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The Citizen, 1993-09-15, Page 141 Join the club Dave Stephenson of the Brussels Optimists presents Don Carter with the charter for the Blyth club in February of 1991. Lawn bowling ends See Our Hottest Sled Lineup Ever! SEE US AT THE SOUTHWEST SNO SHOW SATURDAY, SEPT.. 18 10 AM to 9 PM and SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 12 NOON to 5 PM at Seaforth Agriculture Buildings FULL MODEL SHOWING IN OCTOBER El skidoo Engineered For The Way You Ride. Hurry In far a tree Ski-Doo video! Quantities are limited. SEAFORTH 527-0120 tWELLWELL LEISURE DIVISION Announcing The 1994 Ski-Doo Open House ;7:skidoo ffii Igmk, j a PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1993. Brussels Optimists celebrate 20th anniversary A dinner and dance has been organized to include past and pre- sent members, club dignitaries and local politicians. Everyone from the The Brussels Optimists will be celebrating their 20th anniversary as a service club in the community, on Sept. 18, 1993. S ports Tigers crumble The Brussels Tigers gave up seven last inning runs in losing the deciding game of their playoff series to the Seaforth Bears by a 9- 1 score. Seaforth, the defending Huron County champions, had tied the best of three series with a home field 9-1 win earlier in the week. The third game was decided in the fifth inning when, trailing 2-1, the Tigers couldn't capitalize on a lead off triple by Mike Watson. Bears pitcher Doug Leonhardt, who held the Tigers to four hits in the final game, pitched a five hit, 12 strikeout game two to tie the series. Todd Uhrig scored the Tigers' only run with a lead off home run in the fourth inning. Seaforth now advances to the league final against the Walton Brewers. The Brussels Tigers 1993 season came to a close at the Zurich tournament held over the weekend. The Tigers opened with a 5-3 win over Windsor scoring four second inning runs. Ken Higgins went three for three at the plate. Game two saw the Tigers lose 3-2 in extra innings to Port Elgin. Todd Uhrig opened the scoring with a solo home run. The 1-0 lead held until the sixth when Port Elgin tied the score but Murray Pipe doubled home Verne Bridge in the eighth fora 2-1 lead. Unfortunately a two run double in the bottom of the inning ended the Tigers' season. The Tigers' Uhrig and Port Elgin's Doug Petteplace each pitched a five hit game. UNICEF cards and gifts save lives. For a free catalogue, call : UNICEF Canada 1-800-567-4483 unicef Op United Nations Children's Fund and help support the Optimists. On display at the dance will be a history of the club and some of the work they have been involved in. Elmira, two wins 42; eighth, Edna MacTavish, Wingham, two wins 41 + eight; ninth, Helen Haynes, Mitchell, two wins 41; tenth, Roy Durst, Stratford, two wins 39. Consolation to Gerald Gibson, Brussels. The 10 greens were filled for this tournament and the 11 winners came from eight different clubs. The greens have been in excellent condition all summer thanks to greenskeeper Bill Bremner and a few volunteers. There have been a few new members this summer but there is always room for more. The club began in June of 1973 through the sponsorship of the Moorefield Optimists. George Langlois was the first president of the club and remains a very active member 20 years later. He says that of the 20 presidents the club has seen, 13 are still mem- bers. This is an unusually high rate and it shows the dedication and commitment, he says. The mandate of the Optimists is to serve the youth of the communi- ty and the range of activities under- taken is great. Mr. Langlois says some of the best projects they were involved in include the ball park and school renovations. The Optimists built the pavilion at the ball park for $60,000 and installed the fence and lights. Brussels Public School benefitted from the Optimists work with the construction of two new soccer fields. Grey Central had play- ground work completed recently. One of the most beneficial pur- chases that helped all their activi- ties was the large sign outside the Brussels Medical/Dental Clinic. The sign provides a perfect spot for advertising local events and helps bring people out to support the kids, he says. A very recent endeavor of the club was their assistance with the opening of The Ark in Brussels. The Ark is a community centre for the youth of the area. It provides them with a place to go for events or just to meet friends. The youth help raise funds for the daily running of the centre while the Optimists give financial support and do inside renovation work. The Optimist club has also creat- ed other opportunities for the youth of the area. A competition unique to this dis- trict is the Nintendo contest which was started by the Brussels Opti- mists. It-soon_became such a popular event that the competition advanced to the zone and district level, says Mr. Langlois. The organization of the soccer league by Mike Thomas is one of the club's most widely felt achieve- ments recently, he says. Over 100 children participate in the program and the Optimists sponsor the seven teams. Another event, started by the club 18 years ago, is the Atom hockey tournament. Mr Langlois says, "It is interesting to see the young men who were once Atoms now members of the club. They remember the support they received and they want to be part of it." This may be a good motto for the club as they seem to retain their members for life. They find new recruits through the families of members and those affected by the support from the Optimists, he says. The club tries to keep its mem- bers interested and active as well as providing events for the youth. Mr. Langlois says most of those involved in the club range in age from 20 to 50 and want to partici- pate. The ball team earned the championship this year. Through competition in such tournaments and the running of their own men's slo-pitch event each year, the club is able to raise the money to support their causes. They also hold car draws, dances with major entertainers and play a major role in organizing Brussels annual Funfest, says Mr. Langlois. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised in the last 20 years to provide activities for the youth of Brussels and every dollar goes back to the community." The Brussels Optimists were able to achieve a first for this district. They were the first club to be able to sponsor the chartering of anoth- er, sponsoring the Blyth club three years ago. Mr. Langlois says the celebration on Sept. 18 will be attended by over 100 members past and present. It will be a good event for the entire community. More information about the 20th anniversary celebration can be obtained by calling 887-6852. The last lawn bowling tournament for this season was held on the Brussels greens Sept. 9 at 1:30 p.m. The weather was cooler than the last tournament, also cloudy and windy. The winning skips are as follows: first, Ed Eckmier, Mitchell, three wins 47; second, Bill Graham, St. Marys, three wins 44; third, John Kindersman, Stratford, two wins 49; fourth, Jack Fischer, Lucknow, two wins 46; fifth, Len Brubacher, Elmira, two wins 44 + four; sixth, Lloyd Hall, Lucknow, two wins 42 + one; seventh, Allan Spier, The executive The 1974-75 executive for the Brussels Optimists was from front, left: Carl Graber, Gord Finch, Pres. Don Bray, Vice Don McDonald, Vice Dan Pearson and Ray Adams. Back row: Bill Smith, Sec. Treas. George Langlois and Jim McLellan Come to the 2nd Annual Southwest Ontario Sno Show Sponsored by TRAILBLAZERS Snowmobile Club Sept. 18 & 19, 1993 Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m. at the Seaforth Agricultural Society Buildings (beside the Seaforth Arena) Come and see the.latest in Snowmobiles & ATV's Trailers & Clothing, Vacation Packages & Tours!!