The Citizen, 2007-03-29, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 13 Thursday, March 29, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 7
Pg. 8
Pg. 9
Pg. 11
Pg. 23
Student speaker
moves on
Bantams capture
WOAA title
Season ends for
Brussels curlers
Legion donates to
minor hockey
Show honours
Sarah Mann
With casting almost complete
Blyth Festival’s 2007 season
company members are moving to
Blyth for the summer.
Many of the 60 people involved in
the season will need a place to stay
with the theatre co-ordinating all
their housing needs from May to
September. Last summer over
$35,000 was paid by the Blyth
Festival to 20 landlords in Blyth and
Brussels to rent farmhouses,
townhouses, apartments or rooms in
people’s homes.
“Our theatre invites people to call
if they have a house, apartment, or
private room in their house they’d
like to rent for the summer or to rent
for a limited time in June, July or
August,” said Jane Gardner, general
manager, Blyth Festival. “We’re
looking to rent furnished or
unfurnished homes or apartments in
Blyth, Auburn, Brussels, Londes-
borough, Walton and Belgrave area.”
The priority is to find places within
walking or biking distance of the
theatre because some performers
don’t have access to vehicles. “Since
we often furnish many of the places
we rent – we invite people to donate
furniture (couches, chairs, table and
chair sets), good quality mattresses,
and appliances (fridge, stove, washer,
dryer, microwave) or vacuums for
our summer company’s use.”
Blyth residents Amy and Ralph
McCrea have hosted dozens of
actors, designers and theatre staff in
their homes over the years.
“It’s been over 20 years that our
basement apartment has welcomed
many interesting people from the
theatre”, said Amy McCrea. “We
billet Blyth Festival people for about
three months each summer – every
year it’s different. We may have a
series of three writers or designers
who stay from two to three weeks at
a time and sometimes it’s the same
person for three months.”
“I remember playwright Rex
Deverell stayed at our home and used
the organ in the basement to share his
musical talents with a concert for my
mother and I.”
McCrea said renting to the theatre
is simpler than running a bed and
breakfast. “Katherine Kaszas a
former artistic director persuaded me
many years ago to stop renting to
tourists and to rent exclusively to the
theatre. We’ve really enjoyed all of
our guests – it certainly livens up the
place every summer.”
When Nethery moved into Blyth in
1991, she bought three lots and built
a house. Since 1995 her home has
been a popular place for Blyth actors,
designers and production staff to
stay. “When (designer) Glenn
Davidson is here he asks to stay at
Jean’s,” said Gardner.
For more information about how to
rent your home or donate furnishings
to the Blyth Festival, call Sandy
Henry at 519-523-9300 X210.
Company
coming,
housing
needed
Under the I
Lorren Poland keeps a close eye on the spinning as she waits to see what number Sarah
Mitchell’s going to pull from the cage. The two were playing bingo at the Duff’s United Church
held on Saturday evening. There was a good turnout for this community event with about 60
adults and a lot of children present to enjoy some old-fashioned entertainment. (Vicky Bremner
photo)
With ambulance response times
being a hot button topic with Huron
East council just earlier this year, a
running ambulance in Brussels 12
hours a day is something council did
not need much persuasion to
accommodate.
Council has now approved the
Brussels Fire Hall as a standby
location for Huron County
paramedics.
With a running ambulance in
Brussels now 12 hours a day, seven
days a week, the truck will be
provided one outdoor parking spot
and supplies for the paramedics.
A delegation that toured the fire
hall advised that the county would
supply the hall with a telephone,
internet access and new chairs for
the paramedics. In addition, they
would pay up to $500 per month in
rental fees if necessary, pending
county budget approval.
The ambulance’s standby position
at the fire hall will not impede work
at the hall, with its spot being
outdoors. This was a concern of
council, but deputy-mayor Bernie
MacLellan put their minds at rest,
ensuring them that the parking spot
would be outdoors because the
ambulance always has to be running.
This is due to the medication that the
ambulance carries. It needs to be
kept at a moderate temperature
because if it gets too hot or too cold,
it can become ineffective.
Council passed clerk-
administrator Jack McLachlan’s
recommendation on the matter
without issue.
It was a chance to put their
education to the test and resulted in
top marks for a local resident.
Kelly Boven, a horticulture student
at Lambton College in Sarnia, along
with his teammate James Whitney of
the Sarnia area, competed in the post
secondary Canadian skills
competition for landscaping at the
Canada Blooms show in Toronto.
Pitted against eight teams from
Ontario colleges that offer the
landscape program, Boven and
Whitney created a gold-medal
design.
The silver went to Humber while
Niagara took bronze.
“It’s a two-day build on which you
are judged on everything from
interviews to safety procedures to the
final product,” said Boven. “After the
project was complete, I was fairly
confident we had done well. Gold
was a real surprise. There were a lot
of good teams in my competition.
We were super pumped after our
names were called.”
Boven said their teacher Paul
Churchill was “completely ecstatic.
Lambton has never finished in the
medal round in 12 years of
competition. It’s a very big deal for
the college and especially the
horticultural department.”
The design can include hardscape
or stonework, softscape (flowerbeds
and plantings), waterscape, timber
and/or electrical.
Competitors received the design
on Friday morning and finished
Saturday afternoon.
Each team is given a 15x15 foot
square area to build. “The trick this
year was to properly lay out the
design and hide the electrical
components from view,” said Boven.
Then with natural stone, the team
had to use artistic skill to make
things look professional and
Local gets
top marks
in contest
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Continued on page 6
Ambulance now in Brussels
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
With more stomach bugs being
reported in Huron County, the
Huron County Health Unit
encourages the public to stay home
when they’re sick, and to wash
hands frequently
Regular handwashing helps
prevent getting and spreading
infections.
Although the cause of the
intestinal illness isn’t clear yet, a
norovirus-like source is suspected.
The symptoms of the illness include
nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting,
and diarrhea.
Anyone with these symptoms
should stay home and rest. This
will help them recover faster
and reduce the spread of this ill-
ness.
If symptoms persist or worsen,
consult a doctor. Don’t visit long-
term care facilities, hospitals and the
sick or elderly when ill.
People whose immune systems
are already weakened can have more
severe symptoms or complications if
they get ill.
Keep in mind that, with many of
these stomach viruses, you can
continue to spread the virus for a
few days after your symptoms
stop.
Once you’re feeling better, wait a
few days before you plan to visit to
these places or people.
Stomach bug making rounds