LOCAL HEADLINES

This year’s Eat & Drink Norfolk, presented by CIBC Private Wealth, marked 15 years showcasing some of the best local food and flavours, brews, wines and ciders. The April 3-5 gala festival, hosted by the Norfolk County Agricultural Society, celebrated local pride and promoted community spirit, said Special Event Manager Chantal Zorad in a media release.

There’s a saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. That’s doubly true at Long Point Bird Observatory, where birds are momentarily detained for data collection and banding. The process provides important information for researchers.

Long thought of as a big city problem, recent trends have shown that’s not the case in Ontario when it comes to homelessness. Smaller communities like Norfolk and Haldimand are also facing pressures as homelessness numbers increase in nearly every part of the province. Fortunately, a review of the efforts made locally shows a team that punches above its weight. That’s especially the case since the local service provider doesn’t receive the same top up funding from Queen’s Pa

The hunt is on as Norfolk County is preparing for some Easter festivities. Delhi BIA is set to run their 17th annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the downtown district. The event will continue a tradition where children and families will set off looking for sweet treats, exploring the various small businesses to discover what delicious secrets lie within.

Brooke Marley Jones’ debut novel, The Forest Where the Phoenix Sleeps, combines elements of fantasy, horror, romance and humour. Published in June 2024, it features ‘fairy tales and nightmares filled with tenderness and terror’ in the horrormantasy genre.

With apple consumption in decline in Ontario, Norfolk County apple farmer Chris Hedges wants to remind shoppers of the many benefits of buying local. “The carbon footprint of an imported apple is substantial,” said Hedges, who farms 750 acres of apple orchards on farms in Vanessa and Delhi. An Ontario-grown apple, Hedges continued, “is likely cheaper at the store than the imported one, it’s had less travel time, it’s fresher.”

Holy Trinity Catholic High School has been proud to offer programs that enable students to graduate with a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM). The specialized SHSM program at HT allows students to develop skills for a future career, while gaining the necessary certifications and hands-on training. It offers training and certifications for

In the On Broadway song, the ‘neon lights are bright’, and ‘there’s always magic in the air.’ Both were true on Saturday, March 29 when Waterford Tricenturena Skating Club presented its annual skating carnival, Broadway on Ice, in Waterford.

In many ways county staff beat Coun. Kim Huffman to the punch. Huffman brought forward a motion at the March 25 Norfolk council meeting that directed staff to develop a buy local campaign in the face of the trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump. Her motion, which was approved, called for economic development and communications staff to work together to develop tools to help guide residents to locally produced goods, while also creating a marketing plan. Additiona

Residents of downtown Simcoe were treated to a surprise concert last month when students from Yale University came to town to play the carillon. The visiting musicians who put the century-old bell tower through its paces were from the Yale Guild of Carillonneurs, whose members perform twice daily on their campus carillon. “I take my duty of playing on campus very seriously,” said Zoe Pian, a molecular biophysics student from New York City.

Norfolk County could be foregoing some added revenue, but in the face of uncertainty and as a matter of principle, councillors are opting to stay the course. Staff provided an update to councillors at the March 25 meeting regarding changes to their investment plans for the $67 million legacy fund. Councillors had previously directed staff and their financial advisors to take out any investments in American markets as a way to show their displeasure with U.S. President Donald

Election day is on April 28, 2025 and advance polling takes place April 18-21. Visit Elections.ca for information on where to vote.

The hunt is on as Norfolk County is preparing for some Easter festivities.

On the wall near the Dogwood Room in the Simcoe Recreation Centre, a banner proclaims that “fun begins at 50.”

The first All About Pets Show successfully launched in Simcoe, March 8-9, at the CIBC Auditorium.

It was a great evening out with an amazing group of people. There was good food, socialization, guest speakers, club business and lots of laughter. I am glad that I accepted an invite from Jessie Kingma to attend a Waterford Lions Club meeting to see first-hand exactly what goes on.

Jason and Jennifer Doyle are prioritizing customer service at The World of Plumbing in Simcoe. “My wife (Jennifer) and I are taking the business over, and we’ve been doing it for three-and-a-half years now,” said co-owner Jason Doyle at the rebranded Norfolk Home & Lifestyle Show at the CIBC Auditorium in Simcoe, Feb. 28 to March 2, organized by The Simcoe & District Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Caradoc Townsend Mutual Insurance.

In a trade war where the effects are measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars, the $67 million legacy fund for Norfolk County is a drop in the bucket. But even so, councillors have directed staff to look at pulling any investment from their legacy fund out of American markets.

There may be five senses, but the sense of smell might be one of the best. It can tell you so much about something without even having to see it, touch it, hear it or taste it. As you step foot inside The Waterford Girl, you are greeted by some of the most heavenly scents and smells one could ever hope for.

Dan The Window Man’s origin story is about ‘a local little guy… winning one customer at a time.’ “He (Dan Verschoor) was in his teens, first operating as a window guy out of a pickup truck,” said Greg D’Hulster, a Norfolk business partner with Dan The Window Man, which has been in business serving South Western Ontario since 1989. “He went to somebody’s house to install their windows, and a little five-year-old kid answered the door… ‘Mom, Dan The Window Man is here!’ That’s