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The Citizen, 2003-07-02, Page 1The Citizen St i -Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 19 No. 26 NH | NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC. | Inside this week pa 9 Brussels downtown L gets facelift 7 Local track athletes *©• ' do well " &tit|«W p„ 1 a Heart and Soul *8* gets donation n .. Graduation sectionPg. 11 begins Swashbuckler Pg. 27 opens Festival season ‘Citizens’ of the Year selected The committees have made their choices, and selected the honorees for this.year’s Citizen of the Year. The hard work it takes to throw an excellent party did not go unnoticed as the committee selected two women as their choice for the Blyth and Area Citizen of the Year. “Over a year’s planning — phone calls, meetings, etc.— and the reward a successful weekend,” said one nominator about Bev Blair and Thelma Johnston. Among their many other community involvements the two spent countless hours and put much effort into making Blyth’s 125th celebration the great weekend it was. For Brussels, the committee narrowed the selection down from a number of worthy nominees to honour a woman involved in many volunteer activities. Kathy Bridge “deserves this award because she never says no,” said one of her nominators. “Ask her to do any job and she is willing and able.” Bridge is actively involved in WI, as president of Majestic and a past president at the district level. She is a member of the Huronlea volunteer auxiliary, presently holding the position of first vice-president. She also leads a baking program for the residents. In February Bridge is in charge of the Heart and Stroke campaign and also heads up the cancer campaign in April. As well, she can be counted on to act as chauffeur when the need arises. driving people to appointments, meetings or on errands. “She is one of the most generous persons 1 know,” a nominator stated. A presentation for the honour, which is sponsored by The Citizen will be presented to this year’s recipients in the near future. Wednesday, July 2, 2003 Grand opening The excitement of a Blyth Festival season opening was enhanced by sunny skies and balmy temperatures on Friday night, as theatre goers waited for the premiere performance of The Perilous Pirate’s Daughter by Anne Chislett and David Archibald, and were entertained by the Blyth Festival Singers in the courtyard of Memorial Hall. (Vicky Bremnerphoto) 1997 Brussels Tigers take on 2003 edition for Skylar Lowe The 1997 Huron County fastball champions, the Brussels Tigers will challenge the 2003 edition of the Brussels Tigers in the first annual John W. Lowe Memorial Fastball Challenge. The game will take place Saturday, July 19 at 7:15 p.m. at the Brussels ’Ball Park. All proceeds from the game will go directly to John’s daughter, Skylar’s Trust Fund. “John was always involved in community events, especially the annual Brussels Tigers Fastball Tournament”, said Doug Shaw, HE considers a Thomas report By David Blaney Special to The Citizen Hugh Thomas, the author of the report that led to a significant administrative reorganization in Huron County, appeared at the June 24 meeting of Huron East council to discuss the possibility of a similar report for Huron East. Thomas, a veteran of 40 years in municipal politics has been everything from Chatham’s city manager for 20 years to a special advisor to the Minister of Municipal Affairs during the recent forced amalgamations across Ontario. Mayor Lin Steffler, during her introduction explained the council’s reasons for considering a report. “The transition team put a lot of things in place” she said, “but after two and a half years we would like event volunteer. “Whether it was sitting for hours on end announcing games or helping with the grounds keeping, John was always there to help out where he could. John and his dad Wayne were the first to arrive at the park in the morning and the last to leave at night.” “We hope to have a good turnout of fans from the community. This town loves its fastball and has always supported community events, and I think both teams are looking forward to it”, said Pete Exel, manager of the 1997 Tigers. to know, are we headed in the right direction, do we have the right people in the right jobs and what are our strengths and weaknesses?” Thomas began his presentation by detailing his considerable experience with municipal government and his belief that local government is so important because it is so close the people it represents. He told council, “What you are doing is prudent.” and said, “You may not have the time to gain the knowledge that I can give you in a short time.” Thomas said that if he were retained he would need to interview each councillor and the senior staff to get their assessment of the municipality’s strengths and weaknesses. He also indicated he would like to interview the heads of the various boards associated with The 2003 Tigers include local players such as Steve Oldfield, Jason Kellington, Shawn Thompson, Mike McDonald, Matt McCall, Josh Beuermann, Scott Somers and Scott Bromley. The 1997 Tigers include pitchers Doug Conley and Todd Uhrig as well as players like Moe Pipe, Brian Niell, Exel, Ken Higgins, Shaw, Ron Strome, Tim Fritz, Brett Clarkson, Greg Fritz, Steve Fritz and Mark Pennington. For any further information on this very special event, call Shaw at 887- 6838 or Exel at 887-6772. the town and, at the urging of council, all the junior staff. Thomas emphasized that all the interviews would be strictly private, and that he would not indicate in any way where the information came .from in a final report. Councillor Larry McGrath agreed it was vital that the “interviewee feels it’s between you and them and won’t go any further.” And Steffler suggested employees needed to be “comfortable that it (private comments) won’t greet them on the street.” Thomas said his report would address interviewees’ issues and concerns, the current and proposed structure of the organization and any issues between staff and council and among staff. Deputy-mayor Bernie MacLellan Continued on page 28 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) Dog days come to Blyth with show By Janice Becker Citizen staff The Blyth fairgrounds and Threshers campgrounds will be alive with four-legged friends next week when the 21st annual. Bluewater Kennel Club Dog Show and Obedience Trials come to town. Many of the features will be familiar with dogs being primped for the show ring, owners working to have their commands obeyed and spectators enjoying a great show. However, this season will bring a couple new events. For the first time, Blyth will host the Ontario West Junior Handling Finals. Held following the Best of Show on Wednesday, the finals will showcase the best in young dog handlers from Zone 6, Ontario West. Co-organizer Florence Pullen explained that young people attend shows throughout the year, accumulating points. The highest point earners are then invited to the finals. A specialty show, presented by the Australian Cattle Dog Association of Eastern Canada, will feature the breed on Wednesday as well. They will also hold a booster show Tuesday and Thursday in conjunction with the regular activities. As with last year’s show, the events will be held at the rear of the grounds with the obedience trials inside Threshers Shed 3 and the agility competition just to the west of the shed. “All the competitors liked the location last year (moved due to the construction on the arena) so we decided to keep it there. Everything is close together,” said Pullen. Though there is some concern that the number of American entrants will be down this year due to several national and international factors, Pullen is pleased that the obedience trails are fully booked for all three days. Admission to the show is $2 for adults, $1 for children under 12 and pre-schoolers are free. All proceeds go to the Huronia Branch of the Humane Society. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 8 and 9 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 10. The Anglican Church women will offer a selection of foods from a tent set near the show site.