of a Town named Harriston." The article's author, Fran Macgregor, notes, "Harriston used to have three grocery stores. Now there are two." As of the early 2000s, there was only one grocery store. From the mid-2000s to 2014, the settlement did not have a gas station. In 1995, the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario began to reduce the number of total municipalities in the province. On January 1, 1999, the Town of Minto was created through the amalgamation of the towns of Harriston, Palmerston, the former village of Clifford, and the surrounding rural area of the former Minto Township. Civil society Beginning in the late 1860s, Harriston's citizens began to create friendly service organizations parallel to, as well as outside, of religious groups. In 1868, the Loyal Orange Institution (Orange Order) opened a Harriston Lodge (#1152). In 1871, the Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons (commonly known as Freemasons) established a Lodge (#262). Other groups followed, such as the Independent Order of Oddfellows (1879), as well as the Independent Order of Good Templars (active by 1874) and the Royal Templars of Temperance (active by 1900). The Harriston Minto Agricultural Society was founded in 1859 and continues to operate an annual fall fair on the third weekend in September. Sports The Harriston Blues were a hockey team which played in the WOAA Senior AA Hockey League from 1969 to 1977, and then in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1976 to 1987. The Mapleton-Minto 81's is a senior hockey team based out of Palmerston, Harriston, and Drayton. The Harriston Curling Club competes across Ontario. Education Students from Harriston attend schools of the Upper Grand District School Board. These include: Minto-Clifford Public School (grades K-8). Norwell District Secondary School. Notable people James Cowan, member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba; practiced medicine in Harriston for 11 years. Shirley Eikhard, singer-songwriter who wrote "Something to Talk About" John G. FitzGerald, founder of the Connaught Laboratories and the U. of Toronto School of Hygiene in 1927, served as Dean of Medicine at U. of Toronto from 1932-1936. James Henry Gundy, co-founder of Wood Gundy. John Landeryou, member of the House of Commons of Canada. Andrew James Macauley, member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. William Melville Martin (second Premier of Saskatchewan), member of Freemasonic Lodge #262 (Harriston), beginning in 1900 George McLeod, member of the House of Commons of Canada. Claude C. Robinson, ice hockey and