It was ‘under sunny skies’ and ‘Under the Big Top’ as crowds were drawn to this year’s Wallacetown Fair with a circus theme and starring clowns in the Saturday parade. Attendees came for old favourites (demolition derby, tractor pull, midway and displays focusing on agricultural heritage) and new (Chariot and Chuck Wagon Races).
West End Talbot Street was the place to be this past weekend for a fun and energizing shot of culture. St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre took part in Doors Open St. Thomas with tours of the gallery and the vault, hosted the West End Arts Mingle, and launched The Parade of Elephants in conjunction with the Elgin Arts Trail. Connie Greger opened her annual exhibit with a reception on Friday Sept 27th at St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre. She spent many hours over the past spring and summer, rendering Sparta’s local historic buildings in sketches and paintings. The exhibit, “Historical Architecture Sparta: The Inheritance” was on display in the Studio Gallery from September 28th to 30th. Connie’s talent, and her on-going pursuit of making community connections and developing her skills were evident in several oils, mostly in her favourite colour palette, and in her detailed building sketches. St. Thomas Public Library’s eighth annual edition of Words & Music brought author David Rotenberg, jazz vocalist Sharon Smith and the Rainbow Gardens Quartet to the Princess Ave Theatre in St. Thomas on Thursday Sept 27th. Ric Giorgi, bassist with the quartet introduced the alternating segments of music and readings, commenting early on in the evening, “It’s writers and composers that make life worth living.” The bestselling author and accomplished musicians certainly provided considerable evidence to back up that sentiment. Volunteers from Monarch Watch and Hawk Cliff Banders shared the ins and outs of tagging and banding with butterfly- and bird-watchers this past Sunday (Sept 23), the second of two September Hawk Cliff weekends. The Municipality of Bayham, the Township of Malahide and the Town of Aylmer got together to present Doors Open East Elgin on Saturday (Sept 22nd), showing off some of their most charming cultural and heritage sites. The newly opened Sparta Church Museum and Cultural Centre is all decked out in a bevy of wedding attire and this past Saturday (Sept 22nd) the lower level was adorned in it’s finest for High Tea. A fundraiser for the centre, the tea was an elegant taste of an event which was probably seen regularly in connection with the weddings represented in the upstairs exhibits. The ritual of sipping tea whilst nibbling little sandwiches and decadent sweets was relished by attendees at four sittings throughout the afternoon. The Midtown in St. Thomas is a friendly, traditional style tavern which underwent a floor to ceiling makeover in 2008. They specialize in hosting group parties, and also present events and periodically, great live music. The Middy was busy Friday evening (Sept 21st) as patrons were enjoying the powerful voice and engaging stage presence of Sarah Smith. It’s a small venue, and she joked good naturedly – “This is kind of like singing in someone’s living room.” The Rail City Kings are, according to their facebook page, slated to appear at the Middy on Friday September 28th at 10 pm. Check for future upcoming events and music at the Midtown at www.midtowntavern.ca.
It was the 30th annual edition of Canada’s largest Fire Muster this past Saturday and Sunday (Sept 1st & 2nd). Red trucks of every vintage and description paraded across St. Thomas, then joined up with all the displays and exhibits in Pinafore Park. Kids got their chance to touch and sit in the shiny trucks, as well as bounce through the many activities in the children’s play area. Crowds also took advantage of the fine weather to check out the musical entertainment, food, music, beer tent, fire truck rodeo and displays about several community organizations. The St. Lawrence II Brigantine Ship sailed into Port Stanley and General Brock (aka Bob Rennie) arrived, along with the Kings Company and the Royal Scots re-enactors, in honour of the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812. Midway rides, face painters and food vendors filled the area backing onto the Dominion of Canada building. A successful Harbourfest in Port Stanley from August 17th to 19th truly seemed to offer something for everyone. See photos from the opening, cruising and skirmishes on the beach in our Harbourfest Photo Feature. |
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