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.
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