By Peter Shurman
When it comes to keeping our community spirit alive, few things are as important as making sure residents can come together to celebrate the history and character that make Thornhill such a wonderfully unique community to live in.
The Thornhill Village Festival, held in the Old Village of Thornhill, is such an opportunity and that is why I am very pleased that, thanks to the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill (SPHOT), we will once again be able to gather this year on two separate Saturdays in September, to enjoy the arts, crafts and entertainment presented by what has surely become the community event of the year in our part of Ontario.
The Thornhill Village Festival is a successful event held annually for over three decades. Thornhill has undergone many changes over those 33 years and it is to the credit of SPHOT that we are still able to immerse ourselves in Thornhill?s rich history and experience our community?s roots.
With the Thornhill Village Festival quickly approaching, I know that the SPHOT volunteers are hard at work to make sure this year?s festivities rival those in the years before.
The first part of the 2009 Thornhill Village Festival, Craftfest, will take place on Sept. 19, the traditional third Saturday of September on which the festival has been held. It will feature arts and crafts, children?s events and entertainment.
During Musicfest on Sept. 26, the whole town is invited to enjoy military re-enactments, music, art and the opening of The MacDonald House and the Armstrong House, two pieces of Thornhill?s history.
I first attended the Thornhill Village Festival with my family 25 years ago. As a parent who raised his children in this community and as the member of provincial parliament for Thornhill, I know the importance of this annual event and I hope that you and your family will join me to take in the music, entertainment, arts and crafts, and make this year?s festival the best that Thornhill has seen.
On behalf of the residents of Thornhill, I would also like to express my appreciation to the organizers and volunteers who are once again spending countless hours getting the festivities ready. Without your commitment to our community, events like the Thornhill Village Festival would simply not be possible, and I thank each and every one of you for your dedication.
For more information on the 2009 Thornhill Village Festival, please visit www.thornhillhistoric.org.