The Town of Petrolia was pleased to host the
Bluewater Power Annual General Meeting last night in Council Chambers at
Victoria Hall.
Following the meeting, Bluewater Power Chief Executive
Officer, Janice McMichael-Dennis, on behalf of the Bluewater Power Board of
Directors surprised the Town of Petrolia with a one-time gift of $15,000 to
assist in the Petrolia 150 celebrations in 2024.
Mayor R. Brad Loosley said, “This is an incredible surprise! Thank you for your support! This is such a generous gift.”
https://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpg00petrlhttps://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpgpetrl2024-05-31 07:52:372024-05-31 07:52:38Bluewater Power Provides Gift to Petrolia 150 Celebrations following Annual General Meeting
OYEZ! OYEZ! OYEZ! The Provincial Town Criers
Competition is coming to Petrolia, and with it, the pleasure of welcoming Town
Criers and their escorts from across Ontario and beyond. The Petrolia 150
Committee is honoured to host and invite the Town Criers to our 150th birthday
party.
A proud tradition formalized in England about 1066
but also used in Roman and ancient Greek empires. Before people could read or write, the Town
Criers were sent into the communities to spread the King’s word; later served
as spokesmen for the military. The
tradition spread to British colonies around the world and was vital to life in
any medieval town. The Town Criers bell
and colourful attire were used to attract attention of the townsfolk. The familiar starting phrase “Oyez, Oyez”
means Hear Ye or Listen.
Ten Ontario Competitors have registered to compete,
and by the Ontario Guild of Town Crier rules hosts Les Whiting and escort Karen
Whiting cannot compete, they will both be a vital part of the weekend’s events
and activities.
The Criers will perform three Cries in the
competition, the subjects are chosen ahead of time by the host Crier. Cry One (Saturday morning): Criers will introduce us to their own
hometown; telling us where they are from and why they are so very proud to
represent their municipality. Cry Two:
(Saturday morning): Horses (this subject
is vague on purpose and could include anything from RCMP Musical Ride horses to
saw-horses, or even hobby horses). Cry
Three (Sunday morning): Historical Petrolia (Criers were sent 6 historical
“stories” but could also do their own research). By the Guild rules Cries must be between
100-125 words. Cries are submitted two
weeks ahead of time and are judged for accuracy i.e. they are penalized if they
don’t follow the script they have submitted exactly. Four judges from the community will oversee
the event, and a record keeper will be on site to ensure accuracy.
Two U.S. guests are attending but cannot compete
because they are not members of the Ontario Guild of Town Criers. These guests
are David Rose, current President of American Guild of Town Criers who will
deliver the traditional benchmark cry prior to each of the three competitive
cries. All competitive criers will be
judged against this benchmark Cry.
Mr. Rose was first appointed in 2012 as the Town
Crier for the City of Easton in Pennsylvania.
Easton has a big celebration surrounding the reading of the Declaration
of Independence and he was selected, through a competition, to be the public
reader of the Declaration. He was
contacted by a nearby Town Crier and asked if he would be interested in joining
the American Guild of Town Criers, which led him to request an appointment from
the Mayor. Since then, he has
participated in several competitions in Canada, Bermuda, and the United
States. He has also hosted several Town
Crier competitions in Easton as part of the Heritage Day celebration which were
attended by several Canadian Criers and even one from Germany.
After his retirement about five years ago, he moved
to Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland, to be closer to family. He is currently appointed as the Town Crier
for the Nathan of Dorchester, a historical preservation group. His wife is
Kimberly Rose, whose grandfather was the Court Crier for Lehigh County in
Pennsylvania.
Our second guest, Daniel Gomez Llata is currently
the 24th Official Town Crier for Provincetown, Massachusetts, appointed in May
2021. He will be a host for a similar
Town Criers competition for the State of Massachusetts and is coming to
Petrolia to shadow the organizing committee to see how to organize a similar
event.
On May 3, a Youth Crier Competition was held at
LCCVI, and there were seven competitors from Mr. Colin Joly’s class competing
for the top three awards. The three
winners will perform their winning Cries on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. Winners:
1st place: Ireland Farr; 2nd place: Autumn Klatt; 3rd Place: Myah
Lehrbass. The Committee wishes to
congratulate all participating students and would like to thank their coach Mr.
Les Whiting, and their teachers for their support, and Committee Member Pam
Bradshaw for challenging the students with this competition, and with the
Petrolia 150 theme.
With special thanks to the Town Crier Committee
members: Barbara Prescott, Wendy
Bratanek, Carol Graham, Les Whiting; and the four
Judges: Anna Bechard, Warren Graham,
Steve Carapiet, Sheila Tiernay. Record
keeper: Carol Graham.
All the Town Criers attending have been invited to
be Honoured Guests on Saturday at the RCMP Musical Ride in Greenwood Park.
Town Crier Committee Chairperson, Barbara Prescott
said, “I am honoured to welcome these prestigious guests to Petrolia’s 150th
birthday party! It has been a real joy to work alongside this fantastic
committee, to ensure that this event is one for the history books.”
If you are fortunate enough to start a conversation
with a Town Crier, ask them about their attire.
Can you guess why our own Town Crier, Les Whiting, has chosen Black and
Gold for his colour theme?
Should you attend, please plan to visit Victoria
Park, Petrolia on Saturday June 15, between 9:00 a.m. and noon. Again, on
Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until noon (Youth Town Crier winners will perform their
winning Cries at 10.30 a.m.). Admission
is free, lawn chairs are encouraged.
https://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpg00petrlhttps://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpgpetrl2024-05-29 08:24:502024-05-29 08:24:51OYEZ! OYEZ! OOOOOOYEZ! PETROLIA TO WELCOME TOWN CRIERS TO COMPETE!
The Town of Petrolia has partnered with Scotiabank
to retain the Automated Banking Machine (ABM) in the entry vestibule of the
former Scotiabank site in Petrolia, and by Council approval, has purchased the
1911 historic building.
Staff have been working with the bank to confirm the
availability of the ABM for their customers following the closure announcement. The Town of Petrolia is pleased to advise the public that the ABM will
remain available and accessible to Scotiabank clients and the public. The ABM
continues to operate without interruption, and without any reduction in service
or hours of operation.
Through these discussions, the Town of Petrolia was
provided with the opportunity to purchase the building. The Scotiabank property
was recently appraised for $1.2 Million, and Scotiabank provided the Town of
Petrolia with a purchase price of $200,000.
This purchase was discussed in-camera on May 27,
2024, at the regular meeting of council held at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers
at Victoria Hall.
Following the agreement to purchase, Mayor of
Petrolia, R. Brad Loosely, said, “The Town of Petrolia is very grateful
for the years that Scotiabank has served Petrolia, and to the staff that have
operated the branch over the years and served our residents very well. We are
pleased to have had the opportunity to work closely with Scotiabank through
their transition, and to have found a way for our community to retain the
Scotiabank ABM services in Petrolia. We are excited to have the opportunity to
utilize the facility in a meaningful way and thank them for their generosity in
pricing, and for the opportunity to work together.”
As part of their departure from Petrolia, Scotiabank
has been focused on leaving a legacy in the community and has been fully
engaged with Town staff regarding the retention of the ABM and future of the
building. The Town of Petrolia is dedicated to maintaining this historic
facility and will seek heritage designation. Chief Administrative
Officer/Treasurer, Rick Charlebois, will bring a report to Council with further
information at a future date.
https://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpg00petrlhttps://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpgpetrl2024-05-27 20:44:492024-05-27 20:44:50TOWN PURCHASES SCOTIABANK BUILDING & WILL RETAIN ABM SERVICES FOR CLIENTS OF THE BANK
*****ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE*****May 21, 2024 (6:00 a.m.) – June 20, 2024 (7:00 pm.)Tank Street will be closed with NO EMERGENCY ACCESS, from Discovery Line to 571m North of Station Street, for a 30 day period. The Petrolia YMCA access will remain open and unaffected by the closure. Once the closure concludes, the road will return to the original road impact, single lane only.
https://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpg00petrlhttps://town.petrolia.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Petrolia-150-approved-logo-1030x780.jpgpetrl2024-05-18 11:09:002024-05-21 11:10:08Tank Street Road Closure - Construction