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

Gi ailbo Or Boater’s opinion about downtown Dear Editor I was perusing the January 2015 edition of Focus on Scugog and came across a number of articles in re- sponse to the Fred Cook submission. It was interesting to see the common thread of the three responses that were published. I would love to submit another view. Ihave lived in Port Perry for more than five years and have a boat moored at one of the marinas on Lake Scugog. Bringing the boat into the town docks has proven to be rather pointless anyway. On a warm Sat- urday evening there isn’t much going on or open to en- joy. Even trying to make the trek in to get an ice cream is risky because the businesses aren’t always open. Like us, many of the boaters drive up the river to towns like Lindsay, Bobcageon and Fenelon Falls. All those places welcome boaters with facilities and open arms. Lots of services and venues open for business to explore and enjoy. There is always a variety of live music of all genres and summer events happening throughout the entire season. I just hope the Lindsay lock remains open for access to the Trent. (by the way the link for Port Perry on the Trent-Severn website doesn’t work). It is a shame that the Town Hall and gazebo aren't booked all summer with different types of entertain- ment and music styles. It would be a great draw to bring people into the area and provide those that live here with a reason to stay. At least Uxbridge is less than 30 minutes from here and always has a variety of entertainment choices available all year round, even though they don’t have a lake on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Here’s hoping the new council brings a fresh per- spective to the true potential this town has. Denise Ciaralli Port Perry our cover Darwin, better know as the “Ikea Monkey” makes his home near Sunderland, but if the operators of Story Book Farm can raise enough funds, Darwin and other primates cared for at the sanctuary, will be moving south to Seagrave later this year to the former Northwood Zoo property. See story page 23. Photo by j. Peter Hvidsten 2 FOCUS - FEBRUARY 2015 Family loves their backyard bonfires Dear Editor When we moved to Seagrave about seven years ago, before making an offer on any property, I called the fire department to ensure we could have a bonfire. This might sound like an odd living requirement for some, but for me it is important. It is relaxing. It is a stress release. For me there is nothing more calming than the smell of a bonfire and watching the flickering flames. Every year we renew our fire permit and it is nice to know that when the weather permits, we can go light a fire whenever we want. Loving where we live, I can totally understand those that want to move here. What I don’t understand is why people move into small villages and expect them to be just like the city. When someone moves into a small community and doesn’t like bonfires, maybe this isn’t the right place for them and they should try to find a town that bonfires are not allowed. This attitude is similar to people who come to Canada from other countries and want us to change our customs for them. At the very least, they should recognize and respect the people who do live here and not try to change them or their way of life. That is just wrong! To move to a new neighbourhood and challenge the status quo, by calling the fire department every time someone has a fire, is an insult to the community and a waste of taxpayer’s money. Most people hope to meet and make new friends when they move to a new neighbourhood... but com- plaining about your neighbours having bonfires is not a very good way of making any friends. We love our bonfires !!! Susan Griffiths Seagrave Touched by g Dear Editor I would like to give a huge thumbs up to Port Per- ryians this past Christmas season. In the more than 10 years I have been a waitress at Hank’s Pastries, I have never been so touched with the generosity of our customers. On Friday December 7, at Hank’s Pastries, there was a lady having lunch on her own. While I was check- ing with her, to see how everything was, she replied “fabulous best day ever”! That put a big smile on my face. Later, when she came up to pay for her meal she asked me to include the young family of four beside her. I responded, say- ing, “that is so nice of you to do.” Moments later, when the family of four came to pay for their meals, they were so surprised and thankful the lady had paid for their lunch, they turned to me and said they would like to pay for the table of two sitting nearby. Please turn to page 8 ity of