WELLINGTON NORTH – A community survey has concluded the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival is considered to be Wellington North’s top tangible cultural asset.
The survey was conducted for the township’s Master Cultural Plan update and included 235 participants.
It was launched in May and sought input from the community on directions and priorities for the cultural plan.
Based on the results of the survey, 75 per cent of respondents considered the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival to be a top five tangible cultural asset.
The Luther Marsh Conservation Area and the Mount Forest Museum and Archives were also considered top cultural assets in the area, with 52% and 43% respectively considering them in the top five. The Saugeen Fur and Feather Festival also received a significant portion of votes.
The survey discovered a low level of satisfaction with the area’s food/wine/beer festivals. Over 42% of respondents said they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with festivals of this kind in Wellington North.
Notes from the township’s cultural roundtable committee minutes mention that events like these appeal to a younger crowd and should be considered by the committee.
During the Aug. 9 council meeting, at which councillors received the survey results, Mayor Andy Lennox said he was struck by the prominence of festivals and events in the area, and that the survey underlines the importance of creating opportunities for people to get together socially.
“Certainly, that’s come to the forefront over the last year. We recognize how much we miss getting together with each other and having some fun,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to the final report and looking forward to what we can do to help us move forward to continue to strengthen the culture that’s been built in our communities.”
Economic development officer Dale Small agreed.
“The results of the survey show how important it is that we have these types of activities and events for our community to be able to come together and celebrate certain events,” he said.
Small said the cultural roundtable committee is hoping to deliver its cultural plan to council within the next two months.
“We’ll come back at that point in time with some recommendations from the cultural roundtable for moving forward,” he said.
