The
THIS WEEK 4 • Editorials 9 • Barn Dance 25 • Agriculture 31 • Entertainment
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Friday, May 19, 2023
$1.50 GST included
COMMEMORATIVE PULL-OUT SECTION Volume 39 No. 20
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0
Rutabaga Festival to return By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
mining in the area and encouraged others to join her. Gina McDonnell rose to speak as an official delegation at the meeting. McDonnell displayed video footage recorded from a
camera-equipped drone that flew over ACW’s existing gravel mines, an area dubbed by McDonnell as “aggregate alley”, to illustrate the size and scope of ACW’s existing Continued on page 2
The Rutabaga Festival is back after a successful return in 2022 for a scaled back event set for Saturday, June 3 in Blyth. The festival will consist of a touch-the-truck event at the Blyth Campground, with 10 pieces of machinery already confirmed (pending farm availability), and a ball tournament organized by Huron County Slo-Pitch. For the tournament, 12 teams are already confirmed, so a third diamond has had to be rented to accommodate the sheer volume of games that will be played that day. Theresa Kolkman of Blyth Community Betterment said the group is happy with the response so far for the smaller event. The plan is to have bigger rutabaga festivals every five years to coincide with homecoming years in Blyth, with smaller events to take place on the off-years. The Blyth Lions Club will also be hosting its annual Seed Sowers steak dinner that night, as well as a beer garden at the Blyth Lions Park that will fit in nicely with the festival. Kolkman’s son Ben is organizing the touch-a-truck event and she says he’s been happy with the response he’s received. She says the group is small, but mighty with just under 10 members of the group taking on projects like the Rutabaga Festival, the Santa Claus parade and the New Year’s Eve fireworks, which is why a fullscale Rutabaga Festival on an annual basis is just a bit unrealistic. The members, however, are doing their best to keep momentum going and raising funds for their events, which they’re planning to do on July 29 with a fish fry with the help of the resident fish friers at the Brussels Legion. For more information on this year’s Rutabaga Festival offering, follow the event on Facebook.
By Shawn Loughlin
Perth, $4,000; Eat Local Huron, $2,000; the Tanner Steffler Foundation, $4,000; the Clinton Horticultural Society, $500; the Friends of Hullett, $2,200; the Clinton Legion Branch 140, $2,024; Ball’s Cemetery, $2,024; Huron and Area Search and Rescue, $5,000; the Huron Residential Hospice, $3,752; the Huron Respite Network, $500; Clinton Minor Baseball, $2,500 and the Huron County
Plowmen’s Association, $500. The Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health had been slated to receive a grant of $2,000 from the municipality until a number of councillors spoke against a grant for the organization, which they designated as being very Goderich-centric. Deputy-Mayor Marg Anderson was the first to make the case, saying that Clinton Public Hospital Continued on page 8
Taking the plunge The Seaforth Optimists Club hosted a rubber duck race at the Seaforth Lions Park and Pool on Saturday, raising $1,400 in support of local youths. Impressive cash prizes were given to the lucky ducks whose plastic waterfowl crossed the finish line first, with the $500 first prize going to Tyler Smale, the $250 second prize
going to Mia Janmaat and the $100 third prize going to Logan Devereaux. There was also a $50 ‘Mystery Duck’ prize that went to Anne Sharp. After the race, a few of the rubber ducks escaped the finish line and encountered a few real ducks from a nearby farm, much to the delight of onlookers. (Scott Stephenson photo)
Opposition to new pit persists in ACW By Scott Stephenson The Citizen There was a lively session of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) Township Council on Tuesday, May 16, as members of the public shared their concerns about possible expansions to aggregate mining operations in ACW. Opponents of the proposed gravel pits coalesced in council chambers to speak about the risks they perceive to be associated with the expansion of industrial mining in the area, especially near the Maitland River. ACW Mayor Glen McNeil invited citizens to speak during the meeting’s open forum. Benmiller’s Wendy Hoernig shared her concerns about the possibility that excessive gravel mining in the area
could result in water contamination. Hoernig also expressed worry about possible negative consequences for the local tourism industry, saying, “it would be complete idiocy to unnecessarily destroy a well-known, much-loved feature that attracts tourism and tourist dollars.” Hoernig concluded her remarks by urging council to slow down on authorizing new mining operations, advocating for a comprehensive environmental assessment of the area and reminded everyone that water is essential to all life on Earth. Area newcomer Laurie Scott used a map of existing local mining operations as a visual aid to help illustrate her belief that more gravel pits in Ontario are not necessary. Scott said she intends to protest against the expansion of aggregate
CH Council approves grants The Citizen
At its May 8 meeting, Central Huron Council approved grants in the amount of $35,500 through its annual donation fund. Approved donations will be given to: Central Huron Secondary School, $200; St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School, $300; the Blyth Festival Young Company, $3,500; the Alzheimer Society of Huron-