HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-05-23, Page 1CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 23, 2013
Volume 29 No. 21
CEREMONY - Pg. 10McGavins host sugarbush dedication ceremony BOOK - Pg. 20 Area resident Caldwellpens new bookMARKET- Pg. 2Brussels Farmers’ Marketopen for second seasonPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Eaglesmith to perform at Memorial Hall Saturday
Barn Dance weekend
kicks off this Friday
Remembering the fallen
Bob Rowe, right, is one of the major forces behind Freedom Syrup, a maple syrup production
site outside of Walton. Rowe can be seen here pointing out one of the major purposes of the
syrup; recognizing the efforts of soldiers, particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The signs on the barn recognize the 158 fallen Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan. The
syrup, which is available by donation only, raises funds for the Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund,
a program to support the families of fallen heroes. (Denny Scott photo)
Canadian musician Fred
Eaglesmith was introduced to Blyth
audiences last year with the Blyth
Festival production Dear Johnny
Deere, based on Eaglesmith’s music.
On May 25, however, he’s coming to
personally introduce himself.
Those who saw the play and attend
the concert at Blyth Memorial Hall
will have an advantage on
Eaglesmith, who has not seen the
play, nor has he read playwright Ken
Cameron’s script. He is hoping to
see it this summer though, either in
Blyth, or at the Lighthouse Festival
Theatre in Port Dover, where the
show will be staged later this
summer.
It isn’t, however, because
Eaglesmith doesn’t support the
project. He has since day one. He
just feels a little differently about
creating music than the vast majority
of musicians.
In a telephone interview with The
Citizen, Eaglesmith says that while
he’s writing a song, he feels like it’s
his. However, once he’s finished the
song and performed it, he feels like
it doesn’t necessarily belong to him
anymore. He says he trusted
Cameron with his material and from
what he’s heard, Cameron
interpreted the intent behind
Eaglesmith’s songs quite well.
“I’ve heard that he got the essence
of it,” Eaglesmith said of Cameron
and Dear Johnny Deere. “I probably
got a copy of the final draft [of the
play] but I didn’t read it. It just feels
like it’s not yours anymore.
“I felt like I didn’t really care
anymore. That horse has left the
farm.”
Eaglesmith says he is looking
forward to his concert in Blyth on
May 25, as well as his show in
Saugeen Shores the night before.
He says he has noticed a bit of an
increase in people at his shows
because of Dear Johnny Deere, but
that it is an intangible, like his
appearance on Late Night with
David Letterman. It’s difficult to
know where fans hear about
Eaglesmith and why they make their
way out to his shows.
In November, 2012, when the
Eaglesmith show was announced,
Blyth Festival General Manager Deb
Sholdice said the intent behind the
concert was to cross-pollinate the
Blyth Festival and Eaglesmith
audiences and introduce one to the
other.
Eaglesmith’s journey through
music has taken a lot of turns, he
says, and while most artists aspire to
constantly get bigger, Eaglesmith
learned a long time ago that
approach to his craft wasn’t what he
wanted.
“I did that when I was in my late
20s and I realized I didn’t really
want it,” Eaglesmith says. “I didn’t
really like mainstream.”
He says he doesn’t like the “lack
of intelligence” that often comes
As the Avon Maitland District
School Board (AMDSB) looks
ahead to the 2013/2014 school year,
the viability of an extended day
program has been investigated for
each school offering full-day
kindergarten (FDK).
The upcoming school year will
mark the fourth year of a five-year
implementation process for the FDK
program. As part of the FDK
program, school boards are required
to ensure that on-site Extended Day
Early Learning (EDEL) is offered to
the kindergarten students, but only
where demand exists.
The board is not required to offer
Extended Day Early Learning at
school sites where there is a
projected enrolment of fewer than
20 pupils and the appropriate
projected pupil enrolment cannot be
reached by including up to five
pupils enrolled in Grades 1 and 2 for
the next year.
The AMDSB has conducted the
first viability check for the Extended
Day Early Learning program for all
school offering FDK, has completed
the Request for Proposals (RFP)
process and selected appropriate
third party providers for the
Following the success of their
hugely successful 15th annual
Campout/Jamboree and a
celebration of the 75th anniversary
of the beginning of the Barn Dance
on Wingham’s CKNX last year, the
members of the Barn Dance
Historical Society are excited to
continue with the show this
weekend.
The event, which features
bluegrass music, fiddling and step
dancing demonstrations and, of
course, the revival of the original
barn dance radio show, will run
Friday through Sunday at the Blyth
and District Community Centre.
Friday night is the bluegrass show
and, according to organizer Gord
Baxter, it will be a great start to the
event.
“It starts at 7 p.m. on the arena
floor and is featuring Rhyme ’n
Reason and the Bluegrass Edition,”
he said. “The bluegrass fans should
really enjoy it.”
Baxter said that tickets for the
event are $6.
While the event focuses on the
music, there is plenty to keep people
busy all weekend at the Blyth
Campground.
Saturday morning at 11 a.m., the
Tavistock Fiddle and Step-Dance
show will take to the stage and
Baxter said that people will really
appreciate what they’re going
to do.
“It’s going to be fun for everyone
to see,” he said. “We’ve only ever
heard good things about their act.”
The open stage will be held from
noon until 3 p.m. that day letting
everyone and anyone show what
they can do.
From 4:30 to 6 p.m. the Blyth
Lions Club will be hosting dinner
for the event and shortly after that
armbands will be put on sale for
those who aren’t camping out to get
in to the show. Tickets are $25 for
Saturday night.
This year, the barn dance band
will feature the same members it did
last year, including, on bass, Al
Alderson, lead guitarist Fred Lewis,
drummer Grant Heywood, fiddler
Bill Norris and Doug Dietrich on the
steel guitar.
Following introductions by master
of ceremonies Jim Swan, the
following acts will take to the stage.
• Jimmy Phair
• Al Windmeyer
• Linda Elders
• Aaron Muir
• Donna Muir
• Jeff Berry
• Michael Warren
• Don Maxwell
• Lance Russwurn
• The McCullough Girls
• Stompin Jon.
Following the show, a dance
called Dancing to the Barn Dance
will run until midnight.
Sunday morning the Blyth Lions
Club hosts a meal that is so popular
that only advance ticket holders can
get in.
Following that, the famous
Sunday Morning Gospel show takes
centre stage in the Blyth Arena for
armband holders only according to
the show’s website.
Hosted by Mary Elliott Huyzen,
the show always gets people’s toes
tapping and proves to be the perfect
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 19
Students to benefit from program
By Hilary Long
Special to The Citizen
Continued on page 7
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 19