The Rural Voice, 2000-04, Page 42Belmore's Community Centre becomes a gicpul
restaur$nLfor flie Maple Syrup Festival. Volt.
cook and sery sausages r>---
yIMY
A conveyor belt carries the pancakes from a
bank of grills to waiting customers.
PULLING TOGETHER
Belmore may be small in size but by working together in
undertakings like the Belmore Maple Syrup Festival, area
residents keep the community alive and lively
Story and photos by Keith Roulston
Communities can be big in size or big in heart. Today as many of the
familiar community names we've known for generations disappear
through municipal amalgamation there are lessons to be learned by
some communities which may not have industries, or even many
houses, but have a huge spirit that helps compensate. In the coming
months we'll publish a number of inspiring examples of communities
that pull together.
Volunteers work in two-hour
shifts to feed the thousands
who come to the Festival.
38 THE RURAL VOICE
Jf you want to get hold of some
local Belmore-area resident on
April 6 and 8, try visiting the
local arena. You'll likely find them
flipping pancakes•or grilling sausage.
The annual Belmore Maple Syrup
Festival, now in its 32nd year, puts
the hamlet of Belmore on the border
of Huron and Bruce Counties, on the
There's entertalnmen>• j
throughout the day whil4;
people enjoy their meals:
map, brings neighbours together in a
common cause and provides funds
for helping keep the community
alive. Deanne Dixon, one of the
convenors of the event estimates 300
local volunteers are involved: not bad
for a hamlet of about 100 people.
The two-day event is truly
impressive. The Belmore Community
Centre is turned into a huge pancake
house. Row on row of grills are set
up to cook pancakes and sausages
under huge overhead hoods hung
from the ceiling to suck out the
exhaust.
It's a tall order to feed the 4,348
meals served last year. Volunteers
mixed 480 kg. of flour and 180 dozen
eggs into their pancake batter and
fried up 1400-1500 lbs. of sausage.
The meals were topped off by 64
gallons of maple syrup.
Then there's the matter of serving
all those meals in a hurry. Last year,
for instance, an arrangement with
Wingham Town Hall Heritage
Theatre led to several busloads of
theatre goers arriving all at once for
lunch. The volunteers, who work in