Verona News
by Debbie Lingendebbie@lingens.com
Previous Verona News Column Issues
Published August 7, 2014
IT'S HERE!! The Verona Cattail Festival!
After months of hard work and preparation, the fun is about to start. The Verona Cattail Festival features two days of outstanding music on stage - 14 electrifying bands. But wait, there's a lot more. A Classic Cars Show, Red Green Duct Tape Boat Races, Marketplace vendors, free Kids Crafts all day, interactive Cameron's Cattail Centre, children's entertainment and rides, lots of food and the list goes on. This will be an exciting two days for the whole family.
The Festival starts off with a Parade, Saturday, August 9 starting at 10 am. Highway 38 will be closed off to all vehicular traffic (from the north end of Verona to Verona Sand Road) from 10 am to 10:20 am. Arrive early to get a good viewing spot for the parade. There will be bleachers set up along Verona Sand Road at the Lions Centre for viewers to watch the parade enter the festival location. Don't let the crazy weather this summer keep you from the festival. The Verona Cattail Festival is a "Rain or Shine" festival. The Festival venue at the Lions Club Centre provides plenty of protection in the case of rain and the shows will go on.
The whole village is involved this weekend. On Saturday, August 9, the Verona Free Methodist Church will have a Pancake Breakfast (by donation) at the Free Methodist Church from 7:30 am to 9 am. Trinity United Church will hold their Fish Fry that evening from 5 pm to 7 pm. (Adults $ 14, children $6). On Sunday, August 11 there will be an Ecumenical Service on the Festival grounds starting at 10 am. This year it will be a special service designed for children's participation. This will be followed by the gospel music of Vocal Legacy.
A new "fun for the whole family" event this year is the Family Contra Dancing, which will take place in the Lions Centre on Sunday, August 10 at noon. Contra dancing is similar to other forms of traditional dancing such as square dancing or ceili dancing. The caller leads the dance by first walking the participants through the dance step-by-step so they understand it, and then calls the dance as the music plays. It's repetitive, so it comes quite easily (children love it.) It's a lot of fun for all ages
Make sure you visit the Cattail Centre on Saturday and see the booth that celebrates the cattails. You will discover how versatile the cattail is, from food to clothing to crafts to stuffing for mattresses, the cattail has and does it all. Our festival is named "Cattail" because of this versatility, "our festival has something for everyone."
The Verona Cattail Festival is a Verona Community Association event. All proceeds from the festival go back into the community to sponsor free events such as Christmas for Kids, Christmas in the Village, the Music in the Park Concerts, Family Fishing Day and the Flower Barrel Competition.
This is the weekend you have been waiting for. Bring the family and enjoy the Verona Cattail Festival!
Debbie Lingen
For more information about Verona, Ontario please contact:
Debbie Lingen
debbie@lingens.com
613-374-2091