Anten Mills by Dennis Gannon
A record was broken during the month of April here in Anten Mills and locally. That record was for the amount of rain that fell during the month. According to Environment Canada, the Barrie area received 146.7mm of rain which surpassed the 1991 record 129.2mm. To put that in inches, that’s 5.7 inches for the new record. Here in Anten Mills 6.41 inches or 163.8 of rain was recorded. This comes from a volunteer weather and rain gathering organization known as CoCoRaHAS which has thousands of volunteers throughout Canada and the United States as well now in the Bahamas. Locally there are rain, snow and hail reporters in Phelpston, Apto and Anten Mills. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer check out their website cocorahs.org for more details.
The Anten Mills Community Recreation Association held its annual general meeting on April 25. The purpose of the meeting was to go over planned events for the balance of the year as well as to approve a board of directors as required by the Township of Springwater. The board remained the same with Lawrence Pavan as the Chair and Karis Able remaining as the Recording Member, Rick Hutchinson and Roslyn Watkins as Members at Large and Dennis Gannon as the Community Coordinator. A good discussion was held on the planned events for the rest of the year and it was noted that they cannot be held without the essential and great work by those who volunteer their time. Two weekly events that see continued support are the Knotty Knitters who meet on Tuesday and the Thursday Night Euchre group. It was noted that the knitters monthly support the Elmvale and District Food Bank with the donations they provide in support of women. While the knitters will officially end their season at the end of the month they will definitely pick back up in September and continue their efforts. What was acknowledged is that the following events will occur with volunteers. There will be two movie nights one each in July and August, the Autumn Artisans Fair in September which will also include a new event in the form of a chili cook off. In October there will be the Witches Walk and Kids Halloween Bash and the annual Christmas in the Village. As we move closer to the dates more information will become available and volunteers will be needed.
Along with those events and one that has been asked about a number of times already is the community wide garage sale. Mark your calendars now for two sales this year. The first will be on Saturday, June 15 and the second on Saturday September 14. Karis is leading these events and more information will be posted on the Anten Mills Community Bulletin Facebook page so check it frequently.
In 2021, the community got together and planted an anniversary garden in recognition of Anten Mills having a recreation and social association for 50 years. The garden, which is designed for pollinators, has grown well over the past several years and is purposely left over the winter with stalks and leaves so that the insects needing shelter can have the same. This Saturday, May 11 at 9:00 AM, the community is asked to come out and help clean up the gardens as well as the community park. It’s not difficult work and many hands will make it complete quickly. All that is needed is a pair of gloves and some basic gardening tools. High school students who need their community hours can get them as well. The community support is appreciated so please attend and see what has been planted and enjoy the early flowering plants that are in bloom now.
There are a few families who have gone out of their way to clean up some of the walkways as well as ditches in the community. They are not looking for recognition but it is important that we recognize and thank them for helping to keep Anten Mills beautiful.
The Anten Mills Collection clothing line has been well received and beneficial to our CRA. Now is the time to order your summer attire. There are t-shirts, both long sleeve and short for kids and adults, hoodies and ball caps and new for the spring and summer, ladies v neck t-shirts, as well as golf shirts for both women and men. The quality is excellent along with a good colour variety. Check out the website, antenmills.justadd10.com and get your order in now.
For the past several summers, the Watkins family was hosting youth pick up ball at the community centre on Sunday mornings. They are not able to continue this year but are pleased to advise that Meghan Priest is going to take over with a bit of a change. Instead of Sunday mornings, Meghan is looking at Thursdays starting at 5:30 at the community ball diamond. Meghan has already posted on the facebook page with the starting date of May 23 so if you have some young ball players who may be interested, check out the post and head over and have some fun.
The Midhurst United Church has been fundraising for the past several years with delicious take out meals. This Saturday, May 11, they are having another Roast Beef dinner for only $30 per serving. This is a scheduled event so you must pre purchase in advance. Each meal comes with roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy and vegetables and a slice of great homemade pie. More information is available by checking out their website or facebook page so don’t miss this tasty meal and help support the church.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. While we should remember and support our mother every day, this is that yearly opportunity to do something special for them. To all mothers in our community, we thank you for all that you do and hope that your day is enjoyable.
That’s it for this week. Hopefully you can come by the community centre on Saturday morning and until next time, THANKS for READING, BE WELL and STAY SAFE.
