MANITOULIN—Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and the tally of communities decorating in the spirit of Harvest Glory Days and the fall splendour all around us is complete, Manitoulin Expositor observers agree.
Several communities have gone above and beyond this year. Their community spirit shines brightly and they’ll be getting new “leaves” representing 2023 excellence for the Harvest Glory Days signs they’ve already been awarded.
In the small community category, this certainly includes Aundeck Omni Kaning that stepped up last year and received its Community Spirit sign.
This year, there is great seasonal decor on all community buildings, many homes (especially in the Amelia Heights area of AOK) and on the church and seniors’ centre. Congratulations decorators.
Another winner in the small community category is Spring Bay. The first year of this friendly competition, Spring Bay was a winner, hands down, and somewhere, they have a Harvest Glory Days sign. Hopefully, it can be found because they’re getting a 2023 leaf to add to it.
In Spring Bay’s case, the recognition is not made for numbers of places decorated but rather for ingenuity: five farm tractors (some are really old timers) have been placed in and around the hamlet, but all in a straight line along Highway 542 and fetchingly decorated. They make the point. Congratulations.
In the mid-sized town category, Providence Bay has really stepped up the decorating game with corn stalks, pumpkins and mannikins holding forth at virtually every hydro pole and at many homes, especially along the street through town and along to the Mindemoya River bridge, which is, as usual, also decorated. Well done. Your original sign has all its leaves already marked with winning years so Providence Bay gets a sign addition.
Likewise, Sheguiandah gets a leaf for 2023. The picnicking family by Batman’s Mill is something to look forward to seeing, as is the décor at the government dock and, of course, at the Bass Creek fish viewing station.
There are three large communities (Manitowaning, Mindemoya and Gore Bay) that already sport Harvest Glory Days award winning community spirit signs and each of them will be getting brand new leaves for their 2023 decorating efforts.
Manitowaning has embraced the Harvest Glory Days fall decorating theme right from the start with solid decorating throughout the town.
Similarly, in Mindemoya, once a few souls in the community ran with the Harvest Glory Days idea, they’ve never looked back with scarecrows “too numerous to count” throughout the downtown area, many themed appropriately for nearby business.
Gore Bay has likewise done it again with the downtown ablaze with seasonal décor, as well as homes throughout the town and Campbell’s Drive In too, although that business is in neighbouring Gordon/Barrie Island Township.
There are highlights in several other communities, notably Little Current, where homes on the western entrance to the town, along the Gore Bay Highway, sport great displays, as does the Royal Canadian Legion front yard on Vankoughnet Street.
On the easterly outskirts of Big Lake, passers-by are cheerily saluted by an orange-suited character.
In Sheguiandah First Nation, Pearl Waindubence and family have done a bang-up job decorating near her family home at 49 Mkwa Miikan.
These are just a few examples but there’s lots of Harvest Glory Days nuggets throughout Manitoulin, so just keep your eyes open.
To take a look at some of this year’s Harvest Glory Days highlights, see the spread on pages 16 and 17 of this newspaper.
