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7| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A pril 19,2018 theifp.ca There's an old song by Carly Simon, entitled Antic- ipation. The chorus goes "Antici- pation, is makin' me late, is keepin' me waiting ." Throughout the winter, I've been in a state of antici- pation. Late last summer, The Sidekick and I took the bold step and acquired a Mus- tang GT. Since we didn't get it until late July, the sum- mer was more than half gone. We had dreams of cruis- ing around town and be- yond, but before we knew it, we were into October, the date when the car is parked for the winter. And so, I've been in a state of 'anticipation' since then. By the time you read this, the Mustang will be back on the road. But my 'anticipation' doesn't stop there. Having a muscle car in- volves being able to show it off at local cruise nights. It's a collection of like-minded gearhead car enthusiasts gathering every week to eat, sleep and breathe cars, lis- ten to '50s, '60s and '70s mu- sic, and enjoy a hamburger or slice of pizza. There are a plethora of cruise events surrounding Halton Hills, in Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville, Bur- lington and Milton. Our very own Thursday night cruise night, held weekly at Nashville North parking lot in Norval, spans almost two decades. All winter I've been an- ticipating the opening of that cruise night in mid- May. But last week I received an email from longtime or- ganizers Mike and Lynne Boyd in which Mike ex- plained Bill and Sharon Gower, two of their main helpers, had decided to step down. Mike said without their help, he and Lynne didn't feel they could contin- ue. WHAT???!! Man, I had been hanging onto that Thursday night event since the first snow- flake hit the ground last year - and it was done? I understand there comes a time when we have to step back. We get tired, we get overwhelmed, and we have to say "I'm done." I get that. Let's face it, an event like that doesn't just happen. The Thursday night portion is only the tip of the iceberg. Behind the scenes there are sponsors to be approached, door prizes to be picked up and a host of other tasks that need to be attended to. Over the years I've been a casual visitor to the cruise. When I was at the Indepen- dent & Free Press, I'd cover the opening night in May, and later cover the cheque presentation in September . oh, you didn't know about the cheque presentation? Well, the group not only had fun, but they raise a whack of money which was annually donated to Georgetown Hospital. Since the beginning of the cruise from 2000 to 2017, they've raised a total of $49,503. Not too shabby for a handful of gearheads hav- ing fun. I have nothing but praise and appreciation for Mike and Lynne and all those oth- ers who have helped along the way. "Without Bill and Shar- on Gower's help, the current cruise would have ended in 2013," said Mike, "They were instrumental in securing sponsors and arranging the Toppers Pizza food sales." When the Gowers re- tired, Mike and Lynne de- cided that they couldn't con- tinue with the cruise in it's present form. 'So what would it take to carry on?' I asked. Mike said six volunteers would be great, and he would gladly help show them the ropes until they were comfortable. Then Mike and Lynne, as well as the Gowers, could follow in the footsteps of other volunteers like Lee Martin, Glenn and Marlene Rae, Richard Frazer, Shar- on Harrison, Rick Thomp- son, Mike Adams and Scott Moore (deceased) seeing what they have created car- ry on. So what do you say? Are there a half dozen volun- teers out there who love cars, '60s music and the ad- dictive sound of dual ex- hausts? If so, drop Mike an email at mboyd12@cogeco.ca It's time for someone to 'take the torch' from the Boyds. - Ted Brown is a freelance columnist for the IFP. He can be reached at ted- bit@hotmail.com. OPINION The anticipation is keeping me waiting Georgetown Cruise Night will be missed, laments Ted Brown TED BROWN Column RE: Veronica Appia's online column, April 13. Recently, you wrote a column implying that our community's, and thus by exten- sion the nation's, response to the Humboldt tragedy is self-serving. I disagree. No one is expecting a pat on the back or a stroking of his or her ego. We are coming together as a nation to grieve. Through sharing, there is a sense of com- munity, support and shared grief. Through sharing social media posts and photos, we are raising awareness and let- ting others know of initiatives happening in attempts to support those directly affected. Putting out sticks, wearing jerseys, do- nating money, donating blood, and register- ing as an organ donor are small gestures people are doing in an attempt to relieve even a tiny amount of grief being experi- enced through this tragedy. Instead of assuming selfish intentions, I wish you would highlight and appreciate how far reaching the support is for those af- fected. Nowhere in your article did you of- fer sympathy or provide information on do- nating blood, money or registering as an or- gan donor. Instead of leaving a bitter taste in your mouth, a response of this magni- tude should evoke sympathy, compassion, sensitivity and pride from you. You have chosen to put a negative spin on a beautiful, heartwarming show of sup- port and solidarity brought about by a ter- rible tragedy. As a writer, you have the platform to share all the support and tributes. Perhaps people were reaching out to you because you had the means to publish and broadcast these heartwarming gestures meant to of- fer condolences and support. Instead, you chose to assume selfish in- tentions. While I realize your piece was your opinion as is mine, yours was an opin- ion of negativity with an unsettling view on humanity. I am sad, first and foremost, for all those grieving from this accident. I am further saddened that you not only view the com- munity's response as self-serving, but that you put your negative views in writing and were given a platform to publish them. There can be no positive impact from your article. What good can come from dis- couraging the sharing of condolences and tributes? Why cause people to censor their posts and second-guess their good intentions? I say keep posting and sharing. Let the Humboldt community know we stand with and support them. A like or a retweet is not for the individual posting. It is to know that it has been shared and may be one step closer to reaching someone who needs support and make an impact. Instead of healthy dialogue, promoting a sense of community, and a way to grieve to- gether, you have tarnished the goodwill of well meaning people. This incident was an unimaginable and tragic accident. Your words were intentional and unfor- tunately have the power to hurt, chastise, criticize, judge and spread negativity. In an already gut wrenching and painful time, you called the intention of our actions into question and attempted to minimize the power and pride that come from responses such as these. You have created division rather than fostering solidarity. I am not a writer and I do not come from a hockey family, but I am a mother, a Cana- dian and human. To answer your question, "Whom are we doing this for? Is it truly for Humboldt?" Yes, we are truly doing this for Humboldt and those grieving. For you to imply otherwise is truly dis- heartening. 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