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LSC. pr Ken Weldrick: causpery in Pre Mile 3,500 Only 1500 miles left There are hundreds of towns, villages and cities between St. John's, New- foundland and Vancouver, British Columbia, and when you're travelling by foot, every one of them holds a separate memory, impres- sion, and experience. Port Perry, for example, is the place where cross- Canada jogger Ken Weldrick lost his leather wineskin. And that memory, in view of others he's collected, isn't a bad one at all. Better than getting frostbitten feet in Brandon, Manitoba, and hav- ing his toenails removed. Or getting sprayed by a skunk near Sudbury. Or Regina, where someone stole his parka, and he slept on the roadside with a chill factor of - 90-degree below zero. But for the 23-year-old Weldrick, the 3,500 miles covered so far have been worth it. In fact, with 'only' 1,500 miles to go, he considers his trip practically over. "This is the home stretch," he said, removing a badly- worn running shoe beside the phone booth at Wagg"s Texaco, last Wednesday. "Only six or seven weeks to go." Port Perry, which he des- cribed as "the typical small southern Ontario town," was half-way between Wednes- day's 45-mile daily distance, a pace he's kept up since leaving Vancouver almost a month before Christmas. "It was rough going in the winter," he said, "but I've averaged that overall." That doesn't include the two-month stretch he's spent Tom Sawyer operetta outstanding success The music was charming, the acting delightful, and the sets: were nothing short of outstanding. . Lighting and effects were excellent, and the way the entire thing went off was almost professional. But perhaps the most amazing thing about last Wedrnésday's performance of the operetta Tom Sawyer, considering "that operettas aren't exactly your everyday form of all-American enter- tainment, was the fact that Tom Sawyer was done exclu- sively with grade 6 students at R., H. Cornish Public 'School. About. 200 people who attended the performance at the school gymnasium Wednesday evening were visibly moved by the young actors who presented believ- "able and convincing protray- als of the characters. In all, about 60 grade sixers were "involved onstage, backed up by an army of over ° 30 behind the scenes. Light- ing, sound, props, and more. While some of the broadest smiles were by parents of the fledgling actors, the perfor- amance was obviously enjoy- ed by all. : Physical education teacher, Darla Thomas, gr. ector of the operetta who had been working on the product- ion since last fall, took to the stage following the perfor- mance in a surprise present- . ation by the cast of Grade 6's in appreciation of the many hours of effort that obviously - went with the production. Much of the work, accord- ing to those involved, was carried out on the student's * own time. "They really put their heart into this thing," said (continued on page 15) applies make-up to Wen- dy Bracken in a Prairie hospital, getting treatments for frosthitten feet. That was his fourth time with frostbite, and on at least one occasion, he'd snuck out of a hospital emergency ward when doctors tried to ground him, "I got over it," he said. Why does he do it? Ken Weldrick has difficulty recounting all the reasons. For one thing, the trip has changed his entire personal- ity. "Occasionally now, girls will actually proposition me." That's something new for Ken. Now appearing husky but athletic, he started out with 70 pounds too many. "I don't think a girl ever looked at me since I was 11," he sail. "Being overweight is a sickness. The change in my personality is amazing, to the point where I startle even myself." But that's just one of the fringe benefits. A child-care worker and a teacher of the retarded, Ken has used the trip to gain experience, knowledge and ideas of similar retarded groups and projects along the way. "I've learned a lot since I started, talking to other people who work with the retarded." The run so far means $9,000 toward the retarded. He collects pledges along the way. He doesn't handle the money himself, but associ- ations along the way get the money directly. He's raised $1,200 for a project in Stein- back, and in Kenora, hopes to raise enough money to pur- chase a clay-making machine for a ceramics class for retarded adults. Then there's the poetry he's managed to write, the sketches he's been able to draw, and the experiences recorded for a future book. Not to mention the comedy routines he's thought out on the long, lonely stretches. He admits rehearsing John Wayne, Paul Lynde, and Johnny Carson routines on the road, and occasionally, will get somewhat cautious stares from motorists. Cross Canada walk 'nearly over' People he's met along the way have been nothing short of wonderful, said Weldrick, and that includes Ontario. Western hospitality, was indeed noticed by the 23-year- old, but it wag nothing com- pared with the friendly people of northern Ontario. There have, of course, been unfriendly people, bad exper- iences. 2 The worst are the news- men, he told the interviewer with a smile, Same old questions, same old synic- ism. Another time someone heaved a beer bottle from a moving truck, catching the jogger in the leg. "I limped for' a week," he said. "I wouldn't have minded, had it been full. But empty....."" Moving through the prair- ies, RCMP mobile patrols got to know the young man, and on most days would pull over and pass coffee or hot choco- late and a little conversation. For the past five months, Ken has been living on vita- mins and whatever hospital- (continued on page 15 P2RT § PERRY TAR Second Section Vol. 109 -- PORT PERRY, ONTARIO, Wednesday, June 4, 1975 -- No. 30 Thanks from the cast to director Miss Darla Thomas (centre) s Ag FANE an d pianist Mrs. Grace Hastings, music consultant for the Durham Board of Education. ni LC a rear 5% 4 Se ee eT A i eG Bd bP Sn