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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-06-28, Page 44 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, June 28, 2006 =CNA TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the Financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Canada Jim Beckett — Publisher Deb Lord — Production Manager Scott Nixon — Editor tirt Published by Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Metroland Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Small towns working together The fact that rural communities have banded together to lobby the provincial and federal governments for more fund- ing for big ticket items such as sewers and water systems should be looked on as a positive thing. Rural communities have been ignored for too long by Ottawa and Queen's Park, where politicians and bureaucrats, most of whom have never experienced rural living, decide how much money small municipali- ties such as South Huron and Bluewater will receive. Local taxpayers know all too well what happens when government grants don't arrive for multi-million dollar projects — as everyone in the area must know by now, Crediton and Centralia property owners are facing a possible $20,000 bill for the $6 million sewer project the Ministry of the Environment and the Huron County Health Unit are insisting South Huron go ahead with because of health reasons. The municipality has twice been turned down for a grant from the Canada - Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) and there isn't much money left for the third phase of the grant program. As a result, Crediton and Centralia residents have been left on the hook for the cost of the project, although South Huron has passed a motion stating it will continue to seek grants. Hopefully for the residents, a grant will be forthcom- ing, and possibly the group of municipalities that met in Exeter's Olde Town Hall last Friday, calling them- selves 'Fair Funding for Small Communities of Ontario,' will be successful in getting grants for such projects. Getting the government to listen is the first problem; getting them to agree to more funding is the second. The municipalities want to meet with various minis- ters, such as the environment minister, soon, but they face the summer layoff, when those who run Ottawa and Queen's Park seem to go into hiding. So, results from the 'Fair Funding for Small Communities of Ontario' group may not come tomor- row, but the municipalities need to be given credit for working on behalf of their ratepayers to keep small communities alive. Should South Huron be successful at finding a grant for the Crediton/Centralia sewer pro- ject, there will be a lot of happy people in the area. Editorial Opinion "Rain cloud" puts damper on event I recently covered Zurich's 150th Home Coming Weekend, which I was happy to do considering I was sicker than a dog, having a cold which doesn't work too well with hot, humid weather of about 34 degrees. But regardless, I'm tough most of the time and I was pleased to be a part of such a wonderful town's special weekend. I've covered many events and activities in Zurich and have always enjoyed both the people and my time in the little town which has so much to offer for both its community and its visitors. My last large event I covered in Zurich was one of my first working here at the Times - Advocate. Yes, good old Bean Festival. And not just any bean festival but the 40th anniversary. This was one big weekend where many people came out in support of those brown beans and NINA everything that came along with it, including the VAN rain. LIESHOUT And we're not just talking a couple of drops but rather something a lot closer to running into the a OJI Grand Bend beach full tilt and making a huge splash that covers everyone several feet away. I was soaked, and so was my mother who came along for the ride, as was the neighbour's dog which I was house sitting that particular August weekend. It was a huge disappointment to everyone who partici- pated in Bean Festival, from the people who organized the event for months to the visitors who travelled far and wide and even to my poor neighbour's dog who was shaking up a storm once we finally made it through the puddles of water which flooded the streets. The circumstances were definitely unfortunate given all the hard work and dedication. And needless to say upsetting that a few rain clouds could put a huge damper in the celebration. So, here I am again in Zurich, looking forward to a second chance for the town to really show what they're made of. There were many events including a German Supper, a parade made up of floats from Zurich and area busi- nesses and organizations, bed races which were hilari- ous to watch, memorabilia from Zurich's history from the Huron County Museum, to entertainment which was impressive, reminding us all that you don't have to be famous to be talented and so much more. Every event was a whole lot of fun, making me quickly forget that I was so sick in the first place. But the Donkey Baseball which quickly made me feel ill again. First of all, I would like to commend all of the firefighters who make up the Zurich and Dashwood fire departments which played each other during the hour-long game. Second, I was completely disgusted by this event which saw donkeys being pulled around the diamond by both front and back ends. And trust me, they weren't moving quickly if barely at all, until three made a quick escape. What does that tell you? They don't want to be there. There were also moments where the donkeys began fighting each other. Wow, that's entertaining. When I came back to the T -A trying to find that perfect shot it took me forever to find a picture that looked "donkey friendly." I'm unsure who rents these donkeys out at events like these, an event that saw the temperature rise up to 34 degrees, a donkey get hit in the face with a base -ball and rumors surface of one possibly being pregnant but my thought is this is just another "rain cloud" putting a damper on yet another event. About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Holidays. Contact Us By Phone or Fax Classified ad & subscription sales (519) 235-1331 24-hour automated attendant (519) 235-1336 Fax number for all departments (519) 235-0766 Subscription Rates One year rate for addresses in Canada: $40+GST Two year rate for addresses in Canada: $72+GST One year rate for addresses outside Canada: $140 Call (519) 235-1331 to order a subscription. Classified Rates Word ads: $11 for 20 words, 20(t for each additional word+ GST. Notices (births, deaths, announcements, coming events, memoriams, cards of thanks): $15 + GST for up to 50 words, All ads must be pre -paid. The classified ad deadline is Monday at 10 a.m. Display Advertising To place a display ad, (519) 235-1331 weekdays 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. or evenings (519) 235-1336 (leave mes- sage) or toll-free at 1-888-270-1602. Deadline: Fri. 2 p m. E-mail Us Web site: www.southhuron.com TA e-mail addresses consist of the person's first initial and last name followed by @southhuron.com. For example, Jim Beckett's e-mail address is <jbeck- ett@southhuron.com> Our general e-mail address is ads@southhuron.com. The Times -Advocate Team Publisher Jim Beckett ext. 109 ADVERTISING Deborah Schillemore ext. 112 EDITOR Scott Nixon ext. 105 REPORTERS Pat Bolen ext. 113 Nina Van Lieshout ext. 107 CUSTOMER SERVICE Sue Rollings ext. 101 Kim Hern ext. 102 COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT Manager Deb Lord ext. 103/114 Heather Bilcke ext. 103 Kelly Gackstetter ext. 103 ACCOUNTING STAFF Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Marg Pertschy ext. 111 Heather Clarke ext. 206