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Citizen in she community shrine Circus thrills crowds at new arena Horses danced, lions The daring helicopter in were tamed and pretty which she spun around girls hung precariously legs and arms extended from trapezes. On left everyone in the Monday the Shriners audience open mouthed. Circus performed in Three Arabian stallions Midland's Centennial performed dancing acts. Arena to the delight of In the centre ring a children and adults who Spanish woman rider packed the stands. made her horse perform Crowds were turned without reins. away from the doors for In another rink 10 the first late afternoon boxer dogs played a form showing. At 5:30 children of basketball with a were already lining up balloon' knocking outside to be sure to get everything over in their seats for the evening way including their performance. trainer. The Shriners circus was There were the a traditional circus in traditional clowns who every sense of the word. delighted the audiences The master of between acts. There were Ceremonies, who was also candy floss and dressed inaredandblack candy vendors. tuxedo with sequins, sent At intermission a young chills of excitement down man travelled the length the spines of everyone in of the arena shouting the crowd.. The circus "Ballooooooons". Aft- began with lion tamer erwards many a helium Billy Golden and his six filled balloon drifted up Siberian Tigers. the ceiling leaving a In the second act a girl _ snivelling little kid below. did acrobatic acts Midland's Shriners hanging from a strap Circus was a one day attached to her neck and affair and if you missed it to a man above. - well maybe next year. Strong teeth Good thing this fellow doesn't have false teeth! In a daring act the female acrobat hung precariously in a star which was held in the teeth of her accomplice above. The two performed without the security of nets below. Staff Photo Photos and story by Terri Howell Most people can't juggle, never mind ride a unicycle at the same time. The children were delighted with the bicycle act put on by three members of the same family. avail, ild' ] Staff Photo Child's favourite The circus holds a special charm especially for the . i srs little ones. This little tyke wasn't at all certain that the . " Siberian Tigers weren't going to leap out of the cage at her. She kept mom nearby in case escape was necessary. Staff Photo == « Electric The Dales Elear was manufactured in Italy and imported by Powercell Incorporated. Mr. Dales at one time had shares in the car but received the vehicle as a dividend when the company discontinued the line. Elcar quiet, pollution free and beats those gas bills by Shirley Whittington It looks like the business end of a highway transport--minus the trailer. It uses no gasoline. It's quiet and pollution-free Harry and Gladys Dale's electric car is no longer a novelty in Coldwater, but strangers still do a double-take when they see the little blue fibreglass vehicle spinning silently down the street. The Dales have owned Elcar for a year and a half, and they are used to fielding questions about it. "Top speed is 35 miles an hour," says Gladys. "It comes with its own 48 volt battery re- charger, and I plug it into an ordinary outlet when I bring it in from a trip downtown.-The effect on our electric bill is almost negligible."' Some years ago, Mr. Dale did a check on his electric meter after recharging, and found that the eight 12-volt lead-acid batteries had eaten up 25c worth of electricity. He estimates it costs a maximum of 1!2c a mile to operate Elcar. Riding in Elcar is a bit like riding in a glorified golf cart. The two seats are comfortable with padded headrests and there's ample head and leg room. Behind the two passenger seats, there's a space big enough to stow a couple of suitcases or a small dog. Visibility is excellent, .and the little car is manoeuverable on its 51 inch wheelbase. "It's very good in snow," says Gladys, "and it starts instantly on a cold day. There's no heater in it, but it takes a conventional car ten miles or so.to heat up, and that's about the limit of any errands I do with Elcar."' If the road is bumpy, Elcar can give a joggly ride because it's short and stubby and the tires are small. It's a virtually silent ride however The only noise is a slight whine like a muted seatbelt buzzer, when gears are changed. Maintenance is no problem. Gladys says that Harry is '"'a great tinkerer", and he's able to cope with any problems that have arisen. "The only major expense we foresee would be a new battery," she says, but this isn't an im- mediate worry. The batteries are designed to last for 12,000-14,000 miles. Harry Dale is a helicopter pilot and when he's away, Gladys uses the car for short trips "Tt will go 35 miles without recharging," she says, "'so it's really only practical for errands around town."' At first glance, the little car seems vulnerable on a road choked with heavy gas-eating mon- sters, but the one known Elcar accident (in 1975) resulted in about $300 damage to the American car involved. Elear bounced away like a ping pong ball, thanks to its rubber bumpers and fiberglass flexibility. Gladys knows of only one other Elear "T believe a doctor in Toronto has one. When I think of the hundreds of huge cars that go down town each morning in the city, each carrying only one person, it seems to me that an electric car would. be ideal for city driving.' The Dales came by their car by accident. They bought $5,000 of stock in Powercell Incor- porated, a company which planned to import Elcar from Italy. Because of its fibreglass body, the car failed to meet Canadian safety requirements. The Powercell assets were divided up, and the Dale's car was their return on their investment. American safety standards allow fibreglass bodies, in order to encourage the development of electric autos, and one American hotel has in- stalled fast chargers at motels between Detroit and Chicago. At least two American companies are marketing electric autos--Citicar in Sebring Florida, and the Mother Earth News Corporation whose product features an attachment for recharging from a windmill. Gladys Dale thinks the electric car is the car of the future, although she has reservations about the one she's driving now. Her husband agrees that, the lead-acid battery doesn't deliver the power or range needed to make the car ac- ceptable to North American motorists. Meanwhile, Gladys uses her Elcar when she has to run "'over town" for mail or groceries "But really," she smiles, 'I don't use it that often. We're a bicycle family, and Coldwater is a great town for cycling."' Either way, when the Dales travel around town, it's a pollution free, energy-stingy operation. ae ee ee a ee eee Le ae ee ee ee 3 oe) : Only one other Gladys Dales electric car is pollution free and quiet. "You can't even hear it coming in the driveway" she says. The car runs on a battery Clowning around No circus would be complete without a clown and his dog. The clown entertained prior to showtime showing the crowds all the tricks his dog knew. The clowns made several appearances during the show. Staff Photo who's the boss. The tigers stood on their hind legs and __ ring. Big cats andcanbe plugged into a normal wall outlet for recharging. Billy Golden who was dressed ina black suit with gold Suit Yl jumped through hoops of fire. When the act was over spangles and sparkles showed his six Siberian Tigers one obstinate tiger sat on his chair refusing to leave the Staff Photo