NEWS |
THE OBSERVER | Saturday, April 04, 2009
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Novice B Hericanes put together a season to remember...........................»19 The push for green energy in Elmira
»13 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 13
SATURDAY, APRIL 04, 2009
Elmira celebrates the end of winter Saturday marks the 45th return of Elmira Maple Syrup Festival MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
» THE MYSTERY OF CHLOE’S ORDEAL
Dognapped? Doggone! Dogged search. Dog back! Alma coupled reunited with pooch missing for nine days after break-in MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
LAVERN BRUBACHER
tival,” said Bernadine Horst of Norman Horst Farm in preparation for today’s main event. “I made maple treats like taffy cones and maple candies – it’s all related to maple syrup,” she explained, noting that her farm will offer visitors sugar bush tours today as well as supply the Kiwanis Club with some syrup for is potato pancakes. According to both Horst and Brubacher, it’s been a particularly good year for maple syrup producers – even last week some were in the sugar bush collecting the last dregs of syrup as temperatures dropped at night and warmed during the day, providing freeze-thaw cycles that are optimal for sap flows. As of early last week the Horst farm was looking at a (good) average yield of some 300 gallons See FESTIVAL page »08
PUPPy LoVe Troy and Aleasha Grose’s dog went missing for nine days after their home was broken into, eventually showing up at a vet clinic near Brantford. What happened remains a mystery.
All’s well that ends well. After a frightening experience that took a little dog a distance far beyond what its little legs could cover, Alma’s Grose family – dog and all – is reunited once again. After nine days of uncertainty following a break-and-enter into their home that resulted in the disappearance of their beloved pooch, Troy and Aleasha Grose are now resting easy with their beloved Bichon Frise, Chloe. “It was pretty rough. It was nine days … it takes its toll on you,” Troy Grose said in an interview after his two-and-a half-year-old dog was found in Brantford. “She’s adjusting – a little tired still but she’s doing quite well.” The dog disappeared on Mar. 18 during a daylight break-in at their home. Several of their possessions, including tools and a 2002 Kawasaki 650 ATV, were stolen. But as the Groses took stock of the missing items it was the disappearance of Chloe that hurt the most – the stolen material possessions meant nothing next to the loss of their dog. They contacted police and then immediately launched what they would later call “the search of our lives.” Contacting newspapers and television crews, the distraught family looked everywhere for the pooch. They sent off countless flyers and scoured the Internet in search of a clue. When people asked how they knew See DOGGONE page »06
mulch is just mulch... until you get Creative
Mulch
(hemlock.pine.cedar.coloured)
• maintains a more even soil temperature • conserves moisture • controls weeds • protects against erosion • adds organic matter to the soil • adds colour & texture to your garden • simplifies your gardening chores
PHOTO | DAVE FRASER
Experts will agree that there is one crucial thing you must do today if you’re heading to town for the 45th annual Elmira Maple Syrup Festival: arrive with an empty stomach. With rows and rows of vendors selling everything from pork-on-abun and pita sandwiches to apple fritters and maple cones, eating the goodies is an integral part of the festivities. EMSF chair Lavern Brubacher offered up his own strategy for getting the most out of the festival. “It actually works well to go with family and have a bite of each, so you can share and take in a whole lot more than just one or two of them,” said Brubacher, who has his own list of favourites. “I always indulge in stuff downtown: cinnamon rolls, chicken legs, and back bacon on a bun – all those good things.” While there will be all kinds of foods – sweet and salty, warm and cold – the main attraction on the Main, of course, will be pancakes and all things maple: candies, taffies, butters and syrups. “We’re preparing lots of goodies and candies and syrup for the fes-
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