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THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 2012 THE NEW TANNER 7 GRAPEVINE Fines increase Fines for overdue library materials will jump 25 and 40 per cent as of February 1, to be more in line with those in surrounding library systems like Milton, Oakville, Guelph and Caledon. The daily overdue fine rate jumps 25 per cent to .25 cents from .20 cents, and the maximum fine rate is up 40 per cent to $7 from $5. The threshold for borrowing suspension increases to $10 from $5. The increased fees are a shift in philosophy to full cost recovery for Town programs and services. The Town expects to collect $53,200 in fines this year, up 2.3 per cent over l a s t y e a r. R e c e n t l y, t h e Windsor library became one of the only libraries to abolish overdue fees and offer an amnesty week for overdue materials. Dental hygiene help Independent registered dental hygienists, including Acton's M. Susan MacPhail, will offer free dental hygiene for clients in need on February 11 as part of the national Gift from the Heart cam paign. This is the fourth year Association members will provide oral health care to people who can't afford it, or have trouble getting it. For details visit odha.on.ca, and for bookings in Acton call MacPhail at 519-853-5985. No Barker celebration Due to illness , the planned January 29 celebration for Acton's Vivian Barker has been cancelled. Barker is a founding member of Evangel Family Church, and is celebrating her 93rd birthday at the church, and her move to a new home in St. Jacob's. Lunch date The Acton library will screen The Smurfs at the popular Munch to the Movi e s P. A . D a y p r o g r a m o n Friday, February 3. Kids are invited to bring their lunch and watch the movie, which b e g i n s a t 1 2 n o o n . Vi s i t www.hhpl.on.ca or call 519853-0301 for details. First aid offered Acton firefighter Steve McKnight is offering two first aid/CPR courses on the February 25/26 weekend at the Dufferin Rural Heritage Centre in Prospect Park. In one and two-day courses, McKnight, provides emergency and standard first aid, CPR and defibrillator training. For details call 905-703-4550 or e-mail smcknight@cogeco.ca Taste of the Chamber There will be a lot of noshing and networking at the Taste of the Chamber, a food industry soiree at Blue Springs Golf Club on February 7. Sponsored by the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce, the event will showcase local food and beverage businesses and providers. The Town will host a food industry reception, and at 5 p.m., the general public is invited to taste and sample new products and services, receive coupons and special promotions. For more information call Donna at 905-877-7119 or e-mail donna@haltonhillschamber.on.ca Thai time Loyal diners have not noticed a change in the fresh food and great service in the past six months with the new faces at Lily Thai and Vietnamese Cuisine on Mill Street. Owners Karen and Victor Liu have settled in nicely and are so impressed with Acton that they plan to relocate here from Toronto. FRIDAY FEAST: A huge hungry crowd enjoyed the spaghetti dinner hosted by the Acton Hub team and St. Alban's Church on Friday at the Church. Guests included, from left: Shawn Galway, Blake Galway, Rachel McFerran and Shaun Galway. ­ Frances Niblock photo Let Mikey try it! A couple weeks ago, my dad called me with a problem. He needed me to search the internet for a solution. His problem was he could not find Bick's English Style Onions (pickled). This was definitely a dilemma. As far back as I can remember my dad would eat these things that almost made my toes curl when I would hear him crunch into one at the dinner table when I was younger. They were disgusting, but he loves them. He found smaller ones at UK import stores, but they weren't Bick's onions. They were bigger. After several phone calls and much time surfing I told him he was out of luck. Bick's stopped making them, however, I actually found a company in Calgary that ships "Canadian" food across the world for people w h o c a n 't g e t s o m e t h i n g they love where they live. For some strange reason, this company had them. I guess he wasn't that strange because apparently there is a demand for them, and this company must have bought the last of the supplies. I guess we all have something we like to eat or drink, whether it be something from "home" or something we found while travelling. For me, it's Cherry Coke Zero. You cannot buy Cherry Coke Zero in Ontario, yet you can By Angela Tyler two hours from here in the USA. I am thrilled that we have good friends that travel often to the States ­ she is my Cherry Fairy as she refers to herself. After a trip across the border she usually sends me into a dither with at least two cases that she smuggles back for me. My cousins in the States have things in Canada they l o v e t h a t t h e y c a n 't b u y at home. When they visit, they've been known to load up their suitcases with butter tarts, Red Rose tea and mustard pickles. I remember one visit home they bought a lot of tarts. When I say a lot, I mean about four dozen travelled home with them beside the tea and the pickles. The Dude's mom is from overseas. Her thing is OXO cubes. Once after I attempted to make a Shepherd's Pie for the Dude, he said I needed to talk to his mom because mine was "missing something." She maintains that UK OXO cubes are different than the cubes available here. and that is the "secret" ingredient. Wi t h t h e D u d e a n d h i s family being from overseas, FROZEN FUN: As a dad with a snow blower cleared the ice on Fairy Lake on Sunday, hockey players stayed out his way while they shot a puck back and forth. ­ Frances Niblock photo every time his folks go over to visit, they always bring back food stuff beyond the OXO cubes, because apparently, although the items are available here, there's are "different." The last time Dude Sr. went abroad, he returned with the usual items requested by his kids. There was the chocolate and the little gummy candies and that time, he also brought cheese. I know because I searched for a long time for aged cheddar. I could find aged cheddar, but it wasn't like their aged cheddar. It wasn't the right colour or aged long enough. That visit home, Dude Sr. brought cheese from home for his family. In retrospect, it was a close second on the strange scale to my father's love and need for those horrid pickled onions. As I was discussing this with the Dude one night, he reminded me "don't forget about grilled cheese." Ah, yes, grilled cheese...another cheese thing he has issue with. Apparently, what the rest of the world thinks of a grilled cheese in his opinion is actually a fried cheese sandwich. It took me a while for him to understand when I say grilled cheese, we are having grilled cheese, not his strange version of cheese on bread under a broiler or melted in a microwave on toast. And because of that, he ranks third.