Mayor Karin Marks says her first foray into politics was when she got involved in keeping Westmount High School from being closed down in 1987. Now as mayor of Westmount, the former student at the high school will be the speaker at the 74th annual Westmount High Old Boys Association dinner.
Marks may not be the first politician to be the guest speaker, but she will be the first woman to grace the podium.
WHOBA will host its annual dinner at Selwyn House, Thursday, May 10 starting at 5:30 for cocktails. Tickets are $50 or $25 for students who graduated after 1996. Reservations must be made by May 7. For more information or to reserve your place, phone 514-933-2922.
Joint concert at Mountainside
The choirs of Mountainside United Church and the Church of St. James the Apostle and Jenny Cohen, mezzo-soprano, of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom will present a concert, 'Traditions of Sacred Music' on Sunday, April 22, starting at 4 p.m. at Mountainside United Church located at the corner of Lansdowne Avenue and The Boulevard.
Admission is $15 or $12 for students and seniors. For more information phone 514-486-1165.
Wine tasting
The Queen Elizabeth Health Complex is hosting its fourth annual wine tasting event, Under the Tuscan Sun, next month to benefit its Imaging Department on May 3 from 6 to 8 pm. Again this year the haute soiree will be held at the Parisian Laundry on St. Antoine Street.
Participants will enjoy tasting some impressive Tuscan wines Including Montecucco 2004, Brunello di Montalcino 1999 and Fili di Seta 2003, and sampling distinctive Italian cuisine donated by Benito Migliorati, president of Château Vaudreuil. They will also have the opportunity of bidding on exclusive items in the silent auction.
The goal this year is to raise $80,000 that will be used to begin the process of digitalizing the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex Imaging Department. Going digital give patients improved access to care and faster results as the centre will rely on a larger pool of qualified radiologists for diagnosis.
Westmount business owners Christine Pickrell and David Pickrell, Westmount Florist are co-chairing the event. The organizing committee, under the honorary patronage of Tony Fargnoli, Tony Shoes and Tony Galasso, Quebecor World, include Mia Piccinin and Gino Berretta, Hanger Inc.’ Robert Anderson, Fort Insurance; Paolo Bassi, Kane & Fetterly; Domenico D’Alesio, Giovanna D’Alesio, Brian Marcil, Cushman & Wakefield Lepage; Westmount volunteer extraordinaire Nancy Wright, and Irene Tschernomor, Executive Director of the QEHC.
Tickets for Under the Tuscan Sun are $135 each and can be purchased at Tony Shoes, 1346 Greene Avenue, Westmount Florist, 360 Victoria Avenue, and at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex by phoning 514- 485-5018.For more information phone Elaine Lalonde at 514-485-5023 or email elalonde@qehc.org
Highlights of Blue Metropolis
The Atwater Lunchtime Series will presents a talk by Linda Leith,
Talk by Linda Leith, founder and artistic director of the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival and president of the Blue Metropolis Foundation on Friday April 20 starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Atwater Library, 1200 Atwater Avenue at Tupper.
Leith, who is an also an accomplished novelist and writer of non-fiction, editor and professor, will discuss highlights of the upcoming ninth annual Blue Metropolis Literary Festival, one of Canada’s premier literary events.
Coffee will be available. As always, participants are welcome to bring their lunch and enjoy it during the presentation. For more information: Tanya Mayhew at 514-935-7344 or tmayhew@atwaterlibrary.ca For more information about the festival that will take place Wednesday, April 25 through Sunday the 29 at the Delta Centre-Ville Hotel go to
www.bluemetropolis.orgALCC holds book sale
From Thursday, April 26 to Saturday, April 28, the Atwater Library will host its annual book sale. Shoppers from across the island and beyond stand in line to purchase literally thousands of quality gently used books and magazines that will be on sale for almost give away prices. But not completely free.
Profits from the sale of books donated throughout the year will go to fund programs at Atwater Library and Computer Centre located at 1200 Atwater Avenue. For more information and times call Tanya at 514-935-7344.
Handicap International fundraiser
On Friday, April 27 Crime Writers of Canada in association with Words Written Write will present the Interactive Showcase, a fund-raising evening of networking, fun and surprises benefiting Handicap International Canada.
Vice-President of the CWC and Westmount author Michael Blair says, “We are excited about hosting this unique affair. It will be a great opportunity for our writers and their books to be in the public eye.”
For more information phone 514-576-5332. For more information about Handicap International go
www.handicap-international.caA lesson in literacy
Recently Marion Daigle of the Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations Inc. addressed the Rotary Club of Westmount with the topic of Children and Literacy, Touching Minds/Shaping Futures.
She shocked them with staggering statistics including that 1.3 million Quebecers are functionally illiterate and that 49 per cent of boys in Quebec do not graduate from high school on time, if at all.
Daigle explained that some of the literacy challenges facing young people include jobs that traditionally required only grade 7 education. As an example she one cited a Gaspé pulp and paper mill where today the requirement is at least two years of CEGEP study to start in the company in a janitorial position, the reason being that the machinery is now computerized and workers must be able to read the manuals to operate the machinery.
Daigle gave some solutions to the international problem that include Born to Read programs that give families with babies books to read to their infants and a booklet she handed out to participants with specific solutions including reading to young children and adopt a student programs in which individuals or organizations commit to assist with reading programs.
--- Marilynn Vanderstay
Steven Guilbeault - 
