March 17, 2023

March 17th is the 76th day of the year. There are 289 days remaining until the end of the year.

The CK Animal Rescue Annual Gigantic Garage Sale is tomorrow.

Everyone is welcome to stop by the John D. Bradley Convention Centre from 9am-1pm.

There will be over 100 yard-sale vendors and 30 businesses.

Local playoff hockey this weekend:
The Blenheim Blades need to get a win to stay alive in their first round PJHL series against the Mooretown Flags.

The Blades are down 3-2 in the best of seven, with game 6 in Mooretown on Saturday at 7:30, game 7, if needed back in Blenheim on Sunday at 7:30.

The Tilbury Bluebirds open their best of 7 series against the Tillsonburg Thunder Saturday on the road.

Game 2 is on Sunday at 7pm the Tilbury Memorial Arena.
Game 3 Saturday, March 25 in Tilbury
Game 4 Sunday, March 26 in Tillsonburg
Game 5 Saturday, April 1 in Tilbury*
Game 6 Sunday, April 2 in Tillsonburg*
Game 7 Wednesday, April 5 in Tilbury*
*if necessary

We just lived through the darkest Winter in 73 years.

A climatologist uncovered the trend by looking at solar energy from last December to this February.

The milder winter was a primary driver of the gloomy weather, as a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and works to warm the surface of the Great Lakes.

February was much better sun-wise, but the last week with more sun than cloud was still way back in November.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day!

The Catholic Church first recognized March 17th as a feast day commemorating Ireland’s best-known and most beloved patron saint, Saint Patrick, in 1631. With rare exceptions, March 17th always fell during the Christian holy season of Lent, when alcohol consumption was prohibited by the Church. But on Saint Patrick’s feast day, the ban on alcohol was lifted, presumably because it was a feast day, and feasting usually included alcohol.

It’s a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other single-day national festival.

Some facts …

• It’s been an Irish holiday for 1,500 years.
• The world’s largest St Patrick’s Parade is in NYC where over a million spectators and 100,000 participants take part A tradition since 1762, the 2-mile parade lasts about 6 hours.
• It was first celebrated in Canada in 1765 in Québec City QC.
• Since 1965, the Chicago River has been dyed green for the “Chicago St Patrick’s Parade”, an idea conceived when a plumber was observed using green dye to trace leaks from a building.
• Green is associated with St Patrick’s Day because it’s the color of Spring, Ireland, and the shamrock.