​Purple Grove news

Last week, Bren de Leeuw and Fran Farrell attended the Grey Bruce Women's Institute Area meeting in Owen Sound at the Grey Roots Museum. Branch and executive from both counties took part in finalizing the Area Convention details for Oct. 1 in Chepstow, and celebrating new members joining branches in the counties.

Huron-Kinloss Township hosted a special event, April 23, that focused on “Empowering Huron-Kinloss Volunteers – Building Strong, Sustainable Community Organizations.” It was held at the Ripley-Huron Community Centre and Bren de Leeuw and Fran Farrell were both in attendance representing the Purple Grove Women’s Institute. The keynote speaker, Heather Keam, Tamarack Institute, did an excellent job at helping the organizations in attendance understand their importance within the community, how to leverage resources, and discover ways in which we might work together.

Thanks to the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley for hosting another teaching session on Grafting Apple Trees. Julia from By the Bluffs Ecological Plant and Tree Nursery had 16 of us grafting scions on potted root stock to take home and, hopefully, the grafts will take. She showed us the grafting technique "the whip and tongue" for smaller scions and root stock and this is what we learned how to do. We are to keep our graft cool and watered and watch for bud swelling and leaf formation, and take the tape off in four to six weeks. Another technique Julia explained was the cleft graft with which you can use a bigger root stock but still match up the cambium layers of each. As with all of these techniques, practise makes perfect and marking our grafting experiments with bright coloured tape or paint helps to find them later!

We welcome new members Serena Harris, Diane McLeod and Donna Watke to the Purple Grove W.I. branch! This month, members and friends of the Purple Grove W.I. are looking forward to seeing the “Calendar Girls” in Chesley, May 8. We also plan to go on a road trip to see the tulips at the Sandhill Creek Tulip Fest near Hepworth later in the month. The Bruce County W.I. District Annual is May 28 at the Ripley-Huron Legion with the theme, Voices of Women in Agriculture," and we look forward to hosting the day with Purple Valley W.I. branch.

Brian, Christine and Joseph Bridge hosted a family birthday party for everyone who celebrated this special day in March and April. Also celebrating birthdays recently were Kelsey Thompson, Stefani Simpson and Monty Thompson. Happy Wedding Anniversary to Jake and Margo Middelkamp, May 1, and to James and Melissa Burmaster, May 4.

Visiting recently with Doug MacDonald and family, were Sheena Houghten and Stefani Simpson.

It's sure nice to see the forsythia and daffodils and tulips blooming. For sure, the bright colours of spring are a welcome sight! Will the frogs be shut up for the second time this weekend? It'll be nice for the weather to get a little warmer, won't it?

RIPLEY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

The Ripley Agricultural Society attended the District 10 meeting in Tiverton, Saturday, April 25. It was a treat to have guest speakers Tyson and Angela Devitt with some of their product from Stone Bridge Flour.

The board of directors has decided to ask that all cheques issued by the Ripley Agricultural Society be cashed by the recipient by Dec. 31 of the current year, effective immediately. If you would rather donate the amount back to the agricultural society instead of cashing it, we ask that you let our treasurer know this either by sending a Facebook message or by E-mailing ripleyfair@hurontel.on.ca. Charitable receipts can be given upon request.

Thank you to everyone for supporting our Ripley Agricultural Society Pie Fund-raiser! All proceeds go toward the school fall trip to the Royal Winter Fair and our annual donation to the Kincardine and Community Health Care Foundation.