Verona Cattails Festival to debut Aug 6, 7, 8
Posted Mar 25, 2010 By Craig Bakay EMC News When the 2010 version of the annual Verona Festival kicks off, it will be sporting a new name, says organizer Wayne Conway. It’s slated for Aug. 6, 7, 8 this year and Conway says the changing theme concept will be replaced with a “branding” name they hope will become the permanent focus.
Previous editions of the Festival have included Hollywood, Pirates, Clowns, you name it.
“We’ve been looking for a branding name for a long time,” he said. “The changing theme, while successful in the past, has run its course.”
And so, this year’s edition will be the maiden voyage for the Verona Cattails Festival.
“If you Google cattails, you’ll find how amazing they are and we have a lot of them around here,” he said. “Cattails can be used for all sorts of things, including food, candles, life vests and medicines.
“And they’re one of the best (ground) water purifiers around.”
The Verona Lions Club owns a field across from the hall and ball field that are full of cattails, he said.
Although they’re not sure how the cattail theme will play out just yet, Conway said it’s the first of its kind in Canada and they’re hoping the name will catch on and draw tourism to the area.
“Plus it fits in here,” he said. “We have plenty of them, including the Cameron Bog, and Cameron the Bog Lemming to be our mascot.”
Of course, he said, the features that made previous festivals so successful will remain.
“The cattail aspect will probably be for education more than anything,” he said. “We’ll still have the entertainment, the duct tape boat races, the petting zoo, the soapbox derby, the vendors, displays, antique engines, antique cars and plenty of activities for kids.”
One thing that hasn’t changed however is the need for volunteers, both on the days of the festival and for organizing committees in advance.
“We require about 140 volunteers,” he said. “We meet every third Tuesday of the month in the Lions Hall at 7 p.m.
Anyone interested in helping out can show up at a meeting (“without obligation,” Conway said) or contact Conway at 613-374-3807.