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Yes Virginia, there will be a Tomato Festival! By Sheila McBrayne Looking ahead to 2014, organizers of the annual Tomato Festival want to assure the town and all its supporters that there will be a Tomato Festival next August. “Yes, the Tomato Festival is a go,” said co-organizer Mike Ciacelli. “The greenhouse industry is bigger than it ever was and Heinz’s involvement had been shrinking in recent years. Their involvement isn’t like it used to be 20 or 30 years ago,” he said. The Leamington Tomato Festival was borne from the annual Heinz family picnic, which became the Tomato Festival. “We were told this year that it would be the last year they would support the festival. Heinz has been a good sponsor, but it’s definitely more of a community event,” said co-organizer and Leamington Chamber of Commerce General Manager Sally McDonald. The Leamington Tomato Festival is slated for August 14 – 17 this year and organizers are planning now for the biggest and best Tomato Festival ever. “It’s important to us. It’s a great year to show community support and involvement. We want it to be even better,” said McDonald. The Tomato Festival Committee plans all year for this four-day event and has perfected the festival’s key components – Miss Leamington Tomato Festival Scholarship Pageant, the parade and the car show. “We appreciate the hard work of Sue and Nikki Scaddon who run the pageant and have their own committee who do a great job every year,” said McDonald. The organizing committee for the Tomato Festival Car Show has fine-tuned its Sunday show and shine to include more than 300 entries last year. “The classic car show has grown over the years. I think they had 305 entries last year; that’s amazing,” said Ciacelli. Saturday’s Tomato Festival Parade is a pivotal part of the weekend. “We need more floats, more entries and more volunteers to help us organize this event. That’s one thing we need. We need more volunteers,” said McDonald. The committee of about six members which has subcommittees with their own volunteers organize the entire Tomato Festival weekend. “Our biggest problem is the lack of bodies; we need more volunteers. There used to be a baby contest, we could bring that back if we had someone interested in organizing it,” said McDonald. Ciacelli and McDonald tried some new ideas last year to expand the festival and learned where to focus their efforts. “Last year we spent more than ever before, but we also made more,” said McDonald. Last year there were two stages, which will be reduced to just one main stage this year and the entertainment will be on Saturday night only, not two nights. Burgesses will be the only location to purchase alcohol this year as well. “We’ve figured out some things this year to change and improve for next year,” said Ciacelli. “Last year was our best for communication… The town was excellent to work with. There was more communication and collaboration between committees,” said Ciacelli. “We’re looking forward to this year. I think we’ve fined tuned it and with some extra help and more corporate support we can keep growing,” said McDonald.
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Nicholas Rahie receives a gift bag from Santa Claus and one of his elves during the seventh annual Queen of Peace Christmas Carnival. This year’s carnival raised $4,000 for Free The Children.
Queen of Peace celebrates international cause By Bryan Jessop Students and staff at Queen of Peace Catholic Elementary School have once again honoured two events simultaneously. The school shifted into the holiday spirit with its seventh annual Christmas Carnival, held in its gymnasium for students of all grades Tuesday, Dec. 10. The carnival was divided into three time segments for primary (JK to Grade 4), intermediate (Grades 5 and 6) and senior (Grades 7 and 8) students and also served as a fundraiser for Free The Children. This year’s carnival raised $4,000 for a yet-to-be-determined village in the east African coastal nation of Kenya as part of Free The Children’s ‘Adopt A Village’ campaign. Adopt A Village allows supporters to assist impoverished communities by purchasing items such as sewing machines, looms and other implements to help them become self-sustaining and generate their own incomes. A large portion of the funds raised through the school’s carnival arrive through the $5 donation asked of each student to take part in the event’s games, which in turn earn prizes for participants. This year’s carnival also included a visit from Santa Claus, who offered a gift bag to each visiting student. In previous years, including 2012, the school raised about $2,000 through the carnival. This year’s total doubled that amount thanks to a gesture by four Grade 8 students — Dillon Ingratta, Nico Jones, Jonathan Schlater and Matthew Travis — who shaved their heads as a gesture of support for Free The Children. In response, an anonymous donor offered each of the four $500 to in turn be contributed to the carnival’s sum. The Queen of Peace Christmas carnival also raises money through tickets purchased for raffle prizes donated by staff and the community and a bake sale. “The kids look forward to it every year — they just love it,” said Grade 8 Queen of Peace teacher Rima Mastronardi, the carnival’s main organizer. “This is important to our students this time of year. It helps them understand what it means to give.” The progress made at Queen of Peace for Free The Children is displayed on a bulletin board hanging on one of the school’s interior walls. The board shows how much money the school has raised as well as how those donations are put to use. The games, decorations, raffle and baked good tables and other activity centres are assembled and arranged by Grade 8 students the day prior to the carnival and then taken down immediately upon the event’s completion. “They’ve got it down to a science,” said Mastronardi. Also assisting with this year’s carnival was new Grade 8 teacher Gloria Relic. “It’s quite a show,” she said upon seeing the fundraiser for the first time. “It’s really a wonderful, magical experience for the kids. It puts us in the Christmas spirit and puts a lot of smiles on the kids’ faces. I’m amazed by the support from the parents and the community.”
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