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Volume 125 Number 05 Copy 60¢ 40 Pages Winter lake users fread on thin ice Lake Scugog has already claimed the life of one victim this winter when an elderly Ap- sley man went through while ice fishing off Caesarea Decem- ber 16. Although the lake is one of the first to freeze over in this part of Ontario, ice conditions are among the most treacher- ous. A spokesman for the Lind- say office of the Ministry of Nat- ural Resources said last week there is no quick and easy rule of thumb to determine when ice conditions are safe. "We don't tell people that two inches (of ice) is enough for a person, or four inches enough for a snowmobile. If somebody goes out on two inches of ice and falls through, we could be li- able," said the spokesman. He did say that when it comes to Lake Scugog, extreme caution should be exercised at all times. And the kind of weather we have been having lately (thaw and freeze) makes the ice com- pletely un-safe. Local residents who know the lake well say at least a week of sub-zero temperatures are needed before venturing onto thelake. And even after that, Lake Scugog has some peculiar char- acteristics that can make condi- tions treacherous. Like the pressure ridges that can cause the ice to "buck- le" and create open water. If you are not familiar with conditions on the lake, check with people who do before going out. Ice hut operators are your best bet. It's part of their work to know when conditions are safe and what parts of the lake may not be safe. And it's not a good idea to be on the ice after dark, any time of the winter. Ice conditions can change in a hurry with asudden thaw. When it comes to Lake Scu- gog, exercise caution and play it safe at all times. Last Sunday evening, a lone snowmobiler was flirting with disaster as he raced his machine across the ice in front of the Port Perry waterfront. The ice conditions were Turn to Page 2 Last minute shoppers increase sales at stores Christmas sales in down- town Port Perry were either steady, or down from previous years according to several local merchants. Bob Barr, of Stedmans stat- ed business has been quiet, al- though there were many brows- ers through the store. He did add that during the last week business picked up with last minute shoppers. Play It A Game Christmas sales dropped to half of last year's sales. A spokesperson for the store stated that it was not a good season at all for the store. Pineridge Sports also saw sales decline over the Christ- mas season, according to Bob Jamieson. Although the store had a good October and Novem- ber, sales did not carry over into December. Some merchants however stated business was steady, and were pleased with holiday sales. Jody Luke of Luke's Country Store stated they were pleased with holiday sales. She added that the last week was especial- ly busy for the store. Creative Basket also had a fairly steady Christmas season. A spokesperson for the store stated that they were very busy during the last two weeks be- fore Christmas. She added that the store was not getting many browsers, just people who were leaving their shopping until late, and came into the store knowing what they were going to purchase. Canadian Tire also saw steady Christmas sales this year. (Turn to page 2) i Operation Scugog's Christmas F ood Drive was a huge success this year as the com- munity opened Its heart with large donations of food and toys, just in time for Christmas. Well over 100 hampers of food and toys were distributed last Friday afternoon. Volunteers, like the ones in photo above, pitched In to package up the food and gifts for the hampers. And all the extra food will be used to replenish Operation Scugog's shelves for the on- going Food Bank needs. (see story for details) Volunteers in photo are from left: Ken Weir, Andrea Carnegle, Gavin Carnegle, Natalie Rodway, Esther Kelly and Julie Byers. 135 food hampers distributed Volunteers with Operation Scugog distributed 135 Christ- mas hampers of food and gifts to the less fortunate in the com- munity last Friday afternoon. Barb Carnegie, one of the co-ordinators of the Operation Scugog Christmas drive, said the community has "been very, very generous this year" in do- nating food and gifts. "It's really quite over- whelming," she said, standing the middle of the Kinsmen Hall on Lilla Street Friday morning as a steady stream of people made their way into the hall, their arms filled with boxes of food and gifts. As quickly as the boxes were dropped off at the hall, Op- eration Scugog volunteers went to work packing the hampers that include all the ingredients for a Christmas dinner. In fact, the hall was an ab- golute flurry of activity with boxes and bags of food on tables "and on the floor, along with hundreds of toys and other gifts, some wrapped in bright Christmas paper. Mrs. Carnegie said the do- nations of food and gifts came from a wide variety of sources in the Township this year: private individuals, all the schools, Cubs, Scouts, Guides, service clubs, all the churches, and businesses such as local real es- tate firms. The Christmas Food Drive has been held every year by Op- eration Scugog for the last 16 years or so. The Food Drive Committee is made up of Mrs. Carnegie, Ann Wanninkhof, Rev. Dale Da- vis, Cheryl Zuly and Louise Hartney. And they get all kinds of help from a small army of vol- unteers. While the drive at this time of year helps to brighten Christ- mas for about 135 families in the area, a huge amount of addi- tional non-perishable food also comes in. And this is used to replen- ish the shelves of Operation Scugog's regular food bank. Interim curator named Gail Sheridan has been named interim curator/director at the Scugog Shores Museum, effective January 2 for a aperiod of three months. Ms. Sheridan has been working at the museum full time for the last 16 months as assistant curator on an "intern- ship" provided by a grant from the provincial government. Museum Board director Pat Boyd said last week it is Board policy to publicly adver- tise when the position of curator becomes vacant, and this policy will be followed. The job as curator/director became open this month with the resignation of Mary Lynne Williamson, who has held it for the last two years. Ms. Williamson resigned to help with her parents bed and breakfast lodge in Port Elgin.