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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-02-18, Page 6Page 6 The Huron sitar • February 18 2009 • e Huron ,County wins three economic develo awards, beating larger Ontario municipalitie ent �uea� Uundertwark Receiving top honours in three categories during the Ontario Eco- nomic Development Awards recently should show the province that Hu- ron County has a lot to offer, says Jenna Ujiye, Huron County tourism_ marketer. - - "It is a pretty big deal," 'she says. "We're going through some scary and sad times in Huron County with. job losses so we hope people can see we're trying and we have our fingers. crossed that this can bring more peo- ple into Huron County." Huron County came first in Best Strategic Plan for its Huron Coun- ty Economic Development. , Matters partnership between the county and the Huron Business Development Corporation, Best Special Event. in 2008 with its Haunted Huron Doors Open event last fall and top award of merit for the restyled Ontario's West Coast Brand. Ujiye says Huron County was com- peting against all municipalities throughout Ontario regardless of size and population, coming first : against communities like Hamilton, Elliott Lake, Markham and Caledon. Over 150 entries were judged by the Economic Devel- opers Council of Ontario (EDCO) in a competition. that allows locale communities to -see just how they stack up against other munici- palities when it conies to pro- moting location, investment and tourism opportu- nities, covering everything from promotional bro- chures. to infra- .. structure Bevel- Kerrl Hee _ :. rtrr downtown revitalization co-ordinator, Ken Ole, Huron � Warden, Pamela op ent projects. mac Sickinger, heritage ! l cultural dip mor and Vienna Wye, tou the Onta rlos sm marketer awards at a recent EDSawards night In Toronto: West Co. ast brand • has been around for more than 15 nity," she says. li n Rick Sickinger, Hen years and: went through a re -sty g process du 2008. tura!,P p "The Ontarios West. Coast brand is the image for our county and the Huron 'burism Association," says Ujiye, add- ing it includes orange, yellow, green and blue the sand,, sun, fields and water of Hu- ron County. "`he recogni- tion of Ontar- io's West Coast brand will help to build great tourism profile for the commu- e ' and Cul- artnershi mor inator who planned the Haunted ;Huron week- end, : says the award -reinforces for him how well the music tpalities of Huron County can work together. "I think the award recognized that we worked together as a county for the first time : outside the plowing match and it recognized the econom- ic development potential of the event since we had almost 6,000 people take part," he says, adding that 30 per cent were visitors from outside Huron County. "The kind of income that sort of event can pump into the community is significant," h.e says. The Haunted Huron Doors Open event brought together six of Huron's eight municipalities adding a spooky theme to the event that invites tour- ists to view 'the community's heri- tage architecture. Features included • haunted tours, the screening of sev- eral Halloween -themed movies and in Huron East, a psychic tour of the Van Egmond House. "They (the judges) saw that the theme was a good one that would capture an audience," says Sick- inger. L You are invitee! to attend these area churches r_. S. •MAS T ANGLICAN. CHURCH A Congregation of the Parish`ofihe Holy Spirit The Reverend Karina A. Farmer Jarvis St. Seaforth 519-527-1522. Sunday, February 22nd Worship $c Sunday School 9.30 am Parish Council meets Sat., Feb.21 at 10:30. am. Shrove Tuesday Pancakes & Sausages Feb 24-5-7pm. Feb. 25 - Ash Wednesday Service at 1:30 pm. Everyone Welcome BETHEL BIBLE CHURCH n Associated Gospel Church 126 Main St. Seaforth 519-527-0982 Sunday School • All Ages • 9:45am Sunday Worship 11 am ,,,.Youth Group & B & G Club Wednesday 7 p.m.:r1, Paster Mark Kennedy EVERYONE WELCOME = • ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WEI COMES YOU 14 Victoria Street Seaforth 519-527-0142 Saturday Mass 5 p.m. , Sunday Mass 9 a.m. ST. PATri Ck'S, DUblin Sunday Mass 11 a.m. Fr. C Hri S Gill ESPiE EGMONDVILLE UNITED CHURCH Pastor Steve Hildebrand Worship Sunday February 22nd 11 am Adult & Youth Sunday School 10 am Annual Meeting Sunday Come Join us! Elevator & Ear Buds Available Watch for Drama Club Club Start-up NOR1 HSIDE UNITED Welcomes YOU Sunday � 11 am .,. t� y. T, Worship Nursery & Sunday School 13 54 Goderich St. W. NE Seaforth .527-2635 www.cavannorthsideunited,ca • ST Pfi B I N CHURCH 59 Goderich St. W Seaforth 519-527'0170 Rev. Ken Allen Organs Rachael Canon Worship February 22nd at 11:15 a.m. Nursery & Sunday School All Welcome 1%%'011 19) a 133•'to iJ 911 • Tlteirsl3O!it vr�l.�i��, , �T �rP,�6�1•: w.,rwigirr+r..w.s mi aa....smrAm ..rr...s..,. .s4.. �rra..,. ..•....•....n, r{ NON-DENOMINATIONAL WEDWNGS CHRISTENINGS Your Location or Ours Rev. Chris. Morgan Pastor Paula Morgan 519-524-5fl4 www.drchrismorgan.ca SEAFORTH s19 -s27 -o120 EXETER 519-235-2121 www.teamvincent.com Vw7 °or WM $t s M kap .r.'wro.tasePoo, Car M and Cal OW we nrhpnR vad11 MRa o' Caw Caepw*on While no final decisions have been' made yet about whether Daunted Huron will be - held again in 2009, Sickinger says there is some discus- sion about splitting it off from Doors Open, which might be offered every two years. But, he says the award makes him realize how wellthe two segments complement each_ other. "Haunted Huron distinguishes Hu- • ron County's Doors Open and we be- come a 'mark your calendar' kind of event," he says. Paul Nichol, manager of the Huron riusiness Development Corporation, says it was great being able to beat• out some of the competition from the cities with .an economic -development award. "You like to be able to say all the in- novation doesn't just happen in the big cities; it happens here as well," he says: Nichol says he thinks the judges - were impressed with the way the Hu • - ron County Economic Development Matters partnership arose out of a series of town hall meetings held by the Huron County United Way that identified economic development as • a local concern. "They had to be impressed by our first year of activity," he says, point- ing to the 336 businesses the project helped' start up and expand and the 1,699 new jobs created. _ "That's six per cent of all the busi- ness in Huron County and a five per cent increase in jobs, which puts $40 million back into the economy," he says. "We didn't attract a big new com- pany but we helped a lot of small businesses with one or two jobs at a time. That's economic development here and it's nice to get feedback from your urban peers that we're do- . ing it successfully," he says. -•- ! { 1. t.•n �y.�. ` 1 •.•1. 1. "r It .. 1 .�,`IWa t1 i4 4f.7. 11 ') t t bk.ri!)('�i S l' /�N?, c'�. itl t: i .4111 ,f 3I1l i S if 4i 'r. } «} K 'ft. .1 .m.4Nr•- 11.