Stompin’ Tom Connors will be honoured at the Ballinafad Community Centre on Labour Day as part of the community’s Canada 150 celebrations.
A community group led by Karen Smith will be unveiling a plaque at the centre in memory of Connors, the iconic Canadian musician who passed away from natural causes in 2013 at age 77.
He is buried in the Erin Union Cemetery on the 9th Line.
In 1975, when Stompin’ Tom decided to retire from the music industry, he and his wife Lena moved to Ballinafad.
Connors was well known for his songs about Canada’s towns, history and people.
“If you should go to Ontario to the town of Ballinafad, At the General Store they can tell ya more…” he wrote in The Ballinafad Ball, a song about the hamlet.
“Tom is such a Canadian icon,” said Smith in an interview with the Advertiser.
She decided to do something special for Connors, who she considers a local, in Canada’s 150th year.
“What better 150th celebration than to celebrate a Canadian country singer?” she said.
What is depicted on the plaque will remain a surprise until the unveiling at the Ballinafad Community Centre on Sept. 4.
The plaque itself won’t be installed until October, but a display plaque will be in its place until then.
Stompin’ Tom Connors will be honoured at the Ballinafad Community Centre on Labour Day as part of the community’s Canada 150 celebrations.
A community group led by Karen Smith will be unveiling a plaque at the centre in memory of Connors, the iconic Canadian musician who passed away from natural causes in 2013 at age 77.
