Over 400 Junior Farmer members and alumni filled the community centre here Oct 18 to celebrate 90 years of Junior Farmers in Wellington County.
Friends who had not seen each other in years were reunited. The memorabilia display brought back memories of square dancing, judging and debating competitions, Sports tournaments, and plain old good times.
The history of Wellington County Junior Farmers was recounted by past presidents and provincial directors John Benham, Mary Anne (Elgie) Connell, Elgin Craig, Theresa (Schaab) Harper, Gerald Leslie, and Jeanine (Wallace) Moyer. And in Junior Farmer tradition, the formal portion of the evening was concluded with the Junior Farmer Song.
Bill Beattie and his band kicked off the dance and set the stage for Crossroads, which reunited for the first time in 32 years. It was evident Crossroads is just as popular now as it was in the 1970s.
Proceeds from the evening were donated to the University of Guelph Junior Farmers and the Wellington County Junior Farmers. The committee has asked the county club to direct some of the funds to archiving historical documents belonging to Wellington County Junior Farmers. They have also requested that the county assist, financially, any past local clubs who would like to organize their own reunions.
The 90th anniversary committee thanked all the people who helped. It especially thanked sponsors Knapp-Hawley & Associates, Woodrill Ltd., Swanston Equipment Ltd., Conestogo Agri-Systems, and Eaton for their generous contributions.
