51st Annual Chicken BBQ a Success
Submitted by Sheryl Spencer
Well, the 51st Tobermory United Annual Summer Chicken BBQ has come and gone. What a feat of organization! The best thing is that having done so many barbecues in the past, the team knows exactly how things should go, and it’s really a matter of tweaking. They make it look easy, which is a sure sign of ultimate preparedness!
My job at both the spring and summer barbecues has been to be out on the roads delivering dinners to folks’ homes. What a delight to hand over a hot chicken dinner on someone’s doorstep! What I’ve come to love most about the Chicken BBQ, however, is that it really is a community effort. As people gather just before we’re about to start, there is a palpable sense of anticipation, and dare I say, joy! Such gratitude goes out to all the folks who show up to help.
The only hitch with the barbecue this year is that even though we had 580 of them, we sold out of tickets just before pick-up began. Apologies to those who were disappointed.
Thrift Shop Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday
The Tobermory Thrift Shop continues its good work at 7101 Hwy. 6. It too is a well-oiled machine!
Mondays and Tuesdays are donation days, Wednesday is sorting day and Thursday, Friday and Saturday are sales days. The hours each day are 1 to 4pm.
I volunteer at the Thrift Shop on Thursday afternoons. I have been asked why, as the minister, I do that, and the response is multi-faceted. At the Thrift Shop, I get to be with people – tourists, cottagers and residents alike – and interact with them in ways I never would just sitting in my office. One day, we outfitted a woman who was going to a wedding, offering opinions on the outfits she was trying on just as if we were in a fancy clothing store! I also get to see, in a very tangible way, the needs of the community. I get to meet people, which, as I’m still in my first year of ministry here, is a significant part of my orientation. I also just love doing it.
Summer in the Spirit – Wednesdays in August
Summer in the Spirit, the joint initiative between Tobermory United and St. Edmund’s Anglican that serves to build community, honour the sacredness of place and celebrate Spirit, continues. Every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 through the rest of August, an event is planned.
On August 16, Holly Dunham will lead a ‘Tobermory walkabout’. Meet at the Bruce Trail cairn. On August 23, John Keeshig and April Jones, of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, guardians of the traditions and stories of the original people of these lands and waters, will lead us in a sacred fire. On August 30, we’ll wrap up with a potluck picnic at Tobermory United.
As I write this, the Chi-Cheemaun’s horn has just blown, a sign of the summer that has become regular and beloved. As the summer unfolds, I am filled with gratitude.
Thank you, Tobermory.
Rev. Sheryl Spencer is minister of Tobermory United Church
