This year, the change in the weather to fall seemed to come earlier than usual and coincide with Labour Day Weekend and students returning to school.

The leaves are just now beginning to turn to give us the amazing palette of colours that everyone looks forward to.

That also means it’s time to begin to decorate your community in the Harvest Glory Days theme and put your town, First Nation or rural municipality in the running to be judged “Best Decorated” (within your category, depending on the community’s size) in friendly competition with other Manitoulin communities of similar population.

The very first year of this event, six years ago, Spring Bay was the very first winner in the “Small Community” category. But that changed the next year when the people of Silver Water decided they wanted bragging rights and set out, successfully, to capture the title for themselves. Since then, they have remained undefeated.

Manitowaning Harvest Glory Days 2018 Large Community Spirit Award winner

Similarly, Manitowaning, in the “Large Community” category has won every single year since the contest began.

In the “Medium-size Community” category, the winner has see-sawed between Providence Bay and Sheguiandah.

The friendly competition is organized by The Manitoulin Expositor as a public service, and the paper awards the winning communities a large roadside sign attesting to their public spirit.

The contest has been successful: there is a great deal more decorating in the fall/Harvest Glory Days theme all across Manitoulin in all of our communities.

We are asking you, your friends and your organization to be a leader in your community and help to promote the decorating of homes, businesses, churches, community halls, farm gates, band office, parks and more.

The next thing we ask is that you (or someone in the community designated to organize this) make sure that as many as possible of the individual decorated (civic) addresses are passed on to The Expositor where they will be published on our website and in the paper, so people can travel around Manitoulin and enjoy your work and your transformed community.

The website address is www.manitoulin.ca/harvest-glory-days/

For more information, please contact The Expositor Office at 705-368-2744 and ask for Alicia or Dave. Please pass this message on to as many people as you can!