The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, July 14, 2022 | 8 It was an eight-week new mom course that's now gone on for 30 years. A random group of Durham moms, aged 25 to 40 back in 1992, had just had newborns and were invited by Durham Region's Health Department to learn the basics of child care over eight Thursday mornings. The 12 moms, with newborns in tow, learned all about tooth care, feeding, nutrition, safety and birth control, in what was called 'Babyville'. But when the eight weeks were up, Arlene King, one of the new moms, suggested they keep on meeting informally in what they called 'Momsville'. So, once a month, the moms kept on meeting. And meeting. And meeting. And it's never stopped. Now they joke it will be called 'Grandmaville'. Actually, one of the original newborns is expecting this summer, so one of the original moms will become a grandmother. Four of the initial 12 mothers have moved out of Durham Region over the years, but eight are still going strong in the group to this day. Once a month at a Durham-area restaurant, they all get together to talk about their lives. Four of the moms met recently at King's Clarington home to discuss the group and what it's meant to them over the past three decades. King called it "a support group for each other. There have been some divorces." And tragedies. Lynn Hermack's husband passed away, and she said the group was there to support her. She also said her father, Tom, who had Alzheimer's disease and who lived with her, was welcomed by the group to join the meetings. "My dad used to go to Northview Seniors Centre (in Oshawa) from the morning to mid-afternoon. When COVID-19 hit, he didn't understand the mask part of it and he couldn't understand why he couldn't go out and see his buddies at the centre and he started to deteriorate. It was unfortunate, but the group was really good," Hermack said. Her father died during COVID-19 and Hermack said all the members of the group were there to support her. Heather Green's 28-year-old daughter, Kelly, one of the original newborns that led her into the group in 1992, died in a car accident in 2020. "These guys all sent flowers ... (and some) came to the visitation through COVID in 2020," said Green. Other members of the group give Green credit for keeping it together through the pandemic. "I think Kelly would want us to keep it going ... At that point, it had been 28 years," said Green. The women have different professions that they've each been able to take advantage of to some extent. King started up a home daycare after having her newborn and took in Hermack's children as well as fellow group member Vicky Bisset's kids and other. Bisset, a real estate agent, sold Hermack's home for her. And a lot of group members got insurance through Hermack's husband, an insurance agent. So, the group's been good for business, as well as for support and friendship. But, in all, it's the memories and shared understanding that stands out say the moms. Bisset said it was nice to have contemporaries to share experiences with. "We talked about baby stuff, toddler stuff, teenager stuff, kids testing you. Does your kid have boyfriend or girlfriend yet? You've got a group you can talk to. You find out your kid is normal because they're doing it too," she said. DURHAM MOMS KEEP MEETING LONG AFTER COURSE ENDS Vicky Bisset, Arlene King, Lynn Hermack and Heather Green are part of a group of Durham moms who have been meeting monthly for 30 years, ever since they had their own children. Jason Liebregts/Metroland TIM KELLY tkelly@durhamregion.com NEWS THROUGH INFANTS, TODDLERS, TEENAGERS AND ADULTHOOD, MOMS KEEP IN TOUCH EVERY MONTH Lone Star Texas Grill's big margarita festival, Margapalooza, is back for a second straight year. The Texas-sized margarita extravaganza has revamped its menu to include more wild and unique flavours. Margapalooza offers 22 fun, fruity and downright wild margaritas all summer at 23 locations across Ontario, including three in Durham Region. Visitors can taste a wide variety of flavours, from classic margaritas like Lime on the Rocks all the way to the candycovered Fuzzy Peach margarita. From all the special and creative savours to choose from, this year's Margapalooza headliners include: Salty Pickle Mango Habanero Rocket Man (Rocket Popsicle) Fuzzy Peach Churro-rita (Churro flavoured) "We truly believe these are some of the most unique frozen cocktails in Canada, and we are happy to be able to offer them for dine-in, takeout and delivery," said Caley "Rodeo" French, vice president of marketing at Lone Star Texas Grill. Last year in June, the restaurant chain launched its first-ever annual margarita event with more than 16 epic margarita flavours. "Guests couldn't get enough of the wild flavours that we came up with," French said. "We knew we had to do something even bigger this year so we've amped up our margarita menu to bring more wild and unique flavours than ever before!" The event is on now and runs until Sept. 6. Durham residents can plan an outing at the following locations to taste the blend of these creative flavours. • Oshawa (855 Taunton Rd. E.) • Pickering (705 Kingston Rd.) • Whitby (75 Consumers Dr.) FOOD AND DRINK QUENCH YOUR THIRST AT MARGAPALOOZA MARGARITA FESTIVAL Lone Star Texas Grill's Margapalooza margarita festival features varieties such as Fuzzy Peach and Salty Pickle. The festival is on now and runs to Sept. 6. OJASVINI PARASHAR oparashar@metroland.com SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM Lone Star Texas Grill photos