October 23, 2002 The Students’ Union Pride Collective meets Wednesdays at 4:00pm in the Pride Resource Room (Room 110 in the Students’ Union Building). All lesbian, gay, bi, transgendered, questioning an allied students are welcome. )awn-Louise McLeod )P Columnist ere’s a risky prescription for alleviating the blues: really worth the lineup, though—pancakes, cran- ree sugar-hyped and wrangling kids, one tired _ berry-stuffed sausages, fruit, coffee, and juice. My d cranky mom, one really nasty cold per person, kids couldn't finish it all. I attempted to restrain d two nights of camping in mid-October. It myself by recalling a friend’s edict: “You're a moth- ould all go so wrong so easily, but what sounds — er, not a garbage can,” but said “what the heck,” ke a recipe for disaster turned out to be an atti- and finished it for them. ude-adjustment remedy. The festival itself would have been a disappoint- There's something about breaking with routine ment, if not for the perfect weather and the excuse at makes you realize what's really important in to camp. Mostly it was all about merchandising. fe, and it sure as heck doesn’t start with ‘s and The street entertainment was minimal, and all the d with ‘1’ That’s right, peace of mind. The kind kiddie amusements cost money. Luckily, my kids ou get from watching your kids play on a river- are kind of beyond the Dumbo ferris wheel phase. ank at sunset while you watch the wake from a Though the two youngest insisted on pony rides. assing tugboat. In previous years there have been pumpkin-carv- A few miles upriver from the place that starts ing contests, scarecrow displays, kiddie crafts, and ith Douglas and ends with College is a beautiful cranberry beading. This year my kids had more ttle retreat, although a bit touristy, called Fort fun hunting for horse chestnuts and acorns at angley. I've known and loved it since school roadside. True, firefighters were having a training whoops, that word) field trips as a kid. It’s a small session—but no way were my kids about to gear emi-rural community that has somehow eluded up and spray passersbys with the all-powerful lhe suburban scourge of ripping down antique hose—not even when I offered to dress up and do uildings and replacing them with generic-look- _ it for them. And the problem wasn’t, as I thought, ag monster houses and shopping malls. Like , gender-based. “No, Mom, that’s little kid stuff,” any pastoral communities, it holds an annual said my eight-year-olds. harvest celebration, the Cranberry Festival. Traffic After having our fill of food, window displays, b redirected as streets are opened for pedestrians heritage homes, and Halloween decorations, we Douglas Students’ Union ad for displays of country treats and entertain- headed to the Fort, as in “Fort” Langley. Enroute, : y ents. we stopped at a garage sale, where for the cost of Local 18-Canadian Federation of Students Last Friday, determined not to spend yet anoth- one kiddie ride I bought steel-toed boots for my r weekend mired in homework, I packed up my _ kids, handy for some sibling butt-kicking when ent trailer and my kids and headed for the camp- he/she won't let you have a turn at being the alien. tround across the river from Fort Langley. Despite Usually the Fort has a theme in line with the eavy traffic, we arrived before sunset and found Cranberry Festival, but they must have been short omeone willing to back the trailer into our camp-_ of volunteers this year, because the only reference a g Fala: ite, a secluded spot on the riverbank. Though the __ to the festival was a contest where we guessed how ay had been hot and sunny, the temperature many cranberries were in a jar. I wandered around, Your Best Choice &S Family Owned & Operated Since 1979 604-521-1111 plummeted once the sun was gone. Deaf to my taking pseudo-artistic photos with my digital 99-8th Street. New Westminster oungests demands for pre-dinner “roast marsh- while the kids panned for “gold.” Parents— put a x allows,” I sent the kids off to gather kindling for sand-and-water filled trough in your backyard, he fire. Since the most stressful part of first night add bits of spraypainted solder, give your kids Visit us af WW DENQDIEZZ.CA amping, next to backing up the trailer, is getting some old pans, and it'll keep them out of your hair inner ready when everyone's tired and demand- __ for weeks. FREE DELIVERY g marshmallows, I congratulated myself on hav- Our disappointment at the lack of actual festiv- g prepared dinner prior to leaving home. Even _ ities was alleviated somewhat by a late afternoon etter, I'd remembered to bring it. vintage aircraft show over the skies of Fort Around the fire, the kids played some game Langley. And what’s a Cranberry Festival without “Lo Eat aha ei aaa VANCOUVER volving an alien’s takeover of their bodies. actual cranberries? At a nearby farm, we filled bags BELLA Reader’s Choice MADNESS!!! Large Pepperoni Pick Up Only $5 99 Not valid with any other offer. This offer expires Dee 21/02 Because it was so close to Halloween, they decid- and bags of cranberries to keep our blackberries d that screaming at the tops of their registers was company in the deep freeze. ntirely appropriate. I pointed out that it was Having walked all day, we trundled home to our hanksgiving weekend, so we should be quietly campsite, our van heavy with harvest, our tum- iving thanks to the Spirit in the Sky, but I don't mies full of cranberry cookies and sausages. hink they heard me. Instead, I prayed for some Around the fire that night, the kids kept asking, lowdy campers to mask the ruckus. “Is it bedtime yet?” There was little discussion of Because wed camped virtually on site, next aliens or their ability to take over bodies. Nor was norming we drove a mere two minutes to a great there any screaming. Too bad, really, because the barking spot on the main drag. But the best part rowdy neighbours had moved in...but that’s as that we could make fun of the drivers lined up —_ another story. ong Glover Road trying to get into Fort Langley. ‘m almost embarrassed to admit that this was the Send your excellent Thanksgiving adventure to: ighlight of our day. The pancake breakfast was _iconoclastcom@yahoo.ca Reader’s Choice