Welcome to The Club v3.4 Fall 2023

This FREE magazine is distributed in most of Sarnia-Lambton.
One Person - One Crazy Idea
I truly admire the people that take
a chance on a crazy idea. After all, if
it doesn’t catch on, almost no one will
even know you tried. But if it
does... you might be amazed
by what it can become.
A long time ago, along
the St. Clair River in Port
Lambton, there was a party
and campfire where you were
asked to bring your own beer
and your own chair. Someone
got a bit more creative and
brought a couch instead.
What happened next started
a whole chain of events.
That couch arrived on my
brother Dave’s front yard the
next day with a sign attached
to it which read, “This is a
Chain Couch. Keep for one week and
then pass it on, NOT to the dump! Good
luck will come your way.”
So the following Sunday it landed on
another lawn in Port Lambton, but this
time with an end table as well. Before
long it was a scene to behold; the couch
now with a mannequin sitting on it,
wearing various articles of clothing,
listening to tunes on a Sony Walkman
through headphones, with a coffee table,
the end table with a lamp and numerous
knick-knacks strewn about. I remember
it spending a week on my neighbour’s
lawn in all its well-established glory. They
had to turn away people that thought it
was a yard sale. “No, you can’t buy the
Walkman” they would say. “It’s not a
yard sale, it’s a Chain Couch!”
So... this was not exactly a noble cause,
but it was a lot of fun (and probably a lot
of work).
Fast forward 40 years or so to this
past June when Wendy Marsden placed
13 painted rocks along the boardwalk in
Point Edward along with a sign inviting
people to add to Rocky, the Growing
Snake. “Help him grow to make people
smile” it said. She’d seen the idea online
and was hoping to have 100 rocks in the
by Mark Moran, Publisher
snake’s length. As of August 17th, it’s
now at 7870 rocks, about two feet wide
in most spots and over 800’ long. It’s not
uncommon to see one rock painted with
a positive message on a trail, but this has
taken it to a whole new level.
The Point Edward waterfront is
beautiful even on the very worst days
of the year, but Rocky adds another
special aspect to it. With Lake Huron
and the St. Clair River in view, along with
passing boats and lake freighters, US
and Canadian flags on both sides of the
international crossing, French fry trucks,
people of all ages walking along the trail,
others fishing on the banks, soccer fields
off to the east, the Rotary Flag Plaza with
hundreds of bricks dedicated to kind
messages and lives lived and, of course,
the twin Bluewater Bridges. I don’t know
if there’s a nicer scene in all of SW
Ontario.
In various media reports Wendy has
given all the kudos to the community.
“I can’t take credit for this,” she told
the Sarnia Observer. I disagree. Yes, of
course it took hundreds of people from
near (and visitors from very far) to make
Rocky what he is today, but it started
with one person carrying through with
what they felt was a good, and perhaps
crazy, idea.
Thank you from all of us Wendy!
Welcome to ...
Welcome to ...
THE
CLUB
Event Listings ................... 26-27
Discount List ............................ 24
Community Resources ....... 19
Giving List (Volunteering) .... 16
Snapshots ................................. 35
THE Club
The Club Features
Glen e
C. Phillips, lips
, Chris i
Treftlin, i , #local, a l, Sipkens Nurseries, s,
Mike
Keenan, en
a , Ruth t
Sharon, r n Brian A. Keelan, l n
Kelly-Lynn l
ly
L
yn
n Musico,
i
c ,
Photography ogra
by Daniel J. Bellyk, e lyk,
Ronny o ny D’Haene, Nadine
Wark, k
Steve e e Arseneault, a Wendy d
Anderson o
Pounder, d
e , Norma
Lynn Downie, i
e Lou Parry ry Photography, h t hy, Maryellen M l
len Lusk, k
LouAnn
A
n
Geauvreau-Karry, a e u-
rry,
Cherie i
DeBurger, er
, Betty t y Popelier, p er
, Cindy
d
Cade, Eileen en
Cade-Edwards, d
e w
d
s Paula l
Eyles, e , Ann n Callum, Peter R.
Smith, h Jeanette e Paddon, Alma Hackett, a t , Joan Richardson, d
s n Jean
e n
Leedale ed
l
Hobson, on
, Kenneth et
h Lapointe, p i Agnes Burroughs, s Tracy
c
Kingston, t
o , and d
all l the Recipe e contributors.
tors
rs.
Mark Moran - Publisher, Ad Sales
Carrie Ann Timm - Associate Publisher
Carla MacGregor - Advertising Sales
Rhonda Long - Advertising Sales
Angela Lyon - Graphics & Editing
Carla Mejia - Graphic Design
From the
publishers of
DAYTRIPPING
ING
MAGAZINE
VOLUME 3,
ISSUE 4
FALL 2023
YOUR CONTRIBUTORS
CLUB STAFF
Trivia ....................... 34
Recipes ......... 15&30
Crossword ............ 32
Word Search ....... 21
Sudoku ................... 22
P.O. Box 430 • Brights Grove, ON •N0N •N0N 1C0
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“Rocky” the painted rock snake,
at the Point Edward waterfront,
includes thousands of rocks and
has its own Facebook page!
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FALL 2023 Superstitions... An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life. P A G E 3