The Citizen, 2015-09-24, Page 1CitizenTh
e
$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, September 24, 2015
Volume 31 No. 37
BELGRAVE - Pg. 36
Wet Elementary School
Fair has a good day
FAIR - Pg. 17
Results from the Brussels
Fall Fair are featured
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
Welcome
It’s that time of year again, with fall fairs being held
throughout the county and last week, it was Brussels’ turn,
as the Fall Fair was held on Sept. 15-16. Despite low
student attendance due to ongoing job action by the
province’s elementary school teachers, organizers say
the fair was a success. Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador
Tiffany Deitner, centre, cut the ribbon on this year’s fair,
aided by Brussels Agricultural Society President Merv Bauer,
left, and Fall Fair Homecraft President Nicole Noble. (Shawn Loughlin
photo)
Duff’s United Church’s final service this Sunday
Good year for Fall Fair despite challenges
Duff’s United Church in Walton
will have its final service on Sept.
27, marking the end of 150 years of
United (or its predeceasing
churches) worship in the area.
THE HISTORY
The story behind Duff’s United,
however, is really the story of several
different churches, most notable the
United Presbyterian Church of
North America (Duff’s Presbyterian
Church) which started public
services in the area in 1865, the New
Connexion Methodists who held
services in the early 1870s and the
Moncrieff Presbyterian Church,
which closed in 1972.
In 1862, a man named John
Shortreed, who had come to Morris
Township in 1859, wrote a letter to
Rev. John Gillespie of Stamford,
Ontario, who visited the area to help
organize a congregation in Walton.
This marked the first time public
church services were held in the
Walton district.
A quarter-acre acre plot of land
was purchased for a House of
Worship by Charles Murchie for
$24. The land was then sold in 1866
to the Presbyterian Church.
In 1867, Rev. John L. Robertson,
the first settled minister of
congregation, arrived and, soon after
Murchie sold 20 acres less the
quarter-acre already sold for the
church property.
Services continued until 1910,
when the United Presbyterian
Church of North America joined
with the Presbyterian Church of
Canada. The church building was
moved to Lot 25, Concession 10,
Morris Township where it was used
as a shed and the manse at the site
was used for Presbyterian ministers
until 1906.
In early 1870, the New Connexion
Methodists were holding church
services in Leadbury School, S.S.
No. 7, McKillop under a circuit
minister from Seaforth. In 1873,
they joined the Brussels Methodist
circuit and, led by Rev. Robert
Davey, erected their own church on
the corner of Huron County Road 12
and the 14th concession of McKillop
Township for $2,000.
In 1884, the church trustees
purchased a half acre of land at the
corner of Lot 1, Concession 18, Grey
Township to have the church more
centrally located and, in September
of 1904, the church building, then 32
feet by 48 feet, was loaded on
to a wagon moved to the new
location.
In 1925, when the Congregational,
Presbyterian and Methodist
Churches in Canada united, Walton
Methodist’s congregation united
with Duff’s Presbyterian Church to
form one congregation known as
Duff’s United Church.
The then-church of the Methodist
congregation was sold to the Loyal
Orange Order and became a lodge
and is now the Walton Community
Hall.
Moncrieff Presbyterian Church
started off with circuit ministers
preaching in schoolhouses or homes.
With enough pledged support,
however, a church was quickly
erected under the supervision of Rev.
Watt in February of 1893.
The church, called Bethel, was a
source of some discord for the
Methodist Conference which
The former Blyth Public School,
which was purchased by 237 King
Street Corporation, is in the process
of being officially transferred by title
to the Blyth Arts and Cultural
Initiative 14/19 Inc. and will be
named in honour of Grant and
Mildred Sparling.
The structure, which has already
provided a home for several of the
initiative’s design camps including
fashion design, photography and
documentary film-making, was
purchased by four local partners,
Steven and David Sparling and Rick
and Jeff Elliott under the moniker
237 King Street Corporation (the
address of the school) in November
of 2012.
The site’s transfer will come with
a name change to the Grant and
Mildred Sparling Centre, home of
the Canadian Centre for Rural
Creativity (CCRC). The naming is in
recognition of the Sparling family
being the lead donor for the 14/19
initiative.
Grant was the founder of
Sparlings Propane and, with
Mildred, supported many initatives
throughout Blyth and the
surrounding area.
Steven Sparling said it has been a
long-standing belief of his family,
including his mother Mildred and
late father Grant, that the challenge
facing Blyth is finding its place in
the new economic climate.
“We have to leverage our existing
infrastructure to build our part of the
cultural economy,” he said, adding
that it relies heavily on the existence
and success of the Blyth Centre for
the Arts, at the centre of which is the
Blyth Festival.
An idea to have theatre in Blyth
more than 40 years ago grew into the
Blyth Festival and, in that same way,
Sparling hopes that, through 14/19
and the CCRC, the simple idea of
culture in Blyth can grow into
something that may have a national
impact on the Canadian centre.
Sparling said that credit has to go
to 14/19 Project Director Peter
Smith, administrator Karen Stewart
and the 14/19 board members who
have challenged how opportunities
need to be approached.
“We have to push ourselves to be
bold and audacious and having this
site is part of that,” he said. “We are
happy to support the endeavour in
honour of Dad and Mom.”
The weather could not have been
better for the Brussels Fall Fair this
year according to Homecraft
President Nicole Noble, who said
the event went well, all things
considered.
“The weather was fantastic for
both days,” she said of the event that
was held Sept. 15-16. “All in all it
was a good fair.”
The event, which typically
welcomes students from local
schools to the Brussels, Morris and
Grey Community Centre on
Wednesday, saw less attendance that
day because students couldn’t attend
due to ongoing work-to-rule action
by local public school teachers,
however Noble said the board was
excited with the number of people
who were there.
“We were happily surprised with
the number of parents that brought
their children to the fair,” she said.
“We’re thankful for that. It’s too bad
we couldn’t go ahead with the
educational program, but we just
didn’t have enough children in the
morning.”
While attendance on Wednesday
was slightly down from
expectations, Tuesday was a great
day for the fair, Noble said.
“Tuesday night we had a great
crowd on hand. Everything was well
attended that night.”
Despite the lower numbers for the
The Citizen
Celebrating 30 Years
1985~2015
Former school to carry Sparling name
Continued on page 10
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 33