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Chocolate lovers beware. You are about to face what may be the greatest challenge of your life. You will have to resist the chocolate glut about to bombard the market. Ten years ago, the price of cocoa was over $5,000 (U.S.) a metric ton. This year, unlike your waistlines should you succumb to the above temp- tation, cocoa prices have shrunk to approximately $1,500 per ton. ) You know what that means. Trouble. Cocoa beans at this very minute are being stockpiled in warehouses all over the world. Cocoa beans, even as I write, are silently waiting for the day soon to come when they are bought up at bargain prices and unloaded on an unsuspecting- -and viciously dieting--public. Cocoa beans are about to become our number one enemy. What happens when there's a surplus of anything? Supply and demand laws dictate that an overabundance of any commodity triggers a decrease in the market price. Thus, chocolate bars are about to become the bargain of the century. Creamy chocolate fudge is about to become more irresistible than the stockmarket. And rich and smooth chocolate ice cream, right on time for the summer trade, is about to be heaped into cones in amounts that were acceptable only to little piglets a mere five years ago. There'll be a blitz, you can be sure of that. Ad agencies everywhere will be gearing their talents towards spreading the good chocolate word far and wide. Before you know it, chocolate will be the "in" thing. No self-respecting mother will dare admit there are no chocolate cookies in her jar. Yuppies will be encouraged to treat their taste buds to strange new dishes such as chocolate salad dressing. Senior citizens will be cajoled to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane with that fresh home-baked flavor of dark chocolate cake and double fudge icing just like the ones Mom made SO many years ago. Kids-the poor things--will be suckered into eating chocolate-coated wheat and corn flakes. One Woman s View by Chris Carlisle SEND JOEY A LETTER And no longer will there be concern over whether junior should play with war toys. The con- troversy will be over whether he should be eating the solid chocolate rocket launchers wrapped in colorful authentic-looking foil. While all the kids down the street are eating chocolate grenades with a surprise filling that ex- plodes in their mouths, the pacifist's kid will sit there drooling, munching on an apple. And dieters! The poor dieters won't be able to make it to the health club without facing a bar- rage of billboards extolling the merits of all the new chocolate products. And as they dig into their purses for their combs after the workout, all they'll be able to find will be the glossy, colored coupons for buy one, get one free hot fudge sundaes available right around the corner from the club. To someone like my Grandmother who loves to buy boxes of chocolates as gifts for her friends and then can't resist the temptation to open them up and have just one-pound--the inevitable chocolate blitz will be murder. Waistlines will swell. Thighs will burgeon like blossoms in the spring and ample derrieres will once again be swinging throughout the land. Chocoholics will go crazy. Go to a party and instead of cheese and crackers, there'll be chocolate fondues. Instead of a good old beer, there'll be hot chocolate and chocolate liqueurs. And as we all know, just one nibble of. chocolate to a chocoholic is the beginning of a sure descent into caloric terror as ounce after ounce is placed on the tongue and lovingly savoured un- til the teeth begin to ache, the head begins to spin and the stomach starts aheaving. All well and fine to say you are your own chocolate control board but tolerance will be at an all time low once the promoters are through with our defenseless society. That's why I'm warning you now. Kick the . habit or begin your own anti-chocolate brain- washing at once. Otherwise, you're doomed. (And if you're looking for something to get into, let me suggest the chocolate trade.) Council very cautious over rec facility parts of it first, like racquet . Although Scugog Township councillors all agree that a recrea- tion facility would be a great thing for the people of the com- munity, 'the cost is the major stumbling block. The council declined to even give such a facility "approval in principal" following a lengthy and informal discussion Monday after- noon with members of an ad hoc citizens group that has been look- ing at ways to get such a project off the ground in the Township. The Citizens Committee spokesmen were lawyer Bryan Da- vies and businessman Jerry Jonk- heers, the owner of Jerry's Pro- duce in Port Perry. Mr. Davies told council at the outset of the meeting, the com- mittee would like to get "approval in principal" from the municipali- ty, and also a feeling from coun- cillors of how much money the municipality might be able to contribute to such a project. Based on other facilities in communities of similar size, Mr. Davies estimated the cost of one here, including an indoor pool, would be between $2.7 and $3.4 million. And he said that although some money for construction might be available from Wintario and other government grants, along with some from public fund-raising, a big part of the cost would have to be carried by the local municipality. However, both he and Mr. Jonkheers said if the project ever gets the approval, it would be best to build the profit making courts, and a multi-purpose hall that could be used for banquets. A swimming pool could be built at a later date. Mr. Davies said that in Fort Erie, the local council and the lo- cal YMCA went 50-50 on the construction costs of a recreation facility. Councillor Harvey Graham cautioned that projects that may cost $3 million are "staggering" for a council that right now is wrestling with its 88 budget. And he noted that the next council clected this November, may have to make a decision on a new mu- nicipal office. Members of council did agree, however, that if such a facility is ever built in Scugog, the most likely location will be on lands near the Scugog Arena, which are owned by the municipality. The Citizens Committee was formed last fall to look into the possibilities of such a complex. Committee members have trav- elled to several other communities to see recreation and fitness facili- ties. Letter (From page 5) After all, you can not be a COUCH POTATO without a couch. The way I see things today, high priced real estate, fast automobiles and a two-income couple. Roy Walker Smith, Port Perry. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten WHAT COMES FIRST Almost every week Scugog council members are confronted with someone, or some group look- Soccer teams. The Salvation Army, Church groups, Food Banks,School trips and activities, concerts, eilimination draws, raffle tickets etc., etc., etc. ry Downtown Merchants Association during the next few months and | would suggest local resi- dents take part in the many activities and prizes that will be available to them. ing for funding for any number of various projects. Most projects have their merits, but it is council - who must ultimately decided which ones will get funded and which won't. During the past year or so, there have been many projects presented to council but as yet, little has been done to approve any of these. One rea- son for this lack of approvals is undoubtedly a lack of funds to carry them out. Scugog Township has been approached in re- gards to a Sports Complex (estimated in the neigh- bourhood of $5 million); they need a new municipal office - $750,000 to $1 million; there is a drive to build a second ice pad and recreation hall - approxi- mately $1 million; and in the very near future they will probably be asked to give money to the new ad- dition being proposed at Community Memorial Hos- pital (about $2 million must be raised in the commu- nity). One wonders, just where is all of this money go- ing to come from. There is no way it can be raised through taxes, unless council decides to introduce a whopping tax increase over.the next few year. Canvasser can only go to the trough (the resi- dents of this community) so many times before they get tired of giving. Already we are barraged with fund raising drives for Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Fund, Girl Guides, Scouts, Hockey, Baseball and This in no way is a knock on any of the men- tioned groups, as they have to find the best way possible to raise the funds they need to finance their groups activities. I'm only suggesting that we all continue to demand more from our community, but at the same time are getting tired of reaching into our pockets to finance our demands. Whether its through taxes or donations, WE ulti- mately are going to pay the bill for the facilities we are demanding. It's just a matter of deciding which pocket we want the money taken out of! DOWNTOWN SPRINGS Port Perry's downtown merchants "Spring into Action" this week with their first collective promo- tion of the spring. Participating stores in the downtown area will welcome shoppers to enter their names and be- come eligible to win one of the many prizes, which total $600 in this special spring promotion. Bright yellow posters with the "Downtown Springs into Action" theme will be in the windows or doors of all participating merchants. And you could be a winner of one of twelve $50 gift certificates just by entering. This is just the first of many co-operative promo- tions that will be tried by the newly formed Port Per- community, but as in any community there are alo- ways a few things that detract from its appearance. Lakeview Plaza at the corner of 7A and Water Streets where the ditch is absolutely filled with pa- per, styrofoam cups, and debris. ing up this mess. If it is not the townships respon- siblity, then you would think the storeowners along that stretch would take it upon themselves to clean up the mess. throw their garbage along the roadside, instead of putting it into garbage containers or keeping it in their cars until the get home. But it seems that there are a lot of people out there who think the whole world is their garbage pail. It makes you wonder what their homes are like? in that plaza to place a few-garbage pails around for people to throw their trash into. With a fair number of variety and food type stores in that area, there is no doubt they could use the containers. used is another story! EYESORE Port Perry is blessed with having an attractive One of the worst places in the town is near the Surely someone must be responsible for clean- It is unfortunate that people feel a need to just It probably wouldn't hurt for some of the stores Whether or not garbage containers would be