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I Wednesday, October 1,1997 COMMUNITY CALENDAR • LIFESTYLES • SPORTS • COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENCE • TV LISTINGS mm ■ ' l - -„v.v ^ ■ T. % v - -'-«.X, "VÇî'j Dancing for Big Brothers Dancing their way into audiences' hearts were the Junior Cloggers of the Ganaraska Country Cloggers, who have been dancing together for two years. They are: Becky Adams, Crystal Thertell, Laura Wood and Adrienna Bannan. The dancers performed at the Big Brothers BBQ and Talent Showcase held at Archibald Orchards on Saturday, Sept. 27. Bowmanville's own children's children's entertainer, Uncle Moe, and story-tellers Fred Archibald and Troy Young were on hand to serve up their own tales. There were plenty of children taking advantage of the games, jumping castle and wagon rides throughout the orchards. And, of course, there were barbecued snacks such as sausages. While the entertainment proved to be popular, the horse swings made from recycled tires were also a big hit with kids. The event marked the conclusion of special activities taking place in Clarington to celebrate Big Brothers Month and recruit new volunteers. -Photo by Laura J. Richards by Laura J. Richards Staff Writer This past July, a family of gospel singers from Newtonville packed up their renovated school bus and headed to the Maritimes for a month-long trip. They returned with memories of not just places and scenery, but also the many friendly and caring people who helped them almost every mile of the way. The journey also taught them a lot about each other. Wietze (also known as Bill) and the father of this talented family, family, told The Statesman, "we went to the east coast to bless people, but they were blessing us." The singing family members are: Sandy (19), Ruth (18), Adam (15), Mary (13), Sarah (11), Joel (9), Lydia (5), and Johannah (3). Not yet on the stage, is one-year-old Issac. Their mother, Bev, is their number one booster, seamstress and manager all rolled into one. No matter where the family went, members members of the different churches they visited wanted to help them in any way they could. The Trip "People received us well. They allowed us to hook up to their church facilities and plug in our bus," said Ruth, one of the Devries daughters, Wietze noted when they left Newtonville on July 2, it was already pushing 2:30 on the morning. "The children didn't want to go to bed for a couple of hours, they wanted to leave then," "We stopped in a lot of car pool parking lots and rest areas and slept in the bus," he said. That saved them spending money in campgrounds. Wietze noted the trip taught everyone a lot. Especially in the sharing, caring and respect departments, Ruth adds, "At the first of the trip, we had a game. Each got 100 points and we would lose points for selfish behaviour. It was motivation motivation not to be selfish. "It lasted a week. After that, we didn't really keep scorfc," Ruth said. One of the stops prior to the Maritimes was in Montreal, where they went to the Seafarer's Centre which is a ministry centre for sailors. Bev explained the men were happy to sec them and enjoyed meeting the children. "Having the children there made them feel at home," she said. Many Blessings They had a memorable two-night stay in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where artist Mary Lou McGibbons. opened up her house to them and then invited them to come back on their way home. • Bev Devries (the mother) noted with a smile, "Mary Lou introduced us to bis cuits."Now the family wants biscuits on a regular basis. "She was very hospitable." The children went down to an old shipwreck to take a look at the barnacles and then "watched the tide cover it up." Next, they hit the Hopewell Cape to check out the 'flower pots' carved by the tides of Chignecto Bay. From there, the family went Truro, Nova Scotia, as they headed towards Halifax. While in Halifax the family toured the Citadel, which overlooks the harbour; the English-styled Public Gardens; and the docks. While the family didn't actually "kick back and relax," they did have fun, said Wietze. The owners of the Big Red Restaurant welcomed them into their family home in Western Shore (which is west of Halifax). "They fed us and left us with their beautiful home," Bev said. "Here we were, absolute strangers, and they allowed us the run of their home. It was nice to feel worthy to experience their love and giving." Their next stop was Peggy's Cove. While there, the family had a lobster dinner and sang a couple of songs for the owners of the restaurant. The next day, after having a lunch of fish and chips, the family was asked to sing a couple of more songs, including 'Happy Birthday' for one of the locals. In return, the owners reimbursed the cost of the meal. "It wasn't something that we planned, it just happened," Bev remarked. Those Extra Miles And that kind of caring continued to happen during the rest of their trip. The Devries family found that no matter where they went, people were willing to go the extra mile for them. Of course, that came in handy when their bus broke down on them twice. The first time was in Montreal. A belt went and someone took Wietze and Adam to an automotive store. The second breakdown was at Montague, Prince Edward Island. Wietze pulled the bus into a tractor workshop to get directions to a garage where they found out the extent of the repairs. Rather than wait at the garage for the bus to be fixed, Bev and the children children went to a nearby church to see if they could use it. The minister allowed them to use the church for the entire day and they thanked him with one of their tapes. The next time they saw the minister, almost a week later, he asked them to sing at the church. "It was impromptu. He put his neck out to invite us and we went," said Wietze. During the service, a special offering was taken from the congregation and given to the Devries clan. It almost covered covered the cost of the bus repairs. Another church at which the family sang was the Montague Pentecostal Assembly. Afterwards, the family began their journey home via the bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick. Looking back on the trip, Bev and Wietze and their family feel satisfied with the new friends they met. Adam, Ruth and Mary have something something even a little more special. They have penpals to write. Bev noted they learned more about each other and their personalities, and they have built upon the memories each will have during their lives. "The children will have memories to pull out when they need to, And they will know that there arc positives and negatives in life," Bev said THE FAMILIY THAT SINGS TOGETHER - The singing Devries Family of Newtonville packed up a renovated renovated school bus and spent the month of July travelling in the Maritimes. They visited a number of churches where they sang, got to know the folks and then moved on. The family members arc: parents Bev and Wietze, plus their children Sandy, Ruth, Adam, Mary, Sarah, Joel, Lydia, Johannah and Issac.