St. Marys welcomes everyone 'home' this weekend as grads and tourists gather
The town of St. Marys is celebrating this long weekend with a party five years — and a pandemic delay — in the making.
It is Homecoming-Heritage Weekend, and that means plenty of activities and memories in Stonetown.
Already complete, a parade and fireworks show on Friday. But the main events are scheduled for this weekend.
Ongoing Saturday, a carnival atmosphere downtown, featuring bouncy castles, displays, food trucks and sales from local merchants.
A parade enters the downtown of St. Marys on July 1, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)But the key event is an all-years reunion at St. Marys District Collegiate and Vocational Institute, the local high school, where thousands of former students are visiting the school to reunite with old classmates.
Organizers have set up displays for each decade of graduates in different rooms of the school, stretching back to the 1940s.
1960s graduate, Nancy Bickel, said it is wonderful to see old friends, and added with a smile that she still knows her way to the principal’s office.
“Definitely! Yes, we had a lot of fun and we learned lots of things and made a lot of friends here,” she said.
It turns out, that Nancy was eyeing up a friend's brother throughout high school. But she did not "get serious” with Clare, her husband of 48 years, until after graduation. The pair attended the reunion together.
Nancy and Clare Bickell, as seen at their old high school, St. Marys DVCI, during an all-years reunion on July 2, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London) “I used to think he was pretty cute, but he was a year or two younger than me,” Nancy told CTV News London.
Meanwhile, St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee is thrilled to see so many visitors in town.
“It’s so funny, because almost every time you see someone, you say, ‘Oh I haven’t seen you since, oh yeah, pre-COVID,’” he said.
The St. Marys Homecoming-Heritage weekend concludes Sunday with a church service and front porch reunion show.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
'Wild, wild west.' Families say organs of deceased Alabama inmates have been removed without their consent
The state Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama at Birmingham face disturbing allegations from the families of five inmates whose organs were removed and reportedly kept without consent, according to a series of lawsuits.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed from Trump hush money trial as prosecutors seek to hold former president in contempt
A juror in Donald Trump's hush money trial was dismissed Thursday after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial, and the status of a second New Yorker picked for the panel was in limbo amid concerns that some of his answers in court may not have been accurate.