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

stouffville suntribune thursday july 1 2004 7 roaming around with jim thomas babyit could be rough at festival competition what are your plans for the weekend for cottage lovers the getaway urge may be irresistible nothing absolutely nothing can allay the lure ofthenorthland so be it if thats your choice for me a sequestered homebody the place to be is stouffville our strawberry festival now in its 20th year offers something for every age you name it we have it this is the place to be thursday through sunday so what am i doing i thought youd never ask to set the record straight i wont be guessing weights and ages a twoyear sabbatical has tarnished my skills instead i hope to arrange some practice stints during the offseason and return to the clock tower site in 2005 that is if don burds toledo is still working honestly though my schedules too full to accommodate this extracurricular chore and while im not complaining i detest biting off more than i can chew in addition to doing my jerry howarth routine down at the ball park ive promised to assist behind the counter at the presbyterian booth later i hope to renew acquaintances with exstu dent friends attending the stouffville secondary reunion saturday night that should make for a full day and evening but wait theres more im also master of cere monies at the baby show saturday morning this events scheduled for 1030 amon the mobile stage near the picnic shelter in the park the sponsor is tim hortons working in close coopera tion with stouffvilles moms and tots group while the festival program describes the event as a contest i dislike the wordparticularly when it relates to children we all know in a mothers eyes at least each is a winner and no rib bon be it red blue or white is going convince a proud parent otherwise so a show it is not a competition yes i could have been a judge margaret king gave me that option i was wondering if youd be so kind as to help us out margaret asked during a midmorning coffee break last week i know in the past youve been wary of judging but i thought perhaps you might consider mcing the show my initial response was no however with margarets beseeching reflection still mirrored in my coffee cup i recon sidered judgings out i responded but a master of ceremonies i think i can handle that i know you can she replied reassuringly lets discuss the details later what if a wee one needs an onstage diaper change and the mother asks me to do it margaret obviously has more confidence in me than i have in myself my knees have been knocking ever since my mind keeps conjuring up all kinds of terrible things like what if a baby begins crying uncontrollably and the dis traught mother hands her over to me what if a wee one needs an onstage diaper change and the mother asks me to do it what do i do what if the same babe suddenly burps all over my canada eh shirt what if 50 irate mothers suddenly bombard the stage with bottles what do i do what if i mistakenly announce the grand champion as henry instead of henrietta what do i do such possibilities have me tossing and turning every night what if what if i keep mumbling in my sleep stop worrying my wife replies unsympathetically everything will be fine fine for her maybe shell be far removed from physical and mental mayhem ill be alone to fend for myself admittedly previous baby shows have gone off without a whimper stouffville moms and dads have been very under standing even to setting aside personal egos and congratulat ing the winner on the surface at least theres been no sign of malice or resentment all have been on their best behaviour regardless forearmed is to be forewarned if margaret insists on dispensing free doughnuts to the mothers of also- rans ill recommend the wouldbe missiles not be frozen jim thomas is a stouffville resident who has written for area newspapers for more than 50 years international saloia ottcept kfr hd sf monday wednesday gstorpst july only july special free makeup application 5892 main street stouffville 9056402299 door crashers sat july 3 930 am 1 130 am while quantities last save an additional 50 off the already reduced prices on all bedspreads save an additional 50 off the already reduced prices on all blankets door crashers sun july 4 12 noon 200 pm while quantities last so save an additional off the already reduced prices on all dehumidifiers air conditioners air purifiers selected storm doors was 33999 to 45999 then 129 ffllrii dtli size 10 only limit 1 per customer weekend specials fri july 2 to sun july 4 while quantities last save an additional 50 the already reduced prices on j dresses save an additional off 30 the already reduced prices on all womens panties bras save an additional off 50 the already reduced prices on mens selected pants size 38 larger save an additional off 50 the already reduced prices on all mattress pads save an additional 30 the already reduced prices on all cmrtmlr tools save an additional off 30 the already reduced prices on all personal shopping only all merchandise sold as is and all sales are inal no exchanges returns or adjuslmenls on previously purchased merchandisesavings oilers cannol be combined no dealers we reserve the right to limit quantities prices donot include home delivery although we strive lor accuracy unintentional errors may occur we reserve the right to correct any error reg was and sears selling price reler to the sears catalogue or retail store price current at time ot merchandise receipt oilers valid at sears shops on steeles 404 outlet store shown only merchandise selection varies by store for other hot deals visit the outlet site at wwwsearsca markham outlet store shops on steeles 4q4 store hours monfri 1000 am 9 pm sat 930 am 6 pm sun 12 noon 5 pm t sc l u 0 copyright sean cauda ik 2004 saie prices in effea friday friday july 2 1 00 am until sunday july 4 2004 at skk pm unless other wise stated in our ad or while quantities last sale does not apply to purchases made prior to friday july 2 2004 all outlet merchandise has been priced for final sale happy canada day