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It was a dinger. No one, it seems, has any real complaint from Sunday’s super performance by a group of people known as the Richmond Hill Santa Claus Parade Committee. Working almost without precedent, this group masterâ€" minded a parade that thrilled thousands Sunday afternoon, and suggested similar parades will definitely become an annual event in Richmond Hill. And so, last Friday, when I went to a friend’s to choose a kitten to train for my mother, I picked the best of the lot without hesitation. I chose the healthiest, the most playful, the one with the brightest eyes. I generally tried to show it that I was not a valid reason for cowering behind the shower cabinet and squealing. The kitten was not convinced. I shut the door carefully behind me before I went downstairs. We own a huge grey overweight unâ€" dersocial creature who ranges about our lot enforcing her belief that she should be the only feline allowed in Thornhill. I knew her hospitality to our house guest would be limited. It was almost like getting our community back. By SHARON BRAIN Let me say at the outset that I am not a superstitious person. Although I do not assume that I know all the possibilities, neither do I quiver in cemeteries, nor flinch from walking under ladders. I brought it home and took the whimpering, quivering ball of fluff upstairs to the bathroom. I in- troduced it to Kitty Litter, a new concept in its so far unrestrained life. I gave it some warm rice pablum. We’ve been hearing the moaning and the groaning from different areas in Richmond Hill. “No one cares about anything, anymore. “Don‘t bother me, I’m too busy.” “There’s no support, it’ll never work”. I do not case the skies for UFO’s each night before retiring. I neither touch wood nor throw salt, nor trust in horseshoes or rabbit feet. Never did I, for an instant, consider its colour. Except to think that in this litter black indeed was beautiful. » We want you to know who the committee members were who ignored the moaning and groaning. Unless, of course, there is someone with a wet paint brush busy above. I do not rejoice when a mirror chatters at my feet, but I do not rush to reckon up seven years on the calendar either. Santa’s parade was credit to committee Dave Barrow of Barrow’s Insurance and president of the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce; Chuck Doyle of the Progress Club in Richmond Hill; Don Hick of the Senior Citizens Club of Richmond Hill; Jim As I stepped outside to get the groceries, I met Bobbie, the dog from two houses west. He had slipped his leash. I picked him up to take him home. I didn’t know that Bobbie had found a mud puddle directly Em Zfihrral Sub-alone" um By m. “000 no: you m Can-u moo D. you cum 0! Cam. Iv man so 00ml. am tow wool: Smol- com um 20 um- No null new“ when coma am:- "In Samoa chu Mod Mam-um Mum 019° - _ mourn-mm DNBION 10395 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill L4G 4Y6 Ontario PUBLISHER mam MAXWELL mnun non WAUACE The Libeval is published every Wednesday by Division, which also publishesIhe Banner in Aurc the Bolton Enterprise. PAGE A4 lob-t1 Human-u! W Jomc mm M Vldbv .lv flow SM 61M meuwmm «to! Nam-n SWMW Mum Ion WIIoo- Edna um Johmlon NM Ema TN LMU h I m 9' IN Gammon Commumy NW Mood-Inn TM Onuno Wain NW maiden. Ina IN Audi! New 0' Cumin». Tmmm,bmn.m:u~amovm than! In mm by mm Inu my uh “manual-WM, I0”! You Ital. IO. Ic- W. LAC "l Omaha NONI‘IOHI". Ille vowm m‘ puma: 11 all” Iihtral Sharon's sunshine iay by Metrospan Community Newspapers Limited Nonh in Aurora, Newmarket, The Woodbridge Vaughan News, and I was ready to call the police when the parents returned from their half-hour trip to the grocery store to find me, a near-stranger, spreading panic and peanut butter amongst their children. Sorting through their garbled story with the ease of a teacher used to “He hit me!” “Yes, but he ate my eraser!”, I soon became convinced that the children were right. Their parents had left town. It seemed the children had not heard the words of departure over the noise of the TV program they were watching in the basement. before finding our front step. I could have wished I had not had my new coat on when I did find out. MINOR BAD LUCK A bit of minor bad luck. On the way back from delivering Bobby, I met a neigh- borhood child, obviously distraught. His mother and father had disappeared. I went over to calm nerves and dispense adult advice. Only minor bad luck, again, but my embarrassment was fairly major. Fortunately, the parents had better self-control that I would have had in the face of such in- strusion and we finally all sat down to dinner together and laughed a lot. But when I got home, I went upstairs and shut myself in the bathroom with that coal black kitten and thought a lot about luck, good and bad. I had time for more con- templation throughout the long night with the kitten in the bathroom calling for its mother and the cat outside the door calling for blood. In my haste I had managed to sprain my neck. Finally, our one big thought. Next year, the Town of Rich- mond Hill should be responsible for providing Santa Claus’ float. Somehow, the Gormley Sand and Gravel advertising right beneath Santa didn’t fit. At six o’clock I could stand it no longer. I got up and brought the kitten into our room. It snuggled into the covers at the foot of the bed and slept. SPRAINED NECK I leaped from the bed, snat- ched the kitten and fled to the safety of the bathroom. The kitten was fine, but I was not so lucky. That is why, as I type, my head is on a rakish angle and I yimace with each wrong move. Grainger of State Farm Insurance; Doug I-linchcliffe of Mutual Life of Canada; and Frank Gallant of the Dairy Queen. Bravo. The parade started off like it was going in four directions. 0f- ficials couldn’t get Bayview Avenue closed, so there was no way to judge the floats. At the end of the parade, people dispersed, and still trophies weren’t presented. Hopefully, they’ll solve that problem at a special meeting tonight. I stared at it from sleepless, reddened eyes and thought some more. Then I turned over and went to sleep, too. I woke up half an hour later to the sound of ten pounds of outraged pet hissing and spitting. Somehow our cat had managed to break down the bedroom door and was preparing to do battle on the foot of the bed. My doctor Eells me that in a couple of weeks I will be as good as ever. My mother tells me she likes her present, even if it is a little soon for Christmas. My common sense tells me to stay away from black cats in future, and my conscience hopes my mother can survive her gift. Touch wood. And, wouldn’t you know it, a train came by just as the parade reached the Markham Road level crossing. “But it was a blessing,” Dave Barrow said, “because it gave everyone a chance to get in their proper order. Until then, we didn’t know where anybody was.” has moved WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 23, 1977 Destiny With Christmas only a month away, it’s only natural, I suppose, that various people in the area are already firing off their salvos to Santa. Out in Markham, for example, Councillor Ron Moran, somewhat rushing the season, I thought, has, for several months now, been pressing for another seat for Markham on York Regional Council. Anyone who drives through Thomhill along Yonge Street is likely to be conscious of the ugly little plazas and the brick and cement escarpment that rises tier upon tier into Markham. The east side of Yonge Street is a testimony to the kind of massive in- difference which leads to commercial strip development along frontage to a main high- way. Markham, with three seats, already has one more than any other municipality, except Richmond Hill, which has the same number, but Moran, apparently, thinks three‘s just a company and six would take better care of the crowd. A few evenings back my daughters returned from their weekly guitar lessons. Siobhan has been attending for about two months and for Jacquie this was her second session. My eldest eagerly removed the instrument from its case and demonstrated the two new tunes that she had mastered and then my 7- year-old pointed out the difference between full, half and quarter notes. The crowd, in this case, is now up to 59,204, putting Markham well in front of the other eight municipalities that make up the Region of York. Backing him up in his resolve is provincial treasurer Darcy McKeough, who believes in representation by population, which, apparently, makes it sacrosanct. I will leave the treasurer right there on his bed of fat tax returns; anytime Our first, and only, piano was one of those solid upright models. When it first appeared on‘ the scene it was subjected to the usual pounding and hammering by eager, inexperienced hands. In the quiet that falls following prayers and bedtime, I let my mind wander back to my first introduction to music in an attempt to recap ture the excitement that now possessed my two little girls. My mother was quite accomplished at playing and would often spend an hour or two at the keyboard while her children attended various schools around the town. Over a period of time it was moved from one room to another and eventually house to house. Letter I really can’t recall if I asked for piano lessons or if the decision was made for me by my parents. Be that as it may, I eventually found myself on the doorstep of Mrs. Harwood’s home on Richmond Street. Mr. and Mrs. Harwood were family friends and the very fact that Mrs. H. accepted the task of teaching me can only attest to the depth of that friendship. Clean in my new britches and brown shoes, I awaited a reply to my knock on the door. I was Attractive old homes By Bob Rice Save “Ball House” reader requests regional viewpoint By JIM IRVING side of Yonge. One such building is the Residents are not so old Anglican rectory naive as to believe that which now houses ad- they can preserve their ministrative offices for community unchanged, the Humane Society. but indifference has Another is known They don’t want the same thing to happen on the western, Vaughan side of Yonge. have been razed in- discriminately. The cultural, aesthetic and historical legacy of the Thornhill community continues to be eroded but residents are beginning to wake up. visions of the provincial government, or of any of its emmisaries intrude on my well being, my thoughts tend to become garbled my temper frazzled and my words in -+ !$9‘?’&! ‘herent. Let sleeping dogs lie and lie and lie, I always say. I always say that. Anyhoo, getting back to Mr. Moran’s Christmas list. One wonders if Markham wants those three extra representatives to help sway votes on council for projects pertinent to the town, or for its own councillors’ am- bitions, or just to cut down on the number of committee meetings the present representatives now have to attend. Alma Walker, for example, has missed six of the 15 planning committee meetings, two out of three steering committee meetings and four out of 17 council meetings Councillor Mbran, while at all three steering committee meetings, has ATTENDANCE Or, at least, should attend. The three Markham councillors don’t exactly get to them all now, as it is. A number of local agencies are working to persuade owners of historic buildings stanâ€" ding on Yonge Street frontage on the Vaughan side to preserve them and to modify them for commercial use. changed t9 conceyn I wish I could remember the names of all the tunes I played that day and I certainly would be glad to forget the mistakes. shown into the living room and the first few moments were spent in cordial conversation. Following the niceties, I was then ushered to the piano and shown how to sit comfortably on the bench. “Every Good Boy Does Fine” was the method of remembering‘the notes of the line and F-A-C-E spelled the key to memorizing those that fell between. The Harwood’s piano differed from ours in that, although it was also an upright, it stood only about four and a half feet high. The keys were a dazzling white and ebony and the tone was rich as my new teacher demonstrated a “C” note. Mrs. H. patiently explained the difference between the type of notes that I would be playing and the position of these notes on the staff. In the ensuing months I started to get a grasp of the picture and before Christmas a date was set for a recital by all of Mrs. Har- wood’s students. About 20 minutes into that ’first lesson I realized that there was a lot moreto this game than just hitting the right keys. ‘ I had tried to set a schedule of at least half an hour of practise a day and somehow, in spite of such distractions as minnow catching and touch football, I adhered to it, give or take a minute or two. All / want for Christmas... I think there were about seven of us in- Piano recital a disaster SEVEN IN RECITAL Going by my own shaky memory, I would have said he missed at least four council meetings this summer, over a period of five such sessions. missed four out of 17 engineering meetings, four out of 14 board of health sessions, and two out of 17 council meetings. Mayor Anthony Roman, has missed three out of five administration com- mittee meetings, all three committee of the whole meetings, and two out of 17 council meetings. The house was built in 1834 for George Mor- timer, the first rector of Holy Trinity Church. ' According to the clerk’s office at the region, however, he only missed the two listed. “Tony will come in late sometimes, but he’s there,” assistant clerk, Al Pelletier. said. Closer to home, the mayor has missed five of his own council meetings so far, plus a total of 10 planning and council committee meetings. It stands on property owned by the Thornhill Golf and Country Club which has applied to the Town of Vaughan for a demolition permit: If that’s the case, one wonders just what the Markham representatives have to bring to council when they do attend. Unless, of course, the press has locally as the “Ball House". It is a handsome old building and residents of Thomhill felt its future was secure when it was Its lovely grounds provide a welcome relief and a happy contrast to the ranks of high rises that blot the skyline to the east. Many members live in Thornhill. The Club has proved itself a consistent asset to the community. volved in the recital that Saturday and the parents who came were treated to tea cakes. Residents on both sides of Yonge Street hope that the Thornhill Golf and Country Club is able to rise to the challenge As my time to perform neared, I noticed that the palms of my hands were damp. With ten minutes left I started to get an un- controllable itch on my left leg and at the five- minute mark I felt that my blue clip-on bow tie was starting to strangle me. purchased by ther club I rubbed the moisture from my hands onto my new dress slacks, made a feeble attempt to look totally relaxed and deftly began my first selection. . I couldn’t see the look on Mrs. Harwood’s face since she was seated almost behind, nor was I able to perceive whatever agony my mother was going through. Although the music sheet was properly positioned in front of my face and I had been practicising for what seemed like eons, I still managed to blow it. When I was introduced I walked across the room in a daze and darn near tipped the bench over from sitting too far forward of the centre of gravity. In truth I guess I wasn’t really that bad. As a matter of fact, I vaguely recall a round of polite applause following my concert although I must admit that all that I wanted to do was to get the blazes away from that menacing in- strument. How then did I blow it you ask? Well, my friend, let me give you a little hint. The little ditty titled “Wandering Fingers”begins witha‘c’. . .notan ‘F’. As your mind now wanders back to your youth with all of its fun and foibles . . . heed then the words of the ol’ Millpond Philosopher who wrote . . . ‘the measure of a man is not what he says . . . but is in centimeters’. been able to get to the committee meetings and they can read all about it in the paper in time for council. Anyone who has attended council meetings for any length of time can pretty well call the vote now before it‘s been taken. A vote can usually be swung one way or another, with or without the extra ballots. If I were Santa, my only reply to Markham council, would be a big “ho. ho, ho!" As for Mrs. Walker, her longest speech at Regional council, so far, that I can recall, has been to move the closure of a meeting. If Markham is t6 get more seats, they‘ll have to come up with better arguments than they have at present. More votes aren‘t 'gQing to mhke any difference. In all fairness, however, both Roman and Moran do seem prepared when they come to council, even if the mayor still tends to walk that middle line. SEEM PREPARED posed by the difficulties associated with finding a commercial application for the “Ball House”. It will take good will and imagination but the difficulties are far from insoluble. Vaughan Town Council is responsive to the wishes of taxpayers and sympathetic to any solutions short of demolition. P. N. Tram Box 51 Th ornhill.