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Wednesday, August 29 , 2012 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Orono Weekly Times - 4 Volunteers the true strongmen of the Fair! by: Christopher W. Brown At the 160th annual kick off for the Orono Fair, it all came down to one thing -thanking the volunteers. Last Thursday, the Orono Fair Board invited sponsors and members of the media to attend the kick off to this year's Orono Fair celebrations to showcas the numerous events that will be taking place over the fair weekend. Member of Provincial parliament, John O'Toole said it was volunteers who helped create the Fair and it was, "Volunteers who help make the Orono Fair as successful as it could be." Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor, Willie Woo was on hand to speak on behalf of the Mayor of Clarington. Woo said that, "Volunteers are the backbone of the fair and you have to be proud of the volunteers that are in place this year." Fair President, Brad Found said, "This isn't a one man job; volunteers make this event happen each year." While this year's events will have some fan favourites like tractor pulls, demolition derby, and farm animals, a few additions have been made to make the Fair extra special. The addition of family favourites the Grafton Strongmen will be on hand to demonstrate some of their impressive heavy lifting and strength. Austin Sztajdocher, one of the two founders of the VOLUNTEERS see page 5 Rick Howe, President of the Orono Amateur Athletic Association, Tracy Coville, wife of Kyle Coville, and Gord Lowery, Coach of the Over 19 Orono Men's Soccer Team with Kyle's Jersey and a photo of Kyle that will be hung in the Orono Hockey Arena. Kyle's past team mates played soccer Wednesday August 23rd in memory of Kyle who passed away last Christmas of a heart attack. Orono beat Tyrone 1-0. Bryan Mercer stays in the championship hunt By: JimClarke With just one race remaining on Kawartha Speedway's 2012 schedule, Bryan Mercer needs to close a 49 point gap between himself and the current NAPA Auto Parts ACT Late Model division point leader. That's all that stands between the 39 year old racer from Port Hope, Ontario and a first track championship. Perhaps a daunting task, but with the season he's enjoyed to this point, anything is possible. "We've been at or near the top of the point standings since the first race of the year," said Mercer after his most recent start. "Other than the Summer Sizzler, we've been a top 5 car in every event. The crew does an incredible job getting things ready and I'm confident that we can still claim the title." While Mercer and his #81 Sine's Flooring/Durmach Excellence in Tooling Chevrolet Impala by McColl Racing Enterprises team reflected on a 2nd place run in their qualifying heat and a 4th place finish in Kawartha Speedway's August 24th show ­ where all Late Model teams earned double track points ­ their thoughts were also on the upcoming test session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for this year's edition of the ACT Tour Invitational. There would be some long hours put in in the garage converting their Friday night short track machine for a high speed run in the Granite State. Speeds on the one mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway are much faster than the Late Models run at Kawartha. The car would be stripped to the basic frame and roll cage, with new body panels going on the car, with extra support added to prevent the components from collapsing under the aerodynamic pressure during the test and the race, September 22nd. "It's an honour to be invited for the test and we're going to New Hampshire with our eyes wide open," said Mercer. "I think we have a great weekly program and it'll be an incredible opportunity to show our stuff on such a large stage in front of all the NASCAR teams. I feel confident in our ability to earn a starting spot in the race and if we do, we won't just be going to drive around. That's not what our team is about. It will be just like a Friday night at Fraserville, especially with Dan and Ryan also making the trip. We'll be going to do the best possible job to represent our team, our sponsors and Kawartha Speedway." Bryan Mercer's 2012 sponsor appreciation night will be held Friday, September 7th at Kawartha Speedway. Please contact the team if you're able to attend. Send us your sports photos and stories to oronotimes@rogers.com