Go ahead – Bang The Table

By Cecilia Nasmith

Cobourg council's focus on public engagement should hit a new level with the new public-engagement software called Bang The Table.

Communications manager Ashley Purdy lobbied for this during budget deliberations, and she appeared at this week's committee-of-the-whole meeting of council with Bang The Table representative Dan Keane to explain how it will work.

More than 150 communities across Canada (some as close as Peterborough and Port Hope) are taking this approach, Keane said.

“It started in Australia 10 years ago, when a city planner and his department were sick and tired of three people turning out for council meetings,” he recounted.

“This will never replace the hard work you are doing face-to-face, but what it will do is form a strong on-line partnership. It's a great tool to inform and educate the community.”

Keane illustrated with the system now in place in Burlington. Known as Get Involved Burlington, it was introduced with a call to action saying it was an improvement on Facebook and Twitter engagements, conveying input directly to council as they made their decision.

“It's where you go to learn about flood management, it's where you go to learn about cannabis, it's where you go to learn about backyard chicken coops, it's where you go to learn about strategic planning.”

It's attractively arranged with minimal wording, beautiful photos, timelines of key dates and easy-to-understand graphics and images. And it's easy to use by anyone of any age.

Key features include timely response, the option to give feedback anonymously and continuous monitoring for things like bad language, name dropping and going off-topic.

The monitoring is done both by machine and by human employees (“a lot of single moms at home with iPads”)

“Everything is measured on this site, so municipalities can benchmark how they are doing in terms of public engagement,” Keane said.

It's a strong combination of strategic communications and public-engagement planning that can build stronger and more trusting communities, Purdy said.

Update: Attempted Murder in Port Hope

Nicholas Shawn Patrick Dillon and Ashley Ann Fenton were held in custody after a court appearance on Friday June 21, 2019. 

Nicholas Dillon and Ashley Fenton are charged jointly with Attempted murder as a result of the incident at the east end of Port Hope on Thursday June 19th, 2019. They both are also charged with Committing an assault with a weapon, Aggravated assault and Breach of Probation.

After a second incident later in the day where a Port Hope Police Service officer was injured Nicholas Dillon is charged with Attempted murder, Operating a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public, Fail to stop for police, Assault with a weapon and Breach of Probation.

Nicholas Dillon will appear by video on June 28th, 2019. Ashley Fenton will appear on June 26, 2019.

Theft at Cobourg LCBO

A quantity of liquor was taken from the LCBO located at 111 Elgin Street in Cobourg by a man at approximately 2:30 pm on June 24, 2019. The suspect took the liquor and exited the store, making no attempt to pay for it.

After police received a description of the suspect and were advised that he had gotten on the town bus, police stopped the bus.

Cobourg resident, Adam Kataila 23 years-old, was charged with Theft Under $5,000 and Possession Obtained by Crime contrary to sections 334(b) and 355(b) of the Criminal Code.

Two hall-of-famers get standing ovations

By Cecilia Nasmith

The ballroom at the Best Western Plus Cobourg Inn and Convention Centre was kept rocking with applause and appreciation Saturday for eight initial inductees into the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame.

Two of the inductees moved the audience to the special tribute of a standing ovation in acknowledgement of two extraordinary stories.

Frank Mazza

Gold-medal Olympian and gold-, silver- and bronze-medalist in the Paralympic World Games, Frank Mazza was born with cerebral palsy April 7, 1958. The disease affected his body movement, muscle control, posture, balance, fine motor skills and oral motor functioning. He had to use a wheelchair for mobility and, in 1982, began wheelchair racing. Much to his surprise, he won many competitions at both local and provincial meets. Next came a racing wheelchair and a two-year training program with Team Canada. In the 1984 provincial games, Mazza won the 60-metre, 100-metre and 400-metre sprints That same year at the International Games for the Disabled (the equivalent of today's Paralympics Games), he won a gold medal for Canada in the 4×100-metre relay. In the 1986 CP Games in Belgium, he won gold in the 4×100-metre relay, silver in the 400-metre race and bronze in the 100-metre event. His career was cut short thereafter by a cancer diagnosis. In 1990, Mazza was inducted into the Ontario Cerebral Palsy Sports Hall of Fame.

His coach Doug Montgomery was there during those years, and his belief is that people back in the day did not truly grasp the significance of Mazza's accomplishments, let alone how hard and consistently he trained.

Though everyone knew about the Olympics and Special Olympics, Montgomery added, they were not as aware of the Paralympics - which today commands exhaustive coverage and tremendous respect.

The fact is, Mazza was up against competitors who had the use of two arms and access to the latest technology. After they encountered the world's first racing wheelchair in Europe, he said, they would eventually be able to acquire the second one on the planet and the first one in North America for Mazza's use.

That was largely due to fellow inductee Layton Dodge's colleague on the Cobourg Star, Suzanne Atkinson (nee Ambrose).

Atkinson took a keen interest in Mazza's accomplishments, and covered each milestone and triumph with an engaging story that inspired people, businesses, services clubs, churches and other organizations to want to help. Their donations helped with expenses and equipment to keep Mazza competing and winning.

Thanks to Atkinson, Montgomery said, the community came through every time to play its own role in Mazza's accomplishments.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to Cobourg at a young age. For a future NHL great, the young man found that hockey did not come easily for him. He was never drafted by a junior team. But he stuck with it. By age 17, he was a 6’3” 180-lb. prospect who caught the eye of the Junior A London Knights. He went on to become a mid-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers. He would play in 804 NHL games, scoring 72 goals and 303 assists for 375 points. He won three Stanley Cups and a Canada Cup. He would also play for the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames before back injuries ended his career. Since then, he has accepted assistant-coach positions with Calgary, Edmonton and Carolina. He is now an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres.

“I am both humbled and honoured tonight to be standing here,” Smith said in his acceptance remarks.

He recalled growing up in the Cobourg depot and playing hockey in an arena where his mom was volunteering the canteen.

Smith quoted Malcolm Gladwell's assertion from his book The Outliers that truly successful people hone their talents for 10,000 hours.

“That's all I did every day,” he said.

“I was in a rink in the back yard. My dad and I went out on a nightly basis and skated day after day, night after night. It was all I ever did, all I ever wanted. I did it for that very reason,” he said.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, and what a village Cobourg has; been for me!”

Prior to the beginning of the induction banquet, Smith sat for an interview with Cogeco in which he shared a few more home-town memories.

He had just arrived in time for the interview, having taken the red-eye flight from the Vancouver draft, and he said he tries to get back every year.

“I think back to Cobourg and what a wonderful place it was to grow up. I still have so many friends here, people that I still reach out to. It's nice to be from a small town. It forged me into the person I am today. It really, truly was a great place for me to be.”

In those days, he said, your backyard rink could go from the first of November to March or maybe April, so he could skate every day and every night for months on end – though he also enjoyed playing lacrosse, volleyball, baseball and basketball when he wasn't wearing skates.

He moved to Cobourg with his family in 1964, and lived there until he was 17 – when he moved to London for junior hockey.

The story that he was cut by the Cobourg Cougars is true, Smith said.

“They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and that was one of those nights - and I lost my job that night because I left my shift at Fisher's Dairy to go to the try-outs!”

But one event does not define you as a person, he said, and it meant that much more to be able to go with the London Knights.

Smith remembers it as a lonely experience, where his dad gave him all the money in his wallet (“probably 40 bucks”), and he jumped on a bus with a hockey back on one shoulder and a bag with his clothes on the other.

He figured everyone in London would know where London Gardens was, but he ended up lost and wandering aimlessly. He lived in a road-side motel his first month in London, but eventually was able to work with good people and good coaches.

“They gave me an opportunity, believed in me, and I continued to work hard to show them they made a good choice,” Smith recalled.

And it all started with his parents believing in him and encouraging him to believe in himself.

He found himself in his early 20s able to boast that one of his closest friends in the world was Wayne Gretzky, he said, and who could have believed something like that would happen.

Years later, heading to an unknown world in Calgary with trepidation, he had a similar experience. He discovered a good franchise that treated its people well, and a city that was an incredibly beautiful place (offering not only a bustling downtown but a breathtaking view of the mountains).

In his coaching career, Smith is bringing a lot of the lessons he learned in his own career – working hard, keeping your nose to the grindstone, being good teammates. Even though it's something he learned 40 years ago, he said, hockey hasn't changed that much and it still attracts some pretty wonderful people.

“The game gave me an awful lot,” he said.

“It molded me into the person I am.”

First eight official inductions made for sports hall of fame

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By Cecilia Nasmith

A packed audience of more than 200 relived sports history Saturday night, when the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame had its first official induction ceremony for eight outstanding athletes.

The display showcases in the Grand Hall at the Cobourg Community Centre were unveiled early last month, and the inductees' names announced. Saturday's banquet was a chance to honour them in a more personal way. The honourees (and their representatives) were piped in by Mary Ito and greeted with a ceremonial cry by town crier Mandy Robinson.

It has taken about three years of effort on the part of the original board (Ross Quigley, John Ovens, Mike Irwin, Richard Irvine, Peter Harrison, John Hayden, Don Conway and Liz Basinger, with Jennifer Ashley and former mayor Gil Brocanier coming on board as vacancies arose) to reach this point.

In a video presentation screened after dinner, president Ross Quigley said that more than 91 sports, organizations and competitions are represented in the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame, covering the town as well as the townships of Cramahe, Hamilton and Alnwick-Haldimand.

Some of them were big in their day but no longer well remembered, like greyhound racing in Donegan Park and swimming races in the harbour.

Pigeon racing was big, Quigley added in the film, displaying the stuffed favourite racing pigeon of Lyle Cane. People would put their coops on the train to take them some distance to a release point, then record the birds' times when they returned home.

Along with the stuffed pigeon, Quigley estimated they have perhaps 750 items of memorabilia.

The video was followed by tributes to the inductions. These include...

Layton Dodge

Layton Dodge was born in Cobourg March 4, 1937. After graduating from Cobourg Collegiate Institute, he got a job at as sportswriter at his home-town newspaper, the Cobourg Sentinel Star. He published his first column Sept. 5, 1957, and his last one just over 39 years later on Oct. 8, 1996. In between the two, he was a familiar sight around town on his bicycle, making his way to sporting events of all kinds in Cobourg (and more than a few in the surrounding community). His sports pages delighted many proud parents, grandparents and coaches, reflecting his values of love, diligence, integrity, honesty and a deep conviction that sports were as important to the house-league player as they were to the rep-team player. On top of it all, Dodge also served as statistician for many leagues and organizations.

Though he won the Ontario Amateur Softball Association's Mr. Softball award in 1987, he was better known to the local community by his nickname – Scoop. Never without a camera, a notebook and a smile, he was simply the best small-town sportswriter one could for.

Accepting the plaque, Rosie Bateman said Dodge would be so thrilled - “humbled, but thrilled.”

Bateman gave Dodge a lot of the credit for the new sports hall of fame, because his tireless coverage and promotion of the local sports community heightened the interest and support.

“He literally documented the history of sports for our area from the mid-1950s to 1996. That's 40 years, spanning five decades throughout his career at the Cobourg Star.”

Dodge's house was its own hall of fame, she added, covered with his favourite pictures of his favourite athletes that he had shot – some of whom (like Steve Smith and Marty Kernaghan) were fellow CDSHF inductees.

Dave Sommerville recalled the gift he gave young athletes of seeing their names and accomplishments in print, as well as his dollars-and-cents support of the sporting community in charitable initiatives.

“His contributions to the community are unparalleled anywhere, never to be matched,” Sommerville stated.

“He gave everyone their time in the spotlight and made them feel special.”

Paul Currelly

Paul Currelly was born in Port Hope Sept. 3, 1926. He moved to Cobourg in 1952, a cross-country runner who was also an all-around athlete who enjoyed basketball, baseball, hockey and football. He became a respected backfielder for the Galloping Ghosts from 1947 to 1952. A note in the program from one of the 1950 Ghost games described him as a “Good steady football player that can always be counted on for an all-out effort – a good team player all the way.” This philosophy and attitude remained foremost when he became a founding member of the Cobourg Girls’ Softball League in 1963. That same year, he began coaching the Coverdale Aces. This team would eventually become the Cobourg Angels Softball Organization, whose teams went on to win five Ontario championships as well as numerous league and tournament titles. He would later spearhead the formation of the Cobourg Junior Angels organization and finish his coaching career by returning to boys' baseball with the Cobourg Bantam Blacksox (taking them to a 1998 Ontario championship). It was a proud moment for him in 2004, when the Town of Cobourg dedicated a cairn in his honour on the former Victoria Park ball diamond and named the nearby roadway Paul Currelly Way.

Currelly's award was accepted by his three daughters, Carol Currelly Burnham, Nancy Williams and Patsy Hand.

The spokesdaughter said that the hall of fame had actually been their parents' dream, as evidenced by the memorabilia they had held on to – everything from jerseys to pennants and scorebooks.

“He poured himself into his sports in the capacity of player and coach at the municipal, varsity, provincial and national level,” she said.

“He always stressed the importance of giving back to their community, and many have answered the call.”

Along with the countless volunteers who now offer umpiring and coaching services, players he worked with are now teacher, nurses, consultants, authors, business owners, town councillors, members of the nation's military and even an Order of Canada recipient for her work as a street nurse.

Fred Dufton

Fred Dufton was born in Stratford in 1886, growing up in Toronto and managing the Strollers semi-professional baseball team that played at Christie Pitts Park. He moved his family to Cobourg in 1926 to work at Edwards and Edwards Tanneries, and took an interest in football when his three sons started to play at Cobourg Collegiate Institute. He got involved and became manager of the school’s teams. After the boys left high school, he decided to start an intermediate football team in 1935 – the Red Raiders, who changed their name two years later to the Cobourg Galloping Ghosts. Dufton earned the nickname Ferocious Fred because of his drive to win, and he shepherded the Ghosts to a record of eight Ontario titles and three Canadian titles in 13 years. The legendary fellow inductee Layton Dodge once proclaimed the Ghosts “the most famous of all teams in Cobourg's history.”

Accepting on Dufton's behalf were grandsons Gord Burdick and Doug Campbell, who told the audience the family had used this induction as a wonderful opportunity for a big family reunion.

“When you are growing up, your house is full of memorabilia, but it doesn't mean very much to you,” Burdick said.
“Three Canadian and eight Ontario championships is remarkable for the area.”

Burdick added that it must not be forgotten how the Galloping Ghost experience continued to benefit its players.

“It can change the world if you empower these individuals to be their best selves, and this is what he did.”

Don Ito

Don Ito was born in BC Aug. 16, 1937, moving to Cobourg with his family in 1941. He was an outstanding all-around athlete, playing two seasons with the Peterborough Junior B hockey team in the mid-1950s. In the early 1960s, he moved on to drag car racing, winning many trophies with his 1962 Chevy 409 Impala at the Shannonville Racetrack. But about the same time, he found his true calling with the formation of the Rice Lake Waterski Club. In 1966, he would win the Canadian Nationals and place second in the US Nationals. In 1967, he won first place in the US Nationals in Tricks (second place in Slalom). In 1968, he swept the US Nationals with a perfect score of 4,000 points. That same year at the North American Championships, he broke the world record for Tricks and was declared overall champion. In 1969, he won the US Nationals and, in the North American Championship in Montreal, he again led the field in winning the open division. In 1970, he won the Tricks Division Championship once again at the US Nationals. In 1971 at the US National Kite Flying Championship, he took senior men’s honours with a slalom run of 48 buoys, including six on a 40-ft. line – a feat thought to be impossible.

Ito appeared on his own behalf to accept the honour, thanking individuals who had played a special role in his successes. These included his brother Rick who kept his 409 in top shape, his daughter Kim who became a leading jockey at Ajax Downs, and that long-ago mentor who taught him to fly using a kite made in Brighton.

Marty Kernaghan

Marty Kernaghan was born Aug. 9, 1958, in Grafton. From a very early age, he showed exceptional promise in both hockey and fastball, but would really go far in the latter. Between 1969 and 1977, he won three Ontario Amateur Softball championships, plus an OBA Ontario Championship in baseball (not to mention a 1978 Ontario Minor Hockey Association championship). His fastball career took him to the local Cold Springs Cats, then on to the Oshawa Tonys and, after that, to Alberta. His next stop was the Penn Corp team in Sioux City, Iowa. Penn Corp had a private plane and pilot it could dispatch to be sure Kernaghan made the games – which inspired Kernaghan to learn to fly and get his own corporate pilot's license. Over his career, he played in 11 International Softball Conference world tournaments. Kernaghan was voted an ISC All World All-Star eight times and batted .361, getting 60 hits in 166 at-bats, while scoring 31 times with 36 RBIs. In 2002, he was elected to the International Softball Conference Fastball Hall of Fame. In 2017, he and his teammates from the 1992 Canadian Men's World Championship team were inducted into the Softball Canada Hall of Fame.

Kernaghan was delighted to be back in town.

“My heart has always been here, Grafton and Cobourg. If I can borrow a line, there's no place like home,” he said.

“Tonight I stand humbled, proud and honoured to be a recipient.”

He knew many of the other inductees personally, declaring Layton Dodge the best sportswriter he ever read.

“I just wish he could have lived to be 100, so a lot of the young athletes around could have witnessed their names in print.

“I met Paul Currelly early on in my life, and my two sisters played on the Angels. I admired the way he coached, so positive and so enlightening to me.

“Bill O'Neil, Mr. Softball – he always amazed me and stayed such a good friend throughout the years. I was fortunate enough to play on one of his all-Ontario juvenile teams.

“Steve Smith – if there's a shoo-in for this hall of fame, you were it. What a fabulous career!”

He recalled a wonderful occasion when he had the chance to meet up with Smith during an Oilers game and got an invitation back to the dressing room, where he met such stars as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Smith invited Gretzky to show Kernaghan his Stanley Cup ring. Gretzky tossed it across the dressing room to Kernaghan – who promptly fumbled it.

Awesome careers come with sacrifices, he said, and they are made by the people one is closest to. He thanked parents Pat and Jack for years of support, and his family for standing by him as he whisked them from city to city and ballpark to ballpark.

Locally, he thanked Dick and Ann Raymond for decades of amazing volunteer service at the Grafton ballpark and the Sommerville family – Bob, Dorothy and Dave – “for being such wonderful people and working with my schedule.”

Bill O'Neil

Bill O’Neil was born in Oldcastle Dec. 28, 1924, where he grew up as a young athlete and coach. He first started working at General Foods in Windsor at the age of 18, and moved with them to Cobourg in 1963. He coached the local General Foods softball team in the Cobourg Town League from 1963 to 1970, and also coached Juvenile and Junior OASA teams that played in the town league from 1971 to 1990. During the ’70s, he was the coach of four championship Juvenile B OASA teams, and was named Cobourg's Sportsman of the Year in 1976. He has been recognized for his dedication as treasurer and a volunteer for the Cobourg Town League for 40 years. On Nov. 7, 2007, he was recognized by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association as Ontario’s Mr. Softball. From the Town of Cobourg, he was recognized in 2004 with the naming of the Legion Fields main building as the Bill O'Neil Pavilion. From all he worked with, he won recognition as a great role model and asset to the local athletic community.

O'Neil's wife Shirley and son Rob accepted on his behalf.

Rob O'Neil noted that his father had mentored hundreds of young people over the years, including fellow inductees Steve Smith and Marty Kernaghan and hall-of-fame board members Peter Harrison and Mike Irwin.

“And as look around, I also see several of dad's former players. He loved coaching softball.

“Over the many years, he coached the team to four provincial championships, coached countless numbers of games, and created some great memories.

“My dad loved to laugh, and was always eager to hear a funny story or joke from anyone,” O'Neil added.

Emcee Joel Scott invited everyone to plan a trip to the Cobourg Community Centre's Grand Hall to view the displays, and reminded the audience that they can already submit nominations for 2020 inductees. With eight inductees in its inaugural ceremony, Scott said, there will be annual banquets from here on with six new inductees each year.

He also reminded everyone that donations of memorabilia, cash and in-kind services are always welcome.

New Inductees for Sports Hall of Fame

A crowd of over 200 people attended the first annual Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremonies in Cobourg Saturday night. Pete Campbell spoke to a pair of inductees, hockey's Steve Smith, and from the world of fastball, Grafton's Marty Kernaghan

Flood Warning (Lake Ontario/Bay of Quinte)

Lower Trent Conservation advises municipalities and the public that the Flood Warning for Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte issued on May 9th, 2019 is still in effect.

Water levels on Lake Ontario increased through the months of April and May to reach record levels in the month of June. Over the past week or so the water levels have stabilized and are expected to slowly begin to decline. High water levels on Lake Ontario can be expected well into July.

Record high outflows from Lake Ontario are being managed by the International Lake Ontario St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLRB) to try to lower the Lake Ontario water levels to provide relief for shoreline owners. The ILOSLRB consider the effects of these high flows downstream in the St. Lawrence River, where flooding is still occurring. Outflows from Lake Ontario have been at 10,400 m3/s since June 13.

The water level measured at Cobourg is currently at 75.90 masl (metres above sea level) which is 20 cm above the Lake Ontario 100-year flood elevation of 75.70 masl and 2 cm above the previous record level from 2017.

Forecasts by the ILOSLRB indicate that the water levels in Lake Ontario are not expected to rise further and will likely continue a slow decline over the coming week under most scenarios. The water levels will continue to decline in general through the summer, with the rate of decline largely dependent on rainfall. Surge related flooding and erosion damage from high waves is possible during periods of strong onshore winds. Residents should pay close attention to weather forecasts for approaching storm systems with high southeast, south or southwest winds. There are no wind warnings in effect at the time of the writing of this bulletin.

Property owners are also reminded that any work along the shoreline (e.g. placement of fill, armour stone, etc.) will require a permit from Lower Trent Conservation and should visit the website (www.LTC.on.ca) for more information.

Residents living in low-lying, flood prone areas should take actions to protect themselves and their property. Homeowners affected by flooding should also be aware that electrical, well and septic issues may exist. The public should pay attention to Health Unit guidelines to ensure safe drinking water.

Lower Trent Conservation monitors water levels and weather forecasts as part of its flood forecasting and warning program. If you have concerns about water levels, please contact Lower Trent Conservation at (613) 394-4829.

An update to this Flood Warning for Lake Ontario/Bay of Quinte will be provided on, or before, Friday, July 5th 2019. Additional statements will be issued if conditions are expected to change significantly from this outlook.

A Flood Warning is issued when flooding is beginning/occurring or when more serious flooding is possible. A Flood Warning requires action that may include the activation of the municipal flood emergency plan, warning residents or businesses in specific affected areas, and in some cases evacuation.

Country Wild moves indoors for 2019

By Cecilia Nasmith

A new partnership with the Town of Cobourg means a new location for the annual Country Wild Music Festival July 19 and 20 – at the Cobourg Community Centre.

The festival was founded in 2017 by Andrew Hall and Matt Williams, who hoped to raise the bar on small-town events with performances by country artists from across the US and Canada in Victoria Park.

With its growing popularity and the unavoidable risk of inclement weather, event organizers have worked with the town to effect the change of venue. The Bowl Arena can host upwards of 750 people on its floors, so – with tickets already more than 50% sold out – organizers declared it a perfect fit.

Director of operations Hall said the town has always been helpful with the event, but the move expands its role.

“Now the staff at the Cobourg Community Centre will partner with us to make Country Wild the best it can be this year, and in years to come, by adding logistical and promotional support that we haven't had before,” Hall said in the town's press release.

The festival begins July 19 with the traditional VIP Country Wild Kick-off Party, this year held in the CCC's Grand Hall. The following day, an amazing line-up of performers will play in The Bowl from 2 to 11 p.m. The canteen will be open both days with a tailored southern-style menu sure to please all appetites.

Festival entertainment director and chief executive officer Williams said the move allows them to produce a major concert event at an extremely low price point.
“The staff have really stepped up, and made us feel welcome and confident we will have an amazing event,” Williams said.

“In addition to the benefit of not dealing with the weather, we are looking forward to adding even more production value and unannounced artist surprises throughout the day.”

Among the headliners on the line-up are three of the top songwriters and emerging acts in country music for their first Canadian shows. The press release said they have played to crowds of as many as 20,000 with such stars as Luke Combs, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan and Lynyrd Skynyrd. A full artist line-up can be viewed at www.countrywild.ca.

Councillor Adam Bureau, Co-ordinator of Arts, Culture and Tourism, said he considers the CCC an ideal indoor location for this festival.

“We look forward to welcoming not only the artists, but any concert goers who have a genuine love of country music and this fantastic festival,” Bureau stated.

All current tickets sales remain valid despite the change of venue. Those ticket holders who have reserved space at the Victoria Park Campground are invited to take advantage of a complimentary shuttle bus that will run between the campground and the CCC (750 D'Arcy St.).

While a limited number of tickets may be available at the door, event organizers anticipate a sold-out festival and urge country-music lovers to buy tickets in advance.