Zephyr & Sandford news

by Pat AslingNovember is well on its way but we have certainly had some wonderful autumn weather to work with. A few below-freezing evenings but nothing serious, and some late June weather to counteract that. This past Saturday was special, with blue sky and sun all day. And did you see the sunset? The setting sun was pretty but the cloud formations and a half moon were beautiful. We won’t mention Sunday coming up on the 13th is the last Super moon of the year, called the Beaver Moon. It is a super, super moon, so I hope we have clear skies.

On Sunday, December 3rd, the Sandford Zephyr congregation met officially as one body. Following a shortened service, a first annual general meeting was held. Members of the board were elected, and other committees were formed. A plan and dates for upcoming services was formulated for the rest of this year and it was also decided to reinstitute having greeters and offering takers. This week we had a lovely Remembrance Day service, made especially poignant by having Bill Richardson pipe the lament “Flowers of the Forest”. Bill was a member of the Uxbridge Legion Pipes and Drums and we have been so fortunate to have him play for us each year!

A week or so ago, the newly formed Zephyr Scott Lion Club inducted 14 members. They haven’t waited for that formality as they have been very busy, first with a neighbourhood cleanup, three new trees planted at the park, followed by three spaghetti suppers, two in Zephyr, the last in Sandford. I was at Sandford, where the turnout seemed to be very good. Congratulations, and keep up the good work! They have also planned a Christmas Market for November 19th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vendors are wanted for this! Zephyrites are also happy that finally, a four way stop has been made for the main intersection of the village, something many have been calling for for a long time. The Zephyr Community Association will be holding their Breakfast with Santa on December 7th, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sandford Community Association. Breakfast with Santa is by donation on November 30th, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.. Vendors are wanted for this event. Contact Heather Moore.

Birthday greetings to Jamie Elizabeth Cox, still recuperating from her lovely wedding to Trevor I am sure. Best wishes also to Karen Maharaj Shreeve, wife of Gord, mother and pampered Chef sales lady and wonderful chef herself. On Tuesday fifth, a very large crowd met at the Villa in Port Perry for the Community Care lunch. Following this, we were entertained by Irwin Smith, who has been entertaining the neighbourhood for several generations, it seems, and only gets better. Each attendee was gifted with a poinsettia. In a couple of weeks, we will be at Douglas Crossing. On Thursday evening, about 25 people met at the Legion to hear author Mark Carmichael talk about his new book “Heros of the Great War”, untold stories of the men of the 116th Battalion in the Great War. On the cover is a photo of Samuel Sharp. He spoke of how he came to write this book, his research etc. He has extensive information about each of the men who served, both those killed in battle and those who died later at home. This can be found on his website. Tish MacDonald organizes these talks as she continues her work of “Honour Them Well,” both with the general public and high school students. Two more talks are scheduled for the new year. On Friday morning, there was a short ceremony at the Cenotaph in Uxbridge to honour Indigenous servicemen. The service was led by Rev. Karen Croxall. Two wreathes were laid, the flag raised. A young lady did some drumming and singing. There were a number of veterans in attendance and a bigger crowd than in previous years! Monday, of course, is the regular Remembrance Day observance at the Cenotaph. It is sad to hear of a school that will not have any observance. Remembrance Day is a day to remember those who died for freedom and peace; it’s not to glorify war, as some are saying.

The Uxbridge Horticultural Group will meet on the 13th at 7 p.m. There is no flower show, but there will be a silent auction. The speaker for the evening is Sayeh Beheshti, informing on growing Native plants. The December meeting is a social potluck. The Uxbridge Genealogy Group will meet on November 21st, 7 p.m., at the library downstairs, when Roger Blinko will talk about his research on the soldiers of Uxbridge. He has information on all the soldiers from Uxbridge who fought in WW1. The December meeting will also be a social. We are informed the Ontario Genealogical Society is now called Ontario Ancestors.

North Durham Nature meet again on November 26th at the Scugog Library. The speaker will be our own Geoff Carpentier, talking about many of the citizen science projects that go on constantly. Among others, he is involved in the Breeding Bird Atlas.

Sadly, there will be no “Ladies of the Foster” performance this year due to several- ongoing structural problems in the yard. Hopefully, these will be fixed by spring. However, the Lucy Maud Society is going strong! On November 22nd, there will be a presentation of Chamber Music, and on December 6th, Jazz once again! Perhaps these will be repeated in the spring.

On November 30th they will be celebrating the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud! At the arena from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a Mini Mart and free skating from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Following which, at 7:30 p.m. at the church, there will be a Kitchen Party with fiddlers, step dancers and cake. Actress Megan Follows will be in attendance, taking part in reading selected portions. Cost is $30 for adults and $5 for children under 12. To reserve a ticket, call 905-862-0808. And can you believe it? Santa Claus is coming to town this weekend, Saturday, November 16th. I hope he doesn’t want snow!