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