INFANTRYMAN SPEAKS TO SPRUCEDALE STUDENTS
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REMEMBRANCE DAY
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Serving Tavistock and area since 1895 VOLUME 123 • NUMBER 7
MAIN STREET A QUICK LOOK AT OUR TOWN!
THIS ‘N’ THAT Did you hear the church bells ring on Sunday evening to mark 100 years since the end of WWI … don’t forget the Tavistock Men's Club Sauerkraut Supper tonight Wed., November 14th … thanks to the Optimist Club of Tavistock for the events during Youth Appreciation Week see ad page 5 … the rotating Canada Post strike continues to cause delays - if your Gazette has not arrived in your mail, subscribers are welcome to pick one up at our office … the Tavistock Chamber of Commerce begins their “Christmas Shop in Tavistock“ campaign this week - enter to win at participating businesses.
BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES Isaac Gunn is 3 years old today November 14th; Logan Munro, 15; a 4th wedding anniversary for Jeremy and Jillian Roth … on November 15th Jackson Anderson is 7 … Sofia Salese is 11 November 16th; Megan Furlong, 17; a 22nd wedding anniversary for Frank and Rachel Stewart … on November 17th Bryson Witzel is 3; Steffan Bontaine, 9; Landen Zehr, 13; birthdays also for Annie Rowland; and Jesse Yantzi … Chloe Hazeleger is 2 years old November 18th; an anniversary for Ron and Joan Ferguson … on November 19th Nicholas Alexander is 16 … Kynslee Richardson is 5 November 20th; Isaac Currah, 13; a wedding anniversary for Bart and Gerry Danen.
TAVISTOCK, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018
1.19¢+.06 HST = $1.25
VAN BOEKEL FIELD OF DREAMS
Here’s to Hometowns Ten years after building their own Field of Dreams, the Van Boekel family is dreaming of giving back to their community. Through the Pioneer Hi-Bred Canada “Here’s to Hometowns” giveaway, the Van Boekel’s hope to secure a spot in the final four Hometown videos contest. If they win, $50,000 in prize money will be evenly distributed with four local charities and also used for improvements to their ball field. The Van Boekel’s Mike and his wife Jen, sons, Jacob and Greg, and daughter Hannah - heard about the contest through their Pioneer Seed dealers, John and Jane Zilke. The contest requires entrants to submit a two and a half minute video telling Pioneer what they would do with the prize money. “This is where you get a chance to give back to the place you call home,” the Pioneer promotion video states. “Here's to farmers. The ones who’ve grown deep roots in their community and whose passion does not stop at their fields, but expands to every acre of the town they call home. Here’s to hometowns that never stop growing.” The Van Boekel’s hope their entry will win and they can give $10,000 to each organization in support of every age group in their community of Hickson and surrounding area. Their first donation would be to the Hickson Central Public School Home and School Association. Rapid growth at the school has made fundraising difficult to supply technology upgrades for the students. The Hickson volunteer
CAROLINE CARBERRY / CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Van Boekel family entered a video to the Pioneer “Here’s to Hometowns” giveaway and hope to reach the final four this week to be eligible to win the grand prize of $50,000 to be split among four charities in the Hickson community. From the left are Jacob, Jen, Hannah, Greg and Mike with their dog, Bailey. You can view the video at https://go.pioneer.com/heres-to-hometowns#nomination fire department would use a portion to help purchase an Emergency Response ATV that could be used on the new Hickson Trail. The Hickson and District Lions Club would use their monies to build a fullyaccessible community meeting room to their pavilion. A portion would also be given to the local Mental Health Association
to fund suicide prevention programs for rural teenagers. The final amount would be used by the Van Boekel family to install a proper infield on their Field of Dreams, to make it safer to play on. The field is located on their family farm next to Hebron United Church on the corner of the 16th Line
and County Road 97. The field was constructed in 2008 after an acre of cornfield was repurposed for the Van Boekel’s two sons to play on. Mike was an avid first baseman with Innerkip and Hickson Seniors Men’s fastball teams and later coached his boys, Jacob and Greg, as they moved up through the
ranks. Jacob, 19, a catcher, plays baseball in Kingston where he is attending Queen’s University. Greg, 17, is in Grade 12 at Huron Park Secondary School in Woodstock. He is a pitcher with the Ontario Nationals in St. Marys. Both boys played on the Canadian U16 Fastpitch Championship Chepstow Lightning team in 2015. The field has become a hub of action throughout the summer as local teams use it for exhibition games and practice sessions. And if the field is empty, balls, bats and gloves are supplied if you want to start your own pickup game. Over the years the Van Boekel’s were amazed to see the community pitch in to help them create a professionallooking facility. The backstop was donated by a neighbour and the outfield fence, set at 200 ft. from home plate, was sold to them at cost with free labour to install it. Bleachers were acquired when a local park was being updated. Then one day plastic bases arrived on their porch with a note, “For the kids!” The final piece was when neighbours got together and presented the Van Boekel’s with a pesonalized sign to hang on the backstop. Use of the ball field stayed local with Mike’s boys’ teams using it as an extra practice field every Friday night. The parents would come and when it got dark, they would all sit around the campfire. “The boys would have fun playing for 2-1/2 hours and not realize how good they were getting,” Mike said. (continued on page 6)
TAVISTOCK MEN’S CLUB 60TH ANNUAL ROAST PORK AND
SAUERKRAUT SUPPER
This
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 – 4-7 p.m. Tavistock Memorial Hall, 3 Adam St., Tavistock Admission: Adults $17 • Children 12 & under $9 • Children 5 & under Free @ Memorial Hall & Quehl’s
PLEASE NOTE: PICK-UPS: at Tavistock Men’s Club Hall, 78 Woodstock Street North - 4:00p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Front Door DELIVERY: Deliveries available from 4:30-6:30 p.m. - Call 519-655-3573 to order between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m.
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