According to a number of witnesses, Bieber visited Elmira’s Lion’s Park on the evening of Aug. 23 to take in the soccer match between the Woolwich U16 girl’s team and his hometown of Stratford, but when approached by fans –members of the soccer team and spectators – the teen heartthrob told fans to go away and leave him alone.

Word quickly spread when Justin Bieber stopped by Lions Park to take in a soccer match between Woolwich and Stratford.

Ariss resident Tanya Rempel’s daughter was playing in a U12 game on an adjacent field when she heard that the pint-sized pop idol was at the park. She and a few others posted updates to their Facebook profiles, and by the end of the game, quite a crowd had gathered to get a glimpse of the singer.

“We didn’t tell the girls that he was there until after the game because we knew they would get distracted,” she said with a laugh. “They all went running over to him but they didn’t get too close. He said he wasn’t going to sign autographs because he was on a day off.”

Emily Chapman, 13, was at the field to watch her little sister play.

“When I heard he was there, I started walking over to him and he told me and my friends to go away,” said the Elmira teen. “I thought it was really rude. I used to be a big fan before this happened.”

The girls left the scene deflated by the encounter.

“It was a bit disappointing that he wouldn’t be more polite to his fans,” said Rempel. “I know it must be tough being in the spotlight, but he chose that life.”

In response to the encounter, a group of Elmira youths has created a Facebook group entitled ‘Next time Justin Bieber comes to Elmira I’ll knock him out.’ The group had gathered 71 members at press time.

For Nicole Merlihan, 10, the fact that he spoke to her at all was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

“As soon as we saw him, we were all freaking out and stuff,” she enthused. “When he was about to leave the field I screamed ‘I love you Justin! I can’t wait to see you at the concert!’ and he said ‘Hope to see you there. Keep loving life.’ Then we all chased the car. I am a huge fan of his.”

A spokesperson for Bieber said that he was in town to watch his friends’ sister’s soccer game and that he didn’t want the attention to be focused on his being there, adding that when in public at work-related events like concerts or radio stations, he goes above and beyond his duty and is very thankful to his fans for their support.

The entertainer, who took home four surfboard trophies, for Male Artist, Album, Breakout Star and Summer Music Star at the  2010 Teen Choice Awards just last week, posted the update, “Felt like a regular kid today … felt great. Nothing beats home,” to his Twitter account following the soccer match in Elmira.

Elmira’s Rachel Clark has just returned from a world tour she completed while working as an entertainer on a cruise ship. The Sekura trees – also known as cherry blossom trees – in the Yokohama Garden in Japan were one of her favourite sights.

“The experience is amazing,” she said, while now on a break from work and enjoying some time at her Birdland home. “I get to travel and also save money, do what I love, and meet people from all over the world. I am very lucky.”

That luck is not something that is lost on Clark, however, and above all else, her passion lies in giving back to those who don’t have the luxuries that she has experienced. In September, she will be taking time off work to return to Kenya, where she spent nearly three months last year volunteering at an orphanage.

“I love my job on the ship, but I needed to do something with a bit more meaning. Something I could really pour myself into and when I heard about this opportunity, I jumped at the chance.”

Clark was unsure at first how she would be able to help, if she would have qualities that would be of use to a community.

“I am not a nurse, or a teacher, or a construction worker. I wasn’t sure if my going to Africa would be of any help to anyone, but I knew I wanted to do hands-on work.”

Then she saw a call for volunteers needed to provide a helping hand at an understaffed orphanage in Kenya.

“The ad said, ‘You will be spending time with orphaned kids who need love. They need you to play with them, to hold them, and to read to them.’ I can do that!”

Once there, the former EDSS student fell in love with the community – the rich culture, the residents who welcomed her with open arms and the families she stayed with while visiting. And she learned to play the role of nurse, teacher and construction worker.

“I did whatever they needed me to do. Anyone can make themselves useful, regardless of what skills you might have.”

Now Clark, alongside two of her friends who will be joining her, is headed to that same village in Kenya to volunteer once more.

“I am very, very excited to be taking my friends there. There is only so much I can say to explain what life is like there and there is only so much that someone can see from pictures. I can’t wait for them to be there and see it, and meet the kids I talk about. It’s a life-changing experience which changed my entire outlook.”

In addition to her two friends, Clark will also soon have the chance to bring others with her to the place she loves so dearly.

When she returned to Elmira from her trip in 2009, she held a presentation about her experiences. She wanted to show the people who had helped support her trip that their money had truly gone to a good place. Corinne Taylor-Aldous of Goliger’s TravelPlus in Waterloo was in the audience for one of her presentations and approached Clark at the end to make her an offer. Taylor-Aldous asked Clark if she would be interested in taking a group of people from Canada to Kenya with her to participate in a two-week ‘voluntourism’ project, and Clark jumped at the chance.

“The offer was a gift from God, I am sure,” she said. “To be able to take others to the place that changed my worldview so drastically, and where I felt so much love, will be a wonderful experience.”

The trip is booked tentatively for September 2011, and those interested in participating can contact Goliger’s Travel for more information.

“It’s not going to be a glamorous trip – we will be camping and carrying our stuff around with us wherever we go,” she explained. “We will be sleeping in the homes of the Maasai people I have met and doing the real-life things that you can’t do with a tour company. I can’t wait.”

The Hawkesville native beat 20 other competitors to take the prize, and finished a mere three points behind 17-year-old Davis Ross for first in the overall standings. Competitors receive 25-points for a first place finish, 22 for second, and 20 for third, with their best five finishes counted.

Steve Martin (centre) raises his arms in victory after winning the Ontario Single-Speed Championship last Sunday. He is flanked by David Dermont (left) and Davis Ross.

But kicking his smoking habit wasn’t the only major life-change that got him where he is today.

“About three years ago I decided to start biking to work,” Martin said. “I ended up losing about 50 pounds, just from biking to work and changing my diet.”

And when you lose that much weight, you gain a lot of speed, he noted.

The Toronto-based lawyer is relatively new to the Ontario Cup circuit, and this was only his first season racing in the single-speed bike class. The bikes are exactly what their name implies – bikes with no gears.

And a bike with no gears provides Martin with a certain visceral freedom that he loves.

“There’s just a simplicity to it,” he explains. “You don’t have to fuss or think about changing gears or tuning your bike to make the gears work.”

He adds that single-speed racers can hold their own against traditional racers, and their gears.

“It’s almost like people have a gene or a virus,” he jokes. “We go just as fast as the guys who have gears. You can get a lighter bike, and cheaper.”

Another unique feature of the single-speed class is that anyone can enter – there are no age restrictions.

“There were four of us doing very well [all season],” said Martin. “The oldest guy was born in 1962, me – the next oldest – 1972, the next oldest 1982, and finally 1993. I think I was old enough to be that kid’s father.”

The race was the last of the season for the single-speed class, but Martin isn’t done there. He is taking part in a 24-hour relay race this weekend with his cycling club, The Lap Dogs, and he hasn’t ruled out racing in the fall either.

“Family and work may need to take precedent over racing for the next while, though,” he said.

Woolwich firefighters were called to 6516 Line 86 near Northfield Drive just before 4 a.m. When they arrived, the second storey of the house was engulfed in flames. The front of the house was empty but the homeowner said a husband and wife in their sixties rented the back unit. They were in the process of moving out.

Firefighters spent much of the morning searching the house for any sign that the couple might be inside, although it was doubtful since two of the three cars they owned were gone. Police were able to track the couple down around 9 a.m. outside of the region.

Fire crews from Elmira and Conestogo responded to the scene, assisted by three tanker trucks from Floradale, Conestogo and St. Jacobs. It took about two hours to get the blaze under control. Steve Wendell, district fire chief for Conestogo, said the second floor of the house received the most damage and that the main floor is still intact.

The Woolwich Fire Department is still investigating the cause.

For years, Newton-area farmer Ernst Hofer has been creating corn mazes among the largest in North America. On deciding this year to take a break from the practice, he suggested the Brubachers try their hand at the family-friendly fall activity.

Lori Brubacher at the entrance to her family’s 10-acre corn maze on their farm near Crosshill. The maze opens to the public this weekend.

Murrel’s background in agriculture, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit prompted them to look for a new challenge by diversifying from the traditional family farm lifestyle.

“It has always been the reality for farmers that you have to be willing to take a risk and think outside the box if the family farm was going to be profitable,” he said. “We have enjoyed interacting with the public in the past when we operated a chip wagon for local auctioneers. This is just one more fun adventure for our family and hopefully for all who visit us this fall.”

Now created more easily thanks to technology, corn mazes have become a popular outdoor activity for people of all ages. Not only an adventure – time spent roaming, following twisting paths and alleys to dead ends – for the daring and the young at heart, corn mazes also serve an educational purpose. The mazes are destinations for school field trips, giving students an opportunity to come to a farm and learn about the various aspects of agriculture and food. Navigating the maze also serves as a stimulating teaser for the brain, especially for those of us who are directionally challenged.

A fountain of knowledge, Hofer had plenty of advice for the Brubachers and good contact information regarding maze designing. They chose a cornucopia or “horn of plenty” as their first design since Waterloo Region is known for the quality, abundance and variety of foods produced here.

The maze was designed by Damian Bradley of E. Lee Association, a landscape architect who has designed for Hofer’s Ontario Maze in the past. As Bradley walked through the field of foot-high corn with a handheld GPS unit creating the design, Brubacher followed on the riding lawn mower, creating the paths. The routes were then tilled weekly until no new growth sprouted. A map of the maze posted on the Brubachers’ website, www.waterloocornmaze.com, which also provides directions, hours and rates.

The fun seeker can participate in a scavenger hunt, and upon completion can enter his/her name in a monthly draw for “dinner for two” at Anna Mae’s restaurant in nearby Millbank. Each participant must correctly identify farm gate signs from Lobsinger Line hidden within the maze, with names and addresses recorded on lists provided. There are 12 postings, including garden produce, maple syrup, honey, eggs, summer sausage and home baking.

Completing the 10-acre circuit may take more than one pass through the “maze of maize,” and will likely require a full hour to finish. There are three distinct zones in the complete maze – shorter trails are an option. There is a large map available to each wanderer. An exit sign is posted at the farthest point for those who become disoriented and need to exit before finishing the course.

Children, of course, must be supervised at all times to avoid losing a very young child within the maze. For those littlest adventurers, a straw bale mini-maze is available.

Large groups are advised to call ahead to reserve the volleyball set and campfire pit. The maze, which opens this weekend, operates Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (last admittance at 9 p.m.) and Sundays 1-6 p.m. Visits on other days can be made by arrangement.

If you desire the added challenge/adventure of doing the maze in the dark, you must bring your own flashlight.

The Waterloo County Corn Maze is located at 4960 William Hastings Line, Crosshill.

Aaron Wilson, whose own Muay Thai training led to a change in his life's direction, will be teaching the martial art in Elmira this fall.

Wilson is a gentle giant who keeps his energy strictly for fights that happen within the ring at Pinacle Health and Fitness in Elmira, where he is the instructor for a new self-defense class called Muay Thai.

Like most competitive full-contact fighting sports, Muay Thai has a heavy focus on body conditioning. Muay Thai is specifically designed to promote the level of fitness and toughness required for ring competition and training regimens include any number of activities such as running, shadowboxing, rope jumping, body weight resistance exercises, medicine ball exercises, abdominal exercises, and in some cases weight training.

Almost all techniques in Muay Thai use the entire body movement, rotating the hip with each kick, punch, elbow and block, making it a high-intensity cardio exercise.

“It’s a great workout,” explained Wilson. “It’s great for physical fitness, self defense, to build self-confidence or at the higher levels, to compete in something like UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).”

Although it disappoints him to say it, Wilson, at 31, is perhaps too old to get into fighting at the championship level now. In his teenage years, he had been heavily involved in exercise and body building when a car accident left his arm shattered and he was forced to refrain from exercising at the age of 17. To fill his newly-acquired free time, Wilson turned to drugs and alcohol.

“I got in with the wrong crowd of people and made one bad decision after another. There were some very low points for me, but I didn’t know how to get out of it.”

The destructive lifestyle stayed with him for nine years before he was able to break free of the cycle and achieve sobriety.  He was working out at his local gym and taking swings at the punching bag one afternoon when a friend took note of his good form and suggested trying out the martial art. He began training at Mas Muay Thai in Cambridge and got hooked.

“Muay Thai gave me something else to live for at that time,” he explained. “I couldn’t be a good fighter in the condition I was in, so I needed to quit.”

And it wasn’t an easy path for the now-competitively trained athlete.

“When I first started in the ring I got beaten up for the way I looked,” he explained. “People would hit extra hard because they thought since I was big and I had tattoos that I was going to be a good fighter, but I wasn’t.”

Now he has been sober for four years and has spent much of that time focusing his energy on training and honing his technique. The class he instructs has caught the interest of about a dozen people who come to the gym each week to practice their fighting.

“People think you have to be hard as nails to do something like this, but you don’t.  It’s a fun workout. I can’t stress enough that this is not about going out and beating people up,” he said. “You should never use this outside the ring unless you have to. But it’s a great outlet for people who like the feeling of fighting. It’s much better to get that energy out here rather than on the streets or at home.”

In addition to teaching at Pinacle, Wilson works part-time as a line cook at an Elmira restaurant and part-time as a dietary aid at Leisureworld in Elmira, serving meals to the elderly.

“People are often hesitant when they see me walking around the halls at Leisureworld. I know I look a bit unapproachable, but once they get to know me, we become friends. I think my experiences have allowed me to be more appreciative of what life has to offer. Getting to work with different types of people at the gym and at Leisureworld makes me feel really fortunate. ”

The self-defense classes are open to people of all fitness levels and the level of intensity is a choice made by the participant. Classes are being offered at Pinacle free of charge on Monday and Friday evenings until October, when a registration-based class will begin. If interested in joining the class, simply stop by the front desk and ask for further details or call 519-669-9122.

Organizers recorded more than 3,100 paying attendees, as well as all the visitors under 12 years of age who entered free of charge.

“We were really happy with the turnout and how the weekend went,” said fair treasurer Jean Campbell. “It seemed as though people were having a great time and so that means it went well.”

The fairgrounds were filled with the sound of merriment all weekend, as the popular event got rolling on the evening of Aug. 6. The weekend included a whole host of events, including the baby show, the garden tractor pull, a miniature horse show with more than 60 animals on display, tractor and truck pull and a horticulture exhibit, to name a few.

The event brought in more than $50,000, which goes towards the operation of the fair and the upkeep of the grounds.

 

The assembly goes something like this: donated shoes get sorted and priced on Wednesdays; donated clothes are a Thursday job. The books have their own specific time slot, as does the remainder of the sorting, pricing, shelf filling, cleaning, packing, receiving and even dishwashing that is required to run the community-based relief business.

Bauman makes aprons, bags and quilt tops from material donated to the thrift shop.

The jobs are split up among the 200 or so local residents who pitch in an hour per week, a day per week or sometimes more. For Elmira resident Laura Bauman, her contribution is more of an ongoing commitment.

Bauman is a retiree who has spent a good part of the past year at her Husqvarna sewing machine making several hundred aprons, bags and quilt tops out of material donated to the MCC. She then donates her items for sale, the proceeds going directly to the MCC and the communities the agency supports. Some weeks, she says, she can hardly make enough to keep up with the sales.

“It takes me about an hour to make an apron,” said Bauman who also volunteers for about 10 hours each week at the store’s cash register. “It keeps me busy.”

Bauman first got the idea to make quilts when she read in the Floradale Mennonite Church newsletter about someone doing a similar project in Winnipeg. Her aprons sell for $8 and a bag may sell for as little as $3.

“If I can’t go to the areas to serve where help is needed, this is my way of doing what I can,” she explained. “I enjoy giving my time for others and helping those who are in need. It’s amazing what you can do in your spare time.”

Bauman especially appreciates her spare time since battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma a number of years back. When first diagnosed, the situation did not look good for the mother and grandmother, an experience she says gives her even more motivation to do as much as she can with the time she is given.

“I like to think that these years are my ‘extra years.’ I can’t imagine spending them sitting around, not doing anything.  I have the health and the strength and I want to be busy.”

Despite Bauman’s remarkable efforts, she is very keen to mention that it is not something that can be done by one person alone.

Throughout the bi-national network of 107 shops, thousands of volunteers as well as paid managers help with day-to-day MCC operations. At the Elmira location, volunteers such as Bauman bring their various skills and talents to the table and donate items such as knitted slippers, sewn dishcloths, quilts, crib quilts, quilts made from used blue jeans, as well as mitts, scarves, hats, potholders, and even fire-starters made from recycled damaged or used candles.

“It’s just amazing what people come up with,” she said. “Although there are typically only about half a dozen people in the shop at any one time, there are dozens more people pitching in and helping in other ways.”

But for some families, that joy can turn to stress when it comes to paying for those new supplies.

Woolwich Community Services aims to ease some of that stress through its annual Backpack Program, which runs from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3. The organization collects new backpacks and school supplies such as pencils and binders, as well as cash donations, and distributes them to underprivileged members of the community.

WCS' Kelly Christie with some of the school supplies the agency is collecting for its Backpack Program.

“It started in 2002 because we felt there was a need in the community,” said WCS’ Kelly Christie. “We do the food bank here as well, and Christmas goodwill and sometimes it’s a difficult time for low-income earners to also provide back-to-school supplies for their children.”

WCS approaches service groups, churches, and members of the community to ask for their support by making cash donations or donations of schools supplies, she explained, noting the response has been tremendous. The program has grown steadily over the past eight years; they had enough supplies for some 220 children last year, nearly three times the 79 children who received school supplies in 2003.

Part of the process involves making the experience fun for children, who might not always be thrilled with the idea of heading back to class. They get to pick from the assortment gathered by WCS.

“We don’t put the [backpacks] together – they actually get to shop and get what they want. So a little girl might go out with all pink stuff, and a boy might go out with all cars. It’s a lot of fun for them, and the families really appreciate it.”

The township has given Woolwich Community Services access to the old council chambers at 69 Arthur St. to set up a “store” for families to come and pick up their supplies, but Christie is asking them to visit Woolwich Community Services first.

Families need to live in Woolwich Township to qualify for the program, but that is one of the only restrictions. The organization doesn’t really do an income assessment: this program is based more on the honour system, Christie said.

“With the economy the way it is, some people have been making a good wage but may be laid off now and receiving less income through EI, and that has affected their budget. Their expenses haven’t gone down as far as mortgage payments and paying bills, and they could certainly use the help of a backpack and school supplies.”

Donations are already coming in, and anyone interested in donating to the program can drop new school supplies off at Woolwich Community Services at 73 Arthur St. in Elmira. A tax receipt will be issued for any cash donation made over $10.

Artist Audrey O’Hearn’s artwork will be on display this fall at the township office. Organizers expect an even larger response to this year’s call for artwork than the 40 applicants who submitted pieces for consideration last year at this time.

Roy’s images hang alongside paintings by local visionary Jonathan Munz; the two artists were selected last fall to be featured during the first year of the township’s gallery-style project.

The new initiative has been well received, according to Laurel Davies Snyder, Woolwich’s economic development and tourism officer. More than 40 artists sent in applications for consideration by the selection committee. Over the past 12 months, four shows have been installed at the gallery.

“We were really happily surprised by the number of applicants we had in our first year,” said Snyder. “We saw all kinds of artwork and would have loved to have been able to showcase more of it but there just wasn’t room this year.”

Now, the township is putting out a call for its second round of artists, with the committee of volunteers hoping to see as much, if not more interest in the program.

“The program is really twofold with benefits,” explained Snyder. “The exhibit allows local artists to showcase their work in a free venue and get their name out there, and also we are engaging the public with different kinds of art that we have in the community that they might not know about yet.”

Eligible submissions include anything from photography, to painting, metalwork, printmaking, fibre art, graphic art, quilting and other textile art, and non-traditional art such as graffiti.

“Basically anything that you can hang on a wall,” said Snyder. “Currently we don’t have the right place to display things like sculptures but we are hoping to open it up to other art forms sometime in the future.”

The open-call is for anyone who lives or works in Woolwich Township and who would like to have their artwork displayed for a three-month period. To apply, an artist must fill out a registration for with basic information about their art form alongside high quality photos of their work.

Submissions are due by Sept. 20. All submissions will be evaluated by a jury and artists will be contacted by the end of October. The first show of the second year will be installed at the beginning of January. The application form is available on the township’s website, www.woolwich.ca. For information about the program, contact Laurel Davies Snyder at ldaviessnyder@woolwich.ca or by phone at 519-669-6020.