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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-10-20, Page 14Crossroads 14 Wednesday, October 20, 2004 Exeter Times Advocate `HeavenlyTrio' competes inYouth Talent Search By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — A Heavenly Trio of Huron County girls sang their way into the finals of the Youth Talent Search at the Western Fair. Heather Amerongen of Exeter, Courtney Amoraal of Vanastra and Naomi Amoraal of Stratford had been singing together and dancing for an outreach group at Exeter Pentecostal Tabernacle before deciding to enter the talent competition.. To enter the Youth Talent Search, the group had to sign up for a pre- liminary competition. They competed at the Clinton fair and qualified for the contest. Amerongen said the girls have known each other for almost eight years and have been singing and dancing together for most of that time. "I spent a lot of time at their house and they were a very musical fam- ily, so I sang a lot with them," she said. "I heard a song on a `Gaither Homecoming' video that was done a capella and thought, we could do this...so we did. We sang it at church and other places and became really close in singing togeth- er." She said the group came up with the name last year when they entered for the competi- tion for the first time. They made it to the quarter finals last year with a "jazzed -up ver- sion" of the hymn, `In the Garden.' "We figured we'd have a good chance in the competition, so we decided we might as well try it," Amerongen said. Having made it to the top 12 this year, the group already has plans for next year's perfor- mance. "I think it's a good learning experience and it definitely gives you an idea of all the hard work performing really is," Amerongen said. "It's not just getting over your stage fright and singing. You have to be a good sport. You have to remember to look at the judges and the audience, remember to smile and to hide your disappoint - From left to right Naomi Amoraal, Courtney Amoraal and Heather Amerongen recently performed at the Youth Talent Search at the Western Fair. The group, known as the Heavenly Trio, made it to the finals in the competition. (photo/submitted) ment if you don't make it to the next level. It's really different from singing just to entertain people. There's a lot more you have to focus on in the competition." She said the group was happy to make it to the fmals this year. "Everyone at home and at our churches was cheering us on," she said. "We had a lot of people behind us and we just had fun." Amerongen said the group faced some chal- lenges during the compe- tition, especially when they had sound difficul- ties at the preliminaries when Naomi's micro- phone wasn't working. "It was kind of frustrat- ing but it was nothing the judges could hold against us," she said. "Then at the quarter finals, Courtney's mic wasn't on but mine and Naomi's were. They allowed us to perform again and do a sound check before the perfor- mance to make sure all the mics were working. It turned out that Courtney's mic was on mute." Amerongen added the sound was great at the semi-finals and finals. "Onstage, we just gave it our all, no matter how tired or worn out we were, because it's all or nothing when you're up there. You have to give 200 per cent when you're up there and then you can sleep or rest or do whatever you want afterwards," she said. "It was really exciting and definitely well worth it." Conservation authorities reflect back on Hurricane Hazel and its impact AUSABLE BAYFIELD — On Oct. 15 and 16, 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck the Toronto region with a devastat- ing reminder of the power and unpredictable forces of nature. More than 285 millimetres of rain fell upon the already -sodden earth and swollen rivers. In its aftermath, 81 people died and over 1,800 fam- ilies were left homeless in Ontario. The total cost of the destruction in Canada was estimated at $100 million, the equiva- lent of about $1 billion today. "It was a tragedy beyond comprehension for those who experi- enced it," said Tom Prout, General Manager of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA). "The impact of Hazel is still being felt half a century later. It was a mobilizing force in bringing a regional approach to flood control and water management and led to a dramatic shift in planning and development policies for Ontario, changing our landscape forever." Since Hazel's time, extensive effort has gone into improving the moni- toring and flood forecast- ing capabilities in Ontario. Flood facilities were built and opera- tional practices have been designed to respond immediately to critical flood conditions. Extensive floodplain mapping has been done and regulations put in place allowing for the purchase of land in flood prone areas. Helping cre- ate safe communities while restoring the health of natural spaces is the cornerstone of con- servation authority work. Hurricane Hazel's 50th anniversary commemo- ration was recognized recently at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) by launching a new Web site www.hurricane- hazel.ca to commemo- rate the lives lost and lessons learned from this tragic event. Funding to produce this website was provided by Conservation Ontario, representing the 36 con- servation authorities across Ontario. TRCA also released a film, Hazel's Legacy: a hurricane that changed our landscape forever, documenting first-hand accounts never publicly recorded before and interviews with flood control experts and famed Canadians, Pierre Berton and Betty Kennedy. The documen- tary aired on Rogers Television across Ontario Oct. 16 and Oct. 17. Hazel's Legacy will be available for purchase on DVD and VHS by con- tacting the ABCA at 519- 235-2610 or order online at www.hurri- canehazel. ca. FARM BRIEF Proposed changes to NMA Farmers should be aware the Ministry of Agriculture and Food posted Proposal RC04E0730 on the Environmental Registry Aug. 4, to create a regulation that would extend the deadline by which some farmers are required to comply with various portions of the Nutrient Management Act, 2002 and 0. Reg. 267/03. The proposal covers large livestock farms that are required to prepare Nutrient Management Strategies (NMS) because they would be generat- ing 300 or more nutrient units July 1, 2005. Farmers should look for further information on this proposal on the Environmental Registry at www.ene.gov.on.calenvregistry/023508er.htm. This proposal is being considered as a comple- ment to the government's recent announcement of a Cost Share Program to assist owners of large livestock farms become compliant with the Nutrient Management Act, 2002 and 0. Reg. 267/03 and provide them with additional time in which to make necessary changes to their opera- tions. The Precious Blood cross country team participated in the Huron -Perth Catholic School District system meet at Wildwood Conservation Area Oct. 14. Special mention goes to Brett Oud and Jarrett Johns who placed fourth and tenth out of approximately 80 runners from 17 schools in the intermediate division. (photo/Mary Simmons)