The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 5, 1997 - B1

TERRACE STANDARD

SECTION B
CRIS LEYKAUF

INSIDE
COMMUNITY

EVENTS B2

CHARLYNN TOEWS

You can tell a
lot from a fridge

MAZINGLY enough, my mother

cleaned out her fridge in Stein-

bach, Manitoba on the exact same

day EF cleaned out mine here in
Terrace, B.C,

“There were whole communities in there,”’
she told me over the phone. I said, ‘'The civi-
lizations in mine were so advanced they had
started to form language,”'

“LT promise I will never again buy another
huge box of frozen prepared food. They fake
you out,” my mom said. [agreed completely.

“It's the dream you're buying, the dream of
simply popping something delicious in the
oven while you do something else, like sit
with your feet up. It’s only a dream."” She
thought so, toa,

“They don’t even taste gaod,”’

I blamed the colour picture on the box. She
claimed she was taken in by an in-store
sample fresh off the grill aud already dipped
in sauce.

“Do FE think I have to have my freezer com-
pletely full?” she asked, I didn't know.

“JT had this huge bunch of fresh dill this
suminer. J put it in the freezer lo use later, I
felt so domestic,’’ she said.

Oh, I had to Jaugh at that one. She is still
trying to fecl domestic bul I secretly think she
is far too modern for that ta ever happen. For
example, when I was litlle, and all the other
neighbourhood moms were wearing actual
housedresses (with aprons yet) that they
sewed for themselves, my mom Jesse was
wearing my big brother’s cast-off jeans as he
outgrew them, (She is very slim and petite.) I
was terribly embarrassed at the time.

‘Y prefer to throw out bad food
after only a few weeks, instead of
canning it and waiting nine years for
it to go bad then throwing it out.’’

It was only much much laler, after [ moved
to the City at the age of ninetcen, that [ could
look back across those 39 miles of prairie and
begin to see how cool my mother really is.
Outrageous, oulspoken, funny.

She can’t can, or won't, saying one time to
my aunt, “I prefer to thraw out bad food after
only a few weeks, instead of canning it and
waiting nine ycars for il to go bad then throw-
ing it oul.”

“So I Gnd this big bag of yuck! dill way at
the back, all brown and mush, disgusting blah
brownish stuff,’ she told me, and | had to
concede her fridge bad been worse than mine.

I am just so pleased at how well she is turn-
ing out. When | was home last time, I
wondered how a person keeps such a big
house looking so nice all the lime, After
watching her clean and polish it coustantly for
a few days, I thought [ had il figured out,
(You clean and polish it constantly.)

One Wednesday, she had finally stopped
and was silling down to read the Caril/an
News at nine o'clock in the evening, with her
reading glasses on the tip of ber nose, I had to
say to her, ‘Mom, I’m sorry to tell you this,
but hot water is spaying out of something. in
the basement beside the furnace,’”

I ran back downstalrs to watch it spray out,
hoping that would somehow be of assistance.
When she came down the stairs with a mop
and pail, I said to her, ‘1?m just so sorry this
happened just when you were finally relax-
ing.’

She said to me, ‘Oh, relaxing is a state of
mind,’ Then [ watched in astonishment as she
relaxed by cleaning up the water and Fixing
the leak, just as she had been relaxing by read-
ing the paper. Now, that is wisdom that you
can’t buy at the store, frozen or fresh.

Also recently, she fined ter own self ten
dollars for sending her grandson’s birthday
cheque a month late. She drew three apples on
the note (labeling them “apples’’) and on the
reverse, a funny little piclure she drew which ]
assume is a self-portrait. { framed it and have
it displayed al kaffeeklateh level — so much
cheaper than long distance.

If] tura out as wellas my mom, my son may
grow up and (ell people, ‘T remember when 1
was litte, my mom Char Taughed like.a crazy
woman whenever she cleaned anit the fridge. "

Volunteer of the Year

A salute to local volunteers

THEY SHOVEL snow for seniors,
help adults learn to read and rescue
lost mushroom pickers. Now it’s
your turn to do something for Ter-
race’s countless volunteers,

The Terrace Standard aid Over-
waitea are hosting the 3rd annual
Volunteers of the Year contest.

If you know someone whose
volunteer work has made a dif
ference to you or another person,
then nominate them for Volunteer
of the Year: ,

Somelimes just the honour of
being nominated is enough, says
Lovina Tyler, head of the
Volunteer Bureau.

“They're doing so much, plug-

_ging away," says Tyler. ‘This is

your chauce to say, ‘Yes, You real-
ly made a difference!’ ’”

In the first year Aileen Frank won
the honour for her tireless efforts
on behalf of seniors, Last year Jim
Ryan was named Volunteer of the
Year for the incredible work he’s

done with the Terrace Community
Band and Symphony Orchestra.’

As well as the Volunteer of the
Year, two TUNNCT-UpS § are chosen
cach year,

And this year there’s a new addi-
tion to the contest — a separate
award = for = special services
volunteers. This award was created
to sccognize volunteers who typi-

Lovina Tyler

cally take training. to become spe-
cialized’ volunteers.. Examples of

these types of services are Search

and. Rescue, Victim's Assistance,
and volunteer firefighters.

© There’s a few more changes this”

year. Lovina Tyler won'l be “a
judge, since there's -toa) mnch

potential -for a conflict of: interest,

Instead, she'll act as a convener.
Two of the judges from past years
are back: again — Dale~ Lufkin,
manager of Overwaitea’ and Rich
McDaniel, city councilor. The third
judge will be Jim Ryan. We’re
hoping each year to have last year’s

winner come back and take part in

the judging.
There’s a litle something | extra
for nominees too. All nominees are

invited to the Volunteer Bureau’s'

annual luncheon, In recognition of
the strong commitment. all the
nominees have made to the com-

munity, Overwaitea will. buying

their lunches.

And this year’s grand winner will
be treated to a dinner for two at the
Terrace Inu.

You've got . this week to. slart
thinking about who you'd like to
nomitiate,. Nomination forms will
begin: appearing in next week's
paper and the contest closes April
4, Or if you'd like to send us some-
thing ‘this. week, give us some
details about your volunteer and
fax us at 638-8432.

Two- “Step or tango - they do tt all

By CRIS LEYKAUF
HE WAS country and she was
ballroom, But that didn’t keep them
apart.

Within a year Dan Kovaks and
his future wife Cailin were winning
competitions in regional country
dance circles.

When the couple moved to Ter-
race last summer they were among
the top three country dance couples
in (he country,

The story of how they met scems
like something from amovie. — ,

Two years ago Dan was living in

Vancouver, looking for a new -

country dance partner. He and his
former partner had been the best in
B.C, for four years. But when she
retired Dan weeded a partucr who
was as dedicated as himself; That’s
when he spotted Cailin at a
ballroom dance competition.

Ballroom and country sound like
they're more than a dance floor
apart, but actually the two dances
have a lot in common,

Fortunately for Dan, Cailin didn’t
have a partner at the time cither.

“T'd bounced through a variety of
partners and ] was getting frus-
traled before | met Dan,’ said
Cailin.

She couldn’t find someone will-
ing to put in the same amount of ef-
fort.

“Td given up and [ didn’t even
want to compete anymore,’’ said
Cailin.

She had agreed to take part in that
last ballroom competilian because a
friend of hers found himself
without a partner,

But what was confusing for Dan
was that Cailin’s identical twin
sister was also In the same competi-
tion. ‘

“T saw her in this polka dot dress,
then two minutes later I saw ber
again with a different hair style and
different dress,” said Dan, Then
she reappeared again, in the
original dress and hair style.

Eventually Dan figured out what
was happening and the two started
talking.

‘We bath wanted to leam cach
olher’s style of dance,’’ said Cailin.

COUNTRY DANCE COUPLE Cailin and Dan Kovaks were ranked thirdin the country before they
maved to Terrace last summer. Now they want to share their love of dancing with others. They'l!
be leaching country and ballroom dance out of the Cactus Flower Dance Studio.

What followed was a hectic year
of daling, practicing and compeli-
tions.

Cailin dida’t mind switching to
cowltry because she says she was
ready for a change from ballroom.

Within «two months" ‘she — had
learned the basics lo country danc-
ing, plus five choreographed
dances. So ne

“T pushed her prelly bard,’” suid
Dan. '‘People were pretly amazed.

cm ce we mtn hm ck

‘people in

She was really good."”

Dan aud Cuailin found they had to
travel out of Vancouver four or
more times a year in order fa gel to
compelitions thal were at their
level, They also. had lo- Aravel for

coaching. ~

—"Ytts- a lot more. expeusive. Cor
Canada,’”* explained
Cailin. “You have lo he more crea-
tive,’

“With budgets caten up by trivel
expenses, the couple couldn't af-
ford a choreographer, or a designer
for their dance costumes.

So Dan became their choreogra-
pher.

“T learned through necessity,”

He™ walehed big” competitions,
video tapes: and listened to the:
Inusic.

“Sometimes we'd just throw
cach other around:-for. half ait
hour,’? said Cailin, describing how
they'd ~ experiment | with)” new
dances. Usually they'd practice : six
days a week; she said,

“To help cateh the judge’s eye she

designed: their.costumes. However,
materials alone for two ‘costumes
cast $1,500 with beading and Se:
quins.

“You have to make yourselves
noticed on the datice floor,” she
said.

It was working, “Callin and Dan
were wining almost every compe-
tition they entered. By ‘the time
they retired “in May they: were
tanked third in the country,

“T think we could have beaten the
Division One couples,” said Dan,
“but we never had a chance.”’

They moved to Terrace last sum-
mer for Dan’s job as a probation
officer; and immediately threw
themselves into the goal of building
a house,

Now that their duplex on Graham
Ave. is completed, the two want to
start teaching dance lessons.

"They were impressed to discover
the Cactus Flower Dance Studio
when they moved here.

-“Thiere’s nothing like this studio
anywhere in Canada,’ said Dan,
looking around at the large wooden
dance floor surrounded by tables
and decorations such as saddles,

‘cactus, and cowboy hats,

“This size of floor — it’s a gift
from.God,’? added Cailin.

Owner Al Levesque said he was’
“extremely excited’ to have Dan
_and Cailin teaching at the studio,

‘They plan to teach ballroom
dance on Wednesday evenings and
gel a core of people interested in
counlry dancing.

‘Its a great social opportunily,”
‘said Dan: ‘the more people who
pet ito it, the more fun it is. Any-
oie cantean it.”

Both he and Cailin have taught all
levels of people, from beginner lo
“expert.

Sa if you've always. wanted to

learn how to wallz, two. step,

_ thumba or swing, stop by the dance

studio.

638-7283