Ali Van Gorp of host East Elgin Secondary School collided with a Woodstock Collegiate Institute defender during a Senior girls basketball game on Tuesday, Oct. 10. EESS handily defeated WCI 41-14.

Thankfully, most Thanksgiving celebrations – at least the cooking and dining parts – weren’t affected by a power outage in the Aylmer area that started at about 10 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9 and lasted at least two hours.

Aylmer Hydro One Lines Manager Paul Falk said equipment failed at the New Sarum regulation station located on Talbot Line (Highway 3) just west of Orwell.

An Aylmer Express reporter witnessed a large bright white flare coming from the regulation station and sparks shooting up into the air about 50 feet (over 15 metres).

About 1,700 in Hydro One territory outside of Aylmer experienced the power failure.

The equipment was repaired within a couple of hours and most if not all affected customers had their power back by about 1 a.m.

Erie Thames Powerlines Director of Operations and Risk Scott Brooks said about 1,500 Aylmer customers were without electricity from about 10 p.m. to 12:37 a.m., mostly in the southwest area of town.

On Tuesday morning, Oct. 10, the Grade 5/6 pupils of teacher Julie Tracey’s class at Assumption Catholic Elementary School volunteered to help weigh all of the non-perishable food collected during Farm Credit Canada’s Drive Away Hunger drive at the Aylmer school leading up to the Thanksgiving long holiday weekend. Logging the weigh-in results a couple of bags at a time was FCC  London staff member Carol Legge, right, while colleague Les Todd, back (with sunglasses on her head), looked on. The initial weigh-in of all of the bags came in at 418.1 pounds (189.6 kilograms) but a last second bag brought into the school added another 6.6 lbs (3 kg) for a total of 424.7 lbs (192.6 kg). After a bed of a pickup truck was loaded, FCC officials dropped off the food at Aylmer Corner Cupboard Food Bank. The food was collected by all of the classes at Assumption starting on Sept. 28. Ms. Todd said the Assumption pupils and their families collected enough food during the drive to provide over 1,000 meals for people in need in the Aylmer and East Elgin area. “They did a great job,” FCC account manager Larry Morrison said. It was the first time FCC partnered with Assumption for its annual Drive Away Hunger campaign.

Cody Bergen of host East Elgin Secondary School volleyed the ball during a Junior boys game against Arthur Voaden Secondary School on Thursday, Oct. 5. EESS won the match three games to two.

Quarterback Aiden Haldenby of East Elgin Secondary School broke free of this London Lucas tackle as he rushed the ball during a Junior boys football game under the lights at EESS, Friday night, Oct. 6. The Junior squad recorded EESS’s first-ever win again a London Lucas football team with a 28-14 victory.

Kyle Rousseau, left, kept a London Lucas tackler from downing East Elgin Secondary School teammate Rob Redecop during a Senior boys football game under the lights at EESS, Friday night, Oct. 6. Despite cheering from a hometown crowd, East Elgin ended up on the wrong end of a 42-9 score. (AE/Rob Perry)

Leah Moore of East Elgin Secondary School sent the ball hurling toward the West Elgin Secondary School end during a girls field hockey game in London on Wednesday, Oct. 4. EESS won that game 2-0, but in a later match the same day lost to Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute 0-2.

Over 320 men attended the 36th annual Ducks Unlimited Aylmer Men’s Committee Dinner and Auction at the German Canadian Club’s Saxonia Hall on Wednesday evening, Oct. 4. Those attending could bid on 40 silent auction items, 24 live auction items including two hand-carved duck decoys and the raffle consisted of 117 assorted hunting and outdoors-related goods and services.

Pupils Curtis Fehr, right, Braylon Jacques and Sophie Kerr carried the “walking school bus” banner for everyone arriving on foot at McGregor Public School on Wednesday morning, Oct. 4 for International Walk to School Day. Seen behind the banner carriers were Jayden Fehr flanked by parent leaders Nicolin Fischer and Jordan Kerr. Several routes were planned for that morning for the children to walk to school with volunteer parent leaders. Pupils who arrived to McGregor PS on buses were encouraged to join the active walking buses. Once done their walking, the pupils could have a snack and drink, were given a recognition sticker to wear on their chests and some prizes were handed out. All children are encouraged to walk or wheel to school each day in October as part of International Walk to School Month.

South Dorchester Public School pupils Ava Campbell, left, Payton Biser, Tyler Van Gorp and Cameron Richardson participated in the annual Terry Fox Run at their school on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 28. Over $350 was raised after families were asked to donate $2 per child or what they could afford to help fund cancer research.