May 12th, 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: painting it green

It’s this weekend – the Kincardine Old Boys & Old Girls Homegrown Warm-Up Party will be held at the Kincardine Davidson Centre from 6 p.m. – 1 a.m (Please note the bar doesn’t open until 7 p.m.). If you haven’t got your tickets yet, they are available at The Kincardine News, Baxter’s Row Fashion, Snip ‘n Clip and from reunion committee members. Come on out and enjoy the entertainment of local stand-up comic James Ramage and hypnotist Jeff West and then get yourself into high gear and overdrive so you can dance to the music of Left Turn Clyde until the wee hours of the morning. And for those of you who don’t make up your mind until the last minute or are waiting to see what so and so, and so and so, are doing before you make the big commitment, don’t despair. With 1,000 tickets printed, there are bound to be more than enough to go around, and you will be able to pick them up at the door. Sunday night at the Davidson Centre – it’s going to be a shindig to remember and what a great way to begin the 2008 summer season!

And something else we want everyone to remember is the fact that the 2008 Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion is a GREEN event. That means the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse will be in full force throughout the four-day event. Carol Blake, as our Green Queen and Environmental Host with the most, will ensure that our impact on the environment is as small as is humanely possible and then some. All products such as cups, plates, cutlery and napkins that will be utilized during reunion events, including the warm-up party, are biodegradable. Even our beverage tokens, material generously donated by BI-AX International Inc. out of Wingham, are made out of a corn product that will eventually be mulched and returned from whence it came to enrich the soil. As you can imagine with 50,000 cups and 40,000 tokens, not to mention everything else, there is going to be quite a bit of mulching, not munching, going on when all is said and done.

In an effort to help promote greater environmental awareness the reunion will also have a living environmental headquarters, courtesy of OPG who has sponsored this initiative, located on Harbour Street. The headquarters will be constructed of living plants using Elevated Landscaping Technology. Volunteers will be passing out carbon offset cards that promote the planting of trees, in conjunction with the Saugeen Conservation, as a means of offsetting carbon emissions. Green Clean-Sweep Teams – volunteers who will ensure the town is kept tidy and free of rubbish during the reunion – will be working out of the living environmental headquarters and it should also be noted that volunteers will be assisted in their endeavours by robotic helpers, put together by members of the First Lego League & KDSS Robotic teams, who will be assisting with keeping everything green and clean.

Make no mistake though, when the reunion is over, we will be able to tell you exactly how many bags went to the landfill and that’s a fact worth repeating.

In other reunion news, we have secured a venue for the high school reunion. It will be held at – well obviously good ole Kincardine and District Secondary School – on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 2 – 5 p.m. Once the warm-up party is out of the way, a meeting will be held for all interested volunteers, but now that we have the school – the rest will fall into place. Ah, good ole school days, school days…….

See you Sunday at the Warm-Up. The reunion is risin’.

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

May 9th, 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: 455 rosettes and counting…….

Four hundred and fifty-five rosettes – do you know have any idea how much cutting, folding, wiring and fluffing of bunting it takes to make that many rosettes? Some of us who have failed miserably at the art of trying to keep all those layers of static electricity-charged layers of material in place while patiently folding the swath over and under in an accordion pattern can only be extremely thankful that there are those who are much more patient and nimble-fingered. And when it comes to being thankful, kudos to Sandra Reid who organized the May 1 bunting party at the Davidson Centre where about 35 volunteers worked in harmony to create our bountiful supply of reunion blooms.

A huge thank-you is also extended to Sandy Liddle who has volunteered to take charge of the kilometres and kilometers of bunting that are going to be used to paint the entire municipality in the reunion colours of blue, green and red. She will be taking orders for bunting and rosettes from her home at 396-7067, and she will also have a booth set-up for orders at the Kincardine Warm-Up Party to be held at the Kincardine Davidson Centre on May 18 from 6:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Fifteen feet of bunting and three rosettes will sell for $25. Sandy also has plans to decorate the ice cream stand downtown in front of Quinn’s Plaza just to give us all an idea on how far 15 ft. of bunting and three rosettes will actually go. And speaking of bunting, it’s anticipated that there will be another party to make even more rosettes because although 455 sounds like a lot, once we start decorating, we’re going to need a whole lot more of these very special reunion blooms. More on this later. Watch the papers and the website.

In keeping with the eclectic nature of the 2008 Kincardine Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion where we are trying to be all things to all people, we are putting together quite a list of events and activities, many of which you have already heard or read about, and will hear lots more about in the future as we go forward.
Sports of course are a huge part of the Kincardine culture – yes, sports can be part of a culture as well as art, music, the pipes, theatre, dance, literature etc. etc. – let’s not be snobbish. Anyway, we are hoping to get a few challenges going in terms of a baseball game between the South and the North as well as soccer and rugby matches. If anyone is interested in participating, organizing or mulling some of these ideas around, please give Sandra Reid a call at 519-396-5277.

It should also be noted that we are still working on trying to get a high school reunion organized. We do need volunteers so if you can help out, please contact Marie Wilson at 368-5644 or 361-6414 Ext. 4065.

Our next big event is of course the Kincardine Warm-Up party on May 18 so make sure you get your tickets either from reunion committee members, The Kincardine News, Baxter’s Row Fashions or Snip ‘n Clip.

The Reunion is risin’!

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

April 29th, 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: Warm-up parties in London and Australia

Two down and three more to go – warm-up parties that is and although both were very different venues, both were extremely successful in generating just the right kind of reunion spirit that brings them home from all corners of the globe every ten years to reconnect and renew those ties that bind that can only be found at the Kincardine Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion.

About 200 attended London’s warm-up party on April 26, which had two very distinct groups in terms of demographics. Myrna Queen (nee Macpherson), no stranger to organizing warm-up parties with several behind her, used her connections to get a lot of her friends and acquaintances out – many with lots of reunion experience, while on the other hand committee member Jeff Gordon who doesn’t have quite as much life experience as some, ensured that a large contingent of the 20+ crowd were in attendance so it made for an excellent mix. And, we definitely know who is going to give Myrna a break and organize the warm-up party for the 2018 gathering.

Members of the Kincardine Scottish traveled to London to provide their traditional brand of entertainment, and to the delight of a number of Arva Optimist Club members who were holding a silent auction upstairs, Reunion Chair Laura Haight cajoled band members into going upstairs to play to unsuspecting Optimists so the silent auction wasn’t quite so silent. Nevertheless, their performance was much appreciated and as Laura noted, several knew of the band and you could hear a buzz throughout the room as several made a point of telling their neighbours about the Kincardine Scottish who parade through Kincardine’s downtown every Saturday night……And with 100-year history behind them, we aren’t surprised!! Kudos to everyone who made it to the party and special thanks to Carol Blake who provided an excellent power point presentation for the event, Laura Haight for doing the door prizes with her own brand of style, the Kincardine Scottish and organizers Myrna Queen and Jeff Gordon as well as the rest of the organizing committee.

Give or take a few hours, depending on the time change, a warm-up party with 27 people in attendance was also taking place in Coff’s Harbour Australia with Reunion past chair Brad Kirkconnell. According to Brad, it was a bright and sunny day at 25 degrees Celsius, which was a welcome change to the previous 12 days of rain in the area.
“Ah, an omen of the BIG EVENT I reckon,” he said.

The Australian party stated with the usual Kincardine social hour followed by a traditional Aussie Barbie, which led to another social and ended with a presentation by Brad (thanks to Carol) to the group.
“All in all a great Kincardine day here in Oz”, Brad said.

In other reunion news, the registration for the golf tournament was a great success with people lined up long before the 10 a.m. deadline. Being a commonsensical sort, organizer Norm Gauthier let the people in, and it wasn’t long before the Kincardine Golf and Country Club was booked solid. There are still a few spots left at Ainsdale and Blackhorse, so if you are interested in signing up, please check out the golf tourney on the activity page.

And please don’t forget we have a rosette and bunting party on Thursday, May 1 at the Kincardine Davidson Centre from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Beginners welcome. The Reunion is Risin’!

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

April 22nd, 2008

First and foremost, before I forget, please make a note to go down to the SeeView Gallery on Queen Street and have a look at our unique Reunion Quilt, which has been created and donated by the Kincardine Sunset Quilters’ Guild with its signature blocks, which reflect individual aspects of Kincardine’s heritage and culture, while providing a window of insight into the community as a whole with a mere glance. We are selling 5000 tickets on this work of art with all proceeds earmarked for the many youth activities that will take place during the reunion. Although the quilt is currently on display at The SeeView Gallery – where it fits in perfectly with all of the many other exquisite pieces of stain glass art, etc., the intent is to move it around to various stores and public places, so if you would like to host the Reunion Quilt in your establishment, please give Marie Wilson a call at 519 368-5644 or 519 361-6414 Ext. 4065.

And speaking of youth activities, the reunion has them covered from the opening ceremony (most aptly and capably organized by Erin Netzke) where young people will be releasing biodegradable balloons with their art work/poems inside to the slate of wonderful fun and exciting activities that our event co-ordinator Sandra Reid has put together. We have rock climbing, paint balling, Clarol the Clown, a professional sand sculptor, family activities at the beach, Magician Sam Pearce, a ball hockey tournament, a Kincardine Idol contest with several categories that includes a wide range of ages, a Battle of the Bands, bed races, toilet races, a fireworks display, a Calithumpian Parade and lots, lots more. When we say this is a family event, it is a family event. And if you want more details, you know where to go: activities page

And speaking of events, if you are planning on hitting a few in the Kincardine 2008 Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion monster golf tournament, you must register this Saturday at the Kincardine Curling Club. Please see the ad in this week’s paper for all of the details, and of course, you can always check it out on our website, which changes almost daily as we speak.

Last weekend’s sale of tickets for reunion dances was extremely successful with the Saturday night venue in the big top selling out, while the Pavilion Saturday night dance is almost sold out. However, we do have 25 per cent of the tickets held back for a sale on Reunion Weekend so if you missed the last presale, you still have another shot at getting tickets.

And while we are on the subject of tickets, make sure you get your tickets for the 2008 Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion Warm-Up Party to be held at the Kincardine Davidson Centre on May 18 featuring local stand-up comic James Ramage, hypnotist Jeff West and Left Turn Clyde. In order to accommodate as many people as possible, the event will be held on the Davidson Centre floor, so come on out and be part of the Reunion is Risin’ revelry. Tickets are available at: Kincardine News, Baxter’s Row Fashions and Snip ‘n Clip as well as from your friendly reunion committee members: Laura Haight, Brad Kirkconnell, Nancy Telford, Darryl Burley, Sandra Reid, Carol Blake, Dave Patterson, Mike Yalden, Tony Doherty and Marie Wilson.

With all the great weather we’ve been having lately, it makes you realize that summer is coming and with it the 2008 Kincardine Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion!! YES!! Can you feel it!! I bet they feel it at the warm-up parties in London and Coff’s Harbour, Australia this weekend. The Reunion is risin’!!

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

April 15th, 2008

Well, we have a lot of ground to cover this week in more ways than one so it’s going to be a bit of a race to see if I can get it all in before I run out of my allotted words, but let’s just see what will be…..
And speaking of what will be – THERE WILL BE A HIGH SCHOOL REUNION as part of the 2008 Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion activities. I know the scuttlebutt is that we aren’t going to have one, but don’t you believe it for a moment! However, we are looking for volunteers to help organize and volunteer at the registration table so if you are so inclined, please call Marie Wilson at 368-5644 or 361- 6414 – Ext. 4065.

Next, now you have all heard about The Amazing Race, but let me tell you it has nothing on the list of unconventional, unimagined, unexampled and most definitely unprecedented list of challenges on our Kincardine Old Boys & Old Girls route which is going to be riotous to say the least. Our event co-coordinator Sandra Reid has put this course together. Sandra is a prankster and trickster from way back who loves to indulge in all forms of skullduggery so this event is definitely not for the faint of heart. But, if you think you have the right mix of mettle and moxie to dauntless go where no man or woman has gone before, then you need to sign up for this event. Either print a registration form letter from our website or call Amanda Matson at 519-396-4712 after 6 p.m. Deadline for registration is June 1. Please note this event will accommodate 12 teams of two (you register as a team of two) so once all of the registrations are submitted, 12 teams will be randomly chosen to be fair to everyone.

Now let’s switch gears to our Reunion Bunting and Bow-making Bee, which will be held at the Kincardine Davidsion Centre on May 1 from 6 – 10 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend this event where cutting, folding, wiring and for some of us who can’t fold properly - cursing, are the mainstay of the evening. Just kidding! It really is a great evening of kinship where you make your own fun, unless of course Laura gets on a roll with her jokes, which are both entertaining and free.

And here’s your reminder that registration for the 2008 Old Boys & Old Girls Golf Tournament which will encompass four golf courses – Somerhill Golf Course, Ainsdale Golf Course, Black Horse Golf and Country Club and the Kincardine Golf and Country Club – will be held April 26 from 10 a.m. – noon at the Kincardine Curling Club. The tournament will be hosted on July 31. What a great way to swing – into the 2008 Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion. (I know, bad!!).
And before I sign off for another week, don’t forget our Reunion Dance Ticket pre-sale which will be held at the Paddy Walker House this Saturday on April 19 from 10 a.m. – noon.

And don’t forget our warm-up parties. London and Australia are April 26, Toronto is May 30 and Edmonton is June 7.

And Kincardine’s warm-up party will be held May 18 at the Kincardine Davidson Centre from 6 p.m. – 1 a.m. Whew! Finished! Now that’s an amazing race, with nary a word left behind!

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

April 8th, 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: Driving it home to Kincardine

A golf tournament that encompass three golf courses with spots for well over 350 old boys and old girls will get the 2008 Kincardine Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion off to a driving success on Thursday, July 31. Some of you might remember that this golf tournament received some rather tailored marketing at our first fundraising event back in October during our fashion show. Our special events co-ordinator Dave Patterson gave the tournament a wee plug, to match his wee outfit, by modelling his version of what all the best dressed Old Boys would be wearing for the golf tourney. Tartan and tiny come to mind, but regardless of what you decide to wear –not that I’m suggesting you make any type of fashion statement on the golf course…… the point is if you are planning on participating in this popular athletic event, a pre-registration will be held on April 26 from 10 a.m. – noon at the Kincardine Curling Club. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact Norm Gauthier – the host with the most – who is leading the effort behind this event, or you can call Dave or check out our website at: www.kincardinereunion.org. Just remember to register and tell your friends.

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

April 1st 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: Gearing up with our own homegrown warm-up party.

Guess what? We’re throwing a party before a party – a home-grown warm-up party as a precursor for the July 31- August 4 Kincardine Old Boys & Old Girls Reunion. It’s going to be held on May 18, from 6:00 p.m. – 1 a.m. at the Kincardine Davidson Centre. Now don’t go on about it being the long weekend and all. Think about the last 2 4 May weekend and the one before and the one before. Wouldn’t you rather be in out of the cold at the Davidson Centre either dancing up a storm (instead of being in one) or solving the world’s problems with the folks you know, rather than trying to do the cold, damp tent thing with bugs, leaks, etc. ?

And just look at what we are offering. For the $20.08 price of admission, you will be entertained by a local stand-up comic, a professional hypnotist and for your dancing pleasure – Left Turn Clyde.

Now, when it came to booking a funny man (or woman) for the show, we didn’t have to go very far. Our stand-up comic is our own James Ramage who hails from the Tiverton outback. James is currently finishing a two-year comedy writing program at Humber College and is a regular at Yuk Yuks in Toronto. He will be performing from about 7 p.m. – 7:20 - give or take a few laughs.

Jeff West, our hypnotist, provides “mile-o-minute laughter from beginning to end as he pulls out all the stops in an uproarious audience participation performance.” And it should also be noted that making sure the volunteers –for the brave and the bold only – have just as much fun as the audience without being embarrassed is a number one priority. You may be asked to become your favourite super hero, or imagine that the shoes around you are talking or you might even experience a trip around the world without ever leaving your chair – now that’s cost effective. Jeff will follow James at about 7:30 and again, leave or take a few laughs, will perform for about an hour and a bit.

After all of this laughing and exercising of the abdominal washboards, we should be ready for a change of pace with Left Turn Clyde who will get us movin’ and a groovin’ on the dance floor. And there will be food, door prizes and please note the bar opens at 7 p.m., not 6 p.m.

Dance tickets are available at our next PRESALE OF REUNION DANCE TICKETS, which we will be hosting at the Paddy Walker House on April 19, 2008 from 10 a.m. – noon. Note this is our second PRESALE OF REUNION DANCE TICKETS so if you missed the March 22 presale, this one’s for you! Please note tickets for the Western Warm-Up Party with the Breakwater Blues Band won’t be available until closer to the reunion.

Anyway, you may also get tickets for the Kincardine Warm-Up party from reunion committee members (see kincardinereunion.org for a complete listing), The Kincardine News, Baxter’s Row Fashion and Snip ‘n Clip.

And if any of you would like to volunteer to help us out with this event, please feel free to call Sandra Reid at 519 396-5277. She will be more than happy to add you to her list of merry men and women.

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

March 26th 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: Reunion quilt begins its tour this week

The March 22 presale of tickets for Reunion venues at the Big Top down at the beach, the tent in Victoria Park and smaller, more intimate gatherings being held at the Pavilion was a resounding success and certainly put a dent in our cache of tickets. Never fear though, there are still plenty of tickets left for all events, with the exception of the Western Warm-Up party being held at the Pavilion on July 31 with the Breakwater Blues Band. Those tickets sold out almost immediately, which is an indication of both the number of people that have a western connection as well as the fact that many want to take a trip down memory line with feet and the boys in the newly renovated pav – a throw back to another time perhaps. Anyway, all is not lost yet! Given the fact that we held back 25 per cent of all tickets, there will be more tickets available for the Western Warm-Up, along with lots of tickets for all other events at our next sale closer to the reunion. Watch our website and the local papers for future ticket sales. Oh and by the way, tickets for the fashion show can be picked up anytime at these participating merchants: Baxter’s Row Fashion, Corabelle’s, JB’s Lingerie and West Shore Clothing. And speaking of the fashion show, we just want to remind you the little paper purse ticket gives you a chance to win a STAM BAG, generously donated by world renowned designer Marc Jacobs for our Celebrity Fashion Show. If you want to see what a STAM BAG actually looks like, wander into Baxter’s Row Fashion on Queen Street where they have one on display.

In other reunion news, we need to mention that you are going to start seeing a Reunion Quilt on display at various events around town. You won’t miss this eye-catching work of art, created and donated by the Kincardine Sunset Quilters’ Guild, with its signature blocks that reflect elements of Kincardine’s heritage and culture such as the pipe band, the light house, the fish derbies, the sunsets, etc. etc. You have to see this testimony to everything that is Kincardine to really appreciate the creativity and hours and hours of work involved in its production. And speaking of seeing, the quilt will be on display for the next couple of weeks in the window of B & W Appliances on Queen Street, after which it will be going on tour at key venues where we will be selling tickets on a draw for the quilt, which will be made at the Celebrity Fashion Show on Sunday, August 3. We will keep you up to date on the progress of the quilt as it makes its various stops along the tour. And also note, the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee is extremely grateful and appreciative to the Kincardine Sunset Quilters’ Guild for their generous donation. We appreciate your work and talents!

For more information about the reunion, please check out kincardinerunion.org. It’s constantly being updated as we get closer and closer to the gathering!

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

March 18th 2008

From the 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee: Celebrity Fashion Show

Carol Blake, a member of the Kincardine 2008 Old Boys and Old Girls Reunion Committee, has cut out by hand over 500 paper purses, already sold, that will act as tickets for the August 3 Celebrity Fashion Show featuring a guest appearance by world renowned super model Jessica Stam
The paper purses, Carol’s brainchild, are a tribute to Jessica who has a Marc Jacobs designer bag named after her. A STAM BAG has been generously donated to the Fashion Show by Marc Jacobs – arrangements courtesy of IMG – so the $5 paper purse ticket, in addition to giving the holder entry to the fashion show, also makes one eligible for the STAM BAG draw. And if the holder of the ticket decorates their purse (another brainchild of Carol’s), they are then eligible for merchandise that will be donated by participating merchants in the fashion show: Baxter’s Row Fashion, Corabelle’s, JB’s Lingerie, West Shore Clothing Shoppe and Rolz & Sassy (an innovative local company that specializes in drapery and shawls that allow you to fashionably and comfortably wear your baby).
And there’s more. Jessica has kindly agreed to make a guest appearance at the fashion show where she will make the draw for the STAM BAG, walk the local models out at the end of the show and present representatives from Kincardine Big Brothers and Big Sisters - Jessica’s charity of choice for this event – with a cheque for the proceeds.

And we’re not finished yet. That $5 purse also provides one with top notch entertainment featuring music from Madviolet; the duo made up of former Kincardine resident Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac. Madviolet will open the show from 1:30 – 2:15 p.m. and provide a resounding finish from 4 – 5 p.m.
And in addition to all of this, there will be a special appearance at the Fashion Show by a number of former Kincardine Reunion and Kincardine Fall Fair Queens. Twelve have been confirmed to date, but we suspect once the word gets out that there will be lots more. All former queens should check out the contact link for queens on the Fashion Show page of our website.
Obviously, these little purses are packing a lot of value, so for the time being and right up until the reunion, I think a number of us are going to be cutting and folding and cutting and folding………As Carol says, "it’s a labour of love", and with 999 to go, it’s obvious it couldn’t be anything else. For more info about the Celebrity Fashion Show or the Reunion, check out the fashion show page. Oh yes, and don’t forget our TICKET PRESALE for Reunion dances to take place this Saturday from 10 a.m – 2 p.m. at the Paddy Walker House! Talk to you next week.

Marie Wilson
2008 Kincardine Reunion Communications Director

January 29th 2008

Well it just figures we'd launch a redesign of the site on a day when the weather is crazy and parts of Bruce County have no power! We're very excited about the new look! As websites grow they need to evolve and our old design just wasn't accomodating all the information we had to share anymore. We've made the site more interactive with rollovers and drop down menus, added more pictures, increased the information area on the pages and brightened the whole site up a little with lots of colour. We still have some kinks to iron out so bear with us over the next coupe of weeks. We will be updating the site more regularly as we're quickly approaching the Reunion weekend. Please check out the Activites Calendar to see what's lined up for the reunion already as well as the Volunteer page for how you can help. We hope you like the new design, and if you have any comments feel free to send them to me!

Amanda Goetz
2008 Kincardine Reunion Webmaster

October 27nd 2007

Night Terror number three. I now keep a clipboard and pen on the night table just in case I remember or come up with something that needs to be done. Every once and a while, though, I find myself absolutely unable to get to sleep because I keep running through “To Do Lists” over and over in my mind. The worst though is the dream where it rains for five straight days beginning the first day of the Reunion…oh the horror.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

October 23rd 2007

Winning door prize ticket numbers are posted on this website and at the Kincardine News. Door prizes can be picked up at the Coast Radio Station during regular office hours and, oh yeah, that Dance just made us $15,000!!!!

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

October 21st 2007

We are all basking in the glow. The dance was great. Everyone had fun, Crown and Anchor kept people busy, the fashion show was a resounding success (thank you Kevin!!!), we bought enough beer for 600 people and ran out ten minutes before closing the bar, souvenir sales at the Mini Expo went great and Carol’s efforts to keep us green saw that we had only one bag of garbage that went to the landfill site (those liquorcups are made of fermented sugar and compost down). The dance had a real Reunion feel to it. Remember everyone that Moe ‘n the Lawn will be at the Big Tent during the Reunion next August….damn they sounded great last night.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

October 17th 2007

So I had some things to do this morning. I came back just after noon and checked my phone messages. It went something like this…You have 13 new messages…hey Laura was wondering if you had tickets to the dance…Hi I need 4 tickets for Saturday…This is your dentist calling, I need some tickets for the kickoff. Well it is official… we are sold right out. Incredible, amazing, fantastic, I am tickled.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

October 16th 2007

What could be more wholesome than a bunch of women getting together to make rosettes and assembling bunting on a Tuesday evening at the Bruce Inn? Well, I guess when two of the ladies decide they need to find a suitable male model for the tartan jock strap that will be featured in the Shirt Tail Fashion Show the wholesomeness of the occasion loses a bit….when they actually find one and he strips down and gives us a full preview, well trust me wholesome is no longer the adjective to be used. I can’t wait to see this on Saturday.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

October 11th 2007

Door prizes are starting to come in fast and furious and tickets are selling nicely. I needn’t have worried about the price. Marie is getting pretty excited about the shirt tail fashion show. I too think it will be a most amusing bit of entertainment.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

October 7th 2007

My husband’s parents leave for Florida every year at the end of October. They return in April. This has been going on since Bert (my father-in-law) retired thirteen years ago. The first couple of years they would come back for Christmas until that one year they came back, it started snowing on Christmas Eve and didn’t stop. They barely got back to Florida and that was the end of the In-Laws returning for X-Mas. A new tradition began though, one that we refer to as Thanksmas. My Mother-In-Law goes all out for this event and tries to really give it that Christmas feel. Carols playing, fake tree, mountains of individually wrapped gifts etc. etc. etc. This years Thanksmas was kinda different considering Thanksgiving weekend was probably warmer than the July 1st weekend but it was extra special this year since we got to meet our new niece. My brother-in-law and his wife completed adoption of a little girl from South Africa in September. Cute…you betcha’. Five months old and a bundle fun. Welcome to the family Zara!

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair


September 27th 2007

Plans for the October 20th Kick-Off dance are coming right along. Tickets have been printed and misprinted and have been distributed to various outlets around Town. Hope the $20.08 price doesn’t scare anyone off. When I compare it to a Stag and Doe it isn’t that bad since we’re including your door prizes and five bucks of gambling cash in the price.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

September 26th 2007

A few phone calls, made by a few people, to a few places makes it look like the RCMP Musical Ride will be in Kincardine in 2008! Not for the Reunion but hey it’s still pretty exciting. Keep your eyes open for details on this one. I saw the Musical Ride when I was eight years old at the CNE. For me it is one of those indelible childhood memories. If you haven’t seen this iconic piece of Canadiana you just have to when it’s right in your backyard.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

September 24th 2007

This last year we had been trying to secure the RCMP Musical Ride for a Reunion event. Unfortunately, earlier this summer the Mounties told us that the schedule had changed. The Ride would be in Ontario for only May and June in 2008 which just didn’t gel for the Reunion. Interestingly though, as I was about to leave the house this afternoon I got a phone call from Ottawa guaranteeing us a date in June. What to do.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

April 22nd 2007

It finally feels that winter may actually be behind us. The launch for the Reunion website occurs in three days and I find myself procrastinating just a bit. It is just far too sunny and warm to be sitting in my basement working on the computer. That being said, I work best on a deadline.

It was kind of an odd winter. Brad Kirkconnel, the Chair of the last Reunion, left for Australia around the end of November. Since he was going to be gone for four months I figured we’d have an actual schedule knocked out by the time he returned. Well, our December meeting was really just a Christmas social. January’s meeting got called off by me because there were several key items that were still floating out there waiting to be answered. February, well let’s just say having any meeting in February was pretty well screwed because of the weather. The schedule is still just sketchy but that will change very soon.

The beginning of February was also the time that we found out Rosaline Graham had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Ros was in charge of communications and as such had been perhaps the busiest member of the team, coordinating website, looking after logo development and making sure all things in terms of branding this event were done to a standard that can only be described as Ros’ standard. We lost Ros to the disease on March 19th 2007. Seven short weeks... it still feels kind of strange.

I know that Wednesday’s launch won’t be up to the defined “Ros Standard” but nonetheless the site will be launched and without her it wouldn’t be what it is. I hope somewhere she gets to appreciate every mouse click.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair

July 21st 2006

I planned my wedding in about five months. That being said, I can’t believe that we are starting to plan for the 2008 Reunion two years in advance. Then again I wasn’t trying to get the RCMP Musical ride to attend my wedding. So here we are during the summer of 2006 in the middle of a heat wave starting to plan for the upcoming Reunion. Certainly, the sesquicentennial celebrations set a standard for all of us to aspire to and we are making our best effort to see that we get to that standard. Our motto (if there is one) is “Make this the best darn party ever!”. I have been astounded at the level of support and the number of ideas that have been sent my way since being appointed Chair in April. Ideas like, hosting movies on the beach, or setting up a splash park for the kids, providing balloon rides, installing a zip line in the ravine…. the list goes on and on, at this point nothing is outrageous, and perhaps everything is possible.

Obviously, this website is something new for the Reunion organizers. In 1998 the technology wasn’t really around to use the potential of the internet, but now we hope that the website will be a conduit for people to contact the Reunion organizers and provide their thoughts on how to make 2008 the “Best darn party ever!”. Check back on the Chair’s blog often and track what the Reunion committee is doing, send us your ideas if you have any and remember to pray for good weather the first week of August 2008.

Laura Haight
2008 Kincardine Reunion Chair