BLUEWATER - Huron OPP officers are investigating a break, enter and theft to an unoccupied residence located on York Crescent in Hensall.

On March 14, 2013 at approximately 9 p.m., officers responded to the premise after receiving Bell telephone information of unknown trouble with the phone line.  Upon arrival, officers located a smashed out basement window.  Further investigation revealed the main water line from the water heater had also been damaged causing extensive flooding throughout the basement.  Officers then detected a carbon monoxide leak within the residence.

Hensall Fire Department personnel attended the scene to safely shut off the leak and ventilate the residence. Two OPP members were treated and released from South Huron Hospital as a precaution for carbon monoxide exposure.

Approximately $2,500 in property was stolen and the flooding caused an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 in damage to the residence.  Among the stolen items include:  15 bottles of alcohol, 2 cartons of Player’s Light cigarettes, 8 gift baskets containing alcohol and a men’s gold necklace.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

BBQ STOLEN FROM BACKYARD

SOUTH HURON - Huron OPP officers are investigating the theft of a stainless steel barbecue and attached cover stolen from the backyard of a Sanders Street West residence.  This theft took place sometime between March 11 and March 15, 2013.

The value of the BBQ is estimated at $500.  The owner was unable to provide further details on the BBQ.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

GENERATORS STOLEN FROM GARAGE

GODERICH - Huron OPP officers are investigating a break, enter and theft that occurred at a detached garage located at St. David Street.  Suspects gained entry by prying open the man door.  Once inside, they stole an older model red 1,000-watt Honda gas powered generator and heavier duty red 6,500-watt Honda gas generator.  The generators are valued at $550.

This crime took place sometime between March 3, 2013 and March 15, 2013.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

CHEVY PICKUP STOLEN

BLUEWATER - Huron County OPP officers were dispatched to a farm property located on Bannockburn Line after the property owner discovered a burnt out vehicle.  Just after 2:30 p.m. on March 17, 2013 officers arrived and located the burnt out pickup truck approximately 150 feet off the roadway.

Officers confirmed the Chevrolet S10 pickup had been stolen earlier in the week from a residence located on Winnipeg Road in Vanastra.  The fire caused extensive damage to the vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

PUDDLE JUMPER GOES FOR A SWIM

HURON EAST - A man, 46, went for an unexpected swim in the chilly Maitland River this past Saturday.

Shortly after 5 p.m. on March 16, 2013 Huron County OPP officers and Huron County paramedics were dispatched to attend the banks of the Maitland River located in Brussels at McCutcheon Drive.  Police learned a snowmobiler attempted to catch up with his fellow snowmobile friends by taking a dangerous shortcut across the Maitland River.  The driver attempted to “puddle jump” a section of open water about 50 metres wide.  His 2011 Yamaha RX1 snowmobile made it half way across the water when it began to take on water and sank.  The driver managed to swim back to shore; he was not injured.  The snow machine was to be recovered today.

The Elora man was charged with careless driving.

Burkhard Metzger, who is the new director representing the Municipality of Central Huron, Dave Frayne, who is the returning chairman representing the Municipality of South Huron and Perth South; and Mike Tam, new vice-chair representing the Municipality of West Perth took part in the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority’s annual general meeting recent.

The board of directors of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) re-elected Dave Frayne as chair at the Feb. 21 annual meeting and the board elected Mike Tam as vice-chair. Frayne, a councillor with the Municipality of South Huron, represents South Huron and Perth South on the board of the local conservation organization. Tam is a councillor with the Municipality of West Perth and represents that municipality on the board.

The conservation authority also welcomed Burkhard Metzger to the board as the new representative for the Municipality of Central Huron.

Ausable Bayfield Conservation works closely with landowners and residents in the watershed to protect soil, water, and living things by creating awareness and taking positive action together. The local agency is unveiling the new Watershed Report Card, which is released every five years, at the annual Conservation Awards evening on Thursday, March 21. For more information, phone the office at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or visit abca.on.ca for information.

The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is an independent, corporate body established under Ontario’s Conservation Authorities Act. Local municipalities identified the need for such an organization in 1946 to deal with serious problems of flooding, soil erosion, water supply, and water quality. Twelve member municipalities appoint the members of the local board of directors that governs ABCA.

This local conservation agency is the first of 36 conservation authorities formed across Ontario. Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s area encompasses the drainage basins of the Ausable River, Bayfield River, Parkhill Creek, and the gullies that drain directly to Lake Huron, from an area north of Bayfield to an area south of Grand Bend. The 2,440-square-kilometre area of jurisdiction is largely rural with a population of about 45,000. A group of 34 community members met over a 12-month period to create a Conservation Strategy to guide the organization and blaze the trail for a mission and vision for the work in the watershed. Its mission is to protect, improve, conserve, and restore the watershed in partnership with the community and its vision is for healthy watersheds where our needs and the needs of the natural environment are in balance.

Members of the organizing committee, Larry Wein of the Exeter Lions Club and community volunteer Janet Clarke, presented Louise Rether-Kopp with her prize at Morrison Dam Conservation Area east of Exeter on Thursday, Feb. 28.

The Conservation Dinner committee has announced that Louise Rether-Kopp is the winner of the early bird prize, which was drawn on Feb. 25.

The Exeter long-time patron of the Conservation Dinner wins a limited-edition print by popular artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats. The work of art is called Midday Pause and the framed print is number 168 of 475.

The Conservation Dinner is organized each year by the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community members on the dinner committee. The support of businesses, donors, patrons, volunteers, and artists has helped the annual event raise more than $650,000 for local projects in the event’s history which spans almost two and a half decades. The Conservation Dinner supports accessible trails for environmental health and human health, conservation education and recreation opportunities for young people and the young-at-heart, and commemorative woods that improve forest conditions and remember loved ones, among other important local conservation work that could not happen without this kind of public generosity.

The 24th Annual Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 18 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter.

To purchase a ticket, or to donate, phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or visit online. Tickets are $60 each, with a charitable gift receipt for income tax purposes for $30. The volunteer committee welcomes donations of financial support, art, sports and entertainment memorabilia, crafts and furniture, travel packages, jewelry, and other items.

This year’s event should be very special indeed with Canadian theatre icon Peter Smith, interim artistic director of the Blyth Festival, as the special guest for 2013 and with Goderich artist Madeleine Roske, an acclaimed painter who has five works in the permanent collection of the Huron County Art Bank, creating this year’s feature piece. The gala event also features the dinner, a lively live auction, silent auction, special raffles, general raffles, a ticket for a wine tasting, great fellowship, and much more. Items available for bidding that evening include fine original art, carvings, sports and entertainment memorabilia, jewelry, travel packages, one-of-a-kind items, and much more.

The Crown of Thorns is from the 1940s and symbolizes the cross with the crown of thorns from the crucifixion. Jane Egan purchased it at the Christie Antique Show, initially attracted by the colours. “Yellow orange and red don’t usually don’t work together but in this quilt they do because of its graphic appeal and unusual pattern,” she said.

EXETER – Antique dealer Jane Egan has kept an eye out for careful stitching, bold patterns and unique colour combinations to compile a collection of antique quilts over the past four decades.

The owner of Galt House Antiques in Goderich has amassed more than 100 quilts, with half of them coming from Huron County. Over the years, they’ve been harder to find. While she used to buy two good quilts a week at local auctions, she says she is lucky to find one or two quality quilts a year now.

Fifteen of those quilts will be displayed at the second annual Heritage Quilt Exhibit, April 11 to 13, at Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church in Exeter. Admission $6.

Besides the collection, the Heritage Quilt Exhibit will also showcase heirloom needlework with hooked rugs and christening dresses. The heirloom needlework is an added feature this year, with samplers from the 1800s, petit point, tatting, and crochet. Avid collector Margot Kearney, of London, will display some of her favourites.

A tea room, merchant mall and quilt appraisals will be available throughout the three days.

Questions and call to entry forms can be obtained from Michele Haberer at (519) 236-4905 or Bonnie Sitter (519) 235-1909.

SOUTH HURON - Huron OPP officers are investigating after thieves stole more than $20,000 in smart phones during an early morning break in at McNain Communications in Exeter on the weekend.

On Feb. 9 at 6:02 a.m. police were dispatched to the business when a motion alarm was tripped.  Officers arrived to find the front door forced open, but the thieves gone.

The stolen phones were new in the box.

Some of the stolen phones include:

• Nine iPhone 5s;
• Six (6) iPhone 4s;
• Six HTC Windowss;
• Four Samsung Galaxy S3s;
• Three Nokia Lumia 920s; and
• One Samsung Galaxy Tablet.

An older model, dark coloured Chevrolet Trailblazer or GMC Yukon with tinted windows was seen in the area just before the theft.

YAMAHA APEX SNOWMOBILE STOLEN

ASHFIELD-COLBORNE-WAWANOSH – A broken down snowmobile was stolen from the edge of St. Helen’s Line on Saturday.

The owner was out for a snowmobile trail ride near the village of St. Helen’s when his machine broke down around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 9. He left his snowmobile on the edge of St. Helen’s Line while he went to go get a tow vehicle.  When he returned an hour later his snowmobile was missing.

The stolen sled is described as a black and white 2006 Yamaha Apex TRL, 1000 cc engine, red and chrome windshield, with an after-market Bender racing exhaust system.  Written across the windshield is Mad Max.  There was a 2013 OFSC trail permit affixed.  The sled is valued at $9,000.

TOOLS AND AUTO PARTS STOLEN

MORRIS-TURNBERRY - Huron OPP officers are investigating a break, enter and theft that occurred at a home based automotive supply business located on Cranbrook Line.

Sometime between the late hours on Feb. 8, 2013 and the early morning hours of Feb. 9, 2013 those responsible entered into the detached garage through an insecure rear window.  Once inside the thieves stole approximately $10,000 in tools and automotive parts.  Some of the stolen items are listed below:

• Four Snap-On impact guns;
• Fifteen Interstate car batteries;
• Forty ACDelco brake discs sets;
• Twenty ACDelco brake pads;
• Twenty CAN-PRO wrenches;
• Ten Shell 5W40 20L pails of motor oil; and
• Collection of various hand tools.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Peter Smith

EXETER – The Blyth Festival’s artistic director will share his story with guests at the upcoming Conservation Dinner.

Peter Smith’s artistic success, combined with his lifelong interest in conservation, make him an ideal choice as special guest for the 24th Anniversary Conservation Dinner, said Bob Laye, who is chair of the dinner committee.

Smith is the local theatre’s interim artistic director, replacing Eric Coates in time to choose the 2013 playbill. He was the theatre’s artistic director from 1990 to 1993 and went on to work with other Canadian theatres, and write for television, film, and stage.

Smith has worked in Canadian theatre from coast to coast in his career spanning three decades. He has written for several television series, including The Guard. His screenplay writing includes co-authoring the movies Tripping the Wire and Eight Days to Live. Smith has also written a mystery novel, After the Dying Fall, and is at work on his second book.

Smith grew up with a lifelong “love of story” but his road to a life in professional theatre began at the end of his final year of theatre studies at the University of Victoria. He was asked to play Pat Garrett in a Phoenix Theatre adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s Governor General’s Award winner, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left-handed Poems. That experience showed him that theatre was his calling and it was the start of a fascinating journey.

It is perhaps fitting that Smith hails from the farming crossroads community of Utopia, just west of Barrie, because he says he is hopeful this generation and future generations can conserve resources and be good stewards of land and water.

“Conservation is really important to me,” he said. Smith’s family farmed in Simcoe County and, he said, a person learns on the farm about the importance of woodlots, preventing soil erosion, and conserving land and water resources.

When asked about the importance of the Blyth Festival, he said, “I think it’s a treasure.”

“It’s different from any other theatre – Blyth is unique – it’s a special place,” he said.

It has been two decades since Smith has lived and worked in Huron County but he said, “I’m inspired, once again, by this community.”

The veteran of Canadian theatre is energized by the upcoming 2013 season at the Blyth Festival as well as the festival’s 40^th anniversary taking place in 2014.

The 2013 Blyth Festival season sees: the return of the smash hit Dear Johnny Deere, running from June 11 to 22; a world première about farm life in modern Huron County, Beyond the Farm Show, directed by Severn Thompson (daughter of the original Theatre Passe Muraille pioneer Paul Thompson, of the original Farm Show), from June 26 to Aug. 16; a musical, Yorkville, rather like Green Acres only in reverse, with two step-dancing country gals going to the Big Smoke, July 3 to Aug. 11; the return of Ted Johns’ hit comedy Garrison’s Garage, which was first performed at Blyth in 1985, playing this summer from July 31 to Aug. 31 and sure to be a fan favourite; and a play with a can’t miss premise inspired by a real-life situation, Prairie Nurse, by Marie Beath Badian, a comedy of errors about two young nurses from the Philippines who arrive in a small rural hospital in the tiny Saskatchewan community of Arborfield where they are courted by the local hockey goaltender who can’t tell them apart, running from Aug. 7 to 31.

The 24th Annual Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 18 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. To purchase a ticket, or to donate to the charity gala and auction, phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610, visit online, or e-mail [email protected]. Tickets are $60 each, with a $30 income tax receipt. The volunteer committee welcomes financial support as well as donations of art, sports and entertainment memorabilia, crafts and furniture, travel packages, jewelry, and other items.

The Conservation Dinner is organized each year by the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community members on the dinner committee. The support of businesses, donors, patrons, volunteers, and artists has helped the annual event raise more than $600,000 for local improvements in the event’s history spanning almost two and a half decades. The Conservation Dinner supports accessible trails for environmental health and human health, conservation education and recreation opportunities for young people and the young-at-heart, and commemorative woods that improve forest conditions and remember loved ones, among other important local conservation work that could not happen without this kind of public generosity. The dinner includes a live auction, silent auction, complimentary wine tasting, general raffles, special raffles, and more.

The Conservation Dinner Committee has selected the Early Bird Draw prize print for 2013. The limited-edition print is by popular artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats and the print is called Midday Pause. It is number 168 of 475. People who purchase their ticket by Feb. 22 will have a chance to have their name selected, in a draw, to win the print. The draw for the print will take place on Monday, Feb. 25.

The 2012 dinner raised $53,664 in net proceeds for accessible trails, conservation education, conservation recreation opportunities for youth, stocking of fish in the Morrison Reservoir for an annual family-friendly fishing derby, commemorative woods, and more.

Shown at the entrance to the MacNaughton-Morrison Section of the South Huron Trail, are some of the organizers and supporters, along with Exeter’s White Squirrel, getting ready for Family Day WinterFest South Huron. (left to right): Tim Cumming, Ausable Bayfield Conservation; Tim Sweet, Exeter Curling Club; Lorne Rideout, Friends of the South Huron Trail; Judy McLeod, Exeter Lioness Club; George Finch, organizer; Jean Jacobe, Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church; Jo-Anne Fields, Manager of Community Services, Municipality of South Huron; Darcey Cook, Municipality of South Huron Recreation Department Program and Events Assistant; and Maggie Miller, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Huron.

SOUTH HURON – Plans for South Huron’s celebration of wintertime on Family Day are snowballing.

More than a dozen community groups are planning the Family Day WinterFest South Huron celebration on Feb. 18, adding some new twists to a holiday event with lots of old favourites.

New this year is: try-out-curling-for-free open house hosted by the Exeter Curling Club; euchreama and introduction to darts, hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion, R. E. Pooley Branch 167; scavenger hunt hosted by the South Huron Optimist Club; winter bird feeding workshop, courtesy of Friends of the South Huron Trail and Miller’s Country Store; and more new activities to be announced shortly.

The new events are in addition to some popular returning events such as: Exeter Lions Club Breakfast; fireworks courtesy of Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church and the South Huron Fire Department – Exeter Station Firefighters’ Association; free family snowshoeing offered by the Friends of the South Huron Trail and Ausable Bayfield Conservation; free public skating courtesy of Municipality of South Huron and Exeter Lions Club; clowns and face painting by the Exeter Lioness Club; a big-screen, G-rated movie co-hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron and Exeter Elementary School; tobogganing hill by the South Huron Roads Department; outdoor skating (weather permitting) by the South Huron Fire Department – Exeter Station; and more.

“When different groups and businesses each do something, the result is a bigger and better celebration of winter attractions and community,” said volunteer George Finch.

This is the third year for the community-wide celebration of the great outdoors and organizers say snow or no snow there will be lots to do in the Exeter area.

There are numerous business contributors to the community event as well as community organizations and individuals, according to Finch. Stay posted to familydaywinterfest.ca, designed courtesy of SOHO Creative, for additions to the WinterFest celebration schedule.

HURON EAST –On Jan. 23, 2013 just after 11:30 p.m. a Huron County OPP officer observed a grey Toyota operating on Huron Road west of Harpurhey Road. The officer noticed the Toyota had a burnt out front headlight. Upon speaking with the driver officers also discovered the driver was in possession of an illegal drug.

As a result, a 50-year-old man from Central Huron has been charged with possession of a controlled substance.  He has a court date scheduled for Ontario Court of Justice- Goderich on Feb. 25, 2013.

BLOWER FOR COMBINE AND RADIO STOLEN

HURON EAST – Huron OPP officers are investigating a theft that was recently reported to police.  The property owner reported unknown suspect(s) entered his drive shed located on Stone Road in Huron East.  Once inside, the suspect(s) stole a truck radio valued at $200 and a blower that attaches to a John Deere combine soybean head.  The blower is described as black, aluminum and valued at nearly $5,000.

The items were stolen sometime between the end of October 2012 and Jan. 21, 2013.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

THEFT OF DRILL PRESS

SOUTH HURON –Huron OPP is investigating a theft from an unlocked garage located on Victoria Drive in South Huron.

The owner believes the suspect(s) entered the unlocked garage sometime during the day on Jan. 24, 2013.  The suspect(s) stole a Mastercraft drill press.  The value of the drill press is not known at this time.

Huron OPP reminds all property owners to secure your property.  If you fail to take steps to lock your doors and secure your property you enhance your risk of becoming a victim of a crime.  Don’t make it easy for a criminal, secure your property and lock your doors.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

IPOD NANO STOLEN

HURON EAST – Huron OPP officers are investigating the theft of an iPod Nano portable media player that was stolen from a Buick parked on Railway Street in Seaforth.  Sometime overnight on Jan. 29, 2013 a thief stole a white Ipod Nano valued at $100 and some construction building blueprints.  The owner reported the vehicle had been locked.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 524-8314.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

EXETER – Goderich artist Madeline Roske, well known for oil paintings in bold strokes and vibrant colours, has been named feature artist for this year’s Conservation Dinner.

“We are very honoured to have someone of Madeleine’s talent bring her skills for this year’s event,” said Bob Laye, who is chair of the Conservation Dinner Committee.

Roske has five paintings in the permanent collection of the Huron County Art Bank, a collection of 36 contemporary works by county artists that depict Huron County.

Each year the Conservation Dinner selects an artist to create the feature art as one of the highlights of the live auction portion of the evening.

Roske said it was a “pleasant surprise” and honour to be announced as the 2013 Feature Artist.

“I do care about the earth, and the air and the water, and I think to be associated with the Conservation Dinner is really a good fit,” she said.

Roske was born in Wales and lived in several places in her youth, including stints in Scotland and Montreal, Quebec. She came to Ontario, with her family, as a teenager.

She has enjoyed visual arts her whole life but her painting began to flourish after she became a member of the Goderich Art Club in 1985. She later began to develop her lifelong interest in art as she attended classes at the Southampton School of Art during several summers. The former public health nurse gained a whole new vision of what art can be when she started a two-year art therapy program at the University of Western Ontario in 1989. She saw performance art and the work of new artists with a “totally different view of art” and it expanded her vision of what visual arts could say. Painting has given her a way to “express the joy I feel in nature and my responsiveness to the natural world,” she said.

Painting requires skills and technique but Roske said “there is a part that comes from inside” and the art that people love exhibits “an intangible quality.” She paints with the desire to combine the technical proficiency with the emotional impact that resonates with the viewer. Some art inspires appreciation for the artist’s technical skills, Roske said, and some art (like the work of Rembrandt, for example) can “bring you to tears.” The viewer’s relationship with her paintings is not just what they see, but also what they feel when they see her work and the personal relationship they have with the painting’s story.

Her main artistic medium is oil painting although she has also painted with watercolours and acrylics. Roske finds rich colours even in “the between seasons.” Her themes are diverse but she draws inspiration from the natural surroundings of Huron County, which she has called home since she moved to Goderich in 1976.

“Huron County provides an inexhaustible source of material and it is my privilege to record it,” she said. Her artistic inspiration often happens when something “catches her eye” in her environment, whether it be some flowers, the back of a building, beach scenes, cows in a pastoral setting, or a farmer’s market.

Roske’s paintings can be found throughout Canada and farther afield, including international destinations such as the United States, Hong Kong, and Germany. Her work can be seen at Goderich Co-op Gallery and Artworks etc. in London. For more information on the work of artist Madeleine Roske visit mroske.com

The Conservation Dinner is organized each year by the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community members on the dinner committee. The support of businesses, donors, patrons, volunteers, and artists has helped the annual event raise more than $600,000 for local improvements in the event’s history spanning almost two and a half decades. The Conservation Dinner supports accessible trails for environmental health and human health, conservation education and recreation opportunities for young people and the young-at-heart, and commemorative woods that improve forest conditions and remember loved ones, among other important local conservation work that could not happen without this kind of public generosity.

The 24th Annual Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 18, 2013 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. To purchase a ticket or to donate to the charity gala, please phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610, visit conservationdinner.com, or e-mail [email protected]. Tickets, $60, include a $30 charitable gift receipt for income tax purposes. The volunteer committee welcomes financial support as well as donations of art, sports and entertainment memorabilia, crafts and furniture, travel packages, jewelry, and other items.

The Conservation Dinner Committee has selected the Early Bird Draw prize print for 2013. The limited-edition print is by popular artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats and the print is called Midday Pause. It is number 168 of 475. Organizers say the chance to win this beautiful print is an extra incentive to buy a ticket early for the gala dinner and auction. People who purchase their ticket by Feb. 22 will have a chance to have their name selected, in a draw, to win the print. The draw for the print will take place on Monday, Feb. 25.

The Conservation Dinner Committee will have a big job to do this year trying to match the previous year’s record-breaking total. The 2012 dinner raised $53,664 in net proceeds for accessible trails, conservation education, conservation recreation opportunities for youth, stocking of fish in the Morrison Reservoir for an annual family-friendly fishing derby, commemorative woods, and more.

Photo courtesy of South Huron Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit its website.

Sandy Simpson couldn’t believe his eyes when a white squirrel streaked across his lawn and disappeared into the bushes.

After all, while white squirrels are common to parts of Canada and the U.S., it’s a rare sighting in Scotland. It became the subject of the member of the Polmont Horticultural Society’s column for the Falkirk Herald today. In his column entitled Sandy’s Garden … The White Nutcracker, he shares with readers that Exeter, Ont. competes for the title of Home of the White Squirrel with: Olney, Illinois; Marionville, Missouri; Brevard, North Carolina; and Kenton, Tennessee.

“Like the white rabbit’s first appearance in Alice in Wonderland, it ran across the garden and disappeared into bushes, out of sight almost as soon as I caught a glimpse of it,” he writes, before outlining the differences between albino squirrels and white squirrels, and clearing up a few misconceptions about the critters.

To read his full column, please visit the Falkirk Herald’s website.