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4 - Orono Weekly Times , Wednesday, March 2, 2005 'i't ', ij Hiil ? South of 49 ° Jeanne Burnside Great Canadian Town Band Festival scales down in 2005 March: In like a lion... It's eighteen days until spring and all hopes of green patches of grass at my place have been dashed. This latest snowfall had guaranteed six more weeks of winter on Concession Road 8. I had been hoping that the five coyotes coyotes on the ridge behind my house meant the smaller vermin vermin had started to awake from their hibernation. No such luck! It was just a few weeks ago I was boasting in e-mails to friends in Manhattan that this has been a fairly mild winter and the thaw had started. started. Instead, I spent the last few hours shoveling lots of snow off the decks and cleaning cleaning off the satellite dish--a routine I thought I would not be repeating this winter. I should have known better after Friday's evening omen--the eight hours plus, power outage. Always fun in the middle of nowhere! At first you think it will only last a little while so you just sit there. Then as it continues you make your way in the dark to the drawer with the flashlight and candles. candles. Candles yes, flashlight no--a trip to basement was needed to retrieve two of them. That was followed by a search for an old land line phone because none of the newer ones work without electricity. A few bruises and stubbed toes add to the fun while doing a scavenger hunt in the dark. Next, I tried to find a phone number for Ontario Hydro because I wasn't really sure if it was just my home or an area problem--unfortunately problem--unfortunately or fortunately, I can't see my neighbors from my house. The number listed for Ontario Hydro was for their water heater program so I called the Darlington Nuclear Plant and was told they were aware of a problem, but the gentleman I spoke with had no details and proceeded to give me another number to call. The message said they were aware of the outage and were working on it. No details and no estimate of when power might return. No television, no computer, computer, no lights to read by, and no one to phone since everybody has the newer equipment. My husband and I had some real quality time to chat and that lasted for a good five minutes. He feels quite secure in these situations since he has a watch with a built in flashlight that keeps his bumps in the dark to a minimum. OPG may want to consider offering them to rural consumers. Eventually, I returned a call to a friend on her cell phone and found out she was in her car trying to recharge her phone's battery---she had already done her five minutes of quality time with her husband! After finally falling asleep, I was awakened at around 5:00 a.m. by my husband's teeth chattering beside me. Still no power and it was f-r-e- e-z-i-n-g. 1 made my way in the pitch-black, called again and the updated message stated stated the power should be back by 6:45 a.m. At 6:40 a.m. the television and lights came back on, louder and brighter than what I remembered. The only good news is the extended winter weather gives me more time to get into spring shape. Now, if I could build up the enthusiasm surrounded surrounded by an endless sea of white flakes! With five years of festivals behind them, David Climen- hage says it's time to make some changes to the Great Canadian Town Band Festival (GCTBF). "Last year was our best year ever, in terms of attendance attendance and ticket sales," according to Festival president, president, Mr. Dave Climenhage. While the appearance of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride at last year's military tattoo event was a financial success, past festival's have not been as profitable. "We did quite a major review of what we're doing, having finished five years of festivals," Climenhage told the Orono Times in a phone interview last week. "Some things are working, and some things are not," he stated. The first Festival was held on the July 1st weekend, 2000, with a Friday evening Military Tattoo held at the Orono Fairgrounds, followed by two full days of concerts held at Silvanus Gardens. (Former Forestry Station). The Festival was moved to the middle of June, in the following following years i!ii:,iii,:,l i| i;!.;n l in!! i ; ; " Pt' ;j ; |j II ii i iS#:! Nil A Ai A TVj:"':;:! ii! i# ! WÉ ' ' ADULT DAY AND IN-HOME RESPITE PROGRAMS Providing à temporary bra* for caregivers >pi. the Ivml elderly aadailults with needs related lo physical disability or lire ■ effects of memory loss. wvvvy.eqinniiinilycfli'Cfliirhiiin.on.c;i Newcastle Adult Day Program Social ami recreational opportunities. For More Information 20 Robert St. West call: 905-987-3000 Newcastle, ON MB ICO The full day of concerts on Sunday was dropped from the festival's program two years ago. The Big Band Saturday night event was never well attended, according to Climenhage. "People ran out of gas after 12 hours of concerts," concerts," he said. "Concerts with paid tickets never achieved the level of attendance that we thought they should for the quality of groups we brought in." Weather has also affected the Festival, according to Climenhage. They are hoping to improve their odds by moving moving the Festival to July this year. "We've had about a fifty per cent weather - interferance record in the the past five years. We've had two bad years due to weather effect," he stated. The Festival have also decided to move the event from Silvanus Gardens, into town. They are planning a one day Festival, to be held at the band stand on the library lawn, on July 9, 2005. There will be no admission charge to the concerts held during the day, however the Military Tattoo, to be held Saturday evening at the Orono Fairgrounds again, will still be a ticketed event. "We've got some interesting interesting bands lined up for the Festival, Stated Climenhage. Headline groups booked for this years Festival include the Royal City Saxophone Quartet, who performed at last year's Festival, and play ragtime ragtime music from the early part of the 20th century. "They were a great hit last year," stated Climenhage. "We are also bringing in a new group, an interesting quartet," says Climenhage, called the Brass Rings. For the Tattoo, we're hoping to get the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Regiment Gun Race, based in Petawawa," said Climenhage. This will be the highlight of the Tattoo. We're looking forward to having another good year, said Climanhage. "Trying a day of free concerts, hopefully we'll get more people, and more donations. It's an experiment to see if there is more support, when the concerts are free. Besides the Saturday concerts, the Festival still hopes to host a Sunday morning church service service with the Orono United Church. Airing on CBC Radio's "Sounds Like Canada" $|i>iagh Rogers to interview Helen MacDonald vt tt„itinn mop flRrwe thf".reality of know the stories? Helen . Newtonville's Helen MacDonald will be the guest of CBC Radio host Shelagh Rogers Thursday morning, along with novelist Gina Valle. Rogers, the host of "Sounds Like Canada" will be discussing the upcoming Legacies of the Future exhibit exhibit which opens March 8th -- International Women's Day. The exhibit on display at the Joseph Carrier Art Gallery will portray the women in the book, Our Grandmothers, Ourselves. Helen's contribution contribution to the book tells of her grandmother Babcia, a survivor survivor of the Soviet labour camps during WW1I. The exhibit is a showcase of strong, wise women who, against unimaginable odds of war, poverty and immigra- Brigitte Brown tion, rose above the reality of their existence to become extraordinary role models for their Canadian granddaughters. granddaughters. The Legacy exhibit will also include a video of Helen's Babcia that she produced produced for a previous show at the McLaughlin Gallery. Helen admits to being "a little nervous" in anticipation of the interview, but will be pleased that she will satisfy her father's question put to her at her grandmother's funeral in 1992, "You know, Hela, Babcia is gone and so are her stories. Who will know the stories?" Helen's father and his question will be in her thoughts this Thursday at 11a.m. because "half of Canada will now know the stories!" The Legacies of the Future exhibit will run from March 8 - April 17, 2005 at the Joseph Carrier Art Gallery located in the Columbus Centre at 901 Lawrence Ave. W. in Toronto. The exhibit is open seven days a week, and there is no admission to view the portraits. Call 416-789-7011 x. 245 or visit www.carrier- gallery.com 171 Mill Street, Orono, ON L0B1M0 «M1MM Es . mmcsTUD10 • Pvdicmvs/Miiniauvs * Waxing • Parnllin Wax ■ Nail Extensions • (UMS) • Air Brushing * Eyelash Tinting 115% DISCOUNT with coupmi IhW.IV: 1 r«:r w. il •New. NEWCASTLE FUNERAL HOME Family owned and operated by Carl Good, Funeral Director, and Joyce Kufta ■ 386 Mill St. S., Newcastle 905-987-3964 www.ucwcastlcftincralhomc.com "Caring for our Community "