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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-02-08, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, February 8, 1995 IN—THE_NEWAS--- The annual Winter Carnival fashion show held Friday evening featured the fashions of six Stores. Here, the audience -,,was Mated to a display of night wear from Colesce Lingerie of Parkhill and Hensall. Winter Carnival capers A teen talent contest (above) was added to th'Grand Bend Winter Carnival lineup on Saturday at the White House Pub north of the village. Organized by Dennis Siren, five acts competed in three age classes. Here, "Billy Bedspring" a Grand Bend band, per- formed a few numbers. From left are Rob Galliford (bass), Jamie Hoar (drums), Brad Cas- arin (guitar) and Ryan Tost (vocals). Below, these guys must be crazy. Well, organizers did say that the Carnival's snow foot- ball would go ahead, regardless of weather conditions, but they probably didn't count on viscious winds and white -outs on the playing field. • The first snow-sculpt/ng contest for elementary school students was added to the Carnival's events on Friday. Some 28 teams from local schools arrived to attack the blocks of snow set up in the parking lot near the beach. However, organizers decided instead of awarding prizes, each school would be presented with a CD ROM disk for their efforts. 'Bend trying another air show The Snowbirds will be part of a more modest event June 8 By Fred Groves T -A staff HURON PARK - Simplicity - that's what the organizers of the Third Annual Grand Bend Air Show are striving for this year. "It's a very simplistic show. There's no bal- loons. We tried to take on too much [last year]," said Lawson. On Thursday, June 8 the Huron Park Airport will be the site of the show which will feature a return performance of Canada's famous mil- itary acrobatic team, the Snowbirds. Last Wednesday one of the Snowbirds planes came into Huron Park from Sault Ste. Marie to have a look at the air strip and gener- ally overlook the program. "This is the third Grand Bend Air Show but everything this year will be done in Huron Park," said organizer Tom Lawson. Celebrating their 25th Anniversary, the Snowbirds' only other Southwestern Ontario appearances will be London and the Windsor - Leamington air shows. Last year the Grand Bend event was spread over two weekends and featured hot air bal- loons, a D-day re-enactment and many aero- hatic acts, all done over Lake Huron and thc main beach of Grand Bend. "We're not concerned about boats over the water," said Lawson indicating this year's show will be a lot safer for spectators. "Every- thing is going to be done right there. We're do- ing an education component like we did last year.'. On June 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. local school children will have the opportunity to come to the airport and be part of a four-part education session. That will include meeting and talking with members of the snowbirds, watching as Bob Wright from Grand Bend Sport Parachuting does a jump, listening to pilot Terry Stuart who will talk to the children from the air and meeting a female military pilot who will talk about gender equality. "We have Canadian military aircraft that will be here subject to budget cuts," said Law- son. "There arc U.S. military aircraft that will be in, but these guys confirm at the last min- ute." The air show itself begins at 5 p.m. and ad- mission is only $2 compared to last year's $10 general admission button, which not everyone was happy about having to purchase. The Grand Bend International Air Show committee is a non-profit group but following last year's show found themselves in debt $20,000. "We made money the first year and turned it over to the Chamber [of Commerce]. Last year we lost money, we lost about $20,000," said Lawson. This is the third air show. The others were held in 1992 and in 1994. Last year's elaborate event took two years to plan. Although this year's is more simplistic organizers promise there will still be some great attractions. And what can spectators expect to sec in Hu- ron Park on June 8? The show will open with the local para- chutists floating to the ground while the na- tional anthem is pia Lawson is hoping the first air act will be the b KC -135 tanker and a pair of F-16 fighters. "It's all confirmed subject to budget cuts. In 1992 we lost five aircraft in one day due to budget cuts and it could happen again," cau- tioned Lawson. Also expected are a C-130 from the Inter- national Guard, the OPP helicopter, CF -18 and T-33 demonstrators, CF -5 freedom fighter, the mobile arresting team, P-3 Aurora submarine hunter and a Kiowa helicopter. While many of these aircraft will be part of the air show itself, spectators will once again get a chance to meet with the pilots and get a close up look at the planes and helicopters. Robin stuck in storm EXETER - While some of us might have wished we were living a bit further south during this week- end's snowstorm, there was one Ex- eter resident who must have defi- nitely been thinking along those lines Saturday. Typically, the sighting of the first robin is something we expect at the first sign of spring, but Mildred Thomson told the Times -Advocate she spotted a large red -breasted robin during Saturday's big chill. "I said 'nobody will believe me if I don't get someone else to see it as well'," said Thomson. So she got her neighbour Doris Miller to con- firm that, yes indeed, there was a robin braving the high winds and frigid temperatures in her Marlbo- rough Street back yard. "I think it got its directions turned around some way," said Thomson. "I've never seen one this early." Schools broken into EXETER - The Exeter OPP are investigating two attempted break- ins at local schools, one in Hensall, the other in Usborne Township. Police say that sometime over- night on January 30, unknown sus- pects pried open the door to a stor- age shed at Hensall Public School. Although they got into the shed, nothing appears to have been taken. Police are saying local youths are suspected in the incident. At about 3:49 a.m. Sunday morn- ing, the OPP responded to an alarm at Usborne Public School. Glass at the main entrance was found to have been smashed, but entry was apparently not attempted. Police say the culprit is believed to have been on a snowmobile, according to tracks at the scene. Men sought over fight HENSALL - Police arc looking for two men in connection with a fight at a Hensall Tavern Thursday evening that sent a local man to hos- Enough bang from each tax buck? Can Exeter's budgets reflect efficiency, not just costs, asks council EXETER - Are the town's various departments getting "a good bang for their buck" and do their budget procedures show that they are operating efficiently? Three town councillors once again voiced their concerns Monday night that the various de- partment budgets do not always prove that the expenditures are fully justified, and only show compari- sons with what was spent in pre- vious years. Councillors Bob Spears, Tom Hughes, and Wendy Boyle were leading the call for more accountability in town budgets, while deputy -reeve Dave Urlin and councillor Robert Drummond pointed out such detail was meaningless at bud- get time, when a bottom line and its effect on taxes was more important. Boyle summed up the argument by stating that the town's various budgets seem to focus on the costs of providing ser- vices to ratepayers, rather than trying to determine the amount of service provided per dollar - in short, efficiency. Drummond argued that it was each individual com- mittee's responsibility to assess each department's relative efficiencies and services provided. "If you want to find out every detail about every darn thing at each com- mittee, sit on 'cm," said Drummond, but pointed out there were not enough hours in the week for a council mem- ber to attend every meeting. "We have to Inust the people who committee. We have to trust the staff," said "If you want to find out every detail about every darn thing at each committee, sit on 'em." sit on each Drummond. Spears, however, said detail is not required, and said the monthly service/cost report provided by the fire department and waste management program are good examples of giv- ing council an idea of how budgets relate to services. Councillor Hughes was also pressing to have the town's budgets finalized as soon as possible. Hc said the budget process hadn't even been started yet. "Oh, we've started it," insisted clerk Liz Bell, who said a preliminary budget should be available for council's next session. But Bell pointed out that a final, overall budget could not be approved until the school board and county budgets were available, usually not until May. Hughes said the town did not pass its budget bylaw until lune last year, but Bell noted that was due to a delay in the school board's budget. The town's was completed long be- fore that, she said. Hughes said the various departments need to know just how much to cut from their budgets to meet a specific tar- get. "If you want to do it with a zero percent increase, that's fairly easy to do," said Bell, and promised Hughes would have the assessment figures later in the week. p1tal. The Exeter OPP say that a fight at Kelly's Place resulted in Anthony Baldwin of Hensall receiving five stitches for a face wound from a blow to the face. On Friday evening, in Exeter, po- lice were called to a disturbance at an apartment building and found a man hanging on various apartment doors. Johan Thiessen was charged with mischief, causing a disturbance, and being intoxicated in a public place. He was held in custody for a hail hearing in Godcrich Monday. Correction: last names switched In last week's article about thc last performance of the rock hand UIC, the names of the members of Positively Stompin' were incorrect- ly reported. The last names of Ted Trichner and Murray Heywood were mista- kenly switched. The Times -Advocate regrets the , error.