LOCAL HEADLINES

Norfolk County residents will be spoiled for choice in this fall’s municipal election. A last-minute entrant brought the total number of candidates running for mayor in the rural county to seven.

Summer Homick and Nick Buelow’s International Skating Union (ISU) season-opening Junior Grand Prix Ice Dance bronze medal in Xi’an, China, August 20-22 represented success in both ‘journey’ and ‘destination.’ A podium finish was where the pair wanted, virtually needed to further their shared goal of qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix series championship this December.

With an eye on the sky, Simcoe Lions Club hosted a Chicken BBQ fundraiser on Saturday, August 22 in downtown Simcoe. More than 500 chicken dinners were sold, prepared on their barbecue in the parking lot of Riversyde 83, for both ‘drive through’ patrons and the Argyle Street festival goers from 4-7 p.m. It was held in partnership with the Simcoe BIA, who helped provide the Argyle Street venue, the band (Sharp Dog), and the inflatable company.

Big traditions continue this year at the 136th Langton Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The Langton Fair has been a mid-September event for generations, but this year it’s ‘early’ due to the late Labour Day and elementary students returning to school Sept. 8.

Grow and Gather – Second Bloom is coming to Simcoe, Sept. 19, at the Norfolk County Fairgrounds. It’s a one-day ‘giveaway’ event, organized through a team partnership that includes Church Out Serving, Second Harvest and local farms. It aims to improve food security in Norfolk County and reduce food waste.

I’ve often found that if you tell people you’re from Waterford their first impression might be there’s just nothing to do here and not much happening. Well, I beg to differ. Miles of beautifully maintained trails, quaint shops and antique markets, a local brewery, great

The 2026 Ag Robotics Demo Day was held July 22 at the Ontario Crops Research Centre, a University of Guelph research station, near Simcoe. The field demonstration event brought together farmers, researchers, agri-businesses, students

Huron Farmworkers Ministry hosted its annual Farmworkers Appreciation Day in Simcoe on Thursday, August 27. “It’s an appreciation day to say thank you to our international workers who are here from their own countries, away from their families, away from home,” said Nancy Barwick,

It’s sad to think about it, but we will soon be saying goodbye to the ‘dog days of Summer’ and hello to the cooler weather and colours of autumn. But just because the seasons may be changing there is still a lot to see and do in Waterford.

The Monster Madness Show, with three full-size monster trucks, was an instant hit at the Tillsonburg Tri-County Fair in on August 15th and 16th. “Saturday and Sunday, the grandstands were jam-packed,” said Rosemary Dean from the Tri-County Fair. “It shows that people were interested in that new addition to the fair. I think we made a good choice this year.”

This year’s Terry Fox Run in Simcoe on Sunday, Sept. 20 starts – and finishes - at the Lions Park on Davis Street East. Online registration can be completed at run.terryfox.ca - type Norfolk in the search box and you will be taken to a link for the local 2026 run page (run.terryfox.ca/129759). Shelley Weiler has been coordinating the Tillsonburg Terry Fox Run for the past seven years. Over the years she has learned several ‘best practices’ from the Terry Fox Foundation and

Simcoe Composite School alumnus Jim Garder (who writes as James Alan Gardner) was recently inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame. We caught up with Jim to ask him what advice he has for aspiring science fiction writers. He generously provided the following suggestions:

Convicted arsonist Chad Reimer managed to avoid jail time for his role in a months-long series of fires that targeted barns and vacant houses in Norfolk County. It remains to be seen if Reimer’s co-accused, Matthew Smith, will have the same fate. The two men were arrested shortly after a barn went up in flames east of Port Dover on Jan. 26, 2025.

Willow Hyatt’s llama showmanship was on a championship level at the Tillsonburg Tri-County Fair on August 15. “This is my third summer,” said Hyatt, from Simcoe, who won the intermediate llama division of the Norfolk 4-H Showmanship at the fair, then won the overall best-at-show junior-intermediate llama showmanship title.

We have some of the most beautiful countryside right here in and/or near Waterford and my hubby and I often choose to take a ride just to enjoy the scenery. Recently we took some time to stop and snap a photo or two of one of our county’s most colourful crops - sunflowers.

Sixteen babies competed for prizes and ribbons at the 172nd Tillsonburg Tri-County Fair at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 15 in the Lions Auditorium at the Tillsonburg Community Centre. Judges for the event were Anne Hollis and Fran Brown.

Author Jim Gardner, a science fiction writer with a local connection, was recognized for his body of work on August 9, 2026.

For farmers, the pressures of work and home are often impossible to separate. Weather, commodity prices, livestock health and finances can all weigh heavily on a farm family, while long hours and geographic isolation can make it difficult to connect with others or seek help when those pressures become overwhelming. Agriculture Wellness Ontario (AgWO) is working to change that by providing mental-health education, counselling and community support designed specifically for O

The 2026 Norfolk County Terry Fox Run is fast approaching. This year’s Terry Fox Run is Sunday, Sept. 20 at Simcoe Lions Park (Davis Street). Check-in or registration starts at 10 a.m. Opening ceremonies start about 10:30 a.m. and the Terry Fox Run starts at 11 a.m.

Bonnie Sitts might be considered a local expert on Teddy Bears. Her display at the Tri-County Fair, which she first came up with to decorate a room at Annandale National Historic Site last Christmas, focused on the ‘Bear Facts.’