INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 TERRACE. STANDARD The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 5, 2000 - B1 COMMUNITY: SECTION B CHARLYNN TOEWS True tales from the laundry room said, “Oh, you’ve gol a tea- towel on your floor there.” “Yes,” I replied, “It’s been demoted.” She raised her eyebrows at me. “See, it started out as a dish drain towel fresh out of the laundry,” I told her, “then it was hung on the rail and demoted to hand-dry- ne day recently a friend of mine saunlered into my kitchen and it and it became a floor towel, See?” I demon- the disheartened damp rag. “That’s the end of its life cycle,” ] said, picking it up. My friend followed me to my washing machine. I threw the towel in and said to her, “Unless you believe in reincarnation.” “Reincarnation.” She said it like a sen- tence, not a question. TI nodded and turned my machine to high hot harsh huge and added soap, “Yes, reincarna- tion." I said it like a sentence, too. “You see, these not-even-good-for-the-floor towels will be washed, dried, folded, and placed neatly on their shelf in the kitchen.” She helped me load. She’s nice that way. “And are thus born again,” she said. I said, “Exactly.” Long ago and far away, in the laundry room of an apartment building we lived in, I saw some incredibly mean notes on the machines. | mean, | know it’s rude to dump someone else’s damp clothes out of a dryer. You can tell the class of a place by how your neighbours treat your laundry. Low class is to dump damp. Higher class is to fold other’s dry stuff, especi- ally if it has been in the dryer for, say, two days. Ultra-high class is to never ever touch another human’s underthingies no matter how clean or how dry or how long left languishing. I knew the rules, or thought I did, So I saw these hand-written notes full of swear words and I was scared, Did I do some- thing wrong? Will this note-writer actually ‘You can tell the class of a place by how your neighbours treat your faun- dry. Low class is to dump damp.’ carry out the threat referred to in the letter? Worse, what if this mean missive was dir- ected at one of the many senior citizens living in the building? Why, it might be the night- gowned woman who had a lot of clean jars with lids she could give me. It might be that sweet elf of a veteran who wanted to borrow some Carnation Evaporated Milk (no other ‘kind) for his coffee one morning! Oh, but strange things were afoot. The super, a senior himself, a veleran, was con- ducting an affair with the new billowy blonde cleaner (I saw them myself on the roof one ‘day) and the note-writer swear-word fiend was revealed to be litthke Mr. Carnation Milk. ’ Don’t ask me how F found that out, Let’s just say, ] thought I knew the rules, but I didn’t. There is this beautiful book called Material World at the college library. It is an anthropo- logy book, a series of photos of people around the world, their shelter and the stuff in it. These are lovely pictures. They range from a grass shack and a cookirg pot to the split-level with (count ‘em) five TVs. But what I like best about this book is that there are pictures of laundry rooms. Not the photos of rooms you see in home decor mags or Martha Stewart, completely empty, not a lonely sock in sight. No, I’m talking about real laundry rooms in action, in situ, as is, where is, Look at those big dirty laundry monsters! Vaporous and moist, sending noxious odours ever upwards, thoroughly mixed and actively composting. Slunning full-spread, full-colour photos, the woman bending over her piles. Lovely, like I said. A friend of mine way down south wrote me to say she was slaying with her husband after all. This letter closely followed the birth of (heir third child and a load: of whites. She wrote, “So I have decided to stay. Looking cut my back window as | write this, I see ten nap- pies flapping on the line, like ten little fags of surrender.” Oh, but you know what tales from the laun- dry room are like, Some are true and some may not be. Sometimes it's hard to know what to think, 3 ing, then after a while I wiped a pizza knife on’ strated scrubbing the floor with one foot and - - other three per cent,” Having seniors in for tea An open house gives visitors a rare peek inside Terrace’s jailhouse THE TERRACE Correc- tional Centre might might seem like an odd place tor a tea party. But for one afternoon a year, the minimum secur- ity facility opens its doors up to Terrace’s senior citi- zens. Inmates and staff offer the visitors tea and cookies, fuelling them up for a tour. On a recent afternoon, the centre held its third ever seniors tea. As several dozen visit- ing seniors plunked them- selves down al picnic ta- bles — or sat attentively in wheelchairs ~ to watch a Native dance performance, assorted inmates sat or stood nearby, uncertain what to make of these guests. One of the dancers, in- mate Darrell Benson, was anxious before the guests atrived. “{ felt a little bit ner- vous, at first,” said Ben- son, dressed in white cov- eralls and a red and black vest for the performance. “But it’s nice ta see new faces — you get tired of seeing the same guys every day.” Benson started his sen- tence on May 22, and al- though he’s a recent arri- val al the correctional centre, this isn’t the first time he’s served time here. But he exudes an unex- pected graciousness thal makes a stranger feel wel- comed to his temporary home. People on the outside are often surprised by what really goes on inside the facility, according to local director Kim Fogtmann, the woman in charge. “They cither say they’re treated too well, or they’re treated too poorly. It’s one extreme to the other.” The tea usually. draws about 60 seniors over the course of the afternoon. “think they're just sur- .. prised that it’s different that what they expect,” she said. Open houses help in- mates gel used to dealing with the community and also dispels stereotypes. People expect bars and jail cells. What they see instead are. cells that look like college dorm rooms. There is a games room, a TV room, and even a small library. The yard outside looks a prison yard. There’s some grass, some gravel, and not much else. This summer, the yard will un- dergo a transformation. Landscaping is planned, and inmates will be re- sponsible for ongoing gar- den maintenance. Gardening is just one of the ways inmates earn their keep. “Everyone who comes here has to work,” “Fogtmann said. They earn anywhere From $1.50 a day to $6.50. Some work in the kit- chen or laundry. Others bale clothing for the Sal- | vation Army, or construct wooden benches and furni- ture that’s sold to the pub- lic. They also cul firewood. Last year, inmates - helped sandbag when the Skeena River flooded. When Fogtmann took over as director in Febr- uary of last year, one of the first things she did was introduce a set of core pro- grams taught by staff. “You get so many of these guys who've never achieved anylhing in their “life,” Fogtmann explained. So when they receive certificates of completion at the end, it’s a big deal. “They treasure them,” she said. “It may be the — only time they’ve ever seen the merit of their contributions.” While it may sound like , - more of a campus than a prison, make no mistake. . This is a prison, and in- mates, Darrell Benson in- cluded, have lo keep in ling. “They treat you good, the feed you good,” he said. “You just have to fol- low the rules.” If Benson, a carver and artist from Gilanyow, takes his own advice, he’ll be a free man himself by the end of July. Fatal driving habits: By SARAH GLEN THE FIRST people who arrived at the scene thought those inside were dead. Tangled bands of metal twisted around the frame of the car — dirty spiked rods that cut through the the door and reached like long, gnarled fingers through the window on the passenger side. The shock of the impact blew the glass from the back and. side windows and wrenched the wheels from their wells. The accident sent the: passenger of the car to in- tensive care with severe internal injuries. And the driver was only poing about. 20 kms over the posted speed limit. This scene is the lalest example of a bad habit af- flicting Terrace drivers — speeding. That’s the verdict from local Constable J.R. Walk- er, who's spent the past 14 years of of his 24 year-long career patrolling the roads first in Mission, and now in Terrace, “What's happening in Terrace is a microcosm for what's happening around - the province — we just haven’t had to deal with the drive-by shootings yet,” said Walker, , Excessive speed is only one of the bad habits pla- puing Terrace drivers. Walker ciles drunk driving, not obeying traffic lights and signs and ag- pressive driving as the. other top problems. He emphasizes that problem drivers only make up three per cent of the driving population, “In B.C., 97 per cent of drivers don’t even have a record, We [RCMP] are only dealing with that said Walker. - : It’s that- other three. per cent that cause the most “metres speed, alcohol, anger Patrolling the beat: Constable J.R. Walker with the tool that nabs speeders in the act — his radar gun. headaches, said Walker. “We [RCMP] deal with the same people over and. . over again and it seems to me that the worst offenders are the best whiners,” said Walker, Drivers need to com- pare their vehicles on the road to objects on a con- veyor belt, and where these ‘belts’ meet, drivers need to blend in with the road and each other, said Walker “Qur roads can handle more traffic and there is no treason why drivers shouldn't share the space with each other.” Driving problem spots in Terrace include, speed- ing down Lakelse Avenue, Keith Avenue and Krumm Road and swinging into the wrong lane while mak- ing a left-hand turn from the south-end of the Sande Overpass to Keith Avenue, said Walker. While speeding is a major problem, Walker emphasizes that it is ex- cessive speeds, those more than 30 kms over the posted speed limit, he is most concerned wilh. “We all speed, we [RCMP] speed in our: po- lice cars to gel to Tim Horton's. but it’s drivers who speed recklessly that are the biggest problem,” said Walker. Highlighting Walker's: point is a vehicle he ticke- ted for going 114° kilo- down. curb Krumm Road, which is a 50 km zone. The new graduated li- censing program (GLP) for new drivers, and an in- crease in licket fines for current drivers are helping the bad habits, Walker believes. “This new program (GLP) helps us nip up-and- caming problems in the bud,” he said. But it isn’t anly new drivers that should have to undergo more testing, He advocates a senior (esting program, which would test the aging dri- vers’ skills after they reach a certain age. Currently, senior drivers only have to take a driving _ test if family members, friends or the police ap- proach the Motor Vehicle Branch with concerns over the driver’s ability.to con- trol a vehicle. “Young male drivers have been slammed in the past as the worst drivers, but that’s not necessarily true. You can't identify one particular group as the problem group,” said Walker. Most accidents can be prevented if drivers slow down, obey traffic lights and signs and learn to con- tro! their anger. ~-In-a wreck that RCMP recently dragged from the ditch, both the driver: and passenger survived, ~ Others haven't been s 50 lucky" : Tee Ste, E My, Y Pe Sang The Terrace Correctional Centre is home to same special programs for First Nations inmates. Darrell Benson (left) and roommate Simon Stevens are members of the Drums of Thunder dance group, directed by liaison Benita Chapdelaine (centre). Around Town Perennial garden tour COME ON, admit it. There are some gardens in town that turn you green with envy. Well, now’s your chance to smell those roses up close and talk to the green thumb who got her garden looking so pretty. The Terrace Women and Development group are pleased to present the third Perennial Garden Tour July 9. The self-guided tour will feature eight gardens in Greater Terrace. You're equipped with the addres- ses and short descriptions of each garden on the tour. See them all, or stop by a select few, it's up to you, “Some people want to spend a long time in the gardens, and others want to zip through,” says or- ganizer Alisa Thompson. The gardeners will be on hand, so you can talk to them, Some rare sights and exclusive gardens are in- cluded on the tour this year. One Braun’s Island garden features a peach tree — with actual peaches. The owners of Northern Lights Studio will also be opening their garden up for the tour. An English-style high tea will be served between 1 to 4 p.m. at the Knox United Church. Tickets are available at Misty River Books, Sidewalkers, and Cedar River Physiotherapy. Pro- ceeds help support women’s projects in the deve- loping world. The group’s past efforts have suppor- ted a rape relief collective in Bosnia, disaster re- lief for victims of Hurricane Mitch and the pur- chase of a tile press for women in southeast Asia. Library offers full slate of summer programs THE TERRACE Public Library has no shortage of aclivities for young and teenaged readers this sum- mer. Teen Read! is a program for ‘teens aged 12 and over. Win great prizes for reading, Take a Trip Through Time is a summer reading program for children aged 2 to 11. Weekly computer camps are also offered for kids aged 6 to 10, Programs are free, but register first, in person or by calling 638- 8177. There’s also a poetry contest for teens aged 12 to 18. Cash prizes ranging from $50 to $100. Deadline for submission is is Sept. 1. (but check out the con- test guidelines at the library, first). Fathead drops by LIVE MUSIC music fans will get 4 rare oppartun- ity to listen to one of Canada’s most promising up- and-coming blues bands when Fathead makes one-night appearance here July 6 during a sigiN over on the way to the Edge of the World music” festival on the Queen Charlotte Islands. If you've never heard of them, consider this: Fat- head recently opened for the legendary B.B. King at Toronto’s Massey Hall, and in 1999, the Toron- to-hased quintet beat oul Colin James and the Lit- tle Big Band to take the Juno award for Best Blues Album for their sophomore CD, Blues Weather, Advance tickets are $10, or $12 at the door.