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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1989-01-04, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1989. PAGE 5. Looking, back_ A review of the news happenings of 1988 LOOKING BACK - One of the most dramatic events of 1987 in the area took place when an Ontario Provincial Police TRU [Tactics and Rescue Unit] team was called in during a stand-off in Walton where an armed man holed up in a house held police at bay for four hours. No one was hurt, but Barry William Comeau faces several weapons-related charges as a result of the incident. JANUARY 1988 began with cheers as the season’sfirstmajor storm closed roadsand schools, giving kids an extra day on their Christmas break, although the BrusselsLions Club later had to cancel its annual Polar Daize because it was too warm. Dan Pearson of RR 1, Ethel won $ 100,000 in a Wintario draw; the Blyth Festival showed a profit for the 10th straight year after taking in three- quarters of a million dollars over the 1987 season; and Joel Harris was hired as the Festival’s general manager. Kevin Wheeler and Michelle Menzies won a silver medal in the “4’s” competition as well as placing 5th overall at the Canadian National Figure Skating Championships in Victoria, B.C., just missing a berth on the Calgary Olympic team but earning the right to skate at the Olympics’ closing ceremonies; Peter McDonald and Kerrie Shep herd placed 4th overall in Novice Dance in Victoria. Helen and Lloyd Wheeler of RR 1, Ethel, were honoured with the Brussels Agricul tural Society’s Special Service Award for more than 40 years service to the Society; Murray Lobb of RR 2, Clinton wasawardedthe Norman Alexander Conservation Award; Warren Wray of Brussels was chosen Most Outstanding Junior Farmer of 1987; The Citizen won three medals in the annual provin cial newspaper competition. Twelve local people, most of them members of the Blyth Christian Reformed Church spent two weeks as volunteers building churches in the Dominican Republic; Jim Ryan of RR 5, Seaforth was appointed to fill the seat on McKillop Twp. council vacated by the resignation of John George; Craeme Craig and Margaret Shortreed, both of the Walton area, were elected to the executive of the Huron-Bruce Liber al Riding Association; Wilbur and JennieTurnbull of Brussels cele brated their 70th wedding anniver sary; andDoraShobbrookofLondes- boro retired after 17 years as news correspondent for several weekly newspapers, including The Citizen. The Brussels Crusaders captured the “A” Championship at a Milver ton tournament; the Blyth Broom ball team qualified for provincial championship play; the Brussels Bantams won the Consolation Tro phy at the Arthur tournament; and the Blyth Atoms won the Consola tion Trophy at the Silver Stick tournament in Teeswater. Market value property tax assess- ment was explained to Huron County; the Huron Federation of Agriculture joined the OFA in its opposition to Free Trade; choice beef sold at S85-S94 and pigs reached a top price of $1.01 atthe Brussels Stockyards. FEBRUARY MP Murray Cardiff and MPP Jack Riddell argued Free Trade at the annual Huron Federation of Agri culture Member of Parliament’s Banquet in Clinton; Tony McQuail of RR 1, Lucknow waselected presi dent of the Huron Bruce NDP Riding Association; Brussel’s Bruce Mc Call was re-elected as MBVA chairman; enough snow fell to run the Brussels Lions’ Polar Daize Poker Rally and the Walton Sports Club’s Poker Rally, with Brian Finlayson winning the raffled ATV at the latter. Michael Ryan’s barn in Morris Twp. was destroyed by fire with heavy loss of livestock; the new handicapped lift at the Blyth Arena was officially opened; the county came out against Sunday shopping; Larry and Barb Walsh took over Kate’s Kitchen in Blyth, re-naming it Walsh’sCornerCafe; the Ethel Women’s Institute celebrated its 85th anniversary and the Walton UCW celebrated its 25th; “Super- women,” the new play co-written by Ethel’s Arlene Dunbar, will be produced at the Huron County Playhouse; and Belgrave’s Pat Cull andHeatherMorton were named best actor and actress of the Central Huron Drama Festival in Blyth, where their school’s (FEMSS) play was chosen best play. Two hundred and fifty signed Two hundreds and fifty fans signed a giant telegram to wish Kevin Wheeler and Michelle Men zies well at the Calgary Olympics; the Brussels Crusaders roared to an early win against Durham in the WOAA Intermediate “A” playoffs; the Brussels Midgets won the first two games of their playoff series; and the Blyth Bears Girls’ Volleyball team won a tournament champion ship at Clinton. Choice beef went up to $97.95 and pigs soared to $1.34 in Brussels Stockyards action. Huron County approved a $22 million budgetfor 1988 and accepted market value tax assessment in a 27-5 recorded vote; MPP Jack Riddell announced that Highway 4 reconstruction (Blyth to Wingham) will start in 1989; Blyth was confirmed as one of five Huron County stopsfor the Opportunity Tour of foreign investors in Septem ber; Grey Twp. council was upset over animal carcasses at landfill site, vowed to crack down on site users; the Crime Stoppers program got underway in Huron, with Brussels’ Doug Sholdice named as one of 15 directors; Ontario’s Attorney Gen eral Ian Scott was the guest speaker at the Huron Provincial Riding Association’s annual meeting in Blyth; and Maple Madness at the MVCA’s Sugar Keys attracted hundreds, signalling the start of spring. Gold-medal figure skaters Kevin Wheeler and Michelle Menzies and Peter McDonald and Kerrie Shep herd starred at the Brussels Figure Skating Club’s Carnival, along with dozens of club performers; Peter and his mother, Faye, were among those selected as Celebration ‘88 Grey Twp. Award winners (other major winners were Ruth Struthers, Max Demaray and Bruce McCall); Muriel Coultes of Belgrave travelled to Ethiopia on fact-fiding mission for her church; and Dwayne Evans and Gerald Knight travelled with the Listowel District Secondary School choir to sing at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Bailie Parrott of Blyth was presented with his 65-year Jewell by the IOFF Western Star Lodge in Brussels, a rare honour; MP Murray Cardiff and Grey Twp. Reeve Leona Armstrong opened Cliff and Cindy Robinson’s Century House Retire ment Home in Ethel and Joe Burbine, Junior and Senior, opened Jo-Jo’s Grocery in Auburn, while both McCutcheon’s Grocery and Barbara M. Brown Yarns and Crafts closed in Brussels. The FEMSS Acro-Cheer squad took top place at UWO’s Western OntarioCheerlead- ing Competition; Belgrave’s Cliff Coultes was named co-ordinator of the 1992 East Wawanosh history book; and Blyth honoured Evalena Webster on her 80th birthday. Choice beef soared to $100.75 while pork fell to a high of $1.16. In hockey action, the Brussels Crusaders eliminated Durham and whomped Kincardine in the quest for the WOAA Intermediate “A” Championship; the Brussels Bulls eliminated Wellesley but trailed Exeter in their search for the crown; the Blyth Midgets won the WOAA Championship, led in the all-Ontario semi-final; the Blyth Tykes won the championship at the Lucknow Tour nament, advanced towin league championship atGoderich; the Blyth Atoms swept their series against Zurich, eliminated Mitchell and led Clinton in the playoffs; the Blyth Novice “A” team won the cham pionship at the Blyth Lions Club tournament, the Brussels Novices took the Consolation trophy; the Blyth Novice Tigers a n d the Brussels Novice Barons both won consolation trophies in separate tournaments; and the Brussels Sprouts won two out of three games at Clifford tournament. APRIL Blyth Public School’s Tammi Medd and Listowel District Secon dary School’s Lowell Winger topped county Science Fairs, advanced to national competition in Winnipeg; Kim Medd topped the Lions Club’s effective speaking District Final in Walkerton, advanced to provincial competition in Peterborough; HCBE approved a $47.3 million budget for 1988, up nearly three million over 1987; senior students in county held the first-ever mock school board meeting with Londesboro’s Lori Bromley as chairman; Grey Cen tral’s Freda Crawford was honoured at her retirement after teaching at the school for 19 years; and Belgrave’s Glenn Coultes was hon oured by the Belgrave Minor Hockey Association for 22 years of coaching. Blyth’s Millar and Ella Richmond celebrated their 50th wedding anni versary. Gordon Pengelly, Jack Shiell, Harvey Black, Terry Daer and the Belgrave Kinsmen were chosen by East Wawanosh Twp. for Cele bration ‘88 medals; the “Festival of Fashion’’ raised $1,000 toward the Blyth Festival Expansion Fund; the Province kicked in $485,000 toward East Wawanosh’s 10th Line bridge project; Cranbrook Hall got a Wintario grant for renovations; cable TV was announced for Bel grave; five councils signed the Blyth Recreation Agreement after months of wrangling. Blyth council approv ed Rick Aylsworth’s application for a liquor outlet. The Brussels Crusaders took the WOAA “A’’ Championship over Kincardine, later captured the league Grand Championship in Wingham despite Lions Head’s nitpicking; the Brussels Bulls drop ped their series in four straight losses to Exeter; the Blyth Industrial team won a Provincial Champion ship in St. Catharines against all odds; and the Blyth Legion Midgets were eliminated at the all-Ontario finals. MAY More than 80 truckers and trucking industry representatives met at the Blyth Hotel to learn about the tough new provincial and federal regulations being phased in over the next year; Huron County 4-H leaders met with OMAF personnel in Clinton totry to affect changes to save their floundering youth clubs, but were given little satisfaction; East Wawanosh Public School stu dents were enthralled to spot a real tornado near their school - no damage was reported, although an earlier tornado-like wind had torn the roof off a Dungannon machine shed; CNR applied to abandon the Listowel-Wingham rail line through Brussels in off-again, on-again public hearings; the McKillop Twp. Works Centre opened with a gala party and lots of celebrities. The Zone C-l Legion Ladies’ Auxiliary held its convention in Brussels for the first time since 1976; the Clinton Public Hospital Auction held in Blyth raised more than $10,000 for its equipment fund; Blu-Mers and Dressing Room Only opened as new businesses at Blyth’s mini-mall on Dinsley St. East; dozens of local music students captured prizes at the Rotary Club’s Midwestern Ontario Music Festival in Walkerton, doing their teachers proud; large numbers of children auditioned for parts in the new Blyth Festival play “Fires in the Night,’’ 10 were chosen; members of the Brussels Bulls and their support staff were honoured at the annual Awards Banquet in Brussels, team captain Tim Fritz was named MVP and Top Scorer. Jack Bryans and Winona McDou gall were named Brussels and Blyth Citizens of the Year respectively; Max Oldfield of Brussels received an MNR award for 25 years of service to hunters and anglers; Blyth’s Steve Souch won three championships at the Huron-Perth Track and Field meet in Goderich, several other local athletes also starred; Blyth’s David Sparlingtied for first place at the annual Provincial Debating Seminar in Toronto; Blyth’s Tammi Medd came home from the Canada-wide Science Fair in Winnipeg with three top awards; Brussels and area business whizzes Tara Parker, Don Hastings and Katrina Somers won big in the stock market game; Bev Shaddick was appointed interim clerk-treasurerforHuIlettTwp., filling in for an ailing Harry Lear; George and Margaret Wasson of Blyth celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, as did Hullett Twp.’s Johannes and Antje Verburg. Choice beef at Brussels Stock- yards slid to $106.25; pigs soared to $1.32 per lb. JUNE OPP TRU team is called in during chilling four-hour standoff between Continued on page 17