The Canterbury Folk Festival in Ingersoll, Ontario is a three day long music and craft show held this year from July 11 to 13, 2014. The annual pig roast Swine and Dine, only $12.00, served about 550 people who dined in the Beer Tent over the course of Friday night. The festivities are free; spectators’ bringing their lawn chairs to camp out in front of the Yvonne Hunt Memorial Stage.

Artistic Director who wears many hats on the Committee, Mayor Ted Comiskey reported that this event has grown over the years. While singing at the Home County Folk Festival in London in 1999, Ted Comiskey thought Ingersoll could host such a festival. Along with four others, Carolyn French, Mark and Roberta Nith and Cathy Canon, the Canterbury Folk Festival was created fifteen years ago. What started out as a small one day venue grew to two days then eventually to three days. The intent was to run it for five years. However, Mayor Ted Comiskey stated that “we are in a 15 year of a 5 year plan.”

The first year had ten artistes who performed to close to 800 people on a Saturday. Over the last few years the Canterbury Folk Festival brings in big names like Ashley MacIsaac in 2012 and Natalie McMaster who was the closing act last year. Records from the police, crowds were from 3500 to 4500. Mayor Comiskey stated that the festival has been free and as far as he is concern will always remain free. He went on to report that there are great companies, industries, and the community and Ingersoll residents are very supportive.

Even Ted’s own family stepped up to the plate to help out. His wife Sherry and mother-in-law Helen Webb volunteered at the food tent and three of his sisters worked in the Beer Tent.

Always thinking of the environment, food from the pig roast was served on reusable plastic plates that were washed on-site. A dedicated volunteer, who did not want to be mentioned, stated that Transition provided plates to prevent trash from going into the landfill. President of Transition to Less Waste Emily Cude explained festivals generate a lot of waste. As a result, for twelve years Transition to Less Waste, founded by Emma and her father Mike Farlow, have attended the festival to help with a recycling program. 

Last year a grant from TD Friends and the Ingersoll Council helped to purchase 1000 plates and volunteers build a homemade sink for dish washing. In keeping to safety standards set out from the Oxford County Board of Health, water needed to be heated to a certain temperature to wash the dishes. As a result, Transition to Less Waste has a portable solar-powered dish-washing station that was used to wash the many dirty dishes used for the pig roast at the Canterbury Folk Festival. The Ingersoll Paper Box donated bicycles so volunteers could ride around to collect the plates for washing. They even provided free drinking water from cups to prevent the use of bottled water.

Bernie Gilmore was the host Friday night who introduced the following acts that night: 5:00 p.m. The Mandates; 5:40 p.m. Danal Soares; 6:20 p.m. The Schotts; 7:00 p.m. Brown Ale; 7:40 p.m. Valdy and Gary Fjellgaard; 8:20 p.m. Sarah Smith; 9:10 p.m. Wendall Ferguson and at 10:10 p.m. Poor Angus. The Headliner for Friday was Canadian icon Valdy who in 2011 was bestowed the Order of Canada for his contribution to Canadian History. Valdy shared the stage with singer and songwriter Gary Fjellgarrd.

New London residents, Michael and Rose Kulmatycki planned on spending the weekend in Ingersoll to attend the festival. While driving home from work in Woodstock, Rose heard an advertisement for the Canterbury Folk Festival and told her husband when she got home. Rose was interested in hearing the other Headliners over the weekend like Murray McLauchlan and Ian Thomas. She was also interested in the workshops on Saturday.  The artists will be grouped together to come up with and play a song with a theme.  The themes included the following: “Oldest Song I know-Maybe,” “Going Home If Only In My Mine,” “Keep The Dream Alive,” ”The Song Just Came To Me” and “On the Water Or By The Shore.”

Then there were spectators who have attended all 15 years of the Canterbury Folk Festival like Ingersoll residents and friends Lesley, Karen and Lia.

                                      Spectators enjoying the Canterbury Folk Festival

                                         There were various fundraising booths and vendors.

As darkness fell and the full moon emerged, the crowd continued to come in to attend the festival while many participants snuggled under blankets in their lawn chairs listening to the remaining acts for the night.

Norwich was a happening village this past weekend with a lot of events and activities that took place on Friday and Saturday July 4th and 5th. Numerous venders lined both sides of Main Street to showcase and sell their wares at the annual Norwich Nostalgia Days. Other events included the Youth Fishing Derby, Morning Brunch at the Norwich Legion, the Optimist Splash Pad, the Classic Car Show, Shoot for the Cure Ball Hockey Tourney & Vendor Sale and Rock in the Park.

The Youth Fishing Derby sponsored by the Norwich Optimist Club and the OPP saw a large crowd of youths with their families. Early that morning seven year old Carissa Joosse caught the biggest Bass of the day at 14 inches weighing in at 1½ pounds. 

Participants and spectators alike lined both sides of the east and west banks of the Norwich Conservation Area at the Long Point Conservation Authority.  According to OPP Constable Stacy Culbert who has helped run this annual event for five years, that weekend is “free fishing where adults do not need to purchase a fishing licence. Licence-Free Fishing Days occur twice a year from February 15th to 17th and from July 5th to 13th.”  Anyone from eighteen years to sixty-four needs a licence to fish in Ontario. As a result, many parents and friends accompanied the children to take advantage of the free fishing.

Optimist Chair Person for this event Rick Baxter reported that about 150 children registered for the event from the ages of one up to sixteen years old. The age categories were from junior zero to nine and seniors from ten to sixteen years old. The entry fee was $5.00 per child which included a baseball cap, a hot dog, drink and a Freezee. Many community sponsors helped to provide prizes for the event. Owner of Liquidation City John Klyn generous donated a canoe as the big ticket draw. Rick and Scott Whitehead of Whitehead Soils Ltd. donated worms for participants to purchase. All proceeds went back to help fund for prizes for this event. The goal was to catch a fish from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., have it weight and measured then return the fish back into the lake. It was catch and release.

On the west bank of the dam two families joined in on the fun the Joosse, winner Carrissa’s family and the Ruitenbeek. These families had ten people fishing altogether.

Also on the west side, ten year old Brook Biddle caught a Little Rock Bass. She was there with her 2½ year old cousin Logan Biddle, her father and grandparents.

The Norwich Fishing Derby has been an annual event in Norwich for about eighteen years. Constable Culbert reported that Sargent Mike Ellue from the then Oxford Community Police, now the Woodstock Police Service, was the first Officer to get involved with Norwich Optimist Club. Over the years the Derby now occurs on the same weekend as Nostalgia Days. Other community partners present were Crime Stoppers and the Norwich Fire Department who had fire helmets for children to try on.

It was a fun filled packed day with beautiful weather and lots of good memories for many families who participated.

(Parents' consent and approval was obtained to photograph their children.)