Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-05-23, Page 1CitizenTh e $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 23, 2019 Volume 35 No. 21 NEW FACE - Pg. 14 Four Winds Barn welcomes new manager CULTURE - Pg. 23 County begins work on new cultural plan in Blyth ADDITION - Pg. 7 Iranian-born pharmacist to set up shop in Blyth Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0 INSIDE THIS WEEK: Gallery begins search for next season’s artists CH fire claims one life Things are humming along for the Blyth Festival Art Gallery with its first two shows, the Student Show and the Community Show, both in the books. Art Gallery Board President Carl Stevenson said he’s constantly impressed with the quality of art that comes to the gallery by way of the students of Huron and Perth Counties. “I’m always impressed with [the Student Show],” Stevenson said, adding that when he first saw some of the work to be exhibited this year in the hours before the show opened, he was blown away by both its quality and its diversity. “My jaw drops when we get the work we do from the student artists of Huron and Perth,” he said. This year the show received over 120 entries, which is relatively high compared to recent years. One of the most fulfilling aspects of being involved with the Student Show year after year, Stevenson said, is to see students submit pieces year after year. Seeing them grow as artists, Stevenson said, is very rewarding. Hot on the heels of the Student Show was the Community Show, which opened to the public on Saturday night. Stevenson, who has submitted his own photography into the show for a number of years, said the show is always a great opportunity for members of the community to brush shoulders and share gallery wall space with some of the county’s most established artists. Furthermore, it’s another chance for students to have their work exhibited at the Blyth Festival Art Gallery. There are always students who submit work to the show, Stevenson said. For example, he said, there is a local public school student who has submitted her work for the past two years. Seeing that confidence and willingness to present art in a professional setting is what the Community Show is all about. Stevenson and other members of the gallery board are currently busy conducting visits to choose artists for the next two seasons of the gallery’s professional shows. There are some very good artists in the mix for the coming seasons, Stevenson said, with some very high-quality art being considered. The board members have approximately 10 visits scheduled for the coming two seasons, to be conducted in the next few weeks. He said that visiting an artist in their creative space is a great way to learn more about the artist and the motivation behind their art. For more information on the Blyth Festival Art Gallery, visit blythfestival.com or find the gallery on Facebook. Brian Radford, a 62-year-old from the Londesborough area, perished in a fatal house fire last Friday evening. Radford was found deceased in a home on Londesborough Road between Dutch Line and London Road, that was fully-engulfed by fire late on May 17 after local firefighters spent hours battling the blaze. Fire Department of North Huron, with mutual aid assistance, battled the blaze from 10:30 p.m. on May 17 early into the morning on May 18, and the section of Londesborough Road where the fire took place was closed for most of the day after the blaze. After the blaze was extinguished, upon searching the interior of the residence, Radford was discovered deceased. A post-mortem examination was scheduled to take place on Monday, May 20. Any person with information regarding this fire is asked to contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. For more information on the fire, see Brenda Radford’s Londes- borough News on page 9. Thirty-four of the most junior teachers in the Avon-Maitland District School Board have been handed redundancy notices, meaning they may not have a full- time position for the 2019-2020 period. After seeking an audience with Minister of Education and Huron- Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson for 10 months, Avon-Maitland Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario President Kent Cleland finally held a press conference of his own in front of Thompson’s Blyth constituency office last Thursday afternoon, plastering the window of the office with redundancy notices. Cleland explained that, as a result of changes to the provincial budget implemented by Thompson and Premier Doug Ford, the Avon- Maitland District School Board had $2.6 million lost in its budget, leading to the redundancy notices. The shortfall, according to Cleland, can be tied not only to cuts to funds for the area, but also to the provincial government’s choice to A-M teachers challenge notices Time to get serious Huron Christian School held its annual track and field day on Friday, inviting all students to strut their stuff on the track in their pursuit to be stronger, run faster and jump higher than their fellow classmates. Here, it was time for a race and in the few moments before the action began, some of the students were more focused than others at the event, held at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School. While there is some stretching and chatting going on, Olwakhe Heyink, front, wouldn’t let anything break his concentration. From left: Drew Feddes, Barak Meinen, Micah Schilthuis and Heyink. (Denny Scott photo) By Denny Scott The Citizen By Denny Scott The Citizen Continued on page 15 By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen