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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-10-02, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008.EditorialsOpinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152,BRUSSELS, Ont.N0G 1H0Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.comWebsite www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels,Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc.Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $32.00/year ($30.48 + $1.52 G.S.T.) in Canada;$101.00/year in U.S.A.and $175/year in other foreign countries.Advertising is accepted on thecondition that in the event of a typographical error,only that portion of the advertisement will becredited.Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth.PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Letter to the editor Oct. 3, 1962 American President John F. Kennedy spoke to a crowd of over 45,000 people gathered in Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas. President Kennedy paid a visit to the city to inspect and tour the Manned Spacecraft Centre. Iva Kroeger was turned over to San Francisco police by the FBI in San Diego, California on a fugitive warrant. The 44-year-old continued to deny knowledge of how the bodies of a man and his wife were found buried inside her basement garage. The investigation continued. Mayor Don Russell of New Toronto told city council that the police should consider using pretty girls, instead of “big husky men” to write out parking tickets, saying that he “wouldn’t mind getting one then.” He also said that cities like Ottawa had already put the system into use, having girls on motor scooters to tag parking tickets, and that continuing to assign the task to policemen would be incurring a lack of respect. Two time Academy Award winn- ing director Vittorio De Sica had teamed up with silver screen siren Sophia Loren to film The Condemned of Altona. The pair, along with the cast and crew, were on location in Pisa, Italy to complete shooting. Oct 3, 1973 Hullett Twp. continued to wait for the end of an ongoing controversy regarding waste dump problems. The issue inspired heated words at council meetings, but it had begun to seem as though the arguing was nearing an end. The owner of the landfill site, situated just outside of Londesborough, was frustrated with what he felt was unfair aggression on council’s part as well as the community, and council was attempting to speak on the behalf of citizens dealing with grievances caused by the dump. It was decided that council would meet at the landfill, and make a decision on the proposal by the site’s owner to officially operate a dump within the township. It was hoped that an understanding could be reached as soon as possible, and that all conflicts could finally be resolved concerning the matter. Three of the five candidates vying for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party made appearances throughout the Huron-Bruce area. current Liberal Leader Robert Nixon, Grey-Bruce MPP Eddie Sargeant, and Toronto School teacher Ted Culp all attended the annual meeting of the Huron-Bruce Liberal Association in Wingham, though most people outside the party circle had no knowledge of the visit. All three spoke vehemently of election issues in speeches made. The turnout for minor hockey registration was good, but numbers showed that it was down considerably from past years. John Elliott, chairman of the Blyth Minor Hockey Association, said that turnouts were lighter than expected, especially for the Bantam and Midget categories. In order to solve the problem, registration was to be extended for a week, so that anyone interested who had missed the first deadline now had time to sign up. Playing at the Lyceum Theatre in Wingham was the Bible epic blockbuster, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, with a star- studded cast including Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, and Vincent Price. Also playing was Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon in Shamus. Sept. 30, 1981 A team of youngsters from Walton won the Tri-County Squirt baseball championship. Members of the team were: Brian Love, Sherri Harburn, Tracey Bennett, Debbie Anstett, Nancy Godkin, Tracy Badley, Linda Carter, Peggy Ryan, Kelly Workman, Lori Anstett, Sherry Hoegy, and Bonnie Findlayson. Coaches were Dianne Bennett and Lin Steffler. A Blyth man was injured following a two car collision occurring on Conc. 9, Sideroad 15- 16 in Morris Twp. The 43-year-old received minor injuries and was released from hospital, but there was approximately $600 in damage to his vehicle. The other driver involved in the collision, also from Blyth, was charged with failing to yeild to the right of way, and had to deal with $2,000 in damages to his vehicle. Oct 4, 1995 Wingham OPP charged a Brussels man with arson after completing the investigation into the torching of an outhouse at the Maitland Valley Conservation Park in Brussels. Damages were listed at $5,000, and that was money that the conservation park committee did not have in order to conduct rebuilding. The culprit, having been arrested before, was also facing breach of probation charges. Oct. 4, 2007 After attending the grand opening of the Bruce County Access Centre in Tiverton, North Huron councillor Greg McClinchey tabled the option of housing a centre in Blyth. Ball’s Bridge officially re-opened to light vehicular traffic in time for fall colours. Doug McArter was named Brussels Citizen of the Year. Janice Henry was chosen as the Citizen of the Year for Blyth. THE EDITOR, The Barn Dance Historical Society and Entertainment Museum’s 11th annual campout/ jamboree held on May 23, 24, and 25 in Blyth was a huge success. On Thursday, 162 camping units arrived to enjoy the upcoming weekend. By Friday approximately 360 units had arrived at the campout for a fun-filled weekend. This year, the Blyth Festival part- nered with us and held the Ontario Open Country Singing Contest at the same time. This added to the events being held in Blyth for a “Canadian Country Music Festival”. On Friday evening, campers were entertained by bluegrass bands. On Saturday, a silent auction was held and on stage, various campers provided entertainment. Approximately 1,000 people attended the Saturday evening show and dance presented by the Barn Dance Historical Society, Canada’s Largest Travelling Barn Dance. Jim Swan was the Master of Ceremonies. Feature artists were Bonita Mercer, Martha Heywood and family, Sheldon Nickerson, Fred Lewis and Ridin’ High, Greg Holmes, John and Geneva Heaman, Chantel Thorn, Aaron Muir, Bruce Hodgson, Bill Simmermaker, Barn Dance Band and the Millennium Cowboys. Eight-hundred people attended the Sunday morning gospel show under the direction of Mary Elliott Huyzen. In all, the people donated $1,864.25 at this event, which is donated back to the Blyth community in appreciation for the campers and community’s support of the campout/jamboree. The board of directors of the Barn Dance Historical Society is pleased to announce that they are donating $500 to the Blyth and District community arena food booth for new equipment, $300 to the Blyth Lions Club, $200 to the Blyth Festival, $400 to the Huron Pioneer Threshers and Hobby Association, $300 to the Blyth Fire Department and $200 to St. John Ambulance. The Barn Dance Historical Society and Entertainment Museum looks forward to presenting its 12th annual Campout/Jamboree weekend on May 22, 23 and 24. Ruth Baxter, President Barn Dance Historical Society. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright This ‘niche’ counts Probably Stephen Harper had it right when, reacting to criticism about his government’s $45 million in cuts to some arts programs, he called it a “niche issue” that most Canadians don’t care about. In doing so, however, he underlined both how little he, and voters, understand about the complexity of what makes up a country. A country that does not know who it is is as unhealthy as an individual who has no true idea of who she or he is. The arts help Canadians understand what it is to be Canadian, by telling our stories and creating our own national myth. In the last half-century governments have played a significant role in making that happen through a relatively small infusion of taxpayer funding. You need to be of a certain age to realize how far we have come in understanding ourselves. In the early 1960s there were few songs written and performed by Canadian musicians on our radios. Indeed there were few studios in this country where they could record their music. There were few theatres and those that there were, performed plays by American or British playwrights. Canadian movies were unheard of. American magazines dominated the newsstands and coffee tables of the nation, telling American stories and ignoring anything Canadian. There were some Canadian books published, but few compared to today. In other words, Canadians didn’t really think of themselves as Canadians but as people looking from the outside at their British origins or the ever-more-powerful nation to the south. Canadians became Canadians largely through the enabling support of government, either through financial support or regulations. Both Progressive Conservative and Liberal governments began this move by supporting the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, first on radio and then as the first Canadian television stations most Canadians watched. The creation of the Canada Council in the 1950s provided funding to unleash the creativity of writers, actors, musicians, painters and sculptors to help tell and show Canadians to Canadians. Helped on by Lester Pearson’s determined adoption of a Canadian flag in 1965 and promotion of Centennial celebrations in 1967, Canadians were awakened to a new self-awareness which in turn fed a desire to see Canadian stories told. In the 1960s and early 1970s, radio station owners protested that nobody would listen to their stations if they played Canadian music. Under Pierre Juneau, Pierre Trudeau’s government forced them to accept, kicking and screaming, a mandatory ratio of Canadian music. Today we have a thriving music industry with international superstars (but the station managers still complain about the regulations). Many Canadians, including the prime minister apparently, still think that the arts are an industry like any other, and shouldn’t need financial aid. Yet add up the cost of all the arts funding and it probably would support our mission to Afghanistan for a month. Just as we need an army to protect us physically, we need to know who we are emotionally and the money we spend on the arts is a small investment in helping that happen. — KR &