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Russell Review Box 359 ® Russell, Ontario © Phone 445-2051 Vol. 2, No. 12 October 28,1976 Russell's new Playground at Centennial Park is a hit with the youngerset. Here Mark Rowsell, age 2, enjoys the Tire Swing Prizes Costume Party Sat., Oct. 30 BEER HALF PRICE 7:30 -- 9:00 Galore Community Bulletin Board 1. Nov. 29 -- General Meeting of of the RECREATION AS- SOCIATION to present the new officers for 1977. To nominate candidates for any executive position call DALE HILL at 445-2147 or ALEX BAILLON at 445-5215. 2. THE RUSSELL CURLING CLUB hopes to begin the 76-77 season in NOVEMBER. For more information call RANDY HICKS -- 445-5665 or JOYCE BOYD -- 445-2888. 3. PIANO RECITAL -- Nov. 13th -- Pupils of Mrs. Jack Twiname will present their annual recital in Russell United Church at 8 p.m. Everybody welcome. Sidewalk Talk Sidewalk talk, one of the oldest and most distinctive of village trademarks, must be preserved. Not that it is in any immediate danger of extinction, but it soon will be. The large-scale exodus of city folk to the country has considerably quickened the pace of village life. Urban spraw] itself threatens to speed things even more. Residents may some day simply not have time to "waste"' on idle sidewalk talk, or street-corner conversation. But they will have to make time if the village is to remain more than rows of cold impersonal buildings and _ its rural flavor safe-guarded. Face-to-face word of mouth has always been the mainstay of village communication and still binds the community despite increased addiction to electronic media, television in particular. No greater social glue can be found than open and_ free sidewalk talk even if only for the sake of hearing one's own tongue wagging. What it does is throw the participants together on com- mon ground in a_ personal one-on-one meeting. The key here is "personal,"' something television can never be. Prince, pauper, politician are all on equal footing on the sidewalk, unfettered by any rules of decorum which apply in formal arenas of debate. The unhurried atmosphere of the village makes it the natural breeding ground for this type of discussion. In the past, rare was the sunny summer day when men and women could not be seen in fat chewing or gossip sessions outside the millinery or emporium. In rough weather, the talk resumed inside with needle and thread around a quilt or with pipe and tobacco around a pot-belly stove. Things have not changed that much, there is still time to chat on or off the street even if only for a few minutes. Inside or out, the mood of such exchanges remains the same: easy and spontaneous. One does not have to be a blabbermouth to indulge; a patient ear is often the only prerequisite for constructive "dialogue" in the mud and dust. Orton Harrison is perhaps the most ardent curbside conver- sationalist in Russell. When "Orti" is not puttering around his cluttered workshop on Church Street, he may be lurking outside the restaurant or hardware store ready to share his feelings on the weather with any passerby. He once delivered a half-hour eulogy on the demise of the left-hand bolt on the sidewalk in front of his house. Another day, he launched into the complex- ities of sharpening a sawmill blade. The accounts Orti provides of the old days are an education not found in any history book. Edgar Loucks garage was one of the great off-street forums for sidewalk conversation before it burned down. In the winter especially, a knot of men could always be found huddled around the oil-barrel furnace shooting the breeze about anything and everything. Hopefully, the village street will remain the breeding ground for this type of discussion and not become its last haunt instead. Sidewalk talk is certainly a natural resource worth saving and as yet is not even taxable. It costs only time. Windmills More than 15,000 windmills are still operating on America's farms and_ ranches. About 175,000 windmills are _ still standing in the country, and experts predict approximately 70,000 could be put back into use and help alleviate the nation's energy crunch. Review Gets New Editor Mark Van Dusen, 27, a resident of Russell for more than three years and a journalist, is the new editor of the Review. He fills the vacancy left by the resignation of Norm Bowley who is devoting himself full-time to the study of law. Mr. Bowley was editor of the Review since its inception two years ago until his resignation last month. He agreed to stay on until a new editor was found. Mr. Van Dusen is a general news reporter at the Citizen. Although he felt he could not devote as much time to the Review as he would like to, he agreed to contribute editorials and edit literary contributions while leaving most of the layout, advertizing and delivery duties to the volunteer staff. The Review is sponsored by the Russell Recreation Associ- ation. V.LP.'s in Russell New R.A. Meet another Very Interesting Person in Russell -- Bob Mills, our new Recreation Director. I think Bob is glad to be back in the Ottawa area as he was born in Ottawa and went to school there. After high school graduation he was employed by Bongard Leslie, a stockbroker- age firm, but did not find that line of work compatible to his people and recreation interests. However, a 2-year Recreation course at Algonquin College led to rewarding jobs in Prescott and Brockville as Recreation Directors. Bob returned to Prescott in September 1975 and took a Leave of Absence this past summer to complete an Arena Management course at Humber College in Torono. At this time Don Coates and others in the Recreation Associ- ation realized the need for a Director to coordinate the many and varied programs that are operating in the village in order to do justice to our existing facilities. Bob was hired to do just that on September 20th. The Recreation Director's job is mainly to coordinate a comprehensive recreation pro- gram for all citizens in the Director viene and the four western c&séessions, and also to assist local organizations such as the Lions, Minor Hockey and Softball etc. in their activities. Bob hopes present and future programs will meet the needs of all residents regardless of age and hence enrich their lives. After only three weeks on the job. Bob has been overwhelmed by the help and support he has received from Recreation As- sociation and Arena Board members, especially Barry Mc- Vey. A public meeting may be scheduled in the near future where everyone could informal- ly meet Bob, but in the meantime he cordially invites one and all to drop in for a chat at his office in the Arena. Perhaps at the same time you will be introduced to _ his assistants Don Thompson, Bill Bowhuis and Student Helpers Ian Wade, Chris Coates and Ken Sullivan. Our sincere thanks to Bob Mills for allowing the Review to interview him: It looks like he's going to be a busy man, but he's the sort of fellow who's never too busy to say, "Hello, glad to meet you"'