CHURCHILL NEWS
by Linda Gerow

Facts about the month of May: Did you know....There are many superstitions surrounding the month of May. The month of May was considered unlucky for getting married "Marry in May and you'll rue the day," was a popular expression. Being born in May was supposed to produce a sickly child. Never buy a broom in May or wash blankets, "Wash a blanket in May, wash a dear one away!" Cats born in May would not be good rodent chasers and worse still, would bring snakes into the house! Unlucky days in May are the 3rd, 6th, 7th, 13th, 15th and 20th. However, good things happened in May, too. May 8th, 1945 was VE (Victory in Europe) Day; May 12th, 1820, Florence Nightingale was born; May 29th, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount Everest and on May 18th, 1955, the first Wimpy Bar opened in London...so May wasn't all that bad.

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.

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 for their upcoming retreat, 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.

Garage Sale: Churchill United Church is having a Treats and Treasures Garage Sale from 8 a.m. to 1p.m. on Saturday May 26, 2007. Drop by and find that special treasure.

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. Don't miss this delicious dinner.

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.

Smile: A man takes his duck to the vet and lays it on the table. The Vet takes one look at it and says, "Your duck is dead!" Horrified, the man says, "Dead! He can't be dead. He was fine this morning. Are you sure?" "Yes," says the Vet. "I'm sure". The man says, "Well, I can't believe it! I refuse to believe it!". "Just a minute," says the Vet goes into the next room and comes back with a large Labrador retriever. The dog hops up to the edge of the table, looks the duck over, then shakes his head at the Vet. "Your duck is dead," says the Vet.

The man refuses to believe it. The Vet then goes into the next room and brings back a cat. It, too, hops up on the side of the table, looks the duck all over and sadly shakes his head at the Vet. "Your duck is dead!", says the Vet for the last time. The man concedes. "Make up my bill", he says. The Vet does so and hands it to the man. "Two thousand dollars!!!," he yells. "I've never heard of such a thing. Two thousand dollars to tell me my duck is dead!" "Well," says the Vet, "my bill is just $200, but you did insist on the Lab report and the Cat scan." (thanks for the joke, Helen)

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