Deserving of praise

Dear sir:
I would like to address the situation down at the Sorting Gap Marina.
As most people see it, things look pretty good down there. It’s a nice place to bring the family after dinner or on the weekends for an ice cream cone, Waterfront Whopper, or the famous Chicken Caesar salad.
Many people enjoy watching the wide array of watercraft being launched and taken out of the water from early morning until after dark. Others just like to be near the water for the peace it seems to instill.
Children create wondrous new worlds of their own on the patio stones with the chalk provided by the proprietor. Many return the next day to start again since the rain has washed their creations away, leaving a clean slate for elaborate new beginnings.
The flowers and shrubs add to the sense of beauty and serenity found along the waters edge.
It seems there is almost always someone there–from before the sun has burned away the dew until long after it has dipped below the western edge of the sky. Fresh coffee is always available, as are friendly smiles and a helping hand.
From giving direction to lost tourists to helping launch boats, from putting smiles on children’s faces with a generously scooped ice cream cone to satiating the appetite of a hungry fisherman or truck driver, Stacy and her staff are always there to try and help make someone’s day just a little bit brighter.
Now, if any of you reading this believe that what she does is easy, read a little further!
Does your day start at 4:30 a.m. and go until 11 p.m. each and every day? Stacy’s does. From the beginning of May until the long weekend in September! Whether feeling well or not, rain or shine, she is there for you, the people of Fort Frances who frequent the Sorting Gap looking for that generous scoop of ice cream or the deliciously prepared barbecued fare.
But there is more to it than what is in front of your eyes. The preparation for each and every day, not to mention for each and every function like Fun in the Sun and the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship–two fairly large, important town functions.
Ordering the supplies, and cleaning everything inside and out. Fighting with the “power that be” just to get the toilets running properly, the flowers planted, the grass cut, or the shrubs trimmed.
If it wasn’t for some unknown patrons complaining to town hall, some things still wouldn’t be done.
Stacy used to do it all herself you know. There just isn’t the time any more. But do you ever hear her complain about the work? She does it out of the love she has for working with people of Fort Frances.
She sure can’t be in it to get rich’ cause if she is, boy, do I have a bridge down in Florida she might be interested in!
Just the other day, I witnessed a parks board employee arguing with Stacy about the flower beds and shrubbery. She actually had the nerve to claim Stacy wasn’t aware how much work it takes to look after the grounds at the Sorting Gap.
Who does she think has been doing it for the past three years! This is the first year the parks board has done anything down there in the last 10 years (other than have someone sit on a tractor and cut the grass once a week) and this town employee had the gall to make a statement like that!
Stacy did it herself most times. Yet this day, there was 10 parks employees. Couldn’t have been thinking very straight. Perhaps she has been spending too much time in the sun without a hat!
Perhaps this person should come down and do it all herself from May ’til September and try and run the business at the same time. Could be an eye-opener, that’s for sure.
I believe we should all be thankful we have someone down there who is trying to help improve our community and give us all a beautiful, functional place to spend some time relaxing and socializing. A place for children, a place for adults, a place for families.
Come on down and see for yourself.
Signed,
Frank Fraser
Fort Frances