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The Citizen, 1992-01-29, Page 1News I Sports | Entertainment Blyth Rutabaga Festival committee plans new events for 1992 See page 3 Bulls tune up for playoffs by swamping Goderich Sailors 7-1 See page 10 Japanese play visits Blyth and New York on North American tour See page 19 Five premieres in ’92 Blyth Festival season From tall tales from cowboys to devilish comedy to a drama about two women in the 1837 Rebellion, this summer's Blyth Festival will present a wide range of stories. Peter Smith, Artistic Director of the Festival, revealed the plays to be included in his second season during an interview Friday. He'll On the trail k parade of snowmobiles tears along a Walton-area trail Saturday as the riders take part in the B-W Trailblazers Poker Rally. While only two weeks ago there was worry that snowmobilers wouldn't have enough snow for such events, there was no shortage in sight after two weeks of old-fashioned winter. talk more about the plays tonight, (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. before the meeting for the community play project in the rehearsal hall above the Festival's administration build­ ing. The Puff 'n' Blow Boys, a cele­ bration of cowboy tall tales, music and poetry by Alberta writer Vai Jenkins, will kick off the season June 12. It's a play about strength, Mr. Smith said: die strength of peo­ ple who have chosen their path even if it's not an easy one- a strength that is both physical and spiritual. He said he thinks the play will make an interesting connection with the local audience. "I think there are a lot of cowboys around here, in their own way, even if they wear baseball hats instead of cow­ boy hats. Robert Clinton’s comedy Home­ town Boy will open June 19. It's about a couple who operate a garage and cafe on the edge of town but are being hit hard by the tough economic conditions. The "hometown boy" is a famous coun­ try and western singer who came from the community. As money grows short, Luke, a devilishly clever customer, comes along with an offer too good to be ignored by the garage owner. The play takes place at Christmas lime and includes a real guardian angel. Mr. Clinton is author of The Mail Order Bride, a big hit from the past at the Festival. Another writer with a long past Poker Rally termed a success Organizers of this past Saturday's B & W Trailblazers Poker Rally felt the event was a huge success. Club member Rick Konarski of RR1, Blyth said there were 511 poker hands sold with about 200 machines riding in the rally. "The trails were still in fairly good shape by the end of the day as well," added Mr. Konarski. Proceeds will go towards trail maintenance. history of the Festival returns with Glorious Twelfth, opening July 10. Ray Storey's drama focuses on a small town in the 1920's leading up to the Celebration of Orange Day and how people deal with the case of a mysterious death that has been swept under the carpet. The play studies the effects of prejudice, Mr. Smith said and he feels the play has importance for times like these. "In times of struggle, fundamentalist thinking can take control," he said. Ray Storey co-wrote the musi­ cals Girls In The Gang and The Dreamland. Festival co-founder Anne Chislett, whose play Quiet in the Land won her the Governor Gener­ al's Award, will return with Yankee Notions, the fourth play of the sea­ son, opening July 17. It tells the story of Maria Wait, feisty wife of Continued on page 19 Historic first council session re-enacted In recognition of Huron's Sesqui- centennial, the county will be host­ ing "The Session of 1842" on Saturday, February 8 at Blyth Memorial Hall, beginning at 8 p.m. The theatrical production is an interpretative re-enactment of the first Session of Council presented by an energetic group of students selected from each of the county's five secondary schools. In their roles as the original four­ teen councillors, Warden William "Tiger" Dunlop, District Clerk Daniel Lizars, plus various peti­ tioners, the youth will debate many of the issues which faced this embryonic Council. Should the official County tax levy be one penny per acre and when should these monies be collected; also how should the boundaries for Huron's school district be determined. These issues plus many others will be explored in this historically based debate. There is no admission charge for this event and everyone is wel­ come. An informal reception will follow the production. Heritage Party leader stakes out new policy ground Charles Cavilla, leader of the Reform Party by name but men- with a Quebec riding and pay for bonds that hold the country togeth- Christian Heritage Party (CHP) of Canada spoke to about 50 people in Wingham Jan. 21 and staked out a clear territory separate from the Reform Party of Canada. In an interview before his speech Mr. Cavilla, on a tour across Cana­ da following his election as party leader in November admitted that the Reform Party was a force to be reckoned with but said he would be alerting members to the differences between the two parties. He said his tour was designed to rekindle interest in the party which reached a peak in the 1988 federal election when many of the same people the Reform Party is appealing to, sup­ ported the CHP. During his lengthy speech Mr. Cavilla never mentioned the tioned "other parties" as he pointed out the differences his party offers. He said his party does not seek power, but seeks to serve. Several times he invited other parties to borrow his party's platform and implement it themselves. That platform turned out to be considerably different than that being offered by any of the other major parties. On the issue of the constitution, for instance, he said the hard-line positions of premiers like Don Getty, Mike Harcourt and Clyde Wells on one side and the nationalists in Quebec on the other side were a fatal recipe for Canada. The one voice not being heard, he said, is the voice of the ordinary people of the country. He proposed that each riding should twin itself advertisements in French in Quebec papers to tell the Quebec people how much they're valued. People in Quebec need to realize that there are many thousands of people who want them to remain in Canada, he said. "It's all a matter of people ris­ ing to the call. We can provide the leadership. We do not consider this country to be a nation without Que­ bec." He said Quebecers need to be reminded about all the things they share with English Canadians. Mr. Cavilla argued against giving more federal powers to the provinces. Weakening the central power will turn the country into a group of diverse provinces, he warned, and the end of the country will be in sight. Free Trade, he said, had already started weakening the bonds that hold the country togeth­ er. "We are a caring society and that caring society must remain intact," he said. On the deficit, he said the situa­ tion is critical with a yearly deficit of nearly $34 billion a year ("give or take a couple of billion") since 1986 and a national debt of $420 billion, "probably the largest of any industrialized nation". The national debt is so high that the interest is higher than the yearly deficit, he said. But he noted that in 1978 only 15 per cent of that debt was held by people outside Canada while today the amount is 45 per cent. He argued that interest rates were being kept high to satisfy those creditors. But more money can be CHARLES CAVILLA CHP leader lays out agendaContinued on page!7