Monday February 20th, 2012 is family day in Ontario, and a full day of activity is being scheduled in Alliston. Family Day Activities in Beeton Family Day Activities in TottenhamFun will get underway at 9:00 a.m. a the New Tecumseth Recreation Complex.Shinny games will be played on both rinks and a Family Skate will be held from noon to 3:00 p.m.Schedule of Shinny times available here.A "tot lot" will be open at the Fieldhouse from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The walking track will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.A family soccer game will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. A full schedule of shinny times for each age group at each of the facilities is available online.The cost for events at New Tecumseth's Recreation facilities is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children aged four to seventee... 02/18/2012

YuKi Sushi, Alliston Ontario, the "new" Sushi Restaurant in town.OK, "new" is relative. But I finally walked over to the Southwest corner of Victoria and Paris streets and tried the fare at Alliston newest and only Sushi Restaurant.I decided to order a Bento Box and an order of Edamame and walk back to the office and sample the fare of this intimate restaurant in downtown Alliston. I sampled the Salmon Bento Box, which included a salad, miso soup, sashimi, sushi and a roll.I was very pleasantly surprised. The food was fresh, very tasty, and I found the Miso soup and Edamame not salty at all, which seems to be my most common complaint.Now, this restaurant, is not an "all-you-can-eat" restaurant like Sushi Hama in Bolton or Akira Sushi in Barrie. What you might fall short in quantity, I f... 02/11/2012

Boob Tour Coming to Alliston! Where: Hornet's Nest (New Tecumseth Recreation Complex - 2nd Floor) When: 7:30 p.m. February 9th, 2012 The Boob Tour is a Stand Up Comedy Troupe touring to fight Cancer.  Proceeds from this show are for the Relay For Life Alliston. Tickets, $25.00, are available at the Hornet's Nest, Carline Automotive Services (Victoria St E), or by calling Patricia Durbano @ 705.435.8832 02/05/2012

Kiss Cancer Goodbye at Mike's Family Restaurant, Alliston! Mike's Family Restaurant, 52 Wellington St. W, Alliston is normally closed on Mondays.  For the last two years, owner, Mike Toukas and his staff have started a February tradition of opening Mondays for breakfast and donating all profits to the Canadian Cancer Society. For this fundraising endeavour, the staff volunteer their efforts to ensure as much money as possible can be donated to this worthy charity.  In the previous two years, this month-long event has generated $35,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.  The target this year is $34,000. Drop by for a meal on February 6th, 13th, Family Day the 20th, and/or the 27th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On Family Day, the Junior C Alliston Hornets will also be helping out and Mike's F... 02/04/2012

CR-V comes to Alliston! The first 2012 Honda CR-V rolled off Honda Canada Manufacturing (HCM) the production line in Alliston on January 23rd, 2012. This fourth generation CR-V, considered a global model, is produced in 10 countries and sold in over 160 countries around the world. The CR-V is the fourth distinct model to be manufactured in the Alliston Honda facilities, joining the Civic, the MDX and the ZDX.  Production is back to peak levels, about 1,600 vehicles per day between the two assembly plants as the Alliston plant seems to have recovered from slow downs due to parts shortages as a result of two natural disasters in 2011.  HCM employs approximately 4,200 people in Alliston and is responsible for many more local jobs in secondary and tertiary automotive industries as well as l... 02/01/2012

One of the TV shows that are on "auto-tune" in our home is BT, Breakfast Television, a Morning Show out of Toronto that combines local and international News with Weather and Sports and adds information on upcoming local events and other topical information. Last week, as I was passing through our kitchen, I heard the host mention a European study that indicated we should be putting our toilet lids down, before we flush.  Now I can remember hearing this ten years ago, but as with most things, we can develop bad habits over time. The reasoning behind this is that the act of flushing a toilet can create an explosion of germs and bacteria to become airborne.  I have heard elsewhere that these germs can be distributed as many as seven feet.  Think of your washroom/bathroom and picture the i... 01/08/2012

I can remember reading an article in Reader's Digest, probably in the 1970's, perhaps in the early 1980's and have never forgotten it. It was about a movement, probably starting in California (isn't that where most "movements" start ;-) It challenged a generation, and me specifically, to Commit Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty. In among the general sea of negativity that constantly floods us and pervades our media, there are beacons of hope, a promise of a better world. They challenge us personally to prove that one person can make a difference. Pay it forward is one such movement that has gained much traction. In the link above, I wrote how the two movements have challenged me and challenged others... peopleforgood.ca is another similar movement. I have seen ads for this mo... 12/30/2011

We arrived home late last night after our traditional Christmas Celebration at my parents on Christmas Eve.  We went to an early Christmas Eve mass and then came back to my parents for Christmas Dinner.  Alec saw a video message Santa had sent to him and was even more excited.  We had been checking on Santa's progress through Asia and Europe all evening online and later that evening we opened our Christmas Stockings and our Secret Santa gifts. The last we saw, Santa was in Ireland, heading to North America. Santa's message to Alec Alec was full of energy after spending two days with Nana and Poppa, my brother and Alec's cousins.  When we arrived home, soon after he made sure that we left Santa some Milk and Cookies that Alec told Santa he would leave him, Alec wanted to go to bed (since... 12/25/2011

Those who know me, know that I love Christmas Music, and that my favorite Christmas Carol is O Holy Night.  I found some great versions of this Christmas Classic as well as my all-time favorite version, Mahalia Jackson's and have the videos on my previous post. A very few people may know that I also love Zydeco... It is such a "fun" and "happy" music... Guess what I found today on the "Interweb"?   ...Zydeco Christmas Music!!! Louisiana Christmas Day Party Down (not really a Christmas song, but...) Party this Christmas *** Interweb is a term I have borrowed from Brent Butt, who wrote and starred in Corner Gas, a Canadian Sitcom that you can probably find on re-runs 12/17/2011

Entr'acte, a flute and guitar recital, performed by Sgt. Lawrence Barley and Jaye E. Marsh at St. Andrew's Anglican Church, Alliston on Friday December, 9th at 8:00 p.m. View Larger Map This diverse program, assured to appeal to people of all ages, includes work by the Beatles, Ravel, Pergolesi, Piazzolla, Ravel and David Foster. Proceeds from this concert will be donated to the 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron's Operation H0H0H0.  Since 2004, this Operation has flown "elves" and Toronto Maple Leafs down to Sick Kids Hospital to deliver Christmas presents and cheer to children staying at the hospital during the Christmas Season. Tickets for this event are $10 for seniors and students and $15 for adults.  Advanced tickets can be purchased by calling 705.424.1200 X1376 or 647.800.5025. Th... 12/08/2011

Starting Saturday December 10th, every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (except Christmas Eve), Shop Local at your Alliston Indoor Market (AIM). Opening year round at the Alliston Memorial Arena, 49 Nelson St., Alliston. View Larger Map Craft Vendors and local Artisans, Christmas Gifts, Great Food! Support your local Vendors and find that one-of-a-kind gift... fresh cut local CHRISTMAS Trees!  Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Fresh Baked Goods, Gluten Free Foods, Smoked Meats, Smoked Fish, Fine Foods, etc.  Fresh local produce in season. Save time!  Save Gas!  Shop Local and support our neighbours! 12/07/2011

Want to soak up some Christmas Spirit? Knox Presbyterian Church, located at 160 King Street South in Alliston, is hosting a choir performance tonight, Sunday December 4th, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Sit back with family and friends and enjoy this Christmas Cantata.  Refreshments will be served after the performance.  Freewill offerings will be appreciated. View Larger Map 12/04/2011

November 26th will be full of family activities in Alliston. The day will start at 2:00 p.m. with our 2nd Alliston Hometown Christmas.  Mill St. (which will be closed to vehicular traffic) is the site of this Free Family Fun event that will include:  Face Painting;  Christmas Card Making;  Christmas Cookie Decorations among other activities and of course meeting Santa Claus on the porch of Bern's Flowers. Alliston's Light Up celebrations will ensue at 5:00 p.m. on Mill Street and lead into our 5th Annual Night-Lit Santa Claus Parade starting at 6:00 p.m. from Banting Memorial High School and traveling west on Victoria Street ending in the Canadian Tire Parking Lot. Come and be part of the day's celebrations and the kickoff to the Christmas season with Alliston's Hometown Christmas Famil... 11/26/2011

SEARS CANADA, as part of their "Sears Tree of Wishes Holiday 2011" Campaign to buy gifts for less fortunate children, has pledged to donate $1 for every new "LIKE" (to a maximum of $10,000) of their FACEBOOK Page until December 25th. As of about 11:00 p.m. EST November 21st, they have ~ 3,000 new likes.  That means there is about $7,000 dollars that Sears Canada still has left to donate to their charity on our behalf, one dollar at a time. The next time you log on to Facebook, search for SEARS CANADA and "like" them ... and ensure that Sears will donate the maximum of $10,000 this year. 11/21/2011

November 17th, 2011 - Snow fell about an hour north of us - in areas off Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, but alas, none in Alliston =( We were driving back from an Office Meeting in Barrie when we drove through this: Our first snow!  ... OK, it was not accumulating on the ground, but you know it is just a matter of time... Further north, this is what they woke up to: If you haven't thought about it, now is the time to prepare your car for winter 11/17/2011

I have seen many tributes to the men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. I find the emotions evoked in this song so strong, so powerful... two minutes, its a pittance of time, lest we forget... to borrow words from this tribute of song by Terry Kelly ... 11/11/2011

Its that time of year again. As winter approaches, we are entering another flu season. We can help reduce the spread of influenza through a proactive regimen including frequent good handwashing, covering our coughs and sneezes (or coughing into our elbows), staying home when sick, but the best way to prevent the spread of influenza is to get vaccinated every year. The influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of six months who is not allergic to the vaccine. A recent study showed that the influenza vaccine results in a reduction of 30,000 visits to hospital emergency departments, 1,000 hospitalizations and 300 deaths in Ontario alone. Upcoming Alliston Flu shot clinics will be held at the Alliston New Tecumseth Recreation Centre on November 5th and again on Novemeber 19... 10/31/2011

Where: Alliston Memorial Arena When: Monday October 31st, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Children's Halloween Party Come listen to a Ghost Reader tell some spooky stories. Play games to win prizes, enjoy Pizza and refreshments. Take part in the Halloween Costume contest for the scariest, funniest and most original costume. Judging to take place at 7:00 p.m. for children 8 and under and 8:30 p.m. for children 9 and older. Many Thanks to the generous support of the Alliston Community Policing Committee, Honda of Canada Mfg. Inc., the Town of New Tecumseth, Nottawasaga OPP, and other local businesses. 10/29/2011

Its not this bad... YET, but current wisdom advises us to change our summer tires over to winter tires when the average temperature reaches seven degrees Celcius (approx. 45 degrees fahrenheit). It is normally in this temperature range that you will start seeing frosts and black ice in the mornings, and when you will start to appreciate the benefits of winter tires. If you live in an urban area and are not convinced of the benefit of purchasing dedicated winter tires, there has been a new type of "all weather" tire to hit the market the last few years. These tires are a hybrid of summer and winter tires and has achieved RAC winter ratings (in Canada a circular stamp on the sidewall of Mountains and snowflakes). These tire outperform all-season tires in winter and can be driven all year... 10/28/2011

Winter is fast approaching, and there still is a few days left to contribute to the annual Coats for Kids Drive in Alliston. Donations of good quality, new or gently used children's coats, hats, scarves, gloves and mittens can be dropped off at: Clothes Line 55 Victoria St. W., Alliston during the business hours: Mon - Thurs 9 am - 5 pm, Fri 9 am - 8 pm, and Sat 10 am - 4 pm. Donations for this years drive will be accepted until October 15th. This might be the perfect opportunity to de-clutter your closets and help local children. 10/13/2011