LOCAL HEADLINES

A local staple will be back in Exeter next month, bringing two days of rodeo action, entertainment and community spirit to the South Huron Recreation Centre’s Rodeo Arena. Running from Aug. 8 to 9, the Exeter RAM Rodeo will feature all the favourite rodeo competitions, including bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding and more.

The role of district deputy grand master of the Freemasons is a prestigious honour to have and one that R.W. Bro. Jamie McFadden took very seriously as he’s finishing his year in the role.

We are now officially in the summer season. Summer brings with it beach days, times at the cottage with friends and family and plenty of community events taking advantage of the season when the landscape isn’t covered by mounds of snow. Summer brings with it beach days, times at the cottage with friends and family and plenty of community events taking advantage of the season when the landscape isn’t covered by mounds of snow.

A plan that sets the strategy for tackling homelessness and affordability in Huron County until 2035 has been approved. County councillors approved the plan during the July 2 council meeting, where social and property services director Barbara Hall presented a report on the strategic document.

South Huron’s tire recycling program has come to a screeching halt in the wake of changes to provincial regulations. The municipal landfill, which usually handles about 1,000 tires a year, will no longer accept them. Alyssa Keller, South Huron’s manager of environmental services, said the tire recycling program was paused after the municipality couldn’t find haulers to pick up tires at the landfill.

Bagpipes will be blowing and kilts will be abundant as the annual Ailsa Craig Highland Games and Scottish Festival returns July 25. The local festival, born from the spirit of Ailsa Craig’s Gala Days, hearkens back to Ailsa Craig’s namesake — a volcanic island off the coast of Scotland where the microgranite used to make most of the world’s curling stones is quarried.

It can be difficult to fathom how much has happened in the span of 100 years. In that period the world has seen the Second World War, the invention of computers, the moon landings and more recently the introduction of artificial intelligence.

The Zurich Country Fair will be back in town from July 24 to 26 for another weekend of classic festival fun. This year’s event marks the 162nd year in the long-running agricultural fair’s history, and Jenna Becker of the Zurich Agricultural Society said the fair has changed a great deal over those years.

Faced with the possibility of having to raise property taxes to cover costs related to new development, South Huron council has voted instead to triple development charges. The decision will see the fee charged to developers raised on Jan. 1, 2027, from the current $6,467 for a single detached house to $19,131.

For this issue’s editorial, I’m going to share a personal story. Several weeks ago, my wife Molly and I decided to stop by a new food truck that has set up shop in St. Joseph to try their poutine we’d been hearing so much about. Coincidentally, my sister had told us a few days before that she and her husband were planning on visiting Poutine Feast in Sarnia that day, so I snapped a photo and sent it to our family group chat, thinking she’d reply talking about some of the fun

It was another successful year for the South Huron Hospital Foundation Gala, which raised $557,000. The gala was the 17th hosted by the foundation and took place on Friday, June 5, welcoming supporters from the community to the South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter for an evening of glamour, good food and entertainment.

With the end of the nomination period for candidates in the upcoming municipal elections approaching, residents looking to represent their communities are stepping forward to serve on local councils. Here’s what you need to know as the races start to take shape before nominations close in August. The following information was current as of June 30, 2026, when the Exeter Examiner went to press.

A proposed new apartment building in Lucan on Richmond Street next to the MacEwen gas station has hit a delay as council looks to get a developer to reduce its height. If the proposed building were to be greenlit with its current design, it would be a five-storey structure with 54 residential units.

“If only these walls could talk,” we muse, “the stories they could tell.” Town murals do. Visit these al fresco artworks on building walls in villages and towns in the area. Plan local excursions to discover what they have to say. Take a camera, a cell phone or laptop for searching info on the web, curiosity and chill vibes to fully appreciate what you are about to discover.

A young girl’s new business venture in Crediton is becoming a well-known spot for garden lovers throughout the region to find locally sourced plants. Merlyn’s Roadside Stand is run by Merrin Paff, 10, where she sells a wide and changing selection of plants at a low price from a stand at her home in Crediton, located at 19 Victoria Avenue West. Having started gardening with her grandmother about two years ago, Merrin stocks the stand with plants she grows alongside her grand

Magnetic Moments campaign requests $250,000 Bluewater was asked to commit $250,000 in support over five years to the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital’s Magnetic Moments MRI campaign during the June 15 council meeting. The campaign, which has been receiving support from groups and individuals throughout the Huron County community, aims to bring an MRI to the hospital in Goderich that would serve residents throughout the county and beyond.

Council urged to limit bikes on sidewalks Asked by a member of the public to consider a bylaw limiting bikes on sidewalks, South Huron council has decided to look into the issue. Council requested staff prepare a report for discussion at a future council meeting.

A project more than a decade in the making, a new Dashwood Fire Hall has been given the green light by South Huron municipal council

Every Canada Day, we see the same images of fireworks over Parliament Hill. We see the pictures of crowds gathered in cities for attention-grabbing and over-the-top celebrations that we’ve come to expect from the day that marks the anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.

With Canada Day right around the corner, the annual festivities in Grand Bend are set to be as exciting as ever. Organized by a committee of local volunteers, this year’s event will take place on Wednesday, July 1, bringing with it a lineup of musical acts who will perform on the Rotary Community Stage, as well as what is being labelled by organizers as southwestern Ontario’s largest Canada Day fireworks display.