Report from the Official Town Crier for the Town of Caledon 2011-12 Submitted to Karen Landry, Clerk of the Town of Caledon
Report from the Official Town Crier for the Town of Caledon for the 2011-12 Year Dear Mayor Morrison, Councillors, and Town Staff: It has been one year since this Council formally appointed a Town Crier, and I feel dutybound to submit a report on this year s events, achievements, and other highlights. First and foremost, let me take this opportunity to thank you once again for entrusting me with this office. A formal Town Crier is a new position for Caledon, and we are all still discovering the potential benefits. I take this position quite seriously, and regularly communicate with other criers throughout the province and around the world for advice and support. There is much room in this role for the Town and myself to grow into, and I hope that together we can find even more ways to enhance local community events with Town Crier involvement and support over the next year. For example, I could be making far more appearances of behalf of local Caledon charities, having done so only seven times since I became a crier in January, 2011. I have contacted various organizations to let them know that Caledon now has a town crier, but specific suggestions from participating Town officials to organizers for appropriate events might help spread the word. I have also drawn crowds and brought pageantry to local retailer events, such as business openings, and would like to be a more widely used Caledon resource in this regard. This is best achieved by word-of-mouth recommendations and suggestions from the local business associations. Since Councillors are often invited to participate in these events, they are in an excellent position to let new businesses know about this special service available in Caledon.
More significantly, there are still many opportunities for Caledon s Town Crier to be included in civic events such as Remembrance Day ceremonies, the Mayor s Breakfasts, etc. These can be offered at no charge, and would not affect the budget that the Council set aside for Official Town Crier appearances. Since many Town Crier engagements took place before my official appointment by Town Council, this report includes a list of appearances going back to my start in January, 2011. They have been divided into four categories: Charity (no charge), Representative (out-oftown), Community, and Civic (booked by the Town of Caledon). In most of the out-of-town engagements, the Town Crier was publicly identified as representing the Town of Caledon, and I was sometimes called upon to make specific proclamations promoting my home town. It has been an exciting and busy first year. I have had the great good fortune to spend a lot of time in gatherings learning from other much more experienced town criers. I have also impressed them by holding my own in town crier competitions, on occasion placing above the current two-time world champion and colleagues with nearly 30 years of crier history. Early in 2011, an extensive Town Crier web site was created, with a full description of what Caledon s Official Town Crier does, a list of upcoming and past appearances, photos, testimonials, sample proclamations, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to the Town of Caledon web site, etc. Council members and Town staff are encouraged to view the latest updates at: http://andrewwelch.ca/towncrier. It would be very helpful if the Town of Caledon might consider adding a reciprocal link to this site from the Town of Caledon web site. My wife, Elswyth Fryer, also undertook the construction of two period dresses, to be worn when appearing with the Town Crier as an escort. This is common practice for town crier gatherings such as in parades and at competitions:
In March, 2012, I was appointed Official Town Crier for the Town of Erin by the Erin Town Council. It is not unusual for criers to hold more than one post, especially for smaller municipalities, and my proximity to Erin, as well as it being in a separate county, opens up a number of other opportunities for engagements. The appointment was very well-received by local retailers, and it has been a fine learning ground for the craft. I now typically represent both the Town of Caledon and the Town of Erin when making public appearances throughout the remainder of Ontario. I have also contributed to the administration of the Ontario Guild of Town Criers (OGTC) itself, which represents over fifty criers all over the province, and was just recently elected to serve a two-year term on their Board of Directors. This guild is widely respected around the world, and OGTC policies and procedures are often adopted by other associations in North America and Europe. It has been a great pleasure to represent Caledon and the Mayor s office, both within the community and throughout the province, and I look forward to even more appearances in 2012-13 to laud the praises and promote the prosperity of our great community. Respectfully submitted, Andrew Welch Official Town Crier of Caledon, Ontario Official Town Crier of Erin, Ontario Board Member of the Ontario Guild of Town Criers 57 Mary Street ALTON, Ontario L7K 0E3 Residence: (519) 940-3439 Home Office (416) 907-2076 Website: http://www.andrewwelch.ca/towncrier Email: TownCrier@AndrewWelch.ca
Charity appearances (pro bono) PUBLIC APPEARANCES in 2011-12 22 Jan. 2011 2 nd Annual Fire and Ice Festival (Historic Alton Mill) Morning and afternoon proclamations, including greetings from the Mayor. 29-30 Jan. 2 nd Annual Alton Millpond Hockey Tournament (Historic Alton Mill) Opening and closing cries, including greetings from (and introducing) the Mayor. 17 November Operation Red Nose Launch (Bolton Legion) 3 December Kinsmen Santa Claus Parade (Bolton) 7 December Christmas Tree Lighting (Alton) 28 Jan. 2012 3 rd Annual Alton Millpond Hockey Tournament (Historic Alton Mill) 13 October 100 th Anniversary of Headwaters Health Care Centre Representative appearances (out-of-town) 10 July Muskoka Escapades Town Crier Competition (Muskoka Pioneer Power Show and Santa s Village, Bracebridge) Represented the Town of Caledon. Placed fourth overall in my first competition ever. 13 August Ontario Guild of Town Criers Provincial Championships (Brantford) Caledon crier ineligible to formally compete (not yet a member of the Guild), but asked to deliver two benchmark cries by which all other criers are judged. 20 August Promotion for Youth Theatre (Orangeville Farmer s Market) Caledon crier asked to deliver two proclamations to promote youth theatre.
10 October Oktoberfest Parade (Kitchener-Waterloo) Represented Caledon in Canada s second largest parade (televised). 18 November Moonlight Magic (Orangeville) Caledon crier filled in for Orangeville town crier. 3 December Holiday Gala (Niagara Falls) Caledon crier asked to appear as only town crier at very large holiday function at Fallsview Casino. 27 Jan. 2012 Sweetheart Hockey Tournament (Orangeville) Caledon crier asked to open 34 th year of this women s hockey tournament. 4 February 50 th Anniversary (Waterloo) Caledon crier asked to officiate at major milestone celebration for a large theatre company. 2 June Celebrate Barrie Festival (Barrie) Represented the Town of Caledon in town crier competition. Placed second overall. 14 July Queen s Diamond Jubilee Town Crier Competition (Gravenhurst) Represented the Town of Caledon in prestigious town crier competition. Placed second overall.
15 July Muskoka Escapades Town Crier Competition (Muskoka Pioneer Power Show and Santa s Village, Bracebridge) Represented the Town of Caledon. 5 August Canal Days Festival (Port Colborne) Represented Caledon in town crier demonstration. Also asked to give proclamation to honour the 50 th anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard. 25 August Ingersoll Harvest Festival (Ingersoll) Represented the Town of Caledon in town crier competition. Placed third overall. 29 September Wine Festival Grande Parade (St. Catharines) 6-7 October Ontario Guild of Town Criers Provincial Championships (Kitchener) Represented the Town of Caledon. Only crier in competition to receive no penalties for script or vocal errors. 8 October Oktoberfest Parade (Kitchener-Waterloo) Represented the Town of Caledon in Canada s second largest parade (televised). Community appearances 24 March Caledon Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards 2 April CHICàBOOM Grand Opening Local business in Caledon Village. 15 April Caledon Home Show Opening 11 June Caledon Fair Opening Led parade and delivered opening proclamation. 16 June Inglewood Farmer s Market Opening 12 August Bolton Midnight Madness Two proclamations: Opening the event and dedicating the new Town Clock. 1 October Salamander Festival (Belfountain) Opening proclamation in the hamlet and second cry in the Belfountain Conservation Area. 1 July 2012 Canada Day Celebration (Caledon Fairgrounds)
17 August Bolton Midnight Madness 22 September Alton Village Square Launch Civic appearances (booked by Town of Caledon) 8 Jan 2012 WinterFest (Mayfield Community Centre) Opening proclamation and later introduction of Mayor Morrison. (standard rate) 2 June Caledon Farmer s Market Opening (discount rate short stay) 16 June Caledon Walk of Fame (standard rate) 16 June Caledon Day Opening (discount rate same day)