Friendly citations in Ridgetown

By Michael Bennett Local Journalism Initiative The Ridgetown Independent

The promotion that earned Ridgetown the distinction as the “Friendliest Town In Ontario” is making a comeback.

station, the arrested parties would be escorted to a predetermined location where they were greeted by a welcoming committee and showered with gifts from several businesses in the “Friendliest Town In Ontario.” walking down Main Street looking for candidates to be the Tourist of the Week.

We would like to thank all those who entered our Canada Day Colouring contest sponsored by Giant Tiger in Chatham. The lucky winner of the $50 Giant Tiger Gift Card is Carson Herreweyers, 3, of Chatham

CongratulationsCarson!!!!

The Ridgetown Business Improvement Association (BIA) is resurrecting the Tourist of the Week program, which drew national and international attention in its heyday, including Reader’s Digest magazine.

The Tourist of the Week started in 1968 when OPP officers from the Ridgetown detachment would “pull over and arrest” random drivers going through town with outof-town identification stickers or out-of-province and American license plates. But instead of being hauled into the police

A number of obstacles forced the Ridgetown Chamber of Commerce and town officials to suspend the promotion around 12 years ago. However, the Ridgetown BIA is bringing the Tourist of the Week out of hiatus.

At some point in the near future, a random vehicle or family visiting from out of town will discover they are indeed in the Friendliest Town in Ontario.

Instead of police stopping a vehicle, East Kent Coun. John Wright and BIA members will be

“It could be someone stopping in at Pinnell’s for a coffee or someone driving through town,” said Jim Brown, BIA board member. “We’ll give them a ‘citizen’s citation’ that they’ve entered the Friendliest Town in Ontario.”

“We’re going to give them a gift basket and take their picture to be put in an album,” Brown stated.

The promotion only takes place every other week this summer, intending to return to a weekly format next summer.

The late Doug Smith, the community’s recreation director, was instrumental in getting the Tourist of the Week program started in 1968, and later with the assistance and co-operation of Elsie Reynolds, the town’s event co-ordinator and Ridge House Museum curator, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgetown OPP.

The Tucker family, from London, were the inaugural Tourist of the Week arrested visitors after OPP officer Tim Larkin pulled their vehicle over at the Main-Erie intersection. They received a police escort to OPP headquarters, where they were met by A.J. Sales, president of the Chamber of Commerce, Smith and other town officials. The Tuckers were presented with gifts and certificates from town merchants and received a summons which read: With a renewed interest sparked by the BIA, the “Tourist of the Week” is back.

Death is not a topic many people prefer to discuss. However, discussing funeral planning and making arrangements can be a smart financial move and one that limits large decisions at a time of heightened emotions. Every year millions of people in North America make the decision to pre-plan a funeral. The process is also known as pre-need planning. Individuals can even take out insurance policies that direct benefits to funeral expenses.

The main purpose of pre-need planning is to alleviate the financial burden and decision-making during times of grief and stress. Well-executed plans can make the funeral process run like a well-oiled machine. It’s never too early to begin pre-planning a funeral. Making a list of information that will go to a trusted family member, executor of one’s estate or a funeral director is one way to start. Here are some items to include:

• Name, date and place of birth

• Social insurance number

• Location of will • Military service

• Place of disposition, whether a cemetery or crematorium

• Organ donation preferences

• Funeral and/or wake preferences

• Name of funeral home and director

• Copies of receipts and contracts for any services purchased

• Any other important information, such as location of safety deposit box information, attorney names, etc.

There are very good reasons for pre-need planning. All arrangements can be thoroughly considered and spelled out so they meet a person’s desires. If he or she has a preference in cemetery or prefers to be interred at a mausoleum, these requests can be expressed and not assumed by family members. Pre-planning also enables a person to shop around for the most affordable services, caskets and funeral homes. Because the average cost of a funeral is between $10,000 to $15,000, it is important to spend money wisely. Pre-planning also helps avoid inflation of costs later on, enabling a person to lock in the cost of services now. Stress and grief can make family members unable to cope with decisions during the time of death. As a result, one of the most important reasons for pre-need planning is to make the process one in which close friends and family members can come to grips with the death, rather than having to run around for a few days and make arrangements in haste. This way loved ones can simply remember a person how he or she was, instead of choosing clothing, disposition places, service wording, and the like. A funeral director can walk a person through the process of pre-planning a funeral. He or she is often licensed to sell cemetery plots and can take much of the work out of the process. A community or family-owned business may have a rapport in the area and offer the best deals or the desired level of personalized service.