The Citizen, 2010-09-09, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2010. PAGE 9. Fire claims historical piece of Walton
Walton was full of activity this
past week as a piece of Walton
history went up in flames. A fire
completely destroyed the old
bard/shed on the property of Steve
Freeman on Monday afternoon. The
building was originally part of the
Mark’s garage built in 1943. Itserved two purposes over the years,in housing horses and later as shopand storage for the full servicegarage. The building was used asstorage for equipment and tools etc.
The building went up in a matter of
minutes. Residents of the village tell
me that at 3:45 p.m. they walked by
the building and nothing seemed out
of place. Ten minutes later on their
return to their home, flames and
billows of black smoke had engulfed
the building. Responding to the fire
were both Brussels and Grey Fire
Departments and they did an
excellent job in containing the
flames from spreading to the nearby
Walton Inn and the home on the
property. The coverall that was the
front part of the now existingmachine shop of owner SteveFreeman, was melted about threequarters of the way. It was replacedon Friday and most of the cleanuphas been completed.
The Labour Day weekend was not
the nicest stretch of days we have
had over the summer. The
temperature certainly dropped and
the wet and rainy conditions made it
rather miserable for those who enjoy
the fun of camping. Even the fun of
getting ready for back to school had
a damper put on it, running between
the raindrops. The first couple of
drays of school are always a
challenge. Adjusting to an earlier
rise out of bed, catching the bus,
lunch, new rooms, new teachers and
renewing friendships can all make
for excited children. Buses are on the
roads earlier and earlier in themornings and later at night, so beprepared for the flashing lights.One area man who will not beworrying about the first day ofschool is Doug Evans. For the first
time in 45 years, Doug will be
staying home from school. He
retired from driving a school bus in
Grey Township in June. He started
driving in 1965 when the Township
of Grey operated the buses to bring
students to the newly-built Grey
Central Public School. He recalls
they bought six Wayne Body buses
for $37,000 and the pay was $6 a
day. His fist year, he had a 21-mile
route and made 29 stops and had
nearly 60 students on the bus.
The first buses had their problems.
In the winter, the snow would blow
in under the doors and the rain would splash in as well. The only
AUBURN CO-OP
County Road #25, Auburn ~ 519-526-7262
Power Equipment
26 hp 54” cut Poulan
Reg. $2,999.
Sale $2,300.
24 hp 50” cut zero turn
Reg. $4,300.
Sale $3,500.
14 hp 46” cut Poulan
Reg. $1,900. (used slightly)
Sale $1,300.
6.5 hp Rear Tine Tiller
Reg. $999.
Sale $725.
15 Gallon Sprayer
Reg. $425.
Sale $375.
Watch for our Large Yard Sale September 16-18
On now ’til September 30th
While quantities last!
Lawn & Patio Furniture
4 pc. Wicker Set
Reg. $549.
Sale $375.
6 pc. Patio Set
Reg. $199.
Sale $150.
3 Seat Swing
Reg. $189.
Sale $125.
42" Fir Swing
Reg. $249.
Sale $140.
Plus Lots More!
On the clock
Brussels and Grey Firefighters responded to a shed fire on August 31 in Walton and were
there for over three hours putting out the blaze that took out a repair shop, a storage shed
and melted the siding on an adjacent house. (Dianne Josling photo)
Continued on page 19
By Jo-Ann
McDonald
Call
887-6570
PEOPLE AROUNDWALTON
NEWS
FROM WALTON
On Thursday, Sept. 2 the Grey
Township Dirt Devils had the
wonderful opportunity to tour the
organic farm of Chris and Gaby
Boettcher on Moncrieff Road. Gaby,
along with her daughter Ingrid was
an informative tour guide for the
evening. After a brief shower
members hopped on the hay wagon
driven by Peter Boettcher to being
the tour. The first stop was the apple
orchard where pests are controlled
by free-range chickens fenced in
below the trees. This was the first
clue how everything works in
harmony on the Boettcher farm.
Next, members headed to see their
five-acre organic squash crop where
there were no weeds to be seen.
There they also had a first glimpse at
a giant carrot which they soon
discovered was not a carrot at all but
a mangel beet. Then the group
headed to the back of the farm to
meet Timmy and Tommy, the two
llamas who protect the 500 lambs
belonging to the family.
After the wagon ride, members
walked around the Boettcher
property to see their family gardens.
The garden behind the house was
reminiscent of the book,The Secret
Garden. It was a feast for the eyes,
nose and stomach as members smelt
and tasted the herbs and carrots
growing in the garden. They learned
how to use oats in the fall to protect
the soil over the harsh winter
months. As a bonus, the group got to
tour the barn and see the goats,
rabbits, Max the pony and the
working sheep dogs. The family then
invited the group into their home for
a special treat of homemade organic
ice cream. Thanks to the Boettcher
family.
On a hot a steamy Thursday, Aug.
5 the Grey Township Dirt Devils
held one of their meetings in
Waterloo at the Waterloo Farmers’
Market. To begin the day they
headed out on a Mennonite farm tour
in a horse-drawn trolley car. The tour
guide was very informative and
presented plenty of information
about the Mennonite way of life. The
tour took the group to a Mennonite
family farm where members saw a
maple sugar bush, their barns, horse-
drawn buggies and an in-home store.
Of particular interest to the club was
their massive garden. Not only did
they have their own personal garden
but they also rent out garden plots to
nearby residents of Waterloo and
Kitchener. It was interesting to see
the variety of vegetables being
grown. A lot of the vegetables were
not familiar as many Asian families
had rented garden plots from the
Mennonite family.
This trend continued as the group
set out on the second part of the tour
after getting off the trolley cart.
Leaders sent members out in groups
to tour the stands of the Farmers’
Market. They were told to look for
fruits and vegetables that they were
not familiar with. Discoveries
included mangos, egg plants, purple
peppers, etymabeans, chinese okra
and Asian radish just to name a few.
REPRINTS
OF PHOTOS
taken by Citizen
photographers are
available to purchase.
ALL ARE IN COLOUR
4x6 - $4.00
5x7 - $5.00
8x10 - $8.00
Phone to order ~
519-523-4792
or 519-887-9114
Grey 4-H Dirt Devils
tour organic farm
Putting in the work
The Grey Township Dirt Devils 4-H Club met at the
Boettcher farm on Moncrieff Road on September 2 to learn
about organic farms and what they have to offer. (Photo
submitted)