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a CASTOI wie oh gb VOL. 3 NO. 10 ONE CANADA SURE SIGN OF SUMMER JULY 18, 1980 (Suzanne Veh Photo) The gleeful peal of young voices amid the splashing signal the arrival of summer at the Russell pool. The cool waters of the local oasis are proving an irresistible magnet to the little folk who can participate in a range of swimming programs. See page 5 for details. Good Old Days Are Back By Maureen Conway* - 'eyents offered during Vernon's . An evening "'under the'Stars"' is 4th annual Pioneer Days Celebra- just one of the many spectacular _ tions. v Sidewalk Talk) By Mark Van Dusen Death in the Fields A speck, trailing a plume of dust way across the fields -- the farmer. We all see him as we scoot past in our cars but we see and we fly on, our minds on other things. And he rolls on, into the sunset; alone with the catbirds and the cicadas. Alone with his thoughts. How often do we plod into our homes, bemoaning the rough day we had shuffling paper; plop down unthinkingly to the meal he put on our tables. How often do we put ourselves in his place. He rolls on, into the vale and out; toward the ridge where he has turned a thousand times. Will this be the time he turns too sharply, teetering on the edge of the slope, frozen, spellbound, helpless as the heavy machine that is part of him drags him over. . Tractor rollovers are the number one cause of accidental deaths on farms in Ontario. They accounted for 17 of 44 such deaths last season. There have been at least two rollover deaths this season in the Castor area alone. We might be tempted to say, "So what, people die like flies on the highways every day. It's one of the risks of living ona crazy planet." é Yet there is something sadder about the sudden departure of a human being so close to our common interests, so close to the earth; sadder still when that same earth was made fertile by the sweat of generations of family before him. Crushed beneath the heavy metal with which he plied his trade, plowed his fields to bring us food; crushed into that earth, alone. His weeping family finds him in the setting sun, he's laid to rest beside his father and his father before him. It's all over but for the memories. . We could say too that he should have been more careful, that he knew the limitations of his'machine. But he had been on the tractor for twelve hours straight (he had to, rains were predicted; the job had to be done) and he was thinking about getting back to the house in the distance. He was thinking about the hot meal she would have for him, as always, and of talking to the children about their lives which he had, out of necessity, been neglecting. And so he let himself go for an instant, only*an instant, slipped into the force of habit. It will happen again -despite the warnings, despite the trumpeting for greater care. But it goes with the job, hangs like the dust over that speck moving across the horizon. hey Initiated in 1977 to mark the sesquicentennial anniversary of Osgoode Township, pioneer days will run from Friday evening, July 25 to Sunday evening, July 27. Friday's festivities begin with a corn roast, followed by a baseball game, concluding with an old- fashioned cabaret. The events are to be centered around 'Vernon's r baseball diamond. ; Saturday starts with a bang! A parade through the streets of Ver- non, a log sawing contest, and a horse shoe throwing competition are just a few of the events plann- ed. A display of antique engines and machinery will also be held for those yearning for a taste of days gone by. Next on the agenda is a sensa- tional taste delight: a chicken Bar- B-Q to be enjoyed by young and old alike. The Grand Finale, a street dance, will feature "Country Affair", bringing the day to an end. A church 'service, for all denominations, to be held in the Presbyterian Church, gets Sunday off to a good start. Following the service, the streets will come alive when children of all ages par- ticipate:in the bicycle parade. Events taking place Saturday and Sunday will be centered around' Vernon «Museum. A '*Kiddie Korner" will be set up at the same location. Continuous music will be pro- vided throughout the weekend. A variety of entertainers, ranging from the Nepean Symphony Band, playing Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m., to Pipe Major MacKenzie, beginning the musical program Sunday at 2:30 p.m., promise to be big hits. Judging from last year's atten- dance -- 3,000 people participated in the gala events -- Pioneer Days has proven to be a successful way 'to mark the township's anniver- sary. Twenty-five cents Boy's death brings demand for speed drop Forest Park East residents have intensified their efforts to get a SO km/h speed limit on County Road 3 following the tragic death July 12 of young Robbie Morency. "It's always the same,"' said Alan Welsh, president of Forest Park East Homeowners' Associa- tion. "Nothing is done until somebody gets killed." Robbie, 12, was. with friends on bicycles and was struck by a car while trying to cross the road. The tragedy outraged the com- munity and a campaign to have the speed reduced was mounted almost immediately. Residents have been concerned for years because the county road passes in front of Cambridge Public School and the speed is 80 km/h, Mr. Welsh said. In 1977, two children were seriously injured while attempting to cross the road. One has yet to fully recover, the spokesman said. He said residents have tried on an informal basis to have the speed reduced but have been un- successful. A sign advising drivers of a school zone was posted after complaints to Cambridge council but there was no accompanying speed reduction, he said. The association is contacting local MP Denis Ethier, MLA Albert Belanger, and _ Albert Lynch, Prescott-Russell road engineer in attempts to have the situation remedied. Mr. Welsh said the association also wants strict OPP enforce- ment of a reduced speed--if it's granted. "'The police sit there at night trying to catch people coming out of the hotels. They should be there during the day when the kids are out." Residents don't sympathize with OPP claims that the Casselman detachment is understaffed, he added. '*There's only one thing to do: * Hire more policemen." 445 - 3345 The new telephone number of the Castor Review is 445-3345. Easy to remember. Dialing that number will reach us in the palatial Castor Review office back of Bruno's Pizzeria. Drop in while waiting for your pizza. If you have exciting infor- mation to communicate, just dial use at the number in- dicated. Around deadline time there will usually be someone in the office. Your message will be faithfully transcribed and passed along. We like to hear 'from our subscribers and advertisers and better still, to chat with you in person. OMB clears the way By Grant McGuinty The Community Christian School Association has been given the green light by the Ontario Municipal board (OMB) to con- struct a school in Metcalfe. The decision came in late June, three weeks after 50 people, sup- porters and objectors of the zon- ing by-law that will allow the school to locate in a residential sector of Metcalfe, packed Osgoode Township Hall for the hearing. John Bouwers, a staunch sup- porter of the Christian school pro- ject, was pleased with the decision by OMB Chairman A. B. Ball. , "Y'm_very happy about the whole thing. The approval has been given and it's time to proceed with matters," he said. Starting this September, the school will operate in a vacant building owned by the Carleton Separate School Board at Herbert's Corners. "It's uncertain right now but hopefully construction of the new school will be completed by next September (1981). Until then the school board has given us a one year lease to operate at Herbert's Corners and this is great," said Mr. Bouwers. Construction costs for the pro- posed four-room school is ex- pected to exceed $100,000. Osgoode Township council sup- ported the project and last September it approved a zoning change which redesignated the land from open space to a residen- tial exception. However protestors of the pro- ject, spearheaded by Metcalfe Postmaster Barry Dawson, took objection to the 'residential excep- tion' ruling by town council members and demanded an OMB hearing. Mr. Dawson, a former real estate broker, said if the school moved into the area the value of his house, which is located across from the proposed site, would decrease. He bought the house because of the open area and quiet surroundings. This, he feels, would be disturbed by children at- tending the school. Other residents were concerned about increased traffic in the area. and safety of the school children because of a nearby creek. When informed of the OMB decision to go ahead with the pro- ject Mr. Dawson said he had "no comment until residents in the area get together for a meeting on the matter, possibly in the third week of July."' Spruce axed for ramp Construction of a 20-foot ramp to accommodate the handicapped will soon be underway at Russell Village Post Office. The need for the ramp, as well as the flagpole required in front of all government post offices, are reasons for removal of the large spruce tree which used to adorn the front lawn. Postmaster Pierre Robinson ex- plained that another spruce, along with a few more trees will disap- pear to be replaced later when the grounds are landscaped. Mr. Robinson said the trees had to be sacrificed because there wasn't enough room for the ramp and flag pole without their removal. Step in the a s * s right direction Russell Village residents are already enjoying their new sidewalks, some of which have been laid on the main street. Businessman Lorne Wade is happy with the improvement. "Of course," he says cannily, "folks won't wear out their shoes as fast as they did on the old ones."' Lorne is in the shoe business. . . ' ) 7 : 4 4 Be . f ,