‘INSIDE SECTION B ‘COMMUNITY ALEX HAMILTON CHARLYNN TOEWS Back to school car Megan, Here is my high school grad pic- ture, 1977. . Is Walt’s Studio still on Main Street? Maybe not, it was where Derksen Printers expanded, or it could be the little building where that art store is now. Anyway, that’s where we went to get this picture taken -- Cinta, Lori, Grace, Celia and I, in the spring of 1977. Isn’t it too typical that ]’m stepping right on Gracie’s dress, and didn’t even notice it. What a Maroon! Those dresses meant a lot to us. I think Lori’s | mom sewed most of them. Celia’s is store- bought, I think it’s a knit. She embroidered it herself, the fiend. When I used to drive her around in the Grow Sir truck to school or the city or whatever, in high school, she would app- ly mascara then pry apart any stuck eyelashes with a sewing needle, with me driving around comers, gaing over bumps, stopping at stop signs, What a maniac she was and is. Jacinta, on the far left, I’m pretty sure made ~ her own dress, She has just recently renovated her whole house from a one-story into a two- story, with her husband. He’s a twin! She went right to college (Red River) after high school, and got her lab tech” diplotiia and liad “a” responsible, well-paying, real job while I was sill wandering around going, "Um, sociology?" She had to be at work at, like, eight-thirty in the moming or earlier and take people’s blood and look at it and so forth. She has two lovely chil- dren and jeeps. Cinta’s family moved to Steinbach from Pinawa when she was in grade eight, to the house right beside the entrance to Sunrise Bay. She was Celia’s friend first, the hog. Lori is the other one with glasses, Nice hair, eh? She is so polite, one time she puked into her purse instead of my car. And once, to prove that she was not a sucky-baby, she threw her pop- sicle down on the ground then ate it with the gravel on it. "Look!" she said. I think it was orange. She is now a nurse and a successful seller of silk flowers, ‘‘Just beautiful!’’ Four lovely chil- dren, her husband is a city cop. He’s adopted! Next, Gracie, the little one in the middle. She is now in charge of a private hospital in Cal- gary. No kidding! She has numerous degrees, first U of Manitoba (Home Ec.) then Sun- nybrook Hospital intemship in Toronto then a Master’s degree in health care administration or something. She did the last degree part-time while working full-time in a real job as Hospital Dietitian, having to be at work every day at, like, cight a.m. or even earlier. Next is me. Could I get bigger glasses? Yes, I . could borraw Lori’s. I can’t get over my shoe on Grace’s nice dress, But I’m so mean I put house paint right in her hair on purpose in grade ten, Oh, she was mad. But she still likes me anyway. - Ah, me. A housewile in a small house in a small town in northwestem B.C, Somy we didn’t go see you play fastball in Kamloops dur- ing the forest fire. Yikes. Or I could say I’m a writer, having been paid for publishing in magazines and newspapers since 1985. Currently writing a regular column for the local paper called ‘“What??’. Married to a pilot! And your dad’s younger-but-not- youngest sister, thus your auntie. All this true so far. Next Celia, my lovie-pal gal, We have been best friends since grade three, other than when we were mad at each other for all of grade five. (Her fault.) We sat on a snowbank in front of her house on Southwood Drive in grade six and decided to travel together after grade twelve, Look at Celia, at this picture taken just before gtad, before we went to Europe, before a lot of things. Celia is currently a busy hairdresser and part- owner of a fairly fancy salon in Winnipeg and lives on land outside of Hadashville with a huge boyfriend who makes his own bullets, I am not making this up! ' How can anyone write fiction when the Real World is so fascinating? Congratulations on your grad and all the awards and your scholarship to Mount Alison. Don't take any cight-thirty classes. Love, Auntie Char % PEOPLE WALK BY AND STARE. They ask questions. They want to know why Russ Seltenrich is building his new home on Haugland Avenue out of styrofoam. “Because you get a solid, secure house,'’ said Selten- rich, who’s building the three-bedroom home with his wife, Carmen, and the help of a couple of friends, Instead of wood, the house’s frame is made out of con- crete and styrofoam. The walls resemble a concrete sand- wich, with the styrofoam panels acting like bread. The panels, which are the size of an average computer monitor, fit together like Leggo and are fastened to each other with plastic ties. The styrofoam panels are then fastened on either side of eight inches of poured concrete. According to Seltenrich, the styrofoam provides insola- tion on the inside and out. And the concrete functions as a and cool in the summer. ’ Jarge thermal mass, so the house says warm in the winter “There’s no air infiltration because of the solid concrete pour,’’ he said, ‘I know houses built like this in Prince George that have very low heating costs, even in very severe weather.'’ Seltenrich has been looking at alternative forms of build- ing houses for years and how to do it cheaply. When he heard about the styrofoam Quad-Lock system, he knew he was on to something good, ‘It makes sense to do it this way,’' he said, “because of the slow transfer of heat from the inside to outside. It reacts to temperature changes slowly.’” Seltenrich said it costs a little more than wood frame construction, but it eliminates putting up vapor barriers or house rap, saving on labour costs. Once the styrofoam is locked in place and the concrete is poured, the walls are ready for dry wall and aluminum siding, Now that his walls are complete, Seltenrich can relax a bit and call the plumber and electrician. He said the house has taken up all of his spare time. ‘It’s not that hard,’’? he said. ‘You have to realize there’s a system involved. You have to build to the system. It’s an engineered product.”’ He started consiruction in April and hopes to be in his new home by November. “‘My son’s coming back from university at Christmas and he wants to have a new house!’ he said, smiling. Local sings in Vancouver SHE DIDN’T WIN the PNE’s youth talent~search contest August 28, but that won't stop Terrace’s Renee Geromino from pursuing her music career, “My cousin and I are making a demo tape of songs I've wrote,’ said Geronimo, who tums 16 next week. Geronimo has been busy this summer singing at church and weddings. She’s also getting ready for the school choir and the musi- cal. Facing stiff competition from 15 other preliminary contest winners at the PNE, Geronimo belted out the Patti Austin song, ‘It Might be you.” “A lot of people said [ Farmer’s ‘AT THE MARKET. LYNNE CHRISTIANSEN THIS SUMMER = some Northwest Community Col- lege cooking students did some fund-raising at the market. Students Jim Casey, Vicki Landirip, Vi Edgar aad their teacher Nick Garcia raised money so they could attend a wedding feast and tombstone unveiling in Clemtu. The students were a huge hit at the market — they sold out every time. People sought after their fresh French bread, herb and rye breads, cinnamon buns, cakes and cookies. While at the celebration in Clemtu the students were able to try a varicty of specialty dishes; they sampled various seaweed meals and herring cggs was good,” she said, ‘“but the- contestants were way: beiter here than in Prince Rupert.”’ Geronimo got the chance to compete provincially at the PNE in Vancouver after winning a community talent search contest in Prince Rupert in July. In Vancouver she was up against other — singers, musicians, and those per- forming novelty acts, This years winner, Sur- tey’s Catherine Tseng, 17, is a classical pianist. She wowed judges with her quick-fingered performance of Weber’s Perpetual Mo- tion. Third runner up was Susan Bishop, 19, a vocalist from South Hazelton. ’ AT THE MARKET: Northwest : | The house that Russ bui A NEW WAY TO BUILD: Russ Seltenrich uses styrofoam panels like the ane's he's halding, to make the walls in his new home. Concrete is poured in between the two styrofoam bricks, which act as heavy-duty insolation. SHE'S GOT SOUL: Renee Geronimo, 16, comp etes in the PNE’s youth talent search contest August 28. oe oF Community College cooking students sold breads and other baked goods this summer to raise money for a trip to Clemtu. (among other things.) The college students’ fund-raising is a perfect ex- ample of how the com- munity works for the market and the market works for the community. The two entities work together. The farmer’s market isn’t just a: successful business, It has a spirit of its own. While the world is on a technological fast track, there is something in most of us thal appreciates the human touch that markets bring. Markets set certain values and standards in motion. Market people must Jearn the rules of fair play. to market coexist, If the flourishes, so do the individ- uals and the community as a whole. City council would now like to the market as catalyst to revitalize another end: of town (Grieg Avenue). This is something the market does not want to be a part of, ‘Jwill be announced at this Around Town Logo contest The Community Living Celebration | Committee would like to extend an in- vitation to the people of Terrace to enter its logo contest. The logo must convey the enrichment that those with disablities bring to our community, Submissions can be sent to: Community Living Celebration Committee c/o Provincial Networking Group #304-3228 Kalum Avenue, Terrace, B.C. V8G 2NL. Deadline is September 15. A prize time. market looking for support J have serious doubts about Greig Avenue becom- ing the centre of town, An- other concern is the fact that our councillors and city planners haven't shown the market much support or good faith. Instead of help- ing us, they have become a serious obstacle to over- come, Recently, the city fined us for littering. We leave the market tidy, but we can’t be responsible for what hap- pens to the garbage through- out ihe week when it isn’t picked up. The city has since rescinded the fine. Terrace’s economic devel- opment officer, Ken Veld- man asked us to be more open to other locations for the market. His statement in The Standard indicates to us that we will be moved, We were promised that we would be notified of any further discussion regarding the market's future, but de- cisions were made off- camera, and we weren't notified of findings. Our real support is with the public and we need to hear from you, There will be petitions circulating the market this Saturday. To find out how you can help support the market, call me, Lynne Christiansen at 615- 0025. :