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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 15 ,2 02 1 | 8 Leathertown Lumber COVID-19 Store Policy OPEN FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES We are currently staying open to serve our contractors and commercial customers who need to keep their business operating. We are asking that all orders be called or emailed in for curbside pick-up or curbside delivery. Interim Business Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-4pm (closed Saturday & Sunday) To place an order or get a quote: • Call : 519-853-1970 • Email: jcober.leathertown@bellnet.ca • Visit our website for a quote: www.leathertownlumber.ca Picking Up Your Order: • Our staff will contact you when your order is ready for pick-up • Your order will be ready in the front parking lot (no entry into the store or yard is permitted at this time) • Staff will not be assisting with loading orders, please bring assistance for large/heavy items Deliveries: • Contact Free, curbside delivery can be arranged at this time Returns: • Returns are not accepted at this time • We recommend not over purchasing on lumber to ensure that they are in good salable condition at the time returns are accepted Payment: • NO CASH PAYMENT WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THIS TIME • Payment by credit or debit card accepted at time of order or pickup (we recommend increasing your limit for payment by tap) • Payment by e-transfer to jcober.leathertown@bellnet.ca Leathertown Lumber thanks our team of dedicated employees for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our employees are rising to the daily challenge of providing safe and efficient service to our valued customers. We ask that when placing or picking up an order you recognize these efforts and express gratitude and patience with our safety protocols. Without our amazing team we would not be able to continue to serve our customers. Leathertown Lumber continues to monitor and follow provincial and federal guidelines for our operation. Our top priority is the health and well-being of our emplyee's, their families and our customers. We thank you for your consideration, patience and cooperation during this difficult time we are all facing. Please help work with us to keep you and our team safe! This policy may change without notice. www.leathertownlumber.ca Creating great smiles New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry marketplace Dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. While we are currently only open for urgent eye care, we are getting prepared for a full re-opening of our offices as soon as health officials will allow.We wish to assure all our current and new patients that strong safety measures will be in place when we do open. Hope to see you soon and stay safe! We are open but due to the current virus situation we are seeing patients by appointment only. If you are planning a visit (for routine eye examinations, eyewear purchase and repair, contact lens pick up etc), please contact us in advance and we will arrange an appointment time for you. This will help to ensure we keep everyone safe! It was almost 4 a.m. and the northern lights were dancing in the sky. Connor McMahon could see the lights of Dawson City in the distance as he traveled along the frozen river. With a comfortable lead, he stopped his dog sled team and soaked in the mo- ment. He went up and down the line, thanking his dogs. "They weren't too happy to stop," he said. So he took his place on the sled and carried on. When he crossed the finish line, he and his eight-dog team had traveled 177 kilo- metres (110 miles) in 11 hours and 47 minutes over two days to win the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race. The Georgetown na- tive never intended on be- coming a musher. He was working as a guide on Great Slave Lake in the North- west Territories when he adopted an Alaskan Mala- mute named Chumie. As McMahon trained Chumie, he looked for ways to burn off the abundant en- ergy of a dog that came from a working breed. Plan- ning to go ice finishing, Mc- Mahon built a sled. Chumie was more than happy to pull him across the ice. "The first 10 feet, I thought, 'This is funnest thing I've ever done,' " Mc- Mahon said. He began working with another musher, Aaron Peck, training dogs. Peck eventually gave McMahon an opportunity to race a secondary team of dogs. It didn't take long before McMahon was looking into assembling and training his own team of dogs. And when the COVID-19 pan- demic all but shut down his guide work, McMahon took advantage of the time to work with his team. "I loved traveling on snow, whether it was a snowboard, a snow ma- chine or skating," he said. "And I loved working with dogs. It was all these things combined." Depending on the length, most races have four or five-hour periods of racing followed by an equal length of recovery time. There are vets available at the checkpoints to check on the dogs, who wear jackets and protective boots. McMahon said he enjoys spending time with the dogs during races and training runs, where they will sometimes camp to- gether. "You'll go out on a trail and be out there for two or three days. You're spending every minute with them," he said. "You see how they interact with the other dogs, you get to see their dif- ferent personalities." McMahon said the sup- portive, tight-knit commu- nity of mushers was one of the things that really en- hanced his love of racing. He has even got involved with organizing races, dis- covering there is so much more than just setting a course and taking entries. Maintaining a team is not an inexpensive venture. Dogs burn about 10,000 cal- ories per day during a race or training, and as a result McMahon said they eat a really good diet to keep them healthy and strong. McMahon said he's re- ceived tremendous support from home in Georgetown with companies like Bush- ey Contracting helping sup- port his team. McMahon hopes to con- tinue training dogs, partici- pating in some longer rac- es, eventually building up to racing in the world's most famous event, the Idi- tarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- which runs annually be- tween Anchorage and Nome, Alaska. "I think it's only now, af- ter a few years, that I'm re- alizing how deep I am into it," he said. NEWS ENJOYING THE DOG DAYS IN THE FAR NORTH HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Connor McMahon races with his dog-sled team. John Hopkins-Hill photo "I loved traveling on snow, whether it was a snowboard, a snow machine or skating, And I loved working with dogs. It was all these things combined." - Connor McMahon