials available to students in these schools and they and their parents are most welcome to attend our Grade 8 Night presentation next month. The same holds true for Grade 8 students in Grand Bend Public School.
Our Grade 8 Information Night and Open House will be held on Wed., Feb. 13, with a snow date of Wed., Feb. 20. The evening will commence with an informal tour of the school at 6:45 p.m. Students and parents will have the opportunity to see our facilities, meet our staff and some of our students, see examples of the great learning opportunities and extracurricular activities, and ask questions about courses and programs. At 7:30, we will have a more formal presentation in the large gym.
Students in Grades 9 to 12 have already received course calendars and pathway planners to assist them in choosing courses for next year. We encourage parents to sit down with them to review the materials and help students to make wise choices for next year. The Pathway Planner is a very informative document that provides excellent information about course selection as it relates to various post-secondary options, from the workplace and apprenticeships to college and university. Course selection for current students starts February 7. Any students who have questions or are uncertain about their choices are encouraged to consult their guidance counsellors.

Grand Bend Winter Carnival Guide – Saddle up, Buckaroos!

‘Benguin Goes Wild West’ for 2008 Grand Bend Winter Carnival

By Casey Lessard

Grand Bend’s 22nd Winter Carnival launches February 1 and runs two weekends at venues around town.
“It’s about getting the community as a whole doing stuff together in the shoulder season,” says committee chair Lynda Hillman-Rapley. “This is my second year as chair, but I’ve been to all 21 carnivals. People respond very well. That’s how we got Ontario Lottery and Gaming; someone from their organization was here last year and they thought it was great so they wanted to sponsor it.”
Hillman-Rapley wants to point out that no matter the weather, the show will go on.
“No snow, no problem,” she says. “Whether there’s snow or not, this carnival happens, and the parade is huge. Jim Southcott does an amazing job.”
She also praises her team of organizers.
“Our committee is the best of the best. We all work together; no decisions are made without everybody doing it.”

Here is the full list of events for the weekend:

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For the kids:

Friday, February 1
6 to 9 p.m. – Grand Bend School gym
Sobey’s drive-in for the kids (free)

Saturday, February 2
12 to 5 p.m. – Grand Bend School gym
Mad Science plus crafts, sports and a movie. Free. Call 519-238-1155.

6 to 8 p.m. – Skateboard park beside Legion
First-ever Winter Carnival fireworks. Hot chocolate and hot dogs for sale.

Sunday February 3
10 a.m. – Grand Bend Legion
Youth Darts. Call 519-243-2452.

12 to 2 p.m. – Oakwood #8 hole and clubhouse
Free tobogganing, s’mores & hot chocolate. Parents or guardians must supervise their children.
Oakwood Inn
Registration closes for February 10 Children’s Talent Show (free). Register at Guest Services before February 3.

Saturday, February 9
1 p.m. – downtown
Rotary Club Parade. See adults section for details.

Sunday, February 10
12 to 2 p.m. – Oakwood clubhouse
Children’s Talent Show (free). Register at Guest Services before February 3. Sing, dance, play – bring your original ideas to win prizes! Prizes for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd.
“We just want to have the kids come out and do their dancing or singing,” says Diana Simpson of Oakwood Inn Resort. “When they register they’ll have to say what they’ll be doing. We have a lot of talent in the area, and it’s a great way for them to get out and show people what they can do.”

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Friday, February 1
4 to 10 p.m. – Bikini Bob’s
Western wine tasting

5 to 7 p.m. – Grand Bend Legion
Meat draw

9 p.m. – Oakwood clubhouse
Traci Kennedy

9:30 p.m. – Bikini Bob’s
Mike’s Country Band

10 p.m. to 2 a.m. – Gables
Rumblefish

Saturday February 2
9 a.m. to end of day each weekend – Lions Park (behind Legion)
Gables co-ed snow-pitch tournament (runs Feb. 2 & 3, 9 & 10). $150 per team. Top prize is $300. Contact Jane or John Musser: 238-6690.
Snow-pitch is slo-pitch with fluorescent orange balls (the balls are softer as well). The tournament happens regardless of the weather. Each weekend sees eight teams compete for semi-finals, and the final is the second weekend. Winners from both weekends must be available for second weekend championship game. Teams that win at least two games win money. “It’s a favourite,” says Jane Musser. “It’s pretty funny watching them hit a ball and run in their snow pants.”

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Oakwood
Snow-golf. Cost: $15 per person includes golf (club &ball), chili with bun and hot chocolate. Call 519-238-2324 to register your tee-time.
“We have a special nine-hole tire ring golf course,” says Diana Simpson of Oakwood Inn Resort. “You use a tennis ball and a regular iron, and go around the course.”

1 to 8 p.m. – Riverbend
12th Annual Olympics. Call 519-238-6919 to register.

2 to 6 p.m. – Gables
Karaoke with Fat Kat Karaoke Bobbie. Prizes.

6 to 8 p.m. – Skateboard park (beside Grand Bend Legion)
First-ever Winter Carnival fireworks. Hot chocolate and hot dogs for sale. Seating at the ball diamond; parking at the Colonial and Beer Store parking lots. Legion lot will be closed for safety reasons. Four teams of professional fireworks artists from across Ontario will each present 12 to 15 minutes of fireworks using consumer fireworks. A pyro-digital display set to music will be performed during judging.
“By having the competitors use consumer fireworks, we are able to bring the audience closer to the action and create a more intimate show” says organizer Kevin Poole. Storm date is Saturday February 9th at 6:30 p.m.

Grand Bend Legion
Brad Karel and the Thrillbillies with Grand Bend’s Stephanie McClennan. Dance to new country. Presented by Grand Bend Legion and the Winter Carnival. For tickets, call 238-2001. Sponsored in whole by Ontario Lottery and Gaming.

9 p.m. – Oakwood clubhouse
Traci Kennedy

9 p.m. to close – Riverbend
Karaoke with Jude

9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. – Bikini Bob’s
Mike’s Country Band

10 p.m. to 2 a.m. – Gables
Rumblefish

Sunday, February 3
1 to 5 p.m. – Gables
Wild West ride: try out the Mechanical Bull. Cheer the cowboys on. Sponsored by 104.9 The Beach.

Bikini Bobs
Super Bowl party. Crazy cow contest at 6 p.m. $3 food and beverages all day.

4 p.m. – Oakwood
Super Bowl party – door prizes and special drink prices!

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Saturday February 9
1 p.m. – downtown
Rotary Club Parade. “It’s going to be a humdinger, for sure,” says parade organizer Jim Southcott. “The parade starts at the Sobey’s parking lot and goes down to Government Road and disbands there. There is a $500 first prize award for the best entry. Local dignitaries will lead the parade, and we have about 60 registered floats with a chance for many more. There will be a lot of horses, plus the Seaforth and District all-girls marching band. Anyone who wants to showcase their business or put in an entry should call me (519-238-8800).”

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Pine Dale Motor Inn
Craft Sale. All vendors are welcome.

Gables
Search for Talent Contest with Fat Kat Karaoke Bobbie

11:30 a.m. – United Church
UCW Lunch. $6 for 13 and up; $3 for children. Hot dogs available for children.

2 to 4 p.m. – Bikini Bobs
Sleigh rides after the parade. $5/person; free for children five and under.

3 to 6 p.m. – Gables
Search for Talent contest with “Fat Kat Karaoke Bobbie.”

5 to 8 p.m. – Grand Bend Legion
Steak BBQ. Tickets available at Legion. 519-238-2120.

8 p.m. – Oakwood Huron Room
Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Show with Joanna Downey and Bobby Keele. Cost: $20 per person includes tax. Call 519-238-2324. Buffet dinner (seatings between 5 and 7 p.m.) & show together for only $50 including tax & gratuity.

9 p.m. – Oakwood clubhouse
Entertainment by Murray Andrews

9 p.m. to close – Riverbend
Kountry Karaoke Contest with Jude

10 p.m. – Oakwood Huron Room
Ms. and Mr. Winter Carnival Pageant Prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Call Diana Simpson at 519-238-2324 for details. “We were looking for something different this year,” Simpson says. “We’re challe
nging all businesses in the area to send someone to represent them in the contest. There are three different rounds: a fashion round with one summer and one winter outfit of their choice; a talent round where the contestants perform a talent of their choice; and a questionnaire round where the contestants answer questions related to the winter carnival.” All contestants will be in the pageant float in the parade Saturday morning.

Sunday February 10
8 to 11 a.m. – behind Bank of Montreal
Grand Bend Firemen’s Breakfast

11 a.m. – Grand Bend Legion
Veteran’s Memorial Mixed Dart Tournament. Register at 11 a.m.

2 to 5 p.m. – Colonial parking lot
Waiters’ Race

For more information, call the Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce: 519-238-2001

Imagining life without Grand Bend Motorplex

Proposed ban on leaded fuels could shut down attraction after 2008 season

By Casey Lessard

The end is near for racing at Grand Bend Motorplex if fans and community members don’t take a stand against a proposed federal ban on leaded fuels, the track’s manager warns.
“If this happens, professional drag racing in Canada is over,” Motorplex manager Ron Biekx wrote in a message on the track’s website. “The Canadian government are legislating Canada’s largest racing facilities out of business.”
The ban on lead in fuel was first proposed in 1990, but concerns over economic impacts have led to extensions that were set to end this month. Instead, the government is giving racers one more year to end their use of leaded fuels.
“It has allowed us to exist in the drag racing arena with American tracks and racers, and most importantly, American customers,” Biekx told the Strip, noting the MOPAR nationals accounts for more than half of the track’s income for the year. Most of the cars at that event are American cars that use leaded fuel. “When they take that away from us on January 1, 2009, they take away our ability to work in those markets. That lucrative market that has put us on the international map is gone overnight.”
Pat Powers of Aunt Gussie’s understands the environmental concerns, but thinks the economic impact is also important.
“They’re taking away one industry that generates revenue. I’m curious as to what the government is going to do to bolster the businesses that this decision is going to affect.”
Besides the loss of jobs at the track (the Motorplex employs 80-100 in an average year), the ban could trigger a domino effect in Grand Bend; Biekx says the MOPAR nationals alone bring about $7.5 million into the local economy.
“That money is certainly not spent in the facility. They enjoy the show and they’re done with me. Grocery stores run out of food on our national event weekend. They now plan for it. Every motel room from Sarnia to London is booked.”
“That’s huge,” said Mary Jo Schottroff Snopko of Pine Dale Motor Inn. “They bring a lot of money for occupancy from room reservations. And they’re a nice bunch of people. It’s a guaranteed weekend, and I think there’s enough factors happening in the tourism field that we don’t need a lot more between border issues, the dollar and gas prices.”
“You figure, their national weekend brings in 50,000 to 60,000 people over that three day time frame,” says Mike Rahn of Mike & Terri’s No Frills, “so those weekends it would be a larger impact. It definitely would take business away from all of the businesses in town.”
Biekx praised the Ontario tourism ministry for its work to support the track, recognizing its impact on the local economy. At the federal level, however, Environment Canada says leaded fuels are harmful to spectators and the local environment. Racing accounts for 1.5 per cent of all leaded fuels used in Canada; the rest is used for aviation, including pleasure craft, under a permanent exemption.
Noting the U.S., Britain and Australia allow leaded fuel for racing at levels 10 to 100 times the Canadian level, Biekx says the move by Environment Canada is similar to the tail that wags the dog.
“I’ve done a lot of work with a Canadian supplier who supplies excellent unleaded fuel to our races. But changes in Canada on an economic scale are meaningless. It doesn’t make sense economically for Canada to stand up and tell the U.S. how it’s going to be. We’re just going to be a ‘Remember when?’ for the American competitor.”
Biekx hopes people who are passionate about the sport and those who want the Motorplex to stay open will act immediately to stop the ban. He’s asking you to call, write and email your representative in Ottawa, at Queen’s Park, and on municipal council before the comment period ends February 13.
“Make yourself heard,” he pleads. “Those people who have seen and recognize the financial impact of having this should step forward and say, ‘We don’t want this piece of our economic pie taken away so someone can get some political mileage for it.’”

Lambton Shores town improvement meetings this week

Lambton Shores is hoping the public will come out to give their input on the future of Grand Bend Tuesday night. The municipality and its consultants, EDA Collaborative (the same people doing the beach improvement plan), will host a workshop Tuesday, January 22 at 7 p.m. at the Grand Bend Public School gymnasium.
A workshop regarding the future of Port Franks will be held Thursday night (7 p.m.) at the Thedford/Bosanquet Community Centre; that workshop will also discuss planning for Arkona and Thedford. The North Lambton Community Health Centre will host a similar workshop Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
The municipality and the consultants will present their ideas to date and seek suggestions to improve life in the community.

This love will last forever

Zurich couple still lovebirds after 60 years

Lloyd and Leona Steinberg of Zurich celebrated 60 years in January 10. The Strip wanted to know their secret.

As told to Casey Lessard
Photo by Sandra Regier

Leona Steinberg: It was 1947, and I had graduated as a registered nurse from St. Mary’s hospital in Kitchener. I had broken up with my boyfriend because he was going to give me a diamond ring and I didn’t want a diamond ring. I didn’t feel that way about him. His sister was in my class and she ended up telling me that he was going to give me this ring, so I told him goodbye. All of a sudden, I realized that our grad dance was coming up and I didn’t have a date. My girlfriend said, “Don’t worry about it – I’ll get you one.” Her cousin was taking her to the dance, and she said she’d get Harry to bring one of his pals. The boy was very nice and quiet. He drove a car and wanted to know the colour of my gown so he could buy me a corsage to match. And he did. He was a good dancer; he could polka like nobody’s business, and I enjoy polkaing. We had a good time – he never talked much. We said goodnight at the door. That was Wednesday.
Saturday night, Mary said to me, Kitchener’s playing in Waterloo, and we’re going to the ball game. I said, “Who’s going?” She said, “You and I.” I said, “No, I’m not. I haven’t got any money.” She said, “You’ve got your grad money.” Finally I gave in. We had to take the trolley to Waterloo. Lloyd was there with the boy who had taken me to the grad dance, Benny. He was noisy, yelling at a player in the field. I wished he would keep quiet because he was spoiling the whole thing.
We had to be in at 11:30 at night, and if you had to ring the bell, you lost your half-day. I said to Mary, “Look at the time. We’ve got to get home.” She never worried about time. Benny heard me saying this to her and said, we’ll drive you home. She said we could stay to the end of the game.
I told her to sit in the back seat with me, “I am not taking a chance on sitting with that one.” We got into the car and who crawls into the back seat with me, but Lloyd.
On the way home, he asked if he could take me out. I didn’t know how I was going to say no. Monday night we had religion class. Tuesday night we had doctors come and teach us. Anyway, I got to Thursday and I had no excuses left.
We walked down to Victoria Park. He told me all about himself and my estimation of him got better. We started to go out and seven and a half months later we were married.
Lloyd Steinberg: I guess she thought I was all right; here we are 60 years later.

A decent proposal
Leona: We were, again, in the backseat of Benny’s car coming home from a ball game. Mary was in the front – she started going with Benny then. I had just gotten my grad ring, and I was playing with it. It was new and special. I was taking it up and down my finger, and he took my other hand and he said, “Someday, I’m going to put another ring on that finger.” And I thought, “Oh. Okay.”
We were married January 10, 1948 on my parents’ 37th wedding anniversary. It was very quiet. We were married in Dublin. And we were happy. I just said to him the other day, “You know, in 60 years, we haven’t even had a decent fight.”
Lloyd: No sense arguing.
Leona: I’d win anyway.

Making a house a home
Leona: You’re always short of money. The kids are always part of something. But you don’t spend money foolishly. We didn’t have a car until 1955. We didn’t feel we could afford it. We bought a lot and papa (Lloyd) dug the foundation with a shovel and a wheelbarrow.
Lloyd: How would you like to do that?
Leona: He did most of the construction. Didn’t know what he was doing. We took the plans for the house to Beaver Lumber.
I was seven months pregnant and shingling. My father-in-law came home – they lived next door – and I leaned over the edge and said, “Hi there, pop.” He said, “What are you doing up there, woman? Don’t you know you’re pregnant?”
Lloyd: That house cost us $4400 to build ourselves.
Leona: Our oldest was born in November 1948; Susan was born October 1949; Debbie was born October 1950; Patti was born May 1952; Paul was born September 1954; and Cathy was born December 1960.

Making it last
Leona: Every time that man leaves the house, he always comes and kisses me goodbye. Only a couple of weeks ago, he didn’t. And I got right upset about it. I said, “Did you know you didn’t kiss me goodbye?” He said, “I didn’t.” I said, “No, you didn’t, and don’t ever do that again.”
One time in 1959, he was taking three of our girls and two leaders to a Girl Guide camping trip in Elmira. I was on duty at St. Mary’s Hospital on the children’s floor. There was a car accident in Elmira, and the girl downstairs said, “Leona, you’re getting three kids in. We don’t know who they are, but they say the mother works here at St. Mary’s, and Dr. Friday’s the doctor.” I said, “Helen, that’s my family.”
I almost went crazy until they started wheeling them in by ambulance. But the one thing that kept me going was that I had kissed them all goodbye.
Debbie had a fractured leg. Susan had platelets in her eyes and couldn’t see. Patti had bitten her tongue. I was afraid to ask where their dad was. I can’t live without him. Lloyd didn’t come in until much later because he was helping at the scene.

He’s a keeper
Leona: There isn’t a day that goes by that my husband doesn’t tell me at least 40 times a day, “I love you, mom.” That means a lot.
One woman told me a while ago that her husband has only said it once since they were married, and that was before he went in for heart surgery. When she heard my husband saying that to me, she said, “He’s a keeper.”

Sexy Laundry at Grand Theatre

Saving 25 Years of Marriage

Live! On Stage!
Review by Mary Alderson

Sexy Laundry
By Michele Riml
Performed by Roger Dunn and Lynne Griffin
Directed by Rosemary Dunsmore
Grand Theatre Production
Grand Theatre, London
January 15 to February 2, 2008

In the Grand’s current production, Sexy Laundry, a couple in their 50s spend a weekend at an upscale hotel trying to get romance back into their marriage. In the end, the audience might wonder if they succeeded – although the playwright intended they would. Instead, it seems like they just proved that they are comfortable together. While it may not be romantic, being comfortable is not a bad thing.
It’s the story of Alice (Lynne Griffin) and Henry (Roger Dunn), both fifty-plus, who have been married 25 years. Alice convinces Henry to spend a weekend together at an expensive hotel to rekindle the flame in their marriage. She brings along a copy of “Sex for Dummies” which she picked up at the library. This, of course, has to produce laughs. Alice has marked pages with sticky notes, and Henry is embarrassed about leafing through the book. They try massage, sharing fantasies, and exploring each other’s bodies while blindfolded, but nothing is really working for them.
The story moves along with some tender moments, and some arguments that get nasty. They even threaten divorce, but in the end they finally seem to be comfortable with each other.
Both Griffin and Dunn are good in the roles. Both have extensive acting experience, and have worked together in the past, once as a couple on the TV show ‘Til Death Do Us Part. They also both appeared in the Bob & Doug McKenzie cult classic, Strange Brew.
The pair handles the lines well, and the play offers some very funny moments. In those moments, both actors demonstrate very good comedic timing. And they have the facial expressions to create comedy. Carrying a two character play is a lot of work – copious lines to learn, with never a break from being on stage. But both actors call on their experience to pull it off. Director Rosemary Dunsmore has brought out interesting characters from both Griffin and Dunn.
So if there’s a weakness with Sexy Laundry, it’s in the script. Too much of it doesn’t ring true. If a couple really needs Sex for Dummies, then it is amazing that they’ve lasted 25 years together. Henry, who emphatically says he hates dancing, is then dancing around the stage. Alice’s black leather outfit is just too far over the top. The most difficult to accept are the gender stereotypes – she’s worried about her bulging midriff, he is concerned about climbing the career ladder. And their children, the one thing they truly have in common, are glossed over.
At times the script takes the pair on a roller-coaster ride – they have a affectionate moment, immediately followed by a fight. The emotional changes are too abrupt.
So while there is a good premise, with a first rate cast and periodic moments of laughter, a neater script could have sustained the comedy.
Sexy Laundry continues at the Grand Theatre in London until February 2. Tickets are available at the Grand box office at 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.

Making fitness fun

Workout For Your Life

Mon., Wed. & Fri. – 8 to 9 a.m.
Southcott Pines clubhouse
Tues. & Thurs. – evenings
South Huron Golf & Fitness, Exeter

Story by Casey Lessard

If you’re looking for a workout that will push you outside of your comfort zone, Workout For Your Life may be the right fit. Beth Sweeney and Shelley Van Osch run the weekday sessions at the Southcott Pines clubhouse, and at South Huron Golf & Fitness in Exeter. In the summer, the workouts move to Grand Bend’s Lions pavilion (five days) and Exeter’s McNaughton Park.
“This will be our ninth year of fitness in this format,” Sweeney says. “We started in the summertime and I got the idea when Joe and I were on our honeymoon in Australia. There were a lot of people working out on the beach in Surfer’s Paradise. We thought we could do that in Grand Bend.”
After consulting with the community, Sweeney and original business partner Lisa McLlwain discovered the beach would not work in Grand Bend. Instead, the facilities they use now are preferable anyway.
“There’s privacy, shelter from the sun, a water fountain, two bathrooms, a storage section,” she notes.
“It’s designed for everybody,” says leader Shelley Van Osch. “It’s for people who want to meet new people and need motivation and want to have a healthier lifestyle. We give handouts each week with the newest exercise and nutrition science information.”
New attendees get a fitness assessment and are assigned a workout level: low, moderate or high impact.
“We are like a personal trainer within a group setting,” Sweeney says. “We always ask what their goals are, and the goals have to be smart: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and within a time frame.”
The program changes every eight weeks, but if the group routine is not enough or too intimidating, Van Osch also offers personal training.
“I offer the service of going into someone’s home,” she says. “I also have clients who are training for half-marathons. I love the one-on-one of meeting people and helping them. I love working with older adults.”
One of the benefits of the group sessions is the variety introduced by outings to the beach and Pinery. The group also takes part in the breast cancer and Pinery runs.
“They’re very social,” Van Osch says of the class members. “They’ve realized if you don’t use it you lose it. Let’s have fun and be active at the same time.”
And while most participants are women, men are on the roster; at least one proves the workout can meet the standards of even the most fit.
“We have Dave McLlwain, who’s a NHL hockey player who plays hockey in Germany,” Sweeney notes. “He loves our circuit. We give you the exercise and you’ll be working at your max rates for your fitness level.”
Classes are $8 each, and are on a pay up front or pay as you go basis. First-time attendees pay a $40 assessment fee. Bring good shoes, water and a towel. Van Osch offers personal training at $40-$50 per hour. For more information, call Beth Sweeney at 238-5555 or Shelley Van Osch at 234-6253.

Keeping up with technology

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I’ve frequently had the fortune of being on the cutting edge of technology, starting with my time at the University of Western Ontario. There, I took a computer science class that introduced me to email and websites, both of which were relatively new. Then, when I studied broadcast journalism at Fanshawe College, we were in transit from traditional tape-to-tape audio editing to digital editing. Then, when I went to Loyalist College for photojournalism, our year was the year that the industry as a whole moved from film to digital cameras.
It’s only recently that I realized that I’m behind the times. I’ve never really caught on to Facebook (I’m stuck in the email/web generation), and my interest in MySpace lasted about a day. Social networking is the new internet, and often I feel left behind. Until last year, I didn’t even have an iPod. I occasionally used the one I got for Christmas, usually for running (which wasn’t very often).
But we’re in a new year again, and times have changed for Anjhela and me. We got rid of our CDs after I received a higher end iPod (see mom’s article), which I now use for long rides in the car including my weekly commute to Toronto. We’re contemplating canceling our home phone after discovering Skype, a computer program that allows us to call anywhere in North America for $3 a month using our internet connection. It’s even better for the newspaper because I can record conversations directly into iTunes using Call Recorder, a program I bought for $20. This is especially useful for journalists or anyone else who needs a copy of a phone conversation (legally, of course).
So what’s next? I’d love to see the day when we all can download the Grand Bend Strip as it appears here, without the costs of printing or mailing (both of which have gone up this month). It might seem far-fetched, but I think I’ll see it in my lifetime; maybe next year?

P.S. Big news from our household: my dad is feeling much better, and this week received his license with ease. Congratulations dad! Watch for him on the road.

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