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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 5, 2012 · 6 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Guest Column Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circ. Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Pennies for Pets rivalry to help homeless animals Brenda Dushko, manager fund development and communications, Oakville & Milton Humane Society Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award marta iwanek / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog BRIDGING THE NEEDS: From left, IODE, Angela Bruce Chapter President Gail McDiarmid and Bridge Convenor Sheila Dearing present Britta Martini-Miles, executive director of Oakville's Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children with a $1,400 cheque. Proceeds were collected from the chapter's recent luncheon bridge. ith the recent news that the penny is being discontinued as a form of Canadian currency, the Oakville & Milton Humane Society is hoping that people will bring their pennies to the shelter as part of our Pennies for Pets summer initiative. For the months of July and August, the large donation dog in the lobby of the shelter on Cornwall Road will have a little company. Three cute kittens in a vintage donation box will sit near our lobby dog to promote a friendly rivalry amongst animal lovers. People may decide to drop their pennies in either the dog donation box or the kittens donation box. An ongoing tally will show whether dog lovers or cat lovers have more pennies in Oakville and Milton. In the end, the friendly rivalry between cat and dog lovers, will see that all the homeless animals in our communities will be the real winners. It's a fun way to help the animals that share our community and I think it especially appeals to Lucy families and kids who want to help, but aren't able to send in a cheque or make a large cash donation. Even though the shelter is open, we are still very much battling back financially from our ringworm outbreak last year and literally, every penny counts. We're hoping that by asking for pennies, we will grow the dollars we urgently need to help these animals. People with pennies for the pets in the shelter may visit the Oakville & Milton Humane Society, 445 Cornwall Rd., in Oakville to drop off their pennies and change the future for the homeless animals of our community. Mabel W A Canada Day spent basking in sun at a `Hip' happening e spent Saturday of the Canada Day weekend in Niagaraon-the-Lake (NOTL) attending a truly `Hip' happening. We spent the day celebrating our nation's 145th birthday by sweating buckets, being baked by a sensational sun, entertained by bands, and schooled -- that is, learning life lessons. Life Lesson No. 1: Most of what we worry about never transpires. We bought tickets to this event ages ago. It sounded like a blast. Four bands -- The Rural Alberta Advantage, The New Pornographers, Death Cab for Cutie, and the quintessential Canadian headliners, The Tragically Hip -- performing at The Commons at Butler's Barracks. What could be cooler and more Canadian? Well, about a week before the event, panicked rumors began circulating: so many tickets had been sold; all roads into NOTL would be clogged; parking would be non-existent; access roads within the quaint town would be gridlocked; etc. It would be a nightmare. It would be (cue the scary music): Armageddon. With autos. Car-mageddon. So, being Junipers -- white-knucklers in the turbulent flight of life -- we took heed of the rumors, we planned for the panic, we decided to arrive (idiotically, in retrospect) early. We drove in mid- W morning to a ghost town. We had the pick of parking. And we had four hours to kill before the gates opened at 3 p.m. Life Lesson No. 2: If you're in NOTL with your wife with hours to kill, there will be shopping. By the time the gates opened, we'd been walking and spending for hours in heinous Andy Juniper heat. And, naturally, we were fried. Life Lesson No. 3: Whoever intoned that it "ain't so much the heat, it's the stinkin' humidity" was wrong. It's the stinkin' heat and the stinkin' humidity -- a potent one/ two punch. At this point, I feel obligated to admit that I'm not a huge fan of The Hip. While I certainly respect these icons and all they've accomplished, their music isn't my music. No, I was there to see Rural Alberta Advantage (who I love) and indie titans Death Cab (who I adore). And at points in between RAA and Death Cab, I was free to wander the park in search of sun-relief and, in honour of our nation's birthday, that most Canadian of all libations: beer. Life Lesson No. 4: Even fake flattery can go a long way with parched people (of a certain age). You see, my wife and I were asked for ID. Sure, it was a perfunctory request, but a request nonetheless for us to prove we are of legal age to imbibe. The last time I was asked for ID, Canada was celebrating it's 10th birthday. Of course, I'm more than 19 years of age. Barely. Life Lesson No. 5: A beautiful woman can pretty much get a man to do anything, if she uses the right lure. People, I can't even begin to tell you how grungy I felt after so many hours in the sun -- I felt like I'd been camping for a year. The Hip hadn't even arrived on stage when my wife gave me a sultry look (of course it was sultry; it was hot out), and whispered in my ear: "We bail-out now and we can be in a nice air-conditioned restaurant sipping a cold glass of wine in 10 minutes." Honestly, the whole day was a Hip happening. But, alas, when The Hip were happening, we were ensconced in an upscale eatery. Cool as cucumbers and happy as a couple of clams. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook at www.facebook.com, or followed at www.twitter. com/thesportjesters.