The Creemore
Echo
Celebrating 10 Years Under the Spotlight See pages 6 and 7 for plenty of coverage of one of Creemore’s most glamorous events, annual the Skating Carnival
Friday, April 1, 2011 Vol. 11 No. 13
News and views in and around Creemore
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ECHO REVEALS DRAMATIC FUTURE PLANS by April Phule The Creemore Echo, on the eve of its 10th Anniversary, has revealed a grand vision for the newspaper’s future in the Greater Creemore Area (GCA). At a press conference held Thursday on the picturesque steps of the Horticultural Park’s children’s fountain, publisher Sara Hershoff declared the Echo’s plans to move to daily publication by July 1. Between now and then, in preparation for that eventuality, residents of Creemore will witness several momentous changes to the way that their beloved newspaper operates. “For all of those who have enjoyed reading the Echo over the past decade,” Hershoff told the several people gathered, “you ain’t seen nothing yet!” First of all, an application will be filed at the Clearview Township Administration Centre at 9 am Monday morning, seeking permission to rezone the property at 3 Caroline Street West to allow for the construction of Creemore Echo World Headquarters, a 40-storey LEEDcertified office tower. In order to increase Creemore’s profile in surrounding tourist-rich municipalities, the building will be designed so that it’s visible from from anywhere in Simcoe County. While many would suppose such a structure would be built to house the legions of new staff necessary to churn out an average of 178 pages per day, the Echo’s plan actually calls for no new jobs. Instead, Hershoff, editor Brad Holden and manager Georgi Denison each plan to occupy multi-level suites within the building. Unfortunately, at press time it was unclear who would be situated where – while the upper floors with their panoramic view of the Purple Hills of Mulmur and the rest of Clearview Township are tempting, so is access to the ground floor, where Echo staff is accustomed to receiving regular deliveries of baked goods from the kind folks of Creemore. Page Graphics, the Nature Conservancy, Bryan Davies Photography and Ccerlii Chow Shiatsu and Acupuncture will all be located on their own floors, complete
with private elevators. It’s also anticipated that the Echo building will have a “meet and greet” lounge, where frequent visitors will be able to sit on couches, drink Georgi’s special coffee and discuss the events of the day. Ken Thornton will have his own honorary red La-Z-Boy. As for the fourth Echo staff member, Fred Mills will man the newspaper’s new Foreign Bureau, located in downtown Singhampton. He will also be driving the still-to-be unveiled “Echomobile,” which will be outfitted with all the latest foreign-correspondent gear – hidden cameras, a flak jacket in the trunk, a police scanner, tinted windows and a glove compartment full of black Bic pens. Oh yeah, it will also turn into a helicopter and have the ability to land on top of the Echo tower. Some of you may be wondering how four people will be able to generate enough content for a daily newspaper, and that’s where the Echo is being as innovative as always. “Consider this an official call for more contributors,” said Holden. “If you’re interested in medieval and renaissance basket weaving, we’d like to hear from you. If you have an extensive toenail collection and think others may be interested in it, please get in touch.” Hershoff also reported that the Echo has been in high-level negotiations with the Big Heart Seniors, in hopes that the club will meet daily. After all, what’s the Echo without Sylvia Gale? At the close of the press conference, those in attendance were given swag bags containing old Clearview Township brochures, “cake versus pie” pins and pencil-holder miniatures of the new Echo building. For those of you who missed Thursday’s press conference and have questions about the Echo’s plans, the paper will be holding a joint public information session/10th birthday party on Friday, April 1 from 10 am to 3 pm at 3 Caroline Street West. There will be cake and coffee, and everyone is invited. (That last part is no joke!)
As this artist’s rendering shows, the streetscape below the new Creemore Echo World Headquarters will be preserved in an effort to respect the heritage nature of downtown Creemore. Serving Mulmur & The Creemore Hills for 35 years
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