News Headlines
New mural unveiled
East Elgin Secondary School art students Capri Thiessen, left, Sky Mitton, Emma Monster, Joey Yaw, Gracie Huisman and Kristen Peters recently unveiled the mural they painted, with the help of others, to cover a utility box in Balmoral Park in Aylmer. Absent were Avery Heynen, Angela Kloosterman, Miranda Hew, Adriel Kuepfer, Keana Zacharias and Kris…
Read MoreTapping the keg…isn’t supposed to go this way
Beer gushed out of a ceremonial keg as Malahide Stellvertretender Bürgermeister (Deputy Mayor) Mark Widner, armed with a hammer, left, and Aylmer Bürgermeister (Mayor) Jack Couckuyt, holding a spigot, tried to tap it on Saturday night, Oct. 5 at Saxonia Hall Oktoberfest celebrations. Featured performer was Walter Ostanek and his band, and German food and…
Read MoreFree public skate for diversity
Jaydon Ball, 17, a Grade 12 student at East Elgin Secondary School, is hosting a free public skate at East Elgin Community Complex on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and he wants everyone to come. Someone without skates doesn’t have to worry—skate rentals will also be free that night. The event…
Read MoreAylmer gets a slice of provincial infrastructure pie
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt was all smiles on Sept. 18 as ministers of the Ontario government visited the region and announced $57.2 million in infrastructure funding that will expedite construction of some 40,000 new houses in Elgin and Middlesex counties. The mayor’s welcome news of a $4.5 million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund grant that the…
Read MorePreserving 62 acres of Carolinian forest
Emotions were running high on Thursday Sept. 12 at the Grand Opening of the Deer Ridge Conservation Area and Hiking Trail, on Glengariff Drive, in Talbotville. The event acknowledged a donation of 61.58 acres of forest in perpetuity to Kettle Creek Conservation Authority (KCCA) by Ted and Duggie Gill, local horse farm owners in the…
Read MoreCerna says: get shingles shot!
Malahide Councillor Rick Cerna is urging everyone to get vaccinated against shingles, after suffering a bout of the painful disease. At a township council meeting Thursday, Sept. 5, he said, “I don’t know what the Good Lord has against me, but I’ve been through a lot since 2017.” That included a heart operation, a stroke…
Read MoreTurkey vultures nesting in Aylmer trees
David Chalk of Aylmer took this picture of turkey vultures, who nest on St. Andrew Street, drying themselves out after early-morning thunderstorms on Saturday, Aug. 31. He noted that he had about 44 millimetres (or 1.75 inches) of precipitation in a rain gauge at his home as a result of the storms, and added, “Turkey…
Read MorePerfect weather for Watermelon Fest
Mike, left, and Jenn Collins cut free slices for everyone coming into the annual Straffordville Watermelon Fest on Saturday, Aug. 24. They went through about 180 melons as crowds thronged the event. Rose Gardner, one of the organizers, said the festival was another overwhelming success. For more pictures, see the Aug. 24 edition of The…
Read MoreOwner of lost bull found
Elgin OPP reported on Monday, Aug. 26, that the owner of a lost bull in Central Elgin had been found. Police investigated a report of a bull running at large on Belmont Road near Ferguson Line on Saturday, Aug. 17, at about 7 p.m. Assisted by members of the public, officers corralled the bull and…
Read MoreBig crowd at Aylmer Fair
The 176th Aylmer Fair last weekend, enjoying mild weather and no rain, recorded an attendance of more than 11,000 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That’s up – way up – from 7,000 last year. “Amazing,” Fair President Randy Laur said on Monday, “It was better than I ever expected. “I haven’t seen crowds here that…
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