It's hard to believe, but we are almost into a New Year!
FlamboroughToday is just under a year old, and in the past week I have taken a long look at the stories I have published on the site. Some stories were part of continuing coverage, some were features that I felt were very special for me to work on, some stories introduced me to interesting characters and places in the area, while others were more bread and butter reporting.
But in the past year, there were a handful of stories that, to me, defined the year in Flamborough.
Here are the stories that made 2024 in Flamborough this year.
5. Sky clears just in time for solar eclipse in Waterdown
Remember back in the spring, when a total solar eclipse passed over half of Flamborough?
I do, because it was one of my favourite moments of 2024 and one of my favourite events to cover this year. My editor, Brenda Jefferies, and I worked together to take photos of people watching the eclipse in Memorial Park on the afternoon of April 8.
Thousands of people came to the City of Hamilton to watch the eclipse, clogging the West Harbour GO Station for a good hour that evening. There were warnings for weeks in advance that the highways might be overburdened by the number of people travelling from across the province down to Hamilton and Niagara region, because we were in the path of totality.
Memorial Park was busy that afternoon. A lot of people were from out of town, stopping in to watch the eclipse.
That day was very cloudy leading up to the eclipse and people gathered in the park were anxious that the sky wouldn't clear for the big moment.
But it did clear, right on time, and an eerie but very cool sort of twilight fell over the park. It was difficult to catch on camera, especially at its darkest point.
In the midst of running around, trying to take photos of the eclipse and the people watching the eclipse, Brenda and I stopped on a hill for a moment and watched the moon pass over the sun.
Sometimes even journalists get to enjoy the cool things they are covering.
Bonus, four of my friends came to Waterdown from Toronto to watch the eclipse and I was able to snap their photo for the article.
4. Rain rain, go away: Flamborough floods as Hurricane Beryl moves through region
Did your lawn turn into a swamp for a week in July this year?
Because that's what happened to a lot of local residents.
FlamboroughToday wrote a handful of stories about the flooding that followed Hurricane Beryl. The torrential downpour flooded out roads, swelled local waterways, destroyed backyards, seriously jacked up a couple stores in Burlington and drowned out fields in Flamborough for weeks.
The rain left some homeowners with property damage, after 60 mm to 80 mm of rain hit the area.
This article was a recap of the flood using photos and videos sent in by readers and pulled from Facebook.
But a follow up article from later that week had photos and videos from Brenn B Farms, showing how much water was pooling on agricultural land, days after the initial flooding.
Shawn Brenn, one of the owners of Brenn B Farms, did an interview with me when I dropped by unannounced while out taking photos of the flood water.
“There is no doubt in my mind that climate change has and will continue to present significant challenges,” Shawn said.
After we spoke, he let me walk around his farm by myself, to see the flooding up close. I took this video of a pond draining out into Shawn's field and remember thinking how it sounded just like a creek, and that it would be relaxing if it weren't destroying thousands of potatoes.
3. IN PHOTOS: Ribfest rocks right into Canada Day
Were you at this year's Ribfest?
Waterdown's Oh Canada Ribfest set a record this year with 59,000 people showing up for the four-day event at Memorial Park. People from all over Flamborough and the region turned out for music, rides, fireworks and, of course, loads of ribs.
From Bucky the Ribfest mascot and the long lineup of vendors, to performances by Fiddlestix, The 905 Band and Freedom Train, and the Skatejam at the skate park, Ribfest is one of Flamborough's biggest events.
I stopped in for an afternoon to judge the ribs on behalf of FlamboroughToday. Eating six different ribs with six different sauces on them is not good for your stomach.
But it was still a really cool experience and I would do it again!
And looking at the photos from this article really take you back to a time when the weather was hot, the air smelled like barbecue sauce and the sun didn't set at 4:30 p.m.
While the next Ribfest is months away, planning is already underway for next year's event.
2. Massive house party on Hwy 6 ended with 45-year-old shot dead in vehicle
On Canada Day weekend this year, a man was shot and killed while leaving a huge house party on Highway 6.
Foty-five-year-old Tobenna Obiaga was shot and killed around 4:35 a.m. on June 30, while leaving an AirBNB near Miska Trailers. Obiaga was from the Halton Region and was in his vehicle, leaving the party, when he was killed.
Between 60 and 100 people, mostly from the Greater Toronto Area, were at a rental property on Highway 6 called 'Party Villa Hamilton'.
Hamilton Police said Obiaga was killed on the shoulder of the road near the AirBNB, and another two people attending the party were shot at the nearby Pioneer gas station on Highway 6.
In early March, two women were left in critical condition after a shooting on Highway 6.
Police did not tie the March shooting to Party Villa Hamilton, but a neighbour told FlamboroughToday that the villa was mentioned to him by police during the March shooting investigation.
When I covered this story, I talked to all of the neighbours living across the street from Party Villa. Door-knocking can be very nerve-wracking, but everyone I spoke with for this story seemed happy to speak with me, especially considering it was the second shooting on their stretch of the highway this year.
It was a long weekend, so most of the neighbours were away up north during the shooting. One neighbour said she might have been up at the time reading her book, but said she didn't hear anything.
For months following the June shooting, residents in Flamborough were wary of the highway and concerned about potential gun violence on the road.
1. VIDEO: NHL superstar Carter Verhaeghe brings Stanley Cup home to Waterdown
Were you there when Carter Verhaeghe brought the Stanley Cup back to Waterdown?
Hundreds of people turned up at Harry Howell Arena in August to see the Stanley Cup with their own eyes. The line to meet Carter wrapped around the arena for most of the afternoon, buzzing with excited kids and equally excited parents.
Carter grew up in Waterdown and played for the Flamborough Sabres when he was a kid. Dozens of kids in their own Flamborough Sabres uniforms showed up to the meet and greet and took their picture with Carter.
I think my favourite part of covering Carter's visit was talking to the kids. There were a ton of children at Harry Howell that day. The arena held a free skate during the meet and greet, so a good number of them had all of their skate gear on them. I remember two kids in particular took a photo with Carter in full hockey gear, with their skates on.
And Carter seemed really happy to meet all of them.
He kept taking pictures with fans and people from his community even after his handlers said they had to go. Carter had another appearance later that day, and, if I remember correctly, a family barbecue to get to. Even when the meet and greet ended, he picked up the Stanley Cup and took it outside so people could have one last chance to see it with their own eyes and touch it.
I got the sense that Carter knew how important it was for people just to see the iconic trophy and know someone from Flamborough brought it home, even if the Florida Panthers weren't their team.
I also spoke with his parents, who were very friendly and seemed extremely proud of their sone. I also was able to chat with Thomas, Carter's dad, about the old Flamborough Review and the importance of small town news.
This wasn't the first time Carter brought home the Stanley Cup, but he took it very seriously, was accommodating, and seemed happy to be home.
