CHURCHILL NEWS
by Linda Gerow

The first day of the month of May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom. It is said to be a time of love and romance. It is when people celebrate the coming of summer with lots of different customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter. Although summer does not officially begin until June, May Day really marks its beginning. May Day celebrations have their origins in the Roman festival of Flora, goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. It was held annually from April 28th to May 3rd.

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.

Medieval Country Faire: Hear Ye, Hear ye. Visit the Innisfil Public Library's Medieval Country Faire and help us celebrate May Day. Try your hand at juggling and other games of skill, maypole dancing, and enjoy a medieval feast. Get into the spirit, wear you medieval costume to the programme and you may win a prize. Some branches may have special guests who will bring armour and talk about life in the middle ages. Sign up today at your local branch.

Ages: 6-12, Cost: $3.00 : Churchill Branch: Wednesday, May 9, 5:00- 6:00 p.m.

Innisfil Pitch-In Day

Saturday, May 5th, 2007 will be the annual Pitch In day. Everyone must sign in at their local Fire Station on May 5th by 9 a.m. Safety tips will be reviewed and garbage bags and latex gloves will be passed out at that time. An appreciation BBQ will be held at the Churchill Community Centre at 12 noon the same day. All participants are invited.

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 from June 8-10th, 2007, to Camp Couchiching. All youth aged 9-18 are welcome to attend this fun and faith filled weekend. Fundraising will help to cover the costs, the first is the following announcement. Ask Pam about all the details.

Spaghetti Dinner: The St. P.J.'s youth group are hosting a spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Friday May 18th at 5:30-7:30 pm at St. Peter's Anglican Church parish hall. Tickets will be $10. Call Pam at 705-735- 3484 for information.

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. Friends and guests are most welcome. The next meeting is May 14th where the topic will be "Creating a Backyard Habitat" with past President Judith Rogers as the speaker. Learn how to attract birds and butterflies to your garden and create a peaceful place to unwind. The flower show for the evening will be daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths and other spring bulbs. Please bring your entries from 6.30 to 7.15, members & guests always welcome.

Giant Plant and Yard Sale: The Giant Plant , Yard Sale & B.B.Q. will be held May 26th at the South Innisfil Arboretum, Shore Acres Drive & 20th Sdrd, from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Call Kathy at 905-853-8785 for information or questions.

Euchre: Join Reg at St. Peter's Parish Hall for his weekly euchre game every Wednesday afternoon. Start time is 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. Come on out and join in the fun and fellowship. Call Reg at 705- 456-6801 for all information. All proceeds go to the St. Peter's building fund.

Roast Beef Dinner: The Gilford United Church will be hosting a roast beef supper including homemade pies on Wednesday, May 9th. There will be two sittings at 5 and 6:30 p.m. For tickets call 705-456- 2006.

Musical Evening: The St. Peter's Anglican church choir is planning a musical evening on Sunday, May 27th at 7:00 p.m. There will be traditional, contemporary and old favourites presented. Everyone is welcome to attend. Donations only. For more information, call Linda at 705-436-9769.

Car Trunk Sale: Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 9th for the car trunk sale from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Churchill Community Centre parking lot. The cost to vendors is $25.00 per car/truck and shoppers get 'free admission'. Also available is a delicious all day BBQ and a silent auction of some amazing articles. What you don't sell, you close the trunk and away you go! Contact Dean Williamson at 456-2202 and book your space early.

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.

Thanks to everyone who came out to St. Peter's Anglican Church on Thursday, April 26th and supported us for the ham and scallop potato dinner. It's always great to see some of our friends like Helen Bell, Jean Constable and Mavis Hughes. These three ladies always bring a smile to my face. Great to see you!!

Smile: Don confronted God one day with something that had been bothering him for quite some time. "Lord," he said, "I would like you to do something for me. I would like you to build a bridge from here to Hawaii so that I could go back and forth whenever I wanted to." The Lord looked at Don in contemplation. "My son," said God, " that is a very tall order. Do you know how difficult that would be? Why not choose something else, something that would perhaps, honour me and perhaps be a little easier to accomplish." Don thought for a moment. "Alright, Lord, " he said, "I would like a perfect woman, a woman who would cater to my every whim, a woman who would worship me, wait on me. She should be beautiful, submissive and above all, speak only when spoken to." God looked down at Don, closed his eyes and said, "My son, how wide would you like that bridge?" *Don, I may have altered this slightly but thanks for the joke.

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