2 Friday, June 8, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com Now a Brooklin Spring Fair veteran (ie. more than two), I can confidently state it's always a blast. A blast of noise; a blast of odd smells; a blast of children gobbling bad things; a blast of money for more ride tickets. The organizers do a bang-up job from set up to take down. The entire production is impressive and everyone associated with it is disgustingly pleasant. I didn't even mind much when security "wanded" my wee grand girls, ages 4.5 and 2.7. They gotta do what they gotta do. So when there's a glitch, I want to believe it was an unexpected occurrence that just happens. As it did in the parade. I love parades. My parents took us to the Orange Bowl parade once and years later the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It's impossible to compare anything with those spectacles. Our charming spring fair parade has less of the show biz schmaltz and more of the charming local panache. The marching bands are toe-tapping fun (I have a terrible weakness for pipe and drum bands), the dancing kids adorable, the free candies a bonus. One quibble: no chocolates. Saturday's event came five days before one of the most bizarre and contentious provincial elections in memory. Historically, our elected politicians have always walked or ridden in the procession, as is proper, to show their community support. This year though, with the election looming, other party candidates were permitted to join in. That was a mistake. Why? Because showing trust in people's common sense and decency doesn't always pan out. All three parties chose to turn the beginning of the parade into a political rally. I'm certain that wasn't the organizers' intent. Lorne Coe led off, his entourage marching somewhat triumphantly in front of the municipal float carrying Mayor Don Mitchell and Councillors Mulcahy, Yamada and Gleed. Behind them, carrying placards proclaiming "No more tolls," came NDP candidate Niki Lundquist and her throng who chanted their mantra, yup, "No more tolls!" Further back, strolling silently and in what seemed like a funereal mood was the Liberals' Keisa Washington and supporters. Keep in mind that, in 2016, the Spring Fair preceded Whitby's north ward by-election by 12 days. Yet then, no council candidate chose to be in the parade, probably because it would appear tacky, classless, and opportunistic. On Saturday, however, the marching phalanxes of the three parties looked just that. All should be ashamed of hijacking a community event by taking advantage of being allowed in the parade. They didn't ruin the experience but they did leave folks squirming and with a sour after taste. They didn't belong there. Lesson learned. Please, no political party representation at all, ever again. Let our elected representatives appear in convertibles or walking, alone or with their families. Order of appearance: Local to provincial to federal. That's it. To more important matters: how to get chocolate handouts to complement the hard candies. I love a parade - usually Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson Bike Month, an annual campaign led by Smart Commute, a program of Metrolinx, runs from May 30 to June 30. The Town is encouraging residents to incorporate cycling into how they travel, whether by biking to school, the grocery store, park or work. The many benefits of active transportation options like cycling include a reduction in commuting costs, improved personal health, improved local air quality and reduced traffic congestion. As part of the Town's commitment to active transportation, a new trail was constructed in 2017 to connect Cullen Central Park to Ashburn Road through the Heber Down Conservation Area. Combined with other cycling facilities on Regional roads and the Ministry of Transportation's Highway 401/Henry Street structure, this continuous centralized north-south route will connect the Greenbelt Cycling Route (Townline Road) to the Waterfront Trail. New this year, crossrides - marked crosswalks for cyclists - will enable cyclists to move more efficiently throughout Whitby. The Town's Active Transportation Plan will be finalized in early 2019. For more information, visit whitby. ca/active-transportation. Get Active With Bike Month