Former United Church moderator will address spring luncheon

Nobleton United Church

All are welcome to the service at Nobleton United Church this Sunday (April 20). It starts at 11:15 a.m. every Sunday.

Our spring luncheon is May 7 at 12:30 p.m. This year, we welcome Dr. Lois Wilson, former moderator of the United Church of Canada. Dr. Wilson is a very uplifting speaker, with a very rich background including serving in the Canadian Senate and on the World Council of churches.

Tickets are on sale now for $12 each. For tickets, call Mary at (905) 859-0448 or Helen at (905) 859-0744.

Nobleton Lions annual

fund-raising gala

The Nobleton Lions Club Annual Draw and Fund- Raising Gala is being held June 14.

A big change this year is the introduction of an early bird prize draw. Be sure to get your tickets by May 16 to be eligible for the early bird cash prize of $1,000. Tickets are now available from local businesses and Lions members, often at the Nobleton Plaza. Where else can you have an exciting night out, not have to travel too far, while enjoying a hot barbecue roast beef dinner, dancing to DJ music, cash bar, and perhaps even pick up a bargain at the silent auction; all for $40 per person?

This event is the major fund-raiser for the club, and proceeds from the event go to sponsor numerous organizations in and around town. Your support is greatly appreciated by the Lions, and those who they support, in keeping with their motto, "We Serve."

For information on tickets, or on the event, please call Glen at (905) 859-4456, or Manny at (905) 859-1331.

50th anniversary

celebrations

coming soon at St. Paul's

Mark your calendars and plan to attend our 50th anniversary celebrations at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church May 4, beginning at 11 a.m.

After our worship service, we will have a delicious hot lunch and then a special concert. More details to follow.

The Youth Group will be travelling to the Vera Davis Centre in Bolton tonight (Wednesday). Everyone is asked to meet at the church at 6:15 p.m.

The Prayer Group will meet at the regular time; 7:30 p.m.

The men's and ladies' Thursday morning studies continue tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

Join us for worship this Sunday (April 20) at 9:45 a.m. as we welcome Don Ralph of the Christian Salvage Mission to the pulpit. Nursery care (for children five years and younger) is provided during the service and Sunday school for all ages follows at 11 a.m.

There is also a new ladies study group Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

For more information about any of our activities or events, please contact the church office at (905) 859- 0843 or visit our Web site at www.stpaulsnobleton.ca

Horticulture

". . . So when it's raining, have no regrets, because it isn't raining rain you know, it's raining violets, and when you see clouds upon the hills you will see crowds of daffodils . . ."

April showers not only melt away the last of the snow, but bring the frost out of the ground, allowing plants from moss to trees to start new growth.

I've begun to clean up my garden here in Tecumseth Pines, gently raking off last year's stems and foliage that have protected my plants all winter long. I keep a good eye for the emerging shoots, especially the reddish brown ones that are difficult to see nestled in dead leaves and dark earth. I gently push back any plants heaved up by the winter's thawing and refreezing. This can happen to small newly fall planted perennials and bulbs (that's why it's a good idea to put tulip, daffodil, hyacinth and lily bulbs a foot deep and small bulbs, such as crocus, scilla, aconites snowdrops and grape hyacinths six inches deep).

Keep a close check on the leaves of summerflowering lilies, as they begin to grow for lily beetles. These voracious insects will decimate your plants very fast. They are easy to recognize as they are bright red and as a fellow gardener says they look like ladybugs on steroids (ladybugs are of course beneficial insects).

I haven't yet done much digging in the garden because some of my perennials, such as hostas, are slow to sprout and I don't want to damage them. But I have widened a couple of sections and discovered several larvae of June bug like beetles but smaller. These pests, I'm told, are the larvae of a type of European beetle that arrived in North America fairly recently. As they develop, they eat the grass roots. Our skunks find these succulent larvae a delicious treat and roll back the now rootless grass in search of them.There was an epidemic of them here a couple of years ago and some residents had spraying done. This seemed to eliminate the problem. Hopefully history isn't about to repeat.

By the by, spraying for these bugs needs to be done at the end of July.

St. Mary

fund-raiser dance

Tickets are selling, but there are more available by calling Livio at (905) 859- 1313 or the parish office at (905) 939-2256.

The dance is to be at Imperial Ballroom this Saturday (April 19) at 6 p.m., with great food, silent auction and many other surprises. Plan on attending this event to support the fundraising committee of St. Mary Church.

Nobleton seniors are active

The winners of the April 8 euchre were (for the women) Carol Sharer, Bernice Tasca and Audrey MacDonald. The winners at the men's cards were Paula Latanville, Murray Kaake and Walter Vell. The most lone hands were held by Bill Groombridge, and the lucky draw winners were Bernice Tasca, Gwen Potter and Walter Bell. We have booked a trip to the Drayton Theatre in Drayton to see A Tribute to Stomp-n Tom May 6. A highway coach will pick up at the Seniors' residence at 10 a.m. and again at the arena at 10:15. We will have a roast beef dinner at Windfields Restaurant, then on to the theatre. The cost per person is $75. For tickets, call Paula at (905) 859- 2631. Everyone is welcome.

Nobleton

Tennis Club

Registration is starting for the coming season, and there are a couple of options available.

Applications can be emailed to tandleslie@routcom. com, or you can drop by the courts during the set-up this Saturday (April 19) from noon to 4 p.m. (Sunday if Saturday's weather is poor). You can also drop off a completed application to "The Office," or through the mail to NTC, Box 496, Nobleton L0G 1N0.

All registrations must be in by May 19.

For more information, call Tania Leslie at (905) 939-0635.