52 ~ Wednesday, October 19, 1988 ~ North Shore News ra SUSPICIOUS OF_ME, lp ..OH, THIS ISN'T KNOWN TO \ MANY...GUESS WHO GENTLEMEN, (VE DECIDED To JOIN YouR UNION os WAM Pp 1h Bones J Ws ~ = 4p us yom ue AND “THEY'VE VOWED INGENIOUS WS To FOIL IT / ©1987 King Featwes Syndicate. Inc Wong nghis reserved BOY, IF MRS, BUTINSK| VISITS YOU, YOU SURE DON'T NEED TO READ THE GOSSIP 7 COLUMNS! SALLY STONE IS «PROVIDED YOU CAN GUARANTEE MY SALARY. Quay holds pumpkin contest FIRE UP those imaginations and get out the pumpkin carving gear, Lonsdale Quay’s third annual pumpkin carving contest is now handing out entry forms. To enter and have a chance at great prizes, children 13 years old and younger can pick up a free pumpkin voucher and an entry form at the market. After carving pumpkins at home, entrants can bring them to the market's information booth anytime on Oct. 29 for judging in three categories — six years and younger, seven to 10 years old and 11 to 13 years old. Judging is Oct. 30 at 1 p.m., and promises to be colorful, said organizers. “Last year’s contest was a great success,’’ said Lonsdale Quay’s Janet King. ‘‘We're expecting our third annual (contest) to be the best ever.’’ Prizes in all categories include Canucks hockey tickets and souvenirs. For further contest information, call the market at 985-2191. Pedal, picnic im the forest THE SEYMOUR Pedal and Picnic event has been rescheduled to Sunday, Oct. 23. Originally scheduled by the Greater Vancouver Regional District for Sept. 25, the event was cancelled due to rain. Cyclists can bring their bikes to the Seymour Demonstration Forest in North Vancouver for a relaxing day of cycling on a paved road with no cars. Pack a picnic lunch and meet at the forest’s gate at If a.m. Bike mechanics will be on hand to help fine-tune bikes. Warm up to music, then get set for an 1!km moderately-challenging route to the Seymour Dam. If you don’t have a bike, Sports Rent will have a selection of bikes to rent at reasonable prices. The ride is an opportunity to capture the magic of a fall day in this majestic forest setting. Giant evergreen trees welcome you en route, You may catch a glimpse of the brilliant blue-colored Steller’s Jay, B.C.’s official bird, or hear the song of chickadees, bushtits and kinglets high overhead. You might also see seed-gathering squirrels searching for cones in preparation for winter. Those who are lucky may catch sight of a black-tailed deer. There will be first-aid stations, bicycle safety tips and juice served at four stops along the way. Participants can rest at Mid’ Valley Viewpoint and gaze out over the Seymour Valley. On ar- rival at the dam, picnic under a tent, explore forest trails, view the Seymour Falls and Coliseum | Mountain, tour the Seymour River Hatchery, look for migrating salmon or just relax. . The Seymour Pedal and Picnic will run rain or shine. To get to the Seymour Demonstration Forest, travel to the end of Lillooet Road in North Vancouver. , For more information call GVRD Parks at 432-6350. AIDS is focus of - medical convention AIDS AND sexually transmitted diseases will be the educational focus of the 1988 BC Medical Association annual convention, held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver, Oct. 19 to 22, Other highlights of the conven- tion will be the swearing in of Dr. David Blair, of Campbell River, as new association president, and keynote speeches by Dr. John O’Brien-Bell, president of the Ca- nadian Medical Association, and Stan Dubas, B.C.’s deputy minister on health. The BCMA General Assembly will debate a variety of recom- mendations ranging from ski safe- ty legislation to having wheelchair access codes printed in the Yellow and Pink Pages directories. The AIDS seminars will highlight several guest speakers, including Dr. Michael Rekart, head of the government's sex- ually-transmitted diseases control DR. DAVID Blair of the B. Medical Association ...new presi- dent. program and Dr. John Blatherwick of the Vancouver Public Health Department. Support availabie for single parents “WHEN A marriage or long-term relationship breaks up, one often feels out of kilter with the whole world. It affects everything from friendships to financial and emotional stability,’? comments Mabel Izat who runs the Single Parent Support Group for the North Shore Family Services Socie- ty. Izat has been involved in this type of work for seven years. Izat explains that groups such as this one can make a crucial dif- ference to newly-single parents. “Many people have said they would have been at a complete loss without the help this group offers. It’s a safe place where single men and women can share concerns about themselves and their children (there is babysitting available during the sessions). They are angry, hurt, and have a lot of decisions to make.’’ In addi- tion, Izat says, there are veteran single parents in the group who provide a different outlook for the newly-single men and women. The Single Parent Support Group meets every Friday night that school is open from 6:30 to 8:30 at Queen Mary Community School (enter off 8th, east of Keith Road). No pre-registration is required and people are welcome to drop in at a cost of $2 per session. Izat By ROSEMARY PARRETT-KEEVIL Contributing Writer likes to encourage regular atten- dance to build a small community of support for the single parents. “Many of the parents don’t get a lot of opportunity to meet with other adults on a regular basis, so this turns out to be a special even- ing. The: children also look for- ward to it because they have a fun social time in the child-care area,” explains Izat. She also arranges parties for adults and youngsters on certain occasions such as Halloween and Christmas. One-time single parent families often end up in blended families and the North Shore Family Ser- vices Society also offers a course for blended families entitled Step- familiva: from Surviving to Thriv- ing. For more information call 988-5281.