22nd Annual Springsong Weekend– A Celebration of Birds and Birding
May 12-14, 2023 – In person!!
Springsong Weekend will be LIVE and IN PERSON again!!!!! I look forward to welcoming you back as well as meeting new guests!!
THIS EVENT IS A MAJOR FUNDRAISER FOR THE HERITAGE CENTRE THUS TICKETS WILL BE NON REFUNDABLE UNLESS GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS PREVENT THE EVENT FROM HAPPENING. SHOULD YOU CANCEL YOU WILL RECEIVE A CHARITABLE TAX RECEIPT FOR THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE TICKET.
Thank you!
Sincerely, Kim
A MAJOR fundraising in support of the Pelee Island Heritage Centre
Springsong Weekend – Traditionally held on Mother’s Day Weekend. It is a weekend of celebration involving books and birds. This event was started seventeen years ago as a fundraiser for The Heritage Centre with the help of Pelee Island Bird Observatory and Margaret Atwood. There is a 24 hour green “bird race” competing for the coveted Botham Cup. Margaret Atwood continues the tradition of bringing award winning authors to our island where they are introduced by her at our traditionally sold out banquet.
GUEST AUTHOR – RANDY BOYAGODA
Randy Boyagoda is the author of four novels, as well as a scholarly biography and a monograph on race and identity in American fiction. He contributes widely to publications such as the New York Times, Harper’s, and The Guardian and is a regular on Shelagh Rogers’ CBC Radio show, The Next Chapter. His first novel Governor of the Northern Province (2006) was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Beggar’s Feast (2012) was nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize and named a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Original Prin (2018) and Dante’s Indiana (2021) are part of a trilogy set in North America and the Middle East. Boyagoda is Vice Provost and a Professor of English at the University of Toronto and is a past President of PEN Canada.
Ian Davidson is a Canadian ecologist who has been a leader in wildlife, nature, and bird conservation organizations throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. For over a decade, he led BirdLife International projects in Ecuador, Patagonia, the Galapagos, and the Amazon basin, and in 2021, became BirdLife International’s Regional Director of the Americas. In late 2022, he attended the conference on Biological Diversity (CoP15) in Montreal, part of an international team of BirdLife partners working to get a fair deal for birds and nature. He firmly believes conservation is local, and as such, works on the Board of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory. Ian will be delivering the Sunday Morning Bird Talk—Big Picture Migration: How Pelee Island birds—cuckoos, bobolinks, prothonotary wailers, and re knots—are getting a boost from South American bird projects that marry first world innovation with indigenous leadership.
PAST AUTHORS
Author Celebrity Birder
2002 Margaret Atwood Kevin Seymour
2003 Farley Mowat Unveiling Stone Road Plaque
2004 Alistair MacLeod Orlando Garrido & Arturo Kirkconnell (Cuba)
2005 Jane Urquhart Bill Lishman
2006 Alice Munro Peter Matthiessen
2007 David Suzuki Fred Bodsworth
2008 Vincent Lamb Bridget Strutchbury
2009 Joseph Boyden Mystery Birder
2010 Brian Brett Robert & Birgit Freybe Bateman
2011 Nino Ricci Trevor Herriot
2012 Wayne Grady & Ian Davidson Merilyn Simonds
2013 Elizabeth Hay TBA
2014 Linden MacIntyre TBA
2015 Lawrence Hill Trevor Herriot
2016 Miriam Toews Graeme Gibson the Younger
2017 Michael Crummey Wayne Grady
2018 Madeleine Thien Sean Dooley
2019 Steve Burrows Danny Catt
2020 Lorna Crozier Trevor Herriot
2021 Louise Penny David Lindo
2022 Lorna Crozier David Lindo
2023 Randy Boyagoda Ian Davidson
peleeislandhc@gmail.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
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Botham Cup Bird Race
– Take part in the 24 hour “green” bird race and rally for the coveted Botham Cup. The official gong is sounded at the Heritage Centre, Friday at noon. Your team will have 24 hours to spot as many of the 314 species of birds that visit our island. Finish the day at Springsong Banquet where Margaret Atwood will give out the famous rubber chicken awards!
- NC C-Birds 9 – Jill Crosthwaite, Mhairi McFarlane, Shkuhnodin Shognosh-Myers
84 species WINNERS OF THE BOTHAM CUP
Tied for first place with 91 species sighted: Waterloo Warblers and Doctor’s Without Birders
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED AND TO ALL PARTICIPATING TEAMS!!!
| $20 per team, max 4 members |
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UPCOMING EVENTS FOR 2022 – *******PLEASE NOTE THAT EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN APRIL HAVE BEEN POSTPONED*****
NATURE ON PELEE ISLAND –THE SECRET IS OUT!
A group of islanders has been working to break the secret ! With the help of a Gosling Foundation grant, a program of nature events was developed. In March we had a Salamander night walk to see the unique to Canada Small Mouth and Blue Spotted complex salamanders returning to their breeding ponds and hear about ongoing research. The Pelee Island Bird Observatory will soon begin monitoring spring migration, visitors welcome. Every month through to December is packed with events, see the full program here: PELEE BUZZ.
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CANCELLED
8TH ANNUAL
ISLAND UNPLUGGED MUSIC FESTIVAL
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
The 8th Annual Island Unplugged Music Festival on Pelee Island that was originally planned for 2022 has been cancelled. Our festival relies heavily on ticket sales, tourism industry partners, food and beverage sponsors, as well as provincial and federal funding to come to life every year. In these uncertain times, the board unanimously agrees that it would be prudent to cancel the 2022 event at this time.
We have considered the safety of our artists, vendors, volunteers, and festival goers, the best interest of the island, and finally the financial health of our organization while coming to this decision. We hope that by making this tough decision now, we will be able to return in 2023.
As CoVid19 continues to have a profound impact on our artists, we humbly ask that you continue to support artists by buying their music. Watch our facebook page for regular artist links with some of our favourite music to purchase.
We also ask that you support our sponsors where you can. These local businesses have given year over year to support this event. Please do your part to #supportlocal.
We wish all of you peace and good health.
Stay safe, festies!
Love from the island…
Cathy, Kim & Amanda
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11th Annual Chili Cookoff – Saturday, August 13,2023 @ Pelee Island Wine Pavilion
2022 CHILI COOKOFF JUDGE’S RESULTS ARE:
1ST PLACE – Chili on the Rocks – Jerome & Denise Noel
2nd PLACE – Chili Chili Bang Bang – Dave Conflitti & Clark Brockman
3rd PLACE – Willy Nilly Northend Chili – Mike & Laura Gramm, Nicholas Resendes
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
CHILL OUT – Wolfgang Moritz – 5th YEAR IN A ROW!!!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPATING TEAMS!!!!
Chili Cookoff – Now in the 10TH year, it is a great community gathering where teams compete for great prizes the Official Chili Cup and the People’s Choice Award. A great fundraiser for the Heritage Centre; it is drawing competitors from outside our country making the Pelee Island Southernmost Chili Cookoff a truly international event. To sign up as a contestant please contact the Heritage Centre at 519-724-2291.
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13th Annual Heritage Weekend – Friday, September 8 & 9, 2023
TO BE ANNOUNCED
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13th Annual Harvest Dinner – Saturday, September 16, 2023
Join us at the Pelee Island Wine Pavilion for a scrumptious end of the season banquet! And don’t forget – Island Pie for dessert! Tickets are limited and are non-refundable. In the event that you cannot attend, please contact the Heritage Centre and every effort will be made to re-sell your ticket. Our last Harvest Dinner was a sold out event so save the date as this will no doubt be a very memorable evening!