The Citizen, 2019-08-01, Page 1CitizenTh
e
$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, August 1, 2019
Volume 35 No. 31
FALL FAIR - Pg. 6
Three young residents
vie to be Ambassador
FESTIVAL - Pg. 7
‘The Team on the Hill’ to
open at Blyth Festival
SPORTS - Pg. 2
Tigers top tournament for
third year in last four
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:
Walton TransCan set for return on Aug. 13-17
O’Reilly brings Stanley Cup to Seaforth, Goderich
In just over two weeks, Walton’s
population will explode as the
Walton Raceway brings in
thousands of visitors for the
recently-revived annual Walton
TransCan Grand National
Championship Motocross.
The event runs Aug. 13-17, with
the amateur championships being
held until Aug. 16 and the Pro
National Championship on Aug. 17.
While practices and races are held
starting Aug. 13, for riders the event
actually begins on Aug. 12, with
amateur sign in set for 2 p.m. that
day. At 7 p.m., opening ceremonies,
a press conference and mandatory
riders’ meeting are set.
Amateur competitions are held all
week, with the first moto set
Tuesday at 2 p.m. After three days of
riding and qualifying events, the
amateur competitions start shortly
after 7 a.m. on Aug. 16. Throughout
the day, different categories of riders
and motorcycles will take to the
track.
Saturday marks the beginning of
the professional events with MX2
qualifiers starting at 10:25 a.m.,
followed by MX1 at 11:05 a.m.
After the opening ceremonies at
12:30 p.m., the MX2 hot lap is set
for 12:40 and the Moto 1 starts at
12:45 p.m.
The MX1 Moto 1 starts at 1:35
p.m. with the MX2 Moto 2 set for
2:45 p.m. The MX1 Moto 2 starts at
3:35 p.m.
After a cancellation of the event in
2017, the TransCan returned last
year, bringing in thousands of
visitors and being a point of pride for
owner Brett Lee and his wife
Melody Hodgson.
With the revival of the event, Lee
said, shortly after the 2018
championships, that everyone kept
saying “Walton’s back” and he was
glad to hear that.
Lee and his family, including his
father and former owner Chris Lee,
put in significant work during the
2017/2018 off-season connecting
with the motocross community and
the local community to make sure
the event was brought back right.
While the annual championship
marks a significant portion of the
annual work for the event, Lee
routinely points out that the
weekend is just one of many, and,
thanks to events like mud bogs,
remote controlled car competitions,
children’s day camps and the Edge
of Walton Challenge Course, the
raceway offers a little something for
everyone throughout the year.
The St. Louis Blues’ Ryan
O’Reilly was in Huron County last
Friday alongside sport’s oldest and
most storied trophy, Lord Stanley’s
Cup.
The cup, which the Blues won by
besting the Boston Bruins in an
exciting seven-game slugfest earlier
this year, made its way to the Huron
East Fire Department’s Seaforth
station where it, O’Reilly, his wife
Dayna Douros, son Jameson and
grandmother Deirdre climbed in the
bucket of an aerial fire truck to be
paraded through the community.
Before the parade officially
kicked off, Huron East firefighters,
staff and council members,
alongside their families crowded
around O’Reilly for photos, while
some were looking to connect with
an old friend.
Mayor Bernie MacLellan
introduced O’Reilly to those
assembled at the fire hall and photos
ensued. Shortly after, O’Reilly was
joined by Deirdre, who has a
position of honour whenever he
speaks.
Deirdre, now 99 years old, was a
huge focus for O’Reilly during the
playoffs and, before coming to
Seaforth, he said he was excited to
tell her about the playoffs in person.
Billed as his number one fan,
Deirdre wasn’t actually able to
watch game seven of the Stanley
Cup Finals as it was a west-coast
game and later in the night, but she
was awakened by staff at the home
she lives in to let her know about the
big win.
In previous interviews, she says
she can’t express how proud she is
of her grandson, whose jersey
number she wears as a bracelet
around her wrist.
After sharing a hug and some
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Compton-
Stanstead, Quebec MP and federal
Minister of Agriculture, was in
southwestern Ontario last week,
making a stop in Brussels to support
Huron-Bruce federal Liberal
candidate Allan Thompson.
The first-ever female federal
Minister of Agriculture toured a
number of agricultural operations in
Huron County and beyond, sitting
down with local reporters in
Wingham ahead of the evening’s
event at the Four Winds Barn, billed
as a meet and greet with both
Thompson and Bibeau.
Over 100 Liberal Party supporters
greeted Bibeau and Thompson at the
Four Winds Barn for their event. A
bagpiper led them into the venue
Ag. Minister visits Brussels
see the Stanley Cup live and in person thanks to the hard work,
dedication and generosity of O’Reilly. The Conn Smythe Trophy
winner is seen here, parading through the streets of Seaforth, with
his wife Dayna, son Jameson and 99-year-old grandmother
Deirdre. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Bringing Stanley home
Huron County native Ryan O’Reilly brought home the most
recognizable trophy in sports last week with special events
in Seaforth and Goderich, followed by a special dinner and
party for his family and friends. While it made for a busy few
hours, thousands of Huron County residents were able to
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 20
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 3