2 Friday, August 26, 2016 brooklintowncrier.com Harvest Festival Coming Sept. 10 Again this year, Baldwin Street businesses and restaurants are excited to have the Harvest Festival taking place at their doorsteps on Saturday, Sept. 10. The event runs 10 am to 4 pm but if you come early, you can enjoy the BAM Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, which starts at 9 am. Enjoy sidewalk sales! Drop into the unique shops, meet the local owners and enjoy the rich autumn colours and bountiful fall produce. This free event brings together community groups, businesses and residents to showcase what Brooklin has to offer. Browse the Harvest Marketplace, which will overflow with fruits, vegetables, flowers, and plants. There are many interactive crafts, games and activities for kids of all ages to enjoy. Local entertainment will captivate the crowd throughout the day. For 16 years, Grass Park was the home of Group 74's Brooklin Harvest Festival, which was in partnership with the Town of Whitby. The Town thanks Group 74 members for their years of dedication building this wonderful community event. We hope to see you there! Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson Mail Call The mailbox of our house in a mature Ottawa neighbourhood was next to the garage. When we renovated the entrance to the front door, about 11 steps above ground level, the contractor moved the mailbox so the carrier would never have to climb the steps. That was darn nice of him. It meant though that to fetch mail we had to go outside and down the steps, which, in winter, were an adventure, or go downstairs to the basement and through the garage to get it. When the Harper government began the community mailbox program, despite the daily stair climb, we rued the day they'd start it in our older area. The question among neighbours was where they'd plunk it. Rumours indicated it'd be at the corner, five houses away. Ohmigod, we gasped! Five houses!? In Ottawa winters!? To be clear, a community mailbox isn't a selling feature for a realtor. No one's going to tell a buyer, "Great location - oh, and your community mailbox is inconveniently located just way over there and around the bend then down a block. Sort of." Best to stick with chatter about the new living room hardwood and say nothing else. When we bought our Brooklin ha- cienda, we never gave a moment's thought to the mailbox. Till I had to walk to it. My initial reaction to the entire program when it began was that the government was finding new ways to annoy us. If I ever had to live in an area with a community mailbox, I'd freak at the nuisance. Now here I live, and I freak not. In fact, the 120 steps - accurate to within three steps if I cut corners on two lawns - make for a pleasant stroll. Yes, it is summer and quite a bit lovelier to walk than in December or February. But perspective counts. I've lived through the snows of Montreal and the bone chill of Ottawa. Harsh in Brooklin does not in any way have the same weight. During those 120 steps, I've waved hi to neighbours and inspected lawns (mine sucks). I've ogled lovely interlock driveways and walkways that I don't have, peered into garages (all neater than mine) and noticed how everyone keeps their cars cleaner than I do. One could infer I do the jaunt partly to feed my feelings of inadequacy. This would be accurate 64% of the time (and 78% of all stats are made up on the spot.). On one mailbox trip, I got into a discussion with the letter carrier as he was doing his work. I learned some things about the postal dispute and the nature of his job I didn't know. We had a good chat. I also got to see how much more mail everyone gets than me.