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Wednesday July 19, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COMMENT Stratford spans generations When I was 10 years old, my par ents bundled my older sister and me into the car and took us to see a play at Stratford. We knew about Stratford, of course...our cottage was about an hour* away and every year our parents would take a night off from the rigours of the beach and go and see a play. Like a lot of things back then, our parents did their thing and we did ours. During the day at the cottage, we played in the waves and built forts on the beach; our parents read books. At night, they put on their good clothes and went to see a play. They got a babysitter and went out; we ate chips and pop. Stratford, very definitely, was no place for children. When you get older, we were told, we'll take you to Stratford. So you see, to go to Stratford was a big deal. I remember the night we went, a clear night with lots of stars. It was, to be sure, a thrilling time for a 10 year old at the cottage, driving at night through the country roads watching the moon light up the rolling hills. The only downside, for me, was having to dress up for the big night. But it was worth it, to see Shakespeare unfold on the Festival stage and then to go to the A& W on the way back home. At night, everything seemed so much more special; magical, almost. The first year I went to Stratford, I saw The Three Musketeers and it was a perfect introduction to the whole scene. I can't imagine, at 10, being as enthralled about King Lear or Hamlet as I was about this lesser and yet so very exciting production that came with sword fights. I was absolutely thrilled. I have no idea who exactly ' y fi DIANE HART starred in that production, but I remember clearly the feeling of watch ing about a million sword fights and thinking to myself: This is so real! At one point, I remember wondering if one of the swords could, for a moment, actually touch me. I was, I think, awestruck by the whole spectacle of the thing. And so this seemed to be an appro priate year to take our kids to see their first play at Stratford, the same one being staged when I was a kid. This year's presentation of The Three Musketeers at the Stratford Festival comes with 41 set changes, about a million crackling sword fights and a stellar performance from actor Kate Trotter whose interpretation of Milady de Winter is along the lines of Lady Macbeth, if you get my drift. Not a woman to trifle with at all. Just imagine 41 set changes in a lit tle under two hours, as simple as a bridge on the way to London to a fancy ball in Paris; as complicated as a war scene with muskets and swords raised and men climbing ropes to the ceiling. It is, to be sure, a somewhat more sophisticated production than the one I saw. But, then again, so is the audi ence. Our kids, at 11 and 13, aren't as bedazzled by stuff as I was; they've been on a plane, eaten in a fancy restaurant; seen many live produc tions. In fact, they've seen a 4-D movie that came with vibrating seats and spraying water that soaked the squeal ing audience. Would they even like Stratford, I wondered? At this age, we no longer have them jumping up and down in their seats with excitement; a muted "it was pret ty cool" is about the best we ever get. During intermission, we crowded out into the fresh air on the small bal cony where drinks and mingling were happening; small groups gathered. The sky, as usual, was spectacular. I told the kids, who'd wrung a diet pop out of their dad, that the fanfare musicians come out onto the balcony to call in the audience, just like the start of the play. "It's a tradition here; they did it when I was a kid," I said. And sure, enough, they came out and blew their horns, sounding the end of the intermission. The kids were curious. "And did Amma Joan get you guys special drinks or food at intermission?" You've got to be kidding, I answered. My mother wasn't about to start doling out stuff at intermission: this was a time to go to the washroom and then take in the atmosphere. "You're lucky to be here," was a favourite expression in our house, I told them. And, you know, I remember the wonder and excitement of that night standing out on the balcony wait ing for the fanfare musicians to head off to another location. The echoes of their music would come lilting through the festival as we took our seats for the second half of the play. We did feel lucky that night. I'm not sure, but I think they did, too. PETITE CLASSICS Sizes 2-18 S id e w alk (som e exceptions apply) MAPLE GROVE VILLAGE, OAKVILLE 845-0655 Q ) O A K V IL L E 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 T H E C O R P O R A T IO N O F T H E T O W N O F OA K V ILLE Q U O T A T I O N Q-26-2000 FOR THE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF TWENTY FOUR (24) SPECTATOR HEATER^ AT OAKVILLE ARENA, 133 REBECCA STREET AND TWELVE (12) AT KIN0AK ARENA, 363 WARMINSTER ROAD, OAKVILLE , ON SEALED QUOTATIONS on forms provided will be received by the Purchasing Department, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6 until 12:00 noon, Local Time, on TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2000 Specifications, quotation forms and quotation envelopes are available at the offices of the Purchasing Department, telephone (905) 338-4197. NOTE: A pre-bid MANDATORY site meeting for potential bidders will commence at the Oakville Arena, 133 Rebecca Street and proceed to the Kinoak Arena, 363 Warminster Road, Oakville as follows: THURSDAY, JU LY 27, 2000 AT 10:00 A.M. OR FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2000 AT 10:00 A.M. The Town of Oakville reserves the right to reject any or all quota tions and the highest or lowest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R. J. Cournoyer, C.I.M., P. Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services P e s tic id e u s e s h o u ld b e b a n n e d So the Region of Halton will not force the municipalities to curb the use of pesticides. How much longer will this go on? It's time for a public meeting, people have the right to voice their opinions about the spraying. Our vegetables, the fruit we consume every day are sprayed with chemicals. Are they safe to eat? Our weather pattern is changing, the rain, high winds, all the flooding has been causing havoc. Could all the spraying be a contributing factor to this? If spraying is allowed to go on for two more years, there will be no ozone layer left to protect people from the sun's rays. This is happening to the Innuit and it could happen to us. Dr. Bob Nosal, the (Halton Region) Medical Officer of Health, stated there are enough alarm bells and red flags to indi cate people should not be spraying. He is a doctor and knows Letters to the Editor the dangers of spraying with pesticides, so why does he draw the line at telling area municipalities to stop spraying. It is very doubtful that anything can survive much longer on the planet with the amount of pesticide being used everywhere. People who spray their lawns will not heed the warning signs because they must have cosmetic surgery on their prop erties. What will be next on the agenda? Will they try to disperse the birds and every living animal on the planet because they walk on their lawns? It is time for a wake-up call, because today, spraying is out of control. It has to be banned. V. Carley 1225 TRAFALGAR RO AD · OAKVILLE, O N TARIO · L6J 5A6 r You have u n til July 31 to get all this for $199.* W atch this, Oakville Now there's no reason in the world why you should continue watching ordinary TV when Bell ExpressVu"' digital satellite TV is so affordable in Oakville. S199* is all you pay for the dish, digital receiver, and remote. And for a limited time, we'll throw in basic installation at no extra charge! That's a $250 savings! Just visit your nearest participating dealer and bring your cable bill, showing spending of at least $32 per month before taxes. You get our top 103 video channels with our Deluxe' combo package for just $36.95 per month. And another receiver fora second television is just $99; Enjoy Toronto local channels like C I V... more sports... more movies... more children's programming. So why settle for cable when you can have it all with a Bell ExpressVu system. Limited-time offer $299 $199 Programming credit -$100 ( w ith s u b s c r ip tio n to " T h e W o r k s " ) Hurry! Offer ends July 31,2000 Plus, FREE installation. Bell E x p r e s s \ /lj For more information, e-mail us at 199@expressvu.com OAKVILLE Bell World 422 Speers Road 905-338-9200 Bell World 2525 Hampshire Gate, Unit 4 905-855-2220 Bell World Oakville Place, 240 Leighland Avenue 905-845-3080 Bell World 481 North Service Road 905-847-5700 Future Shop Ltd. 310 North Service Road 905-815-0983 Galaxy Satellite 1175 North Service Road W., Unit 208 (2nd Floor) 905-827-1701 Radio Shack 144 Speers Road 905-844-7621 Radio Shack * Oakville Place, 240 Leighland Avenue 905-844-8346 Radio Shack Hopedale Mall, 1515 Rebecca Street 905-825-2161 i S V Bell is a trade-mark of Bell Canada, used under license; ExpressVu is a trade-mark of Bell ExpressVu, IP. limited-time offer can expire without notice. 'Requires a cable bill of $32 per month before taxes or a 12-month programming commitment to "The Works," combo package. Programming and taxes on $299 are extra. ^Customers are free to select the "Deluxe * combo on expiry of the $100 programming credit. 'Limit one per customer. Must be purchased with a complete system. Customers with multiple receivers must connect all receivers to the same phone line to avoid additional programming charges.