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bd IRN UREA I ALT $Y EEE A a I, © 6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wesnasduy, May 23cd, 1973 SRA TEN IA SAREE DBAS CALS NTT 0, URCS OUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER By Jim Elliot R. R. No. 4, Port Perry Until | joined the Canadiah Army in 1940, my life was that of a farmer's son, living in the country a mile and a half from a small community in rural Ontario. To me the daily papers present a grim summary of violence and crime, the drug scene, international problems, a world going to pot. The comic page and sports reports provide the only relief from this depressing round up of "'news". Hundreds of people like myself were born and raised in the country and the weekly community paper takes us away from the asphalt jungle of the big city to the freshness of the country. . Reading the weekly paper creates the same feeling of nostalgia as the crowing of a rooster at sunrise or the lowing of cows at sunset. City dailies have a decisive, crisp executive style of reporting. Our community weeklies are more homespun, reflective and easy going in their news reports. The news is neighbourly, the voice of the community with something of interest to everyone, young and old alike. School, sports, social, church and service club activities. Local business and auction sales, com- munity hospital and youth activities all have their place in the comprehensive reporting of the life of our community. "| see by this week's paper" is a common expression indicating that our local weekly news is avidly read. | do recall -- One item of big city journalism with a flavour of the small town weekly, a feature inaugurated by the late Andy Clarke appeared years ago in the Toronto Globe. It appeared in the bottom right hand corner of the front page of the ""Globe'" and was called the "Southeast Corner." It contained items of homespun news and anecdotes from here and there and was one of the most popular features of its time. Primarily | think its appeal stemmed from the fact it featured ordinary people from ordinary places doing ordinary things. Most of us enjoy seeing our name in print, be it a 4H club, meeting, curling club bonspiel, U.C.W. Rummage Sale or just a social evening at the neighbours on the next concession. This is why the community weekly is read on the day of issue before the daily paper, because it is "our paper." The news is primarily local and reports on the activities of the past week, news about people we know. Items of local content are much more interesting to me than an international incident taking place in some remote corner of the globe. For that reason our local weekly paper was mailed overseas during the war years to England, then France and Germany, | looked forward to receiving .it with keen anticipation as we did all mail from home. | am not suggesting that we totally ignore what is happening in the world outside our community. However, we all need that feeling of belonging and the weekly paper helps to inspire that warm feeling of being a part of my community, my town, my friends and neighbours. Over the years there have always been the occasional "Blooper" to create a hearty chuckle and start the phones ringing the day the paper came out, eg.: we apologize! In an article concerning a shower for a bride elect, we said: The guests were wheeled into the room on a decorated wagon. It should have read "gifts."" Reports received indicate all guests were able to navigate steadily. Another item tells of a society editor who described a bride thus: Her dainty feet were encased in shoes that might have been taken for fairy boots. Gremlins got busy with the printer's type and the item appeared in print: Her dirty feet were encased in shoes that might have been taken for ferry boats. Jhese items are remembered and chuckled over, years after more news worthy items are forgotten. Being of farm origin | remember (years later) that the Stouffville paper recorded the fact that George ' Bennett of Markham had a "saw" that had given birth fo fifty six pigs in eleven months. Two litters of nineteen and one of eighteen. She raised forty one and that was a record worth grunting about. I recal our local paper reporting many years ago of an incident concerning a Mrs. Fred LeBlanc, a neighbour. Mrs. LeBlanc had been preparing a chicken for Sunday dinner and in the chicken's gizzard she found three brass bolts and nuts from the handle of a saw. A very minor item of interest but one | have remembered all these years. Not because it was such an unusual incident but because it concerned someone | knew. Births, marriages, deaths, glad events, sad events, | could not imagine a progressive community without its own news media -- the weekly paper. There would certainly be a void in our home without it. 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The ARAB TERRORIST MIDGETS CHIEF WHITE EAGLE & DANNY LITTLE HAWK VS THE MASKED MAULERS Mighty Humphrey 520] LADY Prey WRESTLERS TWO WRESTLERS" PLUS ONE OTHER BOUT PORT PERRY ARENA Sat turday, May 26th NN we iS v a = Come and play at the golf club of the future th Bettie Te Te en ee BABB RUT SSIIISSSSS dt less aassassas EN TW TN ee NE,