Proudly serving the community of Essex and surrounding areas.
Vol. 135
A LOOK INSIDE Legacy of Heroes Celebration PAGE 3 ________________
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Issue No. 28
Fun Fest is growing
Memorial Arena To Be Demolished Soon PAGE 3 ________________ CTMHV Recognizes “Super Volunteers” PAGE 8 ________________ Council Quarrel Over Procedure Reveals Deeper Issues PAGE 10 ________________ Catch For A Cure In Colchester
PAGE 11 _______________ Kids Learn Farm Safety PAGE 17 ________________
Looking For A Good Home
“RUFUS” See Page 5 for adoption info.
by Jennifer Cranston This past weekend, locals and visitors, young and old, music lovers and motor heads, all came out to enjoy the many offerings of this year’s Essex Fun Fest. By all reports attendance was up from last year, which was up from the year before, and
complements are rolling in. “Last year was our first year of re-vamping,” Fun Fest Committee Chairperson Joe Garon said. “The turn-around is going to take time.” A few years ago the Fun Fest seemed to be faltering, but attendance and revenue have been up
two years in a row. “Just based on midway sales we are much higher,” Garon said on Sunday afternoon. “Last year the midway brought in about $15,000 and this year we are well on our way to topping $20,000.” He said compliments were pouring in about the family friendly
entertainment, the Kid Zone, and the festival as a whole. “We’ve developed a better relationship with the Essex Centre BIA and we are really working hard to avoid scheduling conflicting events,” he said. There is at least one thing that still needs work,
he noted. “We have great volunteers, but we need more of them,” Garon said. OPP Const. Joe Meloche said people were relatively well behaved at this year’s festival. Even in the beer tent, he said that much of his time was spent reminding people of the new provincial smoking ban. “There were no major incidents that I was aware of and it was one of the better Fun Fest weekends,” he commented. Councillor Steve Bjorkman was volunteering at the festival from Friday night to Sunday night. “It’s been fantastic,” he said. “Starting at 4 p.m. Friday night there was a line-up at the gate and it’s been steady ever since.” Bjorkman said many of the compliments he heard were about the midway provided by World’s Finest Shows, new to the Fun Fest. “People are loving the new rides,” he said. There are more rides and they are bigger and the lights really
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