The crow has been much-maligned in these parts for years for their large numbers and loud noise, but organizers of a new event are aiming to make the bird a focal point for a celebration in the community.
Plans are in the works for Crowfest in Chatham-Kent that will run from Oct. 1 to 15 organizers revealed on Tuesday.
Noting crows are viewed as wise and lucky in some cultures, Crowfest co-chair Andrew Thiel said, “Rather than looking at the negative viewpoint we’re going to do something that’s positive. I think it should be a lot of fun.
Co-chair Mayor Darrin Canniff said, “We’ve been looking at it for the last few years now, then COVID hit and we put it on the backburner.”
He said other communities in North America have crowfest events and “we want to do a Chatham-Kent version.”
Thiel said the plan is to have daily activities Oct. 1-13 leading up to Friday Oct. 14 with a main event catering to youth and Saturday, Oct. 15 featuring various family activities during the day. The evening will consist of many activities that will include a live concert that will feature “crow” themed bands and hits, he added.
Thiel said downtown merchants, landlords and tenants are all encouraged to go big on decorating buildings and storefronts.
He’d like to see a Halloween theme that rivals the Christmas light display in Windsor’s Jackson Park to help attract visitors to the community.
“I think we could have folks from around Southwestern Ontario, that love that Halloween-crow theme, visit downtown Chatham,” Thiel said.
He said organizers have secured a grant from the municipality and a private citizen has come on board to provide a budget for the event.
Canniff said another goal is to have a fun event in October, but more people are needed for it to take flight.
“We need to get some horsepower behind it now,” the mayor said. “Let’s get some people volunteering and make it happen.”
Individuals interested in sitting on the steering committee, volunteering or judging as well as sponsorship opportunities can find details at www.crowfestck.com.