The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Scugog Citizen -- Tuesday, July 25, 1995 -- 9 Pe VIEWPOINT by John B. McClelland LETTERS TO'EDITOR FESTIVAL DAYS--A FINAL ; WORD Like a lot of other people I heard some raps about Festival Days this year. Things like "not enough to see this could have been avoided. I know that severgh People told me that trying-to'find the extra money to get their kids to the fastball games and then to Festival Days and do 'on Queen St or anywhere # was just a bit too much. They had else," and the fact there was not'an outdoor beer garden on Queen St. this year. Keep in mind that the directors of the Chamber of Commerce tried this year to bring a new focus to Festival Days--one geared to family entertainment. And this focus is going to continue next year. It is.going to take the directors a year or two to bring this new focus to where'it should be. Some things will work, some things won't work. It's as simple as that. As for the outdoor beer garden on Queen Street, I understand perfectly why the directors this year opted not to allow it. Personally, I think the beer garden in front of two restaurants is not such a bad thing. It have always enjoyed spending some time there © with friends, enjoying conversation and often with somebody who has moved from the area. And let's face it, the open air patio is a great place to "people watch" as the crowds saunter up and down Queen Streets. Why do you think these patios are s0 popular in every city and town in Europe? Becausé they are places to see and be seen. Perhaps there is some room for compromise. Let the Queen St. 'patios open, but at reduced hours-- say from 2:00 PM til 8:00 PM. That way people could enjoy the afternoon or evening and then get to the Festival Tent when the entertainment starts around 8:00 PM. This is just a personal thought of mine. As for Festival Days, the directors have a difficult job in making sure there is "something for everyone." Concentrating on the theme of family fun is fine. But it is going to take a.year or two to work out the wrinkles. We all need to be a bit patient. The directors are also trying to stage a festival without putting up huge amounts of money on events that go pop, or get rained out. Keep in mind Festival Days is the number one money maker for the Chamber of Commerce each year. If it'goes down in a sea of red ink, it puts in serious jeopardy such events like the Santa Claus Parade and the Canada Day celebrations which do nof generate a profit. Can you imagine the disappointment, not to mention criticism, if one year the Chamber of Commerce had to announce there would be no Santa Parade because of lack of money? One other thing before we close the chapter on Festival Days for this year. All the groups and organizations planning events should sit down in January to try to make sure their events don't over- lap. Last week, for. example, the International Softball Challenge ran right into Festival Days. Maybe to make a choice. A January meeting to set the dates for the all events that are planned in Scugog during the year would be a way to avoid these problems. WHAT HAPPENED TO SUMMER? A glance at the calendar tells me the better part of July is Jong gone.' The summer seems to be just flying by and this fact hit home last week when I attended a news conference by the Port Perry MoJacks. The ModJacks? That's right, the Junior C hockey team. Hockey? It's the middle of July,:it"s 80 degrees outside. The team was introducing newly appointed assistant coach Brett Puckrin who will work with head coach Chic Carnegie in the coming season. And that season is just a fow short weeks away as the MoJacks will open training camp on September 5. Yes, times never stands_still. Hockey is in the news even now at the height of summer. By the way, Brett's a fine choice as MoJack assistant coach. He's young, enthusiastic, has a good head on his shoulders, and as player always gave the proverbial 110 per cent. Speaking of hockey coaches, it's nice to see George Burnett getting a chance in the New York Ranger organization as head coach with the Rangers AHL farm club in Binghampton, New York. The parent team has a bona fide shot at the Stanley Cup and there is no shortage of bucks in that organization. Binghampton is just a short drive from New York City, so George will no doubt be spending plenty of time in the Big Apple. He will have his work cut out for him in a teaching role as the AHL is once again the development league for the parent clubs. It's a good opportunity for this young man. And the winters in up-state | New York are not quite as nippy as those in Edmonton. IN CLOSING.........There has been a lot of comment recently that if Bosnia was a major oil producer like Kuwait the war. there would have been over months ago. Not necessarily so. It's one thing to mount a full military operation on the wide open desert, quite something else again in the mountains of Bosnia against a tenacious and well armed force. Personally, I think the UN ought to pull out, or change its mandate. They can't "peacekeep" if there is no peace to keep. If UN wants to stop aggression (as 1t did in Korea) then send in the heavy stuff and prepare for a long, bitter and bloody conflict. I really wonder if Canadians would want to see our military involved in a Korea-type action in Bosnia. Festival Days enjoyable To the Editor: Contrary to a letter published recently in the Citizen, I attended Festival Days on Friday night and enjoyed it. Certainly there is room for improvement - I have never been to any similar event that couldn't use some suggestions - but I think the groups involved did an excellent job of the difficult task of getting a number of diverse activities running smoothly together. I liked the fact that the streets were closed off; it gave much more of a community feeling to it. In future perhaps Festival Days could focus more on its rural roots. It doesn't have to be a clone of the fair with chickens on Water Street but how about horse-drawn rides, old farm machinery shows, farming demonstrations? What about making use of the lake with casting competitions, water shows, fishing . demonstrations? How about a "tasting tent" where area restaurants, instead of offering full dinners, sold small portions of their speciglties so that people could try everything? As an old car owner [ think Crudsin' Classics should also be given credit. Day- long displays can be tedious but they did a great job. My final remark is \ "hurray" to the no- beer-gardens policy. I'm certainly not Carrie Nation -- I'll never say no to a cold beer on a hot day -- but I also believe that it isn't essential to have alcohol at every function. I went to the carnival in Whitby on a Friday night and was disgusted at the number of people ' wandering around drunk, including one man who came into the restaurant where we were edting and fell down a flight of stairs. Whi needs that? Many people overindulfed simply because of the novelty of drinking at a patio in the middle of the road. Festival-goers tould still go into any of Port Perry's pubs and have a drink, where they would probably be a little more self-disciplined. There is nothing wrong with an outdoor festival where the strongest beer you can buy is the "root" variety. Sincerely, "Jil McIntosh R.R.1, Oshawa Ditto for this writer To the Editor: Well, well, well I am sure the Scugog Chamber of Commerce will never be the same. | am sure they and anyone else who read Mr. Waite's letter in the July 18th Citizen are much smarter now and maybe, just maybe, before they (read the Chamber of Commerce) make another move they will check with Mr. Waite first. I for one was one of the participants in the Festival days for 2 days running, in the rain and in the sweltering heat. Funny, those who took part in whatever See you at , To the Editor: You're right Ron. I was too busy to coach baseball, I was busy with my scout troop, 17 years of scouting service. You're wrong Ron. I do speak for the majority of Blackstock and whether I or Mrs. Joyce Kelly were elected to represent Ward Four she and I agree, don't sell the park. You're right Ron, we do need to work capacity enjoyed themselves. I could-ramble on forever in this letter as did Mr. Waite but I think one of Canada's former Prime Minister did equally as good a joh at attracting attention to himself as Wr. Waite has done in his letter, by the famous phrase "fuddle duddle". This phrase seemed to rear it's head when I discussed your letter with those that attended and had a good time. B. Bashford Seagrave the hearing together to meet the recreation needs of the entire community. Let's do it without selling the park. I hope to see you along with Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Pearce, Mrs. Puckrin, Mr. Hall and Mr. Cuddie at the O.M.B. hearing to be held August 15 in Council Chambers, Port Perry. Fred Ford Blackstock Spraying those weeds To the Editor: On Monday, July 10, my daughters and I were driving south along Regional Road 2, towards Port Perry. We were enjoying the beautiful Ontario morning, when the sudden unwelcome smell of pesticides alerted us to the slick white truck opposite us, spurting jets of liquid pesticide onto the roadside vegetation. The truck was hurtling past houses, farms and-gardens, and I remember feeling grateful at least that we were not walking or biking along the side of the road! Perhaps someone else or someones' pet may not have been so lucky. To my knowledge, no notification of spraying was posted, as I believe they are required to do. Notice would allow the chemically sensitive (the chronically ill, children, elderly, pets) and the rest of us who are candidates to remove ourselves from the area during the spraying and for a time afterwards. The product spewing from the above- mentioned truck was Diphenoprop BK- 700, and the two active ingredients are 2- 4-D and Dichloroprop. I won't go into the hazards of this compound, but if you call the Region at 668-7721, they can fax you the info. Apparently, some members of the Agricultural community have put the pressure on the region to spray the wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) because it is having a negative impact on their crops. . Now I am not a farmer, but along with a growing number of others, I try to support farmers who grow organically. Crop rotation, companion planting and a lot of intensive labour are séveral ways to grow without spraying, and to keep the soil healthy. Wild carrot, I am told will not grow in healthy soil. You will often find that farmers who have swung over to organic, usually have faced personal health problems. They are quite often more than wiling to share their story with you. In my opinion, feeding my children local, fresh organic produce is a greater insurance for good health than using hazardous chemicals to kill weeds that are allergens for an already overburdened immune system. It is my hope that I have not turned anyone away in danger, because the need for dialogue, education,and sharing of ideas is imperative if we wish to have a healthy future for our children. If anyone wishes to express their concern over the recent decision far selective pesticide spraying in the region, you can call Vic Silgailes from the Regional Works Committee at 905-668-7721. Mrs. Stevenson Seagrave