Verona Festival Will sport a new tail

Mar 25, 2010

Members of the Verona Community Association and the Verona Festival Committee held an important meeting at the Verona Lions Hall on March 16 and it was apparent that both are working hard to pump some fresh energy and new ideas into what will be the 15th Annual Verona Festival. The festival will take place this year on August 6,7 and 8.

Through a grant received from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, the VCA hired Jan Bonhomme, a consultant for small-town festivals, to suggest possible new ideas for the festival’s upcoming 15th anniversary.

After an initial meeting with the festival’s general manager Wayne Conway and a tour of the festival site, Bonhomme met with the steering committee, and at the March 16 meeting Wayne Conway shared some of her suggestions.

The idea of branding the festival with a new original name was discussed and later brought to a vote with the VFC deciding to adopt the name “The Verona Cattail Festival”, which will be the only Cattail festival in all of Canada.

In adopting the name, festival committee members are hoping to brand the festival and tie together the festival mascot Cameron the Bog Lemming with other aspects of the Verona site and the event itself.

Festival manager Wayne Conway is excited by other changes that the new name might inspire for the upcoming and future festivals.

“The new name will easier explain what the festival is about, where it is located, and will introduce cattails, which have a fascinating number of interesting uses as food, medicine, water purification, and floatation among other things. We are also considering making a walkway through one of the Verona bogs and hope to incorporate it as a nature walk during festival time.”

A possible new site location is another aspect that Bonhomme brought up, which the VFC will also be seriously considering. According to Conway, “I think that the festival is outgrowing its original site location so we are considering relocating in order to accommodate that growth.”

Other News- Debbie Lingen will be the VFC’s new chair and new president of the festival steering committee, taking the reins from last year’s festival chair Doug Lovegrove.

There are still a number of festival positions that need to be filled, namely parking, the marketplace and advertising. Jan Bonhomme will be making a special presentation on Tuesday March 30 at 7pm at the Verona Lions Hall and everyone is welcome to attend.

At the same meeting the Verona Community Association held their Annual General Meeting and various members made reports. Last year’s Verona Festival generated a profit and rentals of the new stage also generated income.

John McDougall gave a report for the Verona Medical Group, which is heading up the campaign to hire a new doctor to work with Dr. Dempsey as a partner. The group is also raising funds to purchase the medical centre. Their goal is find a doctor in 2010, and to raise $200,000 to purchase the clinic. The group has decided instead of developing a public campaign to do a direct ask with private individuals.

The Verona Tree Lighting, Free Skate, and the new Music in the Park events were all successful and will be ongoing for 2010.

Anyone interested in joining or volunteering for the VCA or the Verona Festival Committee can contact Wayne Conway at 613-374-3807.