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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-05-21, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015. East Wawanosh reunion committee seeking volunteers The East Wawanosh 150th Reunion Committee recently held another planning meeting for 2017 event recently and those involved are still looking for volunteers to fill key roles. The event is set to be held in and around Belgrave from June 30 to July 2, 2017. The meeting wasn’t as productive as the committee had hoped as some key members of the group, including North Huron Township Council Representative Councillor Ray Hallahan and North Huron Economic Development Officer Connie Goodall, were unable to attend. However several crucial decisions regarding the future of the event were made. HISTORY BOOK The meeting started with discussion on the history book led by the book sub-committee’s chair Melanie Pletch. Pletch explained that the sub- committee had discussed the future of the book to determine its scope. After some basic canvassing, the committee found many people were interested in the book. “The overwhelming majority of people would purchase an updated book,” Pletch explained. “They felt the cost should be between $50 to $100.” A second meeting for the book sub-committee will be set up in the near future. Pletch said that she had been seeking out grants that are available and had spoke to Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson’s office in hopes of getting direction there. Reunion Chair Jamie McCallum suggested that Pletch speak to Goodall as the North Huron Economic Development Officer had told him there could be grants available in 2017 because it also marks Canada’s 150th birthday. “She is anticipating there will be funds available to celebrate that milestone,” McCallum said. “We might be able to find help there.” Costing of the book project was also discussed as it was revealed that the 125th reunion’s book, Wilderness to Wawanosh, was a significant expense. The whole project cost $95,300 and produced 2,000 books. Through several grants and donations, books were sold for $40 at a pre-sale, $45 at the reunion or at a discount for bulk deals. Many at the meeting were in favour of looking at other options, such as pre-sales, or subsequent runs if the book sold out, to try and reduce the initial cost. Pletch said there were two different options that she was interested in, putting together an addendum to the original book or looking at a slightly lower quality version of the book. “It was a good quality book, so we don’t know if we want to try and match that,” she said. “A lot of people would be happy with a smaller paperback version.” McCallum also said that an updated book wouldn’t be as much work as the original, because smaller farms are being bought out by larger corporations so there wouldn’t be as many contemporary farms to list. GOLF TOURNAMENT Golf Tournament sub-committee chair Katie Cottrill was told by those in attendance that a youth golf tournament would likely not be as successful as the organization had initially hoped it would be. McCallum said he felt the tournament wouldn’t bring out the numbers that could be found with the adult tournament and that the meal would be appreciated by the adult crowd as well. It was decided that the adult tournament would be run with the hopes it could be on Friday, June 30 at the Wingham Golf and Curling Club. SCHOOL REUNIONS Ralph Logan was put in charge of school reunions at a previous meeting and told the committee he was having some difficulty figuring out where the schools had all been located and how many there were. McCallum said that, aside from graduates of the schools, the existing history book would probably be Logan’s best bet for a complete list of schools. Logan also wondered how far back the committee wanted to go and McCallum said that was up to him, but he did have suggestions. “I would leave that up to your discretion, but I’d guess that going back to the 1940s or 1950s would be a reasonable starting point,” he said. SOUVENIRS Souvenirs for the event are still being determined and pricing will be looked at by co-chairs Heather Shiell and Linda Logan. The group discussed having several different kinds of shirts including t-shirts, golf shirts and sweatshirts or hoodies, all featuring a logo very similar to the one from the 1992 East Wawanosh reunion. The theme, which refers to the event as a pow-wow, plays prominently in the logo and it will feature a First Nations individual and words marking the event. DANCES The committee discussed what kind of dances it would like to host at the reunion and decided that two would be the ideal number. With a BX93 dance and a family dance set to take place, questions remained as to what the family dance should look like. “If this is going to be a family dance, I think we should do a DJ because they provide a good mix of music,” McCallum said. While Joan Vincent didn’t disagree, she did say that several musical groups had contacted her and were interested in performing at one of the dances. The BX93 dance would be set for Saturday evening with the family dance set for Sunday evening. The committee said that, on Friday evening, some sort of event could be held to encourage people to visit the beverage tent. Some ideas included a pageant, a talent show-style event featuring local musicians or an open mic event. “As long as we have something in the beverage gardens for Friday night, I think it will work,” McCallum said. “That’s how things kind of get going. People come in, have a drink, and talk to each other.” No firm decision was made as an entertainment chair was yet to come forward to help set up the events. PRINCE AND PRINCESS The Prince and Princess contest was discussed by the committee and it was decided the event would be held several months ahead of the reunion. The event would see young representatives selected to promote and participate in the reunion. The committee looked at similar events that were recently held including the ambassador competition for the Wingham Homecoming celebration. Through reviewing those events, treasurer Shawn Cottrill suggested that the committee consider having the event in April or May of 2017. McCallum said the organization had considered hosting some kind of dance earlier in 2017 and tying that in with the announcement of the winners as well as a silent auction. COMMUNITY GROUPS McCallum said he had talked to local groups about participating in the event somehow and had found the response positive. Having discussed the idea with the Belgrave Kinsmen, other groups that were suggested for meals or concession opportunities included Maitland River Elementary School, the Blyth Lions and any other group that could help and find some benefit from being involved. Aside from meals and concessions, the group also discussed opportunities to ‘swap’ volunteers with other events. The example of the Wingham Homecoming committee volunteer- ing at other events outside the community so that those events could send volunteers to Wingham was discussed. Due to the swapping of volunteer duties, members of the committees and communities can enjoy the festivities instead of working at them. SOCIAL MEDIA The reunion committee was informed that both a Twitter and Facebook account had been set up for the event. On Facebook, searching for the East Wawanosh 150th Anniversary will find the event and related information. On Twitter, searching for and following @EW150_2017 will accomplish the same. Katie Cottrill also suggested that a publicity and advertising committee be struck to make sure that the messages getting out from the committee are consistent across all media. She volunteered to be the chair of the committee. CHAIRS AND COMMITTEES At the end of the meeting, McCallum said that while several committee chair positions had been filled, others were still needed to round out the sub-committees. The existing committee and sub- committee chairs are as follows: • Reunion Chair: Jamie McCallum • Secretary: Joan Vincent • Treasurer: Shawn Cottrill • Fundraising Chair: Ray Hallahan. • North Huron Representative: Ray Hallahan • History Book Chair: Melanie Pletch • School Reunion Chair: Ralph Logan • Souvenirs Co-Chairs: Heather Shiell and Linda Logan. • BX93 Dance Chair: Margaret Vincent • Maintenance Chair: Matt Beck • Children’s Events Chair: Megan McCallum, Margie Beck and Mary Cook • Bar Chair: Jonathan Van Camp • Decorating Chair: Lila Rintoul with help from Linda Logan and Donelda Cottrill. • Beard Growing Contest Chair: Neil Vincent. • Publicity and Advertising Chair: Katie Cottrill • Golf Tournament Chair: Katie Cottrill The board is still seeking several people to fill the following vacant sub-committee chairs: Food Chair, Parade Chair, Entertainment Chair, Parade Chair and the Art and Photography Chair. Anyone interested in helping out can get in touch with McCallum at jamemcca@yahoo.com or 519-357- 4669; Joan Vincent at vinbrofarms@rogers.com or 519- 357-2336 or Shawn Cottrill at shawn_cottrill@tnt21.com or 519- 531-1080. Stay Connected The Citizen $3600 per year Go to our website and pay by Pay Pal or come into the office and pay by cheque or cash The Citizen www.northhuron.on.ca 413 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114 to wherever you are in the world with an Electronic Subscription • Easy access • Read on your phone, tablet or computer • Perfect for travellers, students or snowbirds • Timely reading (no waiting for mail delivery) Drawing on the past The committee for the East Wawanosh 150th reunion in 2017 have announced that the souvenirs, including shirts, for the event will draw heavily on the design of the 1992 East Wawanosh 125th reunion logo, shown above on a t- shirt. (Photo submitted)