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Vintage ‘60s party rocks the Manitowaning arena

MANITOWANING—Jackie White, Assiginack projects and events coordinator, is decked out in a 1960s era skirt and blouse, reading out the names of the lucky door prize winners at the Spring Fling ‘back to the ‘60s party’ held May 27 at the Assiginack arena. There are a lot of door prizes, mostly loaves of delicious home-baked bread.

“Well it is fun to win something, isn’t it?” she smiles in between reading out names. Judging by the smiles reflected in the audience sipping root beer floats and nibbling homemade cookies, Ms. White may just be on to something.

On tables around the arena hall are items of a 1960s vintage, providing plenty of entertainment and recollections for those attending (and more than a little mystery to the younger generation).

Vendors ply their wares, including quilters, those with handcrafts and the folks from the United Church with a great selection of gently used items for sale.

“Isn’t this fun?” said Leslie Fields. Her husband Delmer is showing around a photograph of a truck/car he and some friends had built on the frame of an old British car back in the 1960s. “We drove around wherever we could,” he said.

The Spring Fling is just one of Ms. White’s innovative approaches to community events. From June 16 to July 1 the community will be engaged in ‘Pay it Forward,’ a two-week effort aimed at small random acts of kindness in the community. “We will cap it all off with a big party on July 1,” she said.

It looks to be an interesting summer ahead for the small Island community.

Article written by

Michael Erskine
Michael Erskine
Michael Erskine BA (Hons) is a staff writer at The Manitoulin Expositor. He received his honours BA from Laurentian University in 1987. His former lives include underground miner, oil rig roughneck, early childhood educator, elementary school teacher, college professor and community legal worker. Michael has written several college course manuals and has won numerous Ontario Community Newspaper Awards in the rural, business and finance and editorial categories.