The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Historical Society acquires Clarke collection MRS GWENDOLINE P CLARKE by Mar Hal tons Pages of the Pi at la a book of local history which many historians use frequently as a starting point for research This Ml page book was published in 1955 fay Printing for Mrs Gwendoline Clarke The Esquesing Historical Society acquired the private collection of Gwcn Clarkes writings last month Gwen Clarke may be remembered by longtime readers of The Acton Free Press She was the author of the Chronicles of Ginger Farm which she wrote weekly from 1028 until 1963 without The Chronicles tell of life on an Ontario farm Her farm was the last one on the left hand side of Martin Street Highway In Milton This Esquesing farm was incor porated within Milton three decades ago and Is now the site of the provincial detention centre Mrs Clarke was an amateur writer married to a farmer They had two Gwen born in England im mediately loved life in Canada and our history She founded the Scotch Block Womens Institute In 1933 and was a County Council reporter for many years Gwen Clarke was featured in the April 1 issue The Acton Free Press after having completed twenty years as a writer with that paper The early days were recounted by editor A Dills Perhaps we should tell readers that it was only after several articles that the Ginger Farm idea evolved Perhaps we should tell you too that in those days Mrs Clarke and the editor were both lacking motor cars She came to our home In Acton via the milk truck to talk over the column and get the feature underway The chatty weekly columns read rather like a diary as she discussed daily events which affected the lives of her family and neighbours Topics ranged from Hitlers war to the controversy about margarine However first and foremost she reported news from a perspective and hardly a column went by without a report on the chickens dog cat or primarily the cows and their calves Gwen Clarke did not limit herself to one column in The Free Press Her columns were later published In The Toronto Record But she also wrote many articles on a variety of topics Titles include On How to Paper a Room Old Man Crouer It Takes a Woman and Land of the Tall Pines Her articles appeared in other journals Including Farmers Magazine Family Herald Record Canadian Countryman and the Weekly Star Her articles for Hal tons Pages of the Past appeared in The Canadian Champion Milton Over the years the author diligently pasted her columns In She also kept copies of all her manuscripts published or not It was this large tkn that her daughter Dorothy Walsh decided to loan to the Historical Society After her mothers death In 1963 she had kept the papers in a tin rhett However she rallied that the talent of her mother should be exposed so todays citizens could read about the simple farm life in North Halton years ago The collection will be housed in the societys archives located In the George town Library As Gwen Clarke said in the closing chapter of Halton s Pages of the Past We like to think it brought a little pleasure to those who take pride la remembering the indomitable spirit of their forbear era we hope too fresh in terest has been aroused n those who hitherto may hove been little concerned with local history Thank you Gwen The Illstorlal Society meet tonight Wednesday March Knox Presbyterian Church Georgetown Everyone Is welcome to attend and enjoy our history Georgetown Acton Wednesday March 14 1984 Georgetown t CHKYStn ITO MountsAntaw 8775108 Toronto Una Study says no to dump here Six candidate sites have been proposed as possible locations for Regions planned landfill site and none are In Halton Hills Three of the proposed sites are in Oak two are in Milton and one is in Burling ton A consultants report released lost week recommended that regional council no longer consider 11 individual areas and one quarry In the town that had been previously studied as possible locations for the garbage dump that should be In operation by 1988 According to a report prepared by Walker Wright Young Associates Limited the Hills areas were unsuitable as land fill sites for a variety of reasons Including likely traffic and environmental hazards disruption of the agricultural community and conflict with existing and proposed land uses The study also found that the Hills sites would be very costly to operate and some were too small to be used as a single dump with a million cubic yard capacity The study recommends the region choose a single site over a multisite option because It will be less expensive to operate over a year lifespan The study team narrowed the field to six from areas throughout the region which had been identified In a September report as suitable for more detailed study Committer of Adjustment Each was examined to see what effect a landfill operation would have on health and public safety the natural social and cultural environment as well as costs and engineering factors The six which have been Isolated from the rest will have the least impact on these factors the study said The candidate sites include acres north of Britannia and west of in Milton acres south of Britannia First Line In Milton acres In the north east quadrant of the inter section of Trafalgar and Bumhamthorpe roads in acres In the southwest quadrant and acres in the southeast quadrant at the National Sewer Pipe quarry property In Burlington north of 403 The study must now be presented at a public forum and approved by regional council before the consultants can give the six sites further study and pick the final site Under the terms of the landfill study work program regional council expects to select a site sometime this summer with the find ings submitted to the province for Environ mental Assessment approval in September More than has been spent on the consultants study since It began in Sept em 1902 and the final bill is expected to reach Sheldon challenges closed door sessions Councillor Sheldon levelled sharp at the Committee of Adjustments method of operation this week She charged the holds all its discussion behind closed doors and comes out In public only to announce Its decision She has made similar comments in the past but this time Halton Hills council decided to Adjustment for an explanation their procedure Sheldon contended It Is not a proper way to conduct public business and pointed out councils and Land Division Com hold all heir discussion in public Thepublic has no way of knowing how their decisions arc reached Councillor Mike Armstrong said he under stood the reasons are given with the deci sion but admitted he was puzzled at the procedure Mayor Russ Miller explained the Com have the right to conduct their meet ings any way they wish and cannot be directed by council Clerk Administrator Ken Richardson who has spoken to the secretary sold the committee limit the discussion to just the evidence in front of them and do not enter tain any other evidence They feel thats he way they want to conduct their meet Region Bomb threat no sweat An irate caller shook everyone up at the Regional Administration building Thurs day morning when he called in a bomb threat But he was probably disappointed with the result After Regional Chairman Pete Pomeroy put the Bronte Rd buildings emergency procedures into gear It was found to be a hoax The Initial bomb threat was made to a 10am and a total of six calls were made that morning Police were called and an internal check of the building was started Persona working near the buildings entrances were can vassed about visitors and departments were checked for pared deliveries But nothing out of the ordinary was dis covered explained Two parcels were delivered but they were found to be authentic deliveries Based on our information we dadoed It wasnt necessary to evacuate the building said Pomeroy A Regional Police spokesman said confidently Most people in the building even know a search bad been nude Pomeroy said a caller had phoned one of the regions department with complain prior to the bomb threat and a te receptionist believed the same caller was involved A tape recordmg was made of some of the calls but do not have a suspect Jobs offered Jobs will be available to Ontario young people through the Summer Experi ence 84 Program The Summer Experience Program sponsored by the Secretariat for Social Development and administered through the Ontario Youth Secretariat Opportunities exist for partldpanU to work at the mini mum wage In a wide variety of positions through provtaicaJ ministries and various community organizations Guidebooks containing brief descriptions of all the positions and employers ad dresses are available from secondary schools college and university placement centres Canada Employment Centres and the Ontario Youth Secretariat Bay Street 2nd Floor Toronto Request names Kills has been Invited to submit names to the government for rec ipients of a Bicentennial Medal Ontario is honoring 1964 people this year for their volunteerism and community service and every municipal council Indian Band sad local service board is asked to pot forward nominations from its community The number of recipients depends on the she of the town When the evaporators are operating at full capacity the vent on the top of the shack pours clouds of cool air Maple syrup is steamy business for Edward Bird by Ted Brown As ground starts to show through the melting snow signalling the advent of spring Edward Bird of Georgetown becomes a busy man Its Ideal weather for maple tree sap to run and Ed collects and bolls the sap down Into rich maple syrup Bright sunny days when the mercury reaches degrees F followed by brisk degree nights Is Ideal weather for the sap to run The sugar manufactured through the leaves by photo synthesis the previous summer is stored In the roots for the winter When milder weather comes the tree sends the sap up the branches to nurture new buds By tapping the tree when the sap is runn ing the excess Is drained off into two gallon sap polls ready for collecting Ed hangs up about 250 palls around his form with three or four polls on large trees diameter because overlapping can stunt the growth of small trees by hampering leaf growth He prefers trees growing In fence rows and along lanes because they haven larger top or crown as It Is called The larger the crown the higher the sugar content in the sap It takes about gallons of sap from these trees to produce one gallon of syrup During good sap weather a two gallon pail will Oil In hours Ed collects the sap In a wagon with a large tank draws It to his holding tank in his sugar shack where he houses evaporators for boiling the sap The tank holds gallons and the two evaporators can boll it down at rate of gallons an hour Wood is burned to supply the heat for the boiling and the sap Is boiled In three stages In the first stage toe boiling point of the sap Is low around degrees As the water evaporates the boiling point rises and Ed transfers the sap to the next step When the sap in that stage boils at degrees it is taken off the fire He finishes the sap on a propane stove because he has greatercontroloftheheat It is left In this stage until the boiling point reaches degrees At that Juncture the sap has become syrup Finished the syrup should have an optimum sugar content of 886 per cent Anything below cent Is considered unacceptable because It Is too watery The syrup la packaged metal cans for saleontheixalmarket Ed sells bis syrup In four sizes The ml can Is the one litre can Is the two litre can Is and the four litre can for 28 He Also has a glass bottle in the ml she for those wishing to buy syrup for a gift His customers usually phone Mm in advance and pick it tip at his farm on Trafalgar Road Ed began producing syrup commer cially In thesprlng of but made it as a hobby for four years prior to that He originally boiled it outside using a great deal of wood for all the syrup he produced When he moved his operation Into the sugar shack where the heat Is contained the system became much more efficient This year Ed hopes to produce 80 gallons and to acquire that much syrup Ed estimates he will have to boll down about gallons of sap It will also take about eight to ten face cords of wood for heat It can be a lot of work says Ed and one really has to enjoy It because the profits arent great Ed Is one of the BOO members of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers tlon on organization sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food The association was created to promote maple syrup products and also develop more efficient woodlot management end better evaporating techniques Ceueethgthesaplsatiaiefoswaniiagjee Ed Bird empties one of Ms sap palls fcstos pail before transferring It to Ike tank Ms ragarstuudu During goal sap weather a two gaPea sap fill 1st he