T-Day 2009 Promises to Impress

by Ronan O’Beirne, Townshippers’ Day Assistant

Preparations are in full swing for Townshippers’ Day Ayer’s Cliff: Celebrating 100 Years of Harmony in the Townships/Townshippers’ Association – 30 Years Young (Journée des Townshippers Ayer’s Cliff – Fêtons 100 ans d’harmonie dans les Cantons/Association des Townshippers – Jeune de 30 ans). The huge event in September promises to be a great one. Potential exhibitors: Now is the time to act!

Townshippers’ Day will be September 18 and 19, with the Friday evening reserved for a very special event – an arts gala launching the fourth edition of Taproot: Poetry, Prose and Images from the Eastern Townships. The gala is to be just up the road from Ayer’s Cliff, at the Old Union Church Hall at 810 Route 208 West, Hatley. It will feature performances and exhibits by some of the local poets, musicians and visual artists whose work have been featured in the Taproot books.

Then on the Saturday, up to 10,000 people will gather at the Ayer’s Cliff Fairgrounds for a full day of performances, tasty Townships treats, and all sorts of wonderful activities for seniors, youth and children. Also at the Fairgrounds will be a silent auction, an antique car collection and exhibits by local groups and artisans.

Dr. Mary Pearson, the chair of the T-Day 09 Committee, says that great work is being done already. “It’s wonderful, the way people are cooperating. There’s a great dynamism to it,” Dr. Pearson said.

The T-Day Committee is now inviting local community groups, artisans and businesses to register to have an exhibit table at the Fairgrounds. For a small registration fee, exhibitors get a table at the Ayer’s Cliff Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 19. With that table comes a chance to display information about yourself or your organization, and a chance to chat with the thousands of Townshippers expected to attend.

The cost for an exhibition table is $75 for businesses, $35 for artisans and just $10 for community groups. The Committee is also registering community groups who want to sell delicious goods to the hordes of hungry humans in attendance. Having a food stand can be a good fundraising opportunity.

Anyone who registers must be a member of the Townshippers’ Association – but if you’re not, don’t worry: the membership form is conveniently included with the registration form for T-Day. If you haven’t registered yet, you’re not too late. The deadline is July 31, but get those forms in – spaces fill up fast!

Townshippers’ Association is also in the midst of its fundraising campaign for T-Day, and is looking for donations to help propel the Ayer’s Cliff event. The Association is accepting supporting partnerships, in the form of cash donations, in-kind support and items for the silent auction, which will be held on September 19.

One of the highlights of the past three Townshippers’ Days has been their distinct shade of green: since 2006, the event has been environmentally friendly, featuring entirely compostable dishware and no plastic bags. When T-Day was held at Bishop’s University, in 2007, just two bags of garbage were generated, and in 2008, only one bag! The organizers of Townshippers’ Day are very proud of this, but more can still be done, so be ready for a very Earth-friendly T-Day this year!

The website for T-Day 2009 has just been launched, so check out www.tday.ca for more information. And go back again to check out new developments. If you have any further questions about registering, fundraising, or about Townshippers’ Day in general, contact Kate Wisdom at kw@townshippers.qc.ca, or call 450-242-4421. You can also call toll free at 1-877-242-4421.

We hope to see you in Ayer’s Cliff on September 18 and 19!