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The Citizen, 1986-02-19, Page 1 (2)CitizJn Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. VOL. 2 - NO. 8 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1986 Entertainment and education go hand in hand in the Kids on the Block program which has been touring Huron County elementary schools. Currently at East Wawanosh Public School in Belgrave, the program uses puppets to explain the problems of the handicapped. Here Paul Rich and Patricia Daer operate the puppets and answer questions from their classmates. Play on farm crisis opens 12th Blyth Festival season A powerful look at the human cost of the current farm crisis is the subject of the play opening the 12 season of the Blyth Festival, Friday, June 20. Opening production will be "Another Season's Promise" a- bout a family that has farmed the land for four generations but suddenly finds itself in financial trouble. Written by Anne Chislett, (award-winning author of Quiet in the Land and The Tomorrow Box), and Keith Roulston, (McGilli- cuddy's Lost Weekend and His Own Boss) will have preview performances June 18 and 19. There will be two other pre- miers, A Canadian classic and Return of a Light in the five -play season that Artistic Director Kath- erine Kaszas calls "A truly rich and exciting season of Canadian plays." "Drift" by Toronto -born play- wright Rex Deverell is a powerful portrait of an exotically beautiful young woman who immigrates to Canada and marries a local farm boy. Set in the Depression and seen through the eyes of a writer from the next generation, "Drift" is a touching and funny play. In 1984 Prairie Theatre Exchange in Win- nipeg produced 'Drift', under the direction of Katherine Kaszas - a production that was described by the Winnipeg Sun's Morley Walk- er as 'the best play I've ever seen'. A bittersweet comedy about two elderly women, "Gone To Glory" by Suzanne Finlay, premieres on July 15. Winnie and Lulu live in a ramshackle cabin in the interior of British Columbia and eke out a meagre existence on welfare and pensions. The two women main- tain a feisty front, but their lives are haunted by old sorrows which the conventions of their time have forbidden them to share. American -born Ms. Finlay emigrated to Canada in 1952. She has worked as a professional actress, play editor for M -GM, play agent for such notables as Noel Coward and Samuel Beckett, script supervisor for The Beachcombers, and author of numerous TV shows and the play Monkeyshines currently on tour in Ontario. The stage premiere of Kenneth Dyba's "Lilly, Alta." opens on July 22. When two lovers attempt to free themselves from the obsessive matriarch who rules over the small town of Lilly, Alberta, they unleash a chain of events which forever alters this small Prairie town. This is an unusual and imaginative play, underscored with music and punctuated by the comic antics of the town's highly eccentric inhabitants. Lilly, Alta. was originally produced as a radio play on CBC's Festival Theatre. Kennefh Dyba has worked as a director and actor, and adapted and translated Lorca's "Yerma;" a novel, "Sister Roxy", was publish- ed in 1973. "Another Season's Promise," "Drift", "Gone To Glory", and "Lilly, Alta." will play in repertory through to August 23. On August 26 "Cake -Walk" by Colleen Curran returns to the Blyth Festival stage to close the season. Five unlikely contestants at a cake -baking contest find them- selves getting more than they bargained for when someone sets out to sabotage the entries. This comedy was premiered at the Blyth Continued on page 3 40 CENTS Auburn park gets township help Auburn Lions Club's plans to improve the Auburn ball park got a boost from West Wawanosh coun- cil at its regular meeting February 4. Bill Robinson of the Lions Club explained to council that the club wants to finish the recreation booth which was constructed last year and do some other maintenance work on the ball field. He said the club is approaching all neighbour - Continued on page 6 Brussels gets supermarket, loses Note/ Barring last minute collapse of the deal, Brussels will soon lose one hotel and gain a new super- market. Village council Monday night approved a by-law to sell the historic Queen's Hotel to McLaughlin -Inland International Inc. of London which will develop the property into a 6090 square foot supermarket. Closing date for the sale is Feb. 21. At the same time, council approved a demolition permit for the hotel and a building permit which will see the new 70 by 87 foot building rise on the site. The new building will come right to the edge of the sidewalk on Turnberry Street but the entrance will be off Thomas Street and parking will be at the rear of the building. The $200,000 building will have a blank wall on the main street side. Sale price of the once -grand hotel that has been empty and deteriorating for years, was $13,682. The village had purchas- ed the property at a tax sale in 1983 for $11,183. The huge building will be taken down by Total Demolition Inc. of Brussels, specialists in salvaging materials from old buildings. The new store will have parking for 32 cars off the street. Councillor Betty Graber, while expressing reflief that the derelict Queen's Hotel was going to be removed from main street, ex- pressed some concern about the "great -China wall" that would result from the building having no windows or doors on main street. Other councillors were just thank- ful to have the deal, which had dragged on for months through legal holdups, finally resolved. In anofher development -orient- ed decision, council passed a resolution favouring a change from iiiooai/are residential zoning to highway commercial for property owned by Don Bray (the old Fina station) on Turnberry street at the northern part of the village. Mr. Bray presented his case to council saying that under the current non -conforming status he cannot add to the building or make any substantial changes. He would like to add a building for storage: In addition, he said, the restrictive zoning makes it difficult to get a mortgage on the property. The formation of an industrial commission with Morris and Grey townships was discussed briefly. Morris has already appointed Deputy -reeve Clem McLellan to sit on the committee and Grey was expected to appoint its representa- tive at its meeting on Monday. Because of the absence of counci- llor Dave Boynton who had ex- pressed some interest in the subject, council decided to defer appointment of the Brussels repre- sentative to a future meeting. There was some discussion as to whether each of the municipalities should contribute a small amount of money to the commission's expense. Reeve Hank Ten Pas said he would discuss the situation with the neighbouring reeves. The Local Architectural Conser- vancy Advisory Committee got new members when Shirley Sid - dell, Bill Spink, Claudia Spink, Clare Powers and Tom Hanrahan were appointed to the committee. The committee advises council on designation of significant histori cal importance. Once designated, owners of the building can apply for grants from the government for restoration of the buildings. An expansion of the Brussels Cemetery was approved by coun- cil. The Cemetery Board has agreed to purchase an adjoining parcel of land for $4000. 474 The Queen's Hotel, in sad decline in recent years, will be coming down soon to make way for a new supermarket on Brussels' main street. Total Demolition of Brussels will be in charge of dismantling the historic buliding.