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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010 15 SPONSOR/PARENT APPRECIATION DINNER/DANCE & AWARD NIGHT PROFESSIONALLY CATERED DINNER! LIVE DJ! DOOR PRIZES! FREE SHUTTLE BUSES! MARCH 6th 2010 ROCKMOSA BANQUET HALL ROCKWOOD, ONTARIO. $25.00/Ticket These tickets will go fast see your Convenor for details! Contact George Hunak 519.853.0812 ahha@sympatico.ca ????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? LEGION NEWS By James Hayes P.R.O. BRANCH NO. 197 Have you recen t ly moved to the Acton area, retired or are 55 plus? There are always lots of things happening at the Acton Seniors Centre which might interest you, whether it is volunteering, joining some of the vari- ous drop in programs or enjoying the monthly so- cial evenings. The regular drop in pro- grams has restarted after the holiday. On Monday mornings those who feel energetic can join the Line Dancing class at 11.30 at the Centre. Play Badmin- ton or walk around the indoor soccer field at the Dufferin Heritage Build- ing in the park. In the afternoon there is a very friendly group that enjoys carpet bowling, and al- ways has room for more players. Last week there were only four people playing, but they enjoyed the exercise. The Black team under their captain Siena Ancker beat Marg Harings Brown team 12 to 8. Some regular play- ers have jumped ship and taken off for warmer cli- mates. On Wednesday mor- nings you can participate in one of the two exercise classes. For the more artis- t ic people, the water colouring art class is on Wednesday afternoons at 1 p.m. Scrap booking classes are on the last Monday of each month, and paper tole classes are every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Thursdays are for those who love to play cards, with canasta in the mor- ning and bid euchre in the afternoon. Last Thursday Mae Milton and Ruth Burke both had mooners. On Friday morning you can join the shuffle- board players, maybe have lunch, followed by bingo or at 1 p.m. ,the hik- ers gather and car pool to various spots to walk the scenic trails in the area. The Chinese social dinner was a great success with 70 people enjoying the Chinese food, fresh oriental fruits, Chinese ice cream. Have you ever had ginger ice cream, green tea ice cream, or red bean ice cream? It sounds horrible, but trust me it tasted good! The Asian pears, Fuji apples and honey pomelo were the final touch to a great dinner. We were entertained by the charming Lee family from Rockwood. Father Albert, his wife Irene and their seven children ran- ging in age from 15 to three years old. Titus (15) gave us a short introduc- tion to Chinese Music, and played the piano and the flute, and accompanied his mother who has a beauti- ful voice. All the children were involved in once way or another whether by reading poems, or sing- ing. The 18 door prizes were orchids and the table cen- tre pieces consisting of baskets of fresh Chinese fruits and other oriental related items, so there were lots of winners. I was lucky enough to win a beautiful orchid. Frances Hogenbirk was the happy winner of the 50/50. The next social dinner will be help on Tuesday, February 16 and will fea- ture Swiss Chalet chicken and have a Canadian theme. Watch for more infor- mation on the up coming Olympics at the Centre. Did you know that if you make a donation to the Acton Seniors Cen- tre (or the Looking to the Future fund), you will re- ceive an official income tax receipt which can be used for a deduction in your income tax. Now winter is here and you feel like curl- ing up with a good book, or watching a video, re- member we have a large selection of both at the Centre for your enjoy- ment. It was nice to see Nettie back enjoying lunch at the Centre last Friday. I was happy to find out at the dinner last week that a lady who had recent- ly moved to Rockwood reads my column. Sylvia was thinking of volun- teering and wasnt quite sure at what, and has now joined the Centre and will be welcoming you at the front at the desk in the near future. Welcom Syl- via. We still have room for more volunteers. The weekly a50/50 was not won again this week, so the total prize money should be over $200. Comrades, Home Heating Grant Your branch is again this year making a one-time donation to assist Acton seniors with their winter heating costs. Confidential submissions may be made in in a sealed envelope at the bar, to the attention of Dave Crook, Branch 197 Service Officer. Presidents Levee At the Early Bird draw on New Years Day, the following lucky members will have their 2011 years dues paid Kevin Sackrey, Christine Kri, and Melvin Rolfe. Legion Blankets (comforters) As a result of the gen- erous donations made on Levee day, the branch will be purchasing a large number of Legion blanket comforters to present to the Sunnybrook Vets on a special future visit to the hospital. Entertainment This Saturday, January 16, playing for your pleas- ure in the Games Room from 3 to 6 p.m. is The Guelph Guitar Guy, John McKinnon and The Elec- tioneers. RAMA trip Saturday, January 23, Ca- sino & Show, details at the bar. Bus leaves 8:00 a.m. sharp. Winter Horseshoe Tournament The tou rnamen t on Sunday, January 31, will feature forty-eight players this year. Come on down to see all the fun. Yours in Comradeship, Jim Hayes, Br.197 PRO Ladies Auxiliary News Our January meeting was very well attended. A warm welcome was given to Amy Newman as she was initi- ated. Alice DeRabbie was accepted as a member and will be initiated at our Feb- ruary meeting. We have a few ladies who havent paid their dues. Please contact our secre- tary, Janet Grant and make some arrangements. Dues must be paid in order to be in good standing. Yours in comradeship, L.A. President, Annamarie Lowin Town tackles operating budget By Frances Niblock Calculators charged, pen- cils sharpened, the Towns budget committee all councillors and the mayor will debate the operating budget numbers, the ones that affect property taxes, on Monday, and if needed, again on Tuesday. At a budget briefing on Tuesday, Ed DeSousa, Treasurer and Director of Corporate Services pro- vided an overview of the $28,509,400 net for levy spending plan for 2010 that includes a 4.9 per cent in- crease for Town purposes. DeSousa said that over- all with the Region and school board budgets fig- ured in, it is a 1.7 per cent tax increase, or $18 more per 100,000 of assessment. That would be $58 more for a property assessed at $320,000, the local aver- age. DeSousa said the base budget increase of 2.8 per cent maintains existing service levels and there is some improvements to some services provided to the public including additional snow clearing in several Georgetown lo- cations, and more support staff for recreation pro- grams for the disabled. SPARE RIBS, KATHY? Real Teatreault (left) is busy serving Kathy Sanford at the Chinese dinner at the Acton Senior Centre last week. Jane McAllister Anna Arnold and Loretta Ivanyshyn are also busy helping serve the delicious Chinese meal. Julia Controy photo