Although retired as an owner, Ed Slater continues to drive a school bus.

Story by Sarah Frank 

After more than 40 years of driving Parry Sound’s back roads, Ed Slater knows Orrville like the back of his hand. He knows when a bend in the road is coming up, which potholes to avoid and which spots can get extra slippery in the winter. He also knows exactly how long it takes to drive from one road or driveway to the next – for Slater, it’s his job.

For nearly every weekday since Slater was old enough to get his bus license, at 21, he’s made sure area children get to and from school safely.

For 20 years, Slater would work at the Texaco gas station in Orrville in between his runs. After five years of driving a Slater school bus for his father, he took over the business, and ran the three busses that serviced Orrville for the next 35 years. Growing up as the only boy in the family, he knew he’d eventually follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I didn’t really have a dream job,” he said. “I’m sure my father was happy when I took it over and kept the business in the family.”

His goal was to keep the buses running until he was 60. Now 62, Slater decided selling the bus company was a chance to offload some responsibility. The three buses, now owned and run by Hammond Transportation, have the same three drivers, including Slater, who said he’s not ready to give up his spot behind the wheel just yet.

“My license is good until 2013, so I’ll have to see if I’m going to rewrite it,” he said. He’d once promised himself that he wouldn’t drive for anyone else, but now he’s easing into his new role.

“It’s taken me a little time to get used to it – I’m still thinking I’m the bus owner,” he said. “It’s nice to just look after me.”

There are more demands on school bus drivers than years ago, making it harder for smaller companies to keep up, said Greg Hammond, secretary and treasurer for Hammond Transportation. Hammond’s father and Slater’s father were good friends for years, making Slater no stranger to their business, which is also family-owned.

“It’s a family driven-business that many smaller operations look for when they’re getting out of the bus business,” said Hammond, noting Slater buses thrived on family values. “We have all the policies and the training that they need in place but we still also have that family atmosphere and family attitude.”

Still, Slater follows the same morning routines he’s always had when he gets up each morning. At 5 a.m., while Orrville’s students are still sound asleep in their beds, Slater is up to check the road conditions before he starts getting ready to leave. In winter checking out the roads early is always a must, he said. Next, he completes a circle-check around and inside the bus and turns on the engine for a few minutes of warm up before it’s time to go. In the meantime, he’s busy checking the buzzers, emergency windows and under the hood.

Making sure he leaves on time is essential.

“You can’t drop the kids off late, and you can’t drop them off too early or there aren’t teachers to look after them,” he said. “But people always said you could set your clocks to the Slater buses.”

According to Slater, when the weather looks rough, the bus drivers and operators need to decide to cancel their routes by 6 a.m. If weather reports are accurate, the drivers usually know the night before. Years ago, when there were more bus operators in the area, the drivers and operators formed a pyramid of communication, to discuss bad weather – the calls would start around 5:30 a.m. The drivers, who were still paid for their day of work, then called each of the riders’ parents about the cancellation, which took around a half hour. Now, he said, the final decision to cancel routes is made by the school board, which then notifies the radio stations.

Still, there are times when plain common sense is required out on the road – and with a bus full of kids –  a little concentration doesn’t hurt either.

“Teachers think they’ve got it bad – they’re standing looking at the kids – but we’re trying to keep the vehicle on the road,” he said. “You just drive with the conditions like everyone is taught,” he said, explaining that sometimes it’s clear until 7 a.m. then the snow starts to fall.

Getting students to school safely is the first priority, but Slater is also sure his patrons view the bus as a comfortable environment. Bullies beware, it’s not tolerated on Slater’s run.

“I’ve never had a problem with bullying on my busses,” he said, but recalls some of the horror stories from other drivers, who’ve had to break up fights or pull the bus over and call the police, eventually deciding to quit. “Some people couldn’t deal with it and some people didn’t want to deal with it…Kids are kids, but I guess it’s a little more serious nowadays. You learn pretty early on who to watch for and who to listen for, and I don’t really allow them to touch each other – as soon as I see it, I tell them to keep to themselves.”

Back when Slater started driving, if a child was causing a problem a driver didn’t have to think twice about stopping the bus and asking them to get off. Now, they’d lose their job. Slater said he prefers to deal with problems with students head-on, keeping open lines of communication with parents.

Slater can’t even remember the last time he’s documented a student to the school for bad behaviour.

“I’ve been lucky,” he said. “I’ve had an excellent load of kids every year.”

Larry Klose, who’s also lived in Orrville his entire life, said the community can depend on Slater to keep their children safe.

“Ed is a pretty hardworking guy,” said Klose, whose children rode on Slater’s bus. “I never once had a problem with him – I don’t really know anyone that’s had a problem with him.”

Klose said he played softball with Slater as kids, and as a reputable pitcher, the kids dubbed Slater “Steady Eddie”.

“He was a fun guy – and as far as I know, he still is,” he said.

Now, Slater said it’s not uncommon for him to drive the grandkids of students he drove on the bus years ago. By now, though, too many kids have gotten on and off the bus to remember them all.

“Every year we make a list of the kids on the bus route,” he said. “A lot of the same names pop up.”

When he’s not driving the bus, Slater is usually found on the golf course. Now, without a business to manage, Slater said he’s got more time to spend perfecting his golf swing.

“I’m better now than I used to be,” he said, noting he typically gets 45 to 50 rounds in each season. “I can do my run in the morning, then go play 18 holes.”

Over the years, he’s met other golfers and created a foursome he enjoys golfing with. Eighteen years later, they’re still heading out to the course together.

With more free time on his hands Slater is also taking the time to vacation with his wife. This winter he and his wife spent some time in Florida, where they plan to revisit next year. They’ve also got a trip to Vegas on the books.

“I’m not really one for sitting around,” he said. “Just ask my wife.”

The house before and after the renovations.

By Charlene Peck

With the average price of Ontario homes on the rise, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) recommends potential homebuyers look beyond “turn-key” properties that are move-in ready and consider homes that are in need of renovation.

“Buying a fixer-upper can be an excellent way to build sweat equity in a home especially for buyers with limited resources,” says Kelly Purcell, president of the Parry Sound Real Estate Board. He urges buyers to watch for properties that are currently, in livable condition but need attention. Homes that need paint, trim, flooring refinishing and other obvious repairs and decorating – that may require a lot of work, but not a lot of money – are often passed over by buyers, says Purcell.

“They can be the ‘diamond in the rough’ if you can use some vision and are prepared to put up with a less-than perfect home until you have time to complete the work,” says the local real estate board president.

Some traps buyers acquiring this type of home fall into include under-estimating the costs and the real amount of work involved.

“Do your homework on materials and probable time to carry the project through,” Purcell recommends. “Be sure you are not buying a property with other problems that are very expensive or impossible to overcome.”

Examples buyers could face might include a wet basement, huge plumbing, wiring or structural issues, rot, and other problems that a qualified home inspector might find.

“A good home inspector should be able to help you avoid buying someone else’s serious problems,” advises Purcell.

“Most home purchases are made with the benefit of a home inspection and in some cases, the home inspector has been responsible for saving the buyer from making a disastrous mistake.

“Knowing what you are purchasing is the key to ensuring that you protect yourself against making a bad purchase or at the very least, verifying that you are not setting yourself up for any nasty surprises. Home inspectors will often point out repair and maintenance items that will save you the fee you pay many times over.”

Local realtors can identify properties that will build equity and help potential homebuyers research what the top homes in the neighbourhood are selling for.

“Over-improving a home in a neighbourhood is a very common mistake that homeowners make,” cautions Purcell.

“If considering making a major renovation or buying a home that requires a lot of extensive renovations, be sure to consult a realtor to confirm that the end product will have a high enough market value to justify the cost. Renovation costs can easily get out of hand with unforeseen problems, changes and upgrades. Always be sure to consider this in your budgeting and planning.”

Realtors can help potential homebuyers review their budget and stick to it, whether they are considering a fixer-upper or a property that needs no improvements. An OREA video about how to calculate home affordability is available at ”http://bit.ly/OREAaffordability” OREA president Barbara Sukkau recommends that before looking at any home, potential homebuyers discuss with their realtor what their budget is for both the property and any possible renovation.

“Even though it is difficult, remain emotionally detached when looking at homes,” Sukkau says. “And if a property is beyond your means, then move on to the next one.”

Mike Ryder, real estate broker with ReMax Parry Sound-Muskoka Realty Ltd. suggests that cost can sometimes be weighed against how willing buyers are to complete the required renovations as they can afford them.

In addition to the time and money factor, Ryder believes that it’s important to understand a buyer’s skill sets when viewing homes in need of TLC.

“It depends on the buyer’s abilities and the degree of structural work they can do,” he explains. “Some just want something they can paint and do cosmetic work on. Others are prepared to do alterations, making rooms bigger to meet their needs; extending a building; changing from an oil or electric heating system to natural gas in town; or upgrading the wiring.”

In the spring of 2008, he showed a 621-square-foot home, to local contractor, Berj Dermenjian, who enjoys carpentry and home refurbishing. The client liked the home’s location on a quiet street in a country setting and says he could see potential in it.

“I was inspired by the property and the fact that the price was right,” says Dermenjian, who paid $60,000 for the place. “And when I started looking at how an addition could be put on, it really lent itself to a straightforward addition.”

He gutted the interior, designed a floor plan that maximized space and added a 400 square foot addition. A new septic was contracted out, as was the insulating. Drawing on his carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills, Dermenjian completely renovated the interior including the kitchen and bathroom. He installed a new foundation on the addition and an entire new roof. Outside, he landscaped the property and added a fence. An artisan design in timber and stone around the front entrance completely transformed the exterior appeal.

Some properties can be improved without major reconstruction.

Purcell describes a good fixer-upper as a home that shows poorly, one that other buyers pass over without considering what it can be with some hard work and minimal-to-moderate expense.

“It may have bad curb appeal, be messy, have a lot of junk in the yard or need exterior paint, etcetera,” he says. “It may present badly inside due to grime and smells etcetera.

“Most of these problems can be dealt with but require a lot of work, soap and water and paint. Stay away from problems that you are ill-equipped or not qualified to deal with. Don’t underestimate the work, time or expense.”

Jack has become accustomed to being ridden by Ken and to Annette cleaning around his eyes.

Story and photo by Charlene Peck

 When Jack first came to the Gray farm, he had issues. Anyone who encountered the cantankerous, obstinate and crazed wild donkey would have thought the name Jack was short for something that truly reflected his character.

How he earned the affectionate nickname Apple Jack is a story of patience, trust, and mutual respect between a McKellar family and a frightened and neglected animal. Ken Gray and his wife, Annette, will never forget the day Jack arrived at their farm at the end of West Road in August 2009.

“Our first sight of Jack was when the two cowhands that delivered him, each with a rope, swung open the trail gate, hollering: “Look out, everybody out of the way,” as they rassled him, one at each end, into the pen and gratefully released their charge,” Ken recalls.

A gnarled halter, now too tight for his adult face, was fused into a mass of adhesions above his muzzle. Gouges and wounds oozed on his back and flanks, and flesh hung from gashes in his legs. His hooves – cracked and overgrown with rot – were rank with a putrid odour.

“He was skinny, filthy, wild-eyed and crazy,” Ken says. “We were astonished at what we were looking at.”

Annette remembers crying.

“He was really thin – you could see every rib,” she reflects sadly. “I thought they brought him here to die.”

It wasn’t at all what Ken was expecting either.

The family had decided to get a donkey to help haul water and wood to their home, which operates off the grid, without running water. It would also be a means of transportation since their road, at the time, was impassable for part of the year.

Ken paid $300 for three bales of hay, the donkey stallion, and delivery by trailer from Pefferlaw to the Gray farm.

Now, pacing wildly before him was a neglected, injured and unpredictable beast. He’d spent the first four years of his life enclosed on 200 acres, left to his own devices with a horse stallion to terrorize him, supposedly for company.

“No feed, water, shelter, vet or farrier to this point,” Ken recalls, shaking his head.

The day before, the cowhands had lassoed him in the field and tied him to a post inside a barn. Overnight, he broke free, still dragging the broken barn rail behind him as he ran into thick brush. Eventually he became entangled, further compounding his injuries.

The first vet visit to administer shots at the Gray farm didn’t go particularly well.

“The vet was justifiably leery,” Ken explains. “She had experienced being pinned by a donkey before. It took half a dozen tries, but we got it done.”

To alleviate everyone’s anxiety Ken promised to build a set of stocks for Jack’s visit with the vet and farrier three weeks later.

Stocks come in many variations but the basic principle is the same, says Ken. Chains secure the animal within a given space that is indestructible to the animal’s efforts to escape.

“You and the animal remain safe and you can remain calm and take your time administering any number of functions in the “cave” of the animal,” he explains, adding that, in time, the animal feels secure when trying new things on him within this space.

“The day arrived, the vet arrived and the farrier arrived,” Ken recalls. “Jack was waiting in the stocks happily munching carrots. He received his second set of shots and de-wormer, and then was sedated to be castrated. When the vet was done, the farrier cared for his feet while he was still sedated. All went very well, thanks again to stocks and excellent professional services.”

Now, with Jack on the road to good health, the focus shifted to working on trust issues. Conveniently, it was September and the farm’s apple trees were loaded with juicy treats.

“We gave him hundreds of apples to begin to tame him,” Ken recalls, chuckling. “Jack’s name became “Apple Jack” or sometimes “No Apples Jack.”

As he walked from post to post, placing apples around Jack’s pen, the leery animal began following him. In time, the donkey wasn’t so apt to bolt when Ken approached.

“But no way would he trust me,” Ken adds.

To allay Jack’s fears, Ken would often go into the pen, and sit on an overturned bucket with apples strewn around him. He’d hum or sing quietly, as Jack ate or walked away.

“Training donkeys is a seriously slow process,” explains Ken. “Consider that each apple takes fi ve to minutes for him to eat.”

To allow Jack’s face to heal, the Grays removed his halter and contained him in his pen for a week, while introducing him to a rope and new halter.

Blankets, brushing and feet

While winter can be the best bonding and training time, Jack’s first winter was a little tough, as he struggled to regain strength and health. He still hadn’t learned to trust the Grays, or any humans.

Three hurdles to be overcome were: blankets, brushing and his feet. During the first winter he was sheltered in the shed and an adjoining pen, Ken had built for him. The shed was built up off the ground, two steps high to teach Jack how to step up, and eventually he would learn on his own, to trust going in and out of a building or trailer.

With frosty winter cold under the shed, Ken wanted to put a blanket on Jack, but he refused the first night despite the mercury dipping to minus 20ºC.

“When I went to see him in the morning, he was near frozen. I gave him warm molasses and water. He couldn’t eat a carrot. The next night and thereafter, he didn’t mind me putting a blanket on at him at all. He was learning my decisions for him benefited him.”

Basic grooming was next. The farrier returned in the spring to work on Jack’s feet and then Ken tackled brushing.

“Until spring came and his hair started coming out, he would not let you put a brush on him,” Ken recalls. “When he realized it felt good to get that dead hair out, he understood and now loves it. The stocks make everything new safe, calm and possible.” The stocks played a major role in the final grooming hurdle of coaxing Jack to allow Ken to work on his feet.

“Every day I would put him in and pick up his feet and do a little bit. At first it took lots of carrots, kicking, using a rope to lift and hold his foot until the hooves got better and he came to realize and trust that I made his feet feel better. Now, he will allow me – or my daughter Ashley – to pick them up anywhere, anytime. If he fusses, it’s because something is bothering that foot.”

Even this past winter, Jack’s feet remained Ken’s greatest concern, when frozen wood chips from his stall clumped, rock-hard inside his hooves.

“He’s been bawling at me and I think this is giving him some discomfort,” explains Ken, who’d hammer and pick out the frozen chips. “There’s nothing more I have studied than his feet.”

For the first year, Jack was anxious, pushy and grabby about food. Ken describes it as behaving like an underprivileged child might when presented with plenty. For the first two years, it was always a balance between feeding by hand to encourage trust, but risking being bitten; and not feeding by hand and being bypassed. Over time, Jack learned that bad behaviour means no carrot, or apple or water or hay or walks or attention.

“I don’t get mad, I just walk away,” says Ken. “If he hurts me, he’ll get yelled at. If he won’t come, I leave him behind.”

Tire in tow

Donkeys also need exercise and opportunities to forage, otherwise they can develop fat deposits on their necks. Dragging a tire with a heavy collar exercises their necks and, in time, they become incredibly strong. Doing this also taught Jack to work in harness, build up his strength and not fear objects dragging behind him. When the tire became tangled around trees in the bush, Jack never panicked, but simply stood patiently calling for help.

“The big benefit here, is that he is calling you to help him,” Ken explains. “He wants you.”

But the tire-dragging exercise soon became a nuisance. Jack’s free reign on the farm meant innumerable overturned potted plants, boats, lumber and implements. Plus, he quickly learned that whenever he wanted something, all he had to was call.

Donkeys have incredible hearing and the second Ken’s feet hit the floor in the morning, Jack calls from the barn. And their day together begins.

In anticipation of Jack’s condition, trust and behaviour improving, Ken built a working harness, a packsaddle, V-plow, a travois, a wheeled travois, a chariot cart and a riding saddle.

Jack’s primary motivation or supplication is food. Next, he considers his safety. This, Ken says, is where the stubborn part comes in.

“He’s actually thinking, considering his options, studying the surroundings and lastly, whether he trusts your decision. Then, he thinks it over again because he may have his own ideas as to what he would rather be doing for himself.”

Jack’s favourite activity with his human friends is going into the village of McKellar with his packsaddle. The more weight he’s carrying, the more care he seems to take, and the better he behaves. The Grays have packed up to 60 pounds of groceries and water, which is less than half of what he is rated to carry for his size.

Working in harness, Jack is adept with a plastic sleigh hauling water from the well or wood from the shed, to the front stairs of the Gray home. Snow or not, he’ll drag a 200-pound load with ease.

Daily handling, Ken says, has been key to their success together.

“For two years, I had to watch for flying hooves and being bitten aggressively. He still kicks and bites but his kicking is a mock complaint indicating something is wrong.”

His biting, although still frequent, has diminished to a grooming-like nuzzle, that Ken can brush off or abate with a reprimand.

Bail out or hang on

“My experience riding Jack has been like riding one of those grocery store kiddie rides that isn’t going very fast or very far and then decides to go across the mall parking lot,” says Ken, chuckling. “And there’s nothing you can do about it, but bail out or hang on.”

Anyone intent on riding Jack at the farm, should like going into the village – because that’s where he’ll head. Not fast. With so many sights and sounds to consider, the usual 20 to 25 minute walk to the village takes an hour on Jack. That’s his pace until he hits McKellar.

“You would think he has friends at every house,” says Ken. “He just has to go to everyone’s place to investigate. This is the time to bail out and just lead him.”

On three occasions Jack has, for no apparent reason, decided it’s time to go for a blast.

“He starts running back and forth on his rope and won’t let you near him. Then he rushes to the end and squats and pulls like a workhorse on a heavy log trying to break it. This is so unusual because he is typically so careful. Eventually something breaks and off he goes, galloping out the driveway and off into (McKellar village). Once there, he visits as many homes as possible and people come out handing out treats, like it was Hallowe’en. He won’t let anyone near him though.

“If someone tries to catch him, he will move on to the next house to see what they have to offer,” recounts Ken. “If they don’t come out, he will help himself to their lawn, garden, trees, bushes or up onto their porch for a bird feeder.”

Catching Jack, is where Ken says all of the studying, handling, trust, bonding and experience come into play.

“For some curious reason, Jack loves the tractor. It’s his closest friend. Nothing other than food makes Jack happier than his diesel-chugging friend. He will follow “him” anywhere, any time. So, when I pull into town on the tractor, I just need to park it and leave it running and he will come. Once he has found us, apples tossed on the ground will keep his attention. Remember he takes five to ten minutes to eat one.”

Once caught, Jack is quite content to follow his tractor buddy home. To try to keep him from feeling the need to escape, Ken tries to take him in to town often. Apple Jack loves to meet people.

“Any children, he loves, and most women, he loves, but men have to move slowly,” warns Ken. “He either likes them or not. Mostly not.”

Jack gets his picture taken a lot. It’s not uncommon when the family gets out with Jack, that someone will stop their car, or come out from a store or home, to take his picture.

At a concert at the McKellar Community Centre this past Christmas, the Grays took Jack along, decorating him festively for the season. After the concert, delighted McKellar folk gathered to have their picture taken with Jack.

“The amazing thing at this time is to reflect back to when he was wild, just two short years ago,” says Ken. “And now he greets people outside the foyer of the Community Centre.”

Stan Miner

By Adrian Hayes

Stan Miner was one of those rarest of individuals, feared and yet both admired and respected by people of all ages in the community. It’s an enviable reputation considering Miner’s job for almost three decades was to enforce the law as a member of Parry Sound’s police department.

“He gave his heart and soul to that place, to the people of Parry Sound,” said Kincardine resident Ken Texmo, a Parry Sound constable from June 1967 to December 1971. “He didn’t quit until he was (nearly) 70 because he didn’t have much of a pension. He could take on anybody. Everybody was afraid to tackle him and if they did they were sorry. He used to be a boxer. He was just a great guy. He was a good example of humanity. He never had a bad thing to say about anybody.”

Just wearing a uniform and carrying a badge does not automatically result in being held in high esteem, especially by children. George Ryder recalled how he and other boys frequently pulled jokes on night constable Jack Hudson, who quit police work in 1941 to become sanitary inspector and caretaker of the municipal office. One not-so-harmless prank involved stringing an ankle-high wire across a laneway off the main street.

“We’d get him agitated and he’d run after us. I remember running down this laneway and one guy would raise the wire as soon as we got by. He would come roaring down there and do six or seven cartwheels,” Ryder laughed. No child would have dreamed of doing such a thing to Miner.“

He was powerful. He was a powerful man. He was a boxer. Big hands. I thought my hands were big, but he had big hands. Everybody respected him.

Like they wouldn’t fool around with him,” said Peter Kozluk, who retired from the West Parry Sound OPP detachment in May 1998.

Kozluk recalled that Miner showed him around town when he was hired as a probationary constable with Parry Sound’s municipal police department in June 1971.

“When I worked with him for that month, he was a great guy. He knew his stuff. He’d tell you what he was going to do. He wasn’t afraid. And he’d tell you who to look at and who not to, and who was the bad one. He did teach me a lot of good things about what to look for when I was here.”

When hired as a constable in August 1944, Miner was already a married 41-year-old father of three young sons. He grew up on a farm on the Shebeshekong River in Carling Township and had been employed at Defence Industries Limited at Nobel, which produced cordite for the Allied war effort until its abrupt closure well before D-Day. Over the first six weeks of 1944, the Selective Service guided the transfer of almost 2,000 workers to other employers such as Inco in Sudbury, Victory Aircraft at Malton, Massey-Harris in Toronto, International Harvester in Hamilton and the McFadden Lumber Company in Blind River. When DIL closed, Miner decided to stay put in Parry Sound and search for work locally.

Obviously, policing was a whole lot different in Parry Sound when Miner worked under Chief George Doolittle, who had already retired on a full pension after more than 30 years with the police in Toronto and was starting a new career as a small-town cop.

“Doolittle was Andy Griffith,” said Ron Lowther of Cobourg, a constable in Parry Sound from May 1965 to August 1968, referring to the 1960s sitcom in which the actor portrayed the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina that had practically no crime. “Treat the people with a little respect, listen to what they say and, if you have to, charge them. But if not, we’ll look after it without all that court nonsense.”

In March 1946, Parry Sound council followed a recommendation from Chief Doolittle that the police department be increased from three to four members and Miner be promoted to sergeant. A year earlier the municipality, the Legion, the Lions and the Rotary Club had together purchased a used Royal Canadian Air Force ambulance from the War Assets Corporation. As off-duty police officers were required to drive the ambulance, it made more sense to council to add a man than to continue to pay overtime.

Perhaps the toughest challenge facing the police in those days was juvenile delinquency, kids getting into trouble because they had nothing better to do. Several local businessmen got together in the summer of 1943 to organize a Royal Canadian Air Cadets squadron in Parry Sound under the command of Bank of Commerce manager J.C. Macpherson. Recruiting began in the fall and by the end of the year there were more than 60 members.

In the spring of 1944, council reintroduced a curfew that required boys and girls under 16 to be home by 9 p.m. during the summer and 8 p.m. during the rest of the year. Sgt. Miner had his own ideas about how to keep teenage boys on the straight and narrow. He got a boxing ring set up at the town’s brand new arena in the fall of 1949 and began to teach the fine art of fisticuffs to a group that included Cliff Beagan and brother Bill. In the summer of 1950 young fighters from Barrie and Toronto travelled to Parry Sound for boxing matches. In the main bout, Ross Gibbons of Parry Sound took the decision over Doug Peacock of Barrie, apparently one of the finest Canadian amateur boxers in the province at that time.

Miner had spent five years travelling around Ohio and Wisconsin with a group of boxers, fighting wherever their manager could arrange a bout. He was paid $10 a round for fights that usually lasted four to six rounds. When he returned to Parry Sound in 1930, Miner continued to work out and train with a group of local fellows, at first outside at the east end of Jukes Lane, and then in an old driving shed behind Charlie Thompson’s Mansion House.

In September 1935, locals had a chance to see Miner, known as the “Parry Sound Flash,” in action at the old curling rink on Gibson Street when he took on Toronto boxer Norman “Young” Hurdman, who by then had already fought several times at Maple Leaf Gardens. Miner, who the North Star said had an advantage in weight and reach, won the five-round bout on points, but had to bow out of a second fight scheduled in October because of injuries suffered while battling Hurdman.

In 1959, Miner and arena manager Bill Bradbeer set out to organize a boxing club to put on shows during the summer. That August the local boys won seven of eight bouts against fighters visiting from the Galt Boxing Club and then won all eight when they travelled down to Galt a few weeks later. The Parry Sound group included Duncan Pegahmagabow and Les Tabobondung, a gifted athlete who two years earlier had been invited to try out for the Chicago Black Hawks.

“He did a lot of things we weren’t aware of. I’m always running into someone who tells me some story about him,” said Miner’s son Dennis. “I remember not too long ago a native chap came up and talked to me. ‘You know you might not know this but your dad bought me my first pair of skates.’ Got him into hockey. So he was always doing things like that. Reaching out and helping people in the community.”

One of those boys Stan Miner helped was Tom Winters, who went on to own a successful plumbing business in Stouffville and has devoted himself to assisting others as a longtime member of the local Lions club, rising to A-16 district governor.

“We’d do anything and everything. Normal bad stuff, I guess. I grew up in the harbour, which was considered the wrong side of the tracks. We were the harbour bums,” said Winters, who can’t recall exactly what Sgt. Miner It could have been anything from setting fire to the railway bridge to shoplifting a can of cat food from the neighbourhood store. I didn’t own a cat, but we took what we could just to prove we could do it.”

The sergeant gave Winters a whiff of what it would be like to spend time behind bars by taking him to the jail. “He took me down in the cells and I remember the smell and it weren’t pleasant for a young fellow. I don’t know how old I would have been — 10 or 11 – something like that. He took me down there and introduced me to what the place looked like and felt like. And I remember to this day it didn’t smell very pleasant down there. It smelled a lot like urine. These things stick with you.”

Next, the sergeant took the boy to his house on Cascade Street, where he gave him a bicycle that had belonged to one of his own sons. Then he took young Winters to the North Star and got him a paper route.

“The deal was he gave me the bike on credit and I got the paper route… I forget the exact financing terms. I had to check in with him on a regular basis. I was on probation. I just didn’t know it. But I got my paper route and I got to be darn good at, selling papers. I had to check in with him and I had to pay for the bike because it wasn’t like owing $20 to just anybody on the street.

“I was a pretty smart little bugger, but he fooled me. He tricked me. Like I say I was on probation. Go every week to give him the money and he’d ask me how I was doing. Check and see how the business was going. I knew that for the better part of two years I owed the local cop money, you know. You pretty much had to stay straight. You couldn’t renege on the deal. I mean the guy nailed me good.”

Winters said that he left Parry Sound in 1959, when he was 13 years old, and has never returned to his childhood home.

“I never went back to check on how the rest of my cronies made out. Almost afraid to,” Winters said. “I’ve never gone back for a reunion. Really not a lot to go back to, you know. But that being said I credit him (Miner) with being very important,,maybe one of the most important people in my life.”

Miner had a more definite impact on the life of,Jimmy Mills. In the spring of 1955, he rescued the 16-year-old from the Seguin River. The sergeant was on the west side of the Seguin River when he saw Mills running around naked behind the Texaco Oil Co. warehouse on the opposite side.

Miner lost no time getting across the Seguin Street bridge, but upon seeing him, Mills ran for the river and jumped in. According to the North Star:

“The lad was soon floundering in the deep water and had gone down a couple of times before the officer, who was at this time up to his shoulders, was able to get hold of him.”

If there was ever a time that Miner met his match, it was in December 1962 when he was escorting a prisoner believed to be mentally deranged on a train to Toronto. During the trip, the man began to annoy an elderly lady and when Miner restrained him, a struggle ensued and the man bit him. It took four minutes for Miner, aided by two passengers, to pry the man’s mouth open and release a finger on his right hand. Bitten to the bone, and the bone itself splintered, the wound became infected and Miner nearly had to have the finger amputated.

Still able to laugh after the incident, Miner told the North Star he’d much rather jump into the icy waters of the Seguin River again than have another bitten finger.

Stan Miner retired from the police department as of July 1, 1971, but continued to work out with a speed bag into his 80s. He demonstrated to North Star reporter Doug McKenzie in 1983 that he was still able to handle the intricate precision hand and elbow movements required to keep the bag in motion. He passed away on Christmas Eve in 1991 in his 89th year.

Purple Finch and Goldfinch

By Rick Snider

Some of the best close-up looks at birds throughout the year are at birds coming to a winter feeder; and finches are among the showiest and most interesting birds to appear.

These sparrow to robin-sized birds have strong bills adapted to extract and crack open the seeds of conifer trees.

Winter is the best season to look for finches because most don’t migrate south looking for insects in warmer areas, but instead wander across the forest belts in search of cone crops. If they find our feeders they will drop in to eat our seed offerings to the delight of those who see them. Adult male finches are quite colourful and fairly easy to identify using a field guide, but the females and young males tend to be duller and brown or grey. At first glance, they may look like sparrows. The shape of the tip of the tail is a quick way to sort them out. The middle tail feathers on finches are shorter than the outer ones giving the tip of the tail a notched or forked look, whereas sparrows’ tail feathers are mostly the same length leading to squared or rounded tips to the tail. Also, sparrows feed mostly on the ground below feeders, while finches feed in trees.

The Ontario Federation of Ornithologists (OFO) website is a great source of information on Ontario birds. It has photos of many rare birds of Ontario including an excellent gallery of finch photos. These pictures can be a great help to identify that interesting bird coming to your feeder or chattering away in the nearby pine tree. The finch photos are at http://www.ofo.ca/photoalbums/archive/Finches/index.html.

Jim Gardner, longtime Parry Sound resident and member of the Parry Sound Nature Club, has organized the Parry Sound Christmas bird counts since 1993. Much of the data in the Christmas bird count is from feeder watchers. His summary of the number of years each finch species was seen over 16 years of observation, is tabulated below.

Christmas Bird Count Summary of Finch Species:

SPECIES YEARS SEEN

Goldfinch ……………………………… 16

Redpoll …………………………………. 14

Evening Grosbeak ………………….. 12

Pine Grosbeak ………………………. 11

Pine Siskin …………………………….. 9

Purple Finch …………………………… 8

House Finch …………………………… 6

White-winged Crossbill …………… 2

Hoary Redpoll ………………………… 2

Red Crossbill …………………………. 0

The data shows, for instance, that Goldfinches were seen each of the 16 years of counts, while Pine Grosbeaks were seen 11 of the 16 years of counts, and so on. The two Crossbill species and Hoary Redpoll are the rarest. If you would like to participate in the count, look for announcements in the Parry Sound North Star.

Finches nest in the belt of forest that runs across Canada from coast to coast. The more northern boreal forest is comprised mainly of spruce trees.

South of this is mixed forest, similar to that of our region, with evergreen conifers spruce, pine, and hemlock, interspersed with deciduous trees. The birds feed in winter on seeds in the cones of the evergreens. In the warmer months they will also eat caterpillars and often will nest in an area of forest that has a Spruce Budworm outbreak guaranteeing plenty of food for the nestlings.

If there is a bumper crop of seeds where they nested then there is no need to look elsewhere and they will spend the winter there as well. However, if the crop is sparse they start searching other forest areas to the east, west, or south. Occasionally there are large-scale crop failures causing almost every finch to leave an area. This could mean almost all of them will leave the western provinces and fl y east. Some may roam as far as the southern U.S. on occasion. If these wandering birds find a localized crop of seeds they will pause to eat it all, then move on. Seed crops in the forests vary from year to year, and a study of seeds available across the Canadian forest belt can indicate whether this might be a good winter or poor winter for these nomadic species to appear. A prediction as to how good a year it will be is posted every fall on the OFO website. This year’s prediction is posted at http://www.jeaniron.ca/2011/fi nchforecast.htm.

It states that there is a bumper crop of seeds in the boreal forest this year, so the finches are not expected to appear here this winter in great numbers. Most years there are usually scattered individuals or small flocks wandering around. A good place to look for them is in Algonquin Park at the visitor center feeding station where there are often Pine Siskins or Purple Finches. But they also show up in our area coming to feeders for niger or sunflower seed.

Sometimes they will drop in for just a day or two and then leave. Sometimes they will stay all winter. Anyone lucky enough to have Evening Grosbeaks, one of the showiest of the finches, (spectacular black, white, and yellow), wolfing-down sunflower seeds with their huge bills, will not hesitate to buy that extra bag of seed just to keep the birds coming.

It is not just seed feeders that attract finches in winter, any trees or shrubs that still have fruit or berries will also attract them. It is worth checking Mountain Ash trees, that still have a good crop of berries as both Pine and Evening Grosbeaks love them. Evening Grosbeaks eat wild cherries that grow along forest edges and logged areas and their bills are strong enough to crack the cherry stones. In the winter they will eat small crab apples and hawthorn fruits.

The most common finch in the area is the Goldfinch. In spring breeding plumage the small bright yellow bird with black wings is unmistakable and is sometimes referred to as a wild canary. In the winter both the male and female are a drab gray with only a hint of yellow, but they still have black wings with a yellowish wing bar. They nest in open shrubby areas late in the summer, timed perhaps to take advantage of the ripening of thistle seeds, a favourite food. In winter most move south, but obviously there are lots of stragglers since they occur here regularly in the winter. They, along with Pine Siskins, like the small niger seed and are comfortable hanging up-side-down to feed at niger feeders.

In spite of their name, the colourful males of the beautiful Purple Finch are more red than purple. The females and all juveniles of the year are brown and streaked. The young males don’t get their red colour until their second fall. In the winter most roam south of us into the U.S., but usually a few linger and come to feeders. Later in the season they start to sing their wonderful cheerful warbling song.

Those who live in town should be on the lookout for House Finches. They look like Purple Finches except they are a little smaller and slimmer. The males have more restricted red colour and the females and young are paler than Purple Finches and have plain face patterns. The historic range of these birds is west of the Rocky Mountains but a few cage birds were released on Long Island, NY, in 1940 and since have spread over much of eastern North America. I remember driving to Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1978 to see the first House Finches found nesting in Ontario. They are non-migratory, spending their whole life nesting and wintering in urban settings around homes, and readily come to feeders. In the last Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas of 2001-2005, during which volunteers scoured the province recording all the nesting birds, House Finches were found in the town of Parry Sound, and also in a few areas north to North Bay. Unfortunately, House Finches have suffered from an eye disease epidemic that has greatly reduced their population. They haven’t been recorded on the Parry Sound Christmas Count for the last 10 years.

Redpolls nest north of the main forest belt in open areas with stunted spruce, and birch trees. In Ontario most Common Redpolls nest close to James Bay.

The Hoary Redpolls range further north onto tundra and are circumpolar. In, winter, mainly in alternate years, Common Redpolls roam south looking for their favourite food, the seeds of birches and alders. Common Redpolls are a fairy regular winter visitor in Parry Sound. Hoarys are rare. Individual Hoary Redpolls join flocks of Common Redpolls and it is always a challenge to try to find a Hoary in with all the Common Redpolls that might be coming to a feeder. The Hoary Redpoll should stand out as paler or frostier than the Common.

The rare Red Crossbills and White-winged Crossbills are both exciting birds to find. They have unusual bills that cross at the tip, an adaptation that helps them to extract seeds from the cones of spruce or pine. They are particularly nomadic and are known for mass movements in search of food, but it may be only one year in 20 that they appear in our area. If they find a local crop of seeds they will stay around until they have exhausted it and then move on.

Both Crossbill species have been known to nest at any time of year, including the winter, in areas of particularly good seed crops.

Even if no finches visit through the winter, try keeping your feeder going into the spring. There is a good chance of a visit from Goldfinches, Purple Finches, and possibly Evening Grosbeaks since they are documented nesters in our region. They do like sunflower seeds and if they discover your feeder they may even choose to nest close by.

Richard Parnham works on a tombstone for friend, Russ Tabobondung, who died last year.

By Cody Storm Cooper

One bear that won’t be hibernating this winter is the infamous black bear that lives on the main street of Parry Sound.

After years on its James Street pedestal, the bear’s become somewhat taken for granted by local residents. After all, where did it come from?

Richard Parnham knows the whole story, for good reason. He’s the sculptor who created the landmark.

Born in Parry Sound, Parnham moved to Newmarket at the age of two, but can remember summer visits with his grandmother in Parry Sound.

“I would come up here every summer to my granny’s cottage,” he said.

For as long as he can remember, carving always seemed to be in his blood.

“I have carved many a picnic table in Parry Sound,” he said with a chuckle “I would sit there and carve my name into it.”

In 1973, he met his wife of 38 years, Rosemary, and the two of them headed west.

While there, he walked into a Chinese gift shop and saw carvings in soap stone, a medium that captured his imagination.

“I just had to carve it, so I carved a bunch of pieces out, went to the Bear Creek folk festival, and put it out,” he recalled. “The crowd moved in, crowd moved out … I’m standing there with $600 bucks thinking, holy ….”

At that moment, he realized he could make a living through art.

“A hacksaw and a file, when you’re young and out west and in your in your early 20s, you’re experiencing life and expanding and finding a niche. Well, for whatever reason, I think that was my niche, and I followed through with it,” he said.

While in western Canada, Parnham and his wife met a wood carver from Yugoslavia, who took apart a foot pump organ and put it back together and played Silent Night for them on Christmas Eve.

“He said to me, ‘Richard, never stop carving, you have a golden thumb,’” Parnham said. “I didn’t.”

Through his carving, Parnham was able to support three kids and his wife, sometimes carving a piece in a day, from start to finish, and selling it before the kids even got home from school.

“I raised a family in this day and age,” he reflected. “I would go out and pick up sticks and stones and a piece of this and a piece of that and come back, change it into something that would have that charisma and appeal that you would want. After years of doing this, I think I’ve got it.”

When it came to create the downtown bear in 2005, Parnham approached Bill Clayden who ran the Brunswick Hotel and the Painter brothers who now own Don Cherry’s Sports Grill and asked them if they wanted something nice for the front of the business.

The big black bear, as Chris Painter, co-owner of Don Cherry’s calls it, garners approval from tourists each year when they pose for photos with it.

“We see that a lot in the summer time,” said Painter “I love it. I mean it’s right downtown and it’s kind of interesting and ironic that you see a black bear in a tight space in the middle of a small northern town. People are scared, you know what I mean, so we sort of put it there as a landmark to say, if you go downtown and you want to go to Don Cherry’s or Best Rates then just look for the big black bear.”

“Richard does great work and he’s creative guy and we would work with him again,” Painter added.

After Parnham came up with the idea for the bear, a friend, Peter Kropf, said he could look through his scrap bins. There, Parnham found materials that would work for making the skeletal shell of the bear. Parnham started out covering a steel frame with a wire skeleton of what he wanted the bear to look like. He then wrapped the skeleton in fiberglass, and carved out the bear, starting with the paws and working his way around. Finally, he finished with a coat of black paint.

Made from fabricated steel and fiberglass, the bear weighs about 3,000 pounds. Parnham anchored it well, so that no one would steal it.

Over the years, he has had the opportunity to work with just about every type of material available. In 1987, he was asked to carve some statues that appeared in the blockbuster hit The Believers starring Martin Sheen and Helen Shaver.

He took first place in a Ducks Unlimited contest when two friends asked if they could borrow his carving for the weekend because they wanted to show it to someone. When they returned home the following Monday they gave the carving back to him and informed him that he had won the contest.

“Here’s your ribbon too,” he remembers being told. “It was pretty neat, they entered it behind my back and I beat them all.”

After winning that contest he traded the piece that he won for a Buick LeSabre sedan, which is just one of the many things he has bartered his art work for.

When Bill Hall was mayor of Parry Sound between 1980 and 1985, he and the town councillors named Parnham’s carved Parry Hoot owls the official souvenir of Parry Sound. He went on to create a whole line of the owl sculptures, showing the birds doing everyday things, and sold them in town.

“I did a whole line of owls, fishing, hunting, in the boat, eating sandwiches,” he said. “They were cute.”

Over the years, he has carved thousands of pieces ranging from miniatures measuring an inch by an inch, to towering totem poles. One of the most memorable pieces, was a crying whale that he did for Greenpeace.

“When we were in Vancouver, I got to know the Greenpeace bunch and saw the whales,” he said. “I had some sperm whale teeth, and I took an end and I did a crying whale coming out of the tooth, it was just natural.”

“I cried all the way through it – like heavy emotion.”

The piece stirred controversy, even appearing in some magazines.

In recent years, Parnham can be found at his home carving many different projects at a time, both personal projects or for a gallery in Bala that displays his work daily.

“I’ve known Richard for a number of years and sold his work, he’s really an extraordinary artist and he has a vast ability to do any number of things,” said Carol News, owner of the Iroquois Artisans shop. “He does multi-media, wood, stone. In particular I really like his antler work, and a lot of his very best work, I think, is birds. We have some great pieces here.”

The Bala shop has sold Parnham’s work for about six years.

“The thing about his work is the attention to detail, there are some amazing humming birds. All the feathers are delineated on them and antler allows you to have that definition,” said News. “He’s done just beautiful things, and people who like his work tend to want to collect more, and they’re always coming to see what he has done that is new.”

“He just has a real feel for animals and I think that’s partly why his success is so wonderful,” said News. “With the birds, he’s a keen student. He studies them and thinks a lot about what they are doing. He has a lot of knowledge about the natural work. To me that is the very best part of him.”

He also does commission work and is currently working on a tombstone for friend, Russ Tabobondung, who died last year.

“I’m doing this for Russ, he was Beaver Clan, and that’s Russ – if you haven’t seen Russ – that’s Russ,” said Parham, pointing to the beaver he is carving out of limestone. “It looks like him. I will put the picture of him here, the four colours inlayed, and the lettering all around the tail. This is a nicer way to represent Russ, than a block with his name on it.”

When it comes to carving, Parnham says it all just comes naturally.

“I mentally visualize it, so I do the work in my mind, and when I’ve got it, I can look at the material and go right at it, and I’m on,” he said. “I just carve and sell to stay alive. I’m no PR guy, so I just did my thing and stayed at it, and any angle that I could find with someone who wants something, I would carve it up.

“I think I’m meant to carve because wherever we were, no matter how far back in the bush, and things were really tight, people would drive in and buy something, even in the middle of winter when the driveway was (covered in snow), and it would always work out and people have got to have faith. If you’ve got faith, it will fl ow.”

Carpets N Colour sales person Tina Read pulls out a sample of carpet for a potential customer.

By Sarah Bissonette

Carpeting has been taking a bad rap in recent years – something two local businesses are hoping to change.

With wise purchase choices and basic tender loving care, carpeting is a flooring choice that will meet the needs of homeowners for years to come.

Parry Sound Carpets N Colours sales person Tina Read and Clean Trust certified Parry Sound Carpet Care owner Delcoe Jeffery say wall-to-wall carpeting is a healthy flooring choice.

“As of late, more and more people are removing carpets from their homes because of air quality, asthma, allergies, those kinds of things, so it has a whole odour of being unhealthy and contributing to poor breathing,” says Jeffery. “They have discovered that carpets, in a sense, contribute to keeping the house healthier, not because the carpets in themselves are healthy but they work almost as a filter for the air.”

Dust, dirt, and pet hair on hard flooring can billow up into the faces of those walking across a room, whereas carpeting retains it until vacuumed, he explains.

Carpet is made without formaldehyde and has low volatile organic compounds, according to the Canadian Carpet Institute, and includes recycled options produced with green energy.

It is also warmer than hard surfaces in this northern climate, doesn’t scratch, is soft underfoot, is more slip resistant than a smooth surface, softens the sound of footsteps and isn’t easily stained.

“It’s a lot more stain resistant, which makes it more economical,” says Read. “For families with kids and pets, they are making carpets so stain resistant now that stains are very easily removed off the carpet, which extends the life of the carpet, saving the customer money in terms of not needing to replace the carpet as quickly.”

Once a decision is made to install carpet, there’s more to consider than colour, texture and pattern. There are in-door quality ratings; whether it’s made of recycled material with green energy; what the fibre content is; wear rating; texture retention warranty; and the stain resistance guarantee.

“Check the labels and find out if this is going to suit your needs,” is Read’s recommendation to those looking to make a purchase.

Warranties range from five years to 30 years: for a bedroom, a 10-year warranty should suffice, said Read.

Regular vacuuming is the best way to keep the carpet clean, along with spot cleaning and having a professional in at least every two years. Annual professional steam cleaning doesn’t harm carpets, said Jeffery, noting that manufacturers recommend annual cleanings to maintain their products. Homeowners using a rental or in-home carpet cleaner can leave a soapy residue on the fibre that actually retains any dust and dirt, and makes it look grimy.

“They get the soap, say: ‘this is a dirty spot’ and put extra soap in,” he explained.

“So they scrub the rug and it may look good, but they’ve left a ton of soap behind.

Even when it’s dry, it’s a little sticky, so dirt sticks to the soap that was left behind, and the carpets get dirtier faster.”

He uses water set at 200 F with 550 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) behind it.

“Therefore you’re going to get a deeper clean,” Jeffery said. “Plus, I have a rinsing agent in it that neutralizes the soap, so it’s not left soapy after.”

That deep clean from a professional cleaner removes everything from dirt to the allergens trapped in the fibres. According to the Canadian Carpet Institute, a Swedish study showed an increase in allergic reactions in its population that correlated with a decrease in carpet use. There’s also a German Allergy and Asthmas Society study showing there’s less airborne fine dust in carpeted rooms. 

The ability of carpet to decrease airborne allergens, coupled with minor maintenance requirements, can make it a sound choice in a healthy home.

Local chef Jim MacCoubrey puts the finishing touches on his Chocolate Trifle.

By Charlene Peck 

Looking for a way to add simplicity to the mix of Christmas concerts, parties, presents and New Year’s galas this season?

Local chef Jim MacCoubrey, and his wife Patsy, a baker, love to incorporate shortcuts into the many holiday traditions that originate in the kitchen. When an eager group of 4-H members arrived to make cookies for Christmas gifts, four tried-and-true basic favourites were chosen. The macaroons, “from a recipe that’s been around forever” don’t require baking and the cornflake cookies are easy for children to master. The peanut butter cookies, another child-friendly recipe, can easily be modified with the young cooks’ choice of chips. The youth and their leaders discovered that keeping holiday baking simple is a recipe for fun and success for an active group of cooks in a small kitchen.

When he’s not busy leading the Parry Sound 4-H youth, MacCoubrey is busy as a chef at the Parry Sound Curling Club where he looks forward to treating the ladies to two scrumptious trifles this season. Like the cookie recipes, this light brownie raspberry trifle is a simple choice for a busy season. MacCoubrey has adapted a popular recipe, making low-holiday-stress and budget-wise modifications.

To make in a time crunch, the brownies can be made in advance. To add a touch of gourmet glamour to the presentation, serve in a wine glass or large champagne flute.

Jim’s Chocolate Trifle

1 package brownie mix to fit a 9- X 13-inch pan (with required ingredients)

2 (102 g.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding

4 cups milk

1 (600 g.) pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

2 (1-litre) containers of Cool Whip, thawed

1/2 Jersey Milk chocolate bar, grated

1. Make brownies according to package directions. Cool completely. Cut into one-inch squares.

2. Mix vanilla pudding with milk and place in refrigerator to set. When pudding is set, mix with two cups of Cool Whip.

3. Layer half of the brownies in a large glass trifle bowl. Top with half of the pudding and 11/2 cups thawed raspberries. Repeat layers.

4. Top with one cup Cool Whip and decorate with remaining raspberries and grated chocolate.

Cornflake Cookies

1 1/3 cups margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups fl our

2 cups coconut

4 cups crushed cornflakes

1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Cream margarine, brown sugar and white sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add baking soda, baking powder and salt, fl our, cornflakes, coconut and walnuts.

2. Drop by teaspoonful on parchment-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 13 minutes in a 350ºF oven.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed

1 1/4 white sugar

1 cup margarine

3 eggs

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 (270 g.) pkg. peanut butter or butterscotch chips

Pre-heat oven to 300ºF.

Cream margarine, brown sugar and white sugar together.

Add vanilla and eggs. Add peanut butter, fl our, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

Add peanut butter or butterscotch chips.

Drop by teaspoon-full, two inches apart, onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes.

Easy No Bake Macaroons

1 cup margarine

1 cup milk

4 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Bring to a boil in a large pot. Boil for two minutes.

Add:

2 cups coconut

6 cups oatmeal

Margie Boyd with Charles W. Stockey

By Sarah Frank

Long before world-renowned musicians and classical music lovers flood to Parry Sound in July, Festival of the Sound staff are working behind closed doors, to organize a three-week-long music festival. As early as September, they’re working out finances, promotion and piecing together a line-up of artists known for their musical talent.

Crunch-time for the festival’s three full-time employees begins around February, when Parry Sounders begin day-dreaming of sunny, summer weather, and runs until April 1 – when tickets go one sale.

Behind one of the desks at their James Street office is Margie Boyd, who’s been working with the festival since 1989. In the years that have passed Boyd has helped the festival transform and grow into a first-class event.

Now, Boyd is organizing her last festival, tying up loose ends, and preparing to enter a new chapter in her life. The festival’s executive director will retire after the 2012 festival, at the end of August.

With 22 years of experience behind her, Boyd looks back at some of the festival’s accomplishments and the work it took to get there.

In 1989 the Festival of the Sound was held in Parry Sound High School’s gymnasium. Despite the humid summer temperatures an eager audience filled the gym sitting on metal chairs, under rented lighting. A big air conditioner was hauled in for the event, but was turned off during performances.

“The finances were in really bad shape,” said Boyd of the then 10-yearold fesitval. “(Festival staff) were looking to start an academy for young musicians, but after a year or two of trying we found we weren’t ready.”

For 23 years, the gym was the festival’s home. During that time, Boyd recalls more events taking place at local houses, where intimate performances and treasure hunts, would lead participants to “musical” checkpoints.

“We had to be really creative about how to make it interesting,” said Boyd.

One of the most notable milestones for the festival, was the introduction of the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts.

Boyd said staff knew that in order for the festival to grow it needed a suitable venue – one that didn’t involve metal seating or a sweltering performance hall.

Although she isn’t one to brag about it, Boyd was a major player in bringing the hall to the shores of Georgian Bay.

Charles W. Stockey, was retired and living on Lake Joseph when he first heard about the festival. A lover of classical music, he began to volunteer taking on tasks like selling tickets and helping to organize some events on the Muskoka Lakes.

It was after Stockey had moved to Victoria with his wife due to health issues, that Boyd and Stockey began to work out a deal that could make or break putting a shovel in the ground.

“Money was being raised for the hall,” said Boyd, who was working with the Town to get funding for the building. “We had also confirmed government funding in January of 2002.”

The funds that had been gathered weren’t quite enough to get the project off the ground. After Stockey inquired to a friend about how the festival was doing, Boyd got in touch to update him on their progress with the new performance hall. The former festival volunteer told Boyd he’d been diagnosed with cancer and he’d been advised to put his affairs in order. Stockey was looking to make a contribution to a worthwhile cause – something he’d be remembered by.

So, the two began working out a deal. He asked how much he would need to contribute to have the hall named after him. After deliberations Stockey decided he’d also like to name the actual performance hall in the building as well, for a hefty donation of $1.7 million.

Boyd sent a financing package out to the west coast and eagerly awaited his decision.

“I was warned not to press about the donation,” said Boyd. “He told me over the phone one day ‘I need to tell you something about myself. If you push me I go in the other direction’.”

Around Easter, Stockey called Boyd to tell her he was onboard.

In 2002, the festival played its last year at the high school, and Stockey along with his wife Lois, came for a visit. Boyd accompanied the duo on a tour of the new building’s progress – one of Boyd’s more memorable moments on the job.

“As we pulled up, workers were putting the sign up – with his name on it,” said Boyd. “(Stockey) started to cry. Because he loved the area and because he loved music it seemed to work out well.”

Carla Brossart, one of the other two full-time festival employees calls the relationship between the performance hall and festival symbiotic.

“The hole wouldn’t have been in the ground without the festival but the festival wouldn’t still be here with out that building.”

Boyd agrees, calling the Charles W. Stockey Centre a “game-changer” for the festival. Since the incorporation of the Charles W. Stockey Centre the festival’s budget and audience size has doubled, now hosting 14 to 15 thousand people each year.

While the vision and programming have remained constant, the festival has continued to grow in size.

“The Town built it as a hall that would meet the needs of the festival,” said Boyd. “The festival wouldn’t be where it is without (Charles W. Stockey). When we were planning for the building, festival staff said we’d really passed the point of no return and if the project didn’t work the festival most likely wouldn’t go on. It’s kind of a neat story.”

Boyd took over her current role, which includes managing operations, looking over finances and working with the board of directors, in 1992. Boyd, Brossart and Allan Beirs, work closely with the festival’s artistic director, James Campbell for most of the year and bring in seasonal employees and volunteers to help carry out the festival during the summer months.

According to Campbell, the team dynamic is one of the festival’s secrets to success.

“After 21 years of working together (with Boyd) we now have a unique working relationship built on respect and trust,” he said in an emailed response while performing and teaching classes in Hong Kong. “Those two elements are central to the working of the entire staff at the festival, the enthusiasm of the board and community volunteers.”

Campbell said Boyd’s contributions to the festival won’t easily be forgotten.

“(Her work) is essential to the long-term growth of the festival,” he said. “The details of the organization are mind boggling and Margie’s job is to sort them all out. Arts organizations need to be very efficiently run. I sometimes feel businesses could learn a lot from arts groups, certainly the festival is one of the better groups in the country.”

Boyd has always loved classical music. Earlier in her life she studied piano and eventually taught some lessons.

Her true knowledge of classical music and many of the industry’s key players has come with experience.

“I’ve learned so much,” she said. “You have to be able to talk the talk. When I answer the phone here it could be an audience member – and some are very knowledgeable (about music). You could look rather foolish.” If she had to choose a favourite composer – Beethoven’s won her over – but that doesn’t mean she’s picky when it comes to watching live performances.

“Some people are very stuck,” she said, noting they’ll only attend certain programming. “I certainly enjoyed playing that type of music.”

For Boyd, the time feels right to retire. The 65-year-old said she wanted to retire while she was still enjoying her job.

“I didn’t have any strong feeling about retiring,” she said. “And I think I’m still on top of my game.”

Boyd’s granddaughters Megan and Emily, live with her and her husband, Bill. The two are 15 and 12, and just one of the reasons Boyd said she needs to stay well and strong.

“The two take a fair bit of my time and energy, along with the five other grandchildren I have,” she said. “But it’s wonderful, Bill spends much of his time with the girls as well.”

Boyd and her husband, who was the minister at St. James Centennial United Church for more than 20 years, don’t have any major plans for travel, other than one trip they’re planning to take after Boyd retires. Boyd also hopes to have some extra time to finish some sewing and knitting projects.

“A friend asked my husband ‘what are you going to do when Margie retires’,” she said. “He told them he wanted to get his wife out of town.”

In the festival’s future years Boyd can enjoy the performances from the audience – to watch some of her hard work pay off.

Trail groomers, from left, Dan Waddell, Bruce Ehgoetz, Peter Daleman and Don Brisbane.

By Charlene Peck

Its 6:20 a.m. in the region’s dark January icebox.

Local cross-country skiers sleep cozy in warm beds. A few are already lingering over steaming cups of coffee or stoking the woodstove with extra logs, before venturing out to shovel their driveways.

Meanwhile, on Highway 124, Peter Daleman is already merrily en route to the Georgian Nordic Ski Club (GNSC) to start his day grooming trails.

It’s like going home for Daleman, who cut the fi rst tree 31 years ago to make way for the nordic trails on the club’s Nine Mile Lake property. He’s been devoting the majority of his winter mornings to grooming and track-setting the club’s trails for the past 10 years, ever since he became chairman of the trail committee in 2002.

“I really couldn’t show anyone how to groom unless I got into it myself,” shrugs Daleman, who revved up the groomer and never looked back.

“Just as the sun starts peeking out, I’m usually on the trail somewhere,” he says. “It’s always the nicest time of the day, just gorgeous, especially with a fresh snowfall. Lots of times there’s no trail to be seen anywhere, just one mass of white.”

Occasionally, he’ll see a partridge and often, meandering tracks of moose or deer.

As early as the last week of November and as late as the end of March, he’s out grooming trails before sunrise. Overall, he figures an average season runs about 100 days. On a typical morning shift Daleman is joined by two other groomers who share his morning zeal for the task.

They’re part of a core of four dedicated groomers who, in recent years, is comprised of Don Brisbane – for fi ve years, Bruce Ehgoetz – for seven or eight years; and Dan Waddell – for three about three years.

“I’m used to getting up early and dealing with a lots of people,” says Brisbane. “It’s kind of nice to be out in the bush by yourself – seeing the sun come up – and there’s a lot of satisfaction in being able to set a really nice track.”

A long-time supporter of the club and an avid recreational classic skier himself, his thoughts while grooming are always on providing a great ski experience for other members. Setting the track properly on turns is crucial, yet tricky.

“If you take a turn too tight, people can’t make it,” explains Brisbane, who’ll often venture out on skis later, to check out the tracks he’s set.

Ensuring equipment is working and always ready to go is a constant concern.

“They tend to break down when you need them the most,” says Daleman, who has witnessed substantial changes in trail grooming equipment and techniques.

The veteran trail groomer remembers the club always owned a few “light drags” resembling bed frames for grooming, that he fi gures were hand-medowns from one of the snowmobile clubs. In late December of 1980, the club had a track-setter made.

“It was a real innovation here, because a lot of people had never skied on track-set trails,” recalls Daleman, who was a founding member of the club in 1980. “It was a lot easier and a lot more fun. Right from the start, an awful lot of people became quite keen on it.”

Refl ecting on the early popularity of the club, he recalls the track-set trails were the biggest attraction, combined with the novelty of learning how to cross country ski.

For the fi rst fi ve or six years the club’s trail grooming was contracted out to Randy Rosewell, who remembers the equipment was crude – just a snowmachine towing a home-made groomer.

“You just set a couple of sandbags on it and away you went,” he reflects.

“Back then I had to go around twice,” he says. “I’d go all the way around with the groomer, then hook the tracksetter on and do the whole thing again. That’s why dad (Lawrence) would help the odd time, if they had a ski race or something coming up. He’d go behind me, so we’d do it all in one trip, instead of two.”

Initially, the club had five kilometres of trails to be groomed and this quickly grew to 10. Although much shorter than the 40-kilometre network facing

Georgian Nordic trail groomers today, Rosewell remembers it would take him two hours to groom and track-set the narrow classic trails back in those early days when members didn’t skate ski.

“The trail was way too narrow – in most places – for skate skiing then,” he says. “They skied between the stumps for a while, until they could afford a dozer to go in and make the trail wider and better. So for the fi rst few years, the trail was a little rough.”

Today, even with modern equipment, setting the12 to 14-foot-wide skating zones “just right” is always a test of grooming skill. Currently, Georgian Nordic has three advanced track-setters and expects to add another this year. Modern equipment, combined with experienced grooming skills, have enabled the GNSC to extend its traditional cross country skiing calendar into what was previously considered the “shoulder season”.

The club’s impressive fi ve-year-old Ginzu groomer has a set of knives that dig into the snow and churn it up. A snow comb arrangement at the back leaves fine ridges in the snow to improve skate skiing conditions, and generally flattens out the trail.

“If you don’t have the right equipment, you’re never going to be able to host competitions,” Daleman says.

Former club president Wendy Grater ranks grooming as an extremely important factor in attracting the Provincial Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships to the Georgian Nordic club three times.

“We could not offer a high level race without the assurance of top quality grooming,” she explains. As a Chief of Racing for the event, Grater received comments from competitors that the dedication to grooming and trails was a great factor in making the competition a success.

GNSC’s other invitational events – ranging from the Sounder Ski Tour and Women on Skis to the Regional Special Olympics – all demand extra attention to grooming and track-setting.

“The grooming is critical,” says Ron Chase, who was GNSCC president for nine years and Special Olympics cross country ski co-ordinator in recent seasons. “What’s happened over the years is that the groomers have gotten very good at what they do and trail conditions are always very good. Even in diffcult weather – if we have a melt or something – and conditions deteriorate and get frozen up, they’re able to get the trails up to the point where they’re skiable. They’re skilful at taking what conditions have been thrown at them and making the best of them.”

Hosting a large event involves two or three long days of advance trail preparation to pack snow and set tracks properly, especially when major snowfalls occur close to race day. Otherwise, on a routine business-as-usual morning, the crew grooms for about four hours. Then, with the task complete, they might socialize a bit before putting the machines away. The fi rst skiers arrive with a nod of appreciation for the early morning efforts of the groomers, then eagerly launch into the newly-set tracks and quickly disappear into the bush.

And Daleman and his crew begin to think about heading home to either clear the snow from their own driveways – or warm up a bit, don some skiing attire and head back to the tracks to check out their grooming finesse.