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Huron Expositor, 1999-07-07, Page 1Huron July 7, 1999 Si lincludes GST) Local weather Wednesday. -Sunny, • afternoon cloud. High 23. Thursday --Becoming cloudy. High 28. low 15. Friday --Mainly cloudy, scattered showers and storms. High 30. Low 19. Saturday --Sun and cloud. Isolated howers. • High 27. Low 18.' From Environment Canada In brief $6,000 theft from Cardno's after door smashed More than $6,000 worth of clothing was stolen from Cardno's Men's Wear at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning after the alarm sounded when the front door was smashed open with two bricks, taken from the rear of the building. Stolen were more than 50 pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans', t -shirts and sweaters, 15 dress shirts and six Columbia winter coats. Police believe three people were involved and are seeing the public's help. Clinton men charged rafter stealing cars Two Clinton men, aged 27 and 28, were charged with theft over $5,000. possession• of stolen lroperty, arson and breach of probation after two vehicles were stolen recently in the Seaforth area. A 1997 Ford Aerostar van was reported stolen - June 25 after the owner had left it running outside of the Royal Canadian Legion in Seaforth. The same day a 1996 Chev pick-up truck was also reported stolen from the side of the road on Concession 7, Tuckersmith Township where it was left with the keys in the ignition by people, working in the field. The people sawthe stolen van pull up and watched one man get out and into the truck and then drive. along with the van, towards Staffa. The . vehicles were found in a bush area in Hibbert Township. 'One of the men turned himself in to searchers who found the vehicles. The other fled into a corn field but was tracked down by the canine unit. Burn marks were found on the seats of both vehicles where attempts had been made the burn the interiors. Museum opens its doors Frank Sills honoured for family's collection of artifacts donated to the museum By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor The Scaforth and Arca Museum opened its doors to the public last Wednesday during anemotional afternoon for the Sills family. "The artifacts on display; represent the life's work of one man. Mr. Frank Sills," said Museum Comrnittec Chair Irwin Johnston, in the opening ceremonies held at Town Hall. Frank's grandfather, George A Sills, was the first. of the .family to operate the store from/ its first Main Street location, ,hut it was Frank Jr. who began collecting town artifacts on the third floor of the building where it is now located, across from the Town Hall. "Like any good hardware man. many of the items you'll see displayed in the museum chronicle the changes over the years in hardware and household items (like) old irons. hand tools. oil lamps. radios, washtubs and much more." said Johnston. "I certainly believe in keeping a lot of things, said Frank' Sills to the -amusement of about 2.00 people who attended the opening.. He said he didn't deserve all the credit for the collection. He told a few tales of the early days when his grandfather. "Pa" first opened the store after coming. to Scaforth from Brucefield when he was 16. He openedthc first version of- what is now the Sills Home Hardware store in 1874. • He told of his grandfather helping customers with everything he. could including 'a -.time he overheard him ,telling a woman how to cook with one of the pans. . His grandfather` was a member of Scaforth's first tiro brigade. • Now, one of the museum's first six exhibits arc artifacts from thc'brigade." Until last year.- when the Sills family donated the collection to thc.muscum, only "a few people had a chance to tour the ."museum" as it stood on the third floor of the store. Members of thc community came together in 1996 to begin tacking about putting a museum together,. focussing, on the, town's history and after support from the towna federal Millennium Fund grant and the donation from the Sills family. the past year- saw great progress toward last • week's opening. Now. people . can sec displays featuring town hands, the. fire brigade and its war time history among other topics situated on the town hall's second floor. In thq second floor foyer, a recreation of the original Sills store has been established to show visitors hi the siorc`may'have appeared decades ago and the products that would have been available.. Speakers at the opening included MP Paul Stcckle, whose father kncw Frank's • father, Frank Sills Sr.. "This is indeed a momentous time for us to be together to celebrate Seaforth's history," said Stecklc,who linked the Canada Day. opening of the Crops growing ahead of schedule By Dave Emile Expositor Editor ' Some timely rains this spring and summer have Huron County crops growing ahead of schedule. ' Brian Hall, Soil and Crop -Specialist with the Clinton office of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. .said early this week that conditions are "better than last year around this area. Things are looking generally good overall." Noting that the crops have benefitted from some timely rains. which have been needed because groundwater levels are so low, he said that fields in the county are "advanced quite a bit for normal." Hall said, for example, that an old farm saying is that -corn should Ix knee high by July 1. He added. though, that he has seen some corn already that is Over his head. it is also said, he commented, that it is a good sign if corn tassels by the end of July, but some corn will .he tasseling by next week. Corn is not the only crop that has benefitted from this year's weather, as Hall noted, "We .had a good first cut of hay. The second cut looks like it is going to be a good crop." Wheat is also ahead this year, and Hall said some harvesting will start next week. He added, though, that some harvesting may be difficult as "quite a bit of wheat has gone down." The wheat has fallen over, he said, both due to wind See MOST, Pegs 1 Scott Hilgendorff photos Frank Sills was honoured with the first of 200 : prints depicting the original Sills hardware store while about 200 people toured the Seaforth and Area Museum after opening ceremonies- held at Town Hall Wednesday._. Donations of artifacts collectdd by the Sills family were donated to the museum this year and have become the foundation of the first -six ,exhibits now on display to the community and visitors. museum with the 1'2 year history of. the country. "We thank you Frani Sills - for•your care in preserving this collection." said Terri Shohhrook of the town's Local Architectural Conservation. Advisory Committee.' . "It's a wonderful. beginning towhat's going to be a wonderful museum." said Reeve Lin Steffler. New exhibits will also eventually he created from countless items from Sills and. other contributors, Monday through Friday including AY McLean, - with a student. Margaret. another historical figure oT`Stewart; employed-to-luok--- the:town. Sills was presented with one of 100 limited. edition posters depicting the original Sills store. In the. picture arc Frank Sills Sr.,. Frank Cluff,• Joe Sills (Frank Sr.'s brother) and Lill Twist. The other prints are being sold bythe museum to raise funds. It will tentatively be open after the second floor exhibit through a Young Canada Works grant. . Johnston said weekend tours for groups would he arranged. "We arc by no means finished. The museum is and always will he a work in progress arid .we are open to donations of artifacts," said Johnston. Grey Township, Brussels hope to join talks with Seaforth restructuring group By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor Scaforth council would like to see Grey Township and Brussels join restructuring talks between the town_ McKillo Township and Tuckersmith Township.. "` "7-- ~to develop into an. issue between thc three Council supported allowing them to . become part of the process as long as both McKillop and Tuckersmith agreed but ' already have a copy of a motion for McKillop indicating its council would like than involved if the otherlwo do. A request wa's made . at the last restructuring meeting suggesting by linking the total electorate would make thc five similar in size to other new municipalities that arc expected to form through various restructuring plans. The size of the electorate will reflect how much representation' each municipality has at the county level, assuming the county docs not implement -a 'single -tier government, a subject which will be considered at its'July 8 meeting. "I'm -not seeing a whole bunch of,negativcs to their request," said Reeve Lin Stafferabout the other two municipalities joining. Coun. PaulMenary supported the idea because it meets county planning guidelines and puts them in similar brackets as the other potentially amalgamating municipalities.. "Anyone willing to amalgamate with us is . going to he a plus when it's all finished." he said. "I'd be very happy to welcome thein into our group," said Conti. Michael Hodges. But he said Tuckcrsmith wasn't "too keen" about linking with them and doesn't want it members of the current restructuring group: Monthly meetings have been amicable as the municipalities work on issues such as where and how their combined roads departments would operate and what services would be billed to those who directly benefit from them and what costs, -would he shared by all tax payers. Mayor Dave Scott said a. letter from Brussels and Grcy Township also suggest they do not want to create any friction between the other three. Tuckersmith Township Reeve Bob Broadfoot told The Expositor he was hoping his council would support a similar motion at its meeting last night. July 6. Steffler said she doesn't want any talks jeapordized and hopes that all councils will look at what would benefit them and not base any decisions on personal feelings. She doesn't want to see it become a heated situation. A motion to include Grcy Township and Brussels if all three current municipalities agree was carried.. Your community newspaper since 1860 .14