The Citizen, 2004-11-04, Page 1Painting the town
To give Brussels that extra jolt of Halloween spirit, members of the First Brussels Girl Guides
hit the streets with a bucket of paint and a brush to decorate store windows with scary ghosts
and goblins. Putting the finishing touches on the front window of JR's Family Restaurant are,
front to back: Annie Prout, Caitlin Daw and Mady Deitner. (Elyse DeBruyn photo)
NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INC
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Pg• 6 in records history
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Letters from two Pg. 13 wars
1 /• Remembrance Day
Fs,. 11 tribute begins
e Citizen
Volume 20 No. 43 Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004 $1 (93c + 7c GST)
NH hopes
high for
campout
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Though nothing's official, it
appears hopeful that National RV
Association Campvention-2006 will
be in Blyth.
At the - Monday night council
-meeting, clerk-administrator John
Stg,vart said that while they had not
received any official confirmation
that Blyth had beat out Markham to
host the event, which would see
1.000 campers in the village for
several days, they had been in
almost daily contact.
As well, sites have been booked
for 2005 and 2006 for the sub-
committee, which comes ahead of
the group to prepare. "It looks
optimistic," he said.
The Association has reviewed the
agreement and passed it on to its
solicitor. Stewart said he had
expected to hear at the end of
October, but was still waiting as of
Monday night.
NH
considers
Doors
Open
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
North Huron council wants to find
out if there's community interest
before registering to -be part of the
Doors Open Ontario event.
Jodi Jerome. curator of the North
Huron Museum, attended the
Monday night meeting of council to
discuss the initiative. Doors Open
Ontario has been running for three
years. It is sponsored by the Ontario
Historical Foundation and
essentially encourages
municipalities to open doors of
points of interest that would not
usually be seen by the public.
Jerome said the numbers of
participants have been increasing
each year and the municipalities that
have taken part have • felt it
worthwhile. Kincardine, she said,
which hosted a Doors Open weekend
last year estimated that it brought
3,000-3,500 people into the
community.
To participate there is a
registration fee of $1,500 from the
township. This would be used
towards advertising the event
through a Doors Ontario brochure
and on the website. Jerome said the
event is usually held over two days
and should have a minimum of 12
r sites.
"It was easy to come up with the
sites," she said, listing the rutabaga
plant in Blyth, Blyth Festival, the
Belgrave Co-op, century farms, the
museum and train station in
Wingham and the old jail cells in the
Continued on page 12
Festival's AD announces 2005 season
Hunter shot
A tragic shooting claimed the life
of a 53-year-old London man at the
Hullett conservation area Oct. 28.
According to police Vasile
Kyriacakis was hunting pheasant
with a friend .at approximately '10
a.m., when he was killed by a single
gunshot from his own firearm.
While circumstances were under
investigation late last week, OPP
stated that foul play was - not
suspected.
Police are cautioning hunters to
remember to keep the safety on the
weapon and to make sure it is
always pointed away from people.
Also when walking, keep your
finger off the trigger and never point
the gun at anything until you are
sure of the target.
When hunting in a group always
know where everybody is. Wear
bright, reflective clothing.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Blyth Festival's artistic director
has armour-iced a playbill for the
2005 season, his third, that shows a
commitment to local playwrights.
"Aside from the remount of (this
year's) Spirit of the Narrows, which
is based in Manitoba others are
written by people who live no
further away than London."
Opening the new season June 30
will be the Gingko Tree by Stratford
playwright Lee MacDougall.
Describing the play as a 'knock
down, drag-'em- out comedy" ,
Coates noted the importance to him
of starting the season off with a fun
momentum. "This delivers in
spades."
The story is of a familybusiness in
small-town Ontario. "It's -a big, fat
wacky. play" that skewers political
correctness, government
bureaucracy, yet at its centre is a
"really beautiful magical love story."
MacDougall is a successful
playwright not usually known for
family comedy, said Coates. His first
play High Life a dark comedy, has
travelled the world, Coates said.
Next in the season is a new play
Powers and Gloria by Keith
Roulston (publisher of The Citizen).
"This is a play we've been in on
from the very start. It was
commissioned by us and I haven't
seen a script come along in awhile
that inspires such confidence in its
future. I think theatres will snap it
up."
Coates describes Roulston 's
writing as being true to small-town
Ontario. "The voices are absolutely
authentic."
In the play there is a relationship
between two unlikely allies. Powers
is a business tycoon recently
recovering from a stroke. Gloria is
the uneducated, unwed mother
nursing him back to health. Their
di-vergent backgrounds initially
cause the pair w clash.
"The play is a great examination
of how two people come to support
and care for each other. He sees the
incredible potential in this woman
and helps her see it as well. It's
funny and really heartwarming. Not
a comedy that grabs you by the neck
and shakes you around, but a much
gentler ride."
The third offering is from a first-
time playwright, Denyse Gervais
Regan of London. The Thirteenth
One is the true story about her
family's life. "It is one of the most
compelling stories that has landed on
my desk in a long time."
The story is of a destitute farm
family during the depression. At its
beginning the mother learns she is
expecting her 13th child and doesn't
know how she will cope. When a
wealthy neighbour comes to visit
and offers to adopt, the mother faces
a tough decision. With the arrival of
her estranged mother, the situation is
even more complicated
"It becomes a beautiful, but
-difficult; bond between mother and
child and the stress it can endure.
The wonderful kicker is that the
playwright is that 13th baby, so it's
written from an obviously very
personal point of view."
- Returning to Blyth for a third time
in what has come to be a 12-year
cycle is "that old chestnut" I'll Be
Back Before Midnight, Peter
Colley's acclaimed play opened at
Blyth in 1980 then was remounted in
1992.
"Peter has a huge impact with this
audience. This play is really
responsible for introducing a- whole
generation to Canadian theatre."
Closing off the season is the return
of Anne Lederman's Spirit of the
Narrows, the story of her research
into the music of Manitoba's Metis.
Featuring Lederman and Blyth's
Capucine Onn, the play is one so
specific to its _two performers that it
is not going to be easy for other
theatres to produce, said Coates.
Continued on page