Melancthon Day celebrates 169th anniversary of township’s founding

June 30, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents of Melancthon celebrated the 169th anniversary of the township this past weekend with their annual Melancthon Day park party.

Community members gathered at Horning’s Mills Community Park on Saturday (June 25) to enjoy a fully day of festivities including a barbecue, kid activities, live music from Gary Heaslip, and a first responders’ competition.

“We’ve been derailed over the last two years so this is the first time that we’ve been able to all come back as a community and we’re really excited to bring everybody back,” said Melancthon Councillor James McLean, organizer of the event.

“We’ve got a really special community here and it’s so important that we come together as a community and celebrate this special place that we have.”

The day of events kicked off with activities for kids including a potato-sack race and an egg-spoon race.

“It’s cool to see them playing games that I would play as a child and that they haven’t seen before, it’s really neat,” said Ainsley Squirrell, who attended Melancthon Day with her husband and three children.

Six-year-old Sadie Cerson took part in the egg-spoon-race and gave her seal of approval for the game.

Speaking with the Free Press she said she was looking most forward to the bouncy castle.

The Melancthon Day Park Party also saw the first-ever First Responders’ Challenge featuring members from the Mulmur/Melancthon Fire Department, Dundalk Fire Department, and Dufferin County paramedics.

The Dufferin County paramedics teams took the win in the tug-a-war contest, but it was the Dundalk Fire Department who took home bragging rights with the shortest time in the obstacle course relay race.

The day closed out with fireworks at dusk.

An annual tradition in the community, the Melancthon Day event honours and reflects the townships’ long history.

Located in northern Dufferin County, the Township of Melancthon was incorporated on January 1, 1853 and consists of three Hamlets – Horning’s Mills, Corbetton, and Riverview. The main occupation in the township is farming.

According to the township’s website, Melancthon was the first municipality to approve and have constructed the largest wind farm in Ontario with 45 wind turbines. Melancthon Township is now home to 167 wind turbines.

“It’s important to celebrate the history of this community. There’s a lot of deep roots here and for many people who grew up here this community means a lot. Taking the time to all come together and celebrate, I think, is really important,” said McLean.