Vol. 2 #7 Grand Bend Strip, July 30, 2008

G R A N D B E N D ’S F R E E C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

Vol. 2, No. 7

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HAVING A BALL AT FIVE FUN DAYS Sabrina Heaman sets her sights on a bucket while Russ Martin and Sarah Ryan push. See page 11.

PLUS: A SPECIAL LOCAL FOOD ISSUE INCLUDING SUNNIVUE FARM, FARMERS’ MARKET PRODUCE, A GREEN BED & BREAKFAST AND MORE. COVER PHOTO BY CASEY LESSARD

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Food, glorious local food View from the Strip

By Casey Lessard

Erryn Shephard of F.I.N.E. asked me the other day what I like to eat. I struggle to respond, but here goes. I love pizza and fries, a good burger, pasta, Indian-style food, burritos, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

One catch, though. I’m vegan, which means I don’t eat animal products. So my pizza has no cheese, my burger is a veggie burger, and my chocolate is dark chocolate. And while we’re at it, let’s talk organic and local.

It’s not easy shopping or eating out as a vegan, I must admit. There’s not a lot of pre-

Harvest Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust Apples partner well with cheddar and here the cheese is built right into the crust. For another variation, use your favourite crust recipe and top with apple crisp topping.

From Ontario Apple Growers. Serves six.

Cheddar Crust: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/4 cup cold butter (cut into small pieces) 1 3/4 cups old cheddar cheese 5 to 6 tbsp ice water

In large bowl, combine flour and salt. With pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in cheese. Stir in water a little at a time until dough holds together. Press into 2 round disks; wrap with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare filling: In large bowl toss apples and lemon juice. In small bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon; stir into apples.

On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry for bottom crust to 1/8-inch thickness. Place in 9-inch pie plate; trim edge even with rim. Roll out pastry for top crust, cutting steam vents. Add filling to bottom crust, place top crust over apples, trimming to 1/2-inch over the edge. Tuck overhang under edge of bottom crust and finish edge as desired. In a small bowl, beat together egg yolk and milk; brush top of pie with mixture.

Bake on bottom rack in a 425°F (220°C) oven for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for about 40 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

Letters: mail@grandbendstrip.com Publisher/Editor: Casey Lessard Advertising Sales: Casey Lessard Chief Photographer: Casey Lessard

Phone: (519) 614-3614 Fax: 1 (866) 753-2781 mail@grandbendstrip.com http://www.grandbendstrip.com

Distribution: Joan McCullough, Rita Lessard and Casey Lessard Contributors: Tom Lessard - my dad Rita Lessard - my mom Anjhela Michielsen Jenipher Appleton - nature/birding Tamara Nicola - VisitGrandBend.com

packaged food for me to eat, and restaurants often struggle with the concept (although some, like the ones featured in this issue, are eager to experiment). So, against all odds, I’ve learned to cook. And I like it.

I love eating high quality, local and organic vegetables, and finding creative ways to use them. I wasn’t always this way. Five years ago, I was on my way to being overweight, and I didn’t like vegetables that had funny names.

It’s not my mom’s fault. You can ask her.

Now that I’ve discovered real food (thanks

to Anjhela’s insistence), I don’t know what I would do without it. I’m sure our restaurant friends at F.I.N.E., Hessenland, and elsewhere would agree.

Good food is all around us, and we’re lucky to live surrounded by such abundance. If we don’t appreciate it, it won’t be here forever.

I suggest you take a cue from the people at Sunnivue in Ailsa Craig (pg. 3), and embrace real food while you can. This is a great season to eat local food, so what are you waiting for?

Aren’t you hungry yet?

I would walk 100 miles Alternative View

By Anjhela Michielsen

Apple Filling: 6 cups sliced peeled harvest apples 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 egg yolk 1 tsp milk

Grand Bend Strip P.O. Box 218 Grand Bend, Ontario N0M 1T0 CANADA

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Strip Thoughts

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Somewhere between 1500 and 3000 miles (or 2400 to 4800 km) is the average distance your food has travelled to land on your plate (Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University). And the numbers are climbing. In our modern era, these may not seem astonishing because we have come to accept and reap the benefits of a globalized market. It is not shocking to see produce stamped with the words Product of Mexico, Israel, Peru or, most frequently, U.S.A.. With most shoppers concerned about the price of their food, few care where the produce is coming from.

This is slowly changing. Our food security is diminishing, and our concerns about the environmental impact of imported products are growing. These concerns include: pesticide and herbicide use; genetically altered crops; fuel consumption due to transportation; and human and animal rights concerns. As a result, some people are looking for alternatives to the supermarket shelves.

In 2005, B.C. couple, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon decided to try something that is now coined ‘The 100 Mile Diet’. They committed to eating within a 100 mile radius (160 km) of where they live for one year. They have since written a book recording their journey and findings called The 100 Mile

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Diet – A Year of Local Eating. They found many environmental, social and health benefits from their experiment, and have since continued with their commitment and challenging others to follow their example.

The environmental benefits to eating locally are the most obvious: as confirmed by Iowa State University researchers, regional diets decrease fuel consumption by up to 20% as opposed to typical North American diets.

There are many other reasons that eating locally benefits the consumer individually: an increase in taste because of freshness; direct connection to the farmer and their farming practices; support to local economies and consumption of less processed and packaged food, leading to weight loss and better overall health.

We are privileged to live in one of the most prosperous farming areas in the world. When you really think about it, there is a lot you can get within 160 km of where we live. There are many resources right under our noses, like the Grand Bend and Pinery farmers markets, the Sunnivue organic farm - featured in this issue - and all of the various local farms that are too numerous to count. You don’t have to drive far to start seeing farm after farm. We even have wineries for wine lovers out there.

It may take some creativity and a little more thought, but eating a local diet is highly beneficial for the environment, the local community and personal health.

If you decide to take up The 100 Mile challenge or have already, the Grand Bend Strip wants to hear about it!

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Kolja Stohlman is a visitor from Germany. His brother hopes to take over Sunnivue farm some day. Stohlmann and his friend Neils Streich arrived Wednesday night at 11 p.m., and were up at 6 a.m. to help with the chores.

A whole new way to buy the farm Adoption of land trust concept earns local farm distinction from Ontario government One of Ontario’s most innovative farms is a business operating on land held by a non- Germany to Canada in 1991 with his wife Sunnivue Farm Ellinor. “It’s not ethically possible to own land. short drive east of Parkhill, down a dirt road profit land trust.  New Ontario Road, Ailsa Craig Photos and story by Casey Lessard

“We think farms should not actually be Ask any native from North America. But off Highway 7. Sunnivue Farm recently won a Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation owned like a piece of junk or a house or a our law tells us someone has to own it. (continued on page 4) Excellence for creating a sustainable farm car,” says Alex Nurnberg, who moved from

Alex Nurnburg and his wife Ellinor pioneered the idea of using a land trust to buy the land rights for their farm. A non-profit holds the deed, while the Nurnbergs and Dagmar Seiboth own the farm business, including an organic dairy operation and vegetable garden.

Felix Stohlmann, 24, of Stuttgart, Germany came to Sunnivue to see the farm his brother hopes to take over some day.

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“We’ve seen places where people form a community around a farm to protect it from ownership, so we thought that’s what should be done. We met some people in London who were circling that idea for 10 years. They met on a regular basis in London and talked about it. We came along and found a farm we would like and said, Why don’t we do it? That scared the hell out of them because $500,000 was involved and no one had the money to do that.”

The group developed plans to raise the money, including offering vacations at the farm. Alex traveled to Europe for three months pitching the deal.

“We made $95,000 that way. Then I walked door to door in London and told people the concept we were working on. We convinced enough people to gather another $30,000 to $40,000. The idea was they would pledge any amount of money with monthly payments between $5 and $200. People would ask, “Well, what’s in it for me?” Well, nothing really physically, but if you want you can give this farm a future so there might be a small farm surviving when your grandchildren grow up. If that’s enough for you, sign up. Enough people believed in the concept to make it survive.”

ROSE (Redeeming Our Soil Economically) took over the deed in 1992, and the Nurnbergs have been running their farm business on-site since.

“It’s one of the first places I’ve seen where they have a land trust,” says Felix Stohlmann, 24, of Stuttgart, Germany. He has spent part of the last four months visiting Sunnivue to get a feel for the farm, which his brother hopes to take over when he finishes agricultural college. “It’s a good solution for my brother to get a farm without buying it or taking big credit. To make organic food for the people who live here, it’s a super place to live and great lifestyle.”

If he succeeds in taking over the farm, Felix’s

brother hopes to focus on cash crops instead of the organic dairy operation favoured by the Nurnbergs. Sunnivue recently won an award for consistently high quality milk from the Organic Meadow dairy.

“It’s too much work,” Felix says. “These guys are here 12-14 hours a day.”

And the farm’s residents – the Nurnbergs and Dagmar Seiboth – are early risers.

Saturdays, the farm store is open to the public and Alex and Ellinor rise at about 3:30 a.m. to bake bread.

“This is a farm that really exists and fights to survive,” Alex says, noting school and tour groups come to the farm to see the opera-

tion in action. “This is not a showplace where people can come and watch reality TV. But they can come and touch life. Particularly for children, this is important. We offer stays for school children between two nights and two weeks. Dealing with animals gives you a feedback that is so real and so straight that you are stunned if you haven’t had it before. When we have children from Detroit come here, they’re not the same when they go home. This is an experience that can feed them for 20 years.”

At Sunnivue, it’s their mission to nourish both the bodies and minds of future generations.

“If you take the whole Earth and divide it between all the people living on Earth,”

Ellinor says, “then there is a certain number of people responsible for a certain area of land.

The goal is to create a responsibility among people who don’t farm.”

Visitors to the Saturday store hours will find the farm’s trademark bread, a large variety of fresh organic vegetables from the large garden maintained by Seiboth, meat from the farm’s animals, and trade items from other local organic producers.

“I don’t know what comes first: the people or farm life,” says Seiboth, who keeps the store stocked, when asked what attracts her to the Sunnivue lifestyle. “I like interacting with people, and if they piss you off, they show you

Volunteer Maria Mustaf, 81, of Toronto likes to feel a direct connection with the earth below her feet.

Dagmar Seiboth prepares onions for sale at the farm store. All of the store’s food is organic.

Chef Paul Richardson of London comes to the farm to visit and treat his friends with good meals.

Alex Nurnberg takes a tea break after breakfast, spending some time with his visiting friends.

Dagmar Seiboth collects onions to sell at the farm store Saturday.

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Left: Ellinor Nurnberg takes milk from a holding tank to store in the fridge. Above: Dagmar Seiboth relaxes with Mona Lisa. Below: farm visitor Felix Stohlmann celebrates his 24th birthday at the farm.

your weaknesses. And living on the farm, you have the ability to wake up, grab a cucumber and eat it.

“I came here 10 years ago. I never planned to stay; it just happened. I would go home every time my visa expired and I eventually ran out of visa programs, so I had to immigrate. My family doesn’t like it, but what can you do?”

Others, too, are making sacrifices to make the farm sustain itself. Eighty-one year old Maria Mustaf of Toronto has come to the farm several times a year for the last six years.

She has a room reserved in the house for her weeklong stays. This week, she spent each day bent over pulling weeds from the vegetable garden.

“I enjoy this work. In my life it’s important to do something without expecting anything in return.

“My motivation is to help the people here and to help the earth. I am concerned about the quality of food. I see people who are sick and I wonder why.”

The farm’s permanent residents welcome Mustaf ’s helping hands, and those of others.

HOUSE OF LADIES’

Fashions

They also hope others will realize the value of their work.

“Farms that are good for the earth, the soil, and wildlife need support from people who don’t think of farming, people who are just eating,” says Ellinor.

Her husband Alex worries for the future of agriculture when he sees the culture surrounding him.

“I’m scared by the idea that the people who grow up playing video games will be running the show. Those people need to come and touch life.

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“If people want food grown in an environment that is still understandable and healthy for them, then a farm like this can survive forever.”

To discover Sunnivue Farm, take Highway 7 east out of Parkhill and turn right at the f irst curve, which is New Ontario Road. The farm is the f irst on the southwest side immediately after you’ve crossed the one-lane bridge. For other directions, visit http://www.sunnivuefarm.on.ca. The store is open Saturdays from June to December, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m..

OR MORE OFF ALL SUMMER WEAR 15 Sauble River Road, Grand Bend (off 81 Crescent) Tuesday to Saturday - 1030 A.M. - 5 P.M.

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Strip in the Kitchen

Hessenland’s Frank Ihrig in his kitchen.

Cooking local, seasonal fare Photos and story by Casey Lessard

G! N I P P I R T S TPING! CAUTGRH P I CAUGHT ST TS H G U A R C

If you’re thinking of eating local food, but don’t feel like cooking, the seven area restaurants that are dining partners with the Grand Bend Farmers’ Market can help.

The farmers’ market’s Simply in Season dining partnership is halfway through its second year, and diners can enjoy a meal including seasonal items with produce from the market. Among the partners are F.I.N.E. A Restaurant, The Schoolhouse Restaurant, Aunt Gussie’s, The Colonial Hotel, Back ‘n Time Diner, Paddington’s, and Hessenland.

Each restaurant will feature at least one recipe from the Simply in Season cookbook published by the Mennonite Central Committee three weeks this summer.

“We want as many people as possible who prepare food to think local,” says market manager Christine Bregman. “We want the consumer to be both the customer and the professional preparing the food.”

“This year I changed it a bit to something I could give in our breadbasket,” says F.I.N.E. owner Erryn Shephard, whose restaurant is next featured August 27 to September 2. “I did strawberry soup from the book, and a lemon thyme bread so people could get a sampling from it.”

When possible, restaurants are asked to purchase their raw materials from the farmers at the market. For F.I.N.E., it’s an extension of a policy to aim for local food whenever possible.

“We get our meats from Metzger’s, a great butcher,” Shephard says. “It’s an old German family. It’s an awesome place. This summer, Metzger’s has a cold-smoked pork chop, and we’re selling the heck out of it, with caramelized onions and pineapple salsa. Then we get our perch and pickerel just down the road here from Forbes, where we get our corn, too.”

Being able to access large quantities of local food is a challenge for Hessenland, which increasingly relies on the banquet business.

“It’s challenging to source a lot of stuff locally because of quantity and consistency,” says Frank Ihrig. “When you’re cooking for 200 people, I can’t say I can necessarily get

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potatoes for that many people from someone’s backyard or garden.”

Both restaurants enjoy easy access to special items at various times of the year.

“As the season comes, tomatoes will be on soon, and we’ll be making chili sauce and canning it for sale,” Shephard says.

“I can almost walk (to Mike Masse’s pumpkin patch) and pick up my pumpkins and squash for soups and salads,” Ihrig notes.

“We use honey from Ferguson’s for desserts and for sauces because honey has a more intense sweetness and is more rounded. It gives a nicer transition from salty to sweet.”

And the sweetness translates into local suppliers’ wallets, too.

“If we can get it locally, the quality is higher because it’s not traveling as far,” Ihrig says. “If we can keep the money in our own community, there’s an economic spin-off as well.”

F.I.N.E’s front of house manager Jackie Stenhouse, head chef Ben Sandwith and chef owner Erryn Shephard.

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Life without Brian “I have to share this place.”

Deb Krizmanich met her husband Brian Bestard six years ago when she was living in Tavistock and he was living in St. Marys. It was the second marriage for both. Brian died last year of a heart attack, one year after moving into their log home a few kilometres east of Grand Bend.

As told to Casey Lessard Brian and I met socially through friends.

We were both running our own businesses and we just realized we could both work virtually and had a dream that we wanted to create a space where we could entertain and socialize, and do that in a way that pioneered the use of renewable resources. We wanted to be able, when we retired, to run a bed and breakfast or an executive retreat centre where people could come and really live a green life and be exposed to what renewable energy is all about, and at the same time enjoy each other and friends in a really casual environment.

The property was in Brian’s family for four or five generations. It’s on Ausable Bayfield conservation land, and it’s 100 acres in the middle of 2,000 acres of wooded property.

It’s a paradise for wildlife and for people. It has a large pond that has four islands in it, spring-fed, great for swimming and watching wildlife.

I love camping and being outside. To me, a log home brings back all of those feelings of camping without all of the dirt under your feet all the time. There’s nothing better than a log home in a forest. They just go hand-inhand.

It was something I had been saving for since I was 17 years old. Brian kept talking about this amazing property. I told him, under no circumstances would I put my log house in Southwestern Ontario. It had to be in the north. He just said to me, “I’m going to have you take a look.” The minute I drove in, I felt like I was in Timmins or the Muskokas. I knew I was home and this is where we would build our log home.

We got married in 2004 on one of the islands and had an amazing camping party with 100 people for a long weekend. We realized how much this property meant to us, so we started with some graph paper and laid out the house we wanted. The final architect’s drawings only ended up moving one wall. Brian’s brother Kevin had built some log homes before, so he came and worked with the builders and managed the whole construction process for the better part of nine months. It was a real family event to build the home, and it took two-and-a-half years from deciding to do it to moving in.

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The house is a 2,400 square foot dovetail, 10” pine logs with chinking in between. The logs come from Simcoe County, with a few from Ohio. It’s open concept and uses passive solar energy in its blueprint and design. The whole house is run on renewable resources, so we’re not even tied to the grid. The hydro is probably a kilometre from the house. We run on solar panels, thermal for heating our water, and a 3KW wind turbine.

The county was amazing to work with.

Ausable Bayfield worked with us to situate the house, and the municipality was very progressive. What we thought would be our biggest challenge never was.

Every floor in the home that is hardwood is from species in our bush. The great room is 22’ to the ceiling, with windows on both sides. Because of the passive energy, you don’t get the heat in the summer because no sun is allowed in. And when you look out from the kitchen, you can see right to the pond so you can see kids swimming while you’re sitting making dinner or playing cards.

Once we moved in, there would be people here every weekend through the summer and we would barbecue. Kids would be innertubing and catching frogs and snakes. We have four walking trails, and it was magical to know that you could go back in the fall and realize that people for five generations had been taking their cows down these trails.

In the winter it’s so still and quiet, it’s like a fairyland. The deer come right to the pond and the wildlife is amazing.

It was fabulous the year we had together before Brian passed away. The stress just melts away here. We had side-by-side offices, and we could go out and have meetings on the island. We had phones that would reach out that far and wireless internet around the property.

In April 2007, Brian passed away in the middle of the night with a heart attack. He had had another one prior to that, but he had been sick with encephalitis, and we believe his organs were weakened by that.

It was a pretty dark year for me. It takes a long time to accept the loss. I haven’t yet. I missed him tremendously because he was my best friend. I walked the property for days on end and felt he was here.

In May, I looked around and said, I have to share this place. That’s what we designed it for. I’m so fortunate to have such an amazing spot and I thought, why not open the bed and breakfast we had planned to open after we retired?

We had designed the upper floor for guests, with en suite bathrooms in both bedrooms

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and a private sitting area. If someone wants to be alone all weekend, they can be. But our Great Room is a place for socializing and telling stories and we encourage guests who want to be in this part of the house to enjoy that.

I’m fully committed to a new way of life in terms of renewable energy. I totally believe that people can live a good life and still have a smaller carbon footprint. Maybe coming to a place like this, people will understand the tradeoffs and educate their kids about what the future of the world will look like.

You don’t have to give up a lot. You just have to change the way you do things. I have as many hot baths as anyone else, but I only turn the jets on when we have lots of power. You start to look and pay attention to the weather more than you would if you had hydro.

If people want to do one thing, they should get thermal tubes (for heating water). We have some of the highest sun hours in the world in the summer, so thermal works very well. Solar panels would be second.

Krizmanich wants to host bed and breakfast guests and corporate retreats and meetings to educate visitors and businesses on the benefits of off-grid technology. The house does have highspeed wireless internet access. For more, visit http://www.budlake.com or call 519-238-1779.

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FLEA MARKET & FARMER’S MARKET

BUY LOCAL BUY FRESH ONTARIO PRODUCE IN SEASON:

HARVEST APPLES & PEACHES Plus: Sweet Corn, Raspberries, Carrots and MORE

BRING A LOCAL FLAVOUR TO YOUR SUNDAY DINNER It’s a great time to eat local! The Pinery Antique Flea & Farmers Market has the best selection of Ontario fruits and vegetables, homemade pies, breads, fresh roasted organic coffee beans, dried meats, plants, fresh cut flowers fl owers and much more...

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip Feature

Farmers’ Markets are full of fresh, local flavour There’s a lot to find at the area’s two farmers’ markets, Wednesday mornings at the Grand Bend Farmers’ Market on Gill Road in Grand Bend, and Sundays at the Pinery Flea Market and Farmers’ Market, south of Grand Bend. Here are some of the vendors you’ll find.

Photos by Casey Lessard

Forest Hill Orchard Owners:Ron & Melody Arnhold Where: Pinery While they carry a whole variety of produce, this time of year is prime time for their harvest apple, the Lodi.

“It’s the old-time favourite harvest apple. It’s fantastic because people can make applesauce and they don’t have to peel it. They boil it down and all they need is a sieve to remove the skins and the seeds. It’s tart and when it first comes off it ’s nice and crisp. As it ages, like any early apple, it will go softer and then at that stage it’s for sauce only.

“They have a unique flavour

Melody Arnhold inspecting peaches at Forest Hill Orchard

that is a quality of that apple.

I can tell an Ida Red pie and a Spy pie. This one’s nice and tangy; it’s refreshing.

“These apples should be ref rigerated. They’ll break down real quick.

They’re picked and packed the day before market, and we store them in our cooler.

“Our price is high because the labour we pay in this country is what we have to pay. For the imports, the pickers are being paid $1 a day. I can’t pay someone $1 a day.

“A lot of people don’t know what season their food is grown in anymore. People in Toronto are asking me for cherries in May because they see them in the stores and they don’t realize cherry season is the end of June to the end of July. As a society, we don’t know our growing seasons and we don’t have the appreciation for food we once had.”

Bayfield Berry has a variety of produce, but their specialty is berries, and they carry one unique to this region of Ontario. Saskatoon berries were imported f rom Saskatchewan and are grown at their farm northeast of Bayfield.

“S askatoon berries are between a blueberry and a blackberr y, and once you bake with it, it has a taste of almond.

“You can eat them fresh or baked. A lot of families like to do their own jams and they want a fresh product, which has a different flavour than when it’s been sitting on a shelf for a week.

“Farmers’ markets get our name out and hit a unique crowd that come just for the product. They know it’s on a Wednesday or Sunday and they plan their day around it.”

Joan Brady’s basil comes in green and purple.

Forest Hill Orchard’s Lodi apples are a great harvest apple.

bers of the original steering committee for the Grand Bend Farmers’ Market. A former full-time hog farmer, she sold her 125 acre, 90 sow farm outside of Dashwood and now owns a five-acre plot northeast of Grand Bend.

“We didn’t see a lot of hope or future in the hog industry and we sold the farm in 2006.

I like to play in the dirt, so this place suited me well. “ We still have 40 hogs under our roof, and we take out 10-12 every year to sell.

W hen you have a good butcher – we use Metzger Meats – you can dare to sell your products.

“I have perennial cut flowers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, herbs, raspberries for our own use, and strawberries that were frosted off this spring. “ L oc al food is better because it’s fresher. It holds onto the nutrients and for the most part, people support the Smoky Hollow market because they want to Farms support local farmers. It gives Bayfield Berry Owner: Joan Brady the town of Grand Bend a bit Owner: Marlene O’Brien Where: Grand Bend Brady is one of the mem- of flavour as well.”

Where: Both markets

Avoid the crowds come early

we open at 8am every Sunday!

3 MILES SOUTH OF GRAND BEND ON HWY 21

519-238-8382 pineryantiquefleamarket.com

Bayfield Berry’s trademark Saskatoon berries.

Mark Moskal’s heirloom tomatoes are restaurant favourites.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip Feature

http://www.GrandBendStrip.com • 9

98 Ontario Street South, Grand Bend charmin extra strong

seasoned boneless, skinless, frozen

bathroom tissue

chicken breast

$

3

12 rolls, 2 ply

Mumsie’s Garden Owner: Mark Moskal Where: Pinery Moskal grows heirloom tomatoes on 1/8 acre east of Ailsa Craig. His products are featured at many London boutique restaurants, and they can hit your plate, too.

“I’m a city boy and I worked in finance. I didn’t know anything about growing anything.

I met my wife and moved out here, and they asked if I wanted to put anything in this garden. I said, sure! After three years of that, someone at work suggested I try heirloom tomatoes.

“I discovered how much better they taste and how much people love them, and having a little extra I decided to sell them. The restaurants ate them up.

“After doing 18 plants last year, I thought, let’s see how much we can get rid of. Now, I have 550 plants. I started all of them from seed; I grow them in my basement to start and move them into a bigger area under a larger grow light, and come mid-May, we (friends and family) put them into the ground.

“I do the most of the Pine Fog. I took them

to one restaurant in London and they said, “If you have any more of these, just bring them. I will take everything you have.

“I can pick them off the vine and deliver them that day. I’m not using herbicides or pesticides. If they want to come out and pick it, they can. I’m more than happy to show people what I do.”

Look for: Pine Fog, Carbon, and Pink and Purple Brandywine. Best in salads and eaten raw.

Grand Bend Farmers’ Market Simply in Season Dining Partnership July 30 to August 5

Colonial Hotel

nestle

nesquik syrup

$

510700mL

2

cauliflower prod. of ontario canada no. 1

wieners $

$

2

454g

1ea.

general mills

no name, frozen

fibre1 or curves bars

stuffed chicken breast

selected varieties

selected varieties

168/ 175g

$

$

2

284g

bartlett pears prod. of u.s.a. extra fancy grade 2.20/kg

$

2

1/lb.

swanson

piller’s

whole or sliced

hungryman dinners

black forest style ham

selected varieties

selected varieties

mini or half ready to serve

white mushrooms

$

2

192244g

hunt’s

pudding

31 Ontario St. N., Grand Bend

1

2ea.

vachon snacks

features:

Back ‘n Time

360455g

family pack assorted varieties

$

12x 99g

3

$

2

6.61 /kg.

$

prod. of canada

3

/lb.

$

8 oz. pkg.

1

chapman’s

seasoned pork

large seedless

super novelties

side rib portions

selected varieties

$6.61/kg.

navel oranges

box of 8 - 18s

$

$

3

prod. of south africa

3

3lb. bag

/lb.

$

2

features:

F.I.N.E.

Potato & Corn Soup Blueberry Peach Delight

A RESTAURANT

Farmers’ Market is open

LUNCH: TUES-SAT. - 11:30-2 P.M. DINNER: TUES.-SUN. - 5 P.M.

$ 1L

$

shopsy’s deli fresh

trutaste or chocolate milk

1

1 Main Street, Grand Bend

August 6 to 12

(519) 238-6224 42 ONTARIO ST. S. (HWY 21)

$

200/ 250g

prod. of canada or u.s.a.

2/lb.

neilson

selected varieties

watermelons

$

4.41 /kg.

selected varieties

Apricot Pork Skillet

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED

quaker cereal

large seedless

Wednesdays

8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

May 21 to October 8 Gill Road Parking Lot

See you there!!!

schneiders

valu plus

hot stuffs

hot dog or hamburg buns

selected varieties

$ 256g

1

STORE HOURS SUNDAY 8AM to 8PM MON - FRI 8AM to 10PM SATURDAY 8AM to 8PM

pkg. of 8

dole spring mix prod. of u.s.a.

$

1

$ 454g

3

PRICES IN EFFECT FRIDAY, JULY 25 TO THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2008 WHILE QUANTITIES LAST

10 • http://www.GrandBendStrip.com

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Grand Bend Strip

Joanne Janzen and Terri Kennedy hit the phones to vote for Mookie.

Mookie Morris is a contender for this year’s Canadian Idol.

The singer has family in Grand Bend and regularly visits the area.

Photo courtesy CTV.

Aunts Terry Nikkel and Marian McTeer watch Mookie perform. “We’re having so much fun,” Nikkel says. “We never expected this.”

Mookie-Mania hits the Bend One of this year’s Canadian Idol’s top eight finalists has a close connection to Grand Bend, and his relatives who live here hope you’ll send your votes his way. Mookie Morris has spent many summers in Grand Bend, and he was recently in town for his cousin’s wedding, where he jammed with his relatives.

Mookie’s fate could be decided Tuesday night before most people read this, but he has been performing well and CTV’s message boards peg him among the top three finalists.

Most critically, to make it to the top three, he needs votes, so if he’s still standing this week, consider making Mookie your Idol by watching CTV Monday nights at 9 p.m. and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. for the results from each week.

The family will be watching Mookie perform every week at Gables, so if you want to jump on the bandwagon, that’s the place to be each week.

Internet Access Points Main Street, Grand Bend

Brought to you by Hay Communications www.hay.net 519-236-4333

Sarah Nicholson cheers Mookie on. “We played together on the beach all the time. His sister was my best friend growing up.”

Custom Foot Orthotics KIDS NEED Going on vacation?

YOUR GUITARS Leave knowing your pet is relaxing, too.

Do you have a decent, working guitar that you don’t need anymore?

The Stone Angels are leading a not-for-profit youth music program and we’d love to put your guitar to good use.

If you can help, contact Gloria Martin at

519-294-6912

North Fork Kennel & Grooming

519-234-6879 69484 PARR LINE, CREDITON www.northforkkennel.com

20% Off Expires: 7/31/08

All custom work completed onsite by Reg. Orthotic Technician Must present this coupon to qualify for 20% discount off our regularly priced custom foot orthotics.

Athletic & Orthopedic Bracing • Foot Orthotics • Orthotic Friendly Shoes & Sandals • Shoe Repair • Mobility Aids Home Healthcare Equipment Sales & Rental 38 Ontario Street South • Grand Bend

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip Events

http://www.GrandBendStrip.com • 11

Having a blast - of water!

Parkhill Grace Bible Chapel’s Five Fun Days Photos by Casey Lessard

Above, North Middlesex firefighters had their hoses out. No one was injured.

Huron Country Playhouse G

R

A

N

D

B

E

N

D

Aidan and Jordan Teeple, Cameron Amos, Brendan Koyle, and Joe Masschelein play over-under.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change A Witty Musical Romance Book & Lyrics by JOE DIPIETRO Music by JIMMY ROBERTS Directed by MARC RICHARD

AT THE PLAYHOUSE II This hysterically funny musical revue scales the dizzying spectrum of romance and its many forms, from dating to marriage, in-laws, newborns, trips in the family car, and much more.

July 16 to August 30 Ellie Schlicter’s group runs an obstacle course.

Meghan Bezzina becomes an unfortunate target.

Box Office: 519-238-6000 • huroncountryplayhouse.com

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip Thoughts

12 • http://www.GrandBendStrip.com

Shut your mouth and eat your supper! Oh, mom!

Advice from mom

By Rita Lessard Shut your mouth and eat your supper!

How often have you heard that said, and when you stop to think about it, can you really do that? What the heck were our mothers thinking?

I remember my father saying, “If you put the food on your plate, you have to eat it.”

My brother Bob hated peas, but nevertheless

he would always put them on his plate and he couldn’t leave the table until he ate them.

That wasn’t too smart. I, on the other hand, didn’t normally take something I didn’t want to eat, but if I did, I was smart enough to make sure I had a ready pocket to hide what I didn’t want. (It’s a good thing I liked creamed corn.) We couldn’t afford a dog, so we always envied the skinny kids with their fat dogs.

Sometimes my mother would confuse me, for instance whenever I wouldn’t eat my dinner, she would say, “Eat your dinner. Do you realize that the poor starving kids in China would give their right arm to have that meal.”

If I couldn’t eat my mother’s cooking, why

would I subject the poor kids in China to eating it? They’ve suffered enough; why would I add to their plight?

I know I’ve heard other mothers saying this, too. I say stop it, send some money to the mission and leave us out of this eating business. Most mothers worry too much when it comes to their kids’ eating habits, but believe me, kids will eat when they’re hungry.

Many foods we consume are very good for us, and others not so. Do you notice that the rich sugary foods we so love are said to be fattening and not so good? On the other hand, fruits and vegetables are very good to eat.

Working at Tim Horton’s, I’m often tempted

to indulge in the sugary paradise. For about the last seven years, I have always brought my own break food, which basically consists of fruits, veggies and granola. These foods keep me alert and full of energy so I can stay on my feet.

Some people suffer health problems because of what they eat. A common complaint is heartburn. My son’s mother-in-law suffered with this ailment for several years until someone suggested she take the root of ginger, soak it in hot water, let it steep for 10 minutes, and then drink it. Apparently this works; it certainly would beat taking drugs all the time.

That’s all for this week, folks!

Remembering the early days in Huron Park Keeping the Peace

By Tom Lessard, C.D. The air force had recently moved out of Huron Park when we moved from London in April 1968. There were very few tenants in the community, so when five of us army guys moved in, we had our choice of houses.

Gradually, as time passed, word got around and the houses filled and the community came alive.

It’s probably hard for people who haven’t been to Huron Park to realize how good of a place it was to live.

For example, we had an arena and a curling rink, two swimming pools (one public and one private), a four-lane bowling alley, and recreation centre with basketball and volleyball courts. There was a tennis court, a walled-in lit baseball diamond, and a quartermile track surrounding a soccer field. All of the above were situated on the industrial side of the county road.

On the housing side, the elementary school had two ball diamonds, and a play area with slides, teeter-totters, and a sand box. The school had a large gymnasium with the standard basketball courts and a stage.

The school contained classes for kindergarten to Grade 8, and later included Huron Hope school for special needs children.

There was plenty of employment in Huron Park. We had a postal outlet, IGA grocery

store, fire department with full- and part-time firemen, and a garage with a mechanic and gas pumps. The airport had (and still has) a welllit combination of runways and a searchlight.

Centralia College of Agricultural Technology occupied dormitories and classrooms vacated by the air force. There was a veterinarian department with meat inspectors and labs.

There were roughly 300 students at any given time, and the college employed cooks, kitchen staff, caretakers, cleaners, teachers and administration staff.

Numerous companies occupied the various large hangars and smaller buildings. Hall Lamp (450 employees) leased most of the hangars assembling taillights and mirrors.

Hughes Boats built sailing yachts for customers from around the world. Accumold blasted dies for the mining companies. Dunline

built pads for the oil fields. Acme Neon Signs employed crews. The Club Albatross supplied after-hours refreshments for the tired workers.

They also ran a snack truck for the industries.

I have probably left our some of the smaller outfits that operated in the early years. My apologies.

Many changes have been made since that time. Companies have moved out and new ones have moved in. We, too, moved out only a few years ago, but it remains a great place to live.

(Editor’s note: 1960s RC AF Centralia is the setting for former resident Anne-Marie MacDonald ’s 2003 novel The Way the Crow Flies, a fictional account of Lynn Harper’s murder at RCAF Clinton, of which Steven Truscott was convicted and eventually acquitted.)

Serving up local food on the world wide web all over the world.” Some other old time favourites include www.allrecipes.com, www. epicurious.com and www.foodnetwork.com Don’t feel like cooking? Browse local resBy Tamara Nicola taurant menus online before heading out. You http://www.VisitGrandBend.com can find menus for F.I.N.E, School House Restaurant, the Colonial and more. It’s a Next time you are having a hard time decid- great resource if you are thinking about ordering what’s for dinner, turn to the internet for ing take-out, or if you can’t decide which ressome great ideas. Time Magazine recently taurant to choose. featured one of my favourite recipe sites in I have discovered that a surprising number their 50 best websites list, www.opensourcefood.com. This site really gets your cravings of local restaurants still don’t have a web presgoing. Their motto is “Amazing recipes, deli- ence. For those planning to take the plunge cious food and beautiful photography. Created here are a few suggestions to consider while and rated by you and fellow food-lovers from designing your site.

Technically Speaking

Feature menus with prices; avoid pictures of food dishes unless you hire a professional photographer. Focus your website pictures on the decor and features like an outdoor patio.

Include a brief history of your establishment and spotlight the chef and staff.

Make it easy for people to find you. Along with your address be sure to include a map to your location. Include your hours of operation and telephone number for reservations.

As you gear up your operations each spring, your website is a great place to list employment opportunities.

Want to step ahead of the crowd? Allow customers to place a takeout or delivery order online. It is easy to setup on your website

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Reservations Recommended Hessenland Country Inn RR#2 Zurich - (519) 236-7707 www.hessenland.com

and when an order comes in you receive an email, a fax or the alert can be integrated into your existing point of sale system. Check out www.ziptogo.com. How about including a simple Paypal.com shopping cart to offer up your famous special sauce or signature tshirts? Get creative and have fun.

As computers get smaller and cell phones get smarter more people will be browsing on the go. Offering wireless internet access at your location could bring you additional business clientele and a loyal following from the generation y crowd. Jalapeno’s on Main Street offers a free internet hotspot alongside their killer hot sauce. Way to go Jalapeno’s!

Custom designs to fit your lifestyle.

Building a new home?

Renovating the cottage?

Thinking of an addition?

You need a plan!

Melanie Hartman Melabu Design & Drafting T. 519.237.3654 C. 519.860.8338 E. melabudesign@hay.net 70352 Shipka Line, RR#2 Dashwood

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip on Stage

http://www.GrandBendStrip.com • 13

You’ll love I Love You… I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Until August  Playhouse II Tickets: -- Reviews by Casey Lessard Anyone looking for a good summer comedy that resonates will want to see I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, playing now at the Huron Country Playhouse II. “There’s a little gem in every scene,” says Kristin Galer, who plays one of the two women in the musical review. “When the audience is laughing, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

“My favourite scene is the two old people at the end,” says Mark Weatherley. “It’s very sweet and touching, and it’s nice that they cover what it’s like to be single when you’re old, too.

“It’s interesting in the sense that you can be yourself and the audience becomes part of the scene,” says Michael Lomenda. “Often that doesn’t happen in big theatre. This show is great at involving people.”

The story lines, about dating, marriage, having children, and losing a partner, are uni-

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’s Kristin Galer, Mark Weatherley, Mairi Babb and Mike Lomenda, courtesy Drayton Entertainment.

versally recognizable. Still they’re fresh and funny.

“I’m married now, but I certainly went through my rough dating years and all the things anybody who’s ever been single in their life – which is everybody - has gone through.”

“Stud and Babe is the one I connect with because I’m just a geek at heart,” says Lomenda. “On the other hand, when I sing Shouldn’t I Be Less In Love With You?, finding the weight of it is difficult, so you have to project as an actor, but it’s a good stretch.

I hits home even though I haven’t been there yet.”

For Mairi Babb, who starred in this spring’s My Fair Lady, it’s been a nice transition performing in the smaller Playhouse II. “I love being able to work without microphones. It’s very liberating and I love interacting with the audience.”

Anjhela’s Stripping this winter!

ARE YOU?

Over the top fun Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Until August  Huron Country Playhouse Tickets: -- A con within a con within a con, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is over the top with big songs and big fun on a big stage. A blend of two movies (Scoundrels and Bedtime Story) and old-time musical theatre, the Playhouse version is full of great big stuff.

“The show is a large show in its presentation, so this is a fantastic place to do this show,” says former Playhouse artistic director Brian McKay, gracing the stage here for the first time in 10 years as the dashing conman Lawrence Jamieson.

“It’s just a fantastic, fun, crazy show,” says Steven Patterson, who played the lead in last year’s Miss Saigon and appears as Steve Martin’s Freddy Benson. “You have to keep yourself in decent shape; I think I sweat pounds every day on stage.”

Heather McGuigan is Christine Colgate, the soap queen the two are trying to swindle.

“She is someone who has arrived in a wonderful location and is taken on a trip by these two men,” McGuigan says. “It’s the adventure she was looking for on this grand trip of hers, and she goes along for the ride.”

It’s a fun ride that gets crass at times, but overall is interesting to see familiar faces f ronting a Broadway backdrop wearing Broadway clothes bought from the company that first staged the musical in New York.

G! N I P P I R T S TPING! CAUTGRH P I CAUGHT ST TS H G U A RIP C

You may not associate winter with Stripping, but once the cold hits, nothing will warm you up like reading the Grand Bend Strip.

Grand Bend Strip VIP subscribers will be the ONLY people receiving the Strip’s monthly publication from November to April.

Starting in November, you won’t be able to find find the Strip anywhere unless you are a member of the Strip Club.

VIP members also get exclusive access to www.grandbendstrip.com.

SARAH KANE August 11 to September 7

TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO SAVE MONEY! Join before August 1 and pay only $10 for 6 months.

After August 1, the price increases to $15 $12!

Opening Reception Aug. 16 4-9pm

TONY MILLER September 13 to October 11 Opening Reception Sept. 13 1-4pm

Register Now for our Three Day

CHILDREN’S ART WORKSHOP August 5, 6 & 7 - 10am to 3pm Bring a lunch

Bliss Studio 519-243-3598 7617 Riverside Drive, Port Franks

Yes, please give me VIP access to the Grand Bend Strip!

My cheque for $10 ($12 after Aug. 1) is enclosed. [Visa/MC/PayPal accepted online] Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________ Town: ___________________________ Postal Code: _______________ Phone: _______________________________________________________ E-mail: _______________________________________________________ Send to Grand Bend Strip, P.O. Box 218 Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0. Rates listed are for Canadian addresses only, for six issues from Nov. to April. Your information is safe with us. It will be used exclusively for membership purposes.

For U.S. and international rates, call 519-614-3614 or visit http://www.grandbendstrip.com.

Savouring the great blue heron’s majesty Living in Balance

By Jenipher Appleton Childhood memory. Three Mile Lake, Muskoka. Early morning mist. Lake a sheet of glass. Heron skims the surface and lands in the reeds. Stands erect. “Squawk!”

Algonquin Park. Summer 2007. Pioneer Logging Exhibit trail. Heron at water’s edge.

Lightning strike of daggerlike bill. Scores a catch. Moments later a telltale Pisces bulge

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip Outside

14 • http://www.GrandBendStrip.com

halfway down his gullet.

Ailsa Craig. Back yard on Queen St. North.

Happily hunting heron reducing goldfish population of water garden. Need for more lily pads.

The great blue heron, Ardea herodias, ranges throughout much of North America, including southern Florida. It is often mistakenly called a crane. If you see a giant blue-gray bird with a six-foot wingspan, its neck drawn back and long legs straight out behind, it is most likely the great blue heron. It is a wader, not a swimmer, and does not have webbed feet.

The heron is monogamous and lays two to seven pale blue eggs that are 6.4 cm long.

Incubation is 25-30 days. Both parents participate in feeding the young. In the month of March the birds return to the heronry (a rookery for herons). A typical nesting site in southwestern Ontario is a swampy deciduous forest clump in the midst of a farmer’s field.

The nests are at least 10 metres up and consist of a network of sticks. Access to these nesting sites is very difficult for humans.

In past years there was a heronry on Hyde Park Road, south of Ilderton. For some

unknown reason the herons moved north and now can be seen between Fifteen and Sixteen Mile Roads on the east side of Hyde Park Road.

In early spring during nesting season, with a decent set of binoculars, one can observe the young, their necks craned like misplaced nesting sticks.

The adults, circling and hovering over the nests look somewhat prehistoric, reminiscent of some feathered dinosaur.

One morning last summer I was afforded a fleeting glimpse of a smaller relative of the great blue, the green heron, which is about half the size of its blue cousin. As I opened the back door, the spooked bird lifted off from the water garden with a sharp ‘squawk’, its distinctive yellow legs dangling out behind. I think he departed without breakfast.

Fergus the Labrador and I often take our

evening walk down to the iron bridge on West Corner Drive.

Last week we were treated to a rare sight, compared to the usual red-winged blackbirds, beavers, and snapping turtles.

As we stood at the bridge’s railing, a pair of great blue herons sailed over its framework on silent wings, just twenty feet above our heads.

Like great pterodactyls, they continued their glide over the river, and then circled back to land gracefully in the top of the tallest of the deciduous trees on the riverbank. Their plumage appeared bluegold in the setting sun and an occasional ‘squawk’ came from each bird.

Shortly thereafter, a third heron descended onto a nearby tree. The giant birds sat with their long necks tucked back and appeared that they would settle there for the night.

Fergus and I quietly went on our way, leaving the majestic creatures in peace.

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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

To Do List

Things to Do Community/Charity EVERY TUESDAY  p.m. - Grand Bend Legion Bingo

EVERY FRIDAY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 TO 7

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30  a.m. to  p.m. - Gill St. parking lot, Grand Bend Grand Bend Farmers’ Market

Arts & Entertainment

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6

Grand Bend Youth Centre  a.m. to  p.m. - Gill St. parking lot, Wet and Wild Week. Bring along a white Grand Bend t-shirt on Tues. as we will be doing Tie-Dye Grand Bend Farmers’ Market shirts! You’ll also need your bathing suit for a fun wet week of activities including a trip : p.m. - Grand Bend Legion to Bluewater Fun Park. Call 519-238-1155 Grand Bend Golden Ager’s Luncheon. to enroll.

Join us for Shuffleboard every Mon. & Thurs. at 1 p.m. Euchre every 2 & 4 th Wed.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5

 to  p.m. - Grand Bend Legion Meat Draw

http://www.GrandBendStrip.com • 15

 a.m. to  p.m. - Lions Pavilion Grand Bend Hor ticultural Society Meeting. Join us for a Flower arranging workshop. Limit 20 participants, cost $10.

Flowers to be from the participants own gardens or gleaned from the wild. Call Liz at 519-236-7884 for details.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9

238-6874 or email grbartcentre@hay.net.

Workout for Your Life. $8 per class; $5 for spouses and students.

TO AUGUST 9

 a.m. to  p.m. - Corbett Corbett Fun Day. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Antique & Classic Car Show. 12 to 3 p.m.

- Old Time Fiddling & Country Music.

12:30 p.m. - Car Rally Registration. 3 p.m.

- Auction of Business Donations. 4 to 6 p.m. - 5 Cash Draws. 4 to 6:30 p.m. - Steak/

Boneless Chicken Breast BBQ or Hot Dog Meal. 4 to 8 p.m. - Relax and enjoy to the sounds of the band Magnum. Children’s activities and games throughout the day!

Bring your lawn chair, relax and enjoy!

FREE ADMISSION. Wheelchair accessible washrooms. Call 519-294-0015 or visit www.corbettcc.ca

TUESDAY, AUGUST 12 TO 14 Grand Bend Youth Centre Thrill and Chills Week. Come join us for some cool science experiments, help create a haunted house and then we head off to Canada’s Wonderland! Call 519-238-1155 to register.

: a.m. -  p.m. - Pinery Flea Market Live Music with Brian Dale Huron Country Playhouse  to  p.m. - McNaughton Park, Exeter Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. For tickets, call Workout for Your Life. $8 per class; $5 for 1-888-449-4463. spouses and students.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 TO AUGUST 30 Huron Country Playhouse A Funny Thing Happened On The Way FRIDAYS TO AUGUST 31 To The Forum. For tickets, call 1-888-449Huron Country Playhouse  to  a.m. - G.B. Lions’ Pavilion I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. 4463.

Workout for Your Life. $8 per class; $5 for For tickets, call 1-888-449-4463. spouses and students.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14

 a.m. to  p.m. - Grand Bend Art WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 Centre  a.m. to  p.m. - Grand Bend Art : to : p.m. or  to : p.m.

Shoot like a Pro! workshop - with Mary Centre – Grand Bend CHC Drawing workshop - with Teresa Marie. Lynn Fluter. Call 519-238-8978 or 519-238Mental Health Education and Support Call 519-238-8978 or 519-238-6874 or email 6874 or email grbartcentre@hay.net.

Group. Monthly group support for family grbartcentre@hay.net. and friends that provides tool, strategies and ongoing educational opportunities. Contact FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 social workers Lise Callahan 238-1556 ext SATURDAY, AUGUST 2  a.m. to  p.m. - Grand Bend Art 230 or Mickey Gurbin ext. 223 for details.

Centre  to  p.m. - Grand Bend Legion Painting People in Watercolour workshop Live Music with Midlife Crisis - with Mary Abma. Call 519-238-8978 or T HURSDAY, JULY 31 519-238-6874 or email grbartcentre@hay.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3  to  p.m. – Grand Bend CHC (Adult Day wing) : a.m. -  p.m. - Pinery Flea Market net.

Community Blood Pressure Clinic.

Live Music with Brian Dale Ever yone welcome. Have your blood Health & Fitness pressure checked by one of our Nurse SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 Practitioners receive health info. No  to  p.m. - Grand Bend Legion MONDAYS appointment necessary.

Live Music with Joan Spalding Duo  to  a.m. - G.B. Lions’ Pavilion P L U S : 5 0 T H A N N I V E R S A RY Workout for Your Life. $8 per class; $5 for CELEBRATIONS FOR MAY AND spouses and students.

BILL BRENNAN.  to  p.m. - McNaughton Park, Exeter Workout for Your Life. $8 per class; $5 for SUNDAY, AUGUST 10 spouses and students.  a.m. to  p.m. - Grand Bend Art Centre Basic Portraiture in Oils workshop - with WEDNESDAYS Teresa Marie. Call 519-238-8978 or 519 to  a.m. - G.B. Lions’ Pavilion

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HOURS: Sun.-Thurs.: 12pm - 10pm Fri. & Sat.: 12pm - 1am

10072 Poplar Ave.

Annual Duck Race August 3 - 1:30 p.m.

Live music by SweetFire Purchase ducks at Christine’s.

Proceeds to Northville Fire Dept.

Friday Night: Karaoke w/ Fat Kat “Bobbie” Sundays on the Patio (4-7 pm): Julien (Aug. 3) - Murray Andrews (Aug. 10)

Port Franks 519-243-3636

Live entertainment and prizes Event supports the Northville Fire department.

For more details, contact Christine’s at 519243-3636.

Branch #498 Grand Bend

(519) 238-2120

LIVE MUSIC! Internet Access Points Main Street, Grand Bend

See page 13.

Christine’s Marina, Bar & Grill Port Franks August 3, 1:30 p.m.

ELIMINATION DRAW TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

Have you bought your subscription yet?

Don’t miss out this winter!

Rubber Duck Race

Brought to you by Hay Communications www.hay.net 519-236-4333

Everyone welcome Saturdays 3-6 p.m.

August 2 - Midlife Crisis Fun Darts Bingo Meat Draws

August 9 - Joan Spalding Duo Mondays @ 7 p.m.

Tuesdays @ 7 p.m.

Fridays @ 5 p.m.

Hall rentals - contact Sharon (519) 238-6865

16 • http://www.GrandBendStrip.com

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Strip on the Beach

Brent Weaver of Orillia tries to get one over on Jason Taff.

Ashlee Howarth of London prepares for a serve.

“Thought we’d have a good day in the sun.”

Sun, sand and serves Photos by Casey Lessard Grand Bend hosted the annual Not So Pro beach volleyball tournament this weekend, which saw the main beach dominated by volleyball courts and lots of tanned bodies. For more photos, see http://www.grandbendstrip.com

Dave Zwambag of London shows his best service stance.

Jill O’Brien of Oshawa gets down to make a bump.