WREATH MAKING

Volunteers are sought to create some beautiful wreaths for the upcoming holiday season as a fundraiser for the Bayfield Agricultural Society. (Submitted photo)

The Bayfield Agricultural Society (BAS) is looking for people who like being outdoors and can spare a few hours to help out with activities for the annual wreath-making fundraiser.

The volunteer activities will include:

•  cutting down grape vines and/or evergreen boughs
• making the grapevine bases
• assembling the grapevine and evergreen wreaths

If anyone has some cedar, white pine, spruce or juniper trees that can be used for bough cutting, that would also be a great help.  The BAS does not trim hedges though!

All of this work will be completed between mid-October and mid-November, with dates and times to be announced. Assembly of the wreaths will take place inside the new BAS shed/barn in the Agricultural Park.

This is a great opportunity to work with a wonderful group of people. Anyone interested in helping out is asked to contact info@bayfieldfair.ca

COUNCILOR’S CORNER

Bill Whetstone, Bayfield Ward Councilor for the Municipality of Bluewater is pleased to announce the return of “Councilor’s Corner”.

“After way too long a break from Councilor’s Corner. I am happy to announce that it’s back!” he said.

Everyone is invited to attend these monthly sessions; the first one is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bayfield Community Centre and Arena.

“As always the purpose is to discuss with residents the items council is dealing with and get their feedback,” he said.

This month’s topics will include Bayfield Secondary Plan Update, Fall Municipal Election, Main Street Revitalization Schedule Update and a Recreation Master Plan Update. There will also be an open questions period regarding any other topics of interest.

LIBRARY FRIENDS AGM

The Friends of Bayfield Library (FOBL) Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 27.

The one hour meeting will start at 7 p.m. and be held via ZOOM. The meeting will cover FOBL’s progress over the past year, including special events and projects undertaken.

The AGM is open to the public and all are welcome. Anyone interested in attending the meeting is kindly asked to email contact@FOBL.ca to receive the ZOOM link.

PAINT THE SUNSET

Mother Nature had other plans on the evening of Sunday, Sept 4 and what was to be the final “Paint the Sunset” of the summer at Pioneer Park was postponed due to rain. Good news is there will be one last chance to capture the sunset on canvas as the event has been rescheduled to coincide with Volkfest weekend on Saturday, Sept. 24.

On that date the sunset time is 7:20 p.m. Artist RobIn Ellis will offer two demonstrations – the first at 6 p.m. followed by a second at 6:45 p.m. All are welcome to take part. The event courtesy of Pioneer Park is free to all with materials and instructions provided.

VOLKFEST

Clan Gregor Square will be the location for the Eighth Annual Bayfield Volkfest on Sunday, Sept. 25.

Visitors to the park can look forward to seeing a wide array of vintage and classic VWs, shopping at an Arts and Crafts Makers Market and indulging in treats from Food Truck vendors all while enjoying live music. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

VW owners are invited to join in the Weekend Campout at Rock Glen Resort in Arkona, ON. On Sunday morning, participants will leave the resort at 9:30 a.m. for a cruise to Bayfield.

For VW owners there is a $20 entry fee to Clan Gregor Square with the first 200 vehicles getting a welcome bag.

For more information please contact Ryan Somers at bayfieldvolkfest@gmail.com.

CHAMBER NEWS

The Bayfield and Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to report that things are progressing well with the plans for Christmas in Bayfield. Excitement is building and details are falling into place!

“Last time we reported, we asked you to stay tuned for an update about how you can help through our bottle drive,” said Secretary-Treasurer of the BACC Terri Louch. “We are excited to announce that the Bayfield Convenience Store now has a collection jar where you can drop your change from any empties you redeem at the store. It could not be easier! Take your empties and drop your money in the jar!”

This campaign will run from now until Nov. 18. Anyone who doesn’t have empties to offer but would still like to contribute can make a donation via collection jars at Nabit, The Purple Peony of Bayfield and DejaVu all on the village’s Main Street or the BACC will gladly accept e-transfers at villageofbayfield@gmail.com (please note CIB in the memo field).

“We thank you so much for your help,” said Louch.

She added that the BACC are still looking for a few volunteers to help support all the exciting new events they have planned.

“This will not take much of your time, but would make a huge difference to the weekend. Volunteers are the lifeforce of community events and this community has some of the very best. Did you know the Chamber Board of Directors are volunteers? Look for a Board introduction coming soon!” said Louch.

Ready to help out? Drop a note to villageofbayfield@gmail.com indicating when available. Students should indicate that they will require a volunteer sheet signed.

“We look forward to working with all of you,” said Louch. “We are also looking forward to having a list of events for the Christmas in Bayfield weekend to share with you soon so stay tuned!”

GREEN GODERICH

Fridays for Future International, which was founded after Greta Thunberg began a school strike for the climate in 2018, has declared a Global Climate Strike on Friday, Sept. 23.

A local environmental group, Green Goderich, will be hosting a lunch hour gathering in Goderich at the Courthouse Square in the South Plaza (near the fountain) from noon until 1 p.m.

The purpose is to create awareness that Huron County, and all of Canada, is being impacted by the climate crisis. Changing weather patterns and extreme weather events are forcing all people to adapt. Climate change affects everyone. There will be some music, short speeches, and visible support for the growing movement of school strikes worldwide.

Alex Robinson, the Chair of Green Goderich, said “We are a volunteer environmental group of concerned citizens. Our planet is literally burning. The young organizers of the Global Climate Strikes are inviting all adults, organizations, and businesses to support their desire for a safe and liveable planet. It has been almost three years since over 200 people in Goderich joined millions worldwide in the 2019 Global Climate Strike. Hopefully we can surpass that number this year!”

Striking has historically been one of the most impactful methods for achieving considerable gains in matters of equality and social justice. The time has come to channel that social power towards facing humanity’s most important collective challenge ever: Climate change.

Everybody, young, old, and in between are welcome to attend. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and a climate sign. The event location is accessible to all.

More information on the event can be found by visiting the Green Goderich website here: Climate Strikes.

The Huron County Museum is home to thousands of artifacts that illustrate the history of both the rural and urban populations of the area. Space dictates what wonderful curiosities the public regularly gets to see when they visit the museum located at 110 North Street in Goderich. But where there is wifi, there is an opportunity to time-travel with over 6,700 pieces of the museum’s collection now available to view online at huroncountymuseum.pastperfectonline.com .“Remember This” highlights items from the collection of the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol. Items that have shaped the fabric of the county and the people who have lived here since before the county became the county in 1835 up until more recent times.

This week, as many continue to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II after her remarkable 70 year reign, we take a closer look at a museum artifact that represents her heritage, a medal bearing the likeness of her grandfather, King George V.

KING GEORGE V MEDAL

This is a British War Medal 1914-18. It is a round, silver military medal, embossed on the front is a man riding a horse and on the back is the bust of King George V. The ribbon bar is attached. It was awarded to Gordon Moore for his service (1915-1916) in the First World War. A bit of Gordon’s family history has been included with the artifact.

Gordon’s mother, Mary Elizabeth McCrea was born on May 1, 1860. Her parents were John McCrea and Jane Pierce whose home was near Belgrave, ON (most likely, Lot 1, Concession 5 Morris Township). On Feb. 12, 1884, Mary married Archibald L. Moore in the Algoma District of Northern Ontario. In 1916, Archibald was noted to be an employee of Dome Mines at South Porcupine, ON. He and Mary lived in that community at the time.

Mary and Archibald had three children, John born around 1893, Gordon born around 1895, and Laura, date of birth unknown.

At the outbreak of WWI, John was employed by the F.T. James Company in Toronto and lived with his aunt, Mrs. D.D. Murdock at 93 Isabella Street, Toronto. Gordon was a telegraph operator with the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway at South Porcupine. In 1916 Laura was recorded as a nurse at Wellesley Hospital, Toronto. She married Charles E. Thompson and moved to Vancouver B.C.

Sometime around 1915, John enlisted with the 84th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (#163992 and went overseas where he was transferred to the 75th Battalion. About the same time, Gordon enlisted with the 87th Battalion (#178038) for active service. On Sept. 21, 1916 Gordon was killed in action in France, soon to be followed by his brother, John, on Nov. 18 (probably in the Battle of the Somme).

During the war, Mary lived for a time with her sister-in-law Mrs. Murdock in Toronto, and also spent time at the Homewood Sanitarium in Guelph, ON. Mary died in Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Goderich on Oct. 10, 1946 and is buried in Ball’s Cemetery, Hullett Twp. A few years before her death, she had come to Auburn to live with her cousin, Miss Susanna Blair.

PHOTOS AND STORY BY MELODY FALCONER-POUNDER

In the late afternoon of Sept. 13, about 40 people gathered along the side of the Bayfield Arena and Community Centre on Jane Street to celebrate the completion of the Bayfield Mural Project.

In his opening remarks, Executive Director of the Bayfield Centre for the Arts (BCA) John Rishworth said, “Today’s celebration is reflective of why public art helps a community to cultivate a strong cultural identity.  It brings people together and makes art accessible to everyone.  Public art activates our imagination through its visual presence and ability to tell a story.  And boy, does this tell a beautiful story!

“Today we all get a chance to take a moment and reflect on this wonderful mural.  The Bayfield Centre for the Arts had a vision for bringing a mural to Bayfield, so when we heard that the County was applying for a federal grant, we jumped on the idea of curating the project in our community.”

Members of the BCA first made a presentation to the Municipality of Bluewater Council on June 20 where approval was given with the caveat that council was allowed final approval on the mural’s design. Their approval was granted at the council meeting held on Aug. 8.

Huron County Economic Development agreed to provide a maximum of between $15,000 – $20,000 in funding to BCA for this public art project and as a result there was no financial impact to the Municipality of Bluewater.

A Community Mural Committee was organized to ensure the mural fairly represented the village. The committee members were: Diane Snell, Pegi McCrae, Mike De Corte, Bob Skivington, Sandra May and Crawford Service.

The artist selected to create the design and complete the project was Meaghan Claire Kehoe, a mural artist and painter based in Oshawa,ON. She began working on the mural, with her medium of choice – spray paint – the week of Aug. 22.

Bayfield’s Mural is the first to be completed among the six planned for Huron County and dignitaries and county representatives were invited to share their insights and thoughts on the initiative at the launch. The speakers were Mayor of Bluewater Paul Klopp, Warden of Huron County Glen McNeil, and Vicki Lass, the director of Huron County Economic Development.

Leslee Squirrell, president of the BCA, was asked to introduce the mural artist and encouraged her to share the story behind her creative process.

Kehoe noted that she was first contacted by Huron County’s Economic Development Officer Rick Sickinger who forwarded her on to Squirrell whom she organized a site visit with.

“Leslie was obviously the huge hype woman here that filled me in on everything Bayfield,” Kehoe told those gathered. “I really wanted to capture the spirit here. I knew it had to have sunset colors. The color palette would have to reflect that Bayfield beach evening that everyone shows up for and I thought basically how better than three versions of clouds going on so that the blue sky clouds are in the back and the sunset clouds almost moving into night time storm clouds are at the bottom.”

The orange sunset sky is central to the mural that “wouldn’t have been complete without some marina life with sailboats in the background over the water.”

Kehoe noted she added aspects to the mural that were tributes to local flora and fauna with the Blue Heron in the foreground, a bird that Kehoe noted, “is naturally sighted here often” and the indigenous Sweet Pea flowers. “Someone told me I nailed it on those,” she said.

An important attribute of the mural is that it also acts as a wayfinding tool directing people to the shopping district.

“Obviously your Instagram social media moment is there with the Bayfield directional sign, loud and proud, with a quick reminder to go shopping just over there,” Kehoe said.

The artist explained that although she loves doing private art projects she is very passionate about creating public art.

“I love doing community public art because I get to speak to so many people, not just like, verbally speaking, but with my work. Public art is a conversation and it’s a back and forth and it comes together with so many people’s voices involved,” Kehoe said.

The artists expressed her thanks to the County of Huron, to Squirrel, to the mural committee and the council for bringing the project to fruition.

She shared that she was honestly overwhelmed by the community support for the process as people not only stopped to chat and share a friendly word but they brought her muffins and beverages as well.

“I got to be a local for a second here and got to meet a lot of people who make this community so awesome and for that I thank you.”

“Working with the Economic Development team, and the representatives from the other five communities commissioning murals has been a great experience,” said Squirrell, in a county media release. “We hope that with Bayfield’s mural now complete, it will help to generate more interest and excitement for the other communities participating in the Mural Project as well as for the upcoming Public Art Trail!”

The goal of this creative project is to enhance the cultural vibrancy of Huron’s communities and support ongoing tourism recovery in Huron County through public art.  Additional murals are planned to be installed in Clinton, Exeter, Goderich, Seaforth and Wingham.

The finished murals will become part of a public art trail across Huron County and are expected to remain in place for approximately 10-15 years.

Anyone taking pictures with the mural for Social Media are invited to #bayfieldmural.

↑For a closer look at these images click on any one to open a pop up gallery.