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Another successful Tottenham Community Week

July 23, 2014   ·   0 Comments

Dear editor:

Tottenham Community Week (TCW) 2014 has proven to be one of the premier events in New Tecumseth. TCW is a fun-filled family event that is organized by dedicated volunteers that encourages community spirit through partnerships with community groups, business and volunteers.

The festivities kicked off on Wednesday July 2nd at the Tottenham Conservation Area with our second annual 2 km Family Fun Run and 5 km Run, spearheaded by our local chiropractor, Dr. Tom Naylor. TCW had an overwhelming response with over 100 participants, the majority of which were families participating. Mayor MacEachern did the 5 km run and the Deputy Mayor, Rick Milne and Councillor Richard Norcross walked the 2 km Family Fun Run (or walk). TCW strives to encourage a healthy active lifestyle for families while embracing the beauty of our Tottenham Conservation Area. Special thanks to Glenn Shaw of Walton Financial, the Running Room, the free BBQ and swag bags provided by Foodland & MY FM 92.1 for helping make this event such a success.

Thursday night TCW was at the Tottenham Community Centre where there was something for every age to do or watch for free. Tottenham’s new Junior “A” Hockey Team, the Tottenham Steam were on site to provide a skills demo for the kids and then later refereeing the GRIT hockey dressing relay race of which Nikita Latviak, future Tottenham Steam centerman, was blindfolded to take away the competitive edge to the event. Also new this year was the Nottawasaga OPP “Bike Like the Best” program who taught our youth bike safety. Hillside Community Church graciously provided a free BBQ and the Tottenham Co-Op Preschool opened their playground to all the little ones. The indoor arena hosted the Roller Derby Renegade Dames, a fun and exciting event to watch. Non-perishable food was collected for our local food bank that evening. Another successful night made possible by the staff of the Town of New Tecumseth. The evening ended with the Local Yocal Pub Crawl with special thanks to Rick White of New Tecumseth Taxi offering free taxi rides within the community.

Friday’s Honda Movie Night in the Park had a phenomenal turn out with families and neighbours sitting amongst each other in Keogh Park. The Tottenham Fire Department, Station 3 opened the firehouse and showered the local children with their ever popular Aerial Fire truck #31. Family entertainer Circus Jonathon, sponsored by the BTBIA, put on a great pre-show with food, ice cream and candy provided by both Tottenham Foodland and the O’Connor families Ice Cream truck. As the stars settled in the sky, and families picked their spot on their hay bales provided by Murray Wilson Farms, children were given glow sticks and popcorn compliments of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Tottenham Legion and Miss Teen of South Central Ontario, Tess Urbanski. Movie night in Keogh Park was a magnificent event made possible by the generous sponsorship of Honda Canada and with special thanks to Chris Plante, vice president of the Legion Branch 329, the BTBIA, The Bluegrass Committee and the Town of New Tecumseth.

It’s not over Tottenham! Saturday morning began with a delicious pancake breakfast at the Tottenham Fire Hall followed by the return of the best ever Tottenham Street Festival. This year’s free carnival-esque street festival produced local families and visiting tourists with more carnival games, face painting, rides and musical and dance performances than ever before. Tottenham even had a special visitor from Toronto, CNE’s mascot Alex the Beaver and The Town of New Tecumseth mascot Parker C. Tecumseth. Tottenham families also brought their artistic talents to the street to paint the Tottenham Community Derby Car provided by Tottenham Garage, and volunteer Tess Urbanski, Miss Teen of South Central Ontario oversaw this event. Special thanks to Rick White of New Tecumseth Taxi for preparing the Derby Car and the SSAC for providing the paint. The Queen Street Youth Stage, managed by George Scott of songwriters showcase, and DJ AJ Chambers, is growing in popularity with a full line up of live youth entertainment, including Crazy Pants Improv and the Spelling Bee of Next Step: Literacy Council of South Simcoe. Adding to this energy, the Nicole Jacklin School of Dance performed several surprise flash mob dances throughout town and the Dance Connection outdid themselves by providing an amazing acrobatic performance on the street. One of the most talked about events this year was the return of LIVE Pro-Wrestling of PWA Canada. The women wrestlers proved to be worthy rivals to contend with.

After watching good winning over evil, local residents worked up an appetite and enjoyed Smokin Coops Wing House. Now with bellies full, residents could then stroll down to the Motorcycle Show. Rain or shine, Don Hoy was there to ensure that motorcycle enthusiasts had a place to showcase their first loves. Worthy of mention, is the youngest ever participant, Luke Rideout, received the Vintage Plaque award for his 1980 Yamaha GT80. Special thanks goes to local businesses Queen Street Dental, who provided the Wizard Bouncy Castle, Doggone Wonderful who provided the Pitch burst game, Pyne Hill’s Teddy Bear Clinic and Nescentis wild Red Tube man. Also, thank you to the Rotary Club of Alliston, for supporting TCW in the donating the Large CHESS set that is so enjoyed by residents of all ages.

A sea of bright yellow TCW T-shirt-clad volunteers, with the Canadian flag proudly displayed on the back of their shirts, filled the streets of Tottenham. The overwhelming number of youth volunteers speaks to the validity that Tottenham exudes community spirit! Special thanks to the Tottenham Fire Department and Ryan Feehely of the Rusty Nail for feeding our volunteers. TCW cannot thank you all enough as without your involvement, the event would not be a success!

As the Street Festival wound down, the Rusty Nail Street Dance on Mill Street kept the community rocking into the evening with headlining acts provided by Adam Parsons, Vinyl Groove, Sound Device and The Rusty Nutz. A sincere thank you to all of the bands – your musical talent and your dedication to the community is truly appreciated!

On Sunday, at the Tottenham Conservation Area, the Fishing Derby was back by popular demand. Kindly organized by Wendy Gabrek, of the New Tecumseth Times and again, sponsored by K-Dell Electric. Many awards were provided, along with smiling faces. After fishing, one could take a stroll to the Tottenham Classic Car and Truck Show and then later to Music in the Keogh Park, where live entertainment is organized every Sunday by Songrwriters Showcase, George Scott from 1 – 3 p.m.

The “Help the Kids Play” Slow Pitch Tournament at Coventry Park had another very successful year. The organizers would like to thank all the teams that participated and helped to make a difference in our community.

The TCW committee wishes to thank everyone who’s efforts made TCW such a success, while there are too many to mention here, the extraordinary efforts of the following individuals and groups deserve special mention including the Town of New Tecumseth members, including Parks and Recreation and Public Works Departments, our Mayor Mike MacEachern, Deputy Mayor Rick Milne, & Councillor Richard Norcross, the OPP (Nottawasaga detachment), St. John’s Ambulance, The Tottenham Fire Department, BTBIA, The Bluegrass Committee, The Legion & Ladies Auxilliary, The Nordstroms, The Rideouts, Bo Niederhuber, Jerry Switzer, Mark Marchese, My FM 92.1, Tottenham Foodland, Country Signs, SSAC, Inspired Marketing Thinking, The New Tecumseth Times, the Herald, Miss Teen of South Central Ontario, Tess Urbanski, Ryan Wood of Tottenham Steam and Greg Collins of Grit, Inc, Tottenham Foodland, Hillside Community Church, New Tecumseth Taxi, UAP, Pharmasave, Chris Ross, Pyne Hills Veterinary, Glen Shaw of Walton Financial, Running Room, George Scott and AJ Chambers, Roller Derby Renegade Dames and PWA Wrestling, Foxbury Farms and Wendy Ranby. Special thanks to the New Tecumseth Times for their support and coverage of events. Lastly, all of these events would not be captured and appreciated if it was not for the wonderful efforts, time and energy put forward by our Volunteer Photographer Colette Orfeo.

The community was only able to enjoy this FREE event with the generous sponsorships of the following: The Town of New Tecumseth, BTBIA, CRIC, Honda, F& P Mfg, McGoey Bros Insurance, Feehely, Gastaldi & Switzer, Flex n Gate, Smokin Coop’s Wing House, K-Dell Electric, Tottenham Garage, Alliston Rotary, Coldwell Banker Ronan Realty, CIBC, Horan & Associates, Rusty Nail, Tottenham Feed Mill, Queen Street Dental, Doggone Wonderful & Pet spa, Nescentis, Budget Blinds, Affordable Optical, Smith & Associates, Unique Tile Coating, Pharmasave, Graphic Apparel, The Trophy Place and Dufferin Running Room.

The TCW committee is motivated by their love of this community. This sentiment was not only confirmed but outdone by the commitment and passion of the many volunteers, community partners, town departments and local businesses. We look forward to 2015! Save the date – the first week of July right after Canada Day!

Follow and like Tottenham Community Week on the following social media platforms.

FB: www.facebook.com/TottenhamCommunityWeek

Website: www.tottenhamcommunityweek.ca

Twitter: @2014TCW

Your Tottenham Community Week Committee:

Mary Nordstrom, Colleen Rideout, Alison Jacks, Colette Orfeo, Dr. Tom Naylor, Bo Niederhuber, Susan Iacoucci, Adele Kostiak, Helen Lathouris, Don Hoy, Wendy Gabrek, Wendy Ranby

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