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LJ 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, September 22, 1987 Editorial Comments Tourist Dollars The numbers are mind-boggling; $20 billion across Canada each year; $8 billion in Ontario annually; 600,000 jobs in this province alone. We are talking about tourism, an industry that is on the move in Canada, but one that sometimes is badly overlooked when com- pared to others. Here in Durham Region, the word *'industry" immediately brings to mind cars, heavy manufacturing, nuclear energy or agriculture. Tourism is not generally associated with Durham, the way it is with Niagara, Toronto, or the village of Maple with the sprawling Wonderland on its doorstep. But just because Durham Region does not have a huge water- falls, a CN Tower or a Wonderland within its borders, the importance of towrism should not be overlooked. The Tourist Association of Durham Region has called an impor- tant meeting for October 8 at the Oshawa Holiday Inn (about 1000 invitations have been sent out) in an effort to get people interested in improving, promoting and enhancing the tourist industry in this Region, and that includes Port Perry and Scugog Township. At a news conference in Whitby last week, members of the Association said the October 8 meeting would among other things, select an executive and zero in on long and short term strategies for the tourist business in Durham. We would suggest that businesses in Scugog Township and Port Perry either directly or indirectly benefitting from tourist dollars should send a rep or two to the October 8 meeting in Oshawa. It can't do any harm, and since the meeting is slated to start at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at noon, it's not much time to invest in something that could have considerable positive benefits. The importance of tourism Region-wide in terms of dollars and cents is hard to calculate and there are no precise figures available at this time. : But a study of one major tourist attraction in the Region, Cullen Gardens in Whitby, illustrates why more attention should be paid to enhancing and improving the overall picture. Cullen Gardens generates 75 full time jobs, an equal number of part time jobs with a total payroll of $850,000 annually. That par- ticular business spent another $70,000 on local goods and services; paid $15,000 in realty taxes. But most important, the study shows the enormous "spin-off effect" of one tourist business. Visitors to Cullen Gardens in 1986 spent $11 million total during their stay in the Region. It is this 'multiplier effect' which makes tourism so im- portant to the economic well being of any community. Not only must the community be able to provide tourists with a reason for coming hero. but it must make them feel wanted and welcome during thiir stay here for shopping, meals, accommodation, general services and purchases. ~ Scugog Township has much to offer the visitor, beginning with the lake itself. Port Perry is earning a reputation as one of the most picturesque communities in the province, a marvellous blend of the old and new. One doesn't have to look very far to find numerous reasons why a first time visitor to this area would decide to make a return visit. The Tourist Association of Durham Region appears to be very serious about its plan to promote, enhance and improve this impor- tant industry. That's why the meetifig has been called for October 8. That's why we hope Scugog Township is well represented at that meeting. If you are in the tourist business and did not get an invita- tion, call David Gould at 576-1200. t=zases = J---- Port Perry STAR ¢ 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO A Phone 985.7383 PO Box90 LOB INO J. PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Canadian Community Newspaper Association ich Wd Ontano Community Newspaper Associat Advertising Manager and Ontario Commumty Newspaper Association ro Published every Tuesday by the | Port Perry Star Co Ltd Port Perry Ontario J.B. McCLELLAND Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Pos! Office Department Ottawa and 'for cast CATHY OLLIFFE payment of postage in cash News & Features Second Class Mal Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate In Canada $20.00 per year Elsewhere $60.00 per year Single Copy 50 COPYRIGHT tising department of the Port Perry Sthr Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher All layout and composihion of advertisements produced by the adve Chatte THE VEGETABLE MAN Doug has a funny way of saying corn. Combining the snort of a pig and the word itself, Doug has this twisted way of saying "corn" that more than perfectly describes the way I feel' about this exquisite vegetable. I am, you see, an utter pig when it comes to corn on the cob, and I believe I could stuff myself with it three times a day and not get enough. I am, as the expression goes, "corn-fed," a term that generally applies to cattle or pigs. Which I am, when it comes to corn. A corn connisseur, I have purchased the stuff all over Scugog, trying to pinpoint the absolute best, which in my books, is yellow to the point of being orange, thick and chewy. None of this namby-pamby white stuff for me, uh-uh. I like the stuff you can sink your teeth into, and tear off the cob with passionate chomps. In a delirium of typewriter-like gobbling, I can polish off butter- coated, salt-encrusted cobs by the dozen. No wonder I don't like Twiggy. As I've said, I have searched high and low for this particularly perfect delicacy, and I believe I have found it at The Vegetable Man's vegetable stand. thing to paradise, or an old cob of peaches and cream. Of course, 'Big Jim" isn't the only kind of corn The Vegetable Man sells. This guy has every imaginable cob there ever was invented, I swear, ranging from something called Merrit, to Candy corn, peaches and cream, to who knows what else. You never know what kind of corn The Vegetable Man has for sale on any given day, until you ar- rive at his stand north of North Nestleton. And just let me say, "It's worth the drive to North Nestleton." The Vegetable Man is one of those rare in- dividuals you can't seem to get enough of. A visit to his vegetable stand is an experience unto itself. I mean, this guy just kills me. He has a dry sense of humour that could put David Letterman to shame. He has the salesman- ship ability of Herb Tarlick on a good day. And I think he can do just about anything, from rais- ing vegetables, to fixing cars, from building houses, to boiling down maple syrup. We call him The Vegetable Man, behind his back, but that's not his name. It is, however Dave Malcolm's full-time job, and he's pretty darn good at it. Dave says he reads my columns every once in a while. Not too many of my visits to his stand go by without a couple of references to what I have written, positive or otherwise | And a couple of weeks ago, he told me I should write a column about '"'the best corn in the country." I laughed, of course, but then told him that | was thinking about writing a story about him. Not rbox It's called "Big Jim" and it's the next best by Cathy Olliffe necessarily his corn, although it is first rate, but about The Vegetable Man himself. I told him I thought he was the most remarkable salesman I'd ever met, probably able to sell ice to the Eskimos. His wife, Joanna, who was standing nearby, laughed out loud. "It's true!" she said, her voice bubbling over | with mirth. It is true. The Vegetable Man has missed his calling. He should be working in a used car lot, . wearing white shoes and plaid jackets, perform- ing in tacky TV commercials. bi The Vegetable Man, Dave Malcolm and his wife Joanna with a sampling of their late summer crop. You see, wien going to the vegetable stand to buy corn, you cannot help but come away with bags of other vegetables as well. On many occasions I have dropped by to pick up a half a dozen cobs, and have come home with 14 or 15 corn, a couple of green peppers, a can- taloupe, and enough potatoes to last until Christmas. He also sells tomatoes, onions, maple syrup (that he makes in the spring), juice, homemade (Turn to page 6) a -- bi ec a ci pi a0