In homage and remembrance of the last Prince Edward County raised editor of the Picton Gazette the late Phil Dodds, this corner will endeavour on an irregular basis to recreate a ‘Phil-ling In’ editorial where views on multiple topics are offered.

A FOND FAREWELL

It’s funny how the people we come in contact with in our daily lives can make meaningful connections.The person who makes our sandwich at the local sub shop or the individual who says a kind hello at the post office aren’t close friends but if you are any type of extrovert with a regular pattern of activity, there’s more than a good chance you have a connection with one of these types of people that work in the public.

These connections might not be deep but they’re important in our small, inter-connected community and sometimes they are all that is required to make life in Prince Edward County worth the living.

Your humble scribe had such a connection with Produce Manager Sid Redmond at the Picton Sobeys grocery store.

Without fail, no matter how tough the day or long the hour, Redmond could put a smile on this face. Religiously, he would spot my visage walking through the front of the grocery store and comment “I’m ready to be interviewed for that story in the paper” to which I would always reply “Which story is that Sid?”

“The one your going to write about me and how great the produce is looking this week,” would be the response.

The only thing better than the vegetables in the produce section at Sobeys was the funny and kind man who tended to them. Adored by his co-workers past and present and courageous in the way he battled terminal cancer.

Here’s your story Sid.

My only hope is that it does a modicum of justice to the positive impact you had to the people in your well-lived life.

PECSA POWER

I can vividly recall the scoffs and audible sighs when some dedicated volunteers decided the time had come for Prince Edward County to host a youth soccer association back in the late 1990’s. Surely it would be a sparsedly attended endeavour and a third banana to the God-chosen summer sports in Prince Edward County of softball and baseball who were in the process of battling it out to see which bat-and-glove pastime would reign supreme.

Well, after two decades, no one is doubting at the idea of soccer being played here by our young people thanks to the wonderful Prince Edward County Soccer Association.

Patriarch of PECSA Scott Wentworth couldn’t have described it better when he likened what happens nearly every week night at the wonderfully manicured pitches on Johnson St. as community gatherings.

These hubs provide parents, nieghbours and family members a chance to connect, enjoy a nice summer evening and look on as our children get fresh air and exercise, develop new skills and leadership all in the form of the planet’s most popular sport.

PECSA leaders, from those founding members in 1999 to the dedicated volunteer executives that ensure soccer is offered in our community today should be commended for their tireless efforts. They’ve created a legacy worth celebrating.

While no association is completely immune to the common issues involved in youth sport- a landscape fraught with overbearing parents who are dissatisfied with just about everything when it comes to their child- It can be stated whole-heartedly PECSA has created positive memories, ensured lasting friendships and fostered development among our young people.

Well done.

Jason Parks

GETTING THEIR KICKS- Past and present Prince Edward County Soccer Association players, officials, and sponsors joined together during a lunch break at the 2019 Gary Parks Year-end Soccer Tournament on Saturday. The local youth soccer association celebrated it’s 20th anniversary this season. (Jason Parks/Gazette staff)