{"id":11211,"date":"2015-07-02T11:38:03","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T15:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=11211"},"modified":"2015-07-08T14:49:24","modified_gmt":"2015-07-08T18:49:24","slug":"brocks-banter-exit-through-the-gift-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/brocks-banter-exit-through-the-gift-shop\/","title":{"rendered":"BROCK’S BANTER: Exit through the gift shop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking a gift horse in the mouth
\nBy Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that the Pan Am Torch has come and gone on its circuitous route back to Toronto, Aurora can carve another proud notch into its belt. Events like these really serve to bring the community together and, in this case, really tout the athletes \u2013 past, present and future \u2013 that really make this community great.
\nI hope those local residents who participated in the torch relay, whether they carried the torch themselves or took part in another capacity, were left with a memento or two from the day. An unlit torch kept under the bed for future generations would be a cherished heirloom, but ones left on display for the public at large would only serve to inspire the community. A streamlined trophy of sorts we can all be proud of.
\nTrophies are always curious objects. Admit it: we\u2019ve all hankered after one at one point or another, a recognition of something we might think is deserved and\/or hard-earned, a shiny reminder of an accomplishment that can look lovely on a mantle, or even a piece of victory booty \u2013 you might not want the thing, but you\u2019ll take it in principle if it means victory over an old foe.
\nThe problem can be, however, once you get it, what the hell are you going to do with it? It might look good on the aforementioned mantle, but sometimes a disproportioned sculpture of the Winged Victory just doesn\u2019t go with your d\u00e9cor. Rather than stuffing it away in a closet, some invest in a trophy case which handily ups the taste factor when it comes to the ultimate combo of pride and kitsch.
\nWhen representatives from the local hospital and the event board came to Town Hall a couple of weeks ago to present the Town of Aurora with the Municipal Challenge Cup, their ultimate prize for being the top municipal fundraisers for the Run or Walk for Southlake 2015 amongst all the towns in Southlake\u2019s catchment area, it was a particular point of pride for Councillor Michael Thompson, who had worked so hard to get the word out about Team Aurora and all the stops they could pull to snatch victory back from their friends in East Gwillimbury.
\nThankfully, the Municipal Challenge Cup didn\u2019t come with Winged Victories, silver crowned lions, or an unlikely phoenix rising from the ashes \u2013 but it lived up to its name of being a tastefully handled cup with a black base. After its presentation, many were looking forward to the Cup taking pride of place once again in the Town Hall trophy case just outside the main entrance, along with numerous other awards collected by the Town including two polar bears chilling on an ice flow, once the trophy of the Business Achievement Awards handed out by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce (kitsch factor: 11) and the framed certificate recognizing the Town\u2019s win of the Prince of Wales\u2019 Award for Heritage Conservation signed by Prince Charles himself.
\nAs I walked into Town Hall for last week\u2019s mammoth Council meeting, I was greeted by a good crowd of people in the foyer waiting for the show to get underway. Zigzagging around them to get by the main customer service desk, I noticed one of those two polar bears peaking around from the frosted glass by the men\u2019s washrooms. Hmm\u2026 these poor polar bears were displaced from their homes, and global warming, for once, shouldn\u2019t be to blame. A few steps later revealed a bounty of trophies, and the Prince of Wales prize lying on the counter behind them.
\nI just had to reverse my steps. Had the trophy case been knocked off the wall? Was there some kind of repair going on? Had the panel been replaced by a larger-than-life portrait of Citizen of the Year Diane Buchanan? Nope to all of the above. What had displaced Aurora\u2019s prized awards? you might ask. Well, I\u2019ll tell you.<\/p>\n

A GIFT SHOP!<\/strong>
\nYes, that\u2019s right. The Town of Aurora now has a gift shop for all those occasions that scream for Town of Aurora memorabilia. Personally, and really, I can only speak for myself, I hadn\u2019t realised how empty my nearly 30 Christmases have been without stocking stuffers emblazoned with the Town\u2019s celebrated corporate logo.
\nWhile we wait for the full service online gift shop to launch, here\u2019s what\u2019s on the menu:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \tGreen Mug — $9
\n\u2022 \tStainless Steel Travel Mug — $18
\n\u2022 \tClear Tumblers — $7
\n\u2022 \tPadfolio — $29
\n\u2022 \tCooler Bags — $35
\n\u2022 \tTown Flag — $88
\n\u2022\tStationary Package (mousepad, pen, scratch pad) — $10
\n\u2022 \tTea Set (loose leaf tea, rock sugar, tea mug, strainer) — $49 <\/p>\n

Is there anything here that tickles your fancy? The green mugs, bearing the Town\u2019s logo etched in white, are actually quite lovely (and popular, according to one member of staff, who seemed slightly flummoxed by the new emporium) but the rest is pretty standard fare. For a Town that so recently got worked up into a lather over a beer bill between $50 and $60, it is only fitting that Aurora should offer its own line of tumblers and cooler bags. If only they came with a gift certificate to fill \u2018er up. And, of course, in this, the age of the laptop, who wouldn\u2019t love an Aurora mousepad?
\nI have to admit the powers-that-be at Town Hall are a very clever bunch. When Council tasked the former CAO and his retinue of Directors to come up with ways to generate a couple of hundred thousand dollars in new revenue, the installation of a gift shop was not on the list of his suggestions for Council. In the end, it is a rather delightful surprize.
\nAnd who knew Councillor Thom\u2019s efforts to resurrect the old Aurora flag from the 1980s would lead to such a brilliant revenue generating program. The flag can now be yours for just $88!
\nBut, with just eight items on the menu, there are so many more opportunities that shouldn\u2019t be missed at Town Hall. The possibilities are truly endless: a 50% off fire sale for the stockpile of \u201cold new flags\u201d bearing the Town\u2019s corporate logo (who wouldn\u2019t pay $44 for a piece of history?); autographed posters and albums from the Council Critters; salt shakers sculpted to resemble former councillor Evelyn Buck; chess sets carved from wood honed from the multitude of mature trees and heritage homes bulldozed every year; deeds to acreage in municipal parks (hey, I still covet my stocking stuffer entitling me to one acre of moon land); and prints of Council \u201cclass photos\u201d through the years (2006 \u2013 2010, and 2010 \u2013 2014, of course, come in conveniently priced two-packs \u2013 and, for an extra surcharge, they can airbrush out the Council members of your choice from those contentious years).
\nLet\u2019s go whole hog. Or, better yet, give our collective honours their proper due.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking a gift horse in the mouth By Brock Weir Now that the Pan Am Torch has come and gone on its circuitous route back to Toronto, Aurora can carve another proud notch into its belt. Events like these really serve to bring the community together and, in this case, really tout the athletes \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-2UP","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-25 11:56:47","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}