Good morning, Greater Sudbury! Here are a few stories to start your day on this Thursday morning.
Durham St. fire victims continue to receive support
As the residents and business owners who were affected by the May 24 fire on Durham Street begin to rebuild their lives, the City of Greater Sudbury says they’ll have support for as long as they need. Greater Sudbury Fire crews responded to the fire at 2:18 p.m. and battled the blaze until the late evening. At around 8 p.m. firefighters confirmed that “the loss was stopped,” and later confirmed the fire was out. In an interview with Sudbury.com the day after the fire, Deputy Fire Chief Craig Lawrence told Sudbury.com the challenge in old buildings such as this one, built in 1937, is that smoke hides in the empty spaces between the walls, making it hard to pinpoint the source of the fire. Over the course of the day, firefighters cycled in and out of battling the blaze. Usually, there are 24 firefighters on shift. Extinguishing this fire took the work of 57 firefighters. The building held several businesses on the main floor including Oscar's Grill, Kulta Vintage, BusinessKasual, The Coulson, Diamonds, Monteleone Custom Fashions, and Thrive Health Foods, as well as three stories of residential units. All told, there are 40 units in the building.
Sudburian seeing international pageant success
Greater Sudbury’s Madison Kvaltin has seen some pageant success in recent years. The 24-year-old said as a teen, she had competed in the local Miss North Ontario Pageant, but had put pageantry behind her when she entered her post-secondary studies. After graduating from Queen’s University with a bachelor’s degree in business and sociology in 2020, Kvaltin started a couple of business ventures, an athleticwear company called Skilla Athletics and a marketing business called Mad Media Marketing. She also decided to take a stab at the pageantry world once again. In 2022, she competed at Miss Universe Canada, and as the first runner-up, was given the title of Miss International Canada, giving her the opportunity to compete in the Miss International Pageant in Japan, placing in the top eight.
Rayside-Balfour Days runs this week
Rayside-Balfour Days runs in the Azilda and Chelmsford areas this week. The event kicks off in Whitewater Park Thursday, June 8, with demonstrations from emergency services and music by Rolly Lafontaisie and The Tremonics (kicking off the weekly Thursday night summer music series at Whitewater Park), followed by a fireworks show. Friday, June 8 will see a concert at the Chelmsford Arena featuring musicians Andy Lowe, Celine Tellier, Angelo Paquette and Gavan Rousseau. On Saturday, June 10, there will be a parade in Chelmsford starting at 11 a.m., followed by a party in Cote Park at noon, with activities including live musicians, children’s activities, vendors and a barbecue. The Super Sound Explosion tribute concert (which is a ticketed event) runs at the Dr. Edgar Leclair Centre in Azilda Saturday, June 10 starting at 6 p.m. Full details of the events are available through the Café Heritage website.
Refettorio outdoor theatre still set to open this summer
The Refettorio outdoor theatre is still slated to open in downtown Sudbury this summer, with a performance of Romeo and Juliet slated to signal its grand opening. “It’s very exciting,” YES Theatre founder Alessandro Costantini told Sudbury.com. “I can’t wait to see the community here and to celebrate the work we’ve done and contribute to making our city a glorious cultural hub.” Those behind the effort used “‘no’ as a speed boost,” he added. “There were a lot of hurdles here ... and we were just sort of relentless in our dream.” Ground broke on the project in November 2022, when it was projected to cost $2.7 million.
Memory Lane: Remembering when baseball was king
We’re back ladies and gentlemen for game two of our local baseball memories doubleheader. Before we run too late (or write too much), let’s jump right into some of the memories that have been pitched my way. It’s 1951, opening day of the Nickel Belt Baseball League season at Queen’s Athletic Field. That day, there were 4,500 spectators on hand to watch Copper Cliff beat Creighton 7-6 as revenge for the previous season’s Monell Trophy championship loss. Sitting in those stands bordering on Regent and Cypress streets, not a single spectator would have had a passing thought that a short two decades prior to becoming royalty on the Sudbury sporting scene this athletic field of dreams was a lowly gravel pit bordering on the western edge of the Town of Sudbury. Of course, each town that participated in the Nickel Belt League (Copper Cliff, Creighton, Coniston and Garson) had its own field where dreams were made, but nothing compared to Queen’s. A few years ago, a follower of the Sudbury Then and Now Page, Sheila Lafleur, wrote that she remembered “it was such a busy field (and) used to have a high green fence all around it and as kids we would peek through the cracks / holes to watch the action.”
Lifeguards go on duty at municipal beaches June 17
Lifeguards go on duty at municipal beaches in Greater Sudbury beginning June 17. The city staffs seven municipal beaches with lifeguards, who will be on duty from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The seven municipal beaches with lifeguard services are Bell Park Main Beach, Capreol Public Beach, Moonlight Beach, Nepahwin Beach, Centennial Park Beach, Whitewater Lake Park and Kalmo Beach. “Parents are reminded that lifeguards are not a substitute for adult supervision of children. Children must be supervised and within arm's reach of an adult caregiver at all times. Older children are reminded to swim with a buddy for greater safety.”
More widespread smoke in the forecast
The air quality statement the region has been under for the past week remains in place today as widespread smoke is expected across the region for Thursday. Today’s high is 22 under hazy skies once again. The wind will be northerly at 20 km/h before becoming light late in the morning. The UV index today is five, or moderate. Tonight, expect clear skies and a low of 11.
