The Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games volunteers recently received recognition for many years of dedicated service at the Ontario Volunteer Service awards banquet at the Concordia Club in Kitchener.
Presented by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, the awards recognize volunteer service by an individual to one organization over several years.
Bill Beattie and Bruce Youngblood each received their 30 year pins, and John K Campbell and Bill Thoms received their 40 year pins.
Together, those four residents have provided the festival with a combined total of over 140 years of volunteer service.
After their years of service, their enthusiasm for the festival has spread.
“We’ve all had a ton of fun, or else we wouldn’t be here,” said Youngblood. “And now we’re passing it on to our sons, to the younger generation.”
Just like the award winners, new volunteers can dedicate their time to an extraordinary range of venues.
As a volunteer-driven organization, the festival is always excited to welcome new volunteers to join in developing the community Festival. The contribution of volunteers has caused the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games to be recognized as one of the top 100 festivals in Ontario by Festival and Events Ontario.
Celebrating its 66th anniversary this year, the Fergus Scottish Festival will be held from Aug. 12 to Aug. 14.
To learn more about becoming a Fergus Scottish Festival volunteer, contact the festival office at 519-787-0099, or by email at info@fergusscottishfestival.com.
