Volunteers are needed to help shape how Bracebridge’s 150th anniversary will be celebrated in 2025.
The Bracebridge 150 Advisory Committee was formed during the Dec. 13 council meeting.
An application is available on the town’s website with a deadline of Jan. 4.
Deputy Mayor Brenda Rhodes was selected to Chair the committee, while Coun. Barb McMurray and Don Smith will sit alongside her. It will be up to the trio to determine which five community members are suitable to join them.
“All three [council] members bring a special set of skills and insight into the town, which I think will be valuable for the advisory committee,” said Mayor Rick Maloney.
According to a Dec. 6 report to the town’s Planning and Development Committee by Jennifer Clancy, Manager of Economic Development, similar committees were formed in 1975 and 2000 for Bracebridge’s 100th and 125th anniversaries.
The then-village of Bracebridge was incorporated in Jan. 1875.
At the time, Clancy says the population was 750. It grew to 7,150 by ’75 and says it’s now “well over” 17,000.
She adds in her report there will be “legacy projects” undertaken throughout the year, including a new story added to the storybook trail at the Woodchester Villa and upgrades to Memorial Park downtown.
Clancy says other activities will be announced closer to Jan. 2025 and after consulting with the advisory committee.
“This is going to be an event that is community-driven but at the same time requiring a lot of input from the town,” said Maloney.
