The newly designed Bruce County 150 logo, presented to Saugeen Shores Council at the August 22 Committee of the Whole.

Hub Staff

Bruce County will celebrate its 150th birthday alongside Canada in 2017 and plans for the celebration are well underway.

At the August 22 Saugeen Shores Committee of the Whole, Bruce County 150 Committee Chair and former Elderslie Councillor, Ron Oswald, whose great grandparents came to Bruce County from Scotland in 1860 said, “Every municipality has a lot of history in 150 years and it’s time to show that history in each of our communities.” He added, “Bruce County always liked to party but this is going to be a ripper.”

Ann-Marie Collins, Bruce County 150 Committee and Archivist at Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre (BCM&CC) detailed some of the committee’s plans, many of which are still in the planning stages.

“The events we’re planning are quite extensive... we’re going to kick off with a New Year’s Eve party right here in Saugeen Shores at Bruce County Museum. We’re going to have bussing from across the county,” said Collins, adding, “it was really nice to have a venue that was already licensed within our county facilities.”

The evening will see a band as well as a disc jockey, “because we’re such a large facility we want to make sure there’s entertainment in all corners of the venue.” There will also be a photo booth, hors d’oeuvres throughout the night and party favours, “all the goodies for a New Year’s party,” said Collins.

Champagne will be served at midnight in glasses displaying the Bruce County 150 logo which attendees can then take home with them. “The event will take place from 8 until 1,” said Collins.

The celebrations will continue with curling funspiels in Chesley, Berkeley and Wiarton, followed further into the year with a Tartan Day.

“We are one of the few counties that has a tartan in Canada, we might be the only one,” said Collins. “When we got our tartan in 1964 we were the only county with a tartan.” Collins said that there will be a social media and media campaign encouraging county residents to wear their Bruce County tartan on April 6, 2017.

Scarves and ties displaying the tartan are available for sale at Bruce County Museum, “or if you want to sew something we actually have tartan to buy and it comes in large and small print,” she said.

As a way to celebrate the military, the committee is putting together a reunion dinner on June 3 in Chesley, the same day in 1916 when the 160th Bruce Batallion marched from Walkerton to Chesley. “They received their colours from Premier Hurst, who was a Bruce Countyite,” said Collins. “He was from Tara so that was really important to them that they received their flags from Premier Hurst.”

Collins then went on to say that the committee was hoping to secure “three to four heritage venues” within each municipality for Doors Open. Led by the Ontario Heritage Trust, Doors Open is a province-wide initiative where communities “open the doors to some of Ontario’s most intriguing and charming heritage sites,” said Collins.

“We are also planning outreach to all county municipalities so we are designing an outreach trailer and website to showcase the Explorers of Bruce County, both historic and current,” said Collins, adding that the trailer will attend festivals and events across the county.

Sugar Maple trees will also be an addition to each municipality, thanks to the Bruce County 150 Committee. “We would like to gift to each municipality a Sugar Maple tree with a plaque commemorating the 150th celebrations,” said Collins, adding that they are asking the municipality with assistance in planting the tree. “Then we’ll host a small tree planting ceremony.”

Collins said that she would like to see the tree planting ceremonies across the county all happen on the same day, “some time around Earth Day in April,” she said.

“So we’re looking to plant 150 trees,” said Collins, in municipalities, First Nation communities as well as on county land. “The rest will be offered to county residents at a reduced price through the Tall Tree Initiative.” Collins added that as the partnership unfolds, more information will be made available.

“We’re also doing an art installation to be placed at a county facility,” said Collins, adding that a request for artist proposals was being released this week. “We’ve left it quite wide open, we don’t know if it will be an indoor or outdoor installation but we want something to commemorate the 150th that will be long lasting.”

And lastly the committee is looking for items to add to a time capsule which, Collins said, will be opened in 50 years during the county’s 200th birthday celebrations. “We are requesting an item from each municipality,” said Collins.

Saugeen Shores Vice Deputy Mayor Diane Huber offered the support of the Municipal Heritage Committee with regard to securing venues for the Doors Open campaign.

Councillor and Saugeen Shores 150 Committee member, Don Matheson hoped that the two 150 committees could partner up and “do many activities together and promote each other and have a great weekend.”

Saugeen Shores Councillor Dave Myette offered a contribution to the time capsule, a 2015 medallion from Saugeen Shores Police Chief Dan Rivett.

For information on Bruce County’s 150th celebrations or to contact the committee, visit brucecounty150.ca.