1986 -- What was happening?

By C. Scott Holland

July, 1986

Roland Sauve and Domenic Fratarcangelli of Heinz’ General Fill department were given certificates and a cash bonus of $11,903 each by V.P. of manufacturing T.R. Halford. The award is the largest ever given under the company’s suggestion system program. They recommended using a different type of tape on pouch filling machines which resulted in increased production efficiencies.

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Bill Marck was named Leamington new CAO after Joe Simon resigned to take a similar position elsewhere. Simon was one of three town employees who had resigned.

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The annual Leamington Fair was cancelled by the Ag Society, but Conklin Shows is going to put on a midway just the same. The fair was set for a run from July 30 to Aug. 3. The Agricultural Society had suffered large operational losses in 1984 and 1985 and decided to concentrate on harness racing as a means of reducing its debt.

Local winter wheat farmer Jim Robson inspects the poor quality of his 1986 crop.

Courtesy of the Scott Holland Collection

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Tombstone kernels had become a major problem for winter wheat growers in the area. “It is a kind of fungal disease,” said grower Jim Robson, who had 100 acres of the crop which was having a yield of 50-55 bushels per acre compared to 75-80 normally. Grades for the wheat were at its lowest. The problem stemmed from a cool and very wet spring.

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Attendance was down at this year’s Kingsville Lions Club Carnival. About 2600 people attended this year’s carnival, which ran last Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Lions Club Community Hall grounds.

Normally, they shoot for an attendance of about 3,000, but the scorching temperatures may have played a part in the reduction of patrons.