Sign, sign, everywhere a sign...

I have noticed a bothersome trend over the years.  This problem is not unique to Chapleau, but it seems more pronounced here.  I am referring to the fact that long abandoned businesses with their signs still in place.  Several examples are present in the old Starlite building dowtown.  People travelling to Chapleau might try to buy paint or insurance somewhere at that location, as the signs still indicate.  Or they may even try to order a meal at the Starlite restaurant.  At least the owners of the new fitness centre in the building had the common sense to erect an attractive sign.  I realize that the township is not responsible for this eyesore.  It is the owner of the aforementioned building that should get rid of these signs.  Maybe the town can help out as some form of community revitalization project?  I can't think of any other building in town that has this kind of problem.  I guess you could say, the building has an identity crisis.

Gone Fishin'...or maybe not...

It appears that the annual Fishing Derby has been cancelled for 2011.  This is NOT a good sign.  While the loss of the Rotary Trade Show for a year was blamed on the recession, I wonder why they would suddenly cancel the ice fishing derby.  Popular understanding has it that this was one of the more popular events on our town's calendar, or so we were led to believe.  The committee claims it is because of factors beyond their control.  It would be nice to have some clarification on this.  While the Trade Show has returned, we all know what happened when they decided to take a break from the Nature Festival.  Will the Fish Derby join this list of events that are accompanied by the letters R.I.P.?  Let's hope not, as our town desperately needs these events for our very survival.

Gone to the dogs!

As many of you know, Chapleau, like many other municipalities, has a by-law concerning dogs.  A dog's mess must be collected and dogs must be leashed at all times.  I can say first hand that there are several persons in this town who do not follow this law at all.  The regular piles I clean in my own yard are proof of this.  I have no dog, so I know that this waste does not belong to me.  Too bad there wasn't a street address buried in each pile of dog poo.  It would make returning it to the right house so much easier.  Some people don't even walk their dogs.  They just let them outside to wander and leave their mess wherever they like.  Thakfully, most dog owners are intelligent, respectful and conscientious.  They are the norm in Chapleau.  Otherwise, I'd have a lot more nasty surprises waiting for me outside.