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Show Free Press - Wednesday, December Shop at home and give you, your town present - n A bit of advice on "How to Ruin Your Town" offers the following gem : everything you can out of town or in a discount These firms are the first to come through with catalog. the donations and service to the community." ' That's A sound piece of advice for those hoping to undermine the economic g of their community. And it is never more appropriate than at this time of well-wor- 10, 1986 - Page 2 from the larger stores those with national advertising budgets. The advertising is designed to draw shoppers from everywhere and it woi v , to the detriment of local businesses and your local community. If we are interested in supporting our communities, we must be interested in seeing that the dollars we spend go back into those communities. That means we should shop at the stores located closest to home. There are a lot of other good reasons for doing business with people you know and who have the same stake in the community as you do. The lower prices offered by the discount stores located at the malls and shopping centers don't take into account driving time and expense. And spending retail dollars in another town does nothing to improve the tax base of your own community - "-- Buy well-bein- year. For retail businesses, the Christmas season provides the highest sales volume of the year. That's because we are buying more this month than we buy at any other time. As a result, there is a great deal of competition for all that money floating around at Christmastime, arid that's reflected in increased advertising on all levels. Naturally the largest amounts of advertising comes so-call- ed out-of-to- News reports cast doubts on safety of all our foods Oh, dear me, I must quit reading the newspapers. They are most upsetting. Here I am past my threescore years and ten and some BYU professor describes the effects of environmental chemicals on the body. He says that research shows that chemicals in the encertain vironment cause cancer in fish and animals and humans could consume many of these suspected carcinogens through the food chain. Well, what is the meaning of The dictionary "environment?" says it is the circumstances or conditions by which we are surrounded. So there you have it. All the food we raise in our area and even the air we breathe could contribute to cancer. How have I lived so long? And how much longer can I live when almost everything I eat contains carcinogens? This past summer I raised beautiful cantaloupes and melons that were succulent and sweet. My tomatoes were just plain lovely. My apples, pears and plums were a delight to the taste, but did they contain the elements that cause cancer? There is one thing in my favor. I did not go fishing this past summer so I did not bring home any fish, so, unconsciously I didn't bring to my food. family some cancer-causin- g Oh, what the heck, we have a marvelous environment. Let us enjoy it. If we stop to worry about such things as cholesterol or carcinogens in the foods we eat we could die of malnutrition. Now, a man by the name of Richard Leakey, an anthropologist, reports finding the fossils of two previously unknown apes in East Africa. They refer to Mr. Leakey as the famed researcher of early man. Sometimes it is not difficult for me to believe that we descended from monkeys or apes as we look around the world and see how men make monkeys of themselves. Frankly, I would just as soon believe we descended from donkeys the way some people make asses of themselves. The most disturbing news of all is expert. He claims by a that by the year 2000 or thereabouts, the white population in America will be the minority. How can we visualize such a condition. It would mean that from the president down to our local politician, they could be members of what is now a minority group. p 4 B By TOM GRIFFITHS The cry of Aparthied is going out against South Africa but what would the cry be for the minority in this country? Aren't we glad we live in this age, but if we are observant we can see already the change beginning to take place. Good-hearte- d America , patronage. But a close examination will show that most local . businesses are competitive. In addition, they are convenient, they are operated by friends and neighbors who have an interest in keeping your business, and who are responsive to your needs, they have better, more personal service and they have a good selection of merchandise. When buying gifts and goods this holiday season, you can give yourselves and your community a Christmas gift by shopping at home. Theft also robs the Christmas spirit you better browsing j which receives a portion of the sales tax. It does, however, go to support the mass transit system that the residents of that community get to use. Of course, it's up to local merchants to offer competitive prices and the type of service that justifies local has thrown open her gates to almost all nations of the earth, and someday the expert says we shall pay dearly for this folly. Recently we had a neighbor who on an came from Australia education visa. When the visa time was up the immigration people insisted she leave immediately. She requested permission to stay longer but the authorities said nothing doing. So this woman of fine character who would be an asset to any community was shipped back to Australia. But boat loads of Cubans and boat into this people were allowed country without question. Many of them were people of shady character who caused trouble after they entered the country. It is true that many of our relatives came from foreign lands. Many of them, including myself, came through Ellis Island where they were put through numerous tests before they were allowed to enter the country. For example, I was forced to have three complete physical examinations before I was allowed to leave Ellis Island. We were quarantined in New York Harbor for three days because one of the immigrants was of having a comsuspected municable disease. The fact that these people were called upon to sacrifice so they could come to this country made them appreciate their citizenship in this country. America was built by stalwart people, but because of the action of weak-kneepoliticans we face the future with fear and uncertainty. d Candy came from St. George to Salt Lake City to see her parents and to do a mite of Christmas shopping. She was standing in line at a large store when a small lad stepped up to the counter to pay for a toy he'd picked out. The clerk informed him that his sweaty little hand didn't contain enough money to pay for the toy. He only needed a few more cents. Candy, watching the transaction, decided to help the young man out of his predicament. "How much more does he owe," she asked the clerk. Candy put her bundle of purchases down on the counter near the cash register and fished in her bag for the change to finish paying for the lad's purchase. "I felt so good. It was like I had a chance to show the true spirit of Christmas," Candy said. She found the money, paid the clerk, and turned to pick up her armful of gifts. Her bags were gone. They were nowhere to be seen. Candy turned frantically. "Did you see where my packages went?" she asked the other shoppers standing in line. They all shook their heads. was about $75 worth of gifts there," she mourned. , That would do it, I mean, that would make your Christmas spirit leave in a hurry. Candy left in a hurry. She was anxious to return to St. George. She was disappointed. Oh, it wasn't just losing her packages. It was losing her faith in her fellow men. That's a much greater loss than the armful of gifts. That's why it's so fun to shop in Lehi. That sort of thing would never happen here, would it? And if it did - I'll bet Chad Smith and his fellow policemen would find the culprits and get the stuff back. Anyway, I'm staying at home to do my shopping. When the Cougars beat that good Air Force team Saturday, they automatically gave a lot of people a bonus Christmas gift. I have several friends who will get a trip to the Freedom Bowl. When the Y plays UCLA there will be a lot of Lehi fans in the audience, all courtesy of Santa Claus. And, that's great. But the rest of you who aren't heading for California, come on down to the high school and watch . believe it By BETTY FOWLER Candy hurriedly glanced around the area. She saw nobody with her bags. She alerted the store's security all to no avail. Her packages were gone. So was her Christmas spirit. "I'd spent a lot of money. There and blue trees, trees decorated with stuffed ice cream cones, trees hung with tiny guitars, trees decorated with crayons and pencils. There are trees decorated with clowns, dolls, teddy bears and rocking horses, one even completely ornamented with 101 Dalmatians. One tree has pink elephants on the branches, another has angels, one has seagulls, another: fuzzy sheep and wooden sleds. It's almost too much to take in at one time and that's not counting the new Aisle of Wreaths and the Gingerbread Village; each takes a day in itself to fully examine. I love the originality, the clever ideas found at the Festival. illlii, And, to think, what Jason Buck is to the Y's football team, so is Laura Clark to "The Nutcracker." And there are quite a few Lehi children performing in major roles. Alyson and Cordell Fox, among them. Don't miss this holiday treat. Check the ads in today's paper for ticket information and plan to attend. It'll start a tradition you'll want to follow from now on. And, our own Lehi super stars, Jackie Colledge and her young entourage are the catalysts behind this wonderful holiday gift. Biggest Christmas trees lined Main Street Every time cities start sprucing up for Christmas, I find myself remembering the giant Colorado blue spruces that ran down the middle of Main Street in my home town of Montpelier, Idaho. Through downtown Montpelier -all four blocks of it - Main Street was four lanes wide. But starting at 7th Street, the two inside lanes were replaced by a wide raised divider covered with grass. Each divider was a block long, and each had three or four huge spruce trees down the center. I have no idea how old those trees were. Coming into town on Highway 89 -which turned into Main Street - the massive spruce trees were an impressive sight, and probably the town's most memorable characteristic. Highway 89 is a major route to Yellowstone National Park, and it winds through a lot of small towns in the southeastern corner of Idaho. But people remembered Montpelier as the town with the trees down Main Street. They remembered it even more around Christmastime when, in the course of getting ready for the holiday, the town turned all of those spruce trees into Christmas trees, strung with huge colored lights that could be seen for quite a distance. These weren't the delicate lights you find in Provo or on Temple the editor's column district, in the middle of Main Street - reducing the four lane road to two lanes. But the ice on the roads always made the trip down Main Street, or any other street, an adventure. When it got dark and cold, the trip was even more interesting. In that odd winter combination of dark skies and white snow, with huge flakes adding to the piles and covering the trees' branches, those massive Christmas lights strung on the spruce trees seemed to give off more of a soft glow than a bright light. I always thought they were the best Christmas trees that could ever be. I would have thought so even more if I had realized that other towns By MARC HADDOCK . '!, , ; ; Square, but large, brightly colored lights. Despite whatever was done in the business district, those gigantic Christmas trees dominated the city's Christmas decorations. Montpelier is cold country, and if the snow falls anywhere, it falls in Bear Lake Valley first. Towards Christmas, snow falls regularly. My earliest Christmas memories are of driving down Main Street in the evening, everything covered with white and snow still falling. The roads were kept clean by snow plows that piled up excess snow on the dividers and, in the business didn't have Christmas trees like that. Those massive trees gave the community character, and the residents of town were proud of them. Small towns need something that makes them stand apart. Some rely on a sense of history or a nearby natural feature to increase community cohesiveness. Those trees had helped fashion Montpelier's individual character. There was just one problem. They were on a major highway instead of a city street - and one day someone who had little concern for the town's unique character decided they had to be taken out. Traffic through town was in , -- Tree festival successful By SHARON MORREY The Festival of Trees is unique. It's the only place I've seen where anything you can imagine can be found on a Christmas tree and beauty is the result. It's unique also in the tremendous amount of giving that's evident. Trees come from families, church and civic groups, businesses and fraternites, clubs and communities. There are trees given in memory of a child who has died and put up every year as a gift of love to the living. There's a feeling with the Festival. Part of that is just plain awe at the numbers and the creativity: pink our Pioneers. There'll be a warm, welcome for you, just as warm as on the coast. And, if you want a special treat, gather up your young'uns and head . down to the Y to watch Jackie Colledge's Utah Regional Ballet perform "The Nutcracker". It's an evening your children will ' never forget. And, the cost is minimal. Usually, the ballet is held after Christmas, but this year, you can witness the miracle of " The Nutcracker" as a wonderful gift given as one of the ' celebrations. It's just plain breathtaking to see all the silver and tinsel and the lights together too. I'm delighted to find a tree hung with delicately etched mirrors, amused to find one decorated with small road signs and stockings. It's fun for the brain, exhilarating for the senses, stimulating for the heart to attend the annual Festival. -- 1 I V'S y v; V. ,W . .1- - ' . ".. :5i :,yj h 'v rgfJ,. NXi2L3" tJi Ilk Oftentimes what goes with the tree almost more exciting than even the tree itself L l-Z&- is i 4 .ntt . . --Donald Fellowi in Saugartiet, N.Y., "Catekill Mountain SUr" 89 v!:, And besides all that, it's a tangible example of people giving to other peopje in need. (All of the proceeds from the auction of the trees and wreaths and houses and boutique items go to the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City.) It's truly something to be part of. Reading a metropolitan newspaper is like eating a restaurant meal - you pick and choose from what's offered. But reading the hometown weekly is like eating a good home-cooke- d meal - a fellow doesn't want to miss a thing. and two lanes down were no longer enough. The trees had to be pulled out so more cars could come through. But every town had cars Tunning down the middle of Main Street - only Montpelier could say the same for its trees. ,i But in our society, progress tends to take precedence over traditions that are no longer functional. The trees served no function other than to separate lanes of traffice and to look beautiful. The trees and I left town about the same time. I was 19, and they started tearing them from the ground the day before I headed out for a two-yevisit to Mexico. I remember walking down the street, looking at the massive roots with the dark dirt hanging from them and the earth piled up where the ground has been disrupted so violently. It's the last clear vision I have of home. By the time I got back. Main Street was smoothly paved with an awkward four-lan- e highway that you will find in any of a thousand small towns intersected by major roads and Montpelier wasn't home anymore. Time and circumstances had torn out my roots as well. But every Christmas I find myself taking that menial journey home again. creasing, Highway J ; the Timpanogos Girl Scout tree had this Victorian dollhouse with it, donated by Margaret Moore. Price for the tree plus the house? $1,000. '. |