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4 Ry ye 37 LA £ EE CIRCA SAE gee Ses EAA a Here's Your Chance Of all the levels of government that operate in this country, it is probably fair to say that the Regional system is the least understood by the average citizen. Scugog Township has been part of a Regional system for almost six years, and for whatever the reason, Durham has become something of a con- venient whipping boy for disgruntled ratepayers. Certainly, Durham and other Regions are not without their flaws, big flaws; but at the same time, some of the criticism levelled at Regions is based on wrong information or a lack of information. Citizens in Scugog will have their chance this coming Wednesday, November 7, to both criticize Durham and at the same time learn a little more about how and why it functions. A committee of Durham councillors has been set up to travel to each municipality and hear the public express what they don't like about Durham (or what they do like) and offer suggestions about where changes mighi be made. Several of the meetings have already been held, and it has been reported that attendance on the part of the tax-paying public has been something less than overwhelming. We hope the same will not be said about Scugog Township. In fact, we would urge interested citizens editorial poge to make an effort to attend this meeting. Part of the reason for setting up this travelling committee is to get some kind of a measure of what the average citizen thinks about Durham Region. It is also to find out whether people really care. Poor attendance at public meetings are usually a pretty good indication of the latter. Worth Exploring There has been a suggestion recently that some good use to the community might yet come from the old Port Perry Arena on Water Street. Condemned this fall because part of the support structures are rotting away, the 28 year old building is slated to go under the wrecker's hammer some time in 1980. The property itself has considerable value because it is zoned for commercial use and because it is in a rather attractive location, central to downtown and close to the waterfront. However, before that happens, part of the arena might be salvaged for recreational purposes. Once the roof and walls have been stripped away, could not the boards and the ice surface be left for use as an open air natural ice rink? It seems likely that such a facility would get a lot of use by the public, especially on the weekends during the winter when the lakefront is alive with people pursuing any number of cold weather activi- ties. And certainly during the week, there are a lot of people working in stores and offices in downtown Port Perry who would enjoy a half-hour skate during their lunch hour. It might also be an ideal place for clubs, groups or organizations to hold skating parties. In short, there are numerous possibilities for an open air rink. Granted, there would be some operating costs involved for maintenance and snow removal. But in the interim, it seems that there could be a very real potential for public enjoyment and recreation. Since the building itself is not going to be torn down for several months at least, there is ample time for the Township to explore the possibility of using it for an open air rink. The Township's Recreation Committee is now in the process of preparing a report on a recreation demand survey conducted this summer. Maybe the Committee should take a look at the old arena to determine if it is feasible to get some further use out of it. By the way, we know that the Minor Hockey organization is not foo happy about losing some of its ice time because of the closing of the old arena. We also hear that at least one coach is seriously considering taking his young team to Lake Scugog this winter for skating and shooting drills on the ice there. If these youngsters are serious enough about their hockey to brave the cold winds on the lake, they would jump at the chance for an hour or two of practise time on an open air natural rink. bill WELL ER... YOURE EITHER THE CANAD/AN ECONOMY OR KING TUT'S mummy ! EE Because of te errergy shortage, we formed a broom pool / smiley cling to each golden day, trying to forget October, the numbness and what follows trees, its clear air, that every poor devil in the world who has never experienced it OCTOBER DAYS What is so rare as a day in October? Now that does not quite have a mellifluosity of poet James Lowell Russell's famous: "What is so rare as a day in June? But it makes a lot more sense to a Canadian. A day in June? It's a zilch. Heat waves, mosquitoes, and the grass growing as though it were trying to reach the moon. Twelve-hour day for the farmer. Water too cold for swimming, except for kids. Weed- ing the garden. Now a day in October is something else. Provided, of course, October is behaving itself. Once in a decade, it becomes a little tired of being the finest month of the year and throws a tantrum, in the form of an early snowfall. But any month that combines Thanks- giving, Indian summer, duck shooting, last of the golf on lush fairways, great rainbow trout fishing, and Northern Spy apples will take a lot of beating. Mornings are cool and often misty. By nine a.m., the high yellow sky is filtering, from an ineffably blue sky, through the madness of colour, the breath-taking palette that is this country's autumn foliage. There is a stillness on a fine October day that we get at no other time of the year. We can almost hear old Mother Earth grunt as she births the last of her bounty: squash and pumpkin and rich red apples that spurt with sweetness when you bite into their crisp. Along with the sweetness and sunniness of October, there lurks a little sadness. We dumbness and glumness of November surely the lousiest month on the calendar. _ Thanksgiving is, in my mind, the finest holiday weekend of the year, though it has lost much of its "holy day" effect and has become a bit of a gluttonous family reunion a last fling at the cottage, or a final go at the ducks, the fishing and the golf. Perhaps we don't express it, except in church and in editorials, but I honestly believe that the average Canadian does give a taciturn "thanks God," at this time of year. Thanks for the bounty. Thanks for being alive in a great country at a great time of year. I know I do. October is so splendid, with its golden sun, its last blue sky and water, its pano- rama of vivid colours in every patch of should do so once before he dies. We Canadians are the lucky ones. We see it and smell and feel it every year, for a brief but glorious taste of the best in the world. It's a great month for the gourmet. Besides the traditional gut-stuffing of turkey and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner, there is a wealth of fresh produce that doesn't yet cost an arm and a leg, and hasn't degenerated into the sodden, artificially coloured stuff we have to put up with in winter and early spring. Potatoes are firm and taste of the earth. There are still a few golden peaches on the stands. Apples are crisp and juicy, not like the wet tissue affairs we buy in January. There are still lots of field tomatoes around, (Turn to page 6)