PINKS - It’s always a good time wearing glittery bows and waving like a celebrity to the huge crowds that line Brock Street for the Santa Claus Parade, as these young ladies did Saturday in one of the biggest parades in recentUxbridge memory. For more photos, see page 6. Photo by Stuart Blower.

Mallards, Testa Pond by Renee Leahy

Volume 6 No. 47 YOUR UNIVERSE Thursday, December 2nd 2010

Half of Canada’s top young farmers come fromUxbridge Township, after being awarded thehonour on the weekend in Victoria, B.C.

Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for2010 are Lauren and Ryan Maurer ofSaskatchewan, and Steve and Lisa Cooper ofAshworth Road south of Zephyr. The Maurersoperate an 11,000 acre grain farm at Grenfell,Saskatchewan, and the Coopers (who werenamed Ontario’s top young farmers in April ofthis year) run 300 acres, including a 60-acremarket garden on their local farm.

The couples received the OYF awards at theorganization’s annual event in Victoria onNovember 26. The two winning couples werechosen from the seven 2010 regional finalists.Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz andSteven L. Pointe, Lieutenant Governor of B.C.were both on hand for the awards banquetannouncing the 2010 winners.

“In the increasingly competitive agriculturalmarketplace, this year’s OYF winners have usedmarketing to their business advantage,” saysBrian Newcombe, OYF president. “Whetherfor selling prairie grains or Ontario fresh pro-duce, the Maurers and Coopers demonstratethe innovative and entrepreneurial spirit thatOYF is so proud to recognize in Canadian agri-culture.”

Steve and Lisa Cooper have a clear vision to“excite the senses” for visitors to their marketgarden operation near Zephry. Cooper’s CSAFarm & Maze grows more than 30 differentmarket garden crops, raises goats, chickens andturkeys, marketing directly to the publicthrough “u-pick” and community shared agri-culture (CSA).Unlike many farm couples, Steve and Lisa met

outside the agricultural world, while they bothworked for IBM. Steve – who was from a farmbackground – and Lisa, soon headed toRidgetown College to study agriculture. In1993, they purchased a farm with the help ofSteve’s father and ran a cow/calf herd and smallsweet corn business. A few years later theyadded a market garden and began selling atfarmers’ markets. In 2000, they replaced thecattle with meat goats, and the cash crops withan on-farm store and agri-tainment.

To help bridge the gap between field andplate, the Coopers added community sharedagriculture to their operation in 2007 with 50families paying to receive a weekly basket ofvegetables for 20 weeks. In 2009, there were460 families on the program that had expand-ed to include summer meat and winter deliver-ies. The Coopers continue to listen and stayclose to their customers, using many tools to

market to them – including Google ads, cus-tomer loyalty cards, email updates and cus-tomer referral rewards.

Continuing education and networking areimportant to Steve and Lisa, and the success oftheir operation. They are both graduates of theAdvanced Agricultural Leadership Program(AALP). They also serve on the boards of manyarea farmers’ markets and minor sports teams.Their two teenage children are activelyinvolved in the farm – serving customers andlooking after the corn maze maintenance.

In an interview shortly after their return fromVictoria, Steve said the trip was exciting for thewhole family.

“Of course it snowed while we were out there- the cabs had chains - and we got blamed, butit was a great adventure.”

The Coopers underwent several interviewsand made a 15-minute presentation to the con-vention before receiving the award.

“The only material prize was a belt buckle forme and a broach for Lisa,” Steve said. “But itwas a great honour that recognizes the hardwork we’ve been doing. And the networkingopportunity was priceless; as winners, we’ll getinvited back to more of the OYF gatherings.”

Ashworth Road farmers tops in Canada

Thur sday, December 2 nd 20102The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Countdown days! So many things tosee and do but don't let that obscurethe real reason for the season...

Bruce and Janet Smith enjoyed a fewdays in Illinois visiting friends and rel-atives of Janet's. Dorothy Baker,Dorothy Risebrough and HarryJohnson have all passed another mile-stone in their well lived lives. It is greatto be able to report that DeborahClements is home following her sur-gery and able to be up and around.WE all wish her a very speedy recov-ery. With her usual joie de vivre thatwill happen... The church annual beef supper was a

huge success. The turnout was good aswell over 200 people were served. Thedishwasher was broken but in its placethere were three young ladies who did

a super job. Thanks girls and thanksalso to all who contributed in anyway. It really takes a cooperativeeffort to carry something like thisoff and the sense of family one of

the main benefits...On Nov.19 I was privileged to give a

talk to the UCW ladies on“Methodism Before Union”. Someladies from Zephyr and Mount Albertwere our guests. One of the things welearned was that a group of GermanLutherans, who had first fled Catholicpersecution in France, settled inIreland, were converted to Methodismby John Wesley, immigrated to the USbefore coming to Canada, and werehighly instrumental in establishingMethodism in Canada. They werecalled Irish Pallatines, after the regionthey left in Germany. The previous evening I had gone tothe Sunderland Historical Centre withthe Uxbridge Genealogical Society

(the Society celebrated 10 years of lifethat night). There I was astounded tosee, on the wall, a history of somePallatines who settled in Brock Twp.Who knew? My only previous experi-ence with Pallatines was in Belizewhere Pallatine nuns run one of themajor Catholic high schools and alsofirst established a medical clinic in thetown where I lived...

In a packed Leaskdale churchSaturday night some Sandford resi-dents enjoyed a wonderful concert.Bill McKee and Mary Dube bookend-ed a number of highly talented chil-dren and youth. Lots more musiccoming up, including our Candlelightservice on Sunday, Dec. 5, 7:00 p.m.at the church! The choir is in finevoice...

This past Sunday was the first ofAdvent. Our puppet friend Rebeccaeducated us about why this Sunday isconsidered the first in the church year.

Bruce and Janet Smith lit theAdvent candle for HOPE. Itwas also communion. NextSunday is Peace Sunday -please join us at 9:30 am inZephyr or 11:00 am inSandford. On the 12th wecelebrate giving with a WhiteGift service. The Zephyr con-gregation will gather after fora potluck meal together. OnWednesday the 15th therewill be a Blue ChristmasService, held at Sandford,2:00 p.m. There will beChristmas eve services atboth churches...

This Wednesday our UCWladies will be serving for theSouper's lunch, at thePresbyterian Church. Therewill be at least one more forus in the winter months. It isalways a fun time.

Sandford News with Pat Asling

by Roger Varley

Uxbridge businessman Andy Fiddesclaims his plans to establish an artscentre could cost him more than$16,000 to go through a minorrezoning application, with no guar-antee that his application would beapproved.Mr. Fiddes attended a “pre-consul-

tation” with township staff lastmonth, at which he was informed ofthe various stages and studies thathe might have to pay for if he makesan application to change the zoningof his building on Maple Streetfrom industrial to commercial. Thebuilding housed the Montgomery

woodworking company before hebought it seven years ago. Sincethen, Mr. Fiddes has operated awholesale fibre arts distributioncompany out of the two-storeybuilding. Now he wants to turn thetop floor into a haven for the arts,with plans for a small permanent artgallery and space for art classes,rehearsals, pottery making and thelike.Mr. Fiddes said his plan would not

require any structural changes to thebuilding, either inside or out, nordoes he plan any landscapingchanges. However, to change theuse of the second floor, he needs tohave the building rezoned.

He showed the Cosmos a list of thecharges he would and could face.He would be required to pay a setfee of $3,345 to file the application.Then he would have to file a siteplan, which would cost $2,780, aplanning fee of $500 to DurhamRegion, $260 to the fire departmentand $400 to the Lake SimcoeRegion Conservation Authority. Hethen would have to pay another$500 to the LSRCA further downthe line.

But on top of that, he would berequired to pay for a noise survey, avibration survey, a storm watermanagement plan and an environ-mental assessment, which he calcu-lates could cost another $6,000 intotal. Add $2,000 for a possible sur-vey and he's facing $16,000. Thatdoesn't include paying the town-ship's consultant fees and legal fees,his own legal fees and for any otherstudies that might be thrown athim.

Mr. Fiddes said he's been a mem-ber of the arts community for yearsand recognizes the need for an arts

centre in the downtown area.“If I can pay just a part of my taxes

(on the building) through artsrental, then I'm happy,” he said.“Everybody thinks it's a great idea.Artists have come in to say they'reoverjoyed with the idea. It would bean arts facility at absolutely no costto the Township.”

But it is items such as the noiseand vibration studies and the stormwater management plan and the“possible other studies” that perplexhim. Other possible studies that hemight be required to pay for downthe road include a heritage impactstatement, a land use compatibilitystudy, soil quality, traffic impactanalysis, plus a bunch of possiblestudies required in the Uxbridgeurban area.“I'm willing to spend the $16,000,

but not if it's a bottomless pit,” hesaid.

He noted that the noise and vibra-tion studies are required because ofthe building's proximity to the traintracks. But Mr. Fiddes pointed outthat the tracks end behind his build-

ing and so there is no train traffic tocause noise or vibrations.Township CAO Ingrid Svelnis said

she understood Mr. Fiddes' reac-tions, but noted that the Township'sfees are set and some of the studieslisted are required because ofprovincial legislation. Asked whyMr. Fiddes would have to pay for astorm water management planwhen he plans no landscaping orstructural changes, Ms. Svelnis saidshe didn't know if the property inquestion had ever had one done inthe past. As for the noise and vibra-tion studies, she said even thoughthe tracks end behind the building,it is possible GO trains could berunning past the building in thefuture.

“We know what Mr. Fiddes wantsto do,” she said. “We would likehim to come to council and pro-mote it. Council might think it's awonderful idea.”

She indicated it might be possiblefor council to decide some of thestudies need not be done.

The cost of red tape: one man’s experience

Thur sday, December 2 nd 20103The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Handel's

Monday, Dec. 20 & Tuesday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m.Trinity United Church, First Ave., Uxbridge

Goodwill donation at the door ($20 suggested)

Advance tickets recommended, from Blue Heron Books, the UPS

Store, Presents, Presents in Uxbridge or a member of the chorus

in the 16th biennial production - with a chorus of 100, and professional orchestra. Thomas Baker, director.

The tradition continues . . .

Meet Me @ the Libraryby Shannon Fleming and Sean Wetselaar

Happy (Premature) Holidays from the Library

With the holiday season fast approaching,we are preparing for the festivities in stylewith our annual decorating of theUxbridge Public Library. By the time thisedition hits the shelves, the building willmost likely be covered with tinsel, colour-ful lights and Christmas trees. With thefirst snowfall coming just in time for theSanta Claus Parade, everyone in town isbeginning to feel the holiday spirit, andwe’re no exception.

After a year’s hiatus, the library enteredthe parade with a float designed by ourown Deanna Gregorio and assembled bynumerous local student volunteers. It wasmodelled after the well-known Christmastale “The Night Before Christmas”. Thefloat was decked out with a chimney, awise reader telling the famous story, and agroup of excited listeners. Two books atthe head of the float lay open: onespawned a Christmas tree; the other, tworeindeer. Manned by library staff, theirfamilies, and student volunteers alike, thefloat was a great success.

Unlike last year, the Uxbridge PublicLibrary did not serve hot chocolate andbiscuits following the parade. This popu-

lar event was open to the public – anyonecould feel free to stop by after the mainattraction to eat, drink, and be merry.The library will be hosting somethingsimilar from Monday December 20th toThursday December 23rd from 11 a.m.to closing time. We’ll be giving awaycookies, hot drinks and punch for anypatrons interested in joining us for a hol-iday treat.

Although it might seem far away rightnow, the holidays are fast approachingand soon we’ll all be celebrating the “mostwonderful time of the year”. This season,it’s a great idea to take some time andsmell the Christmas roses. Check out thelocal community events that always occurthis time of year and enjoy the festivities!What’s New: The library has managed toobtain a copy of this year’s Giller Prizewinner, The Sentimentalists by JohannaShively Skibsrud, despite its current lim-ited status. We also have the recently pub-lished Stolen Identity, written by Uxbridgeresident Lucia Van der Gulik.What’s Happening: Children 12 andunder are still invited to take part in ourCollage Contest to celebrate our 123rdbirthday. Entries can be submitted untilDecember 9th and final prizes will beannounced on December 11th. For moreinformation on what’s happening at thelibrary, come pick up a newsletter at oneof the circulation desks.

The Uxbridge Youth Choir Sing the Sounds of the Season!! The UYC invites you to a gloriousevening of children's voices raised in song, celebrating Christmas and the winter holiday season.Conducted by Jennifer Neveu-Cook and accompanied by Jackie Crawford, the Uxbridge YouthChoir is an all-auditioned group of young, talented singers ranging from age 6 to 16. Formerlycomprised of a Junior Choir and an Intermediate Choir, the UYC is also excited to showcasetheir newest ensemble, The Director's Choir. The UYC has enjoyed great success in the past fewyears receiving great accolades at local music festivals and also winning Gold awards at theNational Music Festival. The Intermediate Choir will be traveling to Richmond, B.C. in May2011 to perform once again at The Nationals. The UYC will sing a wide variety of songs rang-ing from Bach to contemporary American and Canadian composers. Come enjoy a fabulousevening of holiday music presented by these local and very talented young singers!

Youth Choir celebrates seasonal sounds

Music Hall concert features all-star castThe Music Hall is hosting what organizers will become a new Uxbridge Christmas tradition. They are invit-ing your family to a cozy evening of song, music, poetry, drama, hand bells and comedy, to reminisce aboutChristmas experiences "past", redirect your attention to the fun of Christmas "present" while aiding recip-ients of the Children's Wish Foundation. Following the sentiments of those who were fortunate to see theUxbridge Unplugged Show in September, Tamara Williamson and Ryleepuss Productions have put togeth-er a star-studded, one night only, celebration of Christmas. The evening includes a mix of local folks andvisiting artists in order to provide a variety of entertainment.

Who better to host such a family event than Sunderland's own Neil Crone, noted author, comedian andstar of Little Mosque on the Prairie. A live auction, led by Graham Wilson, will also be part of the eveningto help you with your Christmas shopping. Highlighted will be unique and coveted gifts like riding les-sons, an I-pod, two designer decorated urns and a few more surprises to coax your bids. As a means ofadding to the festivities, “surprise gifts” will be given to select audience members.

Our own Leah Daniels will captivate us with her own brand of country rock warmth and heartfelt lyricsthat reflect on real events that have touched her life, including those early days on the farm. The evening'sperformers include visiting artists, Pavlov's Dog Handbell Ensemble, who will demonstrate their ownunique renditions of Christmas tunes. Uxbridge talent from Tom Baker's piano accompaniment to MaddyEddy's fabulous voice. As well as Chris Saunders' guitar solo's set the standard for instrumental excellence.Carlie Laidlaw, and Nancy Hall will have you reminiscing and tapping your toes while they express theirfeelings of Christmas in songs chosen especially by them.

The poems, stories and skits shared by various other participants, will only enhance the warmth of thisevening and inspire a feeling of joy to be carried forth in the holiday weeks to come.

So gather your friends and family and enjoy an evening dedicated to the joy and collective celebration ofthe Christmas season. Only one evening, Friday December 10 at 8:00 pm at the Uxbridge Music Hall.Tickets are available at Woods & Woods or 1/2 hour before the start of the evening performance at theMusic Hall Box Office. The Canadian Tire Toy Drive Van will be parked outside if anyone would like tobring unwrapped toys for the community children.

Let’s knock out hunger!For most of us, the past two years, hasmeant less spending, fewer nights out andholding off on large purchases. While thefinancial cut backs have been primarily aset back for most of us and more of areduction on spending for our “wants”,our needs have not been inconvenienced.

“Despite some overwhelming local sup-port, the basic needs in our communitystill remain higher than just two years ago”according to Betty Bingham, Chair Personof Uxbridge Loaves and Fishes FoodBank. Now in its 21st year, Uxbridge Loaves andFishes Food Bank is a charitable, non-profit organization that supplies primarily,non-perishable items to individuals andfamilies living in the Township ofUxbridge.

“The charity regularly receives muchneeded non-perishable items and thisyear’s holiday wish list includes: cannedtomatoes, Pancake Mix, Syrup, spaghet-ti/pasta sauce, dry cereal, HamburgerHelper, Tuna Helper, canned fruit, cannedvegetables, Muffin Mix and Pork &Beans”, says Bingham. Typically, manydonations to the Food Bank include babyfood (formula, cereal, jarred food etc.) butat the moment they don't have any clientswith babies, prompting Bingham to say,“It's very thoughtful but the baby food

takes up much needed space for the itemsthat they do need.”

Cash donations are also very welcome.“Bread, milk, cheese and other perishableitems are purchased by the Food Bank ona regular basis”, say Bingham.

In addition to community support anddonations, Bingham is pleased to receivethe annual support from Scott Campsallof Okami Kai and Andy Luukkonen ofBody Fit Health Club. Now in its 12thyear, the Knock Out Hunger Open Housestarts Monday December 6th at 6pm at141 Reach St in Uxbridge (Body FitHealth Club).

“While the event takes place on oneevening, the collection takes place over afew weeks,” says Campsall. “Donating isas easy as bringing in a food item to BodyFit Health Club and putting it under theChristmas tree.”

All money raised will go to the Loavesand Fishes Food Bank. “The event isgeared towards kids”, explainsLuukkonen. There will be face painting, areally cool Karate Demo, the local Scoutswill be in attendance, food and refresh-ments are compliments of SubwayUxbridge and Cutie Pies and Cakes, andonce again Santa is paying a special visitand will be bringing presents for the first100!

Thur sday, December 2 nd 20104The Uxbr idge Cosmos

our two cents

8,900 copies of the Cosmos are published each Thursday in the Township ofUxbridge: 8,200 delivered by mail, 700 available in stores and boxes.

Publisher/Editor Conrad Boyce 905.852.1900Advertising Coordinator Christine Wetzel 905-852-1900

38 Toronto Street North, Unit One, Uxbridge Ontario L9P 1E6e-mail: cosmosboyce@powergate.caweb site: www.thecosmos.ca

Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Opinions expressed by columnists, contributors and in letters to the editor are not nec-essarily those of the The Cosmos. Letters must be signed and the telephone number provided (numberwill not be published). Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only if there is a compellingreason. Errors brought to our attention will be corrected. The Cosmos reserves the right to edit or refuseto publish unsolicited material. ADVERTISING POLICY: The Cosmos reserves the right to refuse any adver-tisement. The Cosmos is not liable for slight changes or typographical errors in advertisements or anyother errors or omissions in advertisements. All material herein, including advertising design is copyright-ed, and may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

A parade of volunteers

Letters to the Editor

Uxbridge’s wonderful Santa Claus Parade, which wound its way eastward on Brock Streetthis past Saturday morning, is not just a spectacle for the eyes and ears. If you readbetween the lines, it’s also a tribute to the legendary volunteer spirit of this community.The parade itself, of course, entails the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, from the organ-izers led by Angela Horne to the people who spend hours constructing the floats, to allthose who show up on an often chilly morning to participate in the event itself. But almostall the entries in the parade are also about volunteers.Take the beginning and the end, for example. Leading the charge, as he does every year,

was Uxbridge’s Town Crier, Bill McKee. Bill spends hundreds of hours at dozens of eventsevery year, his big voice contributing a splended sense of pomp and ceremony to the pro-ceedings (only a few hours after the parade, Bill was the lead act at the Old-FashionedChristmas Concert in Leaskdale). Despite his professional-quality singing voice (and prize-winning crier’s voice), Bill gets paid nothing for singing at concerts or events like the SteamShow, and not much more as our town crier, barely enough to cover the cost of costumes.Yet he leads us marvellously year after year, and does the same for Scugog and Oshawa!The man is tireless.At the opposite end of the parade (actually at both ends) are Uxbridge’s fire department,

our almost entirely volunteer fire department. These gentlemen are, of course, the ulti-mate volunteers, prepared to put their lives on the line every time they get the call. Italmost never comes to that, of course, but they don’t know that as they race to the firehall through the streets of Uxbridge. Could this be the time that they and their comradesare forced to enter a burning building in search of a lost child? Could this be the time thatone of them doesn’t come back home? It must fleetingly cross their minds, but it doesn’tslow them down as they hasten to put their skills into action.

Somewhere in the middle of the parade every year is the Roxy Kids float, which oftenwins the prize for best entry (we don’t know if it did this year, we weren’t able to get theresults by press time). The Roxy Kids are volunteer prodigies, young people who justchuckle when they get to high school and find they’re required to volunteer 40 hours infour years. With the Kids, they put in that many hours in a month!

The Queen of the Roxy Kids, the mastermind behind their inventive floats, is CathyChristoff, co-owner of the Roxy with her husband Mark. She is probably also the Queen ofVolunteers in Uxbridge, with all the charity events she and Mark put on. And if she’s theQueen, the King is Pat Higgins of Canadian Tire, whom you’ll read about on page 7, inconnection with one of the many charitable projects he’s involved in. It’s quite remarkablethat these people, community leaders as they are, also have time to be accomplished busi-nesspeople and raise children as amazing as themselves.

Perhaps this would be another good time to remind our readers that if you’re not cur-rently involved as a volunteer in Uxbridge, you’re missing out on a greaty opportunity,and there’s no time like the new year to start. Your talents and interests are just what someservice organization, church, school, arts or sports group is looking for. If you’d like toknow how to start, you could talk to Pat or Cathy, or just call us. We can point you in theright direction, and you’ll never look back.

Cold Days, Warm Hearts! Thesecold days can chill me to thebone, but the support of ouramazing community warms meto my soul! The 11th annualOperation Warm Hearts haswrapped up as a success. Ourcommunity generously donated355 winter coats, and 150 ofthose were returned to local fami-lies, collecting about $500 for theLoaves & Fishes Foodbank. Theremaining coats were sent to localHomelessness and Women'sShelters, along with Children'sAid Services were they will be wellreceived.

Sadly, long time OperationWarm Hearts supporter DoubleH Cleaners closed its doors thisyear, so we were very thankful forthe assistance of the Senior'sCentre as our collection point.Again, the Rotary Club and theRoxy Kids rose to the occasionand pitched in to help offer coatsto our community. It trulydemonstrates leadership from allages in Uxbridge that seek toserve other. What an example ofgenerosity!! Over the 11 years,Operation Warm Hearts and allof the Uxbridge supporters havehelped get 3678 coats back tothose in our community, and over$3800 to Loaves & Fishes. Ofcourse, I must extend my grati-tude to Maggie McCreath for thecountless hours spent organizing,coordinating and even storingcoats for this event. She truly hasa warm heart and is the drivingforce behind this incredibleeffort.

Michele LindsayOperation Warm Hearts

As the charity recipient of the2010 Uxbridge Christmas Hometour, we would like to take thisopportunity to acknowledge awonderful group of ladies and asupportive community. There isan incredible amount of time andcommitment devoted to ensurethe success of this amazing event.On behalf of Precious Minds, Iwould like to publicly acknowl-edge and express heartfelt grati-tude to - the Home TourCommittee (headed up byAngela Wood), House Captains,House Musicians, Volunteers,Home Sponsors, Home Owners,Kimberley Seldon, WoodenSticks and all those that came outto tour the beautifully decoratedhomes. These contributions com-bined made for an event of dis-tinction in Uxbridge! Well doneladies!

Precious Minds is not govern-ment funded and relies on foun-dation and corporate grants, com-munity fundraising and dona-tions from individuals. These giftsenable us to support families inNorth Durham who have chil-dren with barriers to learning byway of children and youth pro-grams, parent workshops andsupport group meetings,resources in our lending library,one on one support and financialassistance, just to name a few!Thank you for supporting ourvision.

Sharon ButchartPrecious Minds

A few weeks ago local journal-isats, including Roger Varley inthe Cosmos, wrote concerning theUxbridge/Port Perry Animal

Shelter and the extremes theywere in by not having sufficientcat food and litter for the multi-tude of cats and kittens in resi-dence. Happily there seems tohave been a great response to theappeal and the felines are nowsafe until some future crisis arises.All well and good!However, although this is a won-

derful outpouring of generosity, itis not really the long-term solu-tion to the problem, is it? Theproblem is that there are just toomany cats... period. I am a catlover, have had cats all my life,but there is a limit and it appearsthat most animal shelters havereached that limit. Would it notbe wiser to think in the long-term, not the short-term (leavethat to governments)?

My suggestion is that instead ofdonating money or food to feedand house these excess, aban-doned cats, that the same moneybe used to hold regular subsidizedspay and neuter clinics and pre-vent the problem from recurring,as it undoubtedly will. Most peo-ple cannot, or will not, spendhundreds of dollars to have theircat fixed but might be encouragedto do so if the price was at a moreacceptable level such as the SPCAcharges. I am sure that the clinicswould pay for themselves overtime, if you consider how much isspent to keep all these animalshealthy for extended periods oftime. Pay now or pay later!!

Pat Asling Sandford

Thur sday, December 2 nd 20105The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Now we can rest safely in our beds

A 12-year-old schoolboy was arrested in Bowmanville last week and held in police custody overnight toawait a bail hearing.What, you might ask, was the crime this alleged young offender committed to warrant a night in a police

cell, following, of course, a mandatory search of his person? It appears the boy objected to receiving aHepatitis B vaccination needle and became so agitated that he “threatened to damage the school” wherethe Hep B clinic was being held.

The school was the Ross Tilley Public School, which, like all public schools in Clarington, for some reasonfalls under the jurisdiction of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and not the Durham DistrictSchool Board.

Judy Malfara, a spokesperson for KPRDSB, told me the boy became so upset at the prospect of receivingthe needle that he yelled threats. She said those threats were not aimed at any specific individuals, butagainst the school building. Ms. Malfara said, however, she could not go into details about the threats.

“When threats are made, we have to react immediately,” she said. “We'd rather err on the side of cau-tion.”

That reaction meant calling in the police. Ms. Malfara also told me the Hep B shots are mandatory underpublic health legislation and children who don't receive them are suspended from school. However,Glendine Collins of the Durham Region Health Department, which administered the needles at the clinic,said the Hep B shot is not mandatory.

“If the child does not consent, he doesn't have to have the shot,” she said.Ms. Collins went on to say that nurses who staff the clinics try to reassure children who are anxious about

receiving needles, and added that parents can take their children to receive their shots at a clinic at thehealth department headquarters if they choose.

But when asked why nurses staffing the clinic at the school allowed the boy in question to reach such anagitated state that the police were called in, she said she could not speak to that specific case.

“It's a police matter,” she said.So I called the Durham Region Police, where I was informed by spokesperson David Selby that he was-

n't allowed to say what threats were involved. He did say, however, that no weapons were found on thechild, nor, indeed, anywhere in the school. Nevertheless, the boy was taken to jail and charged with threat-ening.

Mr. Selby was quick to point out that the boy wasn't in jail: he was in a holding cell. Somehow, I thinkthat little exercise in semantics might have been lost on a 12-year-old boy.So what we have here is a 12-year-old boy objecting to a needle, a right which is extended to school chil-dren in the rest of Durham Region but not to him because he goes to school in Clarington; staff at a Durhamhealth department clinic who apparently were not only unable to soothe his anxiety, but unable to preventhis anxiety from escalating; a school board which apparently can't recognize the difference between alegitimate threat and an outburst from an anxious schoolboy; and a police department which considers theboy such a threat to society that they have to lock him up and send him for a bail hearing.

Indeed, Mr. Selby is quoted elsewhere as saying: "We just wanted to send a strong message to everyoneout there ... that this will not be tolerated in schools."

Nothing like a night in jail for sending a strong message to 12-year-olds!But the school board, the health department and the police all say they can't talk about the specific inci-

dent. That looks like a rather convenient way for them all to avoid accountability.It seems to me the only one being held accountable is a 12-year-old schoolboy.Tell me, am I wrong?

the barris beatcolumn by Ted Barris

Champions of a dreamIt was 1956. Television was in its infancy. Canadian programs such as Cross-

Canada Hit Parade, Front Page Challenge, The Big Revue and, yes, the Barris Beat, were new on the tube. Thiscountry's actors, singers, dancers, writers and directors were just getting their show-business legs in a newmedium. One of its rising stars, a multi-faceted comedic actor named Don Harron, happened to meet anotherup-and-comer, producer Norman Campbell.“What am I going to do?” Campbell asked Harron. “I've got 90 minutes of time to fill on CBC TV and no pro-

gram.”“I've got an idea,” Harron said. “Let's put 'Anne of Green Gables' on TV.”Within 10 years, Harron and Campbell had taken a one-shot TV musical idea and transformed it into one of

the most talked about, most successful tourist attractions in the country. With the show book by Harron andCampbell and song lyrics by Elaine Campbell (Norman's wife) and Mavor Moore, the musical stage productionAnne of Green Gables premiered at the Charlottetown Festival in 1964. It has run at the Confederation Centreof the Arts every summer since and has played to more than two million viewers in Canada, the U.S., the U.K.and Japan.Don Harron, now 86, related this eureka moment the other night at the Tin Mill as members of the Lucy Maud

Montgomery Society of Ontario prepared to launch their “Burn the Mortgage” campaign. The LMMSO hadassembled some of its “champions” - people who in turn will invite family, friends, social and business associ-ates to help the society overcome its next important hurdle. The LMMSO hopes to pay out the last of the$200,000 mortgage on the Historic Leaskdale Church, where Lucy Maud Montgomery's husband, the Rev.Ewan Macdonald, ministered to the local Presbyterian congregation between 1911 and 1926.

Much of the discussion at the Tin Mill the other night focused on innovative ways to convince admirers of theLucy Maud Montgomery legacy to offer a gift of $1,000 (or perhaps 10 post-dated cheques for $100) to elim-inate the rest of the mortgage by next fall. The hope is by October 2011, when the LMMSO will stage a three-day centenary celebration of Maud's arrival in Leaskdale, that the whole community can watch the society payoff and burn the church mortgage once and for all.

In addition to Don Harron's reflections on Maud, several of the champions present (and I declare my owninterest here as one of those “champions”) offered their own takes on the importance of the Manse, the churchand Maud's literature. Among them, local financial advisor Brian Evans described what he felt was a commu-nity-wide obligation to preserve the church the same way it raised funds and built the second arena ice pad.LMMSO board member Melanie Whitfield related the emotional attachment to Maud's writings she's felt sinceshe was a child; and to know she now lives in the neighbourhood is a dream come true.

I too believe strongly in telling the big story - the way Don Harron has over the years - and getting the bigdollar investments in Anne Shirley and all the other manifestations of Maud. However, my inclination for fund-raising is to explore the grassroots perspective too. I think the future of the Manse, the church and Maud'slegacy rests in the hands of today's aspiring writers. And I don't just mean the accomplished and professionalones. Remember, Maud started as an amateur. So did Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro and even JohannaSkibsrud (this year's winner of the Giller Prize).

And every family has an aspiring writer - there are lots in this township alone - a boy or girl who loves andwants to learn to write. I think raising awareness of Maud and the need to preserve her home and her litera-ture must come from those writers (and their families) who love their own creativity as much as hers.

The other night at the “Burn the Mortgage” pre-launch, Don Harron and actress partner Claudette Gareauoffered one final anecdote from the past. They remembered 1967, the Confederation year, when QueenElizabeth attended a variety show commemorating the country's Centennial. Harron remembered inserting oneof the songs from Anne of Green Gables into the show for the Queen. Following the performance, Harron said,all the Queen wanted to know was when and where she could hear more of the Anne of Green Gables show.“I think Maud would be amazed that Anne of Green Gables is the longest running musical in North American,”

Harron said. “And she would be amused that the mortgage on her church has not yet been paid.”Inspiration enough, I guess, for all - from royalty to commoner - to help the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society

of Ontario “burn the mortgage” sooner than later.

am I wrong?column by Roger Varley

Thur sday, December 2 nd 20106The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Scenes from the Santa Claus Parade

Photos by Stuart Blower

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Thur sday, December 2 nd 20107The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Summer’s Over, But Local Food Isn’t!Summer’s Over, But Local Food Isn’t!FARMERS’ MARKETFARMERS’ MARKETFARMERS’ MARKETFARMERS’ MARKETFARMERS’ MARKETFARMERS’ MARKETWinterUxbridgeNew to the market: Organic, gluten-free products

from Healing Spirit Nutrition. Offering a wide variety of local and organic produce, naturally raised meats, baking, preserves, honey, maple syrup, crafts & more. Indoors at the Arena Community Centre

Sundays from 11 – 3, now through March.Sundays from 11 – 3, now through March.

by Shelagh Damus

Uxbridge hearts have always beenin the right place at this time ofyear. For the past 12 years theUxbridge Toy Drive has been suc-cessful in collecting a veritablemountain of toys for those in needin the area. The Uxbridge Loavesand Fishes Food Bank has succeed-ed in keeping the mealtime tablefestive for their clients. Thechurches and service clubs haveassembled hampers of food andclothes and toys for those less for-tunate. However, it should sur-prise no one familiar withUxbridge that the parties behindthis culture of caring were notsatisfied with the status quo; theyknew we could do even better.

This fall the major players satdown at one table to discuss howto improve on the services theyare providing. The goal was tofind some way to get “all the serv-ices totally aligned in Uxbridge,”says Ginger Jackson, McDonald's

Restaurant owner and foundingmember of the Uxbridge ToyDrive. With any operation of thismagnitude there are always ways tostreamline things to better serve thecommunity. By working together,centralizing the storage of collectedtoys and coordinating distribution,people in need can be helped inmore ways.

“If there is a surplus of toys col-lected, they will now be available tohelp those who may find them-selves in need after a fire,” says Pat

Higgins, Canadian Tire Uxbridgeowner and another founding mem-ber of the Toy Drive.

“By coordinating with the FoodBank, there will be the opportunityto occasionally help food bankclients in need of a birthday gift,”says Ginger Jackson.

For Gerry Cresswell, SupplyCoordinator of the UxbridgeLoaves and Fishes Food Bank, “thelogistics are sometimes difficult,”but he is encouraged that “everyoneis on the same page” going forward.Food bank clients who need a lit-tle help ensuring stockings arefilled this Christmas season areprovided with forms that are filledout and forwarded to DurhamSocial Services. Social Servicescollates the applications that comefrom the food bank with theirown registry and assign families inneed to a service club, a church orother helping organization. Allhave access to the Toy Drive toys.

“The goal is to be a little morestreamlined in the collection anddistribution of the toys,” says

Cathy Tweedy, from DurhamSocial Services. In this centralizedway, it is hoped that no family willbe missed and that all of a family'sneeds will be addressed.

“The 2010 Toy Drive is off to agreat start,” says Pat Higgins.“There has already been a greatresponse.”

Drop off boxes are available atCanadian Tire Uxbridge,McDonald's, Zehrs, Walmart, andthe Uxbridge Times-Journal.Donations can also be made at anyUxbridge Bruins home game. Inaddition, Williamson GM hasdonated a van to aid the collectionefforts and it will be parked at dif-ferent locations around town in thelead up to Christmas Eve, the finalday of the Toy Drive.

Ginger Jackson is passionate inher appeal to potential donors to bemindful of the needs of teenagers,stressing “They have the sameneeds as our teenagers, they wantthe same things as our teens want.”A sentiment echoed by Mr.Higgins. When prodded for sug-gestions they recommend electron-ics, make-up, hair dryers or sportitems. Both Jackson and Higgins

are quick to praise the generosity ofUxbridge residents.

“It is amazing the quality of toysdonated” says Higgins. As forquantity, Higgins, unsure how tocalculate the amount collected,concedes that last year “the dona-tions filled about 200 garbagebags.” Of course, that was beforethey were sorted, wrapped anddelivered.

The adoption of this new

approach to the Toy Drive has theadded benefit of ensuring all thetoys collected in Uxbridge stay inUxbridge. In previous years, theUxbridge Toy Drive in conjunctionwith Operation Scugog serviced allNorth Durham. Under this newinitiative Uxbridge citizens areassured that their efforts will makethe season bright for some mem-bers of their own community.

Getting toys to needy Uxbridge families

The NutcrackerPerformed by the

Uxbridge Dance Academy

Don't miss this Holiday Classic live atthe Uxbridge Music Hall...

Join the dancers of the Uxbridge Dance Academy as they travel back in time to a Victorian Christmasand then on to the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy...

Tickets at Presents$15 Students and

Seniors $20 Adults

Wednesday, December 15

to Sunday, December 19

Evening performances 7:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday matineeperformances 2:00 p.m.

Thur sday, December 2 nd 20109The Uxbr idge CosmosThursday, December 2 nd 20108The Uxbr idge Cosmos

small to plus sizes

Gifts of Christmas Reading!

Easy EntertainingChicken Wings

Hors D’oeuvre Collection

Cheese, Puff Pastry Or

Phyllo Pastry

Chocolate Fruit Fancies

Gourmet Belgian Chocolate

Collection

Dark Chocolate With

Cranberry And Almonds Bar

Swiss Praline Collection

Candy Cane Cheesecake

The World’s Best™ Jumbo

Cashews

Premium Fruit & Nut

Collection

Sticky Toffee Or Ginger

Pudding

UxbridgeAre You Ready For The Holidays?

FISHING AT SECORD POND

Give someone special a membership to this exclusive new fishing club.

The Secord Angling Club, located at Secord Pond within

the Secord Forest and Wildlife Area, provides it members with

exclusive rights to some of the best brook trout fishing in Durham Region.

Only 25 memberships available$500 for 2011 Season

Contact Bill Cockburn @ 647-519-8093

Bill@SecordPond.com

Your one-stop shop for unique gift ideas!SANTA’S SLEIGH

This Weekend...

Dec. 2-4 Noises Off Hilarious farce fromOnStage Uxbridge. 8 p.m. Uxbridge MusicHall. See page 15 for a review.

Thurs., Dec. 2 Pine Grove Carol Service7 p.m. Seventh Concession just north of Hwy.21. Music by the Uxbridge Youth Choir andreadings by Conrad Boyce. Offering toSalvation Army.

Fri., Dec 3 Monday Morning Singerspresent Christmas in Song & Story withspecial guest Kenneth Welsh reading DylanThomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales", withguest musician Harcus Hennigar on FrenchHorn. 7:30 pm at St. Paul's Anglican Church.Tickets $15 at Blue Heron, Presents, Presents,and at the door. www.mmsingers.com

Fri., Dec. 3 Uxbridge Baptist Churchpresents A Merry Little Christmas 7 p.m.Featuring Jacob Moon.

Sat., Dec. 4, 7:00 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a hike or snow-shoe on the Al Shaw side Trail. This is a 1.5 hr.4.5 km moderate pace hike. Meet at the trailentrance on the west side of Conc. 6, 1.5 kmsouth of Durham Rd. 21. Joan Taylor 905 4772161.

Santa’s Railway Santa's calendar says thathe will be riding trains from Uxbridge Station onSundays December 5th and 12th. andSaturdays December 4th and 11th. Train timesare 11.00 am and 1.00 pm on all days. Eachtrip lasts approximately 45 minutes. Fares for allSanta Trains are $18 each for all passengers(Infants under 1 not occupying a seat ride free)- or $60 for groups of 4 people are also avail-able. Santa will be visiting each child at theirseat and distributing goodies to each. Seating islimited and by reservation only, so Santa Clausfans should reserve early so they won't be disap-pointed. For tickets and additional information

call the YDHR message line 905-852-3696 or e-mail tickets@ydhr.on.ca.

Sat., Dec. 4 Uxbridge Youth Centre presentsthe Canadian Red Cross BabysittingCourse for youths 11-15. Learn the basics ofcaregiving, first aid, and business skills.11AM -4PM, 34 Brock Street West. Cost: $50. Registerby calling (905) 862-3456. Don't forget tobring a doll or teddy bear!

Sat., Dec. 4 Goodwood Baptist Churchpresents a Christmas Musical "WhatNo Angels?” by children ages 6--12yrs old at7pm. All Welcome.

Sat. Dec 4, 8 PM - Greenbank Folk MusicSociety presents JUNO nominees, TheSultans of Swing. Tickets $25 from: BlueHeron Books.

Sat., Dec. 4 Past & Presents HolidayHome & Gift Sale. Uxbridge HistoricalCentre-Schoolhouse.10am-4pm. Come support local artisans withone of a kind ideas for your holiday gift giving& decor needs. Free Admission. Donationappreciated for the Uxbridge Historical Society.Wheelchair accessible.

Sun. Dec. 5 The Uxbridge Arts Association isholding it's annual Christmas Gifts Sale ofmembers’ art, at Siloam Hall,(corner of Durham8 and Concession 2). The Siloam Studio Stopwill be featuring assorted vendors includingpaintings, sketches, jewellery and photography.10 am to 4 pm. Also Sunday Dec. 12.

Sun., Dec. 5 Music Fest has been goingsince Feb 1993! 'Authentic Scratch' ChristmasOpen House at Reachview Village will be @ 10-12 . All welcome for a morning of music & fel-lowship & fun. Refreshments to be served; allmost welcome. For more info please contact Joat 905-852-6487.

Sun., Dec. 5 - 7:30 pm - CAROLS & READ-

INGS BY CANDLELIGHT at SandfordUnited Church. Welcome All!

Next Week...

Mon. Dec. 6, 9:30 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting the AnnualMillage Wedding Anniversary Hike on the AlShaw Trail. This is a 2.5 hr. slow to moderatepace hike. Meet at the parking lot on the eastside of Conc. 6, 2 km east of Brock Rd. viaAlbright Rd. Join us for lunch afterwards. Brianand Wilma Millage 905 853 2407

Tues. Dec. 7 Sounds of the Season Withthe Uxbridge Youth Choir. See page 11 for fulldetails.

Fri., Dec. 10, 9:30 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a 2+ hr. 10+ kmmoderate to fast pace hike in the WalkerWoods. There are some hills. Meet at the park-ing area on the east side of the 6th Conc., 2 kmsouth of Durham Rd 21 at Albright Rd. RussBurton 905 830 2862.

Fri., Dec. 10 The First Christmas ShowChristmas variety show hosted by Neil Crone atthe Uxbridge Music Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10 & 11 One Voice UxbridgeSingers presents “Joy to the World”With Music Director Charles White. Friday,7:30pm. Saturday, 3:00pm. St. Paul’s AnglicanChurch. Tickets: $15 at Presents, Presents,Presents. Children under 10 free.

Sat., Dec. 11, 7:00 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a hike on the AlShaw side Trail. This is a 1.5 hr. 4.5 km moder-ate pace hike. Meet at the trail entrance on thewest side of Conc. 6, 1.5 km south of DurhamRd. 21. No dogs please. Russ Burton 905 8302862

Sat., Dec. 11 FREE SWIM AT UXPOOL!Bring your bathing suit and pretend it’s still sum-

mer! Hosted by Uxpool Staff!1 pm – 3 pm.

Sun., Dec. 12, 10:00 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a 3 hr., 10km,moderate pace double loop hike on Al ShawSide Trail and West Walker Woods. There is apossible drop out half way. You may need icersor snow shoes. Meet at the corner of AlbrightRd. and the 6th Concession south of Hwy. 21.Grace 905 263 4340.

Upcoming...

Wed. Dec. 15, 9:30 a.m. The Oak RidgesTrail Association is hosting a moderate to fastand hilly loop hike in the Glen Major andWalker Woods. This hike is 4+ hrs. and covers10 to 15 km. Meet at the parking area on theeast side of Uxbridge Conc. 6, 0.6 km north ofUxbridge Town Line or 5.5 km. south of Durham21. Russ Burton 905 830 2862.

Thurs., Dec. 16 Uxbridge GenealogyGroup 7pm. Uxbridge Library-Lower HallPlease join us for our Christmas Social, andopen discussion.

Fri., Dec. 17 Blood Donor Clinic UxbridgeSeniors Centre, 75 Marietta Street, 1-7:30 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 18, 7:00 a.m. The Oak Ridges

Trail Association is hosting a hike or snow-shoe on the Al Shaw side Trail. This is a 1.5 hr.4.5 km moderate pace hike. Meet at the trailentrance on the west side of Conc. 6, 1.5 kmsouth of Durham Rd. 21. Joan Taylor 905 4772161.

Ongoing....

Indoor Farmer’s Market Sundays, 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. Uxbridge Arena Community Centre.Come check us out!

Shuffleboard For seniors Oct. 4 - Apr. 27,Mon. & Wed. 9 a.m. Ux. Seniors Centre. Allwelcome.

Uxbridge Youth Centre Hours Monday toFriday 3 - 9pm. Saturday 12 - 5pm.

Hospital Auxiliary “Chances Are” Storeon Bascom Street accepting good winter cloth-ing. Proceeds to Cottage Hospital.

If you have a community event you’d like us tomention, please contact us atcosmosboyce@powergate.ca or 905-852-1900. The deadline for our next issue is 6 p.m.Sunday.

Thur sday, December 2 nd 201010The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Coming Up

by Sean Wetselaar and Sarah Rogers

Keeping it local

Since we started writing Tiger Talkseveral years ago, we’ve spokenmany times about the idea of parttime work. Although our opinionthat it shouldn’t be forced on stu-dents in the earlier years of HighSchool hasn’t changed, we’ve decid-ed to revisit it this week with a lookat the better side of part time work.Especially the positives of workingin downtown Uxbridge.

Sean has been working for over ayear now at the Uxbridge PublicLibrary (in fact, he’s writing a col-

umn in the Cosmos for the libraryas well), and it’s been a great expe-rience overall. The best thingabout the job is that it tends to bechallenging in completely unex-pected ways… and is actuallyextremely interesting (contrary tothe popularly entertained beliefthat all student work involves sim-ply flipping fires, or something ofthe sort).

Another USS student enjoyingtheir work is Josh Featherstone whoworks part time at the local Sears.“I quite enjoy working part time,”says Featherstone. “I would like toactually get a second part time jobfor some more hours. I enjoy theinteraction with people as I get to

know more of the community andit’s helped me get over the nervous-ness of talking to new people andhas helped a lot for public speakingand presentations in school.”

Sears is also a 'big-box' type ofstore but has adapted to fit in withthe local community atmosphere,which is great for making residentsfeel better buying closer to home!

Although not everyone is asenthusiastic about work, most stu-dents find they do get somethingout of their jobs.

“Well, obviously making moneyhas been the appeal of the job,” saysMichelle Gormek. “But I'vegained other valuable experiencefrom this. The most importantthing, from this job, is learningproper customer service.” Michelleworks at K & Y Convenience rightin town and knows a lot aboutbeing kind to regular customers, as

well as new ones.What Sarah loves about working

downtown Uxbridge is the sense ofcommunity as well as an easy com-mute after school! She has beenworking at Presents PresentsPresents for just over a year nowand loves the atmosphere. You real-ly get to know regular customers,some even ask specifically for you!You also get to meet a lot of impor-

tant Uxbridgians (Uxbridgites?),seeing as many store-owners in oursmall community all know eachother, as well as many local celebri-ties.

Working close to home is a greatcomfort, and luckily Uxbridge issmall enough that every store fromThe Beer Store to Mark's WorkWearhouse is local!

Heralding their 14th Christmas season, One VoiceSingers will present their Christmas concerts, “Joy toThe World” at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Toronto St.S. in Uxbridge. The two concerts will be held onFriday December 10th at 7:30pm and SaturdayDecember 11th at 3pm. under the direction of CharlesWhite and accompanied by Debra Thompson. OneVoice is also pleased to have the accompaniment of thetalented flautist, Lesley Joosten for several selections.Tickets are $15 (free for children under 10) and nowavailable at Presents, Presents, Presents on Brock St. W.

Since 1997, One Voice Singers has provided anopportunity for adults of all ages to sing, while pro-

moting and supporting the musical talents of localyouth and assisting other organizations by performingat their various fundraising activities. This past seasonhas seen the formation of “OV Lite”, a small group of12-16 voices from the choir that will perform at small-er venues that would not accommodate the wholechoir.

Rehearsals for One Voice are held on Tuesday nightsbetween September and May and enthusiastic newsingers are always welcome. Visit their website atwww.onevoicesingers.org for more information on thegroup.

Joy to the World!

Tiger Talk

Thur sday, December 2 nd 201011The Uxbr idge Cosmos

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PRESIDENT’S LEVEESAT., JAN 1ST- 11:00AM

109 Franklin Street(across from Uxpool)

by Roger Varley

It is a certainty that downtownUxbridge will be hit with a majorflood. The only question is“when?”

So says Tom Fowle, chair ofUxbridge's watershed committee.

Mr. Fowle said that is why the

Township is currently undertak-ing an environmental assessmentwith regard to the culvert carry-ing the Uxbridge Brookthrough the heart of thedowntown core, underBrock Street. The study,now into its fourth month,is being done by a consult-ant hired by the Townshipand the Region. Part of thestudy included a publicinformation session lastweek, at which were pre-sented some preliminarypossibilities for dealing witha major flood.

Mr. Fowle said a studydone in 1983 concludedthat a major regional storm -“something like HurricaneHazel” - could see the downtowncore under about two metres ofwater from Toronto Street to

Main Street, with major propertydamage and possible loss of life.He said such a flood is known as

a 200-year storm.“In any 200-year period, it is sta-

tistically certain such a flood willhappen,” he said. “It is wrong tosay it will never happen. You just

can't say when it will happen.”He said public works director

Ben Kester was authorized in2008 to engage a con-sultant in concert withthe Region to do a newstudy. Durham Region isinvolved because it ownsthe centre part of theculvert under BrockStreet, while the town-ship owns the north andsouth ends.

Mr. Fowle said a num-ber of people attendingthe information sessionsuggested they wouldlike to see the culvertopened north of Brock

Street. While such a move has itsbackers on Township Council,opening up the brook would havean impact on downtown parkingand downtown revitalizationplans. He said two of three stud-ies on the culvert in recent yearshave recommended the culvert bereplaced.

Asked about the possibility oflooking further upstream for

solutions to prevent downtownflooding, Mr. Fowle said that hasbeen studied but there is notenough storage capacity upstreamto hold the expected surge ofwater.

“We have to find a way to chan-nel it through the downtown,” hesaid.

He said the current study isbuilding on the work of the 1983study. “We're not re-inventingthe wheel,” he added.

A second public informationsession is likely to be held some-time in March, with a third slatedfor some time later in the newyear.

Tom DohertyBA, MDiv

Counselling and PsychotherapyIndividual, Couples and Family

tom@dohertycounselling.comwww.dohertycounselling.com

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Downtown flood will happen, but when?

FOUND: Charcoal gray male cat, not neutered, missing half his tail.Very friendly. Found on Scugog Line 12 near Marsh Hill Rd. 905-862-2833FOR SALE: Beautiful custom armoire with two matching side cup-boards, paid $1000 last year, will sell for $500. Call 905-862-2833 oremail joditucker@live.ca for photos.FOR SALE: 2 Large Love Sofas, Black, burgundy & rose coloured. Solidwood construction, $400 each or BO. 905 852-3676 / 905 862-8098.FOR SALE: Reconditioned Erie Water softner. $150. (905) 642-3376.FOR SALE: Toilet-Brand new in Shipping box. American Standard-Caroma-Right height. Colour Bone. (905)642-3376.FOR SALE: Mahogany desk and matching file cabinet, perfect foroffice, in excellent condition, moving, no reasonable offer refused alsocorner oak T. V. cabinet. 905-852 2748.FREE KITTENS: 7 weeks old, litter trained, suitable for indoor orbarn. 905 649 1717. BARN HELP WANTED: Sunday Mornings 7am-12pm. Basic barnduties at a horse farm 5 minutes south of Uxbridge. Call Gwen at(905)852-5084.FOR SALE: 2 Male Shi-poo puppies (shi-tzu/poodle cross). Brothersand are one year old. Full medical history available. Very affection-ate and excellent with children. Each dog comes with kennel, blankets,dishes, and more. $350 Each or 600 for both. 905 852 5666 andleave message or 416 526 3241.FOR SALE: 1 Wing Chair $75, 1 three seater couch $75, 1 Queen Sizebed never used $100, 1 Two seater couch $75. Mike 905-852-1836.BABY SITING AVAILABLE: Days and/or evenings in your home inUxbridge or Goodwood area. Refrence on request. 4168417750 ors_komijani@hotmail.comMOVING SALE! Many misc. items...Dehumidifier- $50 O.B.O.,Electronic air cleaner- $100 O.B.O. (905) 640-4494 - 4159 Front St.,Goodwood.FOR SALE: Horse, Portable Run-In Sheds. Top quality, Bright LightWindows. 10 x 16 portable sheds delivered, $3,395 complete. 416 4642070.DONATIONS WANTED of used baseball mitts, baseballs and basket-balls for missionary trip to Dominican Republic by Youth Church grouprunning a sports camp this December for the less fortunate, great timeto clean out that garage, going to a good cause. Also looking for craftsupplies for the craft camp, pencil crayons, beads, etc. Will pick up.Please call Don 416 991-2277 or Lynda 416 697-1600 or home 905-852-4180.FOR SALE: ETQ 1200-watt generator, $50. 905-473-9726.FOR SALE: Walker, large, perfect condition, $75. 905-852-7266.GRAINFED BEEF: Antibiotic-free, govt. inspected, cured 21 days,delivery available, $2.75/lb., buy direct from producer. 905-862-3043to order.FOR SALE: Women’s leather jacket, never worn, $100 obo. 905-852-6835. FOR SALE: Twin slumber magic electric adjustable bed with new mat-tress. $500 obo. 905-852-9651.FOR SALE: Two Hoyer patient lifts: one with electric battery, $500;one manual with slings, $200. 905-852-9651.HORSELOVER'S HOLIDAY CAMP! A great mix of fun indoor activ-ities in our heated lounge, lots of hot chocolate and riding time in ourindoor arena. Half Day and Full Day programs available for HorseCrazy kids ages 4 to 13. Camp runs December 20th, 21st & 22nd. Dailyand full session rates available. For more information please call (905)852-7553.FOR SALE: 1 day bed with new Sealy comfort Plus mattress, $80.905 473 7023.DAYCARE AVAILABLE: Are you looking for someone to watch yourchildren while you are at work or just have some errands to run ? Ioffer hourly, part time, and full time rates. All ages welcome. Locatedin Barton Farms close to schools and after school activities. Linda at416-553-5794.BEAT THE WINTER'S CHILL! Natures'a Accolade is offering a win-ter warm up special. A full body HOT STONE massage, to warm youthrough and through. $55.00 for a limited time. Book today at 905852 7733.NEED TO GET SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING DONE, but don'twant to take the kids? I am an experienced babysitter availableevenings and weekends. I have lots of experience as an ECE apprenticeat Stonemoor daycare since I was 17. Also attended Seneca College forECE. Mallory at 905-473-5479 Cell: 416-676-9679.RENOVATIONS AND REPAIRS of all sorts, quality workmanship,reasonable rates. Give us a call for all your project needs. 905-862-2899.FOR SALE: 4 Miche Bag purses (2 black/2 brown) with many newand collector shells. $500 firm. (905) 982-0384.CLEANING MADE EASY! Let me give your home or office TLC.Weekly or Bi-Weekly. 647-980-7609.FOR SALE: 6' slow plow fits GMC pick-up $75 and Maple dining roomtable 3 leaves 6 chairs excellent condition $90 (905) 852 1084.FOR SALE: Nordic Track Elliptical VGR 850 $300, great indoor toner.Rototiller front 4 tines 20 years old AS IS $100. Rims $130 set of 4that fits cavalier. Steel 15" 5 bolt 647-723-8728.FOR SALE: Nordictrack Audiostrider 990 Elliptical – $500, Nordictrack

Apex 6500 Treadmill – $750. Schwinn 202 Recumbent – $150, Used,excellent condition. Sell together - $1,200. Pick-up only. 416-278-6910.SCRAPBOOKING RETREAT: Fri. Nov 26, 5pm-9pm; Sat. Nov 2719am - 5pm. Creative Memories Open House - For all your photo solu-tions. Trinity United Curch basement hall. 905-852-4517 for moredetails.FOR SALE: Wood stove, Vermont Castings, Intrepid 2 catalytic withheat shield, cream enamel finish, excellent condition, $1200. Alsoavailable: 2 storey's worth of exterior Superchimney. 905-852-9641 oremail uxbridgestuff4sale@gmail.com for picsFOR SALE: Washer and dryer, Kenmore, matching pair, very goodcondition, large capacity, washer $175 dryer $125. Call 905-852-9641 or email uxbridgestuff4sale@gmail.com for picsFOR SALE: 3 winter tires, Bridgestone Blizzak 235/65-16 on steelrims for Honda Odyssey $100 each, 905-852-9641.EVERYTHING METAL WANTED! Oversized equipment to bucket ofbolts. Appliances, BBQ's, propane tanks, electrical equipment, etc. I'myour one time scrap guy! No job too big or small I take it all! Free pick-up! 905 952-9844/905 473-1907.ROOM AVAILABLE TO RENT Immediately. Large Room, would pre-fer woman. Must See. In Uxbridge. Stella - # 905-852-9178.OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE TO RENT Immediately. Large officeroom in home. Great for small business or storage. Must see. Stella #905-852-9178.FOR SALE: Corn for corn burning stoves. $8/25 Kg delivered to yourgarage! 905 473 9972 George.FOR SALE: 5’ W x 3’ D x 30 “ H – Kitchen table with 4 arm chairs.Clear Stain Oak grain top with Med. Blue legs, table base, chairs with 1drawer. Good shape. $250. 905-862-2816 or 416-302-1937.FOR SALE: Maroon & Black Computer Desk, 29” H with pull out keyboard shelf and lower shelf for CPU. Also, a matching Legal filing cab-inet 30” W x 22” D x 29” H. Both pieces in excellent shape. $250 forthe pair. 905-862-2816 or 416-302-1937.CHRISTMAS TREE - pd $280.+, beautiful 7 ft. spruce- full body-MUST SEE!! Sell for $125, complete with plastic storage bins, 905-852-7063.FOR SALE: SOLID PINE TABLE -- 48" round Windsor pedestal table-plus 12" leaf -- pd $700 selling for $275.905-852-7063.SHARED ACCOMMODATIONS IN UXBRIDGE: Large furnishedbedroom for single person, $495.00/month includes phone, satelliteT.V. Internet option, parking, share whole house, access to kitchen.laundry, bathroom, No pets/smokers. 905-852-4454.BABY ITEMS FOR SALE: Fisher Price Nature's Touch PapasanCradle Swing $80 (retail $199.99 +tax), Navy Baby Bjorn $50 (retail$119.99 +tax). In excellent like-new condition. Used sleepers: uni-sex, boy, and girl of various sizes $10/10 pairs. Jaimie at (905) 473-2160.SHARED ACCOMMODATION: 1 bdrm in 2 bdrm apt., downtiownUxbridge, clean, non-smoker preferred, half rent and utilities. 647-233-8013 or 905-852-4540.FOR SALE: Old gas motors, iron horse kick starts, Briggs & strattonkick starts, other makes, 25 to choose from. Jim 905-852-5811.FOR RENT: Large 1 bdrm basement apt., separate entrance, fridgeand stove, $650/mo. 905-852-4078.HOUSECLEANING : Reasonable rates, references available. 905-852-2429.FOR SALE: Antique barrister-style bookcase, 5 sections high, 4 withglass doors, other a secretary with fold down top and original brasshardware, 100% solid oak, mint condition, no scratches, no disappoint-ments. $3500. 905-862-0922.FOR SALE: 4 winter tires on rims, 235 75 15, $200. 905 852 2520.ROOM FOR RENT IN UXBRIDGE: Large, fully furnished room min-utes from downtown Uxbridge. High speed Internet and deluxe cablepackage with Movie networks included. Shared kitchen and laundryroom. Sorry, no pets. $450 per month, all inclusive. Available immedi-ately. 905-862-3382.FOR SALE: Gas fireplace, barely used, in perfect condition. $500. CallJodi at 905-862-2833 for details or e-mail joditucker@live.ca for pho-tos.FOR SALE: 2000 Dodge Caravan, body needs a little work, runs great.250,000 km. $500 firm. Call Jodi at 905-862-2833.HELP WANTED: Student to milk cows weekends. 905 252 9995.FOR SALE: Tow truck full size light bar $75.00or b.o. sonoftaz@hotmail.comBABY BOOT CAMP for moms and babies! This is a fun, low impactclass where moms and babies interact through exercise. Every Mondayand Thursday starting Jan. 6th from 9:30-10:30am for 6 weeks.$8.00/class if you sign up for the entire session or $10 to drop in.Daycare is available on site for older siblings. Suzie at (905) 852-3664 for more details and to register.FOR SALE: Firewood - 16 inch $325 or 12 inch $350 per bush cord.Local del incl. Dale 905-852-4614.FOR SALE: Used couch (2 1/2 seater) plus matching chair and cush-ions, perfect for rec room or apartment. Very comfortable, just needs agood steam cleaning to restore to great condition. $100 takes it all.(647) 969-6191.STABLE HELP WANTED: Weekends. 3 hours a day. $10 an hour.

Experience preferred but not required. Call Claire. 416 300 4412.FOR SALE: 2003 VW Jetta 1.8T Wolfsburg Edition, 106,000kms, sil-ver, automatic with tiptronic, great car, low kms, great condition.$7800. 416-669-2162.CHRISTMAS TREE: Barcana 10ft in perfect condition used twice$100. 905-473-3636.WANTED: 1 brdm apt in Uxbridge for teacher. Non smoker. No pets.If you have an available apt to rent pls contact at 905 259 0509.FOR SALE: B King Pro. Great for sit up exercises. Adjustable for dif-ferent heights. Rarely used - Manual included. $50 (905) 852-1222.FOR SALE: Tony Little’s AB Lounge Extreme, Great for abdominal andoblique exercises. Brand New, complete with manual. $85. (905) 852-1222.FOR SALE: Two-story dollhouse, log cabin, horse stable, and Tudorstore, all in 1/12” scale. Finely handcrafted. House interior ready forfinishing, furnishing & accessorizing (all available). Serious buyersonly. These are not toys. Call 416-526-2363 or emaillittlethings@interhop.net. FOR SALE: Crib bedding in perfect condition. Crib pads, 2 fittedsheets, bed skirt, and comforter all in neutral, light beige with cherubsin brocade. Paid $200 will sell for $35. Just want the space. 852-4938.FOR SALE: Homemade Saw Mill, powered by 880 Stihl Chain Saw -$1,500 obo, call Rob at (905) 852-4174.EXPERIENCED HORSEPERSON REQUIRED: Private living acco-modations in exchange for approx 2 hours of horse/farm work perday in north Uxbridge. References required, serious enquiries onlyJim 416-553-1883.LEAF TICKETS FOR CHRISTMAS! Tuesday December 28th - Leafsvs Carolina. Premium pair of Gold seats beside former Leaf GM, CliffFletcher's seats. The 1st $400 will have a great present and or nightout. 647-887-7442.FOR SALE: Whirlpool Calypso cothes washer, $150 obo. 905-852-9582.FOR SALE: 4 snow tires on rims, 15” Nordica Goodyears for GM, fitsCavalier, Sunbird. $325 obo. 905-852-4748.FOR SALE: Sears treadmill, hardly used, Paid $900, sell for $250.905-852-4653.FOR SALE: Old windows, refinished, various sizes, stained colours. 2,3, 4, 6 panes with or without mirrors. 5-ft pine Christmas tree withlights, $10. 905-985-8103.FOR SALE: Pine night table, 2 drawers, $35. Coffee table and two endtables still in box, $75. 88 ft. 1x9 oak lumber, 60 ft 1x6 oak lumber,dressed, all for $250. 60 ft. red cherry lumber, 1x6, dressed, $75. 905-985-8103.

Thur sday, December 2 nd 201012The Uxbr idge Cosmos

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Thur sday, December 2 nd 201013The Uxbr idge Cosmos

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by Roger Varley

It's 11 straight wins and counting forthe Uxbridge Bruins after they regis-tered a 6-5 shoot-out win overLakefield Chiefs on Tuesday night andback-to-back wins of 5-1 and 3-2 overthe Georgina Ice on the weekend.

The victories solidified the team'sfirst-place standing in the OHA JuniorC Central Division, giving them 35points on the strength of 17 wins, twolosses and one overtime loss. TheBruins are now nine points ahead ofsecond-place Port Perry MoJacks.

Bruins were down 2-1 after the firstperiod, with their only goal comingfrom Kurt Batty. Lakefield took a com-manding 5-1 lead in the second andthen the Bruins stormed back withfour unanswered goals in the third asDerek Davis scored three and assistedon the other. With no scoring in theovertime period, Uxbridge won theshoot-out.The weekend started with an impres-

sive 5-1 win over the Ice at theUxbridge arena, which included two

power-play goals and two short-hand-ed markers.

The Bruins opened the scoring withthe only goal of the first period, apower-play tally by Derek Davis,assisted by Evan Haga and Scott VanAllen. Van Allen teamed up with Davisand Ryan Gilmour to make it 2-0 inthe second before Matt Allen strippedthe puck off a Georgina defencemanand passed it to Kurt Batty for the firstshort-handed goal.

Batty scored the Bruins' secondpower-play goal early in the third,assisted by Callum Lynch and Allen,before Georgina finally made it to thescoreboard on a power play, but onlyafter goalie Chris Seiler had made twofabulous saves. The Bruins ran intopenalty trouble late in the third, butmanaged to kill off a Georgina two-man advantage for a full two minutesand followed it up with StevePosteraro's short-handed goal, assistedby Dallas Ingram. Posteraro had beentripped, but managed to retain controlof the puck and scored from his knees.

In Georgina on Sunday, Posteraro

scored two more goals in a much clos-er game.Tekeda Smith opened the scoring forUxbridge on an unassisted marker inthe first, only to have Georgina tie thegame before the end of the first period.Posteraro notched his first power-playgoal in the second, assisted by Haga,but the Ice again tied it up before theend of the period. Then Posteraroscored the game-winner in the finalperiod, also on the power play, assistedby Lynch and Haga.Following Friday's game, coach andgeneral manager Matt Muir said thewin streak – the longest he's ever hadas a coach - poses challenges for himand the team. He said he had sched-uled a team meeting to talk about theissue of complacency.“We can't just walk in assuming we're

going to take two points,” he said.Muir said a way to battle complacen-

cy is to offer the team small incentives,such as easier practices.

But it's not just the winning streakthat can cause complacency. He saidthe success his team has had in killing

penalties could cause his players tothink they can take penalties and getaway with it. Nevertheless, the team isthe most penalized in the division sofar this season and yet has allowed thefewest power-play goals, for an impres-sive penalty-killing percentage of89.94.

The Bruins return to the arenatomorrow at 7:45 p.m. to face Port

Perry. Then it's back to Georgina onSaturday for a 7:30 p.m. game.Bruins notes: Uxbridge native JeffKeeping, a member of the TorontoArgonauts, was on hand for the cere-monial puck drop at Friday's game.And the Bruins are still looking forsomeone to take over the announcingduties for their home games.

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Belated congratulations to Kylie andHeidi Rahn on the arrival of their sonon Oct. 25. Lance is a grandson for AlecLeask and Cathy Leask...

Best wishes also belatedly to HelenWestgarth who marked a very specialbirthday on Nov. 11. Helen was a long-

time resident of Udora, and morerecently of the Sutton area. Hope youenjoy many more years...

Men's Breakfast will be on Sat. Dec. 4@ 8:30 a.m. at St. Paul's Church. All arewelcome to come for a great start to theday and fellowship...

Our best wishes to Steven Kydd for afull recovery from heart surgery per-formed at St. Michael's Hospital onThu. Nov. 18...

Leaskdale W.A. will meet on Wed.Dec. 15 for the annual Pot-Luck Lunch

at 12 noon. A meetingwill follow the meal. Allladies are welcome tocome and join in...

Our sincere sympathygoes to the Snoddonfamilies on the recentpassing of DorisSnoddon. Doris lived inthe Udora area all herlife, and was a well-lovedteacher at Zephyr PublicSchool. She will bemissed...

Has it really been 30years? Congratulationsto the Udora-LeaskdaleLions Club who has beenserving in this area andbeyond our borders.Your assistance and sup-port are so much appre-ciated.

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Thur sday, December 2 nd 201014The Uxbr idge Cosmos

Stemp’s Stew column by Harry Stemp

Not sure about you but I get lividwhen I hear of elected bodies tryingto live under a veil of secrecy, block-ing every attempt to allow taxpayersto know how their hard-earned dol-lars are being spent.

Recently, when a newspaper grouptried to delve into the spending atthe CBC, our tax-payer fundedpublic broadcaster, officials therespent around $35 million in legalfees fighting the request in courts.That's $35 million of our moneythrown down the drain and thosewho spent it really don't care whatyou and I think.

And now recent reports have sur-faced that some aboriginal politi-cians are being paid more than the

prime minster is being paid as theleader of our country. Data releasedby the Canadian TaxpayersFederation shows that 222 aborigi-nal chiefs across Canada make morethan their provincial premiers and82 of those have an annual salaryhigher than Prime Minister StephenHarper. The most atrocious exam-ple comes out of the Maritimeswhere a chief who lives off thereserve is paid $978,000 tax-freeannually.

“That's for a community of 304people,” said Colin Craig, aFederation director. “It's disgustingthis is going on in Canada.”

What an understatement, and anexample of how federal politicians

dole out public funds with noaccountability. With a large numberof Canadians doing everything pos-sible just to make ends meet, manylooking for work, it must turn theirstomachs when they learn of theseabuses.

Conservative MP Kelly Block hasintroduced a private member’s billthat would force First Nation lead-ers to reveal their salaries, plus otherincome and benefits. We all knowwhat happens. The majority ofthese bills die a slow death.Hopefully, in this case, the membersof all parties will set partisan politicsaside and rush this bill into law.

All MPs have long been aware thatthis abuse of tax dollars has beengoing on. Why they have chosen toignore the problem and allow it toflourish is beyond me.They now have the opportunity to

stand up and be counted and rightthis wrong. Will they do it? Timewill tell.----------------------This is the second time I have beenin Florida when Americans holdtheir annual Thanksgiving celebra-tion. A second chance forCanadians to enjoy a turkey dinner.Yum!

The following day is known asBlack Friday. A huge shoppingexperience which would compare tothe Boxing Day shopping frenzy in

Canada. Although millions acrossthe country head out to take advan-tage of discounted prices, most sanepeople stay home and for good rea-son.

Could never figure out why theycall it Black Friday. But, after seeingwhat happened to some of the shop-pers, the name seems to fit - it isvery black for some. For example,when the doors at one large depart-ment store opened at 4 a.m. therush was so bad some people at thefront of the line were knocked downand then trampled by the surgingcrowd. Some were injured. Oneman suffered a broken arm andcracked ribs.

At another store a lady pulled agun and started shooting at anothershopper who was trying to cut intothe front of the checkout line. Nodeath, but a serious gunshot wound.And the shooter was arrested, takenoff to jail and charged.

Add to this the fistfights whichbroke out as shoppers battled overitems that were in limited supply.Taking the rule of 'supply anddemand' to the extreme, I wouldsay.One has to wonder what drives thehuge number of people who takepart in this annual ritual. It has tobe more than the few dollars theywill save on a large number of items.That's important. But to risk your

health forthat reasonis ridicu-lous.

Not sure ifstudies havebeen done on this subject but, ifthey have, it would be interesting tolearn the results.-------------------Played golf here in Florida with alovely couple from Ottawa and,enjoying a cold one after the game,Uxbridge came up in conversation.

“Uxbridge”, said Hal. “Do youknow any of the doctors there?”

What a silly question. Of course Ido and I started naming the doc-tors. When I mentioned Brian St.John, Hal stopped me cold.

“That's him” said Hal. “Brianattended Ottawa U as a medical stu-dent and I coached him when heplayed for the U of O hockey team.Man, was he talented and what abeautiful skater. I am sure he wouldhave been a good one had he pur-sued a hockey career. But he wasmore interested in a medical career.I bet he is a damned good doctor.”

Just another example of how well-known the name 'Uxbridge' is whenyou travel. And Brian, if you arereading this, Hal Hansen says to say'hello'.

SOFA Smileswith Fred Bendell

If a local farmer is missing a “slow moving vehicle sign” from his hay wagonI know where to find it; seems Wes Bonner is concerned about needingmore space on the ice, so he is wearing the sign on his back with the words“share the ice”! Paul Bradbury is having trouble keeping up with his twowingers, Stu Evans and Gerry Roberts; don't worry Paul, they'll slow downeventually! Reid McBain played a strong game for Dark Blue as did BillPollard - if only Dave Fisher could keep up with them! Paul Colby and JimRondaeu seem to play so well together for Light Blue, not sure if it is tal-ent or Bob Boake’s coaching skills. By the looks of all the equipment I seebeing held together with black tape, I think a few players are looking for-ward to Christmas. Not to worry, I think Santa will be good to them; afterall we've only had four penalties so far this season...

Thur sday, December 2 nd 201015The Uxbr idge Cosmos

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V I E W P O I N T S

How well do you know the highways and byways ofUxbridge Township? The first person each week to callinto our office number, 905-852-1900, and correctly

identify the location of our photo, will receive a prize; thisweek, it’s two tickets for The Nutcracker. Last week’s view-point (lower photo) was on Feasby Road north of Roseville; itwas guessed by Mae Cudmore, who lives across the road.We’ll have the answer to the upper photo next week. Photosby Conrad Boyce and Renee Leahy.

GAME NIGHT WITH THE BRUINSSupport Uxbridge’s Team!Hockey Night in Uxbridge

7:45 p.m., Uxbridge ArenaSports Entertainment At Its Best!

Fri., Dec. 3BRUINS vs.Port Perry

Check out allthings Bruin at:

www.uxbridgebruins.com

BOLSTERLimousine Service

Travel in Luxury!Weddings, Special Events, So Much More!

bolsterlimo@rogers.com

705-513-1222

At Vikki’s Hair Studio114 Brock St. West (in back)

416-997-2703

Review by Jennifer Neveu-Cook

In the bumbling and typical style ofa British farce, Onstage Uxbridge’sNoises Off, currently playing at theMusic Hall, proves to us that welove to witness the mishaps and mis-fortunes of other people. We findcomedy in great mix-ups and confu-sion, especially when they are notour own. And in Noises Off, we seethe pinnacle of theatre antics at itsbest.

If you have ever been involved in acommunity theatre production, youwill find this show unbearably rele-vant and will most certainly haveyour own collection of stories of onand off stage dramas poignantlysimilar to these! This is an incredibly complex show

with wonderfully detailed andinvolved entrances, exits and chore-ography. The cast handles this facetof the show with great professional-ism and they do so on an absolutelystunning stage. It truly is gorgeousand more importantly, functional!Folding into itself, the set completesa 180 degree turn in less than aminute, and the change was sosmooth that both the stage handsand, I think, the set itself, received around of applause from our Sundayafternoon audience.Cathy Christoff has done a fine job

with the casting in Noises Off and itwas a pleasure to see some new faceson the Uxbridge stage. MarloAlcock and Jamie Sheridan makelovely counterparts in their roles ofBelinda/Flavia andFrederick/Philip. Mr. Sheridan'sphysical comedy was very well han-dled as trudging around a set with

one's trousers around one's ankles isnot an easy task! Kyle Dickie asTim is making his debut withOnstage Uxbridge and showspotential for his ensuing shows, butI personally found him a little'young' to be believable. JoanneWesterman as Poppy is very funnyas the stage manager although someof her 'teary moments' were some-what contrived and overdone.

Dorothy Partridge as Dotty issuperb. Occasionally her accentgoes astray, but that seems to add tothe overall effect of the trials andtribulations of community theatre.David Cardinal as Lloyd the direc-tor, and John Jackson as Selsdon aresimply fabulous. Mr. Cardinal'sportrayal of the poor director on theedge of a nervous breakdown pro-vides a solid core to the show. Mr.Jackson as the antagonist drunk anddeaf actor, brought side- splittinglaughter to our audience. His deliv-

ery and diction are so good and thisis, perhaps the best role for Mr.Jackson that I have witnessed.

Cheryl Roberts as Brooke the'dumb eye-candy girl' has strongtiming and good physical acting,but her delivery was poor as herhigh pitched voice was not only irri-tating but extremely unclear at sev-eral times. Lastly, but most certain-ly not least, is Bryan Mailey asGarry/Roger. Kudos, Mr. Mailey.Simply, kudos. He handles this rolewith comedic timing so strong thatall of the rest of the cast play up tohis energy. He is unfaltering in hisdiction and delivery and is wonder-fully neurotic and devilishly charm-ing all at once.

One point of criticism to be hadlays in the second act as we see the'backstage' goings on of openingnight. Often, there were far toomany points of focus, all seeming tocompete for the audience’s atten-

tion, so that one was not sure whichwas the most important. Perhapsenjoying a second run of the showwould enable an audience memberto enjoy more of the comedy, butbarring that, less action with lessimportant plot lines would be help-ful.

Congratulations to CaitlinChristoff Taillon in designing amarvellous program. Beautiful, easyto read and terribly clever, thissmall, but important part of theshow deserves great credit.

Noises Off is sure to enjoy a secondgreat week of its run and it is not tobe missed! If you enjoy theatre, gosee the show. If you enjoy comedy,go see the show and bring tissues towipe away your laughing tears. Ifyou have ever been in communitytheatre, go see the show as you maywell witness some of your life onthat stage; bring tissues and strongabs. You'll be sore from laughing!

Noises Off plays Dec. 2-4 at theMusic Hall.

CUTIE PIES & CAKES is hosting a BAKING PARTY on

December 11th! If you're looking to get a jump on your holiday baking then this is an event you don't want to miss! We will be making Nanaimo Squares, shortbread, truffles, white choc. toffeebars and lots more delectable finger desserts. Come join a fun filledafternoon of baking scrumptious treats, while enjoying a glass ofwine and a guest chef. The cost is only $50 per person, but receive$10 off if you bring a friend! Limited spaces available! Call Suzie at

(905) 852-3664 for more details and to register!

Noises Off a side-splitting look at community theatre

Thur sday, December 2 nd 201016The Uxbr idge Cosmos