Thanking the Volunteers

 Tuesday, the Township of Lake of Bays hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Reception in the Council Chambers.

It is nice to be able to say 'thanks', and we all recognize that volunteers are the glue in all communities.

To help make the occasion special, the Heritage Committee (who were tasked with organizing the event) took a little trip around the Lake, and the end result was that we had snacks and goodies provided by a wide range of our local entrepreneurs. (as an aside, I cannot say enough good things about the Heritage Committee volunteers -- what a marvellous group!)  It was really nice to hear people at the reception commenting on the variety of food we had -- and commenting that they didn't know they could get that in the Township. From the lady who said, 'I had no idea you could get this in Baysville,' to the comment that 'who knew Henrietta's had sandwiches as well as sticky buns?' , to the exclamation 'this pizza is from the Beacon? wow'  it was so well received.  Thanks to our  food experts who helped make the day special!  The Moose Cafe, Erika's Wildflour Bakery, Henrietta's Pine Bakery, The Roadhouse, Webster's Beacon, Fork in the Road, Humble Pie Buttertart and Pizza Factory, Cake on a Stick, Robinson's General Store and Zacharys', we are so very grateful to you.  And not to overlook the beautiful (and tasty) cake by Rebecca, at Cakewalk Catering.  And thanks to the Dwight Garden Centre for providing some huge floral arrangements to brighten up the room.

Volunteers were on hand from most of the Township, including Seniors Clubs, Fire departments, Community Improvement Groups in Dwight, Dorset and Baysville, Lake Associations, Emergency Services, Lions Clubs and many many more.  It is incredible how generous people are with their time and their talents, and because of them, the community of Lake of Bays is a wonderful place to be.

At the Reception, the Heritage Committee unveiled an historic artifact that is on display in the Council Chambers. This is a Great War Quilt, stitched in 1915.  These quilts were made in support of the war effort by the local womens' groups.  For 10 cents, you could have your name stitched onto the quilt, which was then raffled off.  This quilt was donated to the Committee by Doug Stinson and Jean Lois Hood -- and it carries the names of the settlers who were living at North and South Portage during the War.   These are the pieces of our history that we need to protect and preserve, and we are grateful to have this on display.  Jean pointed out that hers is the only name in her family that is NOT on the quilt -- she is too young -- but we found her family 'patch', second from the top, and second from the right, with the names of her Mom, Dad and three sisters.  Now, that is special!

Special thanks to Mayor Bob Young, and to the hard-working and innovative township staff who all pitched in to help make this a big success.  We had almost 70 of our treasured volunteers out, and have heard rave reviews from them about the get-together.

And I would be remiss if I didn't thank Dave and Mike, who braved the tornado warning storm and took down the tents we had put up, with the optimistic hope that we would be able to enjoy some time out of doors -- but the storm but the end to that.  The guys were totally drenched when they were done... so thanks to them for that!