The Times Advocate, 2004-06-16, Page 15Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Exeter Times–Advocate
15
Block Parents 25th anniversary
'The Outdoor Donnellys'
makes a stop in Lucan
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in South Huron, Block Parents recently held
colouring and poster contests at area schools. Pictured above are the winners
from Exeter Public School. In front from left are poster contest winner Brian
McGregor, primary winners Brittany McCarter (2nd), Rachel Runhart (3rd) and
poster contest winner Mairead O'Rourke; in back from left are contest judge
George Finch of the OPP and junior winners Jourdie Routteau (1st), Sonia
Heyblom (2nd), Caroline Eineke (3rd) and South Huron Block Parents chairper-
son Lois Godbolt.Absent is primary winner Cody Nicholis. Below are the
Precious Blood School winners. In front from left are primary winners Jayden
Vanneste (1st), Lauren Doupe (2nd) and Dayna Neeb (3rd); in back from left are
junior winners KyleVeri (1st), Matt Bilcke (2nd) and NicoleVan Oss (3rd).
Godbolt said Block Parents is always looking for new volunteers and likes to have
two Block Parents on each block in town. She said the more Block Parent signs
there are in a neighbourhood, the more they deter strangers and protect the
neighbourhood. Local Block Parent numbers are down a bit — there are 230 now
in South Huron, including 120 in Exeter. If interested in volunteering for Block
Parents, call Godbolt at 235-0691 or Susan McGregor at 235-2036. (photos/Scott
Nixon)
Above, Gil Garratt (Robert Donnelly) performs a mono-
logue on Alice Street. (photo/Mary Simmons)
By Mary Simmons
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN — Cast mem-
bers from the Blyth
Festival's production of
'The Outdoor Donnellys'
made an appearance in
Lucan June 4.
After making a stop in
Wingham and appearing
on the Bryan Allen talk
show on CKNX radio, the
group travelled to St.
Patrick's cemetery in
Lucan where they sang
'Bury the Hatchet' at the
Donnelly tombstone.
Artistic Director Eric
Coates, who also plays
Will Donnelly in the pro-
duction, said he has been
to the site many times
researching the play, but
was still overwhelmed by
the sight of the grave-
stones memorializing the
characters he has come to
identify with during his
participation in the pro-
duction.
"I'm overwhelmed by
the familiarity," he said,
adding the reason for the
trip was to introduce cast
members to the truth
behind the production.
"Acting is so much more
about the physical than
just learning lines,"
Coates said, adding the
decision to visit the sites
where the real events
took place gives the cast
an opportunity to put
themselves in the position
of their characters and
see the world through
their eyes.
"We're trying to make a
connection with the char-
acters," he said. "These
are real people who lived
and died."
After performing in the
cemetery at the Donnelly
tombstone, cast members
made their way down-
town where Gil Garratt,
who portrays Robert
Donnelly, performed a
monologue on Alice
Street. The scene takes
place after his family
members have been killed
and Robert rents a home
in Lucan. In a passionate
monologue, he taunts the
people of the town, daring
them to finish the job they
started.
After lunching in Lucan,
the group made its way to
the General Store in Birr,
where they performed the
Stage Coach sequence.
The next stop on the
agenda was the Cedar
Swamp Schoolhouse
where Brendan Wall, who
plays James Carroll, sang
a number from the show.
The schoolhouse is the
site where the mob gath-
ered before ending up at
the Donnelly homestead
on that infamous night.
Similarly, the cast mem-
bers traced their path and
travelled to the Donnelly
homestead on Roman
Line where more scenes
from the production were
performed.
'The Outdoors
Donnellys' is playing for
the third time at the Blyth
Festival June 16 -July 3.
For ticket information call
1-877-862-5984 (TO
BLYTH) or visit their Web
s i t e
www.blythfestival.com.
Students of the month
SOUTH • HURON
DISTRICT,
POLICE BRIEFS
Scam results in
huge phone bills
HURON — Huron OPP have received
several calls over the last few weeks
from citizens who report being the vic-
tim of a long distance telephone scam .
It is reported that over the past few
months someone has tapped into com-
puter modems and has been making
long distance phone calls on the phone
lines of the victims.
According to police, the victims were
not aware of the crime until they were
contacted by Bell Canada or had their
long distance option shut off due to the
unusual calling patterns that developed.
Some of the victims had phone bills
over $1,000. They have been advised by
Bell Canada to pay the bills or have
their phones disconnected.
South Huron District High School recently awarded its final two student of the
month honours. Grade 12 student Zak Homuth was recognized for his contribu-
tion to the sciences, while Grade 11 student Kyle MacDonald was honoured for
excelling in the school's co-op program. Pictured from left are Homuth, school
council chairperson Karen Brown and MacDonald.The student of the month
awards are sponsored by the school council. (photo/Scott Nixon)