Grand Bend, Ontario community newspaper and entertainment events guide. Also serves Zurich, Dashwood, Port Franks, Exeter, Parkhill. Casey Lessard photos.
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View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I feel a level of simpatico with Mark Reilly. We’re not friends, not business partners; I met him once and talked to him on the phone once. But I know how he probably feels: he just wants to run a business in Grand Bend within the rules established [...]
The Grand Bend Strip and publisher Casey Lessard took home more awards than any other newspaper in Ontario Friday, May 14 at the Ontario Community Newspapers Association gala held in Toronto. Here are the results and judges’ comments: 3rd place – General Excellence (best overall paper), circulation under 1,999 Note: Top marks in 4 of [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I’ll admit that I don’t spend a lot of time in downtown Grand Bend in the winter. My home base is in Parkhill, and I am usually heading in the other direction, to Toronto, during the school year. That’s why it was interesting to visit the strip April [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard This is the time of year, it seems, when good things start happening. We’ve just recovered from the Olympics with its thrilling ending, the snow seems to be gone for good, and our chihuahua can now handle a walk that lasts longer than three minutes. But here at [...]
The Grand Bend Strip leads all community newspapers in Ontario with eight nominations for this year’s Ontario Community Newspaper Awards, including best overall paper and photographer of the year for Casey Lessard. The top three entrants were announced March 1; winners will be announced at the OCNA’s annual conference in Toronto May 14. The Parry [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard With the mediocre weather and mediocre economy we experienced this year, it’s tough not to feel glum. I’m happy, though, (for the most part) with how 2009 went here. No health problems this year. Missed the swine flu this time around. Anjhela is almost done school. Well, for [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I’m sure Gord Minielly is ready to let someone else be the front man (or woman) for the municipality after last month’s meeting to discuss the Lambton Shores sewer project. It’s a tough job and he has to do it. You can imagine why his health has suffered; [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard In the wake of Thanksgiving, it’s important to take a moment and consider what we’re thankful for. I’m thankful for the support I have for the work I do here and at home, support that comes from readers and my family. I also want to send a message [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I had the pleasure of driving up the coast a few kilometers with Chris Bregman of the chamber of commerce, business owner George Appel, and Lakeshore Advance editor Lynda Hillman-Rapley Friday. We took Chris’ van to Saugeen Shores to see what we thought they were doing right and [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard We’ve been through this process before, but now that funding is coming through, it seems a good idea for anyone interested in the future of Grand Bend to attend next week’s meeting concerning the Main Street Enhancement Project that is set to be completed by next summer. The [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I am delighted to see that – so soon after the beach enhancement project – Lambton Shores has received $2.6 million in economic stimulus funding to rework Grand Bend’s Main Street. The work will involve burying above ground hydro wires, and replacing curbs. Work begins in September and [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I want to send my gratitude to everyone who came to my art exhibition opening over the weekend. It was not only a pleasure to see old faces, but also to see the silent supporters who had never previously said hello. I had people visiting from as far [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard It’s no secret that the newspaper business is in free fall as businesses tighten their advertising budgets. Local papers, like the Grand Bend Strip, are supposed to be immune to such a tightening, but that’s changing. I have to admit that I didn’t see the change coming. It’s [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard If you haven’t seen the amazing internet sensation, Susan Boyle, get yourself to YouTube right now and search for her performance on Britain’s Got Talent. Go ahead. I’ll still be here when you get back. Anjhela and I were among the very first people outside of Britain to [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard You may have seen – or not seen but noticed – that A-Channel London no longer has a morning show. The people who lost their jobs there are among many cut from the television station, including some who will be let go in August. Also gone are two [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I wish I could be more thorough with my evaluation of this month’s release of the Lifesaving Society’s aquatic safety audit of Grand Bend beach. Unfortunately, I was late receiving a copy and had only today (the day I am sending the paper to the printer) to digest [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard It’s going to be an exciting month, even though it’s already half over. January will see the changing of the guard in Washington, and possibly in Ottawa, too. While the former is much more of a guarantee than the latter, it’ll certainly be interesting to watch history unfold [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard What a rollercoaster ride of emotions Canadians have been on this month. The scene in Ottawa has polarized the nation, with the Governor-General putting the brakes on a government takeover bid by a Liberal-NDP coalition (let’s be honest, the Bloc is in there, too, even if no one [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard Warning: graphic details of the Rivera and Regier murders follow. Discretion is advised. If there is any reason people feel uneasy about the Jesse Imeson trial, I suggest it is this: we still have no explanation for why Jesse Imeson decided to kill Carlos Rivera, and Bill and [...]
(Note: originally published October 9, 2008. Jesse Imeson plead guilty to second-degree murder, and received three concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.) View from the Strip By Casey Lessard There’s a dangerous game being played in Goderich, at the court where Jesse Imeson faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but – like it or not – Grand Bend area residents will soon be tying into a municipal sewage system. Many people aren’t aware of the impending costs that are associated with the process, but with figures in the tens of thousands [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard And they’re off. While there are several stories about racing and riding in this week’s edition of the Strip, the real story for the month is the fact that we’re faced with another federal election after Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Rideau Hall this weekend. I heard [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I guess summer’s over, now that the kids are getting ready for school again. Anjhela and I are getting ready again, too. In preparation, we’ve both taken a brief vacation and it’s over already. Where does the time go? With all these people heading back to school, it’s [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I didn’t ask Richard and Anna Kovar how much they would be willing to pay to bring their daughter Jule back to life; instead, I’ll put the question to you. If you were able to give money to revive your child, would you pay $20,000, $50,000, $100,000, $1 [...]
