CHURCHILL NEWS
by Linda Gerow

April Fool's Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar. Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.

Library News: Churchill Branch: 2282 4th Line, Churchill, Ontario: (705) 456-2671 "Due to staffing shortage, Innisfil Public Library Board will continue to change the Churchill Branch Wednesday hours to 1-8 p.m. and all Churchill programmes will be CANCELLED for the current Spring Session. We thank our customers for their understanding and patience. If in doubt, please call ahead to 705-456-2671 to confirm open hours.

Easter Egg Hunt: Join us for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Hop through the library to find eggs and take part in games and activities. There will be goodie bags for all and you may even win the grand prize! Please register at your local branch. Churchill Branch: All Ages, Wednesday, April 4, 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Out read! Out play! Out party! Join in the reality T.V. adventure. Be part of a reading expedition! Help your team be the first to the top of the mountain by reading! The team that reads the most during March Break will reach the summit first! Runs Sat. March 10 to Sat. April 7: Check out your teams progress at your local branch.

Junior Youth Group: Parish of St. Peter's and St. John's (St. PJ's) hold their weekly meetings at St. Peter's Anglican church in Churchill from 6:30-8:00 p.m. each week. All youth aged 9-13 are welcome to join. Call Pam at 705-735- 3484 for information.

Senior Youth Group (ages 13-18) meet every second Sunday at St. John's Anglican church in Cookstown for lunch and bible study at 1:00 p.m. All high school aged youth are welcome to join. Please call Pam at the above number for all information and meeting dates.

The Youth Groups are planning an upcoming retreat the end of May to Camp Couchiching. Ask Pam about all the details.

Euchre: Euchre is held every Wednesday afternoon at St. Peter's Anglican church parish hall beginning at 1:00 p.m. Call Reg at 705-456-6801 for information. All proceeds go to the church Building Fund.

The Gilford and District Horticultural Society hold their meetings from March to November each year at the Churchill Community Centre. The meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. and there is often a guest speaker. If you have any questions, please contact President, Kathy at 905-853-8785.

Branch 547 Lefroy Belle Ewart Legion News: Karaoke is back for five weeks of singing every Friday evening until April 13th. Prizes total $1,000. Registration is 8:30 p.m. with the contest starting at 9 p.m. Last week's winners were Joan Arnold and Gary Diceman. Come on out and enjoy a fun evening.

Monday night darts begin at 7 p.m. and last about 3 hours. You don't have to be a member to join in the fun.

Thursday Euchre continues from 1 p.m. There is regular and bid Euchre, followed by snacks.

Saturday Meat Draws: Come out Saturday afternoons and get in on the meat draw. Everyone is welcome. There are good cuts of meat! You can't win if you don't enter. This is lots of fun so see you there.

Attention Veterans: The Legion Service Officer is coming to the branch April 26th. Please call Jack at 458-1966 for an appointment. It is all strictly confidential. He can discuss VIP, Pension adjustments or whatever else you may wish to talk about. Good things can happen.

Ham and Scallop Potato Supper: St. Peter's Anglican Church is having a ham and scallop potato supper on Thursday, April 26th, 2007 from 5-7 p.m. All tickets are $10. Don't miss out on this scrumptious meal.

Strawberry Supper: St. Peter's Anglican Church is hosting its annual Strawberry Supper on Thursday, June 21st from 5- 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 each. More details to follow. For information, call Maggie at 705-456-7293.

Palm Sunday Parade: St. Peter's Anglican Church is having its annual Palm Sunday parade on Sunday, April 1st beginning at 9 a.m. at the Churchill Library on the 4th line of Innisfil. The parade, led by our little Sicilian donkey, Luigi, will process to the church around the corner where regular service will take place at approximately 9:15 a.m. Everyone is invited to join in the parade or cheer us all on from the sidelines.

Smile: A golfer, playing a round by himself, is about to tee off, when a salesman runs up to him, and yells, "Wait! Before you tee off, I have something really amazing to show you!" The golfer, annoyed, says, "What is it?" "It's a special golf ball," says the salesman. "You can never lose it!" "Whattaya mean," scoffs the golfer, "you can never lose it? What if you hit it into the water?" "No problem," says the salesman. "It floats, and it detects where the shore is, and spins towards it." "Well, what if you hit it into the woods?" "Easy," says the salesman. "It emits a beeping sound, and you can find it with your eyes closed." "Okay," says the golfer, impressed. "But what if your round goes late and it gets dark?" "No problem, sir, this golf ball glows in the dark! I'm telling you, you can never lose this golf ball!" The golfer buys it at once. "Just one question," he says to the salesman. "Where did you get it?" "I found it."

If you have any news items/events for this column, please contact me at 705-436-9769 or email me at lagerow@rogers.com