UA CONTACT THE MITCHELL ADVOCATE Vol. 164 — Issue 16 mitchelladvocate.com Phone: 519-348-8431 Address: P.O. Box 669 Mitchell Ont., NOK INO Editor: Andy Bader 519-348-8431 ext. 526202 abader@postmedia.com Advertise with Us: Digital/Print/Inserts: Peace oution coms Cassin dnd helt 1-877-750-5054 mitchelladvocate.com/ classifieds Obituaries: 1-877-750-5054 mitchelladvocate.com/ remembering Mitchell Advocate is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For more information or to file a complaint go to www. mediacouncil.ca or call toll free 1-844-877-1163, Publications Mail Agreement: No, 40064683 Subscriptions: 1 year $60.00 ($57.15 + $2.85 GST) Distribution: Please call 519-275-0826 to start or stop delivery of your subscription or for general information. "ss | Canada 2 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024 Local eclipse watchers flock to Erie's shore for celestial magic JENNIFER BIEMAN ae eae The crowds. The sun id mos cmveryting lined up perfectly. edges of Southwestern Ontario April 8 — packing parking lots, backing up traffic and gazing skyward to catch a glimpse of a celestial oddity. “It was incredible,” said James MacNeil of Chatham, who went to watch the eclipse at Erieau. “It’s the greatest thing I’ve seen in re- cent memory... - For abrief second we were all as one.” The in which the ly spring. Andrew Crawford, who travelled to Port Stanley from Toronto tobe in the path of totality, said it was “anbelievable.”Just life-changing. Icame to take photos and enjoy the view. But Ijust wanted to stop tak- ing) ee are it was so beau- tiful,” he After an. Lone start to the day, the clouds cleared out just in time for the main event starting with a partial eclipse at about 2 p.m. and totality — the moon completel; blocking the sun — for about three minutes around 3:15 Folks in the region who ventured outdoors to see he eclipse enjoyed pleasant, moon passes directly in front of the sun, blocks out its light and ar day, for a few minutes, into ‘ight. the eclipse i is possible because the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun but also ae times hovering in the mid teens. It wasn’t just Southwestern On- tario residents captivated by the eclipse. The Aziz family from Van- couver travelled to Erieau to see the eclipse, ditching their planned St. Catharines sojourn last-minute closer to the Earth, thing lines up just so, it matches the sun in size, and all you can see of our star is the wispy outer edge of its atmosphere, called the corona. Most of North America saw a partial eclipse, in which the what was called totality, in which the entire sun is ee for those few magical mint Eclipse etches from Essex to Elgin gathered hours in advance to stake out a prime viewing spot along the Lake Erie shoreline. In Essex County, Point Pelee Na- tional Park, directly on the path of totality, reached capacity by about 11 a.m., West Region OPP reported. Signs on the roads into Port the main beach hours before the eclipse was set to begin, a sizable crowd you'd expect to see on a summer long weekend - not ear- ecause of h- er in the Chatham-Kent town. The family of four saw a total eclipse in Oregon in 2017 and has been awaiting this one ever since. “Once you see it you will want to go again,” Asim Aziz said. “You see the solar system in motion -in real time.” London and closer to home, Stratford and West Perth, was not in the path of totality and experi- enceda99.6 percent partial eclipse during the afternoon, had several minutes et noticeable darkness around 3:15 p.m. While oe solar eclipses happen about every 18 months on average somewhere in the world, it’s rare to be able to see one in your own backyar The last total solar eclipse in southern Ontario was Janua 1925, when the path of totality was visible in Toronto and Niaga- ra Falls. The next time the path of totality will cross over London and this part of southwestern Ontario is 2144. MITCHELL ADVOCATE A view of the solar eclipse from Stratford - shortly after 3 p.m. rc apam Willy, one of six goats that live at the Mitchell Lions animal park, was pre- pared for the solar eclipse April 8, 7aRyW ZINGER MITCHELL ADVOCATE ae West Perth sheep farmer to be inducted into Ag Wall of Fame Rural urban dinner set for April18 in Stratford GARY WEST One of two inductees into the Ag- riculture Wall of Fame at the Strat- ford Perth Museum this week is Staffa’s con Brock. rock, a sheep farmer from the see tip of West Perth, says she’s “extremely humbled” by the recognition, but smiles with sur- prise at the news. An ‘agricultural influencer’ on the YouTube channel, ”Sheepishly Me”, for more than a decade aa 1.1 million followers around th world, Brock has held cities tours of her barns for farm and non-farm organizations as well as been involved with numerous speaking engagements. Hernominators felt that she has made significant contribution to agriculture in Perth County by al- ways telling the true experiences, Home sales stagnant as buyers stay patient CORY SMITH The local Feabestate market stag- from the rewards to the challenges as a farmer, not to mention pro- moting the importance of animal husbandry. Brock is an accom- plished story teller who doesn’tshy away from sharing the challenging aspects of farming, giving viewers arefreshing and authentic behind- the-scenes look at farm life. Food safety and environmental management is also part of her making a difference in agricul- ture on a daily basis.In addition toher leadership in consumer ed- ucation, Brock has been a strong advocate for farmer mental health and is a tireless volunteer for the sheep industry. She has repre- sented Ontario Sheep Farmers in District 3, as a director on the board, and has given her time to support her local sheep commu- nity for many yea She was just completing two the clock until the first interest rate cut appears on the horizon, sellers have been less patient and are raring to go this spring,” Hu- ron Perth Association of Realtors president Teresa Ondrejicka said. “Our market is well supplied but not oversupplied at the moment, so once buyers decide to get off the sidelines they will find that there is plenty of choice waiting for them.” The 139 homes sold in March were two more than a year earlier and more than 15 per cent below five- and 10-year averages for the month. For the year, sales are up 15.6 per cent from the first three months of 2023. thewal weeks of managing their 400 ewes at lambing, which can be stressful with little sleep, but at the same time she says, it’s very rewarding. Lambing| occurs three times a year, in April, August and December. Sandi and her husband Mark, along with children Jack, 23; and Jess, 21; also crop 1700 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and at times winter canola and winter barley along with alfalfa grown for feed for her sheep. Brock, along with Steve and Kar- en Dolson, who dairy farm near Atwood, will be honoured at the Stratford Rotary Club’s Rural Ur- ban night on April 18 at the Strat- ford’s Rotary Complex. Tickets are available at the museum by calling Kelly McIntosh at 519-393-5312 or visit the Museum at 4275 Huron Road, Stratford. ee 200, a minor decrease from ‘Sellers were paid an average of $579,971 last month, almost iden- tical to the same period in 2023. Buyers have paid an average of $608,985 this year, a four per cent jump from the first three months a New listings last month in- creased 22 per cent from March 2023 as 266 homes hit the market. There were 542 homes on the mar- ket to start April, a substantial in- crease of 32.5 per cent from a year ago and the most for that period in more than five years. Months of inventory numbered 3.9 at the end of March 2024, up of a “typical” home in a commu- nity, based on the most popular combination of features - for mes last month nated|a: ait for ie) ght pene to pounce. While buyers appear to refadin canine perhaps running out ily ho was $558,100, a slight gain from last March. By comparison, thé benchmark apartment price was the end of March 2023 and above the long-run average of three months for this time of year. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at a Inside her recite clean and healthy sheep barns, West Perth's Sandi Brock holds one of her newborn black lambs. cary wesT WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024 3 et Es ee ow ESTATE FIREARMS SPECIALISTS FIREARMS WANTED FOR OUR 2024 AUCTION PROGRAM Rifles, Shotguns, Handguns, Antiques, Militaria, Collections, Estates, Single Items for Auction or Possible Purchase CONTACT: SWITZER’S AUCTION Toll-Free 1-800-694-2609 Email Us @ sales@switzerauction.com Visit Us @ www.switzersauction.com the current rate of sal tivity.