The Citizen, 2000-05-17, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 16 No. 20
Inside this week
Pg-6
Pg- 8
12
Pg. 16
Pg-18
Families provide
support to
challenged
Walton girl home
from France
CHSS students
make wish come
true
Huron East Wl
meets in Walton
‘Gallery unveils
Community Art
Exhibit
Festival
gets
award
The Blyth Festival was honoured
at Tourism London’s 2000 Spirit of
Excellence .Hospitality Awards at a
gala awards night on Tuesday, May
9.
The theatre, famous for its
commitment to new Canadian
productions, received the Spirit of
the Southwest award. Jim Swan,
president of the board of directors,
proudly accepted the award.
The Spirit of the Southwest award
recognizes both- people and
companies in London and
Southwestern Ontario that have
gone above and beyond the call of
duty in providing service
excellence. Last year’s recipient was
The Grand Theatre in London.
The Blyth Festival was nominated
by Donna Watson, of Gorrie.
Watson praised the theatre, stating,
“We (in Huron County) don’t have
to travel to Toronto for truly
Canadian first-class productions.”
The Blyth Festival opens June 1
with a remount of last season’s
tribute to the threshing era Death of
the Hired. Man, followed by Paul
Ledoux’s adaptation of Anne of
Green Gables, entitled Anne.
For more information about
upcoming productions, call the
Blyth Festival Box Office at 1-877-
862-5984 or visit the website at
ww w.blythfesti val @odyssey.on.ca
Office open
Monday
The Blyth office of The Citizen
will be open as usual on this Victoria
Day Monday. Advertising and
editorial copy however, must be at
the office by noon May 22 for
inclusion in the May 24 edition.
Though the Brussel^ office will be
closed, copy can be dropped through
the door slot for pick-up at 1 p.m. on
Monday.
Have a safe and enjoyable Victoria
Day weekend.
Wednesday, May 17, 2000 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst)
Dancing on the sidewalk
Students of F.E. Madill’s OCA drama class and the Drama
Guild presented Fame, the Musical to sell out audiences in the
gymnasium four evenings last week. The show tracked the
progress of several students through their years at the fictional
High School of Performing Arts and was a showcase for the
musical, dramatic and dancing talents at Madill. From set
design to the pit band the production was a result of countless
hours of work by the youths with teacher Louanna Alexander
directing. (See review on page 19)
Rain causes more harm than good
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
As the wind buffeted the area and
torrents of rain pounded the ground,
farmers were losing seed, soil and
the chemicals sprayed to prepare the
land.
A violent rainstorm swept through
much of Huron County and southern
Bruce late Fnday evening bringing
as much as four inches of rain in two
hours to some locales.
“On hilly land, there was some
severe gully erosion,” said Brain
Hall, crop specialist with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs.
Even flatter fields suffered from
sheet erosion, stripping fertile top
layers or ground cover in no-till
fields as well as washing away
recently planted crops, he added.
“This is the worst time to get this
type of storm. The fields are so open
to damage.”
Hall said farmers will be spending
the next few days walking the fields,
assessing the loss and determining
what can be replanied and how soon
that can occur.
If farmers can replant later this
week, there should be no need to
consider corn with a shorter growing
time or soybeans, said Hall. That
may be necessary, however, if the
fields remain too wet to work until
next week-.
“This rain has already cost us yield
in the corn crop,” he added.
Where crops were not washed
away, Hall said there may be areas
still under water or covered in mud.
According to reports at OMAFRA,
the heaviest rainfall came in a stretch
from Goderich to Kincardine
then south through to the Mitchell
area.
Because of the ferocity with which
it fell. Hall said the ram will be of
little benefit to farmers. There was
not enough time for the precipitation
to soak in. The run-off was too great,
he said.
Though the fields need to dry so
farmers can get back on the land,
Blyth residents mourn passing
of longtime fire chief, L Bowes
The community of Blyth is
mourning the passing this week of a
respected community leader.
Funeral services will be held
Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. from
the Tasker Chapel of the Beattie-
Falconer Funeral Home for Irvin
Bowes, who died early Monday
morning after a lengthy illness.
Mr. Bowes was a member of the
Blyth Fire Department for 40 years,
serving 30 of those as chief. He
retired Sept. I, 1988.
He was the dear husband of Betty
and father of Connie (Mrs. Vernon)
Bromley and Maxine (Mrs. John)
Brush. Mr. Bowes was employed for
decades at Howson and Howson.
To honour the former chief, there
local crop consultant Wayne
Wheeler said hot weather now could
create crusting in the fields, making
it difficult for shoots to break
through.
Local weather observer Boyd
Taylor reported rainfall
accumulation of 57 millimetres
though other local reports indicate
75 millimetres.
"The rainfall was very variable,”
he said. “It could be higher or lower
in a very short distance.”
Prior to the Fnday evening deluge,
Taylor said there was water ponding
will be an insignia guard composed
of Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling,
Captain Frank Wilson and Jim
Howson, who served as deputy chief
under Bowes, and is still a member
of the department. One member will
carry Bowes’ helmet, another his
medals, while Josling presents the
salute at the beginning of the funeral
service.
Pallbearers are firefighters Larry
Bolger, Paul Kerr, Kevin Warwick,
Doug Scrimgeour, David Sparling
and Mike Moore. Firefighters
carrying floral tributes are Herb
Govier, Kevin Falconer, Clarence
Bailie and Murray Black.
Bowes’ last ride will be on the old
firetruck according to his wishes.
in fields in the Walton-Brussels area
as a result of nine millimetres on
Tuesday followed by a total of 22
millimetres on Wednesday.
Boyd doesn’t see much
improvement in the weather through
the remainder of the week as the
radar indicates another system
moving in from the American west.
As for other damage caused by the
intense storm, some areas have had
flooded basements, but nothing
serious has been reported to local
municipal offices.
Irvin Bowes