The Christmas lights have started to light up our village and surrounding areas.  It’s always nice to see how many Minesing residents participate in celebrating the season and lighting up their homes and yards.  Let’s try to be brighter than ever this year!

The Minesing Recreation Committee will be hosting the annual tree lighting again this year.  It will be held on Saturday December 13^th – 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Community Centre.  There will be an opportunity to take your own pictures with Santa Claus, children’s crafts, face painting with Mrs. Claus, Horse Drawn Wagon Rides from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and hot chocolate will be served.  Articles of non-perishable food items are going to be collected as donations.

Sadly I would like to mention that Minesing recently lost one of their long-time residents.    Jean Adams passed away peacefully on Sunday October 26th, 2014 at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. Jean Adams in her 86th year beloved wife of 66 years to Ray Adams. Loving mother of Beth (Don) McRae, Cliff (Judy), Rick, Paul (Deb) John (Kari) and Susan (Ken) Flieger. Predeceased by her son Don, her granddaughter Carrie and great grandson Jacob.  I know that this would have been seen in previous issues, but many of the relatives of Jean are personal friends of mine and want them to know that the people of Minesing pass on our condolences to your family and know that she will be terribly missed.

I try to mention this each year, but it never hurts to remind people to take their time driving and adjust your speed to the weather.  As we know, the Christmas season is approaching and people will be attending parties and gatherings.  Please remember to have a designated driver or call a taxi to arrive safely wherever you may be travelling.   There are also many services that will drive you home in your vehicle as well and you don’t have to worry about leaving your vehicle behind.

I’d also like to mention as a reminder that you have changed the batteries in all of your smoke detectors when the time changed last month and to make sure that you also have carbon monoxide detectors in your home as it is now law that you have one.

Until next time, remember to put your winter safety articles in your car!

Greetings all. I will begin with saying I was very happy to have 29 children at my door for Halloween. Sure beats my 12 from last year. I am not sure who the little critters were, but I had the cutest alligator and monkey come to my door first and they both made the appropriate animal sounds. It was adorable. I will also give credit to all of the children who said “Trick or Treat” and “Thank You” instead of just holding out their bags for the treat. One shy little guy wouldn’t say it and then he saw the treat and with a big smile said those magic words. They were wet and cold but willing to suffer through for the goodies.

The last month has seemingly brought Canadians closer, more aware and so grateful for the job that the Canadian Military have done in the past and are still doing today at home and abroad to keep our country as safe as possible. Grief struck our nation when the unnecessary deaths of two of our serving men took place in Quebec and Ottawa. As November 11th approaches, remember to purchase your poppy and wear it proudly. There are services taking place all across Simcoe County so if you are able to attend one, please do so and take that minute of silence to remember.

For those of you who missed last year’s scrap metal drop off at the school for the Grade 8 Fundraiser, do not worry, this year’s class is holding it again. The bins will be at the school November 10th to the 24th and drop off schedules will be announced shortly. They will be accepting electronics, any scrap metal, no refrigerators or anything with Freon please. All donations are greatly appreciated.

Until next time, remember to adjust your driving as the roads will start to be icy any day now.

Thanksgiving is now behind us, and right on its heels is Halloween.  Have you bought your Halloween candy yet?  Have you eaten it and now need to replace it?  I think this is the plan of the retailers when they put out the candy so early, it’s a conspiracy to have people buy their candy twice!  Those rascals.  The last few years I have attempted to buy things I know I won’t eat, like Cheesies.  This hasn’t seemed to work for me though because with the rotten weather on Halloween night I haven’t had many kids come to my door.  I am then stuck with a box of Cheesies that I don’t know what to do with.  So, this year, after realizing that Halloween does not bring many Trick or Treaters to my side of town,  I have cut back on the number that I buy for, I used to round it up to 100 “just in case”.  This year, I will take into consideration the 12 kids I had in 2013 and will buy for 50.  That way, if I have even four times as many kids show up as last year, there will still be enough treats for everyone.  Here’s hoping for an evening of nice weather for the little munchkins, fairies, goblins and super heroes to go out.  Remember to keep in mind to drive slow and keep a watchful eye on the 31st.

As the evenings are so dark now please also keep an eye out for people walking through the village.  There are many walkers out and about and though we try to be on our toes, vehicle can sometimes sneak up.  Heads up everyone.

The Minesing United Church is hosting a Bake, Bazaar and Tea on Saturday November 1st.  It is from 11-1:30.  The cost is $6 per person and tickets are being sold at the door.  If you have any questions, please contact June Haley at 705-722-3646.

Minesing’s Men’s Monday Night Bowling League is in search for Pin Setters.  As you know our small village is one of the few remaining old fashioned manual bowling allies in our area and they need young agile bodies to set the pins up for the bowlers.  They are hoping the Pin Setters will be around the age of 12 years old (give or take a little) and quick on their feet.  If you have children who are interested, please contact Earl Giffen at 705-728-2760 or Jamie McLean at 705-734-0058.  The Monday night league begins on November 3rdso if interested, please act quickly.  If you are interested in being placed on a spare bowler list, please also give Earl or Jamie call.

If you have celebrated a birthday, anniversary or birth in your house during this Libra month, please accept our very best wishes for a very happy health year ahead of you.

Until next time, Cheers!

The Minesing Recreation Committee is looking for a dependable person to do the snow shovelling at the community centre during the winter.  This is a paid position and would require that snow removal be done  for all exits with salt, on an as needed basis.  Keep in mind it could be daily depending on the season, last year was a good indicator of this.  If you are interested, please contact 705-739-7260.

With Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, please give to your local food drive. Any contributions of food or money are appreciated.

Remember that life travels at a high rate of speed so slow down this long weekend and cherish the time together with family and friends.

Until next time, enjoy your leftover turkey!

September has certainly come and almost gone in a hurry.  Is anyone else wondering where the month went?  Perhaps we will finally get some nice weather that we can enjoy.

We would like to welcome Ms. Sonia Kadela, our new Principal, to Minesing Central Public School.  We hope that she will settle in quickly and be welcomed to our community with open arms. Minesing is now “tweeting” at minesingtweets for those who are technically savvy.  For parents of children at the school, the Pizza Q Meet the Teacher will be held on October 1^st from 5-7 pm, information will be sent home soon.

You will all see the signs on most corners and throughout the area for the people running for office for Springwater Township.  I am sure that each of these candidates have websites to outline their platforms, their experience, interests, etc. so it is a good idea to be informed before you vote.  I believe that phone numbers are also available for people to contact the candidates directly so if you have any questions, you can search www.springwater.ca or inquire at the administrative offices directly for contact numbers.  Remember, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain!

Best wishes to anyone celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or birth this month.

Until next time, don’t put the shorts away yet, we may have some warm weather coming our way!

Can you believe August is already here?  Only a few more weeks and the kids are back to school.  I see that the stores are ready for it with all of their newspaper ads and school supply displays in their stores.  I think the displays either excite the kids or completely scare them, either way it happens and they all seem to survive.

I have recently seen some ads on tv that show a young boy who is bullied at school and it just breaks my heart to think that this behaviour continues to takes place in the schools.  It may be a good time to go over this type of thing with your children and ensure that they know that it’s not acceptable and should they be a victim or witness of bullying, to be sure to report any of this behaviour to a parent, teacher or adult.

As Labour Day weekend approaches, this is a reminder that Minesing is again hosting the annual Slo-Pitch Tournament.  The games begin Friday night followed by music and dancing at the pavilion for those 19 years of age and older.  The games continue on Saturday with the finals on Sunday.  Come out and support our community and your neighbours who are playing.   If there are still teams wanting to sign up, look on the www.minesing.ca website for more information.

We have recently heard of many unfortunate accidents that involve motorcycles and ATV’s in our news.  As we live in an area where ATV’s and motorcycles are used all the time, I think it’s a good time for our readers to make sure that they are keeping themselves safe when they use their bikes.  The rules are simple, wear a helmet, watch for other vehicles, and don’t speed excessively.  By following these rules, hopefully there are no more unnecessary accidents.

Until next time, keep smiling!

To those who were searching for my column last issue, I apologize, I didn’t get anything into Mr. Jacobs so you didn’t miss it.

Though this message is a few weeks late, I would like to wish the Grade 8 Graduates all the best.  They had a very nice graduation on June 25^th at the school and all of the students were all spit and polished up.  The girls with their beautiful dresses and the boys in their suits and tuxedos, it’s amazing how grown up they all looked.  You have all made your parents proud and we wish you the best in your future years in high school. To the parents and teachers who put in so much effort to make the evening a success, from the organizing, decorations, food and preparation to the take down and tidying up, a job well done!  A special thanks to Greg Whalen for providing the music for the dance, I know the kids had a great time, thanks so much Greg.

A tricky subject has come up for me, but I thought I would attempt to address it as I have had a few conversations with people who have brought some issues up that they seem to deal with from their homes.  There are no names or finger pointing, but perhaps if the topics ring a bell for you, it may be something you can work on.

1. To those who take their dogs for walks, please take a bag and clean up after your pet.  I know that the large field in Minesing where the ball diamonds are seems to be a great place to take your dog for a run, but please remember children play baseball and run through the fields.  Don’t leave a mess that could result in a bigger mess.
2. Music in your yard.  Please be respectful of your neighbours when you have music playing in your yard.  Not everyone likes to listen to music all the time, so please keep the volume down.
3. I’ve mentioned it previously but will mention it again, barking dogs.  Please know that a barking dog is not what people want to listen to as they relax on their back patio or attempt to spend time outside.
4. Stop signs are there for a reason, please stop at them.  The kids are out of school now and we need to be careful in the village.  Watch behind parked cars and always be alert.

Hopefully by listing these and bringing them to our attention, people will be able to have a super summer and enjoy the nice weather that we’ve been having.

Minesing United Church Vacation Bible Camp – “A Child Shall Lead Them”

Stories, Crafts, Games & More, July 21^st to 25^th  – Time 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  For more information or to register please call 705-737-5322.

Until next time, may your patio lanterns be bright and your beverages always cold!

If you haven’t been bitten by a mosquito yet, consider yourself lucky because they are out in full force.  Remember to empty out any water that may be sitting in your yard as it is a great spot for mosquitoes to multiply. 
 
For those who are looking for some great deals, remember that this Saturday, June 7th, is the Minesing Community garage sale.  We are holding our sale on the same day as Anten Mills is doing theirs so come out and make a day of it.  If you live outside of the village, the pavilion will be available for you to set up your treasures.  There is no registration for this but please note that whatever you bring with you, has to leave with you.  
 
Now that the warm weather is here to stay for the summer, if you have a dog please be considerate of your neighbours who want to spend time in their yards.   There is a noise by-law for barking dogs and neighbours don’t want to have to take that route, so if your dog is outside, please make sure it’s not barking excessively, your neighbours will appreciate it.
 
The school year end is quickly approaching.  Make sure you visit the Township of Springwater Recreation guide to keep your children busy during the summer months.
 
Please remember that Minesing has a web page at www.Minesing.ca and also a Facebook page.  You can find all sorts of information on both.  Visit them often for updates on upcoming events.  
 
Until next time, keep the bug spray handy!

Hello neighbours.  I’ve got a great feeling that the warmer weather is on its way any time.  The sun was nice enough to grace us with some nice weather for the long weekend.  We sure needed the woolies at night time around bon fires and I am sure the people who were camping were glad they had bonfires to keep cozy.
 
COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE!  On Saturday June 7th, Minesing is having a village garage sale!  This date works along with the Anten Mills community garage sale on the same date so make it a day and hit both communities to find those hot items.  Start cleaning out your cupboards and closets to get rid of those treasures that you don’t need or use any more.  For those who live on the outskirts of Minesing, you can feel free to bring your own tables to the pavilion to set up your items.  Please note that what you bring, must go home with you at the end of the afternoon.  As we all know avid garage salers are out super early, be ready by 8 am and go as late in the day as you wish.
 
As I mentioned in my last article, there was a woodpecker out and about in my back yard…in case you were wondering, he hasn’t left.  I guess he’s found some good bugs in our trees.
 
I’ve recently taken notice, that drivers in our village don’t always stop at the stop signs in our community.  I’d like to take a quick note to remember that there are many people and young children around who ride bikes and walk.  When drivers don’t stop, it can cause a very dangerous situation and we do not wany any of those.  So please take note when you are driving to take that extra couple of seconds to make a complete stop and keep everyone safe.
 
I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekends in a safe way.  I know there were a few groups in Minesing who set off fireworks and they were definitely enjoyed by all who saw them.  What a nice treat it was to see.
 
May is a big month for birthday in my family.  I have 2 nieces, a daughter and my mother who all celebrate.  So, I’d like to take a line to wish belated birthday wishes to  Sarah on the 7th, my daughter Alli on the 9th, Lindsay on May 10th, and to my Mom who celebrate’s her birthday on the 29th.
 
Until next time, keep the bug spray handy, I’m sure the black flies will be coming out soon!