Still work to be done on accessibility front
COOKSTOWN NEWS
by Barb Baguley

Accessibility means different things to different people and that was evident at the Accessibility Day held at the Simcoe County Museum on May 7.

I was a member of the Innisfil Accessibility Advisory Committee when it was first formed and have been followed the progress of this group with great interest.

There have been many improvements and there is still much work to be done. Accessibility is an issue of aging, illness, accidents, injury and birth abnormalities. Those of us who are able go though days with little thought to going up stairs, reading a menu in a restaurant, or asking for directions to a store or in a library. It is persons with disabilities who regularly find simple tasks time consuming and often impossible. When you are out and about and hurrying through your busy days, be observant and offer help where needed, hold a door for an elderly person or a parent with small children or a stroller, offer your arm to people who look like they need assistance crossing the street. Remember that in just one moment your accessibility to everything could be gone.

Join the Innisfil Public Library at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Cookstown branch and community centre at 20 Church Street Saturday May 24 at 11 a.m. All residents are invited to attend this Bring Your Own Shovel (BYOS) celebration event.

Cookstown Wing Ding is celebrating 25 years. Contestants can participate in Cookstown Idol and sing on the CHAY 93.1 FM Concert Stage. Participants 12 and under will sing Saturday June 7 from 1 to 5 p.m. and those aged 13 to 19 will compete Sunday June 8 from 1 to 5 p.m. There will be a $150 prize for the winning Idol on both days, as well as prizes for all contestants. Duets are allowed for those who don't want to sing alone. E-mail cookstownidol@yahoo.com to register or visit www.cookstown.ca for details.

There will also be a children's area featuring the Georgian Bay Steam Show. Children can learn to make a skipping rope and there will be pedal tractor races and dunk tank. Proceeds will go to the new library.

The annual Wing Ding Dance, sponsored by Geranium Corporation and OLG Slots at Georgian Downs, will be held June 7 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Cookstown Curling Club, one block east of Highway 27 on the north side of Highway 89.

The dance features Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band Green River Revival. Admission is $5 at the door, with proceeds to benefit the Cookstown library.

The Wing Ding committee is looking for some community service volunteers. You can earn up to 14 hours by assisting on June 7 or 8. Please contact Laurie at 458-9212.

The Highway 89 and County Road 27 intersection will be reconstructed starting May 12. The construction is expected to last six to eight weeks. There may be additional congestion and children should be reminded to take extra care when walking to and from school during construction.

Join the Innisfil Historical Society at Knock School, located at 7756 10th Sideroad at the 9th Line, on May 17 at 2 p.m. for Let's Tell Stories. Participants are invited to share good, bad, funny and interesting stories of their life. This will be a good time to start preparing your own family history, writing it down will ensure the stories last forever. Children will cherish stories of their grandparents who lived without electricity or running water, computers and iPods.

The Cookstown Agricultural Society will celebrate its 150th fair in September. In honour of this event, the society will hold a competition open to all ages for a design of a poster or banner depicting images of the fair over the past 150 years. For more information, contact Bev at 458-1570.

If you need high speed internet service, visit the County of Simcoe website and complete an online survey. Results will be shared with internet providers in hopes they will respond to residents' needs. Learn more and complete the survey at www.simcoe.ca.

Register for storytime and after school programs at the Cookstown library branch with the following programs:

Family activity and storytime for children of all ages on Wednesdays from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., a story time program with games, craft and stories for three to five-year-olds on Thursdays from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m., the after school club is for five to eight-year-olds on Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.. or an aspiring actors club on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., where children will act in plays, create shows and make costumes.

Saturday May 24, the Cookstown library will show The Spiderwick Chronicles at 1 p.m.

Stroud Presbyterian Church invites everyone to attend the 99th anniversary services Sunday May 25 at 10:30 a.m., with guest speaker Rev. Kirk Summers. A special music program will be presented by piper Adrian Stock, tenor Mackenzie Gallinger, trumpeter Paul Crocker, pianist Ken Cheney and organist John Hart.

Maple Leaf Seniors will hold a monthly business meeting at Cookstown United Church on the second Tuesday of each month, beginning at 1:30 p.m., with a lunch gathering on the fourth Tuesday. New members ages 55 and up are welcome. For further information, call 458-2219.

Be a part of history by sharing your stories about Cookstown at the curling club May 21. Project coordinator is Donna Wice at 436-2578. Interviewers are available to assist with the storytelling process.

St. John's Anglican Church Cookstown will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the cemetery board on June 1 at 11:15 a.m. The guest speaker will be Rev. Canon Judy Rois, incumbent from 1987 to 1991. There will be a dedication of two new stained glass windows in the newly renovated parish hall and the kitchen. Refreshments will be served after the service. Everyone is welcome to attend, but those with loved ones in the cemetery are especially welcomed. For more information, call 458-1801 or 458-1835.

Contact me at abaguley@bconnex.net or 458-9358 with your news for our community.