Clare Wamsteeker (left), Capital Property Manager for the County of Brant, and Don Holmes, Parks & Facilities Manager, pose in front of the Burford Community Centre which is currently undergoing major rebuilding.

Barring the unforeseen, the newly refurbished Burford Community Centre will be ready to welcome local hockey players, figure skaters and others to the ice on Oct. 4.

Parks & Facilities Manager Don Holmes confirmed this week that work on the $3 million new addition/ renovation project is proceeding well, with workers from Lanca Construction concentrating on the lower level at the present time. The project manager is scheduled to turn over the arena floor area to municipal staff by the end of this week so that work can be completed on the finishing touches.

The compressor will be fired up on Sept. 14 and, by Sept. 17, the whole lower level, with the exception of the elevator at the southwest entrance, will be finished enough to be turned over the County.

While it was originally hoped that the facility would be ready for occupancy this month, that was never actually a realistic goal, Mr. Holmes said. Back in the spring, he told ice users not to expect to be able to use the facility until October.

“It all happened so fast, and the timelines were so tight,” he said, referring to the fact that federal and provincial stimulus money that made the project possible wasn’t even announced until late June of last year. “We were going by guesswork as far as the timing was concerned.”

Users of the arena are coping well with the delay. Burford Minor Hockey held its Rep Tryouts at the Norwich arena last month and, in an ad in this week’s edition of The Times (newsprint edition), announces that Local League ice times will also be held there from Sept. 11-13.

One of the delays relates to the new ice floor. While, for an established ice floor, the compressor can be turned on one day and the ice installed the next, for a new floor there needs to be a 10-14 day interval.

Also, more time was needed after community members requested in June that the lift at the southwest entrance be replaced with a barrier free elevator. The County approved the request in July, and directed the contractor manager to modify the plans for that area of the building.

Another major complication was that the work required in the hall on the second floor was much more extensive than originally expected. Clare Wamsteeker, Capital Property Manager for the County, explained that, while it was originally thought that much of the second floor could be brought up to date by doing some modest renovations, once workers started it became apparent that wouldn’t be possible.

“There were just too many things wrong - mould, structure deficiencies, on and on,” he said. “We decided to gut it and start over.”

The new addition part of the project extends the full length of north side of the arena, separated by a wide hallway that Mr. Holmes jokingly refers to as a “bowling alley”. The hall is flanked by four new dressing rooms, two of which are very large barrier free units, plus a “referees’ room”. Beside the referees’ room - about half way down the hall - is a door to the outside which was required under fire code regulations, and will also serve a convenience function.

“If a referee stirs up the crowd with a bad call, he can make a quick escape to the north parking lot,” Mr. Holmes smiled.

Outside, while the north parking lot has been reduced in area, there will be no effect in the parking capacity. Vehicles will still park in two rows, one along the side of the building and one along the soccer field/ baseball diamonds, with the overly large roadway between the two rows now being reduced in width.

The change rooms, as well as the entire facility, will benefit from up to date plumbing and electrical components and a centralized heating and air exchange system which will greatly reduce humidity and that “dressing room smell”.

Towards the front of the building, there is a new 1,000 square foot community room. Capable of accommodating about 50 people, the attractive room will be fully glassed on both the north wall facing onto the parking lot and the south wall facing onto the hallway.

As one turns the corner into the “old building”, the striking new main entrance at the northwest corner comes into view. Again, an open, bright feel is achieved through the extensive use of glass which allows natural light to cascade into the spacious lobby area. Three rooms - one for the use of OPP community service officers, one for staff and a new arena manager’s office - abut the lobby.

The northwest entrance to the spectator area by the ice surface has been completely opened up, and an adjoining fully accessible viewing space added. A storage area has been built beside the canteen and the two existing downstairs washrooms have been completely renovated.

Meanwhile, the arena manager’s old office has been converted into a family barrier free washroom, complete with an infant change table.

A bright, new lobby area at the southwest corner will greatly enhance the original entrance, which will now be a secondary way to enter the building. Off the lobby people will be able to access to the new elevator and stairs to the upstairs hall, as well as the main floor area of the facility.

Upstairs, the high, narrow windows on the west wall have been replaced with two very large windows. Across the room, the glass looking onto the ice surface is also much larger.

The kitchen and bar areas are in the process of being completely renovated, as well as the washrooms which will be barrier free.

It is expected that the second floor area will be complete and ready to be used by the community by the end of October.

“The main floor was the priority, so that is where the efforts of the workers have been concentrated up to now,” Mr. Wamsteeker commented. “The people of Burford are fortunate to have a number of community halls, but they are counting on their one and only ice surface being ready to be used as soon as possible.”

Mr. Holmes said that the project has advanced “by leaps and bounds” over the last few weeks.

“It’s really coming together. People are going to be very surprised and very pleased. It is going to be a wonderful facility.”

Mr. Wamsteeker added that several of the features, especially the change room design and the code/ standards upgrades, are similar to those being built into the new Twin Pad arena complex which is currently under construction at Powerline Road and Rest Acres Road.

He concluded by saying that the County is very proud of the advances it has made in the provision of recreational services for its residents over the past couple of years. Besides the Burford project and the Twin Pad, the St. George community centre was completely renovated last year.

Burford will say its final farewells on Friday to a woman who distinguished herself as a lover and supporter of local sports and a person who enjoyed helping out whenever she could.

Funeral services for Mary Lowes will be held on Friday, Sept. 3 at Blessed Sacrament Church, in Burford. Mrs. Lowes passed away on Monday at the age of 78.

A life-long resident of the local area, Mary and husband, Cliff, moved to Burford from Brantford about a year after they were married on Feb. 14, 1955. Here they raised their two children, Rob Lowes and Lori Feeney.

It was through their children’s, and particularly Rob’s, involvement in minor sports that Mary’s passion for sports began to manifest itself. Over the years she developed an iconic reputation as many teams’ “super fan”.

She was an avid supporter of Burford Minor Hockey, the Burford Bulldogs, Norwich Junior “C” team and the Brantford Red Sox. She volunteered her time in many capacities over the years, including timekeeping, fundraising, keeping statistics and serving on executive committees.

One of her particular talents was in dealing with the media. Rob recalls how, at one point, she wrote reports for The Burford Advance and The Brantford Expositor on behalf of virtually every travel team in the Burford Minor Hockey system, as well as submitted game results and other news to the local radio station.

But that takes second place to what she was best known for.

“Mom loved to yell,” Rob said with a smile, referring to her boisterous commentary that regularly boomed from the stands in the arena whenever she was in attendance.

As a result, Mary gained notoriety amongst coaches, players, referees and fans for the extra element that she brought to life at the arena. It was a reputation that extended beyond Burford’s borders. Rob shared that, on more than one occasion, he would be talking to an out-of-towner who, on learning Rob was from Burford, would say that he had been at the Burford arena and you should have heard this lady in the stands.

“I’d tell him, that’s my mom,” Rob smiled.

She had a particularly impassioned love/ hate relationship with referees, depending on how her home team was doing on the ice. Those who made the unwise decision to challenge her taunts soon regretted it, because she had no equal when it came to a snappy comeback.

“I loved Mary,” Parks and Facilities Manager Don Holmes said. “She brought a lot of enjoyment and enthusiasm to the arena. She was very dedicated to the game and to the kids.”

He added, only half jokingly, that he thinks the new “Referees’ Room” at the refurbished community centre should be named after her.

“Mary would love that,” he smiled.

But Mary’s antics as a fan, while full of genuine passion, were basically all in fun. The mention of her name invariably brings a smile to the faces of those who regularly frequent the arena.

“She meant no harm,” Rob said. “Mom was the type of person who could take a strip off of you and, 20 minutes later, it was like nothing had happened.”

“She really enjoyed being involved with sports, and I guess it showed,” he added. “For her it was something to do, rather than knitting or crocheting.”

Mary brought a like passion to everything else she did in her life, including her work with the Burford Lioness and the Blessed Sacrament C.W.L., and simply being a good neighbour and community member.

“She enjoyed helping other people,” Rob said. “She liked to be praised and thanked, but she did it for the love of it.”

In 1994, the Burford community honoured Mary with the “Friend of Youth” award, part of the Citizen of the Year award program. Three years earlier, Cliff had been recognized with the “Good Neighbour” award.

Mary and Cliff were always a team, whether it be at the arena (Cliff as timekeeper and Mary as “super fan”), working on various Lions projects or enjoying life with their family.

But she claimed her famous butter tarts as her own alone.

“For as long as I can remember, Mom baked butter tarts,” Rob recalled. “We’d have a family get-together and people would be put right off if the butter tarts weren’t there.”

As a result of her many involvements in sports and the community at large, Mary met a lot of nice people which enriched her life, Rob added. In the process, she enriched the lives of all who knew her, and leaves behind a grateful community and family.

“I used to think that dragging me out to arenas, and having a mother in the stands that everyone knew, was a bit of a curse, but I don’t think I’d change a bit of it,”

Rob concluded.

“If I could live her life, do what she did and live to the age she did, I would consider I had a pretty complete life.”

Besides Lori and Rob & wife Carolyn, Mary leaves behind grandchildren Leesha, Nathan, Aidrianna, Carmela and Kiana.

Friends will be received at the Keith Ovington Funeral Home, 134 King Street, Burford on Thursday, Sept. 2 from 2:00-4:00 and 7:00-9:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Blessed Sacrament Church, 183 King Street, Burford, on Friday, Sept. 3 at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be in Pioneer Cemetery, Burford.

Donations in Mary’s memory may be made to the Burford Lions Way or charity of choice.

In a recent press release, the Burford Fair has outlined the new events that will be appearing at the 2010 Fair to help celebrate its 150th Anniversary.

The Dancing Farmalls, a nationally recognized show based in Teeswater, Ontario, will be performing in front of the Grandstand on Monday afternoon. The Dancing Farmalls Show consists of Farmall Row Crop Tractors that have been fully restored and features a 40-minute show consisting of “He’s and She’s” completing maneuvers and rotations as a square dancing group.

The show has been organized for approximately three years and has appeared at several Fairs in Southern Ontario as well as the International Plowing Match. The Dancing Farmalls have just returned from a series of shows at the 2010 Calgary Stampede.

The show times on Monday afternoon of Thanksgiving Weekend, Oct. 11, will be 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Other new shows that are also being held at the 2010 Burford Fair include the following:

- ATV Obstacross Races are being organized on Monday of Thanksgiving Weekend. These races will be held in the South Show Area and consist of ATVs competing using time and skill in an obstacle race.

- A Van Demolition Derby, possibly being held in conjunction with the Pick Up Truck Derby, will be held on Sunday afternoon as an exhibition Derby Feature between the main heats of the 4-Cylinder Demolition Derby.

- 4-H Achievement Shows for Llamas and Goats will be held on Saturday afternoon in the South Show Area.

- The Magicians’ Corner - A new stage/ performance area is being set up in the north end of the Lions Building to have entertainment for the young and the young at heart. This show will feature magical acts and ventriloquist acts and will operate on all three Fair days.

- Cooking Competition and Presentations - In conjunction with the Brant County Federation of Agriculture, cooking competitions will be held, and recognized chefs from local catering/ restaurants will be in attendance at the Fair. The cooking competition will consist of a barbecue grilling competition that will feature locally grown meats. This event will be held on Saturday afternoon and will be located between the Main Gate and the Lions Pavilion.

The guest speaking for cooking will feature chefs and nutritionists who will present information on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in the new stage area at the north end of the Lions Pavilion. These guest speakers will use the same stage (at different times) as the Magicians’ Corner.

In addition to the new events, several popular shows that were started at the 2009 Fair will also be returning. These shows include the Talent Show with preliminaries on Saturday afternoon and finals on Monday, the Reptile Show in the Bicentennial Building, and the Antique Farm Equipment Displays.

Other returning favourite shows will include the Heavy Horse Pulls, the Antique Farm Equipment Displays, entertainment on the Centre Court Stage, Demolition Derbies, Lawnmower Races, Mini Tractor Pulls, Thanksgiving Dinners, the Baby Show, etc. The times for all of these events are posted on the website (www.burford.fair.ca) and will also be published in local newspapers.

The theme of the 2010 Fair is “150 Years of Memories” which celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Burford Fair. Historical themes will be featured in various exhibits and entries (e.g. from the 2010 Prize Book).

Come on out and help celebrate the Fair in 2010.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call 519-753-7242 or send an email to burfordfair@sympatico.ca for additional information.