a 2013...in the news • Local livestock producers will receive financial assistance from the provincial and federal governments after a dry summer of 2012 caused severe forage shortages. • The expanded Halton Hills Library & Cultural Centre is a hit with residents be- fore it even officially opens its doors. Li- brary staff tweeted that more than 5,600 items had already been checked out. • Mold-Masters Ltd. of Georgetown is sold to Cincinnati, Ohio-based Milacron for $975 million. • The newly amalgamated Halton Hills Minor Hockey Association holds a con- test to come up with a nickname for the organization and the winning entry of "Hitmen" is changed to "Thunder" af- ter a storm of negative reaction . • After being closed for almost two years due to the expansion of the Library and upgrades to the Cultural Centre, the John Elliott Theatre confirms per- formance dates for shows open to the public. • Public skating is held for the last time at one of the oldest indoor rinks in Can- ada as the ice is taken out of the soon- to-be-demolished Memorial Arena. 2013...in the news • Georgetown native Mary Lynn Machado earns an Oscar award for film animation in the critically acclaimed Life of Pi, but lost her job just a few days before the Academy Awards after the company she worked for, Rhythm & Hues, declared bankruptcy. • Grade 12 Christ the King student Ryan Muil wins the high school category and $2,500 for his Muil-E's Hot Sauce entry in the region-wide Pythons' Pit entrepreneur contest. • The Railway Exchange Hotel in George- town, built in the 1850s, gets a reprieve from the wrecking ball after Heritage Halton Hills requests that part of the building should be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. • Toronto Premium Outlets opens its mall at the intersection of Trafalgar Rd. and Steeles Ave., drawing thousands of shoppers while causing traffic chaos. • Local firm Ecosolutions FT wins $5.28- million contract to replace all of the street lights in Mississauga and is working on simi- lar contracts with several other Canadian municipalities. • Sheridan Nurseries celebrates its 100th an- niversary with a party that includes a musi- cal performance by Canadian great Gordon Lightfoot. I've reached the unenviable stage of my life when 40 years doesn't seem that great a span of time. I have a very comfortable, albeit some- what snug, leather jacket of that vintage, despite my wife's frequent, usually clan- destine, attempts to purge our closet of 'junk' (her word, not mine). So perhaps what impresses me most as I contemplate the 40th anniversary of The Independent (and later Independent & Free Press) is not the longevity of our enter- prise, but the legacy of storytelling. Communities are defined by many things, but none does so more powerfully than our shared memory. For five decades, our team at The Inde- pendent & Free Press has been committed to chronicling the public life of our com- munity, capturing our shared memory. A veritable river of ink has been ex- pended in recounting moments of great joy, instances of tragedy and the broad swath of 'normal life' that flows between those two shores. There is much that has changed in 40 years; some of you, for example, are reading these words online, but much more that has remained the same. Our commitment to telling the story of our community counts among the latter. So, to all of our readers and adver- tisers, thank you for 40 memorable years. We've been proud to serve you, and we look forward to the next 40. Our staff then... ...and now JENNIFER SPENCER ADVERTISING JOHN MCGHIE MANAGING EDITOR AMY SYKES ADVERTISING JENNIFER THOMSON ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR KRISTIE PELLS REAL ESTATE CYNTHIA GAMBLE NEWS EDITOR TED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHER FELICIA FASULO ADVERTISING NANCY GEISSLER DISTRIBUTION MANAGER EAMONN MAHER REPORTER CINDI CAMPBELL ADVERTISING MANAGER LISA TALLYN REPORTER STEVE FOREMAN GENERAL MANAGER DANA ROBBINS PUBLISHER From the publisher 1973 2000 A different kind of door crasher special at the Winners/HomeSense store Norah Wickett, 3, and mom Lindsay see eye-to-eye in a yoga class Emma Barns of GDHS (bottom) came out the worst on this rugby play Hat off to Riley Lalach at a PD day at St. George's Church Riding in style. GDHS student Jordan Kirby takes girlfriend Tanner Tardie to his prom in Misissauga via tractor The Independent's 40th Anniversary Special Section, Thursday October 17, 2013 • 47