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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012 THE NEW TANNER 7 GRAPEVINE Sports bar? All that stands in the way of a bar ­ purportedly a sports bar ­ in the former KFC outlet at the Sobeys plaza is issuance of a liquor licence. "I signed an offer to lease about a month ago that was conditional and they haven't waived the condition ... they needed to know they were going to get a liquor licence," said Gerald Asa, who works for plaza landlord Effort Trust, adding it was premature to make any further comment. Lab changes The new appointment system at the Gamma Dynacare Laboratory at the Acton Medical Centre wasn't working recently when a nurse called out "next" to the puzzled crowd waiting to have blood drawn ­ all who had made an appointment after being told the old first come-first serve system had ended. Patients have grumbled about the reduced lab hours ­ now three days per week, not five days, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gamma Dynacare vicepresident of strategic planning and corporate relations, Scott Hickey, said they took over specimen collection on November 5, when the lab operated by the medical centre closed. He said they've had "positive feedback" from patients in the past week and will fine tune the appointment system, if necessary. Creating a Scene Nearly 400 Halton District School Board dance and drama students ­ including some from Robert Little School and Acton High School ­ will take to the stage at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre to sing and act in Creating a Scene on November 27. The Grades five through 12 students from 14 schools will present creative compositions that they choreographed, scripted or directed themselves. Prostitution debate Dominatrix Terri-Jean Bedford and Osgoode Law School professor Alan Young will discuss their Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms challenge to Canada's prostitution laws at 2 p.m. on November 25 at the latest instalment of the Absolutely Acton Speakers Series. The series is a fundraiser for the under-expansion Town Hall Centre on Willow Street, which is the venue for the Series. Tickets will be available at the door, or call 519-853-5302. Rotary fundraiser Music, munchies, entertainment and silent auction items will be on offer at the 14th annual Rotary Club of Acton Wine and Cheese reception on Friday, November 23 at the Acton Town Hall Centre. The event is a major fundraiser for the Acton service club and proceeds will be used to help pay for Rotary's local and international causes. Tickets are available at Halton Hills Furniture or any Rotary member. Quarry tour Ever wondered how limestone deposits are turned into building material? Wonder what the proposed expansion of the quarry will mean to the local community? All questions about the Limehouse quarry will be answered during a tour of the Acton facility on Saturday morning. Along with Dufferin's tour of its Acton operation, the North Halton environmental group P.O.W.E.R (Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources) is sponsoring a bus tour so people can "come and see what's going on in your backyard." The tour leaves the Sobeys/ Royal Bank parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Murder Mystery Cowardly cruise ship captain Luigi Alfraido steers his ship into rocks in Fairy Lake in the Town Hall Players' production of a murder mystery on November 24. The event features an Italian dinner and cash bar. Proceeds are earmarked for the Town Hall elevator project. For tickets call David at 519-8530675. Fashion first Tickets are still available for the second annual fashion show hosted by the Canadian Federation of University Women at Blue Springs golf club on Sunday, November 18. With fashions from Our Dressing Room in Guelph, raffle tickets for home-made quilts and original art work, the event ­ to raise money to help Halton Hills high school students with post-secondary education ­ also includes a grand prize of a cruise for two. For details call Frances at 905-877-9162. Sanction delay Due to labour sanctions imposed this week by Halton District School Board secondary teachers who are in a legal strike position, two scheduled Pathways planning information nights have been postponed, including a December 4 meeting at Acton High School. The information nights are designed to help parents and guardians get more information on how students can better prepare themselves for rapidly changing world while getting relevant, engaging and active education. The Board will announce new dates and locations at a later date and detailed information will be emailed this week to parents with children in Grades seven through 12. CREATIVE WRITERS: Winners of the Acton library's creative Ink Writing Project received awards for their poetry, short stories and illustrated fiction last week. The recipients included, front left: Regan Clipperton, Hannah Robinson and Ryan Thompson. Back: Meghan Stewart, Nathalie Amyotte, Valarie Wood, Liana Sneltjes, Tess Coman and Quinn Fryday. ­ Ted Tyler photo I love parades... By It's supposed to be sunny and 45° F on Saturday. Yes, Mother Nature is doing it again, therefore I am going to do it again. I wrote this last year and sometimes I think I'm worth repeating. I hope you enjoy it again... Why is Saturday's weather so important? What is the official kick off of the Christmas season? The answer to both is it's our Santa Claus parade of course, and it's this Saturday, and for a Santa Claus parade I think we need snow or at least snowflakes in the air, not sunscreen in our hand. I have always loved our Santa Claus parade. There are two things our fire department do really well, besides put out fires, and that is our Canada Day fireworks display and our Santa Claus parade. I really don't know which is better, but both are amazing. Our Santa Claus parade is more than a parade. It is not only fantastic and quite lengthy (in a good way) but it is a time when people congregate, regroup and just enjoy. It's sort of like the Fall Fair weekend condensed in a few hours. You meet up with family, friends and people you haven't seen in a bit while, and at the same time, have a really nice outing. Angela Tyler I think the key to the parade being as successful as it is, is a few keys things. First, there is a balance between the number of floats and marching bands. Too many floats and not enough bands just makes for what resembles a traffic jam. Speaking of a traffic jam; the parade is spaced properly and much better than other parades in the area. It might seem like an easy task to drive something slowly down the street however, it is the farthest thing from reality. Making a parade run smoothly without massive gaps that leave spectators bored and wanting to leave takes float drivers who pay attention, marching bands who know when to march and play and when to stand still and organizers who have enough experience to pace the parade properly from the start of the line. Lucky for us, Bill Spielvogel and his wife, along with our fire department have enough parade miles under their belt to know these things as well. Rain, rain go away, come again in the spring one day. On Saturday let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. My best memories of our Santa Claus parade have been the ones where I've been so cold I thought I was going to snap in half waiting for Santa to show up. Then, when you get home, you can cuddle under a blanket with some hot chocolate to try and get warmed up. Another great parade coming up is the Rockwood Farmers' Parade of Lights in December. Although I love our parade, I love this one too and you really can't compare the two. Over the years I have watched the Rockwood parade, I have come to finally realize two very important things. First, if you want to have a decent place to park you need to get there early and I mean EARLY! The little village of Rockwood grows to the size of Acton on parade night. The other realization, which is vital, is no matter what the thermometer says, in metric or imperial measurements, the night of the parade is always freezing and I mean FREEZING! However, despite the cold, it is well worth it to see the awesome spectacle of lights. Two great parades that are both worth attending no matter what the weather. I hope you get out to both of them to help celebrate the season.