Wellington Junior Farmers are stepping a little lighter after winning top overall club at Sing Swing, a provincial event held in Brampton from Nov. 20 to 22.
Clubs from around the province competed in a variety of cultural events, including assorted dances, baking, quilting, sewing, public speaking, photography, euchre, instrumental music, and vocal music. Points were tallied and at the end of the weekend Wellington was announced as the winner, with over 3,900 points.
“It’s awesome to see how well we did competing against the rest of the province,” said Matt Dann, Wellington Junior Farmers president. “We all tried new things for this weekend and found some hidden talents.”
Wellington won a large number of first, second, and third prizes throughout the weekend. Until the winner was announced on Saturday night, however, no one knew who it would be declared the best club. It was the second year the Wellington club competed since re-establishing in January of 2008. The excitement was apparent as the banquet continued. The club is already planning how to keep the title in 2010.
Sing Swing is an annual event held by the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario. The location changes from year to year, allowing each club a chance to host.
Other provincial events are the Winter Games focusing on athletics a March conference, a leadership camp, and an autumn profile, which focuses on agricultural competitions.
Provincial events give members the opportunity to take part in friendly competition with other clubs while making new friends and expanding on existing friendships. Clubs have even been known to help each other out in competition, by exchanging members for an event to even out the odds, or loaning a member to a club who does not have enough to compete.
Junior Farmers is a youth organization open to all people aged 15 to 30. Members gain leadership skills while bettering their community and making new friends.
Despite the name, members do not have to have an agricultural background; everyone is welcome. For more information on Wellington Junior Farmers, contact Pat Grotenhuis at 519-338-9962 or Matt Dann at 519-338-5872 or email wellingtonjf@jfao.on.ca.
