MINTO – The Town of Minto has made the Culture Days 2021 listing of top participating communities.
On Nov. 24 Culture Days released a ranking of the communities from across the country with the most registered Culture Days programs and events.
Minto ranked third nationwide in the rural and small town category, with 32 events, four behind first place Canmore, Alberta, which hosted 36 registered events and two behind Scugog, Ontario, with 34.
“This annual recognition is a fantastic indicator that the Town of Minto is an active champion for arts and culture,” Culture Days officials note in a press release.
In 2021, hundreds of cities, towns, and regions of all sizes embraced Culture Days “to spark creativity, build community, and celebrate nationally – attracting a record audience estimated at 3.4 million people to activities both in-person and online,” the press release states.
St. Catharines, Ontario, with 192 events, placed first in category for mid-sized cities and also in the overall ranking.
Now in its 12th year, Culture Days has become the largest annual cultural event in Canada, attracting millions of people to thousands of free activities hosted by artists, cultural organizations and municipalities in hundreds of communities.
“Culture Days programs invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the importance of arts and culture by connecting communities and creators,” organizers state.
“It’s great to be recognized for doing something that you love,” said Town of Minto Cultural Roundtable chair Peggy Raftis. “It’s really gratifying to have people support the events everyone worked so hard to put on and hopefully the national recognition raises the profile of community arts and culture organizations.”
“We were very pleased to receive this national recognition,” said Minto treasurer Gordon Duff, a member of the town’s cultural roundtable committee and the Minto Arts Council.
He added, “The Town of Minto has been a strong supporter of Culture Days for several years and the organizers are happy to see our variety of events and activities for all ages and interests were noted by Culture Days Canada.
“It is important to have a vital cultural life in our rural communities which supports independent artists, small businesses, residents and visitors, especially in these challenging times. The Minto Cultural Roundtable appreciates being able to facilitate these events.”
