Tillsonburg Post - July 2, 2026

County council backs Wilson Ave.

townhouses

Oxford County council went against the Town of Tillsonburg’s direction, voting to allow the redesignation of 155 Wilson Ave from low density residential to medium density residential, with site-specific policies to facilitate the development of a 3.5-storey, 24-unit stacked townhouse building.

Approval was given even though the Town of Tillsonburg council unanimously rejected the proposed Zone Change Application at its April 27 council meeting.

County council also ignored over 140 signatures on a petition from residents asking the county to reject the proposal, and Tillsonburg Mayor and county councillor Deb Gilvesy making a case for turning down the application. More than 50 people from Tillsonburg were in attendance at the controversial meeting.

While Oxford County cannot directly overturn a local zoning decision made by town council, the county can –and historically has – approved Official Plan Amendments (OPA) that run counter to town council’s recommendations.

That’s what happened on June 24.

The property in question is located on the north side of Wilson Avenue, and the south side of Concession Street West, near Hickory Hills, an established adult living community with more than 750 residents.

The owner of the property to be developed is 2455892 Ontario Inc., which is owned by Abe Hiebert.

Tillsonburg council cited issues like incompatibility with the neighbourhood, traffic, water capacity, density, and lack of appropriate transition from low-density areas in its rejection of the application in April. The present council followed the path set by previous councils, which rejected applications for this property eight times over the years.

FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE

Early-season fruits and vegetables are available fresh from the field at

Centre. Koscik’s Produce in Aylmer had a variety of produce available

asparagus of the year.

Early-season produce ready at Tillsonburg farmer’s market

JEFF HELSDON Editor

The Tillsonburg Farmer’s Market offers locals their best opportunity to get fresh from the field produce, as early-season fruits and vegetables are now ready.

Held on Saturday mornings in front of the Station Arts Centre, the market typically draws 15 to 20 vendors. Some are constants; they're there every week, while oth-

ers come and go.

“There are a lot of pop-up vendors, people who sell natural care products, said Myles Falconer, who grows vegetables south of Courtland and helps with organizing. Girl Guide cookies and minor hockey fundraisers are examples of the pop-ups.

Asparagus has just finished for the season. June-bearing strawberries are winding down, but ever-bearing berries are still available. Hothouse tomatoes are available,

Farmer’s market offers a variety of fresh produce

plus some early vegetables.

“Basically, a lot of root crops and beans, those things, are starting,” Falconer said.

Nathan Stubbe of Arbour View Acres in Brant County said fresh lettuce and leafy greens just started.

“It has much more flavour,” he said of the lettuce. “All of our stuff is grown in dirt, so that’s a big flavour thing.”

Outside of produce, the farmer’s market also includes baked goods, jams, relishes, and salsa – products that are usually made from scratch. Maple syrup and mushrooms are also for sale.

Curtis is youngest town councillor candidate to date

JEFF HELSDON Editor

A young Tillsonburg businessman is the latest to file his nomination papers to run for Tillsonburg council.

Clayton Curtis, a 28-year-old father of one, filed his papers on June 18. He is the youngest councillor candidate to date. He owns StrictlySpores, an international Mycology and mushroom research and genetics company. He started the business in 2020 and has worked with the federal government on medical mycology research, as well as facilitating the development and building of the University of Montreal Fungarium. He also worked with John

Hopkins on a PTSD study using medicinal fungi as the basis of curing PTSD.

Curtis’s family has deep roots in the area, dating back 170 years, including a connection to the town's founder, George Tillson. He has been involved in the community as a volunteer with the Station Arts Centre and other organizations.

“I am passionate about our town,” he said. “I bring new perspective, an endless reserve of determination, energy, willpower, and modern solutions to age-old problems. I know I will act in the best interests of all residents in our community, and do so with the long-term success of Tillsonburg at the core of all my decisions.”

Curtis has always held town council meetings in high regard.

“I have made a point to follow the decision-making and achievements of our town council for roughly six years,” he said, explaining that after he got married in 2020 a decision was made that Tillsonburg would be the centre of his long-term plans.

Curtis sees the major challenges facing Tillsonburg over the next four years as homelessness, addiction and mental health crisis, a national recession, maintaining a responsible town budget, and properly managing massive population growth while ensuring the infrastructure is in place to accommodate the increase.

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Celebrate Canada Day year-round

As you read this, chances are you are cooling off from the annual celebration of all things Canadian on Canada Day.

Each year, Canadians turn out in force at the variety of Canada Day festivities in Tillsonburg or the surrounding area. This is great, but it needs to continue yearround.

Many Canadians have had a history of being indifferent when it comes to pride in our country. Thankfully, the patriotism meter has been turned up in the last couple of years, but it’s a shame it takes the ramblings of the American president to accomplish this.

Many have mused over the years why Canadians aren’t more patriotic. One idea tossed about is that Canada was formed peacefully, rather than fighting for its freedom from England. However, it’s easy to counter that by looking at the War of 1812, where Canadians joined British regulars in defending our soil. On that note, for those who think Laura Secord gained fame by owning a candy store, it’s time to hit the history books.

In actuality, fear of American expan-

sion was a major catalyst for the creation of Canada in 1867. No bullets were fired, but fear of annexation was likely a greater concern at the time than it is now.

Others have tossed out words from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that there isn’t a Canadian identity. While this could be a more recent factor, the issue existed long before that.

Locally, the Station Arts Centre, the cenotaph and Annandale National Historic Site saw good crowds, as did the fireworks. People turn out for the day, but then the Canadian spirit seems to go into sleep mode unless it’s cheering on a hockey team, or presently our soccer team.

Driving through neighbourhoods in Tillsonburg, the number of flags on a street can be counted on one hand in most cases. Compare this to many streets in the United States where more homes have an American flag than not. We need to pull up our socks in showing our patriotism.

Imagine looking out the window on Canada Day and seeing flags flying in the wind. This can be reality next year, but it starts one resident at a time.

tillsonburgpost.com

Making good choices early on led to a large and wonderful life for current Legion president

The current president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 153, Tom Brown, is a prominent figure at many ceremonies and events. Despite his chest full of medals, he's grateful and humble about his service.

Tom was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the seventh of 10 siblings. His father, who came to Canada from Barbados, remains his hero, and his desire to be like his dad led to good choices that guided him in the right direction.

"I joined the Air Cadets when I was 13," Brown said. "The RAF pilots would take us up in the Argus aircraft, and it was pretty exciting. After I graduated high school there wasn't a lot that we could do in Sydney. You could go to work in the mines or at the steel plant, and that wasn't for me."

Tom joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1966. He was 18 years old. He was with the Air Force for 12 years as a CFI jet aircraft air defense technician. As an air

weapons controller, he was responsible for directing the movement of aircraft, like an air traffic controller.

"I was deployed on several peacekeeping missions, to the Golan Heights, Cypress and Sarajevo, which wasn't so peaceful," Brown said. "Ethnic cleansing, and bullets flying at you, I don't talk about that. It's there, I've seen it."

Tom did talk about the good times throughout his military career. Sports and fitness are a big part of the culture. In their off time, baseball, water polo, soccer, basketball and volleyball were popular. It was a valuable outlet that kept them fit while enhancing camaraderie and teamwork.

"I met Joanne when I was stationed in New Brunswick in 1973," Brown said. "She was an RN. We were married for 50 years. She traveled with me across the country four times. The only province we didn't live in was PEI, but I did work there. When I go to local schools to talk about my experiences, I often talk about the travel I've done and the education that goes along with living in those provinces."

Tom was offered training so that he could be promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. He had reclassified to the Military Engineers as a Certified Engineer Technologist. At any given time, he had up to 300 people working for him and he needed to be able to speak, send memos, and deal with reports, evaluations and interviews in either language.

"I was sent to Quebec for six months to learn French," Brown said. "It was intensive. We were in class all day with no English speaking at all. On the weekends, I had a teacher at home. Joanne was Acadian French and she

would help me. I became fully bilingual."

Tom has no regrets about his career. When he speaks to youth, he highlights the opportunities, experience, education, leadership training, discipline and respect that he learned; very attractive qualities for employers.

When he retired from the military after 30 years of service, he went to work for another decade for Defense Construction Canada, renovating buildings for use by the Canadian Forces.

Tom and Joanne have a son and a daughter. Tom describes them as confident and successful, beaming with pride. He now has three grandchildren as well.

After a visit (and a flight) with his sister and pilot brother-in-law, who live here in Hickory Hills, Tom and Joanne moved to Tillsonburg 12 years ago. They took a wonderful vacation together last year in the southern part of France and Italy, but it was their last. Joanne became ill soon after.

"We lived large and we enjoyed life," Brown said. "We talked a lot about that during those last few months. I wouldn’t be where I am without her. She was an amazing lady. She told me to keep on living and enjoy life. I have emotional moments, but I'm doing okay."

Tom continues to stay fit playing golf, cycling and kayaking, and his role as Legion President keeps him quite busy.

"I keep office hours, but when I'm not there, if anyone needs me, I'm only a phone call away," Brown said. "We have a seven-member executive and they're a great bunch of people. I think we do a lot of good work for the Legion and for the community."

Historic pets in Tillsonburg’s past

ings of her house. He is still there today—see if you can spot him the next time you visit the Annandale house!

MUSEUM MUSINGS

Every town has local pets, beloved by its residents. Tillsonburg is no exception – from macaws, cats, dogs, horses, and trout - this town has had no shortage of interesting pets throughout its history.

In Tillsonburg’s early days, horses were among the most important. They served a wide range of roles: transporting goods and people along the roads in and out of town, pulling wagons and buggies that kept the community connected. They also brought moments of excitement. Bert Newman, a local amateur historian, recalled seeing racehorses come to Tillsonburg for the town fair. He described them as running faster than any other horse he’d seen before.

But horses were more than just working animals or spectacles; they were part of daily life. Jarred Mansfield, a veteran of the First World War from Tillsonburg, owned a horse named “Cucumber,” after the vegetable. Cucumber’s portrait is part of the collection at Annandale National Historic Site. Along with horses, dogs were also popular during the Victorian era, especially after being made trendy by Queen Victoria. In Tillsonburg, dogs served many purposes, such as hunting, guarding, and companionship. For the Tillson family, animals, including dogs, were an important part of their lives. Their photo albums show many dogs and cats, and E.V. Tillson was known to take his dog along for rides in his boat. Edwin Delevan Tillson also kept a carefully-tended trout pond, where the fish were cared for much like pets.

Residents of Tillsonburg have even been known to have exotic pets. During the latter half of the 20th century, the minister of the town’s Presbyterian church came into possession of a macaw named called Mac. Marry Ann Tillson, one of the original owners of Annandale House, was friends with the minister, and grew fond of his macaw and decided to have his image incorporated twice into the ceiling paint-

Unusual pets weren’t limited to parrots. Bill Collof, part-owner of the Tillsonburg Shoe Factory, had a very unconventional pet – a crow. There are various photos of Collof with his crow, and in the descriptions beneath them, the crow is specifically referred to as “Pet Crow”. Residents have later recounted anecdotes about the funny little Pet Crow who would follow workers to the shoe factory every morning. They spoke fondly of Mr. Collof’s convenience store, calling him a “really nice fellow,” who also happened to have a pet crow at his side. In some photos, the crow even appears alongside Collof’s dog, which begs the question of whether these two pets got along well, or if Collof had some issues with the two animals' cohabitating?

With so many pets and farm animals in town, a veterinarian was essential. George Brady, an immigrant from Ireland in 1830, started his career in Tillsonburg as a ferrier, but later became a veterinarian stepping in to the needed role. George’s ferrier knowledge helped him understand the anatomy of horses and cattle and was put to use when he later began a business with his son, who had graduated from veterinary school. Together, they treated horses and cattle alike. Brady passed in 1909 and was greatly appreciated by town farmers and horse owners for his gentle care of their animals.

Annandale house still welcomes pets to its front yard today. The front lawn of the museum is a great place to go for a walk with your dog and enjoy the museum's exterior and gardens. Cairo, the museum dog, can often be seen around the museum throughout the week, keeping watch over the grounds and showing visitors around his beloved museum. Along with dogs, the town also continues to welcome more unconventional creatures, from visiting turtles during TurtleFest to Slider, Tillsonburg’s favourite pet skunk.

Pets have always been an important part of life in Tillsonburg. From horses that helped people travel and work, to dogs, cats, birds, and even a pet crow, these animals brought joy and companionship to their owners. Their stories help us learn more about the people who lived here and what everyday life was like in the past. Even today, animals remain part of the community, showing that the bond between people and their pets has remained strong throughout Tillsonburg's history.

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Oxford County council approves official plan amendment

Gilvesy noted specifically that “the town finds that the proposed zoning by-law amendment does not conform to the intent or spirit of the compatible development policies of the Oxford County Official Plan,” and that “approval of this development would fully allocate the town’s drinking water system.”

Gilvesy also expressed concerns that any such allocation “may constrain future industrial growth.”

Neighbouring resident Roberta Brown spoke to Oxford County on behalf of the residents of Hickory Hills, making it clear they were deeply opposed to the application for official plan amendments requested by the property owners, noting that residents are deeply concerned about loss of peacefulness for their Hickory Hills retirement community, that the town continues to deny proposals for the property, that massive bypassing of the town’s growth plan is required for this development to move forward, that the amendments recently proposed are not desirable, and the proposal shows residential units that are not geared to seniors.

Other concerns expressed by the residents of Hickory Hills included limited water capacity for the town, increased traffic, the number of proposed parking spaces, environmental impact, noise pollution, light pollution, and whether the driveway could accommodate multiple large emergency vehicles.

Brown added that Hickory Hills has been recognized as one of the best places to retire in Canada, referring to a comment from Councillor Kelly Spencer at the April council meeting: “Tillsonburg has been known as a wonderful retirement community… There have been publications of the town as one of the best places in the country to retire, and we need to protect that.”

County planning staff supported the application, saying it is generally consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement direction and Official Plan policies respecting residential intensification, infill within established neighbourhoods, increased supply, diversity of dwelling types, and locational criteria respecting the designation of new medium density residential areas.

But planning staff did confirm there are no plans for an elevator in the building. All 24 units of the stacked townhouse development would be ‘walk-up’ units from the exterior, as currently planned. Accessibility standards would meet building code standards, but the plans don’t go beyond the standard requirements.

Gilvesy made a motion asking county council not to support the developer’s proposal, citing the same reasons town council rejected the proposal, adding that she does not work for the province of Ontario, that she does not support running small towns and rural routes for intensification, that she represents the people who live in her community, who consistently say to her, “Stop shoving housing down our throats.” Applause from the audience showed the support

for her remarks.

Deborah Tait, Woodstock councillor, said she supported and respected Tillsonburg council’s decision, that planning needs to be at one level, that the county should not be able to overturn a local council’s decision because they think it’s better, that provincial policies are geared to big cities, and not geared to smaller municipalities.

Woodstock Mayor Jerry Acchione said while he would normally fully support an application like this, Tillsonburg council was unanimous and he was going to respect that. He added intensification will be needed at some point.

Norwich Mayor Jim Palmer said he would support Gilvesy’s motion because council was being asked to suit the needs of a property owner rather than Hickory Hills, one of the leaders in Ontario where the elderly can live in comfort and peace.

Bernia Martin, Deputy Warden and Woodstock councillor, said she was not going to support the motion because she was told there would be a plan to address water capacity in the town of Tillsonburg as early as this summer.

Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie didn’t support the motion because he felt it had been given due process. He added that Hickory Hills went through the same process, and if council decided to turn this application down, it would cost the town and the county legal fees to fight an application at the Ontario Land Tribunal.

South-West Oxford Mayor David Mayberry said he was reluctant to support something the town had said no to, but having said that, “We have a legitimate official plan amendment in front of us that planning staff have professionally gone through and said is supportable. It should move forward.”

Marcus Ryan, Warden of County Council and Mayor of Zorra Township, reminded everyone that county council had adopted a housing first policy that said the county would prioritize getting people into homes, and he would not support the motion.

Gilvesy’s motion did not pass by a recorded vote of 6 to 4.

A motion was filed immediately after to approve the planning application, and that motion carried.

The project is restricted to 24 dwelling units, and site plan approval is required before the development can proceed. This will provide an opportunity for county and town staff to further review and address various site design related matters such as landscaping and buffering, fencing, lighting, garbage storage, drainage and servicing to help ensure any site design related concerns are appropriately addressed.

In a statement after the decision was made, Gilvesy said, “It is disappointing that county council is not recognizing the unanimous decision of a lower-tier municipality to withhold support for this development. Ignoring that clear local consensus undermines the voice of the community.”

SATURDAY JULY 4TH FRIDAY JULY 3RD SUNDAY JULY 5TH 8AM TO 9PM 9AM TO 6PM 10AM

5PM

Museum exhibit highlights role of Home Children

JEFF HELSDON Editor

Almost a century later, those who came to Canada through a program to provide agriculture help is nearly forgotten. The latest exhibit at Annandale National Historical Site, Tillsonburg’s British Home Children, brings their stories to life.

“Tillsonburg, like many agricultural communities, was literally built on the back of home children,” said Kate Bakos, Cultural Heritage Manager/Curator. “Because we are in a rural area, these people came here as indentured servants.”

In many cases, Bakos said, the Home Children didn’t want to share their stories because of individual circumstances. Often, they were orphaned or destitute in Britain.

“The idea behind the program was to give them a better life,” she said. “Some came as young as six. There are stories

of some not being treated well and some who were treated like members of the family.”

The stories of the Home Children are both those of hardship and of hope.

“It was traumatizing being ripped from your family, and your country, and the place you know,” Bakos said.

The British Home Children program was started in the 1860s to provide labour on Canadian farms. It continued until the 1940s. More than 100,000 Home Children took part in the program over its duration. Many of these were in Oxford County.

The exhibit provides information about the program and tells the story of 15 Home Children who put down roots in Tillsonburg. Many of these names would be familiar to those who grew up in Tillsonburg. The display also contains some artifacts, such as a trunk Ernest Newman brought from England with all of his belongings when he was a Home Child.

pened…

the Sitting Up position!

to the top of my head, I can press a button and VOILA! my feet will slowly rise up until my toes almost touch the ceiling fan! If Jan, on the other hand — err the other foot — wants to elevate her head high enough to make sure my toes don’t get tangled in the ceiling fan — she can press a button and VOILA! her head will slowly rise until she is face to face, err, face to my toes! There’s more…

In the middle of the night, I awoke and decided to try the Zero-Gravity feature on my side of the mattress. I pressed the button and suddenly it happened: our bedroom lit up like Times Square! Immediately, Jan sat up and covered her eyes, “Gary, what’s going on?”

Jan awoke again. “Gary! It is 3:30 in the night. Surely you are not sitting up to read in bed. Turn the Flashlight feature off!” Soon, I was back to sleep, dreaming of ‘Experiencing luxury and rejuvenation.’ But at 5 o’clock I awoke and decided to finish my first night sleeping in the Anti-Snore position. Half awake I poked through the sheets searching for the ‘Remote Control You Cannot Find.’ No luck.

If Jan decides she has had it with my snoring in the middle of the night, she can press the Anti-Snore button. Or, if Jan’s back stiffens while she sleeps, I can press a button that activates the Zero-Gravity feature on her side of the bed.

“Sorry Jan. I thought I’d try Zero-Gravity on my side of the mattress, but I accidentally pressed the television remote. I’ll turn the television off.” Oops! This time I pressed Jans remote, and her feet began to rise up close to the ceiling fan!

But here is the thing. This convenience is based on ‘Remote Control You Cannot Find’ technology. And, because Jan and I can personalize our sleeping preferences, we have two ‘Remote Control You Cannot

A few months back Jan and I purchased an adjustable bed. The brochure promised we will ‘Immerse ourselves in support and comfort,’ ‘Experience luxury and rejuve nation,’ and ‘Add a touch of elegance.’ Of course, this all comes at a price — a price that guarantees to ‘Keep you up all night!’ The features of our new bed allow Jan and I to raise and lower the side of the bed that each of us sleep on. This is what I mean… If I want to make my blood suddenly rush

That morning at breakfast I said, “Jan, so much for ‘Adding a touch of elegance’ sleeping in our new adjustable bed. I felt like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat!

“Gary. Starting this evening the two ‘Remote Control You Cannot Find’ devices will always be on my nightstand.”

Happy wife, happy life.

Our first night sleeping in our new ad justable bed did not ‘Immerse ourselves in support and comfort.’ This is what hap

I feverishly pressed all the buttons on the two bed remotes and the television remote! Somehow things returned to normal: the television was off and both sides of our mattresses were in the Lay-Flat position. An hour later, I rolled over and something began to glow beneath the sheets. It was the Flashlight feature on the ‘Remote Control You Cannot Find.’ I fished around trying to find the ‘Remote Control You Cannot Find’ but suddenly my mattress raised me up into

MKT-14771A-C-AD1

> edwardjones.ca

Living Retired by humour columnist Gary Chalk is published weekly throughout Canada and USA. Living Retired On The Radio is heard Thursday mornings. To inquire about keynote presentations, contact Gchalk@me.com

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OPP continue to investigate pride flag incidents in Norwich Surveillance footage can be submitted through barcode

Police are seeking public assistance in identifying the individuals involved in multiple Pride Flag mischief and theft incidents in Norwich Township.

Since June 1, 2026, there have been multiple incidents reported to the Oxford detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in relation to the theft of or damage to Pride flags.

Members of Oxford OPP along with West Region Major Crime and

West Region Community Street Crime Units are continuing to investigate these incidents.

Oxford OPP has established a secure method for members of the public to submit photos or videos of people or vehicles they believe may be involved with these incidents.

Investigators are seeking to gather video surveillance footage of suspicious activities in Norwich Township between June 1, 2026, to present. Po -

lice are looking for evidence of suspicious people or vehicles between the hours of 9p.m., and 6 a.m., in the vicinity of Emily Stowe School, Norwich United Church, East Oxford Public School. Stover Street North and Jerdon Street.

The OPP urges community members to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activity to police.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact Oxford OPP at

1-888-310-1122.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or www.oxfordcrimestoppers.com

Video footage or photos can be securely submitted at https://ontarioprovincialpolice. ca.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/rm26162508

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Council temporarily defers quick repair to complex entrance

JEFF HELSDON Editor

Although Tillsonburg council approved the principle of repairing the concrete damage that resulted in the closure of the north entrance of the Tillsonburg Community Centre, the issue was deferred to allow for possibly fixing the stairs at the same time.

Director of Recreation, Culture and Parks Andrea Greenway told council staff tried to complete repairs following a lot of heaving in the concrete over the winter, but were unable to successfully complete the work. As a result, the north entrance was closed due to safety concerns. She suggested using $15,000

of unused funding from the Community Arena awning, which came in under budget, to fund the repairs.

“We need to move forward, preferably this year, because this entrance is closed,” she said.

Deputy Mayor Dave Beres asked how quickly the repairs could be completed, and was told it should be able to be completed fairly quickly.

Mayor Deb Gilvesy asked if the steps to that area, which she described as narrow, steep, and dangerous, could be repaired using the remaining unused funding from the awning repair.

Greenway noted that this would increase the project's costs.

Gilvesy said there is more unused funding available, so there possibly wouldn’t be a budget impact, and it’s more efficient to

have the contractor fix the stairs while working on-site.

Coun. Bob Parsons raised the idea of deferring the topic so a new estimate could be created.

Coun. Kelly Spencer asked whether this could be looked into. Greenway responded it will depend on the cost. She said she would need to talk to the building department to see what needs to be done to make the stairs safe and to meet code.

Beres countered that if the motion was deferred, the work wouldn’t get done, as there is only one council meeting in July.

Gilvesy committed to a quick special meeting of council to deal with the topic, even if it’s via Zoom.

The final action on the item was to defer it until the next council meeting.

Answer the call.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Notices

2026 Municipal Elections Nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Tillsonburg Municipal Election. If you’re considering putting your name forward, you can pick up a hard copy of the nomination paperwork at the Customer Service Centre, 10 Lisgar Ave.

Candidates are encouraged to call ahead to schedule an appointment, ensuring a member of the Clerk’s Department is available to assist with the nomination process.

A full list of offices open for nomination, along with candidate qualifications, required forms, and appointment details, is available on the Town’s website: www.tillsonburg.ca/election

Planning to Build a Deck?

Before you start your next backyard project, make sure you’re aware of the requirements for deck construction in Tillsonburg. Understanding the applicable regulations can help your project go smoothly from start to finish.

For detailed information, visit www.tillsonburg. ca/planyourproject.

Bid Opportunities

RFP 2026-010

Consulting Services for Stormwater Management Master Plan

Submission Deadline: July 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM Visit tillsonburg.bidsandtenders.ca.

Culture Corner

Summer Drop-In Programming: Let’s Celebrate!

Join us this summer as we explore celebrations from around the world. Through stories, crafts, music, and hands-on activities, participants will discover how different cultures celebrate special occasions and traditions.

July 7–10 and July 14–17 | $10 per visit

Ages 3–7: 10:00–11:00 a.m. (Parent or caregiver attendance required)

Ages 8–12: 1:00–3:00 p.m.

Stay Connected

Want to be the first to hear about upcoming events, new exhibitions, and special programs? Be sure to follow the museum on Facebook, www.facebook.com/AnnandaleNHS.

Sponsored Swims at Lake Lisgar Waterpark

Looking for a fun way to cool off? Don’t miss these upcoming sponsored swims at Lake Lisgar Waterpark!

July 4 | 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sponsored by Crompton Home Hardware

No registration required—just drop in and make a splash!

Free Community Roller Skate

Lace up your skates and join us for an evening of family fun at the Community Centre!

July 7 | 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Sponsored by Hometown Dental Hygiene

Tillsonburg Annual Free Family Fishing Derby

Join the Tillsonburg Annual Free Family Fishing Derby at Lake Lisgar on July 4, from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Registration opens on-site the day of the event. Enjoy a morning of fishing, door prizes, and trophy opportunities for all ages.

Please note: This community-organized event is not hosted by the Town of Tillsonburg.

Active Living & Learning Opportunities

July Swimming Lessons at Lake Lisgar Waterpark

Build confidence, develop new skills, and have fun in the water this summer! Swimming lessons for a variety of ages and abilities are available throughout July at Lake Lisgar Waterpark.

For more information, email aquatics@tillsonburg.ca.

Pickleball Courts Now Open!

The wait is over — all pickleball courts are now open and ready for play! Whether you’re a regular player or new to the game, now is the perfect time to get out, stay active, and enjoy some friendly competition.

We look forward to seeing our courts busy with friendly competition and community spirit all season long!

CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN

TOWNSHIP OF NORWICH NEWS

Police funding request irks some Norwich councillors

LUKE EDWARDS

Post Contributor

While they ultimately approved up to $2,000 in township money for a new portable vehicle weigh scale system, Norwich councillors are asking the local

detachment to fund equipment from their own budget.

Councillors expressed concern with a report regarding the municipal contribution at the June 16 meeting. At a recent meeting, the Oxford OPP detachment board passed a resolution asking for $2,000 from each municipality in the county to fund the new equipment, which will help with enforcement of weight restrictions on rural roads.

“They’re coming to us, albeit with a rather modest request, but it’s problematic and I struggle with this one and what kind of a precedent this sets,” said Coun. Karl Toews.

They ultimately supported the funding request, but also added wording requesting the OPP detachment consider their equipment needs within future budgets.

The new scales will allow enhanced enforcement. Previously police used scales from neighbouring areas when they were available.

“They have been able to do some enforcement but that has been obviously limited to when they’ve had scales available,” said CAO Matt Smith.

Norwich passes on Development Charge Reduction

LUKE EDWARDS Post Contributor

Seeing no viable projects in the queue, Norwich township won’t be in the running for the recently announced Development Charge Reduction Program.

In an update to council, staff said there were few options for the township to pursue. And those that potentially existed wouldn’t make financial sense. As a

result, they recommended taking a pass on the latest provincial effort to get more housing built.

Municipalities had a quick turnaround to get applications for the $8.8 billion fund submitted by the June 19 deadline after it was announced at the beginning of the month. The fund seeks to have municipalities reduce residential development charges by as much as 50 per cent for at least three years, and in ex-

change receive provincial money to pay for projects that would otherwise receive some DC funding.

“This report is giving you as much information as we have available, which is not a huge amount, I will say,” said CAO Matt Smith.

Staff identified one project in the development charges background study that could fit the province’s requirements. However, the estimated $100,000 price tag for a new fire command vehicle wouldn’t be worth the loss of DC revenue, as it would take only 17 homes built in the next three years for the township

1. What is the birthstone of July?

2. What is the fictional island in Mamma Mia called?

3. What is the capital city of Australia?

4. What do you call a beginner surfer?

5. What is the Italian name for ice cream?

6. What 80s girl band sang “Cruel Summer”?

to have a net loss, Smith said. Additionally, he wasn’t even convinced the project would be approved by the province.

Oxford County does plan to submit an application for the program, though Norwich Mayor Jim Palmer said they aren’t terribly optimistic about their chances either.

“They (Oxford) were able to bundle a group of projects together to get an acceptable amount of money but even they did not think their chances were particularly good,” he said, adding the program seems set up for larger municipalities like Hamilton, Toronto or Ottawa.

by Jake Grant

7. What summer seafood is now a delicacy but was once considered “poor man’s protein”?

8. Which Harry Potter character died on the beach?

9. The person in charge of officiating a baseball game is called what?

10. What is the standard distance for Olympic target archery?

Safe travels to those brave enough to face the 400 highway series to relax by a lake for a few days

Internet safety tips for parents atMonsignor O’Neil: The Internet never forgets

DEBBIE KASMAN

Post Correspondent

Monsignor O’Neil Catholic School hosted IT/Cyber professional Paul Davis to speak to parents and students about Internet safety on June 18. The title of the presentation was, “The Internet Never Forgets.”

Davis brings more than 34 years of IT knowledge and expertise to his speaking engagements. He has presented to more than 1,000,000 students in person and 105,000 virtually from Grades 4 to 12 in Canada and the U.S. He has appeared on CTV News, CBC, Global TV, and Breakfast Television.

Davis spoke to students in Grades 4 through 8 during the day, and to parents in the evening. Students and parents learned firsthand the dangers of Internet use, social media, and online gaming.

Davis says parents give

their kids too much technology at too young an age, while emphasizing that children should not have access to a smart phone until the end of Grade 8.

He also said children should not be given access to social media until the age of 13, and only with strict privacy restrictions in place, and close monitoring by parents.

Davis admits this is a hard line for parents to take. But he says, all you have to say is, “I love you, and it’s my job to keep you safe.” Parents should also remember they are not their child’s friend.

The cyber expert also says that students should never have access to Snapchat, an instant messaging app that allows users to send photos and short videos. Davis calls this “a horrific choice” for kids because it fosters a toxic environment, promotes addiction, shallow communication, and poses severe safety risks.

Davis says students should not have access to Discord before the age of 15. Discord is a free communication platform that allows users to interact via voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and media sharing. It presents hidden dangers due to a mix of anonymity, private servers, and public social spaces. Key risks include predatory behaviour also called cybergrooming.

According to Davis, Instagram at the age of 13 is okay, but with strict privacy restrictions in place, and with the ability for people to like or to comment on posts turned off.

He also cautions that adults and children should never share photos on AI, and TEMU should never be used. The data privacy risks are too extreme.

Davis emphasized that technology should never be allowed in a child’s bedroom, giving the chilling message, “Go home and clear all tech-

Town waives right of refusal on mall property

JEFF HELSDON Editor

Town council did not exercise its right of first refusal on the Tillsonburg Town Centre Mall property.

Development Commissioner Cephas Panschow explained that the town owns the ground lease on 19.5 acres of land under and around the Tillsonburg Town Centre, dating back to 1979.

“Clearly the purpose of the ground lease was for the town to maintain control of what was probably a very risky investment at that time when interest rates were high,” he said.

Saying the mall is a key part of Tillsonburg strong downtown, Panschow added, “The Town Centre Mall has withstood many challenges over the years and come out stronger for it.”

With the mall operator owning the building, and the town owning the ground underneath, the town has first right of refusal before a sale of the mall can take place. The current mall owner, SBLP Tillsonburg Town Centre Inc., has received a satisfactory offer to purchase, which brings the town’s right of refusal into play.

“This is part of ensuring the

mall stays viable, and the town can step in should we desire at some point in the future,” Panschow said.

He recommended not exercising the right of refusal, which is the direction council followed.

After questioning and finding out the agreement is good until 2072, Mayor Deb Gilvesy commented, “The unfortunate part is it’s very restrictive for the town, and it’s not necessarily in the town’s favour. I fully support everything you said about the downtown core being healthy, but this does create some restrictions from the town’s perspective.”

nology out of your child’s bedroom tonight.”

Davis says he’s not an alarmist. He just presents facts. And children are being exposed to pornography at a very young age. There is no way for pornographic images to be unseen once they’ve been seen. There are 100 cases of online luring a month across Canada.

Davis does not support a Canada-wide ban on social media until the age of 16 because he says it won’t work. He says kids will just find a way around the ban and the ban will be delayed through long challenges in the court system.

He says a much better way to keep kids safe is for parents to not let their kids have access to any technology until they are older, to not be given a cell phone until the end of Grade 8, to not be given access to social media until the age of 13, with strict rules and controls in place, and to take charge of their children’s safety themselves rather than

expecting the government to do it.

If parents are concerned their child may have been exposed to a sexual predator online, they can contact Project Arachnid, a world leader in reducing the availability of child sexual abuse material on the Internet, for advice.

Parents can also search ESRB.org to find video game ratings before purchasing a

game for their child and go to Unplugged Canada to support the delaying of cell phones until the age of 14. Davis can be reached at facebook.com/PAULDAVISTIPS, Instagram: followPaulDavis, X: pauldavisSNS or at paul@pauldavis.life. He is the author of Online Safety For Grade 3/4/5/6, the guide for children connected to the Internet, 2025 edition.

Free family fishing derby this weekend

JEFF HELSDON Editor

Ready your fishing rods and tune your tackle as Tillsonburg’s free family fishing derby is this weekend.

The derby starts at 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, at Lake Lisgar. There are lots of prizes, including some for participation. Registration is open until 11 a.m., and all fish must be weighed in by noon.

For those who aren’t regular anglers, the timing of the derby coincides with the province’s free fishing week, meaning a license isn’t required for adults. Normally, adults require a license to fish, but those under 18 do not.

Rosemary and Mike Dean took over the derby 12 years ago after the Kiwanis Club, which they both belonged to and had organized the derby, folded.

“We did it with our kids and didn’t want to see it go by the wayside,” Rosemary said.

Anglers often catch largemouth bass, perch, trout, sunfish, and rock bass in Lake Lisgar. Rosemary said although they don’t encourage it, someone always catches a turtle. There are categories for the largest catfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, trout, most accumulated fish, and most unusual catch.

“Whether it’s an old Coca-Cola bottle,

or whatever, if people catch something bizarre, bring it in,” Rosemary said of the latter category.

There are first, second, and thirdplace winners in each category. Fish are evaluated by length, not weight, and the derby is strictly catch-and-release.

“We tell people to bring them in as soon as they catch them,” Rosemary said. “We provide pails until we run out.”

The majority of the prizes are aimed at youth. Often, even if the adults are fishing, it goes under the name of a youth they are fishing with. But that doesn’t mean that adults can’t enter.

“We want the whole family, grandpa, grandma, whoever to come out and enjoy the day, enjoy our beautiful lake,” Rosemary said.

A kayak is amongst the top prize, along with fishing poles, tackle and general outdoors items.

SuppaSwirl will be on site and donate kiddie cones to all participants. The Rapid Relief Team will be barbecuing hot dogs for participants as well. The OPP Auxiliary will be roaming around the lake talking to participants about water safety.

“It’s watching those families making memories, the kids learning about water safety, the different fish, that’s what the day is all about,” Rosemary concluded.

View, and vote on the Shell of a Place exhibit

JEFF HELSDON Editor

The current exhibit at the Station Arts Centre gives viewers the opportunity to have input into their favourite piece.

Called Shell of a Place, the exhibit opened in conjunction with TurtleFest's official opening and runs until July 24.

“This is the second year where we’ve done this type of exhibit, where we did a call out to all artists for an exhibit to coincide with the opening of TurtleFest,” said Tabitha Verbuyst, executive director/curator. “It also gives the public a chance to participate in the people’s choice award by voting.”

The exhibit theme is connected to turtles and to the fact that they carry their homes on their backs wherever they go.

“It was a nice way to incorporate the idea of home into the overall scene,” Verbuyst said.

For the artists, there is an opportunity to sell their art and win the people’s choice award of $250. Many of them were present at the opening, which drew about 100 people.

“It also gives the artists a chance to participate because there is a chance something will

resonate with the people,” Verbuyst said.

This year’s exhibit contains 43 pieces submitted by 24 artists. These include watercolours, acrylics, oils, pottery, stained glass, jewelry, mixed media, and digital drawings.

“It’s a robust variety of art and art mediums, which is nice,” Verbuyst said.

She was impressed with the increased number of digital entries.

“It’s nice to see those types of artists are pushing through despite AI,” Verbuyst said, adding there is a strict no AI policy for the exhibit

Of the artists whose work is displayed, 75 per cent are all new artists who didn’t participate last year. Most of the artists are based in Oxford County, and all are from the area. Verbuyst was happy some joined as members after taking part.

“I talked to a couple at the opening, and they were ecstatic to be part of something,” she said. “Hopefully it will boost their confidence, and they will continue to be a part of it.”

Maintenance

The exhibit is available for the public to view while the Station Arts Centre is open its normal hours, and during the Canada Day festivities.

Tires

Repairs

Hot music for the first six months of 2026

Halfway through the year seems like the perfect time to take stock of what has been filling my headphones. Between surprise releases, long-awaited comebacks and tracks that quietly grew into favourites over repeated listens, 2026 has already given some heaters.

For this special six-month round-up, I’m looking back at the records and singles that have stayed in rotation long after release day. From rock to punk, folk to country, hip hop to trap and everything in between. Hopefully you can find a new favourite artist today.

A$AP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb (Label: RCA Records) Released Jan. 16, 2026

Very intriguing experimental album from an artist I have never really listen to before. The album felt more like a Tim Burton film than it did a record. A very stylish, shape-shifting record that proves A$AP Rocky can make chaos sound cool.

TeamMate – Keeps Me Spinnin’ EP (Label: self-released) Released Feb. 24, 2026

TeamMate is the Los Angeles duo featuring Argument’s Scott Simons and former Big Hurry member Dani Buncher. This EP features four synth heavy tracks with the perfect dose of Indie pop. The song Yell Fire could, and should, be found during the end credits of your favourite movie, a GTA radio station or a car commercial.

Ye – Bully (Label: YZY/gamma.) Released March 28, 2026

With an original 2025 release date and a few others announced, Bully finally

saw the light of day this past March. Ye’s previous effort happened during an emotional breakdown and ended up being a problematic work of art with tracks like ‘Cousins’, but Bully is something different. Solid beats with obscure samples from tracks by The Clark Sisters, The Moments, Fairouz, The Supremes and Cortex. This album is a fractured and fascinating listen.

Oliver Tree – Love You Madly Hate You Badly (Label: Alien Boy) Released April 24, 2026

The perfect mix of alternative rock, pop and dance music. Intense energy across all 17 tracks with a flowing theme that perfectly describes the difference between love and resentment. This is an album meant to be listened to frontto-back and not just a handful of tracked slammed together. This was Oliver Tree’s fourth album and sadly his last. The genius behind this masterpiece tragically passed away June 14, 2026.

sleepypuppy77 – im up now :3 (Label: self-released) Released May 1, 2026

This is an infectious one. A single with clever lyrics that has the perfect balance of humour and seriousness that gets you singing along. A solid beat produced by Rio Leyva, who has also done work with Drake. sleepypuppy77 seems like it could be a joke or meme, but is treading in legendary status territory.

Dallas Good + Richard Reed Parry –Were The Watchtowers (Label: Yep Rock) Released June 26th 2026

These nine songs are the final recordings of The Sadies’ Dallas Good before his unexpected passing in 2022. This collaboration also features Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, who made sure this project got completed. This album is full of dreamy folk-tinged Americana with country vibes that tell timeless stories. Dallas’ pals are all over this record, including Margaret Atwood, Neko Case, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, as well as his brother Travis and his father Bruce. The final track ‘Not In This World’ features a choir of over 500 of Dallas’ friends. It is just as haunting as it is beautiful.

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Campbell’s Hockey Hall of Fame banners to hang in Tillsonburg

JEFF HELSDON Editor

The wall of Tillsonburg Memorial Arena has some new artwork.

The banner that hung in the Hockey Hall of Fame’s front window announcing Tillsonburg resident Colin Campbell as one of the inductees in 2024 now hangs in Memorial Arena.

“Once he was inducted, we brought it up at the next meeting of the sports and recreation committee,” said Julie Dawley, Manager of Recreation Programs and Services for the town. “I think it was Andrea (Greenway) who suggested it.”

Dawley made arrangements to purchase the banner after it was removed from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Although Campbell’s induction was two years ago this fall, Dawley said the banner wasn’t unveiled until the Tillsonburg Sports Hall of Fame dinner this spring, as the event is held every other year. The banner was on the stage at the event.

Campbell explained the banners typically end up in

the arena of the team an inductee played for. However, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder for his work as Senior Vice-President and Director of Hockey Operations.

“Normally, the NHL teams you played for have a night (to mark the banner unveiling), but I worked for all the teams,” he said.

In a career that spanned more than 50 years, and is still going, Campbell played in the NHL, won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach, worked as Senior Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations, and saw his son Gregory win both the Memorial and Stanley Cups. His first exposure to hockey was in the arena where the Hockey Hall of Fame banner now hangs.

Mayor Deb Gilvesy gave credit to Dawley for bringing the banner to town after the idea was raised at the sports and rec committee.

“Of course, everyone was wholeheartedly behind it,” she added.

Two smaller banners came with the larger one. Dawley said one of those will hang in the Colin Campbell Arena.

Red Sox battle in Byron tourney, come up short

GRAHAM NICKERSON

Post Contributor

London shut out Sox in hard-fought opener

In their closest and most thrilling game played this year, the Tillsonburg Red Sox took on host London Falcons at Norm Aldridge Field in the opening tilt of the Byron Tournament on June 26.

The Red Sox assigned mound duty to Fish Verschueren, who was pitted against former London Major journeyman Braeden Ferrington. Both teams throwing their aces in what was advertised to be the toughest competition on the schedule. Verscheuren’s overpowering fastball and slider combination contrasted with Ferrington’s assortment of off-speed junk balls made the study of the dueling hurlers all the more interesting.

In the second, Jordan Vitias stroked a long double to right to lead off the inning but would be stranded there as the heart of the order failed to advance him any further. Speedy second baseman Kent Collings bunted for a one-out base hit in the third but would be left on when the third out was made.

Pitching with one out in the bottom of

the third, Verschueren hung a slider that was driven deep over the left field hedges for a solo home run by Curtis Arteoga. The slight crack in the otherwise unshakeable façade of Fish was his only real blemish of the game and it gave London a 1-0 advantage.

For Ferrington’s part, he would show signs of fatigue in the fifth after singles from Jeff Prouse and Collings, followed by a walk to Owen West loaded the bases. With one out, shortstop Brodie Van Rybroeck popped out to shallow center then Verschueren bounced out to end the Tillsonburg threat.

The Falcons tacked on an insurance run when at bat in the sixth after Hector Ruiz reached on a bobbled ball at short, swiped second and third then trotted home on an overthrow trying to nip the runner rolled into left field.

Verschueren’s complete-game two-hit, eight-strike-out gem resulted in the loss while Ferrington nabbed the win, going the distance giving up five hits, one walk and striking out three.

Tillsonburg…..…….….000 000 0 – 0 5 3 London………………….001

Kincardine clubs Tillsonburg in game two

It was a must win game for the Red Sox as they returned to Aldridge Field for their Saturday morning match-up against the Kincardine Cubs. Perhaps the Sox were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes at first pitch as they started out sluggish allowing the Cubs to pounce for multiple runs early.

The sure and steady right arm of Paxton Bale got the start for Tillsonburg. After escaping the first with a runner on third, Kincardine pushed through for two runs in the second when a ball scooted through second baseman Collings’ glove, followed by a free pass put two on with one out. A single and fielder’s choice by the eighth and ninth hitters gave the Lake Huron boys the lead.

The Cubs piled on three more runs in the third with a trio of singles and a bases-clearing double by Arthur McBride. Kincardine was looking to add to their total in the fourth, running wild on the basepaths. After letting up a stolen base to Cubs catcher Casey Jones, backstop Vitias gunned out two would be burglars in back-to-back at bats. Bale took the last batter himself to limit the damage to two

runs.

Tillsonburg manufactured baserunners in innings two through seven, but some unlucky twists of fate stopped their momentum flat. Tim Thiessen got caught stealing on a 3-0 pitch to start the third. In his Red Sox debut, Ethan Scemen bounced into two inning-ending double plays in the fourth and sixth.

The only Red Sox runs came in the dying breaths of the game when a victory was all but out of reach. To start the sixth, a long double by Collings, followed up by a Rob Verhoeve single, plated Collings. Similarly in the seventh, Owen West doubled then came home on an Iron Ring Rachar RBI single.

Kincardine…..…….…000

Red Sox scratch out win over St. Thomas to salvage tournament

The Red Sox found their form by the third game, but it was too-little too-late as their loss earlier in the day eliminated them from playoff contention.

The Sox came swinging out of the gate when Rachar batted the first pitch he saw up the middle for a clean single. Verhoeve

Red Sox battle in Byron tourney, come up short

knocked out a base hit followed by an RBI single to left by Vitias to jump out to an early 3-0 lead. One more run was tacked on the following inning when Ky Miners led off with an infield single, swiped second then advanced to third on a throwing error. Collings rapped his offering to left to score Miners.

Vitias took to the hill for Tillsonburg in a fine effort, going four innings of three-hit ball. The former Williston State College (North Dakota) and Madonna University (Michigan) standout pitcher showed off his defensive side, flashing the leather in the second when a comebacker skipped the mound, making a behind-the-back no-look stab, came up with the ball and easily lobbed it onto first for the second out.

Vitias maintained his cool intensity for two more innings, only being touched for two runs in the fourth, one of which was earned on two hits, a walk and an error.

Miners relieved Vitias to start the fifth, and faced the minimum, striking out three to keep the Railway City at bay.

Tillsonburg iced the game in the fifth

when they sent eight men to the plate in a three-run two-out rally that knocked Cardinal starter Tom Bugeja out of the game. Before the Sox could take their turn at bat in the sixth, the game was called due to the two-hour time limit.

Tillsonburg played good ball over the weekend with contributions from up and down the lineup and will be riding a wave of momentum when they travel to Port Dover June 30 to take on the Clippers in regular season action.

St. Thomas…..…….……000 200 – 2 3

Tillsonburg……………310 03X – 7 8 1

Injury updates

Following their game against St. Thomas, Kent Collings had knee discomfort resulting from a slide on a stolen base. He received medical treatment and it was revealed that the fine-fielding second baseman suffered a torn meniscus and will miss at least all of July. Kid Appleford will not be returning to the lineup for the rest of the season after tearing his rotator cuff in a workplace mishap.

Three teams unbeaten in Tillsonburg Slo-Pitch

We enter this week with three unbeaten teams left in Tillsonburg Slo-Pitch. Cooks Concrete Jays continue to dominate the ladies’ league while 1,2, Seal Insulation Hawks and Pelicans both have zeros in the loss column in men's league play.

Some exciting news for present, and future, participants as town council approved a motion to go forward in seeking public input into creating a new sports facility with four diamonds on Mall Road, just behind Wellmaster. It will now be up for public debate and consultations. The leagues are growing, with the population increasing rapidly. It would be vital for this project to go forward!.

Men's Division 1

One team that has been hot lately is the Hit N Run squad, who have reeled off three wins over their last four outings. 1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks are cruising through the regular season, winning twice last week over Hit N Run and the Cubs. The Mill sit solidly in second as they defeated Cobra Chickens on Tuesday night. Sunspace/BillKlynCarpentry collected their second victory, finally coming out on top in a close decision against the Cubs.

The Mill-25, Cobra Chickens-17

The Mill-Darren Pace 6-6; Bryan Deblaire 4-5, HR; Tim Morgan 4HR; Brooks Scharr HR; Jeremy Roy HR.

Cobra-Nick Blatz 4-4; Wyatt Blatz 3-4; Marcus Peters 2HR; Caleb Reimer; Mith Fehr HR.

Game Synopsis-Tim Morgan led the winners with four home runs and four runs scored. Lead-off batter Mike Supinski also scored four runs.

Hit N Run-25, Sunspace/Bill Klyn Carpentry-9

Hit N Run-Daniel Unger 5-5; Johnny Unger 4-4; Martin Klassen 2 HR; Diedrich Klassen 3 HR; John Wiebe HR; David Klassen HR.

Sunspace-Alex Dalby 2-2

Game Synopsis-Diedrich Klassen homered in three consecutive at-bats, driving in seven.

Hit N Run-30, Leeswood Construction Dirty Mitts-22

Hit N Run-Diedrich Klassen 5-5; John Wiebe 5-5, 2 HR; Daniel Unger 3 HR; Jacob Klassen 2 HR.

Leeswood-Ryan Blackman 4-4; Tim Townsend 4-5; Travis Nikin HR; Thom Puhr HR.

Game Synopsis-John Wiebe homered three times and drove in seven for Hit N Run.

1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks-19, Hit N Run13

Hawks-Johnny Klassen 4-4; Martin Klassen 4-4, HR; Cam Bueckert HR; Peter Epp HR; Ben Bueckert HR; Jesee Hiebert HR; Johnny Epp HR.

Hit N Run-Franky Klassen 4-4; Diedrich Klassen 4-5; Daniel Unger 2 HR.

Game Synopsis-A big seven -un fifth keyed the Hawks win, Martin Klassen hit a three -un homer in the rally.

1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks-31, Cubs-13

Hawks-Johnny Epp 5-5, HR; Daniel Klassen 6-6, HR; Cam Bueckert HR; Jesse Hiebert HR; Jake Klassen HR; Johnny Klassen 2 HR. Cubs-Joel Dyck 4-4; Ivan Dyck 4-4, 2 HR; Johnathan Dyck HR.

Game Synopsis-Johnny Epp hit for the cycle for the winners.

Sunspace/Bill Klyn Carpentry-17, Cubs16

Sunspace-Alex Dalby 3-3, 2 HR; Kyle McDougall 4-5; Ryan Miller HR; Jake Millar HR.

Cubs-Chris Dyck 4-4, 2 HR; John Klassen 3-4 Dave Peters HR Joel Dyck HR Frank Klassen HR

Game Synopsis-Sunspace rallied with three runs in the seventh, walking it off on Jake Millar 's base hit.

Men’s Division 2

At My Playground/IQT Logistics collected a pair of big wins last week, beating All Seasons Estate Care Bandits and Sticky Bandits moving themselves to within one point of second-place All Seasons. Pelicans remained unbeaten, defeating Designated Drinkers by six. The Drinkers had earlier in the week earned their second victory, defeating Papa's Auto Spa. Mavericks won over Papa's as well. Sticky Bandits and Underhill Farm Supply collected the other division victories.

Quackheads-21, Underhill Farm Supply-15

Quackheads-Jim Long 4-5; Bob Long 4-5; Rob Wong HR.

Underhill-Dave Phipps 5-5, HR; Troy Sebok 4-4.

Game Synopsis-Quackheads scored eight

seventh-inning runs to pull this one out. Bob Long and Rob Wong each scored three runs on the night.

Mavericks-19, Papa's Auto Spa-10

Mavericks-Chris Hass 5-5; Dom Falkins 4-4, HR; Jason Landry HR. Papa's-Dylan Denomy 4-5; Mitch McMullen 4-4.

Game Synopsis-Jason Landry had a big game for the Mavericks, homering and scoring four runs.

Sticky Bandits-15, Strike Force-12 Bandits-Tyson Krahn 5-5, HR; Nicky Knelsen 5-5; Toby Rempel HR. Strike-Herman Enns 3-4; Johnny Klassen 3-4.

Game Synopsis-The Bandits scored multiple runs in every inning but the second. Tyson Krahn homered and scored three runs.

Pelicans-13, Designated Drinkers-7

Pelicans-Jeff Cadotte 3-3; Steve Leacock 3-4. Drinkers-Matt Barker 3-4, HR; Nick Hynes 3-4.

Game Synopsis-Pelicans broke open a tie game with a six-run sixth. Jeff Cadotte 's tworun scoring triple was the key blow.

At My Playground/IQT Logistics-7, All Seasons Estate Care Bandits-2

A.M.P.-Logan Savoy 2-2; Logan Partlo 2-2. Bandits-Jake Sawatsky 4-4; Adam Klassen 3-4.

Game Synopsis-A.M.P. scored all of their runs in just two innings.

AM.P./IQT Logistics-12, Sticky Bandits-7

A.M.P.-Trevor Nunn 3-3, HR; Trent Lamb 4-4.

Bandits-Andew Knelsen 3-3; Toby Rempel

Three teams unbeaten in Tillsonburg Slo-Pitch

3-3; Kurtis Friesen 2 HR.

Game Synopsis-Trent Masschaele crossed the plate three times for the winners.

Designated Drinkers-16, Papa's Auto Spa-7

Drinkers-Johnny Abele 5-5; Brent Sproule 4-4. Papa's-Jesse Legg 3-3; Zach Vanderhaeghe 3-3; Shawn Brooks HR.

Game Synopsis-The Drinkers rallied for 10 in their final at bat to erase a one-run deficit.

Men’s Division 3

There is no team left undefeated in this group as Sluggers handed Sandy Shore Brew Jays their first loss, splitting a doubleheader between the two teams. Bird's Golf registered their first victory edging out Wolfpack. Beer Bombers mercied Bird's and drew a tie with Wolfpack. John Beere sit comfortably in third after edging Beer Bombers.

Bird's Golf-11, Wolfpack-10

Bird's-David Klassen 4-4; Jake Froese 4-4, 2 HR. Wolfpack-Terry Jones 4-4; Tyler Marques 3-4; Ryan Copping HR.

Game Synopsis-Jake Froese's solo homer in the sixth won it for the nine-men Bird's squad.

Sandy Shore Brew Jays-17, Sluggers-10

Sandy Shore-Evan Prouse 4-4; Mike Schmeltz 3-3.

Sluggers-Tyler Rowe 3-3; Jake Superales 2-3; George Goertzen HR; Nick Wells HR.

Game Synopsis-A big nine -run seventh helped the winners pull this one out.

Sluggers-22, Sandy Shore Brew Jays-11

Sluggers-Jake Superales 4-4; George Goertzen 4-4, HR.

Sandy Shore-J.D.Collier 4-4; Tyler Smith 4-4.

Game Synopsis-Sluggers weren't letting this one slip away as they put up six in the sixth.

John Beere-11, Beer Bombers-10

John Beere-Brandon Reaney 4-4; Lucas Lebel 4-4. Bombers-Brenden Vink 3-3; Nate Murphy 3-3.

Game Synopsis-Shawn Ryerse had the walk-off base hit for John Beere.

Beer Bombers-25, Bird's Golf-10

Bombers-Brenden Vink 4-4; Quinton Vink 4-4. Bird's--Josh Townsend 3-3; Matt Wood 4-4.

Game Synopsis-Eleven of 12 Bombers batters scored at least one run, Brenden Vink crossed four times.

Beer Bombers-15 , Wolfpack-15

Bombers-Nick Vessayan 4-4, HR; Adam VanDyk 3-3; Kaleb Kloepfer 2 HR; Carter Spence HR. Wolfpack-Jarryd Roest 4-5; Matt Pitt 4-4.

Game Synopsis-Bombers tied the game up in the seventh, scoring four. Kaleb Kloepfer's second homer of the game tied it.

Men’s Division 4

N.I.M. scored 21 runs in each of their two wins this past week. Diamond Kings scored a five-run victory over Smokin Bases. Smokin rebounded with a 10- run win over R.L.P. Melanie Luksys.

Smokin Bases-24 R.L.P., Melanie Luksys-14

Smokin-Chris Foresman 4-5; Jeff Sousa 5-5; Tim Miners 2 HR. R.L.P.-Ryan Gradish 2-2; Braeden Redling 3-3; Landon Boughner HR.

Game Synopsis-Tim Miners led the winners with a pair of homers and four runs scored, John Gignac crossed five times.

Diamond Kings-12, Smokin Bases-7

Diamond-George Klassen 4-4; Johnny Wall 4-4; Henry Froese HR.

Smokin-Jeff Sousa 2-3; Wade Kirby 2-3.

Game Synopsis-Henry Froese was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle for the winners.

N.I.M.-21, Tornadoes-13

N.I.M.-Justin Dygos 4-4; Jeff Wheeler 4-4.

Tornadoes-Reese Ashford 3-3; Tyler Bouck 3-4, HR.

Game Synopsis-Ten of 11 of the winner’s order scored at least one run.

N.I.M.-21, Diamond Kings-6

N.I.M.-Corey Chambers 5-5; Riley Culp 4-4.

Diamond-Ben Bueckert 3-3; Andrew Friesen 2-3.

Game Synopsis-Riley Culp and Corey Chambers each scored four runs for the winners.

Ladies’ Division

Cooks Concrete Jays doubled up Simmonds Mortgages to keep their undefeated season alive. They started off the week with a mercy of Queen Bees. Simmonds won the second half of their doubleheader, coming out with a lopsided result over Queen Bees, after Queen Bees had come to within three of the lead. Sunspace/Bill Klyn Carpentry have increased their winning streak to five games after victories over Resting Pitch Face and Wildcats. Foldens also won twice defeating Wildcats and Resting.

Foldens Machine Works-12, Wildcats-5 Foldens-Andrea Deblaire 3-3; Ashley Aker 3-3.

Wildcats-Ling Wong 4-4; Jordan Triska 2-3.

Game Synopsis-Amber Woolgar and Mackenzie Brackenbury each scored three runs for Foldens.

Sunspace/Bill Klyn Carpentry-14, Wildcats-3

Sunspace-Tammy Griswold 4-4; Becky Caza 3-3.

Wildcats-Christine Phillips 2-3; Tracey Coderre 3-3.

Game Synopsis-Kim Hurd, Courtney Lukawiecki and Chani Homewood hit doubles for the winners.

Sunspace/Bill Klyn Carpentry-13, Resting Pitch Face-7

Sunspace-Missy Falkins 4-4; Chani Homewood 4-4.

Resting-Michelle Socholotiuk 3-4; Sara Sohm 3-4.

Game Synopsis-Chani Homewood's double was the only extra base hit for the winners.

Cooks Concrete Jays-20, Queen Bees-1 Cooks-Sara Dyck 4-4; Tracy Shackleton 4-4.

Queen Bees-Emma Ferris 2-2; Sam Norman 2-2.

Game Synopsis-Jess Dyck reached and scored in all four plate appearances for the winners.

Foldens Machine Works-15, Resting Pitch Face-3 Foldens-Trisha Mckenzie 4-4; Teresa Snedden 4-4.

Resting-Taylor McLean 3-3; Kayla Cummings 2-2.

Game Synopsis-Amber Woolgar, Teresa Snedden and Mandi Vickers each scored three runs for the winners.

Simmonds Mortgages-17, Queen Bees-6 Simmonds-Kyla Long 4-5; Brooklyn Carroll 5-5.

Queen Bees-Sam Norman 4-4; Carolyn Vanlagen 4-4.

Game Synopsis-Queen Bees had a big four-run fifth to keep the game close momentarily.

Cooks Concrete Jays-12, Simmonds Mortgages-6 Cooks-Maddi Obar 4-4; Deanna Laemers 3-3.

Simmonds-Shannon Oneill 4-4; Rachel Boyd 3-3.

Game Synopsis-Cooks got some great defense from third base as Melissa Hughes fielded and threw well, Kirstie Jones made an outstanding diving catch in left field.

New exhibit highlights the history and art of decoy making

OUTDOORS

A hand-carved duck decoy is part utility and part art, with a mix of history thrown in on some occasions.

The opening of the Davidson Decoy Gallery Collection offers an insight into the world of hand-carved decoys, and gives visitors a chance to see some of Ontario’s finest examples of decoy carving. Situated in the Backus Education Centre outside of Port Rowan, the gallery is situated in an area steeped in waterfowling history. Carvers of the area are known by collectors across the continent.

The use of decoys to lure waterfowl into range for harvesting dates back to ancient Egypt. In North Ameri-

ca, Indigenous peoples used decoys to bring ducks into bow-and-arrow range. Research has found reeds were a common base for Indigenous decoys. Decoy-making advanced in the 1800s, when market hunters carved wooden decoys, examples of which are highly prized by collectors today.

Wooden decoys continued to be used by the average hunter into the mid-20th century, when cheaper plastic displaced them from common use. Some of the Long Point hunt clubs still use wooden decoys to this day. As the use of rougher hunting blocks declined, decoy carving grew as an art form, with the detail of both carving and painting reaching new heights.

The Davidson Decoy Gallery is a modern, well-lit display of decoys not only from the Long Point area but also from other areas across the entire province. The local display includes examples of decoys from the Reeves family, who are renowned across North America. Divided up into sections based on the carvers’ home areas, it tells the story of waterfowling through more than 100 decoys. It also includes several examples of modern artistic carvers, including world champions such as Pat Godin, Jeffrey Krete, and Paul Burdette.

The tale of how the gallery came into being was revealed at an opening ceremony this spring. Backus curator Chloe Anna gave credit to Long Point Region Conservation Authority – which owns the Backus Conservation Area – general manager Judy Maxwell and former curator Sarah Pointer, but said the real credit goes to Bruce Malcolm and Tom Davidson.

“Without their help, this wouldn’t be a thing,” she said. “They’re super passionate and know so much about waterfowling history.”

The journey to the display began with a phone call from Davidson, a hunter at the Lee Brown Marsh, to the marsh manager, Kim Brown.

“It started with a phone call to Kim, and I asked if there was anywhere we could buy or rent a building. He described this place,” Davidson said at the opening.

Brown was surprised at the call.

“I was in shock,” he said. “I’d seen his collection, and it was unbelievable.”

After Davidson drove to see the facility, the wheels were put in motion.

Davidson also met local Bruce Malcolm, who has

been collecting decoys for 55 years. In addition to loaning their own decoys for the display, the two sourced decoys from elsewhere.

Malcolm was behind the Canadian Decoy and Outdoor Collectible Association, of which he is a member, bringing their annual show to Backus last fall. Some of the members donated decoys at that time, and the show is coming back on Sept. 19.

Davidson, who lives near Caledon, hunted the Long Point area for 45 years, at Lee Brown Marsh for 35 years, and was a member of the former Bluff’s Hunting Club on Long Point. He has a passion for the area, saying there is nowhere the hunting is better than at Long Point.

“Our objective was to pay tribute to the great carvers of the past and try to entice collectors of the future,” he said of the display.

The gallery is open until Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday. Extended hours are planned for the fall, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in September and October, to allow waterfowl hunters in the area to see the display.

National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated in Tillsonburg

In an effort to bring forward the Indigenous culture, the Tillsonburg and District Historical Society hosted its fifth National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June 21 at Memorial Park.

Under a bright, sunny sky, Eagle Flight Drum and Singers from London performed in front of a gathering of about 200 people.

“Eagle Flight is very well known in powwows,” said David Morris, president of the Tillsonburg & District Historical Society. “They’ve been around for about 20 years now, and Gordon (Nicotine-Sands) does an excellent job in terms of commentary as well.

“Last year, Robyn Michaud ran the show – she’s originally from Tillsonburg – and she’s here today to help out with the production,” said Morris.

“I grew up in this community,” said Michaud, who attended elementary and secondary school in Tillsonburg in the 1970s and 80s, “and learned nothing about Indigenous People. It took me moving away from Tillsonburg, moving to Toronto, connecting with community members, to know my own culture. Interestingly, years later I realized that there were classmates of mine at the same time that I didn’t know were Indigenous – and they didn’t know I was Indigenous. Everybody was going through the same thing, where you have this identity in this small town, and no one there to help you understand what that means.”

Years later, Michaud returned for a time to teach at Annandale school, and today lives in Oxford County.

“Being able to come back to Tillsonburg, it’s like a full circle moment for me… be-

cause I get to bring back all of the things that I didn’t get to learn growing up. I don’t fault my teachers, my teachers didn’t know what they didn’t know, and they never learned it themselves to be able to teach us.

“We talk about reconciliation, and reconciliation is about friendship and mutual respect. This is the fifth year the historical society has had this event, and each year the crowd gets bigger. The respect grows, the relationship grows.

“I am seeing it more and more in different cities like Woodstock, and in Tillsonburg and Ingersoll and Delhi, they are starting to be much more interested in learning about different cultures and celebrating different cultures… because you’re living side-by-side with people from different cultures and it’s a learning experience. I love it when people see that as a positive. That they can learn and become

“I think that is the most important thing in 2026, bringing something that is celebratory here to town. People get to share in the culture, enjoy some food, see some craft vendors, and really get to know our communities in a very positive way.”

The first three National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations in Tillsonburg were held at the soccer park, on land that was home to a large Attawandaron village, one of the largest known Indigenous villages in Canada from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The discovery was made in 2000-2001 when the soccer park was first developed.

“It wasn’t really known what was there until they brought in the equipment and started to shape the land,” said Morris. “It was an old tobacco field. All of a sudden, things started to appear.”

better people by learning more about other people around them.”

One of Michaud’s favourite parts of a pow-wow, and the celebration in Tillsonburg, is the intertribal dance, when everyone in the audience is invited to participate.

“That’s kind of my role today, I’m going to walk around and try to get people out there, and show them. It takes the fear out of it when you’re invited to share in the culture. It was the most beautiful part of the celebration last year, everybody got up and danced. It’s welcoming and sharing, and people were so grateful. I think that was the one thing that stood out for me, is how much gratitude there was from the people of Tillsonburg that we were holding this event in our town.”

Michaud said the event is an opportunity to start ‘building the positive.’

After work by Archaeologix, Inc., it was discovered there had been up to 17 longhouses – big longhouses – with more evidence uncovered nearby in a later archeological investigation, although not as significant as the main site. Research documents are located at Annandale National Historic Site.

“When we first considered doing this five years ago, we realized that we really don’t have a lot of contact with Indigenous People here in Tillsonburg, although there are Indigenous People,” said Morris.

A provincial heritage plaque at the Attawandaron village site is still in the works.

“The other thing I would like to do is some sort of a picture board, a detailed picture board of the background for the village,” said Morris. “In the studies, they have a very nice map showing its location.”

The National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration in Tillsonburg was financially supported by a grant from the federal government.

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY

Learning on the job at a chef’s table in Grenada

Chef Janice hands me an apron, a large, very sharp knife, and a cutting board. “Chop this onion,” she says.

Fast forward a few minutes. Chef Janice examines my work… and I fail. “No, chop it much finer than that.” Lesson learned.

I was standing behind the chef’s table at the Mount Cinnamon Beach and Wellness Resort in St. George’s, Grenada. I was invited to Grenada as a member of an eight-person group of Canadian travel journalists.

To tell the truth, I probably should not have been included on the trip. Because places like Grenada do like to introduce new travel media to their destination, and when it comes to this wonderful island in the east Caribbean, I am not new. This was my third visit to Grenada, and I hope it won’t be my last.

In my job, one should be focused on new, international destinations, I suppose. But there is a short list of amazing places that I would love to return to, again and again. Ireland, for example. The southern tip of Italy. South-west England. And Grenada is definitely on that list.

So, when they invite me, I go. But while there, I figure that I should do my best to find new and different experiences to write about.

Being a sous-chef to Chef Janice fit that category perfectly.

Food is an increasingly important element of travel, anywhere in the world.

More and more people are building travel itineraries around opportunities to enjoy local cuisine. Others may not make food number one, but still want to experience local food and drink.

It’s the opposite of what may still happen in large, all-inclusive resorts, where they offer food they think their guests – especially Americans – are comfortable with. I don’t want “comfort” – I want “authentic”.

When our group arrived for our visit to Mount Cinnamon, the chef’s table was set for the eight of us. But when our host asked, “Would anyone like to assist the chef?”, two of us immediately raised our hands, and were designated sous ¬–or maybe something lower than “sous” –chefs for the duration.

We stood behind the chef’s table, which was spread with an amazing array of ingredients. Some were obvious – large, freshly caught filets of fish (which turned out to be Mahi Mahi), the aforementioned onions, garlic, tomatoes, lettuce. But then there were the many ramekins, filled with colourful and aromatic spices.

That made sense. Grenada brands itself as “the spice of the Caribbean.” Later in our visit, we toured the Belmont Estate, known for fantastic chocolate, but where our guide, Kelly, began at a table laden with about three dozen kinds of fruits, nuts and spices, all grown commercially on the estate.

Just as the national symbol for Canada is the maple leaf, Grenada’s symbol is nutmeg, the signature spice of the island.

So while my colleague and I were assigned the more easily identified elements – onions, garlic, tomatoes – Chef Janice added a delicious and mysterious mix of spices to the food we were preparing.

After I was released – we won’t say “fired” – from my culinary duties, and had enjoyed the amazing meal we had prepared, I checked out the menu in the adjacent restaurant. The list of ingredients in the various dishes was mouth-watering:

toasted coconut, rosemary, chives, chili oil, ginger, passionfruit, citrus, capers, thyme, cilantro, lemon, turmeric aioli, lime, tamarind chutney, mango, mint, parsley, basil, cinnamon, and more. Virtually all fresh from the island. And these are just the seasonings that accent the main ingredients!

The meal I – well, mostly not I – eventually served started with a very tasty Callaloo Soup (Callaloo is a leafy plant; the green soup included coconut milk, garlic, onion, chili peppers and pinches of sundry amazing spices from the magic ramekins.)

The main course was grilled Mahi Mahi garnished with tomato, onion and pineapple salsa, sauteed local vegetables (including chunks of yellow pumpkin), and twicebaked potatoes. I was involved in all of this… but, shall we say, my learning curve was a factor. I was cautioned not to overstir the vegetables, and when it came time to plate the meal, I forgot to start with the lettuce leaf that was supposed to be under the veggies. So… I got that one. A victim

of my own incompetence.

Although as I enjoyed every single bite of an amazing meal featuring fresh, local Grenadian ingredients and unique tastes, I did not feel at all victimized. Mostly, I felt lucky.

Local spices, fruits, vegetables and seafood are in evidence everywhere in Grenada, from the restaurants and pubs to the stalls in St. George’s Market to the hillsides where what might appear to be forests are actually orchards where foods like nutmeg or papaya grow on trees that shelter the soil beneath them, where other foods and spices grow.

There are lots of reasons to visit Grenada – more about this in coming months – but for any visitor, the amazing local cuisine should be high on your list.

Paul Knowles is an author and travel writer, and Past-President of the Travel Media Association of Canada. To contact Paul about travel, his books, or speaking engagements, email pknowles@golden. net.

Why did the rope go to the doctor? It had a knot in its stomach.

What kind of witch lives at the beach? A sandwich.

How did Burger King propose to his girlfriend? With an onion ring.

What do you call a rabbit with the sniffles? A runny bunny.

Why did Peter Pan always fly and never stop? Because he could never land.

What word of only three syllables contains 26 letters? Alphabet.

What did the bee say when he returned to the hive?

"Honey, I'm home"

How do you keep someone in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow.

LOUIE

COMING EVENTS

JULY

JULY 17 & 18

BRANTFORD UKULELE FESTIVAL

Tickets for the 2026 Brantford Ukulele Festival, set for July 17th and 18th are going fast! Register before April 17th to get in on the Early Bird special. Get details on performers, workshops and more at brantfordukulelesociety.org.

JULY 19 | 2 PM DECORATION DAY FOR FORESTVILLE CEMETERIES

Hillcrest Cemetery, 638 Charlotteville Road 1, Forestville Rain or shine. Bring your lawn chair, a friend, and umbrella. Music will be provided by “Blue Chicory”. Everyone welcome!

ONGOING

CLASSES, CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

3RD TUE. OF MONTH | 6:30 - 8:30 PM CAREGIVER CONNECTION

Revel Realty Woodstock, 111 Huron Street (Virutal/ hyrbid options available)

Are you worried about your child or youth? Parents and Caregivers for Mental Health (PCMH) is here to listen, support, and walk alongside you on this journey. Our free Caregiver Connection peer support groups offer parents and caregivers a community of support. Can’t make it in person? Join one of our virtual or hybrid groups! Visit family.cmho.org or email oxfordcounty@pcmh.ca for more information.

STARTS 7 PM THE TILLSONBURG & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS MUSIC ON THE LAWN Annandale N.H.S. , 30 Tillson Avenue

JUNE 28 - “Wadley’s Station”

JULY 5 - “Vance Czerwinski”

JULY 12 - “George Fulop”

JULY 19 - “North Shore Ramblers”

JULY 26 - “1962” – Cindy McMaster

AUGUST 2 – “Blue Sky” – Archie Wright

AUGUST 9 – “ Kickin Kountry”

AUGUST 16 – “North Shore Ramblers”

BEGINNING AT 6:30 PM

AUGUST 23 – “George Fulop”

AUGUST 30 – “Blue Sky” – Archie Wright

Bring your own lawn chairs. (Music may be cancelled at short notice due to weather. Call 226-970-1432 for cancellations.) Goodwill offering will be taken.

OXFORD COUNTY DIABETES EDUCATION PROGRAM

Appointments are available at Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll and Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital and by phone

Are you looking for support with your Diabetes? Our Team of Registered Nurses, Registered Dietitians and a Social Worker is here to support YOUR goals. We can help with medication adjustments, lifestyle and diet changes, stress management, weight reduction strategies and more. SELF REFERRALS ARE WELCOME. Please call 519-485-9611 to book an appointment. Let’s work together!

MONDAYS | 7 - 9 PM

MODERN SQUARE DANCING IS FOR YOU! Thames Valley Dance Club

Looking for something to do in the evening or something new to try? Modern square dancing is a great way to learn something new, have fun, meet new friends, relieve stress, and get some exercise! All you need is comfortable shoes and casual

clothing. No experience or partner is required and anyone over the age of 12 is welcome (children from 12-15 with an adult, please). The 2025-2026 season has started at the Ingersoll Pipe Band Hall, 108 Wonham St. S. Ingersoll. The first night is free, and after that the cost is $7.50 per person each Monday, paid monthly at the start of the month. For more information, contact Julie at 519-535-3314.

2ND TUES. OF MONTH (SEPT. TO MAY) | 2 - 4 PM 4TH TUES. OF MONTH (SEPT. TO MAY) | 7 - 9 PM

OXFORD PHILATELIC SOCIETY

Church of the Epiphany, 560 Dundas Street, Woodstock Ontario N4S 1C7

If you have never belonged to a stamp club, now's the time. Meet new friends, grow your knowledge and collection. Contact: Don Eaton dhfe@silomail.com. Website: http://www. rpsc.org/chapters/oxford

3RD WED. OF MONTH | 10 AM - NOON LYNN RIVER PROBUS CLUB

Army, Navy & Air Force Club, Simcoe, ON. Corner of Water St. and Culver St. Simcoe. Enter via Culver St. Our retired and semi-retired members enjoy diverse interest groups, friendship and fellowship. We have interesting speakers at our monthly meetings as well as time to socialise. Current and prospective members are welcome to join us at the Army, Navy & Air Force Club, Simcoe, which is on the corner of Water St. and Culver St. Simcoe. Enter via Culver St. For more information, please visit our website at: lynnriverprobus239.com or email lynnriverprobus239@gmail. com

TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS | 7 - 9 PM

SATURDAYS | 10 AM - 12 PM

LEARN BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (BJJ)

North Broadway Baptist Church

Thanks to donor support, we’ve been able to purchase mats and uniforms, and our instructors generously volunteer their time. This isn’t a business—any donations go straight back into the program to help buy more uniforms, mats, and equipment. If it’s within your means, a $20 monthly donation helps support the program, but if not, classes are completely free. Classes are open to anyone 14 and older. If you’d like to try a class, please arrive about 15 minutes early to sign waivers and get fitted for a uniform. Information can be found at: https://www.northbroadwaychurch.ca/nbmfa, https://www. facebook.com/northbroadwaymfa, https://www.instagram. com/northbroadwaymfa/ Inquires can be made at: nbmfa@ northbroadwaychurch.ca

EVERY OTHER FRIDAY | 1 - 4 PM

SPRING INTO THE INGERSOLL COUNTRY MUSIC JAMBOREE

Masonic Hall, 190 Thames St. S., Ingersoll

Join us, walk ins welcome. Qualifications - love 50-70's country music. Perform, listen, dance & enjoy! May 1, 15 & 29, June 5 & 19.

FRIDAYS | 1 PM INTERESTED IN BRIDGE?

JOIN US AT THE TILLSONBURG DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB

Tillsonburg Senior Centre - 45 Hardy Ave, Tillsonburg Don’t have a partner? Come anyway and we will match you up with someone. For more information, visit their Facebook page: TburgBridge.

SATURDAYS, JUNE 6 - SEPT. 19 | 10 AM - 4 PM

PLATTSVILLE & DISTRICT HERITAGE SOCIETY

Archive & Museum at Chesterfield, 816661 Oxford Rd 22, Bright (June 20 - visit us at Plattsville 175) Donations accepted. Refreshments. For private viewing email plattsvilledistrictheritage@gmail.com or call 519.535.1417.

1ST AND 3RD TUES. OF MONTH TILLSONBURG LIONS

The Tillsonburg Lions meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. You are invited to their dinner meetings in the Lion's Den at the Community Centre. If you are interested in giving back to your Community contact Jim at 519 409 0876 for more information.....all are welcome.

1ST WED. OF MONTH | 7 PM WAGNER MEMORIAL TEETERVILLE LEGION BRANCH 526 - MEMBERS GENERAL MEETING

The Wagner Memorial Teeterville Legion Branch 5263890 Teeterville Road, Teeterville, ON Not a member? Contact us to join. For More Information Call, the Legion 519-443-5588. www.teetervillelegionbranch526.ca

WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP AT ONE OF OUR EVENTS? WE WELCOME YOU!

The Wagner Memorial, Teeterville Legion Branch 5263890 Teeterville Road, Teeterville, ON

You do not need to be a member to Volunteer, Just contact the legion and leave your name and number and purpose of your call. Someone will get back to you as to where you might be needed. Students and Adults welcome. Open hours. Wed.-Fri. 3 pm-10 pm, Sat.1 pm-10 pm, Sun.1 pm-6 pm. For More Information call, the Legion at 519-443-5588 or teetervillelegionbranch526.ca

VON OXFORD SUPPORTIVE CARE PROGRAMS

Navigating any form of grief can feel overwhelming; however, with the right support, guidance, and education, individuals can discover a pathway to help in the healing of grief. VON Oxford Supportive Care Programs offer assistance for grief stemming from various circumstances, such as the death of someone, caregiving, serious illness diagnoses, and life transitions. Through education, connection, and compassion, our programs create a safe space for individuals to explore their emotions and learn effective coping mechanisms during the grieving process.

Contact us today to learn more about VON Oxford Supportive Care Programs: Email: oxford.griefsupport@von.ca

Phone: 1-888-866-7518 All Programs are Free-of-charge.

GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL AWARD WINNERS

CLASSIFIEDS

TREES

GEORGETTE RACHEL BRIDLE

(OCTOBER 22, 1932 – JUNE 27, 2026)

For Sale: Shade Trees; Maples, Oaks, Birch, Beech, Honey Locusts, Elms, Magnolia, Hydrangea Tree, Tulip Tree, Crab apples, Ivory Silk Lilac, Chanticleer Pear, Golden Weeping Willows and more. Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Nectarine, Blueberry, Haskap etc. Lots of healthy strong Spruce, Cedars and White Pine for your privacy hedges and windbreaks. Hundred of flowering shrubs.

Reg Hours 7am- 6pm Mon-Sat at Martins Nursery c/o Emanuel Martin. 42661 Orangehill Rd., Wroxeter, ON

DOUGLAS EDWARD WILSON

(SEPTEMBER 29, 1933 – JUNE 30, 2026)

It is with heavy hearts that the family of Douglas Edward Wilson, announce the peaceful passing of our much-loved father, grandfather, great-grandfather (“Papa-joke”), brotherin-law and friend to many. Born in Port Burwell, son of the late Wm. Edward Wilson and the late former Ila Aspden. Doug is predeceased by his loving wife Agnes Kirwin. Many Tillsonburg locals will recognize the recently named “Doug Wilson Park”, a permanent tribute that Doug was so honoured to receive. Doug was a very active member of the community, with a long list of accolades in support of Tillsonburg Public Services. He is the recipient of the Exemplary Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada, after 40 years of volunteer service as a Firefighter and Captain with the Tillsonburg Fire Department. Doug notably served for 7 years with the Ontario Provincial Police Auxiliary Unit. He also supported the establishment of a Senior Baseball League in Tillsonburg, coached minor hockey for years, was an elected member of the PUC for 6 years and was a member of the Tillsonburg Parks Recreation and Arena Commission for 12 years. This community was a priority to Doug; this positive impact is his legacy. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

Always a loving father and father-in-law to Annette (Keith) and their children Jeff (Amanda) (sons Braden & Caleb), Greg (Kirsten) (sons Connor, Evan & Josh); Steve (Leslie), and their children Lynette (Dan) (kids Axel, Weston; Hudson & Clarke), Justin (Hillary) (kids Edison & Edith); Joanne (Mike), and their daughter Victoria; Tim (Melissa), and their children Tim, Connor and Madison. Doug is predeceased by his brother Bill (surviving wife Marg).

“Thank you to the wonderful staff of Sakura House for making Doug and his family comfortable. Your kindness was appreciated and will always be remembered.”

A Celebration of Doug’s Life will be held on Monday, July 13th, 2026, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Carriage Hall, 25 Brock St. W., Tillsonburg. Everyone who knew Doug is invited to send personal condolences, share favourite memories and photos. Memorial donations to “Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital Foundation” or to “VON Oxford” (for Sakura House Hospice), via Doug’s online tribute page at www.verhoevefuneralhomes. com or by contacting the Maurice J. Verhoeve Funeral HomesBurial and Cremation Services Inc. (519) 842-4238, which has been entrusted with all funeral arrangements with confidence.

It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the passing of Georgette Rachel Bridle (nee Demaiter), a cherished mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend. Georgette passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Barrie Family Hospice of Elgin in her 94th year. She will be remembered for her gentle kindness, strong faith, sharp mind, and the quiet strength with which she loved and guided her family.

Georgette was predeceased by her beloved husband of 60 years, Robert (2017), her son Mark (2015), and her infant daughter (1968). She is lovingly survived by her daughters Patricia (Pete) Geurtjens, Catherine Bridle, and Nancy (Rick) Van Louwe; her nine grandchildren, Mercedes (Russell) Barnes, Austin Bridle (Olivia), Gavin Geurtjens (Emma), Brendan and Haydan Bridle, Dylan, Garrett, Georgia, and Blake Van Louwe; and her four greatgrandchildren, Everly, Maielle, Eden, and Penelope Barnes. She is also survived by her sister Annette Demaiter, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Additionally, Georgette was predeceased by her parents Michael and Martha Demaiter, her sister Rachel Demaree, her brother Mike Demaiter, and her in-laws Marcel Demaree, Maureen Demaiter, Helen and Stanley Jarvis.

Georgette grew up on the family farm near Cultus before moving to Tillsonburg, a place that remained close to her heart throughout her life. She was a gifted student with a remarkable memory and a lifelong love of learning; she graduated from Brescia College at the University of Western Ontario in 1952. She was bright, capable, and quietly trailblazing, from her years as a university student and basketball player to her later service as an elected school board trustee. During her more than 40 years in education, Georgette taught primarily at Valley Heights in Langton, where she inspired generations of students through her patience, compassion and knowledge. She believed deeply in the value of education and took great pride in helping young people learn, grow, and recognize their own potential. Even long after students had left her classroom, she would see them around town and loved hearing about their lives and accomplishments.

Alongside her life as a teacher, Georgette was deeply rooted in the life of the tobacco farms she shared with her husband Robert. She understood hard work, long days, and the rewards that came from dedication and resilience. The values of farm life, commitment, perseverance, gratitude, and responsibility shaped the way she lived and the way she raised her family.

Whether in the classroom, on the farm, or at home around the kitchen table, Georgette made people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for. She had a gift for listening, offering thoughtful advice, sharing stories, and passing down family history. Her family will especially remember the lessons she taught, the encouragement she gave, and the pride she took in each of their lives.

Georgette found joy in simple, meaningful moments: a conversation, a visit, a shared meal, a story remembered, or news of someone’s achievement. She celebrated others with steady encouragement and quiet pride, and her warmth left a lasting impression on her family and those fortunate enough to know her.

Georgette, like Robert and Mark, lived with indomitable optimism and a steadfast belief in the strength within each of us. Mom always looked for the silver lining in every cloud and reminded us that the glass wasn’t empty, it was refillable. She also often reminded us, “You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you can imagine.” Her life shines as a beautiful testament to those words. Shine away, Mom!

Friends, neighbours and relatives are invited to attend public visitation on Friday, July 3rd, 2026, between 5:15 and 8:00 p.m. in the Maurice J. Verhoeve Funeral Homes Chapel, 262 Broadway, Tillsonburg. Catholic Women’s League Rosary on Friday at 5:00 p.m. A Complete Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, July 4th, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in St. Mary’s R.C. Church, Tillsonburg, by Rev. Fr. Seejo John. Cremation follows with later private interment in Tillsonburg Cemetery. Everyone who knew Georgette is invited to share favourite memories and photos, express personal condolences or contribute memorial donations to “Barrie Family Hospice of Elgin” via Georgette’s online tribute page at www.verhoevefuneralhomes.com or by contacting the Maurice J. Verhoeve Funeral Homes - Burial and Cremation Services Inc., Tillsonburg (519) 842-4238, which has been entrusted with all funeral arrangements, with confidence.