Dec. 24, 2014 FREE ISSN 2291-2738 Vol. 4 — Issue 55A Lessons - Instruments - Equipment - Recordings Northgate Chevrolet would like to Linda Getzlaf Getz You Moving! congratulate Karen Proulx on her promotion to New car sales manager. Karen has 20 years of GM experience. Real Estate® Come say hello, have a coffee and find out Each Of ce Independently Owned and Operated Military Thank You why buying is easy in Northgate Country. Thank You Military For Your Service Present This Ad And We Will Double 780-690-3861 Gm’s Military Discount To $1,500 Bus: 780-939-1111 Call and ask for me personally 780.862.0340 for your free home evaluation 780-476-3371 Page 1 | Dec. 24, [email protected] smithmusic.ca IRP APPROVED MorinvilleNews.com AGENT | The Morinville News | Page 1 Community brought to you by Chris Mercer has been decorating his 93 Street home for the past six years. The collection of lights and displays has grown over that period of time. The Mercer family have won the annual Best Lights contest four years running. Mr. Christmas would like everyone to decorate their homes for Christmas by Stephen Dafoe Chris Mercer and his family have won the annual Best Lights contest four years running. After his first two wins he stopped entering his 93 Street home, but friends and neighbours kept putting his name back in the contest. It is not surpris- ing; given the number of lights and Christmas items Mercer puts on display for the community to see each year. “It started when I was a kid from my father decorating,” Mercer said, add- ing the popularity of his display has kept him at it. “Now hearing the stories from people driving by [that they] want to drive by the Christmas house. I just enjoy doing it.” Mercer said he and his family start the project right after Halloween, stringing the many lights and setting up the many displays. Though the project often starts before the snow flies, Mercer said he doesn’t light things up until the Town lights up during the annual Lite Up the Nite celebration. But it isn’t just knowing people are enjoying his display that gets Mercer up on the ladder each year, it is the enjoyment he gets from the entire holiday season “[It’s] family getting together from December 1st until after Christmas,” he said. “It’s the decorations. Everything. I don’t even know where to start.” Mercer said he had a number of items already when he first started decorating for Christmas in a big way. The rest he has accumulated over the years, includ- ing a number he has created himself. “To build some of this takes quite a bit over the last six years we’ve been decorating,” he explained, adding his favourite is the North Pole scene he created this year. “I just had an idea and had a little help from a local sign building place.” The Morinville resident doesn’t expect everyone to go to the lighting lengths he and his family do, but he would like to see more Morinvillians decorating for the holidays. “I would love to see every house on this street decorated,” he said. “Just one string of lights would be awesome.” Page 2 | The Morinville News | MorinvilleNews.com Dec. 24, 2014| Page 2 Page 3 | Dec. 24, 2014 MorinvilleNews.com | The Morinville News | Page 3 Morinville News Editorial Pages ISSN 2291-2738 Yes, Morinville, there is The Morinville News is published each Wednesday by Pawn Marketing & Publishing Inc. Publisher: Stephen Dafoe 780-800-3619 really is a Santa Claus [email protected] In 1897 an eight-year-old girl named Virginia that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody Advertising Sales: Stephen Dafoe 780-800-3619 O’Hanlon wrote to the New York Sun asking the can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are [email protected] paper if there was a Santa Claus. “Papa says, unseen and unseeable in the world. ‘If you see it in THE SUN, it’s so.’ Please tell me “You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see Design & Layout: Stephen Dafoe 780-800-3619 the truth; is there a Santa Claus?” the young girl what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil [email protected] wrote. The following was editor Francis Pharcellus covering the unseen world, which not the stron- Church’s reply to Miss O’Hanlon: gest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Correspondent: Colin Smith 780-800-3619 “Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can town / province [email protected] have been affected by the scepticism of a scep- push aside that curtain and view and picture the tical age. They do not believe except they see. supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Correspondent: Tristan Turner 780-800-3619 They think that nothing can be which is not Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else town / province [email protected] comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, real and abiding. Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are “No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and Correspondent: Lucie Roy 780-800-3619 little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere he lives forever. A thousand years from now, community news / schools [email protected] insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from the boundless world about him, as measured by now, he will continue to make glad the heart of Sales Dept Calls: Mon-Fri 9-5 the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of childhood.” 10021 100 Ave. News Room Calls: Mon-Fri 9-5* truth and knowledge. PO Box 3135 “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists And here we are 117 years later. People are Morinville T8R1S1 *We monitor calls evenings, weekends and holidays for breaking and urgent news stories as certainly as love and generosity and devotion still affected by scepticism and living in a scepti- exist, and you know that they abound and give cal age. But we take comfort that at this time of www.morinvillenews.com to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How year; the milk of human kindness is not operating /MorinvilleNews @MorinvilleNews dreary would be the world if there were no Santa past its expiration date. Rather, it is ready to be Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no poured in abundance like the glass that always Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, awaits Santa Claus on his annual journey down Minister of Culture and Tourism no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this the chimney. Honourable Maureen Kubinec, MLA existence. We should have no enjoyment, except As we bring our final edition for 2014 to you, Barrhead-Morinville-WestlockMaureen Kubinec, MLA in sense and sight. The eternal light with which all that remains is to wish each and every one of Barrhead Morinville Westlock childhood fills the world would be extinguished. you, reader, advertiser, and newsmaker, a Merry “Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as Christmas and a Happy New Year. Legislature Office: Legislature Of ce: well not believe in fairies! You might get your 229 Legislature Building610 Legislature Annex papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Stephen Dafoe, 10800 - 97 Avenue,9718 Edmonton, - 107 Street, AB Edmonton, T5K 2B6 AB T5K 1E4 tel: (780) 422-3559 fax: (780) 415-0951 Tel: (780) 427-7932 Fax: (780) 415-0951 Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if Publisher of the Morinville News Barrhead Constituency Office: they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what [email protected] Barrhead Constituency Of ce: tel: (780) 674-3225 fax: (780) 674-6183 Tel: (780) 674-3225 Fax: (780) 674-6183 would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but Westlock Constituency Office: that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The Please Note: The Morinville News will be closed tel: (780) 349-4936Westlock tf: Constituency (780) 310-0000 Of ce: most real things in the world are those that nei- until Jan. 5 for our annual holidays. Our next Tel: (780) 349-4936 TF: (780) 310-0000 ther children nor men can see. Did you ever see print edition will be Jan. 8, our annual Year in [email protected] Kubinec, MLA fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but Review edition. www.assembly.ab.caBarrhead Morinville Westlock Legislature Of ce: 610 Legislature Annex Dec. 17, 2014 FREE Dec. 17, 2014 FREE ISSN 2291-2738 ISSN 2291-2738 9718To make - 107 anStreet, appointment Edmonton, AB with T5K 1E4 Vol. 4 — Issue 55 Vol. 4 — Issue 55 theTel: Hon. (780) Maureen427-7932 Kubinec, Fax: (780) MLA 415-0951 The Morinville News Will please contact Audrey at Barrhead Constituency Of ce: Be Closed Until Jan. 5 Tel: (780)780-674-3225 674-3225 Fax: (780) 674-6183 Our January 8 Edition Will Be Our Annual Year In Review Westlock Constituency Of ce: Getz You Moving! Getz You Moving! Linda Getzlaf Linda Getzlaf Lessons - Instruments - Equipment - Recordings Lessons - Instruments - Equipment - Recordings ® ® Real Estate She will be available on Real Estate ould like to e to olet w olet would lik ate Chevr ce Independently Owned and Operated ate Chevr ce Independently Owned and Operated Northg oulx on her Each Of Northg oulx on her Each Of tulate Karen Pr .