New School!

Everyone’s new at Crossroads School
By Jeff Bolichowski

Released in the St. Catharines Standard
September 7, 2011

My nephew, Rowan, and some of his friends
getting off the bus on their first day
of classes at the new school.

Suddenly, everyone was the new kid in a new school Tuesday morning.

It left 12-year-old Frank Boese, a Grade 7 student at the new Crossroads School in Virgil, caught between admiration and nervousness. He'd been a student at Virgil School until his student body combined with Colonel John Butler School's to populate the newly-built school on Niagara Stone Rd.

Nervous or not, though, he'd made a couple of new friends by noon. And he'd found plenty to like about his new digs.

"I think it's really great that we have lockers and we have classrooms with smart boards," he said. "They really help us learn."

The newly-built school was not entirely finished when it welcomed students for the first time Tuesday. It's the new home for kids who once attended the nearly 140-year-old Virgil School and the small Butler School, both of which closed in the summer.

Some kids know each other, principal Marian Reimer Friesen said. But with two student bodies together in a new building, everyone got the new-kid experience of finding their way around and learning who's who — even the teachers.

"That moment this morning, when the buses arrived and all my kids stepped off the same bus. My Butler kids, my Virgil kids, the new kids, that was an incredible feeling," she said.

While some are getting lost, she said, that happens on the first day.

The transition, she said, has been rougher on the adults than the kids. "They're so adaptable," she said.

"The new kids say, 'What a great year to be new.' Nobody knows where the washrooms are. Nobody knows where the staff room is. Nobody knows how to get to the main office, so we can all experience it together."

The kids stepped into a school quite different from their former academies. Crossroads, a two-storey school, gleamed Tuesday, its corridors coloured in subdued tans and greens and blues.

Students have lockers now, which Reimer Friesen said has sparked a great deal of excitement. And the building houses a learning commons featuring plush chairs for reading plus books and computers, a hybrid of library and computer lab and discussion space.

It's even got that new-school smell, Reimer Friesen said.

A few things aren't finished. The gymnasium remains a mess of tools, its bare floor still lacking hardwood. And a couple of interior walls near the entrance, intended to eventually house a display case, aren't done yet.

The school holds 410 students, 20 teachers, three early childhood educators and two education assistants.

Grade 1 teacher Vinciane DeBrouwer, who taught for 10 years at Virgil School, said she's fascinated with what else her classroom holds. She was quick to name her favourite aspect of the room: "Storage." Everything, she said, has a place.

She said she spent about a week setting up her classroom. Displayed along the walls and bulletin boards, cutouts of cartoon monkeys introduce kids to months and colours.

The students, she said, got comfortable quickly. For her, it was a bit tougher.

"It's scary," she said. "But it's nice because everyone's in it together."

Grade 7 student Britney Goertz marvelled at the scale of her new school. She said it's a huge change from Butler and its 130 students and eight staff members.

"This is so big," she said. "Such a big change for me.

"I got to kind of get to know a lot of people. You don't know very many of them because Butler was kind of a small school."

The size and amenities are a big change for Reimer Friesen, too. She said she didn't have access to such amenities as principal at Butler and Virgil

My friend's daughter busy in her new
class at the new local school.

"It's incredible to be able to answer the questions that parents have with, 'Yes, we can help you with that.' "

Also on Tuesday, regional council's public works committee voted to recommend lowering the speed limit on Niagara Stone Rd. in front of Crossroads at certain times when kids are around.

If council green-lights that, flashing signals will indicate a speed limit of 40 km/h in front of the school from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

16-year-old girl dies in ATV crash

By Grant LaFleche, Standard Staff

Cheryl Beecroft-Penner has faith there was a reason behind the tragedy. One she cannot see or understand, perhaps, but a reason nevertheless.

"We have faith that she is exactly where God needs her to be," she says. "And am I just so thankful, so so thankful, that I had a daughter who was touching people's lives in a positive way."

Beecroft-Penner's daughter, 16-year-old Arlynne Holyer of St. Catharines, died Saturday as a result of an all-terrain vehicle accident near Longlac, Ont. some 320 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

Beecroft-Penner said she was told the ATV rolled in a ditch while her daughter was on it.

The Eden High School student had spent most of her summer in the north doing what she felt called to do — sharing her faith. On the day she died, her mother said Arlynne was with members of an evangelical ministry handing out tracts to other teenagers to try and get them to come to a bible group.

"She just felt, deep down, that this was what she was meant to do, what God wanted her to do," she said. "We're heartbroken, certainly, and I would not wish this on anyone. But we are trying to see the positive."

Arlynne was a member of youth ministries at two St. Catharines churches, Southridge Community Church on Glenridge Ave. and Central Gospel downtown.

Her mother said the girl was raised in a religious home but like most teenagers, reached the age of minor rebellion. She tried alcohol and was occasionally disrespectful. But it was a period, fortunately, of finite duration.

Arlynne started taking her faith more seriously and soon developed a passion to help others.

"We told her the most important thing was to love Jesus and love others," said Arlynne's stepfather, Pete Penner. "Every family has that one member who just lights it all up. Arlynne was that person for our family."

She went on a youth missionary trip last year to Montreal, but came back disappointed.

"She was a little bummed and when I asked, she told me it was too short. There was so much left to do," Penner said.

So she left in June for a five-week mission with Child Evangelism Ontario in the north.

Her family held a big party for her before she left. Penner said he told her he would have to get up early the next morning to mow the lawn but when he awoke, Arlynne had already done it for him.

"That was her. Always thinking about others first," he said.

Arlynne's father, David Holyer, declined comment Tuesday evening.

A funeral service for Arlynne will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Central Gospel downtown. Visitation for her will be held Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. at Tallman Funeral Home in Beamsville. Along with her parents, Holyer is also survived by five siblings.

Paraguay breaks Guinness Record!!

Yup, that's right folks! Paraguay has broken the Guinness record for the longest hot dog. On July 15, 2011, a hot dog measuring 203.80 m and weighing approximately 120 kg was made by Ochsi to obtain the world record. The hot dog bun weighed approximately 150 kg and was made by Myriam Products. International media was on site and the measurements have been verified by Johanna Hessling of Guinness. The hot dog was made as the central part of a media event surrounding the 2011 Expo in Asuncion, Paraguay. After the official measurement, the hot dog was cut up and eaten by those present. Here's the official report from ABC.com.py.

THAT'S MY MOM, THE CELEBRITY CHEF!!!

We are gently easing into that rich season of abundance, found in farmers' lands.

And if anyone knows how to make or bake the perfect treat from the earth's bounty -- it would certainly be a farmer's wife.

Just recently, a handful of Ontario Tender Fruit Growers' wives unlocked their special recipe boxes to share family favourites in the baked goods department. With the availability of fresh Ontario tender fruit around the corner, these delicious treasures feature the best of summer's harvest -- peaches, nectarines, plums, pears and Coronation grapes -- creating flavours that only fresh, local and seasonal fruits can provide.

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/23/favourite-family-recipes-from-farms

Agnes Wiens' Coronation Grape Buckle is the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea. Each bite of this flavourful dessert is texturally pleasing with its dense cake, sweetly flavoured grape filling and crispy topping.

http://www.ontariotenderfruit.com/index.php?state=category%7E11&node=3967

AGNES' CORONATION GRAPE BUCKLE

While some call it a cobbler or a crumble, Agnes Wiens prefers the old-fashioned term buckle -- dense cake, layered with a sweetly flavoured grape filling, topped with a crispy streusel. Agnes has been making this recipe for her husband Abe and their four children since the early 1970s *correction, early 1990s*. And now, as their family expands, their four grandchildren get to enjoy it on the family farm, Wiens Family Farms, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

Filling:

3 Tbsp. (45 ml) cornstarch
2 cups (500 ml) de-stemmed Coronation table grapes (fresh or frozen)
2/3 cup (150 ml) sugar
1/8 cup (25 ml) water
1 1/2 tsp (7 ml) lemon juice

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup (75 ml) flour
1/4 cup (50 ml) granulated sugar
1 tsp. (5 ml) cinnamon
1/4 tsp.(1 ml) salt
1/4 cup (50 ml) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Cake Batter:

3/4 cup (175 ml) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. (7 ml) vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups (325 ml) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. (7 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp. (2 ml) salt

Filling:

Add cornstarch into a measuring cup and add enough water to make 1/3 cup (75 ml) liquid; set aside. Add grapes, sugar, water and lemon juice into a pot and stir to combine (if using frozen grapes, include any ice that has formed). Place pot over medium heat and bring to a boil; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, continuing to stir. Add cornstarch to grape mixture and continue to cook until it no longer looks cloudy from the cornstarch mixture, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and transfer grape filling into a bowl; cool to room temperature. Do not skip this step. When assembling the buckle, if the filling is not at room temperature, it will bubble and overflow, creating a mess in your oven.

Streusel Topping:

In medium bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter. Using fingertips, work butter into dry ingredients, until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Refrigerate for later use.

Cake Batter:

With a stand mixer or hand mixer, blend butter, sugar and vanilla together until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time until well blended. In separate bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Assembling the Buckle:

Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and pour in cake batter. Drop spoonfuls of grape filling on top of the batter and gently swirl with a butter knife, creating a marble effect over the surface area. Top with the streusel mixture and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

PER SERVING (1/10th recipe):
about 433 cal, 4 g pro, 20 g total fat (12 g sat fat), 60 g carb, 1 g fibre, 105 mg chol, 239 mg sodium. %RDI: 18% vitamin A, 2% vitamin C, 4% calcium, 8% iron.

Tip: To reduce preparation time, grape filling may be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to two days, but be sure to bring it to room temperature before assembling the buckle.

Tip: Freezing grapes is simple. Wash, dry and de-stem grapes. Pack in airtight containers and freeze. No sugar is required because the natural high sugar and acid level in Ontario Coronation table grapes act as a natural preservative. Eat as a snack right from the freezer. Frozen grapes can replace fresh grapes in every recipe as they retain their intense colour and flavour and hold their shape when thawed. When using frozen grapes for preserves, thaw in refrigerator just until crushable.

Just Foolin' Around

On Friday night, my niece showed off her skill as part of a team skate to the Mario Brothers' theme song and then Saturday afternoon she performed her solo and earned a silver medal for it. So very proud of her!!

SKATERS READY FOR SHOWCASE
More than 200 figure skaters, including national pairs champion Kirsten Moore-Towers (of St. Catharines)
and Dylan Moscovitch will perform at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Skating Club’s annual year-end Showcase
this Friday. The International Skating Union has the duo ranked 21st in the world. The theme of the
Showcase is‘Just Foolin’ Around’ to coincide with April Fools’ Day. The age ranges
from 2-58 years-old. The event starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

cancer sucks!

Shari (Emmalee's Mom) and I went to Bible School together back in the day.

Cancer takes its toll but recovery continues
By Greg Vandermeulen
29 March 2011

Music is Emmalee's one escape from
the difficulties of cancer treatment.

RIDGEVILLE - Six months after their three-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a Ridgeville family is doing everything they can to keep their hopes up and their thoughts positive.

Emmalee Chubaty's story was first told in the Nov. 4, 2010 edition of The Red River Valley Echo.

Her mother Shari Chubaty explained how the diagnosis came as a result of a fall after Emmalee was jumping on her bed. She told of the issues that started with the blood transfusion in Winnipeg, and the pain that followed. Emmalee began an aggressive chemo treatment, and the family struggled to cope as father Wayne remained at their Ridgeville home, and their young son stayed with friends.

Six months later, there is hope, but there is still a very rough road for this young family.

Shari said her daughter has come to the end of the intensive chemo. After blood counts get to a certain level she starts maintenance, which involves a two year period, of a blood test every three weeks, and a spinal tap and chemo treatment every 12.

"She will still have to take oral medication at home every day, including an antibiotic to prevent infection, low dose chemotherapy and low dose steroids, but we'll get to be home," she said.

Emmalee has been home several times but has spent the last six weeks in hospital. Her brother James is staying with relatives in Regina.

With the exception of one scary incident that saw Emmalee end up with falling counts, fever and infection, Shari said her daughter's treatment has gone well.

But cancer brings some scary realities, especially for a three-year-old. "She lost her hair one night, all within eight hours," Shari said. "That really scared her, and took a long time for her to adjust to."

As hard as it is for Shari and Wayne to watch their daughter fight the disease, Shari said it becomes tougher when they see how their formerly outgoing little girl is dealing with it.

"The worst of all of it, is the emotional damage for Emmalee," she said. "Being three, we've never been able to explain to her fully what was going on and why."

Even the best efforts of Cancer Care's life skills therapist hasn't helped.

In fact Shari said they have to literally force her child to take the necessary treatment. "Every time they had to access her port in her chest for chemo, we would have to pin her down as she kicked and screamed, cried and told me she was 'a good girl today'," she said. "Those are the days it broke my heart to see her go through it."

Shari said it's tough to see the girl who was once so outgoing, turned into someone who is scared of everything.

Emmalee has yet to walk again as well. Sessions with the physiotherapist have helped, and Shari said although her daughter cries when her boundaries are pushed, she very quickly wants to go back again.

"We've been told and we've seen what a long process it can be, and we know it may take years for her to be able to walk and run as normal again," she said.

But Emmalee has some great things to look forward to. Shari said the Rainbow Society has offered her a wish of going to Disney World, enjoying a princess makeover and meeting Cinderella. She'll also go to Sea World, likely in fall.

She's also been asked to appear in a Ronald McDonald House fashion show in May, and Shari is cautiously optimistic.

"We'll see how much of all this she'll be able to handle by then," she said.

Despite her fear of the chemo, Emmalee has become a star among the nurses. Shari said she'll tell them "nope, not today, get out" when they come for tests, but she willingly holds out her finger for blood tests, although she'll cry at the same time.

"I'm so relieved and completely overjoyed that the worst of this is hopefully over," Shari said, noting it is possible the cancer could return. "We're far from done we know, but maybe now we can get back to being some sort of family, and allow her to be some sort of normal three-year-old."

The impact on the family will never be entirely removed, and Shari said her perspective has changed dramatically.

"You definitely develop a new list of priorities with cancer," she said. "The other day, I was behind a mom with two kids in a checkout line, and she was getting extremely frustrated with the bugging and whining they were doing. I felt like saying 'hug them'. Give them whatever they want. I would give anything to be in your shoes."

Support has come from all corners for the family. The community of Emerson has helped out, but it has spread much wider than that.

Shari said her sister-in-law had sent an email to a friend in the U.S. about making Emmalee a hat for when she lost her hair.

"It 'went viral' as she called it, and pretty soon, we had boxes of notes for Emms, gifts, and hats of all shapes, types and designs, pouring in from all over the world," Shari said. "The last time I counted, there was 78 hats, four quilts and so many pictures and cards and gifts sent from families and other young children, I can't count."

Shari said daycares have gotten together to draw pictures and make cards, something that has lifted Emmalee's spirits.

"She absolutely loves to open the boxes and see each one," she said. "No matter what kind of day or week she had, coming home to those hats perked her up."

Shari said the family can't wait to get home and let Emmalee get back to being a kid and not a "kid with cancer".

that's my family!!!!!

Growing forward
NOTL couple wins 2011 Outstanding Youth Farmer Award

By Melinda Cheevers
Reporter from the Niagara This Week

Growing forward. Wes Wiens and his wife Briar (not pictured)
were recently named 2011 Ontario Outstanding Young Farmers.
The couple are grapevine propagators operating
Gemmrich W. Nursery in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Sometimes, you don’t realize how far you’ve come until you take the time to pause and look back.

For Niagara-on-the-Lake farmer Wes Wiens, being nominated for the 2011 Outstanding Young Farmer Award, provided him just that chance.

“It’s funny, I’ve never really had the time to reflect back on the challenges we’ve faced or how far we’ve come, I was always just looking forward,” he said. “So it’s been nice to take the time to look back.”

Wiens and his wife Briar are grapevine propagators operating Gemmrich W. Nursery on Line 5. Within the last five years, production at the nursery has almost doubled from 800,000 vines grafted in 2006 to 1,400,000 vines in 2010.

On March 11, the couple was chosen from a group of six farmers from across Ontario as Outstanding Young Farmers of 2011. They took home the award from an awards ceremony held in Ajax, Ont.

Wes said it was an honour just to be nominated, let alone taking home the title.

“We really didn’t expect it,” he said.

The Wiens were nominated by the Grape Growers of Ontario. Wes said once they were nominated, the lengthy application process began. The couple was required to write a 15-page essay about the company, the challenges they have faced and looking forward to the future. Wes said once they were shortlisted, they had to develop a presentation for the awards ceremony in Ajax.

Wes comes from a family of grape and tender fruit farmers. Growing up he learned the value of hard work and knew innovation was a key to success in the agricultural industry. When he was approached by Martin Gemmrich, a third generation propagator of grapevines who operated the Line 5 nursery in Niagara-on-the-Lake and asked Wes to buy the business from him, Wes said he had to consider the proposal. He eventually decided to go for it, with Gemmrich as his partner at first. Under Gemmrich’s tutelage, he learned the propagation business.

Now, using a mix of old techniques learned from his mentor and new technology, the future of the business is looking brighter than ever. It currently has 60 per cent of the market share in the Canadian grape vine industry. Wes said they are exploring GPS mapping for the vineyard and soil sampling as future services.

Wes is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day responsibilities of the nursery while Briar plays a different role. In addition to caring for the couple’s children, she also helps to organize employee events.

At the awards ceremony, the couple were given two trophies, a banner to hang in their office and a painting depicting the various aspects of Ontario’s agriculture industry.

For more information about the Ontario Outstanding Young Farmer Award, visit www.oyfontario.ca. For more information about Gemmrich W. Nurseries visit www.gwnvines.com

Local couple win Ontario’s Young Farmer of the Year Award
New technology in an industry steeped in tradition helped earn the award

By Penny Coles
Reporter from the Niagara Advance

Wes and Briar will represent Ontario
at the National competition being held
in Brandon, Manitoba where
they will compete for the title of
Canada's Outstanding Young Farmer.

A Niagara-on-the-Lake couple have been named Ontario's outstanding young farmers of the year, chosen from a group of six provincial finalists that exemplify and demonstrate innovation and progress in agriculture.

Wes and Briar Wiens, nominated by the Grape Growers of Ontario, attended an awards ceremony held in Ajax recently, where each finalist gave a presentation about their business to the judging committee and about 200 people at the event.

Wiens says he was proud to be nominated for the award—and winning it was a huge honour.

He grew up working in first his grandfather's NOTL vineyards, then alongside his father and uncle. He has done everything from hoeing weeds to helping with the grape harvest, he says. Now he has gone back to the beginning of the grape cycle, grafting and selling grape vines to growers across the country.

About eight years ago he and his wife decided to buy an existing operation, Gemmrich Nursery on Line 5. The previous owner, Martin Gemmrich, stayed on as a mentor for a couple of years, but since then, Wiens has applied his knowledge of modern technology to an industry steeped in tradition.

It's his industry-leading innovations that helped win the award.

"Any business owner that is going to have success has to look at all the tools at your disposal and apply them to their industry. One of those tools is new technology," says Wiens.

The last eight years have been quite a journey, he says, beginning with learning the business. Keeping up with changing government regulations came next, and then the Ontario market took a bit of a nose dive—not just in agriculture but in most industries. That forced him to focus on out-of-province sales, which gave him an opportunity to attract new markets, first in BC, now in the eastern provinces, and to increase his market share to about 60 per cent—all the while using research and technology at their Line 5 nursery to raise the quality of the product.

And it has worked—the nursery grafted more than 1.4 million vines last year, almost doubling the number from 800,000 in 2006.

They also provide services such as potted vines, custom grafting and brokering imported vines.

Wes, 34, and Briar, 33, are proud parents of four aged from just 15 months to eight years old, so Briar's role is of necessity mostly one of support. But although she may not have much free time to spend at the nursery, "we're in this together, whether she's here everyday or not," says Wes.

There is some traveling involved to more established wine regions around the world in the name of research, and fortunately they are able to do most of that together, he says.

Wes and Briar will represent Ontario at the National competition being held in Brandon, Manitoba where they will compete for the title of Canada's Outstanding Young Farmer.


Grape Vine Propagators named as
2011 Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers 

released by ontariofarmer.com

“When you do something, you do it to the best of your ability, and whatever is done in the present, will have an effect on the future.” Those words sum up the philosophy of Wes and Briar Wiens, the 2011 Ontario Outstanding Young Farmers. The Wiens', of Gemmrich W. Nursery in Niagara-on-the-Lake received their award at a banquet held in Ajax on Friday March 11. The Wiens' will represent Ontario at the national OYF event to be held later this year in Brandon, MB.

Nominated by the Grape Growers of Ontario, Wes Wiens was born and raised on a grape and tender fruit farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake and learned two important lessons early on in life - that agricultural success is built on innovation and adaptation, and that agricultural survival is attained through commitment and stamina. He feels that “both of these life lessons have helped me become one of Canada’s leading grapevine propagators.”

As one of Canada’s leading propagators, Gemmrich W. Nurseries (www.gwnvines.com), named after Wes’s mentor and former partner, Martin Gemmrich, a 3rd generation propagator of grapevines, has been able to benefit from steady market share gains. Within the last 5 years, the nursery’s production has almost doubled to respond to customer demand.

Commitment to quality supersedes all other aspects of management practices at Wes and Briar’s nursery. They add value to operation by providing services such as producing potted vines, doing custom grafting and brokering for imported vines. They are also affiliated directly with another family operation which provides custom planting, trellising and harvesting services, making them a one-stop operation. In the future they would like to add vineyard GPS mapping, soil sampling, viticultural consulting, missing vine counting and over-grafting to their list of services.

The Wiens' find that keeping up with new developments in the industry is challenging, as there is no educational institution that deals specifically with viticulture propagation. Due to this they and their management team have traveled to more established wine regions around the world in order to learn more about their practices and technological advancements. Wes has also made it a priority to focus their own research and development program and conducts joint research projects with various educational institutions including the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Brock University and Niagara College.

Wes has also been a director for the Grape Growers of Ontario, a member of the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network and the American Society of Enology and Viticulture. The whole family, including their four children, Kaityn (8), Berlin (6), Rowan (4) and Addisyn (1) are heavily involved with their Community Church, and with regional minor hockey and baseball teams.

The Wiens' were chosen from a group of six farmers including Paul and Kelly Brooks (Brooks Farms, Uxbridge), Ed and Julie Danen, (Danzel Holsteins, Shakespeare), Ian and Vicki Mayberry (Mayberry Hill Farms, Ingersoll), Jason Verkaik (Carron Farms, Bradford) and John and Maxine Zekveld (Zekveld’s Garden Market, Wyoming). Market garden farmers, John and Maxine Zekveld from Wyoming received runner-up recognition. For information on all of the finalists, visit the Ontario OYF website at www.oyfontario.ca.

Winners of the award are chosen based on career progress; environmental and safety practices, crop and livestock production history; financial and management practices and contributions to society. The judges, Jim Glenn (OOYF winner in 1986), Terry Daynard (retired from Ontario Corn Producers and the University of Guelph), and Marlene Werry (Durham Region Economic Development Officer) chose the Wiens' in part due to their industry leading innovations and commitment to their product quality and customer service.

Over 200 people, including the Honourable John Wilkinson, Ontario Minister of the Environment, and Maria Van Bommel, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, were on hand at the awards banquet to celebrate with all of the finalists. For the first time, food items from past OYF winners, and finalists were showcased in the delicious local food menu.

Eadie Steele, Co-chair of the 2011 event noted that “Spending time with such imaginative and successful young farmers reminds us all that farming is a rewarding occupation and we need to keep that in mind more as we deal with our daily challenges. The Ontario finalists showed the diversity of Ontario agriculture too, representing the dairy, horticultural, wine, goat, cropping and agri-tourism sectors.”

Celebrating 31 years of identifying great agricultural successes, Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer’s program is an annual competition to recognize farmers that exemplify excellence in their profession and promote the tremendous contribution of agriculture. Open to participants 18 to 39 years of age, making the majority of income from on-farm sources, participants are selected from seven regions across Canada, with two national winners chosen each year. The program is sponsored nationally by CIBC, John Deere, Bayer CropScience and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and supported nationally by AdFarm and Canadian Farm Business Management Council.

The 2011 Ontario event was sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited, TD Canada Trust, Syngenta, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Better Farming, Ontario Farm Fresh and GROWMARK.

that's my niece!

So proud of my niece!! She earned 5th place (out of 9 skaters) at her very first competition today!!

Young NOTL skaters come home with medals

released in the Niagara Advance

NOTL Skating Club sent 21 skaters to the
Futures - East Invitational Skating Competition
held recently at Six Nations, and had 12 return with medals.

31 March 2011



The Niagara-on-the-Lake Skating Club sent 21 young skaters to the Futures - East Invitational Skating Competition held March 5 and 6 in Six Nations to compete against more than 400 skaters, and had 12 girls return with medals.

These are the skaters' results:
Cierra Perron, STARSkate Pre-Preliminary – first
Jeniah Wiens, Pre-Preliminary A Limited Group 9 – first
Anya Heaven, Pre-Preliminary A Limited Group 10 – second
Mackenzie Graba, Pre-Preliminary A Limited Group 6 – third
Alyssa Hunter, Pre-Preliminary B Limited Group 3 – third
Rachael Hunter, CanSkate Group 10 – third
Angelina Maniatis, Pre-Preliminary A Limited Group 1 – third
Kyra Marotta, Pre-Preliminary A Limited Group 2 – third
Julianna Mihelic, CanSkate Group 14 – third
Kaitlyn Ostromecki, CanSkate Group 12 – third
Avery Royer, CanSkate Group 5 – third
Felicia Scaringi, STARSkate Preliminary – third
Antonia Martin – CanSkate Group 15 – fourth
Madison MacLean – Pre-Preliminary A Limited Group 3 – fifth
Taylor McLachlan – STARSkate Pre-Preliminary – fifth
Kaityn Wiens – CanSkate Group 7 – fifth
Abby Johnstone, Pre-Preliminary B Limited Group 4 – sixth
Annelise Perron – STARSkate Preliminary – sixth
Lexie Madsen – STARSkate Preliminary – seventh
Alexa Ostrowski – Preliminary B Group 4 – seventh
Claudia Selimi – CanSkate Group 15 – eighth.

Beginners learning skating skills with figure skating club
New session of classes will start next week
released in the Niagara Advance
December 30, 2010

Alika Elliott, Christy Engemann and Kaityn Wiens
learn basic skills with the
Niagara-on-the-Lake Figure Skating Club.

Not sure figure skating is the right sport for your child?

How about hockey, ringette, or just learning to have fun and be safe on the ice?

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Figure Skating Club offers programs for beginners of all ages, designed to develop a variety of skating skills. The CanSkate program focuses on fun, participation and basic skill development.

It is beneficial to any skater with an interest in ice sports, including figure skating, hockey and ringette.

Skaters are grouped according to ability and taught by certified professional coaches assisted by qualified program assistants. Skaters develop forward and backward skating skills, stopping, turning, jumping, edges and crosscuts. Badges are awarded when all skills have been achieved.

"We might have the next Sidney Crosby or Joannie Rochette among us. If we do, we want to find them," says NOTL Figure Skating Club spokesperson Darlene Dortono.

And for those who will not reach the level of a professional hockey player or Olympic figure skater, she said, lessons will give them an opportunity to learn new skills.

With the next session about to start, it's especially timely for youngsters who will be skating with their schools during the winter, she adds.

Coaches make the sessions active using teaching aids, music and a variety of theme and fun days held throughout the season.

Skate Canada and the NOTL club strongly recommend a properly fitted CSA hockey helmet for all beginner skaters.

The skating club offers a pre-school CanSkate session for beginners ages three to five at the Virgil arena Thursdays, from 4 to 4:45 p.m., and Mainstream CanSkate sessions, for beginners aged five and up, from 4-4:50 p.m.

On Saturdays, the Pre-school session is from 3 to 3:45 and Mainstream from 3:45 to 4:35.

Students can choose one or class or attend both, says Dortono.

The club also offers an adult session on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 7:50 p.m.

All programs begin next week, Jan. 5 for adults, Jan. 6 and 8 for kids.

Registration for the January session can be arranged by calling the club at 905-468-7465 or emailing the office at notlsk8r@hotmail.com. Information is also available at www.notlskatingclub.com.

Parents or guardians of pre-school and CanSkate skaters must remain at the arena during lesson time for their children's safety and encouragement.

that's my niece!!

Niagara Blades bring home gold

released in the Niagara Advance
09 December 2010

The Niagara Blades, a novice girls travel team playing
in a Niagara Falls girls league, traveled to Stratford
recently and won each of their five games,
coming home tournament champions.

The Niagara Blades of the Niagara Falls Girls Hockey Association traveled to Stratford to bring home a tournament trophy in the novice division—and they did.

The team of Niagara-on-the-Lake girls—there is no girls travel division in NOTL—played three preliminary and two playoff games to capture the gold.

Not knowing what to expect, the team came out strong beating London 5-1. Goaltender Lauren Viviers stole the spotlight making numerous saves to earn the game star. Emma Penner and Katie Miller each scored two goals with Avery Penner adding the single. Assists went to Jessica Paul with two, and singles to Emma, Avery, and Abbey Penner.

Playing against the host team, Brooklyn Clark paced the way scoring five in an 8-1 win over Stratford. Emma Penner collected two and Miller one. Single assists went to Isabella Antonucci, Emma, Avery and Abbey Penner.

The third game Niagara won over the Twin Centre was a lopsided 12-0 victory. Miller and Clark potted four each and Emma Penner and Emma Andres two a piece. Assists went to Emma Penner, Clark, Paul and Abbey Penner.

These same two teams hooked up in the playoffs with a totally different outcome. Great defence by Antonucci and Tiana Hollowchuk combined with great saves by Viviers, Niagara snuck by with a 1-0 victory.

Great plays from Emma Andres, Alice Hellwig and Berlin Wiens just couldn't get by the goaltender. A fine pass from Lexi Buis went to Clark in a breakaway with Avery Penner trailing to pick up the rebound and score a late goal.

In the final match the Blades held off a London team 3-1. With the Blades up 2-1 late in the game, Miller sealed the championship with seconds remaining.

Hollowchuk, Hellwig and Ana Laura Mancuso got in on the scoring action picking up single assists as did Miller. Clark and Emma Penner added the other goals.

cancer shouldn't happen to kids :(

I went to Bible school with Shari (Emmalee's Mom). To see an update click here.

Dealing with leukemia difficult for three-year-old and family
By Greg Vandermeulen
05 November 2010

Emmalee Chubaty pictured at her uncle's
wedding where she was a flower girl
in mid-August. Although she was not yet
diagnosed, which happened after her fall,
the cancerous cells were present in her body.

It's a battle no one should be asked to fight. But at the age of three, taking on cancer seems like an insurmountable task.

Not even a month from first diagnosis to present, three-year-old Emmalee Chubaty has undergone more medical treatments than many people do in a lifetime.

Diagnosed on Sept. 30 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Chubaty has been on a rough road toward recovery.

As Ridgeville area farmers and parents Wayne and Shari try to adjust to their new reality, Emmalee is in the fight of her life.

On Oct. 26, Shari Chubaty talked about how far her daughter had come. "She's responding the way they hoped she'd respond," Shari said.

Because her ability to fight infection is compromised, Emmalee hasn't been able to go home until now.

She started telling me she would stop doing
bad things if I made the pokey things stop.

- Shari Chubaty

"They've given us the green light," Shari said.

Because of Emmalee's fragile immune system, renovations had to be hurriedly completed on the home, including ripping out the carpets, having the ducts and the entire furnace system inspected and cleaned.

Shari said doctors told them they could not engage in renovations anytime soon, once their daughter's home.

"It has to be done now or not for three years," she said.

Changes to their farm house are the least of their worries for the last few weeks.

With Emmalee, her troubles began in early August when she fell off her bed. "That kick-started her pain," Shari said. "She didn't want to walk after that."

They took her to the doctor and was told there was nothing wrong and that she was faking.

Two weeks later they brought her to a different doctor who thought she had possibly sprained her ankle.

Emmalee started walking again shortly after, but that only lasted a week.

Shari said they brought her to Altona where the doctor expressed concern for her paleness. "Her lips were white," Shari recalled.

Blood work was done, and that's when the Chubaty family's lives changed.

"Before I got back to my car, (the doctor) told me to take her to Winnipeg for a blood transfusion."

Just how serious her condition actually was, became apparent quickly, as instead of feeling better, Emmalee felt much worse.

"She had minor heart failure because her body wasn't used to white blood cells and oxygen," she said.

That day in Winnipeg will never be forgotten. As Emmalee had various tests, Shari said they received the news. "By 3:30 p.m. there was an oncologist in the room telling me she had cancer," she said.

Although she wasn't allowed to jump on the bed, Shari said that action, and the subsequent fall, may have saved her life.

"The oncologists had told us that her fall was the best thing that could have happened to her, that if she hadn't shown those signs of pain prompting us to persue things further, she would have lasted until December, and that we could have easily lost her with how low her counts were," she said.

Since then she has had five bone marrow aspirations, a spinal tap and chemotherapy. A control line has been put in her chest for chemotherapy.

And the formerly friendly and outgoing little girl is now afraid of everyone.

Shari described it as horrific, saying Emmalee doesn't know why all this is happening.

"She started to say no more," Shari said. "She started telling me she would stop doing bad things if I made the pokey things stop."

"She won't speak to people anymore," Shari added. "She was my social butterfly."

Her physical appearance has also changed. Her hair is cut short, (to help prepare her for hair loss), her face is puffy, and she has gone up four sizes in clothes thanks to steroids and chemo for one month. "She doesn't look at all like the same little girl," she said.

Emmalee had a word for people she thought of as heroes. To her they were all "superman".

"I call her my superman," she said.

But Shari and Wayne also have a one-year-old son, who is being looked after by friends during all of this.

Shari said there has also been a trust fund set up at Scotia Bank in Emerson, and D.D.'s Country Kitchen held a fundraising breakfast on Oct. 30.

Not from the area (she grew up in Regina but Wayne is local), Shari said she is stunned by the support.

"It's been incredible, absolutely unreal," she said.

Although at first they greeted news of the trust fund with mixed feelings, Shari said they have come to appreciate what has been done.

"You don't think that would ever be something we need," she said.

Shari said they are thankful that Emmalee has made it through the first part of treatment and are optimistic for her recovery, since the type of leukemia she has is the most curable.

But she recognizes the next three years are going to be tough ones. "It's going to be really hard for a long time," she said.

that's my brother!

2009 Niagara Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Recipient for Agricultural Enterprise

Congratulations to Wes Wiens
2009 Niagara Entrepreneur of
the Year Award Recipient for
Agricultural Enterprise.

Wes Wiens was born and raised on a grape and tender fruit farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where he learned two important lessons early in life. First, that agricultural survival is built on the backbone of commitment and stamina. And second, that agricultural success is built on innovation and adaptation. These life lessons have aided Wes along the path to being one of Canada’s leading grapevine
propagators.

In the fall of 2003, a local supplier and third generation propagator of grapevines, Martin Gemmrich, approached the Wiens family about their interest in both learning and continuing his well-established business. Although Gemmrich played a key role in laying the technical groundwork for the operation, it has been Wiens’ vision and innovation in utilizing new products, procedures and technology which has tripled the company’s size in five years.

Wiens remains focused on sustainable technologies as the future for his industry and continues to pioneer the way in this field.

He remains actively involved in his community as a youth leader, board of management executive member at Cornerstone Community Church, and a sponsor of a Niagara-on-the-Lake little league team.

Cold carnival at Virgil school

Virgil School student Kaityn Wiens
has fun catching a snowball
during a winter activity
last Friday morning.

The spirit of winter was in the air last Friday at Virgil Public School as the school hosted its first Carnaval d'hiver (Winter Carnival) in the playground.

Similar to the Carnaval de Quebec, a 17-day outdoor carnival held the last Friday of January, Virgil's carnival featured a slew of winter activities including simulated canoe races, ice slides, snow sculptures, races and a tug of war. Students and teachers enjoyed the nice break from classes to play in the snow and learn about Quebec culture.

After rotating each event, the students warmed up with hot chocolate and Tim Hortons Timbits.