MANITOULIN—The village of Manitowaning was the winner in 2013 in the “Harvest Glory Days” fall theme decorating inter-community competition among Manitoulin’s larger communities and citizens there appear quite determined to successfully defend their title in this fall’s version of the event.
According to ongoing social media postings via Facebook, the people of Manitowaning are being rallied to decorate, decorate, decorate homes, businesses and institutions in the fall harvest theme so that the roadside sign The Expositor Office awarded to the community can be upgraded to show another win. “We won the title in 2013,” a Facebook posting reads, “we have a title to defend and another community wants our title. Manitowaning needs YOU to decorate your home, street, dog…whatever it takes to defend our title!”
Manitowaning is taking this very seriously and Assiginack has also created a blog to talk about the need for the community to come together again this year.
This is precisely in the spirit of how Harvest Glory Days had been conceived by the Expositor Office: to encourage Manitoulin’s communities to challenge one another for best decorated honours in the fall harvest theme.
In 2013, Manitowaning was judged to be Manitoulin Island’s best-decorated large community and was awarded a large roadside sign to attest to their community spirit.
Other potential challengers in the “large” community category would include neighbouring Wikwemikong, Mindemoya, Kagawong, Little Current, M’Chigeeng and Gore Bay.
The hamlet of Spring Bay took up the challenge and won best-decorated small community honours and the roadside sign that testifies to this honour is mounted on Highway 542 at the Spring Bay Community Hall.
Potential challengers in the “small community” category would include Providence Bay, South Baymouth, Aundek Omni Kaning First Nation, Sheguiandah, Sheguiandah First Nation, Silver Water, Sheshegwaning First Nation, Meldrum Bay, Zhibhaasing First Nation and Birch Island.
It’s clear that Manitowaning is organized in their decorating endeavours, just as both that community and Spring Bay were last year.
The Expositor Office will be judging the best decorated communities following Thanksgiving and would like to know which communities (and which homes, businesses, churches, halls, parks, etc.) are being decorated and where they are so if you’re going to be in the running, please let the Expositor Office know where you are by completing the online registration form at www.manitoulin.ca, or by filling out the form that is part of the Harvest Glory Days ad in this week’s paper on page 12 and either dropping it by the Expositor Office or faxing it to (705) 368-3822 or mailing it to The Expositor Office, P.O. Box 369, Little Current, ON, P0P 1K0.
We will also need this information so we can produce a map in the paper to encourage both local residents and tourist visitors to come look at the Harvest Glory Days decorating efforts, Island-wide.
