MANITOULIN—Saturday, September 23 marks the first official day of fall and thanks to the dry summer, many trees are already hinting their autumn colours.
Those leafy colour changes signal that it is once again time for Manitoulin’s communities, and individual Island homeowners, businesspeople and local institutions, to get to work on the seasonal displays in their community to enter into The Expositor’s annual Harvest Glory Days—a friendly inter-community competition showcasing Manitoulin’s community spirit.
This is the eleventh year for Harvest Glory Days and Island communities can enter in three categories (large, medium and small towns) after they decorate a location with a fall harvest theme.
There are three categories: large communities like Gore Bay, Mindemoya, M’Chigeeng, Little Current and Wiikwemkoong; mid-sized communities that include Sheguiandah, Kagawong, Providence Bay and Sheshegwaning; and small communities such as Silver Water, Spring Bay, Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, South Baymouth, Sandfield and Aundeck Omni Kaning.
Quantity matters in this competition so Manitoulin’s First Nations and municipalities that show the most decorating efforts and initiative are rewarded with a large highway sign celebrating their community spirit. Each year a community wins those bragging rights, an addition announcing that win can be added to the sign.
In the small community category, Silver Water has been hard to beat as virtually every residence in town decorates and the sign there is nearly full of annual acknowledgments, but in 2022 Aundeck Omni Kaning pulled ahead by raising the bar yet again for their first win in that category. Who knows what upset could be in store in this year’s Harvest Glory Days.
Now what The Expositor needs from you to maintain or capture the honour is the address of your decorated property and we need this by 4 pm on Friday, September 29. Judging takes place the weekend (one week) before Thanksgiving Weekend.
We want to encourage Island people and visitors alike to enjoy a drive around our Island and take in the decorating efforts.
This also helps the Harvest Glory Days judges to make their choices about best decorated communities in the Harvest Glory Days theme. The Expositor Office looks forward to awarding a sign to a new deserving community and to adding ‘leaves’ to ones that have maintained their winning ways.
Please register your home or business online at manitoulin.com/hgd or call Debbie at
705-368-2744. Our fax machine still works too, 705-368-3822. You can also email services@manitoulin.com. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Debbie through one of those avenues.
As usual, we will have an online gallery of many decorated homes/businesses/institutions, groups by community.
