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Rae The big one is coming The big one is coming. The once-a-year craft show that everybody is waiting for is just around the corner, Saturday Oc tober 24 at Port Perry High School. The Christmas Craft Sale, organized by Kathy Goodway and her daughter Donna Sanders, is now seven years old and bigger than ever. More than 100 vendors will fill the school gymnasium between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with crafts from all over Ontario, including locally. Always a popular event, the sale usually sees 5,000 or more visitors. Mrs. Goodway suggests getting there early for the best bargains and Origins of Halloween Ye The occasion we now refer to as Halloween actually has its origins in harvest celebrations according to research done by Hallmark Cards, Canada's best-known special occa- sion experts. "Most people know the name has something to do with the '"Hallow- ed Eve" mass that precedes All Saints Day," says Tanya Boyd- Saffran, Hallmark's research manager. 'What they don't know is why these celebrations came about in the first place." According to Boyd-Saffran, celebrations at this time of year pre- date Christianity. While harvest dates differ worldwide by as much as a month from place to place, vir- tually all cultures have historically celebrated harvest with some kind of festival. 'In many places harvest celebrations have become Thanksgiving occasions,"" says Boyd-Saffran. originally one of those festivals whose purpose was also to thank the gods for a bountiful harvest." With the rise of Christianity in the early Middle Ages, many pagan rituals were transformed into Chris- tian customs by the clergy and the newly converted celebrants. It is very likely that All Saints Day, and the All Hallows Eve mass of the night before, came about as a result of people applying their Christiani- ty to these existing activities. The ghost and goblin element of Hallowe'en is a creative collision of the pagan and Christian traditions. Because of the belief in the strong presence of good spirits an All Saints Day, myths developed about the plight of bad spirits when con- '""Hallowe'en was selection. Puffy the Clown will be in atten- dance to charm the children, and hungry stomachs can be appeased in the cafeteria with a delicious tea provided by local Girl Guides. Diana Bent, of Port Perry, is just one of the many local artisans who will be displaying and selling her wares. Mrs. Bent is renowned for her quilted pillows and other stit- chery talents, and a preview of her work can be seen at her second an- nual open house October 14 and 15 from 7 pm. to 3 p.m. at 363 Cochrane Street. For more information about the big Christmas sale, contact Mrs. Goodway at 985-3972. fronted by such goodness. All Hallows Eve is thought to be the last night for evil spirits to show themselves, because they will be vanquished on All Saints Day. These evil spirits, then, wander the earth in torment during the night before their doom. Hence, the ghostly, eerie apparitions of Hallowe'en. "I couldn't say when it was that all this eeriness became such frivolous fun," says Boyd-Saffran," but I suspect it was very early on in the tradition." She notes that in Canada, children have been dress- ing up and trick-or-treating for more than three generations. The trick-or-treat tradition began - with children dressing up and pretending to be these doomed wick- ed spirits at Hallowe'en. In such disgutses- they would convince adults that they could be prevented from behaving like evil spirits if given some kind of sweet. Now, children and adults alike dress up as all manner of things - not just goblins or ghosts. And the meaning of 'trick' in 'trick or treat' is all but lost. Even so, ancient harvest symbols such as pumpkins and orange moons still persist ac- cording to Hallmark, which uses these symbols on Hallowe'en party goods, costumes and other accessories. "The fact that these symbols and traditions go back centuries is something very few people would ever think about, Boyd-Saffran remarks. 'It's fun and maybe even kind of spooky to think that millions before us have celebrated Hallowe'en in much the same way as we do today." Relief Services information night The Durham Association for Family Relief Services is holding _another in the series of our "Infor- mation Evenings" on Monday, Oc- tober 26 at the program office, Suite No. 302, 209 Dundas Street East (Whitby Corporate Centre), Whitby at 7:30 p.m. The focus of our evening will be the role of a Host Family within our program. A 'Host Family' is a fami- in their own home, Mri to care, for short periods of time, for a child or young person with a developmental or physical handicap. We offer families an opportunity to be involved in helping other families within the community, thereby enriching and broadening the life experiences of both themselves and a child. We provide a specialized training session and of- fer reimbursement in the form of a small per diem rate. "Over the last nine years, the Durham Association for Family Relief Services has provided short term respite care/relief for families who are caring at home for a member who has a developmental or physical handicap. Looking after a person with special needs is a time consuming and energy draining ex- perience and by providing parents with a short break, the family unit is strengthened and refreshed. If you would be interested in at- tending our information evening, please call Maralyn at 668-3812 or 427-3541. Diana Bent, shown with a sampling of her stitching talent, is just one of more than 100 October 24 at the annual Christmas Craft Sale. PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, October 14, 1987 -- 27 craftspeople who will be showing off their work Saturday November 7th Hl + The Guild show coming Aniourn and Area News by Florence Ashton There were 10 tables of euchre played at the Community Centre last Thursday evening. Ladies first prize went to Joan Richard. Second to Joy Bright. Mens first to'Nelson Cole, second to Art Budd. Lone hands to Violet Cole. Door prize to George Harper. The 50/50 draw won by Muriel Whitbread. The next euchre will be on October 22. Recent visitors with John and Bet- ty Cincurak were Frances Parnall, Toronto, her son John and daughter Cathy Maycock from Vancouver. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Alldred from Victoria, B.C. have been en- joying a holiday with their daughter Barbara and Ray Porter and family. Mrs. Ruth Purdy from Orangeville spent the Thanksgiving weekend with Doug and Florence Ashton. The Ladies Bible Class will meet at the home of Margaret Davis on Wednesday evening of this week at 8 o'clock. We would be pleased to have any of the ladies join with us. Burns Church was tastefully decorated for Thanksgiving. We thank those who were responsible. During the service the choir sang "Let all things now living," with Rev. McEntyre singing a beautiful solo. Barbara Porter and Florence Ashton read the scripture portions. Rev. McEntyre's sermon title was "The Strength of a Thankful Heart." Next Sunday is Burns 138th An- niversary with special services at 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Rev. Robert Spencer from Crieff Hills is the guest minister. Guest soloist in the morning is Mrs. Gretel Cameron, as well as the mens choir. In the evening, the Jubilee Singers from Whitby will be with us. A social time to follow the evening service. We warmly welcome all who would like to worship with us this day. There will be no church school next Sunday, but regular time on October 25. There will be no regular worship at Burns Church on October 25, in favour of St. John's Anniver- sary, Port Perry. St. Thomas Anglican Church, Brooklin invites you to attend an evening of Bible story telling, songs and a bit of drama on Saturday, Oc- tober 17. This will be presented by Bob and Lorainne Tadman of . Georgetown, and will be held in th enew parish hall. This evening is ap- propriate for children, teens, parents and seniors alike -- anyone Port Perry by Kim Griffin Whew! What a busy week it was at PPHS! I trust that all those beam- ing, ecstatic students that [I en- countered were due to a gratitious nature and not the fact that Monday was a holiday. Nevertheless, I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant and peaceful Thanksgiving. As mentioned before, it was a busy week at our beloved high school. No doubt the younger students were somewhat taken aback at the incredible number of Seniors wandering the halls looking tired, panicky, and on the verge of a breakdown. Don't worry. It's not a contagious disease. It's only University and College tour time and it should pass within the next week because the deadline to sign up for the tours is Oct. 13th. There's also a University Information Pro- gram beingheld at Kastdale Col- legiate on Wed. Oct. 14th at 7:30 p.m. University bound students are encouraged to attend, as represen- tatives from all Universities in On tario, plus Ryerson and Royal Military College will be present. Parents are also welcome. Many thanks should be given to the Guidance Dept. for their expert handling of the swarms of Seniors that have been attacking Student Services in the past week with cries of "Help me! I'm taking all the wrong courses!" and "Quick, I need who enjoys a story and a song. Refreshments to follow. Free will offering. Looking ahead to Saturday, November 7. Please circle this date on your calendar. 'The Guild Show' - an annual show and sale of Arts and Crafts. This event will be held at the Thunderbird Golf & Country Club, Ashburn, from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Admission $1.50. Door prize will be a limited edition print by Nature Artist Marc Barrie of Gallery Brougham. High news a Guidance appointment ... NOW!" Brrr! It's getting cold outside and nothing could keep you warmer than a PPHS jacket. They're on sale now for the low price of $93 plain plus $1.35 for each additional item you may wish to be put on it. Socks and gym bags can still be purchased in front of the office, along with Athletic Cards, rings are going to be available soon as well. So don't waste that hard-earned money on extravagances! Buy PPHS's quali- ty items and invest in your school. On the sweatier side of things, girl's basketball teams didn't fare too well this week with the Juniors losing to G.L. Roberts on Tuesday and the Juniors and Seniors losing to Bowmanville on Thursday. However, the Midgets won both of their games and a good effort was displayed by all who participated. The Golf team finished 3rd overall in DYSSA competition held at the Thunderbird Golf Club last week. Congratulations! Well, with Thanksgiving behind us, it's time to look to Hallowe'en. Student Council has come up with some exciting ideas and although the dates are not yet final, a sock- hop and a dress-up day could be among the activities to look forward to. Look for more High News in up- coming editions of the Star.