Elmira Rookie Ball wraps up the season
Congratulations to players, teams, coaches & convenors on your first successful year of Elmira Rookie Ball. Photos of players in the final tournament Saturday, July 25 are now available here for a FREE download courtesy of ObserverXtra.com. Just click on the thumbnails below:
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Plenty to do for idol hands
Forty years ago, throngs of screaming girls waved signs and mobbed their musical idols in a frenzy that was dubbed Beatlemania. These days, you might call it Bieber-mania.
Justin Bieber is a 15-year-old from Stratford who is being hailed as the newest pop sensation. Bieber is the protégé of R&B artist Usher and the latest obsession for teens such as Elmira’s Amara Pope and her friend …Read more
1954 Juvenile champs tour Elmira’s new arena
While workers cleaned up the rubble from the arena that held so many memories for them, the 1953-54 juvenile team was touring the rinks in the new Woolwich Memorial Centre where they’re helping another generation of hockey players hit the ice.
The team, which claimed the Juvenile B championship back in 1954, reunited last year to buy eight seats in the new arena. On Thursday morning, they got a chance to tour the new facility and sit in the seats bearing their names.
“Bob Gibbons should be in the penalty box; he was there half the time anyway,” joked Ab Martin.
The idea for the reunion was born last year when Jim Wilken heard Peter deBoer, then coach of the Kitchener Rangers, promoting the new arena and seat program on the radio. He called up Martin and suggested they get together one of their old teams to support the venture by buying seats.
The 1953/54 championship Juvenile B team toured the Woolwich Memorial Centre Thursday morning, stopping to admire the seats they purchased in the Dan Snyder arena. Back row: Jim Wilken, Gerald Aberle, Gus Gilles, Wil Lichty, and Bob Duench. Front row: Ab Martin, Bill Hahn, Bill Otto, Jim Totzke, Bob Gibbons, Bob Hewat and Elmer Good.
They had a few teams to choose from; a group of boys from Elmira had played on five championship-winning teams over the years. They settled on the Juvenile team because that victory was the most exciting one and the one they remembered most clearly.
The Juveniles defeated Parry Sound to claim the championship, handing the squad its first two losses all season: 6-5 and 10-4. Before the final game, the team got a morale boost from manager Bill Otto, who had a clothing store in town; he bought all the players powder-blue Stetsons and the coaches paraded the team around Parry Sound wearing the hats.
“The Juvenile team …Read more
Riding in memory of Elmira man
The loud thunder that was heard at 376 Arthur St. last Saturday morning didn’t come from the dark clouds looming overhead. It came from the convoy of motorcycles gathered at the Elmira home in honour of the late Randy Wilkin.
Some 40 riders and their passengers departed from the Arthur Street location July 25 on a 220- kilometre ride to honour Wilkin. …Read more
Revving up for classic car show
The car show will go on.
Despite learning the proceeds of their Aug. 8 car show can’t go toward their annual Mexico mission, organizers at Calvary United Church are preparing for a big day.
Coordinator Barb King got an unpleasant surprise when she went to the Woolwich Township office last week to pick up the raffle licence. She was told the event couldn’t have a raffle licence unless the proceeds went to a mission in Ontario.
Bev Bowman (left) and Barb King are two of the organizers behind the Calvary United car show, which takes place Aug. 8 in the church parking lot.
“I was quite taken by surprise,” she said.
This is the third year for the car show, which was intended to raise funds for the church’s mission to build homes in Mexico.
The church is treating the raffle licence as a snag, rather than a roadblock. Funds from the car show will go toward the local missions the church supports, including the KW Pregnancy Centre, Out of the Cold program, and Milton Centre for the Deaf. The proceeds …Read more
Wellesley eyes council chamber upgrades
Wellesley Township recorded another episode this week in the long-running decorating drama that is the council chamber renovations.
Meeting Tuesday evening, councillors considered a motion that proposed spending just over $19,000 to renovate the interior of the Crosshill building. Renovations have been on the …Read more
Wellesley historical society seeks funding for study
The Wellesley Township Heritage and Historical Society is putting money towards a study of heritage sites in Wellesley, with an eye to future historical designations.
“We have been losing historical buildings in the township quite frequently since our last historical designation,” said Ron Hackett, the organization’s chair …Read more
Wellesley to continue to charge for accident response
The Township of Wellesley has opted to stick with the status quo on its policy of charging non-residents for motor vehicle collisions that require a response from the fire department.
Staff was asked to review the policy in March, after the township received a letter from Manning Chiang, a dentist who practices in Wellesley. Chiang was involved in an accident last …Read more
Revamped format offered for Family Camping Weekend
If you and your family like to get away to the campground, why not pitch your tent for a great cause?
Family Camping Weekend is an annual event that is set to raise funds for the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region to rebuild Anselma House. The organizing …Read more
Jacks gearing up for training camp
With 15 players committed to returning from last year, the Applejacks have the core of next season’s roster. Now the coaching staff is looking ahead to fleshing out the team with an open training camp at the end of …Read more
