The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival starts serving Thunder Bay this Friday.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily. In this episode Julie Einerson of Sweet Escape Cake Cafe and Bakery treats us to Raspberry Dream Cups.

The Food and Drink Festival takes place September 12 and September 13 at the CLE grounds.

To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.

The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival starts serving Thunder Bay this Friday.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily. Thursday’s episode features John Murray of the Red Lion Smokehouse who gives us a taste of three varieties of pulled pork sandwiches.

The Food and Drink Festival takes place September 12 and September 13 at the CLE grounds.

To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.

Three days after undergoing bariatric surgery, Dawna Bonde was out walking and shopping.

“I feel great,” she said Thursday morning at the launch of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s bariatric surgery program.

Bonde was the program’s first patient and underwent the weight loss surgery in August.

With a surgical program now in Thunder Bay, patients no longer have to travel to southern Ontario or to the U.S. for a procedure.

“It feels awesome to be home in my own backyard. I’ve got my support team here – my family, my friends. It feels good not to have to travel out of town to do it,” Bonde said.

The Regional Bariatric Care Centre opened at the hospital in 2010 as an assessment and pre-operative care centre.

Patients would then be referred out of town for the actual surgery.

With the addition of the surgical program, it is evolving into one of the province’s six Bariatric Centres of Excellence.

With obesity rates 10 per cent higher in Northwestern Ontario than the rest of the province, the centre’s medical director Asiru Abu-Bakare said the need is clear.

“We have a large population that requires the treatment we are providing,” he said, adding wait times will be reduced now that patients don’t have to travel out of town for the surgery.

The bariatric care centre consists of a team of health care professionals, including dieticians, a psychologist, social worker, nurse, nurse practitioner and kinesiologist.

That team now includes two bariatric surgeons – Andrew Smith and Scott Cassie.

Smith said in the first year of the program, they hope to treat 130 patients and increase that to 170 in their second year.

And although the addition of surgeons to the program will reduce wait times and emotional stress for patients, the treatment is a team effort.

“I think when we look at bariatric care, we have to realize surgery really is only one tool in terms of managing obesity,” Smith said.

“For the patients itself, those other tools include a healthy active lifestyle and healthy eating.  It’s very important not only to have surgeons involved but to have the full complement of the team because there are other people that are important to the care of that patient.”

The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival is serving Thunder Bay starting Friday, Sept. 12.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily.

Friday’s episode features Richard Moorey, known to many as Chef House, and his new Lifted Kilt barbecue sauce. Chef House also handed out some delicious Dogfather Sliders, which will be featured at the Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival. 

The Food and Drink Festival takes place Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 at the CLE grounds.

To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.

The Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival is serving Thunder Bay now.

Keep an eye on tbnewswatch.com for special web episodes of featured participants of this food and drink expo daily.

This final episode features Marcel Rheault of Rheault Distillery and the award-winning Loon Vodka.

The Food and Drink Festival takes place Friday Sept. 12 and Saturday Sept. 13 at the CLE grounds.

To learn more about the festival, including ticket information, visit online here or check out the Facebook page here.

THUNDER BAY -- Local liquor stores are joining a campaign to raise awareness about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

The city’s LCBO retail outlets are partnering with the NorWest Community Health Centre to spread the message about not drinking alcohol while pregnant.

It is estimated that around 2,000 people are affected by FASD in Northwestern Ontario.

Symptoms include difficulties with learning, memory and problem solving as well as an increased risk for mental illness.

(Thunder Bay Television)

THUNDER BAY -- A local business is turning tonnes scrap metal into a charitable donation.

Dutchak Recycle Inc. on Saturday officially made a donation of $10,000, one cent for every 10 pounds of steel collected this past year, towards the Northern Hearts Foundation.

Lori Dutchak, one of the owners of Dutchak, said Northern Hearts is a cause that has personal significance.

“It’s close to my heart because I’ve lost both my parents to heart disease. I think it’s a great thing and we really wanted to give back to the community,” she said.

Dr. Christopher Lai, a cardiologist and past president of the Northern Hearts Foundation, said the funds will be used towards their campaign to purchase a cell sorter.

The machine works in much the same ways as a coin sorter, which separates different kinds and calculates the quantity.

“If a scientist has a whole bunch of cells in a test tube they will be able to tell what kinds of cells they have and whether the experiment or theory is correct,” Lai said.

Lai added a cell sorter costs close to $300,000 and the foundation is hopeful they will have raised enough funds by the end of next year.

This weekend the business is loading up a barge with the 10 million pounds of scrap steel, which will be sent to Sault Ste. Marie.

Dutchak said they hope to hold the campaign again in future years.

THUNDER BAY -- Sharla Brown had a feeling a local food and drink showcase would tap into a niche in the community.

She didn’t expect it to reach as deep as it did.

The first Savour Superior Food and Drink Festival, which was held this weekend inside the CLE’s Coliseum building far surpassed her expectations. She estimated that at least 2,000 people attended over the course of the two day event, which concluded Saturday night.

“I am mind blown as to how many people have come out to support this event,” Brown said. “I always pictured in my mind what I thought it was going to look like but this is 10 times bigger and better than I could have ever imagined.”

On hand were a wide array of local food vendors and restaurant owners eager to showcase their menus and culinary expertise to the public. In addition, area breweries and provincial wineries and distillers provided a taste of their offerings.

With the city in the midst of a resurgence in local dining establishments, with new ones seeming to open almost every month, Brown said the event was a way to get a number of them under one roof to give the general public a wider exposure.

“It’s something that showcases our local food and drink scene. There are some amazing vendors in here people didn’t know existed,” she said.

Once such restaurant is the Red Lion Smokehouse, which is targeting an open date on Cumberland Street around the end of the month 

Owner John Murray said Savour Superior was a great way to put them on the map ahead of their opening.

“It’s a perfect marketing launch for us, exposing ourselves to Thunder Bay,” Murray said. “We’re getting a lot of questions asking when we’re going to be opening.”

Being able to serve so many people in such a quick timeframe allowed the restaurants to either showcase staples of their menus or experiment with new creations.

Red Lion gave samplers a selection of three different takes on the pulled pork sandwich, including the classic as well as two creative and exotic flavours.

The event also provided the different establishments with the opportunity to give culinary demonstrations to the audience, which included quick seminars on local produce and beverage pairings with different meals.

THUNDER BAY -- While less than desirable weather conditions might have dampened community involvement, the city’s second Open Streets event went ahead Sunday.

More than five kilometres of roadway on Algoma Street were blocked off to vehicular traffic, paving the way for pedestrians and cyclists to take over the street.

Chilly temperatures, sporadic showers and threatening skies resulted in fewer people taking to the streets than when it was held on a warm, sunny day but there were still positives, said EcoSuperior program coordinator Ashley Priem.

“We’re still seeing people out on the streets. We’ve had the roller skiers already, some runners and some cyclists and more families as the weather has perked up,” she said.

The Open Streets initiative is a pilot project, with organizers paying close attention to feed back to deem the value of the event and any changes that needed to be made.

There was plenty of response after the first event, which was held in July, for organizers to make modifications.

“It definitely was mostly positive. We had a lot of Facebook comments and feedback and of course there are always some comments that weren’t positive but the responses to support Open Streets totally superseded that,” she said.

“People actually said they wanted the event to happen more and actually wanted it to happen for a longer period of time during the day.”

Priem said one of the biggest changes to the second version of the event was the introduction of their traffic barricade adoption campaign.

In addition to guaranteeing volunteers, it was also a way to spread involvement in the project beyond just the Algoma area.

“It was open to all groups or individuals and it’s a great way to bring more of the community into Open Streets,” she said.

One group that took advantage was the city’s 55 Plus Centre, who set up an exhibition on the southern portion of the route. This was the organization’s first time participating in the event.

Carol Davis, the volunteer coordinator at the 55 Plus Centre, said Open Streets is perfect to allow them to interact with the broader public.

“It’s meeting with different people, seeing different activities going on and being a part of the community,” she said. “I hope it (becomes a regular occurrence).”

Priem said it is too early to say if the event will return in 2015, though she said organizers would be open to holding Open Streets in other areas of the city as well if it were to come back.

THUNDER BAY -- Dan Slomke can still remember the day he met Terry Fox.

It was in 1980 in Terrace Bay during Fox’s Marathon of Hope across Canada. While the conversation did not extend far beyond a simple greeting, it made a lasting impact on the lifelong runner.

“I’ve been running it ever since,” he said Sunday before the start of the city’s 34th annual Terry Fox Run.

“I think about Terry and the people in our family who we’ve lost to cancer and the people who I know who are suffering through it now. I think it means a lot to see what he’s done and all the contributions have been made and what it’s doing to help with cancer. As we all know people are surviving longer.”

Slomke still keeps a picture he took of Fox on the Marathon of Hope, with the Canadian icon pounding the pavement with set pouring off his forehead.

Even 34 years after cancer forced the end of his cross-country journey, the legacy of the young hero continues to live on stronger than ever.

Local run chairman Don Morrison said the reputation of Fox and the runs themselves are a big part of their continued success.

“It’s always special here in Thunder Bay,” he said. “I think it’s in the $600-million range that’s been raised through Terry Fox runs over the past 34 years and that keeps people coming out every year.”

With both the main run, which goes around Boulevard Lake, and events held in local schools, there was about $31,000 raised for cancer research.

During the 143 days in which Fox ran from Newfoundland to just east of Thunder Bay, there were more than a few in which he fought through inclement weather conditions.

If he could do that, running in cool temperatures with the threat of rain is nothing.

“He ran through snow, sleet, rain, and cold. He did a marathon a day,” Morrison said. “Folks in Thunder Bay can come out and run in the rain.”

While the weather may have played a role, as there appeared to be fewer than the 500 participants who showed up one year ago, there was still a large contingent of runners, walkers and cyclists taking to the Boulevard Lake area.

For those, such as Slomke, who were personally touched by Fox, they will continue to support the cause no matter what.

“I know I’ll do it as long as I can,” he said.

THUNDER BAY -- The one positive about the weather Sunday morning is that cyclists participating in the Caribou Charity Ride were not in danger of overheating.

The fifth annual Caribou Charity Ride went off Sunday morning, despite persistent showers and chilly temperatures, with about 350 cyclists taking on the 50 and 100 kilometre distances.

John Sims, a committee member charged with organizing the ride, said the cyclists were working hard enough on the bikes to stay warm, though not necessarily dry.

Sims added it was the cycling community who originally launched the ride, which is now in its sixth year.

“Basically a group of cycling enthusiasts go together along with the Caribou Restaurant and decided to stage a group ride,” he said.

“We thought this was a great way to combine our love of cycling and also an opportunity to raise money for a worthwhile charity in Thunder Bay.”

Dr. Mark Henderson, the executive vice-president of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, was on hand to support the cyclists.

He said the ride has been instrumental in supporting the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation over the event’s first four years.

“This particular event over the past several years has raised more than $175,000 for the foundation and we hope to get another $30,000 this year,” Henderson said. “We’re extremely thankful to everybody who comes out.”

Collaborating with an event that promotes physical activity is an extra bonus, added Henderson, who formerly practiced as a cardiologist.

Funds for this year’s event are geared towards the foundation’s Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign, a cause that resonates deeply with many of the participants, the number of which grows every year as word of the ride spreads.

“A lot of people are here in memory of people they know who have had cancer or been touched by cancer in their lives so it’s a great way to raise awareness and money for cancer,” Sims said.

“We do have people who hear about the event and they say they want to try that as well.”

Henderson said the foundation hopes to meet the $5.9-million goal for the Exceptional Cancer Care campaign by the end of next March.

THUNDER BAY -- City Hall Sounds is set to return.

The City of Thunder Bay is bringing the musical initiative back Thursday Sept. 18 from noon until 2 p.m. at McGillivary Square, just in front of city hall.

The event features live music from Mood Indigo, and will be the destination for many local food trucks.

Community booths and art activities will also be available during the event, with 50-50 draw tickets sold in support of the United Way.

This is a free initiative and is all ages.

 

THUNDER BAY -- With hundreds of people approaching retirement, the OPP is looking to hire an unprecedented number of officers in the next two years.

“We’re seriously looking for a good number of candidates, in particular for Northwestern Ontario,” said uniform recruiter Sgt. Darryl Wilson.

The OPP is looking to hire 600 people in the next two years, which Wilson said is unprecedented.

In response to that need, the OPP is hosting recruitment information sessions across the province throughout September and October, including sessions throughout the region from Pickle Lake to Marathon.

Wilson said he’s looking for 30 candidates per year and the information session is to let people interested in a career as a police officer know just what the position entails so they can determine if it’s right for them.

“We’re looking for a well-rounded individual – a person who has leadership skills, a person who has a good employment record, is physically fit and lives an active lifestyle,” said Wilson.

Grade 12 is the minimum education required, but because of competitiveness the majority of candidates chosen have a college or university level of education.

“We’re looking for people who want to be leaders in their communities, who want to be role models in their communities, who want to serve as a police officer,” Wilson said.
For more information on OPP career opportunities visit the Uniform Recruiting website

THUNDER BAY -- Kathy Maydo knows what it’s like to have her entire life controlled by addiction.

Now nearly three years sober, she recognizes her recovery from alcohol addiction every day when she looks in the mirror and sees she is the person she wants to be.

Maydo will be sharing her story Saturday at Prince Arthur’s Landing during the city’s first Recovery Day event.

She acknowledges it isn’t easy to talk about the issue, but added that it’ll be worth it if she can help even one person find the help they need.

“I did it for my sons, as well as anyone out there who has a problem or think they may have a problem. Sometimes it’s hard to come forward and admit you have a problem,” she said at a Tuesday morning media conference.

“I’m just very grateful to everybody who helped me because I was at an all-time low.”

The event is being hosted by the Drug Awareness Committee in collaboration with the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy and will feature video screenings of local stories of recovery, as well as a documentary about the more than 23 million people who live in long-term addiction recovery centres.

Nancy Hernandez-Basurto, the chair of the Drug Awareness Committee and public health nurse, said recognizing recovery is an important way to show people that addictions can be overcome.

“It’s a breath of fresh air. We often focus on the negatives associated with substance abuse and addiction,” Hernandez-Basurto said.

“It’s really wonderful to hear a story about someone overcoming those challenges and overcoming those barriers, bringing a face and voice to that. It personalizes that, it humanizes it and I think that’s what we need to bring the conversation back to focus on compassion and support.”

In addition to focusing on the recovery aspect of addiction, the event will also educate people about the resources available to help fight substance abuse.

Hernandez-Basurto said the Drug Awareness Committee works with a range of partner organizations to reach out to people when they need help.

“We’re working with community members and recovery stories to raise awareness and challenge stigmas and assumptions associated with substance abuse as well increase awareness around harm reduction strategies and other treatment modalities other people can utilize and learn about,” she said.

The first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem, a process that took Maydo a long time.

It took alcohol completely consuming her, resulting injuries and harm for her to realize it was tearing her apart, rather than providing security.

Maydo said with alcohol in particular, many people might not realize they have an addiction.

“A lot of people might say they just drink on Wednesdays, or just drink on the weekends but it’s a problem and some people don’t realize it’s a problem until it’s too late,” she said.

The event on Saturday, which is free of charge, will run from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is designed to be a family friendly day. There will be food trucks, musicians, magicians, body art and vendors.

There is also a banner that can be signed to show solidarity with those going through recovery.

More information about Recovery Day can be found on the Drug Awareness Committee’s Facebook page

 

Crime prevention starts at home.

The police can’t be everywhere, says Coun. Joe Virdiramo, commenting Wednesday on the importance of the fourth annual Mayor’s Community Safety Awards.

“It’s embracing each other, respecting each other and supporting each other,” said Virdiramo, chairman of the Police Services Board. “That’s how you prevent crime.”

Vidiramo went on to say the city could place police on every corner, but it’s grassroots efforts that will really help the problem disappear.
“We could have hundreds of more officers, but that isn’t going to prevent crime,” he said.

The awards honour members of the public in three categories. There’s the community hero award given to an individual for efforts contributing to a safer community. There’s the young leader award, given to a youth who demonstrates and encourages active participation in community safety. And finally there’s the outstanding community project award, with up to four handed out each year.

Lee-Ann Chevrette, the acting co-ordinator of the city’s crime prevention council, said the awards have showcased plenty of success stories over the years, adding it’s important to celebrate the efforts of individuals and groups to show others what can be done.

“It shows people that those initiatives that others may not think are crime prevention in nature, essentially are,” she said.

Working to make neighbourhoods more inclusive can have positive impacts on the marginalized in our communities, Chevrette said.
Sometimes that’s all it takes to keep someone on the straight and narrow path.

“Those are really important crime prevention initiatives because the more included, the more welcomed and the more respected individuals in our communities feel, the more unlikely they are to cause any harm and the more likely they are to be engaged in positive social activity.”

Nominations for the awards opened on Wednesday, with an Oct. 3 deadline to submit. The crime prevention council and its members will judge the competition. Previous winners are not eligible.

Nomination forms are available online at www.thunderbay.ca/crimeprevention.

 

THUNDER BAY -- Mathematics will be a focal point for local elementary students after the latest standardized test results show a need for improvement in that area.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office released the results for Grades 3 and 6 in reading, writing and math Wednesday.

Lakehead Public Schools shows growth over the last five years in reading and writing at both grade levels, but math has held steady below the provincial average.

Superintendent of education Sherri-Lynne Pharand said overall the board is thrilled with the results, particularly with the increase in reading and writing for Grade 6 students.

But with less than 50 per cent of students meeting the provincial math standard in the junior division, math will be a focus over the next year.

Pharand said the assessment showed the students already have a strong foundation for arithmetic, it’s when to use those skills in problem-solving and real life applications that proves troublesome.

“We’re going to start working in the junior grades,” she said. “It’s where math goes from being really concrete in the early primary to more conceptual in the junior grades.”

About 66 per cent of Grade 3 students met or scored above the standard in reading and 71 per cent passed in writing. Sixty per cent met the standard in math, seven per cent below the provincial average of 67 per cent.

The provincial averages in reading and writing were 70 and 78 per cent respectively.

Seventy-seven per cent of Grade 6 students met the standard in reading; 75 per cent in writing and 47 in math. The provincial averages were 79, 78 and 54 per cent respectively.

The Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board saw their students score above the provincial standard in all three categories in both Grades 3 and 6.

The Grade 3 results were 75 per cent in reading, 83 per cent in writing and 72 per cent in math; the Grade 6 results were 83 per cent in reading, 83 per cent in writing and 56 per cent in math.

Catholic board superintendent of education Omer Belisle said they are pleased with their results and are thankful to their staff, teachers, principals and parents.

Although the Grade 6 math score was above the provincial average at 56 per cent, Belisle said the subject is still going to be a focal point for the board going into the school year as it will be across the province.

‘It’s going to get a lot of attention as it gets measured and we see the results and something that usually gets that kind of attention usually improves,” Belisle said.

“That’s something we have to look closer at and when we deepen our understanding of (the results) then we can see where we really have to allocate our resources,” he added.


 

THUNDER BAY -- Bill Bartley says only two per cent of the world’s water is drinkable.

He’d like to see the younger generation capture a firm understanding of that point while they’re still young enough to let it sink in.

Bartley, who heads the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, held court Wednesday for about 300 students from area schools, his organization teaching children about the importance of a clean water supply and what they can do to help ensure it remains.

“Young people are almost like sponges,” Bartley said. “They absorb an awful lot of information and understand it. As we get older we tend to not believe everything we hear. Basically what we’re doing is passing on some simple things.”

Messages delivered at the annual water festival, in its final year, included teaching children why it’s important to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth, the dangers of oil spills and chemical use on lawns and how water can be used to create energy.

“You learn things faster at a younger age,” Bartley said.

Eight-year-old Brayden Morrill said learning about water was fun and taught him a lot.

“If you put stuff around your backyard and it rains it will go back in the lake. And if you drink that water, it will get you sick,” he said.

“If you put oil in a big truck and it spills it will get into the ground and make the ground bad.”

Ensuring clean water is a no-brainer he said.

“Because then you could drink it, clean your pets and take showers.”

The water festival and displays won’t disappear next year.

Instead, Bartley said, they will mobilize it and rather than hosting a one-day affair at the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds, will take the tour to local schools. Bartley said that way they can spread the conservation message to hundreds of more children.

 

THUNDER BAY -- Judy Davies would love to see a city council split evenly between men and women.

But with just eight females running next month, she knows she faces an uphill battle. Davies, co-chair of the Women in Politics committee, said they’ve been working for a year to encourage more women to join the male-dominated local political fray.

With three more women running in 2014 than in 2010, it’s a small step, but one worth noting, she said.

“We believe we need more women elected,” she said.

“Currently there are only two women elected on council and we’re hoping that we’ll have 50 per cent of the seats filled with women.”

The group has held several forums over the past 12 months, inviting the likes of former Ontario Liberal leader Lyn McLeod to speak to prospective candidates. In March they held an election school and on Thursday they ran a mock debate to help prepare candidates from Thunder Bay and surrounding communities for the already underway campaign.

“We’re just trying to encourage women and support them in the participation of the electoral process,” Davies said.

She thinks it’s working.

“I believe one of the reasons we have more women (running) is because we’ve tried to talk about women in politics and tried to encourage women to run and to provide them with mentorship opportunities along the way.”

Coun. Rebecca Johnson, one of 19 candidates seeking an at-large seat, is in the hunt for her fourth term at the council table.
Johnson and  Neebing incumbent Linda Rydholm were the lone two women who served the city the past four years.

She’d like a little more female company in council chambers, should be re-elected on Oct. 27.

“We represent 52 per cent of the population, so we need to be able to have women step forward as a candidate. From that, they also need to be able to be elected. This is a way we can help train women once they put their name forward,” Johnson said.

“It’s crucially important that we continue to educate women so they can be a better candidate and ultimately be elected.”

Thunder Bay city council generally hovers between two and three women elected each term, with a high of four winning seats in 1974.

 

THUNDER BAY -- City Hall Sounds is set to return.

The City of Thunder Bay is bringing the musical initiative back Thursday Sept. 18 from noon until 2 p.m. at McGillivary Square, just in front of city hall.

The event features live music from Mood Indigo, and will be the destination for many local food trucks.

Community booths and art activities will also be available during the event, with 50-50 draw tickets sold in support of the United Way.

This is a free initiative and is all ages.

 

THUNDER BAY -- Kathy Harris and Clint Harris are no strangers to the spotlight.

It’ll be shining directly on the pair of well-known Thunder Bay media executives on Nov. 6, when the duo will be roasted by those who know them best share the skeletons hiding in their closets at the 12th annual Easter Seals Celebrity Roast.

Kathy Harris, the director of local sales for Dougall Media, and Clint Harris, recently named publisher of the Chronicle Journal, each said they’re not sure what surprises their roasters have in store for them. But it’s all for a good cause, they said.

“I’m here for the same reason as Clint,” said Kathy Harris, best known for completing the famous Boston Marathon on multiple occasions.

“We’ll take a couple of hits on the chin I’m sure, and each other, but at the end of it all, it’ll be worth it for the kids.”

Clint Harris, known to sing the occasional pre-game anthem at Lakehead Thunderwolves hockey games and a part-time celebrity boxer around town, said it’s important to support Easter Seals.

“The kids need what they need and without the money and fund coming in, they don’t get what they need and they can’t achieve the goals they want to achieve as any other child would like.”

That’s what it’s all about, said Rhonda Harrison, senior development officer at Easter Seals Ontario.

“It’s an amazing event,” she said.

“This is our biggest event of the year, so we’re excited.”

For more than 90 years Easter Seals has been providing assistance to children with physical disabilities of purchase walkers, wheelchairs and other mobility equipment.

“We also have fully accessible summer camps. So we have children in Northwestern Ontario that go to our camps every year and have great experiences,” Harrison said.

About 180 children from Thunder Bay and the region utilize the services provided by Easter Seals.

The Celebrity Roast for Easter Seals takes place Nov. 6 at the Valhalla Inn ballroom. Tickets are $150 and are available at their Cumberland Street office.