Noteworthy: Where were you when the news came through?

By Bruce Penton on November 22, 2023.

If you were born in the mid-1950s or earlier, then you’ll probably recall where you were and what you doing around noon time 60 years ago today.

It would have been around 11:30 a.m. in Medicine Hat when radio music was interrupted by a bulletin that President John F. Kennedy had been shot during a motorcade through the streets of Dallas.

In Brandon, where I was a Grade 8 student at the time, the news bulletin arrived at 12:35 p.m., when I and my siblings were sitting down to lunch at the kitchen table. Two days later, on live TV, Dallas night-club owner Jack Ruby shot the suspected Kennedy assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.

The suspect has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion but, of course, we’ll never know for sure.

â€¢ A terrific evening of food, fun, music and fundraising was held Saturday at the Medicine Hat Curling Club. A curling-loving crowd of around 350 people turned out for a few refreshments, a steak dinner and a chance to bid on some fantastic silent auction items at the Caring 4 Curling fundraiser. Music was supplied early by The Fox and the Hounds and later by the Warehouse Cats.

Curling club manager Vicki Sjolie didn’t have the final figure on how much money was raised when she was contacted Monday, but it will be approximately $40,000, she said.

Ice plant/brine leaks have shuttered the curling club for two seasons. The funds raised Saturday will be put toward the new ice mats and plant in order to get curling back up and running. “What great support from both our curling community and the many people and businesses…,” she said.

â€¢ Headline to which I’ll say, ‘thanks but no thanks’ to this gourmet opportunity: “Pizza Hut selling snake pizza in Hong Kong.”

â€¢ A number of Ticked Off/Tickled Pink contributors beat me to this, but with two noon-time interviews conducted within the last month, is CHAT-TV unofficially spearheading the Re-elect Ted Clugston For Mayor committee? To be fair, current Mayor Linnsie Clark gets near or equal time on the local TV station, but she has status, the kind of status Clugston formerly had.

â€¢ Sean Rooney sent along a clarification to the note last week about the #dominicstrong fundraising for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The recent gaming weekend raised $4,000, not $16,000. The latter figure is the year-to-date total, which includes the project’s major fundraiser, its online auction held earlier this year.

All the money is in U.S. funds, since it’s connected to the American-based Extra Life website. A standard currency is used because Extra Life tracks all donations and ranks all participants. Rooney said the #dominicstrong committee ranks 53rd in fundraising out of 2,811 teams, which is amazing. Since Dominic was diagnosed nearly a decade ago, more than $330,000 in Canadian dollars has been raised, which is also amazing.

â€¢ As a native Manitoban and, by birthright a Blue Bomber fan, the highlight of last Sunday’s Grey Cup game – yes, the Bombers blew it again – was the Green Day performance at halftime. You would think though, that booking Green Day for a Grey Cup halftime show would be reserved for Regina, home of the Green Riders.

â€¢ Didn’t know such a day existed, but Nov. 28 is officially designated as Giving Tuesday and CanadaHelps.org is giving away five chances for people to win $1,000 for their favourite organization. Go to the site for complete information.

â€¢ Sounds like an interesting exhibit at the Esplanade this week. Called Addictions Don’t Discriminate, the exhibit is described on the city’s website asÂ “an immersive journey through the real-life stories of individuals impacted by addiction. The exhibit aims to break down stereotypes, promote a deeper understanding of addiction and inspire empathy and action.”

Perhaps it would be a good idea for the general public to know more about addictions, since it’s become such a major problem in today’s society. The exhibit has been put together in partnership with the Medicine Hat Drug Coalition, Medicine Hat Community Housing Society, Medicine Hat Health Foundation, and Family and Community Support Services. It runs through Friday of this week.

â€¢ How things change as one ages. In your teens, you’re showing off a picture of a cute girl you might have dated. In your 20s, you carry a photo of some new wheels you recently bought. In your 40s, you’re showing off photos of a new house, or a renovation. In your 60s, you’re bragging about a recent trip you took to a vacation paradise. But when you’re in your 70s, as I am, and you go for coffee with a few pals, the picture being passed around the table on a smartphone is of a kidney stone recently passed by one of the coffee drinkers. I must say, however, it was pretty impressive.