JENNIFER LANG

CHARLYNN TOEWS

Marilyn ‘n’ me

7 ID i EVER tell you about Marilyn?
She hated her job at the Manitoba Ac-
tion Committee on the Status of

. Women in the ‘80s, I did not under-

stand why. She said she wanted More Direc-
tion. More Direction! Why on earth would you
want More Direction when you had the free-
dom to do whatever you wanted, as long as it

women, I wondered.

At the Manitoba Action Committee on the
Status of Women, earnest women being paid
very little worked hard to, say, raise funds for
battered women shelters, photocopied minutes
and bad trick sheets, lobbied for ~vheelchair
ramps at the community centre, and so on.
_ Whatever they were in the mood to do, along
these lines, Equality and civil rights and sa
forth. And Marilyn wanted the board, the vo-
lunteers, the funders, to tell her what to do.

“Be your future!” [ shouted at her, “See
your future,” I encouraged. She would have
none of it and was glad to be gone,

I was depending on her to help morph the
Action Committee, because that’s what co-
workers did. When I first worked there, Tanya
was the co-ordinator, and we had a lot of
Readings. Poets would read in donated public
venues before a wide audience about poverty,
for example, or torture. Also, Chilean music
was often heard, the coffee was on.

Then i finished my degree and came back
to work at MACSW with Lydia. Oh, Lydia!
Military wives, neighbourhood safety, reaching
out to sex-trade workers, gay and lesbian
rights, even agriculture! During that time, I
went. to a really cool Farm Women’s confer-

“ence; where I: heard one delegate ‘say: to an--
other, “Oh, it was a beautiful night. You could
see the yard lights for miles.”

“I specifically said Red
Meat!”

So when Marilyn started work and imme-
diately organized a Women’s Spirituality Re-
treat with No Red Meat, I thought, great. Here
we go, reinvigorated, responsive, an event
popular enough to fund itself, excellent all
round, She came back to the office from the
weekend, energized but hugely annoyed that
pork had been served. “I specifically said No

thought of park as, like, white. If only she had
known more about Agriculture!

I missed the herbal teas after she left.

Now I'm in a job where I have to deal with
these morphings almost constantly. If you look
at any well-made movie with high-quality spe-

' gial effects, you can see how morphing in-

moaning or even shrieks of pain.
Currently, I am groaning and complaining
_ because I miss Miriam, Claudia, Manon, An-
drea, Kim and Rhonda. Okay, so a beautiful
‘brand-new baby is worth a year off work, a
handsome ambitious man is worth moving for,
fine. Yes, [ understand, I’ve done it myself,
they are lucky and happy while I am left here
bereft of their workaday company. Poor me.
- And that’s only since Christmas! There are
more people to miss.

‘| missed the herbal teas after
She left.’

For example, one-time 7 was mourning the
loss of a Groovy Chick who was moving from
Terrace, I comforted myself with this thought:
“Wait! Don’t be blue! Perhaps a New Chick
will move in who you somehow magically like
just as much, but for unique new reasons!”

Sure enough, she showed up one day,

“ ghecked out the Terrace Women’s Centre as
soon as she moved to town, just like I had
done, to see what's up. She had a sense of hu-
mour, I liked her right away. When. I saw her
in the Co-op grocery parking lot (I am dating
‘myself) I shouted out, “Hey! New Chick!”

‘She spun around and grinned and said,

“Hay, Old Chick!” So then we were friends, til

“the minute she moved.

Dang!

Still, I know in- my heart i did my best. I

“was friends with her from the earliest possible
‘moment until the second she went away, then
after that we phoned quite a bit, we wrote,
| then she moved twice, and now I seem to have
- ‘misplaced her.
:; Don't be. blue, There are new - people for me
"46: wotk with, It may be too early tosay who
will turn out to be Groovy, but just in case, [
am taking no chances. —

improved the social and economic status of .

' children as possible. .

Young

stars

get to shine

A local elementary school prepares
to stage Tom Sawyer — the musical

By JENNIFER LANG

_A WAVE of excitement surges

through the hallways and corridors
of Uplands Elementary, where
hundreds of students are getting
caught up in the spirit of Tom Sa--
wyer, the musical.

The show will be staged at ‘the
R.E.M. Lee for two performances,
a fact that’s pushed
the young perfor-
mers to new heights.

"A lot of. them
are feeling really
special,” says the
school’s music tea-
cher, Robin Hellett.

She’s spreading #
the magic of being
in the spotlight
around tO as many

_ She says she was
knocked out by the
talent and enthu-
siasm the kids
showed during audi
tions, so she deci-
ded to make two
different casts, turn-
ing 19 lead roles
into 38 “so more
kids had the opportunity -t9 shine.”

The lead roles are distributed .
evenly among students from

Grade 4-7, She’s also put the 120
students in the chorus into smaller

Raisi .
school spirit

centre stage.

-One cast will perform on the
evening of. Friday, Feb. 21; the
second will take the stage for the
Saturday afternoon. matinee on
Feb, 22,

“It makes for a lor of rehearsal
time,” she says. Fortunately, she’s
able to put the Grade.4s and 5s
through. their paces
by rehearsing songs
during their regular
music class time,
while choreography
and acting rehearsals
take place before
school and during
lunch.

The musicai is a
composite of several
memorable adven-
tures scenes rather
than a faithful rendi-
tion of Mark Twain’s
1876 classic, The

Sawyer, an enduring
story about a. high-
spirited orphan grow-
ng ing up in a small

sippi River, and its

~~ sequel, The Adventures of Huckle-

berry Finn.
The classic . fence- -painting

scene and the toath-pulling. inci-.

dent are included, But the true
centrepiece of the production is

Adventures of Tom .

town on the Missis- -

THESE ARE just a few of the dozens of enthusiastic young .
performers who appear in the musical Tom Sawyer next week.

‘the elaborate deception Tom and

his pal Huck carry out after wit-
nessing a bank robbery.

Fearing the robbers are on to
them, the boys hide out on a de-
serted island, ‘The townspeople are

“so certain the pair has perished in

the river, they prepare a funeral.
The show features acting, sing-

ing — and even plenty of dancing.
“It's got everything,” laughs

Hollett, who adds the whole

schoo] has come together to make
Tom Sawyer a reality.

Parents are sewing costumes,
designing sets and even playing
piano during rehearsals. “It raises
so much school spirit.”

Principal Dave Crawley says
staff got behind the project as an
alternative to the Christmas ‘con-
cert.

“It's really exciting,”
Crawley.

says

Red Meat!” she said. ] replied I had always —

volves twisting while changing, and requires .

7 byk Ksan Elouse © Society. ana Terrace Little aM

groups who share turns taking

Thornhill. Junior builds:
a new musical alliance

By JENNIFER LANG
THE HALLWAYS at Thornhill Junior
Secondary might seem a little cramped
next week when more than 120 band stu-
dents from a high school in Victoria ar-
tive for a visit.

While they’re here, students from Rey-
nolds Secondary School will also perform
two school concerts - and share the bill
with their hosts, Thornhill Junior, at a
public performance Tuesday evening at
the R.E.M. Lee. (See the listing in City
Scene on Page C2.)

Michael Wen, band instructor at
Thornhill Junior, says the visit kicks off
the first half of an exchange that will see
his students make a trip to the provincial
capital - and Reynolds Secondary - at
the end of April.

The program is a chance for students
from two different parts of the province to
get to know each other, hopefully striking
up new friendships and building musical
alliances.

“We're hoping to share some music
with them in the spring,” Wen says, ex-
plaining the two bands plan to rehearse
together and perform a mass concert in
Victoria, but Tuesday’s concert, will see
them performing separately.

Wen says Reynolds, a large 8-12
school, is only sending half its band north
~ the musicians in Grades 8, 9 and 10 —
but that still means 125 students are mak-

Poster contest for kids

CREATIVE KIDS are versity of Terrace during
being asked to put their ar- the past 75 years.

THORNHILL Junior band teacher Mi-
chael Wen.

ing the trip.

The. school’s full compliment of band
students is probably twice that number,
Wen says.

It's not the first ‘time musicians from
Reynolds high have visited the Terrace
area. The school held a band exchange
with Skeena Junior a couple of years ago.

Wen says the Victoria students are
looking forward to a day of skiing al
Shames Mountain before they go home.

creations, working with the
theme: “What colours are

listic talents to work by in your day?” Posters should 24
entering a poster contest The posters will be dis- inches by 18 inches in
celebrating cultural divers- played at the arena ban- size.

’ Drop them. off at the
Terrace Art Gallery. The.
deadline. is Feb, 15. Indi-
viduals or. groups can enter
in three age: ages 5-8, 9-
12. or 13-18. For more de-
tails,;call 635-6940,

quet room during the 18th
annual multicultural pot-
luck dinner Feb, 22.

This year's. potluck
theme is in keeping with
the city’s anniversary: ce-
lebrating the cultural. di-.

ity in Terrace.

The Terrace and Dis-
trict Multicultural Asso-
ciation wants contestants
to. share stories of their fa-
milies, friends, cultures
and customs through their

Benefit raises big bucks

Theatre at the R:E.M. Lee, was nearly a
sell-out. The cast featured 21 different ace
tors,

The Feb. 1 performance took in $7,700
— money that will go towards a wheel-

‘chair accessible transition house for, local
women and children fleeing abuse.

+

A ONE-NIGHT-only performance featur-
ing the largest female cast in Terrace his-
tory has raised thousands of dollars for the
transition house.

The “V-Day” performance of Eve En-
sler’s The Vagina Monologues, presented

Around Town

Dad group debuts

THE TERRACE Child Development Centre has
started a Dad’s Group. It’s a free, drop-in support
group for fathers with children under the age of
five.

The aim is to recognize and support the valuable
tole fathers play in their children’s lives.

Under the direction of facilitators Peter McKay
and Deb McCooey, participants can learn about a
host of issues on parenting, including child deve-
lopment, safety, nutrition, age appropriate toys,
and discipline.

The group meet Mondays from §:30-7:30 p.m. at
4665 Park Ave. Fathers can start any time and can -
attend with or without their children. For more in-
formation call 635-1830.

Friendly food-finders say

they want your help

A WEEK-LONG drive in support of the food bank
brought in nearly five tons of donations last year.
“It was an awful lot,” recalls Sandy Glendenning,
coordinator for The Mix, CIFW and NTV's Food
For Friends campaign for the Terrace Churches
Food Bank.

The food drive, now ‘entering its fifth year, raises
much-needed money and food items for the food
bank, enabling it to keep its doors open through the
months of March and April. .

Glendenning says Food For Friends has callec-
ted about 10 tons of food since it began.

It’s held at a time of year when donations are
traditionally down once the holiday spirit fades.

This year’s campaign gets underway the week of
Feb, 17-22. Youre asked to donate food or money
to participating businesses all week, or bring your
donation to the station in person Saturday, Feb. 22
from 10 a.m, to 2 p.m..during an open house, Pro-
ceeds from hot dog and Smokie sales will also be
donated to the food bank.

Food for Friends is offering up something new
this year — a challenge to local individuals, clubs,
schaols, churches fraternal organizations, and busi-
nesses,

Sponsor a project « or event ta raise money or do-
nations for the food bank and get a chance to win
two tickets to Vancouver courtesy of Hawkait.

The winner will be selected by. a panel of

- judges, Glendenning says.

Enter your event by calling 635- 6316 no later
than Friday, Feb. 14,

Local schools are being urged to take part. All
classrooms that collect food will be entered in a
draw. to win lunch from McDonalds. A camera
crew from NTV will visit the winning classroom.

Local Guides and Scouts also hold their Hike for
Hunger Sat. Feb. 22, when they'll bring donations
to the Terrace Churches Food Bank and then head
on down to the station.

Kitimat residents can bring their donations to the
Molly Gordon Food for Friends campaign at Over-
waitea on Saturday, Feb, 22 between 3 and 6 p.m,