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8 d economist n0tabemmfchoursr thifrsaafrmrch ft 2000 meet your neighbours notable neighbours is a weekly column in the stouffville tribune profiling interesting residents of stouffville if you know of someone whose story would be of interest please call janet richards at 6423482 thegrecit outdoors m camping show dont miss thisrv camping show trailers hitches folding campers camping equipment park models campgrounds motor homes conservation displays patio rooms admission adults700 students i seniors500 childfenl2underfree eastern ontarios largest rv camping show dates times of show thurs frimarch 910 12 noon930 pm saturday march 11 10 am930 pm sunday march 12 10 am6 pm metro east trade centre for crying out loud stouffvilles official town crier is not shy about giving a shout out 1899 brock road pickering ontario for more information call rick or mike tompki at 7056578241 presented by mine rompmns at by janet richards correspondent its not exactly a quiet evening at home a writer asking questions a photographer snapping shots and the cable installer running wires for your internet hookup marcel bossi doesnt seem bothered by the activity but of course he is used to crowds and attention you may have seen him at the strawberry festival the santa claus parade or other events around town if you havent seen him youve prob ably heard him this june will mark bossis 10th anniversary as vvhitchurchstouffvilles first official town crier he became inter ested in the position after working with markham town crier john webster whom he knew through the optimist club in markham webster was set to host the provin cial town crier championships and recruited bossi tohelp him out with the administration of the event after meeting the other criers bossi was hooked bossi asked if stouffville had a town crier and approached then mayor fran sainsbury about the idea i petitioned council and started doing the job unofficially said bossi after two other candidates for the position dropped out bossi was appointed by bylaw in june 1990 researching events and writing his own proclamations some in poetic form allows me to exercise my limited literary skills bossi said the role of town crier also takes bossi around the province and the world as he takes part in competitions at one time bossi says lie was known in the town crier community as the bridesmaid this was after eight consecutive second- place finishes at competitions one of those was in his first international com petition where he came in second to webster this years provincial town crier championship will be held in wainfleet near welland during the marshville heritage festival in september wainfleet has hosted the event six times staff photomike barrett town crier marcel bossi is never far out of character even when watching tv at home and bossi placed first in three of those times you do a home cry and then you draw two business cards bossi said you then go and interview the store owners and prepare a cry promoting their business last time i had to do cries for a chocolate shop and a lingerie out fitter you then go and interview the store owners and prepare a cry promoting their business last time i had to do cries for a chocolate shop and a lingerie outfitter in international competition bossi has placed 11th while suffering from laryngitis in sydney bc during the 1997 world town crier championships although it can be subjective judg ing in the competitions is based on five points volume clarity content atten tiongetting and deportment town criers were originally given their post in lieu of a pension in britain they would issue their proclamations in front of the local pub and post their let ter on the door they were then given ale and a meal in the pub bossi says his town crier is an upper middle class gentleman he researched stouffvilles history and worked with the stouffville historical society and ann of anns fabrics to make a costume that is a compilation of clothing from 1760 to 1780 made in the town colours the uniform is a way of promoting the stouffville community which is bossis favourite thing about the posi tion bossi even flies in his uniform he cant risk not having it for competitions if his luggage goes missing i take greetings from stouffville wherever i go he said adding that it gives people a flavour of where you come from it isnt hard for bossi to promote stouffville because he genuinely enjoys living in the town i like the community atmosphere and the behaviour of the residents toward each other the opportunity to travel and to stay with town criers in their own countries and to host them here in return are the most interesting aspects of the role to bossi there is a great diversity among town criers he said there are sanitary engineers judges surgeons you never know exactly who youll meet or in what circumstance bossi himself is a business systems analyst for the international insurance division of a major bank even with all of his travelling his town crier responsibilities and a full- time job bossi still finds time to squeeze in a few more activities he serves as secretary for the ontario guild of town criers hockey baseball and curling with some friends from the legion are also part of his schedule and hobbies include photography web design a computer golf league and playing bridge over the internet with people from around the world as for how to fit it all in you priori tize and make time he said s maple syrup the sugarbush maple syrup festiva free wagon rides weekends march break free samples allday pancake feasts lots of fun handson stuff march break programs and more i l receive one free childs admission when i you bring this coupon to either location v two great locations t westend kortright centre pine valley drive south of major mackenzie drive eastend bruces mill conservation area stouffville road just east of hwy 404 4166676299 8 v the sugarbush v w m3 ii cwrit poiwtl jqtthe toronto and region maple syrup festival r conservation authority cannot be combined with any other offer one coupon per family or vehicle no cash value