Storms dominate the news in 2002

Compiled by the
Rainy River Record Staff

Editor’s Note: 2001 seemed to blow right by at super-sonic speed. Here is a recap of the year as reported in the Record.

Jan. 9

Town council rescinded the old snowmobile by-law and put a new one in place a week later that changed the routes that sleds can travel on in the town.

The Chamber of Commerce announced it would increase the number of teams in the highly successful Walleye Tournament from 60 to 75.

Peggy and Glen Anderson of Sleeman gave birth to the area’s New Year’s baby, Page Reilly at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 1st.

Jan. 16

Ivan Olson, 81 recalled his life growing up in Arbor Vitae.

Jan 23

Bergland became the home to the district’s first internet café when Karen Sepers took ownership of Larry’s Bait and Tackle and opened the Bergland Café and Bait Shop.

More than $3.6 million was raised in the Care Close to Home campaign to pay for the local share of major renovations to Laverendrye and Emo Hospitals.

A war at the gas pumps in Fort Frances attracted people from across the district to that community to fill up. Prices were as low as 43.9¢ per litre.

District 4–Hers were honoured by their peers at the organization’s annual awards banquet.

Jan. 30

Diane Adams’ rink won the annual Ladies Curling Bonspiel in Rainy River. Curling with her was Sandy Shrumm, Fern Seguin and Danielle Shrumm.

Feb. 6

Blue box pick-up was moved to Fridays from Wednesdays.

Katie Pentney did the honours and cut the ribbon for her daughter and owner, Karen Sepers, of the Bergland Café and Bait Shop.

Emo’s newly renovated hospital held a successful open house.

Feb. 13

Marg Johnsrud of McCrosson-Tovell gave readers a guided tour through her unique can collection.

Ashley Handorgan, Jenna Pearson and Lisa Shumaker announced their candidacy to be the 2001 Lions Winter Carnival Queen.

Feb. 20

Craig Armstrong’s rink won the annual Men’s Curling Bonspiel in Rainy River.

Curling with him was Keith Jolicouer, Terry Lee and Bruce Nielson.

Feb. 27

Anthony Wagemans, the general manager of VOF Coryan, a plant in the west part of Rainy River announced they were close to starting up production.

While that sounded promising the plant never did begin producing wall panel units for housing construction.

Natural Gas rates rose again to levels nearly double what they were the previous fall.

Local kids brought home silver medals from a Just For Kix dance competition in Fargo, North Dakota.

The Lake of the Woods Pee Wee B hockey team won the District 16 B Championships. They were Coach Glen Armstrong, Coach John Delvecchio, Matt Morrison, Brandon Foldoe, Chad Armstrong, Samantha Lyon, Anders Moen, Vincent Scott, Coach Rockford Moen, Joe Cooper, Britany Fish, Dale Erickson, Joel Ashworth, Gianathon Delvecchio and Ethan Leiding.

Area efforts to reintroduce wild elk in the area saw the herd increased by 48 head to over 100 in total.

Team Kenora won the RR Ladies Hockey Tournament.

Over 150 people attended the annual Morson Ice Fishing Derby. Bev Helder caught the biggest walleye at 1.82 lbs. and Kevin Marchuk caught the biggest northern at 5.94 lbs.

March 6

Lisa Shumaker was crowned Lions Winter Carnival Queen for 2001.

Border stats show a 30% increase in the number of U.S. citizens crossing into Canada at Rainy River from 1997 to 2000.

Ellen Chojko-Bolec of Arbor Vitae was presented with the very prestigious Arbor Award for her 30+ years of volunteer service to 4–H Ontario.

Area pay telephones went quarterless. Only calling cards, collect calls and phone cards sold at area businesses can be used to make a call on them.

March 13

LoW Pee Wee B hockey players finished third in the region. They represented District 16 B which they won in Feb.

March 20

Both Lifestyles Clothing and Atwood Enterprises (Radioshack) held their grand openings.

The Bryan Bonot rink won the annual RR Mixed Curling Bonspiel. Curling with him was Sandy Shrumm, Trevor Bonot and Danielle Shrumm.

March 27

The Rainy River Record was named Business of the Year at the 6th Annual Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

Shantelle Davidson of Riverview School qualified for the regional Science Fair Competitions after placing third in her age category in a district competition.

The Trevor Bonot rink brought home the NORWOSSA Gold in mixed curling. Curling with him was Danielle Shrumm, Matt Neilson and Missy Hartnell.

April 3

In wake of abuses such as littering the ice, ice fishing enthusiasts may face tough regulations from MNR if they do not clean up their act.

Tom Morrish won the prestigious Bill Gibson Award at the Rainy River Federation of Agriculture banquet. He was honoured for his years of community service.

April 10

Hardware Hank in Baudette burned to the ground as firemen from Baudette, Rainy River and Williams fought to keep it from spreading.

The Rainy River opened for the season on April 5th.

Council was asked about expanding water and sewer services to long time tax payer and former town councillor Bob Ewald. However with needs for major repairs and possible upgrades to the local sewer infrastructure council said they could not look at filling Ewald’s request at that time.

Local boy Marty Johnston won his age group at the Regional Chess Championships and hence qualified for the Nationals in Sackville, New Brunswick this July.

April 17

Freaky weather started to appear with a late winter storm Easter Sunday.

April 24

Weather was again weird. On the 20th torrents of rain fell in a short time overflowing ditches. Three days later six inches of snow fell causing accidents and school closures.

Dan Usiski, Ab Desrosier, Walter Wagner, Hank Huber and George Bliss were honoured at the annual CNR retirement party.

Over 350 head of cattle fetched strong prices at the spring feeder sale in Stratton.

May 1

A medical school for Northern Ontario was approved. It is to be located at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay and Laurentian University in Sudbury.

Mrs. Cecil Wilson of Barwick won a boat and motor at the casino in Warroad.

Marble fever invaded the playground at Riverview School. The age old game was all the rage as kids as young as five began buying out local suppliers and playing the game like mad after teacher Pat Stoyka did a unit on the game’s history.

May 8

The Rainy River Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion honoured some of its members for years of service and also with the prestigious 75th Anniversary Commemorative Medal.

Marty Johnston won a chess tournament sponsored by the Manitoba Math ‘n’ Chess Association.

May 15

Rainy River and Dawson have begun talks to amalgamate their fire departments. The local electric utility was switched off May 17 after being in existence

High water levels and a lot of rain had officials concerned.

May 23

The Rainy River overflowed its banks on May 22. Sandbaggers were called for that evening. However the stockpiled bags were not needed as the levels stabilized Wednesday.

The Travel Information Centre opened for the season.

May 29

19 couples enjoyed “A Night Under the Stars” at the annual Rainy River High School Prom.

June 5

A teenager was allegedly shot in Pinewood by Lorenzo Lolli, 64. Lolli was charged with Attempted Murder and Production of a Controlled Substance.

Ground was broken for a new movie theater in Baudette.

Riverview School won the Intermediate Track and Field Meet and Donald Young

School of Emo won the Junior Track Meet.

Thanks to a long standing sports cooperative between Rainy River and Baudette schools Rainy kids were able to participate in high school track. Some of them advanced to state competitions.

June 12

Big Island opened a brand new $1.1 million band office.

Most of the money was transferred to the town of Rainy River for the sale of the local electric utility. A portion of the $510,000 was held back pending a final audit of the utility.

Fire claimed the Big Grassy First Nation Clinic.

The Bionic Crunch won the annual RR Rec. Bd. Sore Arm Tournament.

RRHS honoured its top academics and athletes. Missy Hartnell won the Principal’s Award for Leadership and Brooke Ewald and Ken Gess were named Athletes of the Year.

Council approved a contract to hire Lisa Marchuk as the official town dog catcher.

June 19

The Northwestern Health Unit closed Hannam Park beach claiming that ecoli counts were too high for swimming.

Fort Frances was picked to host the World Health Organization Safe Communities conference.

Birders flocked to the area to compile data for a new bird atlas being produced by the Royal Ontario Museum. While here they confirmed seven new species as nesting here.

June 26

Thirty students formed the RRHS Class of 2001 at commencement exercises.

Ike Dyck’s River Ave. E. residence saw fire claim a utility shed.

A stray black bear was shot at Hannam Park.

The Record was awarded a Blue Ribbon for General Excellence at the National Level.

The Rainy River Travel Information Centre received the Deputy Minister’s (of Tourism) Award.

July 4

Hannam Park Beach was reopened as the NWHU declared it was safe to swim at again.

Susan’s Corner Store held its grand opening. Susan Carpenter took over the grocery store on Rainy River’s Main St. after the Aikenhead family ran it for 35 years.

Fort Frances Jail staff were held hostage by inmates.

The newly renovated Emo Health Centre officially opened.

The Chamber of Commerce kicked off a local effort to raise money for the new theatre in Baudette by donating $500 to the Pennies for Popcorn campaign.

July 10

The NWHU has closed Morley Park beach unsafe for swimming due to high bacteria levels there.

Council introduced tipping fees at the local landfill site.

Stricter enforcement of lottery license laws left some organizations crippled when it came to fundraising.

July 17

The town clerk, Deb Bowman, explained the lottery licensing problems in detail.

It was announced that the Morson Post Office would close as the Morson Shopping Center opted out of providing service there.

July 24

The 14th Annual Rainy River Railroad Daze was a moderate success with attendance numbers down from previous years.

Straight-line winds flattened a greenhouse operation in Bergland.

The United Transportation’s international training bus was in Rainy River to visit with local railway workers.

The Bionic Crunch won the Railroad Daze Slow Pitch Tournament.

An area garden tour featured a stop at Elsie Ewald’s Rainy River home.

July 31

Morson Post Office closed, but Canada Post put in community mailboxes to pick up the slack.

Aug. 8

Morson Marina was decimated by a tornado. Houseboats were picked up and dropped like they were paper, power lines were sheered off like toothpicks and torrential rains for the balance of the day washed out area roads and left Hwy. 621 closed to through traffic for a few days.

Aug. 14

Rainy River Town Council sought to have the town declared a disaster in the wake of the July 31st rain storm that saw the majority of basements in town flooded with sewage and water.

The 2nd Annual Rockin the River rock festival featured some great entertainment, however a disappointing number of people turned out for the evening.

Jason and Reuben Gibbins of Morson won the Kenora Bass Invitational.

Former Rainy River man, David Ducasse, won a gold medal in the long jump at the special olympics in Sault Ste. Marie.

Aug. 21

Firefighters from Pinewood, Rainy River and Stratton saved the historic Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic church in Pinewood. Lightning hit the steeple and caused a fire.

More bears wandered into Rainy River. The town crew was able to trap one on 2nd St. and release it north of town.

The Rainy River Internationals held their 4th Annual Fun Fly. Model airplane pilots from hundreds of miles away attended.

Aug. 28

John and Reuben Gibbins won their third Morson Bass Classic with a two day weight of 16 lbs.

A letter of understanding was signed between teachers and the RR District Board of Education that will see the return of extracurricular activities to RRHS this fall.

Kelly Nielson was crowned Emo Fair Queen.

Bob McGreevy was named principal of RRHS. Donna Kowalchuk was named Vice-principal.

The Rainy River Demons won the ladies slow pitch league.

Enrollment at RRHS dropped below 150.

Sept. 5

Canoeists travelled from Fort Frances to Rainy River to raise public awareness and money for the youth program at the United Native Friendship Center.

Riverview School received a major face lift over the summer.

Brown Bottle Express of Rainy River won the annual Labour Day Fall Classic slow pitch tournament.

Sept. 11

The Grand Theatre in Baudette is nearing completion.

Sept. 18

The world was in mourning in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on the United States. Flags flew at half-mast around the world and Rainy River was no exception.

High water levels in 2001 were discussed at public meetings in Warroad and Rainy River. They were hosted by the Lake of the Woods Water Control Board.

Ground was broken for a new OPP station in Rainy River.

Sept. 25

The third annual Rainy River Walleye Tournament was a huge success. It was won by Dale Labelle and Wayne Angus of Devlin with a two day total of 17.3 lbs.

Two men in Pinewood were arrested in connection with drug charges.

Meals on Wheels turned 21.

Oct. 2

Six year old Levi Marken of Baudette won the Rainy River Giant Pumpkin Festival with a 659 pounder.

The area received word that it will receive disaster relief from the Ontario Government for the July 31st storms.

The RRWT announced it will expand the walleye tourney to 80 teams in 2002.

The Grand Theater officially opened.

The Riverview Grade 6 soccer team won the district tournament.

Oct. 10

One committee was formed to deal with all disaster relief claims across the district.

Strong prices were fetched at the annual Stratton Calf Sale.

Oct. 16

Shantelle Davidson of Rainy River lead the pack on the Lake of the Woods Cross Country running team placing third at a recent meet.

Oct. 23

Health Travel grants were doubled for NWO residents.

Vaughn Murray captured another stray black bear on his property just north of the international bridges.

Anthrax scares in the U.S. mail thought to be linked to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Oct. 30

Facing huge financial problems the regional recycling program may end.

Nov. 6

The steeple on the Pinewood Catholic church was removed so that repairs to it after being struck by lightning, in August, could be done.

Shantelle Davidson became the first athlete in Lake of the Woods School history to make it to the Minnesota State Cross Country Meet as an individual.

Nov. 13

Sept. 11th weighed heavy on the minds of those attending local Remembrance Day ceremonies.

RR District public schools saw their math and english marks rise in provincial tests.

Randi Carpenter has been hired as the new RR Figure Skating Coach.

Nov. 20

Area musicians and vocalists are busy practising to perform Handel’s Messiah.

Members of the Northwestern Ontario Tourism Association expressed concern over a law that prohibits Americans convicted of drunk driving from entering Canada.

The RRHS Owls jr. boys volleyball team brought home silver from NORWOSSA playoffs.

The Owl Theatre Co. at RRHS gave a stellar performance of the Diary of Anne Frank.

Nov. 27

Riverview Grade 8 boys and girls volleyball teams won the regional championships.

The Border Brawlers of the Rainy River area won the first men’s hockey tournament of the season.

Dec. 4

Handel’s Messiah dazzled an over capacity crowd.

911 phone services are set to begin Dec. 11.

Stefan Gerber of Barwick won a provincial fire safety contest.

Dec. 11

Councillor Gerry Marchuk wondered if the town should pursue a mega dump like Emo.

Hackers downed the Record’s web site.

Over $2,500 was raised for area food banks by the Messiah concerts.

The Borderland Orchestra entertained a local audience at a concert in Baudette.

The Blue Box program will remain intact for at least six more months.

Dec. 18

Bergland Café received the Provincial Eat Smart Award.

Dec. 21

Open water prompts warnings of poor ice conditions in area.