LOCAL HEADLINES

An environmental assessment presented four ways to deal with an aging but historically important dam in northwest Norfolk, but based on the calls councillors received, there was really only one choice.

Do you live in Norfolk County and not have plans on Christmas Day? There is a seat for you at the free community meal hosted by local charity Church Out Serving at Riversyde 83 in Simcoe.

Ontario country artist Olivia Mae Graham celebrated a major milestone with the launch of her full-length debut album, ‘Nobody’ at the Hungarian Hall in Delhi on Sunday, Dec. 7.

Norfolk County is home to some very dedicated people who contribute so much to Norfolk County. They don’t do it to gain recognition or accolades, but rather because of their commitment to the community. It is because of them that the Dogwood Awards were established in 2007, named after Norfolk County’s official flower, to give credit where credit is due.

The good residents of Waterford step forward when there is a need to be met and quite often one might find local business woman Kerry Bockenholt at the helm. Recently she opened the doors of her business, Kerry’s St. James Street Eatery, to a sold-out crowd intent on enjoying some great country music and Waterford’s own edition of ‘Hee Haw’ while supporting a great cause.

After spending her spring and summer fighting wildfires in Alberta, Bailey Pinkney would have been forgiven for putting her feet up once she got back home to Norfolk County. Instead, the 22-year-old laced up her running shoes and prepared to run the New York City Marathon in early November in support of her local hospital.

Pickleball may have gotten an unusual start, but that hasn’t stopped it from gaining adherents worldwide. And if the activity level on the pickleball courts during the Simcoe Seniors Centre’s assigned times are any indication, Norfolk County has its share of pickleball fans.

Some of the best Curling Ontario men’s teams hit the ice at the Simcoe Curling Club on the weekend for a three-day provincial qualifier. The top four teams qualified for the 2026 Farm and Food Care Ontario Men’s Curling Championships, Jan. 4-11 in Elmira, where the winning team will advance to the 2026 Brier, Canada’s national men’s curling championship.

Norfolk is dipping into a pool of money it saved for upgrades to Norfolk General Hospital. Councillors approved a staff recommendation to release $3 million from its Legacy Fund to help pay for a project to improve the minimally invasive surgery unit at the hospital. The county has a total of $5 million set aside in the fund to be used for hospital upgrades.

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus made their grand entrance ‘flying’ to the Simcoe Christmas Panorama light-up ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 29. “I have a tracker right here and I’ve been texting with Santa,” said Panorama MC Robynn Beazley at Wellington Park. “The firefighters are going to bring him over on the Bickle… but not quite yet. First, we need to hear from some special, important guests.”

When you are headed to the Simcoe Christmas Panorama this year, don’t forget to visit the Tumaini: Hot Apple Cider and Apple Cinnamon Donuts booth. Fill your stomachs and benefit a worthy cause at the panorama this year by buying some warm treats. This year the Simcoe Christmas Panorama is on daily 6-10 p.m. until Jan. 1 in Wellington and Clifton Parks.

The Norfolk Musical Arts Festival is gearing up for its March 2-6, 2026 festival. Registration for participants opened on the festival website (nmaf.ca) in November and it will stay open until the Monday, Jan. 12 deadline.

The Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Centre is showcasing Norfolk’s Golden Era of Bike Racing with a year-long exhibit exploring the history of the county’s cycling connection. The exhibit, which opened Nov. 8, will stay as a semi-permanent feature at the museum as artifacts will slowly be returned to the original donors over the course of the showing.  “There was a golden era that started in the 1930s, and later that decade, Belgian immigrants wanted to bring their passio

Santa Claus and his elves will be bringing storytime and crafts to the Norfolk County Public Library to celebrate the Christmas spirit.  Norfolk County Public Library is providing a variety of programs at its five branches. Storytimes with Santa and holiday crafts have become the focus of bringing people together. All programs are by registration only. 

Service clubs play an important role in a community and in Waterford we are fortunate to have a very active and involved Lions Club. I recently contacted Lion member Jessie Kingma for an update and the dish on the events planned by the local club for Christmas 2025. Once again, they are holding their Annual Toy Drive and they are reaching out to the community to make this year’s Drive just as big - if not bigger - than last year.

The Creative BRU-tique is truly a special and unique addition to Downtown Simcoe. Upon entering the storefront at 31 Norfolk Street North, you are immediately struck by two things: number one being the eye-catching designs which line the walls in various mediums, and number two being ‘WOW it smells good in here.’

Normally Jennifer Hancock is more than willing to take a backseat and let the firefighters with their shiny trucks, or police officers announcing a major bust, take the limelight. But this time, she and two other Norfolk paramedics were front and centre as they received the Governor General Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medals. Hancock, Tiiu Jaanusson and Steve Potz each received the award and were recently honoured by Norfolk council. “I am humbled and honou

Simcoe Farmer’s Market recently hosted a grand opening at its new location underneath the Grandstand at the Simcoe Fairgrounds with a full crowd and happy vendors. Farmer’s Market president Steve Miedema, market board members, and MPP Bobbi Ann Brady held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 13 to celebrate the opening. The market was packed with customers and vendors who were getting used to the new space at 172 South Drive.

Midway through their inaugural OEHL men’s senior hockey season, the Delhi Flames are looking at two of their closest rivals looking to make up ground. “It’s a work in progress, guys are coming around,” said Flames co-coach Rob Hutchison after a 5-0 loss to the Erin Outlaws in Delhi Saturday night.

Anyone who’s attended a youth soccer tournament in Simcoe recently has more than likely come across Brian Suggett. That’s because he’s volunteered his time to every such tournament going back as far as 1996. It’s all part of his 40 years of volunteering with youth soccer in Simcoe that was recently recognized by Norfolk County.