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In Focus, October, 2011 4 Letter from In Focus October is the best time of year for one of my favourite activities: leaf crunching. There is nothing better than heading out for a walk on a bright fall day and hearing the crackle and crunch of crisp leaves underfoot. The sound is so satisfying that I have been known to go out of my way to step on a crunchy-looking leaf. But there are dangers involved in this seemingly harmless hobby. To my fellow leafcrunchers, I beg that you please be absolutely certain that what you are about to step on is, in fact, a leaf. Here's why... A few years ago, I was running back into my house to grab a DVD I had forgotten. My friends were waiting for me in the car, so I knew I had to hurry. On my way in, I saw a lumpy, dried brown leaf on the walkway to my house and made a note to step on it on my way back. I dashed in, grabbed the DVD and headed back out the door. As I hurried down the steps, I mentally prepared myself for my graceful leap onto the dried leaf. I started counting down: three more steps...two more steps...one more step... Then I jumped into the air like a gazelle, my foot perfectly positioned to land squarely on the crisp, crunch-filled leaf...and it moved. No, it hopped. For it turns out that my lovely, crunchy-looking leaf was, in fact, a lumpy, squishy little frog. With a big shriek and a little luck, I managed to avoid my toady little friend, who fearlessly hopped into the garden. As I headed to my friend's car, I was hoping nobody had seen my mid-flight heart attack. No such luck. Not only did I have to explain my frog/foliage mix up, but I have also had to endure years of teasing from my lovely friends. So please be careful out there, leaf-crunchers! Before you head out to stomp on fallen foliage, please take a few minutes to relax with this edition of In Focus, which has photos from all the local fall fairs, Terry Fox Runs and other fun events. If you have an event coming up or have a photo you would like to see in our next issue, please let me know. I always love hearing from you! Happy October! Historic Halton Hills Quirky facts from Halton Hills' past In 1895, Sam and John McGibbon leased the Clark Hotel at the corner of Mill and Main Streets in downtown Georgetown. The McGibbon Hotel has been a local landmark ever since. The village of Glen Williams purchased a fire engine in 1856. Ironically, it was destroyed in a fire ten years later. In the early 1900s, Norval doctor Dr. Samuel Webster often wore three gold coins on his watch fob. Queen Victoria presented him with the coins after he safely delivered triplets. Due to a housing shortage caused by soldiers returning after World War II, new houses and streets ­ including Churchill Crescent and Normandy Boulevard ­ had to be built in Georgetown. The Hide House building was originally constructed in 1899 as a warehouse for hides for the Beardmore Tannery. Stone quarried in Glen Williams was used to build Toronto landmarks like Casa Loma and Queen's Park. In the 1870s, Sarah Augusta Secord decided Acton's millpond deserved a more poetic name. She renamed the pond Fairy Lake. Wilbur Lake, located behind St. George's Anglican Church in Georgetown, was drained in 1915 to make way for the Radial Railway. October 2011 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 10 IN FOCUS is published 12 times per year by the The Independent & Free Press, a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 29 Georgetown, Ontario, L7G 4B1 Telephone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398 www.theifp.ca Publisher Ken Nugent Special Features Co-ordinator Andrea Lefebvre 905-873-0301, ext. 236 ALefebvre@theifp.ca Advertising Sales Representatives Cindi Campbell Felicia Fasulo Jennifer Spencer Amy Sykes Natasha Vuksic Andrea Lefebvre alefebvre@theifp.ca Design/Production Dolores Black, Mary Lou Foreman, Shelli Harrison, Kevin Powell BAYNES PHYSIOTHERAPY GEORGETOWN 256 Main Street South 905-873-4964 * Arthritis * Car Accident Injuries * Sports Injuries Free Assessment for the month of October The contents are protected by copyright and may be used only for personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make any use of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information contact the Independent & Free Press at 905-873-0301. The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred , whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise, and beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. GENERAL NOTICE: Copyright in letters and other material submitted to the Publisher and accepted for publication remains with the author, but the Publisher and its licenses may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other for ms of publications. Baynes for your pains. Do you know any fun facts about Halton Hills? Send your information to Andrea at ALefebvre@the ifp.ca. IN FOCUS IS A PRODUCT OF