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sandwich consisted salami, 55 pounds of thinly-sliced ham, 40 pounds of tomatoes, two gallons of homemade sauce. What a mouth-full! Turning wool into felt is something of a miracle for Judit Sztraka, seen here modelling a pair of cozy mittens. The civil engineer turned to felt-making several years ago to satisfy a creative urge. She will offer two workshops at the Visual Arts Centre in Bowmanville this summer. by Lorraine Manfredo Judit Sztraka wants to turn Bow-. manville into the felt capital of Ontario. Ontario. The 44-year-old civil engineer learned the ancient art of feltmaking feltmaking in her native Hungary before before coming , to Canada two years ago. Since then, she has made sturdy sturdy handbags, mittens and boots for friends. This summer, she will lead two workshops at the Visual Arts Centre where she hopes others will catch her enthusiasm for this versatile versatile material. "After ten years designing roads and predicting traffic levels at work, I felt a desire to make something more visual. I wanted to make something you can touch and enjoy," enjoy," she recalls. Although her position with the Budapest Institute for Transport Sciences Sciences was fulfilling, she decided to join a cultural centre. There, she studied ethnography, art history, toy-making and felt-making. Felt-making goes back to the times of the earliest shepherds who created tents and clothing out of wool so they could stay with herds grazing from pasture to pasture. "People made felt in the Middle East, Mongolia and China 2,000 years ago," Sztraka says. 'They made large tents, like a teepees, but shaped more like houses. If felt is thick enough and strong enough, it Continued on Page 15 Leslie Pon Tell helps Danielle Balson of Bowmanville talk with the elephant. Danielle and her mother, Michelle Balson, were among the many people who took part in the Bowmanville BIA's free lunch at the Clarington Administration Centre square on Thursday, May 19 at noon. Clarington Mayor Diane Hamrc was thrilled to receive an invitation invitation to the zoo from Sheba the 19-year-old African elephant on Thursday afternoon, May 19. Sheba and Limba visited Bowmanville Downtown during Zoo Days.