cktimes.ca Archives for Notes from a Garage


Notes from a Garage

With John Gardiner

Was Brian Tobin in Dresden for the IODE Fashion Show?

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

It's getting boring for me to report that we've had another excellent week at cktimes – but we have. Numbers remain strong (although the site was down for a day this past week with server problems), and I couldn't be happier with the response from the public. One of the mayor's top people told me that cktimes is creating "quite a buzz" in the local community, while a newspaper industry insider told me the entire community newspaper industry is watching the great Chatham-Kent experiment to see what happens. After all, we are breaking new ground with this product – using the internet to tie the community together in a way that's just not possible in the print media. I don't know if you've noticed, but we've had quite a discussion going in the Theatretalk forum – seems Glen Turner has hit a nerve with his first few pieces. I invite all cktimes readers to take advantage of this unique opportunity to get involved in your local media. Also, I'm starting to attract a few sponsors to the site and I really need the sponsors if I'm going to continue to operate the site over the long term. Please support the sponsors you see on the site – frequent their businesses. And we really do need to create a buzz in the local community about cktimes – tell your friends and neighbours and help me build this into something truly unique and wonderful. Still looking for help in two areas – could use some writing help from the south end of the community – down Blenheim way, or over toward Wheatley. Also, still on the hunt for marketing and sales help – if you know a keen and eager sales person who'd like to build a career, send them my way. In the meantime, enjoy cktimes – and spread the word.

The Business Appreciation evening held last Wednesday at Dresden Arena was a tremendous event – a good opportunity for local business people to do a little networking and pat themselves on the back for the things they do well. My congratulations to the people who organized the event and good for those who attended. And how about that Brian Tobin? Man, if that guy was any smoother, he'd have slipped right over to Tim Horton's. And is he getting ready to take a run at the Liberal leadership? Was that a campaign speech or what? He sure tried to make the government sound good, and that's a tall order given the problems of the scandal-ridden Chretien crew. I liked Tobin's analogy of Newfoundland losing its fishing industry and Chatham losing Navistar. Sort of similar, considering the federal government has sort of caused both – poor fish management skills in one case and signing a free trade deal in the other. Same result – a whole lot of people out of work.

Must say that Sue Stewart from Audrey's Fashions in Dresden and Catherine McVean IODE members are to be congratulated for a first-rate fashion show at the Old Czech Hall in Dresden this past Saturday. The hall was jam-packed with ladies of all description out for an excellent show and some great eats from what I saw. And can you bet that I was the only guy in the hall? You bet I was. Although Sue Ellen Weaver did mention to me that she'd have brought Councillor Bill along if she'd known I was coming. Really, though, this fashion show is the type of community event that make places like Dresden excellent places to call home and to raise a family. Congrats to Katherine Kiar and the IODE and Sue Stewart for helping make our community that much stronger.

And what do you say about the East Side Pride gang that I met on Saturday morning at a garage sale at the WISH Centre in Chatham? I can't tell you how thrilled I was to meet Marjorie Crew and her Mom and all the rest of the folks who have worked hard to reclaim their neighbourhood from drug dealers and hookers. That's right people – hookers and drug dealers right here in Chatham-Kent. East Side Pride is an example of a real community-based, grass roots approach to taking back a neighbourhood and it's one of the finest examples of it I've seen. Congratulations to the whole group of you for taking control of your community.

Attended the sod turning for the Chatham-Kent Children's Safety Village on Friday down at the Campbell Conservation Area, just north of Blenheim. I'm glad to see the community taking on this project to teach children safety in a variety of areas, including road safety, fire safety and even farm safety. Unfortunately, Village Executive Director Janet Cunningham was taken ill earlier in the week and missed the big event. Don't worry, Janet, Dave Wood filled in okay and everything went well. The rain held off until the exact moment the ceremony finished, then the heavens opened. Watch for more on this great event.

Sort of out of space for another week – although you never really run out of space on the net. Hope you're continuing to read along and enjoying cktimes. Don't forget to say you read it in cktimes. And remember...."Hew to the line; let the chips fall where they may."



John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.