NEWS |
THE OBSERVER | Saturday, April 11, 2009
Landscapers face challenges with pesticide ban........................................»18
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Curtain rises on school plays
»23 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 14
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009
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PHOTOS | JOE MERLIHAN
Vehicle fatality
wEATHER A FACTOR A delivery driver was killed on Tuesday afternoon as a result of a vehicle collision involving a tanker truck and a cube van on Floradale Road near Church Street West. John Leblanc, 34, of Ayr, succumbed to his injuries after the delivery truck he was driving crossed into the path of a milk tanker. Air ambulance responded but Leblanc was pronounced deceased at the scene. The other driver, a 57 year old Cambridge man, was not injured. Police investigated the scene and determined that poor weather and road conditions were major factors in the collision. No charges have been laid.
An ill wind blows through sap festival Poor weather made for slow start to EMSF, but numbers picked up as wind died down later in the day MARC MIQUEL HELSEN A gentle breeze can add to the springtime ambience of the unofficial harbinger of spring, but there was nothing genteel about the weather that greeted visitors at last weekend’s Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. The event’s 45th year was met with nasty morning winds. “It was definitely a disappointing start to the day – it was pretty brutal,” said festival chair Lavern Brubacher. “I thought we had endured all kinds of weather but that was a little new twist to everything
again. The temperature and the climate wouldn’t have been much of a stumbling block, I don’t think, but that wind was really hard on our vendors,” he said, noting that some 30 vendors were unable to set up in the morning as the wind wreaked havoc on their tents and displays. The poor conditions took a toll on attendance numbers, which were much lower than in previous years. Brubacher estimated between 35,000 and 40,000 people attended the festival Apr. 4, down significantly from last’s year’s high of 70,000. By extension, the festi-
val committee’s total cash contribution to community organizations will also take a dip. While the final figures won’t be known for at least a few weeks, organizers are certain that 2008’s total donation of $42,000 won’t be matched. “I’m guessing that our contribution will be considerably smaller than last year back to the community – I think that’s where we’ll find the biggest hurt,” said Brubacher. That said, as the day progressed, the wind died down and things did improve. “It was definitely a good crowd here throughout the
See EMSF »07
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middle of the day, and our pancake tent did very well,” said Brubacher, noting that the day was a success on other fronts. “This festival really isn’t all about raising money; it’s also a community kind of effort and community spirit [event], and that part still worked very well – a lot of people came out and endured the weather.” Past chair Doug McLean offered up a similar take on the festival. “I was actually surprised at how many people came out on such an ugly day. General consensus is we made out OK.”
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