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

( « 4 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, August 27, 1986 Section Two Happy First Birthday Hello. My name is Juliana Catherine Allin and I was one year old on July 16,1986.1 have a big sister Nicole who will be 3 in September. My Mommy and Daddy are Steve and Mary Ann Allin of Whitby. My Oma and Opa, Mary and John Groetelaars live in Oshawa and my Nana and Papa, Jean and Glenn Allin live in Newcastle. Great grandpa Ervan Rainey also lives in Bowmanville. Square Dancing Is Changing Image But Needs Support by Rob Savage The days of long-bearded square dance callers who used hand-made fiddles and bootleg bottles for instruments instruments is long gone. Square dancing is keeping keeping up with the times. Modern country records by artists like Kenny Rogers are used to help today's dancers "spin their partners 'round and 'round." And the dancing itself itself has even changed over the years. "It's a little more fast- moving than the traditional square dancing," said Glen Dowson, the caller for the "Bashful Bows Square Dance Club." The club will be starting another round of sessions this fall in Bowmanville and Blackstock and is hoping hoping people will be willing to come and see what modern square dancing is all about. But Mr. Dowson is quick to admit that you never^ know when the dances are going to get a good turnout. He said that for beginners, beginners, it seems interest in Bowmanville dropped a couple of years ago. That's why the beginners' classes were moved to Blackstock. "The funny thing is that when we went back to Blackstock, a good percentage percentage of the people that came out were from Bowmanville," Bowmanville," he said. In fact, no one's ever quite figured out what kind of interest interest the club will get each year. Mr. Dowson guesses it all depends on how many couples have children who become independent and can then spare the time to dance. He said the beginners' classes might start up again in Bowmanville this year "if interest shows up in the thing." But he's not sure. Right now, the dances arc offered on three different nights. Beginners learn square dancing on Friday nights in Blackstock. Intermediate Intermediate dancers have their dances on Thursday nights, and those arc also in Blackstock. The highest calibre dancers arc in Bowmanville Bowmanville and meet on Wednesday nights at the Ontario Street Public School. The dances used to beheld beheld at the Lions Club and then moved to Memorial Park Clubhouse. Eighteen years ago, they moved again to the school, and have been there ever since. The dances go from It p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and are open to people of all ages. Last year, the Bowmanville group had turnouts ranging from 12 to Hi couples, which makes up three to four squares for the dancers. Dancers who learn the calls find they can dance anywhere in the world. The "National Square Dance Convention for Canada" is held every two years all across the country. This year, it was in Calgary, and two years from now it will be in Hamilton. In British Columbia, the square dance club had their 40th anniversary and saw between 100 to 150 squares formed for their dance, with each square containing eight people. And people wanting to attend attend dances in other parts of the world are also free to dance anywhere they like since the calls for dances are universal.. "We have an International Callers Association Association that standardizes all the calls," Mr. Dowson said. Mr. Dowson said he attended attended one dance in Honolulu Honolulu where a Japanese caller caller was leading the show. Mr. Dowson said the calls are all given in English although although the filler word's were in Japanese, He said that as long as you know the calls, the dancing still comes easily. "It's probably just as easy to listen listen to a Japanese caller as a caller from North Carolina." The international organization organization sends notes to the callers which keeps them up to date on any changes in calls or calling techniques which might improve improve dances. Mr. Dowson, who belongs to the Toronto and District Callers Association, says he learned to call dances during during a three-to-four year period. He said he began with a caller at the Lions Club who asked him to help out. He then gave calls to a beginners' group and eventually eventually started calling all dances on his own. His wife, Caroline, is also a caller. She calls for the Uvo-step and waltz dances and he does the squares. Clinics arc often held across Canada and the U.S. to help callers brush up on their techniques. "They teach you the finer arts of crowd control and how to use mikes," Mr. Dowson said, The clinics usually last three to four weeks. And while there arc a few professional callers, most do it as a hobby since it doesn't pay very well. In fact, the non-profit dance club here in Bowmanville donates its profits towards new records. For anyone thinking of joining, Mr. Dowson says it's one of the best exercises a person can get. lie said the music plays at 128 beats of music/per minute. "It keeps your heartbeat up and keeps it going," he said. And while it may be vigorous, vigorous, Mr. Dowson says it isn't hard to keep up. "In the 25 years I've been going 1 haven't had anyone conk out on the floor yet." The cost of joining the club is $5 and there's a $2.50 fee for each dance. And Mr. Dowson guarantees any new members there won't be alcohol served at the dances. "There is no drinking. You just physically couldn't square dance inhere was." Expo Celebrants Return Home to Canadian Tire Welcome After a unique three-week visit to EXPO '86, Joseph and Adele White returned home for some local congratualations. The pair won a 20" Puiser television and some souvenirs after Mr. White be came the five-millionth person to ride the Canadian Tire Express Monorail at EXPO. Seen here welcoming welcoming Mr. and Mrs. White at Bowmanville's local Canadian Canadian Tire store is manager John Brown. Ministry Approves 306 Hospital Beds New Sign for Block Parents Muriel Moynes, one of the chairpersons of the local Block Parent program, displays one of the new signs the group is using to make the message more universal. The signs no longer have "Block Parent" written on them, so a child doesn't have to be able to read English to know what the sign means. But the new signs alone won't be enough for the group. They need volunteers. by Rob Savage "We're looking for some new people with new ideas." That's the latest message from Muriel Moynes, a co- chairman of the central committee of the Town of Newcastle's Block Parent program. Mrs. Moynes says the town has 600 active Block Parents Parents and it's not nearly enough. She says she's now working to convince people that the Block Parent program program doesn't require much time from the participants. "We're tlying to make it so that people realize it's not a big commitment if they come out." Active Block Parents meet on the first Tuesday of every month at court room one in the town hall. The meetings go from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Beyond the monthly meetings, the only requirement requirement from members is that they put the sign in the window window when they are home. Mrs, Moynes says some people don't join the Block Parents program because they have no one at home during the day, but that's not really a problem. She says you don't need to have someone at home full-time to be a Block Parent and it's probably better to have parents parents who can put the sign up on weekends and evenings. "That's when you need a little extra," Mrs. Moynes said. "When children are out more." Right now, the program has to do the best it can with the 600 members it has. "When you spread that over the whole of the Town of Newcastle, it's not very much," Mrs. Moynes warns. The program is also working working to improve itself by making making it more accessible. They're trying to broaden the availability of help to all people, rather than just children. And last year, the Block Parent window signs were updated to be more universal universal in their message. The new signs have the same picture as the old ones but no longer have "Block Parent" Parent" written on them. Mrs. Moynes said the new signs no longer require you to read English and that children arc more familiar with the picture, anyways. The signs were made in March, 1985, and Mrs. Moynes said parents can use either sign since the Ontario Ontario Association of Block Parents has not asked that old ones be recalled. Any new person joining the organization, organization, however, will be given a new sign. The Block Parent program program began in London, Ont., in 1908 after the dead body of a missing girl was discovered. discovered. The program soon spread to Sarnia, Hamilton, Windsor, Edmonton, Ottawa, Ottawa, Toronto, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, and Pickering and continues to grow. The program first began in the Town of Newcastle in the spring of 1977. Block Parents arc asked to put signs in their windows windows tellingyoungsters that someone is available in the home in ease of an emergency. At the same time, visits are made to the schools to teach children when to go to a Block Parent's Parent's home. The children are taught five instances when they should go to the homes. Those instances are when a youngster is alarmed by strangers or animals, when an accident has occurred, and when a child is ill, lost, or bullied. Mrs. Moynes said the visits visits to the schools are essential. essential. "Some kids have never been exposed to the signs at all," she said. And the signs do help. In 1985, there were 12 instances instances in this area where Block Parents provided assistance; assistance; Mrs, Moynes said the incidents ranged from frightened children to bullying. bullying. In the schools, the younger children learn from a film, "What's Block Parent?" where two clowns get the five instances for help across to children. Puppet shows are also presented presented to the young children. children. Older children are shown a film called "Safe Strangers." Strangers." And Mrs. Moynes said all children learn to turn to the Block Parents as people they can trust. "Even though I am a total stranger from another area, if they see this sign they realize I'm a safe stranger to go to for help." She said the signs are vital in establishing the recognition recognition of trust. The Durham Regional Police also play an active role in the program and will screen all parents who volunteer volunteer to be Block Parents to make sure they have no previous history of sexual offences. As well, any member in a Block Parent home who is over 16 is also screened. In return, records of all occurrences encountered by Block Parents are sent to the police. The Block Parent program program has also considered devoting devoting more awareness to the recent number of recorded recorded incidents of sexual offences, but decided they should remain in their posts as homes people can turn to for help. "We're not really qualified qualified to get into that," Mrs. Moynes said. "Definitely, if anyone suspected it they would report it." And while fund-raising events like the beef draws and last year's $400 grocery certificate are used as sources of revenue, the Block Parent association doesn't ask for money because because it's affiliated with the United Way. Mrs. Moynes says the true support for the program can only be measured by the amount of volunteer help it gets. "We need more BlockParents. BlockParents. For a small portion of your time, it's a very worthwhile worthwhile help to your community community if you could assist a child or adult in a time of stress." Dr. Richard Swain, Vice- Chairman of the Hospital Advisory Committee, is pleased to report on the welcome announcement by the Ministry of Health on the allocation of 201 chronic and 105 acute care beds to Durham Région, as part of the $232 million Province-wide Province-wide funding program program announced Friday. Mick Peters, Executive Director of the District Health Council, stated that the Council's recent recommendation recommendation to the Ministry had reported the shortage of hospital beds and that "with our current rapid growth in population, our shortage of acute and chronic care beds is fast becoming becoming a serious problem."■ The allocation an nounced is the minimum amount that had been requested requested from the Ministry to alleviate a bed shortage. The 30% increase in hospital hospital beds will be used as a basis for guidelines in planning planning for health care over the next five years. Meetings Meetings of the Council's advisory advisory committees will be held over the next few months to discuss the allocation of beds, with the emphasis on the more pressing needs identified at Ajax/Pickering, Ajax/Pickering, Dr. J. O. Ruddy and Oshawa General Hospitals. Depending on priorities, up to 8 additional chronic beds may be added to the Community Hospital in Port Perry. The approximate cost of 306 beds is difficult to de termine but at least $20 million million is anticipated from the province for capital costs, with the local community raising about one-third of the costs in order to qualify for government assistance. These funds will be spent on hospital additions or renovations renovations to create new space for much-needed beds. The additional beds allocated allocated will alleviate some of the immediate bed shortage problems but rapid community community growth and an increase in the "over-65" population will require additional beds and increased funding for longer-range plans of the DIIC. The Minister of Health, the Honourable Murray Elston, has requested Coun cil's advice on the disp tion of the beds by the enu of the year. Police Search For Monte Carlo The vehicular/cyclist accident accident which took the life of a 12 year old boy from Oshawa on July 26, 1986 caused a major motor vehicle vehicle investigation to begin within the Durham Region. Police are searching for any late 1970 model Monte Carlos indicating any damage. damage. Any cars matching this description will be the subject subject of further investigation. investigation. Value b > Radio /hack READ t, FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS WHEN HANDLING PESTICIDES Look at these features: ■ 3-SPEED ■ INFRA-RED REMOTE CONTROL ■ 110 CHANNEL CAPABILITY ■ 12 CHANNEL PRE-SETS ■ AUTO PLAYBACK SELECT ■ NOISE CANCELLING FOR SPECIAL EFFECTS ■ FEATHER TOUCH LOGIC CONTROLS ■ AUTO RE-WIND ■ DEW PROTECTION ■ 11 FUNCTION REMOTE CONTROL Limited Time Offer Hurry for this one! ALL FOR ONLY .... $ 499.95 M.S.L. $699.95 Offer includes 52 FREE movie rentals from Lights, Video, Action. See us for details. Available now til Bowmanville Audio-Vision 20 King Street West Telephone 623-2312