Consecon Day

Fun activities for the whole family on Consecon Day

It was a full day of family activities on Saturday in the village of Consecon. The annual Consecon Soapbox Derby got underway on Saturday morning with racers vying for top speed going down the hill at the east end of Main Street. Launched in pairs from a ramp at the top of the hill, the contestants in three age categories had to negotiate a slight turn before the heading onto straightaway. This is a race to the bottom

that everyone wanted to win. Each child had two attempts and their best times were used for the final standings. The top three finishers in each age group were awarded special medals, and all entrants were given a medal for participating. During the awards ceremony after the races, special mention was given to nine-year-old Gwen Parcels, who raised $288 from her lemonade stand for the Ameliasburgh Recreation Committee, which organized the events on Consecon Day. It was a true community venture with over 70 volunteers helping out.

Events in the village included a bake and craft sale at the United Church. In addition to muffins, tea biscuits, cookies, jams and preserves, there was also an assortment of knitted or crocheted items, including whimsical frog hats. Members of the Consecon-Hillier Women’s Institute branch were offering “Recipe in a Bottle”—all of the premeasured dry ingredients to make cookies or muffins. Kim de Bruin said the Women’s Institute will gladly welcome new members. (As a side note, for almost 120 years, Women’s Institutes across Canada have worked to help improve the quality of life within their communities. They were instrumental in the introduction of initiatives such as garment labelling, milk pasteurization, lights and signs on railway crossings, fire retardant fabric for children’s clothing, and the rural blue box program among many others.) There were a number of yard sales throughout the village. Nine-yearold Sloane had a table where all of the items had a colour-coded dot to indicate the price.

There were a variety of activities in the park. Kids and adults could hone their sword fighting skills with some help from the folks at Saberfitt, who offer a unique light sabre fitness workout. The Friends of Weller Bay and Lower Trent Conservation Area had a kids’ science zone to demonstrate the importance of water in the environment. The fire department had a spray hose set up so that children could cool down, and Walt’s offered wagon rides through the village. Sharon Hart and Nella Casson were on hand to introduce a new program, Build to Change, that will hold regular meet-ups in Wellington and Ameliasburgh for youth ages 11 to 15 later this fall. Send an email to PEC@ThriveYouth.ca for more information. There was also face painting, and the rec committee offered free juice boxes and water.

In the village, the Masonic Lodge had a barbecue offering hamburgers, sausages, and hot dogs. The Lettie Baking Company—which will have a store open in the village by Thanksgiving—offered delicious cookies and ice cream, while Twenty Seven had Snow Cones and cotton candy, all at no cost. The day closed off with the Barn Bandits playing at the Legion in the evening.