The Citizen, 2017-05-18, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017. PAGE 11.
Dutch -Canadian garden marks two-year anniversary
Blooming time
The blooming of hundreds of tulips was celebrated in Clinton last week, marking the second
year of blooming for the Friendship Garden that marks the special relationship between
Holland and Canada. The gardens were distributed in 2015, which marked the 70th
anniversary of the liberation of Holland at the end of World War II by Canadian soldiers. Mike
Falconer, left, former Communities in Bloom President, Jim Ginn, Central Huron Mayor and
Huron County Warden, centre, and Vivienne Roy, Communities in Bloom Committee Co -Chair
were all part of the special anniversary presentation. (Denny Scott photo)
Festival Singers to host
`Huron Shores and Beyond'
What a way to kick off your 150
celebrations! The Blyth Festival
Singers are pleased to announce
their second concert of the season
with a Canadian twist, this time with
the shores of Lake Huron as their
starting point.
The Singers' popular gala cabaret
Great job!
Mikayla Ansley of Blyth has made her community proud in
recent months, advancing all the way to the Multiple District
A finals of the Lions Club's public speaking competition.
Recently she presented her speech to her home club in
Blyth and Lions President Vicky Bremner presented her
with a special certificate and a Canadian 150th anniversary
silver dollar. (Photo submitted)
concert, dinner and auction is
coming up on May 27 at the Varna
Complex, on Mill Road just west of
the village.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner
starting at 6:30 p.m. Browse
fantastic silent auction items before
dinner while imbibing in Huron -
brewed libations from the bar. Then,
enjoy the signature full course meal
and desserts. Emcee Duncan
McGregor guarantees an interesting
evening as he regales the audience
with Canadian trivia contests and
prizes and exciting raffles.
All that and music too! "Huron
Shores and Beyond" will feature the
eclectic stylings and original Huron -
bred music of guest musicians
Reynolds, Robinson and Lodge.
They may sound like a law firm, but
in fact they are a Goderich musical
trio consisting of Mike Reynolds,
Warren Robinson and John Lodge.
Reynolds, Robinson and Lodge
offer an eclectic blend of original
acoustic folk music, with influences
from bluegrass, jazz, celtic and
country. Critics claim their music is
"clean, crisp and smooth — not
unlike a fine beer" with a "fabulous
blend of instrumentals and vocals".
The long-time friends have played
together in various formats and
musical styles for a long time, but
over the past few years, Mike
Reynolds was inspired to really
appreciate the banjo as a lead
instrument. He began letting many
original tunes he'd been keeping in
his head flow freely, and Mike's
original musical compositions
became the trio's main focus. The
group's new format began to make
Continued on page 19
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The efforts of Canadian soldiers
during the World Wars was
recognized with a special "bloom"
ceremony at the Central Huron
friendship garden in Clinton.
Hosted by the Central Huron
Communities in Bloom group, the
event focused on the garden's
significance as one of 140
Friendship Tulip Gardens planted
across the country in 2015 marking
the 70th anniversary of the liberation
of Holland in 1945 and Dutch -
Canadian relations since.
The garden was originally planted
to mark the special bond between
Holland and Canada after World War
II, but, with the nearby cenotaph
recognizing all the efforts of Central
Huron soldiers, the event took on a
wider scope than just World War II.
Vivienne Roy, the committee co-
chair for Central Huron
Communities in Bloom, started the
ceremony by explaining that the
garden includes 350 red and 350
white tulip bulbs, originally
established in 2015.
"The 140 gardens were planted all
across Canada to celebrate the gift of
100,000 tulip bulbs sent to
Canadians by the Dutch Royal
Family in 1945," she said. "The gift
of tulips was a symbol of
appreciation for Canada's
hospitality to the members of the
Dutch royal family during the
Second World War and the major
role that Canadian troops played in
the liberation of the Netherlands"
The celebration featured the
Dutch choir "Men of Note" directed
by Jannie Top who sang the Dutch
national anthem "Wilhelmus."
Huron County Warden and
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn was
part of the celebration, welcoming
everyone in attendance, including
Huron Christian School students.
Former Communities in Bloom
President Michael Falconer spoke
about the importance of not just
the tulip garden, but also the
cenotaph behind it, saying that 100
years ago the site looked very
different.
He explained that while the red
and white tulips are representative of
Canada, the soldiers that paid the
ultimate sacrifice in World Wars I
and II didn't fight under the current
Canadian flag, but the second
version Canadian red ensign flag.
Falconer said that to represent that
flag blue flowers had been added to
the garden this year.
Corrie Haak, a Dutch -Canadian,
shared stories of her family
immigrating to Canada in 1951.
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