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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, July 26, 2012
Volume 28 No. 30
DONATION - Pg. 7 Memorial Fund donates18th defibrillator CHURCH - Pg. 13Blyth’s Gary Clark upfor national positionHOMECOMING- Pg. 2Decorating contest winners announcedPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Lees named Citizens of the Year
Ainlay to
marshal
Saturday
parade
A better freeze frame than Rocky III
Members of the Blyth Christian Reformed Church’s Vacation Bible School, held throughout last week, tried to do their best freeze
frame pose be it running, screaming or just being plain silly during a quick photo shoot on Thursday. Children at the week-long
event played games, made crafts, heard stories, learned a little and enjoyed themselves a lot. (Denny Scott photo)
Stephen Charles Ainlay, great-
great-grandson of William Ainlay,
the founder of Brussels, then
Ainleyville, will be in the village
this weekend to serve as the marshal
for Saturday’s Homecoming parade.
Correspondence between Ainlay
and the Homecoming committee
began earlier this year and Ainlay,
who is now the president of Union
College in Schenectady, New York,
said he would be honoured to come
to the village.
As it should be no surprise,
Ainlay found his way back to
Brussels by way of hockey, an
institution in Brussels.
Jeremy Welsh, a student at Union
College, is “an outstanding hockey
player” according to Ainlay. Welsh
is also the son of Ralph and Doreen
Welsh (Storey), who live in
Bayfield. Doreen grew up in
Brussels and contact was made and
forwarded back to the Homecoming
committee.
It was during the college hockey
team’s run to the playoffs, Ainlay
said, in which the team made it to
the “Frozen Four” in Tampa,
Florida. At the time, Doreen gave
Ainlay a copy of a Brussels history
book, which Ainlay said he enjoyed
reading.
Committee Chair Bob Richmond
said earlier this year he was simply
given a name and a phone number to
get in touch with Ainlay.
The move isn’t unprecedented,
however, Richmond says, as
Ainlay’s father, Charles William
Ainlay was in Brussels for the
village’s 125th anniversary.
Charles lived his entire life in
Indiana, where he worked as a
lawyer and had five children.
Stephen’s grandfather, also named
Charles, was born in Ainleyville, but
moved with his family to Nebraska
when he was young. He eventually
moved to South Bend, Indiana
where he served his life as a police
officer.
Stephen’s great-grandfather was
John Ainlay, who was also born in
Ainleyville. John Street in Brussels
was named after him, although it
was later changed to Ainley Street.
Stephen’s great-great-grandfather,
of course, was William Ainlay, the
founder of Ainleyville, which would
later be named Brussels.
“I am deeply honored by your
invitation to represent the Ainlay
The people of Brussels have
spoken and they chose to honour Jim
and Lois Lee as this year’s Citizens
of the Year.
The pair received over 10
nominations from readers of The
Citizen for the position and were the
unanimous choice of a panel of
former Citizen of the Year Award
winners.
Jim and Lois were nominated time
and time again for what nominators
called their dedication and
commitment to the Village of
Brussels and their tireless support of
all things Brussels.
“Jim and Lois have brought so
much to Brussels,” read one
nomination. “Jim is one of the most
generous people I know, not only
with his time, but with money and
food.”
Another nomination read “they
work hard together and are great
Brussels people.”
Jim is a member and past
president of the Brussels Lions Club
and currently holds the position of
Tail Twister. He is a member of the
Melville Presbyterian Church Choir
and the Seaforth Harmony Kings.
Lois holds the position of
secretary with the Huronlea
Volunteer Auxiliary and the Brussels
and District Horticultural Society
(Jim is also a member). She is also a
member of the managing board at
the Melville Presbyterian Church.
Jim has a strong interest in music
and has made the Village of Brussels
a necessary pilgrimage for fans of
blues and music in general with his
concert series at the pair’s restaurant
Cinnamon Jim’s and Jim has also
pursued music in his personal life,
singing Christmas carols when the
season rolls around and performing
himself for special events, nursing
homes and church functions.
One past Citizen of the Year
winner said Jim and Lois were a
clear choice for this year’s award,
based on the thoughts of the panel
and the number of nominations they
received from the public.
Another said the pair do a lot in
the community and added that there
is rarely an event held in Brussels
that Jim and Lois don’t have some
part in.
Upon being notified that he and
Lois has been named Citizens of the
Year, Jim said he was speechless and
tremendously honoured to hear the
news.
“I just think of the others who
have won this award and they’re all
people we respect so much,” Jim
said. “It’s such an honour.”
Jim says he has appreciated the
support of the community since
Cinnamon Jim’s opened its doors in
all of the endeavours he and Lois
have taken on.
Jim says Brussels, and many other
small towns in Ontario, are unique
because in the morning, you can go
Brussels will be a busy place this
weekend with the 140th
Homecoming celebration that has
been over a year in the making.
Organizers have been encouraging
people to “come home to your
country village” for months and on
Friday the weekend will finally
begin.
The Boothill Bash will kick off
the weekend, featuring top notch
rodeo action through to the end of
the day on Sunday. The Brussels
Tigers’ annual fastball tournament
will also run all weekend, keeping
with a tradition that is over 40 years
old.
Opening ceremonies will be held
at the ballpark at 7 p.m. on Friday
night.
For a full list of events flip to the
special Homecoming
commemorative issue included in
this week’s issue of The Citizen. A
full list of events runs from page A3
to A4. A full schedule for the fastball
tournament is also included in the
special issue.
The weekend’s main attraction
will be held on Saturday at “high
noon” when the Homecoming
parade makes its way through the
village. Organizers say participation
for the parade has been
overwhelming and it could last up to
two hours.
For a full list of events, see The
Citizen’s website at
www.northhuron.on.ca
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 11Continued on page 11
Homecoming this weekend
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen