​Purple Grove news

Fall fair season is upon us! Congratulations to the Kincardine Agricultural Society on the fabulous fair on Labour Day Weekend! People also attended the Durham and Desboro Fairs and enjoyed perfect weather for all those events.

Also the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band’s final Saturday Night Parade was on the weekend with a terrific crowd staying after in Victoria Park for the concert wind-up. Thank you to the band for the joy your music brings to so many people!

Last Tuesday was the Grey -Bruce Holstein Show in Walkerton. Congratulations to all the participants. It was a wonderful show with some beautiful animals! The future looks bright for 4-H with almost 30 participants in the under-age-nine category.

Congratulations to Brian Davenport competing in conventional plowing, Tom Evans in roll-over plowing, and Dugold MacIntosh in junior plowing, on their accomplishments at the Canadian Plowing Championships in Ayton, during the last week in August.

Belated best wishes to Dan and Nicole Griffin on their 22nd wedding anniversary Aug. 25, and to Larry and Marianne Irwin on their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 30. Kendra and Phil VanHardeveld also had their anniversary last week!

Belated birthday wishes to Janice Needham, Arnie Clifford and Kenny Harris, and to Betty Johnson and Lois Irwin who celebrated their 85th birthdays recently!

Our sympathy is extended to many of our communities that have lost loved ones recently. We especially remember the families of Carol Anne Menary, John Anderson, Mark Davis, John Chatham, Elaine Emmerton and Paul Pentland.

Visiting recently with MaryAnne Kukoly and Dick McCosh of British Columbia were their cousins, Roberta and Jack Denny of Mildmay.

Jim and Fran Farrell enjoyed supper with Rob and Carolyn Farrell, Mariah, Billie and Paige, Sunday evening at the lake, and Simon and Jan Logtenberg visited with Jim and Fran, Monday evening.

Hoping everyone had a refreshing and relaxing long weekend for it seems as if that was the last of the summer! There are also Northern Lights and a full Lunar eclipse coming up this weekend, Sept. 7.

We look forward to the fairs this weekend in Owen Sound, Mildmay, Dundalk and Paisley, and the Huron Threshers Reunion - just a few great events in our area!

PURPLE GROVE W.I.

The Purple Grove Women's Institute met at the Purple Grove Community Centre, Wednesday evening.

Convener Wilma Sutton introduced the guest speaker, Amgad Amer, who owns and operates the Ripley Pharmacy. Am has been in Ripley for several years and the pharmacy is affiliated with IDA, Guardian and Remedx.

Am also explained his career journey before coming to Ripley, wanting a smaller centre to get to know his clients and customers. His family lives in Mississauga and he travels here for three days per week. Recently, the pharmacy added a Nurse Practitioner who is available two days each week with appointments by phone or on-line. He is pleased that he can assist clients with common conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, simple cough and colds and infections, and help them monitor their medications.

Many of the ladies had questions and he shared information about the pharmacy business and his family. Amgad enjoys the area and being away from the city, he appreciates the community and we appreciate having him here!

In business, we reviewed correspondence from the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario (FWIO) and received thank you's from Jack Cronshaw, the Ripley-Huron Community School Music Award recipient, and for our donation to the Grey-Bruce 4-H Judging Competition.

The Grey-Bruce Area Convention is Oct. 2 in Williamsford and the Bruce District Rally is Oct. 23 in Chepstow to which some of our members will be attending. A request was received to add our input to the Kincardine municipal budget in regard to adding a Green Bin program and support for more recycling options.

A donation was made to the Grey-Bruce Alzheimer Society. Plans were made for the Ripley-Huron Fall Fair to host coffee and muffins/cookies in the social room from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations of muffins and cookies - labelled and no nuts please - will be graciously accepted.

Our appreciation was extended to all contributing to the success of the meeting: Marilyn Reid as hostess, convener Wilma Sutton, Betty Johnson with Scripture, MaryAnne Kukoly and Bonnie Boyle for lunch, president Bren de Leeuw, and MaryAnne and Fran Farrell for news this month, and to everyone who attended.

RIPLEY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

Thank you to Farm Credit Canada (FCC) for the generous support of the new sun shelter structure which will serve as a venue for agricultural education, food production talks and workshops. The hands-on experiences with the new shelter will make events more engaging and memorable to the community!

Also thank you to Community Foundation Grey Bruce for the support of a post-pounder. The equipment will create less work for the valuable volunteers to help set up for community events!

The Wild West Fall Fair Teen Dance is Thursday, Sept. 25, from 7-9 p.m., for Grades 5-8. Admission is $5. Refreshments and snacks will be available to purchase and there will be a photo booth.

Back by popular demand! The Preserving Chef is making the trip back to Ripley for a canning course, Saturday, Nov. 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Ripley-Huron Community Centre. Cost is $175 per person. See the link below to sign up: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEUuPimnnVUS1aOSHFp13nwHayySNDXT_BOajDHMbA71EkTw/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&usp=embed_facebook.

It’s that time of year again! The volunteer sign-up account is now active for this year’s fall fair. NEW THIS YEAR: We’re looking for a garbage maintenance crew! This crew will help empty our garbage cans, Saturday, during the fair! Fairground set-up/take-down and the gates crew and garbage maintenance links are on the website, ripleyfair.ca/, and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/people/Ripley-Agricultural-Society.