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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-06-28, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2012. PAGE 9. Walton hosts motocross over weekend Homecoming committee introduces Boothill Bash We have had a good week of weather and the crops are looking good. The reps at Parrish and Heimbecker say that many farmers have had to spray for the army worms around the Walton area. Hopefully there is not too much crop damaged. We had some rain around 4 p.m. on Thursday. It was very spotty and even within a half mile, it was either wet or dry. I drove through a heavy downpour with the bus and it was actually very frightening. Heading north on the sideroad, it was hot and sunny. About halfway through the road, the senior students called my attention to the west. A wall of white was fast approaching and the students hurriedly got all the windows put up on the bus. We made the turn to head west on the highway and the rain started. It was easy at first, but by the time we had travelled about a half mile, it pelted the bus with heavy rain, hail and strong wind. The hail hitting the bus was really noisy. Travelling the next half mile in the torrential rain forced my decision to pull over on the side of the road. We only had to wait another three to four minutes and the rain eased, the wind went down and visibility was restored. We continued on with our journey to travel lessthan a mile and observe thepavement getting drier and drier. Weencountered no more rain on the rest of the journey, but the five minutes we had was bad enough. Our condolences are expressed to the Zehr family on the sudden passing of Glen Zehr. He will be missed by his wife Greta and children Deb VanBeek and son Gerry and families. Our sympathies to all. The community shower for Krista Shortreed was held at Duff’s United Church on Friday evening. There were over 50 family and friends from both the Walton and Brussels areas in attendance. The neighbours of Heidi McClure, Jennifer McClure and Gloria Wilbee organized the evening with help from members of Melville Presbyterian Church, Brussels. The evening started with Heidi welcoming everyone and introducing the bride Krista, her mother Valerie and her mother-in- law-to-be Nora Verkley. The entertainment included a comical duet by Gloria and Jo-Ann McDonald and a lovely song by Krista’s aunt Margaret McInroy. The address was read by Jennifer and then the gifts were presented. Krista thanked everyone for their generosity and support and expressed how wonderful it is to have grown up in a small community. A light lunch of cake and ice cream followed. A cross-country event was held at the Walton Raceway on the weekend. The World Enduro group had a bike course that encircled the farm for the competitors. There were about 100 taking part with times ranging from the fastest doing theloop in 10 minutes to the slowertaking about 30 minutes to completethe course. There was a very wide range of abilities. The event was held on Sunday, a beautiful day for the event. Feel-better wishes go out to Alec Townsend, as he spent a few days in hospital last week. Congratulations to Ken and Meaghan McCallum on the birth of a son on the weekend. They have welcomed Linkin to their family. The birth of a boy breaks the tie of two girls and two boys for grandparents, Paul and Dianne McCallum as the boys now take the lead 3-2! Congrats to all. The end of an era has happened this week for a special person. Sharon Pryce has retired from driving a bus. She has endured (and that is the right word) driving our area children to school for almost 30 years. She began as a spare driver for her father who operated Dick Marks Bus Line in Walton. In 1989, Brian and Sharon Pryce and Doug and Gail Schroeder bought the buses and formed Winthrop Bus Lines and she drove full time. A few years ago, they sold the busses to Murphy Bus Lines and she continued to drive full time. She recalls how the times have changed for the drivers. Students respected the drivers far more years ago and when they did misbehave, the privilege of riding a bus ended, you stopped and off they got. When she changed from driving public school to high school, she also noticed a big change. High school students get on the bus, listen to their music, text continually or go to sleep. A quieter ride for the driver.Sharon is looking forward to notbeing tied to a schedule, gettingmore done around home, helping out on the farm and spending more time with family. Congrats to Sharon for her nearly 30 years of safe driving and delivering hundreds of students, and now their families, to school. Happy retirement! Folks around Brussels should have noticed the big change on main street this week. The windows of the vacant building on the east side of Turnberry have been transformed. They now have beautiful window murals featuring pictures of the village of Brussels, then and now. This was a project initiated by the Brussels Build group and with encouragement and support of Jan Hawley and Huron East, a transformation has happened. The owner of the building was co- operative in allowing the installation of the photos and what a change it has made to the building. Stop by when you are in town or go for a walk and view the great photos. Celebrating birthdays this past week include Dianne Godkin, Wenda Humphries, Carolyn Sullivan, Kevin Flaxbard, Kelly Godkin, Chase Hackwell, Jill Fritz, Mary Humphries, Kendra Wilts and Nora Humphries. Happy Birthday to all. Margery Huether and her friend Annette Havens of Meaford have returned from a trip to the Baltics. They flew to London, England and toured for four days and then boarded the ship at Tilbury, which is about an hour’s drive east of London. While in London, they had a ride on the Big Eye, lunched at Harrods and the special event was attending the Chelsea Flower Show. They also enjoyed a trip down the Thames and saw the many beautiful decorations for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. The ship voyage consisted of visiting Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia and on their homeward voyage, they visited Estonia and went through the Kiel Canal in Germany. The pair flew home from Holland after enjoying a fantastic trip. Our sympathies are extended to the Burke family on the passing of Isobel Burke. Our condolences to Stephen and Sheila and families. Isobel had been a resident of Huronlea Home for the Aged in Brussels for the past few years. She was a lovely lady who liked to laugh and have fun. I can remember many enjoyable conversations with her over the years. Our sympathies to the Burke and McCall families. Homecoming is just four weeks away! It’s time to get your decorations and spruce up your homes and businesses. Decorate in the theme colours of red and white, black and burlap with a western theme and enter the best-decorated contest. Contact and register your home or business for the contest with Rene Richmond and get to work. The main street looks awesome with the flowers and black boots on the hydro poles to welcome folks to town and create a growing enthusiasm for the celebrations. Decorations, such as bows, braids and hats can be ordered through Rene and/or can be ordered/purchased at McCutcheon’s Garage and at George’s to Jo-Ann’s. Come on Brussels and get decorating. Let’s kick off the celebrations and decorate for the month of July! A new and exciting event for the Homecoming is the Boothill Bash. It is going to be held at the north end of town behind the Optimist building. The competition fits the Western theme for Homecoming by emphasizing the “Spirit of the Cowboy”. It is being organized by Brian and Joanne Workman of Turkey Run Ranch. It features friendly cowboy competitions, good horses, good food and cold beverages. The event will start on Friday evening and run until Sunday evening, when the All-Around Cowboy Champion is crowned. Friday evening will feature the Cowboy Trail Challenge, a timed obstacle course with nine different challenges. Pole Bending, a timed six-pole weaving pattern for youth and adults and barrel racing, a timed clover leaf pattern around barrels, again for both youth and adult divisions. The exciting “local” Celebrity Challenge, a winner-take-all event, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Hopefully 10 competitors, sponsored with a $100 entry fee, will ride a barrel pattern and a pole-bending pattern, and the combined best times will be the winner. The winner will have named a charity of choice, or community group to receive the prize purse. Local service club members, politicians or a “celebrity” in your mind can participate. Brian and Joanne Workman are offering practice and horses prior to the event, so contact them to register or arrange a practice time. There is no experience necessary and riders cannot compete in any other event during the Boothill Bash on the same weekend. Contact them at 519-887-6052 or e- mail: turkey-run- ranch@hotmail.com for more information. The action continues on Saturday with a sanctioned Ontario Reined Cowhorse Association event with about 30 competitors in various classes. The riders and horses earn points towards year-end standings. The All-Around Cowboy reined Cowhorse event will have about 18 competitors. The event has a judge scoring each horse/rider combination on completing a prescribed reining pattern and then a single cow is released into the arena. The horse/rider must control the animal by showing cutting/ control and then maneuver the cow to the halfway mark completing two turns. The final is to maneuver the cow in two complete circles – one each way. Sounds like this takes a lot a practice and skill by a rider and horse. The Boothill Bash Cowboy Race Auction/Sponsorship will start around 3 p.m on Saturday afternoon. This is a chance for everyone in the stands to bid for the opportunity to sponsor their favorite horse/rider combination in the following “Races against the Clock”. If your sponsored cowboy wins – so will you. Be part of the winners circle for a day! The cowboy races will follow with up to 36 competitors racing against the clock for the fastest times. The two fastest will have a final run to determine the winner. Cheering is highly recommended. The day will finish with the Trail Challenge and possibly the All- Round Cowboy Pole Bending. The All-Round Cowboy must compete in six events during the weekend to earn points towards being crowned the All-Round Cowboy. Sunday, the final day of competition will feature the Southern Ontario Cattle Sorting to start the day. The competitors must sort seven numbered cattle in order across the score line in a timed event. There will also be Team Sorting – six teams with three cowboys on each and timed, all earning points towards the end of the weekend placing. The final trail challenge will take place during the mid afternoon and a Working Ranch Demo will begin about 3:30 p.m. The gang of Turkey Run Ranch will explain and demonstrate the everyday activities on a cattle ranch. The day will conclude with the awards presentations for the All- Around Champion Cowboy, the Reserved All-Around Champion Cowboy and the Wildcard Cowboy around 4:30 p.m.. It sounds like a jam-packed three days of events and a well organized schedule. We encourage everyone to stop by and enjoy this special event that carries the western and cowboy theme of Homecoming throughout the weekend. A great way to spend time, see something new and to meet up with friends. While at the Optimist end of the village, you can also take time to watch the volleyball tournament running Friday night and Saturday. Maybe you want to put a team in the tournament? Call Jason Crawford at 519-441-0188 for information. Want to look back in time? Visit Don McNeil’s Antique Car Museum at the same end of town. Just look for the boot tree across from the Optimist Park. Don will welcome visitors during the weekend except during the parade time. You will find many treasures that will remind you of days gone by and Don has many great stories to tell. Share Your School Memories The Citizen With the closures of Blyth Public School, Brussels Public School and East Wawanosh Public School soon upon us, The Citizen invites you to send in your special school memories to share with our readers. Throughout the coming weeks we will feature your stories and memories from years past. Send your stories to.... P.O. Box 152 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114 P.O. Box 429 413 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 Email: info@northhuron.on.ca Fax: 519-523-9140 By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570 PEOPLE AROUNDWALTON NEWS FROM WALTON BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED