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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018. PAGE 19.
Entertainment & Leisure
Nearly 40 attend inaugural singing group meeting
Quite the turnout
Organizers of the newly -formed Brussels singing group were very happy to have nearly 40
performers turn out to the group's first meeting. The organization plans on fine-tuning their
goals and practices a bit and will next meet on Feb. 21. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Organizers feel the first meeting
of the new Brussels singing group
was overwhelmingly positive with
nearly 40 residents in attendance last
week at the Brussels, Morris and
Grey Community Centre.
Don Chesher, one of the
organizers, said he was
"tremendously excited with the
turnout" and thinks it's encouraging
for the future of the group.
As far as the direction of the
project goes, Chesher said the
members will determine that. There
are two potential directions. One is
the possibility of karaoke-style choir
singing, while the other would
feature live music from members
who are able to play an instrument.
That decision has yet to be made,
but organizers say there is still lots
of time.
Jim Lee, another of the group's
organizers, said he was very happy
with the first meeting.
He said that while they have to see
what works and what doesn't
for the future of the group, its
early stages have been very
encouraging.
With nearly 40 people coming for
the first meeting, Lee said he felt
that the project will certainly
continue for the foreseeable future
and will see its mission through.
While the group is meeting at the
community centre right now, he
hopes that eventually they will make
their way to Huronlea Home for the
Aged in Brussels and perform there
with the help of Blyth's Steve Cook,
who has been supporting the project.
Zoey Onn, another of the
organizers and the leader of the
singers, said she thought the first
meeting of the group went really
well. "I was really happy with it,"
she said.
While she said she didn't know
she would become the group's
leader, it is a role she was happy to
step into.
"I'm eager to do more. It just
sounds so good when that many
people sing together like that," she
said.
The next meeting of the group is
set for Wednesday, Feb. 21 in the
upper room at the Brussels, Morris
and Grey Community Centre. For
more information, call Chesher at
519-887-8473, Lee at 519-887-9181
or Onn at 519-887-6336.
Optimists to benefit Steffler Foundation with dinner
The Brussels Optimist Club will
be raising funds for the newly -
established Tanner Steffler
Foundation next month at the club's
annual dinner and auction.
The special evening, set for
Saturday, March 10 at the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Community
Centre, will feature a dinner,
entertainment and a silent and live
auction.
Doug McArter of the club said
that over the last two decades, the
club has raised nearly $400,000 for
various causes through its spring
dinner and auction.
Any specific year, he said, the
event has netted between $13,000
and $32,000 for various causes,
which have included the likes of the
Ronald McDonald House and the
Make -A -Wish Foundation, among
others.
The success of the dinner and
auction, McArter said, is on the
strength of the donations made that
year, so how much is raised can vary
greatly.
As for benefitting the Tanner
Steffler Foundation, which is aiming
to support youth mental health and
addiction resources in Huron
County, McArter said it was
the obvious choice for this year's
event.
The dinner and auction began
nearly 20 years ago, McArter said,
when the club wanted to extend its
reach beyond the Brussels
community.
The club wanted to donate funds
to a charity that wasn't based in
Brussels, but that served Huron
County residents.
They felt the best way to expand
its reach would be to host a spring
dinner and auction to benefit a
charity Brussels residents benefit
Festival highlights new funding, customers
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Representatives of the Blyth
Festival made some exciting
announcements while reviewing its
2017 season with North Huron
Council.
During council's Feb. 5 meeting,
Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt
explained that 2017 was a good
season for bringing in new visitors.
"We had 1,750 patrons purchase
tickets who hadn't purchased them
before," he said. "Assuming
everyone brought a date, that means
we had 3,500 new people come
through."
Garratt said 66 per cent of patrons
to the theatre in 2017 travelled more
than 40 kilometres to get there and
there were theatre -goers from every
province in Canada except Prince
Edward Island.
The Festival also received good
news for its coming season in that
the Canada Council for the Arts had
nearly doubled the funds the Blyth
Festival was receiving.
"The Blyth Festival received an 87
per cent increase [in funding],"
Garratt said.
Funding from the Canada Council
for the Arts was increased to
$275,000 from $145,000 per year
with a three-year commitment.
Garratt also stated that the Festival
had raised more than $100,000
through its seat sale as part of the
significant renovation to Memorial
Hall.
The coming season was outlined
and Garratt requested that North
Huron contribute $15,000 to the
joint marketing initiative that North
Huron historically participates in
with the Festival. The contribution
earns North Huron recognition on
Festival promotional material and
space in the program and house
book.
Council members said they would
keep the request in mind during
budget deliberations, while
Councillor Bill Knott stated he
would like to see this issue go to the
newly -formed North Huron
Economic Development Committee
in the future.
"I would like to recommend [the
Blyth Festival] approach our
economic development committee
so you can explain the initiative to
all the members of that committee,"
he said. "There are new members
who aren't aware of this ongoing
program. In the future, that's where
this request should rest so you can
explain how this whole thing goes
together with the municipality."
Knott said both he and Councillor
Trevor Seip, North Huron Council's
representation on the committee,
would be happy to help arrange a
meeting. Garratt had no objections
to making the presentation for the
group.
from but don't readily associate with
Brussels.
For tickets, to donate auction
items or for more information,
contact McArter at 519-887-6963.
For more information on the
foundation and its plans for the
future, visit its website at
tannerstefflerfoundation.com
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Community
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February 18, 2018
2 to 4 pm
Melville Presbyterian
Church
Please join us as we
celebrate the upcoming
marriage of Ami and Tim
Hendry -Gallagher
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long distance?1 -800-265-3438
At the Blyth
Memorial
Community
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A lion -profit production
Presented by
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