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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-04-20, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: DEVELOPMENT - Pg. 10 Wingham medical centre prepares for doctors AWARD - Pg. 11 Blyth restaurant honoured provincially CONTEST - Pg. 16 Local teacher honoured in poster contest Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 Volume 33 No. 16 $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 20, 2017 ikais 84. e mfr., s, .. The odd couple Blyth United Church hosted an Easter Sunday play over the weekend called Easter Idol. After the performance, the stars, Sarah Hallahan, left, who played the Easter Bunny and Grace Hallahan, centre, who played Jesus, took a break together with Braidon Abell-Rinn, right and enjoyed some chocolate, a staple of Easter celebrations. (vicky Bremner photo) Ladies Night • coming The Blyth Legion and Legion Ladies Auxiliary will be hosting their first Ladies Night Out fundraiser benefitting the Blyth Legion Building Fund. Set for Thursday, April 27 at the Blyth and District Community Centre, the evening will feature vendors, guest speakers, desserts and beverages. Organizer Susan Hubbard said the event will feature Jillian Walden, a health and wellness educator, a representative from Pelee Island Winery talking about wine pairings and Michelle Greydanus of Greyhaven Gardens, a local plant nursery, passing on some tricks of the trade. "The evening will feature door prizes, a 50/50 draw and a silent auction," Hubbard said. Tickets are $25 each or $175 for a table of eight and are available through Hubbard at 519-525-0490, or the Blyth Legion at 192 Dinsley Street which can be reached at 519- 523-9535. Each ticket will include entrance to the event, one drink ticket and dessert. Hubbard said the event will feature 15 vendors including representatives from Norwex, Watkins, Doterra, Thirty -One, It Works, Juuva, Fire and Ice Candles and more. The proceeds will go to the Blyth Continued on page 7 Thompson to soon take on Festival AAI) post By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Severn Thompson has a long history with Blyth and the Blyth Festival and now she has grand plans as the Festival's newest associate artistic director. Thompson, who has been expanding her dramatic range in recent years, says she's looking forward to many aspects of the position, but especially the production of plays and the planning of a season. After spending many years as one of Canada's more accomplished stage actors, Thompson adapted her skills to the television screen, performing in a number of Canadian programs. She would then continue to expand her work to directing, writing and now as an associate artistic director, which, she says, feels like a logical next step in many ways. Discussion surrounding the position began near the end of last season, she said. Thompson began discussing the possibility with Artistic Director Gil Garratt and those talks persisted over the winter before an agreement was put into place earlier this year for the coming season. What comes after that is unknown, but Thompson said she hopes the arrangement will be long term. Garratt spent a number of years as an associate artistic director himself under Eric Coates, so he knows how important the position is and all that can be learned in such a capacity. Thompson says she's greatly excited by the opportunity and hopes to keep expanding her skill set in the world of drama. Not only is she happy that continuing education is taking place, but she thinks it's logical that it's happening in Blyth, where so many of her firsts took place. The first time Thompson acted professionally was on the Festival stage, she said, as was the first time she directed professionally. As for becoming an associate artistic director, Thompson says there are few people from whom she could learn more than Garratt. Thompson says Garratt knows the position well and knows how to develop talent through that avenue. While as recently as two years ago Thompson wouldn't have been able to say she had experience in producing a show or fostering an idea all the way to a live stage production, she's now done that with her own show at Theatre Passe Muraille, so she feels the foundation is there for her to now build upon. Thompson recently produced Elle, a play she created from the ground up after reading the story and envisioning it on the stage. The play is based a French noblewoman who was marooned on an island for having an affair, but survives. The tale of survival in the 1500s was a rugged tale, Thompson said, but an exhilarating story to tell. The play began in Toronto and then toured various locations across the country, including Vancouver, Winnipeg and Waterford, Ontario, which is the home community of the book's author, Douglas Glover. It was an amazing learning experience, Thompson said, that was well received at all of its stops. Elle was one of the few projects Thompson had undertaken in the time since she was last at the Blyth Festival. During that time she also did some work with The Cole Mine Continued on page 19 NH death deemed non-suspicious On Friday, April 14 shortly after 3:30 p.m. Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers responded to a farm property located on London Road just north of Blyth after the body of an adult female was found lying in a farmer's field. Members from the Huron County OPP Crime Unit, OPP Forensic Identification Services (FIS) and Office of the Chief Coroner attended the scene to assist in the investigation. A post mortem examination was completed over the weekend and police have identified this as a non- suspicious death. The deceased has been identified as 31 -year-old Caitlin Atkin from North Huron.