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• Editorials • Bravery • School Fair • Music
The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Friday, September 16, 2022
$1.50 GST included
Volume 38 No. 37
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Stingers tops in fastball league By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
A sweet return The Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association returned with its reunion, the first in-person reunion hosted by the organization since 2019. Attendance was good as people were eager to return to familiar events and see friends they have missed over the course of the
COVID-19 pandemic. One of the association’s new attractions was its antique cider press. Housed in the group’s Memorial Building, the massive structure nearly touches the roof and proved to be very popular over the course of the weekend. (Denny Scott photo)
Huron County Fastball League regular season action officially wrapped up over the weekend and it’s the Belmore Stingers that sit atop the standings with a record of 16-4 and 32 points. This, despite the Stingers losing their final game of the season on Sept. 6 when they beat the Fullarton A’s by a score of 13-0 in the first game of a double-header, but then fell by a score of 8-4 in the second game to end their regular season. The Wingham Hitmen ended the season in a distant second place, with a record of 14-5-1 and 29 points, winning their last two games of the season. The Brussels Tigers rounded out the top three with a record of 13-7 and 26 points. The Walton Brewers finished the season in fourth place, with a record of 11-9, followed by the Milverton AW Millwrights in fifth place with a .500 record of 10-10. The Sebringville Sting finished the regular season with a record Continued on page 3
Thresher Reunion returns to much fanfare By Denny Scott The Citizen With the exception of a quick downpour on Saturday, even the weather helped the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association return to its annual reunion after two years of modified events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Association President Judy Sloan said the event went really well. “It was wonderful to be able to be out and have people come out to the event,” she said. “Everyone who was here wanted to visit with people they hadn’t seen in a couple years and reconnect with old friends,” she said. While there were fluctuations in attendance in some programs from 2019, the last year the association could hold a full-fledged reunion, Sloan said that gate attendance was on par with that year. Camping was down to 417 sites being used and participation in some events, like the fiddle and step dance competitions, had dropped a little as well, however Sloan
wasn’t concerned about the change. “We expected some absences with people’s situations changing over the last three years,” she said. “We also had some people pass away.” Other programs went over very well, she said, including a reworked passport program for children which she said was wellreceived, and a new educational program for local schools, Sloan said. The music programs were also well-attended, Sloan said, especially the Saturday night concert with the Lucky Charms. “It was out of this world,” she said. “The attendance was huge.” She said that, on top of the 180 chairs that had been set out for the concert at the Harvest Stage, there were people sitting in their own chairs on the grass and people enjoying the music from their trailers as well. “It was wonderful and very well received,” she said. While the concert had been an addition intended to attract some
younger audience members, she said it was an all-ages event with people from every age group enjoying the music. Other aspects of the music program were also changed this year, with some performances being moved from the main stage to other parts of the grounds, Sloan said, and the effectiveness of the move is being reviewed by the association’s executive. The dances held in the upper hall of the Blyth and District Community Centre, for example, saw a dip in attendance, she said, but that could have been due to the beautiful weather that had people attending impromptu jam sessions throughout the camping sites. The association was also pleased to finally unveil, after years of work, the antique cider press in the Memorial Shed, Sloan said. After some initial issues with a green crop of apples, the press was running great later on Friday and throughout demonstrations on the weekend. “It was very well received,”
Sloan said. “It was tough to find a spot.” She said there was also a video being produced of the press in operation for those who couldn’t get in to see it. Beyond that, she said that most of the traditional attractions went forward, including the vendor sales in the arena. One missing attraction was the bean pot, she said, however the association has already found people to run it for next year. Following up on the food discussion, she said that the food trucks that had been lined up for the grounds didn’t operate as the association thought they would, with some not being able to attend all weekend, so they will look at possibly changing that next year. “There was a big learning curve there,” she said. While the number of campers was down, organizer Herman Mooy said the event was still a tremendous success. “We got a lot of positive comments,” he said. “Some people said they had never been to a fair
that was so well organized.” TRACTORS AND ENGINES As with every year the reunion has been held, there were a number of equipment owners recognized for the efforts put into keeping the antique machinery running. With 175 tractors, 12 plows and seven steam engines on site, the judges had a difficult job. Awards were as follows: • The Billy Joe Hallahan Memorial Award (Best Restored Tractor 1951 and up): Wyan Eggles of Goderich for his 1951 Cockshutt. • The Jack Arthur Trophy (Best Restored Tractor 1910-1930): Charly Roadhouse of St. Marys for a 1912 Rumley. • The Best Restored Feature Tractor (John Deere): William Pentland for his 1934 John Deere GP. • The John Ellacott Trophy (Best Restored Tractor 1931-1950) Doug Ross of Wingham for his 1943 Farmall M. • Steam Engine: Mary and Kevin Forstner with their 1914 17 Continued on page 29