Village Green to benefit from Jamboree
What started out as a movement to block the creation of a mega quarry in Mulmur Township has morphed into a positive force for community change according to Bill Duron.
Duron hosted the 17th Anniversary Jim Cuddy Jamboree last weekend at his home, Lyric Pond. About 350 people flocked to the site for an evening of local food, craft beverages, and entertainment by the Jim Cuddy Band and Skydiggers.
The first Jamboree was organized by the group Conserve Our Rural Environment (CORE) to raise funds for engineering studies and legal costs associated with the fight against what members felt was inappropriate development. That fight was ultimately successful, and Duron says with no pressing land use issues currently on the horizon, the focus has shifted in recent years to projects such as clean-up of the 400-acre Pine River Nature Reserve. The event is now run by the Dufferin CommunityFoundation and supports both a conservation and environmental fund, and an arts and culture fund.
A $25,000 donation from last year’s Jamboree was made to the Creemore Community Foundation to finance entertainment at the soon to be opened Village Green. Duron anticipates that once proceeds of this year’s event are tallied, there will be another donation of $25,000-$30,000.
Jim Cuddy who was recently awarded an honourary doctorate from University of Toronto in recognition of both his contributions to Canadian music and his charitable work, referred to the early fight against the quarry as the sort of thing you don’t expect to win. He praised the work of event organizers as proof of the power of people working together.
