On Saturday, August 10, the 25th Anniversary of Saugeen Shores amalgamation officially began.
The day started with a free community pancake breakfast hosted by the Town of Saugeen Shores at Southampton’s Coliseum. The highlight of the event included a visit by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable Edith Dumont and her husband Tony Viscardi.
Madame Dumont proved she was adept at the grill as she quickly flipped pancakes alongside Special Olympics athlete Jeremy Kranenburg who passed on his technique.
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Following breakfast, the official ceremony was held inside the Coliseum to begin the 25th Anniversary celebrations, and that included several guest speakers – Madame Dumont, Pat O’Connor representing MP Ben Lobb, Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson, Saugeen Ojibwe Chief Conrad Ritchie and Elder David Roote, Bruce County Warden Chris Peabody, former Saugeen Shores Mayor Mark Kraemer and current Mayor Luke Charbonneau.
Elder Roote, who did the opening prayer for the event, said that they were thankful to the Lieutenant Governor for visiting the territory of the Saugeen Ojibwe peoples. “We take care of the land and the water and the resources that are here. We need to have a balance of relationships that are here in our territory.”
Mark Kraemer was Mayor at the time of amalgamation between Port Elgin, Southampton and Saugeen Township. “It (amalgamation) was really accomplished by some incredibly talented staff at the time.” He went on to say that the three communities making up Saugeen Shores each have their attributes.
Current Mayor Luke Charbonneau also thanked the volunteers who organized the 25th Anniversary event.
While the Opening Ceremony officially began the 25th Anniversary celebrations, for Mme Dumont and her husband, it was on to the next event as she began a full day of exploring the community that would include a visit to Saugeen First Nation’s Pow Wow, a visit with Marine Heritage and then concluding with a tour of Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre.
