The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1998 THE NEW TANNER GRAPEVIN|] Sonlight Island Acton Baptist Church will be transformed into Sonlight Island for a March break tropical adventure where children can discover the treasure of God's love. Games, songs, crafts, bible stories and snacks will be featured at Sonlight Vacation Bible School, running March 16 to 20, from 9 a.m. to 11:45 daily. The program is aimed at 5 to 12-year- olds and space is limited to 60. Applications can be picked up at Acton Baptist Church and Glenlea Drug Mart or call 853-0690. Choir boosters A number of Acton businesses deserve thanks for their generous donations to the Georgetown Chil- dren's Chorus to help pay for its April concert trip to Europe. Acton Home Hardware, Acton Legion Branch 197, Purity Life, R & M Construction and the Acton Soccer Club have all contributed to offset expenses for the 75 Chorus members, including 13 from Acton who will perform in Holland, France and Belgium on the Ambassadors of Peace trip. D.A.R.E. to get involved Acton businesses are being asked to support D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) by holding fundraising events for the program, designed to provide Grade 6 students with the self esteem and willpower to refuse offers of drugs and alcohol. The volunteer Halton D. A. R. E. Board must raise $250,000 towards program costs and has sent a letter to Halton businesses suggesting fundraising events that they could hold to help raise money for the pro- gram. Petro Canada, a Burlington church and an Oakville Rotary Club were among the corporate D.A.R. E sponsors honoured at Police Head- quarters today (Thursday). Baseball boogie With spring rounding third the Acton Minor Ball Association will have some fun and do a little fundraising on March 28 with a video dance at the Acton Legion. The second annual event will feature gi- ant screen videos, door prizes and a cash bar. Tickets are $10. For details call 853-2461. Registration for this season con- tinues tonight (Thursday) from 7 to 9 p.m, in the lobby of the Acton Arena and again Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Were you right? Identified people in the Curling Club picture on Page 4 are front row from the left: Ted Tyler Jr., May Dumarsh, Marg Toth, Willa Hewitt, Charlotte Holmes, and Chester Anderson. Back row from the left: Ted Tyler Sr., Frank Van Wyck, ? , Bern Van Fleet, John Buchman, Alex Zabtenoff, Andrew Mackenzie, Bert Wood, Walter Dubois, Lou Bonnette, and Len Lovell. Anyone who can help us with the identity of the man in the back row is asked to call the Tanner at 853-0051. eo ae SLIP SLIDING: Kaitlyn Kauffelat, 5, takes a turn at the slide at Prospect Park recently, where many children spent a sunny after- noon at the playground. - Karen Wetmore photo BOTTOMS UP: Diapering was just one of the babysitting skills that Adrianna Burton, 11, Heather Jackson, 12, and Jonathan Vieira, 13, learned at a Red Cross sitter's course on Saturday at the Boathouse. -- Frances Niblock photo Immigration and multi- culturalism are much in the news these days. This discussion re- minded me of an important event which occurred late last year. Way back on May 9, 1978, my friends, Chris and Ray, started their new life here in Canada. They chose Acton because friends from Eng- land had come out before them and had purchased a home here. This gave Chris and Ray a base of op- erations to look for work and they too. set down roots in Acton.. Over the years I have chided them for not taking up Canadian citizenship. I'll bet they wish they had followed my suggestion. It used to cost $35 ($50 with a Mountie), Now it costs $200 a pop to become a Canuck. Anyway, last fall they took the plunge and are full-fledged voters now. In addition to offering con- gratulation to my friends, and to all other new Canadians, this scribbler would be remiss if he didn't pass on some Canadian facts which will help new citizens blend into the Canadian body poli- tic. These tips go deeper into the Canadian psyche than the usual information given out by the feds. I base this counsel on a lifetime of observing Canadians at work and play and also keeping in mind that Chris and Ray came here from "Jolly Olde." People around the world tend to define their national persona by the climate of their country. For example, having a Canadian say "throw another shrimp on the barbie" just doesn't work, does it? Canucks on the other hand, sneer at winter and rejoice in summer. Here are a few other Canadian facts: A toque is not survival gear. It's a fashion statement. When at the rink, it is socially acceptable to rub your runny nose a your mittens. Ladies of course, The Way |f I See It |) with Mike O'Leary use only the backs of their mittens. (Personal note -- never, but never. shake hands at the rink.) The correct wine for fish, fowl or red meat is beer. Beer is also a so- phisticated after-dinner liqueur. Snowblowers are for sissies. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches are a nutritious luncheon fare. Pea- nut butter and banana sandwiches are seen to be slightly pretentious. Maple syrup goes with anything. Back in England, the Queen reigns "by the grace of God." In Canada, the government thinks itis _ God. Federal buildings in Victoria, B.C. must have French signage. Stores in Montreal are heavily fined for having English signs, We call this bilingualism. "A heaping teaspoon" and "a pinch of salt" are exact units of meas- urement. Flannelette nighties are sexy, es- pecially when worn by women. Our Prime Minister speaks both official languages. Neither one of them sounds like English. No matter how cold or how much snow there is, spring starts when there is still light in the sky at. 5:30 p.m. and baseball spring training camp opens. A mosquito weighing under a pound is not worth swatting. All together now -- "metric sucks!" Guinness notwithstanding, any beer you have to chew is suspect. Pizza contains all five basic food groups in the Canadian Food Guide. 'Chris and Ray are Canadians -- Yea! When the weather on the 401 deteriorates you must speed up and switch back from lane to lane. This great Canadian game is called "dodging the snowflakes." Now that you can vote -- don't. In winter, the words "cold, eh?" are acceptable substitutes for "good morning, how are you on this glorious day?" As soon as convenient, you should phone MP Reed to com- plain that our immigration quo- tas are too high. Those darn im- migrants are taking all our jobs. One says "eh?" One does not say "Wot?" Serving French fries without gravy is a mortal sin. If you can't skate -- learn! Hockey isn't a game, it's an ob- session. In Canada, up to 30 minutes of begging is considered foreplay. Over 30 minutes is just irritating. Being "armed and dangerous" in Canada means you are pack- ing an Inuit sculpture. Cutting the grass before 9 a.m. on summer weekends is a flogging offense. Canadians' favourite colour is plaid. When you want to state your position forcefully, you say "maybe" or "it depends." Part of your new country wants to separate and become a sover- eign nation while continuing to use our money, passports and have ongoing access to pensions and social programs. Kind of like Scotland -- eh? Your son Paul (who was born here) has to stop saying to his friends "those danged foreigners have grounded me again." And finally: you aren't "Limeys" any more. You're in Canerder -- You're "hosers" now. Congratulations on your citizen- ship. This country is enriched by folks like you who adopt us. Cheers! af \ Write a Letter to the Editor! -Deadline is Tuesday at noon Letters must be signed and include a daytime telephone number (in case we need to reach you) > ait