Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-08-06, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Exeter Rodeo :Aug. 9 & 10 Iilf; I_At'lt'I 'ince SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Scipio Outdoor Market / 13 Wednesday ori • to Saturday Inside Friedsburg Fever See page 8 Mid-term interview with Helen Johns See page 11 Theatre School offers fun See Second front Huron Park man faces drug charges •tilz\Nn ISI \l) ,\„ Is -.),car -old man w.n ., hcduled nl :tppc: r.1n tiarnra Pro% incest Court on Tuts- i ' daxtoe a hail hearing alter he was • apprehended h\ police and found ith controlled drugs on his person. 1),o id.Rohinson. of Huron Park, we.. spotted by police in Grand ,f3 ijd at approkinuitclon Aupust 2. urinating on the street.. When -approached h+ poiic . this suspect -fled on toot .grid %\ as later apprehended -and as ,, result olli- • ccrs located controlled drugs on the male. 'He tares charges of posses- sion "of -a controlleti drug, under Ihc• controlled -Drug and Substance I and breach oof probation. under th, l ;nitinol -Code. . Police investigate break-in GRAND BEND - Police arc in - vestigating a break-in at a residence im Hutton Street ihat occurred _ sonietimc.in the early morning of -. The victim Was asleep in_his resi- dence .when someone entered the • residence through a locked door • and stole a cellular phone .from the kitchen table: •- Celebrating the Irish No dud spuds here. Taters O'Reilly (played by Cliff Anderson), left, Betty Ankers and Rob Salts see the spuds off during practising for the Lucan Area Heritage Festival's Great Ca- nadian Potato Race. The third annual celebration of Lucan and Bjddulph Township's Trish roots kicks off at 8 a.m. on Saturday with a farmers' market with the celebrity potato races (including entries from CFPL AM 98 morning personality Peter Garland's 'Tater Andretti' and CJBK AM 1290's Steve Garrison) slated for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Other events include a pancake breakfast Saturday morning, an outdoor craft sale, a 'chicken barbecue Saturday evening; a parade at- 1'p.m. Sunday and much more. Contact Mike Anderson at 227-0700 for more information. Granton chief puts out last fire George Westman will retire ,from the department after 45 years when he started. with the de- partment. "You did what you saw. -was right." Westman has seen more than his fair share' of fires and- accidents Over the years, and chose not to sin- gle out one as a highlight or low - light. . "Having- to deal with people who've had a tragedy is the hardest part." he said. "The thing you're. dealing with is that these are people you' know — friends, family and neighbors." . What Westman has enjoyed the - most. is thc comradcry-and social- 'izing with the other firefighters. -"You belong to something where you look after the life of the guy next to you," the grandfather of 10 By Craig Bradford T -A Reporter GRANTON - Firefighters in Bid- dulph-Blanshard are going to miss "'the old guy.' Biddulph-Blanshard fire chief George Westman will retire on Oct. 31 after 45 years as a volunteer firefighter and six as chief. Joining the department in 1952 when he was 18, Westman has helped steer the department from a disorganized bunch- of community - minded people into a modern emer- gency service with highly trained , professionals. "Back in those days there was next to no training." he -said of said. "You don't get that from a ball or a hockey team." Milestones for the department in/ elude: the first new pumper bought in '53 (a decision made after Gran - ton's grain elevator and coal yard burnt to the ground in '52); the con- . struction of the Main Street- Fire Hall in '62; the- development of a training program in early '75 with the - help of the Lucan Fire Dept. and the Fire Marshal's office after the Granton, Dept. "lost" a home on Whalen Line; and the construction of the new $200,000 Fire Hall three 'years ago.. The biggest changes over -the years Westman has seen has been technological advances and the es- Continued on page 2. Shotgun blast kills Exeter man CLINTON - John Douglas Windsor, 29, of 73 Sanders St. W., Exeter, is dead atter he was shot in the neck at about 5 p.m. last Wednesday while hunting with a 52 -year-old companion in the Hullett Conservation Area northeast of Clinton, Huron County OPP said. Huron County coroner Dr. John McGregor of Wingham pronounced Windsor dead at the scene. An autopsy done at Kitchener's St. Mary's Hospital found Windsor died of a single .20 gauge shotgun blast to the neck, Const. John Marshall said. "The investigation is still ongoing," Marshall said yes- terday.. Is end near for Ontario's police villages? HURON COUNTY - The police villages of. Centralia. Dashwood and Crediton are on the list for dis- solution if and when many, small. municipalities merge as a result of provincial funding cuts. Centralia and Crediton are located within Stephen Township while Dash- wood straddles the _townships -of Hay and Stephen. There are only about 50 police village remaining in Ontario, main- ly in sowhwestern and eastern On Mario farming areas.• Since 1965, when Ontario banned the formation of new police vil- lages, some have grown into larger communitieswhile others have been lost dile to restructuring. Trustees form a three-member board to- look' after •services in- cluding streets and sidewalks. Ac- cording to the . Municipal Act. boards have taxation powers and. have the authorityto-provide cer- tain services including water, light, heat, power and gas works. The board draws up a budget for the services it provides and has the - power to impose a mill rate. In turn, the township provides the vil- lage with a reduced mill rate. Each police village has its own unique arrangement with the sur- rounding municipalities. For ex- ample, Dashwood plows its :own snow and has its own, hydro au- thority but the township provides the village with water. In Central- ia, the township provides the roads while the trustee board supplies sidewalks and street lights. "We' reduce -our township rate and let them provide their own rate • and provide their own- services," explained Stephen Township ad- ministrator. Larry Brown, adding, "They have the authority to raise taxes. ' Trustees are elected at the same time municipal elections are held. The board has the authority to ap- point a chair, construct sidewalks and culverts, improve drains and repair highways, make contracts to supply light, heat and power,water or other public utilities and enter into agreements for the supply of fire protection. Although Huron .County has not made any definite restructuring plans, small communities in Mid- dlesex, Elgin and Kent counties are expected to he dissolved effective Jan. 1 as a result of amalgamation. These include Delaware, Komoka, llderton, Shedden and Merlin. In all, restructuring is expected to "wipe -150 Ontario communities off the map Jan. 1" according to the London Free. Press. Excitement builds as rodeo action returns to Exeter EXETER Hang on to your hats — the rodeo is coming to town this weekend' Exeter and area residents have -been waiting 20 years. for the return of what was once the known as the Calgary Stampede of the east. The MidNc.tern Rodeo put Exeter on the map with a very successful 11 year run between 1966 and 1977•when local horsemen and service- . .organisations. took 10 the task: The event. at its peak, drew 10,000 people to. thc•cornmunity over the weekend and became one of the beset rodeos this side of Manitoba. • - This weekend. the South Huron Recreation Department is bringing the $rodeo-back--to.-E-xeter;:This.generation srodeo will -have a tie to the past -- the presidents of the past rodeos have been invited to attend. "ihe A Bar.K Rodeo Company is holding the sanctioned Ontario'Rodeo Association event -tin Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.ni. at the Recreation Centre grounds. The two-hour performance includes steer wrestling, bareback bronc'• riding: saddle bronc riding, barrel racing, calf roping .and bull riding. On Saturday. a Team Penning Competition organized by 4K Stock Farms will immediately follow the rodeo. • Forty-nine cowboys from Canada and the United States will compete in the 2 p.m. shows. but many more will be on hand for the rodeo "slack" on Friday night and Sunday morning to determine which riders will appear at the 2 p.m. shows. Founded in 1995, A Bar K Rodeo Productions owners Karyn and Al Foster felt there was an opportunity to bring the excitement of rodeo to - many smaller towns throughout Ontario. Thus far, they have proven to be a good partner for the local committee members who are rookies in the area of rodeo' events. According to Lynne Farquhar of the rec department, the rodeo company organizes the riders, stock and logistics of the event. The local organizers 'provide the local arrangements, facilities, volunteers and staff. The fast -paced events are expected to provide excellent entertainment for spectators. Based on information provided by A Bar K and the Exeter Rodeo Committee. the following describes some of the events to look for when attending Exeter's rodeo Steer wrestling Steer wrestling is probably the most exciting event in the rodeo arena. It involves a rider dropping from a galloping horse onto the steer, stopping the steer and throwing him to the ground. A second 'cowboy called the "hazer" assists the wrestler by running his horse to the far side of the steer • and attempting to direct the animal towards the wrestler and his horse. Bareback bronc riding In bareback bronc riding, the contestant's ride lasts eight seconds at the most. During that time, the rider only has a hold that resembles a suitcase handle. During the ride, the contestant's free hand cannot touch the animal or any part of his body. Ihc bareback broncs are usually smatter than the saddle broncs, with a lot of quick twists, sunftshing and.turnbacks in their moves. The horse and rider arc judged by a two judge system. .. Saddle bronc riding Saddle bronc'riding is considered rodeo's classic event. it is one of rodeo's original events, evolving from the days when ranch cowboys broke their own horses. The duration 9f the ride is eight seconds, and as in bareback riding . the cowboy will hang on with a single handhold, this time tti a bucking rein. The rein -is a round piece of braided rope and much of the success of the ride depends upon the length of rein.the cowboy takes. if -he - takes a hold that is to short, the horse is strong enough to pull him out of the saddle on the first jump out of the chute. Saddle hronc riders . move their feet alongside the horse from the front to rear. The higher and farther forward the rider's feet go, the higher the mark. The rider is downgraded by the judges if he loses control — cowboys call it "getting into a storm" — and. if this happens; the saddle makes it more difficult to recover. Barrel racing A fast and crowd -pleasing event, barrel racing combines the agility and skill of both rider and mount in a timed, competitive atmosphere. The contestant and horse round three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern in the shortest time possible. Only the tightest turns make the grade, but not too tight. If a barrel is knocked over, a five -second penalty is added. • Speed down the final stretch is also important with many riders using every inch of arena to pull up after a fast run. , Calf roping This is another traditional event that comes directly. from the day-to- day skills cowboys needed on the range. The calf is given a pre -determined head start. The horse must be able to catch the speeding calf, stop on a dinle and keep the rope taut. The . cowboy displays his skills by roping a running calf, jumping off,a horse, running down the calf and speedily ties it down. Three legs must befitted, at which time the cowboy throws his arms in the air to show the judges he's finished. If the calf does not free himself for six seconds after the rider goes back to his horse, climbs on and loosens off the neck rope, the time stands. Team roping This is the only event where two contestants perform at the same time. The rider on the right, as you lo'rk at the roping box, is usually the header. It is his job to rope the animal's horns, neck or half a head as it runs down the arena. The rider on the left is the healer. His job is to (rope the two hind legs of the animal as the header pulls the animal across the arena. - Bull riding The most popular rodeo riding event, hull riding has been described ,as the most dangerous sport. The bull rider uses a rope looped around the beast's middle. it is flat plait with a hand hold like a duffle bag. The rider puts his gloved hand in the loop. knuckles down and aperson . -standing on the chute pulls the slack from the rope. . When it feels right, the rider takes the free end and lays it across his palm. He wraps.it once behind his hand, Then clenches his fist and pounds it tight. Hunching his body close to his hand, he .waits until he feels the hull standing squarely. then nods and the gate opens. With only a single-handed rope to hold, the rider jerks and thrusts his free arm to - _counter the bull's spins and lunges..moving-bi;zfeet forward to grab a new hold. Despite weighing nearly a ton, a bull displays great athletic ability and surprising jumping capabilities. As long as the cowboy's free hand doesn't touch the hull and he still has his riding hand on some part of the rope at the end of the required eight seconds, the judges will score his ride on bow hard thc bull bucked and how well the cowboy rode. or Continued on page 2 Name that girl. Ontario's Minister of Community and Social Services Janet Ecker steadied Bill Brady's horse during the Mid - Western Rodeo in Exeter many years ago. Exeter's rodeo was known as the Calgary Stampede of the east.