The Citizen, 2019-05-16, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2019. PAGE 19.
Next weekend, the Blyth and
District Community Centre will
host the 22nd annual Barn Dance
Jamboree and Campout. The event
will span four days and include a
bluegrass show, the Barn Dance
stage show, a Gospel show and
several jam sessions for those
camping in Blyth.
Set for May 23-26, the event
begins with a Campers’ Jam on
May 23, with the main stage action
set to begin on Friday night with
the bluegrass show.
On Saturday night, the curtain
goes up on the Barn Dance stage
show. Jim Swan will serve as the
master of ceremonies for a show
that will feature the talents of The
Barn Dance Show Band and
special guests like Thorn and
Roses, Bonita Mercer, Jason
Lamont, Brooklyn Hewton and the
Ridin’ High Band.
The Barn Dance Show Band,
features Bill Norris and Ian Leith
on fiddle, Fred Lewis on guitar,
Doug Dietrich on steel guitar, Al
Alderson on bass and Grant
Heywood on drums. While the acts
may end, the music and dancing
will continue on until midnight.
On Sunday morning, Betty Beer
will host the event’s annual Gospel
show.
The show will feature Kiley Joe
Masson, Ashley Giles, Richard
Dugal, Grant Heywood, the
Golden Girls (Betty Schelter and
Marilyn Hartung) and a special
appearance by Grayson Masson.
Throughout the weekend, there
will be a musical flea market and
silent auction, as well as a
Saturday night dinner and Sunday
morning breakfast hosted by the
Blyth Lions Club.
For more information on the
weekend, visit thebarndance.ca.
Barn Dance coming
Culture in Huron County is in a
healthy place according to Cultural
Development Officer Rick
Sickinger, with new challenges and
opportunities on the horizon.
Sickinger presented the final report
of the county’s current cultural plan
at Huron County Council’s May 8
meeting. The plan ran from 2014 to
2018 with consultation for the new
plan beginning this month.
When the plan was approved by
Huron County Council in May, 2014,
it came with 51 recommendations for
the subsequent four years. Sickinger
said he was proud to report that over
that four-year period, 46 of 51
recommendations saw either full
implementation or progress.
To put the impact of arts and
culture in perspective, he said, 99.5
per cent of Canadians participated in
some way in arts, culture and
heritage in 2016, according to a 2019
study. For comparison’s sake,
Sickinger said, only 26 per cent of
Canadians actively participated in
sports during that same time.
Sickinger then reviewed a number
of the plan’s strategic priorities and
why they’re important to the county.
The first, he said, was to invest in
the people of Huron County.
Expanding Huron County’s human
capital by providing local
professional development
opportunities, Sickinger said, would
help to engage youth in local culture
and recognize the importance of
volunteers to the cultural sector and
the community.
The second priority, he said, was
to foster partnerships and
collaborations. This priority would
increase the sector’s capacity by
bringing different partners together
to share resources and expertise.
The implementation of a
communications strategy was the
third strategic priority. Developing
and implementing a comprehensive
communications strategy, Sickinger
said, would help share the county’s
stories, promote creative industries
and cultural programming and build
visibility and appreciation for local
culture.
The fourth strategic priority,
Sickinger said, was an important
one: leveraging existing cultural
resources.
He said that the county hopes to
build on or adapt some of the
county’s existing cultural resources
to meet new community needs.
The fifth priority, Sickinger said,
was to get lower-tier governments in
on the act and advance the role of
municipalities in cultural
development.
Continuing to support the County
of Huron’s leadership role, he said,
would benefit the entire sector as
well as the cultural community at
large.
The final strategic priority in the
2014-2018 plan was to preserve and
promote cultural heritage in Huron
County. By preserving that heritage
for future generations, Sickinger
said, it would build appreciation and
respect for both individual and
shared histories.
Sickinger did say that while he and
his department were proud of what
they had accomplished in recent
years, there is still more work to be
done.
He hopes to soon prepare a report
that gathers and analyzes
quantitative data to measure the
economic and social impact of local
arts, culture and heritage in Huron
County. That report, he said, would
be the basis for making the case for
support and appreciation for the
local cultural sector.
He also said that his department
hopes to investigate a Huron County
funding program that provides seed
funding for arts and culture
initiatives, similar to the Huron
Heritage Fund.
The third item on the department’s
to-do list is to explore the
development of a Huron County
public art policy that would include
a review of possible funding options
for commissioning public arts
projects.
Sickinger told councillors that
while the 2014-2018 plan had helped
to raise the cultural profile of Huron
County, there was also a very real
economic spin-off thanks to arts,
culture and heritage.
Quoting some further statistics,
Sickinger said that Ontario’s arts and
culture sector represents 3.5 per cent
of the province’s gross domestic
profit (GDP) and 3.8 per cent of the
province’s total employment. He
also said that when it comes to
tourism, arts and culture, visitors
out-spend average tourists at a rate
of two to one.
Sickinger also plugged the Huron
County library system during his
presentation in the wake of cuts at
the provincial government level,
saying that in addition to its high
level of usage, it is also the branch of
the Huron County websites that
generates the most traffic.
Sickinger then asked that council
support the development of a new
Huron County Cultural Plan by
directing staff to oversee the
planning process and consultation,
along with input from the
community and sector partners, on
the way to the creation of a new
plan.
The first consultation was set for
Blyth at Memorial Hall on
Wednesday, May 15.
Council approved Sickinger’s
report and supported the creation of
a new plan.
Proceeds from the Sale will go to support
the Blyth Repository of History ~“the future of the past”
Your Next Chapter Awaits....
being held at
Blyth Memorial Hall
at the
Blyth Repository of History
Used Book Sale
Donations accepted at The Citizen office until May 28th.
Donations accepted at Blyth Memorial Hall May 29th and 30th
from 9 am until 8 pm.
For more information or to volunteer call Deb at 519-523-4792.
431 Queen St.
Your Next Chapter Awaits....
at the
Blyth Repository of History
Used Book Sale
being held at
Blyth Memorial Hall
431 Queen St.
Friday, May 31st
5 pm - 8 pm
Saturday, June 1st
9 am - 5 pm
Sunday, June 2nd
9 am - 2 pm
Friday, May 31st
5 pm - 8 pm
Saturday, June 1st
9 am - 5 pm
Sunday, June 2nd
9 am - 2 pm
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Join us for a Come & Go
honouring
Frank and Marian Hallahan’s
50th Wedding Anniversary
Sunday, May 26, 2019 from 1-3 pm
Auburn Community Hall
Best Wishes Only!
Celebrating
50 Golden Years!
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Creation of new cultural plan approved
Talented
Marjorie Duizer proves her talent on the harp as the event’s emcees look on during the
Londesborough Village Café talent show at the village’s United Church. (Mark Nonkes photo)