(A" Owens ABM bound for Owen users• Sound r1p f your last name is Owen I or Owens, you are invited to a party in your honour in Owen Sound. ~ Cards skimmed The Calling all Owens cam· J •df KemJ>tl naa r paign is part of the commu· Staff nity's 150th anniversary Users of the Bank of Montreal automatic Homecoming celebrations banking machine in West Lome w~re shocked from July 27 to Aug. 5. to find their accounts had been drained. A scam, called skimming resulted m a JIM FOX "small number" of accounts robbed. The bank manager couldn't comment but called the Bank of Montreal public relations department to provide comment. Michael Edmonds, spokesperson for BMO wouldn't say how many people. were ONE-TANK TRIPS scammed or for how much, for secunty rea­ sons. He saia it was a small number of people. Edmonds Sat.d he believes everyone effected In fact, anyone visiting Owen Sound this summer can has been contacted, cards have ~n replaced become an "honourable and any money taken has been reimbursed. Owen" and join the fun, says Robert Rogan, a local business owner and Mayor Ruth Lovell. Sun Media an employee discovered their bank accounts Hundreds of events are were emptied sometime last week. planned including a tugfest HAPPY TRAILS ~ Alei surely trail ride is part of this year's Cactus Rogan said $1 ,000 was .taken out m three featuring whistle blows, tug· Cattle and Cowboys event in West Lorne. transactions two at banks m London. Others boat races, a Christmas lights scarnmed rePorted the same circ~s~ces. boat parade, water rescue have sprung up in the area north of West Lome on Rogan said he wasn't sure how his pm num- demonstrations and tours of where affordable farm land is Crinan Line. stm found," said Scott Hilgen· The day's activities wrap ber was found out. , the Canadian Coast Guard "As long as I got my money back, I didn t vessel Cove Isle. · dor!I, one of the organizers. up with a BX93 video dance al Thousands of horses can be ask questions," he said. There's also a Harbour the West Elgin Arena from 8 found in this belt of farms p.m. to 1 a.m. He said the bank was quick to respond, Nights Concert Series includ· along Lake Erie's shore and Trail rides are available reimbursing the taken money q':'ickly. ing a performance by the DeS· the Highway 401 corridor in both days with "free primi· Edmonds said the bank has ngorous secun- otos, a new musical about the western half of Elgin tive camping provided" and ty measures to detect skimming. , . Canadian landscape artist County, between London and some box stalls available. The BMO spokesperson wouldn t specify Tom Thomson, a homecoming Chatham-Kent's border. There will be a Saturday whether only BMO card holders were affected parade and a performance by The weekend includes the evening jamboree and cow by the skimming. escape artist Steve Santini. popular horse parade through boys are invited to bring their He wouldn't say how the skimming was Along with talent shows West Lorne, starting at high instruments. Cost for the done, for "obvious security reasons". and heritage events are chil· noon on July 28. That follows rides is a donation to the "It's important for everyone. to ~ cau- dren's activities including activities starting at 8:30a.m. Trans-Canada Trail Associa· tious with their debit cards, not JUSt m West The Amazing Race: Get a such as a farmers market out· tion. Lome but anywhere they use a bank Clue! side the West Elgin Commu· machine." he said. Visitors can also checkLf · k out nity Health Centre. Birds and Butterflies Fraudsters are more interested in robbm. g the Cobble Beach Go Lm s, In its second year, events Birds and Butterflies at are "built around cowboys Pelee Island is among the ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~· ·~~~N~~~~~~~~~~anewl~h~~llnks~~~ourse in Georgian Bluffs, and horses, and admission is ~ djacent to Owen Sound. innovative Family Adven· free," said Robert White of the tures trips offered by ''bou· ddleUp sponsoring Marketing Part· tique" travel firm Horizon ners of Western Elgin County. and Co. of Toronto. It's time again to saddle up After the parade, Ballistik Participants will identify d head out for Cactus Cattle Paintball Park is the location many of the exotic bird calls nd Cowboys weekend. for a quick-draw competition, filling the air and can observe The July 28 and 29 event in line and square dancing, rib the vast Monarch butterfly estern Elgin County cooking demonstrations, population as it prepares for ncludes a "horses only" gospel singing, cowboy poetry its epic journey south. arade through downtown and asteak barbecue. There will be tours led by est Lome, western-themed As well, there will be roping conservationists to discover ctivities and trail rides. West· demonstrations, a blacksmith .Ontario's southernmost point rn Elgin is home to many and western-styled children's and the intricate ecosystems pecial breeds of horses, such games. Wagon rides are avail· of the lush Carolinian forest. s Canadians and Paso Finos able to shuttle visitors Also planned is a meal on the s well as Percherons and between downtown and the estate of a Point Pelee vine· alflingers. park. yard. As well, there arc "numer· Dave Simmons will host us quarter-horse and stan· riding demonstrations and Jim Fox can be reached at one· ard-bred operations that breed exhibits at his farm tanktrips@,hotmail.com Disciples donate to STEGH . Jerry Galbraith, St. Thomas Elgin General Hos p1tal Foundat1on Board member, acce~ts a $1 o,ooo gift from June Smart and Betty McKillop from the West Lorne ?hurch of Chr~s~ (Disciples). The donation will help finance the purchase of .two new ventilators. Also p1c tured is Terry Hiddink manager of Cardio-Respiratory Serv1ces. Sod turned at Heritage House site __J ~ f f K ~ m pen a a r the Canada-Ontario Affordable Staff Housing Program, adminis­ Shovels will go into the tered locally by Ontario ground to begin construction Works, St. Thomas. of the West Lome Heritage It's being complimented by House this month. almost $888,000 in site clean A ceremonial sod turning up, waived fees, servicing and was held at the site, with digni­ donated land from the munici­ taries, Aug. 29. pality. The 16-unit supportive West Elgin Mayor Graham affordable housing apartments Warwick said the project is a for seniors are hoped to open great opportunity in the face of Spring next year, adjacent to adversity, as the abandoned the West Elgin Community rail lands are now being turned Health Centre. to something good. The $2.2 million project is He said in rural communi­ being sponsored by the West ties its essential the govern­ Lome Heritage Homes Not For ment makes large capital Profit Corporations, made up investment where there is not of local service clubs. enough private investment. It received $1.1 million from Please see No, page 2 OPP' bust "Chop shop" in West Lorne A warrant was executed after a six month investigation into a suspected "chop shop" in West Lorne May 17. Police recovered six complete vehicles and two partial vehicles at 246 11 Pioneer Line. The vehicles had been reported stolen from the London, Glencoe and Chatham areas. Elgin County OPP officers responded along with the Provincial Auto Theft , Rural Agricultural Crime Team, Drug Enforcement, Emergency Response and a canine unit to execute the warrant. The warrant was the conclusion to a six month investigation into the business and 'residence. Police also seized a small amount of marijuana. A 68-year-old West Lorne m~ w~s arrested without incident and remams m custody. The man is charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and possession of a controlled sub­ stance. He's scheduled to appear in a St. Thomas court May 22. MAY ~ She took his name, nationality ~Kemv~ --­ Staff Julie Sura was born in Canada and has never lived outside of Canada. Yet she was not considered a Canadian cit­ izen when she recently applied for a passport. She has a birth certificate clearly showing she was born in Windsor in 1928. But a strange stipulation on a passport application brought to light changes to immi­ gration laws made 60 years ago that had passed her by. With talk of passports being required to enter the U.S. (2008), Sura began preparing for her trip to the Caribbean from Detroit and applied for a passport. She hit a snag. Her late husband, Alec, was from Hungary and immigrated to Canada in 1923, before marrying then Julia Badin, in March 1946. "If you are a woman who, before 1947, married a man who was not a British subject, contact Passport Canada," states the Proof of Canadian Citizenship section on an Adult Passport Citizenship. " ln other words, my birth certificate doesn't mean anything," she said. Her birth certificate may not have meant much because when she was born Canadian citizenship didn't exist. Wave goodbye to another Rodney fair JEAN GUY STJACQUES/THE CHRONICLE Jacob Vojin from West Lorna rides the mini-jets on the Carter Show's midway Sunday at the Rodney Aldborough Agricultural Fair. Cold weather did stave many off as attendance numbers could be up from last year. See more photos from the Fair on Page 10. World Day of Prayer services written by Paraguayan women The small land-locked country of Paraguay, the heart of poverty, environmental destruction and repression.