LOCAL HEADLINES

Some people in Norfolk County know him as Don. Dondie Deming is the administrator for Kindness Kounts Norfolk County, with nearly 5,000 Facebook members. “Dondie… nobody’s heard of the name,” said Deming, who was named after an Italian orphan from the 1961 movie Dondi, although Dondie has Scottish origins. “It was an orphanage boy in a movie on television in the 70s. And go figure, I grew up in Children’s Aid.

Courtland’s Jayden King is not only brushing up on his curling skills for the Montana’s Brier Feb. 27 to March 8 in St. John’s Newfoundland, but also his ability to kiss a cod and ingest dark rum. “We’ll do the whole screech situation,” laughed the 23-year skip of the Farm & Food Care Ontario Men’s Curling Championship winning rink. “Whatever comes along, we are excited to go along for the whole ride.”

On Christmas Day, everyone should enjoy being seated around a table with family, or friends, or just a friendly community, having a festive meal together. That’s what drives the annual Community Christmas Day Dinner in Simcoe, hosted by Church Out Serving at Riversyde 83. On Dec. 25, more than 200 people experienced that joy.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The teenage cast of “The SpongeBob Musical,” a Young Theatre Players production on stage in Simcoe this month. SpongeBob and his friends band together to save their undersea home of Bikini Bottom from an imminent volcanic eruption.

The Royal Canadian Legion Simcoe Branch 79 is planning year-round festivities in 2026 to celebrate a century of supporting veterans. “Our Legion is older than 100, but a combination of other veteran organizations was established right after the First World War in 1919,” said James Christison, president of the Simcoe Legion Branch 79. 

Daryl Granger’s ‘Young Farmer’ is a beautifully crafted, educational, and often humorous documentary told through the eyes of seven-year-old boy, Roman Boyd.

While many people were busy with holiday season activities, the period between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 marked an important time for birding enthusiasts. During that time frame each year, volunteers participate in annual Christmas Bird Counts, working within set 24-kilometre circles to tally as many different species and individual birds as possible over the course of a designated day. 

As a son of two educators, the school system has always had special importance for Const. Andrew Gamble. But his own life journey took him in a different path as he entered the world of law enforcement.

Grand Erie Public Health was born on the first day of 2025, the result of months of merger talks between the health units that had overseen Haldimand-Norfolk and Brantford-Brant. A week later, as staff were still setting up their new email accounts, the measles virus appeared in the largely rural community southwest of Hamilton. That first case of the highly contagious respiratory disease once considered eradicated in Canada led to many more, with Dr. Malcolm Lock formally 

A quick internet search on the topic of New Year’s resolutions suggests, depending on the source, that only nine to 30 per cent of people manage to stick with their plans. Often, resolutions are abandoned less than one month into the new year.

A tax sale in November netted nearly $387,000 for Norfolk County after four property owners coughed up years of unpaid taxes and three high bidders walked away from their purchases. Only one of the 11 properties initially put on the auction block in the fall actually sold at the Nov. 5 auction. But tax collector Rob Fleming explained the point of the exercise was not to sell the properties but to compel their owners to settle their property tax bills.

It was an emotional Monday night for the Langton-area Boyd family. Excited, and maybe in some cases a bit nervous, Greg and Victoria and their three children watched the premiere of Young Farmer for the first time on the ‘big screen’ at The Strand in Simcoe. The locally filmed and produced documentary by Daryl Granger, Victoria’s brother, features the

Is spring in the air? For gardeners, all it takes is a little planning, and spending an afternoon at the 2026 Seedy Saturday in Waterford will help. “It’s Saturday, Feb. 7th,” said Jen Thompson, coordinator of Waterford’s third annual Seedy Saturday at the high school.

It has been nearly a year since a pair of Norfolk County men were charged with setting 11 fires during a months-long arson spree that rattled the rural community. Chad Reimer, 43, and Matthew Smith, 30, were arrested the night of Jan. 26, 2025. They were pulled over because their pickup truck matched the description of a vehicle seen leaving the scene of a barn fire on Lynn Valley Road, east of Port Dover, earlier that evening. The pair were charged with 11 counts of arson

To find out how to curb drug use among local youth, Grand Erie Public Health went right to the source. Grade 10 students in Haldimand and Norfolk were invited to complete in-class surveys in December to give the health unit a baseline on which to build a strategy to address substance abuse.

Locals came together at the Talbot Gardens in Simcoe and celebrated the New Year with food, chocolate beverages and games.  “Norfolk County Recreation has been hosting this family-friendly New Year’s Eve event for more than 10 years,” said Katelyn Bowen, Recreation Services Supervisor. “The original inspiration was to provide a low-cost, welcoming option for families to celebrate close to home. “The event was designed to offer something for everyone, whether families wanted

The Simcoe and District Chamber of Commerce announced its Outstanding Business Award winners at their Annual Business Achievement Awards Gala on Nov. 13 at the Delhi German Home, and its Citizen of the Year.

Simcoe Curling Club has been slowly building up its membership again after the pandemic. “We’ve seen a lot come back and we’ve had some new members,” said Jayden Russell, SCC board member.

Children had a chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus Saturday morning at the Langton Community Centre after the annual Langton Lions Santa Claus parade. Patiently and eagerly waiting in line, there were smiles all around.

Motorists traveling along Angling Road should keep an eye on their speed, as Norfolk County council is reducing the limit. A staff review of the speed limits on the road led to a recommendation to reduce the posted limit from 80 km/h to 70 km/h “from Concession 6 Townsend to approximately 670m south of Norfolk County Road 19,” a report said.