12 March 3, 2012 - ObserverXtra

THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012
Heifer sale raises
$220,000 for MCC
Police: Be wary of driving conditions
fROM | 5
colin deWAr
It was more of a social
event than business at the
31st annual heifer sale in
support of the Mennonite
Central Committee (MCC),
but a considerable amount
of money was raised nonetheless.
“We have a lot of support
from the community
and it really generates a lot
of excitement,” said John
Brenneman, committee
secretary. “We draw some
really big crowds and everyone
really gets into it.”
The event helped raise
$220,000 for the MCC, as
cows prized for their milk
production and pedigrees
were sold at auction. The
sale has collected more
that $4 million since its inception
in 1982 through the
auctioning off of more than
3,600 heifers and other donated
items.
Brenneman said farmers
and volunteers across
the region donated their
time and livestock to make
the event what it was. The
sale took place at David
Carson Farms and Auction
facilities in Listowel and
included 126 donated heifers,
semen and embryos
and other donated items
such as woodworking and
a hand built threshing machine.
7:30 Pm | A 55-year-old
Elmira woman driving a 2009
white Hyundai was heading south
on Union Street in Elmira when she
failed to stop at a stop sign and
collided with a 2005 Ford pickup
operated by a 47-year-old Elmira
man travelling west on South Field
Drive. Both vehicles were destroyed
and the woman was taken to Grand
River hospital with minor injuries.
She was subsequently charged
with ‘fail to yield.’
fEBRUARY 24
9:45 Am | A 51-year-old Ariss
woman lost control of her 2004
Ford pickup as she travelled west
on Crowsfoot Road in Woolwich
Township, striking a tree. Her vehicle
sustained moderate damage.
No charges were laid.
10:30 Am | Police received
a call about a Jeep swerving along
Barnswallow Drive in Elmira. The
vehicle was found in a driveway
on Aspen Road. When police approached
the vehicle they found
a 39-year-old woman asleep
Every year brings new
donors to the auction,
including 30 this time
around. The annual sale
draws a bigger crowd than
usual auctions, from prospective
buyers to retired
farmers. More than 400
farmers, buyers and businesses
attended this year’s
auction in support of the
relief work
“People really get behind
it and we have some farms
that have never missed a
year.”
Local businesses also
participated in the sale,
both donating and buying.
Several bought cows and
donated them back at the
auction.
Heifers with good pedigrees
go on to compete in
shows to show off their exceptional
form.
Topping the sale this
year was a heifer named
Fradon Armstead Autum at
$4,100, donated by Murray
inside. The woman was arrested for
impaired driving.
3:00 Pm | An runaway horse
pulling a buggy collided with a
2011 Ford pickup on Arthur Street
near Seiling Road. The driver of the
pickup, a 37-year-old London man,
was not injured in the collision and
neither was the horse. The buggy
was destroyed and the pickup
sustained severe damage.
fEBRUARY 25
1:40 Pm | A 39-year-old
Kitchener woman was charged
with ‘drive while suspended’ when
she lost control of her green 1997
Dodge Caravan on St. Charles Street
West near Maryhill due to bad
weather and icy road conditions
and struck a pole. The woman was
taken the Guelph General Hospital
with a bump on her head. Damage
to the vehicle was moderate.
6:40 Pm | A 21-year-old
Elmira woman lost control of her
2003 Chevy Malibu while driving
along Arthur Street near Scotch
Line, south of Elmira, crossed the
Gerber, Ken Erb and Norman
Roes and purchased
by Skipwell Farms Inc.
Another heifer, Fradon Sid
Mel, donated by Roy and
Joe Snyder and Clarence
and Marilyn Diefenbacher,
was sold to Nelson Weber
for $4,050.
The auctioned cows
brought in $196,000, another
$16,000 came from
miscellaneous items and
cash donations pushing the
total raised to $220,000.
That is $54,000 more than
last year’s event.
“People tend to gravitate
to our cause because they
know that our organization
does some very good work
at home and abroad,” said
Brenneman. “This is an
excellent opportunity for
farmers and agribusinesses
to support MCC programs.”
All proceeds go to the
MCC for its relief, development
and peace work
around the world.
Woolwich Community Lions offering
$500 bursary for EDSS students
The Woolwich Community Lions
Club is providing a $500 bursary for a
graduating student at Elmira District
Secondary School who is moving on
to post-secondary studies through
a community college, university or
apprenticeship program.
An essay-style application is required
to be completed and submitted by
May 25, 2012. All submissions will
be reviewed. The bursary will be
provided to the recipient in October
2012. Information is available through
the club or the high school.
median and drove through an open
field. The vehicle suffered moderate
damage. No charges were laid.
fEBRUARY 27
1:50 Pm | A hydro line on Park
Avenue near Duke Street in Elmira
was knocked down by a transport
truck. When police arrived the truck
had left the scene. Police ask for
any witnesses to contact the Elmira
detachment.
fEBRUARY 28
10:45 Pm | Police were
contacted by residents on Pine
Creek Road near St. Charles Street
in Woolwich Township about
gunshots being fired in forest
area. When police arrived all the
shooting had stopped. Police
are continuing to investigate the
matter.
fEBRUARY 29
11:00 Am | A black and silver
21-speed men’s Sport Tech mountain
bike was found on Spruce Lane
in Elmira. The bike can be claimed
by its rightful owner at the Elmira
police station.
NEWS | 7
needleWorK for tHose in need
The Elmira Needlesisters Quilt Guild held a sewing workshop on Jan. 23 to sew more than 125 pillowcases. These cases were donated to
Anselma House, Elmira District Community Living, and the pediatric oncology clinic at Grand River Hospital on Feb. 27 at Elmira Mennonite
Church. Guild members Charlotte Vines (left) and Laney Campbell presented Julie Martin of EDCL (centre), Cindy Culp, and Margaret Bauer
(right) of Women’s Crisis Services – Anselma House with their pillowcases. [james jackson / the observer]
FREE!
S E M I N A R S E R I E S
Thursday, March 8
Waterloo Rec Centre (Community Room) 7-9 p.m.
Xeriscaping - Learn how to create beautiful, low maintenance
landscapes with Aileen Barclay
Sunday March 18
Sheridan Nurseries, Kitchener 1-3 p.m.
“Vertical Veggies” with Ken Brown
Saturday, March 24
Meadow Acres, Petersburg 10-12 p.m.
“Dazzling Plant Combinations” with Ken Brown
Saturday, March 31
St Jacobs Country Gardens, St Jacobs 10-12 p.m.
“Think like a plant” with Evelyn Wolf
Wednesday, March 28
99 Regina St., Waterloo (Room 508) 7-9 p.m.
“Retire Your Lawnmower” - Front Yard Alternatives to Grass with
Sabrina Selvaggi
Sunday, April 1
Cambridge Centre for the Arts, Cambridge 1-3 p.m.
“Starting from Scratch” Creating a landscape oasis from a blank
slate with Evelyn Wolf
And NEW for 2012!
Webinar: Saturday, April 14th 11-12 pm: Online
“Top 20 Drought Tolerant Plants” with Aileen Barclay
Please call 519-575-4021 to register or email
watercycle@regionofwaterloo.ca.
Reserve early as space is limited.
~ www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water ~