Be sure to check out the Sheguiandah powwow too!
MINDEMOYA—With a fresh new look to the Central Manitoulin Lions Club’s membership roster, this year’s Homecoming Weekend is boasting plenty of fresh new events too starting this Friday, July 3. Also this weekend is the 25th annual Sheguiandah Powwow.
As past president Lion Owen Legge explained, many of the Club’s new members are parents of young children and so it was decided that an emphasis on children needed to be brought back into Mindemoya’s biggest community festival. But there are some Homecoming traditions that are not to be missed such as the men’s fastball and the ladies’ slow pitch tournaments, which begin on Friday, July 3 at 6:30 pm at the ball fields behind the community centre. To register, or for more information, please contact Lion Lew at 705-377-5887 or Kyra Lanktree at 705-377-4501. And, of course, what accompanies a ball game better than a frosty beverage? The beer garden at the Lions Pavilion opens for business at 11 pm.
New to Homecoming this year is a youth dance, which runs from 7 to 11 pm on Friday evening. Admission to the dance is a non-perishable food item for the food bank or $2. Candy bags, pop, chips and water will be available for sale.
The fastball and slow pitch action begins at 9 am on Saturday, July 4. Also at 9 am, the Mindemoya Market opens at the J.H. Burt Memorial Arena. Come expecting to find handcrafted and homemade local wares and food.
Everyone loves a parade and the Homecoming Weekend is one not to be missed. Floats will assemble at the Manitoulin Inn at 10:30 am and, as usual, those wishing to enter are encouraged to use the Canada Day theme—red, white and maple are encouraged!
Keeping with the kid-friendly theme of the new and improved Homecoming Weekend, there will be plenty of kids’ events beginning at 11:30 am until 3:30 pm at the Lions Pavilion including face painting, inflatables, games, a three-legged race and potato sack race, a fish pond and boat race games, candy cart and “lots of fun for the whole family,” the club boasts.
Get your motor running and cruise in to the old car shine and show. Have a vintage beauty you’d like to show off, or maybe you’re just a fan? Head to the community centre parking lot at 1 pm and feast your eyes.
The Central Manitoulin Lions Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the annual elimination dinner, draw and dance, takes place on Saturday night. Tickets for this fantastic event are $60 per couple. Doors open at 5 pm with cocktails at 5:30 pm. Dinner runs from 6 to 8 pm and the dance, with music by John Roy, runs from 9 pm to 1 am. Those wishing to simply dance the night away are welcome with tickets just $10. For more on the dinner and dance, contact Lion Marg, 705-377-6644, or Lion Dale regarding the draw, 705-377-4818.
On Sunday, July 5, the 14th annual Mindemoya Classic Run, Canoe and Bike Triathlon will give athletes an opportunity to strut their stuff when the race gets underway at 9:30 am at the government dock. For more information, or to register yourself or a team, call Andre at 705-377-6018, Allen 705-377-7272, or Mark 705-859-1683. The categories are: four-person relay, two-person relay, four-person endurance, two-person endurance, solo and unranked. Your entry fee gets you a t-shirt!
Men’s fastball and ladies’ slow pitch gets underway once again at 9 am.
Who will be named champion of the pits? Find out at the horseshoe tournament located behind Lions Pavilion. To register, contact Warren Haggard at 705-377-5644.
What better way to conclude a great weekend of family fun then with a fireworks display! The fireworks will be let off from the Mindemoya Community Centre ballfield. Please bring your loose change as the Lions will be out in full force collecting money toward next year’s Homecoming Weekend and fireworks display.
Help support the Lions by purchasing food from the food both, located by the ballfield, and by stopping by the beer garden.
Also this weekend from Friday, July 3 to Sunday July, 5 is the Sheguiandah 25th annual Jiingtamok (Powwow). Friday will kick off the weekend with a round dance social at 6 pm. Grand entry on Saturday will be both at 1 pm and 7 pm, while Sunday’s grand entry is scheduled for noon.
Activities throughout the weekend include canoe boxing, spot dances, Nevadas, snake dance, $1,000 raffle, vendor’s special, 50/50 and two step and of course, plenty of good food. Sheguiandah also boasts a fantastic firework display over Sheguiandah Bay on Saturday—one not to be missed.
For more information see the advertisement in this week’s Expositor on page 15 or visit the event’s Facebook page Sheguiandah Annual Jiingtamok.
