HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-09-04, Page 1The event that brings thousands of
people to Blyth each year, the Huron
Pioneer Thresher Reunion, is back
for the 47th time this weekend.
Gates to the grounds will open at 8
a.m. every day with buses starting
from the parking lot just after the
gates open on Saturday and Sunday.
At 9 a.m. the displays and crafts will
be opened on the community centre
floor and around the exterior border
of the building.
The show will officially be opened
at 12:30 p.m. on Friday with the
opening ceremony.
On Sept. 4, there will be a fiddle
jam session from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. in
all three sheds, kicking off the
weekend of music.
Friday and Saturday will see three
bands take the stage each day, while
Sunday’s music will be confined to
the church service, where many of
Blyth’s great voices go to flourish.
The Dolsons and Lloyd Preston will
also play a set on Sunday at 1 p.m.
On Friday Country Ways will
grace the stage at noon until 4 p.m.,
wheeling out the outdoor stage and
sliding out the outdoor dance floor
in hopes of adding that outdoor
musical atmosphere that Blyth is
famous for.
Later that night as the sun starts to
fall, the Twilight Serenaders will
take the outdoor stage at 6 p.m. until
8:30 p.m. and Ken Scott’s Orchestra,
always a Threshers Reunion
favourite, will close out the night
with a dance in the community
centre from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
On Friday night there will be three
different fiddle jam sessions. Bev
Hanson will head up a jam session in
Shed 2 from 7:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.,
Tom Melady will run a session from
7 p.m. to 12 a.m. in Shed 3 and
Laverne Ferguson will be the MC on
the main stage session from 8:30
p.m. to 12 a.m.
On Saturday Pierce’s Orchestra
will take over the daytime slot,
playing on the outdoor stage at
noon. The Twilight Serenaders will
grace the outdoor stage again at 6
p.m. and Pierce’s Orchestra will
close the night out with an evening
set in the community centre from 8
p.m. to 12 a.m.
Saturday will also offer up a few
musical bonuses, including the
fiddle competition and the Clinton
Pipe Band stopping by for a set. The
fiddle competition will take place at
Shed 3 at 12:30 p.m., with
registration beginning at 11 a.m. The
Clinton Pipe Band will play for the
crowd at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
There will be a jam session headed
up by Jim Scott on the main stage on
Saturday night from 8:30 p.m. to 12
a.m.
The church service will take place
in Shed 3 at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The name of the game is threshing
and threshing demonstrations will
take place at 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.
on each day.
Sheep shearing will take place
from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Friday
and 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:15 p.m.
and 3 p.m. on Saturday. There will
be horse demonstrations at 10:30
a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday and at 12:30 p.m. on
Sunday.
One of the new features will be a
guide dog presentation at 10:30 a.m.
and 2 p.m. on Friday.
As always, there will be a parade
filled with steam engines, antique
tractors and cars every day at 4 p.m.
The weekend will see a fair
amount of tractor pull action take to
the field as well. From 10 a.m. until
noon there will be a fun tractor pull
followed by a tractor pull from 1
p.m. until 3 p.m. on all three days.
On Saturday and Sunday a kids
tractor pull will follow the regular
tractor pull from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
Keeping up with the competitive
spirit, there will be steam engine
games at 1 p.m. on Friday and at 2
p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Children’s special events will take
place at 1 p.m. on Saturday and
The pledge sheets are out for
residents to pick up and raise money
for one of the most well-known
events as Brussels prepares for its
annual Terry Fox Run.
Set for Sept. 14 this year, this is
the 15th year that the village has
sponsored a Terry Fox Run and
organizer Doug McArter is hoping
for even greater supporter than the
community has already shown.
“Last year we raised almost
$7,000,” said McArter, “for a total
over the years of $92,000. It would
sure be nice if we could get $8,000
this year and put the community’s
total to $100,000.”
Registration for the Run is
between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the
Optimist Clubhouse.
Participants can choose between
two routes. “There’s the scenic route
in town that takes them through the
conservation park, back up main
street to the clubhouse. It’s about
two kilometres long.”
The other option is a walk in the
country around the five-mile block
to the east said McArter, between
Brandon and Newry Roads.
Pledge sheets can be picked up at
local businesses or by calling
McArter at 519-887-6963.
It’s Reunion time!
Brussels gets set for
15th Terry Fox Run
Back to school
Joe Jacklin was at Brussels Public School bright and early Tuesday morning, ready for his first
day of school. Jacklin strapped his backpack on with the help of his aunt, Sharie Evans, not
pictured, and headed on into school along with hundreds of students returning from their
summer vacations. Students were able to take advantage of the new sidewalk too. (Shawn
Loughlin photo)
While the student bodies are
looking very similar, area schools
are host to a lot of new faces this
school year.
In our high schools, Martin
Ritsma, former vice-principal at
Stratford Central Public School has
moved up to Wingham where he will
be the principal of F.E. Madill
Secondary School.
Blyth Public School will have the
slightest increase of one student in
its enrollment this year going from
186 up to 187 and will welcome in
six new faces to its faculty. Rebecca
Hoogenes will take over the Grade 8
class, Leeanne Middleton will take
over the Grade 5/6 class, Jaclyn
Hulley will take primary teaching
duties, Katherine Antonio will teach
French,
Lisa Fritz will be the new
educational assistant and Dianna
Binotto Peel will split her time
between Blyth Public School and
East Wawanosh Public School as the
new SERT.
Brussels Public School saw 211
smiling faces come through its
doors, which is down approximately
10 students from its enrollment last
year. Teaching Grade 5/6 will be
Jennifer Lasenby and a few
returning faces are Shannon
McGavin teaching Grade 4, Heather
Dawe teaching Grade 3 and music.
Erin Baan will be the school’s
resource teacher and Brian Raidt
will teach French until Christmas.
East Wawanosh Public School will
have approximately the same
amount of students it had last year,
which was 170, with several faculty
changes as well. The new
kindergarten teacher will be Danielle
Watson replacing Susan Jameson,
Krista Ehgoetz will be teaching
Grade 4/5 for September and
October and Amy Walper will be
teaching Grade 6/7 to cover Sydney
Elder’s maternity leave.
Barb Dery will also be taking over
the educational assistant post while
last year’s interim vice-principal,
Wendy Armstrong-Gibson has been
named the school’s principal.
Hullett Central Public School has
seen a consistent drop in its
enrollment over the last two years.
This year they will have 163
students, down from last year’s 166
and 176 in 2006. Hullett welcomes a
new educational assistant to the team
in Linda Pfannenstiel.
Grey Central Public School will be
host to 196 students, down from last
year’s 220 and has welcomed new
principal, Mario Gagné, the former
vice-principal of Bedford Public
School. The school also has a new
Grade 7/8 teacher, Vanessa
Gregoriadis.
On the student side of things,
Brussels teen Darby Alcorn of F.E.
Madill Secondary School will be on
the new slate of student senators this
year, also being elected as one of this
year’s two student trustees.
Students off to school
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Continued on page 3
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