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

Never raise a glass to yourself! Registration begins for Alpha Course "Is there more to life than this?" That is just one of many questions that will be discussed during the Alpha Course at the "Check-it-out" complimentary supper hosted at the Georgetown Alliance Church, 290 Main St. S. on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. Call 905873-0249 by Sept. 19 to reserve your free supper. The etiquette and history of toasting The other night Olivier and I were out for dinner at a very lovely restaurant to celebrate our anniversary-- 14 years goes by quickly! Anyhow, as we were enjoying our appetizers, a group of 10 sat down at the table next to us. They were obviously celebrating some occasion too because there were gifts involved. The interesting thing was once the wait staff had served everyone their beverages, one of gentlemen made a toast to one of the ladies present. I think she may have been a soon-to-bebride. When everyone raised their glasses to drink to the toast, the soonto-be-bride raised her glass and drank to herself as well! I was horrified! This actually happens all the time and I don't think people are aware that drinking to oneself is a terrible no-no. The polite thing to do is smile and say thank you, but resist the urge to raise your glass. (To bring the point home, a similar situation would be a business meeting where your boss extols to the group what a wonderful job you did on the recent project and instead of smiling and thanking the boss, you jump up and say `why yes, I did do a fabulous job, didn't I!') Proper adherence to this rule will also help ensure that guests of honour follow another cardinal rule-- don't get drunk at a formal party in your honour! To go a little further into the subject, there are a few theories behind the whole toasting process. First of all, where did the clinking of the glasses come from? Well, one school of thought is that this ceremony was purposefully intended to spill the drinks in people's glasses into the Continued from pg. 28 Lori Gysel & Gerry Kentner other's glass, for assurance that nobody was going to be poisoned (either that or everyone was going to be poisoned)! The other school of thought originated in the Middle Ages, when all alcoholic beverages were thought to have actual "spirits" in them and when the drink was consumed, the spirit would inhabit the host's body causing them to do things they wouldn't normally do. So, the clinking of the bells was considered to be a sound close to that of church bells -- a sure fire cure for driving evil spirits away! Nowadays, though, it is considered polite to touch glasses with others or simply to raise your glass-- no loud clinking or spilling of drinks is necessary or encouraged. Next problem: what do you do if you have no beverage when the time comes to toast or you prefer not to drink alcohol? Simple raising an empty glass and then replacing the glass on the table is considered correct. Just smile while doing so, you do not have to pretend to drink from an empty glass. Or, you may toast with any beverage of your choice-- it does not have to be wine or champagne. A glass of water or orange juice is just fine too! Have fun and keep cooking! (Lori and Gerry can be reached at whatscookin@independentfreepress.com) Barbecued corn on the cob Method Soak whole corn on the cob, in the husks in cold water for at least 30 minutes. When ready, shake excess water from corn and place corn (still in husks) directly on to the barbecue grill (at medium heat). Close lid. Turn two or three times during cooking process. Entire cooking time is about 10-15 minutes. The outside husk should be quite black and burnt looking when you are done. Peel husks from corn right away, while still hot and serve. If some of the kernels have a bit of brown Sunday, Sept. 10 Rally Sunday: You are invited to join us for our annual Rally Sunday at St. Andrew's United Church (89 Mountainview Rd. S.) at 10 a.m. Our worship service begins in the Sanctuary. Immediately following the service we will have a barbecue and games for the kids behind the church. Rally Sunday is a great time to register for Sunday School, Youth Choir and an opportunity to find our about the many other programs and groups happening in the fall at St. Andrew's. Amazing Dog Race: Racers are needed to compete in the Amazing Dog Race at Cedarvale Park. Participants and their dogs are asked to perform simple tasks in order to complete the race. The race begins at 11 a.m. followed by a Pet Fair with fun dog contests and vendors. To receive your registration package, contact Cheryl at 519-833-2287 or e-mail volunteer@uppercredit.com. Proceeds to Upper Credit Humane Society shelter. Power of One service: Join us at 10 a.m. for a special service focusing on The Power of One. Inspiring music, inspiring message-- all in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Coffee and refreshments to follow service at St. John's United Church, 11 Guelph St, Georgetown. Info: church office, 905-877-2531. Community Breakfast: at Nassagaweya Church, 3097 15 Sideroad, just east of Guelph Line. There is no charge for the breakfast, which is served continuously from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Games and activities for children. Please join us for Community Calendar breakfast. Info: 905-854-1055. Bantyís Roost Monday, Sept. 11 Cribbage: Monday night cribbage league starts on Monday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Legion. Everyone welcome. If interested in joining please call Ev Metler, 905-873-2306. You do not have to be a Legion member. Halton Hills Toastmasters: Develop your speaking, presentation and leadership skills now at St. Alban's Church hall, Glen Williams, Mondays (except holidays), 7:30-9:30 p.m. Info: Debora Kirby, 519-853-9533 (evenings or weekends), hhtmmembership@hotmail.com or www.haltonhillstm.org. Bridge anyone?: Georgetown Bridge Club offers games for players of all levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Info: Tom, 905-877-7486. TOPS-Acton: meets Mondays at St. Joseph's Church, Church St. E. Weigh-in: 6-7 p.m. Meetings follow until 8 p.m. Info: Ena, 519-853-1526. Recovery meeting: Searching for help to deal with your destructive habits? Attend Celebrate Recovery, at Georgetown Alliance Church, Mondays, 7 p.m. Meetings open to all. Info: Pastor Doug, 905-873-0249 or cr@agrowingfamily.org. More CALENDAR, pg 39