The 27th annual Eden Mills Writers’ Festival once more brought human voices and faces to the written works of some of Canada’s best known authors.
Town crier Kit Breshnahan declared that the residents of the hamlet of Eden Mills and the worthy organizers of the 27th annual festival extended a warm welcome to all those attending.
“This great Canadian literary tradition began on the steps of the general store and carried on for 27 years.”
He noted “Leon Rooke is still the master of revels and we honour him for his commitment, his humour and his great body of writing.”
Breshnahan welcomed those attending “to this wonderful festival celebrating the best of Canadian writing. We are truly blessed to have so many creators, authors, illustrators and book publishers sharing their talents with us here today.”
Breshnahan looked forward to an exciting afternoon on the banks of the Eramosa River.
He also thanked the numerous partners and supporters of the festival. He then recognized the efforts of the 100-plus volunteers “who spend countless hours creating all of this for all of you.”
Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White brought greetings from the municipality.
While he hoped the weather would remain good, he took the opportunity to show off his Van Gogh (Starry Night) umbrella “to drag you guys into the 19th century.”
White added “It is an honour and privilege to be here and behalf of Wellington County and the Township of Guelph Eramosa, I wanted to thank you for all you do.”
“While I say this every year, (Eden Mills is) unique in Wellington County … if not in the country for the things the community does.
In pointed to the various grassroots infrastructure projects White said “the township takes an absolute back seat when following the good works done down here.”
He congratulated the sponsors, writers and everyone involved.
“I wish you a fantastic festival,” White concluded.
