Month: September 2010

Milton Historical Society All Candidates

Mike Cluett

Ward 6 Council Candidate Mike Cluett addresses the full house on Tuesday night for the All Candidates Meeting held by the Milton Historical Society

This past Tuesday evening at the Milton Fairgrounds, the Historical Society of Milton held the first of many all candidates meetings.  There were a lot of interested people filling the seats which was close to an open house.  At the front of the room sat over 25 candidates for office in Milton for the upcoming election, including yours truly.

On most peoples minds was the fate of St Pauls United Church, located in downtown Milton.  There have been many news articles on the situation at St Pauls and it weighed heavily in the room.  Designate or demolish?  When someone thinks of the demolition of St Pauls, an image of a large piece of machinery sitting in Main Street with a large cement ball comes to mind.  This isn’t the type of demolition that is being looked for by the congregation of St Pauls.

What do we do with other properties in Milton to protect them from similar fates?  As a town, how do we help owners of heritage properties in order to preserve Milton’s historical integrity?

As I and many other candidates from the newer area of Milton talked about the importance of protecting and preserving our history and heritage properties, the candidates from the local area were called upon for questions ranging from the obvious topic of St Paul’s to the restoration of downtown Milton, the affects of the Conservation Halton legislation on the flood plains among others.

It was a good chance to see some of the other first time candidates in action and to see if they understood the importance of the issues or if they still have something to learn.  The answers arent always easy and in some cases its not what people wanted to hear.

Here is a link to the recap of the meeting from Christina Commisso from the Milton Canadian Champion.

All in all I thought it was a productive meeting with much needed discussion about what to do.  It shouldn’t take an election campaign for the town, the councillors and the parties involved to get working on a solution to move forward.

A quick campaign update for you.  Over the last few days I have been working hard at talking to the residents of Ward 6 as well as keep up with the what seems to be the ever increasing demand for lawn signs.  If you would like to show your support for Mike Cluett in this election, send me an email mike@mikecluett.ca or click on my CONTACT page to call me and I will have one put up as quickly as possible.

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Steam Era 2010 This Weekend

Mike Cluett

For 50 years, the Milton Steam Era has ushered in the end of summer with its annual event.  This weekend is a time to bring out the kids and learn some history about the ways things used to be.

Stephanie Hounsell has a great article in the Champion this week as well.

Going full steam ahead – Fiftieth Steam-Era show this weekend

Neil Ford stands between two of the Rumely tractors he has restored and will display during this Labour Day weekend’s 50th annual Steam-Era event at the Milton Fair Grounds. Ford attended the first show 50 years ago and has the W 20-30 Rumely tractor that was displayed at the first show.

The year was 1961, and Neil Ford was a young man excited about attending the first-ever Steam-Era show at the Milton Fair Grounds.

It was something new and exciting for the then-small town, and the largely agricultural community embraced it wholeheartedly in the years to come, earning Milton the title “Steam Capital of Ontario.”

Fifty years later, Ford still eagerly anticipates the annual show, which this year will start tomorrow and continue until Monday.

It’s the tractors rather than the steam engines that draw Ford year after year, particularly Rumely tractors, of which he’ll display eight in the upcoming event, including one from the inaugural show.

The 50th anniversary of the Steam-Era is one that has the members of the Ontario Steam and Antique Preservers Association — which puts on the show — excited.

“It’s a milestone for sure,” said past president David Stirk.

As usual, the Steam-Era will take place at the Milton Fair Grounds, with the grounds opening at 8 a.m. each day and closing after the evening’s featured entertainment, except Monday, when activities will wrap up in the late afternoon.

Saturday’s ever-popular Steam-Era parade, starting at about 1 p.m., will see machines big and small lumber along downtown Main Street from Commercial Street to Bell Street and then to the fairgrounds.

Opening ceremonies will take place at 2 p.m., with a handful of the original association members on hand.

The show will feature a wide array of operating steam traction engines — a type of agricultural tractor powered by steam in the late 1800s and early 1900s — and stationary steam engines, all painstakingly restored to their original glory. Also featured will be vintage operating gas tractors and stationary engines, along with antique cars.

There will be demonstrations (sawmill, threshing, etc.), tractor pulls, steam-powered corn roasts, steam engine spark shows, daily grand parades of equipment and more. There will also be toys, crafts, music, a flea market and food vendors.

In recognition of the event’s anniversary, a tent will feature items and machines from the first 10 years of the Steam-Era.  Something new this year is an exhibit by the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association featuring a live observation hive.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the 33rd annual Country and Western Talent Contest will take place, while Sunday at 7 p.m. will feature music by Digger and the Campfire Country Music Band.

There’ll be something for everyone, Stirk said, adding this might be the best steam show in all of North America. People come from far away to attend.

Steam engines have fascinated Stirk for a long time.

“It’s that proverbial bug — almost like catching the flu,” he said of his fascination. “You get that steam bug and you’re stuck with it.”

Much has changed since the first Steam-Era, when admission cost 75 cents. These days, many people don’t come to remember, but to learn something new, said Stirk, who hopes new residents will give it a try.

“I can’t urge them enough. It’s a whole different form of entertainment. It’s not an amusement park, it’s not a fair, it’s a festival,” he said.

Admission costs $8 for adults and is free for kids under 12 with an adult. Weekend passes are available for $17. Admission fees include each night’s entertainment.

For more information on the Steam Era go to www.steam-era.com and see the details of what’s happening all Labour Day weekend long.

I hope to see you there.