LOCAL HEADLINES

More than 100 walkers braved the late-winter chill in New Hamburg Feb. 28 for the ninth annual Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser in support of the Wilmot and Wellesley Resource Centre (WWRC), raising $44,000 and counting to help local residents experiencing hunger, homelessness and poverty.

East Zorra-Tavistock (EZT) ratepayers could see a 3.17 per-cent increase on their property tax bill this year.

A crowd of maple syrup producers, local politicians and industry representatives gathered at Maple Tap Farm near New Dundee Friday morning for the Waterloo Wellington Maple Producers’ annual First Tapping Ceremony, the traditional kickoff to maple season and the first agricultural crop of the year.

“The quality of our water is not in question. It is a specified capacity issue at the Mannheim water treatment plant.”

This year has seen a particularly brutal pothole season thanks to fluctuating temperatures and the most precipitation we have seen in many winters.

Patrons dining at Quehl’s Restaurant in Tavistock often find themselves admiring the memorabilia lining the walls and filling the glass display cases as much as they enjoy their meals.

Waterloo Region Community Legal Services has partnered with the Sexual Harassment Advice Prevention Education (SHAPE) project to provide free legal advice to workers across Ontario who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

Students in the kindergarten class at Sprucedale Public School in Shakespeare recently received a hands-on lesson in where their food comes from.

At Sprucedale Public School in Shakespeare, there is a familiar face in the front office who many students, teachers and parents have come to rely on.

The Community Players of New Hamburg are back on stage this spring with a limited run of Into the Woods at Trinity Theatre from May 7-10.

There was another lucky winner at the end of February in the Wilmot Heritage Antique Fire Brigades’ monthly draw.

On Tuesday, March 3, Reep Green Solutions and Tree Trust invited the public to celebrate its mature trees with a live demonstration of pruning on two 80-year-old pin oaks.

The New Hamburg Legion continues to seek out family members of local First World War veterans as part of its ongoing effort to document and preserve their stories in the Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Command Military Service Recognition Book.

Members of Grace United Church in Tavistock gathered Sunday morning for a special service celebrating a ministry that has quietly stitched comfort and care into the community for years.

A new municipal building beside the Shakespeare Variety store is nearing the end of construction and will soon house a modern water-filtration system designed to improve drinking-water quality and support future growth in the village.

Centre Stage Dance Studio in New Hamburg is getting praise for offering its popular adult dance classes, including a Silver Swans ballet class, which gives dancers a chance to learn ballet or build on the foundation they developed when they were younger.

Richard and Jean Smelski were away on vacation and attended a church service where they experienced a dramatic presentation of The Last Supper.

Two-hundred and eighteen games played on the blueline. Ninety-two career points. Two Doherty Division titles.

All good things must come to an end, as the old saying goes, and for the Tavistock Royals, a five-game playoff run of victories was halted on Sunday afternoon.

The Tavistock Braves steamrolled over its first-round opponent in the Doherty Division, a series win capped off with a 7-3 home-ice victory last Wednesday over the Paris Titans.