In 1879, the 60-foot steam tug, "Prince Alfred," arrived in Wiarton to replace the "O’Koura" which had burned on Colpoys Bay the previous summer. Owner Andrew Port offered travellers a daily, one-way passage from Wiarton to Owen Sound for 75 cents. The winter ...
Sponges It doesn’t take long for sponges to become a hotbed of bacteria. They can spread germs to your hands and then to your food. Or if you have a cut on your hand, bacteria can enter your body that way. Even if you boil or microwave your sponges after each use, sc...
At the start of the year, my column talked about working on being your best … with reminders to focus on the somewhat lofty goals involved in living your best life. I realized I had to follow this up with another important reminder … to also march to your own drum. I b...
It may be hard to imagine looking out the window right now, but I predict that one day soon the sun will come out, the temperature will rise, and gardeners and homeowners everywhere will experience an irresistible urge to go outside and “clean up.” After a long winter spent in...
Henry Cargill was instrumental in getting a bank established in Cargill to serve his many business interests, as well as local merchants and farmers. The Trader's Bank opened in 1902, at 201 Cargill Road, and merged with the Royal Bank in 1912. In the summer of 1924, the original...
Successes and how far you got aren’t as important as the distance you travel from where you started. The biggest mistake you can make is to believe that you are working for someone else. Monday is a hard way to spend one-seventh of your life. Pros are people who do jobs wel...
Christmas and New Year's celebrations are behind us. So is all that sugar … for better or worse. I’ve got to admit that I enjoyed all those sweet treats and chocolate offerings that magically appear during the holidays. It’s hard to say no to candy and desserts t...
As we enter the month of February and the horticultural industry gears up for massive sales of flowers, I’m reminded of the oft-quoted lines from Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet": “…What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name woul...
The following story was written by Elva L. Lowry and was published in "Footprints in Time - Stories and Tales from Huron Township," the Ripley Agricultural Society's 150th anniversary booklet. It is reprinted here, with permission, marking the 55th anniversary of this fierce...
Little boys played with beautiful rocking horses, either one large horse astride his rockers with stirrup and saddle, or two horses with a seat between them for a smaller child. Then there was the Gee Horse — a stick with a horse head on the end with a strap from the mouth for the c...
1. Take a 10- to 30-minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you must. 3. Buy a TiVo (DVR), tape your late-night shows and get more sleep. 4. When you wake up in the...
When you write a column, it’s hard to ignore the obvious topics at the start of each year, such as changing one’s habits or starting a diet, that a writer typically writes about. I tried to and didn’t succeed. My inner voice kept saying … Come on, do you best &...
Happy New Year! The changing of the calendar is a traditional time to reflect on the year past and plan for the future. For gardeners, that may mean browsing seed catalogues, and the websites of plant nurseries or Lee Valley for new tools. I hope everyone is enduring the wintry weather...
So, there I was in the balcony of Knox Presbyterian Church, Kincardine, Saturday night, Dec. 20, for the return of Handel's Messiah. I've lived in Kincardine for 30 years and I have never seen this performance. Not because I didn't want to, but because we were always busy -...
As we bid farewell to fall and winter settles in, the staff and volunteers at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley, reflect on another season filled with generosity, community, and care. Each event, meal, and donation this autumn reminded us how deeply our community values growing, ...
The following poem was written by Wendy Cox of Kincardine in response to the dreadful snowy weather, Sunday morning: The weather outside was frightful It had snowed non-stop since nightfall So we’re all stuck at home for now Where’s the plow? Where’s the plow? Wher...
The following Letters to Santa were written by Grade 1 students in Becky Cohoon’s class at Kincardine Township-Tiverton Public School: Dear Santa, Thank you for the piggy bank last year. Steven is my best friend. Can you get Rocky a present too? I want a swing, a slide, and a ba...
Dolls are as old as recorded history and were being made in Egypt 3,000 years ago. They came with heads made of many different materials: wood, brass, tin, papier-mâché, wax, glazed china and bisque (unglazed porcelain). The bodies were of cloth or kid leather; the hands a...
To the Editor: On behalf of the Ripley and District Christmas Giving Program for 2025, we say thank you to the individuals, families, businesses and their employees who donated generously to this program. Also, thank you to the churches and service clubs for your donation to kick-st...
The following Letters to Santa were written by Kindergarten students in Mrs. Hallam’s and Ms. Hodgins’ class at Kincardine Township-Tiverton Public School. Dear Santa, My name is Blake and I am four years old. One extra nice thing I did this year was help mom. For Christma...