LOCAL HEADLINES

Families from across Oxford, Perth and Waterloo counties are still embracing the timeless tradition of picking out and cutting down their own Christmas tree, and a quiet corner of North Easthope Township east of Amulree has become a favourite destination.

A familiar face returned to Wellesley last weekend when former Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette editor Veronica Reiner stopped in at the ever-popular Schmidtsville Restaurant.

Local snowmobile enthusiasts are gearing up for one of the earliest trail openings in recent memory, with routes across Perth, Waterloo and Oxford counties now groomed, staked and ready for riders.

Sprucedale Public School was filled with holiday cheer on Thursday, Dec. 10, as students and families gathered for the school’s Winter Woodland Holiday Social.

Sprucedale Public School was the place to be on Saturday afternoon as families streamed in following Shakespeare’s annual Santa Claus parade.

Each December, not long after Santa and Mrs. Claus make their visit to Hickson, the village’s firefighters turn their attention to another important tradition: gathering donations for the Tavistock Assistance Program (TAP).

Several years ago, Richard and Jean Smelski were travelling through Brea, Ky., when an unexpected stop turned into an unforgettable experience.

Santa Claus rolled into Wellesley last weekend to lead one of the village’s most vibrant Christmas Tyme in Wellesley parades in recent memory.

Anyone who has ever had a child or grandchild in the North Easthope Public School Christmas concert knows the magic this rural school can create year after year.

After more than a decade of exhaustive research, writing and fine-tuning, the authors and historians behind the five-volume anthology, The Historic Buildings of New Hamburg and the People Who Lived in Them, will officially celebrate its release at a book launch later this month.

The 2025 deputy warden and deputy mayor of West Perth, Dean Trentowsky, has officially accepted the gavel and chain of office as Perth County’s 2026 warden.

Residents of Perth County’s four lower-tier municipalities, Stratford and St. Marys reported a total of 80 coyote sightings and encounters in the first year of Perth County’s coyote tracking and public-education program.

United Way Oxford’s second annual Ultimate Burger Battle concluded at the end of November with more than $20,000 raised after 2,831 burgers were sold during the lively charitable competition.

With financial support from the Badge of Hope Foundation and the Government of Ontario, the Family Violence Project Waterloo Region (FVP) is strengthening its impact in preventing and addressing rising levels of intimate-partner and gender-based violence across Waterloo Region, and provide better access to care in Wilmot Township.

The holiday season shone brightly in Wellesley over the weekend as residents laced up for the community’s festive Jingle Run/Walk, an event that combined holiday cheer with heartfelt purpose, raising $1,700 in support of a local boy fighting cancer.

At their second 2026 budget meeting Dec. 4, Wellesley councillors agreed to reinstate annual support for the Wellesley Township Fall Fair to the tune of $1,500 after representatives from the organizing group, the Wellesley North Easthope Agricultural Society, made an official budget request at the end of November.

The Perth East 2026 mayor’s budget was officially adopted on Dec. 9, 2025. The annual budget focuses on the township’s corporate values: progressive, service-oriented, caring, fiscally responsible, collaborative and enthusiastic.

The Maples Home for Seniors in Tavistock was buzzing with holiday spirit on Saturday as residents, family members and community visitors filled the first floor for the home’s annual Christmas Bazaar.

Wayne Simpson of New Hamburg has done it again, adding another $550 to his bank account after winning the monthly 50/50 cash raffle held by the Wilmot Heritage Fire Brigade.

Southwestern Public Health is urging residents to act after provincial models indicate a spike in influenza activity is projected to arrive in Ontario over the holidays.