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Come out and enjoy
the Brussels Santa Claus Parade
Saturday, November 25
The Brussels Santa Claus Parade will
start at 5:00 pm with floats lining up at
the arena between 4:30 pm and 5:00
pm. We hope that you will come out
and enjoy the evening!
Don't forget to bring your letter to Santa
and get your picture taken with him at the arena
after the parade.
The Brussels Morris and Grey
Recreation Committee is hosting
their annual Free Skating Party.
You can skate for free from
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Hot dog and
pop will be available for $2.00
Stioli wautd like la take tAia appaetaaitv
to utak we sane a
Aievty ektiatonaa and Jtap,pv N,eut gear
Proceeds ti )mmunity Betterment
PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2006.
Student sings his Night Song
Night Song
Aaron Richmond of Wingham
poses with Night Song, his first
published collection of poems.
Covering such pressing
subjects as family, death,
forgiveness, redemption and
achieving where others
thought you'd fail, Night Song
makes you think. In a little over
two weeks, Richmond has
sold half of the copies he has.
(Shawn Loughlin photo)
Time is growing short for area
photographers to prepare and submit
their photo for the second annual
show, Business as Usual; Huron
County at Work.
Photos should be dropped off at
the Goderich Co-op Gallery by the
end of November in order to be
considered.
The show, which ;s sponsored by
the Huron District Labour Council,
will for the first time, partner with
the Sallows Gallery.
Photo entries of today's
photographers may be in black or
white or in colour and taken with a
digital or film camera.
Any size is possible but a
minimum size for submissiones
would be 8x10.
All photos must be framed and
ready to hang. The work may be for
sale and should be submitted by
Nov. 30.
The show Business as Usual will
open at the Co-op Gallery on
Saturday, Jan. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. and
show there throughout January.
Photographers, friends and families
are invited to the opening.
All will have a chance to vote for
the Viewers' Choice Award.
The show will move to the
Wingham Library for February and
the Seaforth Medical Clinic for
March.
The curators for Business as
Usual; Huron County at Work are,
Jerry and Carol McDonnell.
By Shawn Loughlin
Citizen staff
"Your future is a book written for
you. You're dealt a hand and you
just play it," Aaron Richmond says.
This is a philosophy from a young
man who has been dealt some hand,
and he has overcome trials and
tribulations to get everything out of•
that hand that he can.
The F.E. Madill student is
distributing his first book, a
collection of poetry called Night
Song, for $12 a copy locally and said
that after two weeks, he had sold
half of them, a -result that Richmond
is happy with.
The book is divided into six
sections, all with a deep meaning to
Richmond, and each starting with an
applicable Bible passage. This is
something that Richmond says is his
duty as a Christian who writes a
book, to look to the Bible for a
foundation upon which to build his
writing.
Richmond cites the passage
Ecclesiastes 10:10 as the summary
of his life. It reads, "If the axe is dull
and its edge unsharpened, more
strength is needed, but skill will
bring success."
Hard work, dedication to family
and friends and a strong will to
succeed is what Richmond lists as
catalysts for this ,project and for his
life in general. You wouldn't call
Richmond's early life a clean start
by any means, but he has worked
hard to overcome what obstacles
there have been.
A premature birth that led to visual
and hearing impairment and losing
his father Gary to cancer at the age
of 11 are some of the major events
that have shaped the human being
that Richmond is today. However,
these are things that he does not like
to think about as roadblocks; he cites
For further information on the
show or submissions, be sure to
contact the curators at 519-523-
9715.
that everybody has problems, somc
are just different than others.
Richmond's poetry covers such
topics as family, faith, judgement,
forgiveness, redemption, politics
and ultimately death.
Often when asked questions about
his life, Richmond will answer by
tracking down a verse of his own
prose to answer the question and to
briefly open a door into his soul
through his writing.
Richmond says that one of the
driving forces behind the project
was to show people that he .wasn't
limited by his physical conditions.
"It's about becoming more than
what the hardships in your life limit
you to," Richmond said. "Wanting
to prove to this cold, harsh, uncaring
world that people with disabilities
can accomplish their goals too."
Richmond lives on his own now in
Wingham, with his mother,
stepfather and sister living in
Brussels.
Richmond says this is an
important step to fulfilling his
purpose in life. A buffer zone
between living with family and
living on his own when he leaves for
higher education (he wishes to
attend Redeemer University to
obtain a Bachelor of Social Work).
A strong desire to give back and to
help is deeply rooted in his hopes to
become a social worker. He says he
would love to write for a living, but
that it is hard to get that sort of a ball
rolling, so for now, - casually
dabbling in writing is how it will
have to stay.
Richmond also says that he has
already started work on a second
manuscript to be entitled On Peace
and Serenity, one that will be much
different from Night Song.
In section three of Night Song, a
section called When Death Calls
You By Name, there is a poem called
Alone In The Lonely Corner, which
is quoted on the dedications page.
"Remember not the troubles of
this day but forever remember the
goals and dreams that you have
achieved," Richmond calls it words
to live by.
He also states that this is like a
thesis statement for Night Song,
saying that it sums up the book in so
many words. This passage is, in
addition, a dedication to his late
father.
Also in the third section is a piece
called Your Father's Final Days,
written by Richmond's mother for
her two children so that they might
remember exactly that since they
were too young at the time.
Richmond adapted the piece himself
and included it in his book.
With such emphasis on the
importance of values and family and
friends, Richmond knows that he
couldn't have done this on his own.
With the help of his friends, he was
spurred on to•do this.
One in particular was Laurie, who
insisted on no credit for the project,
but Richmond's face lights up when
he speaks of her and her influence
on him and what she has meant to
this project and his life.
When asked about Laurie,
Richmond responds with another
question, "Have you ever met
anyone and . it feels like you've
known them your whole life and to
know this person is to know
yourself?"
This was something easy to relate
to, as is the majority of the content in
the book.
Disabled, visually impaired,
problems or no, Night Song is about
life and-those who live it.
This collection of writing is about
observation and feeling. It is a
success story from someone who has
lived through a lot more life since
1986 than some people will ever
have to.
Deadline approaches for
local photographers
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CHRISTMAS
DINNER Sr, DANCE
Saturday, December 9th
For friends, groups, companies - Everyone Welcome
SOCIAL HOUR 6:30 - 7:30
DINNER 7:30
COST $19.00 a person
Tickets to be ordered by November 27th
DANCE 9:00 - 1:00 P•ver Junction Band
FOR TICKETS CALL BRENDi McDONALD 519-523-9404
BEV BLAIR 519-523-4964
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